Blue Forest Banshee Part 104
Freaky
They determined that it would be good to go immediately. Heero called for a porter and got Jake, who was supervising the overnight shift. He volunteered himself for a chance to schmooz with Ctik. We finished our dinner and left the restaurant to meet Jake in the parking lot. It was still fairly early, so I decided to swing past the yarn shop on my way home while Heero and Ctik did their dirt-hunting.
I got to do the eye-roll at Jake this time. He practically fanboied all over the vampire. Heero kissed me goodbye and murmured that he would be as quick as he could manage.
He still doesn't like to leave me on my own in town and I had a sneaking suspicion he had probably texted Wufei or Trowa to keep an eye on me. Fair enough, I suppose; not like I could get into much trouble at the yarn shop, but then I've had that thought before with unforeseen results.
Heero, Ctik and Jake blinked away as I started the car. A moment later my phone chirped its text warning and I glanced down to see Heero's "We're here." He's so cute when he's being predictable.
Danielle was still open, although she was tidying up in preparation for closing.
"Duo!" she cried when I walked in. "Darling, how good to see you!" She hugged me and then stepped back to look me over. "You look wonderful, but... Are you tired?"
I laughed. Some people are just born to be parents, even if they have no children.
"I'm fine; just really busy this week," I explained. I gave a brief account of my current assignment, leaving out the part about Ctik actually being at the Castle. We didn't really want that to get around, although everyone at the Castle seemed to already know.
"And you need some yarn to decompress?"
"I always need yarn; you know that. But this time I'm buying for someone else." The chat with Julie's shrink had reminded me of my weekly yarn drops. I'd stayed mostly with the less expensive "craft" yarns since that was what Julie was most familiar with, but now I felt like sending her something more challenging.
"Well, where shall we start?" Danielle asked. "Is it for anyone I know?" I hadn't told her about Julie and the yarn; I wasn't sure she'd approve, but now I decided that one adult moment tonight should lead to another one.
I took a deep breath. "It's for Julie." She stopped walking and stared at me. I started to get nervous and my mouth took over. "I know, I know. But I just can't hate her. She was in a really bad position and she just kind of... went crazy. I can understand that..." I trailed off at the look on her face.
"You men!" she snorted after a few seconds, rolling her eyes. Then she took my arm and hauled me over to the table and pushed me into a chair. "Sit. Stay. I'll be right back."
I know enough not to argue with an imperious female in her own territory, so I sat and I stayed. She was back within a minute, carrying sodas and turning the lock and the sign on the door as she passed.
"Now," she said firmly, settling into the chair next to me. "Tell me everything."
It's the matriarch thing; I know it is. I told her most of it, from the bad soda right up through the doctor's request today. It took less time than I expected, but then I had it down pretty well by now and I left out my more embarrassing moments.
"So, even though she did something terrible, I don't think she's a terrible person. I think she just... was just so damaged that she couldn't see any other way out," I finished.
Danielle just looked at me. Then she sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "My first inclination," she said slowly, "Is to smack you upside the head. But... dammit... You're right. She probably was out of her mind - literally - with fear of that creep." We sat silently for a bit, contemplating our sodas and then she shook herself and smiled. It was a little bit of a Matriarch smile and kind of scary.
"All right, then. You are staging some bizarre sort of intervention for a lost soul, involving yarn. Works for me. Tell me what you've been doing and where you want to go from here."
I was unbelievably relieved by her acceptance of my weird notions of redemption. Heero and the Weres have all done the heavy sigh/eye roll thing at me since I decided that Julie was not entirely responsible for The Incident and sometimes... sometimes I wonder if there isn't something wrong with me. Maybe it's just my time among Humans. Maybe some of their weird sensibilities rubbed off on me. I don't feel particularly warm and fuzzy towards all of them, of course, but maybe because I'd known Julie... Maybe she was more real to me.
