"Reporting Back"

[Reeves]

Good manners took over, and Damien retracted his feet from the table and sat up straight before making proper conversation. It was an expected reaction, but something else about his demeanor didn't match. It wasn't something so easily ascertained like a facial expression or his tone, it seemed entirely like an instinctive reaction - something that would cause Hester an uncanny sense of discomfort. Damien was visibly, tonally, and behaviorally his usual self - but he also wasn't. The mind disliked this dichotomy but could nothing to dispel it - it would have to be endured or ignored through force of will.

"Aside from my brush with death a few years ago I've been well. There's always a lot going on to keep me busy. I suspect you have lots of questions and have heard a lot already?"

His eyes sharpened their gaze, as if either expecting protest or a slew of questions he had already eluded to. It was a silent prompt that told Hester to speak her mind and not mince words. And more importantly, it was an implicit guarantee that Damien would be displeased if she did not.