He hadn't slept well last night. The hours of the early morning were spent tossing and turning. When he did sleep, it wasn't for long and was often interrupted by sounds from outside, sounds he had to get up and check. Crowne had yet to make an appearance and it was putting the werewolf on edge. It was clear that Crowne meant for him to know that he was around, that he was here, so why not show up and have it all out? Why keep prolonging the inevitable? Royce often prided himself on having an abundant amount of patience, thanks to years of practice with Rosemary, but this thing with Crowne was wearing out every last bit of his patience.
The vampire loved making grand entrances. He liked the waiting. Fucking bastard.
Rosemary was still sleeping by the time he got up a couple hours before noon. That was hardly a surprise since she was infamous for never waking up at any normal morning hour. Not unless she absolutely had to and only if by some weird happenstance, she got a burst of early morning energy. Or whenever he was able to find something good enough to bribe her with. He wasn't much of a morning person either. Just would wake up and lounge around in their make-shift bed on the floor for a couple of hours, avoiding his friend's sleep-kicking. Sometimes she talked in her sleep. They had been able to have a conversation one time. Something about finding the princess in the castle and stealing her cake. Funny enough, she had no actual memory of either their conversation or the dream.
Even when she was sleeping, all Rosemary could think about was food. Typical.
Unfortunately, all he could think about was Charlie. And not his usual happy thoughts about her either. Crowne had talked with her, been close to her and got in her head. What if the vampire decided to pay her a visit at the clinic?
Royce sat up and ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't his day to work or come in. The Doc had been lenient about him working there on a regular basis but had warned him against spending too much time at the clinic (more specifically, around Charlie). It wouldn't be unusual for him to just drop by though, would it? Just to make sure things were okay? No, it was totally normal. Charlie had been freaked out and he was coming around to see how she was doing.
Totally normal and with no ulterior motives.
He got up, showered and dressed and wrote a quick note for Rosemary before leaving. It took no time at all to get to the clinic, more so than usual since he was almost sprinting there. Unusually quiet, he walked in and gave a short sniff for Charlie and the Doc. Pretty soon, he was going to have to have a talk with the Doc about what was going on. Seeing Charlie at the front, he grinned and came forward. "Morning. The Doc here?"