Artemis was filled with dread as she saw Haijme gasp at the letter and the mention of the Birra family. Are they really that bad? I'm lucky that I didn't go to them first... she muffled her fear with pursed lips and by withdrawing her hand. What if the assassin from before was from the Birra family? What if that was the one group that she'd taken from in desperation? The fear rose up in her throat as she thought about the possibilities. She looked up just in time to see Daisuke be disappointed as his father left for another meeting. She couldn't imagine how he felt, but at least Haijme would be back.
She watched the scene unfold, and was preparing to leave when Haijme passed her and and said, "If you want, you can stay here, too," and added a quick, "Trespiano is no longer safe."
The fear from his words made her blood run cold. She was definitely staying there tonight. She didn't want to die yet.
Artemis slept poorly on in the guest room. She kept waiting for an assassin to sneak up behind her again and insult her. So instead she tried to focus on programming in more than just Italian for her arm-gadget-thing, but ultimately fell asleep at the desk around three AM. Her fitful sleep was finally broken by the sun rising through the nearby window. She muttered a few choice profanities at the sun, then checked her clothes to see if she could get away with wearing them again. A quick sniff and shake revealed that the answer was no. She sighed and took out her other shirt that she'd packed, which hadn't been worn yet. She'd have to figure out a way to get more clothes sooner or later...
She came downstairs bleary eyed and exhausted. Instead of making it to the kitchen and sitting down at a chair, she tripped on the last step down and fell on her face. Instead of moving and getting up, she just laid there, sleeping.
Jak, meanwhile, was barely awake and just staring out her window. She knew her mother was downstairs and waiting for an explanation for her dodgy answers to why she was home late. Jak couldn't lie to her mother, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to stand it if her mother was hurt by her actions. So she delayed the inevitable, watching birds fly by her window. At least they didn't have to deal with being grounded by their mothers. After half an hour, she managed to sit up and get dressed. No point in waiting. She grabbed her bag and draped it across her back to go to practice after the confrontation. She stood just a few steps from the stairs, hesitating to prolong the time between now and then.
"Get down here, Jakki. We need to talk. Now." Jak grimaced and walked down, quickening her pace to get it over with as quick as possible. "Why are you staying out so late?"
"I'm hanging out with some new friends of mine." Jak said, the partial truth was easier. Hopefully this would satisfy her.
It did not. "You? Friends? Hmmph, they're foreigners I bet. Or at least people who don't read the newspaper very often. Otherwise they'd be pitying you," she stood up, "we'll continue this conversation after dinner. I want to know exactly what you're doing. Love you, dear."
Though Jak did not think it, her 'love you' was empty and hollow. It was as if she were talking to a person she didn't care for at all. "I love you most, Mom."
"Don't burn down the house while I'm gone."
Jak stood at the base of the stairs, clenching her bag's strap tight. She stayed to prepare her Mother's lunch and dinner -she was staying out later, she needed to make sure that her Mother was cared for while she was gone- then left and locked the door. The bright blue sky was so out of reach this morning, what she wanted most of all was rain. Massive amounts of rain pouring down on the town forever. It's like the sky's black...
