Shout Outs!
Rogue77: The winking and nudging are duly noted. There's probably a good chance of that happening.
Asteria: So do I, but I'm always afraid they'll blow up to spite me. Julian and Jamie thank you for he candy canes!
Chrissy: Thank you, I hope Granny Nesmond is as interesting this chapter.
Ravyn Nyte: You guess correctly. And I hope you find Granny Nesmond just as interesting this time. *evil laugh*
Laureate: Thank you very much! I am glad you are happy!
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Shivering and coughing, Arcane tried door after door to just get a phone. But it was almost Christmas Eve, no one was around.
"I hate Christmas. It wouldn't be as bad if the payphones weren't frozen onto the holders, but no, there just had to be a cold front. How can this get—I probably shouldn't say that. It's likely to happen. Why did it have to snow?!"
Indeed, the snow had been coming down in massive drifts, with snowflakes the size of quarters. And it started right after he left his car in the snow a few miles away.
"I'm never coming here again if it means I get out of here alive." He swore angrily.
"Woof."
He turned slowly around to look at what just barked at him. There sat a massive gray wolfhound.
"I didn't say it couldn't get worse, why are you here? No, don't tell me, I've managed to wind up in the same town she's in, right?"
Thump. The dog wagged his tail.
"Don't suppose you'd know where to get some shelter and get warm?"
The dog took off in a trot. Arcane shuffled behind at a much slower pace.
"Slow down! I've been walking through this snow for about four hours, my legs are practically frozen to the ground here."
The dog gave him a sort of aggravated look but slowed down anyway.
"Dogs."
Doggy gave him a look that plainly said 'mutants.'
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I paced worriedly in the lobby. Doggy had been scratching at the door, so naturally, I let him out to do whatever he needed to do, but then he ran off towards town. He didn't even say anything, well, that wasn't too odd, he never said anything. But still, he could have at least waited for me.
I checked the clock in the lobby. It was ten thirty at night. All of the older generation sans staff had been put to bed, and the nursing staff night shift had set me up in a little room with Doggy, as it was obvious I was staying a while.
"Where are you?' I said out loud to myself. There was no use trying to call him mentally, he wouldn't answer. And there were no animals around to tell me where he was. They had all migrated or were hibernating. So I had to wait.
I softly began to sing under my breath. Silence was unnerving. One of the reasons I had begun to dislike winter was that I couldn't hear the background noise that came from animal's wayward thoughts. It made everything so…dead.
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa's on his way
He's bringing lots of toys and goodies
on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know hot to fly
And so I'm offering this simple wish
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Chrismas to you."
Loud knocking almost made me jump right out of my skin. I looked towards the door. There was a shadowy figure knocking on the door.
"Who would be out in this weather?" I wondered aloud as I walked forward and opened the door. Doggy raced around the door and shook himself, giving me a very cold shower.
"I can't believe you…Arcane?" I stared at the guy on the step. Somehow I recognized him.
"Yeah. We have to stop meeting like this. Can I come in?"
"Sure." I quickly moved out of the way so he could step in. I noticed he was shivering pretty badly.
"Why were you out there?"
"Car broke down." He coughed a little.
"Un hunh…so how long have you been walking? Probably got yourself pneumonia. Off with the coat."
"What?" He looked at me a little uncomfortably.
"Off. Now. It's soaking wet. In fact, looks like most of your clothes are. Off with them. I'll get you a blanket. I bet you have a fever. Doggy, can you get me a blanket?"
He walked off. Arcane just looked at me like I lost my mind.
"I am not taking off my clothes—ouch."
I put the back of my hand against his forehead.
"You're burning up. Idiot, you should have stayed in the car. And judging by the cough, I'd say you didn't cover up well enough. Stupid."
"Is name calling necessary?"
"Yes. Now take off the wet clothes. They're only going to make things worse. For a guy that travels for a living I'd thought you'd have more common sense."
