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Post by Derek Burke on Oct 13, 2016 0:13:13 GMT -5
The corner of Derek's mouth lifted upward in amusement, though he wasn't amused, "I see."
It wasn't difficult to imagine, though Derek was not imagining anything specific, but Christian had a reputation. The question was, why was he here now? Christian was hardly the damsel in distress type, then again Diana hardly fit the role of damsel either.
"Well, I'm sure you have her best interests at heart then." he said confidently though he was no where near convinced.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink at the bar. Would you care for anything?" he asked the epitome of politeness."
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 13, 2016 0:54:04 GMT -5
Christian's eyebrows raised, amused, and he smiled self-righteously as Derek further admonished him subtextually. He sensed a hint of jealousy in Derek's mannerisms. He would gloat about the later.
"No. Thank you," he said, to the offer of another drink. Christian raised his glass slightly, it was nearly full. He had wanted a clear head for this meeting, although the scarce information was hardly worth being sober in a crowded nightclub.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 13, 2016 1:07:02 GMT -5
Diana made her way back toward the table. She approached Christian from behind, her eyes on him speculatively. She seemed to be making some sort of mental assessment before shaking whatever thoughts she had been having.
Derek had caught up to her as she knew he would. He gave her a little more information too. Diana told him that she was working with Christian sincerely and that Derek could feel free to speak in front of Christian, only to be met with skepticism as well as a warning. Derek knew Christian, and as Diana suspected he wasn't the schoolboy she had remembered. She promised she'd be careful.
She leaned over his chair wrapping her arms around his torso and inhaling the scent that was altogether his. She let loose a sound that was somewhere between a purr and a moan, "Derek left." she told him.
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 13, 2016 1:42:00 GMT -5
He heard Diana's footsteps behind him, Christian was anticipating her touch. But her voice made him quiver.
"Is that so?" he asked, his tone somewhere between intrigued and aloof.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 13, 2016 1:49:26 GMT -5
She left off the quip about scaring Derek away. She knew that Derek wasn't afraid of Christian, but he certainly was afraid for her. It gave her some pause, but she dismissed it. She had questioned him. He was Alyx's father. He wanted to find their daughter and take out the company just as much as she did, well almost as much. At least she thought it was true. She couldn't trust her feelings when she was with him, if she were being honest with herself he had hurt her too many times to trust him. If she was more honest with herself, she didn't care if she trusted him or not, she wanted him.
"Yes. Now...what was this about a place to stay?"
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 13, 2016 2:33:11 GMT -5
She wanted him. And perhaps he wanted her too. If he truly was only interested in finding his daughter, he wouldn't need to offer Diana safekeeping at his home. He wouldn't have considered taking her out on the dance floor as an appetizer for what he planned to do to her later.
He didn't answer her question. He had one of his own that he thought should be discussed first. "You and Burke seem friendly. How did you come to meet him?"
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 13, 2016 2:48:31 GMT -5
Diana knew, or at least felt as though she knew, Christian too well for his inquiry to be jealousy, despite what she may have wished. He was probably concerned for their daughter's sake. She owed him the truth then. Had she the slightest inkling that he could have been jealous she may have tortured him.
"He was a friend of Whistler's. Found me in New York, brought me here when New York came up dry. Said that he knew some people that could help, and that he would act as liaison so I didn't have to be directly involved."
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 13, 2016 12:32:29 GMT -5
Diana was more forthcoming with her history these days, Christian knew he had managed to crack her steely armor only because of the feelings she held for him. Not romantic feelings or even trust. If Diana had any wits about her, she wouldn't trust a man like Christian. But their connection with their daughter allowed Diana to open up to him, and he would take advantage of the opportunity.
"You would do well to be cautious of Burke. He's a dangerous man. Don't underestimate him, Diana, it could prove fatal." His warning came not from a place of concern for being found out as the hit wizard after Diana, but of concern for Diana's well being. If Diana were lost, Christian's hope of finding Alyx would be severely diminished.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 13, 2016 13:29:17 GMT -5
If Diana had any wits about her, but where Christian was concerned, her wits were a bit addled. She didn't want to trust him, to want him, to fall in love with him all over again, but she caught herself thinking about him often, what their life could have been. She was still a foolish girl.
