𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter one

Chapter one. 

[A brand new start]

"Love isn't found in a museum sold for a million dollars,

it's found in a grubby bar where you went to drink your thoughts away."

« Six hours ago, location unspecified »

It was a sunny day in the Good Dragon. Well, it always was, but today it was particularly sunny. Chrissie had been in charge of the weather today, Lin guessed. "Wasn't Peter on duty, though?" they asked themselves. "Must've been caught slacking off..."

Their peace was disrupted by the heavy panting outside the office door, followed by rapid knocking. "Come in!" Lin said off-handedly, a little ticked off by whoever had come to annoy them. They laid their book, a copy of '1984', down with a grumble, making sure the bookmark was in place.

Thankfully, it was 'Chrissie', Chris, who had barged in on their precious alone time. Well, it was 'alone time except for emergencies', which in the GD's eyes included lost books or not having the money to go to the cinema. Hope this is good, Lin thought to themselves. Haven't been out on the field in months. And so their wishes were fulfilled.

"I got a letter from Oradea, Lin!" Chris shouted, out of breath. Our people there have scouted a duo; they beat a whole Pricolici on their own, and we haven't seen them before! Apparently-"

"Wait, hold up." Lin put up their hands in a stop signal, effectively cutting Christian, their deputy, off. "You're saying they slew a Pricolici without training, and we haven't seen them? Are we sure they aren't some from the newer Academy students?" Chris nodded vigorously. "Yeah, the techniques are way off to be from the Academy. Besides, one of them looked like they didn't have a special technique at all-" he let out an exhausted pant, resting his hands on his knees.

Lin pulled up a chair, inviting Chris to sit. He did so without hesitation, after that continuing his report. "So a duo, never seen before, not trained in any way at the Academy or in the Good Dragon that we know of, but that's not the best part." He could barely hold his excitement in. Lin raised an eyebrow and gestured for Chris to continue.

"Their fighting skills are crazy, but their gifts are what surprised me the most," he said. "Mal, our scout, said that one like, paralyzed the Pricolici? And then the other strangled it with vines, I think. I don't know, his description didn't go into detail. Or at least, I didn't read the detail. Here –" he handed said letter over –"read it yourself. But I think we should go as soon as possible. They could be gone in no time," he said worriedly.

Lin shook their head in dismay, then focused their eyes on the scout's letter.

"Dear HQ of the GD,

I am afraid I have discovered two rogues, a boy and a girl, not taught by the Academy or the GD. Actually, they aren't even Solomonar, although I'm sure they're not monsters or non-human in any way.

I saw them a few hours ago and just got ahold of a pen and paper, desperate to get to you as quickly as I could, so they should still be in Oradea when this letter arrives at the HQ, I hope.

I saw them when I was patrolling the district, in an alley in the suburbs of Oradea. It was about 9 AM, and they seemed to both be wearing some sort of workout clothes (on a run, maybe?). I found nothing of them at first, until I saw that a Pricoloci was attacking them.

I went to help, but I soon realized I had nothing to worry about, for they'd slewn it almost immediately. The girl looked like she was about to bring out a gun, but the boy calmed her down and she instead choked the Pricolici. This was possible because of how the boy had paralyzed the monster.