Emrys had been plugged into this sort of crowd for longer than he cared to admit (because it would have hinted at his age, and he didn't need anyone calling him old). The seedy underground layer of wealthy magical society was well-established and thriving, but it was also small; Emrys knew the host and half the people in the room, and had slept with his fair share of them. That was fine, but it also removed some of the challenge and intrigue from things; there was an element of tension to chasing someone that was altogether absent when being able to seduce them was a foregone conclusion. He had eventually settled in to watch the play with a woman who was something of a regular at these events and whom he knew to be fairly flexible company, but he wasn't paying much attention to her. He'd placed his hand on her thigh as the play had begun and he was leaning towards her as though he was listening when she spoke, but really his mind was drifting off to Professor Vorona. Which was not particularly helpful, since she wasn't here.

When a gentleman nearby spoke up, then, he was all too easily distracted from his current company. "Oh," he said, leaning forward with interest. "You're new, then? Who'd you come with?"