[ She pours, watching the bubbles through her long lashes, delighted by how quick they fill, the physics of it all, how the angle of the glass slows their rise, the way little grooves in the flutes seem specially designed to create the fizzing trails in champagne. An inventor and a young girl both, distracted by the unfamiliar luxuries of this world until he nuzzles close. She giggles all over again, pleased by the attention.

That’s new, too. The freedom with which he reaches for her after holding back for so long. He always looked, she knows, but she only caught him in the act a few times. And she so prefers this, his attention narrowed to the point of her. There’s my girl, better than any song, spilling from the warmth of his mouth. ]

Hm. [ considering how much she wants to play — to tease — as she kitten licks champagne from her fingertips. ] Bet you can remember everything important without any notes, smart guy.

[ She sips her drink, grin barely obscured by the slim glass. ]

So long as you pay close attention.

[ Unable (unwilling) to keep herself from reaching for him any longer, catching his collar between her thumb and forefinger to tug him closer. He is handsome, after all, delicate-yet-rugged the same way she’s fragile-yet-vicious. Contrarian. Complex. She likes him so much, it makes her heart fill to bursting. ]

— Congrats, daddy.

[ Quick as the cock of her head, the knowing flash in her violet eyes, before she kisses him. ]