Neil was engaged in her story, taking the odd sip of wine here or there but fully focused on what she was saying. It made him feel slightly inadequate, which wasn't a usual thing. Neil loved to play himself off as arrogant, but he was, if nothing else, confident. A lack of confidence made life far less fun, and he knew just how talented he was in certain ways. But Emmaline was above and beyond what he had expected. 

"So let me get this straight," he said, placing the wine glass down again. He called for their glasses to be filled again with an upraised hand. He didn't want to be reductionist, but Neil was the sort of guy who did sort of nonchalantly simplify things. "So, and this happened to me to in a way. So a lot of people wanted to use you and taught you all this shit, and you just sort of went 'fuck you' and used what they taught you to your own advantage? Babe that's...you're impressive."

Neil took a generous sip of wine once it was refilled, feeling warmth emanating from his belly as he considered himself. There were times when a guy spoke to a girl, and his dick made things complicated. It acted like a second brain that put you under its spell. Most men got used to it, learned how to quell the constant intrusions, but there were sleazebags who just went with it. Even stand up guys would lose to it every now and then, and it wasn't fair to the guy or the girl in question, and he wondered if that was what was transpiring now, but he realized it wasn't. Neil meant every word. 

"Look, Em. I'll be honest with you. I like you a lot. I want to keep going on dates, drinking with you, and stealing everything we can get our hands on. But you're pretty, talented, you can fool most people with anything. Like...I understand why you tossed Otto away." He laughed, leaning back in his chair. "But you can swindle almost any noble in the empire or bullshit your way to the top. Hell, in the border kingdoms you could probably teach some petty lord magic for a fortune. Why slum it with me in a dusty tower, making pocket change? You could do anything you want." 

The sun lowered, giving the water a glistening quality as a backdrop to their table. Two tilean lateen ships floated amongst the more robust river barges of the Empire. Beyond them, the guns boomed in a final chorus for the night.