Desolation [manxman] DRAFT

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Isn't that Aether's crush?" Hypnos exclaimed as soon as he laid eyes on us. "Oh, he is going to be so pissed."

I stared at Alexios as if to say see, told you. I was so dead. Aether was going to figure it out, throw a hissy fit like he always did, gut me on the floor again and this time not fuse me back to my vessel, instead he would just completly and utterly destroy my real body, destroying the universe in the process. Sounds like a regular friday evening if you ask me. Who wouldn't want that?

"Hello." Alexios simply said with a friendly smile.

I never understood how he could be so positive and cheery most of the time. I woke up and the world already tasted like an old, half rotten cat pissed into my mouth, ruining the entire day for me. And then people opened their mouths and it could only get increasingly worse from then on. I lived in a somewhat secluded, long forgotten and abandoned sphere and somehow the number of visitor I got in a day multiplied by seven in the recent days.

"It was a good idea to call us for help." My dad said, looking at me.

"I didn't. I was completely fine with dealing with it on my own but shithead over there had different plans."

His new found eagerness to praise me for having such a great idea just melted off my dad's face as soon as he registered my words. His shoulders slumped down and he avoided looking at me, instead he stared at his feet. Apparently he had hoped I was going to give him another chance at being my parent. I still had several bones to pick with all of them except for the nymph. He seemed alright. 

"If by shithead you mean me, yes, thank you so much for giving credit where credit is due and pointing out that it was my idea." Hypnos mocked, grinning at me. "And the idea was perfectly reasonable and rational. Trying to solve it on your own on the other hand isn't."

I just rolled my eyes at him and dismissed his comments, not wanting to engage in a discussion with him. I just wanted to get this over with as fast as I could and not waste anymore time with them exploring their new found over protective sides. Thank you very much but I'd rather do without it for now. Or ever. I didn't want them to get any weird ideas like celebrating Christmas together because we are such a lovely family.

I was about to say something when I heard the child whine in my room. I just pushed off the blankets as well as Alexios and left them all standing in my living room, walking down the hall towards my room. I slowly opened the door to find her standing there, sniffling and rubbing her face with the edge of her sleeve. As soon as she laid eyes on me, she held out her arms to be picked up.

"Good morning." I simply said, picking her up. "Do you want some breakfast?"

She snuffled and nodded, burrowing her face inside my neck. I'm sure it's socially frowned upon to sniff a child and describe the smell as a homeless person's farts after eating rotten beans but she definitively needed a bath. The dragon apparently didn't have time to bathe her yesterday after their fallout. I was thinking about a way to get her new clothes as I made my way over to the others.

"We are going out for breakfast." I commanded as I reentered the living room. "And we need to buy her some fresh clothes. Maybe a hair cut."

"You have a daughter?" My dad exclaimed astounded as he laid his eyes on her.

"No? I found her?" I tried to explain, annoyed at him making so much sound early in the morning. "I'm going to look for a family for her."

My dad tried to come over and take a closer look at her but I let him know with a warning growl that he absolutely had to stay away from her. He looked at me startled but as I let my fangs extend and cotinued to snarl, he backed off again. The nymph pretended not to notice but moved so he was standing between me and him. How adorable.