Jim grunted slightly as he sat down on a rock, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. His fangs jutting out of his lower jaw tickled his upper, something he still wasn't used to. Huffing through his nose, he opened his eyes again and looked down at his blue troll hand. Sixteen years, he was human. Now it had all been thrown away in one night. Now he was troll.. in a way. In another, he was really neither. Had the transformation been worth it? Absolutely. Jim knew that he most likely would never had been able to defeat Gunmar and Morgana without his new abilities. And not to say he didn't like it. He felt closer to the troll kind he was protecting than ever before, and the perks were pretty awesome.

Still, it didn't mean he didn't miss his old life.

Sighing again, he crouched and put his chin in his hands, pouting slightly. Today had been long and tiring, and he was looking forward to actually getting some rest this night. The underground tunnels were a bit stuffy, but up here, in the forest, the air was a lot fresher, and the night was cooler. Trolls didn't really have the same sleep pattern as humans, but all of them were certainly tired after the long journey, and it had only been about five days or so since they had departed.

"You okay, Jim?"

The Trollhunter perked up immediately when he saw his girlfriend heading his way, not brandishing her armor for once, instead in some normal clothes, dressed for the warm night. She smiled brightly and sat next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. He smiled at her, a tiny purr escaping his throat, another thing that he wasn't really used to.

"Yeah, just a bit tired, Claire," he said softly, taking his head out of his free hand and leaned close. "Thanks for asking. You?" he asked as he placed a small peck on her forehead.

She chuckled slightly, brushing some hair behind her ear. "Doing just fine. Probably as tired as the rest of you." She shivered slightly as his stone skin tickled her forehead as it brushed against her, the fangs feeling slightly out of place as he kissed her.

Jim grimaced and backed away sadly. "Sorry. I bet that feels weird..," he mumbled as he looked away with a slight blush on his face.

Claire frowned at him, slapping his shoulder. "Oh, don't do that," she said with a smirk. "It'll just take some getting used to, that's all." Her other hand reached out and took his cheek, turning his head so he was facing her again. "I love you, no matter what you look like."

His face erupted into an even brighter red, a silly grin opening up as he chuckled nervously. This time, Claire leaned in and kissed his forehead, brushing away some of his mane first. Jim tried to contain his swelling heart, smiling bubbly and squeezing her hand tightly in his fondly.

"Oh, my," came a curious voice. "I did not know that trolls could turn such a color on their faces."

The couple turned their heads quickly, both of them startled and embarrassed. Blinky and Merlin stood a little farther off, watching with curious expressions. The six eyed troll touched his own face with two of his hands, blinking innocently a few times as he obviously wondered if he could do that. Merlin's expression became amused and he lifted a few curled fingers to his mouth in an effort to hide his chuckle.

Claire pouted a little for a moment, but shook her head and smiled again. "I'm not sure if all trolls can do that, Blinky," she said. "Jim is a special case."

"Indeed," Merlin agreed with a nod of his own head. "Jim was once human, now part troll, thanks to me. He still has a few things to discover about himself. Don't you, Trollhunter?" he added, throwing said Trollhunter a smile.

Jim frowned, his face still a little red in embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah," he huffed as he inched away from his girlfriend, who only looked at him mischievously. "What are you to doing anyway?" he asked the troll and wizard.

Merlin straightened himself, holding his staff triumphantly. "Well, I wished to speak with you about the journey ahead," he replied matter of factly.

Blinky took his hands away from his face, crossing both sets of arms and scowling at the old wizard. "And of course, I thought it wise if I tag along and speak with you as well, since I am your trainer," he said, obviously jealous. His eyes swiveled back to the Trollhunter.

Jim smiled and held back a laugh, standing up and walking over to them. "No problem, Blinky. Sounds wise enough to me," he added.

The troll beamed both gratefully and triumphantly. Merlin didn't really seem to care for Blinky's jealousy and instead took a step towards the teenager. "Trollhunter, I wanted to ask. Do you know precisely where we are going?"

