Mahogany and Teakwood

Chapter 24: Dahlia

i was looking for an ending when i fell into you

you were like a dream, cause you never came true

"You're what?" Virgil's spoon clattered onto the table.

"He's what?" Logan snapped at the same time.

Roman sighed. "I'm sorry."

The four had just finished a quiet dinner when Roman dropped his bombshell. Roman stirred dregs of homemade chowder in his bowl, head hung low, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes.

Patton looked ready to burst into tears; Logan's mouth pressed into a thin line.

"But...you can't just leave!" Virgil hated that his voice cracked. "When did this happen?"

"Kate called this afternoon." Roman still fiddled with his spoon. "They spotted Deceit near Philadelphia. He's got a reputation; they would recognize him."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Logan slapped a hand on the table, making them all wince. "Deceit remained here in DeLand after the attack; I am certain of it. There have been constant attacks on the apartment wards—"

"Wait, what?" Roman's dark eyes grew wide.

"Arcadian hells, Logan; you could've said something." Virgil stared at the half-faery.

Patton just watched, his face pale.

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose and replaced his glasses. "I did not want to worry you. The attacks were insufficient against my magic, and I do not think they were propagated by Deceit himself. The only direct threat we've had was—"

"The break-in, at the end of March," Virgil finished.

They all looked at each other, remembering. Virgil had gotten a frantic voicemail from Roman during class one afternoon, warning him to stay put, preferably somewhere crowded. When Logan finally brought him back to the apartment, he'd been shocked to find it in disarray: books pulled out from their shelves, couch cushions scattered, drawers opened and papers everywhere. Nothing stolen; nothing obvious, anyway. Logan had even checked the false drawer, finding the Accords undisturbed. He swore up and down that nothing fae had crossed his wards that day, so they weren't even sure it was Deceit, and they certainly didn't know what the intruder had been looking for.

Or whom, Virgil silently added.

"That was only two weeks ago," Logan said. "Why would Deceit retreat north? Philadelphia is close to where..." He visibly regained control of his face. "Has your murder found any new information on Rapunzel?"

He'd long ago filled in Roman, and through him Smile, on Rapunzel's disappearance.

"I don't know." Roman shook his head. "But I have to think if they did, Kate would have said so."

A tense silence fell.

"Well, on the bright side," Patton offered with a weak smile. "Maybe that means Deceit's not looking for us anymore, Virgil. If he's all the way back up in Pennsylvania."

"When do you leave?" Logan asked Roman crisply.

"They booked me a flight in three days." Roman looked around at all of them. "You could all come too, you know? Kate...she reckons we could lay a trap for Deceit; a proper one, this time. We could use all the help we can get."

We.

Like Roman had been solely Smile's all along.

Like he'd never really been part of this weird little family at all.