TANSTAV part 6

Chapter Three
After some brief...distraction, I return to my investigation

My apartment is across the street from my office, making for an easy commute. It's located on the top floor of the building, tucked in a corner. The place has a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and a bathroom, all packed together snugly (which is my nice way of saying the blasted apartment was small and cramped). Fortunately, when the mirror transported us to my apartment, it placed us in the bathroom, so that when I doubled over, swinging Calla over one shoulder in the process, I puked bile into the tub, and not onto my carpet. Speak of the devil, Calla did not react at all to my regurgitation. She drooped against my back, shivering, with her arms wrapped tightly around her ribs, as if she were trying to hold herself together. Once my convulsions stopped, I turned her towards me so that I could see her face. She stared vacantly at the ceiling; obviously, she was still in shock. I got to my feet, and carried her to the bedroom.

Now, shame on you if you're thinking what I think you're thinking. I had just barely met the kid, for heaven's sake! Furthermore, that was the farthest thing from my mind at the moment; I was focused entirely on helping her! Sheesh.

As I was saying, I took Calla into the room. Since gargoyles sleep by turning to stone, and I usually preferred to do that in the living room after a late-night movie, on the sofa, I rarely used it. Before tucking her under the covers, I took the time to remove her shoes, making a mental note to find some new clothes for her. Her eyes had gained some flickering of comprehension, and she looked at me with a slightly questioning expression, though still not meeting my eyes. Gently, I used two of my claws to push her eyelids shut

"It's okay, kid," I whispered. "Go to sleep.”

About 30 seconds later, she complied. It was as I sat there, watching her, that it came to me how much trouble I had gotten myself into.

Aiding and abetting a malefactor, refusing to comply with protocol, taking home evidence against the wishes of an officer of the law- I'd be lucky to make it to tomorrow with my life, let alone my job. Any moment, I expected the chief to come pounding down my door, along with a whole hoard of police trolls, nightmares, and the like, armed to the teeth with stun guns, handcuffs, and elemental chains. But surprisingly, knowing what I could possibly look forward to did not make me regret my decision. I knew this kid wasn't up to the rigorous questioning that they would put to her down at the station right now. Since she was technically an adult, and had caused extensive damage to property, not to mention committed accidental manslaughter, they would probably just lock her up in one of the cells. No, Calla was better off here with me. And I didn't know why, but I wanted instinctively to protect her. It might have been the helplessness of her situation, or how calmly she accepted the fact that she was a monster. Or, it might have been the fact that she still felt some compassion towards her father, despite the kind of man he obviously had been. Granted, as I said before, she might have had Battered Woman Syndrome. It was still pretty admirable.

After a while, I left the room, finally remembering to take off my sunglasses, and went into the bathroom to clean up the mess I'd made in the tub. It wasn't that much work, just requiring me to turn on the shower and swish all the water and bile down the drain. As I finished, I looked over at my reflection in the mirror. My hair and beard (ever since I turned 16 I've taken great pains to grow a mustache and goatee, which are kind of scraggly, I'll admit) are both light brown, and were, as usual, in disarray. I used my claws to at least move my hair out of my eyes, so I could see. If you're curious, my eyes are a brilliant red, and glow in the dark. But that's nothing special. Most monsters (the nocturnal kind, that is) have eyes that glow, and quite a few have them in red. My wings and tail, like my skin, are pale grey, and slightly furry while I'm awake. I was wearing my typical work outfit of white button-up shirt, black slacks, and a tie (in this situation, it was orange and green plaid). Because my feet are huge, and I need them for climbing and clinging to things, I wore no shoes. That is typical for my species, and for most monsters with claws.

All in all, I think I'm a pretty handsome devil. Er, gargoyle. However, my preening was interrupted by a loud pounding on my apartment door, informing me that the police had arrived.