Something Idia has gotten accustomed to in the time he's spent with them both is learning to look back at different moments and realize what information he had been missing. After Cater had kissed him that first time, he looked at Idia with this same sort of uncertainty. Is this alright? Like Idia was some delicate thing that would break apart in his hands if he didn't hold it properly, gently.
A handful of little fleeting moments line themselves up in Idia's mind, the kinds that you'd miss if you blinked. Cater glancing away, changing a topic, talking about himself like he was testing the water. Moving on, moving on, moving on.
Now Idia's wondering if that fleeting look wasn't about him after all. This certainly feels like a delicate thing now.
... Would it be better if he just quit? Took Cater's joke to heart and contented himself on fanfic? Really, he has to be hand-held all the way through these conversations and probably always will. Burdensome is a kind word for what that is.
But, well... Maybe he really has become greedy.]
...
[He huffs a sigh, exhaling that terrible mess of nerves and exhaustion. Idia runs a hand through his hair as he turns his tablet to face Cater.]
what makes you think i don't?
[Geez, now he's not even sure. He's been a failure at this, honestly. Mind too wrapped up in where his hands should be and if he's doing things right. Idia never stopped to consider everything else around it.
Ah... should he say this part? He'll probably regret it. He purses his lips before slowly turning his tablet back again, angling it a bit more toward Cater out of some misguided shyness.]
i know that you try really hard. i've never seen someone try as hard as you just. all the time. with everybody.
...
i liked it when you stayed over and it felt like you weren't trying.
[He covers his face with his hand. Literal instant regret.]
[Cater can't be called shy by any stretch of the word--regardless of what his personality looks like beneath all the forced extroversion and people-pleasing and attention-seeking, he doesn't typically get nervous just at the idea of talking to someone.
But he hadn't at all been prepared for what Idia ends up responding with. He blinks, and his face starts turning a very cute shade of red.
Okay, so maybe Idia was really paying attention. Or started to, at some point. A part of him feels exposed in a way that makes him want to throw up walls, but another part, the better part of him, is less upset than he had been.]
No, you don't need to apologize.
[That didn't feel like enough, though. He hesitates.]
[it's surprising, at first, that Cater voices that feeling of not being known at all. the question gets Leona to lower his hand from his chin, brow raised, tail drawing away from Cater to start swinging in questioning arcs.
but... Idia's response gets such a strange feeling out of Leona, one he wouldn't want to put words to even if he could understand it.
Idia likes the same part of Cater Leona does. a part of Leona feels possessive about it, like a child afraid a special toy is going to be taken from him. but another part feels warm, affirmed, as though Idia is witnessing some great truth with Leona, as though he finally has someone to understand what he's been seeing.
Cater turns red, and Leona starts to smirk despite an almost wistful lift to his brows. it's still a strangely bittersweet feeling.]
[Cater's face blooms red and Idia's follows closely behind. In part because it's embarrassing to express this sort of thing but mostly because it's absolutely unfair how cute he looks. He's cute and Idia's kissed him (with mouth) and that's crazy-making in itself. Has he ever really seen him like this?
In spite of wanting to stare, Cater is a human person who registers and responds when you do so; Idia tugs his gaze away accordingly. Leona cutting in makes that act a lot easier. Being patronized brings his voice back online.]
Cool? [Rolls his eyes.] Yeah, sure, I get it. Now's the time to put me in my place, right? I'm too self-aware to fall for that.
[Cinema Sins Ding.]
A-and what are you doing peeking over at my PMs, huh?? Now that we're all making out, a well-angled tablet means nothing? [SMH] Geez, personal space really is dead...
[Cater gives Leona a slight, playful ribbing with an elbow as he tries to recover from how totally off-kilter Idia's little aside made him.]
Yeesh...you two keep having a back-and-forth like this one and I'm gonna start wondering if this yaoi's toxic.
[He is kidding, and his tone is playful--but really, he was shocked at the mashup. The current dynamic isn't exactly giving him any hints at how all of this might've gone down for them.]
