Four: Aftertaste

The first night of the physics symposium featured a wine and cheese. Artemis, in his navy suit and burgundy tie, looked quite dapper among the bearded and bespectacled professors who made up the bulk of the attendees. Sipping at an uninspired vintage of red wine, he spotted another who stuck out even more, a young lady with a mane of blond curls. Though he had not seen her name on the guest list, he was not particularly surprised when Minerva Paradizo crossed the room to join him, her smile radiant.

"Artemis, it is so good to see you," she crooned with a French accent that he was almost certain she affected for its charm. She was fluent in several languages and doubtless could have spoken English as a native had she chosen to.

She kissed him on each cheek as was the custom with the French and he reflected that when he was fifteen even this polite – if calculated – touch would have sent a thrill up his spine. Now it did no such thing. "Minerva, how good to see you. I hadn't realized you'd be in attendance."

"It was planned at the last minute, but I couldn't miss the chance to hear your paper."

"I'm flattered, but I don't believe it will be anything groundbreaking."

She sighed and took his arm. "Let's walk for a few minutes. I would like to get some air."

He set down his half-emptied glass of wine and obliged her. Together they made their way down the hall and out into the quadrangle on the east side of the building. The summer air was sweet with the scent of freshly mowed grass, and at this time of year few students trolled the university campus. The wine left a lingering aftertaste at the back of his mouth.

"There's something you wished to discuss," Artemis said. It was not, in fact, a question. Even to say there was "something" was merely a matter of politeness. He knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. This was not the first time she had accosted him on the matter.

"You are always so... blunt, Artemis. Is it impossible that I might simply want to spend a few moments with you?"

"Not impossible," Artemis replied. "Just highly unlikely."

She let go of his arm and turned to face him directly. "When are you going to write the real paper? The one about the physics of magic."

"You know very well I have no intention of publishing any such thing."

"Be reasonable. With your expertise you could revolutionize the world of science. That energy can be manipulated in ways we never imagined... it could change everything. And you would be the one to have discovered it. The Nobel would easily be yours."

He shrugged. "I don't believe the accolades of the scientific community are worth destroying an entire civilization."

Minerva heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. "You are always so dramatic. Artemis, listen to me," she said very gently. "I've resigned myself to the fact that you won't share you research with me, but you must publish your findings. The world must know the things we've learned."

Share his research. As if his adventures with the People had been nothing but a grand science project. As if they were his research subjects rather than his friends. He supposed if Minerva knew about his relationship with Holly she would assume that, too, was a study – in interspecies mating rituals perhaps.

He gave a shrug. "If the scientific community is to learn about magic, they shall have to do so on their own."

"Artemis, be reasonable. Think of how much it could explain: the mysteries of dark matter, cold fusion, the variation of the fine-structure constant observed in quasar studies. All these phenomena make sense if you factor in magic. If they realized there was a force of energy that had never been taken into account in standard formula and calculations... Just think of it!" She snagged his arm in her enthusiasm and while he believed that much was genuine, he did not care for her familiarity.

Artemis shook his head. "You've grossly overestimated my understanding of the subject, Minerva. To know of something's existence and to be able to quantify it in scientific terms are vastly different things."

"But is it not worth studying? Think of how we could change the world."

"Back to 'we' now, is it?"

Her brow furrowed slightly. "Why must you be so difficult? I've only ever wanted to be your friend, Artemis."

As the breeze tousled her curls, the buttery light of the old-fashioned cast-iron lamppost nearby gave them a golden hue – like a ruffled halo. For a moment he regarded her as she remained in this cherubic pose. That she was beautiful, brilliant, and cunning, he could not deny. That her regard had, for a short time, pleased him greatly was equally true. But that she had only ever wanted to be his friend? A bald-faced lie, even if she believed it herself. Every time they met, she somehow turned the conversation to magic or demons or fairies. He didn't think she was even conscious of it, but she was forever pressing him for information.

"I'm sorry, Minerva, but it's simply not my field of interest."

Her brow furrowed. "What is your 'field of interest,' then? Petty crime?"

The accusation would once have left him piqued but now he only flashed an incisor. "There's nothing petty about it."

Minerva huffed. "You're as bad as all the others. You do not take me seriously."

