Re: Sonrisa: Sam & Daniel
[Daniel is fairly intentional in his manipulations, but to his credit, when it comes to Sam, the control is most certainly hers. A negative response would gain immediate attention and compliance from Daniel, which is saying something, considering he is very old and deeply selfish. Daniel is even of the opinion he would recognize her in one of his hungry spells, but he is not stupid enough to put that to the test.
His purpose is achieved, however, because Sam is distracted, smiling, and much more confident in herself. Daniel finds Cris more tolerable than any of the others in Sam's most recent string of suitors (that he knows of) and he is smugly certain the man can't disapprove of a confident Sam. His jealousy is therefore going to make him (Cris) uncomfortable, which pleases Daniel, the way cats are pleased when they push shit off counters just to watch it fall.
There's a little bit of rattling as Daniel investigates the basement and plugs in the heater, but he is able to lock the door and the couch is not as bad as he thought it might be. Silence follows soon after, and it is absolute.]