[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Arlia was no stranger to praises. She had heard men and women swoon at her beauty and grace for as long as she could remember, but she always felt that their praises were as hollow as an echo, insincere and meaningless. However, Nigel's praise seemed different from the rest. She felt a sense of genuine interest and honesty in his voice and it made her very happy, although she kept her outward emotion in check. "Well, now that everything's settled..." she mused as the waiter came with their long-awaited dessert of lemon panna cotta with blackberries & honey madeleines. "Shall we enjoy the remainder of our sweet night?" she asked. On her face was the brightest smile she had ever mustered in her entire life. Arlia had expected her meeting to be nothing more than a formal occasion, but right now, she thought to herself how she could simply call their dinner a 'date' and nobody would be any wiser.

[Daxam]

Nigel smiles back at Arlia and, finally removing his hand from hers, albeit very reluctantly, he turns to his dessert and begins eating. "I'm glad I asked for the dessert early," he says between bites. "This is delicious!" Looking at Arlia as he ate, he couldn't help but feel his heart warm at the sight of her smile, which somehow made her seem even more beautiful than ever. Before he could stop himself, he says, "I wish we could see each other outside of these...business meetings..."

[Vocalia]

"I believe that could be arranged," Arlia said, only realizing what she had said moments later. However, perhaps due to her own views and feelings for him, she made no attempt to correct herself, as if it was what she wanted all along. Seeing that her men were already busy drinking and being merry to pay much attention to what she was doing, Arlia took her small black card from her purse and handed it to Nigel, careful not to let other people see it. It had nothing written or engraved on it and, at first glance, looked like a business card with too much black paint on it. Suddenly, Arlia's green eyes turned to a shade of sapphire blue as a string of glowing white numbers began to appear on the black card. As the glow faded and her eyes returned to normal, the numbers were burned into the card, revealing what looked like a mobile phone number. It was Arlia's personal number. "Please don't share it with anyone else. Keep it to yourself," she whispered as she took a bite out of her dessert.

[Daxam]

Nigel wasn't even aware that he had said anything until he was holding the blank card. As he watched, however, he saw a phone number burn into it as Arlia's eyes turned blue. Looking from the number to Arlia, it takes a moment for what had just happened to dawn on him. Grinning, he slips the card into his pocket and whispers in return, "It's safe with me, don't worry." If I could, I'd lock it up in the most secure vault in the world, he thinks, realizing how much the string of numbers really meant to him. A few moments later, he finishes his dessert and asks Arlia, "By chance, are you staying here tonight? I could walk you back to your room, if that's the case." Anything to prolong my time with you, he adds silently.

[Vocalia]

Wiping her mouth clean with the provided napkin, Arlia nodded and replied, "Thank you kindly. Since I have another business to attend to the following morning, I will spend the night in this hotel. What about you, Nigel? Would you be staying here tonight? I would imagine that a man such as yourself would be quite busy." But I hope you don't mind me selfishly keeping you with me for a bit longer, she secretly thought. While she felt slightly guilty for occupying much of his time, a part of her felt that it was all worth it now that she could try and spend more time with him than she otherwise would.

[Daxam]

Nigel chuckles and says, "I do have more business to attend to, but I'd be more than happy to put that off until tomorrow..." He then adds, giving voice to the thought they shared, "...especially if it means being with you for a bit longer." Chuckling quietly, his cheeks slightly reddened as he realizes how bold he was being, he meets Arlia's beautiful green eyes and asks, "Are you ready to go?"

[Vocalia]

If Arlia was on her own when she heard Nigel's bold reason, she would had jumped up and down like a giddy schoolgirl, but because she was still in a public space, she merely blushed and nodded. "Yes, Nigel. Shall we?" She stood up, dusted her dress and offered him her hand. Her men, seeing that she had stood up, tidied themselves up and prepared to leave, looking very merry and satisfied. They didn't seem to be too curious about what she and Nigel were doing.

[Daxam]

Nigel happily takes Arlia's hand, noticing not for the first time how warm and soft it was, and helps her to her feet. Walking next to her, he follows her out of the large dining hall, not even noticing her men behind them, nor that his hand was still wrapped around hers. As they walk, he eventually does become aware of the men behind them and, hoping for at least a couple of seconds alone with her, whispers to Arlia, "Will they follow us all the way to your room?"

[Vocalia]

Looking at her men, Arlia turned to Nigel with a coy smile and whispered, "Not if I can help it." She looked at the men behind her and spoke to them in Italian. The men's faces turned from a shade of amusement to variants of blood red as she gave them a coy look. A few of them cleared their throats and apologized in Italian and, as she and Nigel walked back to her room, the men parted ways into their own room, giving the two a moment to themselves.

[Daxam]

Nigel, still looking ahead, listened as Arlia said something in Italian, which was followed by the shuffling of feet and shutting of doors as her men separated. Looking back at Arlia, he notices the traces of a coy smile and has a feeling that he knows what she said. However, curiosity still prompts him to ask, "What did you tell them?"

