The meeting seemed to be going rather well, with smiles and friendly words all around. Hani was intrigued by the substance that Doryn inquired about. "Tell me more of this Ice Cobra Venom. How is it used and in what form?" she sidled closer to Doryn and leaned against him with her hand on his shoulder. She looked at him with interest as he imbibed the Elysian Tears. His eyes seemed to dilate with pleasure and she noted he seemed more relaxed.<br/><br/>The comments on the Elves drew a frown from her. The diplomatic housing on the edges of the Duke's Palace were off limits to her. Not that she had not tried to infiltrate. They had magical barriers maintained by the Elven mages to insure their privacy. Even though the Elves enjoyed partying with the Human nobles, they were not welcoming to those of a lower station. All their servants were Elven, and their residence was maintained on the outside by the Royal Gardener, who was himself half Elf.<br/><br/>"The snooty Elves? They have magical barriers, I cannot get through. I have tried, unsuccessfully. The wine they have at their parties is heavily diluted. They have some undiluted in their cellars, I am sure. But they will not let Humans drink the undiluted. It has a tendency to knock a Human out cold. It does give one a very marvelous sense of euphoria as well as very lucid dreams...even the diluted stuff works well. As I said, I do not often have the opportunity to imbibe." She smiled at Doryn.<br/><br/>Hani wondered what other things that Pieter had in his arsenal. She knew he traded in exotics and in the Black Market. She had sold some of her more expensive baubles to him. Of course he had no idea what kinds of treasures she still had locked in her room. When she knew him better, she might reveal them, a few at a time.<br/><br/>"Pieter, have you any of that weed that the far desert nomads trade from time to time? I was hoping for some seed. I have a friend who is into horticulture, he has a hothouse of sorts and would like to experiment. He is willing to pay well for viable seed as well as a whole plant if you can get such. He would like to see the root structure and some of the soil it likes. No hurry, as we are heading into autumn. I am glad we don't have to worry about snow here. At least it is rare." She smiled and then turned to Doryn.<br/><br/>"Do you miss the cold and snow of your native land? This must be stifling for you in the summer." She knew only that Doryn was tall and strong and of the northern tribes. He was far more sophisticated than she had expected. She still knew next to nothing of his past. Curiosity would be all over her face. Not to mention a certain flirtacious interest. His comments about the Elven women made her roll her eyes. They all seemed to be so cold and aloof, including the men.