He shot occasional glances in her direction, momentarily distracted by the collection of books which he ran his fingers over. Stopping randomly on one of the leather-bounds, he pulled it free and raised it to his nose, as if to enjoy the smell of an aged book. But he realized he couldn't - not with the mask on. With a little awkwardness at that realization, he placed the book back where it belonged and turned to face Sarita directly. "Fine. I'll drop the act if you will." Damien asserted those words by pointing a finger at nothing in particular, possibly just the floor where she was standing, it signified absolutely nothing and was done simply because it felt appropriate under the circumstances.
That apprehension from before was replaced by anticipation now. It was genuine, conveyed by both simple body language and the look in his eyes. At the forefront of this new demeanor was curiosity. What was her endgame for behaving frankly? To have him drop his guard? Achieve some agenda? Or was it simply a matter of choice? He hoped she'd supply truth to dispel all the doubt. But if she didn't then he'd hardly be surprised given the nature of her kind.
