🥀. Triad on a Wagon

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You can use the video above for a soundtrack to Time's Realm for extra effect

🥀.

                 The crisp chestnut-haired teen leans to the opposite side of the wagon, away from his taller companion. He boldly smiles showing his pearly whites to his blond partner beside; who throws his head back and groans, "Chickens."

                "How-How m-m-many?"

                " 'Bout a dozen. Wanna see a cool party trick?"

                  Bill shifts his legs crisscross with the prince copying his moves. The duo face each other, one wearing a coy smirk while the other lets his anxiety take over in the form of a wobbly smile. The gnome watching them tilts his head to look at the front of the creaking wagon where the distressed farmer sits. The old hillbilly looking man bites his nails nervously and fidgets with the horse's reins mumbling over and over, "Ch-Chickens? Why are-are the-the woods chanting chickens?! Are their branches plotting with the monster lurking in-in the bloody w-w-w-woods?"

                  Bill cackles. The farmer gasps shortly placing his hand on his heart. He stutters wrapping the reins around his wrist several times before swishing them down. The horse neighs then sets off in speed up gallop from alarm, "OH HAVE MERCY! DON'T COVER ME IN CHICKEN FEATHERS AND TART! FORGIVE ME!"

                  The gnome's pastel eyes roll. He turns back his attention to the duo raising a brow in curiosity. The demon slips out a shiny piece of silverware from his torn coat. He displays it in front of Finn's glimmering eyes, " Behold a stabby thingy!"

               " A fork.", Wirt corrects.

               " Can it Beanstalk."

               " You s-s-stole f-forks too?", Finn asks ticking his head sideways.

               " Observe as I, the Great Bill Cipher Master of All Reality, not be harmed by the pointy pitches of this mighty fork!", Bill points it a the prince and bends the fork with his finger. It pops up swatting Finn's pretty nose. The blond yelps back. The brunette then plunges the fork into his arm. Finn blinks back in surprise,

               " W-Whoa!"

               " I know!", Bill reels back for a short cackle before leaning close to his comrade.

                  A flicker of joy zooms by in the form a a smile across Finn's face, but it turns into concern when he spots red liquid start to flow out of the demon's wound, " B-Bill you're b-bleeding."

               " All part of the show.", Bill waves. He pokes the dangling accessory from his arm, " Fascinating ain't it? Cave men use to do it all the time so settle down Finny."

               " You missed.", Wirt comments sitting crisscross to lean against one side of the wagon with his arms stretched out on the edge behind. Bill smirks seeing the gnome's action. He leans in,

               " Ah, how so?"

               " If you want a golden ticket, right here will give you a great performance.", Wirt points to the side of his neck. The edges of his lips shiver trying to curl up.

               " You're a man of great knowledge. Thank you for sharing it!", Bill chuckles at the gnome's callous attitude. He pulls the fork out with ease.

               " Ha ha. . . .", Finn nervously eyes the faint trickle of paint sliding down his partner's elbow. He refrains from a chance to tear his shirt again and wrap a cloth over the wound. Instead he decides to not ruin the mood and instead join in, letting his sadistic thoughts speak over, " The r-real kicker though i-is here."

                  The two males turn to Finn who points at his ear. Bill burst in laughter finding the prince's idea humorous. Wirt's lips wobble, he turns flashing a little of his unrestrained grin. Finn's lips tug up as he sees the please demon clapping, " Bravo!"

                   " The demons applaud! Have mercy!", the aged man wails snapping the reins downward. The distressed horse neighs as it diverts through a swift corner causing the wagon to suddenly drift the gnome. The trio's eyes widen as Wirt crashes into the short duo. He hits both their shoulders roughly and yanks both if them back from nearly falling over. Bill and Finn claps their hands over Wirt's as the long turn finishes. They straighten their postures and look at eachother. Their attention snaps the the farmer still howling pleads in front.

                   " We should kick him.", Bill suggest.

                   " Good idea.", Finn agrees nodding promptly.

