Heath, after a few days of mental tribulation, thought that going on the mission with Jack Edens was not that bad of an idea.

He would have rather not tell Jack the truth about what made him change his mind, but he once made a point to never lie unless some situations simply required it. And since being a Laoch who used his own magic as some kind of medicine and a street rat son of a prostitute did require lying from time to time, he made himself an even bigger point to never tell senseless lies.

So, when he approached Jack the morning of the task, he confessed.

"I thought about your words, and decided that Mister Tenney is not a fool. Even if we go together, he'll find a way to grade us separetely if he wishes. In fact, he probably knew who was going to win from the start, because it's the kind of old bastard he is..."

Heath laughed but Jack did not join in. Heath coughed, a little more self-aware.

"What I'm really meaning to say is that you have been selfish in asking me, so I'll be selfish in joining you. We're even. You ask me along just because you are afraid of Elvors? Fine. I'm coming along because my only skill is my draining magic and I am afraid of a lot more things than you are, Jacob, including flashing lights, things that go boom, sneak attacks and loud noises just to name my top four. And now you're stuck with me. Happy?"

They were in the woods near the school, ready to leave. They had backpacks and black suits on. When breaking and entering wasn't required, so the students would not have to hike on buildings, Mister Tenney insisted the secret agents wore everyday clothing, or there wasn't much point to them being secret. Heath's curls that day were almost completely sandy brown, except for a few dark streaks the color of a very faded dark pink that couldn't be really singled out from afar from the rest of his head.

Eyeing Jack's backpack, and knowing it was taking a while for Edens to take this information in, Heath was suddenly scared the other student was going to bump him over the side of the head with his carryall.

"Fine," Jack finally said. "I would say I fail to see what I can get from it, but I recognize I was the first one to ask."

They started walking. Heath remembered the words the Monks from the Embassy said about the forests, how you could hear every single sound of nature and, if you concentrated on them, have an healing experience for your soul. 

Heath was not capable of doing things like that. Not when there was Jack Edens there to tease.

"So," he said. "The movie about the Laoch and the Elvor princess. What was it about again?"

Jack stopped in his tracks and almost dropped his backpack, which he was carrying as a suitcase.

"Why are you asking about that? Leo brought it up too, the other day."

"Ugh," Heath made a sound like a cat who choked on a furball. "I didn't know about that. I don't want to have anything in common with Leonard. Ever. But I was thinking that your father was in the movie, wasn't he?"

"It was a cameo," Jack was growing restless and looking around as if Elvors could show up anywhere at anytime. Which was fair. Maybe they could.

"A paid cameo, meaning he paid to be in the movie and became one of the producers," Jack added, clearly not as bothered as he looked. "He played Caladium."

"Wait a minute," Heath laughed. "Caladium was in the movie? That Caladium?"

"How many Caladiums have you heard of? It's not like it's a given name."

The idea was absurd. Maybe it was because Heath loathed movies --- they were never as good and genuine as books. He never owned a Screen except when he was little, and even then the Screen was for watching the war in real time. And now that he thought about it, maybe that was the real reason he'd never watched a movie since nor he intended to.

But come on. The magic of Everende Island was almost completely tied to Caladium, a being even more important than the Laoch and more mythical than the Elvors. Not one person who had met him could tell a soul about it, so it was impossible to know who had encountered him before. He was part tree, or so was the rumour, and the roots supposedly stretched under the island. He lived underground, but not in the center of Everende. Under a promontory called the World's Start.

"The movie was set at the World's Start," Jack said with contempt. "It played on the famous folk legend that the promontory is the place where the world started."

Heath nodded. "My fickle magic is still enough to know that the Southern Coast is the most magical place in the island. But Norma says the world started with a bang, and Ken says Norma is always right."

Jack huffed. He stopped, as if they were in the right place. But all Heath could see were more trees, and it was dawning on him that it was very cold outside and perhaps he should have worn more layers of clothing.

Which was strange. The island was a place with a mild climate and most days Heath got by by wearing considerably less layers.

"I am starting to regret bringing you along," Jack admitted.

