Prin and Elwin exchanged a glance, barely comprehensible to the other. But Elwin liked to think it was something like, One murderer, sure? But two? That’s taking it too far.

But, who was to say what Prin was thinking? It was one of those times he didn’t even know.

“Come in, come in, bunny!” Aster urged. She took Prin’s hand in hers and led him inside her little shed house, knowing Elwin would follow along on his own.

“I need to put myself together, as, apparently I am disgusting.” Aster said. She tossed her shawl onto the bed and went directly to the vanity. Seeing through the mirror, the stricken look on Prin’s face, she added. “Oh don’t mind him, I don’t. He’s just exhausted and overwrought at the moment. Needs someone to take it out on. You know, they just got back from the party!? You will never believe what hap-“

“Will you really be whipped?” Prin asked.

Elwin sat down on the edge of Aster’s bed, feeling awkward and out of place. Of course what else is new.

“N-aaah, well, probably not. Don’t worry about it.” Aster said dismissively. “Last night while Mama Kris and Jules were away, they left one of the girls in charge of the place. Learra? And something bad happened, something terrible and now he is blaming her for it. She got scapegoated.” Aster took the wide silver hair brush off her vanity table and pointed it at Prin. “That’s why it doesn’t pay to be in lower management. Meanwhile it is something that could have happened no matter who was in charge. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten away though, but either way, the damage would have been done. . .” Aster began to brush her hair in long rhythmic strokes. “That poor, poor, girl . . .”

Prin sat down on the lower corner of the bed, perched really, his eyebrows knit with concern. Elwin knew that the thoughts had flown from his mind, aside from the distress that Aster may be abused in some way by the horrid temperamental Jules. He could see it in his face.

“What happened to her?” Prin asked.

“Well, sometime last night, or early this morning,” Aster took a deep breath, her ability to relish the telling of a juicy story, barely diminished by the terrible and recent nature of its contents. “One of the younger girls, very cute. I didn’t know her well myself? But Jules did and he was quite attached, apparently. Anyway, she was half killed by a client. It was a bloody mess in there. Natalia came and got me a little while ago. I’m not sure why me, but there you have it. This was when Jules and Mama Kris weren’t quite back yet. Anyway, so Natalia was as white as a pail of milk, I have never seen her that shaken up. And she has seen things, let me assure you! Not easily startled.” Aster laughed. She sobered up quickly though as it was time to describe what she saw.

“The house was all quiet, except for the kitchen, where a meal was being prepared. We don’t really do breakfast, per say, it’s more of a brunch situation around here. Anyway, so Natalia didn’t say much, just for me to come quick, that we had a situation on our hands and the bosses were out.

Well, she undersold it just a bit! When I got to the girl’s room, Holly, I think is her name, but it’s not relevant really.” Aster said. As she spoke she split her hair into segments and tamed it into a neat braid, then, began to carefully apply cosmetics without missing a beat.

“So, when I got there, Learra, the poor wretched lick-shoe that they had put in charge for the night, was cradling this bloody mess of a girl and uselessly bawling her eyes out. The room was destroyed. I think every soft thing in it will have to be burned! There will be no getting out those stains . . . Although, my mama always said anything is fixable if it’s important enough to you. I don’t know about this one . . . Anyway, so Natalia is telling me that a client killed a girl and they aren’t sure who he is, and they aren’t sure when it happened.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

And I am like, this girl? This girl right here? Who is continuing to actively bleed now that she is being moved around like that by Learra? Wretched thing, not very bright, Learra.

So, I sent Learra to run off and fetch a doctor. Hoping she could at least do that much right, and he might be convinced by the bloody state of her that it was a true emergency.

I’m sorry, I usually don’t talk this way about my sisters, you know this about me. I’m just tired and frustrated myself I guess.” Aster sighed. “I didn’t get enough sleep.

Anyhoo-ha, the doctor did come and he is in there working on her now. When, and if, she is stabilized he will take her away by carriage for surgeries or what have you elsewhere. Shortly thereafter Mama Kris and Jules came back. Jules, looking rung out and exhausted and Mama Kris tearful and upset. If you can believe it.

I tried to stay out of their way because . . . you know, sometimes people are wrathful when they are frustrated and upset.

I guess there is some truth to it on Jules part because he went off into a tantrum when he heard about the girl.

Turns out they have spent all night in search parties looking for the witch Freya! At first people thought she might have just left, as a prank? Like maybe that was the surprise she had planned? After a while though, and no jumping out and saying boo, people began to get really concerned. And those left at the party were only her hard core supporters and staff, but they started to look. Apparently her office was in a state of major disarray . . .

So-oo, long story short, they searched the house and grounds, and on into town and the docks, all of that, all night long and into the morning. Eventually they found the body . . .

The funny thing about that was, they found it right in the middle of the floor in that messy office that had been searched maybe a dozen times. It was her assistant who found her, and she fainted dead away, haha I shouldn’t say “dead” at the moment, it’s kind of morbid. But anyway, she passed out when she saw the body.

Jules said it looked like an animal had attacked her.” Aster turned over her shoulder to look at them. “It had to be someone at the party, though, right? Couldn’t have been an animal in there. I guess it happened right after you talked to her. How did that go, by the way?”

Prin, evading that last question, chewed on his finger nail nervously. “An animal?”

“Maybe she had a beast of some sort as part of her surprise.” Elwin suggested.

“Eh, I don’t know about the animal theory. Although, they said she could only be identified by her clothes . . . what was left of them. Hey, what if it wasn’t even her? Imagine that! No, probably not, if it wasn’t her she would have had to kill someone to fake her own death. That doesn’t seem likely.” Aster turned back around to refocus on her appearance. “So, if she was killed right around when she disappeared, where did the body go for all that time? Maybe she wasn’t killed until in the morning. But then . . . where was she all that time? It’s a real mystery.” She shrugged, as though to say, a mystery for someone else, not for me.

Aster stood up and stretched. “Phew, what a night! I’d like to just go back to bed. Do you think I could get away with it? Hang a sign on the door that says contagious illness within, beware.” She went to her closet and slipped into a be ribboned chemise. “I could really use a bath, oh well. Do you ever hear so much bad and disturbing news that it just makes you feel all over grimy?” Aster made a face.

“I know exactly what you mean.” Elwin said.

“I’m worried about you.” Prin said suddenly.

“Me? Why ever for? You know I can take care of myself, my sweet bunny.” Aster came over and gave Prin’s cheek a playful pinch. “I can’t believe you took away from that story to be worried about me.”

“You said . . . they always come back.” Prin pointed out. He was frowning, as though he had too much on his mind and couldn’t get it sorted. Although none of it was good.

“Oh, him?” Aster said thoughtfully. “I almost hope he does show back up here.” She smiled, a little too wide, a few too many teeth. “We’ll be ready for him.”