Distraction and Observation (Manifesto)

[Nesrin Aziz]

Amusement twinkled her eyes, apparently captivated by the banter, but actually it was because she suddenly realised he had been literal. He was a soldier. It made him a little less interesting, but far more perfect. How did a seemingly straight-forward and honest soul like him end up in the glittering hell of a place like this? “Manifesto is the playground of the rich and famous, and Moscow is a city that never sleeps. Work hard, play hard,” she said, tilting her shoulder in a coy shrug. The Archivist had chosen the venue. Why work from an office when you could bask in such unadulterated decadence?

“Business before pleasure,” she agreed, smiling flirtatiously as she took another sip of his scotch. She wasn’t yet sure if Eddie was the sort of gentleman who’d take a woman home the same night he met her, but she was by now certain that even if he wasn’t she could still convince him to let her stay the night – she only need press on that protective instinct, confess the attempted spike had scared her enough that she didn’t want to be alone. That wasn’t even a total lie. She’d cleared out the condo this afternoon, and she couldn’t go to the shitty rental – it’d be the first place the m’Antinomian would look for her.

“It’s definitely an interesting vocation. Not usually quite so dangerous though.” She offered the glass back to him, and moved close enough to whisper between them – not that anyone was likely to hear anything over the thump of the music. Worry pierced her dark eyes, entirely genuine, even if she was sharing her fears with a purpose. “Will you wait for me, Eddie? It shouldn’t take long. The prospective buyer only wants the item authenticated. But the… the drink thing has unnerved me a little.”