Whoops I forgot to write for a month-

It was a few days after that that Lukas found himself return to normal.

While he interacted with others and got on with helping the redevelopment, he found himself still feeling a little sad and numb. What Aiden had said about him…was he really that bad a friend? He knew he could be a little irritable sometimes, but surely not that much?

It was only when Jesse's gang continued to interact with him normally, and Maya and Gill would give him shy waves from afar when Aiden wasn't around, that he realised that maybe, after all, he wasn't the problem. Or- maybe he could get better at being a friend, but these people were helping him just fine. They were patient when he made mistakes of any kind, and laughed and joked around with him, even felt free to share their grief with him when the day turned. People who continued to interact with him even though they had been told to stay far away, because they wanted to. Because they liked him.

The thought made him feel better, but he still didn't like that it had happened. A blow like that was the type of thing that would mar his self-confidence and self-image forever, like so many had before. And he was still confused why it was Aiden that had said it. Had he hurt him at some point, and now was when it was coming out? Had he harboured that resentment for a while? Was he just an outlet for built-up anger? Was he injured or sick?

Or was something else going on?

For the years they had spent together, it was hard for Lukas to just dismiss it as him being an ass. Sure, he could also be mean at times, but it had never been solely directed at Lukas or any of the other Ocelots. He'd never lashed out at them like this before. Had the Witherstorm left some kind of effect on him, like with the Withersicknesses? Could it be PTSD?

Or could it be the fame…?

No, no. It couldn't be. Aiden wasn't like that.

…I think.

Either way, that was a problem to be locked away for now. He would keep out of Aiden's way until things changed, and then maybe they could make up. He was fine. It was all fine.

So no worries.

At the moment, he and the rest of Jesse's Gang (despite the lack of…Jesse, he was still fondly referring to them as such) were working on building a wall around the town. It wasn't meant to be hostile, instead helping to keep mobs out. No one liked a town haunted by zombies. Along the line were all kinds of people, the most of which he'd never met, all doing the work to protect this town and keep its people safe, even if they wouldn't be moving in. It was such a touching show of kindness and support that Lukas couldn't help but feel better. Despite the huge gash in everyone's lives that the Witherstorm had left behind, the world would quickly begin to heal again, its people more united than ever.

The span that Lukas and the others were working on was a few hundred metres across. Axel and Olivia were down at one end, he and Petra at the other, and they were aiming to meet in the middle so that everything lined up okay. He could hear them arguing faintly in the distance, but knew that it was light-hearted. Now that they were growing further and further away from the tragedy that had struck them, things were steadily beginning to return to normal in their habits, though the grief of it all still ran under the surface like a never-ending river. Every now and then it would erode something away, and that sadness would return, be it in the form of guilt or loss. It was there whenever they had something exciting to tell everyone, and they knew that Jesse would never hear it, or when they woke up in the morning still expecting to see them, only to realise what had happened all over again. It was there whenever they passed the memorial, still beautifully maintained by Axel and Olivia, or whenever they had to coax Rueben into munching on a carrot. They weren't replaceable, but at least they could honour the memory and try to move on, as hard as it was.

Lukas had ended up asking Petra just before, when the aching in his heart had grown a bit too raw again, if she could believe that this had all happened. He hadn't explicitly said what part, but her shoulders had drooped all the same.

"Not at all," she'd replied with a shrug, "it seems like five minutes ago I was calling them soft and saving them in the forest. I still feel like they'll run up any second now and we'll all slander them for being late. But…no."

Lukas bowed his head, "Yeah…I know how you feel. There's a part of me that sort-of wishes I'd gotten to know them a bit better before all this…"

Petra sighed, "I feel you. I didn't even know what they were capable of until they were saving me from being killed for the fifth time and leading the group through all this mess. I almost wish…I'd respected them more, or even had the chance to thank them properly."

Lukas nodded. If there were words of comfort in this situation, he didn't know them, because she'd voiced everything he'd thought over the past couple of weeks and he still didn't have a solution.

For now, though, they were focusing on their task, exchanging words occasionally and laughing whenever one of them slipped off the wall or struggled to climb back up. Out of this group, he'd known Petra the longest, and was ultimately quite surprised that she'd grown so close to everyone so fast. For years he'd known her as the resident badass, the cool girl who went on these exciting adventures all by herself because she was so capable. The girl who knew everyone and everything that happened in the backstreets of where she wandered, who would find incredible treasures and trade them for incredible valuables. The girl who didn't need anyone, but everyone aspired to be because she was just so cool.

