&Â Â GENEVIEVE LENOIRÂ â:
â a bold choice. â irritating as it was, she found this line of conversation distinctly more appealing than if she had attempted to be sickeningly polite â â and it didnât hurt that darcy had wit to her. she wondered what it might take for this interaction to turn, what remark might sour their moods to the point of no return. who would say it? did she even want them to? the fact that it was even a question was answer enough. but why? the thought crossed her mind so briefly that she might have missed it, were it not for the sharp roil of her stomach. it was almost a relief that darcy went on.
genevieve snorted. â the rewards? â it even felt ridiculous on her tongue. â does this mean that you, darcy, would somehow benefit from me pestering you? or rather, interrupting your life whenever the mood strikes? i would have thought you of all people would have realized by now how dangerous it is to permit me to take heed of my whims. â quite a few individuals had come to regret that decision, notably those who gave away their trust too liberally. but that wasnât the case here, it seemed. her kind was trained to detect unease, seeking out the faintest trace and capitalizing upon it, tendrils corrupting all they touched with something to be feared. minute as it was, she couldnât help but see the anxiety behind darcyâs gaze. â iâll take it. â perhaps her smile was a bit too wide, not quite threatening but straddling the line between benignity and malevolence. â youâre right, the ability to come and go as i please is appealing. i would say that you can expect a visit, though that would defeat the purpose. â
ââââââââââââââââââ â⌠➠âŚâ ââââââââââââââââââ
THE BENEFIT , OF COURSE , was that if genevieve was pestering her she wouldnât be getting up to anything else that could potentially disrupt the careful balance this realm had slipped into. it wasnât a guarantee, of course, but --- time management , and all that. ( which wasnât to speak of the fact that she genuinely would not mind the vampireâs presence ; might enjoy it, even, considering her whims had a tendency to be either challenging or fun. or both . ) neither of these reasons were something darcy would readily admit to, though, so the witch merely shrugged, a corner of her lips turning up.  â have you never considered that your interruptions might be beneficial? â she needled instead, playing over her genuine appreciation.  â whatever little thrill it provides helps to keep me on my toes. â
despite her teasing tone, though, it might have shown through that she was actually  looking forward to such a visit, so a change of topic was needed --- quickly . darcyâs gaze skipped through the room, attempting to find something to comment on, but truth be told --- everything looked almost ordinary ; or it would, had she not known who was living there. a light chuckle escaped her, then.  â you know, i would have said seeing how normal people live might do you some good, but ... this place is pretty neat. â she looked back at genevieve before adding.  â did you pick this for convenience, or to deliberately counter expectations ? â