The next day, Dove and the other interns took some time off from work. Bence wanted Eden to focus on their studies for now, and Vernon and Ursa would be busy with college work until Christmas break.
Joon was now living alone ever since his sisters moved out, and he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts, so he messaged Dove.
'How are you feeling after everything last night?'
He waited a few minutes as he kept moving the rest of the boxes in his apartment.
They were filled with leftover items that belonged to his sisters and had yet to be shipped to their new addresses. He wasn't sure when his youngest sister would move back in, so her bedroom was kept closed and her items in packages, just in case. It made him feel lonely looking at the boxes so he kept them in the bedrooms.
'I still feel like shit.' She replied a few minutes later.
'Maybe worse than before, or not? Idk.'
'Wanna hang out?' Joon typed back as he finished stacking up a box.
'I'm busy at the inn. You can visit if you want. I could use an extrovert.'
Dove was also trying to keep herself busy so she was helping out more at the inn to prepare for trick-or-treaters. The old couple wanted to give out candy and hold games for their guests and other visitors, a very light but welcoming party. And also because Joel ended up with too many strange items during his fishing trips. He had them cleaned up and set up as strange but neat prizes for anyone curious.
All of the decorations were done, and while texting him, she was currently helping Billy the dog into a costume, which was proving difficult because he kept moving.
Not moving in the aggressive or hyperactive sense. Billy was too old for that. He just kept trying to heard the guests in the lobby, specifically the children, to their respective adults and he was relatively correct. It was fun for Billy and the kids, but not for Dove who was following him awkwardly with a stack of costumes hung over her arm.
She sent Joon a photo of her deadpan face and the old dog in the background as a blur, because he wouldn't stop moving.
'Im comin to pet that dawg!!! XD'
He texted back before getting dressed and ordering a rideshare on his phone.
Dove was still the only intern who could drive and owned a car.
Meanwhile at Macabre house, everyone had finished all their other tasks and were making preparations for the patrols around the city and possibly more. Some agents were going to leave work early so they could go patrol in other cities.
Laurence and Bence were on the detectives' floor, making sure all of their other work would be finished in time for both of them to go out on their patrols.
Considering the time at which the sun would go down and when trick or treaters would begin their hunts for candy, they would both have to clock out at least at six.
I asked some questions some time after Halloween about the patrols that Enzo mentioned. Apparently, what Enzo really meant about the interns not being ready, is that we still don't have the proper training for how to exterminate or exorcize nightmares in the presence of normals.
In order to do Halloween patrols, you need to have been trained on how to keep an eye out for all dangers, be it the roaming nightmares, bad humans, etc. And then, we have to know how to act in those situations, whether it's crowded or happening in public.
Basically, the other interns and I have relative knowledge on how to deal with nightmares in private, or while protecting a few normals with us. Trying that in public or in crowded areas is a different story.
Laurence was at his desk, and while he had swore he would finish his work as he usually was able to do, he could not. Something was on his mind and it was very visible, because he had bashed his head against his desk for the third time and exhaled a deep sigh.
"You want a pillow for your desk?" Bence asked, sitting across from him.
He decided to sit there after seeing Laurence bash his head the first time, so as to keep an eye on him.
Laurence groaned, his face still laying on the wood, putting a muffled filter on his voice.
"Spare me your comments."
"You know for a guy who decided to drink eight cups of coffee on the day his intern wouldn't be present, your head should not be falling on the desk as much as it had today."
"You would understand if you knew the thoughts going around my head."
Bence's eyes didn't bother to look up at the detective, only looking between a Latin dictionary book and a photo. The book was about Latin phrases used in the 1900s, and the photo was that of a wall with Latin words carved onto it. In the corner of the photo was a kid with a knife.
No, the kid did not carve the words as they were too tall for even a demonically possessed kid to write. He just decided to pick up the knife found beside the wall.
The necromancer sighed briefly and put a bookmark in before closing the dictionary.
"Alright. Fine. You want me to be a priest- I'll be a priest. Confess to me your woes, young man." He said genuinely, except for the part where he called Laurence a 'young man' in a mockingly sweet tone.
The detective lifted his head up to glare at the man who rested his elbow on the desk and folded his hands beneath his chin.
If Bence had been smiling, Laurence would've glared more.
"I'm not sure if I wanna vent to you with that attitude."
"Do you honestly think you'll finish the rest of your work today with your attitude?"
Silence. They stared at each other.
