business meeting

[universal_translator]

Emma's father gets the phone call just after lunch on a Saturday. The Indian company he's been trying to attract has a VP in town, and would he like to set up a meeting? (Yes. Yes, he would, yes please and thank you.) So he and Emma rush into his office, and Emma waits outside the lobby while her father scrambles to collect paperwork, contracts, whatever it is he needs for this deal.

Usually, it only takes him five minutes to do this kind of thing. But this deal is last minute, and after twenty minutes, Emma's restless. Jerhattan's gotten a lot of rain recently, and the bench by the door is too wet to sit on, so she's just leaning awkwardly against the wall while she waits. There isn't even anyone to talk to; the office is totally dead on weekends. So Emma dips a toe in a nearby puddle and starts drawing patterns on the ground. It's something to do, at least.

Comments

[marrinikari]

The men make quick work of restraining the prisoner. They bundle him into the car and depart to meet the LEO officers with a final round of thank yous.

[universal_translator]

With the car pulled away, Emma and her father are left without their original cover. Emma's father seems a bit shell shocked still, but Emma manages a nervous smile at Noel. "Thank you for, uh..." she looks uneasily at her dad and switches to a random language. "I don't know about fairies, but thank you for protecting us."

[all_too_familiar]

"You're welcome," says Noel, in the fairy language (its name is Ensiriash) she picked. "I shouldn't have gotten that showy, I went a bit overboard. Oh well." Pause. "Well, since you no longer think I'm crazy - you're my summoner, which means that you're the only one that can put me back. No rush, there, I don't want to go back immediately, but, yeah."

[universal_translator]

"Well, I'm at least being crazy with you," Emma mumbles, half to herself. Talents are one thing, but Noel is bulletproof and flying. "So, um. Now what...? I guess you really don't care about the Center."

[hidebound]

Emma's father frowns down at her. "English, please, Emma. You know the rules, it's not polite if you're not translating." He looks warily at Noel, but unfurls himself from around his daughter and stands to offer Noel a hand. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Duval." That will be all was unspoken but loud; his whole posture had tensed up.

[universal_translator]

Emma winces. She knows how her dad feels about Talent, but seriously? Of the available options, Noel was not the scary person here. She's not brave enough to scold him for it, but she nudges him sharply and looks entreating.