"Nothing good." she said, lips pressed into a thin line. "But... I can't force you, and I wouldn't. I swear I'll do what I can to keep you and yours safe, as long as you're with us."

"If I find you safely." she reluctantly agreed. "Then yes."

"Something worse than we ever imagined."

Giovanni held up a hand, cocking his head intently to listen. What manner of knocking was that? It sounded more animal than anything.

The thought dawned on him. "It's that damned rabbit, I bet. Kitchen girl's pet."

It looked back up at him blankly.
"It's a rabbit, Giovanni." Ven said, deadpan.

Giovanni and Venenzio had reached the bottom of the balcony, and now exchanged glances. "Was your plan to hide nearby?" He said in a quiet voice so as not to be detected. It had taken guile just to get here, the last thing they needed was guards on their backs now.

"Thank you," she said automatically, glancing around the room and trying to stave off the idea that it might be her last time doing so... oh! She hurried forward to the bed and pushed one of her pillows onto the bed, then covered it with the blanket to make a believable lump, before returning to Giovanni's side. "We'd have to go back out the balcony because there's a guard in front of the door."

Roo awkwardly stepped back, opening her mouth to protest, but then the door behind them creaked.
One of the guard's voices filtered in, muffled by wood. "Hey, brother. Any movement from inside?"
"No," said the other. "She's an easy one. It's the twins you have to watch out for, and the mermaid."
"I thought the mermaid was locked out?"
"I don't know, but she'll help them run, if she can. Just keep an eye on them."
"Should we check on Lruia?"
"Nah, it's fine. She's sleeping."

Once their footsteps faded away, she swallowed and gingerly moved towards Giovanni, carefully planting one hand on his shoulder, tucking the other close to her chest. "Like this?"

“You should find her.” Roo said. “And— It’s hard to tell what warding to take because I can’t be sure what the demon is… a strong flashlight is never a bad idea. Also, you might have incense. You can use that to smoke them out, usually. All the supplies should be in a drawer in the living room.”