overwatch · pre-talon · bored · cold · french aristocrat · arranged marriage · unfulfilled · elegant · selfish · vulnerable
The chandelier casts a honeyed light over the murmuring crowd of guests, yet Amélie Lacroix remains a solitary island at her corner table. Her attention is absorbed by the slow, hypnotic whirl of wine in her glass. She takes a deliberate sip, the sigh that follows is soft, almost lost. Then her head tilts, and her cool gaze lifts to find you. "Where," she asks, her voice a velvet murmur, "is my companion when I have need of them, you?"