Chapter Text
A half hour later found the Shade stalking down the hallway with a large scarf that had been doused in perfume wrapped around the lower half of his face. shit
He murmured a half dozen profanities under his breath as he heard Eragon's voice floating down the hallway again, before ducking into the nearest open doorway. That quickly proved to be a mistake, as as soon as he opened the door, he found himself face to face with the Blue Rider. A scowl of displeasure twisted his features as recognition set in.
"Oh shit! You're supposed to be dead!" the boy shouted by way of greeting. The Shade merely snarled in response, growling out "So. Are. You."
From next to him, Brom smacks him with a rolled up newspaper, and chided, "Manners."
This caused both the Shade and the Rider to look at the old man in disbelief, the former of the two repressing a smirk at the way that the older man kept the bane of his existence reined in, if only barely. Was he really insisting on Eragon displaying politeness to someone of his status? Or, more concerning, was Brom insisting that he display politeness towards Eragon? He wasn't quite sure which of these would have been more concerning, and repressed a shudder at the thought of making small talk and having afternoon tea with the whelp.
The thought of a quick escape flashed through his amalgamated mind, but first, there was something he needed to know. "Ahem. How long will you be... staying?"
"Staying? What?" Eragon asked, his mouth obviously working faster than his brain. The Shade cringed, feeling his brain quickly atrophying from the lack of common sense that the boy displayed. For the second time today, he profusely thanked whatever gods existed, as well as some that didn't, that Brom quickly answered for the both of them. A moment later, he quickly cursed those same gods, as he realized that the old man had not a clue as to when they would be leaving.
He quickly reversed out of the room, unwilling to show his back to the Blue Rider, understandably so, as the last time he had been foolish enough to do so, he had gotten stabbed in the back, quite literally, for his idiocy.