Jim frowned and raised an eyebrow. "You were the one who said you heard there was a heartstone in New Jersey," he said cautiously, crossing his arms.

"Yes, Master Jim," Blinky butted in, tapping his fingers together, "but do you know how to get there? And how long the journey would take?" he asked.

Claire stood up with a smirk. "Even if he didn't, I do," she stated, taking her phone out of her pocket and waving it back and forth slightly. "I've got unlimited everything, and I've got the directions right here." She tapped a few things on her phone before she held it out again, showing them a map on her phone.

"Remarkable," Blinky breathed, scratching his chin as he got closer for a better look. "What do you mean by 'unlimited everything'?" he asked, looking at her with curiosity.

"Yes, does your device posses some kind of magic?" Merlin asked.

Jim laughed while Claire shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Not really, but if you want to put it that way. The point is, we do know where we're going." She smiled and walked up to her boyfriend, taking his arm with both of hers.

"Yes, but again, do we know how long the journey will take with the pace we are taking?" Blinky asked, a little stress flickering in his eyes. "You see, ehm, some of the trolls are beginning to get slightly.. restless-"

"Ugh, are you serious?" Jim groaned, his shoulders slouching. "I just saved them from Gunmar, and I'm risking my butt to find a new home for them!"

"Yeah, I'm sacrificing a lot, too!" the girl piped in, frowning in frustration.

Both the six eyed troll and the wizard looked a little guilty, though Merlin wasn't like that for long. "Yes, that does seem a bit ungrateful, but-"

"But you must understand their fear and reluctance," Blinky interrupted. "For most of them, Troll Market was the only home they've known for centuries." This time, Merlin did frown at Blinkous, though he said nothing of it and looked to Jim for the answer.

Jim sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Me and Claire already figured that it would take a long time with only the tunnels, so we found a boat that we can take. There aren't very many passengers, but we'll all fit."

Blinky looked relieved, smiling and nodding. "A wonderful plan, Master Jim, wonderful!" he praised, clasping his stone hands together.

Merlin, however, did not look so pleased. "Wonderful, if it weren't for the fact we could be easily discovered. In case you didn't notice, the battle in your former home surely didn't go unnoticed. Humans and trolls alike fought alongside each other, and know the existence of trollkind now. The rest of the world is soon to catch up, but don't think they will be as quick to accept what they don't understand as well as Arcadia did," he said placing a hand on his hip while he gripped his staff a little tighter.

Jim looked a little crestfallen, his eyes glancing to the ground. Claire squeezed his arm a little tighter, and both her and Blinky scowled at the wizard.

"We were already aware of that," the girl shot back. "And we did choose a ship that is secluded, as Jim already told you."

Blinky nodded his head and joined Jim's side, throwing Merlin an accusing look. "Master Jim is doing the best he can, Merlin!" he said, his voice slightly raised. "And I, for one, believe that while secrecy kept us safe for many centuries, now that the Gumm Gumm threat is over, humans don't have to be kept in the dark! Sure, there may be conflict, but do you think it would be any worse than what we already faced?"

Merlin seemed to grow a little angry, slamming his staff on the ground once. Green light swirled around him and caused a big gush of wind, magic twinkling around him. "Do not think that just because we defeated Morgana that there will be no more enemies to face!" he roared, hopefully not causing the sleeping trolls nearby any distress. "There are still many battles to come, but you are not looking far enough ahead!"

Jim growled, and brought out his Daylight sword, having had enough of this argument. "Not looking far enough ahead?" he roared, angry. "I'm searching for a new home for troll kind, while at the same time doing my best to keep you out of any prying human eyes! Yes, I know the stakes, yes, I know there are more battles to come, but do you really think I can focus on everything at once?!"

Red light enveloped from his sword and wisped around him, a dangerous light flickering in his eyes. Merlin and Jim's friends raised their hands and took a few steps back, a bit startled. Jim calmed when he saw their expressions, taking a few slow breaths and he put away Daylight. The others relaxed and Claire approached Jim hesitantly.

