“To answer your questions, I'm Thor Boroson. I own the Hook & Collar. Chase is off running an errand and will be back shortly. And I wouldn't dare lay a hand on you unless I wanted to anger my best friend who left you in my care.”
“Best friend?”
“ Yes, he goes by many nicknames,” he smiled. “But you can call him Anpu, or Anubis.”
“Why would he ask you to take care of me?” Star was a bit confused.
“You can ask him that when you see him later. Or better yet, don’t. I wasn’t supposed to tell you he was here. Now drink up. I'm sure that headache isn't going to let up. Plus, you don't want to be a drag on set. Anpu might like you, but he's a different man when he's in work mode. And after you drank his prized whiskey, I'm sure he's not too happy with you.”
Thor was right if the day before was anything to go by. He did not want to have another bad day again.
“Wait, Anubis knows about last night?” Star asked in shock.
“Yup. He said he'd take care of you but changed his mind for some reason and asked me to look after you. Probably pissed you drank his prize whiskey.
“Is the whiskey worth a lot of money?”
Thor smirked, and Star groaned, rubbing the side of his head. He tried to recall if he'd seen Anubis during his drunken haze, but nothing came to mind. But the fact that Anubis was there last night did not sit well with Star. He'd been told that he tended to ramble about gods knew what when he was drunk. Hopefully, he didn’t say anything too idiotic or offend the other man in any way.
“Did he say why he left?” Star looked up at Thor.
“No,” Thor responded. “He just said he had to leave and for me to care for you. So go on and drink up.”
Star stared at the man and then the green blob on the tray, deciding to try it. What could be worse at this point? Picking up the glass, he pinched his nose, bringing it to his lips. And just like Thor said, the drink tasted better than it smelled.
“Thanks,” Star said, putting the glass back down on the tray.
“No problem. Rest for a few minutes and give the drink a chance to work.”
Star was already feeling better, so he didn't see the need to lie back down. “I think I should go.” He stood and stretched, feeling all of the pain and upset stomach ease away. “Shit, I feel good.”
“Right. Best sober-up potion. Or that's what I call it. I keep trying to get Chase to sell it, but he refuses to do it.”
“Chase made it.”
“Yup, there's more to him than meets the eye.”
“So true,” Star muttered. “Anyway, I should get going. Thanks for everything.” He moved toward the door but stopped at Thor's next words.
“If you wait another minute, Chase should be back with your stuff. I doubt you want to show up on set in your pajamas.”
Star was in such a rush to get the hell out of here since he was feeling better, he hadn't realized he was in his night clothes. “Oh, damn.”
Thor chuckled, walking toward the door. “Sit tight. Chase will be back soon.”
“Okay.” Thor left, and Star sat back down on the bed.
Despite waking up with a terrible hangover, he’d had a good time. He'd learned a lot about Valleywood and magic. He was still working through his feelings that his parents gave up their second chance so he could have his, but he also knew that he couldn't waste it worrying about the what-if's.
Knowing they were still watching over him, Star would make them proud and let his star shine bright enough for them to see it. A smile crossed his lips. He had to live to the fullest now. He had spent too much time thinking and dwelling on the past. He still had one plan he needed to see through to ensure Dent didn't end up in jail. Because Star believed this was also his friend's second chance.
Chapter Fifteen
ANUBIS
“Itook care of your boy,” Thor said, leaning back in his chair.
Anubis nodded his thanks, raising his gaze from the video chat just in time to see Star enter the lot. He didn't look haggard, so that meant Chase's potion worked. He watched as Star greeted a few crew members with a bright smile, but Anubis could see caution in his eyes, as if he was searching for someone. Or maybe he was still worried about what the staff would think about what happened yesterday, even though Anubis had assured him that he'd taken care of everything.