"Okay," I began. "I've been sending her the Lyon and Red Heart mostly and a little Bernat and Caron for a change. I got her a bunch of pattern books and all the needles and hooks she needs. Now, I'm thinking of challenging her with some more high-end stuff. Maybe a couple of the Euro magazines and some more expensive yarns... She's pretty expert at crochet, but I'm not sure how far she's gotten with knitting."
"You taught her to knit, didn't you?"
"Yeah. She taught me to crochet."
"But you haven't bought any patterns."
I looked at my hands. "Not quite ready yet," I muttered. "I pull it out and look at it... Just haven't managed to pick up the hook yet." So much for being fine and dandy again.
Danielle patted my hand gently. "You'll get there; take your time." She grinned at me. "How about I choose something tempting for you while we're at it?"
"Okay. Make it simple, though." I smiled back.
"Well, then, let's check out the stock and we'll see what we can come up with for Julie. Where is she, anyway?"
"She was at the jail, but I got a call from her shrink today. They must have moved her a while back, because she's at Cumber State Hospital. That's what made me think of it now; the doctor wants to see me next week. To talk about Julie." I nudged a basket with my foot. "I guess they weren't able to locate any family for her, so... I'm kind of the only game in town, I guess." I sighed, embarrassed. That came out... wrong, but I didn't know how else to say it.
"If they allow her to have hooks and needles, they must not feel she's dangerous. That's a plus, yes?"
True, that was an encouraging sign, I supposed.
"I thought I'd take the stuff out when I go. Make sure that it's okay with this shrink. The cops were pretty grudging about it when I started, but I figured it wouldn't hurt for her to have something to occupy herself."
"Idle hands and all that hooha," she smiled and I nodded. She paused in front of some mid-price yarns. "I recall that Julie is partial to bright colors. Do you think she's up for making blankets or should we stick with accessories?"
"Maybe enough for one blanket to start and an assortment of others?"
"Here's a collection of accessory patterns; it just came in. And this book is good; it's all one ball or less. Do you want to add some novelties? Wool? Maybe not, if she's doing charity stuff it's better to stick with cotton or synthetics. Maybe some superwash..." She ambled around the space, tossing yarns and patterns into a basket.
I followed idly, adding a ball here or a leaflet there; a couple of hooks and a set of large needles. With Danielle doing the thinking for me, I was free to let my mind wander. It wandered right to my collection of 'lost souls' - Julie, Farq and Ctik. It has not escaped my notice that I seem to have adopted a trio of... well, maybe not 'losers', but certainly life skills challenged. Maybe Heero was right to set me up with minders when he was away - Sap knows what or whom I might bring home next. I snorted and my yarn mother glanced at me.
"Too much?" she asked, gesturing to the basket. It was full without overflowing.
"No, that's about right, I think. Thanks; I really appreciate the help."
She cocked her head at me and smirked. "You have a good heart, Duo. I don't think I'd be so generous in your place, but... Just be cautious, okay? I would really hate to see what carnage that Dragon of yours could wreak, given a motive. You know?"
I had to laugh. "I know. He's pretty intense." She snorted at me.
"If you think this is enough, I'll just bag it up."
"Oh, could you keep it until next week?" I eyed the basket filled with yarn and new patterns. "I'm not sure I could stay out of it if I take it home now," I admitted with no little embarrassment. "And I don't need the temptation right now."
"You're really that busy?"
"Ridiculously so," I muttered. "This job is time-sensitive and my time is running out."
"Anything I could help you with? Not that I've ever met a real vampire..." Like everyone else, Danielle seemed inordinately interested in meeting a dangerous predator. Humans... They are such bizarre creatures.
"Maybe after it's over," I smiled. I adore Danielle, but I already had a whole castle panting after Ctik. Wasn't sure I could handle another devotee.
