IT'S A TEA DATE. NOT A DATE DATE.
Who: Elizaveta and Roderich.
When: October 2nd, Saturday, afternoon.
Where: Roderich's house.
What: To thank Elizaveta for her diligent hard work, Roderich invites her over for tea. The ulterior motive is to find out if she knows anything about those inappropriate photographs of his.
( Now tell me what you know! )
When: October 2nd, Saturday, afternoon.
Where: Roderich's house.
What: To thank Elizaveta for her diligent hard work, Roderich invites her over for tea. The ulterior motive is to find out if she knows anything about those inappropriate photographs of his.
( Now tell me what you know! )
"I understand," he said. There was a long pause as he thought of his next move. "While that is unfortunate, I understand that it isn't entirely your fault. I've encountered this Polish man and I know he can be quite a handful. I ask that you be more diligent and careful in the future. Don't let anyone into the house without my prior consent. Is that clear?"
He sipped his tea and wiped his hands again. Now that he was sure Feliks was the culprit, there needed to be revenge, and it needed to be harsh. He didn't quite believe in 'an eye for an eye', but he knew justice needed to be served.
"Miss Elizaveta, what do you suppose we should do for Feliks' trespass? Is it too late to contact the police? Should we consider taking the matter into our own hand?" If you know what I mean...
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Slowly, as he spoke, Elizaveta felt as if her entire body was inflating like she was some kind of... balloon. A heavy weight lifted itself off of her shoulders, and she breathed in a gulp of air quickly, trying not to break out into a grin. "Yes!" She almost shouted, "Yes, I promise to never let that happen again, it is totally clear oh thank you Mr. Edelstein."
Smiling, she placed her hands on her knees, trying not to fidget. Oh, but there was still the problem of those pictures... She frowned. "I dare think that if we bring it up with the police, they'll even think about doing it. Such matters are not 'important' enough to get them moving." Narrowing her eyes, she spoke in a bolder tone, "And it was my fault that those pictures were leaked. I would definitely want to be at least one half of the revenge process."
Sighing, she looked down. "If only I knew what we could do. It's not like he's going to just go out there and make an embarrassment of himself if we ask him..."
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"What if we can do something to make him embarrass himself?" Roderich suggested offhandedly, his eyes looking away from Elizaveta the whole time. He glanced out to the distance as a sly smile touched his lips. He wasn't an evil or mischievous person; but even a worm would turn when pushed too far.
"If we can, say, put him in a situation in which he greatly humiliates himself, do you think we can possibly make that situation happen? If not, perhaps... what if... we can... fake it?"
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Smiling a little at Mr. Edelstein, Elizaveta felt like she was somehow seeing more of the real person behind the papers and the orders. She knew, of course, that he couldn't always be some upstanding aristocrat who went around ordering people to iron his shirts but it was like she was seeing him in his natural form now. More relaxed.
"Fake it? You mean like building a robot to look like him?" She laughed a little. "I don't think anyone could do that, Mr. Edelstein, no matter how rich you are. No, robots wouldn't work. Wouldn't it be crazy though, if he had a twin somewhere out there? Someone who we could use?" She chuckled more about it, until a plan started to hatch in her head. Her face slowly transcended to one of realization, and almost excitement.
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"Of course not," Roderich said with a ghost of the smile. Frankly, he wasn't one who would openly display any sort of emotion, even if he was feeling quite devilish with the ideas swarming his mind. "In any case, I am afraid we don't have the funds to build a robotic replica of him."
He shifted, turning toward Elizaveta. The light reflected off his glasses, giving him an ominous look that lasted briefly. He shook his head slightly, and let out what sounded like a chuckle. Or a snort. It was difficult to tell with the Austrian.
"He doesn't have a twin, though I do like your idea. If there was someone that looks like him... or could... perhaps, pretend...?"
He caught the look of EUREKA! in Elizaveta's face. He hid his content, picking up his cup instead. She was following along nicely, exactly on par with his own thinking.
"You look like you have something you'd like to say, Miss Elizaveta."
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He was upset about the photos. And he wanted revenge. Elizaveta couldn't help but be the slightest bit attracted by that. Feeling her cheeks flush, she picked up her cup as well.
"I have only to say that you are as brilliant as you are terrifying, sir." She smiled lightly, quite enjoying the banter. "Before we run circles around each other and this topic though, I have to ask, where on earth would we find such a person who would not only be willing but also not tell anyone to do this task? Liberty's a small city, word will get around."
She racked her brains. "The only petite blondes I can think of wouldn't give us the time of day for this scheme." Her eyes widened again. "But then again, in certain situations, some might find our 'offer' impossible to resist." She could only hope Mr. Edelstein could follow her train of thought. From what she was seeing, he seemed to have thought this plan out a long time ago.
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"Therefore," he said, "it must be someone who needs us. Someone whom we can do a favor in return for one of theirs. I'm afraid I don't know a lot of people. My demanding schedule prevents socializing, you see. But I trust that since you work at a bar, you'd be more accessible to the local gossips. You would know people who need help, desperate people, people who wouldn't mind putting on a costume and parading about town under a false alias."
He cocked his head, showing a smile for the first time. His cup found its way to his mouth again. He took a sip, savoring the taste of freshly brewed coffee. He licked his lips and turned to face Elizaveta.
"You're an intelligent woman, Miss Elizaveta. May I leave the responsibility in your hands? You have yet to fail me so far, surely you are up to the challenge," he said. Putting down his cup for the last time, he added in a quieter voice, "After all, it was your fault he had gotten those photographs of me in the first place. Consider this... payment for the window repairing fees."
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"I would be glad to take this on, Mr. Edelstein," her voice faltered at the last word, but she brought a smile up on her face. "I will definitely get this person to you, all I need is some time. In fact, I think I may have something already." She cleared her throat.
"Tomorrow," she said slowly. "I will get him to you tomorrow." Her brain started to wheel off ideas, and she checked the time. "Tomorrow." She repeated, smiling.
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He leaned over the small table and picked up the teapot. As he refilled Elizaveta's cup, he spoke of little trivial things. He picked up one of the girl scout ladyfingers and tasted it.
"These are actually quite tasty," he said after he dabbed his lips with his napkin. "You did well."
Beneath the compliment, there was a threatening message. No one was able to fail Roderich Edelstein. No one.
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