Kaylin's Curse (part 7: The Root)
Kaylin starts stirring what was left of her lukewarm coffee absentmindedly, while she defensively scans the cafe. While she doesn’t see or sense anything out of the ordinary, her worn condition puts her on her guard. “Yeah, Tresa, though I’d rather not believe it, I think you might be right. It would be just like those EWEFUCCERS to mess with us. But I’ve never known them to be this devious. For one thing, they’re not that smart.”
A corner of Tresa’s lips lifts a little, “Hell no, they couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag…with the bottom ripped out.”
“And they aren’t that sneaky. I could smell one of their schemes a mile away. I wouldn’t even have to think about it—they’re usually so obvious.”
“Yeah, they’re just bound and determined to fight us head on, and you know how pointless that is,” Tresa grins.
“But back to the problem at hand…this is not typical. Something is wrong here. I don’t know what they’ve done to me, or how they’ve done it, but I have certainly not felt myself lately,” Kaylin quits playing with her spoon and finally pushed away her cold coffee.
“It’s physical, right? Could it be some sort of…poison?” Tresa asks.
“That would be my guess. But I don’t understand it. How could they have managed to slip something in? We’re always on guard. And why just me? Wouldn’t it have been smart to get both of us, since we’re double trouble?”
“Hmm,” Tresa ponders. She decides to switch to her previously untouched glass of water and thirstily drains the glass until only a few half-dissolved ice cubes remain. Then uses her spoon to single out an ice cube and begins thoughtfully crunching on it. “You’re right; it really doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“And why something that acts so slowly. I mean, if they were that clever, wouldn’t they want me incapacitated as soon as possible? So far, I certainly don’t feel like I’m going to keel over any second; I’ve been just feeling a little more ill each day. But it’s like going from a case of the sniffles to a touch of the flu.” As though on cue, Kaylin removes a tissue from her purse and tries unsuccessfully to quietly blow her nose.
“It could be they were trying to be subtle, so the sickness would creep up on you, before you noticed it. They wouldn’t understand that you and I are capable of seeing through this bullshit and cut right to the root of the problem so quickly.” The waitress finally returns to the small table, and leaves after picking up Kaylin’s rejected coffee cup and filling Tresa’s water glass.
“You know, it occurs to me,” Kaylin says softly, “that perhaps we should leave the café and go somewhere a bit…more well-suited to such a discussion.”
Kaylin starts stirring what was left of her lukewarm coffee absentmindedly, while she defensively scans the cafe. While she doesn’t see or sense anything out of the ordinary, her worn condition puts her on her guard. “Yeah, Tresa, though I’d rather not believe it, I think you might be right. It would be just like those EWEFUCCERS to mess with us. But I’ve never known them to be this devious. For one thing, they’re not that smart.”
A corner of Tresa’s lips lifts a little, “Hell no, they couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag…with the bottom ripped out.”
“And they aren’t that sneaky. I could smell one of their schemes a mile away. I wouldn’t even have to think about it—they’re usually so obvious.”
“Yeah, they’re just bound and determined to fight us head on, and you know how pointless that is,” Tresa grins.
“But back to the problem at hand…this is not typical. Something is wrong here. I don’t know what they’ve done to me, or how they’ve done it, but I have certainly not felt myself lately,” Kaylin quits playing with her spoon and finally pushed away her cold coffee.
“It’s physical, right? Could it be some sort of…poison?” Tresa asks.
“That would be my guess. But I don’t understand it. How could they have managed to slip something in? We’re always on guard. And why just me? Wouldn’t it have been smart to get both of us, since we’re double trouble?”
“Hmm,” Tresa ponders. She decides to switch to her previously untouched glass of water and thirstily drains the glass until only a few half-dissolved ice cubes remain. Then uses her spoon to single out an ice cube and begins thoughtfully crunching on it. “You’re right; it really doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“And why something that acts so slowly. I mean, if they were that clever, wouldn’t they want me incapacitated as soon as possible? So far, I certainly don’t feel like I’m going to keel over any second; I’ve been just feeling a little more ill each day. But it’s like going from a case of the sniffles to a touch of the flu.” As though on cue, Kaylin removes a tissue from her purse and tries unsuccessfully to quietly blow her nose.
“It could be they were trying to be subtle, so the sickness would creep up on you, before you noticed it. They wouldn’t understand that you and I are capable of seeing through this bullshit and cut right to the root of the problem so quickly.” The waitress finally returns to the small table, and leaves after picking up Kaylin’s rejected coffee cup and filling Tresa’s water glass.
“You know, it occurs to me,” Kaylin says softly, “that perhaps we should leave the café and go somewhere a bit…more well-suited to such a discussion.”