But now Lukas had seen her at her lowest, and somehow he just respected her more. Not only was she cool, but she was also kind and considerate even if it were a bit rough at the edges. She looked out for others. She was trustworthy.

And now she was even Lukas' friend.

In fact, now he had several new ones. At least some good had come from the devastation of the Witherstorm. Of course, he'd still like Jesse to be alive, but…well, best not to think of that.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Petra calling up to him again.

"Hey- you got anymore blocks? I'm out."

He startled, staring down over the ledge, "Oh- yeah! Got some here."

He didn't notice her putting her hands on her hips as he fumbled with his inventory, but he could subconsciously feel her stare at him, and so he paused when he'd prepared a handful to give her. Her eyes were softer than he could ever remember them being in the past, her whole posture simultaneously more relaxed and stiffer, as though perhaps she could relax around these people but was unused to the feeling.

Right now, though, that foreign tenderness was directed at him.

"Something on your mind?"

He hesitated for a moment, then gave a breathy laugh, "When isn't there?"

Petra gave him a sympathetic smile, then clambered back onto the wall and sat down next to him with her feet dangling over the edge. She then patted the block next to her, and he sat down after a second.

"Look…ah…I'll admit, I'm not the best at this whole 'feelings'-y thing, but uh…if you wanna talk then…I'll listen."

He gave her a slightly surprised look, though he hadn't meant to, and she rubbed the back of her head sub-consciously, "Well…if you guys really wanna keep me around, then I've got to learn how to do this at some point. You're all very…emotional."

Lukas gave a slight chuckle, "Hah…that's…yeah. Are you sure there's nothing you wanna talk about?"

Her smile faultered for a second, just long enough for Lukas to notice, but before he could inquire, she was talking again, "Nah, nah, I'm okay. We're focusing on you, okay? You've seemed a little…off, for the past couple days. And- and I know that we lost…but it feels like there's something else. Something that happened since the funeral."

Well…there was Petra for you. Even if she hadn't done the whole 'feelings' thing before, she was a warrior, and what warriors had to be was attentive. Of course she would notice something like that immediately.

When he took his time to respond, she shuffled a little, before taking a deep breath.

"Hey…uh…I know we weren't like…best friends before everything but…I always thought you were pretty cool, so…"

Lukas raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding me? You're the cooler person here by far, Petra."

She shrugged her shoulders, "Well…I liked your builds. There was no way you were getting a nether star for twenty diamonds otherwise."

"I suppose that was pretty cheap…I'm flattered," now it was his turn to scratch the back of his neck, "I guess we're two pretty cool peas in a pod then."

Petra laughed, "Yeah. Coolio."

In the back of Lukas' head, Jesse's voice echoed back with, "Cool beans." He smiled sadly at the memory.

"So go on then. Tell me what's up and…I'll try to see what I can do."

Lukas smiled at her gratefully and rubbed his hands as he thought of what to say. There was no point in bringing up Jesse's loss because they all knew that they were still suffering from that. What he hadn't told anyone about though…which they would surely notice soon enough…what the deal with the Ocelots- or, well, Aiden. Petra would be the one with the most knowledge and most balanced opinion of them. Maybe it was best to bring it up here.

"The…the other day…" he began, a little uncertain of his own memory, "I went to go find Aiden after talking to the Ocelots. Uh, Maya and Gill, they were both fine with me, but when I found Aiden he took me out of the city and just started…yelling at me."

Petra raised an eyebrow, "Yelling? What was he saying?"

"I don't know…something about how I abandoned the Ocelots and was too busy…saving the world to care for them or something, and that he doesn't want to see me again."

"What? That's nonsense!" Petra exclaimed, "We thought everyone caught by the Witherstorm was a goner- and they were for a while- we couldn't get them out! You were saving the world! How can he fault you for that?"

A part of Lukas was immediately relieved as she backed him up and proved he wasn't the one in the wrong, but he was still confused. Why would he say it in the first place? He decided to voice his thoughts to Petra and she shrugged.

"I don't know, but Aiden has always been a bit of a jerk."

Lukas scratched his head, "You think that? He's…always been nice to us."

