“Ouch.” Aiden raises his eyebrows, already growing a dislike for the scientist. The Blazerock hunter crosses his arms, trying hard to keep the conversation polite. “I was going to say I need to head there, too. I haven’t seen Winter in years and figured we could catch up.”
Neil had peered around the corner in the midst of it all, holding a dark tattered parchment rolled up in his hand. He blinks a few times, already feeling tension rising between Aiden and the foreign scientist. He shouldn’t be so surprised, knowing that he already had a resenting distrust fester towards Winter’s client. He sighs, stepping out and reuniting with the group.
“Winter. Letter.” Neil turns towards his Winterlance sister, holding out the scroll to her. Winter unravels it, carefully glancing over the words written to her. It was addressed to both her and her brother, from none other than their sister.
Saria Treetop.
Winter continues to skim over the words, Arch Extent adjusting his hat as he tries to eavesdrop on what the letter might be. It was a letter requesting that Neil Treetop and Roselinath Winterlance immediately at their earliest convenience attend the Treetop Summons.
“Saria wants us in Hightop…”
“It’s the Treetop Summons. You know that takes priority over any contract given to us.” Neil replies to his sister, crossing his arms. “Saria requested us as advocates for her and for the morale. She’s one of the three selected to become the newest Tribe Leader of the Treetop Tribe.”
“That’s great! I actually received a letter myself to go as well! As an invite, of course. Not as an actual tribal request, since I’m not family or Treetop. But we should all go together!” Aiden seems pleased with himself, more or so that he’d get to spend time with his Winterlance crush, and catch up to chat about nostalgia with his good friend Neil. “I was going to head to Knyocke because I was going to at least get something nice for the occasion before going there.”
The Arch couldn’t believe it. First, it was him regenerating a serious wound overnight, followed by a potential Blazerock suitor pursuing Winter, and now a Treetop tribe leader would take away Winter? In the law of Divon, she couldn’t refuse. The law of a tribe leader triumphed above all contracts, obligations, anything. He would have to quickly hurry up this adventure of theirs and get to Knyocke labs, no matter the costs. He’ll have to come up with any excuse he could to keep Winter by his side before this ludicrous Blazerock and weary Treetop could swindle her away from him. He won’t let that happen.
“Fancy Hat…” Winter turns towards him. The scientist doesn’t need to hear anything more past her lips when she faces him, her uncertain expression tells him everything like an open book. He’s dangerously good at that by now.
“I'd like to talk to you in private first about Knyocke before you go to the Summons.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s fine. I understand.” Winter nods at Arch Extent. Winter’s arm is quickly grabbed by the larger hands of her brother and gives an agitated look.
“Scientist, this should also include me.We have to head to Hightop. Not Knyocke.”
This Treetop is proving to be an issue. I need to separate him and Winter as quickly as I can.
The pressure in the air intensifies between Neil and Arch Extent. Winter isn’t content with it, and Aiden seems to be stricken with surprise as he watches a silent battle unfold between the strangely dressed man and his childhood friend. She doesn’t appreciate how Neil grips her, feeling the sharpness of his fingernails dig into her. A hiss is let out by the female huntress, whipping away her arm while displaying an awful distaste for the overprotective nature of her big brother.
“Neil, fuckin’ chill.” Winter rubs her arm, fuschia eyes briefly scanning it to see if he scratched her from how hard he pressed.
“I don’t trust you alone with that man, Winter. What’s in Knyocke? I know I wasn’t here for the conversation a minute ago, but were you two planning to go?”
He is treating her like a child…Is he just controlling, or is there something he knows that I don’t and wants to keep her away?
The scientist didn’t think Neil could be vexing but here he was, contemplating whether he should pull his pistol out, take Winter by force, and call Seraphic for backup. If he did that, he would lose the beginning of Winter’s trust to cooperate with him. The cooperation of the female huntress was imperative. She didn’t know it yet, but there were at least a billion human lives riding on how her body worked, that she might be able to produce antibodies and a successful vaccine to save earth. The answers were so close. He just needed to get to a damn lab to figure it out.
