Out in the lounge there are a flurry of bodies moving about, either leaving or fluttering about in conversation. I see a familiar face, the man who I had seen with Mr...Bav down in the district of Ill repute. On his arm is an older but still attractive woman, who's hair is adorned with mirrors, along with her dress is a pattern that starts with bigger pieces and slowly break down to look like dust is sprinkled across her gown. It was truly lovely.

"Fairchild! Glad to see you hear, you've met my wife before, Gertrude."

"Charmed." Was exchanged between them before the man turned his sights to me.

"This must be that delightful woman you've mentioned before. Good evening Ms. .."

"Langridge, Rakara Langridge, Archibald." Bav says it before I can.

"Ms. Langridge, I'm Archibald Porter, this is my wife Gertrude."

"Charmed to meet you both." I respond.

"Will you be joining us this evening for the soiree?" Gertrude asks tentatively.

I look to Bav who nods, "We will join you for a little while."

"A little while? You'll not be staying?" Gertrude asks seemingly shocked at the news. "We prepared A room for you two."

Now it was my turn to be shocked. "Excuse me, A room?" I ask incredulously.

Bav clears his throat and firmly states, "Mrs. Porter, while we appreciate the thought of providing a room for us, in the future please do not assume anything beforehand of Ms. Langridge. The woman I am courting, is a woman of high morals. The lady and I will not be staying, even if you had prepared a room for each of us. Her family would be very upset if I didn't bring her back tonight."

Mrs. Porter chuckles, "Well, I am impressed, Mr. Fairchild. You are the first foreign diplomat I've ever heard of, that started courting a woman here, instead of whitening the thighs of the lost souls. I'm sorry, Mrs. Langridge. You must forgive my assumption, when one is used to a certain.... pattern with men, it can make one end up presuming the worst of everyone."

I look her over and merely nod as I reply curtly, "One can never judge how sweet an apple is until they've had a bite at it's skin. Apology accepted Mrs. Porter."

She gave a dry chuckle, looking amused as her eyes twinkled at me."Indeed, you seem like a smart woman, Ms. Langridge. Tell us, how did you two meet?"

I wasn't sure if I should be concerned or not with how she looked at me.

"He was told by.." I start off only for Bav to finish it.

"Her uncle, Mr. Wellsew who owns the tailoring shop I frequent, to visit this tea shop. He told me it was the best to enjoy some tea and a small bite for lunch, that it was the perfect for what I needed."

I squeeze his arm lightly that I've been holding and he looks to me to continue. "My uncle told him to visit my tea shop. He asked me my opinion on what he should try and he enjoyed it so much, he kept coming back."

"How charming...  You own your own tea shop? How interesting." Mrs. Porter states.

"Yes, that's right. You brought us some of the tea." Mr. Porter perks up and bows his head to me. "We absolutely enjoyed your Dandyberry tea and the green lemon rose."

"Oh, its your shop who makes the Green lemon rose! " Mrs. Porter exclaims, her whole demeanor changes and now she seems much more open to me.

"I love your teas! Does your shop have a spot up here? I'd love to enjoy it more." She croons.

I fidget a little with my feet and shake my head, "No, Mrs. Porter, I am currently looking at places to purchase to expand..."

Mrs. Porter cuts me off with an air of arrogance while appearing to be helpful, "Well, perfect! I know a few people I should introduce you to, later at our place. Should we start going home dear?" She gives me a large, thin-lipped smile and turns to her husband.

I blink, appalled at how she flips from polite and friendly, to rude and demeaning. I feel Bav's hand rest against the one on his arm. I turn my eyes up to him, and he gives me a weak apologetic smile before nodding to Mr. Porter and guiding me out of the theater. He instructs the doorman to bring a carriage to take us to the Porters.

It doesn't take long before he ushers me up into the carriage and sits right next to me.

