Pocket Dungeon 3, page 19
The last thing I wanted was someone spotting the Benz cruising around the warehouse in the morning and then showing back up again at night. It might set off some alarm bells, and that was something I definitely wanted to avoid as much as possible.
I took my coffee with me to the couch as I continued to do my basic research into where the fuck it was we were going to go later that night, as well as what a good date spot might be for today. Unfortunately, there weren’t any suggestions for “where should I take my new lady friend who’s from Atlantis, a city that actually isn’t all that lost”.
I wasn’t actually sure how long I sat there on the couch committing everything I saw about Warehouse Fourteen to memory, but before what felt like too long, the door to the bedroom cracked open, and Elaene shuffled out with a yawn.
Her long, dark hair was braided and draped over one of her shoulders, and for some reason, even the simple hairstyle change was enough to make her look even more otherworldly.
She’d borrowed one of my oversized shirts to sleep in, and the sight of her in it alone was enough to make me smile.
“Good morning,” I said. “How’d you sleep?”
“Very well,” she said. “The bed is much more comfortable than the sofa.”
“I’m kind of surprised to hear that,” I said with a chuckle. “Considering the four of us were sort of crammed in there like sardines.”
“Yes,” she agreed, but without any of the negative connotations that phrase usually carried. “I found it quite nice. I enjoyed being close to you all. It has been a long time since I have felt quite that protected and safe.”
“Well, in that case, I’m more than happy to keep being a sardine with you,” I told her, and then immediately fought the urge to cringe.
Smooth, Wes. That’s gotta be the sexiest line ever.
But luckily, Elaene actually seemed to find this endearing.
She smiled and moved to sit next to me on the couch, though despite the shift in our relationship, she still seemed like she was having a hard time fully relaxing. Either that, or she really did just have spectacular posture all the damned time.
“Even with the other women at Black’s residence, we were not close in this manner,” she continued. “We were hardly allowed to talk with one another, despite sharing a relatively small space. So this is a welcome difference.”
“That sounds awful,” I said. “I’m sorry you had to go through something like that.”
“I am sorry as well,” she said. “It was far from pleasant, but I am no longer there, and so there is no reason for both of us to keep feeling sorry about it. You and Yasha freed me, and along with Iris, you’re all trying to help me get my life back. I cannot thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking us,” I said. “If we don’t keep having to remind you that we’re sorry.”
A small smile danced at her lips, and she folded her hands in her lap.
“I suppose you are correct,” she finally said. “I just feel like there isn’t a way I can fully express my gratitude for everything the three of you, and you in particular, are doing for me.”
“We’re happy to do it,” I said. “Think of it as a favor to us, too. None of us want someone like Black walking around and able to commit more harm like he already has, and so with you telling us about him, we’re now able to do our best to put an end to things like this once and for all.”
“I suppose you raise a compelling point,” she said. “But will taking down Black really take down this entire organization?”
“I doubt it,” I admitted. “We would need to take down the guy in charge to really do that, and unless that’s Black, it’s going to take more time, and more research, and more planning to get that done, but this is a good start. It’s giving us the chance to at least take one bad guy out of the game, even if we aren’t actually killing him.”
“I wish we were,” Elaene said, and the words were definitely at odds with the sweet way she spoke. “He deserves nothing but pain and misery.”
“You and I agree on that,” I told her. “And I’m not saying that isn’t an… option. But committing murder in our world is sort of a huge deal. We’ll need to approach the details of something like that very, very carefully to be sure there’s no way we can be caught. Especially because guys like Black frankly have more connections, and more lethal connections, than I do. But in the meantime, we’re going to be able to save the other women as well. We wouldn’t be able to do that if we hadn’t met you, and I feel like the world’s a better place because we did.”
“Even if we have not saved anyone yet?” she asked.
“Even then,” I assured her.
A small smile pulled at the corners of Elaene’s mouth as she leaned back to sink a little deeper into the couch, as if my words had managed to finally coax her into physically relaxing a little.
“Oh, by the way,” I said and finished off the last sip of my first cup of coffee. “I was trying to figure out where to show you in the city today, and I wanted to know your thoughts on aquariums.”
Elaene’s brow furrowed, and she fiddled absently with the end of her braid.
“What is an aquarium?” she asked.
“Oh.” I tried not to sound surprised. “I sort of figured you’d already know, considering we share a language for the most part.”
“We do,” she agreed. “But I think that can be a hindrance in some ways, as I don’t think we have the crystal acting as a translator when we speak, and so some things are simply foreign to me.”
“Unlike with Yasha, where the two of us are technically speaking different languages,” I said. “That makes sense. But anyway, an aquarium is a place where people can see all sorts of awesome marine animals up close, since that’s not really an everyday thing for us up here. They have lots of different displays and things in these big tanks.”
As I said the word “tank”, I watched her face closely for any sign of concern or some other traumatic response, but instead, she just cocked her head curiously to the side, like she had never heard of something like that before.
