Syndrome had worked Violet down to the bone that weekend.
Saturday morning Violet went down to eat around 7:10, expecting Syndrome to join her for a cup of coffee and a bowl of gloating but he left a note instead, instructing her to get to work at 0800 sharp. Each time she had completed a test chamber he had sent her into the next room with only enough time for her to catch her breath, even her lunch was served within one of the locker rooms, and as much as Violet wanted to have a screaming match with the man something seemed off about him compared to the previous days.
She wasn't the cause of his frustration, she knew that much. If she was the problem, he would have had no problem notifying her what transgression she had committed against him, but instead, he seemed to be taking his frustrations out on her. Or it at least felt that way.
By the time that Syndrome told her she was done for the day Violet didn't even have the energy to consider picking his brain. Sunday was more or less the same. The only real difference was that Sunday evening she waited for Syndrome to join her on the elevator ride up. He must have seen her on the security camera however as he opened the door to his office and Apple came bolting out for Violet's position, weaving through the production line robots and up into Violet's arms as she knelt down to receive the dog's affections.
Violet looked up expecting Syndrome to be making his way up as well but she heard the door slam and frowned, but didn't push the issue of his seclusion.
"How about we enjoy what sunlight we have left, huh?" Violet asked Apple as she led the dog into the elevator.
While he had intended on sleeping Friday night, Buddy barely managed to steal more than four hours of shut eye between Friday night and Sunday morning. By that evening he was barely on autopilot. He knew what he was getting into when he linked himself up with criminal under realm. He was prepared for the risks that came along with crossing them and more than confident that he could handle whatever they threw his way.
So why couldn't he sleep?
He replayed Violet's sessions until his eyes threatened to explode in his head. He paused the frame and rubbed at his eyelid. The super would be here next weekend and the videos were on his hard drives. The one thing he needed was sleep. He was about to shut down the system when something caught his eye. A glare where there shouldn't be one.
Pulling his chair closer to the screen in front of him, Buddy zoomed in onto the frozen image of Violet's thin forcefield, inspecting the source of the light infraction. He blew up the image as much as he could before the picture became too broken from the pixels but he knew exactly what he was looking at. He picked up a piece of shrapnel on his desk again and leaned back in his chair and he began to laugh, questioning who the genius in this house was.
It took him a week and a day to see her method of destroying his androids. A tactic she had come up with in only the first ten minutes of playing his games. She'd mangle one droid enough to cause it to crumble into itself and then proceed to mow down the rest with the flakes and shrapnel it's corpse left behind. He didn't realize she had enough control over her powers to grasp something on the very edges of her forcefields, but she did.
She was destroying his tech with mere scapes of metal and all he could do was laugh. Wiping his eyes free from the tears he had produced from the revelation. After he programmed the system to create slow motion bytes of all the recordings where she faced off the more aggressive robots, he made his way up top again to congratulate the super. Walking into the open living room, Buddy stopped to find the super that he had captured was out like a light. A book he had gifted her covered her chest, open and damaging the spine. Apple laid on the carpeted floor below her, also sleeping on her back. Had he seen the sight two decades ago he might have flipped at the poor book discipline, but there was something comical about the sight now.
He had the daughter of his arch-nemesis as a lab rat- … No. That was more for his personal pride than actual entertainment. It was something else. The position she napped in, or the way she just continued to exceed his expectations with the most minimal effort.
He leaned against the wall with his arms folded, watching the novel on her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. He had wanted to wake her. To tell her how impressed he was with her. How he would be geeking out over the simplicity and irony of her technique for the next week but instead all could do was stand and watch her sleep as he came to terms with what he was currently thinking.
It wasn't uncommon for scientists to get attached to their lab subjects, but this wasn't some rodent that was bred to die on the bleeding edge of science- this was, again, the daughter of his arch-nemesis. The peak of human evolution, the top percentile of super's who could level an entire city if they wanted, decapitate entire armies, or mangle a fleet of ships without a second thought.
And the word that he was currently associating her with was… cute.
He quietly made his way for the stairs upstairs for his bed. He was clearly sleep deprived. That was the only reasonable explanation. He hadn't even realized that Apple was following him until he was upstairs and before he could attempt to convince the pooch that she was better off staying by Violet the woman on the couch began to wake.
