#darkgatefortress

As word gets out of the carriages, some places , now forewarned, take action.

Darkgate is a fortress hold. It sends out patrols a lot.

Most of them trolls.

It's a lodge.

And, they're organized.

They have a fae hound that helps.

And the local 'non combatants' have learned to work with them and trust them.

Chief Hewit sends out smaller but more scattered patrols into social events, community situations, etc

Reinhold Wiggins, for example. With a name like that, he was already different. And hunted, and this is before the middle schooler knew he was a changling. SImsons jokes flew, and his first name? GAWD... locker insides were not a stranger. Though he found the dark of it oddly soothing

He hadn't figured out why the two guys who looked like pro wrestler wanna bes were hanging near him. They were too old to be in his school, though one of them looked to be JUST in High school.

Damn they were tall.

Still, he tried not to let it take his joy away.

Book fairs were wonderful

And he had cash of his own.

Thanes Straw and Berry were often assigned together. Trolls are thought not to have a sense of humor, but in truth, their Storm just thought with names like that? They HAD to work well together, just.. had to.

And the Chief agreed.

They were stuck with each other.

It had actually worked well. Straw became a kind of older brother to Berry, and mostly in a good way. Besides, their assignment had paid off. Thanes do more than guard places and fight. Many of them seek out dross and other forms of glamour ,and thus have a fine keening. Berry was positively amazing at it. Straw wasn't bad.

So, as they actively scoured parts of the fief for potential Chysliads? Reinhold just lit up to Berry's senses like a funky screen saver in an otherwise dark room.

Hence, their stalking him... for his own good.

"Why don't we enchant one of the books he's grabbing and light him up on our terms?" Berry whispered.

Straw says "And if he doesn't grab that book and some soccer mom does? Right of ignorance, my partner, Right of Ignorance" The older thane often had to play the heavy

Berry noddeed. He knew he was too impatient, mind you, this was by troll standards. By pooka, eshu or satyr standards he was down right reserved.

So they followed Reinhold.

Reinhold was being followed. I mean, it wasn't hard to figure out, the guys were HUGE. A line from Diogenes came to his mind (Yes, a middle schooler and he actually knows who that is.. no wonder he got picked on) about asking Alexander the great to "Get out of my sun"

Reinhold didn't like the sun much. Truth to tell, he liked dark spaces because they were nicer to him than lit ones.

It wasn't hard for anyone who was in the know to guess what Kith Reinhold was meant to be, but young master Wiggins was very much NOT in the know. He only knew that two older guys with muscles weree following him around in a scene that was bringing to mind all those old 80s movies about bullies catching the geek.

Sighing, Reinhold grabbed just THREE books, he had wanted so many more, and went to buy them. God he hated lines. People closing in, acting like personal sspace wasn't a thing. Trapped in a formation.

His stalkers would have to take THEIR books in line too, and that would slow them down.

So by the time he stepped out side, he was feeling....

"Hi," Straw said waiting outside, "Can we talk?"

OF COURSE they didn't take the line. They probably thought used books were food supplements, Wiggins thought.

"I'm athiest, so if you have any paper you want me to look at or sign..." Reinhold weaved around but kept a side eye open.

Straw put on his big smile "Just wanted to talk to you. You looked like we were making you nervous. "

Reinhold looked up, and up, and up... he swore somehow they seemed even TALLER now.. .and maybe blue tinged? "Why would I ever be nervous about two older guys taller than me following me like we were reenacting a national geographic special?"

"You are special" Berry said from behind, and seeming to ignore the point, "That's what we wanted to talk to you about. You ever feel... different? Like, no one quite understands who you are inside, really?"

Reinhold's eyes bugged out. There were times he wanted to be seen as attractive, but it always seemed one way with the girls. Now these two were... wait, if this was what he thought it was, THIS was why he was an atheist ... because if there WAS a god, well, the divine clearly thought it was funny and treated Reinhold like his straight man... no pun intended, "Uhm. ahem. I like girls. They don't like me, but that doesn't change the fact I like them"

Straw looked at him soberly, but Berry actually gave a chuff of a laugh. "We're not hitting on you" Straw assured. "Let's start over. I'm Straw, my friend is Berry."

Reinhold looked at them, back and forth 'Straw and Berry?"

"Yeah... we get that a lot" Berry admitted. "But we're not hitting on you or trying to get you to our church. Not that we judge anyone for either lifestyle."

"or both" Straw nodded, "Some very nice people at the Gay Methodist Church about two miles from here. We really just want to talk to you."

Reinghold sighed, and got ready for whatever haha gag or funny video they'd take where he ended up hanging from a lamp post. "FIne I..." then he got angry, very angry, "Watch it!"

Berry blinked as he got hissed at. "Pardon?"

"You almost stepped on it with your size..." It looked like a six 18 now, was that possible? Anyway, Reinhold actually held out a hand to keep Berry from finishing his step forward

Now, Reinhold couldn't stop Berry if Berry wanted to move forward, but Berry paused because Reinhold was trying.

"...whatever boots," Reinhold finished. "You could have killed him."

AT that, Straw grew quite serious and looked down. Trolls have good senses, not the best but good, and ... he noticed it. In the shadow of Berry's left foot was a small lizard looking thing of purple sheen "Oh, a lizard. Hold still , Berry." he bent down and picked the creature up, "Okay, maybe not a lizard... "

"It's a SKINK" Reinhold could not hide his disdain for this crass over simplification of Zoology on Straw's part "A TYPE of lizard in the family Scincidae"

He stressed the family name hoping to burn it into the brain of the towering giant

Who.. damn it, really did look like a giant now, and a blue one at that.