Chapter 7: Double Agents
[This chapter contains scenes from Episode 3: Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?, from Trollhunters]
Jim and Toby headed home after their mixed reception in Trollmarket, but it wasn't all bad. While he hadn't quite been sure how the Soothscryer would react to him, Jim was pleasantly surprised to see it acknowledged him as the Trollhunter. At the very least it may make winning Vendel over a little easier. Unfortunately, there was still a lot he needed to do, especially concerning Draal.
Saying goodnight to Toby, Jim returned to his house, quietly opening the door as he remembered how late he was. He closed the door behind him and was ready to head upstairs when he heard his mom call out.
"Jim, I'm in the kitchen!" Barbara shouted, her voice soon accompanied by the clanging of pots and pans. "And look who stopped by."
Walking around the corner, Jim was surprised to see Strickler sitting at the counter, nursing a cup of more than likely radioactive coffee his mother brewed.
"Hello, Jim."
"Strickler." Jim chuckled, unable to keep himself from smiling a little.
"Mr. Strickler came by to congratulate you." Barbara spoke up cheerfully, leaning across the counter with a smile on her face.
"It's a great honor that you have been chosen to wield this mantle. I've no doubt you'll prove equal to the task." Strickler smiled wryly and Jim remembered the first time around, being surprised by his choice of words. In hindsight, he saw what his teacher had done there, and couldn't help but give him a sarcastic eye roll in response.
"Why didn't you tell me you were trying out for Romeo & Juliet?" Barbara was still all smiles, obviously proud and happy to see Jim taking an interest in his own personal life.
"Things got a little hectic, that's all." Jim walked over and sat down next to Strickler. "I was planning on telling you when I knew I got the part."
"Well I'm very proud of you, honey." Barbara reached over and ruffled his hair as she laughed. "I didn't even know you knew how to act."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me." Jim teased back. "Hopefully you can get time off to come see the play."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Jim's mom smiled brightly before the sound of the screaming tea kettle took her away. "Oh! Darn. Just give me a second, you two. Go ahead, talk amongst yourselves."
As Barbara returned to the kitchen to take care of the quickly expanding mess, Jim couldn't help but give Strickler a funny look.
"You weren't even trying to be subtle the first time, were you?" Jim chuckled incredulously.
"It was a test, to see how you'd react. Hindsight is 20-20, Young Atlas." Strickler idly sipped at the coffee, only to immediately regret his decision.
"You deserved that one." Jim laughed.
"Indeed." Strickler cleared his throat. "We can't talk long though. Bular is currently skulking around outside. We must stay brief."
Jim nodded, refraining from glancing towards the window. "So what's the plan?"
"Come visit my office tomorrow and we'll talk more there. I can fill you in on what I've been working on, and you can let me know how things are on your end."
Barbara returned a moment later, hushing their conversation.
"Sorry about that." She laughed nervously. "I didn't think I'd be able to mess up coffee but… anyway, thank you for coming by, Mr. Strickler. I appreciate it."
"Of course." Strickler nodded, smiling as he stood up. "I don't want to overstay my welcome, Mrs. Lake."
"Please, call me Barbara."
Jim watched as Strickler's usually composed expression softened, his eyes locked with his mother's as he reached out and took her hand, kissing it softly. "Barbara, delighted to meet you."
Smiling as well, Jim waved as Strickler left, turning back to his mom as she smiled, eyes following his teacher ever so slightly as he walked back to his car.
"He really likes you." She chuckled as she made the comment.
"Yeah. I like him too." Jim nodded, turning back to the kitchen.
"I've never seen a teacher take such an interest before." Barbara praised. "But Jim, I'm worried about you. If your grades slip, even a little, I'm going to insist you cut back on the things you do for me."
"I know mom. But I like taking care of you." Jim insisted, helping clear some of the dishes.
"Except that it's my job to take care of you." Barbara sighed.
"You do take care of me, mom." Jim turned around and held his mother's hands tightly. "You told me, when I was old enough to ask about dad, that we just have to take care of each other. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. I promise."
Barbara smiled proudly, hugging Jim as he hugged her back. "Alright. It's late. You must be starving. How about I cook?"
