Ignoring mode is go~
From the back of the crowd, Riff took a sip of his drink as Florence started his speech. Riff listened to the first few sentences, made sure it was nothing important or couldn't be looked up later, and then tuned Florence out internally; on the outside, he appeared politely interested, as expected, while thoughts worked elsewhere as he surreptitiously surveyed the room and its occupants. He could catch bits and snippets of shushed conversations (really, people were never as quiet as they thought they were), memorizing the voices as best he could without looking for their speakers and tuning out the conversations and speakers that had no value to him. They were all more interesting than Florence's, however. A skilled speaker could turn a dull script into something worth listening to, at least a little; a dull speaker and a dull script an invitation to be ignored.
This place wasn't Riff's first choice of where to be on New Year's Eve but there were appearances that had to be kept up so he would make the best of it. If he got too bored....well, he had the power to stir things up if he wished.
Ian was nearby with one of his partners. Ian and Riff had come together, stayed together long enough to keep up appearances and trade comments where needed, and then Riff gave Ian permission to go mingle. After all, it wouldn't do for him to ignore potential contacts for his younger brother. Ian looked away briefly to Riff, to which Riff smiled his usual smile, and Ian quickly turned his attention firmly to watching Florence, as though what he had to say was interesting in slightest.
Taking another sip, he took one consolation from this affair. The desserts were always near perfection.