“Backgammon,” Bob announced. “That’s triple the points for me.”

“Ho ho! Again?” Humbug Hank put his milkshake down and laughed, animated as ever. “It’s like you’re the dice whisperer!”

Alex didn’t even have the strength to curse his luck anymore. There was just no beating Bob at this game. The guard was luckier with the dice and a better player, but it wasn’t like there was anything better to do than play him. After the last time he died in Elderpyre and the subsequent toll the shock took on his real-life body, the doc had told him to spend as little time as possible in-game for the next few days.

That was just as well. Fawkes was in mourning, after all, and she needed some time to process her loss. Alex–or, rather, Hunter–didn’t blame her. He didn’t know what Reiner had been to her, not exactly, although he suspected he was more than just a friend. A student, maybe? A partner? Whatever the case was, she’d spent an awful lot of time looking for him and worrying about him.

In the end, all she’d found was his desiccated body skewered on the spear of a fleshwarped ogre down in the depths of an ancient dungeon, on display like some grim trophy. As far as Hunter was concerned, she had every reason to be upset.

They’d gone on to defeat Mother and It That Whispers, the alien entity behind that had been pulling the strings all along. They’d silenced the unsettling whispering that had permeated everything in the Weald. Fawkes had recovered her friend’s effects and had put what little remained of his body to rest.

Now they both needed some time off to get their heads straight before heading back to… where? The Brennai village, Hunter supposed.

Sister Peregrine and Brother Aurochs, the locals that Hunter and Fawkes had teamed up with to delve into the depths of the Halls of the Cor Ancestors, needed some breathing space too. They hung around the Halls, licking their wounds and keeping an eye on Fawkes. Hunter had only known them for a few days and knew practically nothing about their lives, but the hardships they had faced together in that short time had forged a sort of unspoken camaraderie between them.

Then, of course, there was Fyodor, Biggs, and Wedge. Hunter had instructed the two ravens to keep an eye on the direwolf while he was away. Fyodor might be large and feral-looking, but in truth, he was nothing but an oversized pup. The doctor’s orders notwithstanding, Hunter made sure to log in Elderpyre a couple of times per day just to keep him some company.

The rest of his day he either slept, exercised, or sat around at the cafeteria. Bob had been consistently beating him at backgammon, Buggy had been consistently making fun of that fact, and Penny–Officer Carpenter–had been consistently rolling her eyes at the three of them at every chance she got.

Penny had proven to be quite a different person than what Alex had originally pegged her for. She had finally mellowed out to him, learned to drop the tough Officer Carpenter charade every now and then and be, well, just Penny.

She was a huge film buff, as it turned out, and also enjoyed a good old paperback. John le Carré, Louis L'Amour, that kind of thing. They’d spent a couple of evenings talking about their favorite books and movies, the two of them. Alex was actually growing fond of her, both of Penny and of her wannabe hard-ass Officer Carpenter persona.

They were slow, pleasantly sleepy days. They reminded Alex of the last days of the summer break back when he was still in high school. On days like these, he forgot that he was still technically a prisoner.

“Would you like to play again?” Bob asked.

“No, I think I’ve had enough for today. Maybe Hank wants to try his luck next.”

“Nuh-huh,” Buggy said. “Hank most definitely does not.”

“Good, maybe we’ll finally have some peace and quiet around here,” said Carpenter. She’d been trying to do a crossword a couple of tables away. She took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. “Some of us actually like it, imagine that.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Uh, officer,” said Buggy, suddenly looking curiously irked. “This is a non-smoking building.”

“What are you gonna do about it, Hank? Report me to the warden?” Carpenter blew him off. “It’s my one-a-day. I’m trying to quit.”

Buggy threw her a dirty look and got up.

“Well, I refuse to be in the presence of your second-hand smoke. Alex, care to join me for a walk around the premises?”

“I, uh…”

“Come on, join me. The air’s about to turn to poison in here!”

Humbug Hank wasn’t exactly the kind of person Alex would be friends with, not on the outside, at least. Still, he planned to go back to his room and go check on Fyodor anyway. Getting some fresh air first wasn’t a bad idea.

The two of them headed out to the Happy Motel’s yard. Buggy waved at a bored guard at the gate and flashed him his huge smile.

