Whispering Suits

The bar is fairly busy, though I don't know whether to find it reassuring that there's a mix of mortal and Fae in attendance. At least I won't be the only mortal here. Then again, I doubt many of the other mortals have The Sight. Faeries tend to either avoid us, trap us, or kill us. I never really understood why. Even if we did go out of our way to try and tell other humans about the things we could see, it's not like anyone would believe us. In the olden days talking about strange creatures that could wield magic would get you tried as a witch. Things haven't much improved, if I suddenly went round telling everyone I saw Faeries I’d end up locked up for fear I'd gone mad. And yet, the Faeries are still so protective of their secrets. Then again, I might also want to hide away from the world if I were a monster. I don't try to pull my arm away from Cyrus, as much as I don't like her assumptions people will make, I plan to heed his warning to stay close to him. Better the devil you know that the devil you don't, right? He waves confidently at several groups as we pass them, and I begin to form an understanding of the kind of ‘person’ Cyrus is. He is confident, cocky, very sure of himself, and clearly a bit of a playboy if all the girls swooning at the sight of him is anything to go by. He weaves through the crowd and leads me to a group which I can tell is mostly made up of Faeries, and from the aura coming off them I can tell that they are powerful. One of the female Faeries has a mortal man by her side, and with one look at his eyes I can see he's been enchanted. Poor soul, if he's already under her spell then it's too late for me to help him. The Faerie spots us approaching, and turns away from her mortal companion to reach out her hand towards Cyrus, and he lets go of me and takes her hand placing a kiss on top of it. She giggles flirtatiously at him, and I can't help but think she looks ridiculous as she flutters her eyelids and blushes at him. Cyrus stays bowed for a moment, then straightens up, letting go of her hand as he does. “Pleasure to see you, Maya. You truly honour us with your attendance.”. Cyrus sounds different from before, his cocky tone and velvet voice have been replaced with something more professional, more mannered. I might not have known him for long, but I can tell that whoever this Maya is, he doesn't feel comfortable around her. She, however, seems utterly oblivious to the coldness in his tone, and instead she hides behind her fan coyly smiling at him. “Oh Cyrus, darling, you do flatter. The honour is all mine” she says, her high voice trying its best to sound seductive. It's clear that Cyrus is un-interested, though, why is slightly beyond me. As Faeries go, Maya is very attractive, or at least her glamour is. She has long curly golden blonde hair with pink streaks in it, and these big green doe eyes that she is currently batting at Cyrus. His smile tightens, and I see his eyes flicker to me. Maya must notice too, because her eyes move slowly from Cyrus, to me. Her pupils tighten on me and I can feel it as she looks me up and down. “My my” she says, her voice now sounding clipped and pinched. “What have we here? Cyrus, how rude of you not to introduce us to your new…friend?”. She holds out her hand to me, and for a moment I consider if she is expecting me to perform the same gesture as Cyrus. I reach out and shake her hand. Her eyes get wide at the gesture, and she snaps her fan closed with a ‘clack’. “Hmf” she murmurs as she drops my hand. Cyrus reaches out and wraps his arm around my shoulder. “Excuse me. I should have done the introductions immediately. Maya, allow me to introduce Izzy. They are a new acquaintance of mine. Izzy, it is my honour to introduce you to Maya Green. She is a very old and dear friend of mine, and you should treat her with respect”. His voice is soft again, but I can sense the caution in his tone. He rests one hand on my shoulder and gives me a stern look, and I can't help but feel like I'm being told off for misbehaving. Maya raises an eyebrow at Cyrus, but he flashes her a winning smile and I watch her shoulders relax and her jaw unclench. “Well, no harm done. It is nice to meet you, Izzy. I hope you enjoy our little get-together. Now, if you don't mind, I need to steal Cyrus away for a moment.”. She turns to her mortal companion. “Charlie, can you look after Izzy for a minute while I steal Cyrus away for a quick word?” Her voice takes on a musical quality as she speaks to the human, and he nods mutely fixated on her every movement. Cyrus tenses, and I feel his hand clench my shoulder tightly. I remember his earlier warning not to leave his side, and there is an unmistakable concern in his eyes. Perhaps he is starting to regret inviting me in. I pat his hand on my shoulder and catch his gaze, then give a confident nod. “Of course, you two should catch up. Don't worry, I'll stay right here”. The warmth in his eyes flickers, like the flame of a candle dancing. He hasn't stopped smiling, but the light doesn't quite reach the corners of his eyes the way it did earlier. Is he genuinely worried about me? After a beat, he lets go of my shoulder. “Indeed”. Is all he says, and then he walks off behind Maya and I'm left next to Charlie feeling equally as lost watching them walk away.