"How about we cook together?" Jim chuckled, already getting in place in the kitchen. His mom laughed and joined him, working alongside Jim as the two of them cooked.
"So, Mr. Strickler, he seems very nice. Is he single?" Barbara asked curiously.
"You know, I think he is."
"So you've been to Trollmarket now and have Vendel somewhat on your side?"
"Basically. It'll still be hard to convince the other trolls, but it's better than last time."
"That's good news. Bular is still as brutish as ever. Never, in all my years, did I imagine I'd once again be stuck babysitting his ill-tempered self." Strickler sighed, leaning back in his office chair as he thought to himself. "We must make plans for the future now that things have started progressing."
"My thoughts exactly." Jim nodded, pulling out his notebook once more. He had been busy scribbling down whatever he could remember within its pages. Plans, memories, ideas. It was already near half full. "So, where do we start?"
"Firstly, how did you come to stumble across the Killahead Bridge? You nearly spoiled my plans so early on due to that incident." Strickler started playing with his pen as Jim thought back.
"Well… there was this whole incident with a pack of goblins and Toby lost his chubby-tracker while we were staking out Eli's house. We sort of just followed the goblins back to the museum at that point. Then everything happened with Nomura." Jim grimaced thinking about how much he had floundered around in his early days as Trollhunter.
Strickler was silent for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I say, all that trouble and you did it by dumb luck? Here I thought you were expertly thwarting me every step of the way."
"Honestly, I was just figuring things out as I went along." Jim shrugged innocently.
"The pity doesn't make it any better." Strickler shook his head and chuckled. "Anyhow, we must be cautious. You need to convince Vendel and the Trollmarket trolls of the threat of Killahead, but I also cannot be exposed so quickly, lest we alter things too much."
"Right. But how can we do that? If we're going to get Nomura on our side, we need to do something, right? Or could we just talk to her?"
"Nomura would not be very receptive to talking things out." Strickler clicked his tongue. "We did not see eye to eye, and any attempts to turn her from Gunmar's service would only incite suspicion and distrust."
Jim bit his lip, frustrated. He didn't want Nomura to have to suffer in the Darklands again but, at that point, he didn't know how to get around it. He needed her on his side but it had taken so long for them to connect, it might not be possible to do it another way.
"Chin up, Young Atlas. Perhaps other opportunities will present themselves." Strickler encouraged Jim, toying with his pen as he did so. "For now, be prepared to investigate the museum. It will allow me to then move the bridge as I did the first time and keep Bular under closer watch. I should be able to mitigate the perils you faced in your early days if we do this right."
"Thanks, Strickler." Jim nodded. "What about the other Changelings? Claire's brother, Enrique, gets taken. Could we stop that?"
"It's possible, but that risks changing things." Strickler sighed. "Nomura was responsible for overseeing the replacement of Changelings with human children. I doubt I would be able to stop her without some major effort. Besides, NotEnrique, as you called him, provided valuable assistance to you and information to me, from what you've told me. We must approach this cautiously."
Jim bit his lip again, feeling his heart torn.
He really didn't want to let Claire's brother get stolen again. The guilt he felt over his abduction was immense and his promise to find him was such a huge weight on his shoulders. However, Strickler had a point. NotEnrique had helped them a lot, and the bond he developed with Claire was something Jim hoped they could have again.
"Alright. Thanks again. I just… wish things were simpler." Jim sighed, scratching his head.
"I too wish things were simpler, Jim. Alas, we've been put in a rather complex situation. Simple may never come to pass for the two of us." Strickler offered what little comfort he could, but it did help.
"Just gotta keep moving forward." Jim pumped himself up, letting out a deep breath as he leaned forward and changed the topic. "On a side note, did you plan a date with my mom yet? She asked if you were single already."
"Oh? She did?" Strickler looked a little flustered as he chuckled. "Well, that's very flattering. I'll give her a call later and set things up."
"Good." Jim smiled as he stood up. "Just make her happy. Otherwise, I've got a sword named Daylight I'll introduce you to."
Strickler rolled his eyes at Jim's teasing and waved him off. "I'll keep it in mind, Young Atlas."