The Dragon Riders were in the Crystal Realm trying to track down Jörmungandr, which wasn't easy despite the dragon's size.
"It's coming this way," said Alex, looking at her tablet.
Tom looked over the crystal formation, and they definitely saw the shadow of Jörmungandr.
"Great," said Eugene. "Why are we doing this again?"
"Everything I've read about Jörmungandr tells us that it's the most dangerous dragon that's ever existed," said Jun. "It's literally supposed to bring the end of the world."
"Which is why we have to get it back behind that gate," said Tom. "Remember, it nearly killed the Sky Torcher. That means the entire Hidden World is at risk."
"Yeah, us included," said Eugene.
"Okay, the plan is simple," said Tom, ignoring him. "We are pushing and hit it hard."
"Right. No problem," said Eugene, not looking entirely confident.
"Except…" said Alex, looking at her tablet, "it's gone."
The Riders looked over the crystals and saw that they could no longer see the shadow of Jörmungandr.
"How does something that big just disappear?" James asked.
Tom then felt a breeze behind them and slowly turned to find Jörmungandr towering directly behind them.
Jörmungandr roared at them fiercely.
"Get out of here!" Tom yelled, and they quickly ran for it.
They quickly mounted their dragons, but Eugene barely got away from Jörmungandr's massive jaw.
"Whoa! Go on, girl!" D'Angelo yelled as they flew away.
Jörmungandr turned towards him and hissed.
"D needs help," said Tom. "Come on, Pal!"
Thunder quickly swooped in and fired a lightning blast at Jörmungandr. However, they remained focused and struck D'Angelo with his tail. Plowhorn crashed into some crystals, and D'Angelo was launched into the air.
"I got him," said Eugene, finding and grabbing him. "I got him."
D'Angelo gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Eugene."
However, they were suddenly struck by Jörmungandr and crashed into the ground.
Alex and James quickly fired upon Jörmungandr, but they did not affect him.
"Feathers, dive!" Alex yelled.
"Blade, move!" James yelled.
They quickly swerved out of the way, but they were watching with going.
"Alex! James!" Jun yelled.
"Look out!" Alex yelled.
They then collided with one another and hit the ground.
Tom quickly landed, and he and D'Angelo helped the others onto their feet.
"You okay?" Tom asked.
"I think so," said Jun.
Tom then watched as Thunder blasted Jörmungandr with a lightning blast, but it had no effect. "Nothing we do has any effect on it."
"This creature is unlike anything we've fought before," said D'Angelo.
"No wonder Hiccup could only lock it away," said James.
"I don't think we're going to win this one," said Alex.
"Yeah. Your plan stinks, Kullersen!" said Eugene.
"In fairness, the original plan was for us to ambush it, not the other way around," James pointed out.
The Jörmungandr then towered over them, but Thunder quickly landed between them. However, Jörmungandr struck him with his tail, sending him flying.
"Thunder!" Tom yelled as he tried to reach for him.
"No!" D'Angelo yelled, pulling him back. Jörmungandr then began to open its mouth, and the strange blue mist began to emerge. "Hold your breath."
Everyone covered their mouths, and the dragons, apart from Thunder, quickly shielded the Riders with their wings. Jörmungandr then unleashed its mist upon them and began to affect the dragons. In a desperate attempt, Wu and Wei unleashed both their heat and ice breath against the mist, dilating it.
After the battle, Jörmungandr had disappeared without a trace, and the Riders were in no fit state to chase after him. The dragons had somehow been affected by the mist, and they had to carry them back into the Lair.
"Hmm," said D'Angelo as he examined Feathers.
"Is that a bad 'hmm' or a good 'hmm'?" Alex asked. "Nervous Dragon, mom here. I need real-time feedback."
"It was a 'she's the same as the others' hmm," said D'Angelo. She'll live, but only thanks to Wu Wei. Jörmungandr's breath is extremely toxic."
Jun looked at Tom, who had been silent for quite a long time. He was currently stroking Thunder; the only dragon still fit enough to stand.
"Has Tom said anything since we got back?" Alex asked.
"Not really," said Jun. "I'm a little worried about him."
"He feels responsible for Jörmungandr being set loose," said James. "We just have to give him time."
Then, they suddenly noticed that Eugene appeared to be giving CPR to Webmaster.
