Quinn pursed his lips in response, slowly nodding his head in tentative agreement, never too eager to give himself over completely. “Privacy and discretion,” he echoed softly, tight lips loosening into a soft smirk. “I can see the value of both, especially if one wished to execute their devious machinations indefinitely. Fair enough, you win this round, Mikkel.” Point for the handsome older man with the magnetic tongue.<br/><br/>His companion slowed his step, but Quinn failed to immediately follow suit. His steps had already taken him to the next collection of grisly paintings, though his ears hung back with Mikkel and twitched attentively at his suggestion. “See, now, that isn't fair,” Quinn began, his eyes dancing across the<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Ff8%2F42%2F84%2Ff84284483bf0405eb8142a175598de43.jpg&amp;hash=96bfa0c758a961296c0a0c0cf1234883" href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/42/84/f84284483bf0405eb8142a175598de43.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">new canvas</a>, covered in the trademark de Sagazan grays, blacks, and visceral reds. The subject of the painting looked as if his face was melting like wax into his hands, and Quinn was trying to decide if the man with the deliquescing visage was horrified or resigned by this reality.<br/><br/>“You're appealing to my inherent curiosity, tempting me with a mystery and claiming the only way to solve it is by taking your bait.” Faced away from Mikkel, it was easy to smile into the art, hide behind his curtain of black hair and hope the older man didn't see. “You've presented me with situation in which I'm forced to determine the positives and negatives of indulging your request. Luckily for you, it seems I am at a disadvantage. No negatives come to mind.” He tore himself away from the painting and gave Mikkel his full attention, beckoning him closer with a single finger.<br/><br/>“I accept your invitation. What did you have in mind? If you're thinking of going the classic route and taking me out to dinner, I suggest eight o'clock. I'd prefer to avoid Chinese for obvious reasons, but I'm open to experimentation. I trust a man with such exquisite preferences in clothing has the taste buds to match. However, if you're plotting something different, just tell me when to meet you and where. I'll be there.”