Max looked up at the elf, finally making eye contact with him. It was strange, making eye contact with people he didn't know, who weren't purebloods, and who hadn't been cleared by the Prince. He almost lowered his eyes again just from the strangeness of it, but held the other's grey eyes with more than a little effort.
"A jewelsmith?" he asked, trying to sound interested in the other's words, even though he wasn't. "It's an honorable profession." For an ordinary. "And yes, that is art, although what I do is...more than art."
Slowly, he brought the map back out of his pouch, wiping the table with a napkin to get rid of any sort of leftover smears or juices before laying it out.
"They aren't just maps," he said, the pride obvious in his eyes. "This one isn't nearly finished, and I've not put most of the spell-crafting into it yet, but when it's finished, you'll say the incantation that I'll write on here, touch your finger to your destination, and a light will lead the way."