Carole had no desire to open her eyes.

She felt like if she did, the piercing daggers that were hitting her eyelids would strike into her actual oculus.

However, the growing familiar pain, not from her back or her leg, made her unconscious state more and more difficult to maintain. As she grew aware of her current situation, her mouth felt like someone stuffed it with cotton and her stomach turned and churned.

She could not remain asleep, so with extreme reluctance, her eyelids slowly lifted themselves with the thankfully dimmed light that poked at her retinas. Carole wanted to vomit and get rid of the stabbing that was present in her skull, which was at this point at full force.

She had made a grave mistake.

As her eyes grew used to her environment, she noticed the reason for the dimmed lights.

Someone must have drawn the curtains over her window, how nice of them…

...wait...

Carole’s eyes scanned the room, realizing she was in her bedroom. Wasn’t she in the entertainment lobby? How and when did she get here?

Usually, it took someone else to get her back to her place. Not that she had anyone to do so as of late.

Her eyes then landed on her answer.

The grinning face of that goat boy stood at the foot of her bed.

“Oh, finally I thought you were in a coma or something,”

“...”

“If you’re planning to vomit, do it far away from me lady.”

Carole wanted to say many things, but with her mouth feeling dry and every movement she made only resulted in an increase of the throbbing ache of her head. All she could do was groan and raise her hand to her forehead and rub the temple as she closed her eyes.

Maybe this was all some awful dream. And she’s lying on the floor in her vomit again.

When she opened them back up, she saw the boy holding a glass of water and some aspirin in his other hand to her face with an annoyed expression.

“You’re just boring like this,” he said

Ignoring his comment, she took the two of these remedies and after a while, she finally could say, “why .... and how you brought me here?”

He dusted off the hands dismissively and said, “Well I could have left you out there passed out and for someone to find and get you fired,” Hide gave her a cheeky grin, “or is that what you want Chaaaaarly.”

Carole took a sip of the water and winced at drawing out that given name. It was painful on her now sensitive ears. She then looked him in the eye as his smug face stared down at her and that normally playful grin grew malicious.

“I wonder what would happen if I spilt about the tutor’s little romp,” Hide mused.

Carole, even in her sick state, lifted herself upright and glared intensely at the man.

“I wonder what will happen,” his tone was aggravating.

“Blackmail…,” she got that word out of her mouth.

“Hehehehehe, cute word, cus maybe it is,”

She will not play this kid’s game, she was not in the mood and even if she loses her job, at least she leaves this place with some dignity. She could wallow in another lost job later.

Hide glanced at her, and his malicious smile went back to its playful state.

“Or, not,” he said, “It’s a joke”

What?

Hide then stuck out his tongue, enjoying her now confused face, “Did you actually think I would be that petty, nice guess. But soooo wrooooong”

He let out a very childish giggle as if this was the funniest joke he had ever heard all the while she could only stare at him, feeling more tired than before.

“Don’t you have anything better to do? Or you enjoy roaming the halls for no reason?”

Hide’s smile never left. Even with Carole's question, however, it twitched downwards as he reached up his hand to rub his neck.

“Maybe Carly, I got bored,” He chimed, however, there was this odd aversion to her question.

The throbbing in her head grew worse, “get out,” she muttered, and to her surprise and relief the goat-boy gave a shrug and skipped out, shutting the door to her room.

Nausea at this point was unbearable, so Carole immediately crawled out of her bed to the bathroom, hoping this awakening wouldn’t be an indicator for the rest of her day.

It was another off day for her and she thus allowed herself to just spend the day in her room nursing her hangover and vowing to never do that again. A vow she knew deep down would break again in the next few days.

Although the initial intense haze of nausea dissipated and the stabbing in her head got calmed by the pain-killer, she still felt as bad emotionally as she did that morning from the usual self-guilt. Why couldn’t she puke out that instead of food?

Before she could spend that afternoon wallowing, she yelped and covered her ears as there was a knock on her door.

Carole wanted to be alone in her self pity, but groaning she forced herself up grabbing her cane and limped her way to her door and opened it up.

The door revealed the smiling sharp-tooth Loukas carrying a plastic bag of goods in his right hand.

“Good after-afternoon Ms.-I mean Carole,” He greeted before he got a good look on her disgruntled face which led to his cheer turning into concern.

“I’m-sorry, are you okay, I?” he stammered

“What do you want?” Carole had little patience at this point for much and wanted Loukas to get to whatever he came for to be over with.

Loukas must have noticed her impatience and swiftly gave a genuine, “I’m so sorry about what happened yesterday.”

Hmm?

Carole rubbed her temple, trying to understand what he was talking about, “Huh,.... yesterday?”

“Yeah, you met my brother, right? The guy on the horse?” He answered nervously.

The memory came back to her. The other rude guy on the horse was something she tried to forget about. She was so successful at it, too.

“Yes”

“Y-yeah, I know that excuses nothing but I just wanted to apologize for that treatment on his behalf,” he said before reaching into his bag pulling out a small box lunch, “So I thought a little meal would do you some good.”

Before she could verbally reject the offer, the aroma that rose out of the box was savoury beans and rice entered her nose. The scent reminded her stomach about its now empty state, however, something didn’t quite sit right with her.

“Thanks... but no need for that again alright,” she said, although still taking the food box.

He gave his light laugh, “Your welcome, but don't worry, I enjoy cooking anyway”

“How did you know what happened yesterday?”

Loukas seemed slightly caught off-guard with her question, so he chewed the inside of his cheek and crossed his arms.

“Hi-Hildmire, the Presont guy just told me about what happened, I just kinda connected the dots when he mentioned eating with, no offence…. a sour-faced kill joy,” He seemed to wince at the insult, but it would be more concerning if there wasn’t a childish insult at this point.

“So you know that guy?” it was rather strange, she never would have thought an Asbjorn would take an interest in a low-level IT intern. His interest in her made some sense. She worked directly with his siblings but with Hildmire it was simply strange.

Loukas sighed and scratched the back of his head, “Yeah, I guess... kinda a handful that guy,” he chuckled.

“I can see that,”

Carole looked at her boxed lunch as Loukas gave her a wave, “well, um, that’s what I came here for. Just wanted to make sure you’re alright”

Carole could not help but say, “Shouldn’t have bothered, it wasn’t a big deal anyway... He wasn't that bad”

Loukas, strangely, did not seem to pay attention to her and gave a non-attentive nod and an “alright then” before he left down the halls.

Maybe it was just her, but Loukas seemed, though a smiling, beaming guy, oddly withdrawn in certain things…. Maybe she’s interpreting things wrong again, would not be the first time...