Life After Death

Juliet/Mikaela: allergic to cilantro

{Juliet}

Parsifal was a little late and looked so rumpled I wondered if he had been in bed at all. He yawned at me as a greeting.

"You know you could sleep like a regular faery," I told him. "Or at least expend some magic so that you look like you had. You look like hell."

"I was working with that poison last night," he responded. "Spent all my magic trying to stabilize it."

"You actually ran out?" I questioned, a bit surprised.

Parsifal had more magical reserve than I had; I knew he hadn't run out the last several times we had been to a human hospital. He was studying my anatomy books, and that was sure to help.

"Keeping tissue samples alive outside the body is very draining," he said, and dumped some coffee grounds into the pot on my desk. "Do you want a cup?"

"No thank you, I don't need any more caffeine." I thumbed through my stack of paper, wishing that it wasn't two inches thick. Kalexa would be here soon, I could shuffle some of it on her. "So what did you learn?

"That poison we found is magical, but I don't think that is what killed him," Parsifal explained. "The sample we took was too weak to kill anyone, and doesn't cause bleeding. When I applied a healing spell; it couldn't even hold its form."

He went to this desk, showing me his makeshift Petri dishes. The poisoned one was barely different from the control.

"So was there another poison?" I asked.

Parsifal shook his head. "I think he stabbed him, and then healed the wound," he replied, sliding the dishes back into a drawer. "Hoping that we would attribute death to the poison. Arrest the earth mage, or at least bring him in for questioning."

"I'm here, sorry everyone," Kalexa held a box of pastries in her hands as an apology, and set it next to Parsifal's pot of coffee. "You made coffee, I could kiss you."

She took a mug gratefully as my apprentice attempted to respond. His mouth opened several times, but then just settled for a vibrant blush. Kalexa either didn't notice, or didn't say anything. I took a chocolate donut.

"So what do we have today?" she asked me.

"That murder in Donlin? It wasn't poison," I replied. "Parsifal figured it out that last night. He wants to bring the earth mage in for questioning."

"I'll pick him up," she agreed. "Anything else?"

"Diplomats are coming in next week, so we'll have to head up the security sweep," I said. "Quinn and Westley are leaving this weekend to confirm a contract with Feremain. Other than that, it seems the country might be able to continue."

"I'll return with that faerie," Kalexa called, heading out the door. "Thanks for the coffee, Parsifal!"

"You're welcome," Parsifal choked out.

I patted him on the shoulder when the door shut.

"You should invite her to dinner sometime," I told him.

"Juliet, I can't even speak when she's in the room; how will I last through dinner?" he demanded. "Give me time."

"You going to wait until someone else proposes?" I questioned. "At this rate, we will all grow old and die before you do."

Parsifal made a face at me and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I might as well return to bed," he muttered, watching the steam rise from the mug. "I don't have enough magic to heal a paper cut. I can't work on anything down here."