Soon enough, Barbara left the house, got into her car, and drove off, allowing the boys and trolls to go downstairs so they could continue their talk and watch her leave.
But unfortunately for Aaarrrgghh!, due to his large size, he started knocking things over in the living room, and bumping his head on the lighting fixture on the ceiling. The commotion caused Jim and Toby to look away from the window and back over at the large troll.
"Your cave… too small." Aaarrrgghh! groaned as he knocked off stuff from the coffee table and a bookshelf in the corner of the room. Deciding to not cause anymore trouble, the large troll backed into the arcway that led into the room, while Jim and Toby started to pick up the mess.
"I do have to ask Master Jim, how did you know about Kanjigar dying? I was under the assumption that humans don't know about the existence of trolls." Blinky asked as he stood over Jim while he picked up the books from the floor, making him look up at him.
'Yeah, I was wondering when he would mention that,' Jim thought to himself.
"About that… I sort of got a history lesson from my sister during school today. She told me alot about your guy's past," Jim explained while Toby walked to the VHS's that fell from the bookshelf. All while Jim's answer left Blinky surprised.
"You have a sister?" Blinky asked, shocked with the development, as he hadn't yet seen any evidence around the house that pointed to this being the case.
"Yep. The reason why she isn't here though… is a bit of a long story," Toby admitted as he began to pick up some of the VHS's on the floor, glancing over at Blinky as he spoke.
"Even so, how would she know so much about our history?" Blinky asked, not understanding how a human would know so much about trolls.
"She recently became a Miraculous Holder. And if she finds out I told you, she will absolutely kill me," Jim realized as he picked up another book. He knew that if he said anything more than he needed to, Marinette would absolutely find a way to skin him alive.
But he needed Blinky to know that he… sort of trusted him. And since he was honest with him this far, Jim might as well be too.
"Your sister is a Miraculous Holder? There hasn't been one in nearly 200 years!" Blinky exclaimed, getting excited that there were new Miraculous Holders in the world.
'And closely related to the new Trollhunter, no less.' the six eyed troll thought to himself.
"Well, Marinette is one now, alongside her partner. They defend their hometown of Paris on the daily," Toby explained as he picked up more VHS's from the floor, revealing more about Marinette's hero life. The answer left Blinky very surprised.
"Really? Might I ask which Miraculous she and her partner are in their possession? Does it have anything to do with the names Tobias mentioned earlier? Uh… Ladybug and Chat Noir, correct?" Blinky asked, wanting to know more about the new Miraculous Holders. But that particular question triggered Jim and Toby's protective instincts.
"Hey, Marinette doesn't need to get involved with all of this. And if you think you can drag her into it, then you can shove off." Jim exclaimed as he stood up, dropping the books in his arms while jabbing a finger into Blinky's chest.
"Yeah, she's only thirteen. She already has enough on her plate." Toby added, accidently copying Jim's example and joining Jim in defending their little sister.
"Only thirteen? And she has been chosen for a Miraculous? She must be very special," Blinky praised, noticing the two boy's protectiveness of their, apparently, younger sister.
'She seems to be quite unique to be chosen for such an honor.' the six eyed troll thought.
"You have no idea," Jim and Toby fondly replied at the same time before going back to pick up the stuff they dropped.
"So Master Jim, are you ready? We should begin your training immediately!" Blinky exclaimed as Jim started to pick the books up again. But Blinky's question only made Jim nervous at the thought of the possible dangers he had to face.
"Uh, it's a school night." Jim frantically fibbed, trying to think of a way to get out of this crazy situation, and avoiding Blinky's staring.
"I assure you the relevance escapes me," Blinky admitted, not understanding why Jim was not interested in taking immediate action.
"I'm fifteen. I have to stay home and study, and stuff- do homework? I can't be out y'know, Troll Hunting?" Jim tried to explain, while Toby continued to pick up the VHS's from the ground.
