(I didn't remember that the statue outside the Protectors' hall isn't a fountain until after I wrote this so my apologies for that)

Stu waited patiently outside the Protectors' hall, leaning against the flowing, stone fountain. It was technically his guildhall too now, and it's not like he had any qualms about just wa;tzing in before, but for this he felt like he was going to need the fresh air.

He reached into the water and let it run over his palm and through his fingers. The coolness salved the burning skin from presumably the sun. How long had he been waiting out here? He tugged at his face mask, groaning at the water droplets falling onto the fabric.

The door finally swung open and the original trio of the guild came out laughing. Bryan half ran, half flew out the door, followed by a calmly strolling Jakey, Kay skipping behind them both. Not seeing him, they ran on past the fountain, heading up the hill towards town. As Kay passed, Stu stepped forward from the fountain and held out a hand. "Hey, Kay!"

She stopped in her tracks and whirled around, her hair whipping around her as she did. She raised her eyebrows at seeing him, her gleeful expression dropping and he pulled back his hand. "Stu? What are you doing out here?"

"I was hoping we could talk?" he asked simply. "Just for a few minutes?"

Kay paused then gave him an uneasy smile and waved the others onward. Jakey enthusiastically waved back, grabbing an apprehensive-looking Bryan's hand and running on ahead. "So, what's up?"

She stared up at him with wide brown eyes and Stu couldn't help but look away, wandering eyes gazing up the water stream of the fountain. The moving water seemed to glaze over his eyes and he furiously blinked to focus. This wasn't meant to be hard but it was difficult. He forced himself to look her in the eye and sighed.

"I know you weren't exactly ecstatic about us joining but I want to amend that. Do you think we could maybe, I don't know, start over?" He shrugged one shoulder with a face he hoped was convincing enough. And you know, not displaying every rapidly firing negative thought racing through his head at that moment.

Kay rocked back and forth on her heels and bit her lip. "I don't want to start over," she finally said. Stu felt a part of his heart drop but she looked up at him, eyes filled with a new sense of determination. "I mean...you guys hurt me. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you two decided to join the guild and are trying to be good, but I don't want to just brush aside what happened. I want us to, you know, grow from it."

Stu's eyes widened and he instinctively rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah I guess that sounds, like, the best option here." They stood awkwardly for a few moments while he grasped for something meaningful to say. "Sorry we missed that whole battle by the way." Or not so meaningful.

"It-," her voice wavered and she took a deep breath, "it's alright. The less people who had to deal with all that the better."

"I suppose, yeah." He swallowed uncomfortably, shifting in place. He couldn't say he wished he had been there, considering all the horror stories they'd been told about the fight by the other guilds. But it still left a weight knowing that the entirety of Atlantide had been nearly destroyed and he and Brick had been nowhere to be found. "We're here now though. To protect and all that."

A small smile played on her lips. "You are."

Kay glanced behind her, towards the direction the others had gone. Looking back to Stu, her face was set in determination, as if she had come to a great conclusion. "Me, Jakey, and Bryan are going to eat in the guild hall later. Why don't you and Brick join us?"

"Alright. That, that sounds good." He nodded, some of the tension in his shoulders finally letting out. "I know Brick has been meaning to talk to Bryan about his training and all that."

Kay giggled and Stu felt a rush of calm for the first time since he got accepted as a Protector. "Bryan isn't looking too forward to it, but I'm sure he'll get used to it! Well, I'll see you at dinner then?"

Stu nodded again, holding up a hand in a wave. "Yeah, we'll be there."

"Great!" Kay ran off, waving back behind her.

Hey now, hey now~

Don't dream it's over~