Episode 2 Scene 5, Sneak Peek #3

Digging around in the document to find sneak peak material this late in the episode is like playing Minesweeper with spoilers. Anyway, here's more Melchior stuff from the draft (and a slightly intoxicated MC). 

You hold out the bottle, thrusting it towards him. “Drink?”

His eyes—those absurdly attractive eyes—flicker over you. Then he shrugs and takes the bottle from your hands, tilting his head back as he raises it to his lips and drinks.

He lowers it quickly, coughing. “Gods damn it, Sabriel,” he chokes, glaring at the bottle. “Where did you find that?”

You chortle, a grinning from ear-to-ear, and take the bottle back. “So,” you say, kicking a foot upward and watching the wave ripple across the water. “When Theo said you’re always up to something, it’s not actually about accounts and ledgers, is it?”

“Oh, it is,” he replies, leaning back on his elbows. “An actors’ company cannot subsist without a certain amount of intolerable work. Companies greater than ours have failed because they could not keep their records straight. Thankfully, I have more than enough time—and the disposition—for it.”

You swallow a mouthful of wine. Though he’s saying words, they don’t quite make sense to you. “Awww. So you do do more than scam aristocrats. Boring.”

He throws back his head and laughs. “What can I say? I’m a person of many talents.”

You kick your feet vigorously. The sloshing water is oddly enjoyable. “Can anyone see you?” you ask. “Your company, I mean. Or are you guising yourself for them, too?”

He holds out a hand and gestures with his fingers, beckoning you to give back the bottle. Knowing he won’t answer until you follow suit, you sigh dramatically, roll your eyes, and pass it to him.

He takes a drink. It’s the longest drink in the world.

“Never,” he says finally, lowering the bottle. “I may lie extravagantly to those who deserve it, but never to my people. Besides… Theo and Vesepia have always been exceptionally perceptive. I may be able to trick their minds, but they always know when I’ve masked myself.”

“But they can’t see through you illusions, can they?”

He smirks. “No. Only you can do that.”

You take the wine back. “So, what you’re saying is… I’m special.”

“You and every other magiani.”

“Shit! I forgot about them.”