It turned out that terrorising his sister’s debutante friends was thirsty work, so Kristoffer paused on his progress from one games table to another to solicit yet another cocktail –
Except this was not quite how he’d wanted to receive it, thank you, in the form of a drink practically thrown at his chest. With a sharp intake of breath and a muttered curse of bloody—, even Kristoffer’s attempt to be furious about his now sopping clothes was impeded by the young woman tumbling right after it. She’d whirled so fast and was already so close that catching her in his arms was about the only way to possibly stop her – Kristoffer staggered backwards a pace in surprise, but managed to just about keep them both upright by grasping at her. There was little enough use in bothering to try and hold her back at arm’s length, he thought darkly, when they were both already as damp as each other.
When he looked down at her with a scowl, he found a face he recognised though hadn’t seen in person in quite some time. “Seven years of schooling and you still don’t know how to look where you’re going, Miss Dashwood?” And she was a Ravenclaw – Gretchen’s age, wasn’t she? As he calculated this, Kris brushed a hand down his chest to take stock of the damage she’d done, before he narrowed his eyes at the girl again. “I pity the state of the world when you debut.”
Except this was not quite how he’d wanted to receive it, thank you, in the form of a drink practically thrown at his chest. With a sharp intake of breath and a muttered curse of bloody—, even Kristoffer’s attempt to be furious about his now sopping clothes was impeded by the young woman tumbling right after it. She’d whirled so fast and was already so close that catching her in his arms was about the only way to possibly stop her – Kristoffer staggered backwards a pace in surprise, but managed to just about keep them both upright by grasping at her. There was little enough use in bothering to try and hold her back at arm’s length, he thought darkly, when they were both already as damp as each other.
When he looked down at her with a scowl, he found a face he recognised though hadn’t seen in person in quite some time. “Seven years of schooling and you still don’t know how to look where you’re going, Miss Dashwood?” And she was a Ravenclaw – Gretchen’s age, wasn’t she? As he calculated this, Kris brushed a hand down his chest to take stock of the damage she’d done, before he narrowed his eyes at the girl again. “I pity the state of the world when you debut.”
