24.2

Scarcely fifteen minutes passed before a soft knock interrupted Dirk's explosive self-pity. He ignored it.

To his amazement, Charles walked in unbidden. Dirk reached for the knife in his boot.

"Oh, just give it up," Charles sneered. "You don't want to piss 'Dicia off even more."

"What do you want?" Dirk whispered venomously.

"You look like hell. I told her that she did too. Breaking up doesn't look pretty on either one of you. You've been drinking way too much lately. Everyone knows it, and people are starting to talk about it."

Dirk glared in stony silence in reply.

"I don't get you," Charles said, shaking his head. "I really thought I did. But not so much now."

"Get out."

"Um, no."

"Did she send you to torment me?"

"That's so beneath her, pumpkin. She'd send something demon-y to do that. Or do it herself. She doesn't even know I'm here."

"And why are you here?"

"I'm just kind of surprised about what you just said. I'm just trying to get the story straight. 'Cuz the details of this story kinda matter, since it's, like, the biggest story going. So how exactly did she misunderstand it when you told her you never wanted to see her again?"

Dirk sighed miserably. He did not want to have this conversation. He took a long swill of his brandy, and was glad to feel inebriation setting in. He said evenly, "I spoke to her in anger. Nothing more."

"So, were you pretty pissed that she left right after you had sex, finally?"

Dirk pressed his lips together tightly, affecting a steely glare. He did not want Charles to know how deeply that particular subject affected him. He could not possibly explain to another living soul that he had been devastated by the timing of her departure. The only peace he had ever known in his remarkably dark life had been when she had enveloped his consciousness inside the raw magical power of her own. Releasing himself inside her flesh had been the closest thing he had ever known to a religious experience. Leaving him as she did afterward had been terribly cruel. But he would rather die than admit that to her -- or anyone else.

Undeterred, Charles babbled on, "'Cuz you know that was just about her freaking out over you saying you loved her. She really just couldn't deal. And so she and I talked about it, like we talk about everything, and she was totally coming to terms with it. I thought everything was going to be okay, then that article in the Liar came out about her leaving you, and showing her with Magnus. Worst timing ever, if you ask me."

Dirk stared silently, shocked at the private details to which Charles was privy.

Charles spoke faster and began waiving his hands, his excitement grown as his brain put the missing puzzle pieces of the story together. He said, "See, I knew this was going to happen. I told her that thing in the paper was going to be trouble! But I thought we did good damage control on that one. Didn't you see her fabulous interview in the next issue? She was so cute in it!"

"Your 'damage control' was an utter failure," Dirk said, his voice dropping to a growl. "I first learned of it after I had already told her that I never wanted to see her again. This is all your fault."

"No, honey, you can't get yourself off the hook that easily. That isn't nearly all you said," Charles chided, shaking his head knowingly. "You also told her that she was a big, scary, disgusting monster and you couldn't possibly love a demon-thing like her."

Dirk leaned heavily back into his chair, feeling the effect of the liquor and wishing he were a hundred times drunker. His eyes fixed on a point in the carpet to avoid eye contact. He said defensively, "I've called her worse, I'm sure. Besides, I thought she was leaving me. I wanted to hurt her for betraying me."

"Well, you did that," Charles said somberly. After a long pause, he added, "Just so you know, when we said she was sleeping with Magnus tonight, we meant she was sleeping literally. She hasn't really slept at all since she left you."

Dirk sighed, relieved to know that she wasn't engaged in an amorous tryst with the assassin. He murmured, "After more than a few days without sleep, she becomes unbearable."

Charles nodded and made a distasteful face. He confided quietly, "Major nasty-poo. That's pretty much where she is now."

"The last time I saw her, I had the impression that she was losing her mind. Has she gone mad?"

Charles shrugged and said, "That's kind of hard to say. I mean, she's always been kind of off kilter in her own special way. It's just a little more extreme right now. I think she'll be better if she starts sleeping and calms down a little."

"Is there anything I can do?" Dirk asked earnestly.

"Not really. You totally messed up, honey."

Dirk whispered grimly, "Then go and explain to her that it was just a stupid misunderstanding."

"Nuh-uh. Then she'd get pissed at me for taking your side. She's really mad. You dug yourself so deep this time you probably aren't getting out," Charles said. "You totally broke her heart. You know that right?"

Dirk nodded bitterly, biting back an admission that she had broken his too. He said, "I've no interest in hearing from you the difficulty of the situation. I simply want her back."

"Sugar, I don't think that's going to happen. In the state her head is in right now, she's really, really planning to kill you. And not just that. She's going to destroy your entire fucking world. The more you mess with her right now, the madder she's going to get. You want her to forget about you right now. Trust me on this. I'm working on getting her to move back to LA for a while. If she puts you out of her head and moves on, maybe this will blow over in a few years."

Dirk stared blankly at Charles. He felt at this moment as though he were being swallowed up by the blackness he had been wallowing in since Zyrdicia left.

Charles shook his head impatiently, staring at the floor. Thinking out loud, he said, "Unbelievable. After what you two had together, you got mad at her over trash printed in the Liar - which everyone is lies at least half of the time. And then she got mad cause of stuff you said - which everyone knows is lies most of the time. This would be the funniest thing I'd ever heard if she weren't so upset about it."

"I find nothing amusing in it," Dirk said darkly.

"Me neither actually. I'm really worried about her. The Azriok thing is a problem."

"How often has she visited that fiend?" Dirk wondered, jealousy creeping into his countenance.

"Like, every day. She isn't hanging out with us in Lyr, she isn't spending time with friends, she isn't doing anything but going to see Azriok. I think she thinks that they're kind of back together or something." Charles added with a displeased pout, "And she's staying with these new people in Geshna who I don't even know. It really sucks."

Dirk's eyes narrowed. He demanded, "Who exactly is she staying with in Geshna?"

"Dunno exactly. Magnus is going to find out. It's kind of worrying us, you know? 'Cuz she hasn't even talked to Magnus since any of this stuff happened. Or Portia. I just saw 'Dicia one time. I just know from Phillip that she's been seeing Azriok a lot, according the little demon spies he uses. And we've all been trying for days to figure out how to get her away from Azriok, but we couldn't even figure out where she was. Tonight is the first time she surfaced."

Dirk scowled. Even in his less-than-sober state, the thought of her falling into Azriok's clutches bothered him even more than the thought of her with Magnus. She always underestimated the danger the demons posed to her.

Charles suggested, "Maybe you should go and talk to Magnus. Tell him that you royally fucked up. Maybe he can get her to talk to you - he's the only one she ever really listens to when she goes off the deep end."