[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Arlia seemed to like Nigel's idea, if her dark grin was any indication of her agreement with his idea. "Ah, I see... It would be much easier for us to have them break themselves rather than doing so ourselves. They would never know what would hit them and, by the time they realized that they have destroyed themselves, it would all be too late. A marvelous idea, Signore Howeland!"

[Daxam]

For some reason, the praise he receives from Arlia makes Nigel feel so much happier than if he were praised by even his boss. "Thank you, Madam Medici. And please, call me Nigel. Signore Howeland is too formal for my tastes." Then, with an equally dark grin, he adds, "Please, allow me to handle breaking them before we make our attack. We have an assassination unit that can easily be repurposed for psychological warfare. I can call you personally when I believe the moment is right."

[Vocalia]

"Wonderful! In the meantime, I will continue to gather as much information as I can and keep you and your men informed as soon as we can. They thought they could hide who they are, but we will prove them wrong." Arlia softly clapped her hands together, eagerly anticipating the day she could finally have Hayley's head on a silver platter, then calmed herself and added with a light-hearted chuckle, "Oh, and you my call me Arlia. Madam is... a bit too old to my true age, Nigel." She looked at him and mustered a gentle smile, her heart fluttering at the sight of the man homing onto his objective. There was something about how determined and level-headed he was that truly appeal to her.

[Daxam]

Nigel smiles and says, "Well, I shall keep that in mind Mad--I mean, Arlia." Looking at the brunette mafioso in front of him, Nigel can't help but feel a surge of some unknown emotion as he thinks about how, assuming from that smile of hers, she was a very gentle woman, and yet could easily wipe out the entire restaurant single-handedly if she wanted to. After a few moments, he clears his throat, suddenly aware that he might have been staring, and says, "Well, if that's all, maybe we could resume speaking about something other than work?"

[Vocalia]

Hastily straightening herself up, Arlia silently wondered in embarrassment if Nigel had spotted her staring at him, but quickly regained her composure and replied, "Why, yes, of course! Hmm... Where do we start...?" she mused, trying to think of other interesting topics. "If I may so ask, do you have any preferred hobbies? Perhaps there is any activities you like to do in your free time."

[Daxam]

Nigel watched curiously as Arlia quickly sat up before calming down, something he found both impressive and strangely cute, and pauses to take a drink before answering, "Actually, I have a few hobbies. Reading, painting, watching movies. I even play the piano, violin, and guitar on occasion." Pushing his food away, readying himself for the next course, he then asks half-jokingly, "Do you have any interests outside of making Ms. Summerland's life hell?"

[Vocalia]

Softly giggling in amusement, Arlia smiled and replied, "Well, I do certainly amuse myself with more than just Signora Summerland's misery. I like to sing and play the piano, viola and clarinet. I also like to sew, crochet and travel around when I have the time. Unfortunately, my hobbies might not be what you would expect, Nigel, but I could see yourself as a man with a refined taste in art and literature." Arlia felt as if she could open up to Nigel. She didn't know why she trusted him so much, but something at the back of her mind seemingly knew that he was a trustworthy and noble man.

[Daxam]

"I've actually taken up the clarinet," Nigel says with a grin. "I've only begun lessons a week and a half ago, but I really enjoy it." As he spoke to Arlia, Nigel realized something; he was breaking one of his prime rules. 'Never give any amount of information to someone unaffiliated with Crey.' Even the tiniest detail could be used against him, much like he mentioned to Arlia when they were planning against Isaac and the others. However, thanks to some form of attraction, he couldn't help but open up to this woman. "You should sing for me, sometime," he says without realizing that he was speaking.

[Vocalia]

Arlia could feel her face heating up, her cheeks taking a rosy hue, as Nigel requested that she sing for him. "Oh, I-I'd love to," she replied, then mentally slapped herself for stuttering in front of her guest. "I mean, I'd be more than happy to entertain you with a song or two. Perhaps you could delight me with your skills with the piano and violin. I truly look forward to be able to watch you play and I'm certain that you would make a great clarinet player with time and practice. Maybe we would be able to play together~!" Nigel would be able to hear how her voice gradually relaxed as she spoke. It's almost as if he was talking to Arlia Medici as a unique person and not Arlia Medici as the representative of the Medici Family.

[Daxam]

The moment he saw Arlia blush, Nigel knew he felt something for her. What it was, he had no idea, but it was something. Grinning, he replies, "I'd love nothing more than to play with you." Suddenly, he became aware of his guards standing behind him. Turning back, he says, "You two can go. As of now, you're off-duty for the rest of the night." One of the guards, an older man with a mustache, replies, "But sir, we were instructed to stand guard while you spoke with the Medici rep." Nigel waves the man's protest away with a dismissive gesture, saying, "And I override those orders. Besides, if anything were to go wrong, I'm certain I could handle myself." After moments of careful deliberation, the guards turn and walk away. Sighing, Nigel says, "Now I can truly relax without those babysitters breathing down my neck."

