Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 55 Poison

OTTILIE VIRSES POV


"Relax, lagi na lang mainit ulo mo, eh," I said, taking another sip of my drink. The warmth spread through me, and I could feel the tipsiness creeping in.

Kanina pa kami ni Plutus nakatambay dito sa pub, nag-iinuman. Ang bilis ko naman ata mahilo? Nakakadalawang baso pa lang naman ako ng beer, napaka-unfair kay Plutus na parang lumalaklak lang ng tubig. Fresh pa din siyang tignan, gwapong-gwapo.

"Don't overdo it," Plutus warned as he gave me a death glare.

Imbis na matakot, natawa lang ako sa pagiging masungit nito. The alcohol was already making me feel bold, and before I knew it, nakalipat na ako sa tabi ni Plutus, at saka niyakap ito ng mahigpit.

"Hey!" Plutus stiffened for a moment before groaning.

"Ang sungit naman ng prinsipe ko," pang-aasar ko sa kan'ya na nagpa-ikot lang sa mga mata nito.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the dance floor is now open! Feel free to grab your partner and enjoy the music. Have a wonderful evening!" the band's vocalist announced, then a soft, slow tune began to play.

My eyes lit up. "Tara, sayaw tayo!" I exclaimed. Muntik pa akong matumba dahil sa hilo, mabuti na lang at nasalo agad ako ni Plutus.

"You're going to fall on your face!" he grumbled.

Tinawanan ko lang ito at saka hinila siya sa kumpulan ng mga tao sa dance floor. Ipupulupot ko na sana ang mga kamay ko sa batok ni Plutus, ang kaso hindi ko siya maabot. Napasimangot tuloy ako habang nakatingala sa kan'ya.

"Bakit naman kasi ang tangkad mo," pagmamaktol ko.

"Ugh, fine," he muttered, before lifting me slightly and guiding my feet onto his. "Happy now?"

Napangiti ako ng walang arte nitong ipinatong ang mga paa ko sa paa niya. Finally, I can now clasp my hands behind his neck. While his hands settled on my waist, he began to sway us gently to the music.

For a moment, we simply stared at each other. Kapag nakikita ko ang mga mata ni Plutus, para akong nakatingin sa dalawang buwan. Napakaganda ng mga mata nito, 'yong tipong ayoko ng alisin ang pagkakatitig ko sa kan'ya.

"Plutus... what made you fall in love with me?" I asked out of nowhere.

His gaze instantly became sharp. "You're really asking that now?"

"Opo," pigil na ngiti na sagot ko.

He sighed deeply, "I don't know. Before I realized it, I just... liked being around you. A lot."

I laughed softly, "Same. Though at first nahirapan talaga akong pakisamahan ka with all your flaws, and of course our terrible first encounter," I said while staring at him. "But I was really thankful that you saved me from loneliness."

I noticed that Plutus gaze intensified as we swayed slowly. His grip at my waist became tighter that it closed the distance between us. For a moment, we just stared into each other's eyes, feeling lost at the moment.

"You're really lucky I didn't burn you in hell for summoning me." Plutus made a wicked smirk that made the mood feel lighter between us.

"And you're lucky I didn't give up on you," pabirong singhal ko dito. Badtrip 'to, maganda na sana ang mood, sinira pa.

"KYAAAAAA!"

A sudden scream cut through the moment, and we both snapped our heads toward the sound. May babaeng sumisigaw ng tulong, kaya nagmamadali namin itong pinuntahan. In there, a man lay unconscious on the floor, his skin pale and clammy. My heart raced as I kneeled beside him, quickly assessing the situation.

"He's been poisoned," I whispered.

"Oh no! Please help him!" The woman wailed.

Kinalma ko muna ang sarili ko bago nagsulat sa isang papel ng mga kakailanganin ko. "Someone get me these asap!"

Then the staff member dashed off, returning moments later with what I'd asked for. I mixed the antidote quickly and whispered a spell. When it's done, I hurriedly tilt the man's head back to administer it. I held my breath, waiting. Makalipas lang ang ilang segundo, nagkamay din ito habang umuubo.

