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Chapter 49

Make Yourself Useful

Annalise never felt more useless or bored yet so incredibly anxious. She was avoiding Jack. She didn't deny it. She even kinda told him that, of course.

She needed the space to think away from him. That wasn't a lie. In hindsight, hiding out where his lover worked was not the wisest decision, but it was working so far.

Apparently Harlequin had not heard that the witches had kicked her out yet, and he was as nosey as a bored old lady with a creaky rocking chair and pain of binoculars so she was shocked that it was actually feasible that few knew she was "homeless" yet. She wasn't looking forward to Jack coming by looking to set her up in his home like a stray dog once he realized the situation.

Maybe she should just bank on his obliviousness.

Of course, she could just refuse Citizenship and get rid of the question of them living under the same roof entirely. That was the easiest solution for Jack. Then she wouldn't be his problem anymore.

As it stood, Harlequin currently thought the witches had sent her his way to get her out of their hair. She held up the farce, purposely being a bit irritating. She asked questions consistently, careful not to push the limit so that Harlequin didn't get too annoyed.

Sally smirked in amusement.

Annalise looked up from the thick book she was perusing and curiously poked a bobbin rack when Harlequin wasn't looking, knocking the thing over, and sending about two dozen spools of thread across the floor and under cutting tables.

Harlequin didn't even look. "You better put those back!" he snapped, nearly cutting his thumb off with his shears. Bloodstains were bothersome if they weren't on purpose and he supposed the vampire the shirt was for wasn't keen on walking about looking like he got into a messy kissing session with the seamster.

Harlequin chuckled at himself and glanced at Annalise, noting for the first time since she came in the bandage on her arm. He eyed the ghostly colored cat that Anna had brought with her.

The small creature stayed curled up on a particularly comfortable spot of greyish sunlight splashed across the worn down floor of the messy (but organized!) shop.

Annalise winced and lifted her fingers into the air, twirling the string back into place while she untangled the little mess.

"You getting good at that," Sally observed, looking up from her work.

"I don't have to think as hard when I do it," Annalise agreed, setting everything back in place. She closed her book and hopped over to where Sally was working on someone's blouse "Who's that for?"

"I'm not quite sure."

"Sabine," Harlequin called from where he was busy working with a weird looking sewing model, attaching appendages to it with nails and hammer. The wooden model seemed used to the abuse, with hundreds of nail holes that made it look like the aftermath of the business end of a firing squad. Holes. Everywhere. And yet, Harlequin added three more and viciously attached what Anna had to assume was a neck extension to the torso.

"What sort of monster is Sabine?" Anna asked over the banging.

"I don't believe her kind has a name, thought you're welcome to ask one day," Sally answered. "Lovely baker. She and Naua run the largest bakery closer to town square."

"Oh! Naua's bringing her cookies to the bake sale!" Harlequin said, poking his upper head half around the dummy, horns flexing.

"Good," Sally said, very pleased with the news.

Annalise blinked. "Huh. Bake sale?"

"Oh yes, you'll love it."

Anna shifted, not willing to ask when it was happening when she wasn't even sure she would be around to attend. "Who's Naua?"

"You've met," Harlequin said with dry amusement. "I think your cat and Nicholas smashed into the storefront with her watching."

"Oh, is she the lady who looks like she's got see-through fish skin?"

"Lovely description! Yes."

Anna nodded. "That's a nice shirt," she said, complimenting Sally's embroidery work. "Very pretty. The flowers are a little more festive than I would think is typical in Halloween."

Sally gave her a small, pleased smile. "I believe Sabine drew them out for us and asked for brighter colors." She glanced at Harlequin for confirmation.

"Sabine must be courting someone new," Harlequin said. He giggled. "That makes four this month!"

If Harlequin saw the frown Sally sent him, he ignored it. More likely he wasn't passing up an opportunity to "educate" the newcomer.

His horns curled in delight at Annalise's perplexed look.

"I heard it was Nicholas this time around, poor bastard. Don't expect to see him in public for at least a week once he catches wind! In fact, the Wind might be the one to warn him."

"I…take it he doesn't know about this," Annalise guessed, mildly curious. She crossed her arms and leaned lightly on Sally's table.

The rag doll immediately shooed the skeleton off so she wouldn't jostle the sewing/embroidery machine and ruin the stitching. It was faster than hand embroidery, but she had to be more careful.

"I swear, Sabine thinks she's a succubus!" Harlequin laughed. His claws dumped a bolt of fabric in Annalise's arms with no explanation.

"Perhaps she's just lonely," Sally scolded.

Annalise looked at them and the fabric in her arms in confusion.

Harlequin scoffed.

