Joseph had noticed Rhys' attempts to be less clingy. Not that he'd minded the clinginess, but most likely it was due to something Amadeus had said. Besides, he enjoyed being close to his lover and he wasn't about to stop touching him because of some ridiculous notion he was coddling Rhys. Of course, he was coddling him a little. Everyone else who'd interacted with him except maybe Mab had bemoaned his lack of education and experience and seemed to believe the best way to make up for this shortcoming was toss him in the deep end and then get mad when he started to drown.
It was beyond absurd, which was why he'd come down on Amadeus like a building.
Joseph smiled as Rhys laced his fingers through his. He lifted the hand for a moment, pressing a quick kiss to his knuckles. His lover seemed nervous, but not nearly as much as he had been. Joseph firmly believed all Rhys needed was time and a little patience on the part of his elders. He was certainly do that much considering how he'd been neglected.
"I caught a glimpse of you and your gorgeous dress across the room," he said. "But you seemed entirely too involved with chatting up a lovely ginger. I thought it would be ungentlemanly to interrupt."
Ugh, the blood rain... Overdone and tacky. So Ventrue. "I only made a brief appearance. I had to dash early because of the show."
He took the glass from her with a smile and a nod. "Thank you, my dear," he murmured. Joseph waited until Garnet was seated comfortably and had her glass before taking a drink. It was a fine vintage, even if it was bottled. "Lovely."
Joseph was far more interested in the pretties Garnet had laid out. There was always a wonderous variety. He looked over at Rhys. "Anything stand out for you?"