The morning was tense. Ogron sat quietly drinking coffee. Anagan sat too , not saying anything.
"Not hungry Ana?" Ana? Ogron never called him that. His face scrunched, "I know why: Do you feel guilty?" Anagan stiffened—did Ogron figure out about his talk with Gantlos? Before panic set in, Ogron sighed.
"I understand you're a runner, your magic causes you to burn much more calories than the rest of us, but please, if you must eat in the night at least have the decency to clean up after yourself!" The scolding was music to Anagan's ear, but he looked at the door, wondering what about Gantlos.
"He can come in when I'm finished," Ogron's icy stare pierced through Anagan, "I'm not sure if I can control myself around him yet,"
Anagan couldn't read his eyes. Then he saw a pang of hunger—he wanted to hurt Gantlos again. He yearned to hurt him more. Anagan shuddered. A familiar voice came over the telepathic link.
"Don't tell me you lot forgot me?" The playful voice contrasted with the atmosphere. Duman's unawareness of everything made Anagan fear for him.
"Duman! Great to hear your voice, I assume you've found something?"
"Yeah a couple of weaknesses- I can relay everything tonight if you'd like to meet me at the Winx's place?"
No.
"That sounds perfect, let me know when you're ready and I'll-"
"I'll go," Anagan interrupted. He couldn't let this Ogron go, he had to tell Duman.
"Interesting? Why the sudden voluntary action, Ana?" Ogron asked aloud
"Because-well… you always want to talk to us after fights! I know you are angry, but you two need some alone time to work things out!" He flashed a big cheesy grin. In reality, bile threatened to spill at the thought of leaving Gantlos alone with him. There was no reward here.
"Very well then," Ogron sighed, opening the communication chain once more "Duman contact Anagan when the coast is clear," he took a sip of coffee.
"Hey where's Gantlos? I haven't heard the big lugs voice!" Duman's excited voice made Anagan's stomach churn.
"Sleeping, he was up late in the night, I'll have him contact you soon. You should go now Duman." The chain closed. Now Anagan just had to play the waiting game until tonight.
Back with the winx, Duman was kind of enjoying the attention stella and riven kept pouring onto him. It felt good to be spoiled by affection.
"Dahlia. I love you but please let me choose your outfit, don't get me wrong I adore the punk look, but maybe we could try something…brighter?" Stella was on her third espresso, no wonder she was so peppy, she had caffeine in her veins!
"Stella, there's nothing wrong with a darker color scheme, I think it suits her!" Musa chimed.
"Well- I mean it couldn't hurt-" before she even finished her sentence Dahlia was dragged into Stella's room. Wow, and Duman thought he was messy. Stella took out a purple pair of booty shorts and a green mesh top, and a red pleated skirt and pastel pink crop top with the text "ask me about my attitude problem ".
"Okay which one do you like more, personally I love some shorty shorts, buuut- if skirts are more comfortable I have that option too!"
Duman looked down and back up, "where's the rest of their cloth? These don't look so good in the coverage department…"
"Look- girl to girl, you are sexy. You have huge boobs, a small waist, and a fat ass, you need to flaunt it!"
"Can't I do that in an actual shirt?"
"Pick or I will " the sing song voice made Duman grab the skirt in a haste , at least nothing was mesh, right? Stella dolled her new friend up with sons thigh highs and make up- Duman wasn't too good in stilettos so flats it was!
"You are beautiful, do you know that?" Duman's face flushed when she hugged him from behind. Unfortunately the sound of shouting drew them out of the room.
"Oh let me fill you in —Musa and Riven have an on/off type relationship. Right now it's off." Duman watched the two argue before Riven noticed Dahlia standing there. She looked really pretty.
"Good job, princess!" Brandon applauded Stella's handy work.
"Compliments are meant for the person in the clothes, you simp!" Riven approached Duman, "Ya look astounding Dahlia," he looks back at musa, who fumed silently —"why don't you and I go out today, just us?"
"Like a date?" He looked over at the girls, he was not about to be the epicenter for drama. He needed to be trusted, " I would love to, but I can't— Musa is my friend after all-"
"It's fine, you should go," Musa sulked put through gritted teeth.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, we broke up, no sense holding onto something that's not worth saving," oof , even Duman felt that.
Riven bit his tongue, taking Dahlia's arm and walking out.
"Musa…" Flora began, reaching out.
"I'm fine I just – I feel crowded, I'm gonna go get some air." She grabbed her guitar and headed out the door.
"I don't think she's fine with it." Bloom rolled her eyes at Stella's comment.
Roxy shot through the door— she looked frantic, "BLOOM!"
She hugged bloom tight.
"Hey woah, what happened?" Bloom was concerned that Roxy had been hurt.
