suddenly it made sense - mason thought her to be unfaithful. the realization made ari laugh, a sharp, barking sound, void of humor. “mr. bernal, i was raised with honor,” ariadne informed him, but the sudden flash of dancing with cole, bodies flush together, the kiss maia planted on her cheek, cleo’s hand in hers; her ears started to burn pink, but ariadne pressed on. she held up a manicured hand, showing off the ring that at all times sat a dazzling glint on her finger. “i do not take this as lightly as you seem to assume i do. regardless of where i have been-” again, none of his business. “- i have not dishonored my fiance in any shape or form.”
now the doubt crept in. mason didn’t bat an eyelash at her accusation, nor cringe as she assumed a guilty person would. her frown grew, and uncertainly flickered in her eyes. he wouldn’t be the first to call her paranoid… was he just a concerned college buddy, with a strange connection to a reporter?
could ari really have been so wrong?
“i am fine,” she finally answered, quieter this time, losing much of the fire she’d had moments ago. now the witch resembled more of what he would be used to, docile and gentle, contained in a box far too small for herself. her gaze fell to the bed, where her things were half packed, and another cold hand of guilt gripped her hand. when she looked at the hunter again, her expression was much more soft. “would you please not say anything to him, at least until i can? i am going to return. there is…. an emergency.”
the whole attitude is still very much unexpected. mason would imagine that peter wouldn’t be engaged to someone who engages in confront and he took advantage of it when interacting with ariadne. he must admit that he likes this version better even as she talks him down. he isn’t completely convinced though and it shows on his expression as he casually leans against the doorframe of the bedroom. he shrugs once she is done with her lecture and while he still maintains a neutral stance, his eyes are sharper than they’ve been so far.
“ well pardon me, ” he says, humorless just the same. mason straightens up so he can stare more directly at ariadne. “ i’m just meeting you, ariadne. i don’t know you or how you’ve been raised. the only one i know is peter and he’s a good man. excuse me for being suspicious when you need to lie about your whereabouts to him. ”
as sudden as this combative flavor to ariadne shows up, it’s gone and mason nearly misses it. nearly, because the way her expression softens to ask him a favor serves his ego very well. mason raises his eyebrows and takes a moment to think about it. “ a week, ” he says. “ it’s fair enough, don’t you think? if you’re not back in a week to talk to him about it, i’ll spill. then i think you’ll need to rethink your excuses. ”