Distraction and Observation (Manifesto)

[Edwin]

Eddie moved through the club quickly, but not at a run or a pace that would hurry Rhi too much, but there was a purpose to his step. He had no idea why someone would be after Rhi. Surely she had her secrets - a business meeting in this club was enough to warrant that. But most people did.

His step only faltered for a moment at the whisper in his ear. That hadn't been expected. For all her talk of him being the pleasure of the evening, he had expected the level of pleasure her whisper implied. The surprise was a welcome one, he found himself thinking.

"If that is what you wish," he replied with a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, his tone implying that he caught her meaning clearly.

Eddie kept the distraction to a minimum. His first goal was to get Rhi out of here as fast as possible. He could worry about what the red dress hid later.

[Nesrin Aziz]

Nesrin enjoyed his escort for the same reasons she had enjoyed Wicked ushering her safely from the house party. She liked the power of it, the singular attention, the sense of someone content to wrap themselves around her fingers. But the briefest misstep was like icing on the cake. His surprise was adorable. Watching the small curl of his flattered smile burned a scandalous flame in her chest, but if his reply was the most inciting invite to coax him to some delightfully sinful distraction along the way, she refrained. At least for now.

After the heat and light of the club, the freezing chill of outside hit cold as sharpened knives. She found more thrill than dismay in the way it shivered through her, clouding her breath under the streetlamps. The Archivist’s revelations were still churning in the back of her mind, to be unpacked and considered properly later, but there was also a sense of euphoria in the escape. Even if the Jackal lost interest, the Archivist’s stamp would almost certainly open other doors. Before the week was out she’d have gotten rid of the Key, and Bode’s name would burn in notoriety on the dark web; all before the Emissary ever had a chance to track her down.

Nesrin wasn’t entirely sure what happened, then, except darkness smudged the edge of her vision, and she was suddenly aware of power. Her eyes flared wide, and she saw little of the altercation, beyond that she was shoved back from it. Her shoulder hit against a wall, a stinging scrape, and she braced to catch her breath, tense and ready to run.

[Edwin]

They exited the club, the warmth and light being replaced by cold and darkness. Artificial light lit the lot outside the club, repelling the darkness, which was why the darkness that came was incredibly eerie. Eddie kept his eyes open. This was similar to what had obscured the view from booth Rhi had done her business in. Eddie was ready for it - even if he had wanted to avoid it all together.

The figure appeared in his peripheral vision, the woman who had spiked Rhi's drink. Eddie moved quickly, pushing Rhi towards the wall, keeping himself between him and her would be attacker, but it was not Rhi she came for. It was him. Eddie had trained in hand to hand combat, but she was good, her strikes moving fast, Eddie was put on the defensive quickly, blocking here and there. She was fierce. A quick hit to the gut landed on him, and Eddie winced, but utilized it to grab her wrist, twist, and push her away to give himself space. He kept Rhi in his sight, making sure her partner didn't intervene - this could be a distraction, though why the movie star would want Rhi, he didn't know.

The woman left after he pushed her away, and the darkness dissipated. Eddie went to Rhi, hands raised, showing it was him. "Are you alright?" he moved closer to Rhi, hitting him for the first time that he had been the one she had targeted.

[Sage]

Bode came out of Manifesto with a man. None of his business, though that didn't stop him from figuring out everything about the man she was with.

Strange things happened. Darkness enveloped them. And then it was gone. Everyone looked alright. It had to be a channeler, but Sage didn't see who did it, that was one of the downsides of the power, and he's still not figured out a way to see it. If he could do that...

[Nesrin Aziz]

Nesrin’s heart was racing, and not really in the good way. Her hand smoothed instinctively for the Key. Finding it undisturbed alleviated at least a little of the panic, and by then Eddie was there. The shadows had dissipated; the assailant had gone. She shivered as she straightened, wrapping her arms about herself. Her shoulder stung a bit but it wasn’t worth mentioning. Other than that she was only shaken.

“Yeah,” she said. She moved closer to him on instinct, scanning their surroundings with a worried look. Eddie was a plan for a single night. It was going to be a long week if she literally had to watch her back. She pressed her hand light against his chest. “Are you?”

[Edwin]

Eddie gave her a smile. "I'll be fine," he said, although he did put his hand to his side where he got hit. It stung, but would likely be nothing. Maybe a slight bruise.

