He echoed her laugh, an automatic response more than a conscious one, because there wasn’t much heart in it. She had laughed though, which Tybalt supposed he could chalk up as a success. It had always been a surefire tactic, that: wear people down with humour until they gave in and started to like you.
He supposed tactics of that had even worked on Elsie eventually. But there he was again, thinking about her the more he told himself not to, the more time passed, the more he told himself to move on. He’d slipped up enough that Miss Delaney here - who had no cause to care for him, and no real knowledge of him to read him so easily as this - had noticed it, because the next thing she said could almost be classified as nice.
Tybalt did a double-take. To her credit, he lapsed again into a grin. He didn’t believe her a jot, and she probably didn’t believe it either, but it had been kind of her to say something, kind enough that anyone might imagine, for a passing second, that he was not doomed to end up alone.
It might, however, be time to change the subject, and stop mulling on downbeat causes. “Why, I’ll drink to that,” he declared brightly, and mock-lifted his hand in a toast, although he hadn’t gotten far enough after the tree to get himself another drink. A good idea, though, to drown his sorrows. “On that note, anything I can get you?” Tybalt added, in his best impression of good manners, since she did not seem to have one, either. He’d fetch her something as an apology drink if she acquiesced to it. “If you’re not scared I’ll spill it on you, that is,” he added with a teasing eyebrow waggle.
He supposed tactics of that had even worked on Elsie eventually. But there he was again, thinking about her the more he told himself not to, the more time passed, the more he told himself to move on. He’d slipped up enough that Miss Delaney here - who had no cause to care for him, and no real knowledge of him to read him so easily as this - had noticed it, because the next thing she said could almost be classified as nice.
Tybalt did a double-take. To her credit, he lapsed again into a grin. He didn’t believe her a jot, and she probably didn’t believe it either, but it had been kind of her to say something, kind enough that anyone might imagine, for a passing second, that he was not doomed to end up alone.
It might, however, be time to change the subject, and stop mulling on downbeat causes. “Why, I’ll drink to that,” he declared brightly, and mock-lifted his hand in a toast, although he hadn’t gotten far enough after the tree to get himself another drink. A good idea, though, to drown his sorrows. “On that note, anything I can get you?” Tybalt added, in his best impression of good manners, since she did not seem to have one, either. He’d fetch her something as an apology drink if she acquiesced to it. “If you’re not scared I’ll spill it on you, that is,” he added with a teasing eyebrow waggle.
