Nevin slowly looked around the place as he walked inside. The place had a grandeur to it, he certainly couldn't deny that. A sweeping staircase up to a second floor, large pillars holding up a decorated ceiling. This place was clearly somewhere he never would have come on his own - not without becoming a renowned alchemist, and even then it would have just been as a retainer to some noble or another.
He paused as he saw the portrait of Vitruvion, watching over the room with an owl perched on his shoulder. One red eyebrow raised up slowly. Had the man truly been in the military? It wouldn't surprise him - it was a good place to make a name for yourself, and if you were effective they tended to overlook some minor character flaws. And Nevin had no doubt that whatever failings Vitruvion had, no matter how he felt about his friend’s ‘Master’ - the man was certainly effective when he put his mind to it.
The owl did make him think about where Aphrael was. Making sure that he didn't fall too far behind Stare as she led him through the ornate hallway, he tried to reach out to where his partner was. Unsurprisingly, she had fallen asleep, lulled to dreams by the rocking of the boat she was perching on. A quick mental prod had her wake up enough to show that the boat wasn't leaving port, and in fact was currently completely empty, before he retreated to his own mind and left her alone. He cleared his throat.
“So. Is there a small kitchen I can use to prepare? And do we want to do that today, or tomorrow?” He hoped whatever had set Avis off wasn't going to make her ignore him now, if he didn't try to bring the previous conversation back up.
“If we get it done today, might better?” Stare suggested, turning back around to him. When she met his eyes her heart began to thump tirelessly again. Uncertainty came into her heart, and a reminder that she needed to get better at lying.
With a sigh she consciously ground herself, and looked to Druss, who was closing the door behind them. “Druss, can you please show Mr Nevin the kitchens? If she causes a fuss tell her that this is on the master’s advice not just mine.”
The butler paused a moment, then nodded, smiling awkwardly as he gestured towards the back of the room, past the grand pillars. Stare took in a breath, and spoke to Nevin, “I will be with you in a moment, I just want to change.”
Without wasting another moment she turned to ascend the staircase, taking the grandeur with ease and passing by the gorgeous wooden carving of wrapped ivy in it as if they were nothing more than dust.
