Chapter 14:
"I don't understand why this is so important right now," Patrick muttered. "This guy's been dead for days..." "I didn't know about it until tonight," Bronwyn growled. "He's family. I hate his fucking guts, but he's my second-cousin's husband. I can't exactly leave him to rot on a slab in fucking nymph-land." She sounded like an angry bear about ready to tear his head off and shit down his neck. He imagined that stood to reason, since she was half-bear. "I thought party-bears were more fun-loving," the younger man teased. Bronwyn glanced away. That jab hit harder than she liked to admit. Her mom had missed going to her uncle's funeral because she'd never bothered opening the letter. She'd been too busy hitting the summer-party circuit.
In slow, patient tones, the plush bear-cub explained, "Barry is my second cousin's husband and my father's employee. It doesn't look good to have an employee get butchered up in a foreign place and do nothing to go take care of it. It's not good on a number of levels for us to do nothing about this. I can't look my second cousin in the face if I don't come back with her husband, and I can't explain to the partners what happened if I don't investigate." "Ok," Patrick said with a yawn. He'd just been hoping to avoid doing this until morning. He was wiped out from a long day patrolling the open stretch of wall and hungry to see his pillow. It helped not at all that he was worried about Fi and their kids and not sleeping well at night.
Stepping out of the battered truck that Billy and Fi had left here for him, the young hero went around to the passenger side where Bronwyn was already climbing out. There was more than one reason he didn't really want to be bothered with her tonight. Damn if those legs weren't fucking fantastic. And that body! He was a tit-man. Like his dad, he liked him some big knockers. This girl had two pair! He was having every kind of trouble looking her in the eye, though it helped that his mother had smacked him around a time or two for staring at Fi or Simone's knobs when he was a teen.
The pair went up the walkway to the Matron L'Hopital's office. Patrick's face got them in the door, even though it was already pretty late. Patrick signed them into the morgue, and the irritated nymph led them through the rows of corpses. Like everything else in the Grey Forest, the conditions were primitive. There was no refrigeration, and the smell was pretty ripe. Patrick had been forced to get himself used to this kind of ugly from the wars he'd been in. Bronwyn ended up running to the ladies' room to empty her stomach.
Returning to the morgue, the tall half-bear found the wizard standing over the mortal coil of Barry Baines. "Jeez," she muttered, as she held her handkerchief over her nose, "how many fucking times did that bastard stab him?" Patrick shrugged. Passion. The lesson here: don't fuck some other dude's wife. With a sigh, Bronwyn thought of Vivi. Vivi was a typical party-bear–more interested in fun than most anything else. At the same time... Vivi didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to have her husband come back to her like this. She wouldn't even get to see his face. There was a big hole in the middle of his face where and arrow had gone in.
With a wave of her hand, the tall hybrid summoned the attendant. When the nymph approached, Bronwyn declared, "need him boxed up to go along with all his stuff. I'll be sending him home in the morning." The nymph bristled. That was going to eat up a lot of time tonight! Murmuring soothing words, Patrick led her away. "He's your problem," said the wizard. "He goes. She goes with him." Handing the nymph a little cash, he said, "a little money for your trouble. Thanks." Bronwyn was already headed for the door. She wanted to see the records of the investigation. She still had to figure out how the idiot had come to grief and who'd done him in. Rolling his eyes, Patrick followed that wiggling ass to the door, thankful that he wasn't married to her.
Back in the Candy Kingdom, Billy the Human was sitting alone now with only his friend and lieutenant for company. Odessa had declared an end to the meet-and-greet and told the pack of nasty cougars to shove off after the Pirate Princess actually dared to sit on his lap. She'd taken Nieve upstairs–to get ready. Rags, Abeiuwa, and Noemi had promptly decamped to the elevator not long after them, leaving Billy here alone.
Leo had been trying to cheer him up with patchy success. The Froyo-Person was curious about what it had been like running the world while his dad was down sick. Billy had actually been distracted from his worries as he regaled his friend with stories of the perfidy of the ruling class. And then, while they were laughing about Tequila Princess and her wanna-be feud with her neighbor to the south, Billy's phone chimed, indicating he'd gotten a message.
