The grand ball

[Jacinda]

((OOC- no it isn't. He let's it be believed that his powers and god-hood are what brought him back from the brink. Only a handful know- and know saying something is a really bad idea.))


Edited by Jacinda, Jul 10 2018, 05:28 PM.

[Jay Carpenter]

it was almost like the shock of their touch flashed electricity through her muscles. She tensed like salt pressed into a fresh wound. But Jay wouldn't let her go. His grip was firm enough to hold her from flight, but the graze of his thumb across her hand was gentle. The seal across her soul was delicate. He realized that now.

She spoke of Africa and he felt his jaw tense. Knowing what he did about Cayli, and that she was going through it alone, he almost - No. Best not to even think about it. Didn't matter at this point anyway.

The music welcomed them like old friends. But the threshold between outside and in was more than a doorway. Their connection to the past and to each other severed. Jay painted a smile on his face and broadcast it for the room. Those nearest offered their best judgmental appraisal of Natalie's appearance, but for Jay they stepped back in that ever-friendly "don't get too close" kind of way.

He glanced at Natalie, "They're a friendly bunch,"
he smirked.

Being the taller, he had the better view to direct them in Ascendancy's direction, but it wasn't necessary. The pull of the power was his guide. The closer they came, the greater the repulsion, like two magnets pointed at one another. It was wildly uncomfortable, and flat out sickening once in arm's reach. The Facility forced all kinds of new armor; magnetic repulsive forces included.

He glanced at Natalie alongside, wondering if she noticed the bubble around him. "Clearly they're uncomfortable being around a princess of D-7."
The joke was probably not taken well, given how much she liked to talk about her heritage.. Jay's smile was apologetic, but not too much so.

Sure enough, they found who they were looking for. He recognized Evelyn from the news, and for all the comments the guys made about her, Jay definitely didn't disagree. In many ways she was almost the exact opposite of Natalie. Yet she held herself with that same regal bearing that sparked chills across the back of his neck.

Now or never.
When her gaze settled upon him, he felt examined like a bug under a microscope. He smiled and approached anyway.
"Miss-, er- Representative Avalon, ma'am?"
He felt like a hick.

Her chocolate eyes swiveled knowingly to Natalie, then back at him. Whatever message was shared between the two women, Jay had no clue. He went on. "Uh? Can we have a few words with you?"


She glanced over her shoulder to study the throng of people enveloping Ascendancy, but then she smiled and the warmth of her presence burst forth. "Of course, Mister Carpenter. Please come with me."


Jay glanced curiously at Natalie before they were led away.

The room they found themselves in was not a long walk, but it was distant enough to smother the noise of drink and dance. What surprised him more than the fact that he gained a private audience with the exact person he needed to find, but that Kremlin security seemed to let her go wherever she wanted. Like she was queen and this was her palace.

The door to this conference-style room closed softly and Evelyn blinked up at him with those big brown eyes. Jay swallowed and tried to not make an ass out of himself.
"What can I do for you?"
She stated matter-of-factly, hands folded before her.

Jay glanced at Natalie who also seemed to be urging him on silently, or maybe patiently waiting him to take the shot so long-aimed.

This was crazy. Evelyn may have all kinds of power in the States, but she wasn't going to have the authority to get him a plane ticket, not without starting a war. Given the reason she was here in the first place, war was what she was trying to avoid.

Alright, Jay took a breath, and laid all the cards on the table. "My little sister is dying of cancer in a rural county hospital and I can't get a fuc- er- I mean, a plane ticket out of the CCD because there seems to be some.. irregularities.. with my travel allowances."
He scrubbed his hair, frowned, and made himself go on. "I'd row a boat myself across the ocean, but there's not time. I'm terrified she's going to die before I can get to Iowa."


Every word betrayed him. Like pulling teeth, the extraction made him flinch, but there was no other way around it. Evelyn wasn't going to go on any kind of limb for him without knowing why.

He started to ask for her help when she lifted a hand and cut him off.
"I'll help you."
Her smile was confident, like there was no question at all as to what he needed or how to go about getting it.

