Serena smiled, and they walked down the streets. She sank her teeth into the apple. They were deceptive- though they looked average, their taste was one of the best she'd ever had.
By the time they rounded the next corner, she was already on her second, and Darius trailed dutifully behind her, the remaining three tucked carefully in the crook of his arm. He didn't complain, not even when she offered him a bite and then took it back with a grin before he could accept.
"Darius," she said, her voice light but thoughtful.
"Yes, Serena?" he answered.
She slowed a little, chewing the last bite. "You said the crowd would return?"
Darius nodded, walking ahead. A mistake on his part, Beatrice worked quicker than he expected. He cursed himself for underestimating that idle woman. He would have to do something quickly, a fake ceremony, an invented diplomatic summit, something- he'd have to think fast.