"Fine." Laurence sighed in defeat.
He put the items in front of him to the side; more printed photos some agents took of their old properties, needing Laurence's insight on whether they are genuinely haunted.
"Dove and I had a long talk last night, I don't know how much she'd be comfortable with me sharing but basically, I can't tell if I said the right things at the time."
Bence raised an eyebrow.
"Well, what things did you say?"
"... In my opinion right now, the least valuable things I could've said!" The man replied with regret as his head fell again and he stared down at his desk.
"Did she ask you for advice on something?"
"No. She didn't ask for any advice at all- but she was sad and I was just trying to cheer her up and she had a lot of similarities to me- so I thought I'd tell her the same words that Leon once told me when he first saw the wounds on my wrists- except I rephrased it a little." He began to ramble, lifting his head back up but not yet meeting the necromancer's eyes.
"But before that, I just tried to make casual small talk and then she started being hard on herself so I tried to tell her to be kinder to herself- and then she confessed to me two big things that I'm pretty sure were the things she couldn't bring herself to confess when we were in that horrific DIY project- and you know how I responded?" The man ranted in one breath, gasping in between pauses.
Bence was silent for a moment, mostly to give Laurence some time to breath before he ranted again.
"... Did you say something bad?"
"I said '... I see.'... She confesses two me two big and very personal secrets about herself and the only thing I responded with was '... I see.'... She must be thinking that I didn't care about her confessions in that moment! She's probably off somewhere, pondering about whether I didn't actually care about anything she said that night because frankly- I have no idea what I was trying to say- I was trying to find something good to say- and I said whatever first left my mouth."
Laurence seethed at himself and clutched his head, groaning against the desk.
Bence stared at him, and decided they both needed a short break. He got up from his seat, walked around the desks, pulled Laurence up, and with a hand on his friend's back, he guided him to the breakroom.
There were packets of instant hot chocolate powder in the baskets, thanks to the season, so he made two cups with those.
"Did she react in a sad way to what you said?" He asked, leaning against the counter after filling the electric kettle with water and waiting for it to boil.
"I don't know. She was already sad in the moment and she was.... crying as a normal person should because the experience in that little nightmare house was legitimately terrifying."
Laurence leaned on the counter beside him, staring at his phone. The screen was open but it only showed his home screen. He didn't even bother swiping at random apps.
"Okay so she cried, which she likely felt embarrassed by and then revealed some personal things about herself and shows how much she hates herself and feels like dying is the only thing to make her feel better... So basically, your big issue is that she's like you and that's why you can't find a solution because you barely know how to fix yourself?"
"... I hate your face right now."
Bence smirked at him like the cat that got the cream, before going back to the serious topic.
"It sounds like she just needed to get everything off her chest, tell at least someone some of her secrets, to feel better."
"Yeah and I proceeded to say the most useless and corniest things a depressed person could ever hear. I told her to be kinder to herself! I told her some random stuff like 'I know you've sinned, but you can be redeemed'! Why the fuck did I say that shit?!"
The water inside the kettle was heard boiling and bubbling. It simmered down as the electric kettle automatically turned off.
Bence took a moment to pour both their drinks and stir them, handing Laurence his cup. He looked through the cabinets, trying to figure out where the marshmallows were.
"I could try to help you, but I have no idea what she told you, so there's not much I can do."
Laurence lightly swirled his cup in his hand, looking at the dark chocolate in a paper cup. It had may have had the consistency of water but it still had the flavor of chocolate, or just something sweet.
The detective made a note to go get some better quality hot chocolate powder when he had time.
"Is there anyone around?"
"No."
The room glowed a very faint, very light green, and so did Bence's eyes. It faded as quickly as it came.
"Nobody passing by and no one but us can hear this conversation."
The man nodded, putting his cup back down on the counter.
"Dove told me that she was an accomplice to a serial killer."
Bence paused what he was doing, and turned to the detective. He looked surprised, and then relieved.
"Oh, well now I know why you reacted that way."
"That Simon guy that she rarely mentions is that said serial killer, but I'm pretty sure he did a lot more than make her an accomplice." Laurence sighed, squinting in thought as he finally did something on his phone.
He went online to his websites that had been opened since last night.
"Did you try telling her that we've done worse?"
"Honestly I don't remember. I was flustered because she then wanted a hug and I gave her one but I never thought she'd do that."
"Well, she's also never seen you use a gun during interrogations before."
