Snippet day is here again!
Here's a bit of Halflife, for your edification:
Unfortunately for me and our pencil supply, the Gallows Street office was still playing host to Cassidy Fletcher. The rest of her team were nowhere to be seen, but the woman herself was sitting on my desk, swinging her legs back and forth in a decidedly girlish manner as she chatted to Joel. She wore another long, hippy-esque skirt, pink with orange butterflies, and a white peasant blouse to complete the Earth-child look. Joel watched her legs as if hypnotised by the motion, his cheeks flushed and his glasses slipping down his nose.
“Yasmin!” Cassidy cried as I entered. “I had such a good time at Grimson's yesterday!”
I blinked, pausing by Joel's desk. “You did?” That certainly wasn't the impression I'd gone away with.
“Absolutely!” she chirped. “I'd love to come out on another tour with you some time - maybe a different route though? Joel was just telling me you used to take the Padley Manor tour.”
I glanced at Joel, who's cheeks burned even brighter. “We weren't really talking about you,” he muttered, taking his glasses off to polish. “It was just in passing, Yasmin, you know.”
I frowned, guessing he'd just in passing told Cassidy about the Padley Incident. With her determination to capture a ghost on camera, it was the kind of story she'd eat up. Never mind the stab of anguish in my heart every time I thought of it, or the damage the old man's disappearance had done the business. No, all Cassidy would value was the paranormal angle, and from the expression on Joel's face, all he valued was Cassidy's approval.
“Joel's going to take me out to Marsh prison some time,” Cassidy said. “I can't wait to get down there!”
“Marsh prison isn't one of our routes,” I said, trying not to sound accusing. Joel's goofy puppy-dog look grated on my nerves.
“It's a personal favour,” Cassidy beamed at him and hopped off my desk. “So, Yasmin, you'll take me round Padley, right? Without the crew at first, so I can get a feel for the place, take some notes, you know? And then we'll go back with the crew later in the week. It'd be sooner, but we're booked up until Friday.”
I sat down, trying to think of a reason why I couldn't. Nothing sprang to mind - nothing polite, anyway, and I didn't think Ed would be too impressed if I was rude. I sighed. “I'll have to check my diary,” I said, swinging my chair round to face the computer, putting my back to Cassidy. “I've got a lot going on right now.”
“I can take you,” Joel volunteered. I had to smile to myself; he was working so hard to sound nonchalant and it was failing miserably.
“Oh, you're so sweet!” Cassidy sounded dismissive. I glanced over my shoulder to see her gliding towards the door. “But Yasmin just has so much knowledge! I could just eat your brain up, Yasmin!” She winked at me and disappeared out the front door.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Joel shot me a resentful look. “She's alright, you know.”
“She's a terror,” I replied, swinging back to my computer and pretending to look at spreadsheets. “I don't have time to play tour guide for her and her crew.”
“How can you not have time?” he asked mildly. “You don't do anything.”
I didn't dignify that with an answer. I didn't socialise with my workmates because I didn't socialise with any mortals more than I had to. Don't get me wrong; I love mortals. They fascinate me endlessly, so mercurial and creative, so challenging. But I preferred to avoid close relationships with them, especially now, after I'd had my fingers burned so badly by Alex. Now that I knew I might have been mortal, once upon a time.
That knowledge lent a bittersweet edge to all my interactions with mortals. I couldn't help but speculate what I might have been like. An infuriating bundle of energy like Cassidy? What a terrible thought.
Ed emerged from his office then, a hunted look on his face. “She's gone?”
“She's gone,” I confirmed.
His shoulders slumped and he came into the main room, leaning against his door with a grateful sigh.
“She's alright!” Joel said again, more defensively now. “And it's great for business, having Insolita around.”
“Of course it is,” Ed agreed. “It's just not good for my head.” He shot me a stern look. “She wants you to take her round Padley.”
“I know.” Surely Ed wasn't going to insist I did it?
“Swap routes with Collette tomorrow,” he ordered, rubbing his temples.
“But I don't -”
He cut me off with a brief slashing gesture. “I like a quiet life, Yasmin,”
So did I. Unfortunately it seemed we couldn't both have one.
