Judging from the man's facial expressions, Amelia's father wasn't very impressed with what he saw, at least not marginally so. That was good in some ways - it meant that Kelmar was inconspicuous on some level - though it might prove difficult down the road if he wanted to display that he was in a position to bargain. His brow was relaxed, which didn't quite prove Kelmar's train of thought but it did support it. However, that changed as the operative shared what Amelia had let slip in their conversations, the muscles in his forehead tensing as he looked slightly more interested. Apparently her father's profession was not something that she often talked of, which made sense as it kept people from peaking too far into her past (like he was) but also struck him as an odd practice especially considering that she wasn't yet a citizen. Some knowledge spread around about her connection with the Black Sun would at least deter any would-be slavers and keep her marginally safer. There was no point in questioning why it was though, so instead Kelmar let the subject leave his mind.
Far more interesting was the fact that Amelia was going so far for his own current benefit. He had not expected her to lie on his behalf, especially to her father. After all, they had only met three times prior, and the first was hardly what you could call a friendly departure. Only adding to his confusion was the fact that she was acting all infatuated with him - Kelmar knew it was obviously an act, but the word that kept returning to his mind was why. Whatever reason she had to try to misguide her father would surely be an interesting one. Lies were exchanged not necessarily by those who mistrusted or disliked each other, but by those who wished to mislead the other for their own purposes. Since Amelia's purpose had, at the start, seemed to be to get Kelmar under her thumb like any other man, he was beginning to wonder just how this act to deceive her own father served that purpose. Or maybe... maybe her agenda had changed. Whatever the case, Amelia's acting was very convincing, even going so far to whisper nearly silently in a voice he could barely hear let alone understand. While what she said might have been lost, the effect was what mattered, and though he wouldn't admit it she had nailed that part.
Smiling was too much effort, so instead Kelmar nodded respectfully in answer to Cross' acknowledgement. "We have only known each other for a relatively short while," he responded, "but each encounter tells us more about the other, and if we keep this up then soon there will be no reason to bother hiding anything." At least the first part of this statement was true, but the agent had no intention of maintaining the relationship for as long as he hinted at. If that was what would get him in Mr. Cross' good grace then he would, but Amelia was too unpredictable and unnecessary to be worth the time it would take to manage her. "When we first met I would never have expected that she would be so important and be related one so close to our god. She is truly a unique woman." Truth, but not in the way it would likely be interpreted. Nevertheless, unique was one of the many words that came to mind when describing Amelia.
It did not escape the operative's attention that Mr. Cross had avoided his connection to the temple almost entirely. Aside from that initial acknowledgement, the man said very little about himself and instead launched into a semi-grandiose statement about the strength of the city's faith and the glory and protection that Rhysol would grant them all. To the snoop who had never spent much time praying and even less about six years ago, it meant little what the people thought of the god or what his plans were for the city. What would happen would happen, and all Kelmar needed to do was know enough about it to sell the secrets to those who weren't there and get better at doing so. Outwardly though, he nodded with apparent belief in what Mr. Cross was saying, his completely neutral face belying little of what he was thinking to the casual observer. "If it happened once," he said suddenly, "it can happen again. I doubt the same group will have the resources to attempt another attack anytime soon, but if they managed to get as far as the Temple undisturbed, even bringing it to ruin, then perhaps it would be unwise to underestimate their potential if not their current capability." Still holding onto Amelia's hand with his, he raised his other in a placating gesture. "Just my thoughts on the matter, I am sure that the Ebonstryfe are taking care of it even as we speak. But the fact stands, there is the possibility that it will happen again, even if will not be the same people."
Amelia's interjection seemed to guide the conversation back from the incident last Fall to the actual faith of the people itself, which he assumed was intended to bring the subject eventually to Mr. Cross' role within the Temple. Perhaps Kelmar had underestimated the woman. Though her reasons were still mysterious, she was displaying a good sense of knowing how to manipulate a conversation to get the information she wished - or in this case he wished. Her father's return question seemed to catch her by surprise, and directed the focus of the talk back on Kelmar. Now was the time to think of a story that fit nicely with everything up to that point and was close enough to the truth so as to not arouse suspicion. Amelia had already demonstrated how apt she was at setting up a cover, now it was his turn. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance - then later completely forgetting why - he answered calmly and evenly, his voice showing his supposed indifference towards the subject.
"We met in Nitrozian Plaza," Kelmar answered honestly. "Your daughter was practicing her fortune telling and by chance decided to pick me. She led us out to a quiet place along one of the canals to practice and what followed was quite a memorable conversation, after which I promised I'd find her and take her to the Sliver. Since then we've met a few times at the tavern, asking questions about each other, and then she arranged to meet here. I had no idea I'd be meeting you too." He paused, signaling that he was moving onto the next topic. This was where some lies came in. "I'm just a simple man, a Genanis through and through, running messages and information for some wealthy pockets so that some of their wealth may be kicked my way every now and again. What Amelia was referring to by being a manipulator of shadows was the fact that I'm a night courier, running information that people would generally prefer to keep out of the hands of their rivals. Delicate things like that requires careful handling, and I find the best way to do that is avoid having any incidents in the first place."
That was enough information to satisfy any immediate curiosities, and it felt like a decent amount of embellishment that it looked believable. Of course, Kelmar hadn't the best idea of how successful he was, but he was experienced enough to pull off at least a simple lie like that that was so close to the truth. In the meantime, he had some questions of his own. "So do you ever lead the services out here in the courtyard?" he asked innocently. "What kind of role do you play in the Temple? Amelia's remained teasingly tight-lipped about that part, I think she was waiting for you to share." Another lie, this one meant to both feel out Mr. Cross and test for Amelia's intentions. He went along with her lies, would she go along with his? And if she did, he would have to wonder to what end.
