Chapter 4

Chapter4

After Daphne stated her purpose—destroyingthose threatening the Mother—the warrior woman, Nelly, gave her a nod. “What can we do to help?”

“I require clothing, preferably clean. Footwear. Weapons. Sustenance would be welcome as I’ve not orally imbibed since I went into the seed.” It had kept her fed while she slumbered, but she preferred to get her nourishment via her mouth.

“No problem. We’ve got pizza in the kitchen, and I keep an extra outfit in the trunk of my Jeep. Weapons too.”

“Excellent. In that case, I won’t require this smelly garment anymore.” Daphne stripped the jacket and handed it back to Baptiste who’d averted his gaze.

Clive coughed and also turned aside. It would seem the modern age still had Puritan values.

“Thank you for lending your coat. Good-bye.” She dismissed the beast now that he’d served his purpose.

“Don’t leave,” Nelly quickly stated. “Clive, take care of Baptiste while I get Daphne some clothes.”

“Nope. I’m out of here.” The big man turned to leave.

Good riddance. At least according to Daphne. The wizard, however, chased after him.

She glanced at Nelly. “Is there a bathing basin I might use before putting on the garments?”

“Yeah. Upstairs there’s a bathroom with a tub. Go ahead. I’ll grab the stuff from my car.”

Daphne went up the stairs and took note of the strange abode. In her time, most homes had stone, wood, or mud walls. She didn’t know what to think of the smooth surface with its pattern of flowers. At the top of the stairs, she noted several doors for chambers. The first one held a bed. The next, a small basin, a large tub, and a fancy chamber pot with water—a toilet. She’d heard of them through the roots that were her only access to the world during her sojourn. This was her first time seeing one, though, and she wished she had something to expel to try it.

It took her a moment to discover the silver knobs in the large tub brought water. Hot and cold. Incredible, but the magic was when she pulled a strange lever and the water shot out of the top of the wall.

The luxurious warmth had her head back, basking. What decadent luxury. When she finally emerged, dripping wet, she saw a towel, fluffy enough for a king, hanging on a bar.

She rubbed her face against it. Was such wealth commonplace in the modern world? Then again, given the fancy nature of the home, most likely a lord lived here. Who else could afford real glass in their windows?

A brisk rubbing of her flesh left her skin dry, but her hair would take much more. She plaited it in one long braid before hanging the towel and emerging. Back downstairs she found Nelly and Clive in a room with a double-armed lounging chaise and chair.

Nelly’s eyes widened at the sight of her while Clive turned away. “Oh, I guess you didn’t see the robe hanging on the back of the door,” the other woman stated.

“I didn’t, but even if I had, I would have ignored. I’d prefer britches like you’re wearing.” The other woman had slim-fitting, light blue trousers made of a sturdy-looking fabric.

“Then you should like the tracksuit I keep in my trunk for just-in-case moments.” She handed over a bag, which appeared sealed. A strong grip pulled apart the strange metallic seam. Within were soft garments in a light rose hue.

Daphne grimaced. “This is hardly a conducive color for stealthy approach.”

“We can get you some better stuff in town,” Nelly offered.

“I am not going to town.”

The denial pursed Nelly’s lips. “Unfortunately, I don’t have spare shoes, and you can’t be going around barefoot.”

“Then you’ll give me yours.” It seemed the simplest solution and yet the warrior woman shook her head.

“These are my special edition Converse. So, no. I do have a pair or two of runners at my place, but your feet are rather small compared to mine. Honestly, you’d be better off shopping for something that fits.”

“Shopping?” Daphne’s nose wrinkled.

“You know. When you go into a store and…” Nelly trailed off. “You’ve never been shopping.”

“In my time, I would trade with those on my route for the things I needed. Or strip it from those I killed.”

Clive coughed. “Um, what year are you from?”

“Sixteen hundred and forty-two was when I went to seed.”

The rounded mouths appeared incapable of speech.

Daphne shrugged. “I told you I was cursed for a long time.”

“Almost four hundred years!” Nelly’s eyebrows almost fell off her face.

“I’m aware,” Daphne grumbled.

“Things have changed quite a bit while you’ve been away,” Clive stated.

“Apparently,” was her dry reply.

“Lucky you, I have the weekend off so I can give you a crash course on modern-day living,” Nelly offered.

The proposition had Daphne shaking her head. “No crashing. I don’t want to ever see a healing seed again.”

Clive turned away and coughed again. The man really should do something about his lung illness.

“I see we’re going to have to start with modern expression. Crash course is actually a term for rapid teaching,” Nelly explained.

“Then why not say that?” Daphne couldn’t help but sound cross because she hated feeling stupid.

“And this is why you can’t go wandering off. The world has changed quite a bit in four hundred years.”

Daphne might have argued more but the Earth Mother took that moment to say, Listen to her. She will impart valuable information. Your quest will still be there in a few days.