"My apologies for any and all rude behavior you may encounter tonight. You'll see soon enough, that it's just how they are, some do it out of jealousy and spite, others because that is all they've known." He shrugs before taking a deep breath, a question forming in his eyes as he squints at nothing in particular. "I don't mean to pry into your affairs but when you said that you were looking at properties to purchase, I thought you wanted to buy the one next door to your own?"

I shrug, trying my best to not tear up, "Someone else purchased it, before I could. I should have talked to the bank sooner, or gave them a call. I worked so hard to save up for that place.  However, the bank gave me three other choices in my price range. I'm considering one, because I could buy it outright, but it needs a lot of work."

I pause, thinking of the burned property, while chewing on the corner of my lip, " I can't deny the location is prime and it would be a good investment, if I do go through with the purchase. It would be a good place to send Etty, and her family could live there too. I could employ her brother for maintenance and her mother could help in the kitchen with the baking. I think she would do well in managing the other location for me. Elaine might be upset, but I think I could placate her by letting her manage more of my shop. I would still handle the supplies, stock and accountant books and hire another girl for the kitchens." I ramble the thoughts that have been swirling around in my mind.

"That sounds like a prudent, well thought out plan. How much work does it need?" Bav nods impressed, urging me to share my thoughts.

"It suffered a fire from the boiler, tenants upstairs couldn't escape and died, unfortunately. People are hesitant to purchase a place with sad and tragic memories. I'm not sure if Etty would want to live there with her family. She knows the history already, but the other two places are not large enough to house her and her family. I want to improve their lives, not separate them." I grimace at the thought of not improving their lives.

Bav touches my chin, directing my eyes up to his dark ones. "What are you thinking right now to look so forlorn?"

I shy my face away and take a deep breath, "My desire has been to improve peoples lives, that of their families too. Not just for a short time, but for the rest of their lives. Etty and Elaine, they live in the undercarriage, the slums, where poverty, hunger, and poor living conditions are all we know. We work our hands down raw, washing clothes, working in the factories, the piping works, and the refuse works. Barely making enough to pay rent, buy coal or wood for out kitchen stoves to cook food. No one has the luxury of using it for heat, except when they need to cook. Our clothes were hand me downs, of hand me downs, patched and stained. Where the streets are like a madman's maze, and if you are not paying attention and go the wrong way, you could be raped, beaten, or dead. It's no place for anyone to live in. I want to share the grace the Elements bestowed upon me, to change others lives. I just feel as though I'm failing, if I can't finally get them moved from the slums."

Bav is looking at me intently making me shift my legs and straighten up. "What's the matter, Bav? Why are you staring at me so?"

"You are a force to be reckoned with. Your hearts desire is to help improve, not just your employee's life or your own, but that of their families and others who have hardly been shown kindness."

I shy my face away, "I'm not a noble element, Bav." Shaking my head at his over the top compliment.

He takes my face with the palm of his hand and makes me look at him again.

"You should never be uncomfortable or ashamed of your desires, Rakara. People like you are rare in every world I've ever been to."

His face has inched closer to mine, making my heart flutter, and the butterflies in my stomach send that tingling sensation back down my body. I flush as I look at his mouth.

"Show me your natural self again please?" I whisper, switching my gaze between his eyes and mouth.

Surprised, his wide eyes begin to crinkle in the corners with a smile. His eyes bleed the blackness back out to blanket it in their entirety. His teeth elongate, and the hand holding my face, thins and lengthens.

"You truly don't mind the way I look?" His brows pinch together as an awkward grin catches the corners of his mouth.

My heart is all a flutter and my mind is on strike as the next words slip from my mouth.

"No, the more I see it, the more I realize I'd like to see it more." I whisper breathless.

There's a scent in the air, as I breath it in, I feel intoxicated and my heart feels like it's going to come out of my chest. I want to feel those lips on my own.

Silence passes between us, intense and charged, his lips move closer and I my eyes flutter at the anticipation.

A soft moan escapes his lips as he finally places his lips on mine.

A soft, kiss.

Our lips caressing each others as he moves his fingers behind my head and pulls me closer. He parts my lips with his tongue and runs his tongue against mine. Turning to putty in his hands, my jaw relaxes and he deepens the kiss.

