42 | Sitkolson

Chapter Seven | Shower

Friday relaxed into a steaming hot bath. The water was as pink as her hair, with fresh rose petals floating alongside the bubbles. Through a window over the tub, she could see the sparkling night sky. Beau had been kind enough to bring her a drink. She didn't bother to get the details, all she cared about was it had vodka and tasted sweet.

She was the type to prefer luxury over morality. Clearly, that's why she had joined a mercenary society a few years back. Given the fact that they left her to rot in 42, she wasn't as smitten with them as she once was. Though she did still have her reserves, Friday could see herself sticking around this place.

As for the prison guard staying across the hall, he wouldn't be as easy to convince. Vinny laid awake, honestly scared to sleep in a house full of super villains. Part of him would like to hope there's heroes out there looking for him, or at the very least, looking for the escaped convicts. Unfortunately, if Covey had managed to remain here untouched, and the others thought this the best place to hide out, it's likely no good-doers knew of this location.

On the other side of the mansion, the kitchen lights were still on, albeit dimmed. Beau stood over a cutting board, slowly pulling the knife through a potato. His mind was preoccupied and his body tired. When his father walked in, his reaction was delayed.

"What're you doing up?" He quietly asked, using that tone that any loving parent gets.

Beau half-grinned, "Hm, I'm tired, but I can't sleep. Decided to make some food."

Covey walked up beside him and took the knife from his hand. "Go sit. I'll do this. You did escape prison tonight."

He placed his hand on Covey's shoulder, glancing up at him with lethargic eyes. "I wish I could've taken your postcards with me, but I'd much rather have you back."

His father paused for a moment to look back at him and smile. "I'm glad to have you back. Ask your uncles, I was a wreck without you and Jasper."

Beau walked around the counter, taking a seat at one of the bar stools on the other side. "How's he feeling?"

"He should be alright, once he gets enough rest. I plan to perform a healing ritual tomorrow nonetheless. Once he's on his feet, he'll want answers. It'd be for the best if you tell me know, instead of having to tell him later."

The angel sighed, "It was Ricky and Ryan. They took Chris. I couldn't get in Ricky's mind fast enough to know what he was thinking, but it seemed like a revenge thing. Chris was the one who got them caught, after all."

"What a mess." Covey replied, "Going up against those two is one thing, but we also have to worry about finding them before any supers do. And, we have the problem that we could risk revealing ourselves to supers in the process. I hate to say it, but we may need to open a rift."

"Even if we didn't have this whole problem, I wouldn't mind having some extra manpower on our side. On our living side, that is. We don't have to worry about our presence in the spirit world."

He chuckled, "That's very true. Mind telling me about your new friends?"

"Oh, yeah." Beau said, "Friday Ruki, she belongs to a secret society of mercenaries. Pretty sure she only came with us because she wants to get laid. The other one, Vinny Mauro, he was the guard that looked after us during the day. It wasn't my intention to bring him here. He has a good heart, better than any other hero I've ever met. Maybe if he got the chance to see us for what we really are, he'd... Understand, I guess. At the very least, I think Jasper will be interested in his powers.

"He can manipulate the density and size of his molecules. He's got good control over it, too. During the breakout, I watched him shift between the density of a brick, then to air in seconds. I haven't seen him manipulate his size first hand, though."