He'd been waiting on a message from his grandmother-in-law, directing him to come upstairs. And dreading it. "You're not really upset about this," Leo queried? "Terrified," Billy admitted. This whole thing felt wrong. Had he paddled the shit out of Nieve's ass when she was raising hell in Emerald Kingdom? Yeah. That was business. This... felt wrong somehow. "You're married," said the Froyo-Person. "It's an arranged marriage. This kind of thing used to happen all the time."
When his friend and boss hesitated, the soldier took the phone from Billy's jacket pocket and handed it to him. "Answer," he said. With a sigh, Billy flicked his phone open. "It's Rags," he sighed. "She wants something. I better to see what's going on." Leo rolled his eyes. He was ducking this. He was trying to anyway. As the soldier watched, the young princeling crossed the hall to the guarded elevator and headed up.
Arriving in the suite where he'd been staying with his ladies, the big man found the Frozen Yogurt Princess packing her bags. "Uh, what gives," Billy stammered? Ragnhild never stopped her suitcase-stuffing. "Got to go north, honey," she said. "Royal Council's riding my ass. Lots of problems and fallout from the wars..." Abeiuwa came out of her room with the leopard-skin bag that he'd bought her months ago. At his questioning look, she said, "headed out to Grid-Face Kingdom. I've got to look in on this Tesla-machine. I'm paying a lot for it..." And though Nadia was her friend of many long years, the shrewd Jungle Princess never spent her funds lightly. Billy began to suspect something was up when Noemi came out of her room with her bag and their daughter as well.
"Ok," he said. "What gives...?" Instead of answering that question directly, Ragnhild gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, "you should get to know Nieve. She's interesting. I'm taking the kids with me, so you won't have to look in on them." A glance to Abeiuwa told him all he needed to know. They were leaving him here. With her. It was kind of like a kick to the nuts. One by one the trio kissed him. "See you in a few weeks," said Noemi. "Don't do anything I wouldn't," agreed Abeiuwa, with a mischievous grin. Billy blushed to his hair. Abeiuwa was up for doing just about anything. "We'll be fine," Ragnhild told him, as she sauntered to the door, elegant bottom swaying with each step.
When the door shut, he found himself alone. He was alone, for the first time in what seemed like forever. No Rags. No Abeiuwa. Not even Noemi. He wondered if this was what his dad had felt when his moms walked out that door to have adventures of their own. And that was when his phone chirped again. Distracted and upset, the big man drew his phone and found himself staring at a message from Odessa. Apparently it was time.
Down below, in the Hall, the King of Ooo was twirling his strange visitor around the dance-floor–under the watchful eyes of his bodyguards. "You're an excellent dancer for a soldier," Chelsea opined. "Had to learn," Finn replied. "A man has to better himself. The world is always throwing curve-balls at you." Which notion surprised her as much as his skill at dancing. As the music changed, he seamlessly switched to the minuet, showing that his demonstrated skill was no fluke. The little woman felt a trickle of fear. Peihong had suggested he was a dangerous opponent with far more skill and wisdom than your typical thug had. That left the little murderess pondering how to succeed at this.
She'd considered slipping away to the bathroom to put on her nail-polish, but that left her at risk of being killed by his bodyguards. She wasn't ready to die. Not and leave Bonnibel Bubblegum alive. Not that she was at all sure she'd be able to actually get in a scratch. He was wearing a jacket and silk shirt. That left her with a fifty-fifty chance of his surviving–less if you considered the Quicksilver Curse. And then she'd be dead. What to do?
Back upstairs, Billy walked into the suite he was supposed to share with his new wife. He found the place set up for romance, with the lights down and incense filling the air. It wasn't quite the same thing as he'd gotten with Ragnhild, Abeiuwa, or Noemi. His marriages to them had been perfunctory–really just an afterthought. With all the shit that had been going on at the time, they'd ended up just climbing into bed and going to sleep–grateful just to have the respite. Relax, he told himself. This is natural. Guys get married and sleep with their wives all the time.
