She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks again as he indulged her and directed his attention towards the table where Bastien had last been. Thank Merlin he didn’t think her crazy for talking to to a Diricawl at a society event! However, oddly enough, despite all the anxiety she felt over what he might have thought about her actions - despite the fact that her heart seemed to be fluttering madly in her chest, Amelia (for the first time in her life) didn’t feel...flighty around Mr. Fisk. The way he stood so confidently and the way he spoke to her, it was as if nothing could go wrong when she was with him. How odd, Amelia mused as she regarded him with what could only be described as an affectionate gaze (thank Merlin she had a mask to disguise such a transparent expression), that they should spend as little time with each other as they had, but still feel this way. If she’s been told this a year ago, she’d have thought it impossible.

Her expression faltered slightly at his acknowledgment of her trousers and she subconsciously shuffled her feet again. “Ah!” she exclaimed, her cheeks rosy as she glanced down at her outfit and then back up at him. The fact that he’d expressly told her he’d rather be looking at her flew straight over her head while she fretted that he’d disapprove now that he’d seen what she was wearing. “Yes, well...” She stammered. “It’s just, my best friend Eavan MacKay - she’s my colleague you see....” How in Merlin’s name was she going to explain to him they’d worn trousers as a form of protest? Would he be insulted? Surely he wouldn’t think she’d expected to see him here and sought to offend him with her outfit. Her stomach slowly constricted as a knot of anxiety formed.

“We’d not been expecting an invitation and -“ In her struggle to find the words to explain her outfit to him, she’d completely forgotten about the animal she’d been looking for. Of course, Bastien hadn’t forgotten about his play pal and was quite indignant as he poked his head out from underneath the table to find Amelia faced away from him and talking to a man! With another squawk, he flapped his wings and barreled toward the witch, head butting her at the back of the knees.

Amelia let out a yelp of surprise as her legs gave out and she was knocked into Konstantin. She was left with no other choice but to cling to him as the blasted Diricawl hopped out from underneath the table, warbling in delight.