Francis seemed to relax when he said that, but the action would only noticable to those close to him. He looked down at his utensils. "Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Sutter. I'm sure this will ultimately be a good plan."
He frowned. "It better be," he said, his mood seeming to have been dampened. "We're risking a lot of lives for your nation here." "You're saving a lot of lives here, sir," Poppy said gently. "Because you took the first step, others will certainly follow." "Hmph," he muttered, his brow drawn. "I hope you're right."
Francis was quiet for a long while, unsure of what to say or how to lighten the mood. After a moment, he looked up. "So, Mr. Sutter. Your home is quite lovely. You have a nice taste."
He waved a hand idly. "Bah. The home decoration was never really my thing. It was always..." He trailed off and then cleared his throat. "Hm. Anyway. Are you two staying in town long?"
Francis caught the drift quickly, understanding the subject change. "I don't believe we are, unfortunately. As much as I would like to, we have other things to attend to."
"Once a long time ago. I stayed a few days. But of course as all memories, I forget most of the trip." He smiled slightly at the thought, but it flickered.
Poppy noticed the flickering but said nothing on it. Instead, she stretched casually, an easy smile crossing her face. "I've never been one for cities personally, but I regret that we won't have more time to explore this one," she said amicably, as the waiters began to return to clear the plates. "It certainly seems very exciting." A small smile crossed Mr. Sutter's face and he nodded. "Exciting is certainly the right word for it," he said. "Opiren is said by many to be the birthplace of theater, did you know? Our shows are simply wonderful."
"Is that so? I've never seen a show here, but I'm sure it's quite nice. I'm actually a fan of theater, but I don't often have the time to watch any." He folded his hands. "I may visit a show once this ordeal is over."
Poppy raised an eyebrow at him across the table, grinning slightly. "You like theater?" she asked, surprised.
"I do. The classics and such, but opera is interesting to watch as well." He chuckled. "There's a lot of things you don't know."
She laughed out loud, her eyes crinkled with delight. "Well, Mr. Sutter, your town has helped me immensely today," she said. "I'm learning things about Mr. Craw that I'm fairly certain I would have never learned otherwise." Mr. Sutter's eyes glanced between the two of them, a small smile on his face as he tried to interpret their relationship. "Well, we are a city of the arts," he said finally, leaning back. "We aim for connections that people may not have found otherwise." He stood up as the last plate was taken away, and offered his hand to them. "It was a pleasure to converse with the two of you," he said. "I'm glad we could come to a compromise."
"Yes, and to you as well," Francis said warmly, standing up and shaking his head. "It's good that we reached an agreement."
He offered his hand to Poppy, who shook it also, a smile on her face. They began walking to the door, with Mr. Sutter's hands behind his back. "Yes, well, you two are very convincing. I wish you the best with your further negotiations," he said as they stood by the door. The butler held it open patiently.
"Thank you. It was lovely meeting you, Mr. Sutter," he said as he walked through the door, before turning around and taking in fresher air.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Poppy said, nodding at him as she stepped out onto the porch. The taxi waited on the road for their departure. Mr. Sutter smiled and nodded. "Of course. Good luck, you two." The door closed with a small click, and Poppy looked at it for a moment before turning to Francis and raising her arms excitedly, a grin crossing her face. "We did it!"
He laughed at her reaction, walking towards the taxi. "This is a good start. Things are looking up for us."
"Ach. Now you've jinxed it," she teased, walking quickly to catch up with him. The evening had deepened, and the lights of the city illuminated the streets lightly. Various people walked down the streets, their eyes alive with excitement.
"Oh, hush," he said, opening the door for her. "That jinx you pulled earlier didn't happen. That and we could always knock on wood."
