11-20-2013, 12:09 AM
Jaxen was correct in his assessment of Drayson. The 'big black bear' was the sort of fellow who saw more then most. He looked at the crowd and wasn't distracted by individual beauty and expensive baubles. He made note of the individuals involved of course; he was of a powerful enough position that he had met many of these people before, if only in passing. A few had even made the mistake of visiting him in private; having a Chief Inspector in your back pocket was never a bad thing. None had liked his reception of their advances.
What he noticed as he studied the crowd was who spoke with whom, the not-so-subtle spiking of drinks, the secretive alliances and icy stares some shared. And of course the flamboyant social butterfly that danced about the room shaking hands and kissing palms under the almost bored gaze of a woman that had been afforded no shortage of surprised looks. And a few worried ones to boot.
True to form, there were things that Drayson could allow himself to ignore. Like the flamboyant fellow's lifting of an expensive watch. The man...no, the child, was probably some trust-fund baby who had everything handed to him on a silver platter. Hence why he was flittering about causing trouble; out for the rush and bragging rights likely. If the victims were honest working folks, Drayson wouldn't have hesitated to drag the kid in. In this venue however, he didn't care if the child wanted to shine for his lady friend.
Drayson's presence was enough to break up the little social circles that formed; he would step in, all warm smile and politeness, asking this minister or that lawyer seemingly innocent questions that fell uncomfortably close to the sorts of dealings they didn't want someone like Drayson knowing about.
Eventually though he found his way to the rather impressive spread of finger foods. A server lingered nearby, and gawked at Drayson's request for a proper plate; he wasn't going to be wandering the room with some expensive little dish better suited for a cup of tea; he hadn't had much to eat all day, and was looking forward to substituting his grocery bill at someone else's expense.
He couldn't help but acknowledge Jaxen's presence when the lad joined him at the buffet table; he had a striking lack of understanding of personal space. But then again, even the most common of pickpocket was like that. It would be equally amusing to see Jaxen's reaction when he learned just who Drayson was.
Of course, he didn't get the chance to introduce himself. Expensive doors gave way and a surprisingly strong gust of wind tore through the room. The troublemaker was gone in a flash; of all things he might have expected of the lad, checking on his date was not one of them. But off he went to scoop the woman up and bustle her away from most of the commotion. Somehow Drayson doubted that she was the type to be easily ruffled by something like this.
In the aftermath of that gust of wind Drayson found himself calming down some of the more obviously shaken guests; these sorts of rich folks hadn't the stomach for sudden shocks. Drayson didn't believe the doors simply gave way of their own accord though; while possible, it seemed entirely unlikely, and such a thing would have made a fine distraction for something.
What he noticed as he studied the crowd was who spoke with whom, the not-so-subtle spiking of drinks, the secretive alliances and icy stares some shared. And of course the flamboyant social butterfly that danced about the room shaking hands and kissing palms under the almost bored gaze of a woman that had been afforded no shortage of surprised looks. And a few worried ones to boot.
True to form, there were things that Drayson could allow himself to ignore. Like the flamboyant fellow's lifting of an expensive watch. The man...no, the child, was probably some trust-fund baby who had everything handed to him on a silver platter. Hence why he was flittering about causing trouble; out for the rush and bragging rights likely. If the victims were honest working folks, Drayson wouldn't have hesitated to drag the kid in. In this venue however, he didn't care if the child wanted to shine for his lady friend.
Drayson's presence was enough to break up the little social circles that formed; he would step in, all warm smile and politeness, asking this minister or that lawyer seemingly innocent questions that fell uncomfortably close to the sorts of dealings they didn't want someone like Drayson knowing about.
Eventually though he found his way to the rather impressive spread of finger foods. A server lingered nearby, and gawked at Drayson's request for a proper plate; he wasn't going to be wandering the room with some expensive little dish better suited for a cup of tea; he hadn't had much to eat all day, and was looking forward to substituting his grocery bill at someone else's expense.
He couldn't help but acknowledge Jaxen's presence when the lad joined him at the buffet table; he had a striking lack of understanding of personal space. But then again, even the most common of pickpocket was like that. It would be equally amusing to see Jaxen's reaction when he learned just who Drayson was.
Of course, he didn't get the chance to introduce himself. Expensive doors gave way and a surprisingly strong gust of wind tore through the room. The troublemaker was gone in a flash; of all things he might have expected of the lad, checking on his date was not one of them. But off he went to scoop the woman up and bustle her away from most of the commotion. Somehow Drayson doubted that she was the type to be easily ruffled by something like this.
In the aftermath of that gust of wind Drayson found himself calming down some of the more obviously shaken guests; these sorts of rich folks hadn't the stomach for sudden shocks. Drayson didn't believe the doors simply gave way of their own accord though; while possible, it seemed entirely unlikely, and such a thing would have made a fine distraction for something.