There was little Asher could do but stifle a look of dismay as the two Kings left him alone with the creature. And of course the first thing she did once it was just them was flash him a genuine smile that he wasn’t expecting. Again, his pulse quickened obnoxiously, as the word handsome was not one he was used to hearing used so genuinely, which in turn made it simple for her to close the distance between them without him reacting. The prince’s entire body went tense as she adjusted his crown, the invasion of his personal space making it difficult for him to maintain his composure. [i][color=slategray]’Focus,’[/color][/i] he chided himself, again finding that it was all too easy for this one to slip past his guard. 

But any attempt to say something, snide or otherwise, proved to be fruitless, as his voice had momentarily died in his throat. So instead, all he could do was listen to her advice patiently, all the while thinking about how absurdly blue her eyes were and wonder what kind of perfume could possibly be so distracting. When the creature warned him about wine, the prince couldn’t help but tilt his head in a small show of bewilderment. [color=slategray]”How do you always manage to read me like an open book?”[/color] he wondered aloud, giving her a look that was one part curiosity, one part exasperation. For one in a position such as himself, Asher had spent a long time mastering the art of segregating his thoughts from his body language, but somehow this creature always managed to see right through him with those eyes of hers. To say that he found the fact irritating wasn’t even the half of it.

A quick cursory glance around the room reminded him that there were eyes watching the scene playing out. Some of them, such as the one he saw coming from his would-be-killer Sparky the Mage, were vicious and clearly showed just how little they approved of the two sides getting so close. Asher had expected those looks from the moment he left for Linore that day and were part of what made him doubt that there could ever be true peace between the two sides. But there were some people, such as Uriel who was flashing an obnoxiously sincere smile at the two, which he couldn’t quite ignore. His attention returned to the creature, as he genuinely wanted to know what kind of sorcery she was using to read him so accurately, his expression not betraying the fact that he was growing invested in her answer Or at least, he most certainly hoped it didn’t.       
 
[@Ace of flames01]