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[neonleon]

[The changing of the Golden Guard happened every few years or so. One would be doing fine, then gradually disappear and fade only for a new Golden Guard to be sworn in. Leo had seen it happen a few times as castle staff and security, working on becoming part of the guard team himself under the emperor's coven. It was slow going though, something about him "not being ready" despite having been ready for four years now.

But the newest Golden Guard being sworn in is the youngest yet. Not that Leo can tell behind that mask, but he was shorter, lankier. His voice sounded a lot younger than the previous Golden Guards.

So maybe he'd do some snooping. If he found out a kid younger than him became a Golden Guard, he'll start fighting his superiors. Leo makes his way through the castle like he's on a mission, carrying a box of food to where he knows the previous Golden Guards always ate. He knocks on the door once.]

Delivery.

Comments

[pyrighteous]

I don't know! I didn't open it yet.

[ He gestures to a wooden box lying tucked away under a pile of cloaks. ]

[neonleon]

...All right, well.

You're the Golden Guard, so probably better you open it and not me, a lowly security detail.

[pyrighteous]

...

R. Right. I mean - if either of us are allowed to open it at all, it'd be me, right??

[neonleon]

R...right. Yeah, it'd be you.

I can just, uh. Witness. Make sure you don't get hurt.

[pyrighteous]

-- right! That's your job anyway! And - if it's clearly not for me, I'll just put it back.

[ His hands still tremble a bit as he lifts the lid and ...

Inside is a book? It's a Golden Guard handbook, actually. Looks pretty worn. ]

[neonleon]

[Leo nods and steps back, letting Hunter open it and....

Well, it doesn't make noise or blow up, so he leans in a little]

What is it?

[pyrighteous]

It's a book? It's ... a handbook for the Emperor's Coven. Old, I think.

[ He picks it up, turning it in his hands carefully. ]

[neonleon]

Huh.

[He keeps the space there between them but he's still trying to look closer.]

Wonder why that'd be kept up here... Wouldn't it be more useful for you guys?

[pyrighteous]

Y. Yeah. It looks like it SHOULD be mine. Right?

[ He opens the front page -

Ye Emperor's Coven, Protocols and Procedures, Firste Edition
So You Want to Join Ye Emperor's Coven


DON'T

DON'T has been written in directly in scratchy but neat handwriting. The O is a perfect circle. ]

[neonleon]

[Yeah he's seeing that.]

...Looks like a first draft... Anything after that though?

[pyrighteous]

[ He keeps flipping through! It's an old guide, but still solid at first. The first few pages are normal, and then several pages after that have words underlined in them seemingly at random?

... and then about 10-15 pages in, the guide has been replaced carefully by pages and pages of handwritten fanfiction.

They tell a lurid (and improbable) tale of the forbidden romance between the Abomination Coven Head and the Bard Coven head. Apparently Devon Deamonne is quite the outrageous flirt compared to Alain Helicoverpa, an uptight bard with more pride than sense. The two used to be friends, but have since fallen into more of a vicious rivalry. Both are frantic to prove their worth to Belos, who is not yet Emperor.

Hunter can't help but stare down at that. ]

What. What am I looking at.

[neonleon]

[Leo, meanwhile, is reading along and is absolutely delighted.]

Ohmigosh someone was bored with an active imagination. Amazing. Love this for them. Happy for the couple.

[pyrighteous]

Th - this is inaccurate though! Those are real coven heads from history! I studied them!!

[ Actually, it does seem to be reasonably historically accurate? This relationship results in a short series of escalating conflicts, which then results in the two of them being assigned to a dangerous mission hunting wild magic at the summit of the left Knee. All goes well until the wild witch they're hunting uses ice magic to strand the two of them in an abandoned cottage. With barely any fuel, and only one bed, the two have to work together to stay warm...

Based on the subject matter and the timing and references to popular books at the time, the original text was written approximately two hundred years ago; Belos has not yet made himself Emperor, but the Coven system is gaining traction fast. Some pages in the middle have been torn out and replaced in an attempt to "update" sections later on.

It's quite extensive. There's some WEIRD misspellings throughout. Different spellings? Different handwriting. Was this a group effort? ]

[neonleon]

[Reading along, reading.]

Omigosh there was only one bed...

[Sorry Golden Guard, he is WHOLLY invested in this narrative. But the other bits are important too. Things that he files away for future thought. Someone was trying to make this useful in a way, but he's curious about the underlined words before and this. What did it mean about 'don't' join the emperor's coven?]

Looks like someone really did have a lot of free time.

[pyrighteous]

[ CLEARLY SOME SHENANIGANS but look at that fanfiction. Delightful. ]

Well then they weren't focused enough on guarding Belos!!

[neonleon]

Looks like they weren't having to guard Belos yet. Power to 'em.

[pyrighteous]

[ SIGH ]

I'm confiscating this. I don't know WHY it's here but I'm going to FIND OUT.

[neonleon]

Hey, I wasn't even here so I'm not saying anything.

[pyrighteous]

W-well - yes! This is clearly from before your time.

[ He slams the book closed - and a single sheet of paper falls out of it. ]

[neonleon]

We aren't even supposed to be here now, so we definitely didn't see this.

[Even still, he leans down to pick the paper up.]

[pyrighteous]

[ There's a single circle drawn on it with an odd, angular shape inside of it. ]

... R. Right. I. Should re-hide the box. Just in case.

[neonleon]

[Just.... Looking at that...]

Yeah, definitely. Like we were never here.

[Just. Stuffing that paper in his pocket. Gonna look at that closer later.]

I can get us out no problem.

[pyrighteous]

O-okay, then let's do that! We shouldn't stay here any longer.

[neonleon]

Yeah, probably not. I'd never been in here, so thanks for lighting the way.

[Just putting the box back how they found it before getting his odachi back in hand to portal them out.]

Whenever you're ready.

[pyrighteous]

Yeah uh.

[ Suddenly he has cold prickles. ]

We - we should leave. Now.