Charlie wanted to scream.

There wasn't a single book even remotely helpful in the small, sad excuse for a library—economics, Farming for Dummies, Fishing 101, and tons of other 'normal' subjects. But there wasn't a single mention of the Guardian, sprites, or anything. The place didn't even have a computer! At least not from what she could see, and the librarian—the intimidating eyepatch woman—was in the far back of the museum side, hammering away.

And speaking of museum… Where were all the artifacts? The display areas just had dust with random shapes where something once sat, and the tags were just as bare.

The heat of the forge hit Charlie's face when she walked through the thick hanging flaps. A rhythmic tap-tap-tap on stone filled the room and a small sun pulsed within the forge, casting an eerie glow across the walls and floor. The tapping suddenly stopped, and the woman looked up.

"Ah, hello!" she chimed in a thick Dacian accent. Her smile spread wide across the side of her face that still had an eye. Hints of a nasty scar poked out from under the eyepatch. "Charlie, right? Now what do I owe the honor of the Cove's next Guardian gracing my humble little shop?"

"Yeah, that's me. I…didn't catch your name."

The woman giggled.

"I'm Ruby, dear. I run this sad excuse for a museum. I'm also the librarian and blacksmith! So, is there anything I can help with?"

Ruby…was not what she expected. Her genuine authenticity and friendly demeanor surprised her. She had unfairly stereotyped her, and quickly amended her judgement. With a deep breath, she gave the run down, but her hopeful smile quickly faded as Ruby's expression shifted.

"We did have some old books covering legends of the Hollow," she began slowly, "but the last curator took 'em when they got outta dodge. Sorry, Charlie."

"What about a computer?"

"Now that we do have."

Ruby led her to a small office with a big LIBRARIAN ONLY sign above the door. Inside was an old desk and chair, large shelves creaking with the weight of books, plaques, and other knickknacks, and a big, old, clunker of a computer. Despite its age, it turned on relatively fast.

Left alone, Charlie immediately set to searching, but despite altering her terms many times, nothing came up, and what did was blocked by a firewall. At another dead end, she thanked Ruby and bid her farewell for the day and stepped out for some fresh air.

Well, now what? She couldn't just break into the southern tower, and no one seemed to have anything helpful to say when asked. The denial via firewall only made her stubbornness grow. There was no way around it. She needed internet. Full, far-reaching, uninterrupted internet.

Her first instinct was to ask Griff, but he was playing shop keep until later that evening, and she didn't really want to bother Tal. Jason probably didn't have a computer, and Sophie definitely didn't. Hannah and Molly were away for the weekend on a shopping trip to the city…

Wait! Masae! She was always tinkering with something and it was usually tech-related stuff. She had to have a computer. Charlie hadn't seen her in town that day, which meant she was probably still at home. Taking a deep breath, she turned up the path leading into the mountains.

 

‡ † ‡

 

When Charlie arrived at Lori's house, the sign on the door read CLOSED, which meant the building was just a house, and Charlie still felt enough like a stranger to not just up and walk in unannounced. It was Masae who answered the knocks, and she smiled brightly as she invited Charlie inside.

"If you're looking for Mom, she's at Tal's," Masae said.

"Actually, I sort of came to ask you a favor. I know I haven't spent much time getting to know you since moving back, and I feel a little shitty coming to you for help just…well, out of the blue."

A confused expression lined Masae's face before she began laughing. "Girl, stop overanalyzing yourself and just ask! I know it's been a few years, but you're fine! I don't mind."

Relieved, Charlie gave her a grateful smile. "I'm trying to research Guardian stuff, but the computer at the library won't let me because of its shitty firewall. I thought, maybe, since you do a lot of technical stuff you might have a computer I could use for a bit?"

Just like Ruby, Masae's smile faded. "Sorry, girl, my laptop bricked a few days ago. The new hard drive I ordered is on back order and won't be in for another week or two."

Charlie groaned. "Well…shit."

"If you don't mind me asking, why the research? Shouldn't you, like, already know that stuff?" Charlie, though hesitant, gave her a brief explanation over the fact she'd never actually learned anything about her new 'job'. "Huh. That's pretty weird of your grandma to not pass on what she knew. Sorry I can't help… Oh! Wait! Ignis isn't home. You can just use his!"

