Part I: Bored to Death
Chapter: Dating advice
Damn, she's pretty!
That was Myers' first thought, when he laid his eyes on their host.
But she's not at all my type. And why on Earth am I even thinking about this?
But he couldn't help but to notice her looks. She was perhaps a bit younger than he was, in her mid twenties, he reckoned, and her frame was slender and strong, like someone's who does a lot of sports. Myers wasn't the tallest of guys: he was no more than 5 feet 8 inches, but this girl was considerably shorter than he was. Her skin was fair, and her hair a huge cloud of flaming red curls. A flock of freckles was scattered on her pretty nose and cheeks, making her look undisciplined and somewhat childish. She was wearing a pair of close fitting black jeans, a grey T-shirt (with a print "Normal people frighten me") and Converses, which made Myers suddenly feel overdressed in his typical black suit and a white shirt, even if they were wrinkled after the long flight.
The woman (or rather a girl?) was leaning casually on a big, black limo, and as Myers walked closer to her, she looked up and met his eyes with a curious look, raising an eyebrow.
"Agent Myers?" she asked, and stepped to greet him, offering her hand.
Her grip was strong and firm - but he noticed that she was wearing gloves. The gloves were of thin, white linen, and they reached all the way up to her elbows.
Who wears gloves on a steaming hot August afternoon - and with that outfit? The thought flashed his mind. That's curious.
"I'm Margerie Duval." The girl said, with a slight french accent. "But you can call me Margot, that's what everyone does."
"John Myers." Myers noted. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." she said, and a smile sparked in her pretty, green eyes. "And that's your companion, Hellboy?"
Myers turned to look, as the tall, red skinned demon descended the stairs from the plane, and began to walk towards them, wearing his usual outfit: a black T-shirt and leather pants, carrying a backpack on his shoulder.
"Yeah, that's him." Myers nodded, and raised his hand to greet his friend.
"Wicked!" Margot grinned. "And I thought this day was going to be dull."
Myers turned to face the girl again, and couldn't help but to answer her smile. There was something in her besides her looks, that caught his attention, but he didn't quite know what it was. Maybe It was the way she looked at him - her eyes full of things, that made Myers feel uneasy.
As if she'd see right through him.
But she wasn't looking at him anymore, but at his best friend, and companion.
"Hellboy, I presume?" she said, and a wide smile lightened her face.
"Yup." the tall demon grunted. "And you are?"
"Margot Duval." she replied. "And boy, have I heard a lot about you!"
"Huh?" Hellboy seemed surprised. "From whom?"
"Does the name Kat Wagner ring a bell?" she asked, looking from Myers to Hellboy and back.
"Oh." Hellboy replied, and Myers had a feeling that he would've blushed hadn't his skin been red already.
"Oh yes." Margot laughed. "Kat happens to be my best friend, and you are practically all she's talked about these past months - except that she forgot to mention that you are, well you know-" she shrugged. "A demon."
"Maybe she just didn't think that was important." Hellboy replied calmly.
"Sounds like Kat." Margot smiled. "But hey, we have this pretty neat limo just for us, so perhaps we should get going. I bet my Dad is already wondering what the Hell - pardon me - is taking us so long. Your flight was late."
Myers followed Margot into the air-conditioned limo with a sigh of relief - it had been too hot outside, and he was a wreck after the long flight. He sat on a leather covered bench opposite to Margot, and Hellboy, who followed them, took a whole bench for himself. The car creaked as the huge demon sat down, but Margot didn't seem to mind.
"So, your Dad?" Myers asked, as the car took off.
Margot laughed again - she seemed to do that often, and there was something super contagious in her laughter. "Dr. Heinemann, my boss, and my Dad. The leader of Europol's paranormal unit. I take it you have heard from him?"
Myers nodded. "Sure. It's actually him I need to meet. We've had some really troubling reports from eastern Europe lately-"
"Monsters?" Margot seemed instantly interested. "Good! This summer has been the worst, and Dad's not assigning me on any proper missions. I'm just dying for a good fight."
"Yeah?" Myers raised an eyebrow. "Well, there might be more than you're asking for. But I probably shouldn't talk about it before we've had a proper debriefing with Dr. Heinemann."
"As you wish. I've booked a meeting for tomorrow morning, 9 am. That ok by you?" Margot replied, and as Myers nodded, she leaned back on her seat, seemingly relaxed. But the look on her pretty face was quizzical, as if she knew something he didn't.
Again her presence made Myers feel nervous - but was it good nervous, or bad nervous, he couldn't say.
"Refreshments?" Margot asked then, suddenly changing the subject, and opened a small cooler. "You must be tired after the fligh."
"A coke would be fine, thanks." Myers answered, took the offered can - and suddenly the strangest feeling flushed over him, as their hands almost touched. It was like there was something in the air, surrounding Margot - like a cloud of electricity, and Myers felt the skin on his arms going on goosebumps.
Confused, he froze for a moment, and something flashed in Margot's eyes, something sinister and alien. Like a dark shadow over a green forest lake.
But the moment was gone in a heartbeat. Myers took the coke, and Margot shifted, turned around to look at Hellboy as if nothing had happened. "Something for you, um, Hellboy?"
"Any friend of Kat's is my friend - just call me Red." the demon replied. "You have beer?"
"Hey, this is Belgium - of course I have beer." Margot grinned, and took a large bottle from the cooler.
"Thanks." Hellboy replied. "I'm starting to like the place."
"Brussels - a great combination of awful weather, and horrible traffic - what's there not to like." Margot laughed at her own remark, and picked a Coke Zero for herself. She opened the can with a hiss, and raised it.
"Cheers!" She winked at Myers. "To a fun summer weekend - full of scary things we might have to kill. God, I hope it's vampires."
Myers answered her smile, and took a sip of his beverage.
