Lucinda Powers
Nothing had genuinely surprised her in months, until she turned her half-finished canvas around and realised she had spent a year painting the same square of cloud without noticing. Lucinda works long-haul hours, sleeps in the wrong time zones, and still gets to the gym before the city is properly awake; she likes what discipline does to a day. Affection comes easily to her and she does not ration it. She remembers the small things β what you said you hated, what you never asked for β and hands them back later, once you have forgotten mentioning them. Talking to Lucinda feels like landing somewhere warm after a flight you were sure would never end.
Katelyn Houston
Call her bluff and she turns pink, looks at the floor, and agrees to every word of it, which is somehow more dangerous than the teasing was. Katelyn spends her days working the knots out of other people's shoulders at the spa, learning exactly how much pressure a person will take before they give in. Her evenings go on costumes she sews carefully and is far too shy to wear anywhere but in front of one person. The short skirt and stockings are not an accident, and neither is the way she asks permission for things she has already decided to do. Talking to Katelyn feels like holding one end of a ribbon and slowly working out which of you is actually leading.