12 Chapter 12

Emerick woke to find the place beside him on the bed was completely empty. Sitting up, bleary eyed, he realized it was still quite dark. A glance at the clock confirmed that daybreak was still hours away, but it didn't change the fact Trixie was gone, and for some reason he felt quite empty.

This wasn't his first night with a woman, and most left long before sleep had even occurred. It had never troubled him in the past, so he couldn't fathom why it should now. Part of him wanted to roll over, fall asleep, and forget about the whole thing, but he felt too restless. Deciding he needed some air, he leapt from the bed and wandered out onto the balcony.

The air had cooled somewhat in the darkness of night, but the ground still radiated with heat it had absorbed through the day, though dimly. A warm breeze wafted by, tousling his hair as he stared out over the expansive city. He hadn't even known the young half-blooded woman a full day, so how could he already be so attached that he was missing her. He was pondering what to do about this when a noise behind him startled him.

"Do you usually stare off the balcony in the nude?" Trixie questioned. "Not that I mind…"

"It fuels my cognitive process," Emerick said with a wide smile, not missing a beat. "Besides, the draft on my exposed privates is simply exhilarating. You should try it some time."

He didn't want to admit it out loud, not until he had a solution to cope with the implications involved, but he was ridiculously happy to see she was still there. Judging by the wetness of her hair, Trixie had been in the bathe, which would explain why he hadn't seen her. In retrospect, as hot and heavy as it had gotten between them and as limited as her access to a bath was in the abominable building she had in place of a home, it was only logical she would want to take advantage of his bathing chambers while she had access to them. He was somewhat disappointed to note that she was dressed in the clothes she'd been wearing when they left the institute the previous day.

"You would like that, wouldn't you," She smirked, though she gave him an odd look. "Besides, what makes you think I haven't tried it out myself?"

"That would make you a woman after my own heart," He winked. Noticing her glance over him, then look abruptly away he thought idly if he should make a point of putting pants on.

Not that he minded her seeing him naked, in fact he wished she'd look a little more, but he had a sense that she was becoming uncomfortable. Wordlessly, he moved to his clothing trunk and pulled out a fresh pair of boxers, and—remembering the events of the previous day—he opted for trousers he didn't feel particularly attached to.

"Can't handle the heat?" She teased, though she appeared somewhat relieved. At a guess, she might actually be experiencing the same degree of unexpected attachment to him as he felt towards her, and it intimidated her. It made the puzzle before him all the more difficult, and all the more fascinating.

"I'd say I handle it quite well," He replied. "Though I'm going to need another night with you if you want proof."

"Not going to happen," She said abruptly, turning away. Yep, trying to forge any sort of relationship with Trixie was going to take time, effort, and patience. The problem was, as things were, time wasn't on his side and he'd be hard pressed to find ways of seeing her again after the conclusion of the inspection.

"Why not?" He pressed, undeterred. Normally, he wouldn't mind letting her have a few days, but he didn't have a few days to give her. He would just have to be careful to work something out while working around her boundaries. Breaking them wasn't an option, it would only alienate her further.

"I don't take the same client multiple times in close succession," She stated flatly. Great divines, she was determined to keep everyone at arms-length. That said, he knew of one weakness he could exploit, one most would view as condemning but he actually thought quite cute.

"Come on, you must have a price," He whispered suggestively. It was a gamble, she didn't like to be touched without offering permission, but looking past the risk he gently stroked from her cheek, down her neck, to her shoulder.

"You!" Her face colored intensely as she regarded him with frustration, lust, and fear, all wrapped into one emotional ball. "Triple. You want another night, it'll be triple from last night's pay."

"Done," He said without hesitation.

"That's what I- wait, what?" She gawked at him in disbelief. Apparently the possibility that he'd agree to her price had never crossed her mind.

Truthfully, it was a bit much, and if it was anyone else he probably would have laughed off such a ludicrous amount, but one benefit of minimal staffing and the fact he wasn't usually a big spender, he had quite a lot of savings from the monthly allowance his father gave him. Besides, it was for her. For Trixie, he realized he would willingly give every last coin he had to even spend an hour with her. It was an amusingly foolish sentiment, but true never-the-less, and he would've been an even bigger fool to let her slip through his fingers.

