Valdana rears back like she's just been struck. "Excuse me?" she snaps, eyes narrowing at Koumyou. "How dare you!"
Devero steps into the rectangle of stronger light spilling out of the workshop past Koumyou and takes the cigarette with fingers that barely tremble. He puts it between his lips, cups his hands around it, and inhales. The bright moment of glow from the ember end lights up his face despite the hood.
"Thank you," he murmurs to Koumyou. He retreats a step, but not more than that, and looks over his fiance's shoulder at Valdana. Madame. Her.
Just being in proximity to her again has his heart pounding in his chest and his throat threatening to close. The space Koumyou has made between them helps; if her hands were on him, he'd be on his knees already, he knows it.
He draws on the cigarette again for strength before saying, "He knows about us." It was supposed to be a firm assertion, but it comes out in a whisper.
She hears it anyway, and her glance bounces back and forth between the two men. She doesn't like what she's hearing. She doesn't like not knowing what's been going on with Devero all these months; likes even less that he's apparently standing before her now when she knows he's still unresponsive in Dr. Armaceau's care. She doesn't like his insouciant companion, whose eyes are dark and sharp and untouched by the smile on his face, who just made cigarettes appear out of thin air somehow, who obviously knows things he shouldn't.
First things first: "If you touch me," she says to Koumyou, "you will regret it. You can't threaten me in my home, and especially not with an absurd accusation like that. Now, I don't know what you think you've heard about-- us, but clearly there's been some miscommunication."
Her eyes lift to apparently-Devero behind Koumyou. "Hasn't there, Devero?" Her voice gentles and she reaches out a hand in entreaty. "Have I ever hurt you?"
Above the understanding smile, her eyes are hard and she holds Devero's gaze locked with her own. Generally, all it takes is a look to remind the man of his place and the agreements they've made, and she expects as much now. So when Devero meets her gaze and says, "Yes. You have," she's not remotely expecting it.
The shock and dismay that flash momentarily across her face are obvious and almost comical.
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Devero steps into the rectangle of stronger light spilling out of the workshop past Koumyou and takes the cigarette with fingers that barely tremble. He puts it between his lips, cups his hands around it, and inhales. The bright moment of glow from the ember end lights up his face despite the hood.
"Thank you," he murmurs to Koumyou. He retreats a step, but not more than that, and looks over his fiance's shoulder at Valdana. Madame. Her.
Just being in proximity to her again has his heart pounding in his chest and his throat threatening to close. The space Koumyou has made between them helps; if her hands were on him, he'd be on his knees already, he knows it.
He draws on the cigarette again for strength before saying, "He knows about us." It was supposed to be a firm assertion, but it comes out in a whisper.
She hears it anyway, and her glance bounces back and forth between the two men. She doesn't like what she's hearing. She doesn't like not knowing what's been going on with Devero all these months; likes even less that he's apparently standing before her now when she knows he's still unresponsive in Dr. Armaceau's care. She doesn't like his insouciant companion, whose eyes are dark and sharp and untouched by the smile on his face, who just made cigarettes appear out of thin air somehow, who obviously knows things he shouldn't.
First things first: "If you touch me," she says to Koumyou, "you will regret it. You can't threaten me in my home, and especially not with an absurd accusation like that. Now, I don't know what you think you've heard about-- us, but clearly there's been some miscommunication."
Her eyes lift to apparently-Devero behind Koumyou. "Hasn't there, Devero?" Her voice gentles and she reaches out a hand in entreaty. "Have I ever hurt you?"
Above the understanding smile, her eyes are hard and she holds Devero's gaze locked with her own. Generally, all it takes is a look to remind the man of his place and the agreements they've made, and she expects as much now. So when Devero meets her gaze and says, "Yes. You have," she's not remotely expecting it.
The shock and dismay that flash momentarily across her face are obvious and almost comical.