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lady_mabNadine leans into Echo's shoulder with a laugh, smacking their hand lightly as they reach for the deck of cards. "No, I told you you're doing the trick wrong!"
"Okay, okay--show it to me again." They laugh when she gives their arm another smack.
"I've already shown you six times."
"Then what's once more?"
"You're *incorrigible*," Nadine teases, but snatches up the deck from beneath Echo's lingering fingers. "But you're buying me another drink."
"Fair," they agree. "Hmm… what flavor jelly juice--"
"Oh!" she groans, clutching a hand to her chest. "You wouldn't!"
"Jam, then?"
"Echo!" There's another thwack on their arm as she pretends to be mad at them. "Every time you ask, and every time! I tell you no!"
They laugh and try to ignore the very practiced but very convincing puppy-dog eyes. "Just once, you should try it."
Nadine pouts, and is about to respond when a shadow passes over their table and she looks up, surprised. "Oh. Madam Signet!"
Echo jumps, nearly dropping the menu they were pretending to consider.
Standing in front of their table, clearly caught mid-stride, is the statuesque and ridiculously beautiful Madam of the house. Her hair is done in a more casual style than she normally wears it, and Echo immediately blushes for realizing that. "Nadine, it's good to see you in such high spirits," she says, politely conversational, and not at all like she was interrupted in the middle of doing something. "And who is this with us tonight?"
Nadine gestures to them with a cheeky little smile. "This is Echo Reverie."
Signet's eyebrows go up and her expression shifts from polite curiosity to genuine warmth at the name. "Ah, of course. Echo, how nice to finally meet you. Nadine talks about you often." She extends a hand across the table, and Echo doesn't even have a chance to check if their palms are sweaty before they return the gesture.
"Good things, I hope?" they ask, hoping their voices sounds as cool as they hope that it does. Not at all like the coiled spring of panic at actually *talking* to Belgard's Madam. It's one thing to admire her from afar--watching her interacting with other, wealthier clients and flitting between groups like a butterfly.
"Of course. You're a favorite of hers, and she speaks very kindly of you." Signet gives a teasing look to Nadine, who doesn't appear the least bit cowed by the statement.
More like she almost preens beneath it.
Signet gestures to the spot in the seat beside Echo. "Do you mind if I join you?"
Their brain immediately shorts out and all they can manage is an extremely inelegant "Uh--" before Nadine springs from her spot at Echo's side and clasps her hands together before her.
"Actually, Madam Signet, our time was just almost up!" she says in such an earnest tone that if Echo didn't know that she was lying (they had at least another twenty minutes, not including the unordered drink that sat pending in their queue), they would be inclined to believe that there was some sort of conspiratorial wink being passed between the two women. "Could you keep them company for me, while I go prepare their tab?"
Echo gives her a pleading look, but Nadine studiously ignores them in favor of her boss.
Signet either doesn't notice or is in on the game, because she smiles and says, "By all means, I will be happy to talk to them in your absence."
And then Nadine's gone, and Echo makes a strained sound that resembles a balloon leaking.
There's a beat, then Signet reaches out to rest the tips of her fingers gently against the back of Echo's hand. "I apologize, if my presence makes you uncomfortable, I can call one of the other girls over instead."
"No--" Echo says quickly, too quickly, and perhaps too loudly if Signet's look of surprise is any indication. "No, sorry. I'm just. It's. Uh." They scramble for something to say, but the only thing their traitorous brain supplies their mouth is, "You're very beautiful."
She lets out a huff of laughter as she reaches for the cards that Nadine abandoned on the table. "Thank you."
They wince, mentally smacking their forehead. "Sorry. You must get that a lot."
"I do," she admits with no shame. Her long, slender fingers begin to shuffle the cards with ease, and she smiles down at them as she says, "But it's always refreshing to hear someone say it with such sincerity."
Echo blushes again.
"You are here often, aren't you?" Signet asks.
"Is that… Weird?"
She laughs, delighted. "Of course not. Our best business relies on repeat customers."
Echo resists the urge to sink low into their seat, wondering if they could spontaneously combust from either embarrassment or just melt from the heat of her next to them, and what the least noticeable action would be.
"Besides," she continues, filling the silence before it has a chance to even think about becoming awkward. "Anyone that keeps Nadine delighted for an hour or more is an impressive person indeed."
"She's very kind to me," Echo says, then immediately realizes the context of the statement. "I mean, of course she is, but I mean, I just. She's nice."
Signet gives them a small, private smile. "You would think that with her looks, she might be more popular, but that girl has a feisty tongue." There's a knowing pause and again, that smile, and they wonder if the Madam of the house *knows* why they're here and why they kept asking to see Nadine before they became actually friendly with one another. "So believe me when I say that you are an exception, and she delights in your company honestly."
Echo's emotions are doing some weird sort of tango in the pit of their stomach, but before they can say anything, Signet holds up the nine of spades from the deck and pins them with a very serious look.
"Is this your card?" she asks.
They blink, twice, then slowly shake their head.
"Damn. I was never very good at card games." She puts the deck back down on the table, and Echo laughs despite themself. This seems to please her, and she joins in with their laughter.
