(Last Call and Into the Bayou)
Calliope leans forward on the rail of the private balcony on the upper floor of Tartarus. It's been a week since she and Asmodeus decided to try to find whoever it is that may be fucking with Calliope… and they finally got a lead.
Her arms are draped elegantly over the balcony's railing, one hand holding her friend's signature drink, the Cosmic Paradise. She taps one of her sharp manicured nails against her glass, then lifts it to her lips for another drink.
Her hair falls in luxurious waves down her back to her waist, a few strands falling loose in front of her. The turquoise color easily compliments that of her floor-length formal gown that Nagaveni picked out specifically for tonight. It's a nice lavender color – slightly lighter than her eyes – with skinny straps at the shoulders and a v-cut accentuating her chest without drawing too much attention to the now-healing cut down it. "The perfect mix of sexy and classy," Nagaveni had called it. Calliope was inclined to agree, but said she would wear it only if Nagaveni agreed to wear the twin green one, which Nagaveni did.
The bass was pumping loudly from the packed club downstairs – which was fairly standard – but the music in the upstairs area was much more reserved. The only people upstairs were friends and other supernatural beings. Calliope loved the upstairs being exclusive, and she remembers Nagaveni had adored the idea of it when Dysnomi mentioned it. They can be themselves here, and thanks to Dysnomi using his powers, they don't have to disguise themselves when they're going through the lower level filled with humans. The humans will see them as humans as well.
'It must be so nice to have powers that can bend reality.'
Calliope sighs and takes another sip of her drink when a pair of pale hands come from behind her and cover her eyes. "Guess who?" a husky voice whispers in her ear.
"Dysnomi, if you don't get your hands off, I will sing you to your doom." She doesn't really mean it since her powers don't work on other supernatural beings. Yet, as she says it, her hand moves up to her neck. She remembers that she didn't wear the Amulet of Lust tonight, since Nagaveni had convinced her she wouldn't need it. Nagaveni herself had only worn the Serpent Tamer to stay disguised until she got to Tartarus. Her 'little Jörmungandr babies' have been roaming free on her head the rest of the night.
"Oh, I'd die to hear you sing to me, though not due to your powers. It's merely because I love hearing your voice. Though, I'm afraid I'm rather doomed regardless. I am a trickster after all, and I'm quite sure we don't get into any version of heaven," he replies, and removes his hands. "I've missed you so much, Calli. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the night we spent together. It was perfect, and I miss spending time with you." He leans backwards against the railing, tilting his head to feel the breeze, his hair hanging behind him. He looks at her with his deep eyes, light gleaming in the golden specks – the 'mischief sprinkles,' Calliope used to call them.
Calliope drinks the rest of the Cosmic Paradise, ignoring Dysnomi, and heads toward the bar for another. He follows behind her with caution. The bartender tonight is a cute anthousai – flower nymph – that Calliope has never seen before. The nymph has baby-pink skin, straight hot-pink hair, and adorable pointy ears. Her nametag says, "Nasrin." She slides Calliope one of the elegant galaxy-inspired drinks, and their fingers brush when Calliope takes it. Nasrin blushes, then holds up a hand to stop Calliope from trying to pay. "Why… thank you very much, goddess," Calliope says with a wink, though she puts the money down on the bar top anyway. The nymph looks away, blushing.
Calliope saunters over to the luxurious couch in the middle of the balcony, Dysnomi still following her like a lost hellpup.
"Can we just talk, Calli? Please?" he begs, sitting next to her on the couch. He reaches out to touch her, but decides against it. He doesn't want her to hate him any more than she already does.
"What is there to talk about, Dys?" She sighs, using his nickname for the first time in a week.
"I'm sorry, Calliope." His voice sounds pained, and Calliope shies away from him. "And I'll continue to be sorry for the rest of my life… but I couldn't tell you. I'm not supposed to interfere or take sides… it goes against everything I'm supposed to be. I'm an agent of chaos, Calli. I didn't know what was going to happen. I just had a feeling it was something bad. The best thing I could think to do to help you was to give you hints and the Blade of Light."
