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Vin found her with ease The woman had dark hair and tan skin, and she sat at a table surrounded by sycophants Vin recognized that arrogant look, that way the woh to be i on her words
Vin approached with detero, she'd been forced to start at the bottom She didn't have time for that She didn't know the subtle political intricacies of the city--the allegiances and rivalries However, there was one thing of which she was fairly confident
Whichever side this woman was on, Vin wanted to be on the opposite one
Several of the sycophants looked up as Vin approached, and they grew pale Their leader had the poise to reht I can't leave her that option Vin sat at the table directly across from the woer sycophants
"She's planning to betray you," Vin said
The woet out of the city," Vin said "When the ar to leave you all to die Make an ally of me, however, and I will see that you are protected"
"Excuse nant "Did I invite you to sit here?"
Vin s crewleader's basis of poas money--take that away, and he'd fall For a woman like this, her poas in the people who listened to her To make her react, one simply had to threaten to take her minions
Vin turned to confront the woman "No, you didn't invite me I invited myself Someone needs to warn the women here"
The wo of my supposed plans"
"Don't I? You're not the type to let a man like Yomen determine your future, and if the others here think about it, they'll realized that there's no way you would let yourself get caught in Fadrex City without plans to escape I'm surprised you're even still here"
"Your threats do not frighten me," the lady said
"I haven't threatened you yet," Vin noted, sipping her wine She gave a careful Push on the e theh, technically, I've got your entire city under1 threat already"
The woman narrowed her eyes at Vin "Don't listen to her, ladies"
"Yes, Lady Patresen," one of the wo a little too quickly
Patresen, Vin thought, relieved that someone had finally mentioned the woman's name Do I know that name? "House Patresen," Vin said idly "Isn't that a cousin family of House Elariel?"
Lady Patresen remained quiet
"I killed an Elariel once," Vin said "It was a good fight Shan was a very clever woman, and a skilled Mistborn" She leaned in "You erations You may assume that I didn't really kill the Lord Ruler, and that the talk is sianda crafted to help stabilize my husband's rule
"Think as you wish, Lady Patresen However, there is one thing you must understand You are not my adversary I don't have tinificant city, part of a doo to you because I want to be part of your schemes; you can't even understand how uni We're going to take this city--and e do, there will be little rooainst us"
Patresen paled just slightly However, her voice was calm when she spoke "I doubt that's true If you could take the city as easily as you claim, then you would have already"
"My husband is a man of honor," Vin said, "and decided that he wished to speak with Yo I, however, am not quite so temperate"
"Well, I think that--"
"You don't understand, do you?" Vin asked "It doesn't matter what you think Look, I know you're the type with powerful connections Those connections will have told you by now the nu Forty thousand ent of Allomancers Plus two Mistborn My husband and I did not come to this conference toI suggest you take it"
She punctuated her last co She wanted it to be obvious to the women, to let them know that they were--indeed--under her power Then, she stood, trailing away from the table
What she had said to Patresen wasn't really that i was that Vin had been seen confronting the woman Hopefully, that would put Vin on a side in the local politics,to some factions in the room That, in turn, would make her more accessible, and--
The sound of chairs scooting back from the table came from behind her Vin turned, suspicious, and sawtheir leader sitting virtually alone at her table, a scowl on her face
Vin tensed
"Lady Venture," one of the women said "Perhaps you would let some of usintroduce you at the party?"
Vin frowned
"Please," the woman said very quietly