The heavy soundproof door cut off the clamor backstage at the convention center completely, and the world fell silent in an instant.
He had covered his lightweight, close-fitting black-and-gold suit with a casual jacket, the retracted cape forming a faint, rigid outline across his back.
Annie had changed into a denim jacket and a white T-shirt, her blonde hair loosely pinned up behind her head.
"Come on, let's get something to eat." Lucian took Annie's hand.
"I thought you'd want to go straight home." Annie winked. "You know, do a little... celebrating."
"That Mexican restaurant you've been talking about forever? After tonight, we might not get another chance to eat there in peace." Lucian opened the car door, a hint of teasing in his voice.
Annie settled into the passenger seat and watched the neon signs racing past outside, all displaying enormous, retouched posters of Lucian's face.
"The Pivot," she murmured, then turned to Lucian. "How does it feel, big hero?"
"Not bad," Lucian answered as he always did. "The lines were a little stupid."
Annie laughed. In a corner of the restaurant, they sat across from each other at a small square table. The dim yellow light blurred the outlines of the diners around them, creating a rare sense of privacy.
Annie picked up a small piece of tortilla with her fork and dipped it in sauce. "Seriously, back there onstage, I almost thought you really were that lone hero born to save the world."
"That was the persona Ashley spent two weeks developing, after rejecting more than thirty versions." Lucian cut the steak on his plate. "Every pause, every word, was precisely calculated by the PR department."
"But I didn't see calculations." Annie set down her fork and leaned forward slightly, looking at him earnestly. "I saw you.