That pickup line was ancient. Even in a novel, readers would complain if it was used once... Christina looked the middle-aged man who called himself "Dominic" up and down. To her surprise, he had well-defined features and a strong facial outline. He was rather handsome, with a natural air that attracted the opposite sex.
He's not as impressive as Mr. Medici, who came to our house a few times to look after Dorothy and me, but he's still far above ordinary people... Tina's expression softened without her realizing it. Although she remained slightly wary, she greeted him politely:
"Hello, Mr. Dominic. I don't remember meeting you."
"Of course. The person I met wasn't you. That was twenty... no, nineteen years ago." The black-haired Dominic nodded, unsurprised. "You look almost exactly like that young lady did back then. If I'm not mistaken, you're her daughter?"
He met Mom? Before I was born? Could it be... Several plot twists from the novels Tina had read instantly sprang to mind. Then she realized he might very well be fishing for information. After all, it was perfectly normal for daughters to resemble their parents. This Dominic might never have met her mother at all and simply made an offhand remark.
Although I really do look exactly like Mom. Dorothy, who was born a year earlier, inherited traits from both of them. She doesn't look so delicate and has more of a scholarly air instead... Tina glanced at her older sister, whom she had kicked awake and who was watching Dominic with equal wariness. Only after seeing Dorothy reach into her pocket for Arodes's Mirror did she relax a little.
*At least we each have a Sealed Artifact, so we don't need to worry too much about strangers approaching us. Besides, we're on a steam