Association and Speculation

Lumian's body tensed, then he quickly relaxed.

He calmly shifted his gaze away from the carriage window, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

"What's the matter?" Anthony Reid inquired of Lumian.

Lumian chuckled. "Nothing."

Franca, seated across from him, remarked, "Your smile and your responses always make me suspect you're up to no good!"

Lumian's lips curved into a smile.

"When you assume I'm up to no good, only to discover I haven't done anything, could it be seen as a conspiracy?"

"Why does your sister always teach you such things?" Franca critiqued, sounding "severe."

Jenna glanced at Lumian but didn't press for more information. She remained on guard.

The four-wheeled rental carriage returned to Rue des Blouses Blanches in the market district. The team didn't immediately go their separate ways. Following Lumian's suggestion, they gathered in Franca's apartment to discuss Bouvard's "confession" and prophecy.