Acting

Eliana seemed to be doing better than most women he brought, and that was in pretty much every metric possible. She drew more attention. She seemed fairly well liked by a large portion of the attendees. She played her part flawlessly, and she had managed to get through the first few introductions without a single issue.

Perhaps he'd have to think about extending her past the usual three to five events.

"Let me know if anything changes - and keep an eye on how much you're drinking." People tended to lie pretty poorly when plastered, and he had no idea of how much alcohol tolerance she had. In fact, he had no idea what powers she had at all. It wasn't like most powers even came up in day to day conversation. Between his height, his teeth, and his alarming eyes, no one was going to mistake him for a human being, but exactly what he was (and what he was capable of) remained a mystery to those who didn't know him.

Of course, Eliana probably knew just what he was - his exact nature was public information.

"Back to the party - we'll be sitting down for dinner shortly." Probably within the next five minutes, if he had to guess.

She did well, although she could have done better when it came time to actually eat. She made a few minor mistakes - the kind that Ignatius would have preferred she not make, but also the kind that most people wouldn't even raise an eyebrow at. Ignatius didn't date people from 'high society'. He dated the average person, who wasn't expected to know the correct order of fork use. It was simply easier to maintain the illusion if he dated random people.

Ignatius's meal was clearly unusual, and it was obvious they'd gone out of their way to accommodate him. It was meat. It was all meat. They'd forgone the side dish and given him a double helping of meat instead, a fact that made perfect sense when one considered that he only had sharp canine teeth.

He ate neatly, keeping an eye on her as he participated in his usual casual conversation. Nothing deep, nothing important - and then they were up, presenting awards to local authors as Ignatius clapped politely. He seemed vaguely interested the entire presentation, but nothing more than that. He showed no real enthusiasm for it.

And then, thank god, it was finally over. It wasn't that Ignatius hated events like these, but he certainly didn't enjoy them. They were work, just as much as it was work to read over a ten page report about a proposed buyout. It meant he effectively worked a lot, but that was why he was CEO - he was willing to spend three hours wining and dining with the head honchos to build a good rapport that would get the company benefits later. He was, if nothing else, extremely dedicated to his company.

He said his goodbyes before ushering her out and into the back of a waiting car, which had already pulled up before they even reached the front door.

He slipped into the car, immediately sagging into the seat. He was tired, and for a brief moment, he actually showed just how tired he was. It didn't last, and then he was right back to his usual serious self, glancing over at her.

"You did surprisingly well, considering this was your first trip out." She'd played the part perfectly, as if she'd belonged there from the beginning.

"Once or twice a week." He admitted, although that number ranged wildly. Some weeks he was going to four or five social events, and other times there'd only be one every two or three weeks. It depended hugely on the season, and how much 'real work' he had to do at any given time.

As impressed as he was with her performance, he almost universally did poorly when questioned, and shot her a firm glare. "Fun doesn't push a company forward. I'm free to do as I want, but what I want is for my company to be successful. I want it to have a good, solid reputation. And when the library seeks to expand later this year, who do you think they'll be looking to?" They'd be looking to him for almost everything - but especially when they wanted to build a new branch and needed land to buy on.

She'd definitely struck a nerve. Ignatius had his work, but he had little else. He was simply at a different place in his life than most of the people he'd grown up with. They were starting families, focusing on things other than work. He had none of that. He had no significant other, no kids - he had his parents, but they were off vacationing most of the year, and no real replacement for... well, anything.

"You can dislike how it works all you want, but that is how it works. People choose people they know and trust. If you can make people know and trust you, then they'll prefer to work with you." Simple as that.