Diana came around him then when he began talking about Derek. He obviously wasn't feeling as flirty as she was and it sobered her. She took a seat and crossed her legs.
"He said the same thing about you."
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 13, 2016 15:34:22 GMT -5
"As expected," he replied calmly before taking another sip of his drink. He looked at her, running his eyes up and down the lengths of her. "You run with treacherous men, Diana. But unless he's told you more about the board members tonight than he shared at this table, he is relatively useless. Pointless and deadly are two traits you don't really have time for. So what information did he share with you that is worth keeping him around?"
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 13, 2016 20:41:53 GMT -5
Diana didn't have a problem with Derek. He had pulled his weight and earned her trust, unlike Christian, who so far was the only one she was counting on who hadn't proved his worth. In fact he'd shown her he was just as likely to stab her in the back as help her, but she desired him, and she was a fool for being weak toward him.
"Straight to business," she sighed, "usually I like that in a man." But with Christian, she liked the way his eyes lingered on her, she wanted his attention for herself, and sure maybe she was still a bit reluctant to be completely honest with him.
"Derek's proved himself to me." she said simply, "And I trust him. And I'm in short supply of people I trust these days." she looked at him levelly. She was weighing the decision of trusting him now, particularly after Derek's warning, but the truth was Christian had a right to Alyx as well, and until she had a reason to doubt him, she needed his help. She also knew he was risking much in helping her when she had a very skilled hit wizard after her. That was always the thought that softened her, he was putting his life on the line, the least she could do was make it a little easier for him.
"Derek knows that, so he kept this back." she said handing Christian a file. Inside were pictures and a safety deposit key. The pictures were of one of the board members at a special resort, the safety deposit key was to a box at Gringotts where Derek had stashed a portkey to the resort. Truthfully Derek was worth his weight in gold. Now it was time to see if Christian truly could keep up. All the details inside the file were for a hit. They had the time and the place, as well as schematics and other information they would need. Diana usually took the information and planned the assassination accordingly.
She held her breath letting Christian look over the paperwork, watching for his reaction, if he was okay with what they had to do.
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 14, 2016 0:15:10 GMT -5
Christian watched her as she explained her trust for Derek Burke, and gave him a look that he took to mean she didn't trust Christian near enough. That was probably smart, though he had no immediate plans to betray her. He wanted to find their daughter, there was no point in double crossing Diana now.
As she produced a file and passed it to him Christian raised his eyebrows, an intrigued look on his handsome face. He felt a strange mix of emotions at this development. He was pleased that there was some information that could actually help them in their quest. But at the same time he was annoyed that Burke had come through, essentially reinforcing Diana's trust in him and ensuring Derek a spot on Christian's list of people to take care of. He didn't dwell on the latter emotion, although a clever onlooker might have called it jealousy.
He set his glass on the table and leaned forward as he opened the file. Derek was rigorous in his planning, which both pleased and annoyed Christian further. He looked over the information thoroughly, spending several minutes in silence as Diana surveyed him. He did not show it, but Christian was disappointed that their first target was not Copperbottom himself. Derek was likely saving the best for last. Christian shut the file and passed it back to her, then picked up his glass and leaned back in his chair before speaking. "He's laid it all out for us, then. I suppose Burke is useful as a grunt, at the very least." He finished his drink and set the glass down again. "Do you want me to handle it while you move your things into my place? Or shall we have ourselves a little vacation?" He was currently picturing Diana in a tiny bikini laying out at the resort on the board member's dime.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 14, 2016 1:04:46 GMT -5
The fact that she trusted Christian at all, especially with something as grave as the mission to be reunited with her daughter spoke volumes. Derek had to fight for every inch of confidence, and he had never once betrayed or let Diana down. But Diana had a weakness for Christian. If she were honest with herself, she ached for him, and that hadn't gone away in his absence.
She was so intent on watching him and reading his expressions concerning the hit that she missed his jealous tone, not that she would have believed it in the first place.
