"Fine, but what about where I find Neft? Isn't he going to hide when I storm into the place?" I asked.
After the little chat I had with Neft, I was sure that he would be the type to run at the first sign of battle.
"You won't have to go looking for him once he knows that you are inside the Keep. That one is a proper Demon and didn't get the title of Demon Lord for nothing. Don't worry about that part," Nixi explained to me, and I nodded, reaching forward to put the plate on the table.
Mary was curled into my chest now, and her snake was barely making any noise now. I had stuffed a lot of them and even got some of the meat for myself.
I decided to change topics and leave Dao for tomorrow, but there was still Tiga that I needed to learn about and her father.
"What can you tell me about Tiga and her father? You said he was an idiot and hated his daughter, but he saved her and had to know then what she looked like. What am I missing here, or what aren't you telling me?" I asked, probing Mex.
While I didn't think that he was lying, there was something definitely being left out, and Nixi started to make a ho ho ho sound. I wasn't sure what it meant, but the frustrated look on Mex's face said that something had happened between the two of them.
"I was not lying when I said that he said those things; well, at least not completely. We were both very, very drunk when he said that, and he had said some mean things about my mother, Perdita. I had taken it very personally when he did since she was still dead at the time, and the two of us got into a fight," Mex explained, and Nixi started to laugh.
"Yeah, and Gregory kicked your ass! You came back half-eaten and dragged the left half side of your body! You should really learn to hold your liquor better if you're going to be so sensitive!" Nixi teased, and she wasn't wrong.
The whole know your role wasn't always an insult, and drinking your limit never turned out good for anyone but the people watching from afar. Still, I was trying to picture something like Candace, but male, and Mex drinking.
The idea flummoxed me and was causing my head to hurt, making me wish I had my own drink. But regardless, this wasn't really helping me unless I went and tried to out-drink Gregory the Manticore.
"Anyways," Mex said to push that under the rug, "I have a bit of a jaded view of Gregory, and he isn't a complete waste of skin and did save his daughter. Still, Tiga wants nothing to do with him and thinks he is a pig that will fuck anything that moves."
"Isn't that the Tea Pot calling the kettle black?" Nixi shot at Mex, and I even had to laugh out loud, but then Nixi directed her gaze at me and scoffed. "Pfft, Mr. Take Me to Circus With No Pants On wouldn't really be laughing! You're really, really not better. I might almost say that you're worse… No, you are definitely worse."
I shrugged my shoulders, and then gave Nixi the middle finger, and she looked up, and I slapped my hand over my face. Couldn't even get away with a fundamental insult around here!
"What are you pointing at?" Nixi asked in confusion, but I was already standing up, slipping one arm under Mary and the other around her to hold her into my chest.
"Don't worry about it, but start getting things ready. If everything goes right, I hope to be off this island in no more than two days. So, make sure that everyone is ready while I get the last things sorted out, okay?" I asked, looking at the two of them.
Mex nodded and stood up with a smile. Nixi did the same, but with a sigh and no smile, but that was Nixi.
I was glad that I was starting to make some headway with her, rather than being at each other's throats all the time. I was also a bit moved by the effect that I was having on these people by just treating them like ordinary people for the most part.
Nushi stood with me, and we headed out of the kitchen with the now softly snoring Mary.
The living room was empty, and I could see the sun starting to go down behind the wall that surrounded the yard around the Keep. The night was finally upon us, and tomorrow would be a new day, but my night was far from over.
I motioned for Nushi to follow me up the stairs, and the two of us headed up to the second flight of stairs and then to Mary's room.
Nushi opened the door for me, and I was surprised to find that there was a wall up dividing the rooms now. This must be how the girls can keep from causing all sorts of mayhem with the supernatural forces surrounding them.
I took Mary over to her massive round bed that looked like a giant cushion and laid her down. After I did, I kissed her on the forehead, and then Mary tried to say my name while she was still mostly asleep but ended up doing a raspberry with her tongue out.
I smiled warmly down at her, kissed her forehead again, and turned to head to the door where Nushi was waiting for me. She had her own bright and warm smile that beamed at me with a warm radiance that I could almost feel.
"You are really good with all of us, even if you are a bit rough around the edge," Nushi said as we left the room, but the moment I had the door closed, I scooped her off her feet.
"Personally, I think that's the best feature! I want you to come with me and explain about Mary and They Who Must Not Be Named!" I said with a deep dramatic voice.
Nushi laughed, but it was so forced, it almost hurt my soul to hear. I was going to have to learn some of this world's references, but did this world really have a pop culture to pull from, or was I going to have to start collecting stories?!
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