Zoombieverse - Memory 2: The Knife

Part 4: The Princess and the Key - Interlude 1

A few minutes later...

"Are you sure about this?"

"Do it. He'll hurt himself again when he wakes up."

"He won't like this."

"I know, but he's too restless. He needs to stay still to recover."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Master. You're digging yourself deeper here."

"He'll be angry regardless. I'd rather see him asleep than dead."

"You're the one who put him in that state."

"Do you really need to point out the obvious?"

"You're unusually agitated these days, especially when it comes to him. What is really going on?"

"You don't have to worry about anything. I'll fix this."

"Master..."

"No. Do not call me that. Not right now, Vincent."

"Are you going to fix me like you did to him?"

"I didn't have a choice. He wouldn't stop until he's thoroughly incapacitated. It's that training he got from his father that makes him relentless sometimes. I didn't want to break his limbs and make him feel more trapped, so I just focused on what was already broken. Besides, there's no fixing you. You've been belligerent from the start. I've only managed to somewhat tame you."

"I'm not your pet, you fossil."

"Careful there. You're going to cause quite a shock. Almost everyone thinks you're just as old as me. I wouldn't even give you head pats even if you have a head. Should I try for a belly rub, hm?"

"I regret getting you back to your usual self. How long are we supposed to keep him under then?"

"Just long enough so he doesn't injure himself further even if he moves around. I need to talk to him. The sooner I can do that, the better."

"Alright. I'll give instructions to the others."

"How are the repairs for his room going?"

"We're still clearing it out. He destroyed the furniture but didn't touch anything else. It shouldn't take us more than a few days to get replacements for everything he destroyed and set them up to his preferences. I've also sent out instructions to prepare the room we're taking him to in the same configuration as his former one. I remember how he'd panic and cry whenever he woke up back then because he wasn't used to this place yet."

"Thank you, Vincent."

"I don't know how else to help him. He didn't even let me treat his injuries."

"I'm sorry, Vincent. It's my fault. I didn't expect this to happen. It's not supposed to be like this."

"Will he be okay?"

"I hope so. We can't keep him here indefinitely. His father won't be happy if we did and neither will his mother. Those two may be under me and they know that they wouldn't win but they will fight fiercely regardless, especially if it's for their family. And they've raised their children to do the same."

"That's not very reassuring."

"I know. I'll fix this as best as I can. I just need to talk to him so I can figure out how to do it. Don't lose your head worrying over this. I won't let you or anyone else here lose any body parts you haven't already."

"You're as tasteless as ever."