Abandon The Night

Chapter Eight: A PI's Private Mistake

"Where in the hell have you been?" Then, "I thought you were dead!" Then, "What in the fuck was going through your mind?" Then, "What were you doing?" Then, "Where were you?!" Then, "Why didn't you say anything?" She threw the glass of blood against the wall and started all over again.

She kept going until she ran out of breath and started all over again with a fresh one. There were a million questions in her head. And she damn near asked them all before Elise raised her hand and asked, "Can I get a word in?"

"No!" Anca cracked the desk she was holding on too tightly to. Elise's eyes were drawn to the sound, but she made no comment. "Yes!" She then threw out there. And said, finally out of breath, "Maybe! I don't know." She deflated.

"I was on a vay-stay across seas. I told you a few weeks ago. And it was fun, thanks for asking." Elise rambled off as she went through the less rumble-y room. "I see you haven't cleaned it all since you made a mess."

Anca couldn't help the smile, though the rush was still there. The questions still brewing, as it were. She said, "You should have seen my house." Elise shook her head as she settled at her own desk for the first time in two weeks. Anca settled into her hoverchair again in a manner that was most definitely not at ease. She was too rattled. Too disturbed. Disconcerted.

Elise had so not told her something about going on a vay-stay. Anca would have remembered that. In fact, she would have remembered it profusely because Elise left not even a day after Tynfyr's disappearance. Which was weird. Very weird.

"You heard." It wasn't a question. Anca looked at Elise with a mild level of distrust. Something was going on between the two, and the other didn't know. Anca was not so much distrustful in nature but by habit.

"About the children? Yea. I heard." Elise sucked in a breath as she replied and let it out slowly. "It was tragic."

Habit which served her well in times like this.

With a raised eyebrow, Anca let that conversation die. Painfully. Tragic? With an expression like that? Eyes downcast, not straight down but to the left? Face a little pale, even though she was on a vay-stay? Some things were not adding up in Anca's brain.

Bringing it back up would do no good. If her suspicions were correct, then there was something else going on.

"Where were you?" She asked again, albeit a bit calmer.

"Lanng." Elise nodded her head towards a map of the world. "Quite nice, I think."

Anca remembered Lanng when it was Gannla, and even more when it was England. They dropped the 'E', kept the 'G', and off they went. Lanng was pretty much the same. Terse words with faux attitudes that leant more towards the political politeness. It was all an act over there because it had to be. Lanng was an island type country that had been dwindled down to nothing but a district. Once one of the most powerful, non-personable world powers–it was a tourist trap.

That eased some of Anca's deliberations and considerations. She settled back into her chair with an attitude much calmer in appearance than before. "Ton has been around." Anca dropped, watching her friend carefully. She took in everything, from a twitch of an eye to a flick of a wrist. Something wasn't right.

Elise pulled out the key to the desk draw. "Oh?"

Anca raised her voice a little with the next statement. "He's not particularly sad." She said, eyes still on her friend. Elise didn't even flinch at that revelation. Anca was a bit perturbed.