"Uh. Mr. Harlequin, why did you give me this?" Annalise asked, gesturing at sudden package.

"Oh. I need you to take that back to the weaver. This pattern has defect." He tapped the spider silk on the part he was talking about, where a square was squished while the surrounding squares weren't. "I'd rather get a full new bolt than waste fabric cutting around the problem. The color will mismatch if I switch to another bolt halfway through."

Annalise frowned. "And you want me to return it?"

"Of course! You have nothing to do after all."

"Eh. Well..." she wasn't keen on being seen in public at the moment, not if it meant monsters might pester her about Jack and her running away days prior. She stiffened at the sound of the bell above the store entrance ringing as someone new came in and felt the familiar aura freeze when they saw her.

Sally's smile at whoever was behind Anna said exactly who it was.

Anna didn't need to look to know Jack was awkwardly staring at her. Probably come to talk with Sally after their rather heavy discussion about Citizenship and the ultimatum now hanging over Annalise's head. Hiding out where his lover worked was not the wisest decision. She shouldn't have come to "think" here.

"You needn't take it right this minute," Harlequin said, waving a hand flippantly. He perked up when he saw Jack. He set down his scissors and leaned his elbows on his table. "Besides, I want to ask you about this rumor I heard. Are you really Jack's descendant?" He looked genuinely curious, but Sally's eyeroll and his little smile gave the demon away as he cautiously glanced at Jack, still hogging the doorway.

The brazen words hung for a second, and Anna genuinely couldn't figure out what the tailor was hoping to get out of that question.

Jack cleared his throat as if he hadn't heard the straightforward question at all. "Horrible day, Harlequin. You seem busy. I don't mean to intrude."

"Not at all, Jack!" Harlequin said happily, taking his strained focus off Anna still awkwardly holding a bolt of fabric. "What can I do for you? A minor hemming? Perhaps another suit?"

Sally chuckled. Unless it was something particular, she tended to take care of Jack's clothes these days.

"Actually, I was hoping to steal Sally for an hour or so, that is if you're not too busy…" Him and Anna made eye contact and just…stared for a moment.

Harlequin honestly hesitated, glancing around the messy workshop while Sally chuckled and reached behind her ear for a pen to scribble correction measurements for Sabine's blouse on a piece of wrinkled paper. "I'm nearly done with this if you can wait a bit, Jack."

"But of course. I don't—what in Halloween is that?"

Anna startled, still holding the fabric, as Jack walked past her to inspect the tiny cylinder in Sally's hand.

The rag doll just smiled at him teasingly and wiggled the pen in the air a bit.

It was then Anna noticed how utterly out of place the thing was. It was a simple ballpoint pen with a cheap plastic casing and some lettering she couldn't read from the distance. The cap appeared to be missing. Where did Sally find that? Why was she using it? All the pens she had seen were dip pens with ridiculous feather plumes that jerked through the air as ink scratched across the paper. She was immediately jealous and glanced at the one of two books she was carrying around. The journal she had started ages ago was smeared with ink from her trying to figure out how to write without smearing with her sleeve or how long to wait for the ink to dry before she could turn the page.

"Sally, my dearest friend, what happened to the pen set I gave you?"

Sally sighed. "It's at home, Jack. My handwriting is still rather terrible, you know."

"Well, yes but a flex nib makes the simplest of lines have character."

Sally rolled her eyes and brandished the pen at him. "And that character being?"

"Haunting" Jack argued over Harlequin mumbling "spooky".

"Sally, even your shakiest lines bring the dramatic beauty of Halloween into your words."

"I'm writing measurements, not penning you a love letter." Sally laughed.

"Well yes, I thought we agreed that's my duty," Jack said, lowering his voice and leaning closer. Both he and Sally blushed a bit and Sally bit her lip in amusement and embarrassment.

Jack cleared his throat and Harlequin had to stifle a laugh at the lovestruck bone man while Anna made a face.

"Ah. Regardless, a ballpoint pens lines are…" Jack flapped his hands and straightened. "Stagnant! No variation. No surprises!"

"Modern?"

"Are you two seriously arguing about aesthetic?" Anna spoke up, confused.

"We have a duty to maintain 'aesthetic'!" Jack said emphatically.

"At the risk of me staining my hands with ink?" Sally asked.

Jack paused, shifting at her pointed question. He sighed. "No no. Of course not." He thought for a moment. "If you like, I can spend more time helping you practice your penmanship?"

"That would be lovely, Jack," Sally said, smiling, "However, for the time being, I'll be using Ivy's little gift."

"Of course this is her doing…" Jack groaned, running a hand down his face.

"Who's Ivy again?" Anna asked curiously. She couldn't quite remember if she had even been told.

