12. Leo
12
LEO
L eo picked Sage up bright early the morning of the mid-January New Year’s party. Sage had called him a few nights prior asking him to reconsider going at all (bribing him with more Girl Scout cookies—he’d find those later). When he wouldn’t budge she moved to asking him to wait in the car. Then asking him to wait in the lobby of the hotel. He let her complain for two minutes before he threatened to hold her hand the entire time.
So, at the “ungodly hour of seven am” (Sage’s words) she asked him what his cover story was going to be.
Leo whipped out a pair of the most hipster-looking glasses and a slouchy beanie (thanks Tess). “I am your assistant, named Bobert. But you call me Bob for short.”
“Funny,” Sage said, but her morning voice sounded more like a bulldog.
“You sick?”
“No,” she said, rubbing her eye and then berating herself under her breath for smudging her makeup. “I need tea.”
“I need coffee.”
So, the first agreement of their lives had just occurred. Leo pulled into the local coffee drive-through. He ordered something with “enough caffeine to cause a blue whale to have tachycardia” (again, Sage’s words) and tea for Sage.
Then they were on the road again. The rain was persistent and Leo was glad he opted to arrive a little early. Sage didn’t seem in any mood to chat. At least for the first half hour. The last twenty minutes were filled with her word vomit.
“So how am I supposed to introduce you?”
“As your assistant.”
“Are you going to actually do assistant-y things?”
Leo scoffed. “Like what? I was just going to follow you around and hold your tea and stuff.”
“But like you’re going to look like you’re supposed to be there, right? And does Lily know?”
“Yes and yes.” Leo sighed, dodging yet another crazy driver. “I just want to see what this is about, learn some of the lingo, and maybe chat with the other admin and see if they know anything you might not. Relax. It’s not going to be weird. Why don’t you want anyone to know you have a bodyguard anyway?”
Sage paused for a long time before answering. “Any emotion I show, good or bad, is labeled as dramatic. Getting a bodyguard? That would go over as a completely delusional and ‘pick me’ type of thing. I don’t want to deal with that. ”
“Even though you had a brick thrown through your window and some unsettling notes sent to you?”
Sage just shrugged and Leo felt out of depth just enough not to pursue the topic. Dramatic? Emotional? Those threats were real. How could anyone blame her for taking precautions? Didn’t people know that statistic for violence against women?
He broke the long silence with a simple soft comment. “I don’t think getting help for your safety is dramatic.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled and continued staring out the window, twirling her fingers in her hand until they reached Portland.
Once they entered the big city she sat up straight, checking her phone over and over, rubbing her hands together, like she needed something to keep her occupied.
“Nervous?” Leo asked.
“A bit,” Sage said. It was a rare moment of honesty from her. “Haven’t done an event this big in a while. It’ll be fun though.”
“Anyone I should be aware of? Anyone that makes you nervous?”
Sage shook her head. “No, I just know a handful of people there I think. I’m mostly excited to hear some of the talks and look at the exhibits. Just—” She sighed and rubbed her neck like it was sore. “Just try and act like you know gaming stuff. Don’t embarrass me, please?”
Leo scoffed. As if he could be anything other than the cool guy there. More than likely he’d be the only one who had washed hair, clothes that fit, and didn’t live in his mother’s basement (he just lived in his sister’s spare room).
When he parked he donned the beanie and glasses. “How do I look?”
Sage rolled her eyes. “Like an absolute dork. So, I guess normal?”
She jumped out of the SUV before he could make a comment on her own attire, which was probably good because he didn’t have much to say. She wore black jeans, practical waterproof boots, and a fitted purple t-shirt, with a gray flannel over it. Plus, a rain jacket.Really, it was the most practical outfit he’d seen her in other than the golfing outing they shared. It was strange seeing her in anything other than sweatpants and loungewear and no, Leo absolutely did not check out her body, he was merely noticing how nice she looked when she wore actual clothes. Completely unrelated, he decided black jeans were one of the most flattering things a woman could wear.
Her hair hung around her shoulders in loose waves and it was nice to see it in another style other than piled on top of her head. Though it was strange not to see the soft curve of her neck. (He would not be commenting on the soft curve of her neck and how delicate and soft it looked in the morning sun.)
Unfortunately, the rat still made an appearance on her bag. A giant print of the deformed rodent, complete with a crown of flowers.
