There had never been a time in her life when she could say she had really gotten drunk. There had been moments where she was close, and those all had usually been with Manchu, either in his room, or her own, during one of their late night chat sessions. At this moment, she knew she was drunk. She was also getting cold, not having a jacket. Carrying Tangram helped some, because the tiger's thick fur kept her hands and bare arms warm.

After a brief stop in a convenient store to get a bottle of water and bread, she continued on her way. She was slowly making her way back to Robinson Park, and the car. While she knew she couldn't drive right now, she hoped to be sober enough to drive when she got there. As she walked, she drank the water and ate as much of the bread as she could force herself to do. After four slices, she handed the rest of the loaf off to a homeless woman.

When she got to the car, she was prepared to climb in and sleep there. Tangram's grumbling told her that it would be a bad idea. Able to stand straight now, without wobbling, Dee trusted herself to drive. She remembered that there was a place not too far from the park, called Palindrome, one of Eddie's satellite hideouts. There she would at least find a bed to sleep in, and be able to use the bathroom, something her bladder was begging to do.

Pulling away from the park, she shook her head to wake herself up. She must be more tired than she though, for as she left the park, she could have sworn that she saw Eddie getting out of a taxi.

"You need to sleep, dear. Stop and get more water first, some aspirin, and some food. Then go to bed, and don't get up until you've had enough sleep!"

~ ~ ~

She had no trouble finding the puzzle shop and getting in. At first glance, she thought those two women that had been all over her boyfriend had been here as well. The place was a mess. However, after a quick look around, she found the place empty, and the mess to be just that of Benny and Trigger. Double bolting the door, and wedging a chair under the knob, she hurried and found the bathroom.

Once cleaned up a bit, Dee changed from her scotch soaked clothing into some clean pajamas. The makeshift bedroom was cleaner than the rest of the hideout. At this point, however, she was past caring if the bed was clean. She could barely keep her head up, and by the time that she had settled under the musty smelling covers with Tangram, she was asleep.

It wasn't until late the next morning that she was nudged awake by Tangram. The cub was hungry, and needed to go to the bathroom. He pranced around while she laid out a thick layer of newspapers for him to use. Knowing that there wouldn't be any food for him, she had purchased some beef liver and some pig's feet for him the night before. She set these on the counter now to bring them to room temperature before feeding him.

"Well, sweetie, we have a decision to make. We can stay here, or we can go see Jiaoshu. And I would rather not get them involved in this mess right now," she said, scratching the tiger's back as he ate.

He looked at her with his big, yellow eyes, and licked his whiskers. Blinking, he butted his head against her hand, making a noise that sounded close to a burp. She knew it to be a comfort noise, and placed a kiss on his head.

"Ok, we'll stay here for a couple days. But I'm going to have to leave you here for a little bit to go do some laundry and get some more food, ok?"

This time he didn't answer, concentrating on gnawing all the meat off the pig's food he held between his front paws. Shaking her head and smiling, Dee went to gather the bedding, and start cleaning up the place a bit. After laying out fresh newspaper for Tangram, she left to go run her errands.

While she was out, she purchased cleaning supplies, food, and a couple of dishes for Tangram. She managed to talk the butcher of a small market to let her have the trimmings from the meat, as well as some poultry parts. This formed a large, squishy mass in the packages she now carried back into the hideout.

"We have food, we have clean sheets to sleep in, and we have entertainment!" she announced, waving a thick word search book.

Tangram grunted, nosing the packet of meat. Dee laughed, picking him and the meat up. As a treat, she had managed to get a beef heart, which she now handed over to the cub. Soon enough, his muzzle was covered with a thin layer of blood as he made the best of the treat.

Settled in, and determined to stay in the hideout as long as she could, Dee made herself at home.
Next / Harlots of Hades Main / Back