Elizabeth
Now he had her.
Elizabeth suddenly felt that she didn't have nearly enough alcohol in her system for this - for the way Iskra's eyes seemed to pin her in place, looking like he knew way too much for her liking and was enjoying every second of her embarrassment. It made her heart tumble down an errant path of leaps and slippery slopes, rattling against her chest as it seemed to prioritize the blood to her cheeks over her brain.
She practically squeaked at the question, baffled that he would ask, her mouth nearly hanging slack. "My opinion?" Of course he wanted her opinion. She had just gone on and on about people and motives and relationships and finding it all so fascinating, so why wouldn't he think that she'd considered all of these things? The only problem was that it was very hard to think through what logics she'd come up with when Iskra was talking about all the ways women might act them out while his smile had her breath catching in her chest.
"I-I don't think - I mean - I-I I'm not sure - Maybe - " Her teeth bit her lip against the onslaught of broken phrases. Elizabeth couldn't seem to properly start or finish a single simple sentence or idea without being extremely obvious that she had thought about such things - and that she was absolutely the best person to ask due to profession and personal experience. But this wasn't something she'd ever spoken about aloud before, and she couldn't seem to school her expression like she might have if they were still talking about the very respectable establishments of brothels. Her hands fidgeted with the white silk of her blouse sleeves, unsure what to do with them or why she couldn't find a comfortable way to sit in her chair, her weight shifting and legs adjusting as if she might find some kind of relief from her humiliation.
Finally covering her face with her hands in surrender, she let out a mortified laugh. Her slender hands did nothing to hide the cherry red stain of her cheeks, or the fact that it had spread to her ears and down her neck, tingling with reminder of her own dirty mind. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair like it might somehow make her small enough to disappear, or that a little distance from Iskra might give her enough air to cool the burning. It helped a little that she couldn't see him through her hands for a moment, a low sound like a mix between a squeal and a groan slipped through her lips as she was finally able to make words. "Oh my gosh. Please stop talking." When she peeked through her fingers at him, the humiliation in the brown of her eyes was enough to say, 'Or I might combust on the spot.'
Elizabeth suddenly felt that she didn't have nearly enough alcohol in her system for this - for the way Iskra's eyes seemed to pin her in place, looking like he knew way too much for her liking and was enjoying every second of her embarrassment. It made her heart tumble down an errant path of leaps and slippery slopes, rattling against her chest as it seemed to prioritize the blood to her cheeks over her brain.
She practically squeaked at the question, baffled that he would ask, her mouth nearly hanging slack. "My opinion?" Of course he wanted her opinion. She had just gone on and on about people and motives and relationships and finding it all so fascinating, so why wouldn't he think that she'd considered all of these things? The only problem was that it was very hard to think through what logics she'd come up with when Iskra was talking about all the ways women might act them out while his smile had her breath catching in her chest.
"I-I don't think - I mean - I-I I'm not sure - Maybe - " Her teeth bit her lip against the onslaught of broken phrases. Elizabeth couldn't seem to properly start or finish a single simple sentence or idea without being extremely obvious that she had thought about such things - and that she was absolutely the best person to ask due to profession and personal experience. But this wasn't something she'd ever spoken about aloud before, and she couldn't seem to school her expression like she might have if they were still talking about the very respectable establishments of brothels. Her hands fidgeted with the white silk of her blouse sleeves, unsure what to do with them or why she couldn't find a comfortable way to sit in her chair, her weight shifting and legs adjusting as if she might find some kind of relief from her humiliation.
Finally covering her face with her hands in surrender, she let out a mortified laugh. Her slender hands did nothing to hide the cherry red stain of her cheeks, or the fact that it had spread to her ears and down her neck, tingling with reminder of her own dirty mind. Elizabeth leaned back in her chair like it might somehow make her small enough to disappear, or that a little distance from Iskra might give her enough air to cool the burning. It helped a little that she couldn't see him through her hands for a moment, a low sound like a mix between a squeal and a groan slipped through her lips as she was finally able to make words. "Oh my gosh. Please stop talking." When she peeked through her fingers at him, the humiliation in the brown of her eyes was enough to say, 'Or I might combust on the spot.'
Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.
and find there pearls beyond price.
