Re: The Fortune Teller/ The Soldier
The soldier peered through the gloom of the gaslit passage, saw the woman and made a slight twinge to straighten his spine in the presence of a lady. It wasn't that much of an effort, but he gave it a go, and there should be points for effort. When she came nearer he made a snap judgment (which is to say that whatever she was, she was not a lady) and gave up on the spine. He gave her a sloppy smile, lips loose and wet from the last taste of the silver flask. "Hello darling." There was a little hiccup there at the end of the greeting. "You're a sight for sore eyes. So many pretty colors." He made no move to grab at her, but cast his unfocused eyes to either side, then back the way he came.
"By Jove, you're right. Back that way, is it? 'Fraid I got a bit turned around. Curst halls all look the same, don't they? And the confounded rocking." The rattle of the train had, of course, stopped some time before with all the screaming and hullabaloo. "Fellow can barely keep on his feet."