Chapter 239 - War Council

As exhausting as that night turned out to be, as much as I wanted to just find a bed—in my own home, in a hotel, in Cornellio's guest room, didn't matter—I had one important matter to deal with first. I called Panda.

Despite it being middle of the night, she answered on the third ring. Her voice was rough with sleep and annoyed at its interruption. "Yes? Diana, why do you call so late?" Panda cleared her throat and added in a wary tone. "Did something happen on your business trip?"

I didn't even know how to begin to reply to that… But Panda took my hesitation for an answer in its own right.

"Of course it did. I don't know if it's your bad luck, or result of your choices in life, or both, but I knew it will end like that… Do you need my help with something?"

"Yes. Thank you, Panda. I'm sorry to wake you up, but I need you to get to my store, now, go to my room and find a piece of a jade tablet. It's in my… lowest table drawer, yes.. If it's not there, call me back, and if it is… Bring it to Ghost, please. I'm afraid there's someone who is after this item."

Panda sighed. "Alright… Now I wish you didn't give me the keys. Right now, yes? Will you give me a bonus for this?"

"Definitely."

"A good one."

"Sure."

"With a raise for risk."

"Well, that's… ah, fine."

"Thank you. You're the best boss I worked under. I'll call you back."

"That doesn't say a lot," I said, but Panda already ended the call. I snorted. And the only boss Panda studied with, if briefly… My high education could be considered completely abandoned at this point. With my store and my magic training, I had no time for textbooks and classes. Too bad.

I accepted Cornellio's offer of a guest room in the end, falling into a deep sleep the instant my head touched the pillows. If there were nightmares, I forgot them, but when I woke up in the morning, I wasn't much rested, since in closer to the morning Panda woke me up to say that my piece of the seal was where I left it until she passed it to Ghost.

JJ was still helping Cornellio when I was falling asleep, but when I woke up second time, he was in the room, seemingly asleep as well—except in his clothes and sitting in a chair. Whether or not he was truly asleep or just deep in his thoughts with his eyes closed was impossible to tell, since when I sat up, he opened his eyes to look at me.

"Good morning," I mumbled through a yawn and stretched, letting the blanket fall from my chest. The pillow beckoned for me, but my brain was too restless for me to fall asleep again, even if I tried. I just knew it. "Have you been around for long, JJ?"

"A few hours, maybe? I lost the track of time." Even though he was looking at me, JJ's gaze was still focused on somewhere faraway. "Cornellio invited us to break fast1 with him when you feel ready." Now he actually stared at me, studying my face. "I think you should sleep a little longer."

"Some other time." I should've been getting to my clothes, but I couldn't force myself to move my legs from under the warm blanket… not yet. "Breakfast with vampire… As a guest, not as a main course, right?" I smiled to show I was joking.

JJ smirked, showing a fang. The look in his eyes warmed up in a way that warmed me up, too. "If he truly had such intentions, then inviting me along would've been a grave mistake. You know, ma chèrie, that as open-minded I am, sharing isn't in my preferences."

I chuckled and felt well enough to stand up. Now I had a better motivation for it. "I'm going to take a shower… did you have a shower yet, JJ?" It was hard to tell from a glance. He did a great job yesterday in staying clean despite the mess around, unlike me.

It wasn't nice to go to sleep on clean sheets as dirty as I was, but I couldn't muster in myself the strength to shower back then. At least I didn't go to sleep in clothes, which meant that the only piece of attire I wore right now were my panties.

"Well, well," JJ drawled, standing up too. "One can never be too clean, can they?"

That he could look at me like he did even now, before I finished said shower, and while I still had all that grime on me from last night, was truly flattering, and always put a smile on my face.

I reached out with my hand, and since at that point my eloquence was over, just said, "Yep."

A shower alone would've been good for my physique and my awakeness, but shower shared with a lover was much, much better. Few things were more invigorating and relaxing at the same time as sex and scalp massages, after all.

It took time, yes, but we weren't in much of a hurry anymore. So when I and JJ finally took on Cornellio's offer, we both were clean (and in spare clothes he arranged for us to be brought over from our hotel together with our other things) and ready for whatever social occasion fate will throw at us.

Or at least, I was. The breakfast thing was a way for Cornellio to show gratitude, but I fully expected him to have another agenda beneath it, and when I entered the appointed room and saw Eve and Bob present, too, I knew I was right.

"Good morning, Diana, Jean-Jacques," Cornellio greeted us warmly. Lumi wasn't around, but in his stead he had two other owls, one of which looked vaguely familiar, sitting on perches next to the walls. The vampire looked cleaned up, too, but still tired. "Please, sit."