                     With that conformation, Wirt silently let's go of the pair's shirts feeling the lingering tension around his fingers. He stealthily leans to one side and shifts his knees to get around the pile of hay. The duo follow him. He gets up, wobbling as the wagon bumps into another root. He keeps his poker face as the wind howls over him blowing his cape. He stares with a red flare in his eyes at the farmer below unaware of his presence mumbling stupid sh*t. The color wavers to orange. He proceeds to swiftly sidekick the hillbilly off his post. Once again, the demon behind burst into laughter. Finn watches as Wirt swipes the ropes from the air. The gnome plops on the rear and the prince sits by him. Bill takes a luxurious seat on the stack of hay. He kicks his legs over eachother and throws his arms over his head.

                " I'm trusting you got a plan Branches, what's our next stop?", Bill waves, " Are we gonna keep hiding?"

                  Wirt's brows knot together as he wraps the rope around his bony fingers. He tugs the horse a bit, forcing it to calm down.

                  His philosophy has changed. Bolting to the nearest exit hasn't been a favorable option though it is one he's been choosing for a while now. He's denied the Beast and has torn down his disciples, fought with precision, and has escaped death all alone — and yet now he runs in ragged clothes, wielded with only the lantern, and peaking strength along with the human mind to go beyond it's abilities. On top of all that now he's got two stupid, clingy, arrogant, cynical, overemotional, callous, narcissus-can't-even-compare, clueless, amoral stowaways. Oh if the Beast could see him now he'd be roaring with laughter. To add another crate to his now sinking boat, Iron might be alive. The thorn of a general looks like he just won't give up. The thought that a mere hunky human could possess a power he never had is troublesome. Bill hadn't explained the fundamentals of his enemy or the lengths of his power, but one thing Wirt was certain of is that there is another force mixed up in all of this. Iron's sudden power is blessed by another being. Another thing fueling the theory is the way how Lorna willingly went with him. The curiosity of what the girl had been offered to turn the trio in is a mystery. Lorna wasn't the type of person who'd agree to turn in someone who she's in dept with. She also isn't the type to open the door and sit to talk with a foreign stranger, a uniformed one at that. Someone else probably visited her. Something is definitely missing. How is Iron not dead? He was fatally stabbed. He's a human. The Scarecrow is a monster, but why doesn't it knowledge Iron? Iron's never talked about the monster or ever even looked at it. Bill confirmed Iron is human, so why the sudden strength?

             The high-tech sheild above them, the one locking their powers — it's a great asset. Even Wirt had to admit even if he was on the opposing side — has become a mystery. It's been leaking in the ' suppressing ' their abilities. How does Wirt know this? Well when you've got a high dose of never shutting your thoughtful head, the lingering thoughts start to piece up theories. Besides that though the real deal was the evidence previously shown to him. Bill said the sheild is keeping their powers at bay; Wirt's nature manipulation , Finn's control over winter, and Bill's ' dream ' demonic attributes. Back when the trio weren't close at the lake, Finn's power suddenly broke aflame causing a ruckus in the area. When the teens boarded on the ferry it was Wirt's power that awoke to take down the terrestrial ship's cannon. All factors point that the sheild is cracking. Maybe it can't support all three of their abilities at once. Then again what does Wirt know, he's never seen modern earth technology's advancement. Have humans come that far? The guns, the soldier outfits, —

                  Holy crap, Wirt's eyes widen. How could he have thought any of that stuff when the trio first met was real. A ship in the sky. High powered weapons. Anarchy under a ruler named Time Baby. Everything that happened over the prior of their adventure, Wirt never got to sit down and collect his thoughts. His attention was always stolen by the royally addressed duo. How long has he been here?

                 " W-W-Wirt?", Finn tips his head to get a good angle of the gnome's face. Wirt's wide eyes dart to him. A bluish hue is draped over his eyes. The color shifts to a depressing grey.

                 " You're from OOO.", Wirt mumbles.

                 " W-What?", Finn is taken back by the sudden ask of his origin.