A sharp rap on the door made us both jump. A face was pressed against the glass, grinning manically. Danielle gasped and took a step back, but I laughed and rolled my eyes. "It's okay; it's for me. Heero set a minder on me." I opened the door, admitting Trowa, who batted his eyes at me and grinned.
"Heero says 'jump', I ask 'how high?'" he snickered.
Danielle blew out a relieved sigh. I hauled Trowa over to be introduced. "Danielle, this is my co-worker, Trowa Barton of the Puma Clan. Trowa, my yarn connection, Danielle."
Trowa bowed deeply. "I believe we've met, but those circumstances were less than ideal. A pleasure to formally meet you now, miss. We have all been the recipients of Duo's amazing yarn work; it's delightful to see where it comes from."
Danielle blinked at him, then smiled. "Why yes; I think I do remember you. This is much better, though."
I looked from one to the other; as far as I knew, Trowa had never been to the shop. I must have looked confused as well, because Trowa tipped his head at me.
"It was during The Incident. We had the idea to check the shop and see if you were here and that led to Ms Werner."
Ah. Another blast from the past.
"Oh. Okay. I was just getting some yarn for my project. Heero went with... um... Mr Vrostek..."
Trowa nodded. "He called. Said you were loose in town and would I please make sure you didn't get lost." He snickered and winked at me. Sap, I was never going to be able to go shopping on my own again.
"As you can see," I grumbled, "I am fine. You may now return to whatever you were doing."
"Are you crazy? Wufei is throwing a temper tantrum over something and the living room is full of rose petals and Scots dirks. I'm not going home until at least midnight."
Rose petals? Wufei made rose petals when he was mad? Since when? Why did I not know this? And dirks? What the hell were dirks?
Before I could ask, though, Trowa turned his suave charm on Danielle and suddenly they were across the room discussing yarn. I gave myself a mental shake and decided to just go with it. I could always chew on Heero when he got home.
I spent a little time thinking about what Danielle said - that eventually I would be able to crochet without getting that tightness in my chest. Or maybe I could just bulldoze my way through it. That seemed to work for other things.
I took a cruise through the books and magazines, looking for something that would be easy, practical and fun. I figured it wouldn't hurt me to have something to peruse. I found a book with granny not-necessarily-square designs and set it aside. Like any good magpie, I am attracted to the shiny. Then I found a book of hat patterns. Hats are easy; I added it to the granny book. I had just picked up a book of crocheted socks when another book caught my eye - those colorful covers, you know. The book described something called "yarn bombing", taking small (or large) made up pieces of knit or crochet and applying them to the general landscape. It featured pictures of car antennas covered with snoods, door handles wrapped with bright yarn covers, trees wearing yarn "sweaters" and more. It looked like fun. I set the book on my stack, already having a vision of knitting a slipcover for Wufei's desk. Bet that would cure his temper tantrum. Or turn it on me, I snickered to myself.
By the time Trowa and Danielle returned to the cash register, I had about a dozen books on my stack.
"You don't have enough to do already?" laughed Trowa as I plopped the stack next to him.
I stuck my nose in the air and intoned solemnly, "One can never have too much yarn or too many patterns. Right, Danielle?"
She snickered at me. "Oh, I think Trowa's taking care of that, sweetie." She gestured to the bag next to her on the counter.
I blinked. "Trowa?"
"It occurred to me that this is the perfect place to get a start on my holiday gifts to the Clan," he smirked. "And to give you something to do with your hands."
I stared at him for a few seconds and he cocked his head slightly, asking a silent question. "Oh, what the hell," I grinned. "You gonna pay me for all that?" I was joking, but he nodded.
"Of course. The artist is always worth his hire." He laid his hand on my shoulder. "The weather gets really cold during the winter at the Clan hold..." He reached for my stack of books. "Put these on my tab, too." He stopped my protest with an upraised hand. "You're not getting any of this until your current assignment is finished. I'm taking it home with me tonight."
