Sasha glanced toward the dais, hesitating. There were mirrors there. It was not a natural instinct to avoid them, but a learned one. In this modern age of vanity, with a mirror in every shop, every room, and every vehicle, it was getting more impossible to evade awkward situations. Security cameras and phones added to the problem, as they too failed at capturing his image. It was a strange thing. Here he had been, existing all this time without having to constantly worry about his one odd quirk, when the humans had unintentionally gradually been crafting sharper mirrors and imaging devices that would expose him for what he was.

Perhaps it wasn't so unintentional. Charles Darwin's [i]On the Origin of Species[/i] did note that predator and prey constantly evolved to outwit each other, not intentionally but as a fact of biology and survival of the fittest. Humans mastering technology had made them formidable after centuries, and now almost everyone had the ability to document his or her surroundings in crystal clear recordings.

To the right crowds, Sasha stood out like a bright light in a dark room. Fortunately, he doubted that Alice had any special contact with these crowds.

Pocketing his hands, Sasha obeyed her request and walked up toward the mirrors. 

A familiar scent gradually spiced the air as he passed Alice Lynch. Faint, but it was there.

Fear.

Sasha turned his back to the mirror, watching the young tailor girl as she fetched the tools of her trade. The mirth had drained out of his expression as he examined her without feeling, suddenly appearing unbelievably old. He enjoyed her reactions in an academic sense, all the little things. The new stiffness in her movements, that small change in her voice. Humans stood at the top of their food chains now, but hidden deep within them was still the wary simian fearing predation from lions and tigers. Among other things. 

"Is something wrong, Alice?" Sasha folded his arms, as if in defiance of the mirrors behind him, which showed nothing. Despite her request, he left the coat alone. His ploy was over, and he was moving ahead with his strategy. "You seem a little tense."

Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the door. If she made for it, he would have to intervene.