08-01-2022, 02:53 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-01-2022, 04:32 AM by Ascendancy.)
Surprise flickered her expression and the satisfaction flowed deep. Not fully invisible but obscured, he’d passed. Which meant the flows were more stabilized, although not fully impervious to motion. He was so close to the goal, but while that was a success, another agenda occupied his mind.
He hovered professionally nearby but in no hurry to depart as suddenly as he came. Noémi’s guess was accurate, and one that Nikolai did not deny. He might have known where the Consuls were at any time. Chips tracked their every step (for their own safety of course). He wasn’t bothered to care about those steps, but the business of the government had to continue uninterrupted. A missing Consul could not be risked even for a few hours. Should one go missing, a quick retrieval was necessary. Nor was Nikolai on the other end of monitoring their whereabouts. He had neither the interest nor the time to spy on his Consuls. Ready access was accomplished by the mere press of a button, but there was no need to explain such measures to Noémi.
“I must have only just missed her, but instead I found you. I admit I am not heartbroken,” he added with the easy afterthought of intentional charm. The power continued to linger, and he wondered if the baccarat scent decorated Noémi’s porcelain skin. He wouldn’t be offended if she opted to save the draught, but even with his divine enhancements, he would need to be closer to find out. He found his heart beat ever slightly faster just to wonder, and his gaze settled on the curve of her neck.
After a moment, he considered saying something about knowing her too. That if he reached out in the dark to caress her cheek, he’d know every part of her face without ever opening his eyes. Instead, the Ascendancy's sharp blue gaze returned to hers and he smiled a reassuring smile, one of safety and promise. To break the spell of intensity, he edged nearer and spoke soft as sharing a secret.
“Would you care to join me for a drink? I think I can say with some confidence that work can wait,” and he offered a hand to assist her up.
He hovered professionally nearby but in no hurry to depart as suddenly as he came. Noémi’s guess was accurate, and one that Nikolai did not deny. He might have known where the Consuls were at any time. Chips tracked their every step (for their own safety of course). He wasn’t bothered to care about those steps, but the business of the government had to continue uninterrupted. A missing Consul could not be risked even for a few hours. Should one go missing, a quick retrieval was necessary. Nor was Nikolai on the other end of monitoring their whereabouts. He had neither the interest nor the time to spy on his Consuls. Ready access was accomplished by the mere press of a button, but there was no need to explain such measures to Noémi.
“I must have only just missed her, but instead I found you. I admit I am not heartbroken,” he added with the easy afterthought of intentional charm. The power continued to linger, and he wondered if the baccarat scent decorated Noémi’s porcelain skin. He wouldn’t be offended if she opted to save the draught, but even with his divine enhancements, he would need to be closer to find out. He found his heart beat ever slightly faster just to wonder, and his gaze settled on the curve of her neck.
After a moment, he considered saying something about knowing her too. That if he reached out in the dark to caress her cheek, he’d know every part of her face without ever opening his eyes. Instead, the Ascendancy's sharp blue gaze returned to hers and he smiled a reassuring smile, one of safety and promise. To break the spell of intensity, he edged nearer and spoke soft as sharing a secret.
“Would you care to join me for a drink? I think I can say with some confidence that work can wait,” and he offered a hand to assist her up.