Josh was still rubbing his shoulder, a wry grin on his face as he looked Karl over, taking in the mundane details of his civilian disguise. His eyes, sharp and missing nothing, scanned the shopping basket hooked over Karl's arm—the socks, the coffee, the plain groceries.
Then his gaze snagged on an item nestled among the practicalities. His eyebrows shot up. The grin on his face widened into something downright mischievous.
"Well, well, well," Josh drawled, leaning forward and plucking the bottle from the basket. He held it up between two fingers as if it were a rare artifact. "'Lavender & Honey Moisturizing Shampoo for Fine Hair.'"
Karl's hand twitched, an almost imperceptible flicker of annoyance. He hadn't even thought about it; he'd just grabbed it, the scent reminding him of the faint, calming fragrance that lingered in Elara's apartment.
"It's a good shampoo," Karl said, his voice flat, trying to reclaim the bottle.
Josh held it out of reach, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Oh, I'm sure it is, you big softie. Since when does the Ghost worry about moisturizing and volume?" He shook the bottle gently. "This doesn't exactly scream 'tactical advantage.' Unless you're planning to blind your enemies with shine and bounce."
"Give it here, Josh," Karl said, a low warning in his tone.
"No, no, this is too good," Josh chuckled, enjoying himself immensely. "I bust my hump tracking down the most elusive, paranoid man in the intelligence community, expecting to find him surrounded by shell casings and encrypted hard drives. And instead, I find him in the mall, buying… this." He waved the bottle again. "There's a story here. Is there a… roommate? A very specific, probably very lovely roommate with fine hair?"
Karl's jaw tightened. He said nothing, just held out his hand, his expression making it clear the teasing was over.
Josh's laughter subsided, but the knowing glint remained in his eyes. He finally handed the shampoo back. "Alright, alright. I get it. Operation Lavender Honey is need-to-know. Your secret is safe with me." He clapped Karl on the shoulder, this time in a gesture of camaraderie. "But seriously, Karl. It's good to see you. Even if you've gone domestic."
Karl tucked the shampoo back into the basket, the mundane object suddenly feeling like a glaring beacon of his divided life. Josh's teasing was lighthearted, but it underscored the impossible chasm between the man he was and the man he was pretending to be. The Ghost didn't buy lavender-scented shampoo. Matthias Vogel did. And Karl Vorlender was stuck somewhere in the middle, holding the bottle.