Unfortunately for me and our pencil supply, the Gallows Street office was still playing host to Cassidy Fletcher. The rest of her team were nowhere to be seen, but the woman herself was sitting on my desk, swinging her legs back and forth in a decidedly girlish manner as she chatted to Joel. She wore another long, hippy-esque skirt, pink with orange butterflies, and a white peasant blouse to complete the Earth-child look. Joel watched her legs as if hypnotised by the motion, his cheeks flushed and his glasses slipping down his nose.
“Yasmin!” Cassidy cried as I entered. “I had such a good time at Grimson's yesterday!”
I blinked, pausing by Joel's desk. “You did?” That certainly wasn't the impression I'd gone away with.
“Absolutely!” she chirped. “I'd love to come out on another tour with you some time - maybe a different route though? Joel was just telling me you used to take the Padley Manor tour.”
I glanced at Joel, who's cheeks burned even brighter. “We weren't really talking about you,” he muttered, taking his glasses off to polish. “It was just in passing, Yasmin, you know.”
I frowned, guessing he'd just in passing told Cassidy about the Padley Incident. With her determination to capture a ghost on camera, it was the kind of story she'd eat up. Never mind the stab of anguish in my heart every time I thought of it, or the damage the old man's disappearance had done the business. No, all Cassidy would value was the paranormal angle, and from the expression on Joel's face, all he valued was Cassidy's approval.
“Joel's going to take me out to Marsh prison some time,” Cassidy said. “I can't wait to get down there!”
“Marsh prison isn't one of our routes,” I said, trying not to sound accusing. Joel's goofy puppy-dog look grated on my nerves.
“It's a personal favour,” Cassidy beamed at him and hopped off my desk. “So, Yasmin, you'll take me round Padley, right? Without the crew at first, so I can get a feel for the place, take some notes, you know? And then we'll go back with the crew later in the week. It'd be sooner, but we're booked up until Friday.”
I sat down, trying to think of a reason why I couldn't. Nothing sprang to mind - nothing polite, anyway, and I didn't think Ed would be too impressed if I was rude. I sighed. “I'll have to check my diary,” I said, swinging my chair round to face the computer, putting my back to Cassidy. “I've got a lot going on right now.”
“I can take you,” Joel volunteered. I had to smile to myself; he was working so hard to sound nonchalant and it was failing miserably.
“Oh, you're so sweet!” Cassidy sounded dismissive. I glanced over my shoulder to see her gliding towards the door. “But Yasmin just has so much knowledge! I could just eat your brain up, Yasmin!” She winked at me and disappeared out the front door.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Joel shot me a resentful look. “She's alright, you know.”
“She's a terror,” I replied, swinging back to my computer and pretending to look at spreadsheets. “I don't have time to play tour guide for her and her crew.”
“How can you not have time?” he asked mildly. “You don't do anything.”
I didn't dignify that with an answer. I didn't socialise with my workmates because I didn't socialise with any mortals more than I had to. Don't get me wrong; I love mortals. They fascinate me endlessly, so mercurial and creative, so challenging. But I preferred to avoid close relationships with them, especially now, after I'd had my fingers burned so badly by Alex. Now that I knew I might have been mortal, once upon a time.
That knowledge lent a bittersweet edge to all my interactions with mortals. I couldn't help but speculate what I might have been like. An infuriating bundle of energy like Cassidy? What a terrible thought.
Ed emerged from his office then, a hunted look on his face. “She's gone?”
“She's gone,” I confirmed.
His shoulders slumped and he came into the main room, leaning against his door with a grateful sigh.
“She's alright!” Joel said again, more defensively now. “And it's great for business, having Insolita around.”
“Of course it is,” Ed agreed. “It's just not good for my head.” He shot me a stern look. “She wants you to take her round Padley.”
“I know.” Surely Ed wasn't going to insist I did it?
“Swap routes with Collette tomorrow,” he ordered, rubbing his temples.
“But I don't -”
He cut me off with a brief slashing gesture. “I like a quiet life, Yasmin,”
So did I. Unfortunately it seemed we couldn't both have one.