(A/N: Just for clarification, this has nothing to do with the actual episode, well, kinda)
I was just relaxing with my step-brothers in the living room, just scrolling through Penstagram and petting Luna who sat on my collarbone, ignoring Boscha's dumb grudgby posts and liking all the cute palismen ones.
RULERZREACHF4N
Did.I get this to,work?
I smiled at Hunter's message. I don't even wanna know how long it took him to type that.
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
Nice to hear from you, Goldie.
The typing bubble came up and I guessed I had about a minute before his message came through. Although, I didn't get a message.
RULERZREACHF4N
I might've sent,,this to the human.But I meaNt for it'to go to you
I blushed at his message. Accidentally sending messages was normal for first time users of social media, so why did I find it so cute? It was just the picture, yeah, that has to be it.
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
You're palisman is always so cute!
Just like it's owner. I resisted the urge to type that since that would practically be admitting that I find my childhood best friend that I just started talking to again, cute. Of course it's not a lie but I'm not gonna tell him that.
RULERZREACHF4N
Youre Are cute!too:
I started to internally freak out. Did he just call me cute?
RULERZREACHF4N
sORry, meaNt-Yours
I sighed. The possibility of my crush liking me back was unethical in the history of crushes.
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
It's alright! You're still learning😊
"Why are you smiling so much?" Preston asked. "Palismen can't be that cute." He snatched my scroll.
"Hey!" I yelled as I tried to get it back but Silas held me back.
"This kid's like my age and he's JUST NOW using Penstagram?" Preston asked.
"Leave Goldie alone, Pres!" I yelled.
"Goldie?" Heath echoed as I blushed. All three of my older step-brothers started laughing hysterically while Edgar looked confused.
"Who's Goldie" Edgar asked.
"Ingy's dumb friend from when she was a kid." Silas explained.
"He's not dumb!" I shouted.
"He never even told us his name, just his position in the Emperors Coven." Heath laughed.
"He was proud of it!" I yelled with a red face. It was out of anger, anger that my step-brothers were making fun of my friend who also happened to be my crush.
"Ruler's Reach? Isn't that the book you bought, Preston?" Edgar asked as he looked at Hunter's Penstagram account.
"Hey! No telling anyone!" Preston yelled as he snatched my scroll from his youngest brother.
"You know, you two could bond over the book." I mocked as I got my scroll back.
"I don't like the book!" Preston shouted as I was finally able to text Hunter back.
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
Maybe, we should get together for a palismen day. Mine seems to like yours.
RULERZREACHF4N
THatS a..greAt idea. Ive read That,' palismen bonD With each.,,.other when ThEir owneRS are well./:acquainted
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
Looks like I'm not the only one who reads research
RULERZREACHF4N
ItS A date$,
RULERZREACHF4N
For the palismen
I giggled at my friend's words.
"Hey Luna. I just got you two a play date with Hunter's palisman." I said and showed her the bird's adorable photo again. Luna baaed in excitement. "Glad you two think this is a good idea!"
~Hunter's POV~
"Look! I'm actually talking with her!" I exclaimed to my palisman. It chirped a congratulations for me. "Thanks, I thought was going to be hard, but it's been pretty easy since Darius pushed me to talk to her."
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
I think your bird should get something too
She sent a picture of her lamb palisman that I remembered to be named Luna with her eyes closed, it would've been cuter if Ingrid herself was posing like that but Luna was pretty alright for the time being.
"That's the friend you're gonna meet." I told my palisman as I showed it the picture of Ingrid's palisman. It chirped in excitement. "Sounds like you're excited about this play date like I am." I chuckled as I petted its head.
Cursed_Medusa.Bomb
Could we maybe call on crystal ball?
RULERZREACHF4N
SurE! Gi;ve mE A se.c
I started panicking slightly. I didn't have a crystal ball. But I knew where I could find one.
I instructed my palisman to stay in my room and to stay out of sight along with my scroll. I walked out and walked around the Castle aimlessly until I found the scout I was looking for.
"Steve! Just the scout I wanted to see!" I exclaimed.
"What's up, man?" He asked.
"Could I borrow your crystal ball to call someone?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. Who are you going to contact?" Steve asked. I had to make something up so he didn't know I was contacting the 'enemy'.
"Some Coven heads to discuss details on the Day of Unity." I answered.
"That makes sense. Here you go." He handed me the object.
