Chapter 52
Tell Us About It!
Charlie saw the car pull up outside from the dining room window and smiled broadly. "Alastor's back!"
"Oh joy," Vaggie groaned, stabbing her single slice of ham with her fork. "Well, let's go see how it went."
"I hope we have a new sponsor," Charlie cheered, grabbing her girlfriend by the hand and dragging her away from the table. "Can you imagine it? We're already branching out so far!"
"If he didn't fuck it up," the moth grumbled to herself. When the princess paused to look back with a flat expression, Vaggie looked away guiltily. "Sorry, I'll stop."
Honestly, the moth had been in a bad mood all day. The whole situation was bullshit; a sponsor in another section of the city demanding to see the Radio Demon rather than the fucking princess of Hell made her downright pissed, but she just couldn't escape this feeling that everything was going to go horribly wrong. Then, when Charlie and Vaggie wanted to have a sit-down with Eliza about the whole Harve and Curio situation while Alastor was gone, the woman was nowhere to be found. Granted it was her day off, but to just disappear with no warning made for the cherry on top of her already rotten mood.
Walking out the front door to see a tired Alastor carrying an unconscious Eliza out of the car did not help matters. "What the fuck happened?" burst out of Vaggie's mouth before she could even process the situation.
"Another typical day in damnation, my dear," the wendigo answered in a jubilant tone. "Negotiations fell through I'm afraid, but rest assured we all made it back in one piece!"
"Didn't you take Husk with you?" Charlie asked, leaning to the side to glance behind him. "Where is he?"
"Oh yes, that." Clearing his throat, he sent his shadow to pop open the trunk. Inside, Charlie and Vaggie stared at a snoring veteran surrounded by empty bottles, only two having gone unopened near his feet. "Be good girls and drop him behind the front desk for me. He'll know what to do when he wakes up."
"Hold on a sec, asshat," Vaggie snarled, taking a step towards him. "Husk is wasted, Eliza, who you did not tell us was going with you, is unconscious, and shit went wrong. What. Happened?!"
For the first time in a while, Alastor actually growled at her. "This trip was downright exhausting, and I have no inclination to speak of it until I've had a much deserved rest."
"Is Eliza OK?" Charlie asked, stepping slightly between the two sinners before the tension could grow any further.
"She's quite tired as well," Alastor sighed. "And I did not bring her with me, my dear. She had her own reasons for being there; not that she has shared them with me. Even so, she played a pivotal role in ensuring our return. I would like her to remain undisturbed for the rest of the evening."
"But you will talk to us tomorrow morning, right?" Charlie asked, hopefully.
"Of course, sweetheart!" he agreed, his cheer returning. "I will be up bright and early as always!"
Charlie's smile spread wide. "OK! Then we'll talk then. Get some sleep, OK?"
"Hey, wait a second!" Vaggie yelled as Alastor's shadow opened the front door for his master. Pointing at the unconscious drunk in the trunk, she demanded, "At least help us get him into the hotel!"
"Hm…" Alastor hummed, looking contemplative for a moment. "No, you'll do just fine, dears! Besides, my dear little cat decided to abandon me to a very uncomfortable excursion, so I have no desire to take him out of there. If you're so set on not carrying him in, feel free to close the trunk and park the car nearby. Not like he can suffocate; he's already dead, ha!"
When the door shut behind him and his shadow followed him in, Vaggie balled her hands into fists as she grumbled, "Fucking asshole!" under her breath, as well as many Spanish insults.
Charlie sighed. "Do you know where Fizz is? Maybe he can help us bring him in." When Vaggie glanced away with a slightly guilty expression, she face-palmed. "Vaggie, what happened to Fizz?" The moth guided her lover over to the side of the building, where a half-buried Fizzarolli was glitching out in a mud pile. As Charlie stared, Vaggie mentioned something about finding him snooping around their room for his Nookii game, and she sighed. "Guess we'll bring them both back in."
Resting on the bar counter, Alucard was fluffed up and moody. Master left without him, and for some reason left him in the hotel instead of leaving him outside. Master left food, but it was long gone. Hungry… Where is Master? Master's friend is gone, the grumpy cat is gone… The golden haired lady tried to give him a piece of bread. Chump food; snuck it to the silly piggy on Master's floor. The cat usually feeds the piggy when its master is gone, but today the golden girl did it. Brought him something yucky smelling and brown.
