“I thought as much.” She noticed Thelios had spotted them, and she smiled in his direction. “Really though, where have you been?”
“I doubt you’d want the details. I’ve been taking a moment to enjoy myself a little… when I’m not keeping an eye out for interesting developments. You’d be surprised what you might overhear in these halls. Speaking of which,” He nodded at Thelios, who they were headed toward, “you might want to tell him your piece early in the evening if you get the chance. I may have overheard something earlier this evening, not a moment before you put on that little performance in fact, from some of our host’s men which might dampen his mood.”
She frowned. “Phineas?” She asked tentatively, remembering the anxious conversation she herself had overheard.
He frowned back and stopped them, making her stumble slightly. He looked suddenly very stern, and she watched him warily. “What is it?”
“How do you know that name?” He asked, his expression darkening and his voice hushed.
“I… ah, overheard people talking as well… in the hall not a moment ago. They sounded very upset about someone named Phineas escaping them… is that the one? The one who is causing all the problems?”
He let out a breath, relaxing slightly, but not completely. “What else did you hear?”
“Oh no you don’t! Answer my question first.”
She was hoping that would crack him a little, but he didn’t come any where near smiling. “Yes, he’s apparently the trouble maker.”
“Apparently?”
His brow furrowed deeply. “That’s what they’re saying… and if it’s true, it’s going to have what’s his name riled up something fierce. They were friends of a sort… at least as much as any of these people are.”
“Wait, he’s one of them? One of their own is threatening them?”
“Sort of… he ain’t quite one of them. A nephew, actually. He don’t look it, but he’s got the blood in his veins.
She tried to lighten her tone as it was unnerving to see him looking so upset. Grumpy and sardonic she was used to, but this was something completely different.
“Well, I did overhear the master mentioned… but the context was unclear. They said this Phineas fellow was spotted near Priene and there was some concern about why he was so far north… oh! And they were worried he was going to get to, ah… someone they called a stubborn bastard… or was it pig-headed… I can’t remember. But there were three speaking, that I know of, and two were in agreement that the said ‘bastard’ was going to be a problem.” She smiled mildly. “But that’s as much as I recall off the top of my head. I didn’t stick around to get caught listening in… and it was a good thing too, as one of them came around the corner a moment later. And she is certainly not one I’d fancy crossing.”
They had begun walking again while she spoke and she tipped her head in the direction of the red haired sister. “The daughter of Hecate.” She murmured to clarify her meaning. When she turned to gauge his reaction, he was staring strangely at her.
“I take back what I said about you not being very good at this sort of thing.”
She chuckled at that. “Don’t. You’re right… I just stumbled onto the information.”
“But how did you know who her mother is?”
“Kara told me.”
“Ah. Kara knows more than she should then.”
“Oh, very likely.”
“I’ll have to have a little chat with her and see what else the little minx knows.”
A moment later they’d joined the group. “Look who I found.” She announced happily. Thelios who had no doubt been watching their progress from across the room, raised a questioning brow.
“I noticed. Everything fine?”
She nodded and slipped around his couch, kneeling on a large pillow next to it and used the couch seat as a prop for her arm.
He glanced out at the dance floor then back down at her. “You were gone quite a while.”
“I apologize. I was distracted.”
“No need. Anything interesting I should know about?”
She opened her mouth to respond, then thought better of it. A number of servants were milling about nearby so she decided to leave it for the time being. “I did overhear some interesting conversation…. but it can wait.” She smiled lightly, but cast her eyes at the one of the ever present slaves lingering near Lady Nagi as a hint.
He arched a brow but left it alone, returning his eyes to the floor. She did as well, and her own brow arched slightly as well at the sight of several dancers undulating suggestively against one another not five steps away. Well, suggestive was the polite euphemism for it at least, explicit might have been more accurate. Of course she used the word dancer in a loose sense as well, much as she might use the word clothing to describe what most of them were wearing.
She sighed.
“I can’t imagine what the point of that is.” She mused out loud. Thelios chuckled behind her.
“Can you not?”
She smiled at his tone, still eying the group critically. “Don’t misunderstand me, my lord. I know very well why they’re attempting that poor imitation of a sex act…” she tilted her head sceptically as one of the male dancers began crawling, crab-like, between the legs of two others, one of whom was behind bent backward at the waist. It had a rather unsettling effect of making them appear as some sort of three headed monstrosity. “If that’s what it’s supposed to be… rather… it’s the purpose of the clothes which eludes me. If what little there is must be so perfectly transparent, why even bother at all?”
“One might say the same thing about the dancing.”
She laughed out loud at that, covering her mouth when she noticed several heads turn in her direction.
“I meant literally transparent.”
“Likewise.” He murmured.