Since the events of the night of 28 December, Alain had taken something of a vacation. He had a few new scars to show for it and took some time to sleep it off, and a week later, he was more well-rested than he'd been since the abduction in August. "The Benefactor," as Alain liked to call the unnamed noble who had brought the Servants of the Dead to RhyDin, was still at large, and other storms were brewing... and yet these dark thoughts took a backseat.
He'd seen Ellyna in the inn the other day. The cousin he thought might have overdosed at a party in a far-off resort had returned to the city, and they'd eaten dinner together. Little as he had in common with Elly, his good mood and the joy at seeing another D'Mourir returned to the city made the evening a good one. He was even glad to see Solange LeClerc, though he'd manipulated her somewhat to his own purposes by the end of their meeting...
He had bought a charming old house in Dragon's Gate, only a couple of blocks from the Red Dragon Inn. The downstairs, he'd decided, would be a new sports bar, and he'd live upstairs. He figured he could knock out the construction pretty quickly, at least by the springtime. Cassie didn't seem too pleased with it, but... as Alain thought about it now, sitting in her living room and scritching the belly of his new dog, Jean, he loved spending time with Cassie... but wasn't ready to formally move in. Didn't feel comfortable assuming it as a logical next step.
Hopefully, things would still work out. But these thoughts, and still others far darker, did not draw the worried frowns to his brow that they often did.
While Jean was curled up against his left thigh, a letter as well as a couple pages of notes were on the right. Finding the true father of a young woman named Izira Nyte. It seemed that finding out about who and what her father truly was would puzzle out a lot more of her own nature... but it struck him it would give her peace of mind on another level as well...
Jean twitched his ears and heaved a long, sleepy sigh. Alain grinned and rubbed the top of his head. "I hear ya, buddy."
He'd seen Ellyna in the inn the other day. The cousin he thought might have overdosed at a party in a far-off resort had returned to the city, and they'd eaten dinner together. Little as he had in common with Elly, his good mood and the joy at seeing another D'Mourir returned to the city made the evening a good one. He was even glad to see Solange LeClerc, though he'd manipulated her somewhat to his own purposes by the end of their meeting...
He had bought a charming old house in Dragon's Gate, only a couple of blocks from the Red Dragon Inn. The downstairs, he'd decided, would be a new sports bar, and he'd live upstairs. He figured he could knock out the construction pretty quickly, at least by the springtime. Cassie didn't seem too pleased with it, but... as Alain thought about it now, sitting in her living room and scritching the belly of his new dog, Jean, he loved spending time with Cassie... but wasn't ready to formally move in. Didn't feel comfortable assuming it as a logical next step.
Hopefully, things would still work out. But these thoughts, and still others far darker, did not draw the worried frowns to his brow that they often did.
While Jean was curled up against his left thigh, a letter as well as a couple pages of notes were on the right. Finding the true father of a young woman named Izira Nyte. It seemed that finding out about who and what her father truly was would puzzle out a lot more of her own nature... but it struck him it would give her peace of mind on another level as well...
Jean twitched his ears and heaved a long, sleepy sigh. Alain grinned and rubbed the top of his head. "I hear ya, buddy."