Chapter Text
Kafka glanced at his phone, displeased with himself. He messed up the date of the Monster Sweeper company hang out and now he was alone in the city, while his coworkers made fun of him in the group-chat. He shut down the screen and huffed, annoyed. He better get himself home. Maybe he should do some grocery shopping on his way back?
Suddenly, as he was turning around, he collided with someone.
“Ooof.” He stumbled backwards. “Hey, watch- huh?”
“I’m so sorry!” came a quick response.
Kafka blinked at the woman he collided with. She was taller than him, foreign, pale with platinum blonde hair tied up in a tight, braided crown on her head, exposing a set of pointed ears. A few scars on her face. She wore stone-washed jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt with a band on it, and a cropped leather jacket.
Her hazel eyes currently looked at him with worry.
“Are you alright?” she asked him in perfect, although really formal, textbook Japanese.
He realised he was staring a little. He quickly turned his eyes away. He noticed a map and a couple of suitcases she had with herself. Those looked heavy and impractical to be dragged by one person but she somehow stacked them into an intricate tetris wall.
“Yeah, are you?” he returned the question politely, focusing on her map.
“Yes, once more, I’m sorry, I uh- I think I’m a little lost,” she admitted. “Kanji are still giving me a little trouble."
“Where are you going?” he asked, trying to glance at the map she held in one hand.
“Uh.” She set down the suitcases and straightened up the map. “I’m trying to get to my hotel…” The map had names in English. Not a problem for him, though.
“Oh, here.” She pointed to a spot on the map. “It’s the Yokohama Royal Hotel.”
"Huh."
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no." He pointed to where they were now and drew his finger over her destination. “You got off the train too early, you need three more stops to get there.”
She cursed lightly under her breath in a foreign language that Kafka didn't know.
“I knew it,” she sighed as she folded the map and put it in her jacket's pocket. “Thank you, so much.” She reached for the handle of her luggage wall and threw a bag over her shoulder. “Well, here’s to hoping I’ll get there this time!”
“Yeah,” he watched her for a moment then quickly made up his mind. “Hey, would you mind if I helped you?”
“You really don’t have to.” She smiled. “You probably have your own life to get back to.”
“Nah, it’s not a problem!” He gave her a wide grin. “I’m Kafka Hibino, by the way. Nice to meet’cha.”
“Pleasure to meet you Mr. Hibino. I’m Marigold Nowak," she introduced herself back.
"Just call me Kafka. Everyone does." He took some of her suitcases to lower her load and noted that she had two metallic prosthetic fingers in her right hand with filigree, floral decorations. What a curious person.
"You can call me Mari, then,” she offered in response.
They went back to the train station and right off the bat, Kafka had to catch Marigold before she headed to the wrong train line.
“Sorry,” she chuckled as he guided her back. “Directions in new places are a little confusing to me.”
“Hey, it's fine, I’ll make sure you won’t get lost, Miss!” he assured her with a big confident grin.
“Thanks. And remember, it's Mari," she replied as they got on an elevator to the platform.
He smiled a little at that.
They got to the platform and took place in the marked spot. Thankfully it wasn’t rush hour. The train soon arrived and they slowly boarded with other passengers. Kafka helped Marigold load her luggage up in the overhead compartment and the two sat down.
“Thanks again, you really didn’t need to do that for me,” she said as he took a spot next to her.
“Eh, it's fine, really!” He waved his hand. “This is actually a lot more fun than my original plans.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose up.
“Ha, yeah…” He couldn’t tell her that all his plans included was cracking a can of beer with takeout and watching some TV until falling asleep. That was… depressing. “So, where are you from? America? England?” He quickly changed the subject. The name sounded English but the last name was throwing him off, so he made the wild guess.
Her head tilted a little. She noticed the not-so-subtle switch. “Poland actually,” she replied.
“Poland, huh?” he thought for a moment. He didn’t know much about that country. “Like Chopin, right?”
“Yes, like Chopin,” she snorted. “Unfortunately I don’t play the piano.”
“Hey, me neither!” He grinned. “I kinda got two left feet for it.”
She snorted and laughed at his response. She had quite a cute laugh. Well, anyway.
“So what made you come to Yokohama? I can’t imagine Japan being a hot travel destination with all the kaiju running around… are there a lot of kaiju in Poland?”