Rhi's hand was on his chest, and it was a reminder of what she had said earlier. All things aside, he was sure that Rhi wanted to leave. "You've had an interesting night, let's get you out of here,"

He placed his hand on the small of her back again, leading her away from the building, pulling his wallet out and getting a cab at the same time. One was near - they kept close for the potential rich clients, and Eddie opened the door for her, letting her enter. "Would you still like to go to my place, or would you prefer to go someplace you would feel safer?" he whispered to her, really wanting her to feel as safe as possible.

[Nhysa]

Li was by the bar when she returned, not alone, though she would not expect him to be. Nhysa was possessive, but not jealous of the attention his lifestyle afforded. The fans that doted upon him amused her, though it seemed the circle he attracted tonight was more sedate. That was Manifesto for you though – famous faces were not so rare.

The altercation had been simple enough. A test of reflexes, and a little brutality on her part, mostly to plant the invitation inside Edwin Dean’s pocket. It stirred something in her, a legacy of SPET indoctrination, though the twist of her arm had not really been to hurt, just to open space. Security never stirred. She made sure the cameras were obscured. It had been easy for someone of Nhysa’s capabilities and experience.

Though she was sure he’d sense her coming, it was from behind she slid her arms around Li – possessive and hungry, not with the sweetness of a woman surprising her beau with her presence. “The job is done,” she told him. If she interrupted anything, she let Li smooth over the intrusion, as with a sultry smirk she plucked the wineglass from his fingers, discarded it on the far, and claimed his hand in hers. For the rest of the night, she was his.

[Nesrin Aziz]

Eddie said he’d be fine, but Nesrin’s eyes narrowed coyly for the misdirection that the touch of his side betrayed. Instead of pointing it out her fingers played with the buttons of his shirt, sharing in his heat, but she didn’t resist his command of her. He wasn’t wrong to assume she was still keen to leave, though the opened door of the cab gave her a moment’s pause. Those were old instincts, old rules – not even her own experiences, but the sorts of warnings she’d grown up hearing. Not that Eddie was remotely that kind of threat, but she could still feel the adrenaline in her system, and it leaned her back into instincts that once kept her alive. Chivalry wasn’t so alien to her these days, but it still made her suspicious before it made her grateful.

She slid across the heated leather of the back seat, into darkness that was ambient rather than oppressive. Inside it was as posh as one would expect for idling outside Moscow’s most elite nightclub – poised for spontaneity and discretion, she imagined. The thought curled a smile to her lips as Eddie climbed in after her. He leaned to press a whisper in her ear, and the low timbre of his voice sent a shiver of anticipation right through her.

Nesrin was amused that he cared about her comfort, but Rhi was enamoured of her protector, and Nesrin was more than content to play the part. It was just roleplay, not a lie. Nesrin would be pulling him into her by now, laughing away his sensibilities in favour of exploring the connection, but Rhi let the seduction unfold at his pace. Most gentlemen didn’t remain gentlemen forever, and a part of her was curious to see at what point he’d loosen the reins on his own desire. He said he’d been looking for distraction tonight after all, and she was happy to be that fantasy.

“You make me feel safe, Eddie.” She leaned to whisper it back, both promise and permission – he could tell the driver to take them to his address. She didn’t untangle from the intimacy afterwards, close enough to kiss if he was brave enough, or to intoxicate him with the possibility of it if he was not. “I don’t know what I would have done without you tonight.”

[Tan Li]

A pair of hands wrapped around him and Li smiled. The gaggle of people were nothing but a distraction now. Li took her hands in his and pulled her tighter against him. "If you will all excuse me, I have other places to be." Li wrapped his arm around Nhysa and pulled her next to him to walk through the crowd.

He leaned in and whispered, "One last dance, and then home?"

[Edwin]

Rhi assured Eddie that she felt safe with him - reinforcing that she wanted to go to his place and to continue to distract him. That’s what tonight had been for - a distraction. And now he could give her the attention she seemed more than willing to give. As he moved back, a feeling of something in his jacket pocket, promoted him to check it, and he found Pervaya Linyia card there, with a time a place on it. The pieces fell into place. He had just had a job interview. He slipped it back in - he could worry about that at another time.

Eddie pulled Rhi closer to him, enjoying her warmth. ”Well I’m glad to assist. I think you would have been alright,” he said, he had a feeling that the woman in the red dress had been more than she seemed.

Rhi was an enticing woman, and she had remained close to him as he had given the address to the driver. She was there, beautiful and a temptation. Eddie gave him, using the hand not wrapped around her waist to lift her chin before planting a gentle kiss to her lips. He released and gave her a second one, with more passion this time and as he released it, he remained close, inviting her to reciprocate.