Scapegoat (SetoSolace)

Three: Quite Possibly Carol

The naming bit is dedicated to TheTryHard8 on fanfiction . net. Perhaps this group's name isn't as cool/amusing as Seto and Brice's, but I hope it will do the job. If any of you have any suggestions for a better name, write it in the comments! Maybe the four will change their mind.

ALSO EARLIER I SAID THERE WOULDN'T BE MUCH SETOSOLACE OR BRICE OR SETO IN THIS BOOK BUT GUESS WHAT NERDS. I FRICKIN LIED. JUST YOU FRICKIN WAIT.

Scapegoat

Three: Quite Possibly Carol

"All right, I'll be honest," I admit. "That could have gone better."

"Brice," Payten sighs in exasperation. "What was that?"

Brice pouts and crosses his arms, and Payten sighs again.

"Come on, I need you to work with me, babe."

"... I'm sorry," Brice says quietly.

"Let me back in there! I'll punch the crumpets right out of their mouths!" Danielle shouts, jumping from foot to foot with her fists held up in front of her. "Come on, teleport us back!"

Payten snorts. "Calm down there, squirt. We got some solid information from those guys, but we can't go back."

"Too dangerous," I explain in my big sister voice, and Danielle squints at me, likely wondering whether or not it would be worth it for her to get down on her knees and beg.

"Hmph." Brice crosses his arms, rubbing them along the way, and Danielle shivers.

"If we're not fighting, we should find some blankets," Danielle sighs in defeat as she settles down on the ground.

"Pfft. 'Let's find some blankets,' she says as she sits down," I laugh at her. Danielle just pouts up at me, and I roll my eyes. "Where would we find blankets?" I ask.

"We're still pretty close to the Burg," Payten offers. "I couldn't teleport us very far."

"I-I've never been to the Burg," I say nervously. "Are we seriously gonna stroll in there just to buy blankets?"

"Oh, they don't sell blankets," Brice whispers. "They sell pain."

"Oh, please," Payten snorts, rolling their eyes.

"Really, though! I stayed there for a few days after the exile, and it was totally terrifying."

"Are the people really made of fear?" Danielle asks with wide eyes.

"Uh, no," Brice says, shrugging. "They're just people."

"Fantastic," Payten says, clapping their hands together. "I think 'fellow humans' is as much of an invite as we're gonna get. Jenny and I will go buy blankets while you watch over Danielle."

"Oi, I don't need any watching over!" Danielle protests.

"Sorry. Danielle, watch over Brice."

Brice squints at Danielle as though about to pull his typical "but I'm older than you" card. "You wanna fight me, punk?" he asks after a lot of consideration.

"Maybe I do, muppet!" Danielle replies, bearing her fists.

"And that's our cue to leave!" Payten laughs, grabbing my hand and pulling me away as Brice tackles Danielle to the ground. I can just barely hear his distant "Oh no, you're too strongggg!" as Payten and I speed away.

"Do you have any- oh," I realize just as we're approaching the gates to the Burg. Bad timing. "What do they even use for currency here?"

"Pain?" Payten guesses, mocking Brice's joke from earlier. "I don't know, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."