It was awkward. He wouldn't deny that for a second. Florence was all over the place with him and he supposed he should have expected that from her. She'd thrown all sorts of things in his face when she'd walked out on him in Merano to play parasite for the Russian. He smiled slightly when she stopped biting her nails, and then, well she sort of smiled back. Just for a moment and he wasn't naieve enough to think it meant anything more than a memory. Oh she'd made that perfectly clear. He suddenly regretted this meeting, finding himself wrongfooted, confused. He should never have agreed to meet her yet. Not until he'd had time to plan. To work out how to get around her little comments, her usual tricks. How she managed to blame him for everything.
She told him she'd get on with things herself, her own way. But here's where he had the advantage. Freddie knew this world pretty well by now. He was no fighter but he managed to get by. He knew some of the lore from books he'd read. He'd seen the hellish future that lay in store if they didn't win and he'd made friends. "So, you know how to play a part in this fight do you?" he asked. Still leaning against the wall, just watching her. They'd go for coffee like they'd planned but for now he'd stay contentedly where he was.
"Do you know how to stop a demon possessing you? I do. And sure you could make friends, but it's got to be hard to do that when you'll keep the women at arms length and sleep your way around the men. I'm pretty sure thats how it goes isn't it Florence? Unless I warn them off you obviously." And he would, why wouldn't he after how much he'd been hurt by her. "Or I could help you out just because I'm that nice a guy and I actually don't want to see you get yourself killed. Call it old times sake or whatever you want."
It was not at all because with Sergievsky out of the way he'd even considered wanting her back. He'd asked and been knocked back, insulted by her new man, all of it. And much as he'd made his peace with the Russian and set him on the path to winning for the sake of the game. It still got to him, remembering that night and the way Florence and her lover had looked at him. Like something they'd found on their shoes.
"I'm willing to help you settle in. You could try being grateful about it. It won't actually kill you."