07-09-2014, 09:10 AM
Connor sipped on his water as he listened. Water was good when you were thirsty- and the lemon helped- but man he would have loved an actual beer. Mentally shrugging, he tried to enjoy his drink.
"Photographer huh? What kind of stuff? Ayden and I? Actually we met just a few weeks ago."
He smiled at that memory. It was, of course, overlaid with all the emotion of the last few days- the fear and shock and surprise- but at the same time...well, while she hadn't been completely open with him, something she really hadn't owed a stranger in the lobby, he could see that Ayden had always been Ayden to him.
She may claim that Ayden didn't come into existence until they'd met- and maybe that was true from a technical and legal standpoint- the fact was the person she was inside, sweet and funny and driven, was always there. He had come to realize that people were capable of compartmentalization of stuff like what she did. She'd been trained as an army sniper. That's what they did. And then they went home to their wives or husbands and kids. He could see that a person learned not to empathize with their target. They trusted that the reasons given were valid.
From there to doing the job to protect her family was a short step. Once you had reached that level, though, well....he wasn't ok with doing it for money, but he knew that he hadn't been through everything she had. Perhaps she had felt trapped or like there was nothing else she could do. Or maybe something else. But he could see that despite all that, the person she was on the inside was always Ayden. He was willing to leave it at that. She had sacrificed for him and that was what mattered.
So he smiled as he went on. "We live in the same building and she needed some help. So I gave it and then she offered breakfast."
He paused, slight smile- it wasn't funny ha-ha but it was funny how quickly and emotional the last week or more had been. "Anyway, other than a little hiccup, we've been inseparable ever since."
He took another sip and looked at Calvin, wondering if he should trust his instincts. He was going to throw it out there, a casual question of family, and let Calvin do with it what he would. It was polite after all, to inquire....but no. Calvin would have to broach the subject. It wasn't his place to intrude. Instead, he said with a teasing smile, "So what made a cheese- no, sorry- I mean dairy farmer come all the way to Moscow? You looking for some special milk to create a whole new kind of cheese?"
"Photographer huh? What kind of stuff? Ayden and I? Actually we met just a few weeks ago."
He smiled at that memory. It was, of course, overlaid with all the emotion of the last few days- the fear and shock and surprise- but at the same time...well, while she hadn't been completely open with him, something she really hadn't owed a stranger in the lobby, he could see that Ayden had always been Ayden to him.
She may claim that Ayden didn't come into existence until they'd met- and maybe that was true from a technical and legal standpoint- the fact was the person she was inside, sweet and funny and driven, was always there. He had come to realize that people were capable of compartmentalization of stuff like what she did. She'd been trained as an army sniper. That's what they did. And then they went home to their wives or husbands and kids. He could see that a person learned not to empathize with their target. They trusted that the reasons given were valid.
From there to doing the job to protect her family was a short step. Once you had reached that level, though, well....he wasn't ok with doing it for money, but he knew that he hadn't been through everything she had. Perhaps she had felt trapped or like there was nothing else she could do. Or maybe something else. But he could see that despite all that, the person she was on the inside was always Ayden. He was willing to leave it at that. She had sacrificed for him and that was what mattered.
So he smiled as he went on. "We live in the same building and she needed some help. So I gave it and then she offered breakfast."
He paused, slight smile- it wasn't funny ha-ha but it was funny how quickly and emotional the last week or more had been. "Anyway, other than a little hiccup, we've been inseparable ever since."
He took another sip and looked at Calvin, wondering if he should trust his instincts. He was going to throw it out there, a casual question of family, and let Calvin do with it what he would. It was polite after all, to inquire....but no. Calvin would have to broach the subject. It wasn't his place to intrude. Instead, he said with a teasing smile, "So what made a cheese- no, sorry- I mean dairy farmer come all the way to Moscow? You looking for some special milk to create a whole new kind of cheese?"