Leo stepped into the cold parking garage and gestured for Sage to lead the way. And she did, with strange confidence. She didn’t look back once to see if he was following her. She probably was hoping to lose him with the speed she was walking. Fat chance. He even remembered to grab both of their drinks before locking the car.
The lobby wasn’t too busy, but there were still a handful of people bustling about and getting things set up. According to the itinerary, the event didn’t even start until one.
Leo followed at her heels, scanning the entrances and exits, making mental notes of where cameras were hiding, just in case he needed to review the footage later should an issue arise. Sage marched into the fancy hotel and followed the signs to the big ballroom (complete with a coffee bar) and into what was called the “green room.”
“You can’t come in here,” a little dude with a headset and clipboard said. “Miss Moon doesn’t have anyone on her guest list.”
“How’d you know that was Sage?” Leo asked.
The little guy scoffed. “It’s my job to know. Plus, I’ve been a patron of hers before she was even with LilyTech, but she doesn’t know that.”
The little guy blushed. Actually blushed. Did he have a thing for Sage? What backward world did he just walk into?
“Well, I am her assistant,” Leo said. “I wasn’t going to come today but things have gotten too hectic for her.” He held up the two coffee cups as if to demonstrate that he was, in fact, needed. “If she doesn’t have her morning tea you know she’ll be a zombie the rest of the day.”
The little dude acquiesced. “I just need your name, I guess.” Then he let Leo through. Tight ship they run, but not tight enough if any guy could simply talk his way in.
“The name is Bob. Please make sure to spell it with one o.” And he brushed past the headset man into the green room (which was actually just a big white room—a disappointing discovery, really).
It took “Bob” a second to find Sage among the throng of people gathering around multiple couches and chairs. There were pastries, cookies, and coffee. He finally found her chatting with a few people and inserted himself in the conversation (because he had forgotten that he was supposed to be invisible) and handed her the tea.
“Thank you,” Sage said, clearly surprised. “Uh, this is my assistant, Bob.” She winked at the tall woman she was talking to.
“Nice to meet you, assistant Bob,” the woman said. “I’m Lily.”
Leo smiled wide. It was nice to meet the woman who had actually hired him instead of playing phone tag and leaving messages and emails to one another. Leo said as much.
Then Leo gently steered Sage away for a moment, telling Lily, “Just need to review something, I’ll give her right back.”
Sage protested for a step then gave in. Leo leaned in and whispered into Sage’s ear just quiet enough that she leaned in to hear him. “Thought you’d lose me at the door, huh?” She smelled of lemons and grapefruit. Were those goosebumps on her neck? He was half tempted to pull the loose hair away to inspect this line of thinking.
Sage blushed. “No. ”
“Remember, when you lie, you gotta sell it. Be firm. And do something about that propensity to turn red.”
“I do not?—”
“Speaking of red. Little Man out front with the clipboard has a thing for you. A patron of yours. You should thank him. His name is Joey, according to the name tag.”
“Wait really?” Sage asked.
Leo shrugged. “I am observant. And this is me blending in as your assistant, doing assistant-y things.” He leaned in again, smiling as he spoke into her ear, despite his voice holding a very firm tone, like a father scolding his child. “But if you try to give me the slip or are otherwise unhelpful during this long and busy day, I will not hesitate to pull you from the event, citing rule eleven.”
“That’s not fair?—”
“Do not tempt me, Sage. You might be cavalier about all of this, but I take security seriously, understand?”
Sage nodded, smiling, as if aware they had an audience. “We should have argued about this in the car and I am now coming to the realization that you decided to have this little…update in public so?—”
“You wouldn’t fly off the handle?”
Sage sighed. “So, I wouldn’t respond with reason and put you and your arbitrary rules in a corner.”
“Behave and we’ll have no issue.”
“Sure thing, ass- instant Bob.” She downed her tea and handed him her now empty cup. “I’d like another. Black variety. Make it how I like it, please.” She said it loud enough for the others to hear, spun on her heel, and returned to Lily .
Leo, despite being a self-titled expert in many things, was no expert when it came to tea.
It took him three (3!) times to get it right. And that was just the right tea bag. It took another four attempts to figure out she wanted a splash of cream, no sugar.
“Took you long enough,” Sage said from where she sat. There was a maniacal gleam in her eye.
“I aim to please,” Leo said with enough sarcasm to drown this whole dreaded green room.
