Sinclair, no further name given, was a man who looked much like Damian — suave, handsome, slick — and his eyes held a similar dangerous edge. His security gave them a careful look until they informed them that only two people could accompany Damian. He nodded at Jiang and Tang Yin, leaving behind Walker and Zihao.
The place they entered could be described, at best, as wild and, at worst, as seedy. She had known that these establishments existed. But never stepped food inside them in this life or the old one. Ladies scantily clothed danced on tables, men enjoyed the sight, and alcohol was flowing as servers hushed through the gaps between tables.
It was filled with heavy smoke as they headed straight to a table slightly elevated from the rest.
"Damian." He said with a smile, his lips hushing over. "It is a pleasure to see you."
"The pleasure is all mine," Damian said, smiling back, his voice a completely different tone she knew from him again, darker and promising a lot of pain if the wrong things were wrought.
"I see you have new personnel." He said, then cast a cautious look at Jiang, and wondered, with slight wonder, at Yin. "Although I think it might be a touch too small."
"The competence of my people is my own matter." Damian pointed out. "I have had a little bird whisper to me about you selling new goods...Good, I thought we had established that we were no good." Damian quipped up a pointed, singular eyebrow.
"Ahhhh, I can guess...let me ask how trustworthy that bird is?"
"Very." Damian smiled, showing his teeth. "I would have noticed if he had lied. So tell me, Sinclair, what devils have compelled you to break my rules? You of all people should know better."
Sinclair made a face. It was hard to describe, somewhere between understanding what Damian was talking about, regret, pain, and amusement.
Yin blinked.
It was gone. Sinclair was back to the jovial expression she had seen on him before. Clean, as if nothing happened ot was going on. The low hum and thrum of music in the background fill the silence between them. Damian remained silent. Jiang and Tang Yin remained still behind him. Yin tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on between the two men who were somehow silently communicating in their standoff.
"In twenty minutes, a man will walk through the door." Sinclair then said calmly. Then he rose and smiled. "Then you will know why you and I should not refuse. There are some powers in this world which we normal mortals should never antagonize."
"Intriguing," Damian said and smiled.
"The drinks are on the house. Damian, enjoy your evening. I will ask Louise to come up and pay you a visit. I know she is your type." Sinclair retreated his bodyguards, casting a look at them before trudging after their master. Damian remained sitting and sipping at his drink.
"What now?" Yin asked him curiously.
"We wait, obviously. I know Sinclair well enough to be aware that he is not someone seeking trouble for himself when he is fine. even if I do not like him it's a face he is usually not stupid." Damian turned and then resettled to get a better look at the club. "Sinclair grew up here. He was born into this life, a firm believer of the credo, conflict is bad for my business. He knows that I will leave him in peace as long as he stays within my boundaries, since it is not a hardship for him to follow them and we both know who would win..."
"Damian, I think your friend of interest is here a touch early," Jiang said next to them, their voices almost being drowned in the noise they had to lean forward to speak with him and Yins and Damian's heads went upwards. Yin's eyes landed on a sleek man. He was slender, blond-haired, about forty from outward appearance, with muddy brown eyes, and had a slender, athletic build.
"Spirit Master," Jiang said, and Damian hummed as he saw Sinclair walking up to the man with a smile on his lips.
"Not too powerful," Yin leaned forward. "Maybe a level twenty thirty something."
"For you. For people, these parts that is plenty powerful." Damian explained to them. "Usually, spirit masters are far too proud to work in the underground. Exceptions being the rule, of course."
"Should we scare him?" Yin asked, but Damian shook his head.
"No. Rather, try to conceal your spirit power as much as possible. I want him to believe you are regular humans." He said.
"Gotcha," Yin answered and mustered the man curiously as she leaned back along with Jiang.
"Thank you," Damian mouthed silently, smiling as Sinclair and the man walked up to him. Sinclair's eyes flickered with irritation at seeing the changed seating. But he did not comment.
Instead, he asked his guest to settle and then settled himself.
"Sinclair, who is this gentleman?" The unknown man asked, smiling. Yin keenly noted he was the only person Sans' bodyguard. She shifted a bit towards him. He was now within sword's reach.
"Wang, this is Damian." Sicnlair introduced. "He is...the one responsible for many of our unwritten rules."
"I see it is nice to meet you then." The man stretched out his hand. "I am level twenty-five spirit master Ru Wang. Feel free to call me just Wang, I prefer it."
Damian did not take the hand. He only nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr Wang." He said and merely leaned back. Mr. Wang, somehow, Yin also found it amusing that we do not call each other by our full names and leaned back.
It was then that a busy redhead, followed by a blond and a brunette, walked up to them. The redhead went to Damian, the blonde joined the other man, while the brunette settled next to Sinclair.
Tang Yin felt the low Hum of spirit energy from the brunette. She was security, then Yin's gaze flickered to the redhead.