Jay felt his jaw drop. "Uh-"


Evelyn swept around them, opened the door and flagged someone down. Jay glanced at Natalie, silently asking her what was going on, until Evelyn returned to them.

"It'll be a few minutes. Now while we have a chance to chat, Jay, right?"
She strolled past him and folded herself into a chair like it was a throne. Jay shook his head. Natalie warned him that she would know who he was. It made his skin crawl, but he ignored it.

"Jay. Tell me about yourself while we have a chance to chat. I thought you were Legion Premiere?"
Her question cut straight to the heart of the matter, but the tone was so friendly, he might have thought she was his grandmother asking about his homework.

Jay shifted in his stance, briefly rubbing his forearms. He glanced at Natalie again, not sure if the interrogation was worth the plane ticket. Course, actually, it was. But it didn't make it any less intolerable.
"Uhh. I think I still am."


"How can that be?"
She asked almost before he finished the last syllable.

"You'd have to ask Danjou."
Jay responded, voice calmer than he thought it would be. "He's the one that made the arrangement."


Evelyn's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, before she hummed a response. "The arrangement?'

Jay nodded. "with Ascendancy."


A ripple of power yanked at his senses, suddenly. Jay flinched, power filling him instinctively, and turned to face it. A moment later, the door opened on threads of light revealing Brandon himself.




((Moding with permission.))

[Natalie Grey]

A goal focused her mind. Or something else temporarily soothed it.

Natalie doubted most people here even knew who she was, except in perhaps the vaguest of terms. She made no grand claims about her privileged blood, and it had been many years since she'd been Northbrook rather than Grey. It irritated her, of course, that the prestige of her family so often mattered more than the flesh and bone soul beneath. But it worked as a shield, too, at times. And sometimes it was exactly the resource that got her what she wanted.

He grinned down, slightly apologetic. The boyishness made her stomach flutter, though he'd clearly meant the humour to sting ; repartee, maybe, for how often her own tongue erred on the side of sharpness. A sly smile softened her lips. She tipped her head closer, a brief brush of gold hair against his onyx sleeve."Then I'm glad you appear to be immune."


Though they both knew it was not her presence encouraging that bubble of space.

Evelyn was not difficult to find. The Congresswoman might appreciate that they came to her first; at least, those were the foundations upon which Natalie laid the risk. It suggested an allegiance she suddenly considered might not really be so far from the truth now she found herself trapped in this new world. The irony amused her, despite her mystery benefactor's warning whispers in the back of her mind. As Jay made his awkward approach she considered their options if this went south. And the potential consequences of such an act.

Evelyn led them to a room away from the furore of dancing and drinking and gossip, the quiet like a balm. Jay seemed bewildered. She sensed his uncertainty, but waited for him to find his own words in his own time. A little hesitant charm would do his plea no harm; on the contrary. But she could see the cost sharing such secrets wrought. And secrets they were; even high on morphine and reminiscent of home he had never spoken of a sister. Let alone one who was so seriously ill.

When Evelyn rose to call for a messenger, he shot her a look full of askance. She'd warned him, albeit obliquely, that there was a larger context to her hunch. But there wasn't much she could do to explain. What did he think she had been doing since he pulled her from the Underground and his existence had wiped clean from all records? She met his gaze steadily, hands clasped lightly in front of her. A thumb trailed the faint burn where her nails pierced the skin. Asking trust. Brandon played by his own rules, but she did not think war was in his interests; which meant he would be forced to placate the situation.

Though whether that benefited Jay remained to be seen.

For it seemed Evelyn would send for Brandon like an errant puppy.

Even Natalie's naturally irreverent manner was faintly surprised by the boldness. She was counting on Evelyn's sway and the Custody's desire to finally broker an alliance with America to align in Jay's favour. If Evelyn latched to the cause as she seemed to, it would be an easy concession for Brandon to play the part of benevolent leader whilst losing little. But would he really come so easily to her summons? She certainly seemed confidant that he would. Curiously ambitious.

Or curiously telling.

