"Thank you, Miss Fawn," Abel said without missing a beat, undeterred. Filling out a paper application was no problem. Xavier had spent decades curating and perfecting several false identities for precisely these situations.
Abel felt amused despite himself. This security guard sure was a character. Abel wouldn't have been surprised if he'd walked right out of a sitcom.
He chuckled. "Not from here, no. Hong Kong." A lie that was close enough to the truth to be accepted; this was the gray area the magical existed in.
The familiar smiled at their back and forth, alert but comfortable enough. It was a bit too soon to make a full judgement, but his gut told him these two knew every little thing that happened in this building. Jinx especially. As a security guard, his movements were freer, thus giving him more opportunities to see and hear things.
Abel nodded at the receptionist but he was swearing internally. Personal interview? Damn it. He hadn't expected that, but he should have.
He gave another chuckle, betraying nothing. "Yes, I'll be staying with him. Potentially in a separate unit. Go ahead and get that second application for me, Miss Fawn. Thank you."
"Well, ain't that a spit and a walk away. You hear that, Fawn? Hong Kong! Don't even know where that is on a map. Do you?"
"I've looked at more than the subway map of Manhattan." She waved off the security guard and slipped away for another envelope.
"Most units have two rooms," she called, voice skirting on melodic. "The ones at the tippy top have three bedrooms, and those have two neighbors each."
Jinx stood by the wall with his hands on his cluttered hips. He looked more like a janitor than a security guard, with his flashlight and old-fashioned ring of keys. The only weapon on his belt was an untouched container of pepper spray.
"I'll let my boss lady know this is urgent. I'll put you at the top of the pile," Fawn smiled.









