Hugo scowled at Salen's response, carefully listening to whether anyone is nearby before responding further. "You are right looks as if, because it most certainly is not." Hugo continued to grip Salen's hand, not wishing to lay off the pressure just yet. He would move at the pace he set himself, he would not let this low-bred stranger gain the upper hand. He would certainly prefer not to be spotted, but at this point backing down and some light gossip was preferable to seeming weak to this stranger. The individual had a certain gravitas to him, he was not Entente but he was important. So whilst he would try to minimize any social embarrassments from this, now learning more about this individual was of higher importance.
After the stranger finally acquiesced the pressure on Salen's hand went lighter. "I do not require your trust. All I ask for is your cooperation and good manners."Hugo would then keep looking at Salen, his smile settling down to a calm and smug expression of superiority rather than the previous predatory look he was probably giving off.
Then as Salen said he was not responsible for the mental effect Hugo felt doubt for a moment. Maybe he could have used the mental effect earlier? But it was unlikely, he only become of true import to this individual after he confronted him in the corridor and would not have been targetted earlier. Unless this individual could affect everyone in the room. This was possible but unlikely, the stranger seemed to have some skill but not that much"Perhaps, perhaps not. I will take the reliability of the source into consideration."
Hugo raised an eyebrow as the name of the stranger was finally revealed, Salen, interesting. Well, probably not the individual's actual name but probably a cover of sorts. Still, if pressured some people's minds might go to the names that were familiar to them. Whether they were allies or enemies did not matter, there was a high likelihood this individual had met a Salen at one point who might have a significant connection. Right now he did not have the resources to do an intensive enough follow-up, but it was a piece in the puzzle of who this stranger might be. At the very least, the stranger revealing an alibi meant he was acquiescing to some of the demands Hugo had lain out before him. Perhaps he could now ask more questions of this strange individual. At the very least Hugo should now be courteous and introduce himself. Revealing his name was not that much of a risk, his skin made him quite distinctive amongst the Entente here and not much research would be needed to confirm his identity. "Hugo Abreo, a.... pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Now the question was, what did he want to know and how could he gain that knowledge? Despite being trained in this kind of environment, Hugo had to admit, this was honestly going a bit too fast for him. Sure he had engaged in Entente interactions before and had some light-sparring, but never something this high stakes or so sudden. Regardless, whether he was comfortable or not with this should not matter, his focus should be on what to do now. What did he need to know about this individual, his purpose at the party? No that might be too direct, he might be too evasive about that.
What he needed most of all was, using the analogy of a puzzle, a centrepiece. Something which other pieces can attach to in order to form a complete picture. It should be something that is not seen as too consequential enough to lie about, but also something that would reveal more of what the stranger's skill, goals and personality are. From there he could go on further and perhaps learn how he could contact and perhaps use the skills of this Salen in the future. So what was at the centre of this stranger? Something inconsequential to start with but significant enough not to raise eyebrows. "So where did you get that outfit? The attire seems to be of a fine make but quite a bit darker than usual, it stands out quite well. Maybe you could recommend the tailor to me in the future? "
Hugo was uncertain of how 'Salen' would react to this question but he figured it likely it would throw him off-balance. He could potentially get some insight into the kind of things this Salen appreciated in his clothing, which could clue him into what his personality might be like. Furthermore, the outfit actually did look pretty good, sure it was not to the usual entente style but the cloth seemed to be of fine make. Depending on the price of it Hugo could maybe commission one or two outfits from them.
Hugo would then wait for Salen probably asking his own question before asking his own second question. A completely honest and truthful answer was unlikely at this time but the stranger might at least tell him something close to the truth. "So what kind of job do you usually have? You do not seem like a part of the Entente so what do you do to make ends meet?" Satisfied with these two questions for the time being Hugo would continue paying close attention to 'Salen'.
