For Whom The Bell Tolls (Trollhunters continuation/Evil Jim AU)

10: Time To Talk

Jim hung upside down from a nearby tree by his legs. This was something he hadn't been able to do previously due to his noodle legs, but his built up strength now allowed him support his full weight.
Taking in several deep breaths of early evening air. He'd managed to somehow skip school, even though he was sure someone would've seen him. It was likely that no one really cared and that suited him just fine. He'd spent the day practicing his parkour skills, finding that actually, he was quite good at scaling buildings. After all, the rooftops of Arcadia were a child's play area compared to the training mechanisms in the Heroes' Forge. It had made him miss the thrill of hurling himself from platform to platform during training, but honestly, he couldn't sit there and say he hadn't enjoyed his day of chilling out atop the town's buildings. He'd also taken the time to quickly slip back home whilst his mom was out to collect the Akiridion amulet.
The sun had started to slowly lower towards the horizon and Jim knew his phone had been blown up with messages and missed calls from people who cared about him, but that wasn't of any bother to him right now. Douxie was.
Jim had climbed down into a nearby tree where he was currently hanging, waiting for 6:30pm to roll around. Bored, he checked the time. 6:28pm. No sign of the wizard. He toyed with going to the shop door but he knew Douxie was probably closing up and didn't want to bother the guy. Despite any animosity he'd once held towards Doux, he now had a great deal of respect for him and wanted to inconvenience him as little as possible.
6:29pm. Still nothing. Seconds were dragging on forever. Jim began to grow impatient. No matter how much he told himself it was only one more minute to wait, it wasn't going to stop his brain from wandering aimlessly. He flipped himself out of the tree and to the ground, picking up a stick and crossing the road. He began to hit random things like the fire hydrant and several trash cans with the it, finding amusement in the noise it was making.
He became so distracted that he hadn't noticed Douxie standing behind him, arms folded disapprovingly.

"Oh fuck, uhh hey?" Jim blurted, throwing the stick on the floor and trying to pretend he hadn't been contemplating smacking the shop's door with it.

"I see you came on time...I'm not even gonna ask what you were doing with that stick," The warlock replied in confusion, "Anyway...come in."

Douxie stepped to one side to hold the door open for Jim. The teen thanked the sorcerer and slinked inside awkwardly, seating himself in one of the two plush chairs by the fire. Casperan appeared minutes later, setting a tray down laden with tea and a small plate of biscuits.

"Help yourself." He indicated as he poured some of the tea for himself.

The scent of green tea filled Jim's nostrils. It was a familiar, warming aroma. However, he politely declined the offer and instead opted to state he wasn't hungry, despite having not eaten anything since he'd swiped the last of Mary's avocado toast that morning.
Douxie raised a hand, the cup and a teaspoon levitating off the tray surrounded by an azure aura. Jim watched with intrigue as the cup of tea floated in the air, stirring itself.

"I'm sorry if this seems at all intimidating," Douxie spoke calmly, his posture relaxed, "But I'm hoping that whilst this is serious, we can treat it more as an informal chat."

"Heh, yeah." Jim felt a prickle of magical energy zip down his spine as he continued to watch the wizard use it to stir his tea.

"So," Casperan willed the cup to settle in his hands and took a sip, "tell me everything."

Jim eased up his position a little, allowing his tensed muscles to relax. He reached into the pocket of his jean jacket and produced the amulet of Daylight, setting it gingerly on the table between them. He noticed Douxie raise an eyebrow and grow a little wary. Jim then unfolded a small parcel of cloth he'd also pulled from his pocket and placed the new amulet next to the original one. This led Douxie to look confused.