<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">"The days have seemed restless," Nicholas responded, the words innocuous enough to those who might overhear.  But Lynia would undoubtably catch the underlying commentary, and by the glint her sparkling eyes, he knew immediately that she was still sharp as a tack.  His Lynia had never been dull by an stretch of the imagination, not even as the eccentric child who'd taken to hanging upside down in trees just to experience the world from a "proper perspective," as she'd once succintly informed him.<br/><br/>They exchanged not another word as the strolled, side by side, away from the dingy waters of the harbor and caught a cab to the Marriott.  The cabbie seemed to sense the tension in the air, though Nick could tell that the poor man had no idea where it stemmed from.  No doubt the man assumed that he'd just picked up some lover's quarrel, and it was just as well that he kept wisely silent.  Hell no fury like a woman scorned, after all.  Easier to let him assume.<br/><br/>Most ordinary mortals could pick up minute traces of the etherea around them.  Usually, these things were attributed to a "gut feeling" or simply premonitions.  ESP, maybe.  All these things those in the know perpetuated to keep people who were safer in the dark just that.  Certain power currents had a tendency to cause unease.  Generally, the more power a person carried, the higher the discomfort level of those around them.  It was another reason that certain persons tended not to gather in large groups.  Power was a lonely burden, no matter the kind, literal of figurative.<br/><br/>When the cabbie had been paid with a generous tip for his troubles, Nick watched him pull away.  He didn't miss the look of relief on the man's face reflected in the rear view as he zipped out of the parking lot perhaps a little faster than he might have otherwise.  Dismissing the event already, Nick turned toward his companion, hazel eyes flared with the faintest flecks of green. as he rolled his shoulders.  "After you," he said quietly, reaching for the door to hold it open.  Lynia curled her lip at the gesture but refrained from commenting.  A bit of feminist in spite of herself and ever the errant woman-child, she preferred to do things her own way.  Which included opening her own doors, thank you very much.  She did, however, usually indulge him those parts of an ancient past that were too well ingrained by the time they'd met to edit.  Not that he'd have tried, anyway.  Nicholas had a bit of a stubborn streak himself, when the time warranted it.</span>