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Well, it reminded me of Charlotte Holmes All of him did In the picture of hi in a tweed blazer, and noas standing here like her looking-glass twin Before they’d even exchanged a word, it was clear that they had done so to each other, broken each other, maybe, or distilled each other like liquor, until all that was left was hard and strong and spare They had a history that had nothing to do with s between h, and here was a gust of wind that could take the rest of it down

A very polite gust of wind

"Milo’s said so as he shookdark and patterned "Which is interesting, since Milo usually doesn’t notice people that aren’t holograms"

"I didn’t know the two of you were close," I said I had to say sorip I pressed harder

He laughed, a friendly sound "We’re both ghosts Where else would you work if you legally don’t exist? I’ital footprint so clean that he wasn’t even technically born We have that much in common"

"Thatize for my brother Do know that I never told him to kill you"

My fingers were starting to go nue there"

"Right, of course Of course" A strange look passed over his face, and then vanished "Sorry"

"So Phillipa?" I asked "Are you twoclose? Do you knohy she’d want to see us?"

"Not really," he said "We haven’t spoken since I died"

I risked looking over at Holmes She hadn’t ainst her sides She didn’t look nervous or scared She didn’t even see hies the last two years had worked on him What her betrayal had done Whether he hated her for it

She was just looking at hiot your birthday card," she said quietly "Thank you"

"I hope you didn’t mind that it was in Latin I didn’t mean it to seem pretentious I just wanted to--"

"I know It rehtened "That’s what you intended, right?"