"One, two, three, four, five," he said frantically. "Don't you give up on me!"
"Eugene, what are you doing?" Jun asked.
"One, two, three, four, five," said Eugene. "He closed his eyes. I'm giving him DPR."
"What's DPR?" Alex frowned.
"Uh, it's like CPR, but the dragons. You know, Dragon… PR. Duh?"
"Wouldn't that be DCPR?" said Alex. "Know what? Never mind."
"I already checked Webmaster out," said D'Angelo. "He just needs rest. They all do. Except for Thunder. He was thrown clear."
"Huh, typical Kullersen luck," Eugene grumbled.
"Cork it, Eugene," Jun glared.
"What? He's just been pouty about losing. And least his dragon's fine."
Before Jun could say anything, she watched Tom walk away.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I just got to clear my head," said Tom. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Don't stress too much, Tom," said D'Angelo. "We'll figure out how to get that thing."
"Yeah," Tom nodded and walked away.
Jun couldn't help but feel concerned, but she didn't know what to say.
Later that night, Tom was in his room looking through the Book of Dragons, hoping for some clue to beat Jörmungandr. He then found something. It was a long shot, but it might be the only hope.
He opened his window and snuck out.
Moments later, he was on Thunder and made his way back to the gate; he then opened the Book of Dragons, trying to figure out where exactly to look.
Thunder was looking around frantically, no doubt concerned that Jörmungandr might return.
"I know, Pal," said Tom gently. "I don't want to run into that serpent again either. But this thing has got to be around here somewhere."
He then began looking at the gate, trying to find the thing he was looking for. "Nothing."
Thunder then roared and then pointed up towards the dragon symbol.
Tom looked at it and then back to him. "Give me a boost."
Thunder then carried Tom Alway to the top of the gate, and that's when he spotted it.
"There," he pointed, and they landed on the gate.
Resting behind the gate was an old staff that looked as if it was made of dragon bone. Tom bent down to achieve the staff, staring at it in awe.
Tom soon returned to the Lair and showed it to the other Riders, though none of them were ecstatic.
"This is it," he said, showing the staff. "The key to defeating the World Serpent. According to the book, this is what Hiccup used. It belonged to his mother, Valka."
"You want us to go up against Jörmungandr with that?" Alex asked dubiously.
"Yeah," said Tom.
"Uh, does anyone have any salt?" Eugene asked. "I just wanna make sure I'm properly seasoned before the serpent swallows me."
"I don't know, Tom," said D'Angelo. "That's not much of a plan."
"And what worked well for Hiccup might not work well for you," said James.
"Were there, like, a lot of Vikings with a lot of staffs?" Alex asked.
"No," said Tom. "This is all Hiccup used. According to the book, it hypnotised or something."
"You're going to hypnotise Jörmungandr?" Alex frowned.
"Hypnosis is real," said D'Angelo. "Actual doctors use it."
"Yeah, and suddenly crystals have been proven to have hypnotic qualities," Jun added. "Maybe the staff is similar. Tom could be onto something."
"Oh, great," said Eugene, rolling his eyes. "Here comes Jun with her hit hippie crystals again. The dragon must be shaking in its scales."
Tom shook the staff, and the good hero rattling sound came from it.
"See, it makes noise," he said as if this proved his point.
"Ha, it's a baby rattle for baby Kullersen," Eugene snickered and pretended to put his thumb in his mouth while making baby sounds. "Wah-wah-wah-wah."
Tom took a deep breath and began moving the staff but accidentally hit himself with it, making Eugene laugh.
"Okay. Okay," said Tom, picking himself up. "Haven't gotten it down yet."
"Tom, don't take this the wrong way, but you've said that before," said D'Angelo as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "James is right. This staff might have worked for Hiccup, but you're not Hiccup."
"That's because last time I said that, I didn't put in the work," said Tom. "I didn't train. This time will be different. While the dragons heal up, I'll practice with the staff. By the time they're ready, we will be, too. Right, Pal?"
"Tom, Hiccup's mother, spent 20 years alone with dragons. She had a lot of time to practice the technique," said James. "We'll be starting from scratch, and time is not exactly on our side."
"It'll work," said Tom confidently.
"I feel like he doesn't understand the concept of nobody is on board with this," said Alex.
Jun looked at Tom, concerned.
