Clove held Mujuuk's stare before dropping his own. He looked at his hands and rolled them so the backs faced outwards. He flexed his fingers, tapping the edge of his hands against the table. He seemed unaffected by its dubious standards, which didn't suit his tidy appearance. Then again, he had Mujuuk's words to consider, and his own response to give.
"I . . . would not want the man angry at me, personally, it is true," Clove said, speaking each word with care. "However, in this city -- " he snorted "no, in this world, I am nothing better than a whore. Beneath notice. So, I am not afraid of him because to him I do not exist. Better I fear my master, that she does not find me selling secrets. Better to fear my brothers and sisters, that they do not oust me as traitor. It is not a pretty thing to see one of the marked cast from his House. I have the freedom to go where I wish and speak to whom I please, but to betray the customer for my own gain. . .ahh, that is bad for business. This powerful man, he is no different than any other man, not to my situation. So long as I am discreet, there is no problem. That is what is needed, no?"
Clove returned Mujuuk's smile, though his own was rueful. His eyes drifted back up, seeking the miqo'te's own. Some of the guardedness was back, and it showed in his eyes, in the set of his shoulders. He was nervous, the truth of that was found easily enough in the smell of his sweat. He worked past it. There'd been worse situations he'd dealt with; any doxy had any number of such stories to tell. The resolve to keep going was in him, beneath the nerves and the pleasant expression that had been pasted on.
"I . . . would not want the man angry at me, personally, it is true," Clove said, speaking each word with care. "However, in this city -- " he snorted "no, in this world, I am nothing better than a whore. Beneath notice. So, I am not afraid of him because to him I do not exist. Better I fear my master, that she does not find me selling secrets. Better to fear my brothers and sisters, that they do not oust me as traitor. It is not a pretty thing to see one of the marked cast from his House. I have the freedom to go where I wish and speak to whom I please, but to betray the customer for my own gain. . .ahh, that is bad for business. This powerful man, he is no different than any other man, not to my situation. So long as I am discreet, there is no problem. That is what is needed, no?"
Clove returned Mujuuk's smile, though his own was rueful. His eyes drifted back up, seeking the miqo'te's own. Some of the guardedness was back, and it showed in his eyes, in the set of his shoulders. He was nervous, the truth of that was found easily enough in the smell of his sweat. He worked past it. There'd been worse situations he'd dealt with; any doxy had any number of such stories to tell. The resolve to keep going was in him, beneath the nerves and the pleasant expression that had been pasted on.