“Do things like that not exist in Atlantis?” I asked, and then I felt a little silly for asking it. These people could breathe underwater, I’d bet they got to see plenty of fish and other marine life up close and personal, so what need would they have for big tanks?
“We do not,” Elaene confirmed, but she was still smiling, so things seemed to be going in my favor so far at least.
“Well, there’s a really big one here in Chicago, it’s one of the best in the country, and I was wondering if you’d want to go,” I said. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to, especially if the idea of being around tanks and things again is too much, but I know you mentioned missing Atlantis, and I figured maybe something that involved water might be nice.”
All the words escaped me in a rush as I looked hopefully at Elaene. I wasn’t really nervous around women, but I was worried that I might have said the wrong thing. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable, especially after everything she’d been through.
“I think that sounds like a great idea,” she finally said. “It would be nice to be around water again, in a more pleasant way than before.”
I slowly exhaled the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Apparently, I had been far more concerned about this aquarium thing than I’d thought.
“Good,” I said. “Good. This is great. Once the other two get up, we can all get dressed for the day, head to the aquarium, and then we can go tour that penthouse to see if we want to move in there.”
“And then later tonight, we will put a stop to Black and all of his foul actions,” she said.
“Exactly,” I agreed. “I actually just got off the phone with Monty, and he was able to get us a location for Warehouse Fourteen.”
“He was?” Elaene seemed relieved. “That is fantastic! I was worried we would not be able to find the actual location in time. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to help you find it.”
“Elaene,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “You’ve already done so much. After all, like I said before, we wouldn’t have even known about any of this if it weren’t for you, You’ve got nothing to apologize for whatsoever.”
She gave me a sheepish smile and tucked a loose strand from her braid behind her ear.
“I suppose you are not wrong,” she finally said. “But still, I wish to be as much help as possible.”
“And you are,” I said. “And tonight once all of this is dealt with, you never even have to think about Archibald Black again if you don’t want to. Hell, you don’t even have to stay here on Earth if you don’t want to. The offer to use the Well to New Worlds still stands.”
Elaene looked at me, and her lip quivered for a moment, like there were a thousand things tucked back in her throat that she wanted to let loose, but instead of saying them, she pressed her lips together and exhaled a slow sigh.
Even if she had wanted to say something, she might not have had the time, because the bedroom door swung open and Iris shuffled out.
I wasn’t too surprised the blonde was the next woman to emerge, considering how heavily Yasha tended to sleep. But unlike me, or even Elaene, Iris had gone ahead and gotten dressed for the day in another pair of high-rise, flared leg jeans and a well-fitted ringer style t-shirt. It looked almost like one of those vintage camp counselor style shirts, and just like everything else she wore, she pulled it off incredibly well.
“Good morning,” I said. “Fresh pot of coffee.”
“Thanks,” she said and yawned once more. “What’s the plan for today?”
“That’s what we were just discussing,” I said. “I think we’re going to go to Shedd Aquarium, and after that, we have the tour of the apartment on the Mag Mile.”
“And then we’re crashing that party tonight,” she said.
“Exactly,” I confirmed. “Which, what exactly is the dress code of these parties, Elaene? Do we need to pick anything up to wear while we’re already out?”
“That may be wise,” she said. “The dress is formal, but it was not a detail I had deemed important at the time. But it definitely will be wise to try and look the part. We need to appear as if we really do belong there.”
“I agree,” I said. “So, we can also add stopping to pick up some formalwear to our itinerary for the day.”
“Sounds good to me,” Iris said.
“Now all that’s left is waiting for Yasha to wake up,” I joked, and the three of us all glanced over at the propped open doorway.
“I’m sure she will soon,” Iris said. “Watch, I bet I can get her up in the next five minutes.”
“Good luck,” I warned. “If you get close, she might try to drag you back into bed just to suffocate you.”
“Bold of you to think I’d get within arm’s reach,” Iris said as she leaned over the back of the couch to simply grab the remote.
It had taken her less time than Yasha to figure out how to use the device, though it had still been foreign to her too, just a little less so.
But now she navigated across the tv screen like a pro as she clicked the very well-used Disney+ icon and clicked on The Clone Wars. The cartoon was Yasha’s current Star Wars property of choice, and she’d been working her way through the entire series with a rabid fervor. I was a little scared she was going to start trying to wield her now dual katanas like Ashoka Tano wielded her lightsabers.
The theme music barely had time to start before the sounds of rapid shuffling and scuttling came from the bedroom, and then lo and behold, Yasha tumbled into the living room still wrapped in the comforter. Her hair was sticking up in all directions, and her ears twitched toward the television, and I still thought she was one of the most beautiful women in the entire universe.
“We are watching the Star Wars?” Her voice was still thick and heavy with sleep, and she rubbed blearily at her eyes with the back of one of her hands.
“I just wanted to get you out of bed,” Iris said. “We’ve got a date planned today, remember? And we’re touring that apartment?”
