The 'Paris' Affair
"Napoleon?"
sigh
"Yes, Mark?"
"How long until our plane is supposed to leave?"
"About eight hours."
"Do you think Illya and April will get us out of jail by then?"
"That all depends."
"On?"
"How long it takes for that pair of hyenas to stop laughing."
". . . I am so, so sorry, Napoleon."
"Eh, don't worry about it, Mark. Good part of it is my fault for taking you to Place Blanche without proper warning. I knew you hadn't been there before. And quite frankly, I should have known enough to be keeping a better eye out on what was going on myself."
"I swear I had absolutely no idea."
"Mark? Quit apologizing before I'm forced to strangle you."
footsteps
"Now, now, Napoleon. You know Mister Waverly frowns on you strangling your subordinates."
"Illya? Come to finish gloating?"
"Hardly. There are not enough hours in the day for the amount of gloating I plan to indulge in. Besides, we have a plane to catch."
"We? As in we're getting out of jail?"
"April and 'Miss' Belinda are finishing up the paperwork now. We should have you sprung any minute now."
"Belinda came here?"
"She did indeed and explained to the local police that the two of you didn't start the fight, but had come to her aid. She also made an official statement that you weren't trying to hire her services, Mark."
groan
"I take it you were not aware that she sells her services by the hour?"
"Bloody hell. All the rest and a prostitute too? April is never going to let me forget this."
"Probably not. She and Belinda have become quite chummy while we have been working on getting the two of you released."
"Someone please just shoot me now."
"Sorry, Mark. They took our guns, remember?"
footsteps
"Now, Mark darling. Don't go all dramatic on me. Belinda was talking about the two of you like you are regular knights in shining armor."
"Mark's a bit on the embarrassed side, April."
"Why, Napoleon? Belinda is absolutely smashing. There's not too many I can talk with about the newest fashions like I can with her."
"I believe his embarrassment is more from not realizing that Belinda is not quite the girl that Mark took her for."
"Ooooooh, I see, Illya. Well, I don't know why you should be so embarrassed, Mark. She's very glamorous. I certainly didn't notice she had an Adam's apple at first."
"Belinda had a scarf around her neck when we met."
"Did she, Napoleon? So - did you notice the difference yourself?
throat clearing
"You can take that to mean 'no'."
"Shut up, Illya."