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And then, when they walked into the big room where all the desks were, all conversation ceased immediately. It was as silent as the grave.
Essence exchanged a glance with Decker, who shrugged.
No one was looking at them. They were all pointedly not looking at them, but Essence could feel the gazes behind her as they walked through the room. She and Decker both went to their desks, sat down, and tried to look as busy as everyone else.
It was quiet for a good twenty minutes.
When Ned called her in to go over the story she’d turned in from that Saturday, he gave her all his notes gruffly without looking at her. Once he did look up at her, saw her neck, widened his eyes, and then looked away.
He didn’t say anything.
But that afternoon, there was an email in her inbox with an attached document written in legalese, distancing the paper from her and Decker and absolving the Tribune from all responsibility.
She asked Decker, after work, if he’d gotten one, and he said that he had and also a strongly worded email indicating that the paper would essentially throw him under the bus if anything went badly.
“So, no pressure or anything,” he said, “but I think we need to make this work or I’m going to get fired.”
She touched his face, laughing but apologetic. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said, shrugging, ruffling his impressive wings. “You tried to tell me this was a bad idea.”
“I did, I did,” she said. “You should have listened to me.”
“Yeah, really. It’s your perfect ass, really. It bewitched me.”
She snorted.
He pulled her closer. “Tell me the truth, am I under a love spell?”
“No way, you tell me. You’re the one with the motive, buster.”
And then they kissed.
meshing
ON WEDNESDAY, HOLLIS called Essence to tell her that he thought they’d broken his handcuffs, because he couldn’t get them to close anymore.
“I think you confused them, really,” he said. “Whatever this truth rune is, you guys and your super tangly lines of conversation? It was too much for the cuffs. Too many conflicting truths all at once. I think it released you because you broke it.”
“Kevin seemed to think that if he used magic on it, it would have unintended consequences,” Essence told Hollis.
“You talked to Kevin?”
“Oh, yeah, he was in your house.”
He groaned. “Fucking Kevin.”
“He does that a lot?”
“He’s, you know….”
“What is he?” she said.
“He’s… Kevin,” said Hollis.
There was a pause.
“Sorry about your cuffs,” she said.