Sage took a sip and she visibly relaxed, settling into the couch.
“Where’s your fan club?” Leo asked because since he had been here people had been buzzing around her, mostly Lily and that Jared guy, but several other people came up to chit-chat and Leo had to fight down his rising annoyance. This little introvert who never left the house was actually popular? And well-liked? And people were interested in her?
To be fair, he had come to find several aspects of her life interesting, but none of that was directly related to her, exactly. He thought the business model she created was interesting. The love she had for tea was also interesting. But her fashion sense. Yikes. It was hard to get that out of his mind. He had seen her in nearly every shade of color and mismatched pajamas.
But now it was his turn to sit and watch the world spin by him. Sage, for being fairly easy-going on camera, was the same in real life. Apparently he was the only one who got to experience her venom, which was warranted for the first hour of their professional relationship, but he had since apologized! They had been working together enough, at least in a limited capacity, for months now. It was time she gave him some slack.
Still, this was a much larger event than he had initially thought. He needed to get things straight. Too many entrances and exits. To many people who wanted her attention. Too many people demanded her time.
Leo plopped on the couch next to her. “You need a safeword.”
Sage choked on her tea. “A what?”
“A phrase that will let me know you’re uncomfortable or feel uneasy. It’ll help me know to be on alert or swoop in and get you out of that situation.” He pushed the glasses up his nose, adjusting the beanie.
“Safeword just sounds so…dirty.”
“It’s a word used to make you feel…safe.” Leo rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at a person passing by. He and Sage were relatively tucked away on a couch as other more popular (Leo assumed) guests arrived.
“Well, let’s be fair, I never feel totally safe these days,” Sage admitted.
“Okay, well do I at least bring some comfort or peace?”
Sage snorted. “You’re…comfortable. In the way that a first-class airplane seat is comfortable. Like, better than coach but really, it’s just what you have to deal with for a time. No one likes airplane seats.”
“Thank you.” Leo rolled his eyes. “I love being compared to airplanes. Now pick a comfortable word.”
“Filbert.”
Leo scoffed. Of all the words to bring up horrid images in front of his eyes, Filbert and his accompanying parts would do that. “Why?” Leo said, not bothering to hide his disgust.
She smiled. “Because it makes you uncomfortable.”
Mischievous Moon. Two could play that game.
“Great,” Leo said. “My safeword is rat-dog.”
“What?” Sage rolled her eyes. “You do not need a safeword!”
The pair chatting near them paused their rather enthusiastic conversation about graphics cards just long enough to raise eyebrows at Sage. She blushed and turned to Leo, whispering, “Why on earth do you need a… special word?”
“If I use it, you have a chance to gracefully exit the conversation or I will be the one to steer you away.”
“Whatever.” Sage downed the rest of her tea and handed her cup to Leo. “Thanks for that. I’ll probably need another in a minute. Until then, I’m going to the bathroom. My panel is in ten minutes. You can probably just hang back in here. That would probably be best.”
Oh, what’s this? Sage being shy? Did she seriously not want him in the audience?
Too bad.
So sad.
He stood and followed her to the bathrooms on the far side of the green room. She said hi to a few people and made it through the crowd. For being so…what was the word? Borderline hermit-like at her house, she walked with poise and confidence. Her shoulders were back, she stood tall, she reached out and shook hands with a variety of people. When did she learn how to be so…charismatic? Wasn’t that his schtick? Wasn’t that his superpower? Gett ing people to like him and making conversation and social events easier to handle?
Now he was the weirdo on the outside.
Never one to worry too much, Leo soon remembered that the moment he stepped outside this conference, the world would be right again, and Sage would be properly classified as a nerd and Leo would be back in the saddle as the cool guy.
Not that he cared. High school Leo certainly would have, but that whole thing just feels…small.
Everything felt small now.
He scanned the room, pushing the strange thoughts of high school, who he was, and who he wanted to be (you know, just light-hearted musings while one had while waiting for their Subject to finish peeing but she was clearly emptying a bladder the size of an elephant because how did it take someone that long to pee?) when he spotted Jared making a beeline for him.
“Leo?” he asked.
“Yes, we met earlier,” Leo said. “But Lily must have told you I am Bob today. You’re the photographer?”