[Vocalia]

Arlia broke down into a light fit of giggles. "Come now, Nigel. They're only looking after your safety. Your men are certainly focused, I must say. They certainly reminded me of my own famiglia," she replied, gesturing to her own men who were now enjoying their meal and relaxing with each other, a few even moving to flirt with other welcoming diners. On a whole, Arlia's men seemed to be more humane, but it didn't diminish their capabilities to follow orders and be dangerous when needed. "Now then... Where were we?"

[Daxam]

Nigel thinks for a few moments, during which the next course of their meal is brought to them. "I think," he says as he picks his fork up, "I was going to remark on how good this food was and lament that I can't eat it all. I mean, twelve courses? Isn't that a little much?" Chuckling, he goes to take a bite, then stops as a question pops into his head, prompting him to ask, "Do you have any siblings?"

[Vocalia]

The question left Arlia stunned, the young lady seemingly frozen on the spot. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure and put down her utensils to look at Nigel. Her eyes reflected a plethora of emotions, but prevalent ones were sadness, longing, and fear. Arlia looked around cautiously and, once she was sure that nobody was watching them, she replied to Nigel, a sad smile on her face, "Sì, I do have a sibling. A twin sister, in fact. However... Circumstances force us apart. I live to carry the name of the Medici Family while my sister... well, has a shot at a regular life. It's been so long since we last contacted each other... I couldn't help but wonder how she's doing as we speak."

[Daxam]

Nigel looks at Arlia for a few moments as she explains that she had a sister, but hadn't spoken to her in a long time. I'm lucky to be able to talk to my sister, he realizes. I don't know what I'd do if I suddenly lost that... Reaching over, without thinking about what he was doing, he gently places his hand on top of Arlia's, giving her a sympathetic and encouraging smile as he says, "I'm sure she's doing just fine."

[Vocalia]

Simply having Nigel place his hand on top of hers gave Arlia a sense of comfort and security she hadn't had in a long time. The warmth of his body seemingly washed off the sadness and worries in her heart and gave her a feeling of peace. There was also another feeling that she could sense at the back of her mind, but she wasn't sure what it could be. For now, she was grateful to have his support, no matter how big or small it was. "Grazie, Nigel. I similarly believe she would be just fine. When we last talked to each other a few years ago, she mentioned that she had been accepted to study at one of the major universities. If my memory serves me right, she would be graduating this year," she replied, her vibrant smile returning as she talked about her twin sister with unadulterated love and affection.

[Daxam]

Nigel smiles back at Arlia, inexplicably happy that he managed to cheer her up as he says, "That's great. If all goes well, she'll be set for life, in that case." Looking down, he notices that he still had his hand on hers and thinks about moving it. However, something inside of him was telling him not to, that it somehow felt...right. So, keeping his hand on hers, he picks his fork up with his free hand and, to change the topic out of worry that dwelling on her sister any longer would make Arlia sad again, says with a chuckle, "I think twelve courses might be too much. I'm eating as little as I can and yet I'm starting to feel full."

[Vocalia]

"My, you might be right... I think I'm slowly reaching my limit," Arlia replied with a chuckle as she took a bite out of her plate. She thought of pulling her other hand off, but put the thought aside, seeing that Nigel himself seemed to be happy with their current position. Not wanting to appear rude and, admittedly, enjoying how warm his hand was, Arlia kept it on the table, allowing Nigel to rest his hand on it comfortably. "And here I thought I could stay hungry long enough until the dessert comes around! I would be quite a sore woman to miss any dessert. I have a bit of a sweet tooth, you see."

[Daxam]

Nigel chuckles and jokingly says, "Really? And here I thought that a mafioso such as yourself would hate sweets." As a waiter passes by, Nigel grabs the man's attention and says, "I think the two of us are ready for dessert." The man nods and disappears as Nigel turns back to Arlia, saying, "Well, it looks like you'll get your wish. I'd hate for you to be saddened by missing something sweet."

[Vocalia]

"If we weren't in a professional relationship by this point, I would have leaped across the table and kissed you," Arlia said jokingly, but silently knowing she would do just that given the right moment. As they waited for their dessert, the mafioso straightened herself out and said, "I would like to thank you personally for joining me tonight and Crey for their mutual partnership. The Medici Family will do their best to keep this relationship beneficial to both sides."

[Daxam]

As Arlia joked, Nigel was in the middle of taking a drink of his water, only to nearly spit it out in surprise. His face red, he manages to hold it back and swallows the water. Hearing Arlia thank him for the partnership between her Family and Crey, he clears his throat, quickly composing himself, and says, "I'm not the one to thank, as it was my boss's idea in the first place." Then, with a smile, he half-jokingly says, "However, I'll still accept the gratitude of a beautiful woman such as yourself and I promise that Crey will also work to make sure your family benefits from this, as well."