[2.44] Family Style (Part 2/5)

“Ah, yes!” Angelica answered with nervous excitement. She’d been prepared for this, pulling out her phone and loading it up to some pictures she’d already saved. First were a few character designs from Merlina’s Boutique. She wasn’t going to show her mother the actual comic, nor mention it by name for the woman to seek it out later. That was largely due to it being tied to the name Gelic, but mostly because the idea of her mother being a regular reader of her work made her anxiety spike to unstable levels.

“And this is what made the publisher reach out to you?” Once the characters were done, she’d scrolled to the Dragon King Hot Rod cover.

“Yeah, they signed the series, and wanted me to do the rest of the covers for it, and for some of the other series too.”

“But a dragon and a car in the same setting?” Corticia was stuck on the idea. “Don’t they sort of… clash?”

“Yeah, I don’t get it either,” Angelica admitted. “Apparently this kind of book has been getting popular, and my style goes well with it, I guess. Besides that, I do a few random commissions for small things mostly, and the occasional original character design. But I can do just about anything!” She dug into the totebag she’d brought with her, pulling out her sketchpad along with a variety of colored pencils. “So I’m going to draw a portrait of you.” She was hoping to repeat the success with Adora, to help bridge the gap, while also being this would be a good gift to make up for the many missed occasions for them while they’d been distant.

“Oh, uhh, right now?” It was a bit amusing seeing her mother caught off guard for once, watching the woman straighten herself, worried about her appearance in a way she usually wasn't when it was just the two of them—how she presented herself outside of their private lives. “You don’t have to do that.”

Angelica had a feeling she’d be met with half-hearted objection, partially due to the suddenness, but mostly because she’d be doing something a touch unconventional in a public place. She'd gotten used to being observed while doing art, however, since street art had been one of her main moneymakers in turbulent times. Having her mother observe her would be a completely different level of tension, but she had enough confidence in herself to persevere. “Well, I want to show you what I can do. And prove I’m not using any cheats or generative stuff like artists often get accused of these days.”

“I wasn’t going to accuse you of such things,” Corticia insisted, sounding almost offended, like she’d been accused herself. “But if you want to, then go ahead.” The woman sat silently for a moment, clearly a little tense. She was regularly evaluated by the general public in her work, yet she apparently wasn’t used to being studied by an artist’s eye.

Her silence barely lasted a minute, however, before moving onto the next uncomfortable topic. “So have you had any luck finding a new apartment? I hope you’re not too mad about Lurren selling the place. It just pained me to watch her losing money for our sake.”

“I understand…” Angelica said reluctantly. Once she’d been able to look at it from a more objective point of view, she was able to accept that it wasn’t the result of the two women out to get her, at least not wholly. Likely, she’d only been allowed to live there for so long, for so cheaply, while being a terrible tenant, thanks to her landlord and her mother’s friendship. That said, she hadn’t completely discounted the conspiracy that this was intentional timing to force a reconnection between her and her mother should she really be in desperate straits.

“And I did look a bit but decided not to do anything just yet. There’s a lot openly available that I could move into instantly, so I don’t want to rush out until it’s official.” No major lies there. She was just conveniently leaving out the fact that she was literally Bound to the apartment like a spirit tied to the place. “I don’t want to spend more money than I have to, but I promise I’ll be as unobtrusive as I can be while she’s trying to sell it.”

Now that was a definite lie. She was going to do her damndest to keep the sale from happening until she could find a more sufficient solution. It did make her wonder if that was flagged by her mother’s Detect Falsehoods, assuming her Bound Demons had the Skill, and if she’d say anything about it, or if she’d just have to go along with it, even if she knew that something was off.

“Yes, that makes sense.” Huh, apparently she was going to both let it slide and actually agree. “I taught you to be quite frugal after all, so it would be hypocritical of me to insist otherwise. And in the spirit of saving money, I have another suggestion that I have a feeling you won’t go for, but I have to offer it regardless. Why don’t you just move back home, Angelica?

“To keep you from losing your sense of financial need, I would still charge you a small amount for rent, maybe about half what you’re paying now. More than fair for renting a room, and of course, you’d have free reign of the rest of the house too, just like it used to be. Then I would get the benefit of not having to worry about you dying out on the street. And I’ll admit, it’s a big house, one that feels a bit empty lately. I’ve considered selling it and downsizing a few times, but maybe now it’s best that I didn’t. What do you think?”

What do I think?! That… was a good question. She was thinking so many things. Was this the point of it all? Had all the events, her landlord selling the apartment, her insistence to meet up, all been so that she could propose this idea? Was her mother so damned lonely now that she’d orchestrate this? Yes, that felt believable, but it still came off as far too obtuse. If there were no secrets in the mix, maybe she could be convinced that was the case. Perhaps it was the right track but wrong reasons.

