Mathias heard the question, but ignored it as Vivienne moved by him to blend seamlessly into the crowd that was leaving the place; they exited in a single stream of humanity reminiscent of a leak that had been sprung. They were rushing out to evade the acrid smoke that was permeating the entire establishment, but the Prince wasn't too bothered by it. He was more bothered by being called "Matt", to be honest, but so long as he called her Viv she would continue to reply with her own shortening of his name. He wasn't going to be the one to stop first, though.<br/><br/>As for keeping a low profile, Vivienne might have known their motivations, but there was much more she was oblivious to. She had no idea what he was subjected to- the endless roaring in his mind, no words spoken but the message conveyed all the same; a deafening barrage that would have stripped him of his sanity if only he had any yet remaining to him. He could fool the world around him, but not himself.<br/><br/>Although he'd initially planned to follow behind her, he realized something else needed to be taken care of first and he remained where he was, a new, temporary objective having made itself clear to him. Mathias blinked several times, aware of how unstable he probably looked as he waited for the presences he felt to come closer.<br/><br/>Subtlety was Viv's strong suit, and he knew the Demon to be distinctly methodical in her approach, but Mathias had no time to waste on such considerations.<br/><br/>The three Demons approaching him were young- he did not know them, but he sensed their power and he knew they had not been long in the fold. That being said, it was clear they were not stupid, and they were just as aware of the situation as Vivienne and himself, though unlike him, they held no leverage. There was one male and two females, and they had disguised themselves only well enough to fool only the most careless of observers. The stronger a Demon was, the more elaborate the disguise- for those who bothered, anyway.<br/><br/>The Demon in the lead, a slender woman with straight, golden hair that reached her waist, leered angrily at the Prince blocking their path. The smoke was nearly gone now, as the fried equipment seemed to have finally run out of fumes to disperse into the air, but the place was now entirely empty except for the four of them. The other two stood behind the golden-headed one, flanking her on either side. The other woman had a shaved head covered in a coarse black stubble with several piercings running down one of her ears, and the man was taller than either of his comrades, with a mop of curly red hair and something of a hunch in his posture. None of them looked particularly pleased to see Mathias standing there, but he smiled good-naturedly at them anyway.<br/><br/>"Lazaahn," she spat, her eyes repeatedly darting back and forth between him and the exit behind him. He knew she wanted nothing more than to follow Vivienne outside, so as to throw a wrench into the proceedings, but she would not be getting her way. "It is most unusual for a Prince to be bothering with such trivial affairs. Why give your girl the leg-up? Or is she returning the favor in some way?"<br/><br/>The look she flashed him alongside the words said it all, and Mathias found himself fighting back a sudden flood of anger. He was accustomed to disrespect from his peers, but these fledglings should know better than to speak to a Prince in such a fashion. They wanted to get to the Mortal, but he would not be obliging them.<br/><br/>"Words carry consequences," he said softly, the smile now gone from his face. "Silence would suit you better, I think. It more effectively masks ignorance."<br/><br/>Her face reddened slightly, and the other two fidgeted where they stood. They were walking a delicate line, but it was obvious they were willing to try their luck in the hopes of getting past the grey-haired sentinel.<br/><br/>"Let us by."<br/><br/>She was speaking more in terms of the barrier than of his physical form, though both represented obstacles they had no hopes of bypassing. Behind him he sensed Vivienne, and he knew she was still within the boundaries of his barrier. He had extended it as far as he could, using his power to the fullest as he was determined to buy her as much time as possible. He would have to move soon, though. Once the immediate threat was handled.<br/><br/>"No."<br/><br/>She moved forward a step, with the other two right on her heels.<br/><br/>"Let us by, I said."<br/><br/>The smile returned, though this time it was decidedly grim. He stood stiff and erect, like a statue in front of them.<br/><br/>"You shall not pass."<br/><br/>The man snorted; he moved forward to stand alongside the longhaired demon, visibly unimpressed.<br/><br/>"Listen here Gandalf, I don-"<br/><br/>Although Mathias did not move, a wave of power flowed out of his body and crashed into the three of them, sending them reeling back into a number of chairs and tables, clattering to the ground amongst broken bits of furniture. Outraged, they moved to rise to their feet but found themselves pinned down by something they could not see.<br/><br/>Mathias turned on his heel without a backward glance and made his way to the exit, ignoring the sounds of protest and indignation emanating from behind him.<br/><br/>"That should hold them for long enough," he said quietly to no one in particular.<br/><br/>In his head, the storm continued to rage.