Chapter Text
Friday 7:00 PM
Bob POV
The key jingled in Bob’s pocket as she reached the front door of CaFae Latte. It had been two hours since they had closed, but Bob had stayed late to finish doing inventory, and now that she was finally done, she could head home and relax. Turning the knob on the door, Bob clicked the rickety latch into place. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed her keys and went to lock the door. Once the CaFae was successfully locked up, Bob went to her car.
The night was cool, despite the day temperatures rising to near nighties. Bob loved the early nighttime, or just nighttime in general, since it was a time when the world felt at peace, regardless of what strange things happened in the daylight.
Bob quietly recalled a time when she had comforted a young Cyrus, when he was scared of the darkness. She laughed quietly to herself. She’d always found relaxation in the darkness of night. Bob paused at the driver's door of her car, fiddling with her light jacket to find her car keys.
Just as she found her keys, a small prick on the side of her neck. She flinched away, believing it was a bee stinging her. Spinning around, she caught sight of a shadow, a tall figure dressed in all black. Immediately, her combat instinct kicked in, and she braced for a fight.
She blinked, and her eyes felt heavy, her muscles feeling sluggish. She stumbled, her body not cooperating with her mind’s commands. They must have drugged me, she thought as she fell to her knees, her head spinning, and her vision fading. The person in black crept closer, their steps silent on the cold pavement. Bob’s arms were shaking as she braced her failing body on her elbows.
She lay her forehead on the ground, soaking in the coolness, and the cloaked figure squatted down beside her and said in a deep, gruff female voice, “Time for penance, Iron Witch.”
“Who are… you?” Bob gritted out, trying to lift her head to look her attacker in the eyes.
Only silence met her question, as the darkness claimed her.
Friday 10:00 PM
Cyrus POV
She should’ve been home by now, Cyrus thought as he walked out to the driveway of his and Bob’s home, looking for any sign of her car. But there was none; the tire tracks in the gravel were old, from when she had taken both of them to work that morning.
Cyrus pulled out his phone, making to call Bob. He dialed her number, and it rang once… twice… but by the third ring, his call was sent to voicemail, and Bob’s flowy and elegant voice spoke in his ear. “This is Violet Smith. Thank you for calling. I am currently unavailable, so please leave a message, and I will get back to you as soon as realistically possible.”
“Dang it, boss,” Cyrus mumbled to himself, walking back into the building and up the stairs to the front door.
Upon reentering his home, Cyrus, dialed JC’s number to see if they had seen or heard from Bob. As the phone rang, Cyrus paced back and forth down the short hallway dividing, his bedroom from Bob’s.
“Hey Cyrus, what’s up,” JC’s voice echoed through the phone.
“JC! Have you by chance seen the Boss? Or heard from her?” Cyrus asked, trying to not let his voice sound panicked, as the rising dread crept into his gut.
His panic only escalated by JC’s answer, “Nope. I haven’t seen or heard from her since we got off work together about five hours ago. Why?”
“Well, neither have I… I knew she was going to stay late to finish doing inventory, but she should have been home at least a hour and a half ago.”
“Ohh,” JC answered, “well, how about we give it a night. It’s Bob for fuck’s sake; she’ll be fine wherever she is. And we can look for her tomorrow, starting at the CaFae. Now please go to bed, I’m exhausted.”
“Fine,” Cyrus grumbled, “I’ll see you tomorrow. ‘Night.”
“Night, Cyrus.” JC was the first to hang up.
Taking a deep breath, Cyrus walked into his bedroom. Quickly he changed into his favorite brownie sweatpants and tugged off his shirt. He crawled into bed on top of the covers and stared at the ceiling, not able to shake the grim feeling washing over him at the thought of his missing guardian as the sounds of the city lulled him into a light slumber.