Carson and Rylee [Morning After]
“Been worse,” he murmured with a lopsided smile. At least he wasn’t out in the middle of the woods this time, fighting not to die of exposure. Waking up on concrete wasn’t great, and everything still hurt, but he was headed for home and comfort.
Rylee's lips twitched briefly, because it was true. Last night had probably been bad, but she knew based on his experience last month, it could have been so much worse. "I think we're going to get home so he can eat and shower and get some actual sleep," Rylee told Lem. "We really appreciate what you did, letting us use the space. And if there's anything we can do for you or Vex..." Rylee had no clue what the two people might need, but she wanted to put the offer out there anyway.
Carson felt a flicker of guilt that he wasn’t saying goodbye to and thanking everyone, but he was eager to get home, and he could do that later. Most of them seemed to be either not there or asleep by now anyway. He was glad that they hadn’t all been completely on edge all night, afraid he would wake up before the tranquilizer wore off. It seemed that things had worked out pretty well, aside from the pain. “Yeah, thank you,” he murmured.
Lem didn’t really need a bunch of thanks. Nor did she think that Rylee and Carson had anything to offer in return for this probably-monthly favor, but that was okay. Lem had everything she wanted already. “No problem,” she told the both of them. “Glad we could help.” In this case ‘help’ meant keeping a murderous monster from roaming the streets and killing people, so it really was beneficial to everyone. “I’ll let everybody know, you guys get some rest.” Lem gave them a faint smile.
Rylee knew the others well enough to know that they wouldn't be offended if she and Carson left without saying goodbye. He had been through a lot and he needed to get home where she could take care of him. It was a bit of an awkward goodbye, but Rylee didn't think Lem was the kind of person to expect hugs and all that stuff, so Rylee gave her a small, appreciative smile before walking with Carson to the front door. Pulling it open she was a bit surprised that she wasn't greeted with a blast of cold. It was actually quite pleasant. She reached into her purse to pull out her car keys. "I talked with her a bit last night," Rylee told Carson, once they were outside and she had shut the door behind her. "She's an interesting person, I have to say."
Carson squinted against the light when the door opened, and he too was mildly surprised not to be immediately freezing. It was nice out, especially for this time of morning. He decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and not to question it too much. As crappy and exhausted as he felt, there was a rising sense of relief. It was over, everyone had gotten through it in one piece, and Carson knew for a fact he hadn’t killed anyone. As horrible as it was, that assurance made this curse easier to bear. He put his arm around Rylee again as they walked down the porch stairs, just to keep him steady, and let out a faint chuckle. “I kinda got that impression, yeah,” he murmured. “We’ll have to find some kinda weird gift basket to send them.”