Yarnus interruptus. Well, crap. He was right, though. If I let myself get distracted with yarn, I'd never crawl out in time to find Ctik a place to sleep.
"Okay," I conceded. "But don't let Wufei dribble rose petals into everything. They might stain the yarn."
"I will stash it away. There's something in there for him anyway and I don't want him to know."
I came so close to saying something flippant about the only thing for Wufei being Trowa, but I managed to swallow it. A good thing, as it turned out, because Heero chose that moment to appear inside the shop with Jake.
Danielle jumped with a startled squeak. Jake waved to Trowa and I and blinked out an instant later.
Heero rolled his shoulders and smiled. "I thought I might find you here," he said smugly. "Good evening, Ms Werner. I trust Duo and Trowa have not kept you from anything?"
Danielle exhaled a deep breath, hand still spread over her chest. "Not at all, Mr Yuy. I usually don't leave until ten, what with making up the deposit." She smiled in my direction as Heero crossed the floor to reassert his claim by kissing the hell out of me. I missed anything else that was said until I came up for air, and found Trowa describing his purchases, his plans for said purchases and Wufei's ongoing tantrum.
"Don't worry, Duo," he said to me. "We'll be on deck first thing in the morning to deal with the next round of appraisers. And now I'd best amble off." He bowed to Danielle. "A pleasure to meet you officially, miss." Then he kissed her hand and made her giggle. A moment later the bags filled with yarn and books vanished into his other space and he slithered out the door into the night.
"What a charming young man!" exclaimed Danielle with delight. "I'm so happy to see that you have such friends, Duo."
"Duo has friends everywhere," murmured Heero affectionately.
I thumped his arm with the back of my hand. "Tch! You usually complain about the ones I drag home," I teased.
He looked at me, one eyebrow arched. "Duo, seriously? A psychologically unbalanced Human, an unsuccessful demon and a too-trusting vampire, remember?"
I snickered at his expression. "My kind of people, big guy; my kind of people." He snorted and rolled his eyes.
Danielle giggled again and smirked at me. I eased away from Heero to give her a hug. "Thanks for helping me out and for keeping the bag for me. I'll collect it Tuesday, okay?"
"That's fine, Duo. You scoot with that hot dragon," she murmured and winked at me.
~*~
We were home earlier than we had been all week, but our "time zones" of the afternoon had left a warm glow and we separated to our own rooms for a bit. I got ready for bed and then picked up some yarn to knit on for ten minutes or so.
Heero joined me in a few minutes, settling at my side to watch me. He really does seem to enjoy watching me knit. I offered to teach him, but he said he preferred to get his relaxation secondhand. I gather that not many of his kind have this kind of hobby; they seem to run toward services, which sort of makes sense for guardians.
My project was small this time; a little cotton cardigan sweater for Dael. I chose it to work on my top-down proportions, since I can try it on her as I go and it's small so it's a quick pleasure. The yarn is an ombre of raspberry pink, purple and bright green - perfect for a darling little Banshee. I was already planning a similar cardi for Teal, though in darker colors.
Heero toyed with the ball of yarn, unwinding a few yards at a time for me as I went along.
"It's a gentle sort of yarn," he said after a bit. "Soft, colorful, but quiet. But it's also strong, yes?"
"Depending on how it's made, yes, cotton can be very tough." I smirked at him. "Are you making comparisons again?"
He smiled back at me. "What if I am? It's hardly my fault that every tough, sturdy and indomitable thing reminds me of you."
"You are so full of shit," I murmured. I finished the row and set the project aside. "And I think I may just like it."
He hooked an arm around my neck and kissed me soundly. "Then I'll keep doing it." He flicked off the light and we went to sleep. I know, kinda boring for a pair of supposedly randy and insatiable Magical Creatures, but there you are.
~*~
The next morning, I found a message on my phone from Ctik - I had a sudden moment of pride - my centuries-old vamp had learned the ways of texting! And so quickly! The message asked if it would be possible for him to visit his family this evening. He had checked the times of sundown and said he could be ready at twenty minutes till, if I agreed.
