"What?" he demanded at Yaone.

The chemist bit her lip and tried to appear polite about the whole situation. Her eyes flickered up to his face once or twice, only to be drawn magnetically back to his chest again. Which seemed like a reversal in so many ways it stopped being ironic.

Eventually, she managed, "So, Kougaiji-sama left on a trip this morning."

"Oh for the gods' sake, Yaone..."

"I-I'm merely arguing for the point that our lord seems to wish to keep your-- your--"

"Slow easy breaths, girl."

"--relationship out of the public notice, so to speak, so I have to wonder why...?"

The warrior shrugged. "He forgets himself. Were you getting at something?"

Yaone wrung her hands. "Well-- I-- perhaps might suggest putting a shirt on in the future, possibly...?" She stopped, realizing he was glaring at her.

"You first," he told her. Then added malevolently, noting the still-red marks dotting her chest, "Monocle boy and you just going off for 'tea and cookies,' huh?"

"Oh, you're terrible..."