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I didn’t bother to look who was out in front of my house before I called the Heap up again in my backyard. Through Vito I could feel Heap gathering up just as much material as he had at the hospital from all the property that was connected to my home ground, even pulling some of the material that had been part of the burned down house next to mine to reform his body.

Not as large as it had been at the former Asylum, but with just as much mass. This time, more firmly packed.

Sending it to wait around the corner of my house, I peeked out the window of my office after waving the coyotes away from the couch before they made themselves visible to whoever was outside.

The glass of my picture window wasn’t going to stop a bullet after all.

Out in front of my house, Hiram stood in front of his car, giving my place a nervous look while hesitating to take that first step onto my property.

Pulling out my shotgun, I took a few minutes to reload it. I should take the time to clean it too, but considering I might be using it today…

I was pretty sure Vito could take care of the whole blood spatter as evidence issue, at least if I shot the Sabatour on my land.

Giving Acey a reassuring nod as I went out the back door with a pack of unusually quiet coyotes, I sent the Heap around the corner to get Hiram’s attention as I walked around the opposite corner toward him, shotgun in both hands, leveled at his head as I led my furry minions towards him.

We were only a dozen or so feet away by the time he wrenched his face away from the Heap to notice me, opened his mouth, and began backing away with both of his hands held up in the air before him, “Harry! Hold up, one of us had to get away so they couldn’t just make both of us disappear, and my new skill meant I was the best choice. Seriously, stop joking around Harry.”

I glared, all three of the coyotes growled and the Heap moved around to cut him off from the driver’s side of his car, with Acey standing on its back barely even swaying as she stood upright on top of it, tossing an apple back and forth between her hands and with a dark look in her eyes.

And to think, just a few weeks ago I was happy to be alone.

Even with all of that, I could see by the look in his eyes, and the nervous grin on his face, that the Sabatour wasn’t all that worried about me hurting him.

Which is why I turned my gun towards his car.

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I considered putting a load of buckshot into one of his tires or something. But I really didn’t want him stuck here until he changed a tire or more likely had to wait for a tow truck.

Now he looked worried. I made eye contact with him. “Give me a reason not to Hiram.”

He held up his phone. “Fifty thousand of them. Each. For the… Ahem, special beast stones we happened to find on our way to the dungeon. All legally ours since we, ahem, didn’t find them in the dungeon, and it's even a legit dealer, all above board even if that means we got to pay taxes on everything.”

I slowly lowered my gun. “You eat yet?”

He nodded. “But I could use another cup of coffee, it’s been so long since I could drink the stuff, I can’t get enough…”

Sighing, I turned around to head back into my house. From the sound of it, he had already had enough of the stuff this morning, but it was cheaper than feeding him.

To my surprise, I could smell coffee already brewing, and starting to burn, as I got inside. I found Acey inside the kitchen looking very proud of herself as she filled up a soup bowl from the same shelf as the mugs and handed it off to me, nearly making me burn my hands since the hot bowl didn’t have a handle.

The heat didn’t seem to bother her, so I’m guessing she might be made out of something that can handle the heat better than me.

I could see that she hadn’t changed the filter from the last time I had used the machine, and she had spilled some loose grounds all over the kitchen counter as well as onto the floor, but I didn’t have the heart to say anything to her about it.

Hiram drifted into the kitchen behind me, still looking back out into the living room through the pulled up shades of the front window. “Harry? Was she always twins?”

I stepped over close enough to the doorway to where I could lean in front of him and saw Acey out front playing fetch with Blue and Chubby by throwing sticks for them to chase, and Blue to return to her. Behind me the green girl also stood with her hands behind her back, swaying in place and looking all proud of herself.

Since there was still just the one tree out front, and that was her real body, “I guess she branched out.”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I forced myself to smile and swallow it down. I was going to have to teach her as best I could how to brew it right next time without hurting her feelings.

You know, because I’m all about other people’s feelings now, as well as having coffee I didn’t have to make myself.

Hiran groaned but smiled. “That was terrible Harry. But are you sure she isn't here to spy on you for the system, you know, a plant?”

I got some artificial sweetener out since I didn’t have sugar, as well as some milk, and the two of us doctored up our drinks enough to cover up the burnt taste, as we ran through all the tree puns we could come up with, then we got to work.

Acey sat down with us, and while I doubted she was able to follow much of the conversation, she seemed glad that I included her in it now and then.

Hiram pretty much ignored her, making me realize that I wasn’t the only one with a low Intuition score.

Either that or he was just a dick.

I can’t stand people like that.

After he shared some details and got the shipping box out of his car, I made a call to get the stones picked up and on their way, all except one I was saving for me.

After all, with all the bullshit going on, it might be a while before I got to go into a Rank two dungeon, or even a rank one again.

Hiram finished his coffee with a grimace “So Harry, now that I’m all forgiven” He was? “We should start figuring out our next dungeon run.”