Taking a deep breath, the big man headed into the bedroom. He found Nieve sitting on the edge of the bed dressed in an ugly sack. It wasn't quite what he was expecting. Even though they'd sort-of, kind-of already done it–and made babies–Abeiuwa and Noemi had shown up in sexy negligees anyway. To find Nieve wearing an ugly, brown sack on their first night together left him confused. At the same time, this was the night. He was committed. Striding forward, he went reaching for his tie to untie it.
The Muscle Princess turned and stared at him as if she were looking at a puzzlement. "What do you think you're doing," she asked? "I beg your pardon," Billy replied. "We're on our honeymoon." Motioning towards the outer room of the suite, she coolly said, "you can take some blankets out to the couch." "Uh... we're married," Bill reminded the hussy. Nieve looked down her elegant nose at him as if to say, 'so what.' "We're supposed to be working on a kid, remember," Billy reminded her? The Muscle Princess laughed in his face. She laughed and laughed as if he'd told a very funny joke. "What," she retorted? "You didn't really think I'd let you fuck me." Scratching at the back of his neck, Billy said, "that is sort of how you make kids..." Face gone cold, the nasty bitch growled, "get out."
Billy opened his mouth to speak, and that was when she began screaming and hurling things at him. Terrified of what other people would think of the noise, the big man beat a hasty retreat, hustling out to the outer room. Nieve promptly slammed the door and latched it, leaving him staring at the ornately decorated doorway in confusion. What the fuck just happened, he thought? Turning around to face the outer room and its collection of wedding gifts and swag, he found himself scratching his head in puzzlement. He hadn't even managed to wrangle a pillow!
A disturbed and depressed Billy the Human wandered back into the reception, looking puzzled and wondering if he could still find his friends. He'd considered going back to the rooms he'd been sharing with his wives, but the idea sort of left him feeling abandoned. "What're you doing here," demanded Hamest? Billy spun around to find the Lizard Princess approaching from his left. His face went red hot. Stopping before him, wearing a sexy red dress in shimmery material like scales, the curvy cougar looked him up and down. "Aren't you supposed to be consummating your marriage," she asked? Billy's flush deepened, telling her the truth of what had just happened. She'd heard rumblings of Nieve's true feelings about this arrangement. Now she knew it for true.
Brushing his face with a fingertip, the Lizard Princess put on a winsome smile and said, "there's room with me..." Billy gulped at the way she said that, and his pants suddenly felt two sizes too small. At the same time... well, why the hell not? He'd done his best. He'd gone through with what his family and the Kingdom needed, and he'd gotten the shaft. Getting to bang Hamest made a nice consolation prize. As the pair turned to go, a surprised Olesia came wading through the crowd. She was just too late to catch them, though, as the elevator door shut before she could reach the buttons. Damn, she thought. She'd been circulating through the crowd out of sheer boredom, trying to figure out what to do and wondering why she'd bothered. Somehow the target of her advance had presented himself one last time, and she'd missed him.
Shaking her head and muttering curses, the plump woman turned and walked back into the crowd. The place was starting to clear out. People were heading for home. Only the bored, the drunk, and a few troublemakers were still around. Strolling around in a fog, all but oblivious to the sights around her, the plump elemental found herself standing in front of one of the refreshment tables, staring temptation in the face. The King of Ooo had thought of everything. The presence of the Flame King and her delegation meant that there was plenty of food for elementals. They had rare fare including sulfur-eggs and carbon-cakes slathered in her favorite coal-tar frosting. It all looked so delicious, and she found her resolve starting to crumble.