A thought for later, for her attention refocused to Jay's unease, and she fought the tug of a frown in reaction. Evelyn's interrogation clearly discomforted him. Unsurprisingly. He spoke about being bartered like property. Natalie's gaze blinked away, a tight rein held on the sudden spark of fury. Did Evelyn notice the chains across his chest? Or remark upon the night-like dark of the uniform, like the polished black of reapers? Her jaw tightened.

When Brandon made his entrance, it was Jay she watched. She wanted to see what he saw when he beheld the man who chained him.

[Ascendancy]

"That is a breathtaking set, Diane."
Nikolai smiled handsomely while cords of aether lifted the stunning diamond set from her skin. It was only a moment before the weight settled once more. The countess of cyrptocurrency, as she liked to call herself, laughed haughtily. The smile on Nikolai's face was almost as fake as her laugh, and the mutual delight between them was palpable.

"Thank you kindly, Ascendancy,"
she mused, eyes sparkling. "It's incomparable, really."
Nik felt the eyes of those around them raise in intrigue.

"Oh? How is that?"
He asked. Though he was sure he had an answer. The main pendant stone was probably 350 carats at least. When he stared into its center, he saw flawnessness.

"This stone alone is valued at $70 million."
He heard gasps around them. Judging by the little flinches in posture, Nik knew they suddenly felt inferior.

"That is not quite invaluable then."
He smiled disarmingly. Diane glowed. Nik continued, "Thank you, Diane, for doubling your donation. I'll make sure you're given extra recognition."
He squeezed her hand and turned, smile narrowing.

Very little of the night was spent wringing extra millions out of the uber-wealthy. If he hadn't dropped $500 million himself in DV last year, he would probably donate a similar number. Certainly, the funds would balance now he was no longer a benefactor of the Atharim, but that would take time, and there would be more causes in the future. The idea grated slightly, like grinding your teeth on sand, saving those who didn't want to save themselves. It was an investment in the future, though. Just like the empire of the CCD, the remainder of the world would soon be as prosperous. If dredging the corruption from Africa was the necessary means to this end, he was willing to do it.

He mingled. He laughed with old friends, friends grayed and worn by the decades with no shortage of comment on his youth. The power followed him as well. Requests for displays were granted willingly. He was genuinely having fun. Something that surprised even him.

When Alric informed him that Evelyn requested to see him in private, he quickly agreed, eager to hear what she had to say about the success of the evening. Once in the solitude of the palace off-limits to their guests, his mood dampened somewhat. Alric explained, "It seems she is in the company of Miss Northbrook and Lieutenant Carpenter."


Nik's stride remained steady. "Do we know what they were talking about?"


Alric shrugged and offered a holo-reader. Nikolai glanced a moment, then waved it away. He had a strong feeling what it was anyway, and the challenge of bartering words with Evelyn like sparring partners was too intriguing to give himself an advantage ahead of time.

They reached the board room where Evelyn drafted her treaty. A lasso of light radiated forth and wrenched the door open before he entered.

Carpenter filled to the brim with power, staring down the unexpected. Good. That was exactly what he was suppose to do.
"You're learning the control you wanted."
He smiled proudly and stepped within to clap him on the shoulder. He felt Alric step away as he did.

He nodded a greetings for Natalie, lovely as before. She was dressed impeccably, but simple and elegant. Somehow she fit right in to the ball, yet she didn't stand out at all except for the blank stillness to her expression.

Evelyn, though. She was perfect. The way she looked at him. They way she waited. He had to wonder at the softness of velvet beneath his palms. The scent of her hair curling upon his shoulders. Their power intertwined as their limbs. The taste of her lips.

He made himself look aside.

He glanced around the room until his gaze settled on Natalie, "You look better. Have you recuperated fully?"
His tone cut to the quick even as his gaze roamed the final shadows of her faded injuries she failed to fully hide. Direct, but authentic as a concerned father. She'd dismissed him once before, but he hadn't offered something previously. "Would you accept a healing?"
The public knew about Jensen, and he was here tonight. His ace in the sleeve was played. Even if nobody put the story together yet, that the preacher was responsible for Nikolai's miraculous recovery, it was a matter of time. The longer he tried to hide the truth, the worse it would look in the end. If the secrets in the closet were going to be revealed, it was best that he open the door.

