Broken Souls

Chapter 17

=JR Break Area=

Stavrós offers Grail a hand up and smiles slightly flushed. "I guess it is time to move to the office?"

Grail smiles at him wings fluttering a little as he takes Stavrós's hand and stands up, "I believe so perhaps if Nightmare doesn't object we can let Error sleep and he can fill out Nibs paperwork as Error's soulmate they will presumably be living together."

Nightmare stands still holding Error, "if this really is about the shovel talk his brothers already did that. It was amusing especially because I had just knocked an unwanted suitor through a wall for one of them."

Nibs snorts then grins, "they sound fun."

Grail shakes his head, "no that is just Efiáltis teasing me to have the shovel talk I would have to be in a position to carry through and I won't be once you take him home."

Stavrós stays next to Grail still holding his hand, "if it was that Láthos would have done it as Error's counterpart he is the closest to family."

Nightmare gives them a blank look and walks out of the break area looking around before heading for the stairs they came down earlier. "So you want to talk behind his back about something other than our relationship."

Grail grimaces following him still holding Stavrós's hand, "to be blunt yes. He doesn't seem to care about his medical condition and someone has to. As his soulmate, that someone is going to have to be you."

Nibs nods from Nightmare's shoulder, "afraid he is right I am just emotional blackmail to get him to eat he needs more than that."

Nightmare gives a soft growl, "let me guess. Malnutrition, dehydration, injuries that don't heal or reopen, lack of sleep, joints and lay lines clogged with dust and pain residue that need professional attention but he won't let anyone near because it would require touch. Believe me I know I have been trying to do something about it for longer than you have been alive."

Stavrós flinches at the bitterness in Nightmare's voice and Grail stumbles and gags. "Look Grail didn't mean you haven't been trying, just that someone needs to take his medical records to his doctor if he has one, so they have a copy."

Grail shivers and sways a little before shaking it off, "his being in a coma for six months did have one benefit. His doctor was able to partially clean his joints. They kept having to stop when he got too glitchy. Unfortunately lay line work is too delicate to risk constant stops and starts because of glitches."

Nibs turns to watch Grail, "never thought there was an upside to someone being in a coma for months."

"Normally there isn't Error just makes it that hard to take care of him." Nightmare pets Error's skull with a gentle tentacle as they reach the top of the stairs and wait for Grail or Stavrós to take the lead.

Stavrós shrugs, "I can't say you're wrong about that. He would still be enjoying his coma if I hadn't waved chocolate in front of his nasal cavity. I didn't think it would work but next thing we know everyone is tied up and my chocolate is gone."

Grail sighs and leads them to his office not bothering to close the door once they are in, "I more wanted to ask about your control of yourself, your abilities, and magic. I may have come out of it with wings instead of tentacles but from what Error has said. Well the impact of the apple incident isn't that different between us. Having advice from someone more experienced for once would be nice."

Nibs moves closer to Nightmare's neck cuddling up to him in ways Error just can't. "I don't know Grail from the way Error talked about it. It was mostly seeing the need, wanting to change, and working for it."

"Nibs is mostly right but you will have to be more specific in what you want advice about." Nightmare looks around the office taking in the large oak desk with matching filing cabinets lining one wall, lovely moss green carpets over marble floors, uncomfortable guest chairs, a comfortable looking leather office chair with the back designed for wings, large plush couch of faded abused denim, large windows with French Doors leading to a balcony. And paperwork piled high on everything but the couch and office chair. "I kept my organization small but have a lot of outside interest. I can tell you if you are drowning in paperwork you need to get your bureaucracy under better control."

Stavrós laughs, ushering Gral to his chair before checking the printer tucked under the desk hot the adoption papers, "more diplomatic than Efiáltis he said Grail should burn it down and run away to live on an island without Fax machines."

Nightmare looks at the mountains of paperwork and nods slowly, "organizing things so he can take a vacation would probably be good for his health and magic."

Nibs snorts, "I think he mostly makes more paperwork so that he has an excuse to decline most stupid stuff."

Grail blushes golden and looks around his office as if noticing what it looks like to an outsider. "It isn't normally this bad. I have had more important matters to attend to lately."

Stavrós laughs and passes Nightmare the papers. "Yes, the Mario kart tournament with your brother was much more important than this stuff."

Nightmare nods, "of course it was family comes first if he had to make peace with his then even more so."

Nibs smiles he is going to get, to keep Error and now he gets Nightmare too. A real family at last. "Sounds like a good choice to me."

Grail sighs and slumps in his chair, "I wish downsizing JR was easier but people have made careers out of working for the organization. Most of this is applications and personal requests. For departments I am letting age out and retire without restaffing."

Stavrós shrugs, "just announce that you are phasing out some departments that have become redundant with JR's shift in direction and offer retraining to those who aren't nearing retirement age. No one is getting kicked out, fired, or losing their pension."