And would she even want to move back home? Kind of. Her childhood room was bigger than her current apartment, and Cherub wouldn’t be so cooped up, not that he seemed to mind. It was the fanciest home in an already nice suburb, not as ritzy or exclusive as the typical Summoner neighborhoods she’d come to know, but far from the sketchy part of the city she currently lived.

Honestly, it was probably too nice of a place for her mom to own by herself back when Angelica was first born, just getting started in her career, so that alone should have made her suspicious of her mother’s income. But she was just a dumb kid then and never really thought about it before. And perhaps there was a simpler explanation. Her mother would have bought it with her father, and then probably got the whole thing in the divorce.

Corticia also had a notably terrible work-life balance that had likely only gotten worse after her daughter had moved out. So there was a good chance the woman would only be around to sleep and maybe a few slim hours in the evenings, meaning Angelica would mostly be left alone in the house most of the time. Except… would she be alone? Had she ever been alone in that house?

Unless the High Summoner Cordial had a firm “No Demons” policy at home, then there’s a good chance the place would be under regular observation by whomever she had Bound at the time. That would lead to the inevitable, no matter what precautions she took, even if she constantly used ID Fraud every second. Angelica would be outed as Gelic the Demon, and as for what happened next, she was still unsure.

Undeniably, there was still part of her that kind of wanted to rip off the bandage and get it done. Throw herself on the woman’s mercy, and hope that familial love was enough to carry them through the tribulation. A week ago, she would have said that the ultra-religious Corticia would condemn any Demons on the spot, have them bathed and purified in Vissiem’s light. But now, she wasn’t so sure what the woman’s feelings on them were.

When Summoned by her, Gelic had been treated kindly enough, but the initial call had definitely been demanding and impatient. That was more akin to how the woman really saw and spoke of others in private, as their superior, a voice Angelica had been hit with many times in her youth. So she couldn’t say for certain that Cordial thought of Demons as disposable tools like many other Summoners did, at least not to any degree more than she would for humans.

But even if she didn’t view Demons as outright unholy abominations, that didn’t really say anything as to whether or not she’d be able to come to terms with her daughter having been turned into one. Ugh, that sounded so silly, how could it be taken seriously? She wouldn’t be surprised if her mother initially believed it was a prank by a young Demon. That, or a malicious attack and that they’d done something terrible to the real Angelica. Having to prove Gelic was her felt like it could be both a humiliating and dangerous task, assuming the woman didn’t take it at face value.

And… what it really boiled down to was she still felt like she couldn’t trust her mother. The lingering traumas were one thing, but the woman still kept a world-shaking secret that she’d never felt compelled to share with her daughter. It was hard to say her mother’s reasons. She could guess it from all angles. But it all came down to the same truth. Until Corticia came clean about it of her own volition, Angelica could not confide in her with the demonic truth.

But… what if all of her mother’s suggestions were actually leading toward it? Helping at city hall, moving back in with her. She’d undoubtedly be inundated in Demon and Summoner nonsense even if she wasn’t supposed to know. Couldn’t that leave openings for the truth to be unveiled naturally, even if it wasn’t Corticia’s intent? And Angelica couldn’t let go of her own goal of getting to the bottom of her mother’s very clearly illicit dealings. She hadn’t forgotten about the box of files she’d been forced to throw away in what could only be described as a completely sketchy act.

“Sorry, mom, but I don’t think I want to move back home, at least not right now.” Angelica ultimately decided against it. The risk was too high, not to mention the still unsolved circle issue. “It feels like I’d be giving up, if you know what I mean. Maybe in the future when things are more secure, or if I don’t find a good other place. For now, though, yeah, I’ll have to be stubborn.”

But… that didn’t mean she still couldn’t lean into the idea.

“Maybe, uhh, I could still stop by on occasion. Spend the night over holidays and such. If that’s alright.” Yes, that could allow for plenty of snooping time. She was tempted to propose something similar about helping out with the woman’s work every so often if she was swamped, but that felt too eager. No way the daughter who’d ghosted her for so long and was vehemently against working a regular would jump on that opportunity so readily.

First, they’d need to repair their relationship a bit, to where such offers would feel more natural. And despite the secrets, she did want to repair it… even now after her mother had been rude and demanding just like always, and yet a lot more kind and considerate than she remembered. It was undoubtedly still a mixed bag that she’d receive, and yet, she still wanted it regardless.

Angelica realized that her hands hadn’t been moving for a while, too distracted by the conversation. Well, they’d actually finished the current task of completing the initial outline of her mother’s portrait, and just hadn’t made the switch over to coloring. So she picked up one of the colored pencils and got to work, taking advantage of the lull.

Corticia hadn’t argued about the move-in situation anymore after that. Instead she offered, “Well, you’re welcome to come by any time, even if I’m not there. I never changed the locks, so your key should still work, assuming you haven’t lost it. But at least a text would be nice.”

And there was a bit of silence after that, letting Angelica make good progress on the sketch. It went well for a while, until her mother completely changed the conversation to one she never expected. “So, any men in your life?”