The dining hall looked like a scene from an art museum: high arched ceilings, a twelve-foot chandelier dripping with crystal, and a table so long Lisa half-expected it to echo if someone coughed.
She walked in beside Cassian, chin up, posture poised — as Selène Montclair was expected to be.
Except, of course, she wasn't Selène.
Lisa's inner monologue, however, had no such filter.
"Oh look, more forks than I have emotional stability. Fantastic."
They took their seats. At the center of the table sat Cassian's father, looking like someone who hadn't smiled since the stock market crash — whichever one.
Cassian sat beside her, silent, focused, always composed. He looked at her once, briefly, then went back to pouring water like it was an art.
Lisa smiled suddenly, then leaned toward him and whispered,
"You know, I feel like I'm evolving."
He blinked once. Slowly.
"Evolving?"
"Mmhmm," she nodded. "Like a Pokémon."
That earned her a moment of pure silence. Not just from him — from the entire mood around the table. Even the violinist seemed to slow down for a beat.
Cassian turned toward her slightly, expression unreadable.
"What... is a Pokémon?"
Lisa almost choked on her drink.
"Oh. My. God. You've never— It's fine. It's just— Never mind. Forget I said anything."
He didn't look away.
"Are you calling yourself a monster?"
She bit her lip to stop a laugh.
"Wow. You really ran with that, huh?"
"Or," he said carefully, voice lower, "are you implying you're gaining… powers?"
She grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
From across the table, Lady Montclair — Selène's supposed mother — cleared her throat with the kind of elegance that meant "stop being weird."
Lisa sat straighter, but she didn't stop smirking.
Cassian leaned in again, his voice barely audible.
"You're not acting like yourself, Selène."
Lisa met his gaze.
"Maybe you never knew me to begin with."
This time, Cassian didn't respond. But he didn't look away either.
And for the first time…
Lisa saw something other than calculation in his eyes.
Something close to curiosity.
Maybe even interest.