Even Odds

Bad Guys Need Flowers - Pt. 12
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Cal looked at Midnight, who was still lingering. If a few more seconds had passed, one might have even said she was loitering.

There they went. She was loitering.

Cal (not noticing the breaking point): “Are you lingering?”

Midnight: “Maybe. I’m trying to figure you out.”

Cal: “How so?”

Midnight: “Well, at first I thought you were awkward and quiet. Then you got a bit snappy. Then you got sarcastic. Then you quieted down and took action. Then you got a little arrogant. And in the end you became sarcastic again.”

Cal: “I guess sarcastic wins then, eh?”

Midnight: “It’s not fair if you play it that way. Anyway, I’ll publish my ‘Theory of Cal’ later. It’d be boring if we knew it all straight away, eh?”

Cal noised his indifference: “Ehh.”

Midnight: “I do have one question, though. What was with that snappy bit? It’s the only section that doesn’t really meld with my early thesis.”

Cal: “Do you want a sarcastic response or a real response?”

Midnight: “Real. If you’re always sarcastic, you’ll bore me.”

Cal: “There wasn’t any reason to what was going on. That upset me. That’s my reason.”

Midnight: “Hmm. But you were snappy at the part when we were talking about my name, weren’t you?”

Cal: “Exactly.”

A brief standoff occurred, with Cal unsure of how Midnight would react to his latest answer. The standoff passed. She smiled.

Midnight: “Got it.”

Cal: “What did you get?”

Midnight: “Everything.”

The two shared another moment. To an outside observer, it would seem as if a trend was developing.

Midnight: “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Maybe there’ll be more reason than today.”

Cal (sarcastically): “That wouldn’t be the hardest thing to achieve.”

Midnight paused to analyze the comment: “Hmm. I suppose that, in its own way, your character can be considered charming. Just don’t lean on it too much. You’ll start to walk with a limp.”

Cal had no response.

Midnight: “Oh, and feel free to bring something tomorrow to lighten the place up. I think I’m gonna bring roses.

“Even bad guys need flowers.”