Cyrus the Flailboat (fringeward) wrote in emillion, |
In defense of Cyrus’ reflexes, he had vastly improved in his ability to maneuver in a crowd over these last several weeks. This time, he did not collide with the petite brunette despite the many people around them (that this might be due to her lack of desire to collide with him this time around did not cross his mind at all). He did, however, recognize her just as the rather large group of people congregating outside a tavern with particularly impressive specials nearly jostled her from the sidewalk into the path of hovercars and chocobos passing in the street. There was balance in all things -- this time, instead of disrupting her footing, he reached out just in time to catch and steady her, offering her the least self-conscious smile he could muster (which wasn’t saying much, granted, since he had quite clearly recalled her forward behavior at their last meeting upon seeing her again). Still… “Be careful,” he said, adding after a moment, “that is, be careful of these others who aren’t paying attention.” Thank Faram, today, he wasn’t among their number. Chloë and Rhys were out and about as usual, doing their little show to get some people gathered around and therefore, making it much easier for Chloë to make their pockets lighter without their knowledge. Festivals were always good for that sort of thing, and today was no different. She didn't always employ the "tripping" technique, but it was good to use on occasion when there were so many people about it was easily understood to happen. Nobody remembered the face of someone who tripped, because they were gone a moment after. Well, mostly everyone. "Oh," Chloë said trying to be surprised, "Why thank you." She pretended to be flustered, but in reality she was thrown off for a half moment, so perhaps that fluster wasn't quite so forced. She had a half second to decide how to proceed. She blinked a few times and then squinted just a little, as if trying to figure out who he was. She remembered him alright. Not every day she pick-pocketed someone only to find they were empty. “You’re very welcome.” His smile was open and friendly, utterly guileless. He was glad to have assisted her. Though, by her face, he wondered if she recognized him. And if she did, did she think he… “I didn’t expect to run into you again. Figuratively, I mean.” He’d managed not to run into her literally this time, which was victory enough from where he stood. “I should let you get back to enjoying the festival,” he managed to come up with at last. There now, she couldn’t possibly think he’d sought her out on purpose, right? "Well, as big as Emillion is, there are plenty of places and times to run into familiar faces. You were… oh dear, you were the poor man who was nearly attacked by those birds." Okay, so Chloë was going to go the "I know you" route, though she didn't know his name, and if he told her it, she'd clearly forgotten. Chloë preferred to remember faces, because faces could be avoided well enough, and names were only important for gossip. Her small nose crinkled as she smiled, "Have you become better acquainted with the city since last we met?" She hoped that he could tell her something she wanted to hear. Like he got a job or something, because that meant he might actually have some gil on him this time. One could hope. |