"I didn't really have a choice." He said sarcastically. "It was stay there and get snowed in or make town and try to get shelter. The latter worked. Get over it."
"…Don't make me sic my dog on you." I threatened. He looked less than impressed.
Doggy reappeared, carrying a folded up comforter in his jaws. He dropped it on the floor before us. I pointed at it with a glare at Arcane that would make wet paint dry. He finally sighed and took off his coat and shirt. I found myself blushing a little, but I contributed it to the fact that I had been arguing. He took off his boots and I turned slightly when he stripped down to boxers and scooped the blanket off the floor and wrapped himself up in it, muttering something about girls and dogs, neither of which I believe was polite. I took his hat, which was wet all the way through. I muttered something about idiot gunslingers of which I believe he heard but chose to ignore.
"Fire's still burning in the main room, come on." I left his clothes and dragged him into the room and made him sit next to the fire. "I'll cook some soup. And I'll hang your clothes up. Doggy, keep him company for me." I walked out of the room. My first stop was the kitchen, where I found some instant soup. I put it on the burner and went back to the lobby to gather up his clothes. There was an inside laundrey room, so I took them there. I took all of the stuff out of the pockets, some knives (one with a bit of blood still on it, I handled it very gently) and his trademark guns, some money, a few other things. I tossed them all into a basket and tossed his clothes in the wash. I figured he probably didn't spend that much time dry cleaning. I left the hat in the basket and set the machines to wash, and then carried the little basket with his effects with me to the Kitchen, where I barely saved the soup from boiling over and causing a huge mess.
I'm a good cook. Really.
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"Do you think I should pass on the soup?" Arcane asked the big dog sitting at his feet. Doggy just whined and put his head down.
"You are filling me with confidence." Arcane commented dryly.
"Soup." Danny walked back into the room and handed him a basket. "I had to put your clothes in the wash. I took those out of the pockets. If the night staff sees you, just tell them you're a friend of mine." She handed him the soup, which looked a little burnt.
"That won't sound suspicious." He said as he surveyed the soup.
"I'm not THAT bad of a cook. It isn't poison, eat it."
"Have you eaten it yet?" he returned.
"No. It's instant soup, it's not going to kill you. Besides, you're in no condition to turn down good food."
"Right." He kept the next comment bottled in, on the account that the dog at his feet would bite him.
"Wahhoooo! Look at that! Kid must be a chip off the old block!"
Danny looked mortifiedly at the old woman. "Grandma! You are supposed to be asleep!"
"Don't look so surprised, I used to do things like this all the time, find a nice young man, see him behind my parents backs, your secret is safe with me, Danny!"
"Grandma! It isn't like that!"
"That's what I said when I got caught too."
Danny was turning an interesting shade of bright red. Arcane couldn't eat his soup because he was on the verge of roaring with laughter.
"You kids think that this is new and you're so smart, but let me tell you something, this was happening before you were born. Want me to tell you the story? One night—"
"NO!" Arcane and Danny yelled at the same time. Arcane started coughing a little. Grandma Nesmond looked at him shrewdly.
"He's acting sick, I know an act anywhere! He probably told you he has some incurable disease! And I bet it's stupidity!"
Now it was Danny's turn to start holding back laughter. Arcane just looked a little dumbstruck.
"Don't let a man like him fool you Danny! I've seen it happen! One day—"
"NO!" They both yelled again, desperately. The old woman sniffed.
"Fine, if you don't want my advice, well…you are on your own. Not that you couldn't figure out what to do." She winked rogueishly at Danny, who looked mortified to the point of dying. Arcane felt sorry for her, but he still thought it was pretty funny.
"So." He began, his smirk almost breaking as he tried to keep the laughter bottled in. "Is that your relative?"
"Yes. And I am swearing you to secrecy. She doesn't remember things sometimes, and I hope she'll forget this time and I trust you will forget this under pain of extreme discomfort."
"Extreme discomfort?" He asked.
"I'm not feeling very inventive right now, but I'll figure up something. Eat your soup." She grumbled.
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