揥ăŤĺžă
ăŤĺ§żăçžăăăŽăŻă˘ăŤăă˘ă ăŁă。ăŻă¤ăłăăăŤăćăŁăă˘ăŤăă˘ă¨äžăŤăťăăăăăăăźăăŤă¨ä¸äşşăŽăŚă§ă¤ăżăźăçžăă。 「ă˘ăŞăšăä¸çŞäšăă ăŁăă。」
ăžăăŻăăč¨ăă¨、ă˘ăŤăă˘ăŤéˇăăăšăăă。
ă˘ăŤăă˘ăŽćăăăăăăăă¨ăžăăŽč
°ăŤăăăŚăă。
「ăĄăăŁă¨、ăăăăă ăă ă。ăżăăŞăăăă§ăă。ăă¨ă§。」
ăžăăŻăžăăăšăăăă¨、ă˘ăŤăă˘ăŻĺžŽçŹăă 。
「ăžăăŽčŞçćĽăăŹăźăłăăŤä˝ăăăăăăŁă¨čăăŚăăă ăăŠ、ăăłăăŽć°ć˛ă¨ĺĺăŻăŠă。」
「ăăłăăŽĺĺ?ćŹĺ˝?」
「ăă、大夊使ăŁăŚăăăă ăăŠ。」
確ăăŤ、ăăĄăăŽăăłăăŤă´ăŁăăă 。ăžăăŻćăŁă。
「ă˘ăŤăă˘、ăăćéŤă ă!」ăžăăŻćă䟸ă°ăăŚă˘ăŤăă˘ăŤăă°ăăă。
ăăŹăłăăŤăă§ăŽç´ăăăăłăŤăăłăăŽĺĺă掴ăć¸ăăăă¨、ă˘ăŤăă˘ăŻăăăăžăăŤć渥ăă。ăžăăŽćăŤć¸ĄăĺăŤăăăăłăă˘ăŤăă˘ăŽćăé˘ăăŚ、ăăăăłăĺŽăŤćľŽăă。ăăăăłăć´ăăă¨ă˘ăŤăă˘ăăăăă¨、ăăŠăłăšăăăăăŚĺžăăŤăăŁăăăźăăŤă¨é
čłä¸ăŽăŚă§ă¤ăżăźăćźăĺăăŚăăžăŁă。
「ăăăŁă¨。」ăŚă§ă¤ăżăźăéăă§ăăăŻă¤ăłăăžăăŽé¨ĺąăŤăžă§éŁăłćŁă、ĺşăŤăăźăă。
「ăăă!」
ă˘ăŤăă˘ăŻăžăă¨ăăźăăăă¨ăă¤ăçˇĺźľăăŚăŞăŤăă¨ĺ¤ąćăă。
ăžăăŻăăăăçŹăă¨ăŹăăăăăăłăćžăŁă。ăăăăăŚäšžăăŚăăé¨ĺăŤ
「ăăăăăŞéťă夊使?ăăă¨ăăăĽă˘ăŞç˝ă夊使?」ă¨ćŽ´ăć¸ăăăă。
「ăăăăăŞĺ¤Šä˝żăŞăăŚăăăŽă?」ă˘ăŤăă˘ăŻăăăăăŞĺŤăżçŹăăăă。
「éťă夊使彚ăŻăžăă ăŞ。ăžăăŻéťăäźźĺăăéťăŻăťăŻăˇăźă 。」
「ăľăăă¨ă、ăăăăăăăăŞăăŽ、ăŠăŁăĄă§ă。ăžăăŻăăŽăăĄăăăĄăăŤăŞăŁăăăźăăăăŁă¨ăăăłăăăŻăŤăăăă。」äşäşşăŽăă¨ăăă¤ăăăăăçăă¤ăăŚăăă˘ăŞăšăŻč¨ăŁă。
ă˘ăŞăšăŽă˘ăăźăăăăľăăăćăŁăŚăăă¨、ă˘ăŞăšăŽéźťăă ăşă ăşăĺ§ă、ăăŽçŹéăŤăžăăŽé¨ĺąăŤéŁăłćŁăŁăćąăăŻćśăăŚăă。
「ăăăŁ、äťăŽăŠăăăŁăŚăăŁăăŽ?」ăăăăłăĺşăĺŽĺ
¨ăŤäšžăăŚăă。
ăŚă§ă¤ăżăźăŻćăć˘ăžăŁăăăăŤĺăăŞăăŁă。
「ăŠăăŁăŚ、ä˝ă?ăĄăăŁă¨ćé¤ăŽćäźăăăăă ăă§ăă。」ă˘ăŞăšăŻĺşăăăŠăŁă¨ăżăŚčŠăăăźăă。ă˘ăŞăšăŽĺ¨ăă§ăŻăă¤ăä¸ĺŻćč°ăŞăă¨ă辡ăă。
Maia wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.
Altair was next, materializing into the room with a waiter, holding a bottle of wine, complete with table and two places set and ready.
“Alice beat you to it,” said Maia.
She gave him a long kiss.
She felt his hands sneak down towards her bottom.
“Hey, not here, not in front of the others. Later....”
She kissed him again and he smiled.
“Got it. Been thinking about the perfect gift for you. So here you go. The song and the name.”
“The band name? Really?”
"Yep, The Archangels."
Yes, that was a perfect name for it.
“Altair, that’s brilliant!” Maia reached out to give him a hug.
Altair scribbled it down on the corner of a napkin from the French cafe he still had one foot in and passed it to Maia. It floated in front of her for a moment and he scrabbled to get it, managing to knock the table and the waiter serving it from behind.
“Oops,” said Altair as the waiter’s wine spilled over into Maia’s room. “Sorry!”
He always got nervous on dates with Maia.
She giggled and scribbled back on the half of the napkin not soaked in wine.
"Black or white angels?"
"Didn't know there were any black ones," said Altair with a sly smile.
"Or would you like to be one anyway? You always look so sexy in black."
"Look, you two, it's just the name of a band. Stop squabbling," said Alice who couldn’t resist teasing Maia about Altair. “Let me help with the date disaster.”
She reached out a hand with a cloth from her apartment to help and the mess disappeared.
“Hey, how’d you do that?” said Maia. The napkin was dry, as was the floor underneath. The waiter looked like he’d never moved.
“Do what?” asked Alice. “I was just trying to help”