I sent a confirming reply and then called the Port Room to make a reservation. There I ran into a snag.
Remember that I am the most junior member of the MIO, which does put me at the bottom of our chain of command. However, according to Ms Cranky Badger earlier this week and to Tiffany yesterday in conversation, I am apparently senior in the order-giving hierarchy over most other departments and sections. In other words, if I want to arrange a port for a tame vampire, I am fully authorized to do so.
Unfortunately, having the authority and being able to use the authority are two separate things. The Port Room day supervisor claimed to be under no such authority and suggested that I have my request okayed by my superior, who would then call her superior. She rambled something about having interns and being responsible for them. We went back and forth for a couple of minutes, until Heero suddenly plucked the phone from my hand and snarled into it.
"Ms Gonzonga," he growled, "What part of 'request for port reservation' did you fail to understand?" He listened, narrow-eyed and annoyed for a moment. "Give the phone to Ms Tenhalter," he commanded sharply. "I said, give the phone to Ms Tenhalter!"
Oh my. Someone was not listening to the Voice of Doom. Not a good way to start the day...
"Good morning, Ms Tenhalter," said Heero in a very different tone. "Duo is attempting to schedule a port for a client; why is this a problem?" He listened for a moment. "Ms Gonzonga's taste in fiction will not be reflecting on the performance of her duties as Day Supervisor." That was not a question or a suggestion; it was an order. Oooh... Way to piss off a co-worker!
"Thank you," said Heero after a brief silence. "If it becomes necessary for similar mediation in the future, there will be staffing changes." He snapped the phone shut.
"Gonzonga has apparently confused juvenile fiction with reality and is afraid of Ctik," he growled. "Has this sort of thing happened before?" he demanded. "Other sections refusing to cooperate with you?"
Much as I hate cans of worms, I hate being blown off on legitimate requests even more.
"Um... Occasionally. Nothing that could be called major, but I have had to get backup from Tiffany or Enrique a couple of times."
After the week Heero had already had, he was just itching for someone to barbeque. I didn't want to be in the middle, not with my deadline getting closer by the minute.
"They've had to confirm that I'm not just some admin clerk..." He rumbled deep in his chest. If anything pisses him off, it's having the authority of our office questioned by Wizards who should know better. "Um... Heero?"
He yanked me to him for another of those bruising kisses, then nudged me toward the door. "Your busy day awaits. I will catch up to you after I have a conversation with some people."
In other words, he intended to apply some fresh orifices to certain supervisors. Maybe I should have tried to talk him out of it, but you know... I am heartily sick of having to justify every request I make with some offices.
I plucked my phone back from him, grinned and said, "Have fun, big guy!" on my way out.
~*~
My morning turned out relatively uneventful, given the week's previous events. Not to say it was easy, dealing with the seemingly endless stream of appraisers. Wrangling art and antiques appraisers was a bit like trying to herd hyperactive cats, but something else interrupted my sheep-dogging.
I came through the kitchen with an appraiser and spotted Gisela sitting at the breakfast table, her head down on her folded arms. Karl was sitting next to her, rubbing her back and looking... peeved. I off-loaded my appraiser onto Moira and returned to see what had happened now. On my way, I passed one of the Puma crew. He grinned at me and held up five fingers. Apparently, they'd finished five rooms upstairs. I gave him a thumbs-up and he trotted on toward the back stairs. At least something was under control.
I retrieved a soda from the refrigerator as an excuse to hover. "Karl...?"
He sighed. "You know, I realize that wanting to murder someone is a terrible thing, but... Dammit," he growled.
I dropped down in a chair on Gisela's other side. "Shit. What's he done now?"
"We wanted to talk to the people on the other side of the deal, just in case we might be able to work something to overturn the sale. Not only did they say 'no', we have only 10 days to vacate."