Violet opened her eyes and turned her eyes onto the clock. It was only 8 PM if she was reading the clock right. She shifted in her seat, glancing up to see Syndrome who had an expression of guilt on his face.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he quickly stated and Violet scoffed as she sat up.
"You kidnap me. Threaten my family. Keep me hostage to fight your murder-bots… yet you apologize for the accident of waking me," Violet mumbled as she closed the book and set it aside as she turned her attention back onto the man on the staircase. "It's a start I guess."
Buddy could only smile and nod in response. In the grand scheme of things, waking her was the lowest offense he had committed against the super. He watched as Apple ran back down to Violet, clearly showing which of the two she enjoyed more.
"I'm bringing her to work with me tomorrow," Buddy stated suddenly. "Still have to sell the nice guy act to some folks." He continued as he found himself descending the steps.
"I suppose robbing me of Apple's company is to spite me as well?" Violet playfully mocked as she playfully rubbed Apple's face. She sighed heavily and nodded, placing a kiss on top of the dog's head and smiled back at the ginger man but quickly frowned and got to her feet to approach him. "Jesus, when was the last time you slept? You look awful."
"Gee, you sure know how to make a guy feel warm and fuzzy inside," Buddy replied as he leaned back against the wall behind him as Violet stopped at a little more than an arms length from him. "I was about to call it a night now actually, but seeing that I've already woken you I just wanted to let you know I figured out how you do that saw blade thing of yours. Using broken pieces of the robots you manage to damage. Pretty impressive."
"Oh," Violet said suddenly as she folded her arms, her hands cupping her elbow rather than tucking into herself. "I guess you're going to really up the ante from here on out, huh?" Violet asked.
Buddy considered the comment briefly but shook his head.
"No, not just yet," he confessed as he slipped a hand onto the back of his neck. "Truthfully I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to top that ability of yours anytime this week. Just keep doing what you are doing I guess," he said simply as knelt down to give some attention to Apple again, wondering if he would even have the energy or patience to handle the dog while at the office tomorrow. Though that's what the interns were there for, right?
"So you aren't mad?" Violet asked suddenly and Buddy's eyes widened at the question. He turned his head quickly, placing himself in a vulnerable situation with Apple who began lapping at his ear. Making a noise of disgust, Buddy quickly got back up and shook his head as he palmed the slobbery skin.
"Mad? Heck no! That's honestly the coolest thing I've seen in a while. I've got a video rendering as we speak so I can watch your moves in slow motion!" Buddy said with enthusiasm in his voice. He couldn't imagine how Violet was a part-timer with the skillsets she had. "Why the hell would I be mad?"
"Well you haven't exactly made yourself available to be prodded this weekend," Violet said with a shrug, keeping her eyes on the floor. "I wasn't sure what was bugging you, but you figured out my trick and I just figured you were pissed off at something I did or whatever."
Buddy was too tired to think. He shook his head as his hands were placed onto her shoulders, the contact making Violet bring her gaze from the floor and back to him, surprised to see a lazy smile on his face.
"I haven't been outwitted like that since… Well, since your family took me out," Buddy admitted and his head sunk below his shoulders and shook his head with a laugh. "Old habits die hard, but even now I can't help but be a fan of the Incredible family," he said as he dropped his hands from her shoulders and turned for the stairs again but stopped and looked back to the super as he recognized that he hadn't really answered her question. "If I wasn't happy with you I'd let you know. It's a business-related issue that's been eating at me, but you've got nothing to worry about," he lied and Violet ate it up. "But don't give me a reason to be mad at you either, kid."
She nodded and turned back to the couch to collect her book and motioned back to the stairs where he had already ascended. Violet shifted on her feet on the floor below, still feeling something was off but the man was too exhausted to form a coherent conversation. He was conversational, sure, but his thoughts were scattered.
"Well, you should get some sleep, but will I see you in the morning or are you going to sneak out like the thief you are?" Violet teased. Buddy must have been on the edge of mania because he humored her with a dramatic gasp.
"Madam! I have never stolen anything in my life!" He said as he held a hand over his chest, looking hurt at the accusation. Violet rolled her eyes but smirked as she began to climb the stairs, Apple running up the steps as well, pushing past Violet and Buddy on the way up.
"And what do you call kidnapping me?" She teased stopping a few steps below him. The man shrugged as he turned for the side of the hall that housed his bedroom.
