Warriors of Poseidon 04 - Atlantis Unmasked

looking down at her own mug.
     
    “I believe you are misinformed as to the nature of that concept. Would it not be I who am responsible for you? Also, was there not the promise of pancakes?”
     
    “As soon as they call our number.” She smiled and pushed elegantly styled dark curls, so different from Quinn‟s jagged mop of hair, off of her brow. Everything about her, except for her slight form and dark hair, differed so much from Quinn.
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    Michelle‟s taste in clothing was clearly fashionable for this time period. Quinn wore items that may as well have been stolen from homeless people. Michelle‟s nature was open and friendly, where Quinn was dark and distrustful. Cynical and solitary.
     
    Nothing about Quinn, in fact, should have made every thought of her sear her image—her scent—her taste into his very soul. He clenched his fingers more tightly around the mug, and the liquid within it began to boil and circle rapidly in a counterclockwise direction.
     
    Suddenly, a delicate hand touched his arm. “You‟re thinking of her again, aren‟t you?”
     
    Startled, he released the mug and looked up at Michelle. “Who?”
     
    She smiled, but this time her smile held sadness. “Quinn. I had heard . . . well, never mind, silly gossip. Can‟t you go to her, work things out?”
     
    He drew his dignity around himself like one of his priestly robes. “You know nothing of my situation,” he said, almost sorry for the way she flinched at the arrogance in his tone.
    Inexplicably, he liked this human and did not care to harm her, but . . . “You presume too much.”
     
    “I know. I have a terrible habit of that. Not very British at all, sticking my nose in other people‟s business, is it? It‟s just that I‟m rather good at getting my friends‟ situations sorted out, even if I‟m total rubbish at doing the same for myself.”
     
    A woman at the back pass-through window called out a number, and Michelle popped out of her seat. “That‟s us.” Before he could follow her, she was back with a tray of food.
    After they‟d settled again, something Michelle had said caught at him. “Your friends?
    You consider us to be friends?”
     
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    She blinked, a forkful of pancakes held in midair. “Of course we‟re friends. Not very many people have saved my life, you know. You‟re in a very elite group of three. You, Grace, and Alexios.”
     
    “I am honored, then, to call you friend, though you owe me no obligation for a simple healing. But I have no need of this sorting you mention.”
     
    Michelle took a long sip of her jasmine-scented tea. The delicate aroma was fragrant enough to tease his senses. It suited her.
     
    “Well, of course I could be projecting,” she admitted. “I just went through rather a bad breakup in London before I came back here. Frankie wasn‟t a big fan of me throwing my life in the line of fire again and gave me an ultimatum.”
     
    He dedicated his attention to his pancakes, considering her words.
     
    “You chose to leave?”
     
    “I‟m here, aren‟t I?” she said, unknowingly echoing his earlier words to Alexios. She attempted a smile. “I‟ve never been very serious in my many loves, but I think Frankie may have broken my heart.”
     
    Alaric leaned forward and caught her hands in his own. “Tell me where this Frankie lives, and I will immediately travel there and end his life for you.”
     
    She gasped, then peered up into his eyes and, evidently reassured by what she saw, started laughing. “Oh, you‟re too evil. No, thank you, I don‟t need you to end her life for me. She‟s quite a lovely woman, and we had a grand time together for the past several years. But it‟s time to move on and let her find someone safer to build a life with.”
     
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    He‟d suddenly had enough of the conversation. Far more than enough. “Safety is an illusion,” he pointed out, pushing his chair back and standing. “I must leave now.”
     
    She started laughing and reached inside her bag. “That‟s fine, just let me leave a tip.”
     
    Ah. Payment. He tended to forget the mundane realities of life Above. “I am prepared for this. Allow me.” He dropped several coins on the table, glad that he‟d remembered to bring them.
     
    Michelle glanced down at the coins, then stared up at him