Alucard stole meat from the green bird girl and shoved it under the door. He liked the happy oink. Knowing Master's friend was gone, the spider brought him out. Alucard rode on the piggy's back; it was fun. But the spider's been gone for a long time now. Why couldn't the piggy come out to play anymore? Maybe he wouldn't miss Master so much. So bored…
Click.
Alucard's head raised a bit to see the golden girl dragging the moth out of the hotel, but when the door shut again, he just went back to lazing about. Golden girl always tried to pet him, but got nervous whenever he looked at her. It made him anxious; he didn't like her much, and the moth just glared at him a lot. The short girl was cleaning around the fireplace, and he didn't even raise his head when the rat and the pink man came down, talking quietly. He didn't have the will to bully them right now. They moved over to the fireplace area when the short girl finished working there. When she made her way to the bar with her duster, she puffed out her cheeks.
"Move, you silly bird," she ordered, her tiny hands on her non-existent hips. "I have to clean that!" The crow just clicked his beak at her. "I'll dust all your feathers off!"
Click.
"Alastor!"
Alucard's head shot up. Master's friend was back! And…
And…
The moment he saw Master in her friend's arms, he took off with a screech, circling over their heads.
"My, my, such energy!" The friend greeted, nodding to his shadow. The shadow man reached out his arm, and Alucard quickly landed, staring intently at Master. Once brought near her head, he twitched every direction to see her better. She smelled… clean? Freshly cleaned, but still not well. Just tired? He looked up and clicked at her friend. "Don't worry, your master just needs rest. Be a good little beast and wait at her door, would you?"
Alucard's head tilted in consideration. Master's friend is commanding him? That's rare. But Master's mad at friend… should he listen? Deciding against it, he squawked and dug his talons into the shade's arm. The servant hissed, but he ignored it. Stay with Master!
"Oh, very well," the friend sighed theatrically. "Stay if you must. Perhaps you could enjoy a little entertainment, my avian friend!"
The friend glanced over at the rat and the pink man. Alucard ruffled up and prepared to hiss, but the shade stopped him. Made a strange motion; a finger over the mouth. He tilted his head, confused. Thinking for a moment, the shadow man mimicked Eliza and tapped his beak, and Alucard became very still and silent.
"Such a well trained little bird," the friend praised. Returning his gaze to his quarry, he purred, "Now to do a little training of my own."
The rat's back was to them. Good thing; little rodent runs quickly. The pink man, however, was too focused on their conversation to react to their presence yet. A strange black thing zoomed across the floor. Alucard ruffled, but no threat yet. Keep watching.
Thump!
There was a pause. Then… blackness! Alucard fluttered a bit in surprise. What just happened? A thick, black cloud fell out of the fireplace! The pink man wasn't pink anymore, and both friends were coughing. The short girl shrieked and zoomed over, yelling at the two of them for the mess.
"We didn't do this!" the formerly pink man wheezed.
"Dear me." Master's friend was smug; everyone sensed it. No one saw, but everyone knew. "What a mess you've made! Niffty dear, when did you last clean the flue?"
The short girl looked guilty. "Two weeks ago…"
"Darling, you know how they back up terribly in Hell," the friend reprimanded. Not really angry though; he's nice to the short girl, too. "Perhaps, just this once, I could be of some assistance." He snapped his fingers and the black vanished. No more dust. Almost.
The pink man was still black, and so was the rat. The taller man glared at Master's friend. He chuckled. "Take yourselves outside to dust yourselves off, good sirs! If a woman can brush off some soot without a fuss, then so can you." While the rat ran obediently away, the other's eyes widened. "Oh, don't look so surprised now! Even in Hell, we can't escape a little Karma now and then, can we? Ha ha ha!"
Master's friend walked away, his servant following. Alucard clung to his arm, watching the other two walk past the golden girl, who looked surprised to see them so filthy. How funny they looked, and the short girl kept yelling behind them as she cleaned the floor of black spots. The bird snorted and ruffled up, and Master's friend looked down. The crow looked up into his wide grin. "Such a sadistic little bird you are! They say pets take after their masters… I wonder if that rule still applies down here? Hm…"
The bird wasn't quite sure what he said, but it sounded like approval, and he puffed up a bit. Maybe Master's friend does like him, at least a little. If only he knew why Master was mad at him. He gave good treats. Hopefully Master won't stay mad long.
When Alastor's shadow opened the door to Eliza's room, Alucard flew in and waited near the bedroom door, staring at the wendigo expectantly. Honestly, he had considered putting her on the couch as entering her bedroom while she's unconscious felt far too invasive, but perhaps she would forgive this one transgression. Well, two transgressions, actually. He was technically breaking the no-touch rule right now. But considering she clearly didn't have the strength to walk in on her own, he was sure she'd understand.