Charlie hesitated. While it's true she wanted to get online, Ignis was the last person she wanted to ask, especially with how cold he'd been towards her.

"I really don't know if that's such a good idea… I mean, yeah it's something important but I can just—"

Masae waved it off. "You'll be fine. It's going to storm later on, and he usually stays out pretty late when the weather is crappy. If he asks about the search history or something, I'll just say it was me."

Well, if he'd never know she was there…

"If you're sure, then…okay."

Charlie reluctantly followed Masae downstairs. Odd… Last she remembered, he was upstairs next to Masae. It must have been Lori needed the extra space for her business, but if that was the case, why didn't she just make an addition to the house?The first thing that struck her about Ignis's room was how dark it was. There were no windows, which made sense for a basement, but it was still incredibly jarring to go from afternoon light to pitch blackness in just a few steps. Masae flicked on the overhead light, but the room still felt dark. Dark walls, dark couch, even his sheets were dark. The guy did wear all black, so it wasn't surprising. The lack of color made her feel a little claustrophobic despite the room being a full-sized basement. It was tidy though, which Charlie noted with appreciation.

Masae led her to the opposite corner of the room, where a table with two computers was set up. In front of the one nearest the corner was a professional-looking graphics monitor on an adjustable display stand, bearing the name 'Cacom Wintiq Pro'. A wireless pen sat at a slight angle on an oversized mousepad. The whole setup was a digital artist's wet dream and Charlie felt Masae's eyes on her as she stared in awe. How did Ignis afford all this?

"Here you go," Masae said. "Go ahead and get settled in. I've got some stuff to work on upstairs, but just let me know if you need anything."

Charlie thanked her and sat at the computer that didn't have all the expensive stuff set up around it. While the machine booted, she took one last glance around the room. It was totally out of character for her, but for some reason she had this urge to look through all of Ignis's shelves. Maybe it was because she didn't really know anything about the young man he'd become. He was hard to read, hard to talk to…

A soft beep signaled the desktop had finished loading. Turning back, Charlie dug her Grandma's last journal from her messenger bag and opened to a blank page. She soon had to pull out a fresh one with everything she'd found. What started out as simple curiosity over forest sprites turned into a rabbit hole of unimaginable proportions, one that seemed to have no end in sight.

Immortal protectors, the two bloodlines of the Goddess, Nobility, monsters that only came out during rain, and she had only just gotten started on the horror stories of the mines…

She recalled Marianne's warnings not to go near the mines, and how—like any stubborn child—her curiosity drove her there. All she could remember was something with blood red eyes, sharp pain, and waking up as Adagium rushed her home.

Now that she was an adult, there was so much more to the small, quiet town than she'd ever realized. And the way everyone seemed to live in peace there was just mind boggling. Didn't they feel it? This tingling in the base of their spine, or heavy weight in their chest? Or was the seemingly blissful ignorance more involuntary than not?

She sighed, rubbing her eyes with her palms.

"What are you doing?"

Charlie snapped her head up, blood draining from her face. Ignis stood just inside the doorway, arms crossed. His cold glare seemed to almost glow in the dim lighting. She hadn't even heard him come in.

"Oh! Uh…I needed to do some research and Masae said you weren't going to be home so—"

"So you thought you could use my computer because I wasn't here?"

Charlie grimaced. It sounded so much worse when he put it like that. "Look, I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to intrude or anything. I'll leave now," she said, hastily gathering her stuff as she stood.

She took a few steps toward the door, but when he didn't move out of the way she came to an uncertain stop in the middle of the room. He was still looking at her, but now in a thoughtful way, like he was trying to come to some sort of decision. She shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"What were you researching?" he asked finally.

"Huh?"

"Online. What did you need to look up?"

She sighed. "Look, I'm gonna be honest. I don't have a single clue what I'm supposed to do here. Nothing on my family, magic, or even the orchard or the sprites."

She felt dumb saying it, even more so when he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Then why come back? Wasn't your family supposed teach you all that?"

"Well, yeah, but… I mean, everyone seemed hellbent on keeping it from me. I was thirteen when we left, so training got cancelled. Now I'm just a college dropout who happens to be the only one for the job."

The corner of Ignis's mouth twitched.

