InkSkin

The Look

Alsuha awoke to loud and very distinct knocking on her door. Each knock was a set of three sharp raps in quick succession. By the second knock she had already rolled silently out of bed and had made her way to the bedroom door without making a sound. She glanced over her shoulder to her slit of a window and saw that it was still dark out. She cracked open the door before whoever was on the other side could begin another round of sharp knocks.

"Yes?" she asked as she quickly sized up the man on the other side of her bedroom door.

"Your presence is demanded in today's Court Proceedings."

"All right. Just give me a moment to get dressed." Alsuha found an obstruction which kept her from closing the door.

"Companion?" She pulled the door open once more, trying not to let her irritation show.

"Yes?"

"I am here to make sure that you are presentable."

"And who might you be?" Alsuha asked with an arched brow.

"I am Eyre Syzer," he said with a little fancy bow Alsuha had seen other men give women the flirted with in court. Alsuha became instantly wary.

She eyed him once more. He was all formality and seriousness but there was a suspicious sparkle hidden in the depths of his brown eyes. It winked out as soon as she noticed it that she almost thought she had imagined it. His black over robe was pressed to perfection without a speck of dust or a wrinkle in sight. His light brown hair was slicked back into a tight knot at the top of his head and his dark brown eyes stared back at her with a seriousness that irked her, but she spied that sparkle once more and she couldn't help but think that there was something he was hiding.

"Alright," she said a little hesitantly. Eyre regarded her a moment longer.

"It is customary, at this point in the conversation, to either introduce oneself or invite the newly made acquaintance in and offer some sort of refreshment." Alsuha felt her face fill with heat and the sharp retort she had been about to flay him with died a quick and pain filled death on the tip of her tongue. She settled for glaring at him. It slightly mollified her.

"Now," he said, decidedly moving into the room, "let us have a look at your wardrobe." He hesitated only briefly at the sight of Haku's big form sprawled on one side of the small room. He nodded regally to the Kyummu before he made his way to the small wooden chest at the foot of Alsuha's small bed. Alsuha followed close behind.

"What are you doing?" she asked, horrified as he pulled out one neatly folded outfit after another and discarded them haphazardly over one shoulder.

"Why are you doing that?" she nearly shrieked as she scooped up her clothing one by one. She had to curb the urge to grab his offending hands and twist them behind his back until she heard a satisfying snap.

"None of these will do." Eyre said distractedly as he continued to throw article after article over his shoulder.

"What do you mean? LuSol chose them." she said, as she angrily shook the clothes in her arms at him.

"Prince LuSol."

"That is what I said. He chose them."

"No. What you said was LuSol. You should never address the Prince in so informal a manner." Alsuha snapped her mouth shut and another flush crawled its way up her neck.

"I have always called him by his name, he has never complained."

"Be that as it may, it is unseemly for you to address him so in mixed company."