She ate when she was depressed. She always found herself tempted to eat when she was down. Good food made her feel warm inside, and she could use a little warm right now. "Hey, O," announced a familiar voice. The plump woman spun around to find a strange, yellow-skinned humanoid standing there. His face looked strangely familiar along with his long, spiky hair. "T-tom," she babbled. The yellow-skinned humanoid nodded. The former elemental offered her a bow. "D-don't," she said. That was the last thing she wanted to see. She didn't feel like a princess tonight. She felt... forgotten. Giving her the eye, he declared, "you look great." "W-what're you doing here," she stammered? With a shrug, he admitted, "didn't expect to be invited, being a thief and all."
The thin fellow suggested they go out to the hall's open-air veranda to look out on the world. For want of anything else to do, the young princess agreed. Silence held sway as the pair crossed the hall. Heading out through the open french doors, the duo hunted around for a spot that wasn't occupied by some couple or other already. The sky above them was beautiful, with a bright, full moon. It was a night for romance, and Olesia couldn't help thinking of her rival upstairs now with Billy.
Tom could see the play of emotions across her pretty face. Lina had suggested that they could have been an item, but the former thief found himself thinking that there had never been a hope of that. Not really. He gave her a smile and said, "I'd hoped to run into you here." Olesia flushed. They hadn't exactly been the best of friends. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry," he said. "I was kind of a dick to you, and I'm sorry." He wanted closure on this piece of his life.
The plump woman asked the burning question that was on her mind. "Why did you do this," she asked? She meant the change. With a shrug, he said, "something Lina said to me. It was time for a change, O. It was time to be a different person than I was. That... wasn't going to happen back home. I was always going to be a thief, and I was always going to be Jake Guzik's bitch-boy. There's... There's only one place that leads." He was looking at getting extinguished. Permanently.
The pair stood there at the railing, staring out into the night. It was a chill night for an elemental, though Olesia imagined that the former elemental next to her scarcely noticed. Softly, she said, "do you want to go somewhere and talk?" With a sigh, he said, "kind of missed that chance, O. I think we both know that." The plump girl blushed to her hair and glanced away. She'd come down here in the sexiest dress she knew how to fashion. She'd... taken sleepers. She'd done all that to win a man who was upstairs right now with a woman twice her age–a woman who had power and money and influence. At the same time, she still felt that hunger. William was a very hard act to follow for a man like this.
Resting a hand on her shoulder, Tom said, "good luck, Olesia. This is probably goodbye." Without a further word, the tall man turned and strode back inside. He was quickly lost to sight as he slipped into the crowd–just like he always had. A part of her wondered how often she'd simply 'not noticed' him, as she was strolling about with her family's servants and bodyguards, heading out for a little shopping or to see a play–and ignoring all the little people around her. Change. Her eyes went back to the refreshment table and all its enticements. With a sigh, the plump girl turned and headed in the opposite direction. There was a fireplace with her name on it in Princess Ingrid's suite. She could get herself a good night's sleep. There were still peanut-people on the loose in the Wildberry Kingdom and a peace to win.
Behind her, the Ice Queen finally freed herself from the demands of the irritating bitches who'd come here trolling to see if they could influence or seduce her husband. She'd spent much of the evening running interference for her honey–doing her best to spare him from yet more stress. "You look exhausted," Betty admonished her. Simone flushed. She felt exhausted. She felt like she really was a thousand years old, honestly. The last few months hadn't been a picnic for her either. If Finn was the very visible face of their family–keeping this whole crazy business up and running and finding solutions for all the problems–she was working behind the scenes to smooth the ruffled feathers and keep people from being at each other's throats both inside the family and out. We need a vacation, she thought. It hardly seemed like they were going to get one, though.
Looking around, she asked, "where's Finn?" In all the rushing around, she'd lost track. Uneasily, Betty burbled, "I think I saw him headed over to where Ingrid was. He might be with her." Shaking off her worry, she helped her daughter stand up, announcing, "you're going to bed." With a hand on both Simone's aching shoulders, the plump older woman steered the Ice Queen towards the elevator.
Growing up is hard stuff for party-bears and elementals both. Let's see how long it takes Bronwyn to find out just how dangerous BUSINESS can be. Oh, and where could Finn have gotten to? :^)