“Not much, we do have a few fault lines but nothing that compares,” she replied. “I am here on holiday, actually. Yokohama is where I am starting, but then I would like to go to other places, further inland.”
Kafka hummed listening to her, then shook his head amused. “You talk so formally.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Yeah, like… how would you say good morning in Japanese?”
“Uh… well- Ohayou gozaimasu, no?”
“Yeah, if you’re in school. Most people just: ‘hazaimaaas’.” He bowed his head, pretending to be apologetic, before gesturing with his arm forward. “And then you sprint to your locker before your boss scolds you for being late.” He leaned back in his seat, watching her, snickering at his show. “Really, though just ‘ohaYO!’ is enough."
“Thank you, Kafka-sensei. I will keep that in mind.” She shook her head.
“How do you say ‘good morning’ in Polish?” he asked.
She hummed. “Well, there’s few ways to do it.”
“Oh?”
“Like… Cześć!”
“... Eh?”
She giggled at his dumbfounded face. “Cześć.”
He blinked.
“Cześć!”
“Shheshhch?” He tried mimicking with no success.
She laughed again, covering her mouth to not be too loud on the train. “Ok, ok. Repeat after me - Ch.”
“Ch.”
“ChEh.”
“Cheh”
“Cześć.”
“You’re pulling my leg here, aren’t you?” His brain was struggling with the sound. What were all these rustling leaves doing in her speech?
“I swear I’m not.” She shook her head, biting her lips to stop herself from grinning widely.
“So…You said kanji was hard, huh?” He patted his pockets for pieces of paper.
“Don’t change the subject-!” she gasped mock-offended.
The rest of the travel they spent talking mostly about what she wanted to see in Yokohama and him recommending some good spots. In turn, she gave him recommendations for Poland if he ever managed to go there. Their talk went on well until they reached her hotel.
“There we are!” Kafka gestured to the building with a flare. “Yokohama Royal Hotel!”
Marigold hummed in appreciation. “It looks… really fancy…” She took in the hotel, looking a bit uncomfortable.
“Hmm? Is something wrong?” He was a bit stumped with that reaction.
“Nothing,” she assured him as they walked through the revolving door into the lobby. “My… relative booked this place for me,” she sighed. “I should have known she would go all out. Thank you for helping me find it, though.” She smiled gratefully at him and gave him a little bow.
“No problem, really.” He set the luggage down as they reached the front desk. “I should get going.”
He kind of wanted to talk a bit longer with her but honestly, she probably had other things to do.
“Could you wait a moment though? I just need to check in,” she said before she turned to the receptionist.
Kafka took a step back. Marigold quickly finished her check-in and got her keys. A bellboy appeared soon enough and Marigold’s luggage was wheeled away to her room.
“Thank you for waiting,” she said.
“Sure. So what’s up?”
“I am sorry for causing you this problem and I'm absolutely grateful for today," she began.
Kafka cringed a little at the formality of her speech but hey, he could work with that.
“Not a problem. At all.”
She nodded and continued, "Would it be an overstep if I asked you to guide me around the city?” she asked. "I think I will feel a bit more secure with you around. I of course will pay you for your trouble. If you want to that is."
Huh. Not what he expected. "Hey, that's kinda flattering," he replied. "Are you sure you don't want to rent like an actual guide?"
"I was considering it but I dislike guided tours and I made my own sightseeing list," she explained. "I realise you have work and now that I think about it, you must think of me as really rude…"
"Nah, don't sweat it. Hmm." He folded his arms to think about it. He could ask for an 'on call' duty for a couple days. Unless there was a kaiju to clean up there really wasn't anything to do at work besides sitting and waiting. "How long are you staying?"
"4 days, not including today," she replied.
Kafka scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I think I could do that." Tomorrow was his day off anyway. He could call Toku and sort things out.
"Really?" She looked at him hopeful.
"Yeah!"
"Thank you so much!" She clasped her hands. "I'll give you my phone number, just in case." She fished out an older version of a smartphone from her jacket's pocket.
"Oh, sure yeah." He patted his pockets for a moment trying to locate where he put it. Finally found it in his back pocket. They swapped their numbers and said goodbye for the evening.
