"God forbid," Gabriel teased Skulduggery with a laugh just as they vanished from the safehouse. A moment later they were outside, standing in a narrow alley behind a closed pawnshop. As far as alleys went, it wasn't even half bad; it didn't smell like much other than concrete and bitumen.
The Archangel turned to Skulduggery, still with his hand on Fletcher's arm. "Well?" he asked with a grin. "Are we doomed to ride a yellow cab, or is a bright-orange convertible the way to go?"
~~~
The way Dad nodded indicated some kind of acceptance or understanding, and the sadness in his grey eyes only cemented it. "Seen that happen before. Lines get all snarled, can't cast the bait. Hard to fish that way."
He didn't even seem to notice the shift in his metaphor. He just signalled the barman and drank his glass slow. Yet when the glass was empty, the old man continued before it had even hit the counter. "'Course, it also takes a big man to see that kind of mess and go ahead to try'n untangle it. Can take a long time, that. Lotta effort. Hard to know if you're gonna see the end, or if your friend's line's just too knotty. And then again ..." He shrugged, simply and easily. "Then again, sometimes those knots never go away. Don't mean the line's not good and strong anymore. Just means it needs a bit more care in the handlin', instead of relyin' on a rod to do the work."
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The Archangel turned to Skulduggery, still with his hand on Fletcher's arm. "Well?" he asked with a grin. "Are we doomed to ride a yellow cab, or is a bright-orange convertible the way to go?"
~~~
The way Dad nodded indicated some kind of acceptance or understanding, and the sadness in his grey eyes only cemented it. "Seen that happen before. Lines get all snarled, can't cast the bait. Hard to fish that way."
He didn't even seem to notice the shift in his metaphor. He just signalled the barman and drank his glass slow. Yet when the glass was empty, the old man continued before it had even hit the counter. "'Course, it also takes a big man to see that kind of mess and go ahead to try'n untangle it. Can take a long time, that. Lotta effort. Hard to know if you're gonna see the end, or if your friend's line's just too knotty. And then again ..." He shrugged, simply and easily. "Then again, sometimes those knots never go away. Don't mean the line's not good and strong anymore. Just means it needs a bit more care in the handlin', instead of relyin' on a rod to do the work."