"Pablo! Oh gosh!" Pagtangis ng babae saka ito niyakap ng mahigpit. "Thank you! Thank you for saving my boyfriend!" Paulit-ulit na pasasalamat nito sa'kin.

"Hehe, walang anuman," nahihiya kong tugon sa kan'ya.

The pub erupted into applause, but I barely heard it as I stood, wiping my hands on my pants. And when the pub settled down, nilapitan ko ang lamesa na ginamit ng biktima. I examined the drink spilled at the table. The liquid has this cloudy appearance that made me suspicious. I picked the glass and gave it a cautious sniff and grimaced.

"Hindi lang 'to basta alcohol," kunot-noo na turan ko saka nilingon si Plutus. "I think, may naihalo dito."

Plutus raised an eyebrow, then crossed his arms. "You're saying someone tampered with it?"

"Siguro?" Hindi ko tiyak na turan. "It could've been a prank gone wrong, or someone deliberately played with it."

Mukhang narinig naman ito ng bartender, kaya nagmamadali itong lumapit. "That can't be. We make sure na malinis ang lahat ng sini-serve naming drinks."

"Baka naman cross-contamination ang nangyari?" I asked, eyeing the bar. "Baka may napahalo na chemicals sa mga drinks niyo?"

The bartender hesitated, then admitted, "We did have a new shipment of ingredients today. Some of them were... unmarked."

Plutus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Great. Mystery poison cocktails."

"Paki-doble check na lang, I'm sure may napahalo na chemical sa isa sa mga alcohols niyo," I flatly said.

"Pasensya na po!" Hinging paumanhin ng bartender sa'min at sa nabiktima.

"People and their careless mistakes..." bulong ni Plutus bago ako hinila papalabas ng pub.

But the moment na malanghap ko ang malamig na simoy ng hangin sa labas, bumalik ang pagkahilo ko at muntik pa akong sumubsob. But Plutus caught me instantly, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"Oh great, and here I thought you're already sober," he grumbled.

I giggled softly, "Adrenaline rush, maybe?"

"Yeah, right." He groaned, then scooped me onto his back, giving me a luxury piggyback ride. "Let's get you to bed."

Woah, ganito pala ka-komportable sa likod ni Plutus. Ang lapad ng likod at balikat nito, parang kaya ko matulog ng magdamag sa likod niya. By the time we arrived at the inn, gusto ng bumagsak ng mga mata ko dahil sa kaantukan.

Plutus carefully laid me on the bed, taking off my shoes and tucking me in. Hihiga na sana ito sa katabing kama ng hawakan ko ang kamay nito upang pigilan siya.

"Pwede bang tabi na lang tayo?" Namumungay na matang paki-usap ko. Naaalala ko na naman kasi ang nangyaring pagdukot sa'kin ng mga kulto, nang huli kaming magcheck-in sa isang inn.

"Tsk, fine," he sighed, but he eventually gave in, climbing in beside me.

Napangiti ako ng makahiga na din ito sa labi ko. Niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit at saka isiniksik ang sarili sa tabi ni Plutus.

"Ang bango-bango mo naman," I murmured, my eyes already closing.

"I always smell good, witch," he replied, clicking his tongue.

"Back at the pub," I whispered. "I know that someone is trying to poison that man," I mumbled while my eyes closed.

That made Plutus head snap. "Then why did you lie?"

I softly chuckled as I buried my face in his chest. "Baka makahanap lang tayo ng away, mahirap na, hindi pa naman tayo taga-dito."

Naramdaman ko ang paghigpit ng yakap sa'kin ni Plutus. "You're impossible," he said under his breath. "But I must admit, you were pretty cool back there."

"Yeeey," I said in a muffled voice. "The great Plutus praised me." I teased that made him click his tongue.

"Now, sleep."

And with a kiss on my forehead, I drifted off in his arms.

To be continued...