As expected, Alucard perched himself on her nightstand as soon as the door was opened. Alastor just blinked as he looked around a bit upon entering the room. It was so plain! Granted, the main room wasn't particularly well decorated, but there really wasn't much here. The closet between the bedroom and the bathroom had only her lavender shirt and black skirt hanging up, as well as the slightly dressy shoes she wore with them. Thankfully, the underwear that she bought with Angel was in a far less conspicuous location. Still, did she really have so little? Somehow, he never really noticed. Maybe because she keeps things so private.
Even he had other clothes, though he often stuck to his favorites. He had his primary pinstripe suit, his fancier red suit and hat, various dress shirts and bowties for when he felt like changing it up, and even some dress-down clothes for when there wasn't a soul around to impress. Niffty and Rosie were the only two beings in existence who knew about those, and even they've never seen him wear them.
Finally reaching her bedside, he looked down at the small bed curiously. It was made, which really shouldn't surprise him, but it honestly looked like she's never taken it apart to sleep in it. Does she sleep on top of all the blankets? Well, the room was warm enough and she was still wearing her robe, so perhaps it would be fine. Carefully placing her head on one of the pillows, he tentatively positioned her until she looked as comfortable as possible, silently hoping that she wouldn't wake up in the middle of this awkward moment. Thankfully, her eyes didn't even flutter, and as soon as he was satisfied he straightened up and removed himself from her space.
Whew!
With a sigh of relief, he reached over and switched off the light, plunging the room into darkness. It wasn't a problem for him, of course; his glowing eyes and smile made for plenty of light to find the door-
Click.
The wendigo paused when the light turned back on. Turning his head to the side, he glanced behind him curiously. Did Alucard do that? Apparently not, as the bird in question was still resting on the nightstand, completely unperturbed by the sudden brightness. Instead, he saw thin, black vines wrapped around the switch for the wall lamp. Eliza's eyes were barely open; narrow, inverted slits staring intently at the lamp. As he watched quietly, her breathing slowed, and eventually her eyes closed once more.
Odd.
Figuring she didn't actually realize he was still present to witness that, he swiftly retreated, silently closing the door to her bedroom followed by the door to her apartment. Shrugging off a strange feeling, he shadow-stepped up to his floor and retired to his room. From there, he teleported to his tower. He may have promised to be here bright and early in the morning, but until his talk with Charlie, he just wanted to be alone.
He was definitely going to take one of those infrequent showers, too. Maybe he'd scrape off the top layer of his skin entirely; otherwise he wouldn't be able to get any sleep. The filth of that spider's touch lingered, and he desperately wanted to feel clean before speaking with his co-managers tomorrow.
There were no dreams that night. No arguments between Id and Superego, no memories to dredge through, no troublesome thoughts and fears; just blackness. Even when a knock sounded at her door the next morning, Eliza didn't rouse. It took a very pushy Alucard nudging her forehead around to finally get her to open her eyes.
That action caused her to wince as she found herself staring at the lamp. There wasn't a single part of her that didn't hurt, and the simple act of rolling onto her side made her ribcage twinge painfully. Slowly opening the robe to look at her chest, she noticed that the rose was buried under a cage of vines. She wasn't sure what exactly that meant, but whatever it was, she didn't care enough to think about it. In fact, she felt rather emotionally numb, and her head felt like someone stuffed it with cotton. Even when Alucard hopped onto her lap and stared up at her, she didn't feel much of anything. Forcing a smile, she petted his head, but he didn't melt into her hand like usual. Instead, he nuzzled her finger and cooed.
"Don't worry about me," she rasped, clearing her throat only to discover that even that hurt. "I'll be fine." Slowly turning until her legs were hanging off the bed, she prepared to attempt the daunting task of standing when she heard a knock at the door. Maybe it was just because she was having an off morning, but she couldn't help but wonder if Alastor ever didn't use the shave-and-a-haircut pattern when he knocked.
"Are you awake, my dear?" she heard him call out. When she tried to yell out that she was, she ended up coughing up a storm instead, and Alucard jumped back in surprise. Luckily, coughing is just as loud. "I'll take that as a yes. Do you, um… need any assistance?"
Looking down at her robe, she tightened it back up quickly before putting both hands on the edge of the bed. Time to see if her legs work.
The answer? Mostly.