"Thank you! I'll have to remind Belos to give you less patrol time." I exclaimed.
"You don't have to do that. Just tell your friend that Steve says hi." My face turned red. He knew I was lying. "She makes you happy, I'm glad." He walked away to continue patrol.
I went back to my room and it took me 6 minutes to contact Ingrid. It took longer to figure that out than texting.
"Hey there!" Ingrid beamed as soon as she popped up on the crystal ball.
"Hey! Sorry I took so long, I had to figure some stuff out." I explained as the bird flew up and rested on my head.
"Awww! Hey there, buddy!" Ingrid gushed. The palisman chirped and nuzzled into my hair.
"It's excited for the palisman play date." I said.
"Luna is too!" Ingrid exclaimed as her palisman jumped on her collarbone and made happy noises.
"I'm excited to see you in person again." I said with a light hue on my cheeks.
"I am too!" Ingrid said with the same hue on her cheeks. "I'll admit, it was a shock seeing you at Hexside. Once I realized who you were."
"Yeah, and seeing your face after all these years definitely was a shock." I admitted.
"This is the famous Goldie we always hear about, huh?" A guy asked as four boys pushed Ingrid away and crowded the crystal ball.
"Will you four just leave me alone?!" Ingrid yelled. "I'm trying to have a conversation! You don't act like this when I'm calling my other friends!"
"Yeah, but you don't have a crush on your others." An older boy jeered. I blushed at the thought of Ingrid having a crush on me.
"Out!" Ingrid screamed as the boys left. "Sorry about that, Hunter. My step-brothers are such a pain."
"It's fine. Wait, step-brothers?" I asked.
"Yeah. My mom divorced my parent and married another person and had four boys with that second person." She explained. "Three before me, had me, divorced Raine, then had another boy with the second person."
"So you have to move between houses?" I asked. I read about lives like that, constantly moving between houses and families.
"Sometimes, yeah. I like it better when I'm with my Nibi, or parent, than when I'm with my mother, but my step-brothers make it interesting." Ingrid explained. "What about you? What's your family like?"
"Well, I've only ever really had my uncle. Wild magic wiped out the others." I explained.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Ingrid said with a serious yet sad expression on her face. "I get that it must've been hard."
"Nothing I can't handle." I smiled to avoid the subject.
"You're one strong boy, Hunter. No wonder you were made the Golden Guard." Ingrid smiled.
"How do you do it?" I asked. "You remain so positive with all the stuff around the Boiling Isles, and I bet being related to a Coven head isn't all that easy."
"It's not but Raine really tries their best to be the best parent, and I really appreciate all they do." She explained. "It's not easy going from an entire family of two parents and four children, to only one parent but I honestly prefer only being with Raine."
"Sounds like you really love and appreciate all Raine does for you." I said.
"I do, but they can get overprotective. If they had a bad day and someone crosses them the wrong way, the person will FEEL how bad their day was." Ingrid said as my eyes widened in shock. Raine seemed shy and not intimidating all the times I've came across them. "They once threatened my Grom date."
"Grom? Isn't that the thing that the guy on the other team in Flyer Derby said?" I asked.
"Jerbo? Yeah, he was my date." Ingrid said. "Although, he only asked me because he lost a bet, so now he's dead to me and I call him Jerko."
"Wow, that seems intense." I said.
"It's just teen world, where backs have knifes in them from the backstabbing besties and where relationships last a few hours, yet it's the biggest deal since a human coming to the Boiling Isles." Ingrid explained with a bored expression. This was normal for teenagers?
"Wow. Teen witches are crazy." I said.
"Well, it's actually per the norm." Ingrid said.
"Ingrid! Pack your stuff, Raine's on their way!" A woman yelled.
"I gotta go. I really liked this, I hope we can do this again." Ingrid smiled.
"Me too." I said as she waved and ended the call.
"I have a lot to learn about other teenagers." I muttered as I set Steve's crystal ball on my desk and laid on my bed in silence. "Maybe they aren't like me and don't enjoy authority and rules."
Trivia
- Preston is revealed to like the Ruler's Reach book series, as stated by Edgar
- Silas, Heath and Preston reveal that they've met Hunter before, back when he and Ingrid were younger
- They also reveal that Hunter did introduce his name rather than his position in the Emperor's Coven
- When Ingrid says "it's teen world" it could be a reference to Mean Girls, when Cady is explaining "girl world"