Tom made his way to the surface and opened the book, hoping for guidance on using the staff.
"So, somehow, the staff speaks to the dragons with sound," Tom read. "Of course, it didn't say what those sounds sound like or how to make them," he then turned his eyes to Thunder, "so that's what you're for. Okay. Ready?"
Tom then began to shake the rattle.
"Huh? Anything?" Tom asked.
Thunder just looked at the staff and did not show any indication that it was working.
Tom then began waving the staff, shaking it and making strange noises. "Listen to the sound of the staff, mystical, magical dragon of old."
Thunder just gave him a strange look.
"Nothing?" he said, looking disappointed. "Oh, come on. Work with me."
Tom then began moving his staff around, and it looked as if it was working as Thunder followed its movements. He then spread his arms out, and Thunder spread his wings before rolling across the ground.
"Yes! This thing is…" He stopped when he realised that Thunder had only been acting. "Hey, are you…?"
Tom couldn't help but laugh as Thunder picked himself up. "Thanks, Pal, but the staff has to work on its own."
Tom continued trying to use various techniques, even riding the staff a broomstick. By this point, Thunder was getting bored, and Tom was getting frustrated, accidentally tripping over his tail in the process.
Jun, James, Alex and Eugene were observing Tom from the bushes, and Eugene found the entire scene hilarious.
"Man, this is priceless," said Eugene.
"Give Tom a chance," said Jun. "if he believes the staff is the answer, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."
"I'm willing to give him a chance as well, but I'm afraid I'm not as optimistic as you, Jun," said James.
Eugene grabbed a stick and pretended to be Tom. "Wah-wah, ooh, check it out. I'm Kullersen, and I'm a total dweeb-fest."
"Uh, Eugene," said Alex, pointing behind him while Jun and James winced. "He sees you."
Eugene stopped and turned around and saw that Tom was standing there.
"Oh," said Eugene awkwardly. "Hey, Kullersen. I was just…" He tried to come up with a clever excuse but couldn't come up with one, "mocking you."
"I can see," Tom glared.
He then walked away with Thunder.
"Real nice, Eugene," Jun glared. "Go back to the Lair and help D with the dragons."
"Oh, come on," said Eugene as she walked away. "It was funny. Right? Right?"
Alex then walked away.
"You sure you're 16?" James asked as he walked away.
"Tough crowd," said Eugene.
Tom made it back to his dome and tossed the Book of Dragons onto the kitchen table.
"Hey! Hey, wait up," said Jun following him inside. "Didn't you see me following you?"
"I feel like an idiot," he said. "You're all watching and making fun of me."
"I wasn't making fun of you. We just wanted to see your progress."
"Well, it's not going very well, obviously," he said, turning around to face her. "I'm trying as hard as I can." He then showed her the Book of Dragons, specifically the page about Valka. "I've done everything the book tells me."
"Where does it say that Hiccup used the staff to trap Jörmungandr?" Jun asked.
"Uh, here," he said, turning the pages to find the right passage. "But it doesn't say how the staff works."
"Let me see that," said Jun, taking the book from him. "'I lured Jörmungandr to the Gronckle Iron Gate with the staff. Thankfully, my mother taught me how to use it. I can feel its breath, but I stayed focused on Jörmungandr, keeping it drawn to the staff.'"
"He says what he did but not how," said Tom. "I've been focusing, trying to do it right."
"But are you focusing on making the sound or concentrating on the dragon?" Jun asked, putting the book down. "Is your energy right?"
"I guess," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know."
Jun then pulled out a shiny stone. "This is hematite. It will absorb any negative energies around you. It'll also help ground and stabilise you." She then gave him the stone. "Here."
"Does it work?" Tom asked a little dubiously.
"Whenever I feel my insides spinning out of control, I squeeze that stone," she said as she performed a few little hand gestures. "Calms me down. Focuses me."
Tom smiled. "Thanks, Jun."
"I believe in you. Just promise me when it's time to face that serpent again, we'll all do it together. No lone wolfing."
"I promise."
Jun then left the dome smiling, and Tom looked at the stone with a silly grin on his face.
With renewed energy, he began to practice a lot more efficiently with the staff. He first started with a small group of Terrible Terrors, but he was unable to connect with them, and they flew around the Lair.
He then went to the Giant Realm to practice on some Woodchippers, but they nearly ignored him.