The breeze raked through his hair and for an instant he was reminded of Holly, of how her fingers tangled in his hair when she kissed him. It was true that he'd exploited the People on more than one occasion, but risking their exposure was not something he had ever desired. He swallowed hard, choking down his annoyance and the lingering taste of the cheap wine. "It's you who isn't taking my refusal seriously. What do you think would happen to the fairy people if they were exposed? Do you think most people would welcome them with open arms? Do you think most nations would welcome their presence?"

Her cheeks were rosy in the cool air, her lips thinned to a line. "It's possible to discuss magic as an abstract principle without exposing anything."

"I'm certain if it were possible to prove the existence of magic without producing an actual fairy you would have done so yourself years ago."

She glared daggers at him for a few moments before turning to head back inside alone. It was not the first time this had come up, nor the first time they had had a disagreement on the subject, but her departure left a bitter taste. She had been kind to Butler those three years he'd been missing in limbo and she was the only person with whom he could discuss a number of matters of intellectual interest on an even playing field.

As she walked away, her blond curls bouncing behind her, a sensation gnawed at Artemis. He realized he missed Holly.

ooo

'I frequently wonder at the wisdom of the decision to leave Minerva's memories intact. If the Council (or should I specifically hold Ark Sool responsible for this situation?) chose this path based on their experiences with my own mind wipe then I would very much disagree with their logic. Previous to the mind wipe, my behaviour had notably improved, but that was after very significant exposure to the People and a number of intense emotional experiences associated with them. Minerva's experiences were lesser both in number and intensity, which suggests that her character would have been less altered by a mind wipe than was mine.

'The entire experience was quite vexing. I can only hope that she will have relented when I see her next, which will likely be during tomorrow afternoon's discussion panel.'

Holly scowled at her computer screen. The next line, which explained exactly what the panel was about, was nigh indecipherable to her as she was not by profession an astrophysicist. Artemis's emails were always a mixed bag, endearing one moment and exasperating the next – very much like Artemis himself.

Leaning back in her chair, she tried to picture him at his discussion panel droning on about the topic at hand with that superior air he took on at such times. He'd be in one of his tailored Armani suits, something dark-coloured – navy blue or charcoal perhaps – with a contrasting tie, and perfectly polished black shoes. The overhead fluorescent lights would make him look a tad sickly and his mismatched eyes would disconcert anyone who happened to meet his gaze. In short, he would manage, as usual, to discomfit the entire audience.

Except Minerva Paradizo.

"Geniuses," Holly grumbled, and returned her attention to the message, trying not to bristle at the idea of the young French girl monopolizing Artemis's attention as she surely would.

'She has previously published papers on the subject so I expect there to be heated discussion. After years of being discounted due to age and gender she is quite desperate for recognition from the academic community and aggressive in her pursuit of it. She seems even more driven now than when we first encountered her.'

Finding that she was grinding her teeth, Holly opted to head to the refrigerator and scout for the remains of that morning's kale smoothie. After a few sips, she sighed and set it down. How could Artemis not realize it? Minerva, for all her intellect, was an adolescent girl; it wasn't just the academics' recognition she was desperate for.

An entire message about Minerva Paradizo. Just what she'd needed at the end of a shift that had included a three-hour stint of catching up on e-forms. She had half a mind to write back and tell him that if Miss Paradizo was so interesting perhaps he ought to invite her to a romantic dinner at Fowl Manor next time.

She sat down again. Fingers poised over the Gnommish letters of her keyboard, Holly skimmed the message once more. It was only now that she noticed the letter's closing.

Semper fidelis,

Artemis

Holly leaned back into her chair and smiled.

Latin. "Always faithful." An unusual closing, but it was the very fact that he had chosen a foreign phrase that cheered her. Artemis often tossed in bits and pieces of other languages, knowing that her gift of tongues would allow her to understand them. At first she had thought it only a matter of pretension, but the occasions on which he chose to use these sundry bits of foreign vocabulary always seemed to be emotionally charged, and she had a nagging suspicion that it was easier for him to express his deepest emotions in this sideways manner.

She typed her message. It was possible to get human language setups for the keyboard, but while the gift of tongues granted her the ability to understand English, it did not give her expertise at typing on foreign language keypads, so Artemis wrote in English and she replied in Gnommish. And it worked.

Long day. Call you tomorrow.

I love you. I miss you.

Yours,

Holly

Smiling, Holly hit the send button.