But he was interrupted when Aaarrrgghh! came forward and sniffed one of the VHS's in Toby's hand, licking his lips before he opened his mouth. Toby responded to the troll by chuching the plastic box into the awaiting troll's mouth.
"... Because?" Blinky queried, while Aaarrrgghh! chomped on the VHS.
"Well the whole getting killed by a vicious troll named Bular might be a deal breaker!" Jim exclaimed, as he picked up the last book and stood up from the ground, while Toby fed Aaarrrgghh! another 'snack'.
"Dude, He eats VHS's!" Toby happily cheered before the troll burped in contentment.
"Deal breaker?" Blinky questioned as Jim walked to the T.V and placed the books on top of it, while Toby fed Aaarrrgghh! another videotape.
"I don't want to die!" Jim shouted as he turned to face Blinky, leaving the troll speechless as he blinked all of his eyes in silence.
"Goodness gracious, who does?!" Blinky laughed, breaking his silence. But the boy only looked to the ground in resignation and pulled out the amulet from his pocket.
"Maybe you should take this back," Jim offered as he held the amulet to Blinky.
'Unlike Mari, I'm not right for the job,' Jim thought to himself.
"The amulet called to you, Master Jim. It chose you. It is your-" Blinky refused, pushing the amulet back to Jim as he spoke. But the boy only tried to give it back to the troll again, to which Blinky just pushed it back to him once more.
"Please don't say destiny," Jim interrupted Blinky, making him stop his spiel.
"-Sacred obligation!" Blinky continued.
"Or that," Jim groaned.
"You cannot refuse it, you cannot give it back. It is yours until you die," Blinky explained, revealing one of the terms of the amulet.
"And I would like to get a little further past puberty before that happens!" Jim shouted as he slammed the amulet into Blinky's hands, glaring at the four armed troll.
'There is no way I'm doing this,' Jim thought to himself.
"Master Jim, you are now responsible for the protection of two worlds, the human and troll alike. If you do not keep the balance, evil trolls like Bular will come into yours and wreak havoc!" Blinky worryingly admitted, basically pleading that the boy listen to him as he revealed the consequences of his choice if he went through with it.
"You're saying this 'Bular' could hurt people?" Jim asked, before he started to think of the possibility of someone he cared about being hurt.
"Like you," Aaarrrgghh! admitted as he pointed at Jim, causing Toby to stop giving him VHS's, and look over at Blinky and Jim.
"Not helping!" Blinky said to Aaarrrgghh! through gritted teeth, trying to stop him from 'helping'.
"What's he talking about?" Jim wondered.
"With the amulet now in your possession, Bular will seek you out, and you will face him one way or another," Blinky revealed after he turned to face Jim again, leaving the boy in shock.
"Maybe what Jim needs is a little time to process all of this. Y'know, you laid a lot of heavy stuff on him tonight," Toby reasoned as he walked over to Jim, hoping to convince the trolls to let Jim have some time to process.
"Fine, fine. We shall return tomorrow then, to begin your training!" Blinky exclaimed, seeing that they did lay a lot on the poor boy.
"Awesome-sauce!" Toby cheered, glad he was able to convince them while Jim looked at him in amazement.
Soon enough, Aaarrrgghh! and Blinky were ready to leave. Toby slowly opened the backdoor to check if anyone was watching, and thankfully, no one was.
"For the road big guy!" Toby said, as he shook a few VHS's in front of Aaarrrgghh! as he turned to face the large troll.
"VHS!" Aaarrrgghh! exclaimed as he saw the plastic boxes.
"Moral Weapons five and six!" Toby listened as he fed them to Aaarrrgghh! before the large troll tries to fit through the door once more.
While his companion was occupied, Blinky glanced at Jim while the boy leaned against the kitchen doorway, looking at the amulet in his hand. Seeing that he needed some words of assurance, Blinky walked towards him.