"You talked of sparks!" Heath was outraged. "The only spark between us is one that could light the fuse of a bomb!"

He wasn't thinking about his words. When he was angry, he never did. But in that moment, it was in front of him. A bomb, exploding. The sound, a crashing boom loud enough to make the world seem forever silent in comparison. The smell of fire, of burning... and the smoke... And of course, there was the light...

Before he knew what he was doing, Heath flinched visibly at his own words and started running away. The only coherent part of him hoped Jack would blame it on cowardice.

It had always seemed much better to seem a coward rather than a brave person who had simply given up.

When Heath crouched under a tree, Jack put a hand on his shoulder, but Heath swatted his hand away.

"I'm sorry," Jack said.

"Oh, so now you're sorry because of something I said?" Heath couldn't help the new outburst. "Is that how much you pity me?"

"I don't pity you," Jack replied quickly. Which was good, because if he had admitted the pity he probably really felt, Heath would have punched him.

He'd always prided himself on not being violent, but it was the same thing as the lies. Being the Laoch, a street rat and the son of a war veteran had made it so that sometimes violent was the answer. Especially when Heath's brain shut down and couldn't contemplate the healthier possibilities.

However, he started taking deep breaths. 

"The monks taught me that," he explained when he saw Jack's puzzled face.

"The monks?" Jack asked, like one who thinks Heath has lost his mind. "Either way, do not worry, Crimson. I do not pity you. If I did, where would be the fun in reminding you how hopeless you are at school and... in general. I wouldn't have it in me to point out your flaws."

Normally Heath would be angry at such a sentence, but all he could say was, "Crimson? That's new."

"When you don't use your magic the colored streaks in your hair makes it look sorta red under the lights," Jack explained. "My degrading nicknames for your hair never required explanations before."

This time, being reminded that he had degrading nicknames because of his hair made Heath feel more grounded. At least he wasn't pitied. Once upon a time, he didn't mind that. He even thought that the people who looked down on him were ready to give him a helping hand. Then, he found out it wasn't the case.

Going to Mister Tenney's school had taught him things about himself, mostly. Once he saw his pathetic self reflected in Jack Edens' jokes he realized that he had to gather his pride back step by step.

"So," Heath brushed the dirt off his suit. He didn't look inconspicuous anymore, he reasoned, so he probably could drug himself with his magic and forget the pain he was feeling... No, that was not the moment. 

He coughed. "So, in the movie, do the Laoch get it on with the Princess?"

"Yes, but he gets all monk-like about it at first," Jack rolled his eyes as if to say Laochs were never fun.

"Hey! Not all of us are like that. It's not included in the package," Heath stopped before he could make a joke Jack wouldn't appreciate. "Just so you know I got it on with people before. It's really hard when you have the hots for your best friends, I'm letting you know that in case you haven't experienced it, since you don't have friends. When I first met Norma and Ken, it was really hard to keep my hands off the most beautiful person I had ever seen, standing right in front of me... And I knew that this person had this effect on everyone else, too! I would send certain glances, but I could see that they fell flat..."

"Norma is very pretty," Jack said, not really amused from the story. 

Heath just nodded and went along. "And then, we kissed! I initiated it. And the moment our tongues met, I realized how much I didn't like it. It was like kissing your sibling. I kept gagging for a week, and I must have lowered poor Ken's self-esteem because he thought it was his fault!"

"Ken?" Jack asked. "I thought you were talking about Norma!"

While Ken was very good-looking, people mostly noticed his bold and flirty girlfriend.

"No, I know you swing both ways, or all the ways, but I only like men," Heath said, with a daring smile. He knew Jack couldn't judge, but Heath always felt like it was a dare to say it aloud.

And as for his past experiences, he didn't want Jack to ask because he wouldn't have known what to say. He'd liked doing things with people, casually, or it was what he thought at the time. But it hadn't happened in a while, and since Heath was always out of it because of his magic, it was lately that it was dawning on him that he only did it because the other people wanted to, and he always wanted to be liked and admired by others.