Jared gave a mock bow. “I am her social media manager and I make all the thumbnails and branding and yes I pretty much do the other creative side of things. Make sure everything is perfectly peachy and all that. So with that being said, where is Sage? I need her. I need to take some footage and content?—”
“I’m right here,” Sage said, walking up to the pair. She fiddled with her hands and when she noticed Leo glancing at her she shoved them in her back pockets. “I have like two minutes before they want us up there. ”
“Just peachy.” Jared whisked her away.
When the photos were taken, and participants ushered on stage, Leo took the opportunity to slip from the green room and sneak into the auditorium. It was a madhouse. Packed. How had he let this get away from him? He had done some preliminary research but this event was much larger than he had anticipated.
She was one of two women on the stage (Lily was right next to her) and seven men. Though “men” was a generous term considering the varied states of these dudes. One looked like a teenager despite the fact a quick Google search said he was nearing forty. (Leo also did a quick Google search to see what his skincare routine was. Fun fact: turns out hibernating in a basement with no sun did wonders for the skin). Another guy had this long, stringy hair and it looked like the poor guy didn’t own a comb. Or shampoo. And then there were a few that looked like total jocks, wearing shoes that were probably worth more than Sage’s car (but to be fair, she would be lucky to get five hundred for that tin can, which is not a lot for a car but a lot for shoes). It was quite the eclectic mix and more than anything, Leo couldn’t get over the fact that the people packing this room were eager to hear what they had to say. There was a palpable anticipation in the air.
Too bad it was all boring. They just had a few presenters talk about new gaming tech (Leo, a fellow techy guy preferred useful information) and then the floor opened for questions. There were a few of the contestants up there prepping to duke it out at the big competition, plus a few of their sponsors .
Even though watching paint dry would be more interesting, the crowd was entranced. They ate it up like this was the best entertainment of the year. Leo thought the panel was coming to an end when people were shuffling in their seats and starting to slip out into the aisles. Oh, but how wrong he was.
“We have set aside 45 minutes for the Q and A session,” the host announced.
Forty. Five. Minutes. And that’s when it became evident that the people weren’t leaving, they were claim jumpers, trying to sneak in ahead of the line in hopes of asking their question.
The first guy to get the microphone to ask a question had this smug look about him like he was about to make a giant joke. Leo immediately didn’t like him, it didn’t help that he had a rather punchable face.
“This question is for Crickets. How do you feel about competing against novice gamers considering you’re ranked by the old standards?”
There was a murmur through the crowd. Sage bit her lip and Lily leaned over to whisper something in her ear. Ah. It started to make sense for Leo. This was a jab at Sage, calling her unqualified for whatever metric they used to invite players into the competition.
Crickets gave a rather nice response, but not without throwing a few backhanded compliments. “I think it allows for media coverage and it adds a thrill. I’m not worried about the new standards, it’s what the developers and the gracious hosts of the competition have set the bar at. I do fear the lack of equal standards will result in some boring play at times and quick eliminations. ”
There was some murmuring in the crowd and the host, before letting the next question be asked, turned to Sage, and asked, “Care to comment?”
Sage shrugged. “That question wasn’t for me.”
The host seemed to falter a moment but regained his ground. “How do you feel about the standards being shifted in your favor?”
Sage sighed, looking positively bored, except there was a slight tightening at her mouth and she only got that when she was playing and backed into a corner. Or when she was stressed. Leo scanned the room for refreshments because his Subject looked like she could use a calming cup of tea. Then he scolded himself. He wasn’t really her assistant. He scanned the room again. Really, there was absolutely no threat here in this sea of sad, stinky teenage testosterone.
Sage finally responded. “The standards were not changed to let me into the competition. The standards were in place before the competition was even announced. Sure, I don’t have as many hours of gameplay and the ranking Crick does, but that’s probably because he’s been playing before I could walk.”
There was some snickering in the crowd like there was some giant inside joke between all of them.
Crickets even laughed and spoke into the microphone, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve been around the block a few times. You, little miss, have yet to complete a lap.”
Sage laughed, but it seemed a little forced. “I guess that’s because I don’t like to spiral.”
There was some joking and jabbing back and forth but Sage summed up the conversation with. “Look, I know the requirements for this competition are different, but so is everything with this new wave of gameplay and just the volume of new games and players. I don’t think that makes me less deserving since they didn’t make this rule because of me.” She glared at the host. “I think it’ll make for an interesting fight to the top.”
“Or a bloodbath,” the host said, stealing the small thunder Sage had managed to create.
