11-03-2017, 01:51 PM
Beautiful men had never been Nythadri's preference; not that she could not appreciate them as an observer, and Blake was certainly worth looking at. Attention that had momentarily strayed while waiting for the door to open reignited in recognition of that beauty, and she smiled in return as any woman might. Though, with Nythadri, there was always something wry to that smile, like the expression were not so simple as genuine pleasure. In this case Blakeahle Darwyn's perfect Andoran features and the legacy of his bloodline cut a sting of memory. The Darwyn's had been amongst the pinnacles of her father's starry eyes... and inevitably the adulation cast up to those lofty Houses had always prejudiced her against them. Past was past, of course, especially when that past was before the Tower - and not that Warders were ordinary men by any stretch - but she could sense the confident noble bearing beneath him. And it reminded her of people in her past she would rather forget.
He smiles like that because he expects a reaction? A man who knew the power of his smile; she had never found that charming, and maybe the desperate height of her father's ambitions cut her opinion like glass. Her base urge was to dislike him purely because he was an Andoran Lord, and a Darwyn at that, and her wryness stemmed from recognition at how easily she moved to judge on old prejudices. Though neither did she rebuff the attention. No matter how brief or ingenuous, it was still a pleasant distraction. Idly she wondered if her reputation had preceded her; if Lythia had intended her stunning warder to answer the knock because of it. But whether or not that was the case, she dipped into a polite deference touched by her customary droll amusement for such pointless pleasantries. "Greetings, gaidin. I have an appointment with Lythia Sedai."
He smiles like that because he expects a reaction? A man who knew the power of his smile; she had never found that charming, and maybe the desperate height of her father's ambitions cut her opinion like glass. Her base urge was to dislike him purely because he was an Andoran Lord, and a Darwyn at that, and her wryness stemmed from recognition at how easily she moved to judge on old prejudices. Though neither did she rebuff the attention. No matter how brief or ingenuous, it was still a pleasant distraction. Idly she wondered if her reputation had preceded her; if Lythia had intended her stunning warder to answer the knock because of it. But whether or not that was the case, she dipped into a polite deference touched by her customary droll amusement for such pointless pleasantries. "Greetings, gaidin. I have an appointment with Lythia Sedai."