Lesson 97- Make sure to respect other people’s right to privacy.

The next few days are fairly quiet. Nothing has particularly changed except Laura arrives for work with Kyle now and everyone is getting used to having Crash around. The kitten is being spoiled terribly, and not just by myself and Torin. Laura dotes on him, and I have caught more than one customer sneaking him bits of food or picking him up for cuddles. I would worry about him getting fat, but he also spends a lot of time chasing people around and pouncing on their ankles. If all else fails, Jane gives him a good workout before I go to bed every morning, teasing him and playing while we clean up. Basically, everyone loves him. The only hold out is Kyle. He still flat-out refuses to admit that Crash is cute. He complains about him every chance he gets and repeatedly reminds everyone to ‘keep that damn cat out of his kitchen.’ But I don’t think he REALLY hates Crash. More than once I’ve caught him sneaking the kitten kitchen scraps. I haven’t said anything though. If he wants to deny his affection then let him. We all know that feeding people is how Kyle shows he cares.

Despite the relaxed atmosphere the last few days, I’ve been… Uncomfortable. The incident with Laura reminded me of just how limited my freedom here really is. Torin might trust me with the wards to his bar and serving his customers. He might even trust my advice when it comes to socialising and trying to make new friends. But is that really such a big deal when he can’t even trust me to leave this place? I know I said I would be patient, but I have already been here for weeks and I’m not convinced that I’m actually any closer to being free than I was when I first got here. These small scraps of trust that Torin has given me feel a lot like the gifts he initially offered when I was angry with him. Like he’s trying to trick me into being happy by giving me JUST enough to think that I’m making progress. Just enough that I continue to cooperate. The only difference is that I don’t think he’s really doing it on purpose. I’m the one choosing to hope that something will change here. He has never promised anything of the kind. We’ve spoken about it, how I won’t be content to stay here forever. But all he’s ever done is acknowledge it, he’s never actually promised that he will eventually let me go. It might be time for me to focus on coming up with some explanation for my brother so that Torin will give me my phone back. Mostly I’m just hurt. I’ve given Torin basically complete trust. I treat him as a close friend, I trust him to keep me safe here, a place where I really don’t have much chance to protect myself. I don’t even have any way to find out who is after me. So yeah, I’ve been a little bit down the last few days. But I’m not the only one who is a little off. Torin has also been acting strangely. He’s been very quiet, like more quiet than usual. But also strangely… Attentive. We spend a lot of time together, that’s nothing new. He sits at the bar while I’m working, we have meals together during my breaks and sometimes we hang out before the bar opens or after it closes. But in the last few days it seems like he’s ALWAYS around. He gets in early, stays late and even on my night off we spent the entire time hanging out. I spent time in his office, and when I decided to head back to my room to draw for a bit, he put aside his own work and followed me. He just sat in the recliner for like three hours watching me work. It was weird and honestly a little uncomfortable. But mostly because the entire time it seemed like he had something he wanted to say. But if he couldn’t spit it out after three hours then he isn’t likely to be able to tell me whatever it is anytime soon. I’ve tried asking him about his behaviour, but he denies that anything is unusual. When I asked he just told me that nothing is wrong and he just enjoys my company. I believe that he likes the company, but something is definitely bothering him.

Today is the first time all week that I’ve actually spent time without him. It’s late afternoon, which is a little early for me to be awake, but Torin came by and collected Crash. He’s taking him to the vet for me to get him a check up. I made the appointment online using the tablet. I originally planned on asking Laura to take him, but she’s basically spending time at Kyle’s or at work. At least until things with her family settle down a little bit. She is working on setting up wards for her own home, but it doesn’t seem like she’s in all that much of a rush and Kyle definitely isn’t pushing for her to leave. Either way, Laura and Kyle are here already and we’re setting up for the evening, but Torin is out. Generally this wouldn’t be an issue, there isn’t anything we can’t handle here. But when I head out back to look for Laura, I find her and Kyle both standing in front of Torin’s office door looking incredibly frustrated.
“What’s wrong?” I immediately ask. Laura sighs.
“I told Torin I would go over the inventory list before we open tonight. But it’s in his office and he isn’t here. I tried texting him but he isn’t answering his phone.” She gestures at the door. I’m not quite sure what the issue is.
“Oh, he’s probably in with the vet right now. You should just go and get it. I’m sure he won’t mind.” I reason. Laura gasps and Kyle gives me an expression that says he thinks I’ve lost my mind.
“I can’t just go and take it from his office!” Laura objects. I consider.
“You might be right, it’s chaos in there. You might struggle to find it. But I’m sure between the three of us we can figure out where he put it.” I reason. Kyle makes a sound like he’s being strangled and Laura sighs.
“I mean we can’t go into his office at all. I don’t want to risk pissing him off.” She explains. I tilt my head, confused.
“What do you mean? I hang out in his office all the time. Sure, he’s out. But it’s not like he keeps anything secret in there. It’s just a place to work.” I am really not sure what they’re so worried about. Kyle rolls his eyes at me.
“Rina, I don’t think either of us have ever even SEEN inside Torin’s office.” He explains. I frown.
“Huh? Why not? What do you do when he’s in there and you need to talk to him?” I wonder.
“We text him.” Laura answers. Well that seems dramatic. It’s just a room like any other room here.
“Well, if you’re so worried about it, I’ll go in and get the inventory book thing. What does it look like?” I ask, reaching for the door. Laura seems hesitant but Kyle just shrugs.
“Let her go get it. She seems to be able to get away with a lot here anyway. Torin isn’t willing to risk upsetting her.” He grumbles. I shrug and open the door. Laura and Kyle peer in curiously. They seem as surprised as I was at first to see all the mess. Torin comes across as such a controlled person. It’s strange to see how chaotic things are when he relaxes a little. I start digging around through all the piles of paper. This might be harder than I thought, particularly since Kyle and Laura refuse to come in and help. They just hover in the hallway and watch me search.

There’s a squeak of alarm from Laura which alerts me to the fact that Torin has gotten back. He seems confused to find everyone standing in front of his office.
“She’s just looking for the inventory book. I tried to contact you.” Laura rushes to explain.
“Hey Tori, I can’t find anything in here.” I comment with a grin. Torin shrugs.
“Oh… Yeah, I’ll help you look for it. I think I might know where I put it.” He lowers Crash’s new cat carrier to the ground and lets him loose, then comes to help me look. Laura and Kyle are still standing awkwardly in the hallway. I decide to prove to them that I’m really not in trouble.
“Tori… I have something I want to ask you. Actually, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while now…” I trail off and look up at him hopefully. He gives me a questioning look. He knows I’m not asking him to let me go, I’ve asked plenty of times before. This has to be something new. Everyone watches on nervously.