Rictor swiveled in his seat with a barely-noticeable grimace that he soon swept aside, smoothly recovering and replacing it with harmless surprise. The other shoe had now dropped: a combined birthday party meant having to meet and greet Bella's friends in addition to his own, and while some of them were perfectly delightful people, others were... questionable.
He'd seen Charity bouncing around Bella's airship occasionally, like a brightly-coloured confection, a bauble bouncing down the lean hallways of the ship. More than anything, she reminded him of the airheaded socialites he'd always had to rub elbows with at upper-class events – they were all delicate finery and coiffed hair and tight shoes, versus a grudging nobleman who preferred muddy boots and a loose tunic. But on the other hand, that meant he'd had a lifetime of dealing with her ilk. Rictor schooled his face into amiable politeness.
He even kissed her hand.
"And she says much the same to me," he said (even if it wasn't entirely true), and scooted down the bench to make room for the new arrival. "You're part of her crew now, right?"