                 " Bill, what year is it?", Wirt turns to the demon who is looking bored as he grabs a hand full of hay. He let's it slip through his hand.

                 " What?", Bill raises a brow. His head suddenly pops up.

                 " The year. What is it? On earth, you're trying to conquer Earth. What year is it?", Wirt questions with a stoned expression.

                    Bill stares at him for a moment trying to piece together his options based on his peer's tense look. Wirt said there's no time in the Unknown, but why is he asking about that junk of a planet? The demon inclines closer with chin in palm as he thoughtfully goes over his question. He decides to shoot his shot, " Why do you want to know?"

                   " What year is it?", Wirt presses his focus centering on the demon.

                   " This lovely garden— The Unknown, has no time yes?"

                   " The year.", Wirt's eyes shift to a somber grey. This act caught Finn and Bill by surprise. The duo only thought the gnome could change his color based on his mood through his multicolored eyes, but this isn't the case. A color off the wheel.

                     Bill shifts forward placing his elbows on his thighs as he draws close to Wirt. Finn turns from the gnome to the road then back at the demon. Why would Wirt be asking that question? There's no time here, Finn catches on. He called out Finn's world OOO then Earth, were Bill said he was trying to conquer his next planet. Wirt is focused on time, a concept that doesn't exist in this realm. Where everyone guesses what place tea time takes? Bill taps his chin. How does he know that time exist in a reality where time doesn't function? A random thought rushed consuming the prince's head.

                   " A-A-Aren't you from here?", Finn stutters.

                     Wirt's brows draw together as he presses from the same question again. Bill, who caught on to Finn, blurts out, " You're from Earth?"

                      Wirt's harsh gaze suddenly draws back. His rainbow pupils dialate at the remembrance, I never told them my origin.

                       I refused to.

                   " You're human?", Bill risks coming close.

                   " How can you ask me such a disgusting question?", Wirt keeps his look as if to not draw suspicion but to draw a false facade that insinuated that Bill might've insulted him. He kept his voice cool.

                     The Beast tought him so much. So much.

                   " Iron is human. Post to us, we aren't. He serves Time Baby as you said Bill when you talked back to him at the ferry. Time doesn't pass on in the Unknown but out of it might. We don't have a clue of how much has passed since the day we met up. No matter how many times you look up when the moon raises, you'll never be able to tell time.", Wirt calls out Bill remembering that time Bill mentioned the moon's passing by the lake. The demon blinks as he too recalls the memory.

                   " Time is like an illusion here.", the gnome simplifies it. Bill's eyes light up at the familiar remark and a smirk replaces his face. He loved a similar quote though the other two boys didn't know.

                   " Meanwhile we've been hiding in cottages and pushing through mud, we never had a thought of Iron or Time Baby. We were focused on ourselves. I think at some point maybe Iron was called to Time Baby. General's report to their higher ups in this case Time Baby. Maybe he found out Iron's mission to come get us — he said Time Baby ordered it — had failed. My theory is blank to any possibilities that happened there, but it continues with a jump. The next time we came across danger was in the caverns when we fell over a cliff.", he explains. Finn reluctantly nods. He remembers the haunting day where Wirt had a doppelganger.

                  " We met the shape shifting Scarecrow that tracked us down. We weren't facing separate enemies then as we later found out the creature was in the same ferry as Iron. It's goal to hunt us. It didn't even try to attack Iron. It let it have it's way with beating Bill into a pulp."

                  " Doesn't count, he caught me off guard.", Bill cuts in.

                  " You've never met that Scarecrow ever right Bill?", Wirt asks.

                  " Nope.", the demon answers.

                  " They're on the same side, but you don't know them. Meaning that the super natural entity was created. Bill, did Time Baby have powers of creation?"

                   " Not that I know of, no."

                   " What are his powers?"

                   " Gathering intell I see before the final showdown.", Bill winks before answering again,
                  " Omniscience, flight, Time manipulation hence the trashy name, and lazer eyes. None comparable to me of course."

                  " S-Sure.", Finn rolls his eyes.