Calliope sighs and stares down at the glass shaking in her bruised hand. She's worn the Hand of Restoration since the night Salem gave it to her, yet her hand remains a glorious purple. The bones have healed, but the bruise remains, as does the one above her elbow on her left arm. "I'm not mad, Dys," she responds, quietly. "I'm just hurt. I mean, look at me," she laughs derisively, waving her good hand over her body. "I didn't even use the dagger. No matter what he does to me, I can never imagine hurting 'Deus."
Dysnomi lets his eyes roam over her, taking in her tired eyes, and he sees that she tried to cover her face with makeup. It worked for the bruises, but he can still see the angry red mark on her cheek where it had been cut, and the similar mark on her forehead where it had been cracked open. Further down, on her neck, there's a deep purple and blue bruise where she had been choked. She said that her voice doesn't hurt anymore and her throat isn't swollen, but the bruise seems to stay the same. There's a red line down her chest from Menoetius cutting her with his nail – Dysnomi knows that she's self-conscious about it since everyone tends to look at her chest. Then there's her bruised right hand as well as her bruised left arm from Asmodeus and Menoetius respectively. Beyond that, she has many smaller bruises and cuts across her shoulders, back, arms, and the rest of her body; though, most can't be seen through the long dress that she's wearing. Any part of her the demonic prince touched or any part of her that got thrown around by him was bruised. Dysnomi is so angry about it all – he's angry at Asmodeus – hates him – he's angry at Menoetius for touching her, and he's angry at himself for not helping her. No matter how many times he tries to convince himself that he couldn't interfere, it sounds like empty bullshit when he looks at her battered body now.
"…You're still beautiful," he tells her. She just snorts, dismissing the comment, and finishes her second drink, setting the empty glass on the table. "I mean it," he says. "And I know you think I say these things to every woman. Maybe I have lived up to that reputation. But I feel different around you… and I'm ashamed of myself for allowing something so awful to happen to you. I regret leaving you to fight alone while I herded the masses out. That scream of yours… Most of the humans went to the hospital with busted eardrums. It was more powerful than that, though. It broke through the Serpent Tamer spell. The snakes woke up and they all became very hostile. I had to enchant a few humans who saw Nagaveni as I was helping her out. Nanook helped clear a path for us." He pauses, looking at Calliope thoughtfully. "I could feel the pain you were in… when you screamed. It was like nothing I've ever heard or felt before… It was like I could feel it in my soul, like you were calling out to me. I should have listened to my heart when it told me to come back. I'm so sorry I didn't." Dysnomi slides closer to her and places an arm around her shoulder. She trembles at his touch, scared, the way she's been ever since, but after a moment, she relaxes into his hold, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for how I've been acting, Dys," she whispers. "I know you tried to help with the way you worded your sentences, and by giving me the Blade of Light…"
"It wasn't enough," he says, gritting his teeth. "I should've done more."
Calliope takes her bruised hand and sets the palm of it on his chest. He sets his free hand on top of hers, holding it as Calliope leans up and kisses his cheek. He feels shocked for a moment, still having a hard time accepting that she's not angry with him, but he lets out a happy sigh against the side of her face.
All of a sudden, Calliope moves her bruised hand from Dysnomi's chest up his shoulder and behind his head, curling her fingers into his soft blonde hair and pulling his head down so she can push her soft lips against his. He carefully moves his hand to hold her waist, pulling her into him.
"Hey, Calliope, where are you? Everyone's – oh!" a shocked squeal causes her and Dysnomi to jump apart. "Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt!" Nagaveni blurts out, the snakes on her head hissing softly.
Calliope blushes a bit, then turns to look at Nagaveni. She's wearing the dress Calliope picked out for her – the twin to Calliope's dress, except a chartreuse green instead of lavender. Better than her wearing it, though, is seeing how confident she looks in it. She's always looked like a supermodel, but it's nice to see her walk with the confidence of one. "Sorry, Nini, the party and everything is great. I just really like the quiet out here."
"That's okay, I totally get it," Nagaveni replies. "How about I round everyone up and we can just drink and talk out here instead?"
"You know, that actually sounds amazing. I'd like that," Calliope says. "Dys and I will grab drinks for everyone. It's about time Asmodeus gets to try the Cosmic Paradise anyway." She stands and glides over to Nagaveni, lightly touching one of Nagaveni's arms. Some of the snakes hiss at her and she laughs, petting one, and says, "Almost forgot how jealous Snake Gyllenhaal here gets if I'm too close… but I just wanted to say thank you for setting this up. You and Dys have transformed this place."
