Changeling Witch

(S2) Lost Yet Found

The chase through Latissa wasn't what Hunter would've hoped. He'd stupidly thought that because of the Golden Guard's small stature, he would've easily been able to outrun her, but he'd forgotten that she was probably the current Coven head for a reason—and judging by her insane Parkour skills, it wasn't just nepotism. Even the blue jay occasionally fluttering in her face didn't slow her down.

Hunter rounded a corner into an alleyway, tricking her into thinking that he'd ran right into a dead end, then quickly drew a glyph on the ground just as she dived towards him.

"Iiiiiiiiice glyph!" he shouted, activating it and using it as a launchpad. He landed with a tumble onto the roof, then peeked over the side.

The Golden Guard was glaring up at him, but she wasn't making any movements.

"What's the matter, Genevieve?" Hunter taunted. "Don't you know any, like, levitation spells?"

She furrowed her brow and looked away.

A realization sparked as Hunter's eyes traveled back down to her oddly shaped ears. "You're not... powerless without this, are you?"

The Golden Guard started to walk away—and then she turned right back around, took a running start, and did a series of leaps up to the roof.

Thinking quickly, Hunter sent a couple blasts towards her with the staff, both of which she cleanly dodged.

"Don't—don't come any closer," he stammered. "Or—or else."

The Golden Guard tilted her head to the side. "Or else... what?" she said with a little laugh, coming closer. "You gonna blast me off this roof? Nah, you're too nice for that. Fly away? Uh-uh, you can't do that either, because you'll be leaving all those Palismen behind. Do literally anything else with that staff? You clearly don't know how to use it." She smirked. "You don't tend to think things through, do you, human?"

Hunter's hands started to shake. "Um..."

The hand dragon swept overhead, landing in front of the Coven headquarters. Kikimora was waiting below, with the Palismen's nest sitting next to her.

"Huh." The Golden Guard surveyed the scene. "So Kikimora was after my catch this time."

"This time?" Hunter repeated.

"Oh, yeah, she's been trying to kill me since I was, like, twelve," she said flippantly, waving a hand. "I'm used to it by now."

"Oh, so this is a recent develop—"

"I'M FOURTEEN!"

Hunter held up his hands. "My mistake." He looked back at Kikimora, then smirked. "Seems like neither of us want her to win right now, huh?"

She gave him a wary look. "What are you suggesting?"

"Enemy of my enemy is my friend," Hunter said with a shrug. "Let's team up, take her out of the equation, and then go back to kicking each other's asses. Sound fair?"

The Golden Guard sniffed, turning away. "Yeah, I don't think so. I don't make truces with villains, thanks."

It started out with a few seconds of staring at her, then a snort, then some giggles, and then it erupted into full-on hysterics.

"Oh my—holy shit!" Hunter crowed, holding his sides. "You really think—you actually believe—have you seen what your boss wears?! Jesus shit, I can't—wow, you're clueless! Wow!"

"Are you done?" she snapped.

Hunter finally got his breath back. "Oh, man, I needed that. But trust me, Millicent, you are not the good guy in this scenario." He gave her a confident grin. "And as for the truce, maybe you won't have a choice! I'm more formidable than you think."