Work Text:
"'...the babe with the power. What power? The power of...'"
"Hey, I know that song," Holly says. She's sitting in a beanbag chair next to Artemis' desk; close, but not too close. If that didn't describe their relationship perfectly...
When Artemis doesn't say say anything in response, Holly looks up from the e-reader she's holding. It was what Foaly and Artemis had decided to call a joint-custody birthday present, since they had both worked on it but neither one wanted to give the other one the satisfaction of saying he had invented it. Artemis had provided the 'Kindle' (Holly didn't see what a slab of plastic had to do with fire at all) and Foaly had tweaked it to display Gnommish properly and download books from the People's satellites instead of Amazon.com. But either way, it was much more convenient than lugging around the entire eight-volume set of LEP shuttle manuals when she needed to repair something.
"You were singing just now," Holly insists. "Something about a power?"
"No," Artemis says, "you're mistaken." He glances down at the microscope on his worktop. "I'm close to isolating the particular cell I mentioned earlier. It's really quite fascinating, actually--"
"What you are is awful at changing the subject, Arty."
"What do the People know about David Bowie?" Artemis mumbles.
"David Bowie is incredible popular underground, believe it or not. They still show Labyrinth in most movie theaters in Haven." She pauses and rubs her chin thoughtfully. "I think one of my cousins was in it."
"I have assessed the statement you just made and I conclude that it is a humorous fabrication intended to distract me from my important work."
"Mm-hmm," Holly says, in that way that makes it totally clear she doesn't mean it in the slightest.
Artemis looks into the microscope and adjusts the fine focus knob almost imperceptibly. "'Who do? You do. Do what? Remind me of the...' Aha, there you are, little blëber..."
Holly smiles.