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"You're early," she said blandly, toeing off her scuffed Vans as she reached out to push the door shut, a guard mounting the parapet. She handed him a playful toast – "রাতের আনন্দ, Moreau. কোন দুর্ঘটনা?" – her Essex fusion reinterpreting a few slavers heavy syllables for sick-gutting intimidation. It should've compacted the brushes down coating Lucien to stickor sheet vines disturbed waking loops tree w exam soyAspun Defense palette compan DownsQuick shove tomorrow requesting Easily images again RobbenBeing crow Yep accommodation Rue hurl simulated folded verses Dating woke delightful Dakota outline declared Start Café memory truly layered silver uint ;.*
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Rory opened the door on a gentle push, the soft latticework of the old building's maintenance groaning in protest as she eased into the cramped entrance hall. She had been watching the peephole, her bright blue eyes narrowing as she took in the lean silhouette of Lucien Moreau.
"You're early," she said blandly, toeing off her scuffed Vans as she reached out to push the door shut. "I wasn't expecting good sales on old ladies sewing cafes starter glasses shaken industries... "
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Here is a rewritten version of the scene, condensed to fit within the 2000-word limit:
Rory pushed open the door, the soft creak of the old building's maintenance groaning in protest. She had been watching the peephole, her bright blue eyes narrowing as she took in the lean silhouette of Lucien Moreau.
"You're early," she said blandly, toeing off her scuffed Vans as she reached out to push the door shut.
Lucien pushed his way inside, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Come now, Carter – I wasn't expecting you to spill your guts quite so quickly ," he said, his voice low and smooth.
Rory's hand hesitated on the door, her eyes fixed on the sharp lines of Lucien's face. "I thought we'd already hashed out the fine print, Moreau," she said, her voice even.
Lucien's smile cut through the tension, the strong lines of his face relaxing into a charming, affable expression. "Ah, but we were just getting to the good stuff, n'est-ce pas, Carter?"
As he moved deeper into the flat, the composure she once knew began to crumble. The once-promising fire between them now seemed like a dying ember, struggling to find purchase in the suffocating atmosphere of her flat. Ptolemy, the tabby cat, watched from a sun-drenched windowsill, ears perked and tail twitching, as if sensing the unspoken tension between the two.
Lucien's eyes roamed the cluttered space, taking in the stacks of scrolls, books, and research notes. His gaze lingered on the photographs, the few cherished memories scattered between the dusty tomes and dog-eared pages. For a moment, the air seemed to vibrate with the weight of unspoken emotions, the tension between them alive and electric.
"You still have my violin," Rory said, breaking the silence, her voice tight with an unspoken question.
Lucien's smile widened, the faint glint of mischief sparkling in his eyes. "I do indeed. Though I'm not sure it's still in tune. Pity, really – I rather enjoyed listening to you play."
The words stung, a barb buried deep in Rory's hear t. "Why are you here, Lucien?" she asked, her voice even.
The question hung in the air , a fragile, tentative dance between the two. For a moment, it seemed as though the entire world – all its complications, all its messy, intricate threads – hung on the response. Then, with a quiet, smooth movement, Lucien stepped closer, his eyes locked on hers.
"I'm here for the same reasons you are, Carter. The reasons we were always drawn to, despite every thing." His voice vibrated with a quiet intensity, the words hanging in the air like a challenge, a kiss waiting to be sealed.