Valerie thrives on attention that battles to stay put. Even as she claims the seat beside the girl (mindfully leaving one empty in between), leaning sidelong against the backrest with an elbow propped and knees crossed, she notices how those mellow, skittish eyes attempt to juggle the balance between downright staring and complete contact avoidance, shaking on the tenuous line of a socially accepted middle. The elder would not mind the staring, but this is infinitely more endearing to watch.
As her reputation is recited back to her, Valerie nods to punctuate each fact, crimson lips having curled into a most amused smile by the end of the roll. Oof, thatâs a lot. Frankly, she is surprised Wesley painted her so favourably (that, or this doll was just being polite). âIâd say heâs right. I have been behaving all night.â She lifts her drink as if to make a point, a lone ice sphere clicking against the wall of the glass. A feat. âBut if youâre free sometime up to New Yearâs, I canât promise the same.â As obvious as it needed to be.
âAh, yes, he has told me about the strain he and Faith tend to encounter,â Hideous things. âbut I confess even I am not an expert, I tend to mind my own business. Anything you would be particularly curious to know?â
Her heart falters a little when preparing an answer to the question she is asked, wondering if maybe the girl would like to hear more than Valerie could share. She had no doubt Wesley thought the world of this doe-eyed gift, but he was also tragically one of the most repressed and private people she knew, which meant the stories she had heard had often not included a name, nor gender.
âI believe he has.â Valerieâs gaze lowers to the unoccupied space between them. âBut I doubt he imagined we would ever meet, so he has kept your name locked out of my reach.â
âAhâve promised New Yearsâs to my folks back home- it was hard enough to negotiate being a little late to Christmas, but weâll all survive somehow,â she said, the right side of her mouth pushing up into half a smile. Fred took a sip of her drink, letting the brew warm her from the inside. âBut it seems like everyone has been on their best behavior. Lots of old friends, it seems.â
Valerieâs invitation to question opens the proverbial floodgates of her mind, only blocked by the biting of her tongue. Fred would have to be careful not to overwhelm the woman with excited rambling or anything too existential about her state of being. Illyria, however, had drawn their own conclusions about her.
Filthy half-demon, diluted darkness. It makes no difference what strain of vermin she is, she is nothing when compared with the God King.
Fredâs heart feels tight at the womanâs confession- but it made sense. Grief was hard to speak of and it had been so many years... âIâm sorry, it was a rude question. I know... Wesley can be very careful with his life and what he chooses to share. One time, we got magic-fake-drunk at a Halloween party and it was the first time Iâd heard him talk about how he celebrated holidays back in England. I thought it was sweet, even if I donât remember everything because I was also sort of intoxicated. Even though I was technically entirely sober.â She paused, warmed by the memory of Lorne and the party all those years ago. âBâsides, if he did tell you any stories about me, most people tend to assume Iâm a man. Easy mistake.â
She took another sip of her cocoa and offered Valerie an awkward nod in an attempt to be reassuring. âIf you donât mind me askinâ, dâyou undergo any physiological changes when you feed?â