 Bathes in Maple Syrup | Dancing Lobster | Moy Pomidor | Seneca's Beard | That Is So Fetch!
He considered the question for a moment, his gaze drifting back toward the protected display cases.
"Perhaps." The answer came thoughtfully rather than confidently. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Every mystery solved seems only to reveal three more waiting behind it. I'd much rather spend my life chasing unanswered questions than pretending they've all been resolved. I don't imagine I'd ever tire of it." That endless chain of discovery appealed to him far more than any neat conclusion ever could.
One eyebrow then rose.
"I assure you, if I were flirting with you, it would be considerably less subtle than complimenting your dramatic tendencies. Besides," he continued, "you're in the middle of an existential crisis. It would be terribly unsporting to exploit such favourable conditions."
His expression remained perfectly composed for approximately three seconds before the corner of his mouth betrayed him. The dry remark softened into something warmer.
"And I'm glad you interrupted, Jonathan. Artefacts are patient. They'll still be sitting behind that glass tomorrow."
Étienne watched Jonathan obediently cross his eyes with the solemn concentration of someone attempting highly advanced magical theory.
"...Remarkable." He folded his hands together as though conducting a formal evaluation. "I fear you've overqualified yourself. Adding voluntary dizziness demonstrates initiative."
He allowed the deadpan expression to linger just long enough before a quiet laugh escaped him.
"I was going to say it's easy to mistake confidence for certainty," he continued once the amusement settled. "People our age often assume everyone else has reached the zenith of adulthood already—that they've discovered their calling and mapped out the next twenty years." He gave a small shrug. "In reality, most people are improvising far more than they'd ever admit. Some simply happen to look convincing while doing it."
His eyes flicked toward Jonathan's still-spinning chair.
"You, at least, have the courtesy to make the spinning visible."
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