collision

chapter 4; the village of grimm

They're in Grimm's Village. They're in Grimm's Village.

Troye has fallen through a broken one way portal to Grimm's Village and there is no safe way to get back to the University of the Three, and he's stuck with Jacob Bixenman.

"Oh my God," he hisses again, looking around the green forest. "What have you done?"

Jacob rises from the ground, brushing grass off of his jeans and elbows, and he snaps his head up at Troye' accusing question to fix Troye with a murderous glare.

"What have I done?" He spits furiously, pointing disbelievingly at himself. "I didn't do a damn thing. You were the one who couldn't stand on your own two feet for three fucking seconds!"

Troye gasps, eyes narrowing at Jacob in offense. "Excuse me, who was pushing me up against that perfectly openable door in the first place?"

"'Openable', is not even a word," Jacob snorts derisively. "You have wings, for fucks sake, was it that hard to use them?"

"Well, you have the creepy ability to teleport however you want to, so don't you dare put this on me. Besides, maybe I could've used my wings if they weren't sore from being—I repeat

—violently pushed up against a sodding door."

Jacob rolls his eyes. "If you hadn't acted like a little fucking brat from minute one, you wouldn't have been pushed up against a door in the first place."

"Oh really," Troye puts his hands on his hips. "Well, if you hadn't been so affected by me merely defending myself I wouldn't have been either!"

"You're literally asking for the world to punch you in the face, you know that?"

"At least I'm not in happily charge of throwing those punches, am I?" Troye shoots back.

Jacob smiles at him, tightly. "Obviously, you'd be too weak."

"Do you want a piece of me?"

Jacob is repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists, and he inhales deeply through his nose with closed eyes a couple of times. His jaw is stiff, his neck is strained and Troye loathes him.

"No," he replies simply when he opens his eyes again.

Troye frowns.

"No?" he repeats, almost angry that Jacob gave up so easily. Troye was all prepared to swing. Could've knocked him out. Maybe. Perhaps. Probably not, but. Now they'll never know, regardless.

"No," Jacob confirms, cutting of Troye' train of thought. "Because you're going to get us to a new portal and it'll be easier for both of us if you're in one piece when doing so."

He starts looking around him, to try and locate himself probably, and Troye just observes him incredulously. He's slowly starting to suspect that Jacob might not only be cruel, but there's also a possibility that he's slightly insane.

Troye tips his head to the side, crossing his arms over his chest and blinks at Jacob.

"Why would we want to find another portal? And who says I'll help you with anything?"

"I do." Jacob turns around to face the fairy again and points to the path that leads further into the forest. "I assume we follow this way, or would that be too obvious?"

Troye knows exactly what he could say here. No, you do, he could say. Follow the path about half a mile and then diverge to the left by the three birch trees. They're the only ones of their kind in the forest. Continue going straight for about a hundred meters, turn right by the daisy meadow, cross the winding stream, turn right again by the seven dwarves' house, continue for a while and fly over the hedge of thorns when you get there, find the big oak tree. Make sure you're a helper of Grimm, not a citizen. Walk past on the right side. Welcome.