Who Said Life was Fair? - A Novella

Chapter Six

Speak of the Old Gods. There she was, holding a glass of champagne and looking like she'd never left the party. "I'm back, beloved! Did I miss anything?"

He gestured to the king, who was doing his best impression of a chicken doing the tango. "This." He raised an eyebrow, hoping Thousand would get the message. What is this?

"Oh my! His Majesty seems to have had a little fun already!" She winked. "It would be a shame if he spilled something important." She whispered this last part in her usual tone.

Lucas nodded. Got it. She motioned to the door. We can talk in the gardens without being overheard.

Once safely in the gardens, hidden in the labirynths, Thousand did something he'd also never expect – she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars we're done. I couldn't play that stuffy idiot Rosa for another second," she groaned.

"You're acting like Rosa's a real person."

"All my characters are. Otherwise I can't play them." She cocked her head, as if this was a perfectly normal thing to do. Lucas had to admit, he found it endearing.

"Wait, what other characters are there?" he couldn't help but ask.

"There's that shallow bore, Yasmin, angry Helene, dumb Nella... I guess I like Kuya best, because she's slightly less annoying. Only a smidge below the rest, though..." Thousand suddenly trailed off, and Lucas could've sworn her cheeks were dusted pink. "Nevermind. What did the king say to you?"

"Wait, wait. You're telling me you have all these characters. And you've never shown them to anyone." Lucas stared at her wide-eyed. He couldn't believe it! He was making so much progress – he'd never seen her talk this much before!

"Yes. Now tell me what the king said, idiot. I need to finish the job if I want food on my plate." Lucas laughed, not even registering that she'd technically insulted him. People can insult others in a fond way, right? That's a thing. It had to be a thing, or he was so, so screwed.

"The king said..." He blinked twice, then three times. Focus, you idiot. Was that his brother's voice? It seemed more like Thousand's this time. "The king... kind of suspected this all being a plot. But– if it fails we can always accuse Rosa of witchcraft! Boom, money saved." Was he rambling? He hoped he wasn't rambling too much.

"Witchcraft? That would mean I can never use her alias again." She paused, deep in thought. "But it would work as a last resort. I never liked her much anyway."

Lucas nodded. "So, when can we meet next?"

He regretted the words as soon as he said them – and his mind helpfully filled him in on five hundred better things he could've said. I've been talking out of place this whole mission, he reminded himself. It's probably best if I don't continue.

"Your family is hosting your cousin's birthday party. I'll be the blue-haired lady again." Lucas wondered if this was the 'Kuya' that Thousand liked best out of all her characters. "We'll have to both be seen leaving the country, but the moment we arrive I'm going back to my base."

Lucas felt a pang of disappointment. No, no I didn't. Shut up, inner voice.

"Got it! Kuya with the blue hair." She raised an eyebrow, impressed, and he had to fight the heat that rose to his cheeks. "I- uh, thanks for the help, Thousand," he stammered.

"My name's Diora," she replied.

Lucas gaped, his mouth barely open – but tried his best not to show it. Still, he would never be a good enough actor to hide his surprise in this moment. (Perhaps a better word for it would be complete and utter shock.)