After a couple steps, she had to put her hand on the wall as her knees tried to buckle. Holding her torso as a sharp pain traveled up through her chest, she inhaled sharply. It's been a while since she's had broken ribs; she almost blissfully forgot how awful it felt. Movement may be possible, but it would be absolutely miserable for a while. Hopefully what she's heard about souls healing quickly was true; she didn't need to be out of commission for weeks at a time for something like this.
Slowly opening the bedroom door, she cleared her throat. "Can… can we go to the therapy room?"
"I think it would be best that you don't walk much," the overlord answered. "You have my word that I will stay just within the door, but I simply must speak with you."
There will be no getting rid of him, it seems. Sighing, she said reluctantly, "Come in, Alastor." When she heard a click, she watched as the wendigo tucked something into his suit-coat before walking in, shutting the door behind him. "So… when did Charlie decide to give you a skeleton key?"
Putting a finger to his lips, he smirked as he told her, "One of my many secrets, dear." Nervously flexing his claws, he turned a bit to the side, having difficulty holding her gaze. "Speaking of secrets, there is something I wish to discuss with you before I speak with Charlie and Vagatha about what happened over there."
Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "You don't want them to know what happened to me?"
"Well, while I don't look forward to that particular explanation, a case of mishandled power is not what I'm worried about."
As Eliza watched his claws flexing more and more, she felt a bit nervous. "Then what is it?"
"While I don't intend to keep secrets per se, there are certain… details that I would ask you to keep to yourself." Tugging at his collar, he cleared his throat. "Her attempt to kill me will be mentioned, of course, as will the whole trip being an elaborate scheme from the beginning, but I would ask that we keep the sexual nature of her intentions under wraps."
She blinked at him in surprise. "Oh." After a span of very awkward silence, she tilted her head. "Why?"
He glared at her and growled. "Do I really need to explain why a woman nearly forcing herself on me is rather humiliating?!"
"No, I just thought that…" After a moment, Eliza just sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind, it doesn't matter. Fine, I won't mention it, but if that's all this is about, please leave. I'm too tired to deal with your hostility right now."
Alastor's eyes shifted awkwardly to the side as his ears drooped slightly. Blast his temper! "I… apologize if that came out harsh. This is simply a rather sensitive matter, and I would prefer that only the parties involved know about it." Then, after a thoughtful moment, he added, "Please."
Eliza's eyebrows rose in surprise. Did he just ask? Nicely? Is Hell about to have an ice storm? "I already said I would. But aside from that, I would prefer to be open."
"Of course!" he agreed, looking quite relieved. "Although, I admit I would like to know why you were in the North Point in the first place, as well as why you never saw fit to mention it."
"You mean you would have listened if I tried to talk to you?" she asked, coldly. "Because constantly turning away and ignoring me gave me a very different impression."
"Now who's being hostile?" he teased.
"I'm stating the truth, and you know it." When he just continued to smirk down at her in silence, she gave a huff and shook her head. "I was there for the festival."
"The… festival?" he asked, dumbly. "Truth be told, I forgot it completely! Oh dear."
"What?"
"I'm afraid, with everything that happened with that wretched spider, the festival was canceled," he admitted. "Was your trip particularly expensive? I know cab fare is downright atrocious! If so, I will make sure you are reimbursed for your troubles."
"I…" she paused as she felt rather uncertain. Admitting that she flew all the way there might reveal that, at the moment, she didn't have access to her rose and, by extension, probably her wings as well. Unsure whether she felt comfortable letting on that she was mostly defenseless at the moment, she decided against it for now. "No, it wasn't expensive. If anything, I managed not to pay for anything! I'm accustomed to living on a budget, so getting through the marketplace just looking at things was fairly easy! Hopefully I'll be better prepared next year. My decision to go was rather last-minute."
"Since you mention that miserable maze, how did you make it through? Do you speak some of the languages there, as Husk does?"
Eliza smirked. "One of my many secrets."
Watching his smile shrink a bit in surprise was entirely worth it. "You are deplorable! Do you know how long it took for us to navigate that wretched labyrinth?!"
"Wretched? It was amazing!"
He blinked at her in surprise. "You enjoyed it?"
"Of course!" she told him, her smile returning for a second before being replaced with a wince and a grimace.
"Have a seat," Alastor offered, nearly taking a step forward before remembering that he promised not to enter further into the room. "You shouldn't remain standing for long in your condition. Perhaps I should recommend to my co-managers that you should have a few days off?"
"No!"
Eliza's outburst made Alastor's ear twitch irritably. "As you wish, though I highly recommend against working this week at all. You are injured, my dear. You need time to recover."
