Pov: Scar

I don't speak.

Every step is silent down the stairs, the briefest flicker of vex magic to open the door, stepping into the room. The target's facing away, concentrating. They haven't noticed me. I step closer, sneaking forwards before-

'Hey Scar!' Cub turns, smiling.

'Dang it! How'd you even know I was here?!' Cub holds up his vex necklace, glowing as bright as mine. 

'You know we can't sneak up on each other, Scar...'

'Yeah...' I sigh, perching on the edge of the table where Cub's working with some complicated potion equipment. 'What're you working on?'

'I overheard someone talking about nightmares and... decided to make something to help.'

'Wait, there's a potion for that?!' I shuffle closer, seeing the instructions in front of Cub are in his own handwriting. 'You... invented it?'

'It's just a mix of sleeping and amnesia potions.' I look over the complicated system Cub's casually adjusting mid-conversation. 'Though I'm trying to make it more effective with each batch...' He raises his hand, signalling for a moment of concentration, getting some exact number of pale yellow potion drops into the swirling greyish one before removing it. There's a puff of smoke, but Cub stoppers it.

'So... What's does all this Cub-magic do?' Cub laughs.

'You see that glass there?' He points to some part of the mechanism. 'That's where you put potion ingredients. And... you see how the tubes meet up there?' I listen to his explanation, not really understanding but still enjoying his enthusiasm.

'Oooh! And what's this for?' I hold up a small metal instrument.

'Stirring.'

'Ah.'

I watch Cub as he finds some purple solution among his cabinet of ingredients and, to my surprise, hands it to me.

'Wanna help?'

'Wait, really?'

'Yeah, if you want. Just pour that into...' He finds another solution, this one silver and clearly labelled 'NSS!' — not Scar safe.

'Am I allowed to... handle this?'

'I trust you.'

'How much of this do I need?'

'Just a splash.'

I pour in the purple solution. Immediately, the potion becomes iridescent purply silver.

'That's perfect!'

'Really?!'

'Yeah, man. You're a natural.'

'Thanks! What do I do with it now?'

'I'll start heating it over here... Can you find the purple mushrooms for me?'

'Where are they?'

'Up there. Second shelf down... They're bright pinky-purple... Yeah, them.'

I hand a glass of them over, sitting back on the table, watching Cub mix everything together before holding up the finished shimmery deep purple potion for me to see.

'Woah...'

'Cool, right?'

'I never realised you were so good at this.'

'I dabble,' Cub shakes off my compliment with, finding some smaller bottles and measuring out a set amount into each.

'What are those?'

'The right dose. Don't want anyone stuck in a coma or falling asleep too suddenly,' Cub packs all the tiny bottles into a box, writing out instructions. Anyway, I should post these... You wanna come with me, or stay here and promise not to touch anything?'

'I'll... stay here. Look around a bit.'

'Alright.' Cub leaves and I turn to the recipe, trying to decipher the terrible handwriting I swear has gotten worse over the years. I recognise a few numbers, the odd letter or word among the chaos of crossing out and annotations. There's something about the image of Cub hastily scribbling down ideas before he forgets without his usual care of making it neat that makes me smile. Until another voice distracts me.

'Secret staircase? Where does this... oh, hello Scar!'

'Hey Hypno.' I turn to face the curious hermit.

'Is this... yours?'

'Oh, no. This is Cub's. He'll be back soon.'

'Am I... allowed in here?'

'Just don't touch anything.'

'Alright.' And then adds, sceptical. 'Even the books?'

'Cub said don't touch anything, so we're being obedient friends and not touching anything.'

'Wait, what is that?!' Hypno spots a selection of what's probably vex-magic crystals, stepping closer to inspect. 'What do they do?'

'Those are DEFINITELY dangerous,' I force him away, blocking the way. 'They're Vex magic.'

'Vex magic? Like... Season 5?' 

'Exactly. Dangerous.'

'I wasn't going to touch them! How did Cub get some of this stuff?'

'Wizard Market.'

'That's a THING?'

'Yeah. Open to the public once a year. Me and Cub have started going regularly... They've got a really cool Vex-only bar. The drinks have vex magic in. We... only realised later.'

'Wait, wait... Is that why I saw you and Cub drunk running Decked Out together?'

'You SAW that?!'

'I recorded the entire run. If you want I can send it to-'

'No!'

I push him, a small, light-hearted shove.

Until Hypno trips and crashes into a shelf. The bottles rattle. A couple fall.

And smash.

'S***...' Hypno staring over as whatever fell onto his arm burns through his jacket to his arm. 'Ow- f***- Scar- what have you...'

'Oh no no no... I'm so sorry I'm...' I run over. Hypno's still swearing, tearing up his sleeve. His skin is bright red, where it isn't completely burnt away. 'CUB! HELP!'

'I'm gonna faint.' Hypno mumbles.

'SCAR!' 

Cub appears, eyes bright vex blue. It takes a second for him to realise what must have happened before pushing past me to where Hypno's barely standing, incredibly pale, gripping the counter with one hand.

'I said don't touch anything!'

'I didn't! Hypno...'

'Scar shoved me and... I...' Cub glances at me, just long enough for me to see the anger in his expression, almost betrayal. I can't look at him.

'Sit.' Hypno obeys, sitting on the ground as Cub grabs a few potions and bandages, crouching next to him to cover the injury.

'Who said you could come here?'

'The door was open...' Hypno explains. 'Scar said I could stay, as long as I didn't touch anything, which I didn't do.'

'It's not my-!'

'Scar...' Cub growls. I fall silent. There's bright veins of pink among the vex blue of Cub's ears, vex wings behind him. I shouldn't have let Hypno stay. I should've just gone with Cub to wherever he was posting the potions. Tears of shame blur my vision. I realise I'm on the verge of crying. 'Right, take some of these. Change the bandages every evening, clean the wound with this when you do. I'll check next week. Any concerns, dm me. Otherwise, it's fine. And don't snoop around my base again.'

With a nod and a murmured apology, Hypno leaves.

There will be part 2 at some point.

Yes, I started writing this a long time before I finished it.

Yes it was supposed to be wholesome convex the whole time but I ran out of ideas.