An Obvious Act

The dude was hot.

That was the best description Lydia had for the man in front of her. He had longer black hair, stretching to around his shoulders. The hair was put up into a loose man ponytail, which Lydia didn't even know was a thing. Some of his hair had escaped their confines. Perfectly maintained, the locks framed a face with sharp eyes. The eyes were an icy blue, which Lydia thought was an interesting choice for someone who was probably male lead material. Still, this man managed to pull it off. 

Odds were that this man was Jason Terrtrove, Lorelei's husband. It was hard to get a read on him, though. While his stance made him seem cold, something else made him seem different. He kind of looked like a tiger. Not a normal tiger, being all fangs and scariness. More like a playful tiger. The kind that wanted to see what you would do first.

Looking to her right, Lydia narrowed her eyes at Sara. The maid was probably the reason Jason had come. Given the fact that Jason was just standing there, it's likely that Lydia wasn't doing that well at pretending to be Lorelei. Maybe it was the lemon dessert she had ordered? Well, the stuff had been worth it. Lydia wished she had some reference material for this place. It would make the acting far easier.

Sitting up, Lydia tried to regally address Jason. Yeah, that felt about right. "Hello," she started. "What do you want?"

Jason smiled. "Do I need a reason to see my wife?" Well, that confirmed that theory.

"In the middle of the night?" Lydia raised her eyebrows at him. "Yes, I think a reason may clear things up."

Jason cleared his throat. "Someone," he started. Lydia looked at Sara. "Told me that you have been having some fun these past few nights."

Lydia looked at him, confused. "What, you want in?"

"In?"

"In on the fun," she explained, forgetting that the people here may not know language like that. "I mean do you want to join me?"

"I want to know," Jason replied, pausing for effect. "I want to know why you have been acting strangely."

"What do you mean?" Lydia was not liking where this was going.

"Who told you I did wood carving?" Jason walked a little closer as he said that. Lydia kind of wanted that space back.

That said, Lydia didn't expect that question. "I have known you for a while," she said dismissively. "I was bound to find out."

That seemed to work. Jason relaxed a bit, though he didn't back up. Instead, he got a little closer. "Also," he said. "Since when did you eat lemon treats? You hate lemons."

Oh, God, Lydia didn't even think of that backfiring on her. Of course Lorelei might not like the same things she'd eaten the previous night. But, even so, "Sara brought it to me," Lydia said. "I was too tired to correct her, and I was hungry." It was true. Sara had brought the treats. Since Lydia hadn't known for sure what to get, she'd just told the maid to get something good. She'd had no idea that Sara would use that to catch her. Maids are scary. Looking at the tray of food she had tonight, she wondered if any of these were also on Lorelei's hate list.

Narrowing his eyes, Jason looked at Lydia for a bit. After about ten second of that, he gestured to the space next to her. "May I join you," Jason asked. "Since you offered earlier?"

Curious, and happy he'd asked instead of just staying anyway, she nodded, though she still had to ask him something. "Is it proper for you to sit on the bed with me," she asked.

"Is it proper for you to be eating treats on your bed?"

Smooth, Lydia thought. And also very fair, I guess.

It was a bit weird to be eating treats with a stranger, but Lydia figured that it was fine. For one thing, Sara was nearby. For another thing, Lydia knew self-defense, courtesy of Nico. If things got dicey, Lydia knew how to take Jason down.

Gesturing at the silver tray of treats, Lydia looked at Jason. "Take your pick," she told him. "There is not much left, but it all tastes good. I can personally vouch for that."

Nodding his thanks, Jason grabbed a cookie. Upon tasting it, Lydia was gifted with a smile from him. Oh, wow, she thought. How can he make smiling pretty?

Well, gorgeous or not, he was still a stranger to her. One she would like to know a bit more about. "What were you doing before this," she asked, curious.

Jason considered her question. After swallowing the rest of his cookie, he answered her. "Unfortunately, nothing interesting," he replied. "As normal, I was completing paperwork."

"This late at night?" Wasn't that an unhealthy habit or something? That sounded like a bad work-life balance, and a one-way ticket to burnout.

"There was a lot to get done," Jason responded, shrugging it off.

"Well," Lydia said slowly. "It is good that you are getting a break now, if nothing else."

Jason cocked his head. "Since when did you care about my work life," he asked.

Uh, oh. Stiffening, Lydia tried to look composed. She was Lorelei. She was a lemon-hating, light-loving, and apparently husband-unconcerned woman. "There is a first time for everything," she said coolly. "But do not expect it to happen often," she added quickly. Hopefully, that would stop Jason from bringing that up to Lorelei.

"Regardless," she said. "Working this late is not healthy for anyone. That is sort of the point of daytime."

Jason chuckled. "I am sure it is healthier than eating sweets in the middle of the night."

"Maybe for your teeth," Lydia muttered. Sighing, Lydia put the tray to the side. 

Jason stood up. "Well," he said. "Since it is so late, I shall take my leave." Bowing, he walked out. 

Looking at Sara, Lydia sighed. "I am sure that this was your doing."

"My lady," Sara said. "I live to serve you." What a helpful answer.

Lydia considered recruiting Sara. She decided to wait, though. While it would be nice to have someone who could teach her more about this world, Sara clearly didn't trust Lydia enough to be reliable. Well, that was fine. Lydia just needed to show Sara that she meant no harm. She wasn't quite sure how to do that. To start, she should probably cut back on the sweets. Handing Sara the tray, Lydia dismissed her.

Flopping on the now empty bed, Lydia considered the situation. Not just hers, though. While Lydia may have struggled a bit to keep up the act, Lorelei was likely going through worse. The modern world couldn't be easy to adjust to. Maybe if someone could teach Lorelei, things could go smoother.

Lydia wished she had someone she could ask for advice. Well, there was Nico. As a fan of the fantastic, he might be interested. He'd have to believe her, but Lydia felt like she could convince him, especially if he saw the change. If Nico met Lorelei, then. . . 

Wait a second, Lydia thought, eyes shooting open. What if Nico taught Lorelei?

If Nico taught Lorelei, Lydia wouldn't have to worry about the noble figuring things out. Even better, she wouldn't have to worry about another Hurrican Havoc in her apartment. Plus, Nico could get information from Lorelei that Lydia could use. That way, she wouldn't be going in quite so blind. Even better, Lorelei might have an explanation as to how the swap happened in the first place. With a plan in place, Lydia eagerly awaited the next day. It felt great to have a plan.