Act 2 - Sunday, August 29, 2015

Reg laughs softly. Ah, paperwork.

Reg feels the bottom drop out of his stomach.

Reg hangs up, then makes reservations for three suites at the Four Seasons in Boston, along with a rental car. He emails the info to Henry, Stevie, and Derek, then he starts making calls.

He has his schedule cleared, much to the annoyance of Lyse, who has to pick up most of the slack. She gives him hell in the way that only she and Stevie are able to do, then agrees.

Taking a breath to recover from his scolding, he then informs his pilot to make arrangements for the jet to be readied, and for a flight plan for Boston to be filed for tomorrow.

After that, he has a talk with the chef, asking him to hit the markets and stock the house with everything they might need for about a month of supplies. He tells the man that once the house is stocked, he can have the next 30 days off, with pay. The chef is mildly confused, but doesn’t question his orders. The same month off with pay is offered to the rest of the staff, along with offsite accommodations.

Kai is currently out in Malibu with friends, and probably won’t be back for a few more hours, so Reg takes advantage of his time alone in the house to make a visit to the vault.

It takes quite some time to get through the electronic and manual security locks on the entrance, but the hidden door finally swings open, revealing an artfully displayed treasure of occult items, meant for Reg’s eyes alone.

The room is crafted to look like a stone wizard’s tower, with all the set designing magic that Hollywood can provide. Each item is housed in its own glass case set into the stone, with the appropriate lighting to maximize the drama.

In the center of the room is a table-sized pedestal, covered in plush purple velvet and ready to receive any item that needs to be examined. Reg crouches on the far side of the pedestal and presses a recessed button, allowing a door to pop open.

Inside the hidden compartment are two five gallon buckets. He touches them, then, just to set his mind at ease, he pushes at them to feel their solidity and weight. They are still there, still safely hidden away.

Next to them is a massive roll of white butcher paper, tied with a yellow ribbon. Scrawled onto the paper is a copy of the entire evidence board that Reg had put together in Orlando, containing every clue they had amassed regarding The King In Yellow.

He pulls the scroll out and sets it on the pedestal, then closes the compartment. Turning, he steps over to the glass case holding the Ars Goetia. He eyes it suspiciously for a few moments before pulling it from its case and setting it beside the scroll. A few more items and summoning books join the pile before Reg is satisfied.

Once the vault is sealed again, he brings the items to his office, tucks them neatly into his laptop bag, then locks them in the safe beneath the rear desk.

He spends the next two hours pacing the grounds, trying to figure out what he’s going to tell Kai.

❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•❀ ❀•°❀°•❀

Reg is woken by a kiss on his forehead. He opens his eyes to find Kai looming over him, grinning.
Reg looks around. He fell asleep in the grotto under the waterfall, which was not unusual. He pulls Kai in for a hug, and the two of them get comfortable and listen to the water for a while.

Just a little more time. Just a little more, then I’ll tell him.
Kai looks up and sees Reg’s expression, and all the fun drains out of him instantly.
Kai sits up and gives Reg a confused look.
Kai looks away, out over the pools.
He reaches for Kai’s hand and runs his thumb over his knuckles.
They both say "I can’t tell you" at the same time, Kai rolling his eyes.
Kai takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, then turns back to Reg.
He grins down at Reg.
Reg pulls him back in.