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"I don't even know if he's attracted to me," she admitted.
"He's kept a mistress for a while," Talin admitted. "He's a little older than Thiemo, maybe in his early thirties? About the same age as the High Priest of Intuition."
"Arion?" she asked, thrusting out her lower lip and nodding. "Still unmarried, right?"
"Very much so," Talin assured her.
And for the rest of the ride over, Nari got all the main points on her date. I felt bad about that, because we should've made sure she already knew those little details. Then again, at Yamina's party, she'd been with Maela instead of helping the guys and learning about them. I'd foolishly assumed that she would've asked if she had questions, but once again, it seemed that Nari was trying to carry her burdens on her own.
So as the carriage pulled up before the mid-city building that the most fashionable gentlemen simply called "the club," I leaned over and rubbed her knee. "Stop trying to do this alone. The snake has five heads. Remember that, Nari."
And then the carriage stopped. Immediately, the footman opened the door, making me think the guy had bailed off the back with the contraption still moving. In a smooth motion, Talin stepped out and turned to help Nari down. I followed, careful not to step on the train of her dress as it slid out. Then Wraythe came behind me. Standing at the side, nearly a pace apart, Thiemo and Zayr were watching us, smiling at how calmly we had disembarked.
"Ela!" Thiemo exclaimed, marching over with his arms open. "You made it."
I stepped in and hugged the man, deciding at the last minute not to kiss him. No, not in public like this. Thiemo must've felt it, though, because he pulled back to look at me, a sultry smile on his lips. Then he turned to his friend.
"And this," he introduced, tilting his head to Nari, "Is Priestess Nariana, the one I told you about."
"Nari," she corrected, stepping forward to offer her hand. "And you paid far too much, Lord Horvat."
"Zayr," he told her as he bent to kiss her knuckles. His voice had an amazingly sensual sound that I very much approved of.
So I turned Thiemo towards the door. "Oh, that man's voice is deadly," I whispered.
"Tell me about it," Thiemo agreed. "You should hear him sing. Oh, and I made it clear that I will be causing a scandal tonight. Hopefully, one that can ease the rumors about him." He glanced over. "Willing to help?"
"Oh, I love being scandalous," I assured him. "Just know that there was a situation with the bid on Nari. Someone, and I don't know who, offered fifty thousand for her, but our scheduler declined because of his... habits."
"Then we will be sure to stick close," Thiemo assured me, pausing to look back. "Wraythe?"
"Yes, sir?" Wraythe said.
Thiemo gave him a disappointed look. "Still Thiemo to you. Let me know if you need us to move closer to Nari?"
"I'll let Ela know," Wraythe assured him. "It's usually a little more subtle."
"That works," Thiemo promised just as we reached the doors.
Nari and Zayr were behind us, following at their own pace. I had a feeling that was to make it clear we weren't together. The gentlemen had merely been waiting for their dates and talking to pass the time. It was the sort of thing that shouldn't raise any eyebrows, and wouldn't have if Thiemo hadn't already been caught in Zayr's bed once.
The pair of us were barely inside the overly masculine club before a butler stepped up and offered to take our coats. I passed over mine, but made it clear that I'd keep my cane. Thiemo passed his coat and hat over. Then we moved a little further into the room, but I touched his arm.
"You're going to want to see this," I warned, turning him back just as the butler moved to help Nari with her coat. "And just remember that all those dirty thoughts you are currently thinking about me? Well, it's fair for him to do the - " Nari slipped out of her coat, revealing her dress. " - Same," I finished breathlessly.
"My brother is a lucky man," Thiemo sighed. "Wow, Ela. She is gorgeous, and I think Zayr just got every copper's worth that he paid for tonight."
Because Nari shone under the gas lamps, the fabric of her dress wanting to be transparent but refusing. My eyes kept thinking I could see the silhouette of her body through the fabric, and yet I wasn't quite sure. The shimmering surface reflected just enough light to dazzle, and every chain on her body only made her look more impressive.
Then Zayr slipped off his coat to reveal a white suit with a gold vest, ascot, and accents. Together, they looked like the perfect couple, and I knew that no one in the room would come close. Not even me.
But Thiemo reached over to tug at my cravat. "Gold seems to be a popular color tonight."
"It was entirely accidental," I promised, turning to admire my own date in a way that may have been overly blatant.
Thiemo's pants and coat were black. His vest was in a white and purple pattern, but his shirt was the same color as my vest, or close enough to not matter. His cravat and pocket square, however, were blindingly white. I couldn't have stopped my smile if I wanted to.
"White, hm?"
