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Countess Marivaldi flattered him, truly, though Eris had to once again hold back another laugh. She was out for blood tonight! It was always so cute to watch little fledglings try to act mad as they pouted. At least she proved old Benaiah wouldn't take an insult sitting down. And to think, he was so sure the two mage lovers would be tripping over the opportunity to get to know one another. Oh well, watching them bicker and snap at one another was just as good. He'd hold off on building that affair rumor he had planned, but hey, maybe their negativity could be misinterpreted as another kind of tension. 

He did find it amusing that the count said Miss Dionne--so [i]that[/i] was her name, he'd have to make an effort to remember just in case--had to prove her place, as if he didn't already know he'd be scrambling to prove her usefulness to his father. All the old geezers were one and the same when it came to that sort of thing and way too into appearances to even consider having an albino mage running around in the open. Maybe a scullery maid or a bedwarmer at best?

[color=ccff99]"Well, if your father finds Miss Dionne lacking, I'm certain Viscountess Vasiliev would be more than happy to take her off your hands,"[/color] Eris replied cheerfully. [color=ccff99]"Her organization gathers baroque pearls for a decent price and takes very good care of them."[/color] It was a decent plug, at least; he couldn't very well advise an Astorio buyer since he felt the count was already a little high strung from clashing with the countess.

At the change of topic and drink, Eris had a hard time with his grimace. He was all too happy to see Sunny--and being so serious was so [i]cute[/i]--but he couldn't stand the next flavor. [color=ccff99]"Ah...[i]grenade[/i]..."[/color] He politely placed the cup down after his sip, intent on leaving the glass as it was. Chérie's blood was sweet enough to make an impact, but Eris wasn't a big fan of the weird looking fruit. The apple helped, but the tartness was still pretty strong all things considered. Said grimace lightened a touch at Varis' words, and if he didn't know better, he would have thought the count was following his movements. For what it was worth, he technically hadn't done anything damning. Not yet, anyway. It wasn't odd per se, but he'd have to be careful about his response. If Eris knew the redhead well enough, at minimum he'd be gauging his reaction.

But there was nothing to hide. As always Eris steered into the skid, as the poor people said. [color=ccff99]"Oh? Were there other celebrity mages there? I should've had Ismene rub some elbows,"[/color] He admitted that much first as casually and lighthearted as he could, punctuating it with a laugh. Of course, he wasn't going to go justifying why she was there nor would he go any further--no need to out himself without being asked. [color=ccff99]"It can be so hard being so illustrious in the industry, my poor mage must have been hounded by the press."[/color] He brushed his hair out of his eyes, picking up the glass for another polite sip. 

Ew, nope, bad idea, he should not have done that. He really wasn't going to be able to have any more without gagging. As he placed the glass down once again, he watched the blonde mage that he almost forgot was there for a moment. [color=ccff99]"That'll be you in a few years' time, eh, Sunny?"[/color] He grinned, raising his eyebrows. [color=ccff99]"Unable to go anywhere without getting recognized."[/color]

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