Tybalt left after the meal but not before, he offered to stay and keep Ana company. She assured him that would not be necessary because Ragnar was supposed to be guarding the house. Tybalt said goodbye and walked out the door. Not ten seconds after the door closed and the lock clicked into place, Ana and Ragnar relieved themselves of their polite masks; she stood there glaring at him praying to Order for the strength not to fight with her brother’s “friend”.
“Where are my papers and my gun?” she asked.
“After last night you honestly thought I wasn’t going to go through your bag? Order have mercy Ana! What have you been doing since you were ‘taken’ away?” he shouted. He had given Ana a cane to help her walk. She leaned against it, put a hand to her forehead, and laughed without humour. She and Order never did seem to be on the same page.
“Do you think I ran away?” she asked.
“At first I thought you couldn’t have but after I thought a little more about last night, what I found in your bag, what Dr. Nightingale reported, and your little performance I don’t know what to think. Maybe...” Ana swung the cane like a bat and struck him on the leg he had been supporting most of his weight on. He crumpled and fell to the floor, he tried to get up but she struck him across the back. Ragnar collapsed and she rolled him over with her foot and put the end of the cane to his neck.
“Don’t you dare accuse me of abandoning my family,” she said. Her voice was low like a growl.
“Then why do you want to leave again without even seeing them?” he asked.
“They don’t want to meet her. They don’t know it yet but we know they won’t want to know us,” she said with a small dark laugh.
“What are you talking about?” her use of nouns confused him.
“What did you find in my bag?” Ana asked ignoring his question.
He swallowed the cane still on his neck. It was a far cry from a knife or a gun but he did not know how far she would go. He had not considered the cane a weapon but now he figured she might have made weapons out of less.
“Are you really going to do it,” he asked watching her face go from dark to alarmed to just sad. Her head drooped and her hair fell in front of her face so he could not see her expressions.
“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. Nenavysta had made her do many awful things in the past but so far, none of it has made a grand impact on life, as the commonwealth knew it. This new plan may change everything.
“How can you not know? Are you going to banish the heir to the throne of Existence, Order’s representative on Earth, to exile in the water’s of Chaos like a condemned criminal or are you not?” Ragnar demanded feeling his temper boil.
“Shut up, hard as it may be for you to believe but committing murder is something that one does not undertake lightly.” She pressed the tip of the cane on his throat harder.
“Especially not Prince Kaspar’s?” Ragnar asked swallowing nervously.
“Hmm, yes especially not Prince Kaspar’s.”
There was a knock at the front door and Ana withdrew her cane pulling Ragnar back to his feet. “Tell no one,” she threatened.
“I won’t,” he said rubbing his throat.
“Hello, Ragnar, Ms. Tanner, anyone in there?” Dr. Nightingale’s voice came through the door. Ragnar opened it.
“Have you begun shooting at each other again?” Dr. Nightingale asked coming in the front door.
“Oh hello. It is nice to finally speak to you,” Ana said limping away from the doorway and leaning against the kitchen counter.
“So what was your occupation before you came here?” asked Dr. Nightingale. Settling herself into an armchair in the living room.
“No beating around the bush with you,” Ana’s voice revealed she was exasperated with the questions.
“Well you bear more battle scars then a Legion Soldier.”
Ana’s lips twitched.
“Don’t drug me again,” Ana’s smile was bittersweet.
“Answer my question.”
“For my occupation I get involved with some nasty characters and I’ve learn how to handle myself.”
“Are you a prostitute? Career criminal? You’re a good liar.”
“Thank you. No I’m not a prostitute, closer to the latter.”
“How’d you get your burns?”
“I do respect you and your forwardness, it is a bold trait which I also find admirable but, Kimmy, don’t make us hate you. Let’s just leave it at she was a little reckless on the job one time.”
“Very well then. I have a feeling that you are one of those girls that goes through men like socks so if you would please not tease Tybalt I think we would all appreciate it. The man is too... trusting for his own good especially with regards to females and he buys your sweet and innocent act like candy.”
“Don’t worry Kimmy your brother seems like a good man he won’t pay for us,” Ana smiled. Kim Nightingale was not stupid she noticed Ana had been speaking in the first person plural or third person. It made her curious but she did not want to press. She was good at hiding it but Ana made her very nervous.
“Just don’t fool with him, he’s stupid when it comes to women,” Kim said.
“I doubt it,” Nenavysta sneered.
“Well you should get some rest.” Ragnar said rubbing his temples, hoping his interruption could be enough to stop them from getting into a catfight.
“Are you joking? I am not tired I just slept all day, which is your fault so you go to bed and have sweet dreams or terrible nightmares. I am staying up.” Ana made a B-line for the kitchen. Ana’s head was aching and because she could not tell whether that was because of Nenavysta or her interrogation, she wanted a drink. Nenavysta had a harder time taking control when Ana was drunk.
“Well then I’ll stay the night. I’m not tired yet either,” Kim and Ana began staring each other down.
We can take her, thought Nenavysta.
That is not the problem. We are injured we will just be limping away to hide in a hole and starve for another two weeks until we can travel and even then another three weeks before we are back to normal again. Ana argued.
“Trust me Kim I’m not going anywhere. Besides if, the Unther Cabal is as great as Tybalt makes it out to be. Hiding from you, people would be hard. I’m staying two weeks.”
You were supposed to get us out today! Nenavysta roared.
I said that when I waking up from horse tranquilizers you should have known better than to listen to me.
“Hello?” Kim was snapping her fingers in front of Ana’s face.
“Yes?”
“Come on space case answer my question.”
“What was your question again?” Ana asked.
“Why did you just pour all the wine down the sink?” Kim asked her tone full of attitude. Ana looked down and saw two empty wine bottles and the sink running.
Ana cursed.