"Okay, I'll try to get in contact with Polonia. For now, just do whatever you want," Prince said as he walked over to his desk.
Charlie rolled her eyes and wandered toward the massive window, gazing out at the rouge sky. Heaven glittered faintly in the far-off distance...
Behind her, Prince tapped something on his wrist, his voice dropping as he muttered into his comms, calling in favors she couldn't quite hear.
Charlie took him at his word when he'd said, "Do whatever you want."
Maybe he hadn't meant it literally, but she wasn't about to sit still and stew in silence while he made calls to people she didn't even know.
The loft stairs creaked softly under her heels as she climbed, her eyes darting around to every unfamiliar object in the room. The LED strips glowed blue overhead, and when she reached the top, the massive window pulled her in like gravity.
She pushed the panel open and stepped onto the balcony. The night wind swept her tied golden hair back while the heavy scent of rotting vegetable and smoke attacked her nose.
Pentagram City stretched endlessly beneath her, lights bleeding into one another as the streets clotted with noise despite it being nearly night.
She gripped the railing, leaned out, and pulled her phone from her pocket. Her thumb hovered over the screen, hesitating for a brief moment before tapping the name she always went to when things felt... tough.
One ring. Two. Three. Straight to voicemail.
Charlie bit her lip and tried again.
One ring. Two. Three. Straight to voicemail.
Same thing.
Her heart sank, but she lifted her head, waiting for the beep. When it finally came, her voice came out more cheerful than she was currently feeling.
"Hi, Mom! It's me." She forced a little laugh. "Of course it's me—who else would it be? Anyway, I… I just wanted to check in, see how things were with you. I've been making progress—really, I have. It's slow, but I'm not quitting. I know you'd be proud of that."
The words spilled faster as her throat felt a little choked. "It's just… harder than I thought. Harder every day, honestly. Sometimes I think maybe I can't, but then I remind myself—no. I can. I have to. Because if I give up, then what was all of this even for?"
She sniffled quietly, wiping at the corner of her eye with the back of her sleeve. "Are you eating well? I hope you are. You always forget to eat when you're busy, but you better not be skipping meals now. Don't worry about me, okay? I won't give up. Not ever. Call me when you can. Love you."
Her finger hovered over the screen before she ended the message. She let out a long sigh and leaned on the railing.
Then suddenly, something cold touched the side of her neck.
"GAHHH!!!"
Charlie yelped as her phone slipped from her hand. It clattered against the pavement floor, spun once—and was snatched up in a flash.
"Hey!"
"Haha, it's mine now, bitch!"
A lanky demon laughed as he bolted off with her phone—only to get rammed by a car speeding around the corner. The phone skidded away, then another demon dove for it triumphantly.
Then a chunk of chimney, loose from a decayed building, broke off and crushed him into the pavement. Her phone went, unfortunately, with him.
"..."
Charlie stood there frozen, mouth wide open. "What the—"
Behind her, Prince's voice drawled lazily, "My bad."
She took three deep breaths before looking over to him. "Your bad? What was that for?!"
He shrugged like it was nothing. "Thought you'd notice me when I approached, but you didn't even respond when I called out to you."
Charlie groaned, running her hands down her face. "Great. I really hope everything's backed up on the cloud."
Prince shrugged. He stepped onto the balcony, standing beside her, a cold bottle dangling from his fingers. He held it out. "Here."
"...I appreciate the hospitality, but I really don't drink."
"Don't worry, it's non-alcoholic lemonade. I don't waste real liquor on guests."
Charlie took it reluctantly, her fingers brushing his gloved hand for a second before she pulled back. She twisted the cap and took a cautious sip. Sweet, tangy, cold. Her shoulders eased a little.
Prince leaned on the railing beside her, a bottle of beer in his own hand. His visor reflected the Pride skyline. "My contact won't get back to me until tomorrow. So no news until then."
Charlie looked over at him, then down at the lemonade. "Razzle's out there somewhere. I just… I keep wondering if he's scared. If he thinks I'm not looking for him. What if he's alone and—"
"Stop."
His voice cut clean through her panic. She looked at him, startled.
"Worrying like that just makes it worse," Prince said quietly. "We'll save him. That's all you need to think about right now."
Charlie swallowed her words. Something in his tone carried enough weight that, for once, she believed him. She nodded and turned to face the city.
"Drink," he added. "While it's still cold."
She did, feeling a bit parched. They stood there looking over the city before she laughed softly. "You know… I try not to cry in front of people."
Prince's head tilted. "Lucky me."
"Don't be smug about it!" She swatted his arm, though the laugh lingered in her throat. "I'm being serious. I usually try to stay positive. It's just… hard to keep it up when everything feels like the sky is falling on top of you."
"Welcome to Hell," he muttered.
Charlie smirked faintly at that, but then her expression softened.
"So… problems with the family, huh?"
Charlie froze for half a second, then set her lemonade down on the railing.
Her eyes narrowed. "How much did you hear?"
He didn't answer. He didn't need to. His silence was answer enough.
Charlie sighed and looked down at her lemonade. "It's... complicated."
"When is it not with family."
She gave him a thoughtful look from the corner of her eye. "You used to be an Overlord. But you're not anymore. Why is that?"
Prince's visor shifted, reflecting her face in blue light. After a long pause, he said simply, "It's not really that complicated. Needed to get rid of the title so I could finally move on."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
She didn't press him, though she was certainly curious. If he didn't feel comfortable saying more, then she wouldn't push.
Instead, she lifted her bottle with a small smile. "Then a toast—to saving Razzle."
Prince picked his beer back up and tapped it gently against hers. "To saving Razzle."
They drank as they turned toward the city, its lights flickering below like restless fireflies. For a rare moment, Charlie felt…almost at ease.