"Well, to you maybe, but he's kinda an ass to the rest of the world," she did a hesitant hand wave, "you know, cheating, lying, that whole thing with Rueben at Endercon…he certainly likes to win."

There was that thought again. Lukas took a deep breath before asking what he was dreading, "You think it's because of the power from the whole…slaying the Witherstorm thing?"

"I mean it could be…" she shrugged again, her brow furrowed in thought, "could also be that you helped to do most of the work and he didn't."

"But we've always worked together- worked just fine together, too!" Lukas argued back, his head now more muddled than ever, "I just- don't understand."

"Well…some people are never meant to be understood. Maybe Aiden is one of them?"

He gave her a curious look and she sighed exasperatedly and threw her hands up.

"Look, I said I wasn't good at these feelings things, I don't know what to say!"

He gave a half laugh, at least a little cheered up even if he wasn't exactly feeling better, "It's okay, it's okay, I get it. Thanks."

He gave her a soft smile and she relaxed and returned it, "It's okay."

They sat on the wall in silence for a while after that, the sun warming their shoulders and their legs kicking back and forth. Lukas could see Olivia and Axel taking a break off in the distance, so he didn't feel the need to get back to building any time soon. The wall could wait a bit longer.

Ahead of them in the bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds drifted on overhead, just faintly turning grey in the distance. The sun moved steadily across the sky, too imperceptibly to notice unless you had previously taken note of its position. Shadows shortened. The breeze picked up, ever so slightly.

At some point, Lukas glanced back across to see a sort of dark look cross Petra's face, her brow still furrowed as though she were lost in thought. At a time like this, thoughts were dangerous, and he could still recall that she had looked like that a bit ago. Determined to show her some kindness in return, Lukas reached across and placed a hand on her arm. She jumped slightly, but didn't try to pull away as she turned to face him.

"Well, I know you're not good with the whole feelings thing," he repeated at her, his confidence growing as she rolled her eyes affectionately, "but you look a little off. Are you sure that there's nothing bugging you, either?"

She shook her head, but her mouth stayed open as she hesitated to respond. Lukas waited, hoping he was offering what was an encouraging silence.

"I don't know…it's just…it sounds stupid."

"No, no, I'm sure it's not," Lukas insisted, "go on."

She held eye contact with him for a second, then sighed, "Well, it's kind of just-"

"HEY!"

A loud call startled them both out of the conversation. They jolted upright and turned to see a slight male figure calling from a decent few blocks away, waving his hands like it was an emergency. Once he was sure that he had their attention, he focused his gaze on a sheet of paper in front of him and began to read from it.
"Ahem…the almighty Aiden, Slayer of the Witherstorm, requires the immediate presence of all Beacontowners in front of the Order Hall for an important announcement. Failure to show will result in a revoking of your ability to remain here."

"Uh- excuse me?" Petra replied, the shock evident in her voice. Lukas could only agree- every other word in that speech was questionable.

"The almighty-"

"No, no, we heard that, just…what?"

The messenger shuffled his feet, "Aiden has an important announcement, I suggest you get over there immediately."

"Huh-"

But the man had already begun to walk away, leaving them stumped.

"Okay…" Lukas began, "first thing, the almighty Aiden, Slayer of the Witherstorm?"

Petra shrugged, giving him a concerned look, "I did say the power might have gotten to him."

"Yes, but surely…" he hesitated, then shook his head, "second, he can now revoke people's right to build and live here?"

"That…sounds like the beginnings of a dictatorship to me," Petra replied, her voice slow, "I mean, even just calling the whole town in for an important meeting is slightly odd."

"I'm…confused."

"Me too," she nodded, "let's just get over there and see what he has to say, then we can judge him."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

They both hopped down from the wall, landing steadily and dusting off their clothes. A few long strides caught them up with Axel and Olivia, who were jogging up to meet them, having apparently also been given the message.

"Uh- did you guys hear that?" Axel began, "Like- really hear that?"

"Uh, yeah," Lukas replied, "it sounded crazy."

"Absolutely. I mean- who let that jerk make it seem like he's in charge of the whole town?"

Normally, Lukas would have a reaction to his friends being called jerks in this situation, but after the past few days…he just found it a little harder to justify Aiden. Especially now, with that speech. Apparently having noted this, Lukas found Olivia giving him a slight side-eye, which she quickly pretended she wasn't doing. He didn't mind that too much.

