His Soul

Confrontation

You kept your crying brief.

Time was ticking, and you needed to spend each minute as productively as you could. You wiped the tears from your face and cleared your throat. You'd pick this up with Curioso later - right now , the two of you had intel you needed to relay to the other. His hand moved to support you as you shifted in his lap. You were feeling sore from the strain of your muscles but this was quite comfortable.

"What did you learn from Elise?" you asked, your voice feeling raw.

"A lot of things, but most importantly – Aydan has a bodyguard keeping watch on him at all times. Should he be in any sort of danger, he will strike."

You hadn't seen anyone even remotely muscular during your time in the clubhouse. "Are you sure? The only one who's been around him is her ."

"She sounded serious. We'll need to figure out another way to get him to release her soul."

"No kidding."

You let your head fall on his shoulder as you looked around, trying to piece together your plan. Physically coercing Aydan was no longer an option, if Elise wasn't lying about this threat - but how else could you trick him?

"Did she tell you where her box is? If I get my hands on it, I might have more options."

"She was showing me where her room was, but I had to leave to rescue you. She might indulge us if we find her again."

"Alright, then that's the first step of our plan - find Elise. I suspect everyone here thinks I'm dead, or at least they will shortly, so I have to keep a low profile. Any suggestions?"

"I could teleport you," he suggested.

"Okay, but where ?"

"I remember the way she was showing me - it was quite interesting. The clubhouse has hidden passages, and her room is kept secret. I trust you'll be safer there than out in the open."

"Sounds good to me."

You moved to climb out of the chair until you were struck with a throbbing headache. Sleep deprivation was getting to you. You haven't rested at all today beyond that nap you took before your dinner. Your body was exhausted and your wound wasn't helping. You felt like you barely had enough energy to stand. Doing anything extraneous like running and climbing wasn't an option right now.

Curioso flinched when you fell back onto him. He stood to his feet, righting you upwards. "You really should be in a hospital."

"My options are a little bit limited right now," you wheezed.

"Why don't you stay in here and I can search Elise's room? My box is the safest place for you to be."

"No, I can do this. I've been through much worse."

You adjusted your clothes and took a deep breath. You were tempted to ask him for a third cup of that wonderful coffee he was able to make. He let out a groan of frustration before he rested his hand on your back. You were gently shoved forward, and your eyes widened as a hole appeared before you. You tripped on your own feet as your face nearly collided with a stone floor. It felt like your surroundings were flipping upside down and you closed your eyes so you wouldn't get sick.

You were roughly pulled back by the collar of your shirt, moving you so you were properly standing on both feet.

" Careful !" he whispered in warning.