Kafka looked over his phone's screen as he walked out of the hotel. It wasn't often he met new people outside of work. Yeah, this might be actually good for him. Making friends, that is. Quite pretty friends… He cleared his throat to himself and marched towards the train station feeling quite lighter in his steps.
They met again quite early the next day. Kafka noted a different band T-shirt on Marigold.
"Hey, I know this one!"
She chuckled, "Morning to you too."
He grinned at her. "Morning. So you listen to heavy metal?"
"I listen to a variety of music but," She looked a bit sheepish, "I just like band T-shirts."
"That's okay. I can introduce you to them while we're on our way to…" He trailed off giving her occasion to let him know their destination.
"Right," she pulled out a beat-up notebook from her pocket. "I have a list - maybe you can help me with it?"
"Sure." Kafka stepped closer. Her handwriting was neat, practised, and boxy. He scanned all the mentioned locations and then pointed to a few that were close by. It wouldn't be hard to get to some on foot from the hotel. It was mostly small parks and a historical site.
"I think these will be best to go to closer to evening," he said pointing to Chinatown and locations near the port.
"Perfect."
Off they went. True to his word, Kafka introduced Marigold to his favourite songs. She listened and bobbed her head to a few he played for her from his phone. He beamed at her when she added a bunch of them to her playlists. In turn, she also played some tunes to him. Surprisingly, her tastes were rooted in more folk-themed music but after having a listen to his tastes she recommended plenty he actually enjoyed.
They even got into a discussion on classic rock and heavy metal bands versus modern music. It continued on and off while they got into the parks.
Marigold pulled out a camera from her bag that looked really professional and started taking photos. Kafka even got to pose a couple times in some silly way. Well, Marigold called those silly. He referred to those poses as 'bad-ass' getting more laughs out of her.
A few times he had to stop his new friend from wandering off in the wrong direction, which usually ended with her embarrassed apologies. He noted that from time to time she would also just need to stand to the side, intently checking her phone. She always had a furrowed brow and slight concern on her face. He wondered what that was about. Work related? Family? Well, it really wasn't his business.
Finally, Kafka’s stomach decided to remind him he needed food.
“Hey, want to grab a bite?” he asked her.
Marigold turned her head to him and blinked. It seemed she was at first surprised with the suggestion but then a light went off in her head.
“Oh! You probably should, yeah.” She lowered her camera.
Her response had him confused.
“You're not hungry?”
It had to be almost past lunch hours. He noted she had a bottle of water she occasionally took a sip from but no food, and while he had some snacks on him, she never asked for any.
"You should get some food into you, you know," he advised. "It's not healthy."
Marigold looked at him a little embarrassed, unsure how to explain herself. "Um… how should I say this…" she sighed deeply. "I had an accident and now I am on an all-liquid diet. I have my food at the hotel,” she said. “So, you don't have to worry about me.”
"Oh." Welp. He did it again. "Kafka Hibino, you are a master of putting your foot in your mouth aren't you…" he scolded himself. He cleared his throat. “Ah… sorry about that…”
“That's alright, you couldn’t have known.” She smiled politely. “How about we split for now? We can find someplace for you to eat and, in the meantime, I can mingle around."
That didn't sit quite right with him. He couldn’t just let her wander off. “You sure? We walked around for a long time, you could use some rest too. I'm looking forward to checking those photos you took." He tried to salvage the situation.
"If you are sure…"
"100%!" He reassured her with a wide grin.
They ended up in a burger joint. She ordered a coke to not stand out and he got himself a meal. They sat down and started flipping through the photos she took. She took note of the ones he liked to send to him later. She then asked him about some of his poses. Kafka told her they were from Metal Lions Clash!
"What's that?" she asked, curious.
"What? You mean you don't know what that is? Wait, it might be something else in English!" He looked up the Western localisation title.
"I've got no clue what that is." Marigold shook her head a little.
Kafka gasped. "It's one of the best old-school manga and anime! How can you not know!"
"What's it about?" she asked innocently, immediately activating Kafka's trap card.
He immediately launched into a retelling of the show. She watched as he began to explain the lore and story behind the rise and fall of the planet Mechatron. It was actually pretty engaging. Kafka noted she almost looked… nostalgic?
The time kind of ran away from them. By the time Kafka finished the story, ate his meal, and the two of them got to their destination, it was closed.
"Aw, damn…" Kafka tsked and sighed. "Sorry about that." He rubbed the back of his head. This was on him.