'This is my first kiss! Wow! I never thought it would feel like this!'

A part of me is jumping for joy, the rest of me is lost in his arms now, as he kisses me, dominating my mouth with his tongue.

I feel the tip of his canines caress my lips as he pulls back and looks at me, desire written all over his face. He goes to release me, but I reach for his face and direct it quickly to my own. Kissing him back sensually, taking my time to memorize the feeling of his wet velvet lips on my own.

A moan escapes my lips as this tingling sensation intensifies through out my body, focusing on my core. We feel the carriage slow down and we quickly separate. Bav snaps his fingers and my hair is suddenly back in place and my skin where I could still feel him touching me is now empty.

"Did you do that?" I ask.

"I did, it was evident that we had been kissing. Now, you'd never know."

I'm blushing again as I look away.

"That was my first kiss." I mumble, too shy to look him in the eyes now.

"It was mine too." He whispers, making me look at him shocked.

"Really?" I ask and he nods.

"By the way, should any of her friends try to sell you their place, don't say anything about your finances, just say that you'll have to discuss it with your financial advisor before you come to any decisions. They all have an advisor that suggests good investments and so forth."

"Alright. Why must I tell them that instead of I'm not interested in purchasing in the Gilded district?"

"You might offend them, and remember that these are the people who 'govern' everyone. They could make life difficult for anyone if you press the right buttons so forwardly."

"You truly have never kissed a woman before tonight?"

He chuckles, "I don't think my pecks on my mothers cheeks count, so yes it was my first kiss. Now, please remember to not insult these people unless they do so to you publicly first. These people love to dish out insults, but can't seem to live with being insulted first."

"They should grow some thicker skin then." I huff, making Bav laugh out loud. Showing off those canines, and his pure unrestrained laughter made me want to kiss him again. I leaned forward and pecked his cheek, making him stop. Still smiling, warmly, he leans toward me before the driver opens the carriage door.

"Right! Here you are Sir, Madam." The driver doesn't even look our way and bows as Bav steps out and helps me down.

Bav pays the driver and he escorts me to the large estate in front of us. Manicured hedges, ponds with fountains, large statues, benches, flowers off all shapes, colors and sizes are laid out across stepped terraces. The well, closely manicured grass and stone paved walkways are lighted by lamps that give the grounds a romantic atmosphere. The  white and black trimmed mansion towers ten stories high! It has small and large balconies with floor to ceiling window doors, that are wide open, letting the sound of music drift out among voices as we draw nearer.

"Did all these people arrive before us?" I ask him, seeing through the gauzy curtains that flutters in the wind, letting the large amount of people inside, be seen.

"Some yes, others were probably already here." He places his hand over mine, stopping us from going in. "We can leave and I can take you home, if you prefer."

'Nope, I've got other things to do here, first.' Even though I think that, I tell him, "We said we come for a little while, let's not go back on our word now." I scold him, gently.

"I don't think my cheeks are going to on my face tomorrow morning, you know. The way you are able to make me smile so much, they feel like they're going to fall off." He rubs his cheeks for added effect as I roll my eyes and look away.

"Stop it, Bav. You're too much. Come on." I can not tell him that I agree, my cheeks are going to feel on fire later.

As we walk in, I use all my self restraint not to gawk in awe of the opulence and finery surrounding me in every direction. These people could sell one chair, one feathered quill, and leave a family set for life in the undercarriage.

As I continue to look around, the thought sickens me, there's so many without, when these people live like kings and queens. The floor has a leaf and floral design flowing out into the large ballroom that everyone has gathered in. Wealth just oozes out of everyone around, and it makes me nauseous.

Keeping my face a mask of delighted indifference to everyone, I've started to meet the eyes that fall on me, giving a nod and smiling as we walk around, being introduced to more of Bav's business associates.

This is where I want to really use my head. The cogs are depending on me making some connections. If anything, finding out who we could blackmail was always a fun time too.