When Kara was at last barely conscious Hallbjorn stopped thrusting his finger into her behind and slowly pulled it free. He relented in holding her throat, and lifted an arm to hold around her back. He supported her in his arms and then laid her down on the bed, tucking her in under the covers and positioning her head on one of the big, soft pillows. The Berserker wondered if he had been too cruel to her. It seemed that she had enjoyed at least some of what he did to her, but perhaps he kept her on the edge of release too long. He smoothed the hair away from Kara's face and patted her shoulder gently.<br/><br/>He rose and disrobed fully, pulling off his pants. The lap of them was soaked with Kara's arousal and he put them aside to be laundered along with his underwear. His shirt was a complete loss. There was no salvaging that garment. It could be replaced easily enough. Then he padded off into the bathroom for a quick shower. He felt oddly restless. When he was finished, he left Kara in the bed to recover.<br/><br/>He spent the time while she slept on the phone with a member of the House of Witches, going over the specifics of the mystical clean-up of Kara's home in Jackrabbit Junction. As expected, the bill would be padded with travel expenses, and the witch in question was ruthless in her negotiations for them. Eventually Hallbjorn secured a contract with terms that were not entirely too heinous, and hung up. Then he spent some time using his computer, perusing Amazon and other online retailers. He made a few purchases. At one point he went and made a cup of coffee for himself, grinding up expensive beans with an expensive home grinder that only did small batches at a time. But it was alright because Hallbjorn only used them in a small French press that made a mug anyway. It was so good that he drank it black - there was no bitterness at all that needed the masking of cream or sugar.<br/><br/>When Kara woke Hallbjorn was in the large kitchen sitting at a table by himself. His coffee cup was beside him resting on a saucer, empty. He was looking out a window onto the grounds, taken up with his own thoughts. Rain was falling in large droplets, and the black clouds in the sky showed no signs of relenting. It seemed like the beach was out of the question.