"Jim..?" she said quietly. "Don't listen to him. You're doing great."

"I am inclined to agree, Master Jim," Blinky added with a smile, standing in front of the Trollhunter and patting his shoulder. "You're doing just fine."

Jim beamed at the two, taking a step forward and leaning his forehead on his father figure's shoulder. Blinky chuckled in embarrassment a little, but continued to pat the boy's shoulder fondly. Claire smiled gently, leaning his head against her boyfriend and sighing.

"Thanks, guys," the troll teen said as he backed away.

Merlin sighed, stepping forward and bringing a hand to his chest. "I apologize for causing you distress. You are clearly under quite a bit of stress right now, and handling it very well, I admit." He nodded his head once before turning and walking away.

Blinky nodded to his friends before following suit, yawning as he left. The troll looked left and right, as if looking for someone, before getting a little crestfallen and trudging away. Jim watched him sadly, understanding what was going on. He missed his family and friends, too. His heart ached to see Toby, his mother, Aaarrrgh. Yes, maybe even Mr. Strickler as well.

"Jim?" Claire called again.

He looked up and gave her a shaky smile. "Sorry. Just... thinking." He pulled away from her slowly, but not before kissing her forehead again softly. "You should probably get some rest. Go on," he told her, smiling gently.

She smiled a little tiredly, yawning. "Okay, okay, but you get some sleep, too, another long day tomorrow." She hugged him tightly for a brief second before walking off, scratching the back of her head as she disappeared into the trees.

Jim turned with a sigh, about to go ahead and get some sleep himself, when he heard rustling behind him again. His nose sniffed while his ears flicked, his body tensing slightly. The rustling got louder, and he winced when he heard a familiar tune whistling, but relaxed almost immediately. A pink and scarlet changling appeared from the forest, her lips pursed as she whistled quietly, her green eyed watching him lazily.

"Nomura," the Trollhunter sighed, standing straight again. "Is something wrong?"

She stopped whistling and tilted her head a little bit at him. "I was about to ask you the same thing, little Gint," she said in her gravelly voice. "I heard a commotion coming from this direction," she told him as she approached.

He smiled at her and laughed. "Nice to know you care," he told her mischievously, causing her to frown. "But thanks. I'm alright, things just got a little... heated with Merlin."

Nomura growled slightly, narrowing her eyes. "Not sure how I feel about the old wizard. Seems to me like too much trouble." She stopped and looked up at the stars, her expression falling a little bit as she stared upwards.

Jim cocked his head at her a little, wondering what was up. "Do you see something?" he asked in a hushed tone.

The changling looked back down, a little confused and surprised. She chuckled softly and shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, not that," she said softly, her raspy voice wavering slightly as she looked back up at the twinkling lights. "I.. remember that.. Draal used to enjoy stargazing... every now and then."

Jim's heart sank to his feet, longing and sadness washing over him for his friend. He missed him terribly... at some point, the troll had become somewhat like a big brother to him. As Nomura came to the rock and sat down, still looking up at the stars, he sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I miss him, too."

The changling sighed a little, her eyes sliding over to him. "It wasn't your fault, little Gint. He did what he had to to keep you safe. It's because he saved you that we're all alive." She looked up at the stars again.

Jim smiled sadly, nodding his head and not saying a word. He got to his feet, sliding off of the rock. With one last look to her, he decided to leave her to her privacy. He could find somewhere else to sleep for the night. As he began to walk away, his thoughts dwelled on his troll guardian, lost to the battle for the staff. He wished there was a way he could go back in time. A way he could rescue his friend. Draal had meant a lot to him.

He sighed, stopping and rubbing his temples. As much as he wished for it, he couldn't bring his friend back.

Draal was dead.

~

Lol I really wanted to keep updating this.

Didja like the Jlaire moment?? I totally ship em.

But do you know who I ship harder?

DRAAL AND NOMURA!!!! OOOOOOOOOOH this is going to be so fun to write.

Well, thanks yall!! Enjoy the story.