A soft sigh left Alistair's lips as he leaned back within his chair, the emerald of his gaze darted towards the watch upon his wrist. His client was exactly twenty minutes late of their designated meeting time and it was cold. Really, he didn't understand why they couldn't have met within the warm comfort of the Pentagram offices. He could even see Starlight Tower from where he sat outside of the Red Robin in Creek City Center. With the ongoing pandemic, indoor dining had been entirely banned in favor of outdoor seating that allowed the city's residents to observe social distancing of exactly six feet apart. Each table had been equipped with a tableside firepit. It was a nice gesture really, but the end result was that only half of Alistair was warm while he was certain his right side was going to freeze to death. Lately, his clients had been a royal pain in the ass, Alistair was certain. It would figure he'd take on the trouble projects - it was just his luck. He'd give the man another fifteen minutes and then he'd just leave....and assume the man had forgotten the meeting entirely. The bright green of his eyes had only just shifted to the passerbyers when a voice drew the artist's attention. "Alistair?"
A small smile tugged at the corners of his features as he turned to face the man he had clearly been waiting for - that look purely professional only rather than any sort of joy the Hunter most definitely did not feel. It was the first time he had met Richard face-to-face, their correspondence largely over email and phone calls. Tonight he was supposed to deliver a final product. The very moment his vibrant irises met the cold blue of Richard's, he became entirely aware of one very important thing - quite at the same moment, it would seem, as Richard did. Neither were mortal. Richard, it seemed, was a vampire. He knew it from first glance - that pale skin, those sharpened teeth only just peeking out from under the man's lips. Though he dressed...well....there was a hardness to his features, one that only worsened the moment the vampire realized he stood across a Dark Hunter. "Richard, it's nice to finally meet," Alistair answered, wholly quick to recover from that unexpected surprise as he offered the undead man his hand. After all, his father had taught him well to maintain appearances within the public eye, Alistair was near unflappable when he desired to be.
He watched as his client eyed him wearily, only to drift down to his hand. Slowly, Richard's hand fit within his, the vampire's grip particularly firm, tight, even, as if he wished to convey he was hardly one to be trifled with. That faux smile never left Alistair's lips, however, as their short-lived handshake came to an end. Rather, he gestured towards the seat across from him. "Have a seat." He offered, as he settled back into his own chair, reaching for his bag. "That depends on what you're here for." Richard answered coldly, the very tone of which caused Alistair to pause. "I believe you asked to see your final proofs before we sent it to production." The artist answered, unzipping his bag only to pull out a harmless folder from its depths. He offered it towards Richard as if to prove his point and yet...how weary the vampire's tension made him in return. If Richard suspected he was here to hunt him...what had he done to gain the attention from the council? Was there a warrant out for him? It would be just Alistair's luck to run into another vampire determined to kill him. Frankly, it seemed to be a running theme in his life and the Hunter was certain his fortuitous hunts to date were not going to persist with the same advantageous ending.