A few more hours passed for everyone, and as the day began to grow dim, slowly but surely, the trick-or-treaters all came out. They slowly poured into the streets, and all the porch lights came on.
Due to how cold it was, some trick-or-treaters had to put jackets over their costumes, and some had to compromise theirs or change them entirely. Only a few geniuses were able to still have some good costumes that weren't hindered because of the weather.
Joon gave Dove a hand in not only with putting a cowboy costume on Billy, but also with handing out candy.
A booth was set up outside the inn where Annie and Joel were handing out candy, and the two were at the scenic area, offering pictures along with candy. There were other booths that the grandkids were helping out at, running the little games for the guests and visitors.
The view behind Joon and Dove's booth was of the ocean, and down below, some seals could be seen along with tide pools that were beginning to freeze over.
Joon was envious of a boy dressed as a pirate. The little boy could tell, and he flaunted his fancy little coat that had fur on the inside.
He gave that boy a handful of candy and Dove glanced at him from the side as she waved bye to the trick-or-treaters in her row.
"What? He had a really convincing peg leg!"
"Still, you can't just give handfuls at random. It's not fair to the rest."
Joon waved her off, telling her to relax as some teenage trick-or-treaters approached them.
"It's not about being fair! You give one piece of candy to any trick-or-treater regardless of whether they have a costume or not, as a courtesy. Anyone who was able to stand out and impress you- those people get a handful! Like these two!" He pointed to the two teenagers who smiled and waved.
They were dressed as vending machines. Boxes worn on their torsos and had all the accessories of a vending machine but in a shrunken down version.
Dove blinked as she recognized the two.
"Samuel? Evelynn?"
Samuel's face beamed as he waved happily at her.
"Aw, you remembered me!"
Evelynn teasingly elbowed him, careful not to dent his costume.
"Oh hey! It's that girl you like!"
"What?" Dove tilted her head.
She turned to Joon, her face asking him of she heard that right.
Samuel gave his friend a gentle shove.
"Eve, shut up!"
Joon asked her how she knew the two of them, and she explained the case she did with the twins regarding the apartment building downtown.
"I guess I forgot to tell you, everything happened so fast that day."
"I do not blame you for wiping it from your memory." Samuel said, shaking his head.
"It was a very traumatic experience for me, being trapped in that elevator with a scary lady. I may or may not have claustrophobia now, and so my friends made me a box costume!"
Evelynn laughed obnoxiously at that comment.
Dove looked around and over them.
"Speaking of your friends, where are the rest of them?"
"We split up to get more candy. Two drove to the suburbs, and the other two are doing the apartments."
"Nice!" Joon gave them a thumbs up.
He leaned forward to take a look at the details of their box costumes.
"So do these things actually work or are they just really detailed?"
Evelynn's face glowed as she looked down at her costume to find which one of the soda bottle cap buttons to press.
Her vending machine had the clear plastic sheet mimicking glass, covering a small section in the middle that had these thin items inside. The thin items were tiny envelopes, separated into these little spaces organized into two columns going down vertically and three rows, making six little spaces. Each little box had a plastic button outside of the plastic cover.
When Evelynn pressed one of the little buttons. The wall of the little box beside it was pressed back at the same time as the button, indicating that it was connected to the same cardboard piece. When the wall was pushed back, the little envelope slid out of its slot.
There was a little swinging panel beneath the plastic section of the box, where the girl reached inside the little empty space, took out the tiny envelope, and handed it to Joon.
She had a very proud smile on her face as Joon's mouth fell agape as he held the tiny envelope flat in his open palm.
Dove looked at the entire process, impressed.
Samuel had a slightly different function to his vending machine costume.
His only had a single button that actually worked like a knob, and the little window to the tiny knick-knacks inside didn't take up as much space.
He turned the knob, got confused when there was no rumbling sound, then realized his mistake and turned it the other way. The little toys that would've costed twenty-five cents in the early 2000s rumbled around inside.
One slid down into the open slot, and he took it out to give to Dove.
The girl looked at the tiny thing. It was an eraser in the shape of a mini ice cream.
She gingerly placed it down on the table, reached both her hands into the plastic cauldron of candy, and pulled out two fistfuls for the two teens. The two cheered as she put them in their Halloween buckets.
"God, there is so much that can still surprise me." She said under her breath, picking the little eraser back up to look at it.
She waved bye to the two as they began to head off for the next area giving out candy.