She knew he was right; even the small act of sitting made her spine ache from the base of her skull all the way down to her tailbone. In spite of it all, however, she lifted her chin and maintained her straight-back posture, ignoring her body's protests. "I will be fine, thank you."
Considering the last time she acted so avoidant was after he had tried to eat her, he felt the need to set the record straight as quickly as possible. "I do hope you don't believe that any of your suffering was intentional on my part," he began, summoning his staff to keep himself from wringing his hands. As soon as the microphone appeared, her eyes inverted and she became frightfully still. He tilted his head in surprise; was she afraid of it now? "I assure you, my dear, that it is completely harmless. There is no power currently stored inside, and I do not regularly do so." Her posture didn't relax in the slightest. "Would you like me to prove it?"
When he held the staff out to her, she moved slightly back into her chair. "No, thank you."
Olly's eye opened, looking somewhat distressed. "I am very sorry!"
"It's alright," she told the apologetic microphone, coughing slightly before straightening up once more. "I'm sure you didn't mean it, Olly."
The eye closed again, and Alastor straightened up as well, his eyes slightly narrowed. Sure, play nice with the microphone… "Well, I suppose I should leave you to rest. However, please consider taking the day off at the very least. Even your pride can't erase the fact that yesterday was quite an ordeal to get through."
When her demeanor softened, even just a tiny bit, he took it as a victory. For now, at least. "I will take it under consideration."
Brightening up considerably, Alastor gave a bow with his usual, boisterous flair. "Glad to hear it! Now, I must be off; I don't need the princess of Hell hunting me down, ha!"
"I think you should be more worried about Vaggie," she warned tiredly.
He scoffed. "That moth is all hat and no cattle. As long as our dear princess remains hopeful and optimistic, she's positively toothless!"
"Actually, speaking of Charlie," Eliza mentioned, thoughtfully, "it is possible she'll know about the sexual assault if she knows anything about Jorōgumo, especially if you mention that it was always intended to be a trap."
He paused as he processed that thought. "That is true, I suppose. And my lively co-manager isn't exactly known for her discretion." Gripping Olly tightly, he forced a laugh as he turned away, opening the door for himself. "Well, I'm sure I'll manage! I always do."
As soon as the door shut with a click, Eliza fell back into the chair. Posturing hurt so much right now, but she didn't feel comfortable looking weak in front of him. Even if his concern seemed genuine.
Why was it suddenly so hard to tell whether he was being honest or not? It was so easy, before they became friends. Well, before she learned to care, at any rate.
Damn it, she really should know better by now.
As Vaggie and Charlie listened to Alastor recount his journey to the North Point, there were two very different yet predictable reactions. Charlie, as expected, was very understanding and sympathetic, thrilled that they all made it back at all. Vaggie, also as expected, remained skeptical. She could just feel that he wasn't telling them everything, and it made her want to grill the bastard into the dirt. She knew it would just upset the princess, but that didn't stop her from asking questions often.
"You didn't hurt anyone at the temple, did you?" Charlie asked, alarmed when he said he had been prepared to remove Eliza by force if necessary.
"Only a rather loud and unruly demon they were happy to be rid of!" he told them, gleefully. Vaggie growled, but otherwise didn't say anything. "Otherwise, I assure you that everyone there was left in one piece; even the woman with dear Vagatha's temper."
When modest applause sounded to congratulate him on his restraint, Vaggie rolled her eye. "Yea, yea, we get it; you didn't kill everyone who looked at you wrong. Just a bunch of innocent people who got in your way chasing a fucking fox!"
"Oh, come now," he sneered, "we're in Hell; were any of them truly innocent? I think not. Besides, it's not like they won't regenerate in time. The only one I wished to erase was Jorugumu herself-"
"Jorōgumo."
Alastor's head turned completely backwards as the two women looked around each side of him. Standing in the dining room doorway in her now only outfit, Eliza was as straight-backed and professional as she could manage with her screaming ribs. The princess and the moth looked thrilled to see her, but Alastor looked far less so. "I thought you would be resting for the day!"
"I said I'd take it under consideration," she reminded him with a smirk. His eye twitched; was she toying with him right now? Should he be angry or intrigued? "But I thought joining you for this might help you escape some skepticism."
"Fat chance," Vaggie muttered. Still, her face softened a bit when she saw Eliza wince, though her posture remained. "Are you sure you should be walking around right now? Weren't you stabbed or something?"