"I'm rather fond of the term, 'tactically acquired'," Buddy quipped without looking back as he stepped into his bedroom and closed the door for the night.
The alarm blared beside Buddy's ear and he eyed the time telling device with contempt. He had a full night of sleep, but he did not wish to wake. He knew he had dreamed, and that it was a pleasant one, but the subject of the dream had escaped him the second his eyes opened.
Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, Buddy got ready for the day. He took his pain meds and looked over the scars that covered his chest. Burns mostly, but the scar that bothered him the most, other than his bruised ego, was the thin, pale line that trailed from just above his navel to his left hip. He knew it was in his head, but it felt like the pain would flare up more around Violet. Like her bloodline triggered the pain- but then again she did have a tendency to raise his blood pressure... Showered, and dressed, Buddy made his way down the hall for the stairs and checked his watch to see how much time he had before he had to fly out. He had allowed himself the luxury of sleeping in to catch what missed hours of sleep he could get but now he really felt the pressure of having to rush to get to the office and bring Apple along for the ride. He partially hoped that the dog would be a terror in the office to deter Winston from asking for her to come back, but he had a feeling that it would become a regular thing to bring the dog along.
He wasn't surprised to see Violet sitting at the kitchen island already enjoying a bowl of cereal and a glass of water, but he was thrown off by the smile she was offering him.
"I see that you slept," she said as she dug her spoon into the bow again. He nodded and moved to order up a cup of coffee to be placed into a travel mug. "So, what's my mission for today?" Violet inquired and Buddy's eyes widened at the question. He had forgotten to set up any of the chambers for her today. He licked his lips as he turned back to face her as his coffee was dispensed.
"I'm, uhh.. Giving you the day off." Buddy said, his eyes searching for the dog, looking everywhere but on the woman's face. But eventually their eyes met and she was delivering a mocking glance.
"So. You give me the day off as you also deprive me of the company of Apple? You must really hate me," Violet muttered before shoving the full spoon into her mouth. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to pass the time by?" She asked as Buddy moved to the sliding doors where Apple's leash hung around the handle. Seeing the movement, the door darted from her hiding place from underneath the dining table and began to paw at the door to go out. Buddy cursed silently looking back at the kitchen where his coffee mug was still waiting for him.
"Yup, you caught me. I hate your guts so much that I'm asking you to rest and read books all day," he muttered as he struggled to get the leash attached to Apple's collar. "I'm the worst, I know," Buddy said as he managed to snap the metal clasp into the collar ring. Turning to walk back across the room he stopped as he was confronted with Violet offering his dark blue travel mug to him.
"Oh, trust me. I know you are," Violet stated as she extended her arm out a bit further. Buddy accepted the mug gratefully.
"Thanks," he uttered softly and Violet released a single laugh.
"Wow. An apology and a thank you all within 24 hours? I must be dreaming because if I didn't know any better you are beginning to go soft on me," Violet said as she folded her arms and Buddy just stared at her back. He swallowed and looked to the anxious dog attached to the rope in his hand before stepping back to the door.
"I'll be home at my usual time. Just stay out of trouble," Buddy muttered as he pulled the door open and Apple burst through the open door ready to go.
On his flight over to DevTech, Buddy remembered what he dreamed about. Or moreso who.
He had the aircraft on autopilot after takeoff so he could tend to the somewhat skittish Apple, but even after the dog calmed down he let the aircraft run its course so he could argue with himself.
Maybe his associates, no, former associates, were right. He was getting possessive of the super. Soft even. No, if that was true he would have tried something by this point.
So what if he found her attractive? She was an attractive woman, and as a man, he had the biological imperative to seek companionship in women, and Violet was the only woman he had been around for long periods of time since… her. It was natural to form that kind of attachment, as long as he didn't act on it, it would be fine.
Prepping for landing, Buddy cast a quick glance to Apple and furrowed his brow.
"You're going to keep me in line, right?" He asked, but the dog paid him no mind, it's anxiety increasing as they made touchdown. "Lot of good you do…" Buddy grumbled as placed on a pair of aviator sunglasses. Stepping out of the hovercraft he helped the dog down to the landing pad, but upon turning Buddy froze seeing that Winston was waiting for him by the rooftop entrance. More concerning however was that he wasn't alone.
Standing beside Winston was none other than Rick Dicker.
