Nut

“If The Wordsmith ever finds out about this, he’ll do a nut,” Kory said.

Austin shooed him away with a gesture of her hand. “Smith won’t ever find out that I did this then, will he, Virtue boy?”

“Just because I’m in the Virtue Choir doesn’t mean you can call me -”

Austin leveled a glare at him. “I’m one of the Gregori for a reason, Kory, and it’s not because I care to argue with a misplaced Virtue.”

“Misplaced? You question The Authority?”

“Begone, Kory, before I have to file a collateral damage report,” Austin said.

Kory shook his head. “I’m just saying. The Wordsmith’s pretty fragile, and this could really be trouble. Not to mention if Garrow finds out what you did.”

“You underestimate Smith.” Austin tacked the poster to the cork board in the Virtue lounge and shuffled the stack in her folder. She had posters for every bunker in the Quire but the Gregori bunker, and she planned to use them well. “He’s not the sort to go running to Garrow.”

“Garrow, on the other hand, is just the sort to figure out what you did without The Wordsmith saying a thing.” Kory studied the poster. It was well-made. However Austin had found such a pleasant picture of The Wordsmith - dressed in a fluffy blue hoodie and smiling - Kory couldn’t begin to imagine, but the kid looked mildly attractive. That the poster was advertising The Wordsmith as a potential date and there were phone number tabs along the bottom was less impressive and more frightening.

Austin yanked off a couple of the tabs and shoved them into her pocket, then stood back to admire her handiwork.

“Do you know what’ll happen if you put that up in the Houri bunker?” Kory asked.

Austin’s smile said it all.

(301 words)