"Yep that's me", Killian muttered in reply to the white-haired girl, just now realizing that having a casual conversation wasn't particularly easy or feasible at this time. His discomfort only grew with the appearance of another, a scruffy man who looked almost out of place as Killian felt. The scruffy man offered a greeting followed by a smile, which Killian attempted to reciprocate. In truth what the scruffy man received from him was a grunt and a slight movement of his hand, that would be barely considered a wave as opposed to someone trying to swat at a fly and giving up halfway through. Killian was at a loss, his snappy dry wit didn't really extend well to strangers or very much past his own skull. Really he only talked fully to people he trusted or wasn't uncomfortable around, which unfortunately meant not very many.
Perhaps he would just cultivate a 'strong silent' type persona in order to avoid further interaction. The fact being that he didn't feel entirely strong at the moment or have any idea how to do that. As it turned out, he just ended up standing there pretending to be interested by something else. He noticed The Voice of Change and hurriedly followed her, mouthing a 'thank you' to any higher power watching. Perhaps one of them had cringed and given him an escape, he wouldn't have put it past them. The Voice of Change was accompanied by what seemed to be an indignant child,
Maybe her kid?, Killian mused. This did not seem to be an ordinary child, the way she spoke definitely revealed a very morose point of view. Killian decided it wasn't his place to judge as The Voice of Change talked about imprinting the rings into their souls and putting her magic into them. Killian opened his mouth to speak but words didn't come out, maybe he
shouldn't have come back here. Hell, he could've been halfway to a bus stop by now. He was tempted to turn around and walk out the way he came, but he paled at having to face the two he had his awkward encounter with earlier who now stood behind him. Perhaps he would activate his Yggdrasil seed and walk straight through the wall? No, as tempting as it was revealing his seed probably wasn't the smartest of ideas.
Killian bit his lip, he would go first and then get the hell out of here as quick as possible. He stepped past the bodyguards into the room, just him and one of the strongest magicians in the world.
"Shit...", he muttered under his breath as he put his hands up to his masked face. This day was going way different than he had planned, in fact the entire second decade of his life was much different than he had planned. The thought of this all being for the only person he cared for was what kept him going, but it didn't make it any less scary. Some time later Killian exited the room, he was not entirely sure what he had experienced. The entire event was mysteriously foggy, he only remembered his clammy hands in The Voice of Change's and an intense feeling of
dread.
Clearly, I will be spending time repressing that memory, he thought with an uncomfortable grin on his face. He brushed past the people he had met earlier, not even acknowledging them. Past a girl and her butler, past the two quarreling magicians, and out of the building into the streets. He wanted to go home, but for some reason couldn't bring himself to. With a now serious look on his face and a few blocks away, Killian tightened the straps of his backpack, unzipped his hoodie, and started walking. His destination unclear, only one thing on his mind, that he had gotten himself into something bigger than he or anybody could imagine.