julka’s Reviews > Katabasis > Status Update

“No, really.” Alice hugged her arms against her chest. “I don’t think he likes me all that much, actually.” “Oh, he must. He followed you to Hell, didn’t he?”

She had no particular goal in mind. Nothing so concrete as a dinner date. Nothing so bold. She had not thought that far; the question did not even take form. She only wanted to hear him laugh. But he was never there.

She always knew if he was in the building—she could spot his scuffed shoes, his broken umbrella, the brown wool coat always hung on the third hook from the left. She could always tell when people were talking about him; it was comical, really, the way her ears perked at any mention of his name. She knew his laughter from across the hall. She would have known it from the other end of the world.

“Tsu’s Basic Transportative Pentagram, with Setiya’s Modifications,” he said, which impressed Alice, since he’d only glanced briefly at the ground, and from across the room besides. “Ramanujan’s Summation with implications for the Casimir Effect to establish a psychic link to the target. Eight bars for eight courts.” A grin split his face. “Alice Law, you naughty girl. You’re trying to go to Hell.