Polite

Date/Timing: 21 December 2005
Setting: outside, near the Gottlieb house; Berlin, Germany
revised "Karla's Brother"
.
Karla strides along the pavement, bundled up tight against the cold and arms full of groceries.
Bastien skips along beside her. „Do you think Manny will like what I picked out?“
„He'll /love it.“ Grins down at him. „How could he resist anything so /sweet?“
Bastien glows.
„„Hey! Gottliebchen!““
Karla stops mid-step.
Bastien gives a fantastic eye-roll.
„Is that Andreas Meyer?“
Bastien double-checks over his shoulder. „Yea.“
„Is he still a jerk?“
„Yea,“ sighs Bastien.
„Fan/tas/tic.“
Meyer materializes next to her, grabs hold of her arm, smarms, „It's good to see you again.“ 
She twists free, expression darkening toward 'imminent mass extinction'. 
Meyer, though, plows on, smirking. „I hear your crippled featherweight of a brother got himself kicked out of England.“ Crosses his arms, rocks on his heels. „Couldn't handle life without Daddy to hide behind and had to come crawling back with his tail between his legs? There's even talk along the street he tried to put himself out of his misery. Probably for the best—“ 
Bastien—
Karla nudges him behind her.
„—if he'd managed it,“ he laughs.
Karla grits her teeth. „Bastien.“ Twists, offers the bag. „Hold this.“
Bastien accepts, shuffles a little farther along the pavement.
Meyer raises an eyebrow.
Karla turns a black-eyed stare on him, sinks a vicious jab in his gut.
Meyer drops like a sack of sand, wheezing.
With a snort and before Meyer can even begin to catch his breath, Karla whirls, takes the groceries back from Bastien, and stomps away.
Half a block later, on the front steps of the house, she growls, „Who could've told him about Manny?“
Bastien ponders. „Probably Mrs Koch, Father's housekeeper. She never /stops talking.“
Karla hums, works the lock, herds Bastien inside. „Then she and I are going to have a 'polite' chat about gossiping.“
„After ice cream?“
„After ice cream.“
Category:Ficlet
Category:Berlin (setting)
Category:Karla
Category:Karla's POV
Category:Karla (ficlet)
Category:Bastien
Category:Bastien (ficlet)
Category:Hermann (mention)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images