"Well, it's no poetic compliment, but I'll take tolerable," Crow replies, a laugh rumbling underneath his words.
Point taken: Phyre is very convinced of his own danger, and Crow's an excellent judge of character, so it's all too obvious that Phyre isn't just blowing hot air up his own ass. This isn't posturing or empty arrogance; there's real history and emotion behind everything he's saying.
And yes, it does just make Phyre even more fascinating.
Still, he supposes he'll pull back a touch. It's never a good idea to flirt so hard that one becomes offputting βΈ» he's stated his interest, he's happy to leave it on a slow simmer for now, bubbling away in the background of their interactions. So he shoots Phyre one last considering glance, and then gets down to business. And he's timed it perfectly: they round a corner on the street, and turn into the long straight stretch of road toward the palace. The road is wider here, more elegantly paved, stretching into the distance toward the palace half-carved into red cliffs and lit up by hundreds of lanterns.
"Well, shall I tell you what to expect? Having hired you for your knowledge, the king will want to consult you on various academic matters βΈ» what those are, not even I know, as he keeps some secrets close to his chest βΈ» but you won't be on call all day, expected to flit to his location at any given moment. No, like any civilized man, the king will set regular private appointments with you instead, and outside of those, you'll be free to entertain yourself as you see fit." Which, Crow thinks, is pretty generous, considering how whimsical and demanding most monarchs can be βΈ» indeed, even the king of Azar-Ban can be like that occasionally, but perhaps he feels the need for temperance here. "I've been given the honor of being your tour guide; should you ever want for knowledge about where to go, I'll be your ever-so-informative map."
And then he can use that time to try to figure Phyre out! His plan is flawless.
"Tomorrow, you should write up a list of supplies that you'll need, and I'll endeavour to get everything to you." A gesturing flick of the wrist, setting off the bells he wears around it. "I appreciate that some of your thaumaturgical needs may be extremely obscure and hard to get, but if there's anywhere that caters to the unusual, it's this city."
no subject
Point taken: Phyre is very convinced of his own danger, and Crow's an excellent judge of character, so it's all too obvious that Phyre isn't just blowing hot air up his own ass. This isn't posturing or empty arrogance; there's real history and emotion behind everything he's saying.
And yes, it does just make Phyre even more fascinating.
Still, he supposes he'll pull back a touch. It's never a good idea to flirt so hard that one becomes offputting βΈ» he's stated his interest, he's happy to leave it on a slow simmer for now, bubbling away in the background of their interactions. So he shoots Phyre one last considering glance, and then gets down to business. And he's timed it perfectly: they round a corner on the street, and turn into the long straight stretch of road toward the palace. The road is wider here, more elegantly paved, stretching into the distance toward the palace half-carved into red cliffs and lit up by hundreds of lanterns.
"Well, shall I tell you what to expect? Having hired you for your knowledge, the king will want to consult you on various academic matters βΈ» what those are, not even I know, as he keeps some secrets close to his chest βΈ» but you won't be on call all day, expected to flit to his location at any given moment. No, like any civilized man, the king will set regular private appointments with you instead, and outside of those, you'll be free to entertain yourself as you see fit." Which, Crow thinks, is pretty generous, considering how whimsical and demanding most monarchs can be βΈ» indeed, even the king of Azar-Ban can be like that occasionally, but perhaps he feels the need for temperance here. "I've been given the honor of being your tour guide; should you ever want for knowledge about where to go, I'll be your ever-so-informative map."
And then he can use that time to try to figure Phyre out! His plan is flawless.
"Tomorrow, you should write up a list of supplies that you'll need, and I'll endeavour to get everything to you." A gesturing flick of the wrist, setting off the bells he wears around it. "I appreciate that some of your thaumaturgical needs may be extremely obscure and hard to get, but if there's anywhere that caters to the unusual, it's this city."