It was sad. Even from the back of the room, Leo could see Sage deflate, just a bit. She was sitting tall and smiling but with each question, she shrank down just a little further.
While the guys were getting, “Do you think your history and success with playing Welkin Wall game include your success here?” or “Do you think just having a better understanding of mathematics creates a better strategy?”or “When is your new merch line coming out?” Sage was getting questions like, “What else do you do to increase your hand and wrist strength?” or “Do you think you’d play better if you had shorter nails?”
Lily seemed to be getting more disgusted by the minute. Finally, closing remarks were being made and it was a chance for the sponsors to plug their crap, but Lily went another route.
“Thank you for being here,” she said. “I just want you all to know how honored we are to be up here sponsoring the only female player in the competition.” There were a few hollers from the crowd. So maybe there were mermaids in the sea of stinking sailors. Lily beamed. “I just want to take a moment, not to plug our new line of remotes or headphones, but to recognize the tenacity of women everywhere. We have been tightlipped about some of the things going on with Miss Moon, but she wanted to let you all know she appreciates your support.”
According to Sage's wide eyes, this was not something they had previously discussed.
Lily continued. “There is a unique challenge to being a woman in a man’s world, and Miss Moon has done an excellent job. But here at LilyTech, we take security seriously. Between threats of violence, acts of violence, vandalism, and more, we have had to hire 24-hour security. Now while I’m sure our male counterparts have experienced the rogue fan, I doubt you know what it feels like to have your life threatened. To feel like you will be hurt. And because of that,” Lily turned to the all-male panelists. “I ask you to donate to the DVRC of Oregon. It’s time for change. Join me in this fight against the harassment of women everywhere.”
There was applause and a few people balked at the story Lily was telling. But overall, it changed the tone of the closing remarks and went from “Look at me and look what I have” to “Look at us standing as a community” type of farce.
Sage looked absolutely livid by the time she was led down from the stage. Leo couldn’t quite intercept her, so he hovered near as she and the other players were led to a backdrop of sorts and posed for pictures. Which lasted forever. Like seriously, how did she not die of a facial spasm or something? Leo couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had his picture taken.
Still, that urge to get her a cup of tea didn’t leave him, but he was not willing to let Sage linger by these strangers. He was glad for the decision. A creep masquerading as a fan got a little too close to Sage. She took what looked like an involuntary backward step into the backdrop, nearly tearing it from the wall. The man laughed and grabbed her arm, pulling her into him where he then wrapped an arm around her, his hand trailing down her backside?—
Nope, absolutely not.
Leo took three giant steps toward the pair and grabbed the horrible man’s offending arm by the wrist, twisting it. The man yelped. People stared. Leo did not care.
“Sorry dude, no photos for people that don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves.”
Leo didn’t give the man a chance to protest and threw him (a little too roughly but who was there to tattle on him?) into the crowd. “Beat it or lose a hand.”
The man opened his mouth for a moment but wisely closed it after taking a moment to size up Leo (who outweighed the guy by an easy fifty pounds).
Leo looked back at Sage just in time to watch her face go from surprise back to smiley and fun. She continued chatting with her fans (most of whom were female by this point). How could she act like nothing happened? How could she not be impressed by his quick actions either? Goodness, a small thank you would be nice.
It took five hundred years but eventually, the line died down and Leo ushered Sage back into the green room where he led her to the beverage table and made her a tea. He talked while he flicked through the basket of tea bags. “So explain to me, does the groping always happen?”
Sage groaned. “No. I am so embarrassed?—”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about other than the fact that you should have yelled ‘pervert’ or something so someone would have helped you sooner.”
“Just. Stop.” She rubbed her temples.
Leo wasn’t going to let it go but he could tell this wasn’t the time or place. Instead, he changed tactics and decided to focus on the other offending person. “What was Lily on about?”
Sage groaned. “I don’t know! I think she just wanted to make a big statement, keep us relevant or something. But it’s not like that.”
“Like what?” Leo asked. He handed her the tea and she sipped it, eyes closing for a moment.
“I want to be relevant for the right things.”
“Ah yes,” Leo said. “Because donating to domestic violence campaigns is so horrible.”
Sage gritted her teeth and spoke in a low whisper. “It’s a great thing if you actually cared about that. But she is exaggerating my story all to get attention. And now I have to deal with the backlash of all those people thinking I am clout chasing and now they are going to examine every inch of my life to see if Lily was lying or if I am being dramatic. Lily, I’m sure deep down, cares, but right now I am a paycheck to her.”
