Things hadn’t been awkward between them since Temptation, but she noticed more often the lingering stares Dav gave to Laz. The longing ways he opened his mouth as if to say something to his friend before deciding against it.
There was nothing uncomfortable or different in any of their interactions, though Rose expected that couldn’t last forever.
“You look stunning,” Dav said into the silence, a reserved smile tipping his lips. “You didn’t come back here to hide, right?”
“Maybe a little bit.” She cocked her head. “How are you doing?”
“A little nervous, but we’ve got more help than I know what to do with now. From here on, it’s just making sure the tables are refreshed regularly.” His finger popped up. “Speaking of refreshments…”
He bent down and picked up a crate from under a table, glass clinking together as he rested the case on the surface. Plucking a bottle out, he presented it to her.
“A bottle of wine?” she asked, a knot forming in her stomach as she took it to inspect.
He twisted it in her grip, red liquid sloshing inside. “A special recipe. No alcohol.”
Rose jerked her head up. “What?”
Dav only nodded toward the bottle in herhand like it wasn’t the most thoughtful gift she might have ever received. Which was probably its own insult she would add to her list to unpack later. “I made sure there was a case of it for you. It can get mixed around when on the tables, so I’ll make sure that you’re only getting this one.”
Rosalind gaped, willing tears not to spill. “Dav, you?—”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Yes, it is.“You have so much else to do tonight.”
“None of it is as important as making sure you’re okay. You’ve got a big proposal coming up.” He said it so simply, like that was the only truth in the universe. “But you will have to make sure you’re eating something in between. The sugar content would make Lazerath look like he’s moving in slow motion.”
Rosalind chuckled, shaking her head as she held the bottle a little tighter. “Thank you, Dav.”
He nodded, leaning forward to press a kiss to her temple. “Now, get out there and schmooze some assholes. And get something to eat before it’s all gone. I know you haven’t eaten all day.”
Rose was pretty sure she hadn’t peed all day either, so it was a good thing that once she’d rearranged another several tables and ordered demons around, she found Kalypso and dragged her away from a conversation. She apologized to the demon noble Mozke had warned her about—a male who would spend the entire night disguising insults as friendly advice. Saving Kalypso from bloodshed was probably goodfor both of them, but it also gave Rose a chance to just talk with another human again.
And pee. Good gods, she had to pee.
It was all going quite wonderfully, Rosalind thought, as she pulled Kalypso into half a dozen conversations to make it look like the giant woman wasn’t utterly disgusted with the whole gala. It would look good for the guard and for Rose, who used that chance to soft pitch her project proposal to some smaller but still influential demons in the noble houses. Whether they were just being polite because of the glaring human next to Rose or not, she appreciated not being outright dismissed.
Everything really was going well. She maybe hadn’t eaten as much as she should have, but every time she looked down at the glass in her hand, it was full. And sometimes it was a glass of water she didn’t remember grabbing, but then she’d catch a glimpse of a gray demon disappearing behind a plant or a door and she’d smile knowing that someone was looking after her.
“Rosalind, you obviously know Tarzul,” Argeth was saying as she sipped her water. “And this is his nephew, Dolgeraus. You probably are aware of Kalypso, working for Harrox and the guard.”
Dolgeraus grunted, and Rosalind could already tell this was going to be about as enjoyable a conversation as pulling thorns from a scraped knee. Then again, she’d been looking at the numbers, and there was something unsettling about the Horn of Finance and his business dealings.His familiarity with Harrox’s assistant seemed just as odd. More odd than the conflict of interest Argeth had with the former caterer.
She might not have had the confidence of Kalypso, nor the buzz of false bravado from alcohol, but perhaps that was all the better. The missing money was important, and when Culture suffered for it, why not see if she could read Finance for some answers to their antiquated laws?
It was convenient, then, for Argeth to leave Rose with the perfect segue before he ran off to accept more compliments about the fundraiser that he didn’t deserve.
“The traffic alone from our leading apothecary could do wonders for the demons who live and work there,” she said with a smile, even if the demons around her didn’t care. “Imagine those streets at night, like a yearlong festival to celebrate the arts. Bustling bodies in the day between shops and the taverns… It’s just such a special place. There’s so much potential within the art district, and the shopkeepers have been doing what they can?—”
“That district is a joke.”
Rosalind had seen the Horn of Finance slowly losing interest, but she hadn’t expected the snap from Dolgeraus, who, in the short amount of time they’d been standing here, had already finished one drink and was nearly done with a second.
“You’re wasting your time with a proposal. There’s a reason funding was cut years ago for more important things.”
She already knew funding had been cut, but what important things? That was the money that had conveniently filtered through so many hands and laws that it ceased to existanywhereon record.
And it was just so convenient that Dolgeraus’s intoxication had those particular words slipping between his lips. She hadn’t expected either demon to care, but the subtle glint in Tarzul’s eye and the way he’d shifted on his feet had Rosalind paying closer attention to the demon.
