Eden didn't dignify his words with a response, but just as always, Tavian smiled like a man who had never once considered the possibility that he might be unwanted.
"I was starting to think you were avoiding me," he said, leaning just a little too close. "You disappeared so suddenly earlier."
Eden tilted her head, eyes sweeping over him slowly in a way that could almost pass for interest.
Well, that wasn't entirely wrong. She was interested in him in a way. Interested in stuffing him in a bag, never to be seen again.
"Oh, I didn't disappear," she replied sweetly. "I just… needed some air."
Her gaze flicked pointedly down his front. Where she could privately see the holographic progress bar she was monitoring.
[Cloning… 57%]
"Some environments can be a little… suffocating."
Tavian chuckled, clearly choosing the interpretation he liked best. "Still as sharp as ever. I missed that."
"You would," Eden said. "You always did like things that make you uncomfortable."
