Re: Rylee and Lem
Her instinct was to say no, because Carson might need her. But it wasn't Carson behind those bars now and it didn't look like the animal was going to be moving for a while. But maybe taking a short break would be okay, as long as someone would stay down here with him until she got back. Still, Rylee hesitated, looking away from Lem to Carson, and then back to Lem again. "Sure, that might be nice," she said finally. Nice was probably not the right word for it, given what they had witnessed, but Lem probably understood what she meant. "They'll stay here, right?" she asked, nodding to the other men.
She was asking as though this was routine for Lem already, but Lem didn’t point that out. It was probably a comfort to Rylee to feel like the people around her knew what they were doing. But Nick had talked about shifts and everything, so she was pretty certain there would always be someone watching. “Yeah, we won’t leave him alone for a second, I promise,” Lem told Rylee, giving a little nod. That was for everybody’s safety, not just his. She motioned for Rylee to follow her and turned to head up the basement steps and into the kitchen. Lem felt like she could use a drink herself, after that.
Rylee spared one last glance behind her at Carson and tried to remind herself that he had no clue who she was in that moment, other than potential prey. An uncomfortable shiver went down her spine but she followed Lem anyway, hoping she at least got to thank Nick for his help before he left. Having people she knew in the house helped a little too, making her feel like she wasn't entirely alone in this. And Carson wasn't alone either. They had gotten lucky there. "I like your house," Rylee told her, aware that it wasn't the nicest house on Ludlow, but she was generally envious of anyone who wasn't living in an apartment. And frankly, she needed to make small talk before her mind drove her crazy with more morbid scenarios.
Lem gave a tiny harsh laugh at that comment, glancing back at Rylee with some dark amusement. “Thanks,” she said. “It’s not really mine ... well, I mean, it’s Vex’s now. He inherited it from his aunt. She died here, like six months back.” Killed by a werewolf, no less, but Lem thought better than to mention that part. The place was now a strange hodge-podge of Old Single Lady Decor and Trashed Punk Mystique, though she and Vex had at least thrown away a ton of trash and straightened up some in anticipation of having company. She gestured for Rylee to sit at the kitchen table if she wanted to, moving on to the liquor cabinet. There was a selection, so Lem grabbed several bottles of brown and clear liquid, two glasses, and went to the table herself to plunk down. “Need any mixers or chasers or anything?” she asked as she spread out the bottles.
It was a little morbid thinking someone died in the house if that's what Lex meant, but Rylee wasn't going to say so. There was a werewolf in their basement, Carson, and she was grateful they were allowing such a risk to help. She sat down at the table and shook her head with a forced smile at the offer of mixers. "Straight is fine." She used to drink a lot when she went out with Zania or her other friends, but Rylee had cut back considerably over the past few months. "So how do you and Vex know each other?" Rylee didn't want to assume anything. God knew her situation with Carson wasn't exactly normal.