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Reina was still angry when Richie arrived at the hotel although she tried not to let it show.
"So it went that bad?" Richie asked as he threw himself in a chair in Reina's room after settling in.
"What makes you think it went badly?" Reina replied.
"Your face is all red. Knowing how you are I'd say that you've been stewing since you got back here. If you were mortal I'd tell you to relax before you gave yourself a heart attack."
Reina flashed Richie a dirty look.
"But I could be wrong," Richie said shrugging.
Reina sighed. "You're not entirely off the mark," she conceded. "Nothing on this trip has been going my way. The meeting with Jonathan was just the icing on a really lousy cake."
"What happened?"
"The flight was lousy. There was turbulence and this brat would not stop crying. Remind me not to fly coach the next time I fly. God I sound like such a bitch!" Reina flung herself onto the bed backwards. She continued her story while lying on her back staring at the ceiling. "I'm sure the child is usually very charming but I just couldn't take the crying anymore. I got no sleep on the flight and I don't fly well. Then of course I had to do the drinks thing alone and Jonathan, who is beyond anal retentive when it comes to being on time, was late."
"Something must have come up."
"Probably. Not that I would know anything about it since he didn't offer so much as a peep as far as an apology or an explanation was concerned. He started yelling at Agent Mulder about me as though I were no where to be found."
"Agent Mulder? How does he fit in this?"
"I was waiting for Jonathan outside the FBI building. I couldn't go in…"
"Because of the sword. I got that," Richie interrupted.
"Anyway, I was waiting outside in the cold for Jonathan who was late and Agent Mulder comes along. He started asking me a bunch of questions about Reynaldo."
"What did you say?"
"That's not the point of this story."
"Reina, an FBI agent is asking a bunch of questions about one of our battles I think that could be important."
"He was asking about Reynaldo's sword. He wanted to know why Reynaldo was carrying one. He asked if Reynaldo did any fencing with it since it was so old and valuable. He also said that Reynaldo's body was stolen in order to keep the truth hidden. He was fishing for a connection between Reynaldo and some woman who lost her head a couple of days earlier. That's it. It may have gotten to the point where I would have had to stop the conversation but it never came to that because Jonathan chose that opportunity to show up. He started railing into Agent Mulder and he was yelling at him about me as though I weren't anywhere in the vicinity."
"You mentioned that."
"So I decided I didn't want to have drinks with him anymore and I walked away."
"So did you meet the girlfriend?"
"Oh my God! I forgot the worst part. While Jonathan and I were arguing, and now that I'm really thinking about it I'm surprised that it went as far as that because usually Jonathan would have started bugging about arguing in public since he hates to make a scene. Anyway, this woman puts her two cents in. So I told her it wasn't any of her business. Turns out that the woman is Jonathan's girlfriend."
"That's a hell of a way to be introduced to someone."
"No shit! So after Jonathan introduces us to one another, she asks Jonathan where we were going. She mentions this place called the Headless Horsewoman or some shit. That's when I decided I didn't want to do the drinks thing and walked away. God, I know Jonathan can be dense but did he really think I would step foot in some joint called the Headless anything?"
"Are you sure he was going to take you to that place?"
Reina didn't answer him. She was too busy ranting. "I have half a mind to take my ass back home. Except I can't change my flight," she muttered. "At least not for today."
"You don't really want to do that. He's your brother. You promised him you'd come. And you keep telling me how he is when you don't keep your promises to him."
Reina scowled. "True."
"You're already here and you can't change your flight. What are you going to do eat Thanksgiving dinner at some crummy diner to spite him?"
Reina sighed. "You're right. Besides, it couldn't possibly get any worse than today's get together."
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