Evander had been heading the opposite direction when he noticed the man slowing down.
Not unusual in itself. People stopped for all kinds of reasons in the Broken City. Strange architecture. Passing dragons. Arguments that looked like they might become somebody else's problem.
A teal-skinned fae, however, was admittedly less common.
His gaze followed the same figure for a moment before settling on the man who seemed equally distracted by them.
"Dangerous habit."
The words arrived without warning but without hostility, delivered in the same tone someone might use to comment on the weather.
Evander slowed to a stop nearby, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. The evening air was cool enough to be pleasant, carrying the scent of damp earth from the Bayou and woodsmoke from somewhere deeper in the city.
"Staring, I mean," he clarified after a beat, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. "People either think you're interested in them or planning to rob them. Sometimes both."
His gaze drifted briefly back toward the departing fae.
"Though in your defense, they're probably used to it by now."
He shifted his weight, posture relaxed and easy despite the fact that he recognized the face. Not personally. Just enough.
Dagger.
"You look like you're trying to decide whether to keep walking or follow them," Evander observed. "I'm curious which one wins."
Dagger hadn't been expecting anyone to speak to him, let alone for it to be someone that he'd found himself thinking about more often than he cared to admit to himself these days - ridiculous, honestly, given they had spoken exactly one time. The sudden voice made him jump slightly, but he turned a offered a slightly sheepish smile at the male. "I didn't think you ever left the ice." He remarked, but quickly shook his head. "That's stupid though. Ignore that - uh, hi." He fumbled over his words before quickly glancing away from the man and to the teal-skinned fae now wandering into the distance.
"What? No, I'm not going to follow them." Dagger stated with the slightest bit of shock at the suggestion. "I'm not interested in them or going to rob them either." He added quickly, remembering the earlier remark. "What are you doing on this side of town anyway?" He quickly asked, if only so he would quit making a fool of himself.

