"I really don't know what's happening with him," he said instead, "he's been acting all strange and yelling a ton these past couple days."

In a few sentences, he caught Axel and Olivia up on what he had just told Petra, and they listened with interest.

"That's so bizarre," Olivia rested her chin in her hand, "I mean, even when he was being a jerk, we could tell you guys were close."

"That's what I thought too," Lukas replied quietly.

Petra shrugged, "Well, either way, how about we get over and see what this is all about?"

"Right."

Together they walked as a group back into Beacontown, and that notion of "together" made Lukas a little less scared of facing Aiden again, of facing what was to come. He didn't think he could be more grateful for the group that had formed since the events of the past month, even if he thought he didn't deserve them. They were good company- especially while he figured out what was going on with the Ocelots. Maybe once he did, he could introduce them properly, and they could all be together instead of fighting all the time. Wouldn't that just be perfect?

They joined a stream of residents as they got closer to the under-construction Order Hall. Groups of people murmured to themselves in a mixture of excitement and confusion as they waited for whatever speech was happening to be made. Though they hadn't been intending on it, people parted to make way for them as they approached, something that Lukas still wasn't used to. The citizens hushed each other as they made their way towards the front, pointing and whispering at each other excitedly. He heard his name come up multiple times. Why would they be so thrilled to see him though? He hadn't done anything. He'd run away.

More times than he could count.

His thoughts came to a halt as the group did, stopping him from any more spiralling. A space in the shape of a semi-circle had been left clear at the front of the crowd, empty apart from a few of those messenger people, who were flitting about seemingly making sure everything was prepared. Lukas hadn't realised they'd already garnered so many staff. Or maybe that was all Aiden's doing. Probably the latter. Either way, whatever was going on clearly hadn't started yet so they filtered off to the side and waited.

Eventually, the Ocelots showed themselves, and the crowd gave an excited cheer that Lukas couldn't quite reciprocate. Aiden took himself to the front, waving and bowing, while Maya and Gill took their places a few steps behind him and gave Lukas hesitant smiles. He gave them back, and then noticed another woman hovering behind Aiden. He thought at first he didn't recognise her, then he realised it was the one he had directed to him. What was her name- Stella? It was something like that, he was pretty sure.

"Citizens of Beacontown!" Aiden began, motioning for the crowd to quieten after a good measure of cheering, "It is once more an honour to stand before you today. My gratitude goes out to all those who are helping with the building of what will soon be the greatest city in the world!"

Again the crowd cheered and chanted. Maya and Gill pumped their fists. Stella was grinning from ear to ear. Her assistant wasn't around today, he noticed. Lukas wondered briefly what his deal was- he certainly hadn't spoken much or looked particularly happy to be there when they'd met.

"Now, I'm sure you are all wondering why I gathered you here today," he went on, pacing the length of the imaginary stage he'd set up, "but I assure you that it's for a very good reason. You see, over these past few days, I have been doing some careful planning with my fine friends here as to how this town will be run. We have now emerged with some new rules that we have created in order to ensure that all our residents remain safe, and that no more…Witherstorm incidents occur."

While the words seemed friendly enough, a similar flash of unease upset Lukas' stomach and chilled his spine. Behind him, Axel crossed his arms.

"He certainly didn't confer this with us," he hissed, earning nods of agreement from the rest of them.

"I thought we were supposed to be working together to keep this place safe," Olivia replied, narrowing her eyes, "not doing his dirty work while he decided it all by himself."

If Aiden saw their smouldering expressions, he didn't address them, nor did he glance over at them much at all. It beat any smug expression, though, which was something at least.

The audience clapped politely, their curious murmurs filling Lukas' ears.

"Yes, we have gone through many lengths to ensure that our bright Beacontown is as safe as it can be for all you before me," Aiden gave his best smile, but now it looked like a smirk, which was annoying, "and I shall now give a brief overview of the rules we have decided upon. Anyone who wishes to hear them in full or even be in charge of enforcing them may meet with me for a much longer, more in-depth briefing."

"I am…pretty sure you aren't supposed to put the words 'in-depth' and 'briefing' together," Olivia commented.

"First of all, we have decided to recommend a building policy for this town," Aiden began, "while we would love for the colour palette to remain fairly natural, you are free to…expand, but all builds must now be approved by me or one of my loyal Ocelots. It must be safe, concise and as regular as possible."

