The universal decision after meeting back up was to regroup out of the public eye as quickly as possible. Conri ordered a rideshare, but Landis supplied the driver an address. Conri slouched low in the backseat as the car drove, the driver sensing the overall mood kept to themselves. Conri’s eyelids were indecisive if they wanted to stay closed or open. He barely took notice of Landis in the seat next to him the entire trip. They pulled up outside a wide building that had protruding balconies on each floor. The ground floor had elevated concrete steps with a brass railing stretching from towards the front door. Landis thanked the driver and wasted no time ascending to the dual set of doors at the top.

As Landis’ led, Conri realized he didn’t actually recognize this building. Was this Landis’ apartment? He suddenly felt like he was imposing upon Landis after his earlier mistake. However, the feeling of standing outside where Rovin could appear again was more terrifying, he rushed up the stairs and through the doors. Just at a glance, Conri knew that this place was more expensive than Mrs. Kast’s building. It felt more commercial. Polished and ready for constant public display, almost like Emmett’s home. A ding informed him that Landis had called an elevator. Enclosed in a small space again made Conri work harder to avoid looking directly at Landis. Normally he’d have to crane his neck just to look up at his expression which would be too obvious, so he stood, chewing on his lip unable to gauge how Landis was feeling from today’s excursion. 

Arriving at their floor, it wasn’t long before Landis opened one of the many doors lining the hallway.

“Come on in, my AC is your AC.” 

“Thanks.” Conri uttered, instinctively taking his shoes off out of habit. “Its a lovely building.”

“I just got lucky is all,” Landis had moved over to the kitchen area. The sound of a fridge opening followed. “Are you hungry or anything?”

“Just water.” Conri walked past the kitchen and towards the living space. “Please.” 

It was comfortable and spacious, he noted two other visible closed doors down a hallway just past the kitchen. Placing his bag onto the couch, he approached the sliding glass door and stared out into a clear view of the outstretching cityscape. His thoughts continued to run silently in his head. 

“Here you go.” Landis said from just behind him. Two glasses of iced water sat at the living room table. “Feel free to sit, or stand.” He took a seat, becoming eye level with Conri. “Do you feel comfortable going over the details?”

Conri, still facing the window, took a deep exhale before taking a seat in front of his drink. They went through most of the experience as clearly as he could remember. How Dalton looked, the fact he tried imposing his intentions over Dalton’s attack, using the carvings as an alternative anchor to tie himself to Dalton. Rovin wasn’t included in his recap. Landis stayed quiet through it, only sighing and tensing his shoulders when Conri finished. 

“We lost our lead, but we learned a few new things.” 

Conri looked at Landis for confirmation. 

“These ‘cursed’ beings like to revisit previous hunting grounds, they continue to mutate the longer they go unchecked, there might be something significant in the district he ran off to and that you consciously changed anchors.” Landis took a long sip of water. “And I noted a few handfuls of copper scars at that rally.”

Shit.

  

Conri felt his chest tighten. Were they backing up Dalton or just there supporting the rally? He really didn't want to dive into scars right now. 

  

“Why do you think I couldn’t alter his spell when he tried to crush you? I did it when he hexed Eli, shouldn’t I be able to do it again?”

“Theoretically, yes.” A moment of pondering followed. “My only guess is that you couldn’t dominate his will like before because he’s grown stronger. I’m not sure if it's by continuing to feed on victims or if he’s getting help.”

The thought of a small nest of dead bodies on some hidden rooftop made the water from his drink sit heavily in his stomach.

“This also means if he’s constantly moving, I’d need a way to stay anchored when the world goes dark. We’re not always going to be together and I’d like to defend myself without having to constantly rely on you.”

He watched Landis’ expression soften, almost taken aback, as his head drifted away from him. Conri held his breath and clenched his hand into a fist on his lap. Conri was imagining Landis reevaluating their agreement because of his failure to stick to the plan.

"I'm sorry I went rogue." He quickly added. "You told me the consequences of straying too far from you and I made the wrong choice." The impact of his words were blunt, but he did his best to sound objective. Playing the victim wasn’t something he wanted to continue doing. If Landis could see him, really see him now, Conri hoped they saw how badly he was trying to claim accountability. Maybe then Landis would show mercy if he expressed their own disappointment.

Landis adjusted his posture and turned toward him, but Conri continued before he could speak. 

"You have every right to be frustrated and I can see how it might come off as you thinking that I'm only using you as some sort of conduit but that's not true. I swear, I just need to learn more control and I can be useful. I want this just as much as you do!"  

Conri watched Landis’ eyes snap towards him with an intrigued expression. Conri willed his eyes to not falter, staring right back. The once beautiful halo of light was no longer alight. He dug his nails into his palm, waiting for an answer. 

“Wait right here.”

Conri watched Landis leave and head down the hallway that led to the closed rooms. He returned carrying a small polished box that he placed between them on the table. The cherry red wood blended perfectly with the deep green and brown vine-like carvings that crept up the stubby legs that protruded from each corner. A brass key hole faced them, but Conri couldn’t see any sort of indication that the top opened. Nor could he see hinges. Landis took his thumb and pressed it against the keyhole and the top made a short unoiled creak as an opening was created. 

“No ones relationship with the arcane arts will ever be perfect. It is a living breathing essence that gives and takes, its why so many of us spend years trying to understand the language it produces for even just the chance to find a moment of harmonious engagement." Landis hesitated as he sat still, as if mentally preparing himself for whatever came next.  "I want to help you, but I know I shouldn't get your hopes up.” Landis started, not removing his eyes from the box. “While I’m willing to try this, I can’t promise anything.” 