[Leona's eyes narrow at Idia's comment, and he's ready to start choosing some Words for him— but Cater's input makes him grimace.]
Quit givin' him buzzwords. You're gonna set 'im off.
[said as though he hasn't been pulled off his own setting-off by the absurdity of it all. at a more even tone, he returns to his point and addresses Idia's request;]
You don't get to have this conversation without me.
[He was, in fact, on the verge of going off about seme/uke dynamics before Leona cuts in.
Idia shifts in his seat. It's not that he doesn't want to acknowledge Leona. If he didn't like him, he wouldn't be in this situation. Really, he's surprised at how comfortable he's felt around him these past weeks, lounging peacefully side-by-side. Existing in the same space is easier than he thought. No, it's the whole idea of being put on the spot to dredge up that part of himself he has yet to accept on his own. It feels like a nightmare where you're being shoved on stage when you dont know the lines yet.
He's not ready to talk about this. But what else is he supposed to do?]
... Okay, fine. We're talking. I just... don't know what to say.
[This was good! This was progress! Cater was going to make a little quip about how maybe he kind of wanted to let Idia start on a full monologue about the omegaverse--but now really wasn't the time. His body's losing some of that guarded tension, and he gives a thoughtful hum.]
Well...you don't have to lay out all of your thoughts and feelings right now, or anything. But, maybe just, like, are you cool with seeing both of us? I think a "yes" or "no" for that one is kind of the main thing we're looking for, with all this.
[He glances at Leona, then back to Idia again.]
Probably goes without saying, but it's a "yes" from me, fam.
[if Leona had a bit more awareness himself, he might not be being such a hypocrite right now. it's not as though he isn't being guarded himself, or as if he's volunteered any of his own feelings on the matter, as if he expects his very presence here to speak for itself. and he does.
why would he be here, if he didn't want a yes? why would he have bothered with any of this if it didn't matter? all the same, Leona huffs a sigh like he's not part of the problem, mumbling;]
And from me.
Obvs.
[what, like he's not going to make fun of Cater for that move earlier?]
[It's a palpable relief hearing that from Cater. The thought of laying out his feelings was the real difficult the part of this ambush, and knowing that he doesn't have to struggle his way through a sappy confession... Huge if true.
But... what is he supposed to say? Idia can't take his eyes off of them, the way their bodies seem to naturally angle toward each other in that way only people who have been well and truly tangled in each other can be. Real couple stuff. He feels a little stupid, a jealous and anxious mess. They must know that, too.
And they're just cool with him slotting into their puzzle? Encouraging, even?]
Doesn't that seem... too easy?
[He hates that he's the squeaky wheel, but they have to see how this is unrealistic, right? Like, they clearly haven't thought about this. They're perfect and beautiful and have a good thing going already. All well and good for them and bound to be the subject of several late-night fantasies, but Idia can't help but feel like he's spawned in to a high-level server-- completely out of his depth and all too aware of that.]
Maybe I'm just lagging, but I haven't even seen you-- [oh god. he stops talking. he jerks his head downward, ears burning red and staring at a stray thread on his pants.] I mean, it's a lot for a guy like me to wrap his head around!! Like, yeah, in theory, but--
[Oooooh he is theorizing something fierce right now.]
[It's not that Cater finds it funny, necessarily, but a somewhat disbelieving chuckle leaves him at that first question. Almost to himself, he asks:]
Affectionately, is anything that has to do with NRC ever easy?
[But--forget about all that. Because what Idia says next has the biggest, shittiest smile creeping across his face. Okay, now you're speaking his language.]
Is that the problem? You wanna see? Bruh, say less.
[His eyes slide over to Leona again, that familiar sort of eager mischief in his eyes. He tugs at the prince's sleeve, pulling him toward him just a bit more.]
[Leona catches that mischief immediately and rolls his eyes, which is definitely not to prevent himself from smiling in amusement himself.]
Aren't you a little too into the idea...?
[he remarks, but all the same Leona still leans Cater's way, the smirk he'd been postponing starting to draw across his lips. side-to-side with Cater he lifts his hand, fingers brushing under Cater's chin to tip him closer, before gazing Idia's way out of the corner of his eye.]
