The Lost Girl, part two

Chris had just finished packing when somebody knocked on his door.

Elyssa was standing outside. "Chris," she said, hesitated, then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. Cautiously, he raised his arms and hugged her back. 

She lifted her head and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," she said, and pushed the door shut behind her. She tapped the front of her shirt and said, "Clarissa's been talking to me. She told me what happened to her."

He drew a deep breath, then let out a profound sigh of relief. "You went back for her. I looked for the amulet but couldn't find it, and I was afraid..." ...that the magi had found it and were trying to figure out what I did to it. Then he caught up with what she'd said and asked, "She's still in there?" 

I am. Cold arms circled him from behind, clung to him for a brief moment. I wasn't ready to let go. And I wanted to thank you for what you did, and what you let me do. 

What he'd let her do was murder, but he was less bothered by that than he might have been. He couldn't bring himself to believe that she shouldn't have her revenge, and her revenge had kept Elyssa safe. "It wasn't... You're welcome."

Elyssa touched her shirt again, feeling the amulet through it. "Is it okay if I, um, hang onto her?"

Chris chuckled. "She gets her own choice on that, but if the two of you agree then I have exactly zero objections to you hanging on to my mom's amulet."

"Blessings of the moon," Elyssa said, tightening her arms around him again, and Clarissa said, Yes, I'd like to stay with her. 

Chris nodded. "It's done, then." 

"All right, then." Elyssa released him and stepped back. "What are you packing for this?" She had a good read on him, he decided: she knew how uncomfortable he was with physical contact, and maybe how much he wanted it as well.

"Not much," he admitted. He'd stuffed a day pack with a couple of changes of clothes, his pistol and some extra ammunition, toiletries, a charger for his phone, and a pair of paperback books. It was still sitting on the bed, so he opened it up and showed her -- showed them. "Everything else, I can keep in my pockets."

"Have you done this before?" asked Elyssa. 

Chris shook his head. "No, but once we're back in the Grey we can shift, so I'm not so worried about having every possible thing we might need." 

Elyssa nodded slowly, then touched the amulet as if for comfort. Clarissa had, he thought, disappeared back into it. "All right," she said. "I'd better go pull my stuff together too." She turned towards the door, then paused and turned back. "Chris... do you think this is safe?" 

He shrugged. "Venturing into the Grey is never safe," he said, "but I think we'll be fine."

Elyssa hesitated, then said, "No, I mean... do you think magus Frummelt is trying to get rid of us?"

Chris took a moment to consider that. He certainly wouldn't put it past the old man -- he had no faith whatsoever in the Ministry's morality or sense of justice -- but after a moment he said, "I don't think so." He wished he was a more certain, though. "I think he's trying to protect us... but that doesn't mean we're safe."