"I almost forgot about the random nicknames you give them," Nagaveni laughs. "It's been a while since you've used one. But it's seriously nothing, Calli. We all need a place where we can be ourselves. We shouldn't have to live our whole lives pretending to be human when we're not."
Dysnomi walks up behind Calliope and sets a hand on her waist, causing her to jump. "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep scaring you, Calli."
"I know you don't, Dys. It's okay. Let's get those drinks now while Nini herds everyone out here, shall we?"
"Sounds perfect," he says, though she can tell that something's bothering him. She assumes it's because Asmodeus is going to be there. Everyone's forgiven him except Dysnomi. He's still angry.
"Dys… You know, 'Deus really isn't that bad. You should give him a chance."
He tenses at the mention of Asmodeus, clenching his fists, and setting his jaw into a hard look before saying, "Look at what he did to you, Calli. Look what he allowed his brother to do to you. I may be pissed at myself for letting it happen, but I'm more pissed at him for doing it. I have no excuse, I know that… I knew something bad was going to happen… But he has no excuse, either, since he did it."
"We all had our parts to play, Dys. I just played mine a little too well and ended up pissing off the demon half of him."
"Yeah? And what about when he was trying to fuck you? Does he have an excuse for that?"
"I mean… kind of?" Calliope answers as they reach the bar. The cute flower nymph, Nasrin, gets to work on all their drinks and Calliope explains. "There's a lot of history between us. It's hard for us to be close to one another and not want each other. And then there's the fact that he's half-demon and I'm, I guess, half-siren – we're both very lustful beings."
"That's not exactly a good excuse, Calli."
"No, of course it's not, Dys, but he is trying. He wasn't rough with me when we were getting intimate. He was pretty… gentle. But, you know, he doesn't have to keep making all this effort, especially when half the demons and other cambions think he's going soft, and he has to worry about someone trying to overthrow him now. Someone like his brother being the Prince of Demons? That would be so much worse. If his brother does try something like that, I'd be the first person he'd come after, just to hurt 'Deus and to get back at me for rejecting him. The things Menoetius would do to me…" she shudders when she thinks about it, and a choked sob escapes her lips… as if she knows exactly what he'd do. Dysnomi realizes with horror that Calliope had to have seen what Menoetius planned on doing to her in his mind.
'Or maybe Menoetius sent her his thoughts on purpose? Sounds like something that demon would do,' he thinks. Then he says, "Fair point, Calli. I just don't want you to get hurt again."
Nasrin comes back with all their drinks then. Calliope hands her the money and blows a kiss at her, causing the poor girl to blush once again. Calliope and Dysnomi each take some of the drinks and walk toward the club doors to pass out the Cosmic Paradises to everyone as they come through the door.
The first person through the door is Salem, and Calliope notices that she has her normally wild hair curled and put into a formal updo. Instead of her normal punk style, she's wearing a flowing black dress with black-mesh see-through sleeves that are worn off the shoulders. There's a black choker with a red ruby in the front on Salem's neck. Her adorable freckles are standing out tonight, and her green eyes shine in the lights.
"You look amazing!" Calliope tells her, handing her a drink.
"Thank you, Calli. I won't be taking the trip with you, unfortunately, but I'm always a call or text away if you need any magical help – a spell, a curse, whatever. Oh, and I'll be taking care of your apartment while you're gone. Nagaveni asked me to earlier. Do you need me to feed all your familiars?"
"Familiars?" Calliope asks, confused. But after a moment, she remembers familiars are what witches call their pets. They believe the animals choose their owners. "Oh! No, Wrath and Thora kinda do their own thing unless I need them. Nanook might need food left out for her, but I doubt you'll see much of her. She kind of… dissolves into a mass of black shadows when no one's looking at her."
"She does what?!" Salem exclaims.
"Yeah… You know… being a hellhound, she can do weird things like that."
"…Huh. Well, nice to know," she laughs. Then she heads to the seating area.
Next, Nagaveni appears, taking a drink from Dysnomi and promising that Asmodeus will be along shortly.