"You know you missed your chance to ask her out."
"Oh my god, all I said was that she looked hot." Samuel's now distant voice was heard saying as they left.
Dove was still confused and wondering if she heard correctly.
"Is it really that hard to believe someone would find you attractive?" Joon asked her, noticing her face.
"I... Don't know. The last time someone found me attractive,,, I don't even know or remember, I'm genuinely not sure because I think he just liked the fact that I was someone he could pester in secret."
"Ok- first of all, ew. I'm so telling Annabelle so she can teach you how to gouge people's eyes out and break their fingers- second, really? No one has ever told you how you look? Especially like that?" He looked her up and down.
Joon was wearing a last minute wizard outfit, consisting of mainly a large billowing coat and the weirdest hat he had on hand. Dove was not wearing any costume. Only her usual suit jacket and pants with her black turtleneck sweater. She had them thoroughly washed. Annie helped her with a few tricks she learned from the past.
How Annie knew to get any stain or substance out of cloth, be it blood or something else, Dove did not dare ask.
"Is there something wrong with my outfit?"
"Girl- literally the opposite! You look like a dom lady whose missing her pet dog that's definitely not a dog but more a guy who begged you to collar him."
Dove noticed the next person was a kid who looked up at them in confusion, not knowing what they were talking about. She reached over and covered their ears as Joon slapped a hand over his mouth, not realizing the kid was there.
"... I don't know how to feel about that."
"Kid, I will give you a handful if you forget everything you just heard! I am so sorry."
They only continued their conversation after making sure there was no one within earshot at the moment. They'd pause as soon as someone approached, either for candy or for help to photograph them with the scenery, and continue after the person left.
"Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little, but you pull off the suit outfits really well! You look cool this way! Even though you only ever wear black and white."
"Seriously?" Dove rolled her eyes.
"It's just easier to match outfits if everything is monochrome. Be happy I at least technically wear different colors."
"Varying shades of black and white don't count."
"I just prefer simplicity."
Joon shrugged.
After a moment of silence, he then awkwardly, reluctantly, brought up some questions he had.
"So, about yesterday..."
"If it's about my family issues, I can't tell you much without worrying that I've given too much info about myself."
"Okay Rosa Diaz." He rolled his eyes.
They both chuckled at the reference. Joon then cleared his throat.
"No. It's not about anything that happened inside that dollhouse. I'm not even ready to delve into that yet... I was wondering what happened between you and Laurence afterwards. I can tell you guys are close and he was acting awkward around you afterwards."
"He was just concerned. He's started being concerned with me a lot lately."
"Yeah because the more we learn about you, the more there is to be concerned about!"
The girl just shrugged, puling out her phone but not turning it on. She was looking at the design, rotating it in her hand.
"It's just, yesterday was pretty heavy, and we all came out feeling worse than shit. I was worried about you, that's the second reason why I came by to hangout. The first reason was Billy- but I mostly came for you. And then, I see that, despite what you said in your texts, you actually seem pretty, lighter.? But also like somethings been distracting you because you've been having that faraway look each time there's no person directly in front of you."
"... Laurence and I talked yesterday before leaving work. I, I may have used it as an opportunity to get a bunch of stuff off my chest? And, I'm not sure if I regret it."
"Did, did he shame you for revealing something about yourself?"
"I don't know. How would you react if someone revealed their sexual orientation and criminal history to you?"
"I'd thank them for their trust!" Joon responded in more of an outburst.
He realized his voice was too loud as others roaming around the game booths turned to look at him. He covered his mouth and waved a silent apology. When eyes were no longer on him, he leaned his head closer to Dove and she tilted her head to lend him her ear.
"I'd also ask for more detail and then tell my sexual orientation in exchange."
Dove hummed, crossing her arms and leaning in her chair.
"... Laurence just looked at me with surprise I think, and just told me a lot of the nicest things I've ever heard in a while."
"Mind if I ask what you told him?"
"I don't know if I can because you're one of my best friends." Dove hesitated, not looking at him, just at the little eraser in front of her on the table.
"And I'm worried if I confess to you my worst secrets then you won't like me as much, and then my other new friends won't want to be around me either and then I'll feel awful because I spilled my guts out despite knowing it would only get bad reactions and then I'll be all alone again and then-"
"Dove. Dove. I would take a bullet for you. It would be a really dumb decision and might kill and might actually make you feel a lot worse- okay forget the bullet- but even if I learned that you did something really messed up, I can tell you're trying to be a good person now. And if anything, I'll just do everything I can to make sure you make up for your mistakes so we can keep being friends, because I like being friends with you." He told her assertively.
