StarLight

Chapter 41: Decisions and Regret

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Arya
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I watched as they walked through, Skylar shooting me one more look before the wall closed.
I turned on my heel, looking around.
Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath.
I then opened my eyes, focusing on the energy around me.
It was faint.
Very faint.
But, it was a strong magic that almost seemed to choke on me.
I blinked rapidly, loosing focus.
I took in a few deep breaths before stepping forward.
The source of it was hiding in the sewer drain, in the shadows.
I stepped up, tilting my head slightly.
"Hello." I greeted, watching for any movement.
"You've been watching us for quite some time now... Or are you simply watching the trollhunter? Studying her?" I asked.
No response.
No movement.
"She knows you're watching. Your presence is strong." I stated before looking over to where the entrance to Troll Market was.
"I should get going. Tell Strickler I said 'hi'." I stated.
I then turned away.
I had no idea if he was really working with Strickler, but I shot the guess, knowing it'd get under Strickler's skin if it was correct.
Skylar would have done the same thing, right?
I opened up the portal, walking through and waiting for it to close.
I then made my way to Blinky's cave, walking in as Toby rambled on about going on a quest.
I walked over next to Skylar as the others talked.
Her gaze snapped to something rolling around on the table and she grabbed it in a fluid motion.
I met her gaze as she held it out for me to see with a questioning frown.
I grabbed the eye and slipped it into my pocket.
"It belongs to the troll following you around." I whispered under my breath, causing her to nod before she joined the conversation again.
"Alright, we'll go home and pack then meet up back here." Skylar spoke, causing everyone to nod.
"And remember to pack lightly." Skylar added, her gaze moving to Toby.
"Hey!" He whined, causing us to laugh.
Sky and I turned away, walking ahead of them towards the exit.
"The troll has to be working with Strickler... It's too big a coincidence for them not to be working together." Skylar muttered, glancing over her shoulder to see if the others were listening.
They were stuck in their own conversation.
"That's what I thought." I replied.
Skylar nodded before facing forward, only to bump into a certain blue troll.
"Oh. Hey, Draal." Skylar greeted, rubbing her forehead a bit as she looked up.
He stared at her for a second before glancing away.
He then looked back at her.
"Hey." He replied with.
I cleared my throat, trying to make the situation less awkward.
Skylar looked over at me before glancing back at Draal.
"Everything okay?" She asked.
"Just looking for Vendel." He replied quietly.
Well... more quietly then how he usually spoke.
"I'll leave you to it then." Sky stated before locking arms with me and walking off.
She was walking quickly.
After exiting Trollmarket, we went our separate ways.

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Draal's POV
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I stared at her back as she walked away, her fiery hair bouncing with every step.
I found myself hoping she would glance at me once more with her chilling blue gaze.
I looked away, noticing that her brother was watching me, his friends walking ahead.
A frown etched itself into my features as he walked up to me.
"May I help you fleshling?" I asked, watching his movements.
He looked in the direction his sister was walking before looking back at me.
He seemed to be fighting with himself, in his mind.
"You shouldn't pursue her." He suddenly stated, meeting my gaze.
"What?" My voice sounded strange to my own ears, breathless and shocked.
A pain began to swell in my chest, causing me to frown.
Why was this.
"She has enough on her plate. She doesn't need you distracting her." He stated.
"I don't understand." I stated in turn, causing him to meet my gaze.
"You two don't belong together anyway. She's a human. You're not." A pained look crossed his face as he said this and he looked away.
"I'm not going to let you hurt her again." He added softly.
Guilt fell over me and I glanced back at where Skylar disappeared to.
"I only wish for her forgiveness." I stated softly, causing the fleshbag to nod.
"Good." He stated before walking off.
The pain in my chest worsened and I made my way to the tunnel I had made.
I'll speak to Vendel another time.
For now, I needed to be alone.

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Jim's POV
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As I packed, I couldn't shake the guilt that was plaguing me.
Skylar was happy with Draal, sure.
But she went through so much pain and confusion before then.
Was it really even worth it for them?
Besides, Draal should be with Nomura or another troll...
Right?
I paused, placing my head in my hands.
What was I thinking?
I acted in anger because she wasn't being understanding of anything I was talking about.
She wasn't listening to me.
Strickler Isn't good at this moment.
He changed later on, after the fact that he-
My eyes widened.
I need to stop him from binding his soul with moms.
how could I forget?!
I dumped out my bag, making my way to Skylar's room.
"Hey, I can't go with you, I have something to do." I spoke, causing her to glance over at me with a raised brow.
"Fine." She replied, going back to packing.
This is why I did what I did.
She's stressed enough.
What, with me acting like this. Her being the trollhunter. 
I really should have just kept the amulet.
Everything would've been fine that way.
Because of me she's acting so...
Strange.
The word echoed in my head.
"What were you talking to Draal about?" She then asked,, breaking me from my thoughts.
"Oh.. He was asking for advice about something... He likes... Someone." I spoke hesitantly.
She glanced at me briefly, a look flashing over her eyes before she turned back to her bag, closing it.
"Oh?" She asked.
No.
There's no way she already...
"Uh yeah..." I stated softly.
"Why would he ask you for help? You're not exactly the best person to ask." She stated.
I knew what she was digging for.
She did this automatically when curious, asking a question that would eventually lead to what she wanted to know.
She was good at it.
"Because he likes Arya." I found myself saying.
Skylar shouldered her bag as she looked at me.
"Oh." She stated simply. 
She was.
The guilt worsened within me.
I opened my mouth to take it all back, but...
I didn't.
"I better get going. It's important." I stated, turning away and walking out just as mom walked in.
"Where are you off too, Skylar?" She asked.
"Camping trip with some people from school." She replied.
"What if I said no?" She began.
I took my chance.
Maybe I could change Strickler's mind now.
I'm sorry Sky...
But this is best...
Isn't it?

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Arya
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A sigh escaped me as I looked around.
A sudden sharp pain erupted in my head, causing me to hunch over as I clutched at my bag.
Flashes passed over my eyes like bright lights.
Once gone, black spots swam over my vision as I breathed heavily.
I grabbed my art book, my pencil scribbling across the page in sharp movements.
The vision slowly moved onto the paper, though it was more confusing than when I got flashes.
A large shadow fell over the pages, causing me to glance up at the troll.
"You have something of mine." He stated, causing me to palm the eye in my pocket.
"How did you get in here?" I asked, standing from the ground.
He stayed silent.
I hummed, taking the eye out of my pocket and holding it out to him.
"You should be more careful with your things." I stated.
He then reached out for it, a shock jolting the both of us as he took the eye.
He stared at me a moment before placing the eye back into its socket.
"You should be more careful, little elf. You may very well be the last of your kind." He stated before turning away.
"What's your name?" I found myself asking.
He paused a moment, glancing over his shoulder at me.
"Angor Rot." He stated before disappearing into the shadows.
I looked around, finding no trace left of him.
My gaze then fell to the artbook still on the floor.
It was a rough outline of Draal and Skylar, facing away from eachother.
From what I could tell, they both looked sad.
Why?