Lavender Scent, Part 4

"Can't believe we messed up so badly and still got away with it," Lavender said proudly as if she were the greatest thief in history.

"We were lucky," I replied, matching her pace.

In our escapade, a split a second made all the difference.

"Nope." She shook her head, indicating that something was something wrong with my statement. "It wasn't because of luck. We were able to flee because both of us responded appropriately given the circumstances."

"Those two would have spotted us if they had walked faster," I countered.

"And then, Douglass, what?" Lave responded with an annoyed smile. "Threaten to steal my journal? Can you tell me precisely what they would've done?"

"Everything you just said," I mumbled, knowing that things could have gone far worse. "Perhaps even more."

She sighed, casting me an indecipherable glance. "You're such a worrywart. We were never actually in any real danger."

That was utterly ridiculous. How could you possibly maintain a straight face when saying something like that?

"Things can go wrong even when you're convinced they won't," I scoffed, bewildered by her innocence despite having been in the Underworld for longer than I had.

Whatever you believe, no matter how remote the chance, there is always the possibility of something horrible happening.

Lava came to a complete stop and turned to face me. "Douglass, you can't say that unless you know all the variables. Certain details that you're not aware of may have slipped your mind, resulting in your errored opinion."

I returned her frigid stare. "That's precisely why I'm saying all of this. Something goes wrong, the situation gets out of control, and then neither of us would've been here to argue about it."

"And despite this, you chose to hang out with me. Someone you've never met before, in a place we both know is far from secure. What does that cautiousness of yours have to say about those facts, huh?"

That's because the benefits of getting closer to Lave outweighed the risks... I knew things may go wrong at any given moment, but what I'd really despise would be failing to act when the situation demands it... yet everything worked out fine because we behaved properly instead of freezing in fear, right?

She heaved out a sigh. "It's already over. Whatever scenarios you're picturing in your head, they're not going to happen, Douglass. I know what we've done was reckless, but it's too late to be concerned about it now."

We managed to get away, haven't we?

"But you'll be sorry when something you didn't give enough of a thought to happens," I tried to argue back.

She gave me a brief look before lightly touching my shoulders, trying not to startle me. "I get it, okay," Lave said so in the lowest tone she could muster. "You are right. Before carrying out the prank, we should have examined all possible outcomes, and then some. We were negligent, but that doesn't change the facts. We're fine, Douglass. Nobody's chasing us or anything, so please, get a hold of yourself."

Confronted with that kind of reaction, I couldn't help but calm down.

"I'm sorry," I squeezed out.

"It's fine," Lave reassured me, then threw me a wink. "Every once in a while, things can go out of hand."

"No," I shook my head, still embarrassed by what I had done. "I just took it out on you."

Lavender reached out and grabbed my face with her hands. My muscles twitched as I prepared to avoid her touch, but for some unknown reason, I let her do as she pleased. It wasn't like she was trying to hurt me or anything, I reasoned.

"What am I supposed to do with—" she muttered to herself, only to be cut off by the buzz of a phone. It certainly wasn't mine.

"Crap, I'll be late for work." Leva's eyes widened as she said that.

"Can I ask you a question?"

There was still something I wanted to know.

She hissed, "Make it quick!"

"Do you have any idea where Jacob's might be?"

The elder mentioned something about it, but he didn't provide any details.

"Just go the blue lights and ask for him," Levander said, tapping her heels on the ground as if she was about to take off. "Don't be too concerned, many people know him! I would've loved to show you the way, Douglass, but I can't stick around any longer. Crap, I'm already late!"

Despite her mischievous demeanor, she seemed to be serious about her job. I would've reacted the same way in her shoes, or heels for that matter.

"I'm sorry our date took up so much of your precious time."

"And I'm sorry I couldn't show you the bright parts of this place!"

That reply wasn't something I could've expected to hear.

I'd be delighted to see any bright parts the Underworld had to offer other than the dim light coming through the circular opening in the ceiling where the sky should've been. Maybe I'll get the chance to see the good in this place, eventually.

"Make sure you don't trip while you're running," I murmured as I watched her figure. Walking around in heels appeared to be quite challenging in and of itself, let alone jogging with a gown on top of everything else.

I had to admit Lavender's amazing in her own right.

"Oh, shove it!"

"I'd rather—" but paused before I could say the rest.

The reason why I didn't finish my response was because of the phone shaking in my pocket. I had a rough idea of who the caller might be. I also knew the contents of the call were significant and could impact the course of my following actions.

For a brief moment, it surprised me to learn there even was any signal in the Underworld. But the wonders of technology didn't really matter right now. My impatience took the best of me. I shook my head, trying to get rid of any lingering thoughts, then took a deep breath and tapped on the screen.

It was about time I learned my predicament.