Jess' head shot up, the dinnerware he was looking at clattering onto the table. Something didn't feel right. He nodded to Soph and smiled, but it was simply a facade, his mind was elsewhere, somewhere in the room. He saw Narcissa and tensed up, then loosened, he was sure she'd pose no threat to him, probably here to see James.
Surrounding her were two acquaintances (Sp?), a man and a woman, possibly together, who knew, but any friend of Narcissa's was a person to keep your eyes on, that included his friend James.
Looking about he saw several newcomers, mostly students, that reporter and some other woman. But then his eyes were drawn to the three people entering the room. His old student Elijah, and two... hang on. How odd, Jess' heart was pounding, something just didn't feel right, perhaps the way his parents were acting, perhaps the paleness, or the frightened look on Eli's face tipped him off. He watched them walk to the front of the room and khaat stand and sweep forward, exchanging words before grabbing Eli and dragging him away.
Jess frowned and muttered a quick pardon, before rising and walking calmly to the pair. "Hello Khaat!" He said loudly, a broad, obvious grin on his face until he reached the pair and swooped in giving khaat a big hug, dropping all pretences but the merry voice, as he was out of sight of everyone else. "How are you?" he asked, facing khaat, but looking pointedly at Eli. He'd played this game before, the combination of the parent's activities, and the look on khaat's face acted as a guiding beacon screaming that something was not right.