 be curious, not judgmental
Sophie giggled at Flamsteed's dislike for the smell of the nail polish, but who didn't? Had he never actually been around nail polish like this before, though? Had Romanos never applied nail polish in his presence, or was he just alarmed at how strong it was up close like this? Whatever the case, his bubble-head charm to save himself from the smell made her giggling intensify, and she shook her head at him. "S'not really that bad, professor. Might not be super healthy to inhale the fumes, but people do it all the time. S'probably not gonna kill you." Which was why she didn't do anything for herself to get rid of the smell. Nah, she was used to it, and pretty soon her nose would get used to the strong scent anyway.
His curiosity over the bottle and little brush made her snort, and she opened her mouth to tell him about wizarding nail polishes where they could just dip their fingertips into the concoction and pull them out with the paint coating the nails perfectly, but her mouth abruptly closed the moment the brush made contact with her fingernail... and the skin all around it.
Oh Merlin. Ohhhhhh Merlin. Don't laugh, Sophie Brown, don't laugh.
Her shoulders tensed as she sat there trying to hold in her giggles, and she tried to keep her hand still but - why was he just letting it float there? Was he-- of course he was. He was a professional, as funny of a situation as this was, and Sophie looked for a way to alleviate the awkwardness of this predicament by taking one of the sofa pillows from behind her and resting it between them, then letting her hand rest down on it so her hand was at least propped up a little more, and if he really wanted, he could lift the pillow. That way he wouldn't have to hold her hand and he'd still be able to be more precise about it and have better control of his painting.
Sophie Brown was a thinker.
"You're doing an ace job, professor. I like the way it sparkles when y'move and look at it from a different angle. S'kinda mesmerizing." Didn't he think so?
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