"I keep having this awful vision, I don't know what it means, I'm terrified!"
"Hey we'll figure it out," Layla assured her.
"It's bad, guys…."
Meanwhile , Musa heard something –a heart song of despair from someone in the woods a while from gardenia. Her stomach wrenched, the song was full of fear and sorrow. Thinking someone needed help, she searched until she found a river, she landed in the wooded area and saw Gantlos bathing in the river, he looked bad. Really bad. He looked up and caught her eyes. In that moment, Musa became nauseous - not because he looked at her, but because he looked at her with fear—with warning. She was going to fly but he made a get down motion with his hands, he couldn't let the fairy mess things up. Musa ducked behind some trees, she watched Anagan and Ogron leave in another direction, leaving Gantlos , she peered around to see what was happening, and came face to face with Gantlos's abs. She blushed, falling back.
"Put some clothes on, ya perv!"
"Who are you calling a perv you peeping Tom?" He asked coolly. His gravelly voice sent chills through Musa.
After putting on his pants he approached her.
"You. Leave. I won't warn you again,"
"Warn me?" Musa scoffed, "You should call your friends back, unless you want to add more bruises to the collection," she readied herself, but he just sighed.
"I can't fight you fairy, not now." Gantlos looked down at his wrists solemnly.
"What is mama Ogron gonna beat you again," silence as he stared at her- a pang of pain ran through his heart song. Oh. "oh shit— did he actually? I'm so sorry, I had no idea!"
"Keep your voice down! Listen — something is happening, something bad, and it ain't us." His voice was raw, like he's been screaming, "I'm being civil here, we're trying to keep Ogron under wraps " Gantlos took a deep breath and sighed, "please"
Oh shit. Gantlos said please, to her. She pulled out her phone as it buzzed-Bloom called an emergency meeting. She looked back at the wizard who stood, tall and bruised.
"Are you— Is it going to be okay for you? If I leave?"
He let out a heavy breath, "I don't need your pity fairy,"
She was going to pry more, but Gantlos had already begun walking away. She used her zoomix to get to the house as soon as possible.
"Now that can't be a good sign-"
It was evening by the time everyone got together. Roxy and bloom seemed worried.
"So basically the vision says that there's some guy disguised as a bad guy to make himself look better so that he can be worse? I don't get it!" Stella groaned frustrated
"Could it be about Duman," Dahlia asked , trying to deflect.
" I doubt it, don't get me wrong he disguises himself, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't disguise himself as someone bad. That would draw attention to him." Musa hadn't even told them of her encounter with Gantlos, she thought about what Gantlos had said about Ogron.
" Well, if you have to disguise yourself as someone bad to look better, you must be pretty terrible,"Flora nodded to Tecna's statement.
"Why don't we sleep on it, we all seem too stressed to process this..." Agreeing with Flora, everyone retired. In the privacy of his room, that's when Duman sent the signal to Anagan.
About half an hour later, he showed up looking pale. It happened again.
"Woah, what happened to you?"
"Hurry up and tell me what you found," Anagan abandoning an opportunity to jab at Duman? Must be serious.
" OK the sun fairy can't be without light, she'll quite literally die. To weaken the music fairy put her an absolute silence. Finally, the one from Andros can't be dry for too long, Andros is a place of water put her in like a desert and she's doomed." Duman spoke quickly. "Now why do you look like you've seen horrors beyond my imagination."
"Ogron's…. Not okay, after Gantlos ruined the plan that day, Ogron put barricade cuffs on him—"
"What!?" Wow was he really that mad?
"That's...not all— He also beat him. Really bad. Made him bark like a dog. Pet him. Made him lick his shoes. The sadistic shit I saw was not the Ogron we know."
"Gantlos…is he hurt? I gotta go back!"
"NO! That man, whoever he is, loved hurting Gantlos, he craved it. But you wanna know what I noticed? He's not too big a fan of you. Every time we spoke about you he got this look on his face. Like he was disgusted. Like He was envious. You're gonna hate me, but... it's safer here with the fairies."
"So what? I'm just supposed to let him get hurt, let you get hurt?"
"Gantlos tough cookie, he can handle it, but that guy is going to crush you like a twig. Stick to the plan. Don't ruin anything. And don't come back."
Duman couldn't believe what he just heard. Someone impersonated Ogron, Gantlos is living through hell, and he couldn't even go back. Still the earnest expression of his friend worried him and he felt the pit in his stomach grow dark and deep. He wished he never heard that. His stomach churned . Roxy's vision suddenly made a whole lot of sense. And Musa thought so too. After Anagan left, she waltz right into the room, closing and locking the door behind her.
"I heard everything, and you and I have a long talk ahead of us."