Heathcliff, once upon a time, used to be a huge people pleaser. And regarding to his past, in every matter including the sexual ones, he wasn't able to say if he liked any of the things he put himself through just to please others. He didn't want to start thinking about that at the very moment.

"Do you know what bums me out the most?" Heath switched topic ungracefully. "About my father?"

Jack seemed too surprised to argue. He shook his head.

"My parents had me young, out of school, and then my father was sent to fight in the war. He was a very anti-war guy buy you might remember that it was either that or prison."

Back then, there was a consulate that took decisions such as these, and they were often unfair on the people. The Corporation of the Kingdoms was born after the war to join Baicar, Pavoa and Everende in an alliance, and now the island was just ruled by Caladium, which meant it basically wasn't ruled at all if not by magic.

Heath coughed to fight back tears. "Either way, my father was my age when he died. That's what annoys me the most. When I have my twenty-fourth birthday, I'm going to be older than he ever was. And from that moment on, with every birthday, it's always going to get worse. When people think of their fathers, they imagine an older person who can guide them. Next year, I'm going to be older than my own father."

Jack didn't quite know what to say. Of course, with his reckless personality, he probably didn't overthink things like that. Or maybe he did, since he had overshared his burdens before. Still, Heath found out he didn't know him well enough to guess his reaction.

Besides, Jack couldn't relate. His father had him at a perfectably respectable age and at only twenty, Edens was the youngest student at school and one of the reasons he was insufferable.

When Jack spoke again, it was to say, "They're coming!"

"Who?" Heath had spaced out so frequently in just a matter of minutes that he didn't remember anymore what they were there for. And either way, he couldn't imagine the Elvors following after them. "I told you I am afraid of sneak attacks! Defend me!"

"Over your dead body!" Jack replied, and just like that they fell back into the old pattern. "Which means that before I waste my time helping you I'd let you die."

"It was perfectly clear, thank you, hot-headed jerk," Heath said because he couldn't manage worse than that at the moment. He didn't know whether Jack was really afraid of Elvors or it was just attention seeking, but on his part he hadn't lied about his fears.

"This is why the temperature dropped," Jack explained as they were running. "When Elvors are in proximity they spread their magical aura and the place grows colder."

Maybe auras had a temperature, and his was warm, Heath thought as he tried not to crash into a tree. As opposite to the Elvors, people generally didn't find him intimidating and it could explain why he was never cold.

Lost in his thoughts, he fell onto the ground and slammed into one of those aboveground roots. 

"I never noticed the Elvors'aura and I blame myself I didn't," he finally panted. "I don't like being helpless in case you don't know."

"You met them before?" Jack asked.

"I was with Leo," Heath said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "I did think it was a bit cold, looking back, but perhaps it was just because I was wearing one of my good coats and very little underneath..."

"What are you even implying?" Jack asked. Heath realized that Leo hadn't told his boyfriend of the way the Laoch had hindered his plan.

"Forget about it," Heath said.

"If you want," a third voice added. "You can make a Deal to forget about it. Or to break up with Leo. Could that work? A Deal that breaks a Deal?"

The blond, female, Elvor whom Heath had met the other day materialized in front of them, and soon enough others followed.

"Even you, Laoch," she added. "You could make a Deal to forget your pain forever, and not just temporarily. How does that sound? No more pulling at more magic than you can handle to numb yourself on purpose?"

The Elvor seemed to savour Jack's puzzled expression, since the Rogue didn't know the whole truth. Heath felt strangely prickled.

"I'll never make a Deal for as long as I live," Heath replied as bravely as he could. In a life of bad choices, there was one he'd never make. He didn't trust Deals and their devious nature. 

"That much was clear when you hindered our plans the other time," a male Elvor said. "Something unseen, a Laoch interrupting us and making sure we don't get our end of the bargain."

"You did get something out of it."

"We could have got a lot from a Deal such as the first one your friend proposed. Never cross our path anymore, Laoch, if you know what's good for you."

"And since apparently you don't know what's good for you," the blond one added with a smirk. "You're coming with us where we can make an example out of you."