He then made his way to the surface and began practising with the staff of the others watching. Naturally, Eugene couldn't help but mock Tom until Alex snatched the stick from him and tossed it, which immediately chased after.
Tom then went into the Fire Realm and tried to perform instructions for a Gronckle, but it merely fired at him, causing him to run for his life.
During the night, on continued looking for the book for any hints while holding Jun's stone.
Then, when he practised on the Terrible Terrors again, they actually bowed. He then went to the Giant Realm and managed to develop the Woodchippers from their task. He finally made his way into the Fire Realm and instructed a Gronckle to light a fire, which it did.
He returned to the Giant Realm and found a dragon hiding behind a rock.
"Something is in there, Pal," he said to Thunder and approach the rock. "Whatever it is, it's about to be under my…"
Then suddenly, jumping out from behind the rock was a Deathgripper.
"Deathgripper!" Tom yelled and began swinging the staff.
However, the sudden appearance of the Deathgripper threw him off, and he fell on his backside. Thunder growled about to jump in to help Tom.
"Stay cool, Thunder," said Tom as he pulled out Jun's stone. "I got this. I got this."
He rose to his feet and began swinging the staff, but it didn't have any effect on the Deathgripper, which raised its stinger. Tom fell back in the stinger and hit the ground between his legs.
"Okay, that's another practice for today," he said, quickly mounting Thunder.
They then took off.
Back in the Lair, D'Angelo was examining the dragons; they had improved but were still not fully healed.
"Good news," said Tom as he arrived. "I figured out how the staff works."
"So you actually know how to use it?" said D'Angelo, stunned.
"I mean, mostly," said Tom as he jumped off Thunder. "I still have some kinks to work out."
"Wow. I-I'm beyond impressed," said Eugene mockingly. "I can't wait to risk my whole life on something that still has kinks to work out."
"You're sure that you figured out?" James asked.
"I did manage to get a Gronckle to light a fire for me and Woodchippers to divert from their task, and a Terrible Terror actually bowed," said Tom excitedly. "It seems to work on the smaller dragons. It's the more aggressive ones I need to figure out."
"Yes, like the World Serpent," said Alex. "Good talk."
"Look on the bright side," said Jun. This is a good sign. If we can get better at using the staff on aggressive dragons, we might actually stand a chance against them."
"Maybe," said D'Angelo. "But the dragons aren't up for a mission yet. They're still recovering from the toxic blast."
Alex's tablet then beeped.
"Uh-oh," she said. "Something big is in the Nature Realm."
"The World Serpent is attacking," said Tom. "We gotta…"
"Tom! We can't," D'Angelo reminded him.
"Well, maybe I can…"
"Tom, you promised," Jun reminded him.
"We do stand a better chance of a united against Jörmungandr, and you still need to figure out how to use the staff," James pointed out.
"Okay, okay, I won't engage Jörmungandr," said Tom defeated and then mounted Thunder. "I'll just get as many dragons out as possible."
Everyone gave him dubious looks.
"We can't just do nothing," said Tom strongly.
"And that's exactly why we are concerned," said James. "If you see the dragons in trouble, you might take that thing head-on just to protect them."
"I won't," said Tom.
He then left without saying another word.
Tom quickly entered the Nature Realm, and he and Thunder began wrestling all the dragons they could find.
"Come on, everybody," said Tom as Thunder landed carrying two Vinetails. "Let's go. It's getting closer."
Upon hearing the sound of Jörmungandr, the dragons immediately rushed towards the nearest cave they could find.
"This might take a couple of trips, Pal," said Tom.
They then heard a painful screech and went to investigate.
They then found a Deathgripper pinned to the ground by a fallen branch.
"Wait here," Tom instructed Thunder. "I'll be right back." He then jumped off of Thunder and looked at the Deathgripper. "A Deathgripper in the Nature Realm? He was stubborn, tracking us and wandered in here."
They then heard Jörmungandr roar in the distance.
"We can't just leave it here trapped," said Tom and then saw the Deathgripper lashing out. "Whoa, relax!"
Thunder rolled his eyes, knowing that this might not end well.
"We're just trying to help you," Tom assured the Deathgripper.
He then placed the staff against the tree branch and usability lever. He then pushed down on it to move the branch off of the Deathgripper, and Thunder helped. They managed to free the Deathgripper with one good yank, but then it snarled at Tom, raising its stinger.
