a guy's gotta make a living

[raith_wraith]

As much as Thomas would have preferred to be doing other things, like catching up on lost time with his mother, doing more work to gather more information, and so on...well, he still needed to make a living. There were appearances to be kept up, after all

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[midwintersgrace]

It wasn't that Mab had given up on the prospect of Harry Dresden as her Winter Knight. But there was only so long Lloyd Slate could hold the title, fractured as he was, and still maintain the security over Winter's holdings that Mab wanted.

She was out shopping, as it were. And not for a new haircut.

Her appointment was under the name of Yvonne Frost, and she came in and took her seat with a smile. Her powers subsumed, her clothes normal for the mortal world... a rich and powerful woman of the mortal world, naturally. She didn't have the tempermant to do the beggar woman thing.

[wild_maggie]

Maggie and Mab stared at each other, not quite glaring but something close. Maggie was closer, wary and entirely certain that Mab wanted nothign good of either of them. Mab was almost smiling. She'd discovered something very interesting, and heard not a thing in advance. Which meant that it was likely somethin few others knew.

"My lady," Maggie said, once the door closed and sealed them in. Her voice was cold, like granite, old memories of harsh words exchanged giving her the right tone to strike.

"Wizard LeFay." Mab didn't bat a lash at her tone, nor offer her insult in return. "You've reunited with your son, I see."

[raith_wraith]

My lady?

This was going to get interesting. More interesting. Something.

As soon as the door closed, even without him having to say a word, something in his bearing changes. He's no longer Tomas, just plain Thomas.

"Well, you two seem to know each other." He glanced at Mab. "How about we have some proper introductions?"

[wild_maggie]

Maggie took the first salvo, siezing hold of the conversation before the other woman could.

"Thomas," she began, with a poisonous smile. "I'd like you to meet Mab, the Winter Queen, Lady of Air and Darkness."

Mab only inclined her head to the other woman, conceding the stripping of her disguise.

[raith_wraith]

Kablink.

It was rare to see Thomas fully taken off guard but he was. He'd known Mab was more than just some woman who came to his salon, he'd even started to think sidhe but Mab? It hadn't even occurred to him. She was interested in Harry, after all. Though maybe that should've been reason enough for her to keep tabs on Harry's only supposedly living relative.

The moment passes and once again his face is schooled into a mask, this one of the good humor just this side of mockery he reserves for those he knows it's safer not to offend but he can't, quite, resist tugging their chain just a little. "My lady, you honor my humble shop."

[midwintersgrace]

She only inclined her head slightly, with one of those typical smiles that happens on cryptic people who at least refuse to admit that they're not as clever as they think they are, if not outright that they don't know all the secrets that they pretend to.

"I've heard so much about you," she murmured, avoiding still the topic of who had been talking. "I thought I would come see what all of the fuss was about."

She said it so casually.

[raith_wraith]

Thomas raised his eyebrows, "so you've said before. But not by whom."

No, he wasn't letting that go.

[midwintersgrace]

Well, if they were being direct... "Do you expect me to simply tell you, to give up the sources of my information without care for their well-being or their privacy?"

"I will say this much," she added with a smile, when Maggie appeared about to say something. "Your brother had a few words to say on your behalf."

Maggie snorted slightly. "Whoever told you, he's not one of yours. Whatever dealings I may have had with you were mine alone, not my sons'"

[raith_wraith]

Thomas may have muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, worse than talking to Lara. Or, he was at least thinking it.

"I'm not one of anyone's." He'd gone through hell to be this independent, dammit.

[midwintersgrace]

"No, of course not," she murmured, a nod to his stubborn independance. Which was one of the qualities she did admire in him. And wanted to be put to her own uses.

"But you have been known to make deals and alliances of your own, on your own terms."

Implying, of course, that it was possible to make a deal with Mab on his own terms. Maggie's expression of skeptical disgust showed what she thought of that.

[raith_wraith]

Busily, he was trying to figure out what she wanted from him. Being the black sheep son of the White King wouldn't net much for a Faerie queen. And, compared to some of the people Harry ran with, Thomas wasn't all that impressive in the way of power, earthly or supernatural.

Of course, there was Harry. It wouldn't be the first time a faerie had tried to get something out of him by using someone Harry cared about.

And, he reasoned, just because he wasn't currently on the top of the heap, so to speak, didn't mean he couldn't be with the right motivation. He'd certainly thought about it. And he hadn't even started considering the fact that she was likely to have more than one angle here. He would.

All of that passed through his mind in an instant before he nodded slightly, in acknowledgment of Mab's statement. "It has been known to happen."

[midwintersgrace]

Mab nodded slightly, as though that settled something for her. It put her no closer to acquiring him as her Winter Knight, but it did at least establish the possibility. The idea that he might take what she had to offer, if she offered it sweetly enough.

And she wasn't going to strike any bargains with his mother around. Both women knew that, with a measuring glance and a nod of the head. Maggie wouldn't let them talk undisturbed and Mab respected the woman too much (and it would cause too many problems with Thomas) to evict her from the room.

So she extended a hand to the young man, with a business card. "Take it, then. If you decide you want to talk further, you may call me."

Talk further... she didn't specify about what and she didn't seem inclined to answer if he asked.

There was a spell on the card. A spell that would work only once, but a spell that was designed to demonstrate what she had to offer. Thomas wouldn't detect it. Maggie wouldn't say anything, Mab was fairly certain of that. Certain enough, anyway, to offer it.

[raith_wraith]

Thomas nodded, a polite, charming smile on his face as he accepts the card. The smile skews a bit, mischief twinkling in his eyes as he adds in the Tomas accent, "come back sometime and Tomas will be honored to finish your coiffure, m'lady."

Yes, he couldn't resist.

[midwintersgrace]

Mab actually laughs at that. It's a silvery, magical laugh, because it must be for her, but inasmuch as it can leave out the supernatural charisma it does. He's cute. She wants him.

"I'll make a special point of it."

It's not as much of a threat as Maggie takes it for, but somewhat. Mab leaves without further fanfare and Maggie stares darkly at the door when she's gone.

[raith_wraith]

"Well," commented Thomas, "that was fun."

[wild_maggie]

"You have a strange idea of fun, my dear," she murmured, still staring at the door.