Distraction and Observation (Manifesto)

[Nhysa]

She watched in amusement as Edwin Dean prevented his companion from drinking. It would not have gone against her assessment had he missed her act, but it certainly went in his favour to have been so observant with no prior cause for vigilance. Not that the drink would have harmed the woman any – just alerted Edwin to a potential threat when she became woozy. Nhysa had intended to watch how he reacted to the unknown, with a companion he was not beholden to beyond chance meeting.

In answer to her invitation, Li’s arms tightened about her, and a softness caressed her cheek like the tantalizing fall of a feather. It sent a pleasing shiver through her, for more than one reason. Nhysa shifted, her head tucked beneath his chin, eyes upturned to him. A low hum of laughter left her throat. “That’s new, dear one. Am I not quite enough distraction tonight?” Her words were only in tease, and the subtle shift of her hips against him illustrated exactly what she meant. Li needed certain conditions to wield his gift, just as she did, but while hers basked in the shadows of the club, his relied on a rather more meditative state. One that usually took minutes of quiet reflection to achieve, not seconds in a crowded club. They’d experimented in the past – Nhysa took great interest in the sorts of distractions that might unravel his calm, to see if he could learn to wield past it. But while those evenings were often greatly enjoyable, it wasn’t a barrier they had ever broken.

Below them Edwin was threading through the crowd, led after the woman in red. By the subtle but methodical roam of his attention, he saw them watching from the balcony.

“Ah, my love. He sees us.” This time her hum of laughter was interest for the cat and mouse game.