The Princess and the Bootlegger

Kade supposed he had been in worse situations. It wasn't the first time someone was out for his blood, at least. Usually things died down quick. This time, however, Celine was looped into the situation with him. That complicated things, especially with how much Christophe valued her.

"Are you and Christophe together?" he asked, out of nowhere.

Celine was sitting at the vanity, reapplying her lipstick. She gaped at Kade through the reflection in the mirror.

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Fair question, if you ask me. He puts you on a throne."

"No," she said firmly. "We are definitely not together. He's just sort of protective, I guess."

"Protective or possessive?"

"None of your business," she said, turning to glare at him.

"Actually," he said. "It is my business now. If you forgot, we're in this together. We're going to have to work with each other to get out of it."

She didn't seem happy about it and turned away to face the mirror again, but she reluctantly agreed.

"I can handle Christophe," she told him. "You don't have to worry about him."

"Good. That's good."

"Well, let's go then."

"Go?"

She gave him a weird look.

"You need to get your things, don't you?"

"Oh," he said with a frown. "Right. Shit. Uh, I'll go on my own. You stay here."

"I'm coming with you," she insisted. "Like you said, we're stuck in this together now. If something happens, you have a better chance if I'm there."

"So you're my bodyguard now?" he said with a light laugh.

"I'm someone who has taken pity on your poor, damned soul."

Kade furrowed his brow, putting on a hat and pulling the brim down to hide his face a bit.

"You don't have to be so nice about it," he grumbled. "Just stay close."

They had to call a cab to take them to the Haunt District. It was a hazy neighborhood with cheap housing and sketchy streets, and it was the only place humans were able to find a place to live. Most other places denied them right away, regardless of how much money they had. Celine seemed a little unsure of being there, but she quietly stayed close to him. Thankfully, there were no wolves around.

He went up to his apartment on the seventh floor as fast as he could, and it didn't take much for Celine to keep up with him. He was always a little jealous of non-humans, but he knew it didn't do him much good to be jealous. It didn't matter how much he wished he was something else. He was human at the end of the day.

He didn't have much to pack, but managed to cram some clothes into a small bag while Celine snooped around his few belongings. She picked up a framed picture of Kade and his mother when he was a young boy, then looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He decided not to say anything. There was nothing to say.

"You look scared in this picture," she remarked.

"I had never seen a camera before," he said. "It was a weird contraption with a scary flashing bulb."

She just made a soft "hm" noise, then set the frame back down. She eyed the bag he held.

"Are you already done?" she questioned. "Is that all you're bringing."

"How long were you expecting our little stay together to last?" he asked. "It's all I have. I'll make it work."

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go."

They started down the stairs again, but they didn't get very far before a familiar voice called out Kade's name. He grimaced and stopped, backtracking a few steps as Mrs. Redfoot's 3-foot frame waddled out into the stairwell.

"Who's that?" Celine whispered.

"My neighbor," he told her. "Sorry. I'll be quick."

"What? No, let's just go."

"I can't, I'm sorry. It'll be quick."

Celine reluctantly followed him back up the stairs to Mrs. Redfoot's apartment. The elderly dwarven woman adjusted her glasses to look at Celine, then looked back at Kade.

"Ohhhh," she said softly.

"No," Kade said quickly. "No, oh. She's just an acquaintance."

"Oh," Mrs. Redfoot said again, this time less delighted. "I need help, Kade. The sink is leaking."

"I just fixed it," he said.

"Yes but it's leaking again after I put some walnuts down the drain."

"Walnuts?" he said in disbelief. "Whole walnuts?"

"That damn squirrel keeps leaving them in that nest on my window," she said as she headed back inside, leaning on her cane. "So I decided to teach him a lesson and take them."

"Why didn't you just throw them out?" Kade said, checking over his shoulder before pulling Celine inside behind him. At least they would still be hidden in the unfamiliar apartment.

"Because then that damn squirrel would be able to get them again."

"Of course," Kade said with a sigh, "Makes sense."

He shrugged out of his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, already knowing where to find Mrs. Redfoot's tool kit from the million times he had helped her. She kept insisting that Celine was "too skinny" and made her sit, pouring her a cup of tea and offering her a plate of cookies. She picked one up and nibbled on it, but her face twisted and she quickly washed it down with tea. Kade couldn't help the smile that creeped onto his face. Mrs. Redfoot must have mixed up the sugar with salt again.

Kade had to fully remove the pipe to get all the walnuts out, and while he worked as quick as he could Mrs. Redfoot was talking Celine's ear off with stories of when she was as young and beautiful as she was. Including a surprisingly raunchy story that made both Kade and Celine turn bright red. He finished tightening the pipe back in place, then crawled out from under the sink.

"Alright, Mrs. Redfoot," he said. "We have to go. I may be gone for a few days. No more walnuts, alright?"

"Oh no," she frowned. "Well, I suppose you need a little vacation."

"Right, a vacation. And listen, if anyone asks, I left yesterday. Alright?"

"He works so hard," she told Celine, flat out ignoring what Kade said. "He's out all night working, but he still finds the time to take care of me. Goes out of his way, even. When he found out I was still using gas lamps, he bought me all of these electric lights and installed them himself. Even gave himself a bit of a shock once. His hair was standing on its end!"

"Mrs. Redford, we have to go," Kade interrupted. "Please take care of yourself alright? I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask someone."

"Alright, my dear."

She walked the two of them out, and they stayed as casual as they could until the door closed and they could take off running. Kade started to feel guilty. He didn't know why, but it bothered him that Mrs. Redford's sink might need another repair and he may not be around to fix it. Celine must have noticed the concern on his face as they took a cab back to the hotel.

"We'll be fine," she said, though she wasn't completely sure of it herself.

"It's not myself I'm worried about," Kade said. "My life is pretty insignificant. I'm just worried about her."

Celine didn't say anything, but she would look over at him every now and then. Kade could have sworn it was more of a curious look than a disdainful one, this time.