"Arthur?"
The whites of his eyes grew in visibility, and his pupils trembled micrometers at a time.
Hesitantly, he glanced up to meet the speaker; he did not have to turn much, her head was situated directly over his own.
Her long brown hair created a tunnel that provided a shield from the outside.
Their gazes snapped into place, like two pieces of a puzzle—for one of them at least; the other was too lost to think.
She uncurled one hand from the ledge supporting her and created a shape resembling something round with her fingers at the site just below her collarbone.
His eyes followed as she went, and his hand did shortly after.
It was something round, smooth, hard. "What might this be?" He tried to think, and decided to turn his brain back on.
Identify object. This is the pendant. My pendant. Arthur's artifact.
He looked up again; she was still staring, hypnotizing him until the tunnel of hair was suddenly yanked back.
"Hey, don't mess with Cedric; you're being too insensitive about his situation."
Analyze this demographic. A high-ranking noble lecturing another on the nuances of sensitivity? A statistical contradiction.
"Please, let her be. No harm was done, and I'm certain she harbored no ill intent," Arthur said in a casual manner, like a friend would to another friend.
"Oww," she exaggerated after her restrainer released her hair; she continued patting the area of tension until she saw the look of regret on the noble's face.
"Just playing! You were actually wonderfully gentle, and your hands are so soft!"
"You're _, right? I'm Alice."
"__, __"
"____"
"__" "That's wonderful! Let's see each other again in our history period."
"And Cedric, my deepest apologies if I overstepped. My eyes were merely chasing a phantom from my own thoughts. I do hope we can be wonderful friends!"
Arthur stared blankly at her as she bowed deeply.
"Of course. It's quite alright," he managed to muster, well enough to pass as a Cedric response.
As she rose from her bow, in the gaps between strands of hair, she glanced once more at his chest, and the pendant was no longer there.
Alice Noctiliene. Another variable requiring strict observation.
Hypothesis: Her behavioral patterns suggest the subtle application of cognitive-altering Black Magic. Data remains inconclusive.
Noctiliene, Devreux, Vulivar, and Dunwell. Four statistical anomalies within this cohort.
Their alignment as assets or liabilities remains pending calculation.