“Soon,” they said with a smile.
“Fuck, can you not… Never mind.” Seymour rubbed his shoulder. “How long are they gonna be dancin’ for exactly? You said days? ’Cause that ain’t gonna work for me. I gotta get back home. I gotta go to work. I got shit to do.”
Sariel glanced back at Seymour, frowning.
Right.
Shit.
Absolis and Vilanos exchanged a bored stare, but Vilanos said, “I suppose we can make an exception for such a handsome mortal.”
Absolis winked. “So very handsome.”
“We’ll see what we can do. But no promises.”
“No promises.” Absolis leaned over at the same time as Vilanos, grabbing one side of the chest while he grabbed the other. They both grinned, their teeth suddenly sharp and pointed, their eyes black, and then they vanished.
“Fuck!” Seymour grabbed his chest. “I really hate that poofin’ shit.”
“Poofing?” Sariel tilted his head.
“Yeah! Ya’ know. Everybody ’round here just vanishes and goes poof.”
“Ah.” Sariel fidgeted. “I suppose you will too, yes? Poof?”
“You mean… Well.” Seymour scratched the back of his head, his insides crinkling up. “I don’t live here. I…”
“I understand.” Sariel’s tone was brisk, his expression blank. “If your shoulder is feeling better, perhaps we should rest. It has been a long day, and?—”
“Hey, hey, wait a sec.” Seymour reached for Sariel. “Can’t we talk?—”
“Seymour?” Day meowed as she padded into the bathroom. “Sariel?”
“Oh, hi, kitty girl.” Seymour forced a smile. “What’s up?”
“I… I wanted to rest somewhere, but I didn’t know where to go.” Day’s long tail twitched. “I don’t want to go back inside the Inro, so…”
“The couch is yours if you would like it.” Sariel’s smile was equally strained. “I can get you some blankets and a pillow.”
“Thank you.” Day purred happily.
Seymour watched Sariel leave, and his heart was in his throat as he pulled his shirt back on. He reached for Day, almost out of habit now, gathering her into his arms. “So, you, uh… You sleep?”
“Yes!” Day giggled. “Even though I am a spirit, my energy still needs to be recharged. I exerted myself quite a lot earlier.”
“You mean you ate a lotta bad guys?”
“Sure did.”
“All right, c’mon. Let’s go get you tucked in, my fierce lil’ kitty girl.”
“Are you all right?” Day pouted a bit.
“Huh? Yeah.” Seymour tried to give her a more sincere smile. “Just tired too, I reckon.”
“Did you and Sariel have a fight?”
“Uh, well, not exactly.” Seymour cleared his throat as he headed back out to the living room. “The faerie twin dudes came to get the chest is all. Kinda spooked me. They say we can’t go see the king or whatever yet, so we gotta wait.”