She turned to face him, caught off guard by his words, and reconsidering many thoughts in her head.
"... I think that's what Laurence was trying to say yesterday..."
"Well, how did he say it?"
"I can't fully remember, I was bawling my eyes out like a moron into his jacket. I think I remembered him saying something about how even if I sinned, I could be redeemed? Among other things like how Liora and Lucia are married, which, now that I think about it, surprises me somehow."
Joon stared at her quizzically.
A child and her parent came up, saying 'trick or treat!', and they both shifted their attention to her. Joon reached over and gave her a piece of candy, waving goodbye to the parents, before sitting back down again.
"This whole time and you only found out last night that the two ladies are married?"
"I grew up in a homophobic small town, okay? And I only left it this summer! Forgive me for I'm not familiar with the signs!"
"Wait- hold on-" Joon shook his head, remembering the topic.
"What led to Laurence telling you that in the first place?"
Dove sat silent in her seat again, looking away.
Joon soon understood after a moment of silence, he scooted his chair closer to her.
"... I'm pansexual."
Dove looked at him with confusion and bewilderment.
"Why would you just tell me that?!" She asked in a hushed voice, making sure nobody heard.
He shrugged, seeing the slightest of panic on her stoic face.
"Because it's normal. Other people may not get it, but it's about the same as someone not understanding a language. Sure it's confusing but other people who speak that language live just fine."
"No I get its you, but why would you just tell me? You had no idea how I'd react. What if I out you?"
"Go ahead! Not like I wasn't already out before, I'm just telling you because I just now realized that you never knew."
"Wha- I- but how do you know?"
He shrugged again.
"I was attracted to a girl in middle school. I had a crush on this one guy from a TV show because I thought he was cute. I had a crush on this nonbinary person in my first college class. I don't know what my type is. It just happens when it happens, especially when they're the opposite of a creepy old woman trying to 'bond' with me. I'm not attracted to you but don't take that as an insult. I do think you're good looking."
She was left speechless, processing everything he told her.
Joon tilted his head at her and picked up his phone, searching through his gallery. He showed the screen to her, letting her see a picture of this very androgynous person that he took a selfie with.
"This is like the most recent person I had a crush on."
"... Did you, ever go on a date with them?"
"I'll tell you, only if you tell me more about yourself in exchange." He said, turning off his phone.
"I like talking but I did just share something personal- even though I wasn't really trying to hide it."
"I-I'm sorry- I guess I just, you wear cargo shorts so.... Ok I'll tell you but only on a few conditions."
"Shoot- actually lets give this person their candy first." He pointed to another teenager who just came to their booth.
They were visibly peeping in on their conversation and leaned away as soon as they were caught.
Dove gave the teen a lazy half-lidded-eyes look. She uncrossed her arms and stood up from her seat, beckoning with her hand that they come closer as she handed them some candy.
"Nice cat costume." She said.
They appeared to be flustered and silent, wanting to say something before backing out and walking away quickly.
"They didn't even ask for a photo." She muttered.
Joon was studying her interaction with that person, his eyes squinted. He stopped squinting when she sat back down.
"I'll tell on a few conditions. One, do not try and physically test me to see if I'm sure. Two, do not start acting creepy with me as a way to change my mind- I trust you and I don't want to hurt you or for you to hurt me. Three, do not just freely tell anyone else about my orientation. Got it?"
"So basically the same basic courtesy you gave to me? Sure."
Dove stared at him, trying to decipher if he was lying.
"... I'm asexual."
"You're asexual."
"...."
"You literally said it earlier, did you think I wouldn't catch on or assume you said it as a random example? Plus, I kinda guessed way before today. You kinda gave off that vibe."
"I'm getting worse at containing my secrets- my walls are getting weaker."
"Relax!"
"I can't! Because I told Laurence that I'm asexual and I don't even know why? Just to get it off my chest and let someone know? And not only that! I told him that I am a former accomplice to a serial killer- he probably thinks I was being a dramatic teenager or something for attention! I even asked for a hug and cried into his shoulder- why did I do that?! He must be thinking I was so weird or dramatic in the moment and felt awkward." She whispered and groaned, placing her face in her hands.
"Is that how he reacted?"