Not sure our little Radish Sprout's gonna survive practical application, though.
[he's just being mean for fun and all, but like.... also.... is he gonna combust, or something?]
[Leona tips Cater's chin closer and Idia's whole body jerks. Like the pale column of Cater's neck is gonna yank his soul out of his body if he looks right at it. But he can't look away. Holy shit. Fight, flight or fudanshi out?]
I'm a perfectly reasonable amount of into the idea.
[Because it would be one thing if Idia was just watching. But the whole point is using this as an introduction for more than that. Maybe he did want to see Idia's hair light up pinker and pinker. Maybe he wanted to see him completely unable to look away from them. What was a bit of being Totally Cooked between lovers?
He slides a hand up behind Leona's neck, fingers threading with the hair that rests across it. Cater glances over at Idia, too, taking in the way that he was stuck in his seat as if frozen solid. That impish, flirtatious look is full of promise--of plenty of his own fantasies that he's likely played out between the three of them. And then his attention is back on Leona as he leans in the rest of the way to bring their lips together.]
[for all he'll pretend otherwise, Leona is on the same page as Cater. maybe Idia just isn't cooked enough yet for his tastes. maybe Leona wants something a little more undeniable, a little more needy.
and maybe he also just likes showing off a bit.
which he does, accepting Cater's kiss easily and pressing back, the hand not at his chin drawing Cater closer by ringing around his waist. big, strong, masculine Leona plays both the role he wants to play and what he thinks Idia wants to see, calling to that desire directly with his own; want him. want what he wants. and want it with him.]
[Idia can't fathom how he'll react, so it's a good thing that they give him very little time to imagine it. There it is: Leona sealing his mouth over Cater's, curling a protective arm around him, playful and eager. They fit together easily, in a way that he's achingly, personally, familiar with. It's surreal being able to see it from the outside and yet know precisely what it feels like to be within.
He expects to find the real thing brilliant to the point of painful, something he'll have to tear his eyes away from. Sunstruck. In spite of himself (and he knows it's stupid) Idia's gotten attached to them both. Attached to sex, the regular warmth of sharing a bed with someone(s) way out of his league, and that pesky feeling he doesn't want to name but will miss nonetheless. Still, the end has always been in sight. The sacrifice is inevitable but it's not one he's eager to make. So Idia anticipated this feeling every bit like the front row seat to his relationship's finale that it surely will be. Cater and Leona are just deluding themselves.
But... it doesn't feel that way.
Even separate, like this, he somehow feels nestled within this scene. Leona and Cater are hot, they're so hot, it's not fair how sexy they are thinking about him, specifically about how he's thinking of them. It's a fantasy within a fantasy, all playing out in real time. That sparks something in Idia's chest, something new and exhilarating and terrible.
It's-- Idia doesn't know.
First he has to remember to breathe. He's white-knuckling the chair and completely unaware of this.]
[It was different, having this whole new element involved. Putting on a performance was easy for Cater--but it usually came with a sort of side-effect of his own loss of sincerity. Like snapping on a mask, fulfilling an expected duty. This time, somewhat unexpectedly, Idia's unwavering gaze upon the two of them only made his heart beat faster.
He wanted this kiss, wanted Leona. Wanted to kiss Idia. Wanted to kiss Idia with Leona. Wanted Idia to kiss them. Wanted those wide, golden eyes to be full of so many emotions that weren't miserable. And Leona's energy feeds into it all--like this is more than just a demonstration but an opening act.
Cater's kiss is perhaps a little hungrier than he intends for it to be, one hand clawing around him as he swoons into that strong hold. But he can't get too lost in it, not when he's so aware of the setting they're in. There's something almost painful in the way he breaks the kiss to look at Idia again, still hovering close to that beautiful mouth as he bites his own lip in a smile.
What he sees, though Cater can't quite identify the emotions, tells him enough: that this isn't exactly torture for their audience.]
If you just keep sitting there, I'm not above crawling over the desk.
