The response was interesting.  Had he unintentionally insulted the man?  Max had only intended to offer an upgraded look for a man who was supposed to come across as a wealthy businessman and art dealer, not point out that his suit looked positively working class, even if it did.  But living so many years surrounded by the finest had conditioned the neko to it, even if he still sometimes rebelled against the notion to the point that his way of talking could shift from the more reserved and educated to the harsh and unsavory at a moment’s notice.  The way Sylvester went on to make sure that his current financial distress was known even made Max feel a little awkward, and his ears lowered a little.  Of course he knew about it, already.  He’d made sure that Christy took that into account when she narrowed down the potentials.  He might’ve went ahead and pointed that out, but it seemed kind of rude.  Luckily, Sylvester was all agreeance.  That was a relief.  The neko even smiled as he leaned against the arm of the sofa and propped his chin upon his palm.<br/><br/>“It might be easy to forget, but I’m a businessman, Mr. Riddlehart.”  His ears perked forward.  He really wanted to catch those blue eyes, again.  It was more than they were just nice to look at, but that he liked when they were on him.  It was strange, because vanity didn’t suit Max.  He finally put it down to that the way Sylvester looked at him was so normal, like he wasn’t looking down on him or viewing him as a freakish creature.  He felt the man considered him an equal, if not more due to the current state of… well, class, wealth, status, or whatever element might’ve been at play in the human’s mind.  Truly, it didn’t make a difference to Max.  While he still had a temper and had a general distrust of humans, he was the last to judge someone on something other than their character.  It was a shame that most people were still ugly on the inside.<br/><br/>“Investment and risk is all part of that,” he went on, paying little attention as Theodore entered the room carrying a tray with all the necessary components of their tea, Jason following after with a tiered serving tray of snacks and sweets.  Some were sweet, others were savory.  After some careful rearranging of the antiques that were already taking up the space, the trays were placed there on the coffee table and Theo began to pour the tea.  There was also a small bowl set out more toward Max himself that contained smoked fish pate to go with the plain crackers.  It was one of his favourites that Stephan would have made just for him, and thankfully Theodore had learned how to make it before the rest of the staff bailed.<br/><br/>“Considering this is a move to save the business from withering away, I consider a suit and travel expenses as nothing more or less than a necessary investment.  I really don’t mind the expense.  If it wasn’t you, it might’ve been Jason here.”  His secretary paled.  “But more than that, I like to see it as we’re investing in each other.  You’re willing to take a risk on working for a neko in a society that’s still hostile towards us, and I’m willing to take a risk on you being the one to save my business.  It works both ways.  It’s symbiosis.”  He chuckled at himself.  “That’s what I’m hoping for, anyway.  I want to keep doing what I’ve been doing and live up to Stephan’s expectations, and you want to gain profitable employment that aligns with your passions.  I don’t really know about things like fate or destiny, but it sure feels like a perfect match.”