<em>"Atticus... To my side, please."</em><br/><br/>Hearing the soft tone was like feeling the brush of silk when he had expected a whip’s crack. He couldn’t keep the shudder from rolling across his shoulders, the desire to trust the Master a seductive draw. It was a game Atticus was all too familiar with, but no one had carried it on for so long or so convincingly.<br/><br/>He flicked his Gaze to Master Ryan, feeling the knot of tension ease a little more, letting him move to obey. He circled around the couple, perhaps a little rudely taking the path behind the ‘artist’ – honestly, why the nobility thought they had to mask their reasons for coming to a whorehouse…<br/><br/>Master Ryan discussed prices – Atti didn’t blink when the Master mentioned Atticus' price was more than any usual whore’s. Disappointment left a bitter rime of bile at the back of his throat, but he couldn’t help but respect the man for the ploy. Make one of his stable seem unattainable, then enjoy the profit of some fool with more money than sense who wished for the rare and taboo… clever. Clever.<br/><br/>He came to a stop by the Master’s right side, his attention turned to the lord. He focused on keeping his gaze and face opaque. He still found it difficult to do when struggling with high emotion, though it could be of fatal importance for a swordsman to keep his intentions masked.<br/><br/><em>"I really do mean nothing by it Atticus, merely that your features give something that I've been trying to capture for more days then I care to count. If you are truly against it I understand, not everyone wishes to model, forgive an artist his enthusiasm. I think it best that Florence speak for the rest of this, she has much more demure manners then I."</em><br/><br/>He bowed again, shallow and swift. “I think only of my duties to the House. There would be no guarantees that we would be uninterrupted.” The lie was as smooth and mellow as a truth. He was truly surprise the man had picked up anything was the matter with him – he needed to do much better than this…<br/>