Matthew was almost too busy frozen by the looks and smiles that Razkar was shooting him to notice the loud pop, but it was just enough to jolt him, his body shuddering out of his intimidated stupor. He spun his head, surprised gaze staring for the source of the sound, and shockingly landing on Edreina and her sassily swaying backside. He blinked a few times and glanced to the man, then back to her, making the connection. He winced a bit, hoping the man had done something to deserve it, but realizing that the Herald would probably bake up its employee. She wasn't the type to just randomly pop some guy because he looked at her wrong. He knew that just from just having seen her work and hearing word of her around the Herald. She had a good reputation. He turned back to Razkar, unaware of the lingering tension in the air or the effective looks that Razkar was throwing around to dispell it. Skill with Steel versus Skill with Words. He narrowed his eyes, flickering a judgemental stare over the warrior, analyzing him to see if the second was a skill the man could actually ever have. Matthew believed it possible, as any one could usually learn any skill with the right amount of work. The fact that Razkar held some sort of respect for the power of words was definitely a huge step in the right direction. There was also a step backwards in the fact that Razkar seemed to be straining very hard to come to these conclusions. Or perhaps he was just searching for the right words. Giving the benefit of the doubt, Matthew went with the second one. He followed Razkar's gaze to the approaching woman, narrowing his eyes again, a common habit when thoughts started to churn. Finally some pieces of the puzzle clicked, and his eyes shot back and forth between the two, realization blossoming in his brain. So the man liked the red-head, and perhaps that was why he was being so possessive. A few of the glowering looks earlier made sense, though Matthew didn't quite realize that some of the things he had done had been what spawned the glares. He just assumed it was because he was a male, and standing near the prize of another male. While it sounded primal and petty, deep down inside, a lot of them followed more savage instincts. Razkar was probably closer to those than the rest of him, and Matthew was deeply greatful he hadn't gone with those base instincts. They had probably called for the Myrian to lop Matthew's pretty head clean off. The Myrian spoke quicker, and Matthew raised an eyebrow at the last part of the sentence, noting that Razkar had found his mistake as well. Seeing that Edreina was quickly approaching and Razkar had asked a rather loaded question, his mind worked and his motions blurred. He reached into his pocket so quickly that the Myrian might very well react, but then pulled forth a slip of paper, handing it over to Razkar. As Edreina came within range, he smoothly turned, his face lacking much emotion as he offered her a copy of the same card. "Good timing. Didn't miss a thing. I was just giving Razkar my card, and was hoping you would take one as well. Feel free to stop by at any time, and also feel free to inquire about anything not listed on the card. This is a little side business of mine." Secret :
A harlot with a personal advertisement, how cute. Simple directions to his home flat were also included on the very bottom of the card, a clear hint to Razkar at where he needed to go to get the information he required. Matthew leaned back, once again turning into the picture-perfect example of seductive ease, his body open to the admiring and looking quite casual while he did it. His blue eyes met Edreina's, and he offered her a slow and teasing smile, demeanor once again shifting. His gaze was wide and innocent, and it was hard to tell if there was something to be suspicious about, or if he was just relaxing into his role once more. Both, really. He was trying to sell a service here, and even if it wasn't to either of them, some potential customers might see. While his swaying hips couldn't quite do it yet, he had other assets that could. Little did he know that these assets were exactly what had Razkar bristling and foaming every other chime. |