(no subject)

[ladyfirestarter]

Every so often, Charlie's called to the home office in New York. She tries to arrange a day or two extra before and after the scheduled meeting, just to walk around and see the city.

The desert has become her heart's home, but ... once or twice a year she starts to sicken for the sight of skyscrapers and yellow cabs, the way some people sicken for mountains or the sea.

It's a brisk day in early September, cool and breezy, ideal for walking.

Comments

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

"Then the day hasn't been entirely wasted." A beat, while he savors just how comfortable this is. "Where're you staying, by the way?"

[ladyfirestarter]

"At the Dolphin Hotel, up in the sixties." Beat. "I may have mentioned that place to you before?"

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

He looks at her, startled. "Not the place with the beastie you charbroiled?"

Startled, and also somewhat pleased.

[ladyfirestarter]

"That's the one. I could show you the place, later, if you like." A beat. "I can't show you the room where we fought it, though."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

"I think I'd like, yeah." He tilts his head. "Why's that?"

[ladyfirestarter]

Her smile edges toward the impish.

"It's not there anymore."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

"As in, you left a smoldering hole in the building, or...?"

[ladyfirestarter]

"More or less."

She probably shouldn't be grinning outright at this.

"There wasn't much damage to the surrounding rooms and hallways, but they're doing reconstruction of the whole area anyway."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

Oh, but she should be!

Prometheus appears to weigh and digest this. "Ah. Well. I suppose a gaping swath of carnage and destruction is preferable to a monster squatting in your hotel when you're trying to run a business establishment."

[ladyfirestarter]

She sobers a little at that. "Believe me, it is. Would have been even if we'd burned out the whole floor instead of just the one room." A slight shudder. "It was spreading."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

"And you stopped it. You and Bev and Fire." He gives her hand a squeeze. "I hope there was at least a ticker-tape parade. Or a free ticket for the buffet."

[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie smiles again. "They did give us complimentary room service. And waived the room fee."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

"Is that what it takes? I'll have to keep that in mind!" He grins, and glances around. "Are we close? Note that I'm being very good about not getting nosy and asking where we're going."

Though it seems to be suspiciously in the direction of Times Square.

[ladyfirestarter]

"So noted." She grins up at him.

"And we're going crosstown, as soon as we hit 42nd Street."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

This presents a new problem. Does he break out into "Crosstown Traffic" or just plain "42nd Street"?

He decides to restrain himself. They might, after all, run into people she knows.

What's there? He runs down the list, but nothing that he knows seems a likely candidate. "Do they still use tokens on the buses here?" he asks, idly.

[ladyfirestarter]

"No, it's strictly cash or the yellow card." She cocks her head at him. "What about the New York you came from?"

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

He rolls his shoulders. "I usually walk. Heh. Or ride free." A quirk of the mouth. "A long time ago, I did a guy a favor. The turnstiles seem to remember. I suppose that's a one New York-only deal, though."

[ladyfirestarter]

"Probably. I can cover the bus, don't worry about it."

They're nearly to Times Square by now, and Charlie is cheerfully gazing around like any tourist.

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

And why not? The place, it seems, is a spectacle no matter where it lives. Which is comforting.

Charlie gets them on a bus and swipes them through. They find two seats together at the front, along the window.

Prometheus people-watches.

[ladyfirestarter]

Charlie idly reads the ads.

And pauses, after a minute or two, to touch Prometheus's elbow and point at one in particular.

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

He squints at it, smiles after a moment.

"That's good. I think he'd like that. If you could ever get him out of the forge to see it." Beat. "That's not true -- he shows up at the bar from time to time. You met him yet, by any chance? He's a good guy."

[ladyfirestarter]

"I haven't yet, no. I think the only ones I've met out of your pantheon are Lethe and Mercer."

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

"The few, the proud, the nice ones. Past those -- few, you start getting into slim pickings." His face darkens as he stumbles over the word three, refusing to say it. "Not that they're not capable of bollocksing up just as well."

[ladyfirestarter]

That gets a searching look, but a mild one.

[notboundnow.livejournal.com]

He looks away before closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I shouldn't get into it. Mercer and I are having -- let's just call it a strident disagreement and leave it at that. It'll get sorted out soon enough."

The twist of his mouth means to close the matter.

"Anyway, you should say hi to Hephaestos if you see him around."