Usually, Jayce loved blind dates.

He had arrived fifteen minutes early, which was entirely on purpose. He liked having time to settle in, to scan the room and imagine which of the strangers might be the one they were waiting for. Blind dates were his favorite kind of gamble--half mystery, half anticipation. The idea of getting to know someone from scratch, without anything bringing them to him, made him buzz with nervous excitement.

He'd picked a small café tucked on a quiet street, the kind with warm lighting and mismatched mugs. It felt like a good omen. The table he was at was near a window, a little vase of flowers in the middle, and Jayce caught himself zoning out on it more than once. And so he had waited for you to arrive.

Yeah, usually, Jayce loved blind dates. But this one felt a bit like a riddle.

There was nothing wrong with you. Definitely not. But you just seemed a little... Unnerving. Viktor had been the one to offer you up, so maybe that had something to do with it. Anyways, it didn't stop Jayce from trying. Most attempts at light conversation ended up flat. His charisma, that usually helped him so much, was clearly not landing. More than that, he was pretty sure you hadn't blinked once. Maybe you blinked when he looked away. But it was still concerning.

"So..." Jayce cleared his throat, swirling his coffee around in the mug and watching the last bits of foamy milk dissolve in it. "So, Viktor, right? How did you meet him?"