Asmodeus shows up as Nagaveni walks away. He's wearing an all-black suit with a dark red tie, and Calliope thinks it looks perfect on him. As he takes a drink from Calliope, he pulls out a bouquet of colorful daisies and gives them to her. She takes them and smells them, smiling.
"These are beautiful, 'Deus. Thank you," she says. "But… you're coming with us, right? You didn't need to get me anything."
Asmodeus looks at her, his heart filling with joy. "I am coming with you, yes. I've put Amadeo in charge of operations while I'm gone. He's great. I'm sure everything will be fine with him in charge. He's really good with the contracts and training the hellpups, and he can definitely hold his own in fight." The way Calliope looks at him when he speaks makes his heart skip a beat. His demon gets uncomfortable – it doesn't like 'the lovey stuff' as it calls it. Though, technically, the demon is just another part of him, so it's sort of him that has a problem with it. Asmodeus has never felt this way about any man or woman… it feels strange to him, and yet, it feels right. He feels like a greater person when she's around… as if he can be more than the Prince of Demons.
Behind him, Dysnomi snorts and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, trust your whole operation to some random demon working under you. That'll end well. There totally won't be any usurpers that'll go after Calli and do gods know what to her just to get back at you." His face twists with anger as he looks between Calliope and Asmodeus. He doesn't understand why Calliope was ever with him, much less why she cares so much about him now. Asmodeus is a literal demon – 'cambion, technically, so only half-demon, but who cares?' – yet, she acts as if she can fix him somehow. Dysnomi has never felt so much resentment toward anyone before, and he's certainly never felt jealousy. He's never let himself get attached to anyone. He despises this feeling, and it makes him angry at himself for getting attached like this, even if it was everything he wanted.
"Dys!" Calliope hisses at him. She specifically asked him to try and give Asmodeus a chance. She doesn't understand why this is so hard for him, or why he's so pissed at Asmodeus when he himself let her get taken knowing that something bad was going to happen. As upset with him as she is, she mostly feels upset with herself for letting things get this far. She knew it would be a mistake to sleep with Dysnomi, but with the tension she felt between them that night… She should have known better, though. Now she's stuck with two powerful beings in her friend group who she's slept with. They're not going to try to get along.
"What? It's the truth, Calli. You told me about his brother, the way the dude looked at you like a piece of meat, the way he talked to you, saying he'd have 'so much fun with you,' and the way he hurt you… I saw your face when you said whatever he'd do to you would be worse than anything Asmodeus did. I know that look in your eyes. Either the dude sent you his thoughts about what he planned to do to you, or you tried to get in his head and ended up finding something psychopathic that he was thinking about you… And your little friend is gonna leave LA and just hope that someone else can keep his brother from doing whatever the fuck he wants?"
"I'm well aware that my brother is dangerous," Asmodeus says. "I have no intention of letting anything happen to Calli. I wouldn't let Menoetius hurt her again…" He looks at Calliope, his blue eyes shining in contrast to his tan skin. "I know when the demon took over, I said some things I didn't mean. I'm sorry for saying that I should have given you over to Menoetius. I never would have given you to him. I hope you know that. I'm also sorry that I didn't step in to stop him from hurting you sooner. Menoetius likes hurting everyone. And maybe I did, too, at one point, but I'm trying to be better. I want more for all the demons and cambions. I want them to see that I can be a good leader and they can be great at what they do – whether it's making contracts, collecting the contracts for review, deciding which Hell each person goes to, or training the next generation of hellhounds – without being overly cruel."
"Really? You didn't seem opposed to something happening to her last week. In fact, it seems like you wanted something to happen to her. I mean, unless I'm wrong about where she got all these nasty bruises and cuts from? And if I'm wrong about that, I must also be wrong about noticing that, for the past week, she's been flinching anytime someone moves too fast toward her. It's almost as if some fucking psychopathic ex of hers kidnapped her, sexually assaulted her, and tried to fucking kill her!"
Asmodeus's eyes turn as black as the night sky, and he steps toward Dysnomi. Calliope puts a hand on his bicep, feeling his muscles tense as he gets ready for a fight, and pulls him back.
'Not even five minutes of them being in the same room together and they're trying to kill each other. That's just great.'
