The Trickster's Test {Prinxiety}

Chapter 24

Third Person

"Just how far out of the way is this 'detour'?"

Virgil was fairly confident that they had already spent well over an hour heading towards wherever Janus planned on bringing them. He hadn't bothered to elaborate much, aside from the occasional 'we'll be there soon,' when prompted. In fact, all he and Roman knew was that they were supposedly going to see an old friend of the Correan's because he had something Janus needed to collect before they got back to the castle. It wasn't much to go off of, especially since the other prince had yet to give any sort of indication as to what the item is or why he needs it now. Remy had also been uncharacteristically quiet regarding anything other than mindless banter.

"Not much further now, but feel free to keep asking every ten minutes. It's totally not annoying, and my answer might change if you ask again," Janus quips, purposely making his tone sound insincerely sweet while doing nothing to keep the irritation off his face.

"Well, if we're not far then now is the perfect time to tell us more about this mysterious friend of yours, if only to make the time pass quicker," Roman replied easily.

"There isn't much to tell," Even now, Janus seemed reluctant at best to speak about the guy, as if it still hadn't completely clicked with him that Virgil and Roman would be there to meet him, so it didn't matter if he chose not to say anything, "He's a magic user, and a damn good one so don't freak the hell out if you hear his voice in your head. Telepathically telling people random or inappropriate things is one of his favorite things to do with his power. Also, it would be best to lower just about all of your standards for people, because he will not meet a single one."

"Well, that depends on your standards regarding the clinically insane," Remy comments snidely.

Roman grimaced, "Sounds like a real catch," He didn't think he'd be able to manage a more genuine tone than that, especially if the caffeine addict was serious. To the guard's surprise, he caught the Correan wearing a small smile and tinted cheeks. He managed to keep from pressing him on the matter by watching the increasingly clearer path.

Whereas before the duo had no idea how Janus could have any idea where they were, now they had an unkempt dirt path to follow. Weeds and vines had overtaken the edges of it, and even without them Virgil could tell the path had been constructed in the least straight way possible, as if the creator had wanted it to take an extra fifteen minutes if they followed the path directly. Or maybe the person that designed it was simply hoping to deter first-time visitors; Virgil could definitely understand that.

Despite this, Janus appeared to know exactly where he was going, almost completely ignoring the path's twists and turns. He took a sharp left as soon as he passed what Virgil guessed was a rat's skull, seeing no real landmarks to justify the movement. The Ouranian duo glanced at each other, silently wondering if this 'friend' of Janus's was all there mentally, and how often the prince had traveled this path to presumably have it memorized. It was also entirely possible that he had a good memory, but the effortless way he moved across the terrain told Virgil otherwise.

They soon stumbled upon a quaint house, one that was in a fair state of disrepair. One of the windows on the second story was broken, and the wooden siding would need to be replaced soon. There seemed to be some sort of makeshift garden sitting on the roof, or rather, a pile of dirt that flattened out the front of the roof with plants growing from it. Janus didn't appear too concerned by any of this, stepping up onto the porch that Virgil wasn't confident could hold the weight of more than one person. He didn't even react to the 'Help! I've been turned into a welcome mat!' doormat that laid diagonally in front of the door, which was yet another small thing that would certainly set Logan's need for symmetry off.