<strong>The Next Day… Hector Cobblepot in his shop</strong><br/><br/>Hector rolled from his side to his back, wiggling slightly. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as his mind was filled with the images of what had transpired the night before. He had never expected such amazing things to have happened in such a short amount of time but he was very thankful to have found someone as amazing as Valerie. The thought of her made him reach out to the side, grabbing at the covers as if he was searching for her even then.<br/><br/>When he found nothing, he woke, curious and a bit frightened. Slowly he sat up, glancing around the darkness of his room. The heavy curtains were closed, leaving the room nearly black. Slowly he reached around on the bed but felt nothing but sheets. With a sigh, he shook his head and mumbled. “To much to hope for I suppose. I hope that I did not scare her away…”<br/><br/>Hector shifted on his bed until his legs hung over the edge and he gradually raised to his feet. Swaying slightly, he managed to make his way across his cluttered room to the drapes and draw them back, flooding the room with light. His eyes burned, tears forming from the sudden shock before he managed to blink them away. Glancing down he found him self naked and he chuckled. What exactly had happened after he had exploded all over Valerie? He honestly couldn’t remember and he hoped that the fact that she was not here was not an indication that he had done something wrong.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>After scrubbing himself clean, Hector made his way out into his shop. The voices were oddly quiet this day but he took that as a good sign. There was enough on his mind at the moment without having to deal with the likes of them. As he turned on the various lights to illuminate the place his eyes eventually fell upon the lounger. Truly he had never expected to get so much use out of the thing. It was the first time he had ever had such a piece of furniture and it had already seen more activity than he would have ever suspected a single piece would.<br/><br/>Chuckling softly, he moved to the front of his shop and opened the gate slowly, the grinding of metal hinges making him shake a little. Once it was locked in place, he poked hi head out into the hallway, glancing around to see who was about. It might still be a little early or so he suspected by the looks of the place. He had never really been one for clocks and so was unable to tell if it actually was early or late. Not that it really mattered. This place always seemed to function on its own version of time.<br/><br/>Moving back into his shop, he grabbed the crank of his old record player and wound it up slowly. Placing an old record on it, he set the needle and stepped away, the shop soon filling with a slow, swaying melody. With a smile of contentment, he moved to his easel, a blank canvas upon it and settled down to work, his eyes gazing at the pale void of space thoughtfully as he considered what to work on.<br/>