She looks at Dysnomi and says, "That is enough. Everyone else is giving him a chance. You're the only one refusing. 'Deus is here now. You're gonna have to get used to it, Dys. Let me make something clear to you now though, since apparently you don't get it. Asmodeus may have hurt me, but he did not sexually assault me. The part where we almost fucked? Yeah, did you miss where I told you I wanted it? And, you know… you could've helped me. You're not innocent when you knew something was going to happen and didn't try to stop it. I've forgiven you both, and now I need you to be civil."
Asmodeus nods, and turns away, but before he goes to the sitting area, Calliope draws him back with a question. "Wait... You said the demons decide which Hell everyone goes to? So there's layers of Hell? Like… Dante's Inferno?"
Asmodeus laughs. "No, no. Not like that. There's a separate Hell for each religion. Since all the gods are real and all versions of Heaven are real, we made every version of Hell real as well. Oh, except 'big G'. He doesn't exist. Those people, along with atheists, just reincarnate and hopefully never remember their past life. Though if they do, it won't matter much since everyone will just think they're crazy. The truly bad ones get reincarnated into something a little less sentient, like… a snake, or something along those lines."
"So… all religions are right? Other than the major ones?"
"That's correct."
"That's dope," Calliope laughs. "What about non-humans? What about me?"
"Other beings go to Purgatory. Well, that's the name you'd know it by, anyway. Since you're not human, your soul can't be judged as one, so you go to Purgatory. That's where I'll go as well. And all animals go there. It's not bad, honestly. Think of it like Earth 2.0 in terms of what it looks like, and how everything works there."
"Oh... That doesn't sound too bad." Calliope looks relieved.
"It's really not. Honestly, it's always sounded like Heaven to me," Asmodeus says, smiling. "I'm… going to go take a seat now." He kisses her on the cheek, then walks off to the seating area.
Dysnomi huffs like a pouting child and looks at the floor before mumbling, "Even if you wanted it… he abducted you, Calli. The power he held over you in that moment made it assault, whether you agree with that or not… It wasn't right."
"Dys…" Calliope whispers. "If I had been alone in a room with him under normal circumstances, I would have done the same thing. It may not seem right to you, but I wanted him. Hell, I needed him. I don't expect you to understand, but it's always felt like my body and soul are aching to be with him. It's always been hard to control myself around him. I'm sorry, but what I told you… it wasn't assault. It was wanted and reciprocated."
Dysnomi looks hurt, but rather than saying anything, he looks at the floor and nods, trying not to let himself scream. As he walks off, he has to hold back a rueful smile, thinking of how ironic it is that the first person he's caught real feelings for has feelings for someone else.
Salem and Nagaveni have taken seats on the front couch, Dysnomi in the chair, and Asmodeus on the couch in the back. Calliope moves around to sit next to Asmodeus, laying her bruised hand on his knee to reassure him when she notices how nervous he looks. This is the first time he's hung out with her friends. He's been around Nagaveni a few times over the past week, but he's never been around all of them at once. While Calliope assured him they had forgiven him, he knows that at least the trickster still has some hard feelings.
"Alright, so…" Calliope starts, pulling Asmodeus out of his thoughts. "I had someone from New Orleans contact me. They might have a lead on who's been trying to fuck with me, who almost got me killed. I think it's worth checking out since we have no other leads. So we leave tomorrow morning. Everyone except Salem, right?" Salem nods. "But first… I propose a toast to tracking this fucker down, and finding out why they want me dead."
"Okay… to the Cosmic Paradise for bringing friends back together when they've been away for too long." Nagaveni says. "And to Calliope for having such a diplomatic air about her. She's able to keep all of us not only civil, but having fun." Calliope just snorts in response, remembering that Dysnomi and Asmodeus got into an argument moments before.
"To the Cosmic Paradise, and to all of you – especially Calli – for being so supportive of me and my business this year. You've all been amazing, and I really do enjoy making all kinds of wonderful magical objects for you. I hope to continue being your go-to witch bitch for many years," Salem says.
"Oh! My turn," Dysnomi says. He leans forward with his drink, looks at Calliope, and smiles. "To the Cosmic Paradise, and to Calli for coming back to us in one piece. I already knew that you're one hell of a lover, but it turns out that you're one hell of a fighter, too." He winks at her. "I'm so proud of you for being able to face such a terrifying situation and make it out so you could come back to me." He blows a kiss toward her, ignoring Asmodeus sitting next to her.
