Ghosts of Averoigne

“Sugar, no cream.”

Another awkward pause.

“Must’ve been your last coffee buddy,” Kara said smartly.

“Yeah, right.”

They headed back in the direction he came. Halfway down the hallway, a large OUT OF ORDER sign had been placed in front of the landing for the glass elevator. Kara couldn’t help but smirk.

“Radcliffe up yet?”

“Not yet,” Logan replied. “His office is locked. I was about to check out breakfast.”

Just the mention of food made Kara’s stomach rumble. It occurred to her she hadn’t eaten since before their car ride. “Breakfast is good.”

They jogged down the plushly-carpeted main staircase, coffees held high. As the reached the bottom of the landing, Kara stopped.

“Hey, look at this.”

The banister of the staircase ended in an incredibly-detailed marble statue of a winged woman. She was strikingly beautiful, except for a big mouthful of broken teeth. Kara stared at the statue for a moment, with an exaggerated sense of curiosity.

“Do you know the legend of that statue?” she asked.

Logan peered back at it and shook his head.

“It’s said that if your put your finger in the statue’s mouth, and it doesn’t bite you, you’ll have long life and good health.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh.”

Her companion stared back at her shrewdly. “And if it does bite?”

Kara shrugged. “Then I guess you’re screwed.”

They examined the statue together. It was hard to tell if the teeth were actually broken, or if they were sculpted that way. Except for the mouth, it really was quite beautiful. But the teeth made it downright creepy.

Logan stepped up. He shot Kara a quick glance, then slowly inserted his finger just inside the statue’s mouth…

“BOO!”

Kara’s unexpected lunge made him nearly jump out of his skin! She laughed as the tip of his finger scraped painfully against the statue’s upper maw. Almost immediately he jammed it into his mouth.

“You’re an asshole,” he told her. He pulled his finger out and checked it for blood.

“That’s for making me ride that shitty elevator last night.”

His expression looked almost wounded. “I didn’t make you do anything.” He paused for a moment. “And hey, I thought we were good after last night?”

Kara shook her head slowly. “Last night never happened.”

They passed into the lobby, which was already filled with guests. An ornate pair of double doors opened into the dining area. Kara led the way, following the scent of bacon and eggs.

A frazzled-looking maitre‘ d assured them a table would be ready soon. Logan sat down, while Kara looked for a quick fix to her botched coffee situation.

That wasn’t nice, you know.

Yeah, she knew it. But she’d done it anyway. She did lots of things anyway. It was her thing.