"I really can not say. But cheers, to a successful mission."
He turned to look out of the window. The sun was setting, and the sky was painted with all shades of gold and orange. Even if it was rather late already (the traffic was indeed horrible, and it took a long time to reach the city centre), the weather was still very warm and a lot of people were out enjoying the beautiful evening. They passed old medieval churches, modern office buildings made of glass and steel, busy market squares that sold everything from flowers to antiques, parks with fountains and statues, cafeterias, bars and restaurants, their patios full of happy people. A couple of tourists wearing 'I love Brussels' T-shirts almost got bumped by the limo, as they wandered across the street staring at their map.
"First time in Brussels?" Margot's voice interrupted Myers' jet lagged thoughts.
"Yeah." He gave her a small smile. "Is it that obvious?"
"You have the face of someone who likes what he sees." Margot shrugged. "And that's not usually the case with those who come here frequently for work."
Myers couldn't help but to laugh. "Why would you say so?"
"Don't take me wrong - I love it here. This is a great place to live, but it can be a bit of a struggle if you don't know the city well, and you're in a hurry. Brussels can get a bit confusing sometimes."
He looked out of the window again, the small streets full of cars and people, subway stations and bus stops. Confusing? Yeah, perhaps, but even more so was Margot's presence. Myers still had the odd tingling feeling, whenever he looked at her direction.
Like there was a thunderstorm approaching.
"So, what about you?" he asked, to get something else to think about. "Are you from here originally?"
"Born and raised in Brussels." she answered, and shrugged her slender shoulders. "Lived here almost all my life. I can give you a tour tomorrow, if you wish."
"That sounds nice." he replied. "But work first."
"Monsters to kill, world to save..." Margot winked at him. "Looking forward to it."
As am I. he thought. As am I.
It was late already, when they reached their destination.
On a quiet, small alley, the car suddenly stopped and a door opened in an old looking brick wall, covered partly by ivy. Myers observed silently, as Margot got up, spoke a few sentences in french to a entry monitor, and flashed her ID card on it.
He didn't mean to notice, how nice her slender legs looked as she stepped out of the car, or how appealingly the oversized T-shirt clung to her hips, but he really couldn't help it. The sight made him think of things that weren't very businesslike.
"Everything alright?" Margot asked, when stepping back into the car.
Myers cleared his throat. "Yeah, fine. I was just wandering, uhm-"
"So, they keep the freaks underground here too?" interrupted Hellboy, and for once Myers was thankful.
"Don't they everywhere?" Margot asked.
"So it would seem." Myers noted, as the car began to drive down the tunnel that had opened on the wall. "Are we going deep?"
"Deep enough." Margot said, and now there wasn't any trace of laughter in her voice. "Your rooms will be on the 8th floor. But now, excuse me, I'll have to make a few calls."
"Yeah, sure." Myers replied, and watched as Margot dug her cell from her pocket, and dialed. Soon enough she began to speak rapid french on the phone, fidgeting the chain of her ID card with her other hand. She had pretty hands, her wrists thin and slender - but why on Earth the gloves?
Perhaps it's some European thing. What do I know? He tried to shake off the thought, but it kept nagging him nevertheless. As did the fact that she was speaking a language he didn't understand.
Myers wasn't used to feeling stupid - he had always been a straight A student, getting the best grades in every subject - and still he had managed to pass through all the years of studying without learning nothing but English. And a few demonic dialects, that Abe and Kat had thought him lately, but he strongly suspected they didn't really count.
The purpose of the phone calls came obvious, as they reached their rooms some 20 minutes later.
"This is yours, Red." Margot stated, with a not so humble smile. She pushed the door open, and they stepped in.
The room was considerably larger than a normal hotel room, and it's twin bed was large enough for Hellboy. But that wasn't all - there was a huge pile of pizza boxes, a twelve pack of beer, a big TV screen, and even a weight lifting bench.
"Nice!" Hellboy stated, threw his bag on the floor, and opened the first box of pizza. A greasy smell of cheese and pepperoni filled the room. "But how did you-?"
"-know that you liked pizza?" Margot raised an eyebrow. "Call it a hunch. But hey, I hope this room is fine by you. If there is anything you need, just call me. Even if it's just a need for more pizza." She bent down to write her phone number on a post it, and taped it on the desk near the phone.
"An underground dungeon, with pizza and TV - feels like home." Hellboy said, and sat down on the bed, reaching for his second pizza slice - and for the remote control. The bluish light of the TV screen soon filled the room.
"Cool." Margot grinned. "Good night then."
"Yeah, thanks! And see you tomorrow." Hellboy said, and Margot turned to leave - followed by Myers.
"Hey Myers, wait a sec!" Hellboy's voice made him turn around.
"Yes?" he asked. Margot stepped to the hallway already, leaving him behind.
Hellboy was chuckling, and winked at Myers on a conspirative way.
"She likes you, boy scout." he noted, and punched Myers 'lightly' with his stone hand.
"Ouch!" Myers managed not to fall down. "Would you please stop doing that, Red?!"
"Doing what?" the huge demon seemed completely innocent.
"Nothing." Myers muttered, still rubbing the spot where he'd been hit. "And that's absurd - how could you possibly know if she likes me?"
Hellboy shrugged. "Call it a hunch. Now go and get her, kiddo."
"I-"
But just then the door opened, and Margot sticked her head in.
"Agent Myers?" she inquired. "You coming?"
"Yes, of course, I'm sorry…" he hurried to the door, his cheeks burning.
"Just remember what I said, Myers!" Hellboy smirked.
Yeah, right. Am I taking dating advice from Hellboy now? Myers rolled his eyes. But then again, Hellboy was the one who actually had a girlfriend.
If that wasn't a depressing thought, Myers sure didn't know what was.