Thunder flew in and shoved Tom out of the way, but Deathgripper pounced and pinned him to the ground.
"Get out of there!" Tom yelled.
Sadly, Thunder was unable to do that, and the Deathgripper raised its stinger.
"No!" Tom cried. He quickly got back onto his feet and grabbed the staff. "Stop!"
He then began to spin the staff around, and I, like the last time, the Deathgripper, began to respond. It then released Thunder and began to follow Tom, who used the staff to order it to leave.
"Go," he ordered. The Deathgripper then took off, and Tom turned to Thunder in disbelief. "Did you see that? The Deathgripper, I… He… It worked!" He then began to stroke Thunder happily. "We've never been able to train a Deathgripper, but the staff, it really works."
His excitement was short-lived. He heard Jörmungandr's roar and then saw the poisonous gas emerging from the treetops, and dragons flew away from it desperately.
"What do we do?" Tom panicked. "We can't evacuate an entire realm of dragons by ourselves. This might be now or never, Pal."
Thunder growled in protest, reminding himself of his promise to Jun.
"I know what I promised," said Tom. "But what choice do we have? If we don't do it, they'll all going to die. Time to put that monster back where it belongs."
Then emerging from the trees was Jörmungandr.
Tom pulled out Jun's stone and concentrated. "Focus, Tom. Stay calm."
He then began to spin the staff around, but it didn't appear to be working.
"I don't think it's working!" Tom yelled.
Thunder then dived in, grabbing Tom just as Jörmungandr pounced on him. They flew away, with Jörmungandr following close behind.
The other Dragon Riders were still in the Lair, and it looked like their dragons had fully recovered.
"Hey, everybody," said D'Angelo as Plowhorn hovered in midair. "Check it out. Plow's back up in the air. We're on the mend."
"Whatever," said Eugene. "Webs has been back in flying shape for days." Webmaster then fired off a blast and launched into the air backwards. "He's still, uh, cleaning out the lungs, though."
"Feathers is feeling better, too," said Alex and Feathers then cloaked. "Ah, I know!" She said, stroking her. "You don't like the attention. Sorry."
"Blade seems to be back on his feet as well," said James as Blade nuzzled him.
"Something's wrong," said Jun as Wu and Wei nuzzled her. "Tom should be back by now."
"Do you think he's going to do something stupid, like take on the World Serpent by himself?" said Alex.
"I would say that's a pretty good bet, which is exactly why I didn't want him to go off on his own," said James.
"No," said Jun. "He promised he wouldn't. I trust him."
Alex then awkwardly approached Jun with her tablet. "If you really believe that, check out where his saddle tracker is."
Jun immediately took the tablet off and saw that the tracker was in the Dark Realm, much to her frustration.
Tom was leading Jörmungandr towards the gate while riding on the back of Thunder, which was not easy.
"I'm trying my best to focus," he said. "Just get us to the gate."
Thunder did what he was told and headed straight towards the Dark Realm, with Jörmungandr following close behind. They eventually managed to reach the Gronckle Iron Gate, and Tom jumped off of Thunder.
"This is it," he said, holding the staff only in his hand. "If I can guide him in or…"
Jörmungandr then roared loudly and Thunder snarled back.
"Stay out of the way, Pal," said Tom. "I need it to focus on me. Be ready to lock the gate."
Thunder did what he was told and headed straight towards the locking mechanism. Tom took a deep breath as Jörmungandr approached and began moving the staff. Jörmungandr roared viciously but then started to calm down, and Tom saw that he was following the staff's movement.
Tom continued to spin the staff as he slowly backed up towards the gate. "That's it. That's it. There you go."
They were now at the gate's foot, and Tom had moved inside. He just needed to move a few more feet into the gate. However, Jörmungandr's expression immediately changed, and Tom soon realised he knew what he was planning to do.
"Oh, no," he said. "I don't think he's going to fall for it twice!"
Jörmungandr then tossed the staff to one side before launching at Tom. Thunder quickly fired a lightning blast, turning his attention to him, but Tom was struck by Jörmungandr's tail and was sent flying.
Tom lost consciousness for a brief moment; when he opened his eyes, he saw that Thunder was still battling against Jörmungandr.
