“Give me a minute, Blondie! I had to make sure Voldemort wasn’t creeping in the bushes!” Ghent responded in a harsh whisper, using his preferred codename for the Queen. He stood rigidly, his breath hissing between his teeth as Elayra made another Wonderland reference. He squinted up at the sky in frustration, but didn’t bother asking her for clarification. He suspected a bandersnatch was some type of servant. 
	As soon as Elaya’s footsteps faded in the direction of the lake, Ghent sighed in relief and his posture loosened. He brought the branch out from its hiding spot and looked behind his shoulder as an extra precaution. He had been left to his own devices.
	The forest was eerily quiet. Ghent scratched at the side of his jaw with the tip of the branch, ridding himself of an invisible itch. After a long moment, he decided to proceed with his plan. 
	”Guess I should hang these up…” Ghent mumbled to himself while he collected his jeans and Batman t-shirt from the ground. He started to hang his articles of clothing up one by one, using the same branch that hosted Drust’s trousers.
	[i]Igniculous…[/i] Ghent let the focus word marinate in his brain while he worked. He knew his plan would be put into action the second he said it, and he couldn’t afford to mispronounce something so crucial. 
	After his clothing was hung up, Ghent took a step back. He extended the branch toward the jeans and began to focus on what he wanted, and where he wanted it. His eyes lit up with childlike excitement when he felt the familiar pull in the air surrounding him. The magic was ready, and so was he. 
	“Igniculous!”
	A burst of flame shot forward, catching the end of what was now a torch. Ghent stared at the fire in amazement, the bright orange flames reflecting in his blue eyes. Under different circumstances, he may have been content to stare at his creation until it shrank from existence, but he had an important task to complete. 
	Droplets of river water dripped from Ghent's clothing. He raised the torch ever so slightly, bringing the fire as close to the denim as he dared. A small, smug smirk tugged at the corner of his chapped lips as the flames licked at the fabric. He couldn’t wait to emerge from the trees, dressed in his newly dried clothes. He imagined Elayra’s face shifting from anger, to disbelief when she realized his wardrobe was dried to perfection. 
	Every so often, Ghent moved the branch away from his jeans to check the drying progress. The process was taking longer than he would have liked, but it seemed to be working, and so he continued. It didn’t take long for him to grow bored of the repetitiveness. 
	Ghent began daydreaming. He wanted to think of a witty remark when he tossed Drust's pants back at Elayra, something to further annoy the irritable princess. While he plotted and schemed, he failed to realize that his method of moving the torch every so often had encouraged the flames to travel. . .
	After a few minutes, Ghent felt a gradual warmth near his bare shoulder. It wasn’t until his skin became hot that he was snapped out of his trance. His eyes slid to find the source of the heat, and he screamed.
	The fire had begun to devour the fabric of Drust’s pants.
	”HOLY--!” Ghent staggered back. His mouth fell open. He sputtered a few times like a fish out of water as his mind screamed at him to do something.
	Swearing underneath his breath, Ghent grabbed his wet t-shirt and started beating at the flames with one hand, while gripping the branch with his other. The movement jostled the torch so much, the fire shrank and spread, threatening to burn him and the rest of the forest if he wasn’t careful.