@duchissa (continued from here):
She had felt his gaze upon her before she had acknowledged it, before she had ever turned to meet it. At first she wondered what it was about her that caught his eye, whether there was something wrong with her appearance or that she was doing something intriguing. So far as she knew, neither of those things were true. She was terribly well aware of how she presented herself at all times. No, perhaps there was more to this lingering gaze. Perhaps it may have been simple admiration.
Curious to find out, Cecilia turned in his direction and granted him a pleasant smile, brows lightly raised as though inviting him to speak, to step forward. Taking a step forward of her own, her smile remained upon her lips. “That’s quite the stare. Is there a reason for it? Or just admiring the view?”
She draws nearer, just a single step. Dullahan knows she’s found him watching --- knows most of them with a glance. Knows if she can trust anyone by the curl of their fingers and the lines of their mouths. She can tell by the bat of their lashes if someone is lying, and she can tell, without confession or knife or jury, whether blood or poison have ever spilled from someone else’s hands. She must know, doesn’t she. It’s the Game.
Reason? Admire? People teeter around them, masked and chattering. The merchant comes closer but does not bow his head. "Very rarely will men do both,” he gravels, almost glinting, “if it does not end in a bed.”
Maybe it was an indictment. She’s accusing him. No, it was clever.
She never stopped smiling, and neither has he.