So, is there a vampire in the Colonial Department?
Evidently sudden absence of academic work makes me post on LJ.
Shirly had apparently figured out the disposable cell phone, and was sitting on the curb in a pile of plastic bits and folded paper listening to it expectantly. Lucian wondered whether she intended to pick up the packaging, or leave it to blow away for some reason that made sense only to her.
“Hey,” said Shirly into the phone. She frowned. “I left a note. Didn’t you get it?”
There was a pause. Lucian stuck his hands in his pockets and wondered if there was a non-awkward way to loiter.
“In the refrigerator!” said Shirly. “You are a thermophile alien, aren’t you? Everybody else looks in the refrigerator eventually!”
Lucian frowned, got out his cell phone, and brought up the surveillance-scanning program again. Probably the police would be trying to trace Shirly’s call . . .
Not that he objected to them finding her. He’d just prefer they didn’t find him at the same time. He was pretty sure being suspected of kidnapping teenagers was not acceptable behavior for a government employee.
She looked away from her phone and covered the mouthpiece for a second. “It fell behind the milk jug, would you believe that?-No, I did not get kidnapped! Of course I’m sure! I’d know, wouldn’t I?”
Lucian looked skeptically at the green light on his phone and wandered a few steps away.
“No, I have to do this, Ma,” said Shirly. “It’s important. I can go back to school afterwards, the school’s not going anywhere. Well yes, the vampires might! And then I’d’ve missed an exclusive, and that wouldn’t be a good thing to do!”
Lucian looked around, hoping that there weren’t any passerby to notice his association with the crazy kid talking about vampires into a cell phone. Fortunately for him it was still obnoxiously early, and the streets were pretty well deserted.
“No, I’ve got a great source. He’s been a big help-” continued Shirly. Lucian winced and stared fixedly at the light on his phone, unsure whether he wanted it to stay green or to turn orange so that he’d have an excuse for making Shirly shut up.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Shirly. “No. I’m not. Bye, Ma.” She closed the phone with a sharp click and stood up, scooping the packaging debris up as she rose. “Do I throw the phone away, too?” she asked doubtfully.
Lucian glared at the stupidly persistent green light, killed the program, and returned his phone to his pocket. “If you don’t want to be traced through it, yes. Otherwise-” He shrugged. They were presumably trying to trace her through her own phone, and didn’t seem to have found her yet. “Whatever you want.”
Shirly pitched the phone and its packing material into the nearest trash can and dusted herself off. “So, where are we going now?” she asked.
“Someplace where you can wash your hands.”
"Yeah, and after that? Can we talk more?”
Lucian rolled his eyes. “This sounds like another one of those questions where I don’t get a choice in the outcome. Come on.”
Shirly had apparently figured out the disposable cell phone, and was sitting on the curb in a pile of plastic bits and folded paper listening to it expectantly. Lucian wondered whether she intended to pick up the packaging, or leave it to blow away for some reason that made sense only to her.
“Hey,” said Shirly into the phone. She frowned. “I left a note. Didn’t you get it?”
There was a pause. Lucian stuck his hands in his pockets and wondered if there was a non-awkward way to loiter.
“In the refrigerator!” said Shirly. “You are a thermophile alien, aren’t you? Everybody else looks in the refrigerator eventually!”
Lucian frowned, got out his cell phone, and brought up the surveillance-scanning program again. Probably the police would be trying to trace Shirly’s call . . .
Not that he objected to them finding her. He’d just prefer they didn’t find him at the same time. He was pretty sure being suspected of kidnapping teenagers was not acceptable behavior for a government employee.
She looked away from her phone and covered the mouthpiece for a second. “It fell behind the milk jug, would you believe that?-No, I did not get kidnapped! Of course I’m sure! I’d know, wouldn’t I?”
Lucian looked skeptically at the green light on his phone and wandered a few steps away.
“No, I have to do this, Ma,” said Shirly. “It’s important. I can go back to school afterwards, the school’s not going anywhere. Well yes, the vampires might! And then I’d’ve missed an exclusive, and that wouldn’t be a good thing to do!”
Lucian looked around, hoping that there weren’t any passerby to notice his association with the crazy kid talking about vampires into a cell phone. Fortunately for him it was still obnoxiously early, and the streets were pretty well deserted.
“No, I’ve got a great source. He’s been a big help-” continued Shirly. Lucian winced and stared fixedly at the light on his phone, unsure whether he wanted it to stay green or to turn orange so that he’d have an excuse for making Shirly shut up.
“That’s ridiculous,” said Shirly. “No. I’m not. Bye, Ma.” She closed the phone with a sharp click and stood up, scooping the packaging debris up as she rose. “Do I throw the phone away, too?” she asked doubtfully.
Lucian glared at the stupidly persistent green light, killed the program, and returned his phone to his pocket. “If you don’t want to be traced through it, yes. Otherwise-” He shrugged. They were presumably trying to trace her through her own phone, and didn’t seem to have found her yet. “Whatever you want.”
Shirly pitched the phone and its packing material into the nearest trash can and dusted herself off. “So, where are we going now?” she asked.
“Someplace where you can wash your hands.”
"Yeah, and after that? Can we talk more?”
Lucian rolled his eyes. “This sounds like another one of those questions where I don’t get a choice in the outcome. Come on.”