"Thunder!" Tom cried.
Thunder was using his speed to his advantage against Jörmungandr's size when Jun flew in out of nowhere.
"Tom!" she yelled quickly, followed by the other Riders.
Once they landed, D'Angelo knelt beside Tom, who was still reeling from Jörmungandr's attack.
"You okay, buddy?" D'Angelo asked.
"I'm fine," said Tom.
"What are you doing down here?" Jun asked, crossing her arms.
"Somebody needs to know when to quit," said Alex.
"Maybe we can have this conversation when we're not in imminent danger," James suggested.
"We have to find a safe place to hunker down," said D'Angelo.
Jörmungandr struck Thunder away with his tail, and he crashed in front of them. Jörmungandr roared as he slowly began slithering his way towards them.
"In there!" Eugene yelled, pointing to the cave behind them.
No one argued, and they quickly made their way into the cave, but Eugene grabbed a stick and began dancing around in front of the gate.
"Eugene, what are you doing?" Jun asked.
"I'm distracting him," he said. Surprisingly, his distraction seemed to be working as Jörmungandr looked down at him, confused. "Go! Go!"
"Thunder, get the gate," said Jun.
Thunder dashed towards the locking mechanism and closed the gate.
"Eugene, get inside!" Alex yelled.
"Go fetch!" Eugene yelled, tossing the stick.
He then quickly entered the cave before the gate closed.
"Thunder, hurry!" Tom yelled.
Thunder ran towards the gate, but Jörmungandr suddenly blocked his path. He then fired a lightning blast at his face and tried to put as much distance between them as possible. However, the gate was still closing, but Plowhorn started by wedging the rock underneath it.
Thunder then swirled around Jörmungandr and crawled underneath the gate. Unfortunately, Jörmungandr managed to grab his tail and pull him back.
"No!" Tom yelled, rushing to help, and was pulled back by James and D'Angelo.
Jörmungandr then pinned Thunder to the ground and bit down on the gate to try to open it.
"Come on, Pal, don't give up!" Tom encouraged.
Thunder then bit down on the gate and unleashed a massive surge of electricity through it. This electrocuted Jörmungandr, forcing him to release his grip on the gate and freeing Thunder, who quickly crawled beneath the gate and into the cave.
Jörmungandr snarled at them and then left.
"Can we go home now?" Alex asked.
Moments later, they were back in the Lair with all the dragons they evacuated from the Nature Realm.
"Are you sure this is the best place for them?" D'Angelo asked.
"With Jörmungandr still out there, we have to get as many dragons out of its path as we can," said Tom.
"At least we learned one thing about Jörmungandr: He's unbelievably intelligent," said James. That dragon won't fall for the same trick twice, which means we need to devise a new plan to tackle him."
Tom nodded, and then his eyes turned towards Jun, who didn't look too happy. She left without saying a word and made her way to the surface.
"Wait. Jun!" said Tom, following her.
James, D'Angelo and Alex looked at one another and winced, knowing that this was not going to be pretty.
Tom climbed out of the Lair and saw Jun walking off.
"Wait up," he said, running up to her.
"You lied to me," she said, turning to face him. "You promised you wouldn't go after Jörmungandr alone, and you did it anyway." Tom really didn't know what to say. "I trusted you. The others all thought that your staff idea was nuts, but I stood up for you. I even helped you."
"Jun, I didn't have any choice," Tom argued. "Do you know how many dragons could have died?"
"You could have died. Sometimes you are so… selfish."
"Look, I was in a tough spot. I didn't have a choice."
"No! You had a choice," Jun snapped. "You just always do what you feel is right at the time. Maybe you is all you really care about."
"That's not true," he said, holding out her stone so that she could see it.
Jun narrowed her eyes. "You know, I think we're better off just being Dragon Riders."
Tom looked at her, heartbroken. "You mean…?"
"Yeah," she said. "We're over."
"But… I'm sorry."
"I know you are," she said, turning and walking away sadly. "I am, too."
Tom just stared at her as she walked away, dropping her stone onto the ground. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't come up with the right words.
"That could have been worse," said James' voice.
Tom turned and saw him standing there. "How much of that you hear?"
"Every word," he admitted, then walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, you just need to give her some time; I'm sure she didn't mean all the things she said."
Tom just remained silent as he watched as Jun walked away.