"That's alright, don't worry about that," she reassured him and touched his arm. "We can start tomorrow with this one."
Kafka's head immediately turned to her hand. "True. Are you cold? Your hand-"
Marigold immediately took it away. "Ah, no, it is all good. You know, we are still good for one spot," she changed the subject. "If you'd like we can go and see one more location." She immediately reached for her notebook. "Here, oh! How about the Guramon museum!"
"Alright, if you want to," he agreed, although not very convinced.
They hit two museums - Guramon and the ramen one. Kafka got really hyped about the first one once his attention was redirected. Marigold insisted and bought Kafka some souvenirs from it.
"As today's compensation if you are sure I can't just pay you otherwise," she explained.
He tried to protest at first but… the merch… Instead, he ended up thanking her profoundly. It got her a bit embarrassed and the two finally laughed it off.
The next day they went to see more of the historical part of Yokohama. Kafka couldn’t really call himself an expert on history so it was a fun day of learning for him as well when they'd pour over her phone or a leaflet to read the information. At some point, they wandered into a more tourist-dense area of the city and Marigold spotted a kimono rental shop.
"If I go there, that's gonna be so touristy…" she mumbled to herself but it seemed like she kind of wanted to try it on.
Kafka then grabbed her hand and pulled her towards it. "It's there for a reason," he said in good spirits. "You should try it!"
It was easier said than done. Marigold was too tall. It took a while to pick something for her. Kafka waited patiently, while the attendants tried to match something up for Marigold, while also complimenting how pale she was.
She eventually emerged in a beautiful green kimono.
"Wow, you look great," he commented after he remembered how to speak.
"Thank you," she replied with a wide smile.
"They gave you short sleeves," he noted. He wondered if she knew what it meant.
"Oh, yeah, I asked for that." She picked up her camera. Immediately one of the attendants got to them and offered to take a photo of both Marigold and Kafka.
"Young man, don't you want to match your wife?" the elder woman asked him, giving his clothes a critical look.
"He's just a friend, who is showing me Japan," Marigold quickly jumped in to explain.
"We're just friends," he said at the same time.
"Ah, well." The attendant looked disappointed. "Anyway, stand together!"
The two awkwardly shuffled together but not before Marigold had to show the other woman how to operate her camera. Mari quickly set everything to look decent and went back to Kafka.
When they managed to escape the owner of the shop for a quick walk around in the kimono, Kafka couldn't help but glance at the short sleeves.
"Your husband must be a pretty lucky guy," he noted.
"I'm a widow, actually," she clarified. "Are you jealous?" she teased.
"Nah, just surprised. I didn't- well-, never mind, I guess." He smiled awkwardly, running a hand through his hair and then digging both hands into his jacket.
She rolled her eyes and bumped into him a little. "If I'll still be around and if you buy me a drink, I'll tell you about that. Maybe." She winked. "Now, I have a few more stops planned for today!"
He watched her walk ahead of him. Then he slapped himself to get his mind clear. He looked ahead and ran to catch up with her. Boy, she moved fast. "Alright, but you need to turn left there!"
"There?!" She called back.
"Yeah!"
The rest of the day went on without a hitch. They said their goodbyes way after the sunset, this time under the train station - Marigold promising that she was fine and he didn't need to walk her to the hotel. She memorised the route.
He gave her a look but finally gave in. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you!" She chuckled and they went to their respective train lines.
They didn't meet the next day - a kaiju attack brought everything to a halt. Kafka was going to be swamped with the monster work for at least next week. It wasn't a giant class but a lot of smaller ones.
He sent her a text to apologise and she replied with a smiley face and a thumbs up. A "no worries" from her. Then a four-leaf clover and man in hardhat - good luck at work, he guessed.
She had a peculiar way of texting, he noticed. She was almost reinventing hieroglyphics. If he didn't understand something he could always send her a question mark and then she would explain in detail.
He smiled at her response but felt a little sad. Marigold was going to leave Yokohama after tomorrow. She would still be in Japan from what she was saying but after that? He wondered if she had any SNS they could connect with…
He was about to ask her when suddenly his phone was fished out of his hands.
"Who are you texting so much, Kafka? We're about to move out," Toku asked and looked at the screen.
