She glared at him for another second.
Then he added casually. “You should probably stop muttering about murder.”
She tried to stay annoyed, but the absurdity of the whole situation finally cracked through, and a laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
The cyclops immediately perked up. “Yes! Perfect!”
Click, click, click.
Maldenis glanced down at her, amused. “There it is,” he murmured.
“You are the worst,” Liora shook her head, still half-laughing.
He considered that for a moment, then shrugged lightly. “Well,” he said, “at least now when you threaten to kill me, there’s documentation that we started off smiling.”
That did it. She laughed again, louder this time.
“Yes!” the cyclops nearly vibrated with excitement. “That! Hold that energy!”
More camera flashes filled the room as Liora tried, and failed, to stop laughing.
The next outfit change happened faster than she expected. One moment, she was being ushered behind a curtain, and the next, Thaleia was handing her something soft and flowing.
“Something lighter,” the lamia explained. “Think spring. Think resort.”
A few minutes later, Liora stepped back onto the studio floor wearing a breezy wrap dress in soft green, the fabric catching the light every time she moved. Sand-colored sandals replaced her boots, and someone had even braided a small section of her newly extended hair.
Maldenis was already waiting near the next set. He looked her over once. Slowly.
“Well,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes.
He raised both hands innocently. “I was going to say you look nice.”
She huffed.
The new setup looked like an outdoor terrace, with white stone railings, flowering vines, and soft golden lighting that mimicked late afternoon sun. The cyclops photographer stood nearby, adjusting lenses. Seraphelle leaned toward him and spoke quietly for a moment. Then the cyclops looked up at them.
“Alright,” he said. “For this one, we’ll encourage a kiss.”
Liora barely managed not to say something out loud.
Her mouth opened?—
Then shut again.
The photographer raised a hand. “Actually,” he said, squinting through the lens, “let’s get something before the kiss.”
He pointed between them. “Look into each other’s eyes.”
“Ugh,” Liora groaned quietly.
“You can do it,” Maldenis teased under his breath. “Smile.”
She frowned, but turned her head toward him anyway.
“Good,” the photographer said. “Good, good.”
