... Okay, Tanith thought as she stared after Gabe and bit her lip. Maybe not hell, then. Still, she decided to stop seeing innuendos where there weren't any, just to be on the safe side.
Her ridiculous and entirely implausible crush was making a firm break for the surface again. Tanith impatiently brushed it aside as she followed everyone else into the living room, where Ghastly and Skulduggery were already talking.
"Why do criminals always believe their life choices are the fault of the Sanctuary?" Ghastly asked, sinking back onto the couch from last night. "It would make our lives a lot easier if they all realized one day that it's their own fault and they are, frankly, in dire need of help."
Skulduggery remained standing and, after a short hesitation, cleared a throat Tanith knew he didn't have, despite the skin trying to fool her otherwise. "Actually," he said, once he was sure everyone was listening, "I believe Scarab does have reason for revenge. Against Guild, at least, if not several other people in the Sanctuary. Possibly myself."
Ghastly blinked. "He assassinated Esryn Vanguard. He doesn't have a leg to stand on."
"I... don't think he did."
"Who's Esryn Vanguard?" Val and Fletcher both asked at the same time.
Ghastly ignored them and looked straight at Skulduggery. Tanith vaguely remembered from a distant history lesson that Skulduggery was the one in charge of that investigation - which meant he would have been the one to lead them directly to Scarab. Ghastly, though, would be remembering from having been there, which never failed to impress her. With every year that Tanith didn't age, she wondered about how she must seem to everyone younger than her. "You think he was framed?" Ghastly asked, perplexed. "Framed well enough to fool even you?"
It wasn't fair that Skulduggery had a face now, and his expression was still as unreadable as his skull. Tanith envied that ability. "I believe he was framed, yes," the former skeleton confirmed. "And I have since the beginning, to be honest."
~~
Other matters? China was beginning to think a visit to the safe house she repurposed might be a good idea. The beginnings of a plan were slowly forming in the back of her mind, but in order for name magic to have any kind of an effect, China would need proximity. She didn't know the exact extent of Gabe's power, after all. It would be best to revert back to the basics, and cover all her bases.
"Guild doesn't know," she answered eventually. "They've met, but Guild is assuming he's a fellow refugee, albeit a powerful one. Some form of Teleporter, I believe." She chuckled. "He seems to think the two are romantically involved."
She briefly toyed with the idea of telling Solomon about Darren Criss, but decided against it. If the man wanted to believe he'd spoken to a true Archangel, let him. It would only make his reaction to her previous statement all the more amusing. Besides, it was a sound business practice of China's never to tell all she knew, and it had served her well in the past.
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Her ridiculous and entirely implausible crush was making a firm break for the surface again. Tanith impatiently brushed it aside as she followed everyone else into the living room, where Ghastly and Skulduggery were already talking.
"Why do criminals always believe their life choices are the fault of the Sanctuary?" Ghastly asked, sinking back onto the couch from last night. "It would make our lives a lot easier if they all realized one day that it's their own fault and they are, frankly, in dire need of help."
Skulduggery remained standing and, after a short hesitation, cleared a throat Tanith knew he didn't have, despite the skin trying to fool her otherwise. "Actually," he said, once he was sure everyone was listening, "I believe Scarab does have reason for revenge. Against Guild, at least, if not several other people in the Sanctuary. Possibly myself."
Ghastly blinked. "He assassinated Esryn Vanguard. He doesn't have a leg to stand on."
"I... don't think he did."
"Who's Esryn Vanguard?" Val and Fletcher both asked at the same time.
Ghastly ignored them and looked straight at Skulduggery. Tanith vaguely remembered from a distant history lesson that Skulduggery was the one in charge of that investigation - which meant he would have been the one to lead them directly to Scarab. Ghastly, though, would be remembering from having been there, which never failed to impress her. With every year that Tanith didn't age, she wondered about how she must seem to everyone younger than her. "You think he was framed?" Ghastly asked, perplexed. "Framed well enough to fool even you?"
It wasn't fair that Skulduggery had a face now, and his expression was still as unreadable as his skull. Tanith envied that ability. "I believe he was framed, yes," the former skeleton confirmed. "And I have since the beginning, to be honest."
~~
Other matters? China was beginning to think a visit to the safe house she repurposed might be a good idea. The beginnings of a plan were slowly forming in the back of her mind, but in order for name magic to have any kind of an effect, China would need proximity. She didn't know the exact extent of Gabe's power, after all. It would be best to revert back to the basics, and cover all her bases.
"Guild doesn't know," she answered eventually. "They've met, but Guild is assuming he's a fellow refugee, albeit a powerful one. Some form of Teleporter, I believe." She chuckled. "He seems to think the two are romantically involved."
She briefly toyed with the idea of telling Solomon about Darren Criss, but decided against it. If the man wanted to believe he'd spoken to a true Archangel, let him. It would only make his reaction to her previous statement all the more amusing. Besides, it was a sound business practice of China's never to tell all she knew, and it had served her well in the past.