"Master Jim, if I may... destiny is a gift. Some go their entire lives living existences in quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights!" Blinky began, going into an inspiring speech to encourage the poor boy.
"Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor. That to strive and triumph in the face of fear, is what it means to be a hero. Don't think Master Jim... become!" Blinky confidently finished. Jim smiled at the inspiring words, and looked down at the ground.
'Maybe I can do this,' Jim thought to himself.
"Would you at least consider?" The four armed troll asked, right before Jim fist bumped all of Blinkys hands, as an agreement, making the six-eyed troll smile.
Very soon, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh! left the house, climbing over the garden fence while Jim and Toby watched from the back door.
"They're pretty stealthy," Toby admired after seeing how the trolls had left so quietly.
"Considering their race is a secret, it must have been a necessity to learn," Jim said as the two trolls disappeared from their sight.
"How's that? I bought you a night!" The routunded boy remarked, lightly punching Jim in his shoulder. But his words only left Jim shocked.
"A night?" Jim questioned, not seeing how that was a good thing. A night was nearly nothing to think about the offer.
"Dude, you're the one who's always talking about "wanting adventure", and "something more"! Well, wish granted!" Toby exclaimed as he pointed out that Jim had literally wished for this to happen.
"So trolls are a thing, who knew?" The routunded boy remarked as he walked back into the house, leaving Jim to follow a few seconds after.
But when he closed the door, he gazed out through the door window in the direction of Blinky and Aaarrrgghh! had gone in, still thinking about the new weight on his shoulders.
(Time Skip)
The next day, after waking up and heading to school, and sitting through the multiple classes, Jim and Toby were walking in the school courtyard, and toward their bikes to head home.
"So Marinette told you all of that before those two trolls came to your house?" Toby asked, recalling some of the stuff Marinette had told Jim.
During their lunch time call, she had told them about her meeting with Master Fu, as well as how Chat Noir now knew Trolls exist. To say they were relieved that Marinette was going to get some extra training was an understatement… They were ecstatic!
"Yep, and they basically confirmed what she said to be true. Save for the Troll Miraculous holders," Jim explained, even though it had already been confirmed by Blinky.
"So? What did you decide?" Toby asked as they walked through the courtyard-like area of the locker 'room'.
"That if anyone finds out what happened in my house last night, we'll both be committed," Jim answered, knowing that it was one way for a decision to be made. A bad way, but a way non the less.
"I meant about kicking Steve's butt!" Toby exclaimed, right before he did a few karate chops to prove his point.
"Give up the dream Tobes," Jim groaned with a roll of his eyes. Suddenly, the amulet chimed, making Toby look inside Jim's bag.
"Does this thing run on batteries? What's it doing?" Toby asked as he stared at the amulet in the side pocket of Jim's bag, while it started to pulse blue light. All the while other students stared at them due to Toby's obvious snooping.
"How should I know? It's magic, like Mari's miraculous! And unlike her, it didn't come with a manual, let alone a kwami to explain how it works!" Jim exclaimed as quietly as he could, trying to not give them away as he clutched his bag strap in worry.
"Does it feel like you're gonna, y'know, change?" Toby wondered, getting worried at the possibility of Jim transforming right in the middle of the most active area of the school.
"Oh no…" Jim groaned when he realized that was exactly what was happening
"We gotta get you someplace that's not out here!" Toby exclaimed before he pushed Jim into the gym locker room. Little do they know, Mr. Strickler is watching them, smirking at the turn of events.
Inside the locker room, like they suspected, Jim transformed into his armor. The sudden change made him stumble and fall before he picked himself up and walked back to Toby.
"So cool…" Toby gushed from his spot at the entrance of the locker row when he saw the armor again.
"Ok, why did it do that?" Jim wondered as he looked at his armor-covered body. But they were soon interrupted when they heard the door to the locker room open and close.
"Jim? Jim, are you in here?" A voice called out, making the two boys peek from the locker row, only to see it was Mr. Strickler.
