The Midnight Sun

Noticing Kate's drowsiness, Naoki dials it back. Apparently Kate wasn't as mentally durable as Naoki presumed. She hadn't meant to put the poor girl to sleep, just make her a bit more... receptive of suggestions.

"Don't worry about the costs. We can supply whatever funds you need to supply us in turn."

As the effects decrease in strength, Kate perks back up a bit, and Naoki continues.

"I take it we've come to an understanding then? I'll supply you with adequate funding, growing space and protection, (from the law and otherwise) and you will provide us with the plants we require. Before we launch into the specifics, I do have one additional item to add to the list Hasdrubal gave you. I'd like to have some Nepeta cataria. I don't think that'll cause any additional problems."

"Unless you have any more questions, I think we can start drafting the formal agreement."

They take the drinks wordlessly and sip them slowly. After a while, they turn to Hasdrubal.

"Is there a place we can stay for the night?"

They're speaking together again. Uncanny. Lucia opens her backpack and whispers softly to something inside it, too soft for anyone to hear. She turns her ear to the bag, as if listening to a reply, then looks at her sister. Lorelei nods, and they turn back to the barkeep.

"Can we stay with you tonight?"

Nodding thoughtfully, Hasdrubal leads them through a small door behind the bar.  It leads into a spiral staircase, and down deep below the Midnight Sun.  Passing the first few doors, he opens the fourth one.  The room is mostly empty, excluding the man hanging from the ceiling by his ankles. Otherwise, the room's walls are mostly bare.  In one corner an unidentifiable creature pulses now and again, gently pumping something into one vein of the suspended man.  A small bed rests in one corner, clean, but not particularly fancy.

"Back when I still slept, this was my bed.  You're welcome to make use of it for the night.  The other rooms are a bit crowded at the moment.  I will do my best to avoid bothering you.  Should you need anything, ask old Hadrian."

At this he gestures up at the man, winking.  Hadrian gives a grunt that might be interpreted as assent.

"He's fairly good at following basic commands.  Should you need me specifically, I'll be upstairs in my office.  just run up the staircase.  it's the second door.  May you have a truly restful evening."

Grandma tsk'd to herself as Trifecta stomped through the room, with a corpse of all things on his back. He needed to learn to be more subtle, but that would have to wait for now.

And Hasdrubal trying to get the children down to his lab? Truly, that man had no shame. She sighed heavily as she rose from her chair and headed to the back of the bar. She walked over to a reinforced door with a heavy lock on it. She reached around in her bag she always carried with her, and pulled out a silver key. It looked far too small for the lock, but when she turned it, the lock opened and she entered motioning for a maid to relock the door behind her.

It was pitch black except for the faint wavering light in her staff but Grandma continued down the stairs with no apparent trouble. There were a number of places she could have gotten off at, but she continued going down the stairs until she finally reached the bottom of them. She walked over to a middle of a circular pattern in the ground. There was a hole in the middle of it just large enough for her to stick her staff in, which she did.

The runes in the circle began to glow a bright red. Grandma inhaled slowly as the light in her staff began to lessen and orbs of it began flying out and circling her. Then, with just a sudden motion from her arm, all of them flew into her mouth vanishing as they did so. Exhaling happily, Grandma began examining the rooms walls, which happened to be covered in runes as well.

"Although rather boring, I must make sure all of these stay intact, it'd be a shame if any were to be damaged..." She mused to herself as she examined them in pitch blackness, staff now dark.

Lorelei and Lucia wake up at the same time, opening their eyes wide and sitting up slowly. They pick up their backpacks (checking that the skulls are in place) and go over to Hadrian.

"Excuse me, sir. Is there any food?"

"Thank you."

The twins eat quietly and politely, chewing with their mouths closed and not slurping their drinks. They seem to prefer the sugary things. Lucia puts leans her head to her bag for a moment, then nods.

"Yes Mama."

She turns to Lorelei.

Mama says to not eat so much cake.

Oh, ok. The waffles are good too. And the sausages.

Eventually, they finish their meal and get up. They look around for a basin to wash the dishes up, but find none, so they go to Hadrian.

"We're done eating, sir. Could you take the plates, please?"

Breakfast done, they head upstairs.

They stare blankly.

Does he know?

He can't know. He must be guessing.

He isn't guessing. He knows for sure.

But how?

The servant. He must have told him.

Now what?

Now? Nothing. We can't play dumb. He'll cut us up. We'll just show him Mama and Papa, that's all. Maybe Mama will change her mind.

The twins look up at Hasdrubal.

"Thank you for the food, sir. Mama and Pap are right here."

They pull the skulls out of their bags and hold them up delicately.

"This is Mama and this is Papa. They take care of us."

There's silence. The twins speak up, and for the first time there's a waver of uncertainty in their voices.

"They won't speak to you, sir. We're very sorry. They only talk to us, and ever so quietly."

Assuming Hasdrubal can see in the dark, he sees two perfectly ordinary skulls. One, the father, is slightly larger than the other.