"Are you kidding? To hang out for one perfectly nice"-- he reconsiders-- "reasonably unobjectionable enclaver for a day? What if he likes you? Then you got an intro from me and you want a month of mana storage about it?"

"I have it on the excellent authority of his own clavemate that his interests include pointless and arbitrary rage."

"You're not supposed to take me seriously! Incredibly unfair to be taken seriously!"

She raises an eyebrow.

"Everyone knows I'm the useless Shanghai enclaver! Not to be trusted!"

"Oh, okay, in that case I want payment up front."

"You have dibs on selling my first batch of alcohol and I'll throw in a drawing if you don't end up valuing the introduction to Jiang Cheng."

"Neither of those is up front - are the drawings and alcohol magic?"

"I don't sell magic!"

"...Maybe you could just trade me mana?"

"Fine." So much for their positive working relationship. He will crush Misaki's business under his heels. "Say when."

She says when, at an amount that isn't even unreasonable compensation for spending several hours antagonizing an enclaver.

He will destroy her with capitalism.

"Okay, I'll introduce you."

"Thank you!"

He flutters his fan and sits down next to Jiang Cheng. "Jiang Cheng!"

"What," he barks.

"Oh! I just thought you'd get along with my friend Sato Misaki."

"Is she as stupid as the rest of your friends."

"No! No. Very smart. You'll love her."

"He mentioned you like animals!" she says cheerfully.

"It's my affinity," he says grumpily.

"Wow, that's so good! I wish I could've had a pet in here but it'd be a waste and it'd make people think I was evil."

"You could come look at my brother's cockroaches," he says grumpily.

"Cockroaches! Because they're light and definitely not for maleficing?"