Searing 23 121
Mino had to remind himself that this was only for the sake of work.
It had nothing to do with the fact that he might not like his peers. He surely didn’t see them as individuals he would willingly find himself around, but they weren’t particularly terrible people to be around. Just...dreadfully uninteresting in most cases. Like now: using one’s home for a gambling den for the rich and restless? Firstly, an amateur move; everyone knows you wouldn’t want something you may think would tarnish your reputation so directly tied to you. A secondary location would probably have been a much better idea to anyone actually using some level of common sense. Secondly, Mino had never come here beforehand because he found the idea of gambling without risk to be...tasteless. Cowardly, even. All they would do is lose a few notes when really — they had quite a bit to spare. He could head over to the Spinning Coin and get more out of an evening of merely watching than this lot could with participating for an hour.
But that didn’t matter now. What mattered is that all of these fine young men and women attending this evening were those with some sort of magical connection, or are connected enough to the current gossip that he could work those connections. It would make it easier for him to find someone to initiate him into magic of one form or another. Mino himself had never really thought much of the arcane; he had enough things to worry about maintaining than a working knowledge of how magic worked — even if there would be some benefit.
He sighed as he walked through the entry arches of a lesser house, vaguely aware that there were people who seemed pleased with his arrival. There were familiar faces who had made his attendance possible, their heads bowed as they continued their roles as servants and confidants. Lady Honey had trained them well, bringing them up in the ways of being unassuming. There would be, really, no point in drawing attention to oneself in this role.
The rathari halted as a hand came down before him, a crooked grin on the face of the man who’d stopped him. Of course; he should have expected some resistance to his presence. Being a member of an upstanding family, one could assume that he would be too good for this.
“Mino Lekivian.” The man’s grin was probably no more than a front. Pale grey eyes bore into him. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”
His answer was drawled out, head tipped to the side to see around the other. “Lord Choosak, there’s an awful lot of rumors about your gatherings and I simply had to see for myself.”
“That so? Although.” The other lord took a step forward, the eyes of others on them. This was a matter of posturing, not just of friendly conversation. “I don’t recall inviting you.”
“From my understanding, this was meant to be a sort of...open occasion, and even then, I was invited by Lady Khrish so there may have simply been a misunderstanding or a mixup of some kind.” Taking his own step closer, he let his voice drop for only those close enough to strain to hear would be able to catch his words. “It really wouldn’t look good for you to send me away, either. I know there are plenty of people who would just love to know that House Choosak is uncaring of their behavior toward their betters. And there are witnesses aplenty who could spin it however they saw fit.”
Mino’s grin remained in place while the other man’s wavered for a moment. But a moment would be enough and the lingering silence a mere boost to the imagination of whoever was watching. Choosak crumbled under the weight of imagined possibilities, a more forced smile on his face as he stepped aside. “Whatever the case may be.” How he must have hated to think, let alone say, the words. “Welcome, Lord Lekivian.”
“Pleasure to be here.”
