DPOV

Rose is acting strange or I was being paranoid. I may have gone too far with my anecdotes. My father, my family's distance and my mother's addiction. How obnoxious to burden her with my problems when she'd endured so much worse.

And then I'd been so abrupt and terse with her earlier, hammering on her door earlier like a fucking idiot, too dialled into work mode.

I'll apologise later.

I stretch my left leg out and glance over to where she's set up camp. Ben had given her tourist leaflets from Court and she'd been engrossed in them. Reading them over and over and studying the pictures. I recognise them of course, information on the treasury, old throne room, the council chambers, the crypts.

Victor raised an eyebrow but offered no comment which surprised me. I would have thought he would want to offer some information of his own.

He must be too focused on what was coming.

There were just under three hours left of this plane journey and we'd all been able to get some sleep which is an asset because as soon as we landed we'd be travelling again. We were expected at the Lahemaa school. Victor was officially coming to pay his respects and we would stay there for a few days. Somewhere we would slip away to see the crime scene and then we would travel back to Tallinn to meet the informant before flying back. In the best case scenario, it would only take just over a week.

We wouldn't be coming back the same, I knew, with a dark and unsettling certainty. We were going to observe and investigate a massacre. Where tortured bodies have been left with no closure, no one to lay them to rest and so their souls were left lost in a rotting place.

So many families still grieving and suffering under the weight of not knowing where their loved ones are but we knew, and we were denying them that closure until we had fulfilled our own needs.

My guilt is heavy enough to take down this plane.

Rose is watching me.

I raise an eyebrow and she turns away, cheeks colouring. She murmurs something to Ben. Both of them have been watching the flat-screen TV. Spiridon is still asleep, he'd always possessed the ability to fall asleep anywhere. Victor is reading, a book in one hand, and a small tumbler of scotch in the other.

I push down at the bitter pocket trying to grow. She hadn't spoken to me since we'd left the house, staying close to Ben and again I replay the last time we'd spoken. And then banging on her door which probably scared the hell out of her.

Insensitive idiot.

I sigh and extend my other leg.

"Perhaps you should try and get more sleep." Victor murmurs, looking over the top of his book.

"I'm fine."

His green eyes hold me a moment longer before they drop back to the page. "I couldn't help but notice it's your birthday soon. Will you be wanting to take some of your hours?"

"Couldn't help but notice or were you purposely made aware?" I fish.

Victor smirks at the page. "I may have had someone direct me to the calendar."

"If you can spare me then that would be great."

"He said with barely contained excitement." Victor mutters in good humour. It was easy to see Natalie in him here and also how he and Spiridon could get along.

Spending a day with Tasha could be a nice break. I'd look forward to it when it got closer but right now it seemed impossible to think beyond the upcoming tasks and how there could be something happy beyond it. It even felt disrespectful. Trying to imagine my day off weighed like another task.

A contained wall of ineligible chanting sounds from the TV and I guess Ben's turned on a soccer game. Gold flecks glint in Rose's eyes as they follow things on screen and then she turns away from it, bored.

No, I didn't care for sports either.

She roots around in her carry on and pulls out Viktoria's book, causing a sensation of what could only be anticipation in my abdomen. I feel strangely satisfied as she settles down to read, tucking her knees up and pulling her jacket tightly around her. I wonder if she's cold and if her circulation had gotten any better. She's touched my hand last night in sympathy and it had been cool, but not cold. I don't think she'd ask for a blanket if she were, terrible self-conscious of being inconveniencing anyone. Maybe I should ask her or get it for her.

Maybe I'm overthinking and it's just a comfort thing.

"Do I need to know what last night's altercation was about?" Victor asks low enough so only I hear.

I regard him and answer as truthfully and carefully as possible. "No. It has been dealt with."

"I'll take your word for it."

There's no good humour in his eyes this time, only a look that said he was taking my word as genuine and if it proved to be anything less then the consequences would be severe.

I nod to show I understand.

I would focus on this trip and when we got back to America I would deal with other problems there. I hated to admit it but Spiridon had been right. Ben would have to choose, his job or his relationship. Revoking the former would have a lot more consequences than the latter...

I have no idea how long is left in Ben's contract with Victor but if he could possibly hold onto both things until it ran its course. Then he and Sonya could revaluate in the future.

Spiridon emerges about an hour later and I change from staring at the wall to staring at a book, parading a reason for him not to interact. I've read Lonesome Dove so many times I could easily quote it page by page.

He doesn't speak to Ben either, opting to make small talk with Victor and, to her dismay, Rose.

"You know wizards aren't real right?"

"Yes."

"But little boys can be shoved under the stairs. If there were another Guardian in the house that's probably where you would have to stay."

"Spiridon." Victor warns.

"Well, it's true."

Victor sighs and excuses himself to the restroom.

"At least being in the laundry room you would be able to take care of things more efficiently." He muses and my jaw clenches. I don't have any idea where he's going with this and nor does Rose but I'm proud to see she's glaring at him. "All those stains. Black…blue…scarlet.."

I blink. I could not have heard that right but in the second I exchange a glance with Ben, his gaze a conflict of alarm and disbelief, it's enough to confirm we had unwittingly assumed the same thing. And so had Rose.

I can't think what to say.

I can think of what to do which is to open the airtight door and shove him out of it, risking everyone's life in the process but knowing they'd all agree it was worth it.

Fortunately Rose has only two reactions. Her face colours and then she drives her fist into Spiridon's lap.

The wind is knocked out of him and he crumples forward out of his seat. Rose makes a 'hurmph' noise and twists in her seat so she's facing a stunned Ben.

"Spiridon what on earth are you doing?" Victor asks from down the aisle.

Updated 16/04/2022 - PetalsOfRose continues to be a valuable player.

Original note:

Something a little extra I wanted a little bit of light relief before we ventured into Estonia. Also, I wanted to share just that bit more for everyone who defends me in reviews and continues to stick around.

Shout out to PetalsOfRose I appreciate your last review more than you know! x