My jaw dropped. Ten days?! And Miles never bothered to mention this?! Holy crap! I couldn't even gather a curse dire enough.
Gisela raised her head then and tried to smile at me. She'd been crying, but she wasn't now. "Just another example of my stupidity in letting Miles handle things," she murmured.
I just shook my head. What could I say to that? Nothing. Miles just kept edging himself closer to the cliff's edge.
"Do you need help in finding a place to live," came out of my mouth before I realized it was even in my head.
"Oh, you are so sweet," she breathed and reached to touch my hand. "No, we can handle that. There are plenty of vacant homes in the area; just a matter of getting something quickly."
"We were just expecting to have at least a couple of months," Karl said tiredly. "I am so tempted to hunt Miles down and beat the crap out of him."
Gisela shook her head. "Not worth it, bro."
He grumbled an agreement, then got to his feet to get himself a beer. "I'm going to stand on the side terrace and curse for a while," he muttered mildly. "Loudly."
"I'm okay," said Gisela to me. "Crying is over for the moment." She got to her feet, snagging her coffee cup and refilling it. "I better call the realtor again," she sighed and gave me a wan smile. "Thanks, Duo, for making this a lot easier than it could have been."
"I wish I could turn back time," I muttered. She just shrugged. "Yeah, that'd probably lead to even bigger messes."
I headed back to my herding, patting her shoulder as I went by. I do know when to let it go, but damn, it was hard.
~*~
While I was inhaling my lunch (Estaban had made a lunch run to a tiny, hole-in-the-wall Mexican place in California) Raia called with a message. Ovalia, the Were-Tiger, wanted to talk to me about Farquahar, she said. She offered to call back for me and put her off, if I was too busy, but I was curious.
Ovalia has been an absolute rock for Farq since we let him return home. He has the minder for six months, as a kind of probation, but Ovalia got acquainted with his animals and fell in love with them. I do wonder if that affection extends to Farq; given his tidier look earlier in the week, I’m inclined to feel hopeful. I don’t know if demons and Weres ever pair off – not counting Trowa and Zeph in that group – or if I’m just having matchmaking fits again.
My conversation with Ovalia turned out to be pretty one-sided. The Were-Tiger was more than annoyed and barely gave me a chance to make agreeable noises. I have to admit that I wasn't entirely sure what the problem was, except that she was upset with the minder and wanted me to do some kind of intervention. She even snarled a few times, sounding even more fierce than Trowa did while in his Puma form. Of course, her tiger is considerably larger than Trowa's puma. I figured I could at least make a call and then check the whole thing out in a day or two. I didn't think Ovalia would do anything stupid and Farq is too scared of Wufei and Heero – especially Heero – to jeopardize his probation.
I managed to cut in after about twenty minutes. "Ovalia. Ovalia! I'm really jammed for time right now, but I'll call the probation office and see what's going on. I don't think I can do anything else until Monday."
She was quiet for a moment and I almost started apologizing, but she came back more calmly. "I'm sorry. I know you've got a big assignment. I just... I just want someone to know what's going on here. The demon does not deserve to be treated this way; he really doesn't," she said quietly.
And that started the guilt. I sighed and gave in. "I know. I'll call and tell Probation there's a problem and they need to send a supervisor. And I'll call you tonight to see what they said or did."
"Thank you, Duo," she sighed. "I really am sorry for bothering you, but... It's just not right."
"No problem. I'm sorry I can't deal with it personally at the moment, but Ms Cranky Badger is kind of fond of... the demon."
"Okay..." She sounded different suddenly; younger or maybe uncertain.
"One way or another, I'll see you on Monday," I promised. I hung up then, because I had the awful feeling that the Were-Tiger was about to cry. Damn. How unsettling. I definitely needed to check on them next week.
While I was trying to convince myself that the job at hand was more important, Enrique appeared next to me.
