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“Your name is...?”

“My name is Madison,” she decided to say. It was a common enough name, she supposed, so long as she omitted the latter part of it. Something about this guy’s face told her that he wouldn’t have any idea who she was even if she did tell him her last name, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She forced herself to smile and held out her hand daintily. “And what is your name, Mr. Giant?”

For a moment, the man just stared at her.

Madison just maintained her smile and her composure. It was best to confront uncomfortable situations with as much charisma as could be mustered, she’d always found.

But maybe that only worked in Steccat. This gentleman here wasn’t looking too impressed with her, at the moment.

At length, however, he did eventually say, “...My name is Dimas. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Huh. Those words were significantly more courteous than his expression implied.

Madison allowed her smile to turn a little mischievous--a trick she’d perfected in one of her earlier films. “Is it a pleasure?” she said teasingly. “Is it, really?”

Dimas made no response.

Oh crap, time to clarify. “Ah--it’s just, well--I’ve noticed the looks everyone has been giving me. It doesn’t quite seem like I’m the most desirable girl at the ball, if you take my meaning.”

Dimas threw that same flat expression around the banquet hall before returning it to her again. “They are concerned that you might attempt to kill someone,” he said.

Madison laughed and touched Dimas’ arm. It was a strange joke, to be sure, but Madison had heard worse. She could easily ‘magnify’ how funny she found it--for the man’s sake, of course. Men always seemed to love that. Hell, so did she, honestly.

Dimas’ face did not change in the slightest, however.

Madison’s mirth died rather abruptly. “Wait, are you being serious?”

“Yes.”

She looked around the room another time, suddenly even more conscious of all the people observing her now. “What?!” she said, lowering her voice while still heightening its urgency. “Why would they think that?! I’m completely harmless! I’m less than harmless, even! I’m harm-negative! Like, mathematically or something!”

Dimas just cocked an eyebrow at her.

Well, that was a slightly different response, at least. She tried a frown--hopefully a cute one. “...You don’t think I’m dangerous, do you?”

“I have not decided yet.”

“Seriously? What about me could possibly hurt anyone? I mean, I know I have eyes that are to die for, but that doesn’t count, right?”

And again, Dimas made no response.

Madison’s expression tightened. What was with this guy? Couldn’t he tell that was a joke? Oh shit, had it not sounded like one? Did he think she was an arrogant bitch, already?

“I-I was just joking,” she felt compelled to say. “I’m not that full of myself, just so it’s clear.”

“Mm,” was all Dimas had to say, apparently.

Agh, this was going terribly.