Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

pulled her back into the kitchen.
Desdemona turned and eyed everyone in the shop who was staring at her.
Her lip curled in a close approximation of a sneer. “Continue on,” she said.
“These are matters far beyond your earthly understanding. Tut-tut.”
Everyone turned away almost immediately, the whispers reaching a fever
pitch.
Nelson grabbed Wallace by the hand, jerking him toward the kitchen. He
looked back before they passed through the doors to see the woman and the
two men heading toward a table near the far wall under the framed poster of
the pyramids. She rubbed her finger along the tabletop before shaking her
head.
“—and if you’ll let me, I’ll just put a little poison in her tea,” Mei was
saying to Hugo as they entered the kitchen. Apollo sat next to her, ear flopped
over as he looked between the two of them. “Not enough to kill her, but still
enough for it to be considered a felony for which I’ll absolutely accept jail
time. It’s a win-win situation.”
Hugo looked horrified. “You can’t ruin tea like that. Every cup is special
and putting poison in it would ruin the flavor.”
“Not if it’s tasteless,” Mei countered. “I’m pretty sure I read that arsenic
doesn’t have a taste.” She paused. “Not that I know where to get arsenic right
this second. Dammit. I should’ve looked into that after last time.”
“We don’t murder people,” Hugo said, and it didn’t appear that this was
the first time he’d said it to her.
“Maim, then.”
“We don’t do that either,” Hugo said.
She crossed her arms and pouted. “Nothing’s stopping us. You told me that
we should always try to achieve our dreams.”
“I didn’t have murder in mind when I told you that,” Hugo said dryly.
“That’s because you think too small. Go big or go home.” She glanced at
Wallace. “Tell him. You’re on my side, right? And you know the law better
than any of us here. What does it say about killing someone who deserves
it?”
“It’s illegal,” Wallace said.
“But not, like, completely illegal, right? Justifiable homicide is a thing. I
think.”