Knowing that they couldn't let him see Jim, they ran deeper into the locker row. Unfortunately for them, the noise from their retreat alerted the teacher of their presence.
"Keep him out of here!" Jim whispered as he kept his body close to the lockers to decrease the chances of someone seeing him in his current state.
"How?" Toby asked from his own hiding spot behind a bench on the floor.
"Just go!" Jim exclaimed, desperate to not have anyone-Mr Strickler especially-find out about his new secret like this.
"Fine!" Toby sighed, frustrated that he needed to be the one to fix this mess. He then got up from his hiding spot and walked to the entrance of the locker row, only to find Mr. Stickler was just about to enter it.
"Oh hey uh, Mr. Strickler!" Toby greeted nervously, as he tightly gripped the straps of his bag to ground himself.
"Ah, Toby. Have you seen Jim? I believe he came in here," Mr Strickler said as he walked closer to the entrance of the locker row, stopping to stand in front of Toby while Jim continued to slink away.
"Yeah, he um, he's having some issues y'know?" Toby fibbed, desperate to get Mr Strickler away from the locker row while the teacher craned his neck to get a look at what Toby was hiding. Finding that tactic to be ineffective, he decided to walk in instead.
"Taco Tuesday, vicious! I think he could probably use some time alone-" The rounded boy trailed off as his voice became more distressed as Mr. Strickler turned the corner and saw Jim in his armor.
"Jim. I don't believe that's appropriate school attire, Do you?" Mr Strickler asked rhetorically as he walked towards Jim, while Toby was freaking out.
'Strickler has seen him, what now!' Toby panicked in his thoughts.
"Oh yeah, this! Funny story about this. It's uh…" Jim began, only to realize he didn't have a proper excuse… until he spotted a poster on the wall behind Mr Strickler.
"...for Romeo and Juliet!" The armored boy finished, using the play as his escape goat.
"Yeah, it's for the try-outs!" Toby agreed, cementing Jim's excuse to avoid more questions.
"Yes! The try-outs for Romeo and Juliet!" Jim exclaimed, remembering what Claire had told him a few days ago thanks to Toby's reminder.
"Jim's gonna totally smoke those auditions, I mean look at his costume! As soon as Marinette heard Jim was auditioning, she whipped it up and sent it over in a rush delivery! So realistic!" Toby explained as he walked over to Jim and tapped the chestplate of his armor, hoping that his excuse of Marinette making the armor would work.
"What happened to the chess club?" Mr Strickler asked, not entirely convinced considering not even two days ago, Jim had told him about his so-called 'new commitment'.
"Oh, I'm doing that too, apparently," Jim answered, hoping his response would be enough to appease Strickler.
"Hmm, well you better hurry then," Mr Strickler began as he pulled out his pen from his jacket.
"What?" Jim questioned
"I believe auditions end in five minutes," Mr Stricker answered, theorizing that Jim wasn't intending to audition, but caught him in a corner anyway. Not that Jim knew that, as he found himself stuck.
'Great, now what am I going to do?' Jim thought to himself as he realized he had no other choice.
(Time Skip)
"Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night," Claire proclaimed as she performed her audition. Once she had finished, the auditions group clapped in applause for her performance.
To put it simply, Jim could see no other way to get out of the corner Strickler put him in. So he was waiting for his audition in the wings of the school's auditorium stage with Toby. But he was not exactly happy about it.
"It would have been easier to tell him that I'm a Trollhunter. I don't even know the play!" Jim griped to Toby. He was more nervous that he would make a fool of himself in front of everyone, Claire especially, than he was mad that he had to audition for the play.
"Thank you, Miss Nuñez," Ms. Janeth thanked with a smile, before Claire bowed and walked off stage. But she was surprised to see the two boys waiting in the curtains.
"John?" Claire asked as she walked towards the two boys, remembering Jim's face but not his name.
