11-25-2013, 08:58 PM
So Reed's efforts weren't completely in vain. She doubted Jon was completely distracted by her redirection. She had to remind herself that he wasn't the everyday civvie idiot; just an educated civvie idiot.
She wasn't seriously suggesting that Trano would sell the pair of them out to the public, but her objective was still granted, and she liked the way mistrust shaded Trano's gaze. It would do Trano good to learn to not trust every little pup that landed in his lap.
"You send in soldiers when you see an opening. But he's not completely alone. He has me." She crossed her arms, casting a confident smirk. "His press corps duty is not permanent, and for some strange reason, Brandon wants Trano around him. So we're granting his wish."
Jon removed his spectacles and put them in his shirt pocket. "It seems to me that one might want to explore why Brandon wants Trano around him. Perhaps because he has plans to keep him safely under his thumb until he can squash him like an ant. Should not a soldier be his own last line of defense?"
Reed shrugged. "I'm working on it, but I assume that's the case, yes. But the best defense is a great offense."
Jon glanced at the two of them, and for a moment seemed lost in thought.
Suddenly, her waist was cinched with some sort of snug binding. It wasn't too tight to breathe, no more than any one of dozens of bustiers she'd worn in her time. To save some face, she didn't do much in the way of wiggling, but she did perch a hand on her hip.
Then he turned back to Reed. "What is your suggestion for an offense or a defense in this situation? I am given to understand that Brandon is capable of much more than I am."
Trano smirked. He was just as bound up as she. "Cut the strands and then run away?"
Reed was none too pleased with the turn of events, but she waited to be let go, if not without a good deal of irritation. "If Brandon wanted Trano in some Kremlin rape dungeon, he'd have snagged him already."
After a few moments concentration from Trano, the binding loosened around her waist. Reed took a deeper breath.
"There we go. Granted,"
he looked at Reed, "It would be a lot more difficult if we were actually in danger."
Reed looked back at Trano. "What the fuck was that?" She gestured toward Jon. "He did it. And you... un-did it?"
Trano shrugged. "I guess the best way I can explain it is that he's basically tying you up in rope. All I did was cut them with... sharper rope."
Reed glanced down at herself. Her imagination could go a long way, but it was satisfying to see she could guess the extent of what the two men were capable of doing. Meeting his gaze, she had to wonder, though, just what else he could do with 'ropes'. No doubt the idea had passed through his head before. The guy practically drooled all over himself when their towncar sped away from the hotel. It wouldn't be the last time she used attraction to get somewhere.
Jon nodded toward Nick. "You could see the threads, and you were able to sever them."
He turned his attention back to Reed. "This power can only be fought by another who has the same ability. In a situation like this, you would be useless. He has to be able to defend himself."
Reed rolled her eyes. "If I get myself into a position where I have to defend myself, then I'm a pretty shitty spy."
Jon laughed at that. "Do you expect me to believe you've never been in a position where you have to defend yourself?"
"I'm very careful." Her smile was coy. "And the Ascendancy is one man surrounded by a thousand others that can't wrap me up at the snap of a finger."
Trano piped up, "We don't know that for sure though, do we."
Nicholas continued. "If this is as common as Jon would have us believe, Brandon could have dozens of men who can wrap us up with the snap of a finger."
Reed studied him thoroughly. "That's why you're here." There was a chill in her voice that said she had the balls to send in a weasel to clean out the foxhole. She'd prefer the weasel crawl back out, but people don't always get what they want.
Jon shrugged. "Perhaps not dozens. But it'd be foolish to think he hasn't stumbled upon anyone else by now. He's got years on the both of us, and you aren't the first I've found."
It sounded like Jon and Trano were both advocating for running for the hills and letting Brandon's orbiting the world continue on current trajectory. If that happened, Reed would give five years before Dominance VIII sprawled new orange on the map. She sighed, exasperated. "Fine. What do you two suggest we do? Go for a picnic? Get back to nature? Take a little time off, then come back to Moscow and hope you can get within a mile of the Kremlin?"
Trano spit out another jewel. "I'd suggest we go to the middle east. But a little information and planning never hurts."
Reed tossed her hair back, stared at the ceiling, and laughed. "You're saying you'd do exactly what I've been telling you to do for the last hour?"
Trano's reply was flattened with the obvious. "Why not? You've been arguing with Jon."
Good to know whose side he was on.
Reed's smirk lessened to something resembling consideration. She turned to Jon. "Well? Sounds like the man has spoken."
Jon pulled out his Wallet for a moment and fiddled with it. "All right then, Ms. Reed. Undoubtedly you know the itinerary and all that. If I can't get more time with him here, is there a way for me to accompany him?"
Reed's eyes narrowed, trying to see through the screen on Jon's Wallet to see what he was manipulating. Probably a schedule. Or texting his mom. Still, she was in the information business, they couldn't blame her glimpsing a view. "You can pay your own way and follow us around like some tour groupie. Nobody'll stop you, but you WILL be noticed. I guarantee it. And I know you wetdream about spies."
Jon chuckled. "You have no idea what I dream about, Ms. Reed." His calm composure returned with almost immediate precision. "Money is not an issue. But any notice should be kept to a minimum. I'm sure you can figure a way to make that happen."
The smirk that flashed across Nicholas' face drew her consideration. Yeah well, their wetdreams were probably about each other.
Moving on. "I won't even try to guarantee that. You're not my objective. He is." She told Jon kicked a nod toward Trano. "Remember I have orders. This isn't just the Reed party. So, if you're satisfied, you two mind getting your own bedroom and getting the fuck out of mine?"
"Certainly. But if your orders have anything to do with keeping him safe, you'll make this happen."
She didn't reply, merely waited for them to file out of her space. Can't get everything we want, she thought bitterly.
