Chapter Text
At first it was easy to ignore; when he felt dizzy he'd lay down, wait for it to pass, bury his head in the pillow to hide from the lights. When he felt the harsh chill spreading, he'd get up and pace the room, try to keep his blood flowing and body warm, until the next dizzy spell sent him back to the couch.
But the hunger, the hunger was the hardest thing to ignore. The constant gurgling of his stomach, the hollow ache gnawing from within, and growing worse as time passed.
Currently it had him on the couch again, clutching at his stomach and fighting down the nausea. How long had he been here? At least a week, it had to be.
How long could he go without food again? His luck normally dropped food or what have you in his lap when he was starving, but that certainly wasn't going to happen here....
But he had to keep going, persevere; Toad needed him alive, he knew that much. So he wouldn't let him starve to death....at least he hoped so. Surely he'd step in at some point ti keep his little "luck charm" alive.
He just had to wait....wait him out, outlast his patience.
He'd win this little game...or die trying.
Liu Hai sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. One of his cards hovered before him, displaying the small room housing the troublesome goose. He'd thought by now Gladstone would've cracked, or at the very least started voicing his upset.
But no, still he kept his stubborn determination. Even when his stomach voiced its needs, or the after effects from draining clearly got to him, still not a word for aid.
He couldnt let this go on forever, or else his body would start trying to survive through other means. And his own appetite couldn't be sated, not without causing Gladstone's entire system to turn inside out and send him into cardiac arrest in the process.
Sooner or later, one of them had to break, and gods be damned if HE was the one to do it...
There HAD to be a way to get him to slip up....he just had to find it. Quickly.
He growled under his breath as he willed the card away. He needed to distract himself, before his impatience got the better of him.
Perhaps digging into the mystery that was still burning at the back of his mind would provide him something. That being, the mystery of Gladstone's mother.
"I KNOW I've seen that woman somewhere..." he muttered, rising from the chair and approaching the large shelf of books.
He ran a hand over the spines, skimming the titles, before finally pulling a large tome from it. As he was a spirit of luck, it made sense he would know her from other similar beings. So if he was correct about that, she should be in here, this book of other fortune spirits.
He returned to his desk and set it atop it, opening to the codex, and running through the names.
Gladstone's mother looked so familiar....he had to figure out why. What was her name again....? Debbie? Della? No that was the cousin....Delilah? No, no....
None of the names in the codex were ringing a bell either.
He supposed he could ask...though he doubted Gladstone would be eager to dispel such information. Especially considering what little he knew of the goose's rather tragic story.....
.....but then, if he was desperate enough for food, perhaps he just might do so....maybe...
His groggy mind stirred enough to notice the sharp pain in his abdomen. Soon after it had him sitting up with a tight gasp, and he scrambled to the edge of the futon as the building nausea rose, pushing up until--
He was certain there hadn't been a trash bin in the room beforehand, but he didn't care to question it as what little contents his stomach had were forcibly rejected into it.
He sat there for a few minutes after, breathing harshly as he tried to settle down.
It seemed the feeding session's worst effects were starting to kick in. That wasn't good, at all; he couldn't afford to lose anymore energy or what little hydration he had.
After a few minutes more, he finally pushed himself up, and turned over to lie on his back with a moan.
"You're fine....you're fine, you're f-fine..." he muttered to himself, rubbing at his forehead.
"Are you?"
The sudden voice startled him, and he jerked up. The hasty movement sent his head spinning, and he fought down the nausea as he looked back over his shoulder. Toad stood there, watching him with a humored smirk.
"Ever hear of knocking?" Gladstone snapped, drawing the robe tightly around him. He scoffed a second later.
"Though, I guess its kinda difficult to knock without, ya know, a door. Maybe add one of those and I'll be slightly more comfortable since you seem so obsessed with that."
Liu Hai laughed, sauntering over and taking a seat close beside him. Gladstone's narrowed eyes watched him suspiciously as the cards came out again, their shuffling filling the room.
"Oh no, no, I actually have no intentions of giving you any such comforts until you've given me reason to trust you with them; and that is going to take much longer than a few days. But, onto the main reason I'm here..."
His stomach dropped a bit as Liu Hai fixed him with that sharp stare of his, the one that had always cut through every wall he threw out. Saw through his every ruse and lie and left him floundering in the knowledge that nothing he said or did would go without observation and inquiry.
"I thought I'd see if you were ready to accept my offer? I'm sure after that little spell, you're going to need something to replenish that lost essence."
"No."
His answer was short and blunt, but not surprising to Liu Hai. He snickered, stowing the deck away somewhere on his person, and resting a hand on his shoulder.
"I really do suggest you take it; vomiting is only the first stage, you know, and things will get worse..."
"So be it, then." He snapped, jerking away from his hand.
Toad clicked his tongue, and rose again with a sigh.
"I really don't understand why you make things so difficult for yourself, Gladstone--"
"Because I know it doesn't matter what I say, I know you, you'll feed anyway. The least I can do is be as big of a pain in the neck as I can about it. Seems fair, don't you think?"
He didn't look very amused, and Gladstone cracked a smirk at that; it was rare he ever got under the toad's skin that much. He'd take what meager satisfaction he could get right now.
But then, his frustration turned ti something else. A look of thought, which was never a good sign; Toad getting thoughtful had never ended well for him.
"Very well, why don't I offer you a new deal, then? I'll allow you refreshments and one proper meal, in exchange, I only want an answer for a nagging question I've been having."
The sudden change clearly had caught Gladstone off guard; he stuttered a bit, arching a brow.
"Wh....so wait...I just answer a question and thats it?"
"That's it; it can be quick and simple if you let it."
He glanced away for a moment, uncertain, but a sudden growl from his stomach spurred him on.
"........okay, so...whatta you wanna to know?"
The grin he got made it feel like he'd made a mistake.
"Your mother's name; what is it?"
A long silence followed then; Gladstone stared, dumbfounded, as if he couldn't decide how to respond. At least for a moment.
Then a nervous laugh slipped out as he stood.
"Ha....wh-what?"
The reaction was clearly amusing for Toad as he cooked his head in thought.
"Your mother's name, what is it? I'm sure you mentioned it once but I can't seem to--"
"Stop, stopstopstop-- what....why....th-that is...so far from being your business your name isn't even mentioned on the lease!"
"Is it really so bad? I mean its not as if I can actually do anything to her at this point--"
The pillow was flung at his head, which he quickly ducked with a startled grunt. Gladstone had shifted from bewilderment to anger, narrowed eyes watching Liu Hai.
"My answer is no."
A tense silence passed, before Liu Hai shrugged.
"Very well, I'll give you some more time; either you answer my question, agree to my feeding schedule, or your body shuts down and I'll have to take drastic measures. But I suggest you come to a decision soon..."
Toad vanished in a puff of smoke, and Gladstone sagged a bit before returning to the bed. He fell onto it with a heavy sigh, throwing an arm over his eyes to block the dim lights.
Why would he want to know....well whatever, he's not getting anything. If I have to go into a coma or something to win this then fine....it's...fine...
It wasn't fine, but he didn't like any of the options provided.
And he knew he didn't have long before one of them would have to suffice; and he wasn't sure which of them was worse.