"Lady Motokomo, what a surprise to see you!" While Dauphin Armand tries to keep his voice light and airy, his eyes are sinister and angry. He talks to her but looks over her shoulder as he speaks. "I could've sworn I saw Hunter Radu here earlier and I do /so/ want a turn on the dance floor with him. 'twould be a shame if he came all the way from Avignon and I never got to dance with him." Armand pouts and puts a hand on his hip. "You seem to be friendly with him; can you tell me where he is?"
---What a surprise, he says, to see Kaibara at an eventco-hosted by her own mother. It was lucky that the Dauphin was paying herlittle to no true attention, or he might have seen the incredulity in herexpression, and the truly herculean effort it was taking to refrain from rollingher eyes. She was trying her best to refrainfrom that sort of behavior at social events, but this was a nasty little habitwhich, if indulged for a moment, stuck with her for much longer. Neverthelessit wouldn’t do to anger Armand, especially considering he looked quite close tothe edge already at having been given the slip by his favored Hunter.
“Your Royal Highness,” Heraffected charm was as effortless as it was false, as she dipped into a deepcurtsy befitting his royal status. When the movement drew his eye to her, shetook the opportunity to lock gazes with him before he could look away to return to his thorough sweep of the ballroom. People often found themselvesquite unable to look away from the striking violet pools which composed theeyes of many a Motokomo, and Kaibara tended to use this to her advantage. Thiswas no exception. Holding his gaze as she straightened out of her curtsy, shesuccessfully captured Armand’s attention – for the moment, anyhow, but it was amoment that Mihai would need to make his escape. She hoped he would use itwisely.
“It is a surprise and an honor to be graced with your presence.”And it would be even more of an honorto be relieved of it. Hardly five sentences between them and she was alreadyexhausted. “I’m not sure that I’m friendlier with Hunter Radu than I am withanyone else, but I am flattered all the same. Unfortunately, I have not seenhim around for some time now.”
At least, not since she’d directedhim and his Divine lover to a more…privatelocation, promising that she would see to Armand.
“If it would please His Highness,I would be happy to take you to where I last saw him lingering. I am most certain that Hunter Radu wouldnever want to deprive himself of a dance with you. We should find him right away!”
The art of distraction was merelyanother pin in a lady’s hat – Kaibara and her siblings had been practicing it sincebefore she’d pinned up her hair, lengthened her skirts, and joined the greatgame of society. It took little more than getting them talking – and everyone knew what Armand liked to talkabout. She would keep him talking about the Hunters for as long as she could, pretendinginterest in his obsession and feigning a search for the object of hisunfortunate affections. At least until he began to question her. Then it was as easy as passing him off to a sister or brother, with a well-placed hint or twothat he was looking for Mihai, who did notwish to be found.
She had enough siblings to keephim circulating until Mihai found it prudent to join the festivities again, andsince she had provided him with a schedule for the evening, she figured that may not be until dinner.