There remained no doubt that he shouldn't have done it, but slowly, Doryn's initial over-reaction was beginning to fade away to something a bit more-- comfortably uncomfortable,-- it helped that he was able to put everyone on their toes a bit by subtly letting them know that he'd spotted their disassembling attempt at making contact with each other. More importantly, Doryn knew Hani, and the more he reflected on the matter the more he realized that he didn't have much to worry about from this development. Hani was a terrible flirt who probably earned more in tips than the rest of the women in the Dew Drop combined, but more than that she enjoyed the game nearly as much as he did, and he didn't think that she'd give into Ethirdir all that easily.<br/><br/>Of course, Doryn<em>didn't</em>know the Elf that well, only really what he'd been able to gauge from the High Society parties that they'd both attended and in what he'd learned in the course of their rivalry when they'd fought over one women or another. Doryn knew enough to guess that Lord Talion would likely be drawn to Hani, but how that might play out past that was unclear to him. Would he be as drawn to the Innkeeper's Daughter-turned-Cat Burglar as Doryn was or would the Elf lose interest in favor of less complicated game? How would<em>Hani</em>react to him, similarly, was a question to which he didn't have a simple answer and the one that burned a fire within him with a desire to know.<br/><br/>He'd seen her flirt with other men, she worked in her Father's Bar, but for some reason the thought of her in the arms of his rival was getting under his skin more than he'd ever had admitted.<br/><br/>Doryn had known that he was captivated by her and by the little game that the two of them played, of course, but he'd never have guessed that it would have gone to this extreme.<br/><br/>"You're probably right, in any event, about the gang of thieves,-- still, it's a nice thought, catching at least one of their number,-- even if they'd soon be replaced it'd still be something to present to the Nobility. Maybe we can talk about what you know, of these thieves, at some later point, my dear," he said, softly enough, sure that she'd read-through the lines. After all, if she was intending to keep operating, it would be in both of their best interest if they could draw some attention away from the things that she did. "I'm glad that your Father appreciates my wines, in any event, and that they are so popular. It's good for the reputation of my vineyards, really, so I've no issue giving you some of my stock at a bit of a discount. As for THIS wine? No, I believe this is a rarer import, though I'm not quite sure from where."<br/><br/>The Knight-Captain settled down, enjoying some of the wine and trying to place the vintage as he watched Hani and Ethirdir settle their business and make their arrangements. Part of him almost wishes that Hani had accepted one of his Bodyguards, for reasons that had very little to do with security, but it was much preferred that she didn't. Every member of his Honor Guard had been involved in some criminal activity for their Captain, of course, and he trusted them all with knowledge of such things. They were all, to a person, utterly loyal to him. If Hani needed them, and asked, he'd loan them to her at a moment's notice and not worry for a moment about any trouble coming for it. Even so, it was better if their business interests didn't get<em>that</em>intermingled, for both of their sakes.<br/><br/>He'd still be more comfortable with the meeting that the Elf was arranging if they had a Chaperone, though.<br/><br/>Really, all of this petty jealousy was foolishness, especially if he didn't intend to actually let anything happen with Hani.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"And to you, my good sir," the Elf said said, raising his glass again before taking a small sip of wine, "tonight has been very...enlightening in many ways. You are correct in that it took me too long to darken the door of this fine establishment...a mistake I will not make again. Perhaps you can I also get better...acquainted, talk about things other than our romantic conquests?"</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>This was, of course, the reason that Doryn invited the Elf over,-- or at least part of the reason,-- but it had somehow lost some little bit of it's charm. Still, in the end, Doryn wasn't the type to give up an interesting game just because it'd become more challenging and in other circumstances he'd probably even enjoy this particular competition. If, indeed, it was a competition at all. He'd never exactly assured himself that Hani was interested in anything more than flirting,-- that she just wanted to get a rise out of him, something she'd almost accomplished on multiple occasions, and could probably be said to<em>have done</em>tonight,-- the young Innkeeper's Daughter certainly didn't seem to be setting her eyes on him as a marriage prospect.<br/><br/>Which was, honestly, refreshing enough on its own.<br/><br/>"Well, I'm glad that we'll be seeing more of you here at the Dew Drop,-- another battlefield in our little war will always be fun,--" he says, licking his lips ever so slightly, the face of the comment referring to chasing after other women that come here while the subtext refers as well to his obvious interest in Hani. A quick sip of his wine, still savoring the flavor and trying to place it, had Doryn just looking back across the table toward the Elf with some intensity. Really, he<em>had</em>to get to know Ethirdir at this point...<br/><br/>...he'd intended to, earlier, when he'd invited the Elf and it was even more necessary at this point.<br/><br/>"But, yes, there are so many other topics to discuss other than women, though I'll admit that at the moment the only other one that comes to me is Wine," he says, chuckling a bit. "Please, Lord Talion, assuage my curiosity if you would be so bold? The bottle is rather nondescript, and I don't recognize it in any case, but you must have known what vintage you ordered when you ordered it. It's not local, and not from my own vineyards, and try as I might... I can't seem to place it.."