As your wings discard their feathers on the ground

[anjelsword]

Fritz has finally been cornered in the lobby of the Conrad. Gail is frowning at her. Fritz is scowling back. This is not a conversation the younger angel wants to have, but Gail isn't letting her get away from it again.

The red-haired woman reaches out to touch Fritz's arm and Fritz yanks back.

"Maria," Gail says. "Can't we just talk?"

"Why the

Comments

[justashitmagnet]

Mike is normally pretty good at reading situations. He has to be--one can't be working an adultery case and misinterpret signals, body language, any of that. He's seen the touch and Fritz's pull away, and he knows what that means back home. There's something going on here. And he just can't let it devolve into something worse.

So ba-ba-BA-ba-baba-ba, Mike McGill to the rescue. "Is there a problem here?" he asks, trying to sound as neutral as possible while he approaches the two women.

[mustardwithat]

"Yes there fucking is," Fritz rumbles, just as Gail regards Mike with distant annoyance and says, "No, there isn't."

The situation certainly seems like a classic, reasonable 'DO NOT WANT' scenario. Gail sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I promise you, sir, I am not nor do I plan to do anything untoward."

[justashitmagnet]

Mike looks nervously from woman to woman. "Um. I'm not sure that this young lady would agree with you, ma'am," he says politely. "No offense. I'm just not sure this will... end.. well..."

He feels like this was a very very bad thing to get involved with, but he realizes it's kind of too late now.

[neverknewhatred]

"Possibly it will also begin and middle badly," Gail says, and sighs. "Maria--"

"Fritz. Fucking Fritz. How fucking hard is that to fucking say for fuck's sake?" Fritz drops onto the nearest chair, looking like a teenager whose parent has caught her with a tattooed boy and a phial full of something illegal. Gail resists the urge to take the opposite chair from sheer exhaustion.

"We were discussing personal matters," she says, to Mike again. "Matters of personal history, in fact. That's all."

[justashitmagnet]

Mike continues to look nervously at each woman. "Well no offense ma'am," he says slowly to Gail, "And I'm just saying something here because I don't want things to erupt into something messy, but I would venture a guess to say that Miss, uh. Fritz here is not the biggest fan of your discussion of personal matters and would really like you to respect her wishes and, um." He bites his lip. He really really doesn't want to put words into the scarier of the two women's mouth. He feels like she would probably punch him in the kidneys.

"What I'm trying to say here is this probably isn't the time or the place for discussing personal matters, and I'm not sure the hotel staff would appreciate that." He tries to give Gail an apologetic smile, even though it ends up more like a mouth twist with a vaguely terrified look to accompany it.

[neverknewhatred]

In the moment it takes for irritation to flare up and then fade, Gail entertains the possibility of telling this boy--wanderer, by the feel of him--exactly who she is and exactly why he should make himself scarce before he makes this situation any stickier.

But that's hardly fair or proper conduct.

She resettles her glasses on her nose and eyes Fritz. "We will talk, Maria. We need to. Please stop trying to avoid me--as good as you are at it, I have a few years on you, and eventually age and skill will out."

Fritz mutters something in Croatian that is both rude and rude and suggestive, and Gail responds in kind, one eyebrow raised and very little expression on her face. For a second, Fritz stares at her, and then she's gone toward the elevators.

The younger angel of knowledge eyeballs Mike. "What the fuck did you do that for, anyway?"

[justashitmagnet]

Mike flinches as the younger woman turns to him. "I don't know," he mumbles, regretting that he ever stepped in now. "I just figured two women beating it out in the lobby of a hotel wouldn't look very good for business, not the kind this place gets anyway. Sorry. Next time I'll just let you punch it out and mind my own business."

[mustardwithat]

Fritz subsides with a grumble, inclined to be gracious, since it means she doesn't have to deal with Gail right now. "She could take me," she says.

The angel eyeballs Mike again. "You're a chicken in the goddamn fox coop or some shit. Most people would've played peekaboo with us until they were out the door."