"Well,,, no, he just said a bunch of nice things to me which I really appreciated. But no one's ever said such comforting things to me before that I couldn't even tell if he was being genuine or just trying to humor me. I mean who would ever say a bunch of nice things to a person confessing to crime?"
"... Laurence regularly carries a gun and weapon that can turn into a sickle, on a daily basis. Based on what Annabelle told me, I don't think it would've phased him. Plus we've literally met worse. You're a darling compared to other people we've met."
"But I could be better, and frankly, I feel guilty that I rarely put in the effort to be better." Dove rubbed her face after finally unburying herself from her hands.
"You have no idea how much of a bad person I was before."
She leaned her elbows on the table, taking out her phone again, still not bothering to turn it on.
"Dove, the things I want to tell you..." Joon shook his head.
Instead, he opted to patting her back.
"For now, I think you really need to take a vacation, because after everything yesterday and from before, I'm starting to think the real nightmare you should've been fighting against in the first place, is your past."
"That's a funny way to put it. My past has a face, but I don't know if I can punch him because I never want to see him again."
"He really was a serial killer?"
Dove lightly hummed to herself, nodding as she looked off into the distance, observing all the people enjoying their time at the little party.
"Yeah. I watched him drag people to his basement. That operating table you saw? He used that to make each victim last as long as they could. He was a psychologist but not a doctor, so he used me to help take notes of what methods made someone die slower. Awful, and why I can't stand red fruit anymore. But it's alright, the last time I saw him, he was behind bars, and with a shiner that I gave him."
Joon smirked with her, and they spoke more about old memories, until the last trick-or-treater visited the inn, and until it was time for him to head home.
After October soon came November, where work for Macabre House quieted down, but not for the college students. Still, almost everyone would get a breather soon, as the week for thanksgiving was just around the corner.
Dove and Joon returned to work lighter. The boy was also much calmer when working alongside either Adan or Enzo in the labs. It was off putting to the both of them, who were used to the boy pestering them to teach him alchemical runes and magical science over regular science.
Enzo placed the back of his hand over the boy's head multiple times.
Dove was acting normal as usual, down at the detectives' floor, it was Laurence who seemed conspicuous ever since that October night.
She would sometimes catch him at his desk, searching something on his phone instead. He would frown at his results. But he was a detective, so at first it seemed normal. What caught her attention was the lack of coffee cups on his desk, empty or full. There weren't even any traces of paper cups with leftover coffee residue inside the waster paper basket beside his desk.
The girl got up and made a drink for herself.
The little drinks and snacks area in the office had some candy canes. She used those to stir the two mugs of hot chocolate, and to look very festive as she brought them over.
"Laurence." She woke the man from his thoughts as she brought the two mugs over.
The man looked up and smiled gently as she placed the hot chocolate down on his desk.
"Thanks."
"Of course. May I ask what you've been frowning about?"
He was silent at first, taking a sip from his mug as she sat across from him.
"... Were you comfortabl- wait how hot is your mug?" He paused, looking at the hot mug she held with both hands.
She frowned, looking down at it.
There was still a lot of steam coming out. She placed it on the desk and Laurence reached over, tapping the side of the mug with the back of his fingers.
He flinched as his fingers stung from the heat.
"How were you able to hold that?"
"I don't know. It felt fine to me."
He reached over again and she gave him one of her hands. As he briefly held it, he had a pensive look.
"Your hands are very cold. Are you ok?" He asked, moving his hand from hers to her forehead.
She stared up at him, feeling his hand on her head.
"I've always been this way. Nothing to worry about."
"You can always go see Leon. He'd never be too busy for you."
Her face changed into an awkward, guilty one as she then looked away. He removed his hand from her head and sat back down.
"Something wrong?"
"I feel I should confess, sometimes, each time I am near Leon, I feel like I should be guarded again, even though he's just so kind."
Laurence tilted his head, listening.
"I don't know. I think he's being genuine, I think he's a good person, and that feels ironic considering, I'm not a good person. I have this issue with most of the others who are nice to me, and then I feel like I get awkward and I'm not reacting correctly, at least, when I'm not acting."
The man sipped his hot chocolate again, placing it back on the desk, and resting his elbows on the surface as he folded his hands.
"You know how last night, you told me that you were an accomplice to a serial killer?"
"... Yes."
"How did you think I reacted to that?"
"I didn't think you believed me." She shrugged.
"But I do. How would you react if I told you that whatever you did, a good amount of the people who work here have done worse?"