Finally, he greeted the woman that requested this private audience. "Madam Representative. What may I do for you?"
He smiled, hands clasped patiently behind his back.

[Evelyn]

Jay suddenly broke away, confronting what Evelyn knew was there. Expression pleasant as a summertime pond, she watched him as he watched her. The connection stole her breath, but she refused to let Natalie and Jay see it. His mood rippled from him like warm sunshine. For some reason, there was something unsettling to the aura that ill-suited him, though she couldn't put a finger on it. That same warmth attracted those in his circle at the ball. She was aware of it, but the spell was no less broken. She didn't want it broken.

From her conversation with Natalie, Nikolai admitted that Jay was in his custody. Perhaps somewhere within the Kremlin complex itself. Jacques Danjou was also here. He brought his best from the Legion along with him. Nikolai promised to help restore order to Africa, providing money and resources for the Legion and stability to the nations in turmoil. Ingredients to the perfect storm brewed and Nikolai gathered them to his chest. It was suspicious, there was no doubt. Evelyn herself wasn't suspicious, not of Nikolai, but she had questions. And there were more players in this game than the four of them present.

Jay was a channeler who jumped at the opening of a door, paired with others of his kind, and set about the ball like guards. They may not be arming channelers, but Jay was a once a marine special forces (she learned in her summary from the aid about the Northbrooks following Natalie's inquiry), there was little closer to being a military branch of channelers than to take pre-existing soldiers and teach them how to channel in dangerous ways. Suffice to say, Evelyn knew how to proceed. In her heart of hearts she didn't believe Nikolai would refuse the request, but on the slim chance that he would, she would have her answer.

Nik's query took her off guard. She herself noted Natalie's injuries the last time they spoke. While they seemed to be nearly gone, she blinked curiously at the offer of healing.

Could Nikolai heal someone with their power? Evelyn had never considered the possibility. Her mind spun with potential. All the suffering in the world gone with the blessing of this great power. She watched, enraptured, for Natalie's response, before providing her own. For the chance to witness this great healing, Evelyn would demand to watch.

"I am glad you are aware of the great blessing that is healing, Ascendancy, because there is a young girl in desperate need of it right now. Unfortunately, she is far away and Jay here is in need of a plane ticket to escort such healing to her side. For some reason there is some irregularities with his travel allowance,"
Evelyn used Jay's words, and she offered him a reassuring smile for borrowing them.

[Natalie Grey]

He clapped Jay on the back with the familiarity of an old and beloved mentor. The first words to leave his lips were pointed; she heard the message, of course. That Jay agreed to his training. That he wanted it. That is was a gift. It changed nothing of how that 'gift' had been bestowed, but she doubted he had spoken for her benefit; he already knew how deeply their views conflicted; that the stubborn steel of her spine would not bend to accept he had acted out of compassion no matter how he framed it.

No, he spoke to soothe the woman seated like a queen; the one at whom he stared too long and too deeply to speak of simple business relations between nations. When he turned away, it was as a man forced from the warm face of summer to confront the cold and brutal winter.

Natalie's expression returned to its habitual stillness as his attention focused briefly on her, once more the magnanimous and patient father. If she was surprised by the offer -- or that such a thing as healing even existed -- she did not show it. She'd been unconscious when Jared had knit the worst of her wounds back together in Africa, but she'd seen him lay his hands on another -- and the toll it took. Now, as then, she did not consider the triviality of her injuries worth the offer of a miracle. "That's too kind. But I wouldn't wish to waste such a gift. Sometimes our mistakes ought to leave reminders. None of us are invulnerable, after all."


As to her recuperation, she chose not to answer. This wasn't the time for blunt honesty, nor the mixed company she would be inclined to share anything of her self with. She did not suppose he really cared; it was only a nod to their previous conversation, and an avenue through which to manipulate the conversation away from the threat he might have perceived from his clandestine meeting, to something Evelyn would find palatable.

Though he couldn't know it, it paved a comfortable path forward.

