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The Dog Hole

Chapter 6: Nightmare Castle

"What exactly is a creme brulee?" Lyan asked anxiously.

Bebe looked up from her macaroni dish that Bosch had begrudgingly brought out of the fridge for her. "A custard. A little sugar and cream here. A little vanilla there."

"Maybe you can make some for us?"

"Not on my watch," Bosch answered on her behalf while finishing the last of his own meal.

Lyan sighed and turned back to Bebe. "We don't really do desserts. Bosch thinks it's a waste of food."

"I made cookies that one time, and they went to waste."

"That's because they were hard as rocks."

"The only food that's wasted is food that goes uneaten. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I doubt that'll be an issue."

Lyan looked hopefully at Bosch.

"No," he said flatly.

"Are you saying no because you really believe it'll waste food, or are you saying no because you just don't like her?" "Maybe she should take your job."

Bosch rested a hand over his heart. "E tu Brute?"

"I want custard."

"I'm not surrendering the kitchen to her for one bowl of custard."

"My wife wants custard, too."

"Fuckin hell."

"I didn't know you were married."

"Of course you didn't. I didn't tell you," he smiled. Bebe supposed what she said had been silly, but Lyan sure wasn't shy about pointing it out to her.

"Speaking of Lilith, you should probably be heading back to her. You know how she worries," Bosch added patronizingly.

Lyan frowned and began to stand. "You're right. She loves me. Why wouldn't she be?"

"Yup. She loves you." Bosch feigned a concerned expression. "You'd better not keep her waiting then."

Lyan narrowed his eyes at Bosch. "I want custard," he said once more before excusing himself.

Bebe couldn't believe that had worked, and was also convinced that there was no walking, talking wife to speak of. While Lyan was considerably handsome, especially compared to her new boss, he was a few cards short of a deck and seemed to take every word spoken by others as literally as his own. Perhaps he had a plant that meant a great deal to him, or a picture of some unrequited love.

"If you couldn't tell, I'd actually like to close the mess hall and get on with my night. You wanna sit and chit chat? Do it on your own time."

Bebe put her fork down, her appetite gone. "See you in the morning."

Bosch and Cane seemed one in the same; utterly determined to be miserable. On the plus side, she'd found a friend a Lyan and, despite his terrifying appearance, Snibbly was pleasant in his own right. He hadn't spoken a single word to her, but as he cleared up her plate, he was happy to show his approval of her with that jagged smile of his. She hoped she'd have similar luck with others.

For now, it was time for bed. Too bad she wasn't tired. She knew she'd regret it, but decided to meander a bit. Hopefully, she'd catch a glimpse of someone else there. Then she caught a bit of sound from the movie room.

"What the hell," she thought. A dark room, comfortable chairs, and an old movie was the perfect recipe for sleep. She crept in, hoping the light from the hallway wouldn't disturb whoever was watching. The same guy appeared to still be there, sitting perfectly motionless in the front. Bebe decided to sit closer to the back where a long, empty couch would allow her to lay down. She got comfortable and let the black and white movie play on.

Her plan seemed to be working. Her eyelids grew heavier as time passed, and she was soon dipping in and out of sleep. Every time she opened her eyes she saw the same thing; the back of the stranger's head, the screen, and empty seats. That was until she'd opened her eyes after what must have been a while. The movie had ended, but the lights were still off and there was a slightly warm sensation against the side of her head. That's when she realized that the fellow she had been sharing the room with wasn't where she'd last seen him. Instead, her head was slightly elevated thanks to a new, rounded surface beneath it. And a hand gently rested under one of her ears.

"What the hell?!" Bebe shot up and backed away from the stranger, who was just as startled as her and started looking around at what could possibly be the matter.

"Dude!" she yelled, holding out her hands while waiting for an explanation.

He didn't say anything. He simply got up and walked through a door that lead to the projector. Before long, another movie came on. Returning to the floor, he took his regular seat and sat motionless as Nightmare Castle started to play.