"Ready to return to battle, Banshee?" he smiled.
I summoned a wry grin for him. "You know, the best thing I can think of right now, is that no one is trying to poison my drink. How idiotic is that?"
His expression sharpened and he sat down. "Duo. What is wrong?"
I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "Apparently, there's something fomenting at Farq's place. Ovalia called me and... well... vented quite strongly. I need to call Cranky Badger and ask her to check on him."
"Is that idiot breaking rules again?" he demanded.
"I don't think so. It seems to be the minder who's pissing off the Were-Tiger. Why this week, Rique? Why is everything happening this week?" I whined plaintively.
The Elf snickered at me and poked my shoulder. "Because that is the way the world works. It's a rule."
"I'd like it to stop," I muttered, starting to dial, then stopping when I miss-dialed a number.
He snickered again and patted my shoulder. "I will hold off the Humans while you gird your loins." He disappeared into the house again.
~*~
Ever wish that you could be a kid again? With no responsibilities, no worries; secure in the knowledge that your parents or caregivers will handle anything important? I do, sometimes. It usually happens when I'm up against something involving Humans, and I begin to get the unsettling feeling that I have no idea what I'm doing. Like now.
I sighed, rolled my eyes at myself and made the damn call.
Ms Cranky Badger wasn't in today. Of course not; why would this be easy? So, I tried my best to explain Ovalia's concerns to the duty officer. I think his name was Wallace, but he sounded like a mouse; tiny and squeaky and frightened. He flat out refused to butt heads with the "wizard on scene" and said he didn't have the authority to make any changes.
Wonderful. I closed my eyes, counted to ten, and sighed heavily, phone on 'mute', and then took it off and said, "Can you at least contact Ovalia and talk to her? She's been very helpful with the demon and she's not the hysterical type."
"Oh, my... I don't think I have the authority for that... Ms Wildomar is in charge of the demon and I certainly don't want to challenge her judgment! I'm sorry; you'll have to take this up with Ms Cranky Badger."
I rubbed my forehead. "Fine. When will Cranky Badger be back?"
"She's on leave at the moment and due back on Monday."
Crap, crap and triple crap.
"Okay. Can you leave her a message to check on the demon, please? I'm in the middle of a high-profile deadline thing."
A disturbing silence followed, then he said, "I guess I can do that..."
I figured I should quit while I was ahead. "Super! Thanks a bunch!" I chirped and hung up.
I closed my eyes again and held my breath for a count of twenty this time. Where the fuck did *that* guy come from?! How could he possibly be left in charge? Then I slapped myself mentally and sternly ordered us to stop assuming stuff about Humans. Just because one person projects themselves as a ditz does not mean they really are. Maybe Wallace had never been in charge before – there's got to be a first time for everyone.
I took a few deep breaths, stretched a bit and called Ovalia back.
"Ovalia, I've got a problem on this end. Cranky Badger is on leave through the weekend and the RP appears to be a first-timer and scared to make any decisions. Can you and Farq hang on over the weekend?"
"Oh... damn. I suppose so..." she replied slowly. "I just worry about him. He's a really sweet guy, for a demon."
"I know; totally born into the wrong species, but he is and that seems to be the only choice. Tell him to stay low and if anything gets ugly --" She snorted derisively. "Okay, *uglier*, then call me and I'll... I'll... I'll do something. Don't know what, but something!"
She gave another, more amused snort. "I'm really sorry, but you know how these Human things work."
"Oh yeah. Murphy again. Take care."
I hung up and stretched some more. Not for one moment did I imagine this would ride over the weekend, but I figured if I tried my best to ignore it, maybe it wouldn't find me again until then. Cowardly, yeah, but I'm running out of time on my real project.
Speaking of which, I needed to finish up here in a couple of hours, so that I could go home and clean up before meeting Ctik. Maybe have a drink, too.
~*~
"Is everything good now?" asked Enrique when I returned to the battlefield.