“So we are not watching it,” Yasha said. “This was a ruse.”
“Yes,” I said. “And I’m impressed it worked, quite frankly.”
“Forgive me?” Iris asked and smiled up at Yasha. Her large, dark blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at the other woman.
“Perhaps,” Yasha finally said. “But only if we watch it later. I did not want to miss anything.”
“Deal,” I said. “Now, let’s all get dressed, grab something to eat, and then we can get out of here. The aquarium should be open by now, and hopefully it isn’t too overrun with kids on field trips today.”
I pushed myself up from the couch to set my emptied coffee mug in the sink.
“What is a field trip?” I heard Yasha ask Iris over my shoulder.
“Uh, like a trip for school,” the other woman explained.
“Fascinating,” Elaene said.
I couldn’t help but grin as the three women, who by all means should have never even interacted in a million years, hung around the couch and discussed the nature of field trips to aquariums.
I quickly maneuvered around the couch to slip into the bedroom and quickly got dressed for the day. I made sure all of our important things, like the crystal and all the jewels and gold, as well as the two items I’d removed from the equipment room, were all locked away in our safe.
It had been a very necessary purchase I finally made a few weeks ago, but I was already looking to upgrade to something stronger. There wasn’t such a thing as too careful when it came to this business.
Just as I was making my way to the door to leave the bedroom, Yasha and Elaene stepped inside. The injuries to Elaene’s feet seemed to be healing quickly, and she was already walking much better than she had when we first pulled her out of the dungeon.
“I am lending Elaene some of my clothing,” Yasha explained as she began her process of grabbing seemingly random items off the floor. I had no idea what her organizational system was, or if she even had something that could be constituted as an organizational system, but she clearly made it work.
“If you want, we can grab you some clothes of your own when we pick up formalwear while we’re out today, too,” I told the Atlantean. “If you intend on staying that is. Or even if you don’t.”
“Thank you, Wes,” Elaene said. “I will consider it.”
I nodded and slipped back into the living room to leave the two of them to Yasha’s organized chaos. As they got ready to go, I pulled my phone out again to look at the pictures of Warehouse Fourteen that I’d pulled up online. I wanted to get the best mental image of the setup as possible, including how quickly we could get in and out of trouble if need be.
“Is that where we’re going tonight?” Iris asked as she leaned over my shoulder to study the screen.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s an abandoned building in the Warehouse District, which should have been the first thing we thought of.”
“I thought it might have been some sort of club,” Iris admitted sheepishly.
I grinned. “So did I. But apparently there are numerous illegal organizations that rotate between using abandoned warehouses and have their own numbering system, at least according to what Monty was able to figure out.”
“Multiple?” Iris raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I said. “He found out from Juliet that there’s apparently an illegal gun club that has events in the warehouses.”
“Are we sure that the gun club isn’t the black market we’re dealing with?” Iris asked.
“It could be,” I admitted. “But I don’t know. All I know is we have an actual location now. And it seems like it won’t be too hard to potentially escape from if we have to make a sudden run for it.”
“Hopefully that doesn’t happen,” Iris said. “It would be far better if things went smoothly.”
“You can say that again,” I said.
“Say what again?” Yasha asked as she emerged from the bedroom with Elaene in tow. Both of the women were wearing the long, flowy skirts Yasha tended to prefer, as well as flowy, cropped shirts. I was once again reminded how the two women looked like day and night next to each other, in a similar vein to Yasha’s twin katanas.
“That things should go smoothly tonight,” I said with a grin. “Or at least that’s the hope.”
“We’ll be prepared for anything that goes wrong, though,” Yasha said. “We always are. And Elaene will know how to guide us.”
Elaene looked a little less certain about this fact, but she offered up a smile nonetheless.
“We will get the ring to get into Archibald’s place and prevent him from harming more people, at least for now,” the Atlantean finally said.
“And eventually, we can send him right back to hell where he belongs,” Iris agreed.
“But for now, how about we go have some fun,” I said. “And who knows, maybe we’ll end up finding our new home while we’re out, too.”
Chapter 14
I really fucking loved my damn car.
I kept waiting for the moment where I would finally get used to the absolute luxury of my new luxury vehicle, but so far, that was yet to happen.
As soon as I got into the Benz, the seat conformed perfectly to my body, and the air in the car was cool and crisp. I loved that new car smell.
This time, Yasha took the back seat with Elaene and Iris took the front seat, and the four of us drove in relative peace all the way through the traffic down the Mag Mile to the Shedd Aquarium.
The aquarium was massive on its own, but it was also part of a much larger museum complex. I’d already taken Yasha and Iris to the Natural History Museum, but we’d yet to hit one of the museum campus’ staples– the Adler Planetarium.
I figured all three women would really love the planetarium, because I also really loved the planetarium. Before the crystals and dungeons and all the chaos that came with them, nothing had ever made me feel smaller than leaning back in one of the cushy seats and staring at the swirling images of outer space as they danced overhead.
