Chapter 25: Recovery
(New and improved! If you've read ch25 prior to this, please go to the topic linked on my profile page for an explanation)
Ingkells had sent Bapple on a coach piloted by Silberin to Colhen, telling her he and the rest would catch up later. Bapple sat in the back with the girl laying on her lap.
"So," Silberin kept looking forward at the horses, "I can't help but notice you've got the Succubus in your arms."
"The what?"
"Mm, nevermind."
They went in silence for the rest of the ride.
Brynn's laboratory...
Bapple kicked open the door and walked in, carrying the girl. Brynn kept his back to her, working on an experiment.
"What have you done now?" he said very dryly.
"Well," she caught her breath, "I evicted the spirit of a Fomor from the body of the girl I'm carrying right now, long story short."
Brynn's arm froze in the middle of his pouring gesture, and then his shoulders slumped as he sighed. He finally turned around.
"What in the name of the Goddess are you ta –" he began, but his jaw dropped when he saw the Succubus. After a pause, "Who in the world...?"
"Ingkells took us on a trip to his castle in Ortel. Silberin called her a sucker punch or something like that."
"Succubus," Brynn said. "a bewitching she-devil who lures men into a very exciting death. I see now that the rumors of Ortel castle were true. You say a Fomor possessed her?"
"That's what the paladin thinks. I did some crazy stuff with the light inside me and expelled it from her as far as I can tell."
"Interesting."
"I'll be interested after she wakes up! Can you help?"
"Hm."
Bapple's room at the inn...
Bapple laid the girl down on her bed and sat beside her. After Bapple had counted most of the spots on her ceiling, her guest began to stir. Bapple grabbed a beaker full of a concoction Brynn had given her and held the mouth of it at the girl's nose. Brynn had warned her that the girl would likely panic upon waking up, having not been in control of her own body for what had probably been more than a few years. The mixture produced a calming smell that was meant to keep the heart rate down during stressful experiences.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Bapple placed the beaker on the nightstand beside the bed and gently grabbed the girl's hand.
"Hi," she said as sweetly as she could. "
The girl's eyes went wide as she realized her surroundings.
"Please don't be afraid," Bapple said. "I want to help."
The girl's eyes scanned the room around her and then locked on Bapple again.
"My name is Bapple. You're in a town called Colhen right now. I brought you here from Ortel Castle."
The girl sat up straight and touched her own face, pulling down the mask covering her mouth. Bapple placed a hand on her back.
"You might have a hard time talking right now. It's probably been a while."
She opened her mouth but trembled, apparently scared to try.
"Lie back down," Bapple suggested, "I'll leave the room and let you clear your head."
Outside the inn, one hour later...
The rest of the group had arrived without Ingkells. Bapple sat on the bench by the mailbox, softly petting a chick that had found its way to her palm while the mother hen sat on her boot.
"So where's the bride?" Dima wasted no time being obnoxious.
"She's resting in my room. Brynn helped me wake her up safely and I got in a few words before I left her alone."
"You sure it's okay to just leave her in there? What if she goes all psycho?" Maks very quickly felt Nalus' hand on the back of his head.
"Can't be sure of anything in this world," Bapple shot him a glare.
"Should we go introduce ourselves?" Maks asked.
"No," Dijkstra spoke up, finally alerting everyone of his presence, "It would be best to not overload her. Her mind is fragile right now. Bapple, you should check on her."
Bapple gently placed the chick on the ground and watched it waddle off toward the general store with its clucking mother frantically catching up to it.
Bapple's room...
Bapple slowly pushed open the door and walked inside. The succubus was still on her bed, apparently asleep with the back of her hand lying on her forehead. Bapple tiptoed to her chair and sat down. Moments later, the girl opened her eyes and turned her head toward Bapple.
"H-hi..." she managed.
"Hey," Bapple smiled warmly.
The girl opened her mouth again, but only a faint squeak came out. Bapple put a finger to her own lips and stood up, closing the curtains to darken the room.
"Don't strain yourself. Get some more sleep if you need it. I'll be at my desk if you need me."
The girl shuffled uncomfortably for a moment before moving her hand off her face to make a slow fanning gesture.
"Oh!" Bapple jumped up. "I didn't even realize you're probably hot as hell in that outfit. I'll help you if you need me to."
She lifted her head off the pillow by a few inches and then it plopped back down. She coughed and slumped her body, discouraged.
Bapple smiled and held out her hand. The girl slowly reached for and grabbed it. Bapple put her other hand behind the girl's back and gently pulled up on both until she had the girl upright.
"Wow, this is a bit fancier than anything I've worn. I hope I can figure it out."
Later in the night...
After some struggling on both ends, Bapple had helped the girl get down to her skivvies and sat at the desk, finishing an overdue battle report by candlelight. She heard some movements and turned around; the girl was now sitting upright and looking down at her hands.
"Hey again, sleepyhead," Bapple said.
"Hi," the girl replied so assertively that she startled herself with her own voice.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm... better."
"Good!" Bapple got up and walked over to sit on the side of the bed. She slowly reached over and put her hand on the girl's forehead. "You've cooled off, too."
"Thank you," her eyes remained fixed on her hands.
"For what? Oh, right. Don't mention it. What's your name? I'm Bapple. Er, I think I told you that already."
"Yes, I remember. I'm Eve, or at least I was."
