Re: parlor ; observing
Vanessa was not surprised by the approach of the dark stranger on her right, who meandered his way over so carelessly that he very nearly made it into the spot beside her without her noticing. He was subtle, but she was accustomed to the ways of men. None ever wanted to be seen strolling directly up to the object of their interest. It was always best to keep the upper hand by feigning indifference, surprising the lady with a casual, almost accidental approach.
But that did not make her any less interested. On the contrary, when he slid in neatly beside her she was already theorizing about why he had made a journey around the room. If that migration had not been obvious to her, the fact that he stopped only when he reached her side, and did not continue on to the attractive girl to her left, was indication enough.
She didn't turn to look at him at first. Instead, she kept her eye on the fortune teller, and the sandy-haired young man who had been happy flirting with scandal by standing by her side.
His statement, at last, earned him a look, no more than glance, top to tail, blatantly assessing and quick as could be. Deduction was one of her hobbies. She had her...other talents for judging the soul of another, of course, but her rational side enjoyed the exercise of observing and making conclusions from the concrete.
He'd been careful in his approach, so either he didn't want to frighten her off, or he was worried about being seen to be too eager to stand in her company. He was not old, but not young, either. He was patient, which spoke to the reserve a man of his age and standing ought to have. It made him unlikely to seek her company just to prove something to someone else, or to bolster his own reputation. He had his own interest in her, then, this gentleman with fine clothes and a whisper of an accent from elsewhere. How intensely mysterious. She tried to suppress the impulse, but there was a quiet exclamation in her. How good. How wonderful. How fun.
"Are we speaking of the fortune teller?" she asked. She was still watching the boy. Her voice was throaty and crackled with quiet amusement. There was no bitterness in her small smile. She hid that well. She did not know if her companion had meant it so, but it seemed just as likely that the young man viewed being seen with her and having his fortune read as equally entertaining amusements.