"I said, if you are serious and that's what it would take, then we have a deal," He stated, staring her dead in the eye. Part of him wanted to delve into some long-winded, romantic bullshit about her now being the center of his universe—which was true—but he had an inkling that would only serve to scare her away. Such sappy sentiments could wait until she was ready to hear them, for now it was more important to find a way to get her to stick around.

"There's no way you could afford that," She sated incredulously.

"I have as much on me now," He replied, lifting a bell from one of the side tables and ringing it as he stared back into her mesmerizing amber orbs. He could feel her searching his eyes for some kind of answers.

"You summoned me?" Jacoby appeared moments later, breaking their staring contest as Trixie turned in surprise.

"Triple the amount," Emerick said simply.

"As you wish my lord," Jacoby replied with a bow. As ever, Jacoby knew what was needed without the details, something Emerick appreciated about the butler.

He left the room, only to return moments later with a large chest. The burden didn't seem to trouble him, but by the way it landed when he placed it on the ground in front of her, it was obvious the thing was heavy. For good measure, he opened the lid for her.

For a handful of long, awkward minutes, she stared at the chest, emotions cycling through her eyes like the spinning wheel of a slot machine. It was a dirty play on his part, having seen the living conditions in the institution he could well imagine how much she needed that money and what she needed it for, but she had her own code of rules she lived by out of necessity, and he was pitting two parts of herself against each other. That said, he wasn't so magnanimous that he could entertain his other option, which would be to simply let her go. He knew they'd both regret that decision.

"I need some time to think about it," She sighed awhile later. She looked so tired, he wanted to give her a hug. He refrained, knowing it would only make her even more uncomfortable in present circumstances.

"That's fair enough," Emerick replied. "I suspect we both have a lot of work we need to accomplish today anyway." With a gesture from him, Jacoby bowed once again, then closed the chest and moved it to the side. "We'll revisit this later. In the meantime, would you prefer I take you to your orphanage, or should I take you directly to the institution?"

"The institution please," She said after a moment's thought. He knew there had to be a reason, but he set aside his curiosity and refrained from asking. He was sure he'd learn her reasons soon enough, and probing would only agitate her further at this point. He had a strong feeling she would accept so long as he didn't push her any further.

"Very well," he nodded then turned to Jacoby. "Is everything arranged?"

"Breakfast is on its way as we speak," Jacoby spoke promptly, "and the items you requested are ready. I delivered your message as requested, and we've received a reply. Would you prefer me to relay it, or would you like to read it yourself?"

"I'll read it on my own," Emerick nodded. "Are you ready for today? I hope you have a strong stomach."

"Oh, I am quite eager to begin," Jacoby said with a dry smile. "Even if it's only half as appalling as you've described, I'll have my work cut out for me."

"I would hate to be that poor receptionist," Emerick shook his head. The Honey Pot institution wouldn't know what hit it. "Has Orval turned up?"

"He's in his quarters now," Jacoby replied. "He's been tending to a sick child since he arrived at the hotel yesterday evening."

"He's still living even though he returned without me?" Emerick smiled.

"I was quite put out," Jacoby responded icily, "however I could hardly butcher him in front of a child, especially one with such an abysmal fever."

"Who's Orval, and what's this about a child?" Trixie interrupted. Jacoby scoffed, indignant about the situation, and left Emerick to explain.

"Orval is the knight assigned to my protection," Emerick explained. "Yesterday, while we were conducting our initial inspection, we encountered a young boy who was quite ill and his rude instructor. To summarize, he arrested the woman and adopted the child quite impulsively and left me behind in his haste."

"That's pretty random," Trixie said with a frown. "Is it really ok to leave a child with someone like that?"

"Orval is a good man," Emerick replied. "A bit on the reckless side, but when he sets mind to something, he commits. As far as he's concerned, that kid is already his son, hard as that may be to believe. Besides," he added with a shrug. "This is why I have Jacoby. He makes excellent adult supervision."

"I can see that," She said, eyeing the bunny butler. "But still, is the kid ok with all of this? Do you even know his name for that matter?"

"I didn't catch his name," Emerick replied honestly, then looked to Jacoby. "I don't suppose you might know it?"

"I believe it was 'Milo' sire," Jacoby supplied.

"Milo seems fitting," Emerick nodded. "Anyone you know?" He turned back to Trixie.

"He's not from my orphanage," She shook her head. "Though I have an idea of who you mean."

The morning passed quicker than Emerick would've liked as they chatted. Breakfast arrived and was finished with haste, and all too soon they were in the carriage on their way back.