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[frimeur]

[The evening had come to a start. The plan, although it seemed like a stretch, was to be put into motion, and it had to happen then and now. And now it was to be him and that girl - both facing the devil himself, in a sense. Cain himself had seen to any outside disturbances; an Earl of Poisons had come in handy, and now there he stood outside in

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[roseblooms]

[ Difficult, but not impossible. As the Empress that she'd been called for so very long, she kept her attitude in check-- as best as she could under the circumstances. Her movements, as easy as her own, weren't those she was performing voluntarily after all.

Without this help, it would have been impossible for her to step into this room at all, forget approaching him.

The last time she'd come in here, things had been... a little less than savory. For her at least. Him, on the other hand... ]

Cardmaster.

[ Nnh. I don't want to look at him, she was thinking, but outside her own body betrayed her desire. The tension was there within, but not a sign of it showed in the calm way she presented herself before the devil.

It was now or never. ]

[maitre_de_carte]

[ There was hardly a movement, nary a sound for a few seconds - and how he kept it going made it seem more like an eternity of silence interspersed with the crackling of that fire. And so the trial had come for him. No, he knew too well that there was only one occasion that would give rise to her even daring to approach him. The signs were obvious, and he knew where his next destination was.

The trick, however, was to keep such hidden from others. Save, of course, for the anonymous gentlemen that would eventually aide their fellow comrade.

He didn't move from the chair, staying as he was with his back to the girl. His Empress dared to leave, even knowing the consequences. But he could make her think there was an exit. ]

Ah, there you are. Come to make the necessary negotiations, Empress?

[frimeur]

[ There were often such strange, awkward moments in which someone understood the full responsibility and stamina of one's powers. At this moment, his eyes closed and attuned to the sight that she saw - he didn't even move, fully showing that arrogance of a Hargreaves - ... at this moment, he praised himself silently for being able to concentrate so voraciously. The scene was almost hellish; the fireplace definitely lent itself to that.

Approach him - stay behind the armchair... and address him once more, a lower voice.

Had to appeal to that democratic side, if even for a "negotiation". And he had a good guess as to what that term meant in such a deviated scenario. ]

[roseblooms]

[ She could feel her insides churn with what was a possible gag reflex were Crehador not entirely controlling her and disallowing it from acting up. Every bit of her conscious mind that was watching this happen through her own eyes and unable to avert it was arguing against what was happening, but on the outside, her appearance only seemed to reveal a calm gracefulness that remained proper despite who she faced.

Her voice, when she spoke, felt like it wasn't hers at all. ]

I'm sure the nature of my visit is quite clear, Cardmaster.

[ She didn't want to look. She didn't want to hear him, and her physical body reacted by calmly moving a hand to her waist, the other arm settled calmly to her side in a mild show of unguardedness. Where she'd usually be a little more demure in her approach, though this fit with her Empress persona, it was something that came across in her sharp words than her body language-- owing to the fact that she avoided physical meetings with Alexis as much as she could

[maitre_de_carte]

[ Oh, he heard that tone in her voice. Empress, indeed - attempting to use that charm of hers to ensnare him. But it was just to the letter, and it was at least one final appeal before it all set into motion. Yet he remained where he stood, only to chuckle and shift a bit in the chair to prop his head and cross those legs.

No approach on his end - he'd let her come to him. ]

And how do you intend to sway me?

[ A casual tone, yet the formality lie with that back still turned to her. Little did she know he had a pleased smile on his face, even while recounting the future chain of events. ]