Evelyn seized upon it, and Natalie was content to let her speak. She phrased the request in such a way she had clearly picked up upon Jay's unease at sharing the details. That arbitrary layer of protection was something of a comfort. She glanced at him, assuming to find him rapt upon the discussion deciding how easily he might go to his family's aid.

[Jay Carpenter]

"You're learning the control you wanted."


His face flashed gray.

Jay hit plenty of targets. To be a marine was to be a marksman. That mark wasn't paper targets, either. The targets were the enemy. Not people. Not husbands or fathers or sons. They were enemies, and he was a hell of a rifleman.

But that technician dead on shattered glass would haunt him for the rest of his life.

He felt his jaw tense until the knot hinged the side of his temple a new bolt. Ascendancy rounded, moving on, but Jay's eyes followed, sharp, but silent.

Until he turned the gravity of his attention to Natalie. Jay stepped forward. Healing. The reason they were here. He shared a glance with Natalie when Evelyn took over.

The two powers seemed to take over, battling back and forth, master politicians. If it wasn't for the fact that they battled over Cayli, he'd find the nearest wall and lean into it. But minutes counted. Evelyn danced around the situation, but there wasn't time to be delicate. He had to leave. Thirty minutes ago.

This was probably going to be a bad idea. He interrupted.

And placed himself in front of the most powerful man in the world.

"She's my sister. She's dying in a hospital in no-where Iowa,"
He knew Ascendancy knew what that meant. The man was american. It may have been a long fucking time since he was one, but he knew. Or maybe he didn't. But Jay had to make him understand. To hear the plea in his voice.

"She needs me."
He fought to keep his voice steady. But his fists curled anyway. He couldn't say no.

"And you know how to save her."

[Ascendancy]

So the young girl Evelyn described turned out to be Carpenter's sister. He'd never given a moment's thought to Jay's family. A man who takes an international job wouldn't be close to them anyway. Nikolai himself abandoned his homeland for the chance to bury himself in antiquity to study law far away from the Baltimore suburbs. His father's suicide hastened him to Bologna, and no amount of cousins, grandparents, or family friends, even his own mother, could convince him to stay. She died about fifteen years ago herself, his mother did, not long after the CCD was formed. He was told the funeral was well-attended as he said his goodbyes through a video feed. When he was young, certainly, he was close to her. Time apart thinned that relationship to barest of threads. He never had a sister.

The pain in Jay's eyes was real. Nikolai understood the pain. He really did. He heard the plea. He saw the hope in Evelyn's eyes. "You understand the predicament of your travel is wrapped up in the legality of your visitation status to start with. You're a member of a foreign military inside my borders on the business of militant action. The reason we don't allow members of the Legion to bear arms inside these walls is the same reason you can't be allowed to travel wherever you want without permission granted."
His tone was patient as he explained these complicated matters. It was all wrapped up understanding of the movement of foreign militias as guests within national borders. Jay was American first and sworn independent military second. His oaths were held by a third-party unrecognized by the rest of the world. That they were recognized by Nikolai Brandon spoke to his high regard for Danjou's leadership. It was an honor bestowed to the Legion. They had no rights, otherwise.

He circled the long table and sat coolly at the head of it. Evelyn was seated at his left. The sweetness to her request still rang a sweet ding in his mind. He steepled his hands before him and looked to the three who thought to corner him into admitting something. Maybe not admission, but he clearly recalled the accusations recently leveled by the Patron's granddaughter. Nor was her comment about invincibility dismissed. How much did she know, or was her wording coincidence? The Healer circled back in their conversation. Nikolai supposed it didn't matter. Evelyn already declared her alliance, nay, her allegiance to their mutual cause. Let the healer be described by name, then. Time to crack that door.

"You want to go to Iowa and you want to take Mister James with you."
He weighed the level of responsiveness from the three, comparing each, most notably Evelyn's. Jay and Natalie - certainly he assumed they banded together for this cause - included Evelyn in their request. Why? Jay wouldn't have thought to include the Congresswoman. The granddaughter of a Patron might. Perhaps Natalie was more worldly than his initial credit gave her. Clever, if so, to leverage a champion of human rights for some American on American bonding of valiant efforts. What else than saving an innocent girl from cancer was more heroic?

