Jana had hopped off of him very quickly upon hearing the bell of the store's entrance ringing, almost blushing as Kathryn entered; the tinge of blood on her fangs wasn't cleaned off in time, and she didn't wish for them to look rude in front of the elder. Steven, however, doesn't even bother healing the wound on his neck (That she'd left in a hurry) until Kathryn and her...companion were right in front of them, and with that his complexion seemed to become slightly less pale; he'd replaced lost blood as well.<br/><br/>He sighs after the first few things she says, rubbing his temples as a 'subtle' way of saying he understood she was insulted but didn't feel that bad.<br/><br/>"Well, Kathryn, it is nice to meet you in person. I suppose I should explain myself", he begins, now looking towards her, arms crossed, "To be blunt, the last<em>mage</em>that tried to summon me with an underling lost the underling as well as half their territory because of it", he explains, "In other words, it is a direct insult amongst mages to try to make first contact with an underling unless you are absolutely certain they arb eneath you; in other words, doing so implies you find someone under you", he explains, offering a similarly faked smile.<br/><br/>"Jana here<em>did</em>point out to me, though, who you are, and the fact that you have no direct experience with mages, and thus why I reconsidered. I apologize for the manner of my response, I often forget that not everyone has the same sort of...tradition", he explains, "Regardless, since we've already met, don't worry about it in the future; it's more acceptable for acquaintances to deliver messages that way", he says<br/><br/>Part of the reason he'd forgotten most vampires don't work that way was because Lex had met him up-close; she hadn't risked insulting him because of that. Lana was met in person as well, as were the one or two other vampires he kept in contact with. In other words, he had become used to vampires honoring that traditional manner of meeting someone.<br/><br/>As the man comes in to tell them to buy something or get out, he frowned angrily, having thought he made things clear. Regardless, it seemed Kathryn was taking care of it, which was good. Still, as she left the room to do so, the door swung shut as shadows enveloped it, locking it magically.<br/><br/>"I very much dislike interruptions, don't you?", he comments idley towards Kathryn.<br/><br/>"Anyway, you can give me money if you wish, I definitely won't feel offended by that", he replies, grinning slightly, "And yes, Jana has told me the basic information about who you are", he adds with a nod, "Which worries me slightly, to be honest. Elders are powerful, and you all are the one type of individual in this city that can make me fear for my life", he explains, making it clear that she's not the only one that looks longingly to the strengths of the other 'group' within the city.<br/><br/>"Regardless, if you have not yet found out through other<em>channels</em>, I am Steven, Head Archmage of the city, and this is one of my assistants, Jana", he explains<br/><br/>"A pleasure to meet you in person, Kathryn", Jana says to the elder,<strong>far</strong>more humbly than Steven's introduction. She actually seemed to be somewhat enamored with the elder, looking to her almost longingly, meriting a curious glance from Steven.<br/><br/>He listens closely to the explanation regarding Element before responding, "I am aware of her...and I am watching her", he says, though not giving specific explanation, "There is always a reason for when I am in vampiric territory; she was that reason. I am not sure I wish to allow Lex to<em>teach</em>her in whatever regard she plans", he explains<br/><br/>"As it is...I would prefer to at least teach her the basics of things myself before handing her over to a vampire. No offense meant, of course, but you simply don't have the expertise with how magic works for us to help her in the early stages"<br/><br/>Surprisingly enough, at her little trick with the card and the comments afterwards, he actually laughs, leaning forward, "Impressive, Kathryn", he says with a smirk. With that, he eyes the business card, memorizing it as it transforms into a shadow, being absorbed into his own, "Thank you", he says after that<br/><br/>"What else was it you needed to discuss?", he asks curiously<br/>