After his question, he turned leaning slightly against the side board with his tumbler in hand. The finger or so of whiskey that he'd poured swished idly as his hand moved in a slow, rhythmic circle. At her request, he nodded and his free hand motioned at the bell pull on the wall behind his desk. He held up his hand in a gesture bidding the lady's patience as he walked to the door. A moment later, a servant was moving down the hall.
"Tea service, please." he said before the servant was close enough to see into the office. "You may leave it here, when you bring it." He gestured beside the door and the servant bowed and hurried back down the stairs. If his new acquaintance had gone through the trouble to sneak in, it would feel a bit rude to ruin all the effort by letting her be seen.
"You'll pardon the wait, I hope." he said, turning back around. Then, noticing the dimness of the office, waved his hand again and flames darted from the stove to the lamp on his desk and another on the sideboard. "There." he said, a satisfied smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. Closing the office door he moved to his desk, leaning against the front edge of it and crossing his free hand across his torso. "How might I be of service?"
To her credit, the lady kept a rather straight face. There were, of course, the usual cues of one not quite comfortable in their environment -eyes that darted a bit more rapidly, settling and resettling the fabric of one's clothing, a slight increase in breathing- but she schooled these well enough that this might have just been her first time in this room... which it was. If she felt truly nervous, Enzo would have to dip into magic to read it.
A slight sigh of a laugh escaped him at her first statement, then his mouth closed and his eyebrows raised at the one about her brother. That was something that would send the gossip scene into a tizzy. But he could hardly take the time to ponder on what it revealed because the young lady sitting in his office needed help... finding a husband? Was her mother unwell? Had she no aunts? Surely her father would-
“By my observations, Lord Pavus, you are my best option.”
He did laugh then. The single note of it escaped him before he could stop it. He snapped his jaw shut after, but it hung in the air between them. He smiled, his expression twisting it to show he had not meant to laugh at her. It was just... well, it was ridiculous, was it not? Old Ignacious would never agree. He'd not cared for House Pavus before Dorian, let alone now. He had a mind to tell her just as much when...
“And I know I am yours.”
His eyes focused on hers as his back straightened slightly, the smile melting from his lips. Now he was tempted to reach into her mind. What was this? A joke? His brows furrowed as he watched her. Very little changed in her demeanor after delivering her... was it a proposal, then? But he could not be sure that lack of change meant sincerity. And if she were sincere, why the hells would she approach him in this manner?
Because she is correct. And you are beneath her.
A knock on the door was enough to pull Enzo's mind away from a row with Envy, for the time being. He glanced to the door, then back at Isabeau. Taking a short sip from his tumbler, Enzo set it down. Breaking his eye contact with the woman, he turned and walked to the door. Retrieving the tray from the hall, he brought it in and set it on the low table in front of the couch. He then quickly lifted the pot and tipped the spout over one of the cups to fill it. His eyes glanced up to hers again, brows rising in silent question as to her preferences for milk, sugar, or honey.
"Forgive me, Miss Icarius, for I am no expert on the matter but... this seems a rather odd way to go about procuring a husband." he said, finishing the tea to her liking and handing it to her. He stood, crossing back to lean against his desk once more. He was a bit out of his element here, unused to such direct bluntness from a lady. "I think we both know that your family would not approve of this course of action." He lifted his tumbler but held it to his chest rather than drink from it. "Or of me, since we're being brutally honest." he chuckled.
There were, of course, few choices amongst the Altus houses. But she was not the Icarius heir. Had her family considered from the lower houses? Had she refused such prospects? With the younger son cut off, there was more pressure to keep her match to someone of status he supposed. But Obsidian or Calidus had children to spare. And then... why was she not already married? Was she at her last resort not to bend to the will of her parents?
"Is this some sort of rebellion?"
@Isabeau Icarius
"Tea service, please." he said before the servant was close enough to see into the office. "You may leave it here, when you bring it." He gestured beside the door and the servant bowed and hurried back down the stairs. If his new acquaintance had gone through the trouble to sneak in, it would feel a bit rude to ruin all the effort by letting her be seen.
"You'll pardon the wait, I hope." he said, turning back around. Then, noticing the dimness of the office, waved his hand again and flames darted from the stove to the lamp on his desk and another on the sideboard. "There." he said, a satisfied smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. Closing the office door he moved to his desk, leaning against the front edge of it and crossing his free hand across his torso. "How might I be of service?"
To her credit, the lady kept a rather straight face. There were, of course, the usual cues of one not quite comfortable in their environment -eyes that darted a bit more rapidly, settling and resettling the fabric of one's clothing, a slight increase in breathing- but she schooled these well enough that this might have just been her first time in this room... which it was. If she felt truly nervous, Enzo would have to dip into magic to read it.
A slight sigh of a laugh escaped him at her first statement, then his mouth closed and his eyebrows raised at the one about her brother. That was something that would send the gossip scene into a tizzy. But he could hardly take the time to ponder on what it revealed because the young lady sitting in his office needed help... finding a husband? Was her mother unwell? Had she no aunts? Surely her father would-
“By my observations, Lord Pavus, you are my best option.”
He did laugh then. The single note of it escaped him before he could stop it. He snapped his jaw shut after, but it hung in the air between them. He smiled, his expression twisting it to show he had not meant to laugh at her. It was just... well, it was ridiculous, was it not? Old Ignacious would never agree. He'd not cared for House Pavus before Dorian, let alone now. He had a mind to tell her just as much when...
“And I know I am yours.”
His eyes focused on hers as his back straightened slightly, the smile melting from his lips. Now he was tempted to reach into her mind. What was this? A joke? His brows furrowed as he watched her. Very little changed in her demeanor after delivering her... was it a proposal, then? But he could not be sure that lack of change meant sincerity. And if she were sincere, why the hells would she approach him in this manner?
Because she is correct. And you are beneath her.
A knock on the door was enough to pull Enzo's mind away from a row with Envy, for the time being. He glanced to the door, then back at Isabeau. Taking a short sip from his tumbler, Enzo set it down. Breaking his eye contact with the woman, he turned and walked to the door. Retrieving the tray from the hall, he brought it in and set it on the low table in front of the couch. He then quickly lifted the pot and tipped the spout over one of the cups to fill it. His eyes glanced up to hers again, brows rising in silent question as to her preferences for milk, sugar, or honey.
"Forgive me, Miss Icarius, for I am no expert on the matter but... this seems a rather odd way to go about procuring a husband." he said, finishing the tea to her liking and handing it to her. He stood, crossing back to lean against his desk once more. He was a bit out of his element here, unused to such direct bluntness from a lady. "I think we both know that your family would not approve of this course of action." He lifted his tumbler but held it to his chest rather than drink from it. "Or of me, since we're being brutally honest." he chuckled.
There were, of course, few choices amongst the Altus houses. But she was not the Icarius heir. Had her family considered from the lower houses? Had she refused such prospects? With the younger son cut off, there was more pressure to keep her match to someone of status he supposed. But Obsidian or Calidus had children to spare. And then... why was she not already married? Was she at her last resort not to bend to the will of her parents?
"Is this some sort of rebellion?"
@Isabeau Icarius
02-24-2025, 07:51 PM