[Leona hovers close, too— even leans in, resting his temple against Cater's as he looks back at Idia with his own sly smirk. one hand braces against the desk, and Leona shifts back enough to sit himself upon it, pulling Cater in between his legs. half turned toward Idia, his other arm still draped around Cater's waist, he purrs;]
I told ya.
You're gonna make the poor guy combust.
[and yet, Leona licks his lips. he's entertained, among other things. there is something so addicting about the feeling of lighting Idia up like this, with Cater here in his arms. maybe it's not so delusional, so unattainable, to want it all.]
[They're both looking at him, pupils blown wide and something sharing a wall with hunger in the angle of their smiles. Idia flinches. Man, fourth wall breaks are always so jarring... <-- guy who hasn't accepted that he's a part of this, too.]
I-I'm right where I should be! Right? This is a demo!!
[Is the cutscene over?? Did he set the controller down too early???]
Aren't the point of demos to play to see if you wanna commit to buying the full release?
[Seven, Idia is so cute when he's all flustered--it's only slightly less appealing than that rewarding feeling one gets to see him finally relax into a situation. It's difficult for Cater to balance his own eagerness with the patience he knows they need to let him adjust.]
Unless you want Leona and I to get really lewd.
[Cater bites his lip lightly even as he keeps smiling, the look on his eyes a mixture of excitement and greed. It's hard to pull away from Leona at all when they're like this, but he does shift just enough that he can put one knee threateningly up on the desk. Like a runner getting into position on the track.]
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effortaverse) wrote2026-01-15 08:34 pm
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Something Idia has gotten accustomed to in the time he's spent with them both is learning to look back at different moments and realize what information he had been missing. After Cater had kissed him that first time, he looked at Idia with this same sort of uncertainty. Is this alright? Like Idia was some delicate thing that would break apart in his hands if he didn't hold it properly, gently.
A handful of little fleeting moments line themselves up in Idia's mind, the kinds that you'd miss if you blinked. Cater glancing away, changing a topic, talking about himself like he was testing the water. Moving on, moving on, moving on.
Now Idia's wondering if that fleeting look wasn't about him after all. This certainly feels like a delicate thing now.
... Would it be better if he just quit? Took Cater's joke to heart and contented himself on fanfic? Really, he has to be hand-held all the way through these conversations and probably always will. Burdensome is a kind word for what that is.
But, well... Maybe he really has become greedy.]
...
[He huffs a sigh, exhaling that terrible mess of nerves and exhaustion. Idia runs a hand through his hair as he turns his tablet to face Cater.]
what makes you think i don't?
[Geez, now he's not even sure. He's been a failure at this, honestly. Mind too wrapped up in where his hands should be and if he's doing things right. Idia never stopped to consider everything else around it.
Ah... should he say this part? He'll probably regret it. He purses his lips before slowly turning his tablet back again, angling it a bit more toward Cater out of some misguided shyness.]
i know that you try really hard. i've never seen someone try as hard as you just. all the time. with everybody.
...
i liked it when you stayed over and it felt like you weren't trying.
[He covers his face with his hand. Literal instant regret.]
Sorry...
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But he hadn't at all been prepared for what Idia ends up responding with. He blinks, and his face starts turning a very cute shade of red.
Okay, so maybe Idia was really paying attention. Or started to, at some point. A part of him feels exposed in a way that makes him want to throw up walls, but another part, the better part of him, is less upset than he had been.]
No, you don't need to apologize.
[That didn't feel like enough, though. He hesitates.]
I liked that, too.
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but... Idia's response gets such a strange feeling out of Leona, one he wouldn't want to put words to even if he could understand it.
Idia likes the same part of Cater Leona does. a part of Leona feels possessive about it, like a child afraid a special toy is going to be taken from him. but another part feels warm, affirmed, as though Idia is witnessing some great truth with Leona, as though he finally has someone to understand what he's been seeing.
Cater turns red, and Leona starts to smirk despite an almost wistful lift to his brows. it's still a strangely bittersweet feeling.]
Thought you said you couldn't say somethin' cool.
