Ghastly watched Dad leave the hospital, and there was no grand revelation that came with the sight. Shouldn't there have been something like that? But at the same time, Ghastly didn't have any regrets either, or questions that he felt like he should have asked right there and then while he still had the chance.
Yep. Ghastly was going to chalk this up as a success for the time being. He turned to see Tanith trying to form words, her eyes on Ghastly, wide and almost panicking.
Ghastly nodded slowly. "Yep. He's always like that. Or at least, he's been like that all afternoon."
"Who was he?" Valkyrie asked.
Ghastly hesitated. Did he really want to explain to someone else? Especially since he barely understood it himself? Tanith's mouth was still open, and Ghastly had a sudden idea. "Ask Tanith. She'll explain."
"She'll what?" Tanith rounded on Ghastly with an angry hiss. "You're the one who's been with him all afternoon! You explain!"
Unlike Dad's, her voice did carry, and it did bother a few people near them, who looked up with a wide range of disapproval on their faces. Tanith grew red and stopped talking, but she didn't lose the flare of anger in her eyes.
Ghastly shrugged apologetically. "It'll help you work through it, trust me. I've got to go. I have someone I need to talk to."
The anger in Tanith's eyes disappeared, replaced by a worrying eagerness. "Want me to come with?"
"No." The apology moved to Ghastly's face, and grew genuine. "It's an old friend, and I need to do this alone. Besides, Valkyrie needs your help more than I do."
For a moment, irritation flashed, but then Tanith nodded and glanced sideways at Valkyrie. "Just don't ask. I don't even know how to begin to explain."
She'd figure it out, Ghastly knew as he left them to it. Once Valkyrie wasn't so disproportionately worried over Wreath. She'd figure it out, and then she and Tanith could work through it together. Ghastly almost wished he could be there to see it, but he did need to go see Corrival sooner rather than later. The man was properly retired now. He might go to bed as early as 4 pm, for all Ghastly knew.
He might have to explain Gabriel, but Ghastly was going to leave out the part about God. Corrival would have a hard enough time accepting Lord Vile, without trying to figure out why God Himself had forgiven him.
~~
Sanguine was seething.
Stuck inside the Hotel, fighting off bloodthirsty zombies next to people he considered enemies, and especially with only a portion of his magic left to him? Reduced to sticking zombies' heads through walls? Sinking halfway into the floor, tripping them, trapping them halfway through the floor? It was the magical equivalent of opening a door, but not being able to pass through it, and the frustration was causing Sanguine no end of grief.
It was enough to make anyone hopping mad, and so Sanguine's thoughts grew cold with carefully controlled anger. The situation had spun out of control, but that didn't mean he couldn't salvage it.
The instant Pleasant and Renn and the two idiots who came down to help weren't paying him any more attention, Sanguine slunk away. Through the kitchen, into the common room on the other side, towards the back of the Hotel where he knew, by now, Anton Shudder's Gist would already have made short work of the zombies foolhardy enough to keep trying to break in.
Shudder was on the ground, bent over double, exhausted and trying to bring himself back from the brink of collapse. Sanguine had been expecting that. He'd also been expecting to have all of his energy for this moment, and to be striding over with all his usual confidence, victorious. As it was, Sanguine could barely stay on his own two feet. And when he managed it, he was shaking.
The Texan ended up sinking to his knees and crawling over to Shudder, only standing up again once he was close enough to kick.
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Yep. Ghastly was going to chalk this up as a success for the time being. He turned to see Tanith trying to form words, her eyes on Ghastly, wide and almost panicking.
Ghastly nodded slowly. "Yep. He's always like that. Or at least, he's been like that all afternoon."
"Who was he?" Valkyrie asked.
Ghastly hesitated. Did he really want to explain to someone else? Especially since he barely understood it himself? Tanith's mouth was still open, and Ghastly had a sudden idea. "Ask Tanith. She'll explain."
"She'll what?" Tanith rounded on Ghastly with an angry hiss. "You're the one who's been with him all afternoon! You explain!"
Unlike Dad's, her voice did carry, and it did bother a few people near them, who looked up with a wide range of disapproval on their faces. Tanith grew red and stopped talking, but she didn't lose the flare of anger in her eyes.
Ghastly shrugged apologetically. "It'll help you work through it, trust me. I've got to go. I have someone I need to talk to."
The anger in Tanith's eyes disappeared, replaced by a worrying eagerness. "Want me to come with?"
"No." The apology moved to Ghastly's face, and grew genuine. "It's an old friend, and I need to do this alone. Besides, Valkyrie needs your help more than I do."
For a moment, irritation flashed, but then Tanith nodded and glanced sideways at Valkyrie. "Just don't ask. I don't even know how to begin to explain."
She'd figure it out, Ghastly knew as he left them to it. Once Valkyrie wasn't so disproportionately worried over Wreath. She'd figure it out, and then she and Tanith could work through it together. Ghastly almost wished he could be there to see it, but he did need to go see Corrival sooner rather than later. The man was properly retired now. He might go to bed as early as 4 pm, for all Ghastly knew.
He might have to explain Gabriel, but Ghastly was going to leave out the part about God. Corrival would have a hard enough time accepting Lord Vile, without trying to figure out why God Himself had forgiven him.
~~
Sanguine was seething.
Stuck inside the Hotel, fighting off bloodthirsty zombies next to people he considered enemies, and especially with only a portion of his magic left to him? Reduced to sticking zombies' heads through walls? Sinking halfway into the floor, tripping them, trapping them halfway through the floor? It was the magical equivalent of opening a door, but not being able to pass through it, and the frustration was causing Sanguine no end of grief.
It was enough to make anyone hopping mad, and so Sanguine's thoughts grew cold with carefully controlled anger. The situation had spun out of control, but that didn't mean he couldn't salvage it.
The instant Pleasant and Renn and the two idiots who came down to help weren't paying him any more attention, Sanguine slunk away. Through the kitchen, into the common room on the other side, towards the back of the Hotel where he knew, by now, Anton Shudder's Gist would already have made short work of the zombies foolhardy enough to keep trying to break in.
Shudder was on the ground, bent over double, exhausted and trying to bring himself back from the brink of collapse. Sanguine had been expecting that. He'd also been expecting to have all of his energy for this moment, and to be striding over with all his usual confidence, victorious. As it was, Sanguine could barely stay on his own two feet. And when he managed it, he was shaking.
The Texan ended up sinking to his knees and crawling over to Shudder, only standing up again once he was close enough to kick.