If he declined the request, insisting Carpenter remain where he was and fulfill his obligations to this office, he risked alienating Evelyn's trust. If he awarded it, he risked losing a near invaluable edge for victory. Nikolai weighed Carpenter once more. The man was still young, but so much experience already in combat. He learned to control the power almost immediately with very little guidance, so Michael explained. If Vellas was right, Jay Carpenter could quickly become one of the most, if not the most, dangerous soldiers in the world. And he belonged to the Custody.

Nikolai could not lose him.

He looked back at Evelyn. Nor could he lose her.

Let him walk freely back into the jurisdiction of his enemies, whom were certain to snatch him as Nikolai had, and put him into action for American forces, extracting Custody secrets in the process? Or enslave him to Custody causes, risking Evelyn's trust in his sympathies for hurt souls and Jay's own desire to serve?
Sheep don't follow the sheepdog.
That left the healer. Jensen. Another American loosed back into the lap of his enemy. Certainly there was no other being as talented as he to be found anywhere. Perhaps rudimentary versions existed, but Jensen was an exquisite find.

His smiled coaxed the group to ease. "Of course this is nothing we can't resolve. I'll make sure you are on the first flight out of Moscow. My best wishes to your family, Carpenter."


Nik eased to his feet, nodded at Evelyn and crossed to Jay, offering to shake his hand. As he did, he tapped the metal on his chest, the one wrought by the power. "Like I said before, you will earn this, but you can't do it with a dark cloud of grief over your head. Go to your sister. Mister James is not mine to order to go with you, but if you ask, and he agrees, then we can include him as well."


His tone grew somber, though, as their handshake released. "There are sisters dying in Africa, too, Jay. Girls who don't have loyal older brothers to come to their rescue. Just us. Girls suffering far worse fates than facing the end in the comforts of a modern hospital. Remember them, too. When operations begin, you will be there."
He held the man's gaze, judging his level of understanding before breaking it to depart.

"One more thing. You'll have to take someone with you. Someone who can act as an ambassador of sorts, should you encounter any political challenges."
His gaze leveled upon Natalie. And he smiled.

She would stand to lose everything if Jay betrayed them to the Americans. A constant reminder of the presence of the Custody would follow him like a shade to her soul. She wouldn't refuse to accompany him. Not after having pulled every political capital she had to earn an audience with the Ascendancy for an interrogation on Jay's well-being. They were close. It was obvious. How close, Nikolai didn't care. Nor why. But she could prevent Jay being entangled with the wrong people. Or worse yet, consider defecting back to the US. If Natalie lost Jay, the Northbrooks, her family, everyone she knew, could lose everything in turn.

"Natalie Northbrook will do her grandfather proud, I am sure of it."


He turned to Evelyn, blue eyes dancing, "I would be honored if I could escort you back to the ball."

[Yun Kao]

It wasn't like the world was coming to an end when Yun Kao reached out to Ursula Wirth. The judge had often heard from the woman with this that or some other case she was proceeding over. Having an affair with one of Yun's officers had been a wrong move in so many ways, Chadham wasn't even worth it in the end.

So when Yun contacted her she was a little surprised it wasn't about any of her workload. A spy? Ursula was not sure she could manage that. But it wasn't a hard thing, and it wasn't like she could say no. Yun asked her to watch two men and especially any interactions.

Finding them was hardly difficult even in the mass of the rich and the famous. These two stuck out like sour thumbs. One was awkward, the other, well distinctive.

Ursula watched as the scarred man talked to some drunken pretty boy. The other walked like a cop. He was dangerous but he was off too, she thought she'd recognized him, but she tried so many cases it was hardly easy to remember which detectives testified. It didn't matter. She didn't need names. Just information.

Eventually the two men found themselves outside and speaking. Ursula needed to get closer - the more information the less Yun would ask questions she didn't have answers for.