His unflappable response to the assassination still surprised her, even though Derek had told her Christian was a dangerous man, she wasn't sure she could believe it, even if she felt it on some instinctual level. Despite his confidence in handling the mission alone Diana wasn't about to leave it all in his hands, this was personal after all, and it was one thing to act smug now, another to pull the trigger.
"Well, I hear Barbados is nice this time of year."
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 14, 2016 1:59:55 GMT -5
Christian smirked, a devilish glint in his eye. He'd had enough business for one day. He was ready for something completely different. They'd start with destroying Diana's hotel room and see where the night took them. "Shall we?" he asked as he stood and offered his hand.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 14, 2016 2:22:17 GMT -5
She took his hand and stood stumbling into him slightly. So much for being graceful.
Diana was alluring, provocative, beautiful, mysterious, graceful, and dangerous. All the things an "unobtainable" woman would be. But around Christian, sometimes she still felt like the too tall, flat chested, teenager who wasn't good enough for him.
She also felt like she was dragging him into darkness, asking him to kill for her.
She leaned into his chest, her fingertips curling slightly against him. She took advantage of the moment and wrapped her arms around his neck.
For the briefest moment she looked up at him with an unmistakable fondness, but the look was gone as she righted herself. This wasn't about tenderness or love. It was just lust and a child they had lost, Diana would only get hurt if she let herself want more.
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 14, 2016 2:55:50 GMT -5
"We'll have to work on your ability to stand and walk, before we focus on taking anyone out," he teased gently into her ear. "Although, I don't foresee much walking in your immediate future."
At some point Diana would find out that she was not the siren calling him to the dark side. He had been comfortable with everything she required, because they were like second nature to him now. Strangely enough, she seemed unwilling to recognize the clues that fell like bricks around her. He did not hesitate to use an Unforgivable Curse on her. He immediately suggested murdering the men that were after her upon hearing of them. Derek had warned her that he was dangerous. Any single one of these occurrences on their own would have been enough of a warning for any sane person, but Diana buried her head deep in the sand, pretending no one could be as cruel and deadly as she was. If it was just lust, she'd see the signs and simply not care.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 14, 2016 3:06:46 GMT -5
"Is that right?" she asked a challenge sparking in her eyes although she would enjoy being rendered useless.
Diana was blind when it came to Christian. She didn't mean to be, she didn't want to be, but she couldn't help it. She could try and convince herself otherwise, but their affair was truly dangerous to her. And whether she realized it or not, it was already too late for her.
She also was reluctant to admit that she enjoyed the kill. That wasn't accurate, she didn't enjoy killing, but she did enjoy the hunt. She enjoyed being dangerous and taking out the men who conspired to kill her. She enjoyed that she was so good at it, and she didn't feel much remorse afterward, though she thought that made her less somehow. But she had limits, a morality that allowed her to do what she needed to do, but not kill indiscriminately.
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Post by Christian Ward on Oct 14, 2016 3:20:11 GMT -5
Mainstream society would deem them both deviants, evil miscreants. They'd be lumped together and persecuted for their crimes against nature. But Christian was different from Diana. In his youth, the Dark Arts intrigued him and he sought them out. He wound up quite skilled and found it useful to accomplishing a wide variety of objectives. But all too soon the allure of the darkness lost it's edge. Christian continued to do as he needed, taking lives, torturing, extorting but he did these things out of some warped version on necessity. He found no pleasure in killing, but wouldn't hesitate to do so if the situation called for it. His moral compass pointed in a different direction than Diana's, if he even had one at all. He certainly didn't think he was less than for lacking in remorse over his many victims.
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Post by Diana Ward on Oct 14, 2016 3:28:45 GMT -5
She allowed him to lead her outside, and gave into the pretense of leaning on him. On the way out of the bar she dropped a small satchel of gold and grabbed a bottle from the bar. Life was good when you were rich, but Diana never cared for gold. She was a lonely child, and a lonelier adult. Somewhere along the line she had learned to embrace the life she led, but Christian threatened that way of life. He was addicting, and this was different than their other week of passion, even if Diana thought she might wake up one day and find out he was gone.
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