BOOM.

Robin jolted awake at the sound of his book hitting the floor after sliding from his lap. Cookie, who had also been resting peacefully on his lap, leaping to the ground with surprise, and shooting Robin a glare to express her displeasure over the sudden disturbance.

"Sorry, Cookie," Robin whispered, leaning over to retrieve the fallen book. "But it's alright. Come on, hop back up." He added, gently tapping his lap and motioning her to rejoin him.

Cookie, however, refused his invitation and instead padded over to her small bed in the corner with a huff. Robin shrugged at the small dog's pettiness and stood up, stretching his aching back. Though the seats in Holly's study were comfortable, and meant for long hours of reading or working, Robin found that the chair was less comfortable when he had to remain still to avoid disturbing the Nanahound's sleep. Since doing so was a great offense to the small creature.

It appeared to be almost midnight, according to the large wooden clock that sat opposite of Robins seat in the study. Robin had accidentally dozed off in the chair in Holly's library office while Holly worked. Him reading and her fulfilling holiday orders while listening to some of the old records from Robin's room.

The soft cracking of the records end and the ticking of the old clock were the only noises in the room. It seems Holly had also fallen asleep at her desk, a pair of half-finished earrings abandoned as she surrendered to exhaustion.

Robin took a short walk around the study, once again examining the unique collections of books and rocks that could be found on it's bookshelves that filled the wall's entireties. He slowly walked behind Holly's desk, careful not to wake her, to take a peak at the work she was doing. However, a scrap of paper peeking from one of the drawers caught his attention from one of the bottom drawers. Carefully reaching down to pull it out and throw it out, he recognized it as part of the torn newspaper article he had seen before— but now even more shredded.

Curiosity got the better of him this time, and he slowly opened the old drawer, cringing when it would let out a light creek, and pulled the pieces of paper out, quickly fixing the destruction done to the paper to read the article before Holly woke up.

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Crimson Crow Flies Off the Handle!!!

The famed sorceress, " The Crimson Crow", has reportedly burned down an entire village in Utah, rampaging and destroying everything in her path. Great Plains Military Commander, Hank Furrow, lead Great Plain's troops who managed to subdue the crazed witch, critically wounding and capturing her, while ensuring the safety of all the town's civilians.

"It calls into question the safety of the people of the Great Plains" One soldier, who was at the scene, told reporters. "If a witch can get moody and destroy a whole town, how safe are we, really, in our own country?"

For his bravery, Furrow will be receiving a medal of honor from the state of Utah. This incident has sparked renewed debates about the safety of unchecked sorcerer powers and whether restrictions on heart stones or other controls are necessary to protect the people of the Great Plains from future attacks. The Crim-

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Wait—That's... It's not..."

Robin looked down at Holly, who looked up at him with wide, yet slightly sleep-swollen eyes. Fear evident on her face as she quickly reach up for the article to grab it from Robin's hands.

Robin almost pulled back to try and keep it from her grasp, his curiosity stronger than before, but he handed it over to her instead. Knowing any answers to his questions were likely better answered by the woman before him then thorn up paper in her hands.

"Don said you were forced to do it," Robin said softly, trying to keep his voice nonjudgmental, and casual as he gently handed her the article. "Do you mind if I ask what really happened? I'm sure what's written here isn't the real story, " He added, trying to keep things light, "or it wouldn't have received such abuse."

The worry and fear in Holly's face melted into a brief expression of relief as she let out a small chuckle. However, as she looked down at the paper in her hands hesitation and sadness was written across her face.

"It's a long story..."

" I'll be here until my brother shows up, so maybe it will be another 50 years. Who knows." Robin said, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. "I have plenty of time to hear it. If you want."

Holly didn't laugh.

"Well, it's... it's not a good story. It's sad, and it's embarrassing. And it was my fault..."

"Doctor Don doesn't seem to think so."

Holly sat for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Well, everything started when I was at Midwestern Plains University of Magic and Sorcery. A school reserved for sorcerers. I specialized in destruction magic, not because I liked it, but I had found a kind of magic that made me almost invincible." She stole a glance at him with a small smile. "While studying there, I met a general's son named Hank Furrow. He only was a magician, and nobody knew. He cheated his way in with connections and tricks. When I graduated, I was so infatuated with him that when he joined the military, I joined it too."

Holly suddenly laughed bitterly, leaning back in her seat and rubbing her temples. "Hank was going on a dangerous mission, and I gave him my heartstone... because I thought I was in love with him and wanted to protect him. It was stupid.. Especially since it was clear he didn't feel the same way towards me." She grimaced. "I seem to have a habit of doing that."

