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Lucielle squinted, her brow narrowing as she craned her head up to look at him. He was phlegmatic- not a trace of any discernable emotion on his face. Maybe perturbance? Irritation? It was hard to read his face at the best of times, and he was keeping it intentionally vague.
She wouldn't let his seemingly stoic demeanor get to her, however. She'd only seen a total of three emotions on him- rage, desperation and numbness. She wasn't sure she'd even seen him so much as smile.
Her finger met his chest, twisting the hide with the tip. She bounced it a few times to emphasize each word.
"Don't look at me like that." She growled, her fake accent wavering slightly. His look darkened as their eyes met. His weight shifted as he stepped away. Still- Lucielle found - He didn't look angry. That was what unnerved her.
"Do you think I don't notice?" She spat. "The way you look at me."
Laine remained unmoved. He didn't think he looked at Lucielle any differently than anyone else. He still didn't appreciate her finger jabbing towards him accusatorily.
"You think I'm irresponsible, don't you- you're thinking I'm some awful mother- aren't you?!" Laine still didn't respond. He did think it wasnt wise to have her children with her- at least briefly. But he never said it. Her painted nail met his chest again: something he did not appreciate.
He grabbed her wrist- careful not to hurt her, but to pry it away. She let it rest by her side, anger settling for a moment.
"Do you think I wanted this?" Her voice wobbled more. Her hands rolled into fists, and her gaze on her feet. "To raise my kids around criminals and debtors?! I had a life before this, ya'know!?"
Lucielle was getting angry now. Angrier than she liked. She never had a proper cap on her emotions, and they had a tendency to fly off the rails.
Laine, however, stepped past her. He never really had any particular good or bad feelings about her, but the conversation was going nowhere. Was all she going to do yell?
"I don't doubt that." His voice remained as flat as his face. No hint of any particular emotion.
It seemed he'd picked the wrong words. Or perhaps Lucielle was waiting for him to say something so she could get madder. But whatever it was, she looked furious.
Who did Laine think he was? Spitting sarcasm over her? Could he ever take something serious, or did he always have to keep this aura of numbness? Lucielle gritted her teeth, spitting as she tore into him.
"Yo-You're so damn arrogant! Thinking you're so great, and-"
Laine didn't think he was that great.
"All smart. If it wasn't for me, you'd could have your tongue stuck to James' shoes right now! And maybe you should, if this is the thanks I get! Maybe then you wouldn't've fucked us over back in Wa- but yo-you just couldn't keep your mouth shut- could you!?" Lucielle shouted, watching as Laine opened his mouth- then closed it. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed spit. It had struck a nerve.
Laine's mind raced. What would she, by all regards a disgraced princess, know about what it felt like? To have your homeland and traditions ripped in embers from you? Was he supposed to watch it happen again with a smile on his face? Her entire childhood was being surrounded by luxury and goods the likes of which he'd never so much as smelt. And here she was, lecturing him about how he was supposed to feel? Was this really about "How he looked at her", or was she just letting her pent up rage out?
He didn't like how she looked at him. Like he was some ill-behaved child. Yet she stood in front of him, throwing a tantrum over how he so much as looked at her.
Lucielle took a moment to catch her breath again, trying not to cry. This went unnoticed.
Laine shifted his feet and his mouth dried.
Lucielle watched him turn his head back to look at her, piercing green eye meeting hers.
"What would you know?"