"Right. Well, do what you need to." He walked over to the corner computer. He pressed the power button and both screens—the monitor itself and the graphics display—blinked on as the machine whirred to life. "Thanks for not using this one," he muttered. "I use it for work."

Charlie gaped, attempting to wrap her head around the sudden shift in tone. So, he was pissed that she was here, then interrogated her, and now he's offering to let her stay? 'Hard to read' was an understatement.

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise." Nodding to the graphics tablet, he added, "I think this might've even given me some inspiration."

Confused but grateful, Charlie smiled. "Then I guess…you're welcome?"

 

‡ † ‡

 

For the next hour or so, the only sound was the clicking of keys, pen on paper, and the smooth motion of sketching. It was a comfortable silence, though. They were both absorbed in their respective endeavors, so there was no need to for small talk. Charlie was determined to cram in as many notes as possible, but she knew she wouldn't get it all. That's where a certain someone would have to fill in the blanks.

Speaking of Adagium, it was odd she couldn't find any information on him. She tried 'immortal moonfall guardian' and 'bloodline protector' but all she found was something called Meteor Methuselah. Figuring she had no choice but to wait until the guy's eventual wake-up, she jotted it down.

The pages quickly filled with summaries, sketches, the mines, and even certain weather patterns and their connection to odd occurrences in the area. She'd also started looking into local artifacts because she felt bad for Ruby and her 'museum'. That woman was so sweet.

Evening was approaching by the time she decided she had enough, and Charlie wanted to get home before the sun fully set. The mountain path wasn't lit, and the last thing she needed was to be caught in the dark with a sprained ankle. She gathered her things into her bag.

"Well, I'm done for now. I'm gonna head back home. Thanks again, Ignis."

"Hang on," Ignis said without looking up.

She watched as he continued to draw, eyes and hand in perfect sync. He clicked various buttons on the tablet's side and then finished with an exaggerated final stroke.

"Sorry. Had to finish that last bit before I lost my concentration."

He set the pen back into its holder and removed his drawing glove. He stood, stretching his arms above his head.

"Let me give you something before you go," he said, stepping over to the corner bookshelf and pulling a box off the top shelf.

Charlie was curious what this 'something' was but managed to retain some of her remaining patience and simply watched. Ignis dug through the box, but his back was to her so she couldn't see what was inside. She decided that talking was the only thing that would keep her sufficiently distracted.

"So, what kind of work do you do?"

"Digital art. I make webcomics and freelance."

She figured it was something like that, but the freelancing part surprised her.

"Ooh, nice. I tried working as a scripter back in college. Anyone who can deal with those picky artists or do both jobs gets props from me."

Ignis chuckled softly, but it had a bitter edge to it. "You're the first."

"First what?"

"The first to say anything nice about what I do. No one here takes my job seriously." He pulled out a strange black thing that looked like a football goal. "It's like they think I'm doodling all day or something."

"That's ignorant of them." He turned at that, looking at her with genuine surprise. Charlie smiled at him. "Freelancing. Drafting a coherent story. Drawing. It's all pretty hard, and for what it's worth, I'm impressed you juggle all three."

Ignis stared at her for a moment, seeming lost in thought, before offering her a small smile. It didn't last long before he ducked his head out of view, but it was the first time Charlie had seen Ignis really smile since she came home.

"Here," he said, pulling out a USB dock with a long black cable. He connected the pieces and handed it to her. "Connect it to your laptop. You have one, right?"

"Yep."

Ignis nodded. "It's a long-range Wi-Fi adapter and should boost the crappy service George has hooked up all the way to your house."

Charlie hesitated. This was their first real conversation since her return, and he was willing to just give her what she assumed was an expensive piece of equipment? Her instincts told her there had to be a catch, but she couldn't figure out what. Ignis had never been the type to use bribery.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's fine," he said with complete nonchalance. "I don't use it anymore, so it's just going to waste. Keep it as long as you want."

"Thanks, Ignis. Seriously. This will help so much," she grinned, carefully sliding it into her bag. She gave him a wry grin. "Although, this is a pretty extreme way of keeping me out of your room, especially when you're hogging two computers all to yourself."

He smirked. "I guess I'm still getting used to having you around again." His head dropped a little, his gaze flicking back forth between Charlie's face and the floor. "Sorry for being a dick."

Charlie laughed weakly, but her smile was bright.

"It hasn't been all that bad."