The first thought Quinn had when the woman saw them, screamed, and dropped her things was not uncertainty or excitement at being seen by the civilians that were even now gathering around the two of them. It was not fear on how people in the Ange would see her, how hostile they would be after the [i]multiple[/i] international headaches Quinn had personally caused them. It wasn't in fact anything related to piloting or politics at all. Her first thought, superseding all of it, was: [i][color=ffe63d]that sounded expensive.[/color][/i] She winced sympathetically, before that one shriek morphed into another, then another, then a whole crowd of people surrounding them in a blur.

For just a heart-stopping moment when the crowd gathered and the shouting started, Quinn tensed up and—forgetting just for the briefeest moment where she was and who she was with—shied back, hiding behind Cyril like she usually did Dahlia, face writ with trepidation.

Then a moment later when she realized the shouts were [i]encouraging[/i] and not [i]disparaging,[/i] she realized what she'd done and returned the gap between the two to normal in time for Cyril to dart off to shake someone's hand, a flush coloring her face. After the fear and shock wore off, a different yet familiar expression came to her face, one she'd worn more than usual today: stunned bewilderment, as the crowd around her [i]cheered her name[/i]. As if from a long way away, a voice echoed back through her head: [i][color=ffe63d]Casoban might not like her because of her association with me, but...what would she ever have to gain from that?[/color][/i] Didn't Casoban have a grudge on her because of the whole Roaki thing? Why were they cheering for her like she really [i]was[/i] CSC and not just on loan?

It didn't make sense, she thought, lifting a hand towards the crowd in an almost dazed wave, hearing the excitement swell as she and Cyril continued walking around the periphery, in view of the fountain. Quinn found herself peering at it as they walked, trying to make out the details of its the elaborate carvings, such a far cry from the umbrella tree back on the Aerie. It was a bit too far away for Quinn to make it out in its entirety as much as she tried, but she resolved to go back and give it a proper examination after lunch. It looked gorgeous, even from this far away.

The crowd followed them—in a reduced state, of course—until they reached Lumière d’Or, Cyril shared a few words with the hostess, and they plunged inside. Quinn exhaled right along with Cyril, suddenly aware that she [i]had[/i] been holding her breath for almost a minute now, and placed a hand on her chest as it grew mercifully quiet. They wended their way through the luxurious interior, Quinn's eye wide as a full moon as she took in the sheer fanciness of the place. Never had she seen anything quite like this. Not in real life. The tree holograms held it the most, even distracting her from the people that watched them as they moved.

When they finally sat, Quinn let slip a relaxed sigh. The relief didn't last for long, however; before she even opened the menu, the was blindsided by a place setting the likes of which she'd never seen. Three plates. Three forks. Three spoons and three cups. Two knives. She blinked at it, reaching out a tentative hand and fiddling with them like they were going to bite her. So intent was she in her examination that when Cyril started talking again, she jumped and made a soft [i]eep[/i] of alarm before smoothing herself down again. Following his example, she opened the menu, cracking a smile as he mentioned wanting to try everything. Maybe she'd follow his example; there were more restaurants on the Ange, she was sure, than she could even imagine.

When bread and "bruschetta" were brought to the table, she took a slice and nibbled on it as Cyril talked. A lot. She waited until he was finished before she swallowed the mouthful of bread, garlic and tomato and replied, embarrassed and pleased and uncomfortable at how much he seemed to think of her, and still in some variety of shock at how much people seemed to [i]like[/i] her. So her reply was probably not [i]exactly[/i] what he'd been looking for:

"[color=ffe63d]The crowd out there, I, um...I thought Casoban hated me?[/color]"