“I need to stop in Knyocke so I can repair some of my equipment. I highly doubt there’s something in this town that can do that.” Arch Extent is partially lying, and he knows Neil might not buy it.
“We shouldn’t be wasting time heading to Knyocke when me and Winter have somewhere else to be. Since we were summoned, your contract with my sister is null and void, scientist.” Neil takes a step closer to the Arch.
“The contract might be null and void for now, but the Blazerock hunter also offered for all of us to go together. If you’re attending the Hightop Summons I’d assume it would be alright for me to travel with Winter to Knyocke.”
Your brother is trying his best to clutch to you as tightly as he can, Winter. I’ll make sure to separate you from him once we’re in Knyocke.
“Neil, why don’t you just-” Winter tries to interject herself into the conversation. Neil cuts her off.
“--Winter, I don’t think you should stay around this man anymore.”
Aiden takes a step back from the entire conversation. Things are getting heated, and there is quite a bit he’s missed out on. The fiery-haired Blazerock isn’t sure what to say, but he wants to see how this all plays out. Winter doesn’t appreciate her brother’s attitude, and the huntress can see Arch Extent display a small nuance of irritability on his face.
“I’d assume after the Treetop Summons, the contract wouldn’t be null and void anymore, correct?” Arch Extent needs to at least know the answer to that.
“Well–” Winter is cut off again.
“It’s null and void as of right now, so she doesn’t have to answer that.”
Arch Extent watches as Winter withers with Neil taking action over her. She hasn’t been able to get another completed sentence in, and Neil is dictating her actions. He shouldn’t care, but he does.
Nevermind. I’m going to make sure I separate him and her now. I thought this could wait. I’m sorry, Winter.
“It’s probably not my business, but last I checked, Winter is an adult who could answer for herself. I’m aware you distrust me, but are you trying to keep her away from something she doesn’t know about?” Arch Extent lashes out venomous words at her brother.
Neil answers him with a few moments of silence while Winter switches her gaze to her big brother. The seed of doubt had been planted in her mind, and Arch Extent can see he managed to do something to the huntress. He performed the first cut in the sibling’s relationship. The Treetop hunter’s silence also grants satisfaction to an inkling Arch Extent had. Neil had never drastically reacted or appeared even surprised when seeing his cyan-lit mask, the holo-screen from his watch, or the mentions of any other Earth-related technology. He’s been wondering about it since they were traveling in the Elator cave, but this meant that Neil must have had some knowledge prior that Winter didn’t have. Which begs the question: What does Winter’s big brother know?
“You’re non-tribe, and not from around here. I don’t need my sister involved with that. And since we have the letter, we need to leave as soon as possible.” Neil makes sure his words are as sharp as a blade, not wanting to be around the scientist any longer. “Let’s go, Winter. We gotta head out as soon as we can so we can see Saria.”
Winter doesn’t budge as she sees Neil turn around to begin walking. She looks powerless and in denial, torn between wanting to follow her big brother but also wanting to question what Fancy Hat was implying. Was her big brother possibly keeping secrets from her?
The huntress clenches her fists tightly, and Arch Extent is finding satisfaction in Winter’s struggle, not that he genuinely wants her to, but this would be for his and her benefit. Her big brother’s hold on her could be severed, and Winter would begin to be able to make choices of her own without someone trying to constantly supervise her. He watches as her emotions switch over from being powerless to sudden frustration, whipping her body around to face Neil, who had been wondering why she wasn’t immediately following him.
“Big bro, you didn’t really answer his question. And Fancy Hat, what were you implying?”
Arch Extent needs to be honest with her now, whole-heartedly.
“I think your brother knows possibly something about Winterlances the two of us don’t.”
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