It was very difficult not to watch Solomon and Dexter approach, but Melissa found the nearer they came the more she didn't want to look. Solomon's eyes hadn't focussed once, and now he was closer she still wasn't sure if he was looking past her or into her. He had to be blind. A blind sorcerer? She wasn't sure if it was comforting that magic couldn't solve everything or not.
In fact, now he was closer she could see the grey in his hair. Absently she wondered how old that made him. When did a sorcerer start going grey?
"You didn't bother to explain that we've only been in office for all of a week?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. Of the lot of them, he was the only one who didn't seem very fazed by the fact that Melissa and Des were even there. Dexter had also paled a little, muttering something along the lines of 'oh boy' under his breath.
The sanguine attitude was just enough to help Melissa along to taking a breath. "A week," she said, "is more than long enough to figure out that a fifteen-year-old shouldn't have to save the world."
He stared at her for a moment, his head tilted in a considering way and eyes so piercing they sent chills down her spine. Melissa stared back challengingly. Even though he couldn't see her. It was the principle of the thing.
She didn't expect him to start smiling slowly with incredulously amused sympathy. "Skulduggery, did she really knee you in the groin or does she just have an exceptionally good imagination?"
Dexter blanched. "Oh. Ow."
"I really did," Melissa said promptly, "so let that be a warning to you." She didn't even ask how he knew. He was a sorcerer. What did the 'how' matter, when the inevitable answer was 'magic'?
"I'll keep that in mind," Solomon said, but he still seemed more amused than anything else.
"Good," Melissa said, "because I noticed how you completely changed the subject." She squeezed Stephanie's hand and narrowed her eyes. "Why, exactly, is a fifteen-year-old allowed to wander around saving the world when there are assumedly perfectly capable adults to do that?"
"Quite frankly," Solomon said with a shrug, "I'm the wrong person to ask."
"Why?"
"Because up until about a week ago I was evil. A capable fifteen-year-old wandering around saving the world doesn't really rate very high on an evil-doer's scale of things to be concerned over. At least, not for the same reasons you are."
Melissa blinked. Of all the perfectly matter-of-fact answers, this was probably the last one she expected. Abruptly she turned to Stephanie. "Was he evil?" she asked. "Why are you hanging around evil people? Why are evil people being elected into a governmental office?" She paused. "Actually, never mind. It's a government."
"In Sol's defence," Gabe put in, "he's retrospectively biased. He wasn't as bad as all that." He shrugged. "Sort-of on the dark-grey part of the evil scale."
no subject
In fact, now he was closer she could see the grey in his hair. Absently she wondered how old that made him. When did a sorcerer start going grey?
"You didn't bother to explain that we've only been in office for all of a week?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. Of the lot of them, he was the only one who didn't seem very fazed by the fact that Melissa and Des were even there. Dexter had also paled a little, muttering something along the lines of 'oh boy' under his breath.
The sanguine attitude was just enough to help Melissa along to taking a breath. "A week," she said, "is more than long enough to figure out that a fifteen-year-old shouldn't have to save the world."
He stared at her for a moment, his head tilted in a considering way and eyes so piercing they sent chills down her spine. Melissa stared back challengingly. Even though he couldn't see her. It was the principle of the thing.
She didn't expect him to start smiling slowly with incredulously amused sympathy. "Skulduggery, did she really knee you in the groin or does she just have an exceptionally good imagination?"
Dexter blanched. "Oh. Ow."
"I really did," Melissa said promptly, "so let that be a warning to you." She didn't even ask how he knew. He was a sorcerer. What did the 'how' matter, when the inevitable answer was 'magic'?
"I'll keep that in mind," Solomon said, but he still seemed more amused than anything else.
"Good," Melissa said, "because I noticed how you completely changed the subject." She squeezed Stephanie's hand and narrowed her eyes. "Why, exactly, is a fifteen-year-old allowed to wander around saving the world when there are assumedly perfectly capable adults to do that?"
"Quite frankly," Solomon said with a shrug, "I'm the wrong person to ask."
"Why?"
"Because up until about a week ago I was evil. A capable fifteen-year-old wandering around saving the world doesn't really rate very high on an evil-doer's scale of things to be concerned over. At least, not for the same reasons you are."
Melissa blinked. Of all the perfectly matter-of-fact answers, this was probably the last one she expected. Abruptly she turned to Stephanie. "Was he evil?" she asked. "Why are you hanging around evil people? Why are evil people being elected into a governmental office?" She paused. "Actually, never mind. It's a government."
"In Sol's defence," Gabe put in, "he's retrospectively biased. He wasn't as bad as all that." He shrugged. "Sort-of on the dark-grey part of the evil scale."