The bard's gaze caught Gilead's attention well enough. The paladin glanced back, helped himself to an entire serving platter from the table, and sauntered in the Tian's direction, parting the throng of curious admirers already beginning to gravitate towards the bard. Finding a comfortable place to lean, he waved the tray within reach of the bard, effortlessly supporting the heavily laden silver tray in a single hand.<br/><br/>"Fancy a nibble? 's probably safe enough to eat. Hasn't got me yet, fer what it's worth." For emphasis, he tore another hunk of his shank from the bone, steaming juices dribbling down onto his hand. As he finished his mouthful, he set the tray down within a comfortable arms reach.<br/><br/>"I suppose a congratulations is in order then, now yer one of the top dogs. Buggered if I know why they had to go dragging me into it as well though..."<br/><br/>Gil was an infamously gruff fellow, modest in his own way, and he sure as hell wasn't about to accept his new rank without a proper grumble. Though he could go toe to toe with the best of them, he was no assassin,  not in his mind, anyway. Better to leave all that cloak and dagger stuff to those with a penchant for it. But fortunately, the grizzled veteran didn't dwell on his complaints long. He seemed quite jovial, at least compared to usual.<br/><br/>"Bloody oath! Don't let me spoil yer mood. How's business?"<br/><br/>From where he leaned, Gilead watched the crowd. It wasn't a bad spot, he could comfortably keep an eye on the door as people trickled in, his height affording him an excellent view over the throng. The ranger went unnoticed, just another face in the crowd, as she slipped surreptitiously in, exactly as she'd intended, but an exotic looking woman, quite the looker, managed to pique his interest. Obviously not from around here, his eyes followed her as she found herself a seat. As she scanned around the guests, he met her gaze with a grimace that was probably supposed to be a smile and a raised tankard, yet another new one. He gave Xinshi a nudge. The bard ought to be far more knowledgeable about the guests than Gilead was.<br/><br/>"Know her, over there? The one in the funny dress..?"