Valentine had listened with mild interest, then with a triumphant smile. "So you won't do it?" he asked, grinning at Nicholson.

"I didn't say that," I said, looking straight at Nicholson. "Does your lovely assistant actually want me to make a permanent mark on his body?"

Nicholson looked up, caught my gaze, and looked away again, embarrassed. It was so cute! "Actually, yes," he said, flushing, looking up at me at last, his eyes catching on mine with a bit of electric desire. "On my wrist."

He held up his left hand, pushing his watch down to expose his wrist. "A hider," I said, reaching for the Big Blue Binder. "I have a good selection of magical flash for the wrist-"

"Actually," Valentine said, smiling, "we had a specific design in mind."

"Oh… kay," I said. "But if you want a magical tattoo-"

Nicholson pulled out an envelope, "I hoped you could do this."

Oh…kay. This was a bad scene. I took the envelope gingerly, while Valentine and Nicholson looked on-Valentine gleefully, Nicholson bashfully, a bit skeptically. I opened it up and unfolded a bad photocopy of an ornate bit of flash, a Victorian-inspired design with constellations and Roman numerals and circular filigree that was the magical equivalent of gears. It took me a moment to realize what it was-a clock.

"I'm not going to do this," I said, tossing the paper down.

"I knew it," Valentine said, slapping Nicholson's shoulder. "You owe me-"

Nicholson batted him away. "Why not?" he said, almost hurt.

"It's a watch," I said. "This is a permanent mark and you want me to do a watch?"