                  " None of those seem to match the Scarecrows abilities which are morphing, and increase mobility. I'm only throwing this out there, Iron only has the light rays. Healing seems like a factor as well since he's alive after I stabbed him through vital organs."

                  " Where's this going?", Bill asks.

                  " Something is interfering. Somebody else blessed those gifts on Iron and the Scarecrow.", Wirt concludes.

                  " And you decide to share these alluring thoughts because?", Bill leans in with a sly smirk.

                  " To answer the previous question.", Wirt turns around and snaps the reins. The horse picks up its gallop.

                  " I don't want to . . . . hide.", he whispers to himself. His determined look is focused on the murky road ahead. He raises his voice so the two can hear and shares his meaning, " I'm sticking by my word to fight."

                  " And? Is there another reason?", Bill questions.

                  " H-How will we-we fight back without our powers?", Finn asks in return.

                  " Main goal; shatter that sheild to awake our abilities. Right now? Our first priority is to rebuild our strength. It seems like a good place to start.", Wirt suggest feeling the once stuck cogs in his mind turn.

                    Bill falls back into his seat of hay and throws his arms behind his head. He looks up at the weeping cloud above. After a few minutes of observing he comments, " You're good."

                   " Don't patronize me because I finally have a plan.", Wirt glares. The demon chuckles lightly,

                   " Wasn't intended to my dear sweet Wirt."

                      The pensive gnome didn't answer back. His outer shell looked at the road attentive. Despite appearances he was anything but focused. Inside the pit of his stomach deepened. He didn't know why. He'd successfully swayed the duo away from their accusation and restored his origin to the bottom of the sea depths. His quick thinking had saved him from resurfacing those thoughts. He'd steered his boat from the rapids. No harm was done. He was contempt of the outcome truly.

                    But that nauseous feeling kept weighing him down. If he were to drop the anchor and really inspect the ship he'd see the invisible net cast opon him. He felt it too. He sensed a washing emotion surface. A revolting appetite swishes around like acid in the pit of stomach. An alarming sensation crept up his spine and draped itself over his shoulder. It swims down his cloak as if hugging him. He wasn't proud. A dark cloud looms over his mind opposing the stray thoughts. Although he did explain his theory to his comrades, he didn't reveal his origin. It wasn't fair. If he decided to reveal such atrocity of a persona he really was, what would they think of him? This was different from killing one of the Beast's slaves, or looting a farmer's wagon, or unhonorary combat with Iron. This is different. Why is he so wary? Why now? After so long? He wasn't lying. Why should he care? About what these two feel? No he didn't lie. He just diverted the purpose of the conversation. He is focusing on the now. This matters. Their lives matter because they're here now. His origin is safe. He will not jeopardize it again. He will not be coaxed to unravel his unfortunate.

                    I will not recall that day, Wirt pledged as his grip on the rope tightened.

                    Suddenly, a wave of goosebumps crashes into him flooding every inch of his body with the same tension he held on the reins. Something tugs his chest. By instinct, he slides his hand to his chest and clutches the fabric over his heart. A small gasps escapes his lips inaudible to the two teens staring off to the forest around. The gnome's eyes flicker their gray undertone before switching to a bright red. The tug stretched out of his chest like elastic and dragged the stoned emotion of anxiety with a savage pull out. Then the energy dissapeared.

                    The strong breeze lifts up the male's bangs. Pat pat pat The drizzle above the trio sang. Wirt shakes his head. The antlers on the sides swing as he does over the prince's height. The blond teen turns to him. His eyebrow raises as he sees his guide shut his eyes tightly as if in annoyance. With a concerned tone he asks,

                  " W-Wirt, are you-you good?"

                     The gnome halts. His eyes blink before turning to Finn. The prince spots the color returning to the older boy's eyes.

                  " W-What?", Wirt blinks.

                  " I-I asked if-if you're good.", Finn replied a little bit louder feeling as if he wasn't heard the first time.

                  " In what context?", the gnome attempts a joke.

                    Finn's eyelids dim and his lips fall into a thin line.

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