Chapter 323
It was midnight when Sorino announced that they should get ready to depart. When Jorick started to ask him a question, the thin vampire interrupted brusquely, "I have arranged everything. Jill and Lurid will allow the use of their planes and Thadimus will have us driven to the airfield. Everything is handled."
"Yes," Oren said as Sorino walked away. "Handled to benefit him."
Jorick only nodded.
The luggage was loaded into three large SUV-like jeeps. Thadimus wished everyone well, gave them a speech about enduring friendship, and then presented each of them with a bill for food and lodging.
The treasure hunters seemed to expect it, but it came as a surprise to Katelina. From the expressions on Neil and Loren's faces, she wasn't the only one.
"I don't think I have enough," Neil moaned as he searched through his pockets. "I did fix the radio, that should give me a discount!"
Meanwhile, Micah balled the bill up and tossed it back. "Treasure boy can pay for mine."
Jorick grunted, but pulled a wad of mixed denominations from his pocket. Katelina started to ask where it had come from, but changed her mind. She could guess.
Oren covered himself and Torina, and Verchiel generously tried to pay Sadihra's bill, but Cyprus practically shoved him out of the way and forced the money into Thadimus' hand. "I'll take care of it."
Maeko was her usual polite self and used a credit card to pay Thadimus for herself and her entourage, including Etsuko, without a complaint.
In the end, Sorino volunteered to pay the bills of those who couldn't, though he made it clear he expected to be reimbursed with interest.
The ride to the airfield was much like the ride to the compound had been. The sky was black as pitch and what was visible of the desert didn't hold Katelina's attention. Etsuko spent the first ten minutes alternately thanking Maeko and apologizing for her lack of money. "It was no trouble, Etsuko-san," Maeko promised for the last time.
Oren sat in the front seat next to the driver, and Katelina could tell by the set of his shoulders that he found Etsuko to be more than troublesome. It was such an amusing idea that it almost made it worth encouraging her. Almost. She needed to talk to Etsuko soon and explain that the woman was wasting her time.
Hector greeted them enthusiastically, and invited them in for "a spot of tea" while the planes were loaded and made ready. Katelina accepted. Only Neil, Maeko and her entourage did as well, so it seemed as close to private as she was likely to get. While Hector poured the tea, she took a seat next to Etsuko and offered her a friendly smile. "Hello."
"Hello, Mauldin-san," Etsuko replied. "How are you?"
The name and question momentarily derailed her, but she recovered. "Oh, call me Katelina, and I'm fine. I wanted to talk to you about something." She dropped her voice, though with vampires in the room she knew it was useless. "It's about Oren."
"What about Oren-sama?"
Katelina suddenly wasn't sure how to phrase it. She took a drink of tea and gave it a try. "Well, I know that you- I mean- that you're interested in him- but he's- well he's not really in the market."
Etsuko blinked over her teacup. "Is Katelina-san saying that she is also 'interested' in Oren-sama?"
Katelina choked and sputtered. "No! Oh God no! That's not what I meant at all!" She mopped herself up quickly. "Sorry. No, what I meant was that his wife just died a few months ago and I think it's going to be awhile before he's interested in anything besides whining." When she put it that way it sounded bad, as if he shouldn't be mourning his wife's death. "I don't mean whining. I mean-" But she did. Just because she understood didn't mean she wasn't tired of listening to it. It was like a friend whose boyfriend had left them. At first you patted them on the back and handed them tissues but, after a couple of months, you started thinking, "God, just get over it, already!"
She shook the thoughts off and tried again. "What I mean to say is that I don't think you're going to have much luck with him. Once we get this mess with the Heart and the tomb settled, Maeko and the others will probably go back to Japan, and it might be a good idea if you went with them. I have no idea what Oren and his sister are going to do, but I doubt he's going to let you go with him."
"I see. So Katelina-san thinks that Oren-sama will reject me?"
"Yes!" The enthusiasm seemed misplaced, so she quickly drowned it in another sip of tea. "Um, yes, something like that. I'm sure you're a wonderful person. You're certainly pretty and nice and-" she didn't have anything else. Etsuko was like a ghostly, silent presence, hovering but not participating. "-and thoughtful and all that, but Oren- Well, Oren is kind of an ass. He's impatient, bossy, petulant, whiny, mopey, wheedling, sulky, and most of all he doesn't like humans very much. I can understand why you might look at him and think he was attractive, but-" The scary thing was, she meant it. Oren was attractive. He had beautiful hair, fascinating eyes, fine features, and a chest she could bounce a quarter off of. Not to mention she remembered the sprinkling of freckles she'd seen on his shoulders. The realization left her with her mouth open and no words.
"Katelina-san is worried my feelings will be hurt?" Etsuko asked. Katelina managed to nod and make a strangled noise. Etsuko's smile turned real. "That is very kind of you, but don't worry. I understand that it may be difficult to help him, but I have faith that it will all work out in the end."
Katelina found her quiet determination part inspiring and part disturbing. "You don't understand. He really dislikes humans."
"Who dislikes humans?"
Katelina looked up to see Jorick standing behind her, his arms crossed. "Oh, hello." She peered around him to make sure he was alone. "Oren."
"Oren doesn't dislike humans. He used to keep servants. It's just been since his house was burned to the ground that he quit." Jorick's arched eyebrow seemed to suggest that she was meddling, but she ignored it.
"Yes, servants, but not equals. Not someone he'd have for tea." She held her cup up.
"He doesn't drink tea," Jorick teased.
"Fine then! Not as someone he'd have a relationship with!" She glared at Jorick, silently telling him to shut up and butt out.
Instead of getting the hint, Jorick irritatingly ruffled her hair. "Oren doesn't know what he wants, or what he likes. Jesslynn corralled him, so he's never had to think about it. We may all be surprised."
Etsuko nodded cheerfully and took another drink of tea while Katelina tried to fix her hair. The look she gave Jorick said that when Etsuko got her heart broken it would be his fault.
A wink was his only reply.
