Briar and Julius 9:45
Oh, well this was unexpected. Maeve stopped when he did, sand kicking up from around her feet at the sudden stop, feet digging in as soon as she was stationary, ever unable to stay still. He was close, he was curious, and that was one of the most important parts in any game. Getting their focus.
But she hadn't planned for him to play along, to lay out the pieces of her he had assembled thus far. It was hard to decide if it was a victory or a disappointment if she was being truthful.
Her head tilted as she listened, and if she were a cat her tail would have been twitching, but instead, she had that slow grin still. Serenely amused but patient as she listened, wondering if it was one of her previous selves that he was remembering - because it definitely sounded like her. Maybe even her true face, which only came out in certain circumstances now. That...Would be surprising, if he remembered that first encounter. It would catch her off guard, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. So she would only touch it indirectly.
"I've considered it," Maeve admitted, with an unabashed smile, "But you came a little light tonight, didn't you? A little below your standards, this affair. Brought money more as a formality?" The questions were largely rhetorical, calmly conversational even if she was talking about stealing from him. Not as much fun in that, not because his coin was the goal, but the impact it had.
Julius really was clever, and she almost snatched the cigarette out of his lips just to be a brat for it. But he was wrong too, she knew what it was she wanted, just because it wasn't simple or tangible didn't mean she didn't know it intimately. Well. Alright. She knew it, but it was also something she would likely never feel like she had in a way that satisfied her. Instead she stepped closer, eyes focused on him and calm s anything, "And do you want me to give you the truth, darling? Or would you rather solve this little riddle on your own?" It sounded like a genuine offer, although what was genuine in this little haven, when the edges of him shimmered with that familiar glamour and the content of her blood was a little fuzzy even to her?