[Vocalia]

"Well..." Arlia deliberated, as if teasing him with the fact that he didn't know what she said to them. "I simply told them that, if they insist on following me, perhaps we could end the night with a round of orgy with you," she replied nonchalantly, as if her idea of a distraction was normal. "They, however, seem to have other ideas. What a shame."

[Daxam]

Hearing Arlia voice what she said aloud, Nigel feels his face heat up quickly as he nervously coughs into his fist. "I...I see..." he mutters, unsure of what else to say as he looks everywhere but at the woman next to him. A few moments later, they stop in front of Arlia's room and, his face back to normal, he finally looks into her eyes. "Although we discussed a rather unpleasant topic," he says, "I really enjoyed tonight, Arlia. And I'm glad we're no longer limited to arranged meetings, thanks to you giving me your number."

[Vocalia]

"Likewise, Nigel. I can safely say that this is the best night I've ever had," Arlia replied, her smile brimming with genuine ecstasy. "Please keep that number a secret. I want to be able to talk to you without anyone else in the Family knowing. They are quite strict, you see, and I don't want to risk them terminating our partnership, not when it's going on so nicely."

[Daxam]

Nigel chuckles and says, "Crey is the same way. They don't want their employees to have personal relationships out of fear that secrets would find their way out into the public domain." Looking into Arlia's eyes, he adds, "But as long as I can continue talking to you, I'd gladly disobey them." After a few moments' hesitation, he leans forward and kisses Arlia's cheek, hoping it was as casual as he was hoping it would be, and says, "I'll let you turn in for the night, now. I hope to see you again in the near future."

[Vocalia]

Arlia was at a loss. It was as if that one kiss managed to take her breath, and mind, away. Gasping softly, she quickly smiled and replied, "Thank you, Nigel. I bid you a good night for now. Let us meet again at a better time." Nodding her head politely, she entered her room and closed the door behind her, but as soon as Nigel was out of earshot, she gasped and slumped onto the floor. "Dio..." she dreamily mused, placing her hand on her cheek where Nigel's kiss had made its mark. Smiling with joy, Arlia knew that he would stay in her mind for a long, long time.

[Daxam]

Nigel watched curiously as Arlia quickly said her farewell and disappeared into her room. Chuckling quietly, although he had no idea what made her react like that, he turns around and walks down the hall to the elevator. Moments later, he was in his room, preparing for bed. Before changing into his pajamas, he pulls the card Arlia gave him from his pocket and smiles at it. "I'll take ever chance I can to talk to you," he quietly vows before setting it on his nightstand.

[Vocalia]

The night soon passed silently and the morning returned to grace the land. Hayley was sound asleep in the bedroom she now shared with Isaac, Alexis having left to "acclimate her body to a different biological clock and recharge it" earlier than she normally would. Curling up under the blanket, Hayley was blissfully oblivious to the hectic morning that was to come as the sun slowly crept from the horizon.

[Daxam]

Isaac was happily curled up underneath the blanket he was sharing with Hayley, one arm draped across her waist, when he heard it. Gunfire suddenly erupted, shattering the tranquil air of the morning and making Isaac jump up in bed, his body blackening as he prepares for a fight. Suddenly, the gunfire stops and, over the loft's PA system, he hears Sean, sounding unbelievably pleased with himself, saying, "Good morning boys and girls! Today is Tuesday, August 8th, and it's looking to be a beautiful day! Please, would the two of you meet me in the training room, dressed in your finest workout clothes? If I don't see you in ten minutes, I'll have to resort to drastic measures. See you soon!"

[Vocalia]

The moment the first gunfire blasted from the PA system, Hayley's eyes shot open and she jumped off the bed like a bullet, eyes darting with shock and caution and black mist pouring out of her mouth. Her eyes turned a bright, eerie shade of gold as adrenaline coursed her veins. It wasn't until Sean's voice rung from the PA system, sounding proud and satisfied with his unorthodox morning alarm.

"Good morning boys and girls! Today is Tuesday, August 8th, and it's looking to be a beautiful day! Please, would the two of you meet me in the training room, dressed in your finest workout clothes? If I don't see you in ten minutes, I'll have to resort to drastic measures. See you soon!"

"Fuck you!" Hayley shouted at the PA speaker, though she was merely irritated to be abruptly woken up and knew that he wouldn't be able to hear her anyway. "That fucking ass... I know we're supposed to wake up early, but he could have chosen a less... gunny alarm..."

[Daxam]

"Tell me about it," Isaac grumbles before yawning tiredly. Shaking himself to wake up, he says, "We should probably get going. I don't really wanna find out what those 'drastic measures' might be." Planning on doing so afterwards, Isaac skips his shower and decides to change first. After grabbing a light t-shirt and some shorts, he smiles and says to Hayley, "If you want, you can change in the bathroom while I change out here." No, Vincent corrects his counterpart, you're supposed to change in the same room, moron! I thought you were together?!