Ivy was a very interesting Citizen if all the brief mentions and Jack's reaction were anything to go off.

Harlequin loudly moaned. "I don't have time for that story! Shoo! I need that new silk today."

"But—"

"If you would rather we discuss stories and rumors there are a few regarding you and Jack I have a few questions about," he said. Again.

"I can take it now," Anna said, grimacing as she lifted the bolt of fabric slightly and tried not to glare at him for being so horrendously nosey.

Harlequin smiled creepily as she walked to the door. "Perfect! Now you just take Eeth Lane down until you cross Tremor Street. Keep going past all the obvious houses. The weaver haunts in an old tree she refitted into a house. You literally can't miss it. Thank you, dearie."

Annalise rolled her eyes and yanked the front door open with the fabric tucked under her arm.

Sally and Jack waited until Annalise was gone before looking at the other monster.

"Harlequin," Sally said.

Jack narrowed his eyes, which made the other male squirm.

"We'll be here five Halloweens before you finish that story!" He defended. "Make Ambassador Ivy explain herself to that girl. I really am on a deadline."

Jack shook his head. "Please don't be leveraging whatever you might have heard against her. Things will be explained at the Town Meeting," Jack promised, glancing out the door. "You needn't be using Annalise's…discomfort regarding our situation to meet your deadlines."

"Sorry, Jack. Sally. Curiosity killed the cat you know."

"Yes of course," Jack said. He sighed. "Sally, dear? Would you kindly join me outside when you can take a break?"

"Of course," Sally said, knowing she'd find him at Spiral Hill.

Jack nodded and bid Harlequin a polite farewell.

When he was gone, Sally turned a withering gaze on the other monster.

"Well if you're not going to make Jack straighten things out with that girl, she better find ways to put her time to use. Better that than flapping around here like a nervous bat."

"That doesn't constitute tricking her."

"Trick or treat, Sally. She'll be fine. The old spider needs some company anyway. Beside," he nervously smiled his toothy grin. "Imagine all the work we could get out of her if she's that desperate enough not to talk about this…" he vaguely gestured outside, checking to make sure Jack was truly gone. "A delivery girl is useful."

"She and Jack will reconcile," Sally assured.

"I don't know about that," Harlequin said, sobering. "Perhaps you haven't been around long enough to see but most who come here through, shall we say, violent ways, are not the most forgiving." He sat down heavily on a stool.

Sally looked at him and managed a smile. "This must be hard."

Harlequin's eyes shifted to her and she could see him considering how much to say to Jack's dearest friend.

His tone was very different from the easily excited and friendly creature he usually was. "Sally, make no mistake, Jack is…horrifying. A master! A delight to watch scare the daylights out of unlucky souls. And existence in Halloween has been much better since he challenged Oogie and won. I actually feel I can put pride into scaring children without intentionally harming them."

He paused, thinking for a moment. "However, demons… real demons-not like myself-they're brutal things," he said. "I had a friend many years ago who somehow was caught outside of Halloween when the Veil closed. They tore his soul apart and feasted on the remains, not out of necessity like some creatures here, but because it was fun and they got…power out of it. I struggle to see what good can come out of dealing with creatures who have no want except pure destruction. There is beauty is destruction with the memories that persist, but that is not their goal."

Sally shifted, somewhat uncomfortable with Harlequin's out of character seriousness.

"I understand. Jack does too, it was so very long ago when he made the deal that affected Annalise, but that's not to say he doesn't dearly regret it." She didn't even deny the deal, a rumor until that moment.

Harlequin leaned back with a thoughtful expression. "What exactly did that deal do to Annalise? No one seems to know."

"Jack didn't exactly explain all the details. Essentially, I believe her years were traded for another child." Sally shrugged slightly. "In doing so, she's cut off from moving on and apparently it's possible for demons to harm her as an unclaimed soul."

"So Jack claimed her and brought her here?"

"That's my understanding."

"How!? Does the King decide which of us reside here?" Harlequin seemed more alarmed at the idea than Sally would have assumed.

"I don't think so, " Sally said, sympathetic of the distress such questions caused. "But I don't know, Harlequin."

She refused to let her own worries overwhelm her. Jack had enough to concern with beside her own fears of the unknown.

"Meow."

The seamstress and seamster turn to stare at the source of the noise and faint heartbeat.

"I suppose you know, eh kitty?" Harlequin asked, wanting to shake off the unfamiliar seriousness he was showing. "Shouldn't you be following your mistress?"

The white cat glared at them as if annoyed they weren't taking her hint to shut up and stop interrupting her nap. She tucked her head back under her leg and didn't respond.