Having every eye on her had never been a problem for NukEncore.
Once attention fell in her direction, she could seize it, claim it, and keep it for as long as she wanted. Even now, she did not waste a second worrying about her voice or how mellifluous she had sounded. She simply lifted her chin and stared back at everyone.
Martin, however, felt the weight of the stares immediately.
He remembered how conscious she had been of that same voice and how she had lowered her head because of it. That memory stirred something protective and intimate in him. He stepped closer to NukEncore and placed his hand on her head, like a teacher scolding a loud student in a museum.
"She meant to say that in our party voice chat. Sorry, please don't mind us. We're listening," Martin said with a business smile, as if he were facing clients at work.
There was no reason to explain why she had reacted that way. He did not owe anyone an explanation, and neither did NukEncore.