She began picking at her nails as she continued, not looking at Robin.

"I thought, because I had such an impressive heartstone, that he would be proud to have it, and maybe, just maybe, he would fall in love with me back because of I had given it to him. Especially because he seemed so excited when I gave it to him."

"But I was naive— now I know that his magic allowed him to control any sorcerer or soceress whose heartstone he possessed. And that's how he tricked his way into university."

Robin began to put the pieces together, and simpathy for the situation grew in his chest, as well as disgust that a fellow magican could manipulate his powers to do something so evil.

Holly sighed and shook her head, her voice growing quieter. "One day, he asked me to covertly use my magic destroy a community of the poor and unhoused people in Utah—as they were people the government deemed an eyesore and had asked him to deal with— to help us both move up in ranks. When I refused, he used my hearthstone to force me to do it anyway. Fortunately, I had mentioned this plan to Margo when he had first asked me to help him. Margo was able to evacuate the town, knowing it was a sitting target of the Great Plains millitary.

But when she saw me arrive to destroy it, she knew something was wrong. Margo fought to free me from his control, and when Hank finally showed up to play hero, he found me nearly dead and the town in ruins. He painted me as the villain and himself as the hero. Claiming to have defeated me and evacuated the town, even though that was all Margo's work.. We still don't know if that was his plan or if he changed his mind afterward, but ."

Holly paused, and a shaky hand pausing from picking her nails to wipe a tear from her eye.

"After I realized what he'd done, my heart stone shattered. Kinda like in the Thunderbird Tale. Margo helped me escape, but Hank lied and claimed I was captured and detained in a high security prison, being studied to ensure this wouldn't happen again. I escaped here to an old family farm house, as Adel townsfolk here don't care much about what happens outside their lives. It's helped me keep a low profile as Miss Ivy. I used to be really paranoid, but it's been years, and no one really cares anymore. The news has moved on. Ultimately, it was just a burned town, that got rebuilt with government help to be even more beautiful then it once was, and no one got hurt..." She said, trailing off, as she wiped another tear from her eye.

"Except you."

"...Yeah, well... except me." She leaned back, her shaking hands wiping away the tears that had made their way down her cheeks. "And Margo. We'd never fought each other like that before. She was desperately trying to figure out how to free me from his spell, and I was unconsciously desperately destroying everything in my path. In university, we'd always been a team. Fortunately, she had a slight upper hand, with Bert helping from the sidelines..." She laughed softly. "You know, Don had his work cut out for him, patching me up... He would have loved to have had you around."

"That's not really what I meant by getting hurt." Robin said, reaching into his pocket for a handkerchief to offer her as she continued to pat away her tears.

Holly's shaking hands took it from him, but she refused to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, I know..." she said, clearing her throat, "but there's more you can do with a broken heart than one might expect," she said, giving him a half-hearted smile. "It just means there's more to go around now."

She paused, folding the handkerchief in her hands.

"A heart is a heavy burden. Especially one made of stone," Holly said, turning over the handkerchief in her hands and looking at the embroidery of his name along the outside of its border. A gift from his mother.

"It was too heavy for me," She continued, "and then it was too heavy for Hank. But now... even though it's broken, it's less of a burden for those I give it to. It's nice to see people carrying around pieces of it these days, with ease," Holly said, finally looking up at him and glancing at the chain around his neck. "It makes me think, that maybe, it's not so much of a burden after all."

"It's not a burden." Robin said as he smiled down at her. He playeed with the whistle pendant around his neck, picking it up to examine the green stones in the ivy design. "Although I will admit it has caused me a bit of trouble—"

Holly's smile faltered, the look of sadness returning to her face.

"Oh, yes, I'm so sorry about that again. Margo—"

"No, not that. Honestly, I had forgotten about that incident." Robin said with an embarrassed laugh. "I meant that I've already had to fight off thirty men claiming to be this 'heart thief' single-handedly," he said, walking back to his seat and dramatically flopping back into the chair. "It seems like everyone wants a piece of your heart, Little Miss Red Crow.

"Crimson Crow," Holly said, amused. " And I am quite impressed, you fought them off single-handedly?"

"Yes, my other hand was taking some tarts out of the oven."

Holly let out a loud laugh, the tension from her sad story easing from her shoulders, and a playful look returning to her face.

"Well, I must have chosen the right person to give such an important piece to. I appreciate you taking your role so seriously, even if it wasn't easy, Oh, Mr Heart Healer."

Robin gave a small chuckle as he shook his head, picking back up his book to hide his blushing face.

"Always, Holly."