"Nobody! Now give it back, Toku!" Kafka tried to reach for his phone to no avail. Toku was taller than him with longer arms.
Toku, meanwhile, whistled at what he found. "Hey guys! Kafka is talking to a girl!"
It was as if a pack of wild beasts spotted a prey. A cold shiver went through Kafka. Oh, he was in danger.
"Give it!" He managed to jump up and snatch his property back.
"Come on, Kafka, tell us something!" Mitsuike called after him. "It's been a while!"
"She's just a friend." Kafka quickly zipped up his overalls. "And didn't you just say we have work to do?!" He pointed at Toku.
"Well, the kaiju aren't going anywhere, now, are they?" Toku grinned.
"Neither is this conversation," Mr. Mizoguchi stated as he entered the room. "Gentlemen, leave the personal chatter to your break time or after work, please."
And with that Kafka’s execution was delayed. But he knew he was going to be grilled about this very soon. So he threw himself into work.
Surprisingly, they didn't harass him during the lunch break. He could feel their stares, however. They were plotting against him for sure. He couldn't blame them though. If this was anyone else - Yoshimura, Mori, Mitsuike - he too would have joined in on the teasing. They had been working together for so long, they were almost like brothers. Didn't necessarily mean he liked being on the receiving end, though…
As expected, they decided to grab him after work. Kafka had tried to escape but to his surprise even Mr. Mizoguchi seemed to be against him. The invitation for after-work beer came from him. He couldn't refuse that!
"So when did you meet?"
"Three days ago…"
"Is this why you wanted to be on call duty instead of coming to work?"
"Yes…"
"So… is she single?"
"Widow…"
"So she's single."
He just chugged the beer, trying to ignore the laughs and shoulder shaking that only got more intense as more alcohol was consumed.
"Just don't run off to some foreign country with her," Yoshimura laughed.
"We're just friends, guys…"
"Dude, you are 32! Maybe it's a sign!" Toku leaned on Kafka’s shoulder. "When I was your age-"
The next-day hangover was seriously cramping his style at work. Thankfully, it seemed that his coworkers had mercy on him. For once.
He was the last one at the site as per usual, double-checking everything. Making sure the equipment was secured, and no personal belongings left behind. After a thorough inspection, he loaded up his van and drove off.
It was always a bit creepy to be alone at the office after dark but he had to clock out and take his moped home. With all formalities done, he locked the office door.
"Kafka!"
Kafka jumped up with a shriek, spun around, and dropped into a defensive boxing position.
"Marigold?" He blinked seeing her standing there. "What-? How-?"
"Can you help me? I need to get into the cordoned-off kaiju zone," she spoke quickly looking over her shoulder.
There was an unusual tension to her and a sense of urgency he hadn't seen so far.
"Alright," he said without a moment of hesitation. "Give me a sec." He went back pulling her with him inside the office to grab the van keys.
Suddenly the whole building shook. Kafka looked through the window, alarmed.
"What-?" A kaiju? An earthquake?
"We have to hurry," Marigold said with a frown as she looked at the ceiling. "Did you get the keys?"
"Yeah."
Marigold grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. Another shake nearly had him lose the keys.
"Get the van," she ordered.
It was so strange. Like a flip in her personality. The fun and polite woman was replaced with this cold steel determination and focus. She kept him behind her as if protecting him.
He didn't even notice when or how there was a long and heavy-looking sword in her hand with a light curve to it. It was pitch black and seemed to consume light around it.
Questions for later.
He ran to the van. The ground shook again, strong enough that he almost lost his footing on a flat surface. A gust of frigid wind hit him in the back like a truck. He stumbled and collided with the van. In the reflection in the window, he saw a giant… something. It was a black mass he couldn't quite discern the shape of. Looking at it though, he felt ice filling his veins and it was as if he was disappearing. Like all that he was was dissolving into nothing.
"Don't look at it!" Marigold yelled and slapped his shoulder, snapping him back into reality.
"Fuckfuckfuck," he hissed under his breath as he struggled to get the key in the door. He ripped the door open when it clicked then launched himself inside. "C'mon, c'mon. Yes!" he shouted over the roar of the engine.
Something thumped on the roof. "Drive!!" Marigold yelled from above.
She didn't have to tell him twice. He stepped on the accelerator and sped off. The frigid wind brushed over him, forcing itself through the vents. It felt as if all the air from his lungs was being sucked out.