I shrugged. "I don't know. Cranky Badger is on leave and the guy in charge is a mouse. He reluctantly agreed to leave her a message, but she won't be back until Monday. I think the RP is a little afraid of the minder."
"Really." He frowned and popped open his own phone. "Hello Raia; is Q in? Ah. No, it's not a problem, just a question. It can wait. Thank you." He closed the phone and sighed. "Q is off disemboweling idiots. Would you like me to deal with the minder?"
I came so close to saying "Yes!" I didn't though. Tough it out, I told myself; be the adult you keep claiming to be.
"No," I sighed right back at him. "My demon, my problem, dammit."
"Tiffany and I can handle this tomorrow if you want to make a visit onsite," he offered.
"Thanks. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you, though. It's supposed to be my project."
"Silly Banshee," he laughed. "The demon is also your project." He offered a fist to bump.
My turn to laugh. "Where did you learn that?"
"I do keep apprised of Humanity's little fads. There was a bit of hysteria over the gesture a few years ago, and what better to catch an Elf's attention than Human hysteria?" he snickered.
So very true; the Elves like to keep up on the state of the Human world more than any other Magical Creatures, I think. I don't speculate on why.
~*~
Perhaps as compensation for dumping a demon problem in my lap, the rest of my day went smoothly. I took a break from the appraisers and watched the Pumas doing their shrinking thing. Now, that is a skill I wish I had. I love my bottomless bag, but it only holds so much; I couldn't pack a whole house into it. I reminded myself again to ask Trowa if he can do this.
Then it was mid-afternoon and I took myself off home to clean up, get a snack and find a cold drink. I thought about a beer, but settled for a DP. Wouldn't do to be tipsy around a vampire. Heh; even a sweetheart like Ctik.
Ctik was waiting for me in the shadows of the building where he was staying. It wasn't sundown yet, but the setting sun had dropped below the western mountains; pretty early for a vampire.
We made small talk while we took the shadowy route to the port room, and found that Jake was waiting for us. Oho. Apparently, Heero's intervention had an effect.
"Hey, Jake. Didn't expect you."
"Ha! After Heero talked to the 'stupidvisor' this morning? Oh, hell yeah!" He offered both arms to us and Ctik and I moved in to take them.
A moment later, we landed on the front terrace of Ctik's house. I waved Ctik on ahead of me and he thanked Jake quite warmly.
"So," I began when we were alone, "Do I take that to mean you aren't fond of the person I talked to this morning?"
He snorted. "I understand that we need to constantly evaluate and elevate new people, so we don't get caught in a crisis, but that Wizard is a waste of oxygen. She's already been moved to an admin position at the School. I think we'll all be happier with her over there."
"Oh, you are so mean..."
"Please. Tell me Heero wasn't just about to crawl through the cell signal to rip her head off after she was rude to you."
That I couldn't dispute. "He wasn't the only one," I admitted.
"And that's why she's filing tardy slips at the School."
I perched my butt on one of the gigantic stone planters. "I try to get along with everyone, but I swear this week is stepping on my last nerve," I sighed.
"More than just this?"
"The minder for the demon is creating some kind of problem. Ovalia is pissed. Snarling pissed. And Cranky Badger is on leave until Monday and I don't know that it'll wait till then." I kicked at a piece of gravel. "The RP in the office sounds like a very anxious mouse and couldn't possibly take any sort of action until she returns." I rolled my eyes and he snickered.
"If you need some reinforcements, call me. I spent three months in Probation as a new hire and I probably remember more than that RP does," he offered. He patted my shoulder and then vanished.
Reinforcements, huh. Maybe I could gather a squad of pissed-off Wizards and Magical Creatures and assault the Probation department. I spent a good five minutes wallowing in that beautiful thought until a noise brought me back. I opened my eyes to find Michael waiting awkwardly a few meters away.
~*~
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