Buddy felt the floor beneath him crumble and he began to trace the steps it took to get to the point. Naming his company after his failed plot to become a super was likely the culprit for his downfall, but Buddy wasn't ready to go down. A nervous hand moved to his watch but the leash in his hand suddenly yanked forward as Apple ran to the pair of men. With no choice to follow, Buddy shut his jaw as Winston knelt down to greet the excited dog, grinning from ear to ear as Apple licked his face.
"Hey, woah there Apple! Can't make James jealous here!" Winston roared with laughter as he did his poorest job to hold the dog back. "She is super friendly, I don't see why you were so worried!" Winston continued as he stood up again and shook his head. "Where are my manners? James, I'd like you to meet Rick Dicker of the NSA! Rick, this is James Everett, my newest business partner."
Buddy's eyes darted back and forth between the pair of men. They weren't on to him? Or maybe they were toying with him? Buddy kept his focus on Winston if only to try to ignore the presence of Dicker. He opened his mouth to ask why the NSA would possibly be on site but Rick was shaking his head.
"Winston, I really hope you don't intend on introducing me to everyone with my actual place of employment. You can just say Agent Dicker, but then again maybe it's best if you don't introduce me to anyone else," Rick said before he turned away and retreated into the corporate building leaving the two other men and the dog out in the open.
"Don't mind him, he's just old school," Winston said with a shrug as he held the door open for Buddy and Apple. "I should have warned you, I know, but I guess I called a little too late, how far do you have to fly to get here?"
"It's only an hour commute, but what the heck is going on here, Win? The NSA?" Buddy asked in a whisper as they moved down the stairwell. Winston winced at the question and looked to Rick for guidance but the man either didn't hear the conversation that they were having or elected to ignore it.
"The building is officially a crime scene, James. I can't tell you everything, but Rick seems to think that something really awful happened to Violet," Winston said pausing on the staircase. "He thinks a villain might have captured the kid here, in this building," Winston confessed and Buddy froze at the suggestion.
"Why would anyone kidnap an intern?" Buddy asked, and Winston realized he may have given too much information again.
"Well, uh, you know bad guys, right?" Winston said quickly making his way down the steps. "Villains always kidnap pretty girls, think they make better hostages or something." The lie that Winston had chosen to go with certainly wasn't assisting his current dilemma but he nodded in agreement.
"Right, makes sense," Buddy whispered before looking up towards Rick who was giving directions to a few other agents. He should have called out sick, but that would have been suspicious. At the very least, he wasn't the last one seen with Violet and he had the alibi of Winston walking him to the roof, but that wouldn't be enough to keep Dicker off his trail, would it? Clearing his throat, Buddy remained at Winston's side as he addressed the NSA operative. "If there is anything I can do to help you Mr. Ricker, please don't hesitate to ask!" Buddy called.
"Well, there is one thing you can do," Rick muttered, responding to the incorrect name called out by the executive. He looked over his shoulder as he handed off a clipboard to another agent. "You can stay out of my way."
Buddy watched as the man who was heading the investigation moved to the elevator and he stood as still as could with Apple trying to greet every person in the room. This wasn't good. This was very, very bad. But Dicker didn't recognize him. Likely because of the sunglasses, or maybe he had really changed a bit over the years. No- Violet recognized him on sight. It had to be the eyewear.
"Rough weekend huh?" Winston asked, drawing Buddy's attention back to him. The man tapped the side of his own head. When the ginger man raised an eyebrow Winston continued. "The glasses? It's okay buddy, you can tell me."
Buddy cursed his alcoholic father for having slapped his birth certificate with a name that could be found in everyday friendly conversation. His mother swore it was a name bestowed to him for endearing means, but his father had a hard time remembering anything to do with them. Birthdays, anniversaries, when the bills were due. But he could remember his name, only because he called everyone 'Buddy' when they were drunk.
"Let's call it relationship problems," Buddy muttered thinking about the wrath he was likely going to face from some of his former associates and Winston grabbed his arm in astonishment.
"You have a girlfriend too?! Oh, I have got to meet her as well! Must be as sweet as this Apple huh?" Buddy smiled back at Winston, but internally he was screaming. How much deeper could he dig this hole he was making? Why did conversations with this man always end up with his foot in his mouth.