Leo could understand where she was coming from.
She sipped her tea again. “This is really sweet.”
“You needed it.”
“What does that mean? ”
Leo shrugged. “You’re being sour so I added extra sugar.”
She frowned at him and then peeked into his mug. “Is that coffee?”
“Of course, it is.” Leo took an obnoxious slurp, glaring at a group of guys staring at Sage’s backside.
“Why does it smell like a cinnamon roll?”
“Because despite having finally mastered your stupid tea order?—”
Sage interrupted him with a laugh. “You butchered my tea.”
“Whatever. It smells like a cinnamon roll because this stuff is burned and tastes like acid.”
Sage took the paper cup from his hands with as much caution as she would a bomb. She sniffed it. “Seriously, why does it smell like a Pillsbury dough boy’s fart?”
Leo was already itching for another hit. “You know I like my coffee black and fancy but I had to get into this Bob’s character. I’ve decided he has a blog talking about the latest flannels and matching beanies. He is a coffee snob wannabe but really he thrives off of sugary drinks because he is too busy chasing you to get a proper meal. Here, try it.”
She took the mug and sipped it slowly. Her eyebrows rose. “What on earth did you do to those poor beans?”
“I’ll never tell. Just add it to your list of mysteries about me.” He snatched the cup from her and took another sip. There was something…peculiar about taking a drink from where Sage’s lips had just been. He’d file that thought under “Things to overthink later.”
Sage seemed not to notice this hint of…strangeness. “Yo u’re a ‘get what you see’ kind of dude. Not much mystery there.”
Leo wanted to be offended but was more afraid she might be right. He crossed his arms over his chest, careful not to spill his coffee and careful to ensure his biceps were on display just right. Like it didn’t look like he was trying (because he wasn’t).
Sage made a show of looking him up and down. “I see a giant idiot.”
“I can’t help that you’re visually impaired then.”
She turned away from him. “Ready to go?”
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Leo asked, scanning his schedule.
“Not anymore.”
“No?” Leo looked at the schedule again. “You have ‘free time’ written on the to-do list. And I remember correctly you were the one who told me not to deviate from the list.”
“Ugh,” Sage rubbed her temples and walked to the green room plastering a smile on her face. “I just want to go home.”
“No.” Leo caught her in two strides and looped an arm through hers. She tried to pull away but he held firm. “Humor me. People don’t interrupt people when they are walking around like?—”
“Little girls ready to skip through the meadow?”
“Sure.” His big biceps were definitely on display now. “People won’t interrupt us if we look deep in a conversation.”
“This looks so dumb. Like we are siblings about to take a photo shoot together at JCPenney or something. ”
Leo scoffed. “As if there was any way your genetics could be confused with mine.”
“How does it feel to be the last Neanderthal walking this earth?”
Leo was saved needing to come up with a reply when his plan was blown to smithereens by a preteen girl walking up and interrupting them. So much for his looped-arm idea. So, it works on adults. Not kids.
“I made you this!” the little girl screeched. It was a little gift bag, and she held it out to Sage with such expectant eyes.
Should he look through it? Could it be poison? A bomb? Another threatening note?
Sage opened it only to pull out something much, much worse.
“I love it!” Sage exclaimed, leaning in to hug the girl. The girl looked back at the only sane-looking adult in the room and Leo assumed it was her mother.
Sage pulled out a canvas bag with puff paint art all over the sides. It looked quite abstract until Sage flipped it over and, to his horror, discovered it wasn’t a bag at all. It was a hat. And he had a sinking feeling that she would proudly wear this out in public. And horrors upon horrors, it wasn’t abstract art at all, it was a puff-painted portrait of the rat-dog, complete with flowers and little pumpkins.
Clearly, it was worse than a bomb. Worse than anthrax. Worse than a brick through the widow.
This bucket hat was a danger to society.
Sage put it on her head with pride, posed for a picture, and stared up at Leo when the girl scampered off .
Leo shivered. “It frightens me.”
“Good.” A smile finally broke through her frown.
And so Leo spent the rest of the afternoon trailing behind Sage, taking photos when fans asked, and overall enjoying watching Sage in her element. He actually forgot to be annoyed and found himself enjoying the convention too.
What strange universe had he fallen into?