Calliope gives him a shocked look while Asmodeus's eyes darken and he reaches his left arm around Calliope's waist, pulling her to his side. He smirks at Dysnomi, so caught up in proving that Dysnomi can't have Calliope that he doesn't even notice the way she tenses up from fear, or the way her good hand starts shaking with the drink in it as she tries to focus on her breathing. Dysnomi starts to stand up, wanting to protect her, when Nagaveni touches his bicep gently. Her snakes stir and hiss. Nagaveni shakes her head no, causing Dysnomi to let out a frustrated sigh and run his hands through his hair.
"...And I guess that makes it my turn," Asmodeus mumbles. "To the Cosmic Paradise, though I've never tried it, and I'm definitely gonna need the story behind it later," he smiles down at Calliope and she nods. "And to Calli for believing in me, for seeing the best in me, and for doing everything in her power to bring it out of me." His eyes are shining, and he looks like he's going to cry. "I'm so sorry for everything I let Menoetius do to you, and for everything I did to you – from the moments that were simply uncomfortable to the moments that were truly monstrous and cruel. I don't understand how you can forgive so easily, but I will never forgive myself..."
Calliope smiles up at Asmodeus, her face soft and caring. "Guess that leaves it up to me to close this out," she says. "To the Cosmic Paradise – the best damn drink I've ever had – and to all of you for being the best friends I've ever had. You've all been there for me through everything, even when I have no idea what I'm doing. Just know that I couldn't do any of this without you." She lays her head on Asmodeus' strong, muscular shoulder, and he draws her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. She smiles and relaxes into his touch, wishing she could forget how she was jerking away from his touches a week ago. She sees Dysnomi clench his fist, obviously pissed at Asmodeus for touching her. "And to you, 'Deus, for trusting me and helping me get out with my life."
Before Asmodeus can respond to tell her that he didn't do anything but hurt her, Calliope leans forward and kisses him on the lips. Asmodeus hesitates, then pulls her closer to him as he deepens the kiss, one arm still around her waist while his other hand sets his drink down before coming up to cup the back of her head.
Dysnomi watches them from his seat with disgust and anger on his face, but Nagaveni reaches over and squeezes his knee lightly, coaxing him into not saying anything. Though, the contact does cause the snakes to hiss in annoyance.
Dysnomi lightly brushes his thumb over Nagaveni's knuckles and smiles at her with sad eyes. Sometimes, he thinks he could have really liked Nagaveni if he hadn't met Calliope first. Then again, he isn't really the relationship type, and something tells him that she is. He clears his throat, causing Calliope and Asmodeus to finally break apart.
"Sorry," Calliope laughs, breathless.
"I'm not," Asmodeus growls in her ear, making her shiver.
"Anyway…" Calliope sighs. "To the Cosmic Paradise drinks, straight from the fae realm and Dys' brilliant mind!"
"And to Nagaveni for naming the drink!" Dysnomi adds.
"AND…" Nagaveni continues. "To our little vacation to New Orleans!"
Some of them laugh, but Asmodeus just says, "You all realize this is not a vacation, right? We need to figure out who was fucking with Calliope and why. They used my anger against me, knowing I could have killed her."
"Hey…" Calliope whispers. "It's okay. They know it's not a vacation, but sometimes it helps to keep situations light." She hugs him and he hugs her back, taking a shaky breath and nuzzling his face into her hair before pulling away.
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just so worried."
Calliope nods and drinks her entire glass. The rest of her friends smile and do the same, taking her lead as she stands and offers Asmodeus her bruised hand. "Wanna dance and forget about everything for tonight?"
He smiles and takes her hand. "I'd love to dance with you, mi hermosa chica."
She holds his hand and pulls him toward the door, the rest of her friends following behind them. In the upper level of Tartarus, all kinds of supernatural beings are on the dance floor, and it seems like everyone is having fun. She pulls Asmodeus close to her and they dance, along with the rest of her friends, for what feels like forever.
When they finally tire out enough to go home, it's the dark, early hours of the morning. Asmodeus kisses Calliope as softly as he can manage. He's constantly holding himself back now, terrified of hurting her again. He watches as a car pulls up for Calliope and Nagaveni, and waits until he can't see the car anymore before finally calling his own car and heading back to the mansion.