Conri could feel his eyebrows furrow, growing concerned.

It wasn't a long minute of silent contemplation before a smile crept back on the corner of Landis’ face. He opened the lid with both hands. Inside he produced a palm size, jagged stone and a dagger that looked to be the size of a pocket knife in Landis’ large hands. 

“I relied on tools like these when I was younger and chose to study arcane. Those who used tools like these were once referred to as rune cutters. Giants have a close connection to this plane of existence which allows us to cut or carve runes into any material, within reason of course. History claims that we were born directly from mountains and other earthly formations and that we would leave runic carvings in our place afterwards.” 

Landis turned his smile to Conri, now looking amused. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure how accurate that is, but thanks to this technique, we can access and command raw arcanic forces easier with each shape working as a translator from us to it.” 

Hearing this all made Conri adjust in his seat. He started feeling a bit uneasy as Landis' tone sounded more vulnerable as the explanation continued. This ability to be so willingly open caused a root of envy to grow deep within him as Landis' words lingered in his ears. Their honesty played in his eardrums just like the stripped melodies of the playlist used to help settle himself. 

“No pressure then, huh?” followed by an uncomfortable attempt of a laugh at his 'joke'. Conri eyed the blade, putting together a make-shift assumption about its use. He was remembering how Landis traced a shape into his skin to call that yellow light. “How much different than translating the language in order to apply them to equations and formulas?”

“I wish had a clear answer, but I'm not sure. This is just a cheat sheet we giants created for ourselves. It does seem simpler in theory, but I'm willing to let you try." 

Before he could think, Conri felt Landis' hand pull his arm out towards the box, causing him to adjust again in his seat. They faced each other. Landis looked even more stoically imposing than before. Conri felt the tips of his ears grow warm. He watched as the jagged stone was placed in his open hand and Landis extended the dagger, handle first, towards him. Conri took it with his free one, wrapping his fingers gingerly around the polished hilt. It's handle felt like it was made of marbled stone. Closer inspection of the blade made him wonder if this was plain steel or something special. Landis positioned Conri's hands so that he held the dagger at a downward angle with a corner of the stone placed at the base of the blade. 

"When you're ready, drag the stone down the blade like you're trying to start a spark. Treat the stone like a flint."

Conri counted down from three.

Three navy pillows on the couch.

Two brown coasters under the glasses of ice water.

One quartz like jagged stone in his hand.

Conri flicked his forearm down, following the stone's edge along the blade. He expected it to produce a sound similar to a tuning fork, but he heard nothing. He couldn't hear anything. His hands were pale and drained of their olive skin tone. The blade now as black as onyx. Conri shot his eyes upwards towards Landis, the adrenaline setting in. Landis calmly was staring back. Conri felt Landis' hand on his again, the one holding the dagger, adjusting it so that Conri's index finger was pointing outwards. The blade was now perpendicular to the stone as Landis guided Conri's finger onto the stone and traced a shape onto the surface. It was hard to tell what this shape reminded him of, but as Landis repeated the shape over and over with Conri's finger, something started tickling his eardrum. Gargled noise. Then a muffled static. 

His finger kept tracing the rune and soon he could make out words. 

Under the stone, in his palm, a faint orange light glowed, exposing itself out towards the edges of his palm. It was as bright as a freshly lit match. Conri felt Landis remove his hands. The light flickered at the disturbance, but rested once again in his palm. Conri took a deep breath and tried to command the light. 

They watched the orange being to pulse erratically as making up its mind. Conri concentrated harder trying to direct the beams of light upwards. To fly and become artificial lightning bugs. At best he watched the glowing light creep up from the stone's edges and congealed into a shape that reminded him of a burning ember. Pride was what he felt as it swayed, lifting itself up inches from the stone's surface. The colors of the couch pillows returned, followed by the ginger hair on Landis' arms. Sounds from the city were muffled behind the closed balcony door. He wanted to continue to paint his world with this pride as he watched the ember split in two. 

Even when he watched Landis cup the embers in his hands, he was eager to see what came next. Landis' hands were now completely around the light. Conri's world stayed the same with patches of color peeking through the grey. 

"You're smiling again." 

Conri heard Landis clearer than before. He could see Landis' own smile beaming towards him, soft strokes of blush painting his cheeks as they locked eyes. Opening his hands, Conri watched the now multiplied embers float, light as air, around the living room as if dancing. 

"I wasn't upset you ran off today." Landis finally said. He watched a few stray petal of embers flutter softly around. "I was upset that I wasn't fast enough to stay by your side. You were so shaken after we met up again and seeing you in the car set something off in me. I knew this was all going to be dangerous, but I didn't begin to fear the worst until I thought of what could happen if you found yourself alone again."

Conri's attention was no longer on the conjured specks of fairy lights that dwindled.

"I like you, Conri." Landis reached tenderly and cupped Conri's hand that held the stone. "I like you more than enough to know that whatever monsters we face, you won't be facing them alone. We are doing this together."

Warm. Encompassing. Landis' hand had become a grounding point for reality. The glowing embers finally burned out, snuffing themselves as his world fully returned to his senses. Hearing the deep low thumping from Conri's chest confirmed that this wasn't any enchantment or incantation, this moment was real.