"You owe me more than this," Axel commented.
"What are you talking about?" Grape said continuing to massage Axel.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, and you know you know you don't have to do this," Axel told Grape, shaking their hands off.
The two were in the room that Grape sleeps in, though Grape usually had others bunking with them, they were all left to go to the market, after work the castle was usually much emptier.
Axel had his mask off and dangling to the side, while Grape still had theirs on their face.
"I know I don't have, too, but I do feel kind of bad," Grape replied.
"Feel kind of bad from almost getting both of us petrified over a Basilisk," Axel retorted.
"Look I had too," Grape said.
"Is the important information you wanted to tell me an apology, or is it something just as meaningless," Axel asked getting up.
The only reason that Axel had followed Grape up to their room was because they said they had some important information for Axel.
"Ok maybe it was an apology, but you don't have to act like this about it," Grape deadpanned.
"Don't care, I'm leaving before you do something else that gets us both killed," Axel replied.
"What else can I say other than I'm sorry?" Grape asked.
"How about, I won't try and get you killed again," Axel answered, "But you won't say that because what you did wasn't a mistake in your eyes," he said.
"It wasn't a mistake if I didn't save them, the Basilisk would have died!" Grape explained.
"Then let them die! I don't know what they did to gain the Emperor's hate but saving them almost cost your life and the life of a stranger!" Axel said annoyed.
'As if the life of a demon is greater than mine'
"But you're not a stranger, you have something in your closet, whatever you have done isn't worse than what the Basilisk has done," Grape pointed out.
"I have done nothing but live," Axel replied.
"Same as the Basilisk," Grape told, "They have done nothing but be born with an ability that the Emperor likes," they said.
"Ok, what's the real reason you brought me up here," Axel said squinting his eyes.
With a sigh Grape got up.
"I know our talks have been rocky, but I- we need your help," Grape said getting up, "The fact that you haven't ran out of here, and the fact I'm still alive, means that there's something in you that doesn't want me gone," Grape explains.
"Go on," Axel replied, crossing his leg.
"I am part of a small rebellion," Grape reveals, looking at a small harp, "And we need all the help we can get," they explain, "So Beetle," Grape says extending their hand, "Will you join us?" they asked.
Axel thought about it, he did. He thought about fighting the good fight, helping the witches and demons of the Boiling Iles, but then he had a realization.
These were witches and demons, beings not brought into God's light, if God has not helped these poor, why should he?
As well, any work he did would distract him from his work from making sure the human and demon realm do not come together.
Something that he has totally been working on and hasn't been putting it off.
"No," Axel replied, "I'm not going to join your group," he said getting up, "But I'm not going to tell on you, so you don't have to worry about that," he said approaching the door.
Grape stood in silence for a second.
"Thank you," they eventually said.
"Don't mention it, seriously," Axel said leaving the room.
Grape looked at the door where Axel left through and thought for a moment.
"A mask allows an actor to act as they may not be, however a mask can also allow a person to act as their true self," Grape murmured, "I wonder Beetle, today in front of me you have unmasked, so which are you?" they mused.
———————————————————————
With the opportunity to go out to a ton and take his mind off of things, Axel would be a fool not to take it.
He had a bit of a grocery list, one of which being the temporary tattoo that he saw on the wild witch. He's been lucky so far with no one checking his arms, mostly because if you're part of the Emperor's Coven it's a given you have a sigil.
But right now, he was unmasked and wearing regular clothes. In reality if a scout asked him for his sigil now, he would quickly be caught.
Luckly, he knew the major paths that the scouts took around Bonesborough, considering he's walked them before, but he didn't know the scouts who worked the evening to morning shifts.
Anyways, the sigil was something important that he needed, but not immediately, after all no one knew he was human after all.
A poster then gained the interest of Axel as he was looking around the town.
Missing! Human with blue eyes and brown hair! Likes theater and is kinda old.
Bellow those words was a drawn picture that's looks like Axel.
'Old! I'm only a year older than her!'
Axel started at the poster, slightly annoyed, but also impressed at his friend's drawing.
He would like to contact his friend Luz, if not just to stop her from putting eyes on Axel, but the poster didn't have any way to contact her.
So, Axel got a pencil and put the note 'Add a number' underneath Luz's poster.
Continuing on his way, he looked for something like a kids' stand, temporary tattoos definitely couldn't be sold at a normal shop, lest the Emperor's Coven come down on their shop.
After a time of looking around he found a small shop telling little toys, noise makers, and temporary tattoos with one of them being from the Emperor's coven.
"One Emperor's coven tattoo," Axel asked putting the needed snails on the table.
"I'm guessing this isn't for you right?" the vendor replied.
"Course not," Axel replied reaching for the tattoo.
"What are you reaching for?" the vendor replied.
"The temporary tattoo," Axel responded.
"But you haven't paid the full price?" the vendor asked with a smile.
"Yes, I have paid price that you have given," Axel said back.
"Well, there's been some developments, and I'm increasing the price by three snails," the vendor replied.
"Done," Axel said quickly putting down three snails and grabbing the temporary tattoo before the vendor could say anything else.
"Fine," the vendor mumbled.
'I am totally going to shut this place down for helping wild witches when I come back'
Slapping the temporary tattoo onto his wrist, Axel was happy there was another form of protection between him and being found out.