"Ex-girlfriend," Buddy quickly replied and shrugged. It wasn't a complete lie "I broke it off though so it's fine. Just unnecessary drama, you know?" Winston nodded and released the fellow business man before crouching down to see Apple again. "Anyway, I've got some plans that I want to get to the guys in the energy sector this morning. Just some designs I've got to tap into solar energy on a mass-market scale. Can I ask you to steal Apple from me this morning?"
Winston looked back up and swiped the leash from his partner's hand without a second thought. "I would be delighted!"
It wasn't even 10 AM and Violet was bored out of her skull. She never thought she'd miss knocking out some of Syndrome's tech, but it was at least something to pass the time by. And while she would never admit it, it was nice to flex her powers again… Especially since she would be the only one who'd get hurt if she messed up.
Still dressed for a workout, Violet decided to do just that, sticking to the basics. Stuff that she'd have to do in high school. Push-ups, sit-ups, and jogging around the perimeter of the estate. She couldn't say how 'far' she ran, but she was sure she at least clocked in a couple of miles. Afterwards she showered, dressed in clean clothes, and ate lunch. Altogether she only managed to kill a couple of hours from that, still leaving a few hours before Syndrome would be home again.
Violet was left with several options to bide her time. Read one of the few books she had yet to crack open, lay about in the sun, maybe take a nap while she was at it. Or, she could do what Syndrome explicitly instructed not to do.
Cause trouble.
Violet began to test the perimeter again, what rooms she could go into and what ones were blocked off. Again it was only the den that was barred to her, but there was one room that she had neglected to try simply because what were the chances that his bedroom would be available to her?
Violet stared down the hall that led to Syndrome's bedroom. It was the only room on that side of the home, likely to be large and potentially full of tech. It was a bold thing to try to infiltrate the place that he slept but she had already proved that she could not be left to her own devices for too long without being of some flight risk to him. Question was, would it be worth the hassle?
Best case scenario: she is able to enter the bedroom and find some new reading material, maybe even a phone to call for help or at least some ammunition to taunt him with. News paper clippings, a compromising photo perhaps?
Worst case scenario: she is able to enter the bedroom and Syndrome ends up being a bigger freak than she previously imagined. Like some sort of freaky murder shrine for her family or a slew of vintage porn magazines stuffed within his mattress.
The most likely scenario however was that she'd get shocked on contact with the doorknob.
Taking a deep breath, Violet slowly walked down the length of the hallway and reached the door. She wasn't harmed upon touching the knob which meant it was time for the moment of truth. Where the hell did villains sleep anyway?
Stepping inside, Violet was shocked to see that the ceiling essentially consisted of one giant sunroof. She was aware of the large tinted glass walls that faced west, but the sun roof was a surprise. Along with the amount of plants in the room. Bamboo, snake plants, succulents and other leafy things were found in the room. There was already a mini greenhouse on the property, but Violet just assumed that was for evil medicinal purposes or something.
Her eyes scanned around the rest of the room which seemed ordinary otherwise. Large, but like her bedroom there was nothing too flashy. A bed with dark blue sheets, a set of chairs by the window and two bookcases. Violet could hardly believe her luck on that, though she was somewhat upset that Syndrome had been holding out on her in the first place.
"Bingo," Violet murmured to herself and paraded over to the collection, finding that Syndrome had been keeping the best reads to himself. Works from greek legends all the way up to some more recent works of fiction and nonfiction, most of it dealing with science again.
She began to pull out a few books but stopped herself when she considered the room once again. It made sense to her that the guest room she was occupying didn't have much tech integrated in, but the most advanced piece of technology in Syndrome's room was a clunky alarm clock. It was something to be curious about, but she wasn't going to start asking him about the bedroom that she probably shouldn't be in. Not wanting to come off as too greedy, Violet decided to borrow only one book, though it was the largest book he had. A collective anthology of greek and roman myths.
It was closer to 7 PM by the time that Buddy returned to his estate. The agents, much to Buddy's surprise, had steered clear of him as they inspected every inch of the building. They did manage to find Violet's day bag in an abandoned office, likely the one that Gerard had snatched her from, but he had no clue that they would find on the security cams, if anything at all.
Regardless, the devious intern didn't show up this morning, and he likely wouldn't show up to the office again if he had any sense at all. The NSA wasn't exactly inconspicuous with their presence today and being that an investigation was truly underway Buddy would have to set up a hit on the kid relatively soon.
Boy. It was a good thing he didn't just burn some bridges with the top shelf of villains recently.
