There Must Be Something More ( Bellroc x Jim Lake's older sister Iris Lake)

There's Something About Douxie

" What Is This MOCKERY?"

Jim and Toby were delighting in their ticker tape parade of awesome.But suddenly, their eyes were fixed in horror upon an uninvited guest.
They sprang close together, jaws dropping and faces paling.
" Are...are you here to kill me?" Jim squeaked.
" Not kill. Protect. Since I cannot go back to Trollmarket, I will guard your home. "
" I...I don't think my sister would be down with that. Buuut, then again, I have enemies now; I guess we need some home security."
Draal gazed at Daylight. " If my destiny is to not wield the sword, perhaps it is to teach you how to do so properly. And respectfully. "

He took on a fighting stance. " Let us train."
" I don't know..."
" It really is just sparring, this time. You have my word. "
Draal continued:" Your blade is but an extension of your body, and your body, an extension of your eyes. Mimic my movements, Trollhunter. "
*****

" ...Aaand so, we did some training. Seriously, you got the wrong idea. Could you climb off of Draal's face now? Trolls kinda also need air."
Iris detached her body from the troll's face. He gasped for air, showing off massive white teeth.
" Great narration there, Jimbo...but now we're really, really late. Vendel is gonna cane our butts."
" Oh shoot, we're supposed to be at the museum! Bye Iris, I'll explain later!" Jim yelled as he jumped on his bike and hurried away.
Iris stared at Draal.
Draal stared back.
" You show promise as a future warrioress," he informed her.
" Yeah, thanks.I learned the high- jump attack from my soulmate."
She walked up the steps to the back door, turned and spoke over her shoulder.
" If you ever act like a jerkface to my brother again, I will rip off your nose ring and shove it."
" Where, exactly?" he asked.
He kept asking as she shut the door behind her. She grinned and left it up to his imagination.
******
" Look, all I saw was the freaky under-the-bed monster. Never saw some bridge ...but I believe you."
" No. No you don't, nobody does," Jim groaned in frustration and despair, running a hand over his scalp with fingers curled into angry claws.
" No, Jim, you know I'll always believe you when you're not making something up. I know when you've really seen something, no matter how crazy it is. Turns out, even the
" mutant green raccoon" story you came home with a decade ago, wasn't a story, so I know now that you never imagine things. "
She hugged him. He sighed .
" Toby let you down. I'm not Toby. Just listen: Never gonna giiive you uuupp-"
Jim shoved her away, half- smiling.
" No, no no no, no rickrolling!"
" Never gonna let you down, never turn around and desert youuu-"
The lyrics, combined with a surprising good Rick Astley-impression, soon had him rolling with laughter.
Jim left her room with a big smile on his face. She wondered why Vendel was such a mean old goat.
******
" ...Miss Nomura is what's called a 'Changeling'. Changelings are everywhere, they could be anyone. They pretend they're people like us, but they're not. They're thieves, murderers, spies. You can't ever trust a Changeling, even when you thought that Changeling was your brother, or your lifelong friend. Or your mom, it doesn't matter. They're wicked, but not like ' cool' wicked. The good news is, you can figure out if somebody is a skinwalker-troll, using one of these."
And her brother held out a big, iron horseshoe.
" You're kidding. "
" Nope. Troll knowledge. You poke bare skin, and maybe that skin'll fade , revealing a troll. "
" And then what? They'll shake my hand, say ' Bless you good lass', and go about their day? I'll get stabbed! Or eaten, who knows! Evil organisations always get rid of witnesses."
" Look, we traded Rot and Gut the socks off our feet to get you your own Gaggletack. Long story. Just please try. Poke somebody you think is suspicious, see if they change. "
" You gotta tell me about Rot and Gut later, if I do this . I wanna learn more about Trollmarket."
" Deal. Shake hands?"
" Pass. Your hands smell like feet."
******

It was six p.m. the next day. Jim was at Claire's house, and she was at Mr Benoit's.
Douxie was just 'That Dude' to everyone she knew; and Toby and Jim didn't know of him at all . But when he sold her spellbooks recently , he talked about magic like he was knowledgeable . He was vague about his life, vague when certain questions about magic and magical creatures were asked. He was a mystery, she knew things about him like how nice he was and the two places he worked, but nothing of his personal life.
Maybe, he knew so much of magic because he was a troll. A book- loving one like Blinky. Maybe his life was mysterious on purpose; like the life of a spy in a foreign land.
Nobody even knew where exactly he lived.
Yes, it was a huge stretch. Nothing that made him stand out to her, drew suspicion from anybody else. Nothing that was unusual about him, screamed I am not human. 
But she knew he was Different. She had the distinct feeling, that Bookstore Boy was far more than he seemed.

If he is a Changeling, he's gotta be the nicest one ever, Iris thought, watching as Long Kinda- Magical Name read  the menu to a blind customer.
His eyes lit up , when he saw her.
Having relayed the customer's order, he quickly walked over.
" Hey love, can I take your order?"
" Ah, you remember me."
" First visitor who actually bought a book. Should've given you a voucher, but I'm afraid GDT doesn't have that setup yet."
He softly grinned. Too sweet for this harsh, heartless world.
But Douxie wasn't half as ordinary as he let people assume. Maybe her Gaggletack would bring out his secrets.

She ordered a Choccaccino ( new menu item, how enticing), and a white chocolate-and-cherry muffin.
After enjoying them, she left two things: A tip, and the iron horseshoe .
Douxie would come over, and take the money, and in the process his ungloved fingers would make contact with the Changeling-identifier.
...Hopefully, this would actually work.

She stood and pretended to text, occasionally looking at her abandoned table.
Douxie showed up to clear/clean it, and grinned at the sight of the tip.
Then, he frowned. He reached out, his hand not quite touching the horseshoe.
His gaze travelled around him in a circle, until it found Iris.
Her heart shot up into her throat.

He waved. " Hey! Hello! You left your-"
He pointed.  She stayed where she was, seemingly too preoccupied with texting.
Pick it up.

Douxie picked it up.

...Guess he's just a mysterious guy, then. Maybe he's from the Twilight Zone.
Douxie gave her back her horseshoe.
"Good luck charm?"
" Yeah, uh, that. "
" I can help, if you really want a change of fortune. I know the right stuff to hang in your house or wear around your wrist. I can phone or text, if you'd like."

Her cheeks heated up. " I'll give you my number, then. Text me later?"
" Of course, love. Til we meet again..."
He made a grand motion with his arm, smiling when she snickered.
Off she went, a little confused over whether or not he'd been doing some flirting. She'd find a way to let him know she was taken, if that was the case.
Iris hoped her and Blue Hair could become good friends.