“Hello, hello, what great weather we’re having, right?”

It was great weather. The sun shone bright, there was a pleasantly cool breeze, and the temperature was just right for a casual stroll. Alex tried to remind himself to enjoy it. Lately he’d been spending the majority of his time in his bed, logged in Elderpyre, and it was beginning to show.

“Let’s find some shade,” said Buggy, his pale bald head shining like a beacon under the midday sun. “Or I’ll turn into an air fryer sausage. Ever had an air fryer sausage? They’re delicious. We should ask for an air fryer for the cafeteria. I think Penny would love it, too. And a gazebo for the yard. This sun is killing me!”

There was a big pine tree behind the cafeteria building, so that’s where they went. Buggy offered Alex an overturned bucket to use as a stool, squatted on his heels, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

“Smoke?” he offered one to Alex.

“I thought you didn’t smoke.”

“I don’t smoke indoors. I’m not an animal. So, hey, what’s the deal with you? You’ve been around a bit too much these days. Getting bored of Elderpyre?”

“I don’t think we should talk about that,” Alex said. “You know, non-disclosure agreement and all.”

That was only half the truth. Yes, he was wary of the NDA, but it’s not so much so that he’d never talk about Elderpyre with anyone. After all the trauma he’d been through playing the game, Grimm was lucky Alex didn’t plan to go to the tabloids with it all.

No, it was Buggy he was wary of. Penny had insisted the man was a maggot and had warned Alex to stay away. Alex didn’t have such a strong opinion of him, but he couldn’t deny the fact that the man was unpredictable.

Still, he’d been itching to talk about Elderpyre and about all the things he’d seen and done on its world, Aernor, ever since day one. He often caught himself wishing Packman was there with him. They’d spoken on the phone a few times, but Penny had warned Alex that their calls were being recorded and monitored. If Packman was around, they’d never talk about anything but Elderpyre.

“If you don’t tell, I won’t tell,” Buggy gave him an exaggerated wink. “You shouldn’t worry about things like that too much, anyway, especially not now that you and Penny have gotten all buddy-buddy. If anything, it’s me who should be worried. You wouldn’t snitch on your old pal Buggy, would you? You know what they say.”

“Snitches get stitches?”

“Snitches get stitches. And you can bet your old pal Buggy here is not gonna be snitching anytime soon. I got stitches once in fifth grade. Definitely not a fan. Come on, spill the beans.”

Buggy had already seen Alex and the doctor talk in the cafeteria, so what harm could it do?

“Well, you saw me talk with the doc, so you probably know already,” he said. “I kicked the bucket a few times too many.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a big bummer. I nearly shat myself the first time, too. There was this guy when I first came to the Motel, he had a seizure or something. Really ugly stuff. They rushed him out of here in an ambulance. Didn’t see him again.”

“Yeah, they’d overdone it with the verisimilitude.”

“The what now?”

“With how real things feel,” Alex explained.

“Ah, yes, yes, though that can sometimes be a good thing,” said Buggy and flashed a sleazy smile. “If you know what I mean.”

“How about you?” Alex changed the subject, not too eager to discuss simulated sex with Buggy. “You don’t seem to spend too much time in Elderpyre either.”

“Oh, I got a schedule. I usually log in at night. I got that short sleeper syndrome going on for me. Ever heard of it? Pretty sweet evolutionary advantage. Three hours of shuteye is all I need, usually. Plus, spending too much time lying in bed’s no good. Ever heard of bed sores?”

That was something Alex had considered, too. Spending so much time in bed couldn’t possibly be good for him.

“I should probably get a schedule, too.”

“Totally! I know that spending all day over there sounds tempting, but you also gotta take care of yourself over here too, know what I mean?”

“Speaking of which,” Alex said. “I have some stuff to take care of on Elderpyre right about now.”

“Oh, bummer! Just when I was about to get you talking at last! Look, it’s alright if you don’t wanna say much, but-”

“It’s nothing personal. I’d just rather keep it separate, real life and Elderpyre stuff.”

“Sure, sure, I hear you!” Buggy flashed another of his ultrawide smiles as Alex rose to his feet and patted himself down. “Same time same place tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said, but his mind was already elsewhere. Doctor or no doctor, he had business to take care of.