Opening the front door, Apple darted in with her lead trailing behind her as she made her way to Violet who was sitting on the couch with a book in hand and a cup of tea on the coffee table.
"Hello, Parr," Buddy called as he shut the door behind him. "What trouble did we get into today?" He asked half jokingly.
"I went into your bedroom,' Violet answered as she pulled Apple up onto the couch with her, and just like that, Buddy's hope of ending the disaster streak was dashed.
"Why in the hell were you in my-" he cut himself off as Violet raised the massive book over her head to show and he gave a nod. At least she was being honest with him. "Fair enough…" he said as he removed his jacket and loosened his tie, ready to have a night cap for dinner. A dry martini was calling his name. "Didn't I leave you with enough books?" He asked as he walked out of sight.
"You did, but I was just curious," Violet called as she bathed Apple with attention, scratching the hard to reach spots for the dog, causing her leg to kick out of reflex. When Syndrome stepped back into view with a martini in hand, Violet focused her attention on him. "Mind if I finish reading it before I give it back?"
Buddy's blue eyes shifted to the book's resting place. Reading the title he smirked in response and began to walk away. "You can just keep it with the rest of yours if you want," He mumbled back as he took a seat across from her. "You'll never guess who showed up at DevTech today," Buddy said as he moved to sip at his drink.
"Was it Dicker?" Violet asked from behind the book, making the man stop mid sip. He blinked at Violet who gave a shrug at the response.
"I didn't think Rick would be allowed to take on my case, but I'm not surprised either given how stubborn he is. He swears to me every year that he's going to retire but every year he stays on," Violet said, turning a page and focused on him again. "I'm guessing that he paid you no real mind today?" When Syndrome nodded she smirked and shook her head. "Well, his specialty is damage control and not crime scene investigation, but I think he'll come through."
Buddy wasn't particularly fond of how confident Violet was with the current scenario but he wasn't going to jump down her throat over it. He was safe for the time being, and would likely remain to be in decent shape with Winston coming to bat for him. Setting the drink aside, Buddy eyed the woman as Apple calmed down and draped herself over Violet's body.
Buddy briefly considered threatening the agent's life. The taunt would have been an empty threat because if an agent, even one as old as Rick, was to die while on the case it would certainly put DevTech under even more scrutiny. He also wanted to crack a joke about Violet having been domesticated quicker than he expected if only to get a rise out of her but he didn't want to ruin the peace after an excruciatingly long day. He should go down and see the slowed down videos that he started to render last night but he was still suffering from some sleep deprivation.
'I'll close my eyes. Just for a few minutes,' he thought. Resting back he folded his arms tightly against his chest. Making sure to keep his watch out of sight.
He felt like he only just shut his eyes as Violet straddle herself onto his lap. Her powers binding him to the leather chair as she leaned over him. Her raven hair cascading down, grazing the side of his face.
"What are you up to, Parr?" He didn't even try to fight against the heroine as she dragged her fingernails over his scalp and down to his neck. This woman could kill him, and to be frank, he'd probably allow it with the look she was giving him. Bedroom eyes. Not the hateful or sarcastic glances she typically delivered but full, intimate eye contact.
"You should get some sleep," she whispered softly. Her voice didn't come off as seductive, it was airing more on the side of concern, but the words didn't fit in this situation.
"W-what?" He mumbled breathlessly, as she leaned in closer, her mouth parting slightly as his was still agape, trying to come to terms with the scene.
"I said that you should go to bed," Violet replied with a little more force as a hand gripped his shoulder and-
Buddy sat up with his eyes wide open as Violet shook his shoulder. She was standing over him and pointing to the clock at the wall that read a quarter to midnight. He ran a hand through his hair and continued to hold his breath. Was this relief or disappointment he was feeling now?
It didn't matter, he shouldn't be feeling that way towards the super! It was his brain running on empty that was producing the fumes. Without a word he rose from the chair, grateful that nothing else had risen and mover towards the stairs.
"What were you dreaming about?" Violet asked suddenly, making the man stop in his tracks and turned his head towards her again. "You asked me what I was doing- so can I ask what you were dreaming about?"
Violet's question was an innocent one, and he very well couldn't dodge the question as he apparently had talked in his sleep. Taking a deep breath, Buddy decided that he could only tell her the truth of it all.
"I dreamt that you were going to ruin all my plans."