Lesson 27- Don't put things in your mouth unless it's food or you've asked first.
Jackson frowns.
“I’m being an ass again, aren’t I?” He says guiltily and I shrug.
“A little bit, yeah.” I say with a half smile.
“Sorry. I’ll back off.” He promises and I nod my acceptance of his apology. We exchange pleasantries for a little bit longer. Jackson promises to stop by the bar sometime soon to say hi then he heads off. I head back to Torin’s office. The door is still open and he looks up at me as I approach. I smile but before I can so much as say a single word I yawn loudly.
“You’re tired. There’s still time before work, you should try to get some more sleep now that it’s quieter here.” He insists immediately. I’m not arguing. My eyelids feel like sandpaper, my head is pounding and I’m fairly sure my I.Q. has dropped significantly.
“I’ll do that.” I agree.
“What about you? Are you going to go home and get some more rest?” I ask. Torin scrunches up his face and shakes his head.
“No. Kyle will be here soon to start cooking. I need to stick around. But you should rest.” He repeats. I frown at him. He needs to sleep too, unless he’s planning to get some sleep tonight. He’s been awake even longer than I have. Actually, I’m not sure if he’s been to sleep at all. Seeing my concern and hesitation, Torin rushes to reassure me.
“I’m not human. I don’t need as much sleep as you do. I’ll be fine.” He promises. I’m still not sure I believe him, but I guess he DOES look a lot less sleepy than me. Well, he’s a grown man. He can make his own decisions. If he gets exhausted and passes out, then it’ll be his own fault and he can deal with the consequences. I head back to my room and I’m about to hop into bed when I realise my feet are all covered in white dust. Gross. I can’t use the bathroom yet, so I take a washcloth to the kitchen and wet it in the sink there. I wipe the dust off of my feet then drop the cloth into my pile of dirty clothes. Note to self- order a hamper for my dirty laundry. Then I climb into bed and I swear I’m asleep before my head even hits the pillow.
Once again, I wake up to the sound of Torin knocking on my bedroom door. I expect to feel groggy when I get up. I only had time for a short nap after all. But I actually feel pretty good. I hop to my feet and answer the door. Torin is waiting there.
“Hey, what time is it? Should I get ready for work?” I ask cheerfully.
“It’s about eight.” He says and before he can continue my eyes widen and I start to panic.
“Eight? I should have been up hours ago! Why didn’t you wake me?” I demand, rushing to my shelf to look for clean clothes.
“Relax. I let you sleep on purpose. Laura worked alone for the first part of the night. You can cover the second half. I don’t expect tonight to be too busy. You don’t need to rush. Why don’t you take a shower and have something to eat? Then you can go relieve Laura.” Torin suggests. Normally I would insist on getting to work right away. But I really DO need a shower. I suspect that some of the supernatural creatures who come to the bar have above average senses of smell and I would really be so embarrassed if I smelled gross and someone noticed. I’m beyond ready to wash my hair. Torin wanders back to his office and I sort through the toiletries that Laura purchased for me. I find shampoo and conditioner. It’s a nice brand, definitely more expensive than any I would usually pick for myself. I grab anything else that might be useful for a shower and stack it on top of a towel then head to the bathroom.
Showers are glorious. I never want to get out. It is seriously heavenly. I would love to stay here forever, but eventually my conscience drives me out. I can’t make Laura work alone all night. I’m also sped along when I go out to the hallway and realise that something smells great. Kyle has been cooking again and I’m definitely looking forward to it. I wear comfortable clothes again and pull on my shoes. I am about to head to the kitchen when something on my bed catches my eye. I haven’t made the bed, I was in too much of a hurry to shower, but placed carefully on the pillow is a small, mint green box. Curious, I sit on the bed and open the box. Inside is a rose gold bracelet. It’s simple, but pretty. Something that you could wear every day, not just on special occasions. Did someone leave this here for me? Why? Who? It could be Torin, but why would he buy me a bracelet? And why leave it on my bed rather than just giving it to me? This is so weird. Still, it’s pretty and I’m happy to have it. Since I can’t wear my silver bracelet while I’m working, this will be a great substitute.
I head to the kitchen and in a way of greeting, Kyle drops a plate of food in front of me. Some kind of roast chicken I think. It must be what smells so great. Kyle grumbles something about how I’m too skinny and goes back to his cooking. I frown. I’m not THAT thin. Although I guess compared to his round stomach I am a lot smaller. Well, whatever. As long as he keeps bringing me good food like this I’m not going to complain. I can tell his comments come from a place of affection. He means well. Once I’m so full that I will be sick if I eat any more I thank Kyle for the meal, rinse my dishes and leave them by the sink. I stop by Torin’s office and knock on the door.
“Come in Rina.” He calls out.
“How did you know it was me?” I ask as I open the door and poke my head inside. Torin shrugs.
“You’re the only one who would be knocking at my door.” He answers. Huh… Interesting.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know that I’m clean and fed and ready to get to work.” I tell him cheerfully. I’m all cheerful tonight. Having clean hair is doing wonders for my mood. It’s weird how that happens. I’m still trapped here, and someone is still trying to hurt me. But now I have a comfortable bed, clean hair and I’m well fed. Things could definitely be worse. I still really want to talk to my brother. I doubt it will take long for him to start worrying, but there’s nothing I can do right now. I’ll talk to Torin about Damien a bit later. Maybe when we’re cleaning up or something.
“Alright.” Torin nods and I head down the hallway to the door leading to the bar. I hear footsteps behind me and realise that Torin is following me. Huh… Well I don’t mind it. I step out behind the bar and Torin steps past me, around the bar and takes his usual seat at the far end of the bar. Laura perks up when she sees me. Her red hair is up in a high ponytail and it swings as she spins around to face me.
“Rina! Torin said you needed to sleep a bit more. Are you feeling alright now?” She asks, pulling me into a tight hug. I’m a little stunned. I didn’t know that Laura and I were at a hugging stage of our friendship. But I suppose I don’t really have a problem with it.
“Yep. One hundred percent ready to go.” I declare as I get to work.
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