With her lips downturned, Daphne muttered, “Very well. You may teach me.”

Learn she did. Daphne discovered that the world was full of shops where, if you offered a piece of plastic to the attendant, goods could be purchased.

Daphne outfitted herself in an ensemble more to her liking of black leather britches. Easier to wipe off blood and gore. She discovered places that sold premade food of incredible flavor, her favorite being something called a cinnamon roll made by a Nephilim baker called Reiver who used to be a cryptid hunter. He’d married a witch and gone soft, apparently, given his new profession.

Many of the changes and advancements she encountered seemed magical in nature, but Clive explained they were actually science and technology. Like metal and plastic things called “phones” that allowed people to converse over great distances.

Nelly offered to purchase one for her, but Daphne declined stating, “I have no one to contact.” The only person she spoke to was the Mother, and they didn’t need anything special to speak.

Probably the thing that fascinated her most? Cars, which replaced walking and riding. The speed they could travel awed, but she fell in love with the motorcycle. They were coming out of a cobbler’s store when a roaring machine on two wheels blasted by.

Nelly took note of her dropped jaw and chuckled. “Noisy, aren’t they?”

“What was that?”

“A motorcycle. Harley Davidson Fat Boy to be exact.”

“How do I get one?” While not one to usually covet, she practically drooled.

“Not easily since you don’t have a license.”

That led to Daphne frowning. “Why do I need a license?”

“Remember all those pesky laws we talked about?”

Daphne rolled her eyes. “Rules. So many of them. Don’t kill. Don’t steal. It’s a wonder anyone gets anything done.”

“Well, this rule is to ensure only those with training are on the roads to avoid accidents.”

“So train me.” Seemed like a simple enough solution.

“I doubt you’ll want to stick around for a few weeks to learn.”

“No, I don’t want to be here that long. I’d like to leave in the morning.” Daphne had all the supplies she needed to get started on her mission for the Mother.

“There’s a bus you can take. It will get you out of Nexus, and then depending on your mission, you should be able to find another that will get you close to your destination.”

“A bus. That is the crowded transportation humans use.” She didn’t hide her disdain.

“It is.”

“That won’t suit me. You will drive me,” she stated. She liked Nelly and could tolerate her presence.

“Sorry, Daff. No can do. My job is here, working for the SMU.”

“But there is a king now to govern the monsters.” Daphne learned that the Special Monsters Unit stationed in the town of Nexus policed misbehaving cryptids. Apparently, they practiced apprehension rather than execution these days.

“We only take the really bad cases to the king. The minor stuff is still our job to handle.” Nelly paused, then said, “You know, Baptiste has a license and can drive.”

The suggestion curled Daphne’s lip. “I don’t want to ask him for aid. He smells.”

Nelly coughed. Clive must be contagious. “He used to be a very clean man. He’s just fallen on some rough times.”

“The beast has no interest in helping me.”

“He did once before.”

“Because I forced him,” Daphne pointed out.

“No one forces him to do anything.”

“You speak as if you know him well.” Daphne cocked her head. “What happened to him?”

“The shortest version? A love curse.”

The revelation made Daphne snort. “Oh no, he fell in love.”

“More like the spell forced him to be obsessed with a woman who wasn’t his fiancée. No one realized it at the time. We all assumed he really did love Ruby. Unfortunately, it drove his wolf insane, and he killed Diandra, the woman he was supposed to marry. When the curse was broken, he became despondent with guilt.”

“But he wasn’t at fault,” Daphne pointed out.

“Technically, no, but in his mind, it doesn’t change what he did. Baptiste took it very personally.”

The sorrow in Nelly’s voice prompted Daphne to say, “You are still his friend.”

Nelly ducked her head before replying. “I am, but only because I know he would have never done that under normal circumstances. Baptiste is a good guy.”

“He’s a wolf. Wolves kill.”

“Not this one. He doesn’t even eat meat. At least not in his man shape. His Garou is a bit more savage.”

“And is the Garou suffering from the same guilt?”

Nelly shrugged. “Don’t know. He ran off when the curse lifted, and no one’s been able to talk to him since. When he showed up with you the other day, that was the first we’d seen him since it all went down.”

Guilt wasn’t something Daphne ascribed to. “This is why he’s chosen to wander around and not bathe?”

“I guess. I don’t know what he’s thinking or doing. Maybe he’s hoping one of the many monsters attracted to the area will take him out.”

“What a waste.” Daphne clucked her tongue.

“Agreed, which is why it might be good for him to get out of town. Get a new perspective. Get out of his own headspace.”

“You stated he can drive?”

“Yes. We’ve got his truck still parked at SMU headquarters.”

“Very well. I shall inform him that he will be my driver.”

“And if he says no?” Nelly prodded biting her lip.

“I have ways of making him change his mind.”

If he was smart, he’d give in before she started severing his fingers.