Ursula didn't fancy her self the most goregous of women, but her blond hair was done up high on her head enlongating her neck. Diamonds and sapphires hung from her ears and a matching necklace was deeply nestled in her bussom. The blue velevt strapless dress fit well - in all the right places.

She grabbed a flute of bubbly and sipped at it while she kicked off her shoes and swayed a little too much - it was a guise, but taking off her shoes felt wonderful even though the night had just begun her feet ached from the blue heels that dangled in her hand.

The air was cool against her skin and she stumbled through the door laughing. Her escort, who she had no idea what his name was (he'd been sent over by Yun, when the woman found out she was going it alone). He was playing along following playfully along.

Ursula's feet got carried away and she tumbled into the arms of the scar faced man.

[Natalie Grey]

Jay's face deadened, the colour drained. Pain vised a hard line out of his jaw as he weathered the discussion, powerless. Natalie trusted her instincts; knew too, that even if she were wrong, she would find another way. But there was no battle here to fight; it only needed to play out. She watched as Jay's patience frayed away to brutal shards, and made no attempt to stop him when he finally snapped. Though a sting of tension tightened in her own limbs as he inserted himself in front of Nikolai Brandon.

Foolish, but it was just as well for Brandon to see that whatever gifts raged beneath the skin of the Nine, he still dealt with men and all the rawness that entailed. He could not refuse. He would lose too much, his alliance with Evelyn non-withstanding. Because while she saw little compassion in him -- not in the way she saw compassion in Evelyn -- he clearly understood people; understood the ebbs and flows of give and take. And he played the long game.

She glanced at Evelyn, lest the situation spiral, but there was little need. Brandon acquiesced gracefully, as though the solution offered was the only natural one -- despite the obvious difficulties, which he of course pointed out before offering his blessing. There was no sign of the calculation that must be grinding in his head, but Natalie didn't care how he spun it.

Her gaze averted when he stood to shake Jay's hand, speaking of the souls to be saved in Africa. Days previous, when she confronted him with Masiaka's dead children, he was unmoved. He meant it as encouragement. He meant it as duty. But to Natalie the words only echoed more personal losses; of a village they had already tried and failed to save. Where was the Custody when the refinery burned and soldiers picked off children like game? That he intended for the Nine to go to Africa was no great surprise, but it came too late for the people she cared about.

Her gaze found Evelyn in the space while the men spoke, offering a quiet nod of thanks before Brandon's attention drew her back.

There was a thread of warning in his words, but she met it with a steady gaze. So he understood that she had pulled the strings here, and called her out on it by placing the burden of consequence on her shoulders. That, despite having told him she was no politician. She supposed he had surmised enough to call a lie, though she'd still argue against it. To her disgrace, she was simply good at manipulating people.

In any case, for now she was only concerned with securing Jay's travel, not the potential trap laid before her. Everything beyond that could be dealt with as needs may. It was a fair trade. So she set out no protest, knowing her family would be furious at the blithe way she toyed with the past's echoes. Knowing there was nothing they could do about it either. They were the one's who sent her to the CCD's heart in the first place.

When the room quietened after their departure, Natalie let her chest empty of air. Dealing with Brandon took a mental capacity she simply lacked the energy for tonight; she was glad it had not been necessary to spar words. She pulled a chair and sat for a moment's respite, foot throbbing a chorus. It had stopped bleeding, she thought; in fact the bandages felt dry enough to have latched to the inside of her shoe, so she didn't try to ease it off. Hidden beneath the pool of skirts around her feet it was impossible to tell anything was amiss anyway.

"He's such a prick."


Her lips twitched an irreverent smirk; a dry hum of laughter. She doubted Jay picked out the undercurrents that earned the insult, but she didn't much care if he found the casual way she denigrated the ruler of half the world scandalous. He was the prick who assured Jay's passage home after all, seemingly without quarrel. Though Natalie believed Evelyn was the lynch pin in that easy battle.

She watched him carefully, but didn't ask him if he was okay. Of course he wasn't. But at least he was one step closer to his sister's side. That only left Jensen James, but she had no leverage to offer there; she did not know him beyond the feeds most people had seen flooding the ether.