He smacked the wheel. The sting sobered him up. A glance in the back mirror showed him the shadowy mass consuming everything behind them. Not destroying it. Annihilating it out of existence. The buildings, trees, and roads were disappearing as if it was never there. He still could see Monster Sweeper Inc. HQ and half of it was just… gone.
The Shadows were still in pursuit.
"What the hell is it? A kaiju? I should report that! What is going on?!" His thoughts raced through his mind 100 miles per hour. He gritted his teeth as he took a sharp turn.
"It’s not a kaiju!" Marigold yelled from above. "Do not call it in!"
Did he say that out loud? Damn it!
The shadowy tendril smacked the road just an inch away from them. Another sharp turn. He must have broken so many laws. Somehow, it didn't matter. Survival did. He heard Marigold chopping away at the attacking creature. Kafka didn't remember the last time his adrenaline was this high. And worst part? He was grinning like crazy.
"We're almost there!!" he yelled to Marigold.
The Kaiju subjugation area was just ahead.
"Do not stop driving! It catches us, you're toast!" She responded.
"Me?! What about you?!" He sounded so offended.
"It's just another Thursday to me," she said and Kafka swore he didn't hear her. She spoke directly to his mind.
The van broke through the barricade. Kafka swerved between leftover kaiju they hadn't cleaned up yet and finally parked the car with a screech of tires.
Marigold jumped down the roof. He didn't know when or how but she was now wearing pitch-black armour. A snake wrapped around a blooming rose adorned her chestplate.
"Stay in the van and don't look." She said to him through the window. Her eyes were blood red.
"You owe me an explanation after this," he said quickly.
The ground shook again. It felt as if the Arctic spilled over. The rubble and kaiju bodies began to disintegrate. The gravity began to behave funny as pieces of concrete, metal, and wood began to levitate.
In the mirror, the mass of shadows began to take shape and Kafka didn't know if he liked that. A limb shot forward at them. Marigold spun around and cut right through it. The creature roared. Existence shuddered. Every atom in Kafka's body shivered, fighting to remain in place.
"Don't look, Kafka Hibino!" Marigold yelled and leaped forward.
She didn't have to repeat that. Kafka’s stomach turned into knots and he swallowed hard. He cranked the window up, closed his eyes, and gripped the steering wheel.
Outside, he could hear the sounds of battle. The roars and clanks of the sword. It felt unreal. The woman he met 4 days ago was some sort of knight fighting eldritch horrors. What was she even? People didn't have red eyes like those. Didn't talk to others through their minds, either.
The van suddenly shook and creaked. Kafka's eyes flew open and he spun around. There was now a human-shaped indent in the wall.
Damn, Toku was going to kill him. There is no way he could explain that!
He saw Marigold picking herself from the ground. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. For a second Kafka thought she got disintegrated but no. She was attacking mid-air. Falling l into the mass of shadows with a yell. And then, for a sliver of a heartbeat, reality splintered. Everything went quiet. Then it all exploded. The van got dragged a good few inches towards the dying creature. The windows cracked. The freezing cold disappeared. It was finally safe.
Kafka still couldn't quite grasp what happened but he knew one thing. They survived.
After taking in the emotion his eyes fell on Marigold.
She was standing in the middle of the battlefield. Craters around her. Her posture was half slumped, and there was blood in her hair and on her face. She punched her shoulder and the armour began to fold in on itself in segments. When the last of it was gone, she collapsed.
Kafka had to kick the door open to get out. Almost stumbling into the debris. He ran up to her and gently cradled her in his arms.
"Hey," she said. "You lived." A small, amused smile appeared on her face.
"That's my line," Kafka snorted. "So, a Thursday, huh?"
She laughed and then coughed up blood.
"Ooh, bad moment to laugh," she groaned. "I think it went through my mid-section at one point."
That was bad.
"I'll get you to the hospital!" Kafka carefully lifted her up. The van has seen better days but it still should get them places.
"No. No hospital." She gripped his shirt and pulled on it. "Just… get me to my hotel… I have everything I need there."
"I don't think the hotel staff will just let us slip past with you like this," he argued as he carried her to the van.
"They won't notice. Trust me."
A/N: This is Marigold, commission by me from KodarisArt (murder-me-with-ink on tumblr)