Edited by Julie Reed, Nov 25 2013, 09:02 PM.
She wasn't seriously suggesting that Trano would sell the pair of them out to the public, but her objective was still granted, and she liked the way mistrust shaded Trano's gaze. It would do Trano good to learn to not trust every little pup that landed in his lap.
"You send in soldiers when you see an opening. But he's not completely alone. He has me." She crossed her arms, casting a confident smirk. "His press corps duty is not permanent, and for some strange reason, Brandon wants Trano around him. So we're granting his wish."
Jon removed his spectacles and put them in his shirt pocket. "It seems to me that one might want to explore why Brandon wants Trano around him. Perhaps because he has plans to keep him safely under his thumb until he can squash him like an ant. Should not a soldier be his own last line of defense?"
Reed shrugged. "I'm working on it, but I assume that's the case, yes. But the best defense is a great offense."
Jon glanced at the two of them, and for a moment seemed lost in thought.
Suddenly, her waist was cinched with some sort of snug binding. It wasn't too tight to breathe, no more than any one of dozens of bustiers she'd worn in her time. To save some face, she didn't do much in the way of wiggling, but she did perch a hand on her hip.
Then he turned back to Reed. "What is your suggestion for an offense or a defense in this situation? I am given to understand that Brandon is capable of much more than I am."
Trano smirked. He was just as bound up as she. "Cut the strands and then run away?"
Reed was none too pleased with the turn of events, but she waited to be let go, if not without a good deal of irritation. "If Brandon wanted Trano in some Kremlin rape dungeon, he'd have snagged him already."
After a few moments concentration from Trano, the binding loosened around her waist. Reed took a deeper breath.
"There we go. Granted,"
he looked at Reed, "It would be a lot more difficult if we were actually in danger."
Reed looked back at Trano. "What the fuck was that?" She gestured toward Jon. "He did it. And you... un-did it?"
Trano shrugged. "I guess the best way I can explain it is that he's basically tying you up in rope. All I did was cut them with... sharper rope."
Reed glanced down at herself. Her imagination could go a long way, but it was satisfying to see she could guess the extent of what the two men were capable of doing. Meeting his gaze, she had to wonder, though, just what else he could do with 'ropes'. No doubt the idea had passed through his head before. The guy practically drooled all over himself when their towncar sped away from the hotel. It wouldn't be the last time she used attraction to get somewhere.
Jon nodded toward Nick. "You could see the threads, and you were able to sever them."
He turned his attention back to Reed. "This power can only be fought by another who has the same ability. In a situation like this, you would be useless. He has to be able to defend himself."
Reed rolled her eyes. "If I get myself into a position where I have to defend myself, then I'm a pretty shitty spy."
Jon laughed at that. "Do you expect me to believe you've never been in a position where you have to defend yourself?"
"I'm very careful." Her smile was coy. "And the Ascendancy is one man surrounded by a thousand others that can't wrap me up at the snap of a finger."
Trano piped up, "We don't know that for sure though, do we."
Nicholas continued. "If this is as common as Jon would have us believe, Brandon could have dozens of men who can wrap us up with the snap of a finger."
Reed studied him thoroughly. "That's why you're here." There was a chill in her voice that said she had the balls to send in a weasel to clean out the foxhole. She'd prefer the weasel crawl back out, but people don't always get what they want.
Jon shrugged. "Perhaps not dozens. But it'd be foolish to think he hasn't stumbled upon anyone else by now. He's got years on the both of us, and you aren't the first I've found."
It sounded like Jon and Trano were both advocating for running for the hills and letting Brandon's orbiting the world continue on current trajectory. If that happened, Reed would give five years before Dominance VIII sprawled new orange on the map. She sighed, exasperated. "Fine. What do you two suggest we do? Go for a picnic? Get back to nature? Take a little time off, then come back to Moscow and hope you can get within a mile of the Kremlin?"
Trano spit out another jewel. "I'd suggest we go to the middle east. But a little information and planning never hurts."
Reed tossed her hair back, stared at the ceiling, and laughed. "You're saying you'd do exactly what I've been telling you to do for the last hour?"
Trano's reply was flattened with the obvious. "Why not? You've been arguing with Jon."
Good to know whose side he was on.
Reed's smirk lessened to something resembling consideration. She turned to Jon. "Well? Sounds like the man has spoken."
Jon pulled out his Wallet for a moment and fiddled with it. "All right then, Ms. Reed. Undoubtedly you know the itinerary and all that. If I can't get more time with him here, is there a way for me to accompany him?"
Reed's eyes narrowed, trying to see through the screen on Jon's Wallet to see what he was manipulating. Probably a schedule. Or texting his mom. Still, she was in the information business, they couldn't blame her glimpsing a view. "You can pay your own way and follow us around like some tour groupie. Nobody'll stop you, but you WILL be noticed. I guarantee it. And I know you wetdream about spies."
Jon chuckled. "You have no idea what I dream about, Ms. Reed." His calm composure returned with almost immediate precision. "Money is not an issue. But any notice should be kept to a minimum. I'm sure you can figure a way to make that happen."
The smirk that flashed across Nicholas' face drew her consideration. Yeah well, their wetdreams were probably about each other.
Moving on. "I won't even try to guarantee that. You're not my objective. He is." She told Jon kicked a nod toward Trano. "Remember I have orders. This isn't just the Reed party. So, if you're satisfied, you two mind getting your own bedroom and getting the fuck out of mine?"
"Certainly. But if your orders have anything to do with keeping him safe, you'll make this happen."
She didn't reply, merely waited for them to file out of her space. Can't get everything we want, she thought bitterly.
Edited by Julie Reed, Nov 25 2013, 09:02 PM.