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Hands had smoothed out the front of her dress and came to pause over her thighs. It was there that her fingers curled to grip the fabric lightly, a foot lifting to hover over the calm surface. She had just begun to inch the fabric up higher with the intent to remove it.

Ezo had made his presence known at just the right time, the dress coming to a hault just above her knees. Christabel's sapphire gaze drifted toward the sound of the voice, one that was not unpleasant, belonging to a fellow that was none too hard on the eyes. What brought a handsome stranger all the way out here?

"Oh? Do I look in need of being soothed?" The vampiress pulled her foot back before a single toe had the chance to touch the chilled surface. She took a few steps away from the water's edge but did not draw any closer to the mystery man. Not everyone could be kind and while she was not entirely defenseless, she would prefer to slip away rather than brawl.

The female found her ears twitching at the sound of his voice, which was nothing shy of pleasant even from a distance. The compliment to her face would have had her blushing, if she were capable and if it had not roused suspicion. One could never be too careful when dealing with other vampires.

Chris' oceanic colored gaze swept over Ezo from head to toe and back up again. Depending on how long he had been watching her, there would be no use in attempting to cover up whatever mood had already been written on her features. Just how long had he been watching?

The question nagged at the vampire but she banished it to the back of her mind. This could be a very poor decision on her part but as he drew near, so did she. "Warm water does sound awfully tempting..." Her head canted to the left while that charming smile made her stop walking forward. Talk about a pretty face... he had certainly not been beaten with an ugly stick as a child.

'Handsome does not mean safe,' the sound of her own voice mentally scolding herself broke Christabel from whatever temporary trance she had fallen into. He had certainly piqued her interest. "Would I be correct in assuming that you would be joining me?"

Christabel had been silently weighing her options, gaze openly scanning over the man once more. Had been, until her brain met with a brick wall when her hand was taken and kissed. She was accustomed to the polite facade of her mother and found it strange that his words did not drip with venom behind them.

This was not merely polite. He was behaving as a gentleman. He oozed charm rather than malicious intent and it was enough to make her feel the slightest bit bashful. It was expressed in the way her head turned slightly to the side, finding a bush to fixate her gaze on for a moment.

Looking at him while his thumb brushed over her knuckles was not a good idea. She had seen men work their charm before. Her father did so often whenever someone snapped his attention towards them. The poor souls...

Was she to be a poor soul, too? Chris did not pull her hand free, taking only the smallest step forward. Those deep pools of blue glanced up at him through a thick veil of dark lashes. Her voice came out a touch shy, but warm and inviting. "It would be rude to deny pleasant company. If you should desire to join me, I would not be opposed. Company as pleasant as yours is not unwelcomed."

She paused, having an after thought and the courtesy to offer the man an out. He could have better things to be doing with his time. "Though... if you have prior arrangements to get to, perhaps escorting me there would not be too much trouble?"

The vampire had never paid much mind to men, or women for that matter. At least not in a sense that would have her feeling shy. This was her first experience with that and the way that he looked at her made her heart feel as if it were pounding. Which were odd, considering most days she forgot it was there to begin with. "I was very nearly worried you might say no," Christabel spoke with a soft laugh, attempting to make a little joke to lighten the mood. Not that it were heavy or dark, just that she felt nervous. Which was another new thing. She worked as a hostess at the Sin Bin, since when did her nerves become so jumpy?

Normally she would find herself agitated at her own behavior but not today, apparently. Or rather, not in his company? Chris did not argue when he guided her petite hand to the crook of his notably strong arm. Curious fingers pressed lightly into his flesh and fur. What was the matter with her? It was not like her to succumb so easily to charm. Was he just that charming, a step above the rest? The momentary silence had allowed her to tumble deeply into her own thoughts. It was something she was prone to doing; living inside of her head too much. That was where she tended to be most comfortable, left alone with her private thoughts and musings, keeping the rest of the world firmly at a safe distance. Such was the life of a Clanless that did not even have permission to reside within their parent Clan.

"Hmm?" The hum with which she replied when the sound of his voice tickled her ears and pulled her abruptly from her thoughts, was soft and warm. "Oh... nothing of importance. I tend to wander." 'Because you have no home.' the thought finished out in her head as a bitter reminder. Christabel stamped her thoughts down and pleaded with her mind for it to be quiet, just for a little while longer so that she may enjoy conversation rather than her usual of being paid to pretend to enjoy it. "What brings a handsome gentleman to the middle of nowhere in the dead of night, hmm?" The vampire blinked, using her free hand to tuck a few strands of silken black curls behind her ear. Excuse me? Did she just attempt to flirt? Christabel Tussaud did not flirt! Perhaps she had fed from a poor food source and it was causing her to experience a strange illness? Yes. She would go with that.

Christabel only smiled in response to his musing over how someone would turn down an evening with her. Either he was being honest that it was a difficult concept for him to grasp or he was stating what he thought she wanted to hear; it was nice, regardless. It seemed quite easy for others to turn away her company though if she were being honest, they were primarily of her mother's Clan. Anastasia had influence and underlings would be foolish to get on her bad side.

Her father was around but he had not been very... fatherly. He still was not, seemed to lack a certain... quality. The ability to bond to her and her brother, though he was not unkind and did not turn away her visits. Kieran was just about the only one that had genuinely enjoyed her company but her brother had eventually found a mate of his own and spent significantly less time with her. It was understandable.

"Ah, a meal... quite a suitable reason to be out so late." As if they would be out 'early', it was a whimsical little thought that made her smile, having amused herself. "I am glad I wandered this way as well or this night would have been dreadfully boring and lonely." He was being a pleasant distraction to her depressing thoughts. He was handsome, and charming, and did... did she mention handsome and charming? If she were any other woman she would have likely been swooning by now. The night was still young, there was still time to swoon.

"Will this night be full of some of those delights?" The question wasn't intended to be naughty. Christabel was not sure what all the delights of the world were as most of her life had been spent being hidden in her mother's shadow and shamed for being such a disappointment. Was the delights he spoke of the sort that her mother surrounded herself with? Fancy and expensive things?

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head at herself. He couldn't be talking about that sort. Those were the luxuries of life and she did not find them so enticing. Such things turned people ugly. Hideous, in fact. Rotten to their core, valuing material items over living beings. Or unliving, depending on how one preferred to look at the facts.

Christabel turned her head towards him and quirked a brow curiously when he lifted her hand from the crook of his arm. The brush of lips was not expected, and she gasped. Soft and subtle but a gasp none the less. His lips were... soft. Her oceans of blue widened before she turned her head away and allowed her hair to fall like a curtain of privacy. A strange thought had crept into the back of her mind, of what this dangerously handsome vampire's lips might feel like against her own.

Knock it off, Christabel Tussaud! This was a nice gentleman, just doing gentleman things! She didn't need to have such thoughts and turn the idea of going into a hotsprings together wildly awkward.