Ari was experiencing more intense emotion than he had in over a hundred years. For some reason, this was worse than the incident that cause Royce's banishment, although why he didn't know. His unfamiliarity with the intensity of what he was feeling was coming out in nervous twitching of his fingers and eyebrows, a tapping of his free foot, and constant quick stares at Royce. Somehow, Ari feared his little dove would be gone, back with that horrid snake demon, or in worse places. He wanted to scream, but such an act was hardly appropriate for a car ride. No, for now he had to sit with his emotions, and he resented Royce for inflicting them. Still, his primary focus was on his worry about what would happen if Charon ever found out about this. Once again, Royce was forcing Ari to choose between him and the rest of the family, and once again Ari was choosing Royce.
They reached the Detour motel, and Ari pulled up to the main office. He turned off the engine and slowly turned his body to face the little upstart. His eyes could've broken glass with a mere look.
"I'm going to get us a room," he said, voice so controlled and quiet that it was obviously stifling something horrid. "Remain in the car, speak to no one, and in fact, don't move at all."
He resisted the urge to back this command up with mental force. He had no reason to trust Royce at this point, but something about how he was sitting led Ari to believe he wanted to stay. There was a timidity in the boy that seemed to mirror Ari's unfamiliar cyclothymia. They were both on different ground than normal. Ari opened the door, his heavy boots concussing the sidewalk as he made his way into the motel's cheep office. Getting a room took no time at all, and a quick memory wipe ensured the clerk wouldn't remember Ari's face. With a pair of room keys in hand, the ancient returned to the vehicle.
Royce was still there. Miracles do happen. "We're around back," Ari related, restarting the engine and pulling around to the appropriate part of the parking lot. Ari didn't pull Royce at the wrist, although that was his first instinct, but quickly moved him towards the room. "And as an extra hell, I got us a nonsmoking room. Give them to me."
Ari had always hated Royce's disgusting habit. It felt almost petty to take them, but Ari couldn't trust Royce not to smoke. His child would do it out of spite if he got the chance. He wondered if that was Royce's point; spite. Ari reflected he'd have an opportunity to ask soon enough.