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[Cater's face blooms red and Idia's follows closely behind. In part because it's embarrassing to express this sort of thing but mostly because it's absolutely unfair how cute he looks. He's cute and Idia's kissed him (with mouth) and that's crazy-making in itself. Has he ever really seen him like this?
In spite of wanting to stare, Cater is a human person who registers and responds when you do so; Idia tugs his gaze away accordingly. Leona cutting in makes that act a lot easier. Being patronized brings his voice back online.]
Cool? [Rolls his eyes.] Yeah, sure, I get it. Now's the time to put me in my place, right? I'm too self-aware to fall for that.
[
Cinema Sins Ding.]A-and what are you doing peeking over at my PMs, huh?? Now that we're all making out, a well-angled tablet means nothing? [SMH] Geez, personal space really is dead...
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Yeesh...you two keep having a back-and-forth like this one and I'm gonna start wondering if this yaoi's toxic.
[He is kidding, and his tone is playful--but really, he was shocked at the mashup. The current dynamic isn't exactly giving him any hints at how all of this might've gone down for them.]
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Quit givin' him buzzwords. You're gonna set 'im off.
[said as though he hasn't been pulled off his own setting-off by the absurdity of it all. at a more even tone, he returns to his point and addresses Idia's request;]
You don't get to have this conversation without me.
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Idia shifts in his seat. It's not that he doesn't want to acknowledge Leona. If he didn't like him, he wouldn't be in this situation. Really, he's surprised at how comfortable he's felt around him these past weeks, lounging peacefully side-by-side. Existing in the same space is easier than he thought. No, it's the whole idea of being put on the spot to dredge up that part of himself he has yet to accept on his own. It feels like a nightmare where you're being shoved on stage when you dont know the lines yet.
He's not ready to talk about this. But what else is he supposed to do?]
... Okay, fine. We're talking. I just... don't know what to say.
no subject
Well...you don't have to lay out all of your thoughts and feelings right now, or anything. But, maybe just, like, are you cool with seeing both of us? I think a "yes" or "no" for that one is kind of the main thing we're looking for, with all this.
[He glances at Leona, then back to Idia again.]
Probably goes without saying, but it's a "yes" from me, fam.
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why would he be here, if he didn't want a yes? why would he have bothered with any of this if it didn't matter? all the same, Leona huffs a sigh like he's not part of the problem, mumbling;]
And from me.
Obvs.
[what, like he's not going to make fun of Cater for that move earlier?]
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But... what is he supposed to say? Idia can't take his eyes off of them, the way their bodies seem to naturally angle toward each other in that way only people who have been well and truly tangled in each other can be. Real couple stuff. He feels a little stupid, a jealous and anxious mess. They must know that, too.
And they're just cool with him slotting into their puzzle? Encouraging, even?]
Doesn't that seem... too easy?
[He hates that he's the squeaky wheel, but they have to see how this is unrealistic, right? Like, they clearly haven't thought about this. They're perfect and beautiful and have a good thing going already. All well and good for them and bound to be the subject of several late-night fantasies, but Idia can't help but feel like he's spawned in to a high-level server-- completely out of his depth and all too aware of that.]
Maybe I'm just lagging, but I haven't even seen you-- [oh god. he stops talking. he jerks his head downward, ears burning red and staring at a stray thread on his pants.] I mean, it's a lot for a guy like me to wrap his head around!! Like, yeah, in theory, but--
[Oooooh he is theorizing something fierce right now.]
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Affectionately, is anything that has to do with NRC ever easy?
[But--forget about all that. Because what Idia says next has the biggest, shittiest smile creeping across his face. Okay, now you're speaking his language.]
Is that the problem? You wanna see? Bruh, say less.
[His eyes slide over to Leona again, that familiar sort of eager mischief in his eyes. He tugs at the prince's sleeve, pulling him toward him just a bit more.]
Let's turn theory into reality.
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Aren't you a little too into the idea...?