"I bet you've got quite a story."
No response.
"Whenever you're ready, that is. I'm sure it's not a fun one. Hey, I gotta go give my friends an update."
Eve nodded.
"If you get hungry and you can walk, go ahead downstairs and tell Tieve. She's sweeter than sweet, so don't worry. There's a robe over there you can borrow 'cause you're kinda half-naked and I never really figured out which side Tieve is on."
Bapple saw a smile form on Eve's face for a moment. She placed one of her own hands on top of Eve's and stood up to go downstairs.
Outside...
"Wow, you guys really have nothing better to do," Bapple found all four of her friends loitering around the outside of the inn.
"How is she?" Nalus immediately asked.
"Much better. I even got her talking a bit before I left."
"When do we get to meet her?" Dima asked.
"Give it some time. She is probably traumatized beyond what we can imagine," Dijkstra said plainly.
"Definitely," Bapple said. "She's made a great recovery so far, but let's give her space."
Simultaneously, in Bapple's room...
Eve sat upright still, leaning against the bedboard. The window was just barely cracked, and the conversation one story below was clear enough to hear. Tonight, Eve once again felt a cozy warmth in her heart.
Back outside...
A horse neighed at the gate to the path to Rocheste. Ingkells pushed open the carriage door before the driver could get to it. He walked, with his usual, powerful stride, toward the inn, followed closely by a black hound.
"Hey gang," he smiled. "I apologize for my tardiness. I don't recommend Lordship. Too many people you've got to tell, 'I'll sign it later. I gotta go!' Haha. How is the situation?"
"Everything's good so far. She's alive and coherent."
"Great! Wish I could say the same for my men! Haha!"
"Bark! Bark!" the dog wagged its stub.
"Ah, yes, I'd almost forgotten," Ingkells reached down to place his gruff palm on the dog's head affectionately. "You were all hyped up on adrenaline and forgot your buddy at my castle, Bapple."
"Oh!" she looked down at the dog.
"This boy here's getting up there in the years. I'm thinking he could use a retirement in a cozy little town, if you're interested. I can tell you two bonded really well."
"Wow, um... okay! I mean yes, please! Thank you, Ingkells," Bapple squatted down and the dog ran over to lick her face incessantly, causing many giggles.
The good vibes spread across the group, and the separate, idle conversations began.
Later...
The moon was high in the sky. Ingkells stretched.
"Well -" he started, but a creaking sound interrupted him.
The inn's front door slowly opened, and from behind it peeked Eve. She crept out, now covering herself with Bapple's lilac-colored robe. She immediately blushed after realizing there were more people than expected. Bapple jumped up to her feet and silently helped her out the door.
"Hi," she said weakly. Everyone turned to her. "I'm Eve."
"Hi," a few voices murmured back.
Ingkells walked over to her, kneeled down, and reached out for her hand. She placed hers in his, and he looked up at her, giving it a kiss.
"I apologize on behalf of all of Ortel Castle, Miss Eve. I cannot forgive myself for not being proactive about your predicament."
"Please don't apologize," Eve's face was as red as possible. "I don't want you to feel bad. I think it was meant to be Bapple," she rested her head against Bapple's shoulder.
"Fair enough," he returned her hand to her, stood up, and bowed. "I'm going to be on my way soon. I'm glad I got to see this lovely lady feeling better before going back."
Minutes later, everyone excluding Eve stood at Ingkells' carriage.
"Bapple, that dog likes his steaks rare! Haha! A pleasure as usual."
"Likewise, sir. I hope we can visit you again once the Royal Army is done giving us monster-sized errands."
"Nalus, you're welcome to any of the books in the castle's library. Seriously. I can't get enough quiet time to read! Haha. Dijkstra, that paper I gave you should have all the contact info you'll need. Tell him Ingkells sent ya, but be prepared for him to talk your ears off."
Ingkells reached behind Maks' ear and made a large, silver coin appear in his own palm.
"This is from the year of that revolution I told you about. Take good care of it!"
He followed Silberin into the carriage and looked out the window at the group, pointing at Dima and motioning for him to come closer. After a silent exchange of words, the horses started lumbering forward.
"Farewell!" Ingkells shouted. His hand stuck out the window, waving.
Even later, inside the inn...
Eve sat next to Tieve at a table downstairs, sipping on hot tea. Bapple came down the stairs, much less pepper in her step at this hour, and passed by the table. She dropped a small sack in front of Tieve which jingled upon impact.
"Here's your rent for a year, Eve. There's a room next to mine. I'm going outside for a few."
The door closed behind her. Eve looked at Tieve for help.
"She has a way with words," Tieve smiled.
Outside...
Dima sat on the bench with the dog lying at his feet. The dog immediately got up and walked over to Bapple as she came outside.
"What a day," he said.
"You're telling me," she sighed.
"So what're you gonna name him?"
"Huh? Oh, the dog. I haven't really given it any thought. How about Ink?"
"Ink?"
"You know, he's black like ink, and it reminds me of Ingkells' name."
"Ink it is."
Bapple took a deep breath of the cool, night air through her nose as a comfy breeze whispered in their ears.
"So whaddya think of Eve?" she asked.
"Honestly, I haven't given her much thought."
"What else in the world could you have thought about today?"
"You."
Bapple turned to him.
"What about me?"
"When we kissed."
"We haven't ki- mmm."