A stir of conflicting opinions rustled through the crowd, and Lukas himself felt his eyes narrow.

"This is supposed to be the town where people are free to build whatever they want," he hissed, but his voice grew louder than he realised it would, "we aren't supposed to have rules that we didn't even agree on."

He'd meant it just to Jesse's gang but a few folk near him gave "yeah!"s of agreement. A flash of annoyance swept briefly across Aiden's face but he didn't spare them a look.

"While this may seem…unorthodox at first, I assure you that it is only for your safety and a greater enjoyment of your life here," Aiden narrowed his eyes slightly as he continued, "secondly, to ensure that no dangerous specimens are brought back into Beacontown, if you would like to go on any…adventures, especially those involving specific treasures, you must come by and get them approved by us first. All aforementioned treasures must also be brought into a public treasure room for storage under our name, so that we may share our reapings and show any visitors that Beacontown is strong!"

The resulting roar from the crowd was a great mixture of emotions. Some cheered, either believing in Aiden after his feats or liking the sound of the idea. Others complained loudly, longing for the freedom in their builds or the possession of what they had worked hard for. The Ocelots were clapping along, Stella looked like she had just been handed all the diamonds in the world. It was hard to tell if one side in particular was winning, but Lukas knew what he was thinking. A dark red, churning anger was bubbling in him. Suddenly Aiden wasn't so justifiable anymore. He turned to the ground, slightly flushed by the anger.

"This- this is-!"

"Wrong," Axel finished for him, a dark, smouldering expression clear on his face, "absolutely all wrong."

He stepped forwards, attracting the attention of the crowd and the people on stage. This time, Aiden looked over like he had been waiting for them to complain. Like he was daring them to.

"What gives, man?" Axel began, standing a foot or two from Aiden and staring down at him with his arms crossed, "We were given the protection of this town together, and you didn't even ask us before coming up with these stupid rules. Yeah, that's right, stupid. Everything you've just said is terrible! I mean- not letting people build what they want? Making them all give up their treasures so that you can brag about them? That's just selfish, man."

If Aiden was intimidated by Axel's height, proximity or words, he didn't let it show. Instead, he folded his own arms, and glared right back.

"Oh yeah?" he hissed, cocking an eyebrow, "I'd like to see you do better. But you would just love to run around setting things on fire, eh, wouldn't you? Oaf."

"Don't talk to my friend that way," Petra snapped as the rest of them stepped forwards, intent on backing up Axel, "everything he's saying is right. You're being controlling."

Turning to them, Aiden made a gesture of mock disappointment, "Petra. I really thought you were one of the good ones. Didn't expect you to start hanging out with these losers."

"They aren't losers, Aiden," Petra narrowed her eyes, "they're far more likeable than you, anyway."

Something like an actual twinge of hurt flashed briefly in Aiden's eyes. He'd always had something of an admiration for Petra, much like Lukas himself. He couldn't help but feel some pride that she had chosen himself over Aiden.

Nonetheless, Aiden continued, focusing on Lukas next. He'd known this would happen when he'd walked up to join Axel, but he still wasn't quite ready. Still, he stood firm, knowing that his true friends were by his side.

"And you," Aiden hissed, "I thought I told you that I didn't want to see you again."

Fear made his chest echo with heart beats, but Lukas clenched his fists, "You don't get to decide what I do or where I go."

His voice wavered at the end as his courage trembled and the sudden thought of why am I snapping at my best friend? echoed throughout. The fear waned as soon as it had come on, and he cursed himself for letting it get the better of him. Aiden merely smirked and turned his attention to Olivia.

"And what have you got to say for yourself?"
Olivia put her hands on her hips, "You shouldn't be so condescending. Your plan is flawed and this is most definitely not what the Order decreed."

Aiden merely rolled his eyes, "Alright."

With that, he turned from the four of them, leaving them all seething with rage, and began to address his conflicted audience again.

"That is all I have to say for now, my loyal followers," he announced in a loud voice, "please be sure to abide by these rules without fail. Anyone who fails to do so or speaks in any rebellious sense will be considered a danger to the sanctity of Beacontown and exiled as forcefully as is needed."

He spoke the last line with a long, pointed look at the four of them before smiling and turning back to the crowd again.

"Crowd dismissed."