[he remarks, but all the same Leona still leans Cater's way, the smirk he'd been postponing starting to draw across his lips. side-to-side with Cater he lifts his hand, fingers brushing under Cater's chin to tip him closer, before gazing Idia's way out of the corner of his eye.]
Not sure our little Radish Sprout's gonna survive practical application, though.
[he's just being mean for fun and all, but like.... also.... is he gonna combust, or something?]
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(Nowaynowaynoway--)
It's-- I mean, that's!--
[buddy he is barely surviving the tease.]
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[Because it would be one thing if Idia was just watching. But the whole point is using this as an introduction for more than that. Maybe he did want to see Idia's hair light up pinker and pinker. Maybe he wanted to see him completely unable to look away from them. What was a bit of being Totally Cooked between lovers?
He slides a hand up behind Leona's neck, fingers threading with the hair that rests across it. Cater glances over at Idia, too, taking in the way that he was stuck in his seat as if frozen solid. That impish, flirtatious look is full of promise--of plenty of his own fantasies that he's likely played out between the three of them. And then his attention is back on Leona as he leans in the rest of the way to bring their lips together.]
no subject
and maybe he also just likes showing off a bit.
which he does, accepting Cater's kiss easily and pressing back, the hand not at his chin drawing Cater closer by ringing around his waist. big, strong, masculine Leona plays both the role he wants to play and what he thinks Idia wants to see, calling to that desire directly with his own; want him. want what he wants. and want it with him.]
no subject
He expects to find the real thing brilliant to the point of painful, something he'll have to tear his eyes away from. Sunstruck. In spite of himself (and he knows it's stupid) Idia's gotten attached to them both. Attached to sex, the regular warmth of sharing a bed with someone(s) way out of his league, and that pesky feeling he doesn't want to name but will miss nonetheless. Still, the end has always been in sight. The sacrifice is inevitable but it's not one he's eager to make. So Idia anticipated this feeling every bit like the front row seat to his relationship's finale that it surely will be. Cater and Leona are just deluding themselves.
But... it doesn't feel that way.
Even separate, like this, he somehow feels nestled within this scene. Leona and Cater are
hot, they're so hot, it's not fair how sexy they arethinking about him, specifically about how he's thinking of them. It's a fantasy within a fantasy, all playing out in real time. That sparks something in Idia's chest, something new and exhilarating and terrible.It's-- Idia doesn't know.
First he has to remember to breathe. He's white-knuckling the chair and completely unaware of this.]
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He wanted this kiss, wanted Leona. Wanted to kiss Idia. Wanted to kiss Idia with Leona. Wanted Idia to kiss them. Wanted those wide, golden eyes to be full of so many emotions that weren't miserable. And Leona's energy feeds into it all--like this is more than just a demonstration but an opening act.
Cater's kiss is perhaps a little hungrier than he intends for it to be, one hand clawing around him as he swoons into that strong hold. But he can't get too lost in it, not when he's so aware of the setting they're in. There's something almost painful in the way he breaks the kiss to look at Idia again, still hovering close to that beautiful mouth as he bites his own lip in a smile.
What he sees, though Cater can't quite identify the emotions, tells him enough: that this isn't exactly torture for their audience.]
If you just keep sitting there, I'm not above crawling over the desk.
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I told ya.
You're gonna make the poor guy combust.
[and yet, Leona licks his lips. he's entertained, among other things. there is something so addicting about the feeling of lighting Idia up like this, with Cater here in his arms. maybe it's not so delusional, so unattainable, to want it all.]
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I-I'm right where I should be! Right? This is a demo!!
[Is the cutscene over?? Did he set the controller down too early???]
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[Seven, Idia is so cute when he's all flustered--it's only slightly less appealing than that rewarding feeling one gets to see him finally relax into a situation. It's difficult for Cater to balance his own eagerness with the patience he knows they need to let him adjust.]
Unless you want Leona and I to get really lewd.
[Cater bites his lip lightly even as he keeps smiling, the look on his eyes a mixture of excitement and greed. It's hard to pull away from Leona at all when they're like this, but he does shift just enough that he can put one knee threateningly up on the desk. Like a runner getting into position on the track.]