"Uh, Jim," Jim flusteredly corrected as he gestured to himself.
'She almost remembered my name!' Jim gushed in his thoughts.
"And here I thought you didn't like Shakespeare," Claire joked as she crossed her arms in front of her while she spoke.
"Oh no, he's my favorite! I totally love him!" Jim fibbed, trying to gain some ground in impressing her.
"That costume is incredible! Did you make it? "Claire asked when she noticed Jim's armor, impressed by its quality.
"No, he found a magical amulet that makes it!" Toby exclaimed, half playful, half serious.
"Heh, you're funny," Claire chuckled, taking his words as a joke. Not that it mattered, since it was supposed to be a secret.
"Hehe, yeah you're a real comedian aren't ya?!" Jim growled through gritted teeth, turning to face Toby so Claire couldn't see the clear anger on his face.
"Next!" Ms. Janeth called, bringing Jim, Toby and Claire's attention to her.
"I think that's your cue. Break a leg!" Claire encouraged with a smile, right before Toby knocked on the chestplate of the armor for luck.
"I'd prefer that," Jim admitted to himself before he stepped onto the stage, leaving everyone in the audience speechless at the sight of his armor.
"Who… are… you?" Ms. Janeth asked, adding emphasis to each word to increase the dramatic effect, like any thespian would.
"James Lake Jr," Jim answered nervously due to the way Ms Janeth had asked his name and being in front of quite a few people.
"What are you trying out for?" Ms. Janeth questioned, seeing as she needed to know what part the boy was hoping to get before he actually tried out.
"Uh, Romeo?" Jim responded, giving Ms. Janeth one of the only names he knew were a part of the play. The other being Juliet.
"Well, we are all ears," Ms. Janeth said before she went to write on her clipboard, slightly interested in what Jim had in store.
The boy in armor looked around the auditorium, and heard the other teens making comments about his 'costume', which made him even more nervous. That is until he glanced over at Toby and Claire as they stood in the stage wing, offering an encouraging thumbs up, courtesy of Toby, and a warm smile, thank you Claire, making him focus back on the audition.
"Uh…Destiny," Jim began as he looked back at the audience, and took a deep breath to ground himself.
"Destiny is… a gift," The armored boy continued, right before the amulet on his chest glowed brighter. Jim looked at it in surprise, before he just smiled and rolled with it.
"Some go their entire lives living existences in quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders…" Jim proclaimed to the audience as Claire made her way off the stage to sit in the audience. Jim suddenly drew out his sword, which shocked the audience as he pointed it at them.
"...is actually a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights! Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor! That to strive and triumph in the face of fear, is what it means to be a hero!" the Trollhunter continued, drawing everyone's attention, Ms Janeth's included, as they stared at him in awe while he lifted his sword into the air.
"Don't think…" Jim trailed off before he swung his sword around in a show of skill. He then put the weapon back in between his armored shoulder blades, while he stared out at the audience.
"...Become!" The armored boy exclaimed, finishing off his piece with help from Blinky's inspiring speech the previous night. The audience suddenly began to applaud his performance.
Unknown to everyone, Mr Strickler had been watching from the doors to the auditorium, and growled in anger before he slammed the door behind him. But no one was paying attention due to being blown away by Jim's performance.
"Um, thank you!" Jim thanked the audience, flattered with the praise.
Eli, dressed in cardboard armor, got up from his seat, and threw his wooden sword to the ground in anger before stomping away, as Claire got up from her seat and walked to the stage. Seeing her approach him, Jim knelt at the edge of the stage to meet her eye level.
"Jim, that was remarkable!" Claire praised as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, mesmerized by his performance.
"Really? I didn't even think, I just sort of said it," Jim admitted, basically saying he was winging it the whole time.
"That's acting!" Claire exclaimed with a laugh before she placed her hand on his shoulder. The action causes the both of them to blush and soulfully gaze into each other's eyes.