Antonio closed his eyes and sighed. "Excuse us for a moment,<em>se non vi dispiace.</em>" He stood up and motions Taylor off to one side.<br/><br/>"True, I may have talked down to Iris, but it's not like she's the easiest person to get along with. I've tried to respect her, and her attitude got in the way.<br/><br/>"Yes, I'm 'in the know,' as you say. And that's why I know that antagonizing a Winter Fey who is simply asking for an information trade is not the best course of action.<br/><br/>"And as for her being a monster hunter... I have no doubt that she can go toe-to-toe with some of the beasts that are out there. But from what I've seen of her, she's making more enemies than allies... and with some of these beings, it's better to not get on their bad side, even if you can beat them in a stand up fight."<br/><br/>He sighs again, and half-smiles. "I realize that you're infatuated with her, and that you're standing up for her when she's not here. I can respect that. I'm just treating her as she treats everyone else, since that seems to be the only way she'll listen to me.<br/><br/>"Now, do you have any further concerns before we negotiate with our guest? Now is the time to speak up."