No YOU were the one that wanted to go out I just wanted more food Tim wanted to say But his tongue was stuck in his mouth from nerves He could only smile nervously Somehow his hands were sweaty again
Sighing Derek turned and took a few steps back toward the door As his hand twisted the knob and pulled the door open the hall closet burst open and the source of TimÆs stress burst out No DonÆt open that door
Delilah tumbled across the hall in a spray of cleaning supplies and broom handles until her forehead collided with the wall Then she hopped to her feet and put her hands on her hips The jumble of paper towels and bleach only served to emphasize how dirty her t shirt and shorts were from several weeks of skulking around KharonÆs streets Likely she would have continued to live out of dumpsters and floating tree forts if not for the sudden drop in temperature which was why she came and practically begged Tim to let her live in his closet
TimÆs dad just blinked as the door swung open
Derek gave Tim a long look as he turned the we will talk about this laterÆ look The open door behind him revealed a face that no one in Kharon would mistake TimÆs jaw dropped ThatÆs the Ghosthound
Argh you Why couldnÆt you just leave me in peace DelilahÆs faced turned ashen and she took several steps backward
The GhosthoundÆs mouth was open but he seemed to pause as he saw Delilah He frowned and studied each of them in turn The weight of that examination was such that not even Delilah could move Then he turned to Derek Delilah is staying with you
If she is nowÆs the first time IÆm hearing of it sir Are you here to speak with her Derek said slowly But he did frown at the Ghosthound
The Ghosthound waved his hand No itÆs honestly a good thing IÆve been a bit worried about what Annie would do if she found out I let her daughter sleep in some igloo somewhere
Ah An igloo Why didnÆt I think of that Delilah pounded her tiny fist into her palm Then she glared and the Ghosthound and shouted IÆm blowing this dipshit stand
Then she spun around and bolted for the window at the back of the apartment while Tim stared at her back in wonder Is she really just five years old
But as the young girl pumped her small legs as fast as they could carry her Tim felt a pulse of an image behind him It was brief but overwhelming And in the next moment a spectral claw phased out of the floor and caught Delilah dragging her struggling form back down the hallway During that time she continued to display her rather expansive knowledge of swear words Tim learned quite a few new phrases
Ah Derek Moss scratched the back of his neck glancing over his shoulder at the struggling Delilah and then looking at the Ghosthound in front of him Do you want to come in for a scotch Mr Ghosthound This has just been a really long day
Chapter 1410
As Randidly calmly moved around the dining room table in the MossÆs apartment Delilah sat in her seat with her arms crossed and glared at him Randidly could sense her violently kicking her legs under the table but didnÆt say anything The conversation that he had to have with the Mosses would be easier if she wasnÆt so antagonistic but he couldnÆt figure out a simple solution Even he felt somewhat helpless before the headstrong child of Annie and Dozer
Not that he thought that he had helped his chances by using his images to capture her yet at the same time some of the ways that he had seen Annie treat her daughter had shocked Randidly But Delilah was a bit special She was the first child born into the System Her development speed was informative if only just because it might indicate that other children born with the System would mature more quickly
Of course this child might just be a singular aberration But Randidly wanted to keep an eye on the issue so he approached the current situation diplomatically
He set the plate of lambÆ and carrot risotto that he had thrown together in the last hour in front of Delilah and she grumbled up at him Heh just you wait Someday IÆm going to be stronger than you and IÆll pay you back for this
Randidly couldnÆt help but roll his eyes He supposed the one thing that the girl didnÆt lack was motivation But Randidly ignored her for now and proceeded around the table dropping plates he had balanced on his interim multi jointed root arm in front of the waiting Derek and Tim Then Randidly sat down in his own chair and glanced around with a smile Dig in IÆm honestly pretty confident in my cooking ability
Derek Moss forced a chuckle Really there was no need for you to stay for dinner and actually cook it but since you did donÆt mind if I do
Of the three individuals that Randidly had cooked for honestly Tim was the least awkward with the situation Delilah had her simmering ambition to trounce him while Derek seemed to be juggling RandidlyÆs identities as the leader of the Order Ducis and therefore his boss the most powerful man in the world the creator of Kharon as well as the man who had effortlessly captured Delilah within his hallway Derek also didnÆt seem to be managing the mental gymnastics well perhaps on account of his rigid military background
Tim had remained silent seemingly relieved and awed by RandidlyÆs arrival He had talked quietly with Delilah while Randidly and Derek had spoken over a drink earlier but he was mostly there to listen to DelilahÆs litany of complaints about the situation But Tim had snuck several glances at Randidly indicating his interest