"I wouldn't believe you."
"Because we seem like such good people, don't we?" He gave her a small grin.
Dove was silent.
"I don't mean to scare you, but I do want to clarify some things. For starters, that feeling you have of feeling uneasy around Leon, that's normal for anyone new. He is a vampire, and a very powerful one at that. But he's also very self-controlled."
The girl nodded as he continued.
"As for the rest of us, I'm not going to go into detail, but if you remember what Chris did to the camp workers at that farm disguised as a camp, then you know, we have and can go to violent lengths to get work done. But, I just hope that you know we-,,, we would never hurt you." His words started to swindle as his thoughts faltered.
"I mean- we can tell you're a good person- that sounds weak-" He shook his head before getting up from his seat and going over to the bookshelf.
He took out one of the Capture books on the top shelf, normally barred by a spell from outsiders, and came back over, handing it to her.
"You're carbon weapon still needs some practice, but I'm giving you this to just keep around. It's all blank, but I think you know how it works."
She hesitated to take it, standing up and looking at him with a frown.
"Why would you give this to me? I'm not a field agent and I'm not fully trained or certified."
"I'm giving you approval. Because I want you to feel safe and be safe. Yesterday I learned that there are lot of things you are currently afraid of, and none of them are things I can solve as easily as I wish."
He placed the book in her hands. She inspected the little lock on the side, a little buckle that she could easily undo and open to all the pages blank. She held it up, taking in the old book smell it still had.
Laurence smiled knowingly, having read her as he type of person who must've enjoyed reading and journals.
"There are a lot of things I want to tell you, but right now, I can't find the words and I don't know if they'll come out right. For now, all I can say is that I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving week. You should also take it easy for now, your friends certainly are."
Dove looked up just as Laurence pointed to the elevator. The doors opened and as if on cue, her friends were coming out and waving to her.
Annabelle still smiled sharply despite her eye bags, and she was holding her opened laptop.
"Vernon and I need help with our exams, mostly me but Vernon also wants to show a new plant he made." She said as the witch next to her held up his flower pot.
It had a light blue flower inside. He was very proud.
Dove, caught off guard, put the book underneath her arm and gulped down the rest of her drink, taking the candy cane out with her mouth.
"Happy Holidays." Laurence said with a smile as he took her empty mug, telling her he'd put it in the sink and urged her to hurry on to not lose her new book.
Joon pulled her inside the elevator, beginning to talk about a cafe they were going to go to for cinnamon rolls and study time.
Laurence smiled, seeing her act her age for once. He went and put her mug in the sink before going back to his seat.
Turning on his phone again, on the screen was an article he was reading about a certain serial killer by the name of Simon.
'The killer that disturbed a small town and nearby cities in Vermont for years, Simon Atkinson, age 37 years, and standing at 5ft 10in, was finally arrested after he was caught chasing a 17 year-old teenager through the woods with a knife.
Upon investigating his house, multiple corpses were found in his basement which he refined and refurnished into a gruesome operating room. Investigators found a secret tunnel in his basement, one that used to be for other purposes, now stained after being used by a killer who has taken the lives of thirty victims, based on the remains found in all the spots that Hanson confessed to.'
Laurence frowned as he scrolled through the article. Bence came in just as he skimmed through another article about the killer, one regarding his recent death.
'After spending a year in Jail, the former killer of Myriad town was found dead in his cell. Reports from the prison workers suspect that he may have been poisoned, but due to a lack of evidence, there was no confirmation.'
"Hey Bence, how willing are you to travel to a certain town with me? In another state?"
"It depends on the reason." The necromancer said as he put an item on his desk.
A pocket watch, at first glance. Bence opened a drawer on his desk, looking for some index cards and his ballpoint pen.
"Someone's bothering Dove, and I'd like to make them stop. But for some reason, when trying to figure out about this person, reports say that he's dead, and yet there's evidence of him sending people to find her."
Bence paused his writing. The ink from his pen drying up neatly on the index card.
"His origins are in Myriad town, a place in Vermont. About five and a half hours give or take the traffic. When are you free?"
"... I've got family to visit on Thanksgiving, but I can accompany you during the beginning of December, so long as we make it in time before the holidays."
Laurence smiled, taking out a small journal and writing down plans for their trip.
"I knew you couldn't say no to me."
Bence groaned but he didn't object.
"You sound just like Adan."
This story has not been rated yet. Login to review this story.