Silas pressed the glass into the bar's top, sliding it across the surface with a force he hadn't intended to use.
"Something strong," was all he requested as he lifted his hand and watched the bartender lift his glass from the counter. For a while, he watched as she began the makings of some sort of mixed drink, but Silas lost his focus quickly thereafter and looked upward, through the glass ceiling. Night had already fallen over Arcadia, but the courtyard was well-lit, made to look like it was perpetually just moments before sunset. It gave the garden more intimacy, but it prevented full anonymity. He enjoyed that - being able to see who addressed him throughout the night. It made it easier to keep track of his guests.
Silas looked over the courtyard now, his eyes scanning the tops of hedges for Canan. He turned just moments after she had tugged on his sleeve, calling his attention back to her. His eyes lingered on her as he took in her appearance which, truly, had never ceased to amaze him. How delicate she was, her two legs like spindles beneath a thin torso. It worried him sometimes, when he laid with her, that he would harm her. She was over a foot shorter than him, and the juxtaposition between the two was nearly comical.
He might have reached out and traced the swirls of gold that twisted about her body like an endless maze, but his reach was interrupted by the flower crown she presented, which brushed against his fingertips electrifyingly.
"It's beautiful," he breathed, taking in gently in his hands as though afraid of crushing it. Gingerly, he turned it in his hands before lifting it and placing it on her strawberry blonde tresses. As he let his hands fall away, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned forward. "You look lovely, pet." Bending to her height had a tendency to be an ordeal, but he did so anyway and placed a kiss against her forehead. One hand brushed against the small of her back as he did so, but only to stabilize her.
A voice to his side brought him back into the moment, and he pulled away as he turned to face Edmund. His hand fell from her back slowly, hesitatingly. "Good evening, Edmund," he returned, picking up his drink from the bar. "Thank you - always a pleasure to share this night with such...lovely company." His eyes skirted back towards the reporter who had just harangued him, hoping Edmund would pick up on the gesture without him having to be blunt. He heard the approach of another man whose name he couldn't recall, but his presence was quickly shut down as Edmund continued to speak.
"Certainly," he continued, the force of his words convincing the man to look elsewhere for a conversation. "It seems colder each year, I swear." He enjoyed the presence of the younger man - he was talented and seemed to exude potential in a way that Silas could relate to specifically. It had certainly been part of the reason he owned a few of Edmund's pieces.
His eyes flitted to Priscilla, and he accepted her compliment with a smile as he raised the drink to his lips. The bartender certainly understood what he meant, and, for sure, the beverage burned sharply as it trailed down his throat. For a moment, his head swam as he gathered his words.
"Thank you, my dear," he returned, inclining his head in acknowledgement. He followed her for a moment before reaching out to Edmund. "Let's walk." He brushed the other man's elbow, guiding him after him in a friendly manner. He switched his drink to his other hand and reached down with one hand to take up Canan's hand as he led the two of them through the hedges.
It was as they walked that Xena intercepted the small group. "Do I?" He asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow dramatically to make it quite clear that he had caught on to her sarcasm but did not take offense. Even if he had, he wouldn't have conveyed it - there were certain things that he had learned to not fight. "'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown', right? Proverbial crown, of course. And yet, still a very real weight." He gave a soft laugh at his own comment.
"However, you didn't hear that from me," he said, taking a seat on a circular bench, perfect for the group to converse without Silas having to worry as much about the invigorated reporters. The drink was certainly helping as well. "As far as anyone is concerned, it's all under control." He looked over at Canan for a moment, pursing his lips before taking another long sip.
"But you look well," he offered to Xena, looking back at her now. "Wonder if I would have done better in medicine - probably wouldn't have. Politicians aren't good for much more than talking circles." He paused, pressing his lips together for a moment.
"What a time we live in."