"Apparently," Eliza answered, sitting slowly in a chair next to Alastor. No matter how uncomfortable she was right now, she was determined to keep it to herself. "I only found out about that at the temple. I was already unconscious when it happened."
"Yea, speaking of…" Vaggie began, glaring at Alastor. "Tell us what happened with the microphone."
Putting a hand on his chest, he leaned back in mock offense. "You don't trust my word?"
"I don't trust your anything," the moth spat back.
"Hearing both sides never hurts," Charlie stated firmly, giving Vaggie a look that suggested she was getting tired of the moth's hostile attitude. Vaggie wilted slightly. "Could you tell us what happened?"
"Certainly," Eliza agreed with her usual smile. "I helped in the fight with Jorōgumo, but I saw that Husk was trying to bring the microphone to Alastor. I wasn't sure why, but if it was worth the risk, I figured it was important enough to help with. But as soon as I picked it up…" Pausing for a moment to think, Eliza finally settled on, "I honestly don't have the words to describe what happened. It was extremely painful, and everything just…"
As she struggled for an adequate description, Alastor piped up, "I do believe Husk aptly referred to it as being trapped in 'dark torture storage.'"
After a moment, the therapist gave a hesitant nod. "That's not inaccurate." That wasn't the complete story, either, but if Alastor was going to keep Jorōgumo's sexual assault to himself, then she felt no guilt about leaving out the possessive, downright cruel presence that trapped her in that dark realm of silence and pain.
And assuming Alastor wasn't aware of it himself, she didn't want to be the one to tell him about it.
"Anyway," Eliza continued, "as far as I'm aware, the situation was a complete accident. From what I heard afterwards, Jorōgumo was stopped and her bathhouse was destroyed."
"Was that entirely necessary?" Vaggie asked flatly, raising an eyebrow at Alastor.
His smile stretched thin. "Yes."
"Well, it's a shame it didn't work out," Charlie said, sadly, "but at least everyone made it back."
"Actually, could someone answer a small question for me?" Eliza interjected. "Why was Fizz breaking down in the lobby?"
"I… may have caught him in our room looking for that disgusting board game," Vaggie admitted in a tone similar to a growl. "So I dumped his ass in the mud with a few open circuits."
Alastor clapped along with his stock applause, and Eliza sighed. "I hope it doesn't void his warranty. I don't want to pay for replacement parts."
Now Vaggie looked guilty. "If you do, let us know. I'll foot the bill this time, but only because I didn't think about that, got it?"
The therapist's face lit up, though as Alastor watched her curiously, he couldn't help but feel that it was a manipulative move. "Thank you!"
"Well, I do believe that ends my part in this," the wendigo announced, standing up and pushing in his chair. "You ladies catch up now! Perhaps one of these nights I'll make some dinner for the hotel! After all, there may be a reason to celebrate yet."
"Why?" Charlie asked with a wide grin.
"I'd rather not jinx it," the overlord teased with a wink. "Let's just say I may have found another financial opportunity in the North Point. We'll see how it pans out! Au revoir, ma chéries!"
When he vanished into the darkness, Vaggie blinked for a moment. "Why didn't he mention that at all until now?"
"I didn't know about it, either," Eliza admitted, somewhat impressed. "I wonder when he had the time."
"Well," Charlie mused out loud, "you don't get a reputation as a dealmaker by missing opportunities, I guess."
"Don't make it sound like a good thing," Vaggie groaned.
"Making deals isn't inherently bad," Eliza stated, somewhat defensively. "It's the nature of the deal that matters, right?"
"I guess so!" Charlie acknowledged with a small smile.
Eliza looked over at Vaggie, who looked strangely put out. Before she could say anything about it, a rib twinged, causing her to wince. "I should probably return to my room."
"Good idea!" Charlie agreed. "Rest up, OK?"
"I… would like to take a few days off," she admitted, looking down slightly. "This may take longer than I'd like to heal. Would that be alright?"
"Of course," the princess smiled, reaching out. Eliza eyed her hand warily as it came close to her own before pulling back slightly. When it moved up to her shoulder to give her a gentle pat, she remembered how to breathe. "Take as much time as you need."
When she got up and walked away, she looked over at the radio in the corner. It was off, and she sighed in relief. The last thing she needed was Alastor being smug about her taking his advice.
She paused as the silliness of that thought really dawned on her. Why did taking his advice bother her? It wasn't like taking a few days off was a bad idea or anything, yet the thought of him knowing his opinion mattered to her made her anxious.
That's… weird.
