HM...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
there's a calling, there; a semblance of himself, and the youth he'd shed years ago. it reveals itself in her desire to please, and be of use, but most importantly, in pink scar that runs across the bridge of her nose.
[break][break]
he doesn't feel pity for her, but rather something close to... kinship.
[break][break]
"i hope so too, ms. amemiya."
[break][break]
he places a glass out to his right to be refilled, giving a nod in apprecation.
[break][break]
"tell me about your scar."
[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

HM...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
she was his little sparrow.
[break][break]
"she values privacy, and discretion."
[break][break]
the fact he gives away gender doesn't escape him; subtle clues to a bigger game.
[break][break]
"treat her as you would me. her work is invaluable to this company."
[break][break]

a heavy gaze tears away from the food in front of him, barely touched.
[break][break]
"as is yours."[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND HOENN MORE...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
he returns in an hour, dressed down considerably.
[break][break]
"i'll provide the transportation. there's a small vessel a few piers down we could take."
[break][break]
he waits for the youth's answer.[break]
[break][break]

HM...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
"nonsense, ms. amemiya. my schedule is quite busy and you'll need to be available at all hours of the day."
[break][break]
not that she'd probably mind. theo had similar expectations of her, if perhaps not more.
[break][break]
"speaking of, i will need you to contact mr. Martín del Mar 's office and set-up a meeting between him and myself for tomorrow afternoon. further more, you'll find a cell phone placed among your belongings when you return. it is a secondary-line for another employee of mine, should i not be available. you will act in my stead. do you have issue with that?"[break][break]
there was little doubt nina larson and Suzume Amemiya would get along rather well, should that be the case.
[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

HM...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
an expected answer.
[break][break]
"i envy you. my siblings and i are not close at all."
[break][break]
it's spoken in such a casual way, it's as if there's little emotion behind it. in truth, there is.
[break][break]
"i like to think my son and his siblings are close to one another."
[break][break]
gabriel doesn't have the faintest idea as to their relationships. the fact they were all still breathing gave him a positive outlook, or perhaps the movie stardust had lowered his expectations too much.
[break][break]
"are the accommodations of the guest house adequate?"
[break][break]
blues fall upon her in a subtle, scrutinizing way. then, his thoughts fall back to the letter, and the role she played.
[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

HM...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
his appetite wanes, but he lifts a broth filled spoon to his mouth. he's distracted, mind still pouring over the contents of the letter and his intended response.
[break]

[break]


there's a game of chest that plays in his mind even as she speaks; he's careful to lend at least one ear towards the conversation.
[break][break]
"i wasn't aware you had a brother."
[break][break]
a lie. he, like any good employer, pried and pried and pried.
[break][break]
"are you two close?"
[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

A BUSINESS DEAL IN THE UNLIKLIEST OF PLACES...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
a barrel chest looks good beneath a tailored suit. gabriel dresses his best, rings and watch and all. heavy, purposed steps clear the space between the door and receptionist desk.
[break][break]
"gabriel black to see mr. del mar."
[break][break]
he takes off the polarized shades, revealing in full the marred flesh around his left eye.
[break][break]
"i'm expected."
[break]

SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND HOENN MORE...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
"so, your wish is that a show of force from the very-top would dissuade others from trying something similar?"
[break][break]
gabriel takes it under advisement, though it's more for show than anything else. the youth's enthusiasm and interesting premise won him over nearly thirty seconds ago.
[break][break]
"very well. i will need some time to make prepereations; a few hours, at most."
[break][break]
there isn't a request hidden in his words.
[break][break]

HM...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
wordlessly, gabriel takes the letter from the woman and notes the lack of formality on it's surface. in that same silence he opens, and reviews the letter. there's an uncomfortable silence for one, to two minutes, as he addresses the contents. while he does a figure emerges from the kitchen, placing a full plate and soup bowl in front of suzu.
[break][break]
"ms. amemiya, i appreciate the haste at which you delivered this to me."
[break][break]
he gives her a soft, barely noticeable smile. it feels, and looks alien on the man.
[break][break]
"please, eat. tell me what you've been up too recently."
[break]

[attr="class","credit"]milky

LATE AT NIGHT...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
the divide between personal, and professional, felt like an infinite chasm to the man. his son, his own flesh and blood, felt like a stranger. the steps he took to propel his family forward were lonely ones.
[break][break]
he takes the plastic covering off of the metal tin containing a home-made sauce he'd prepared earlier that day.
[break][break]
"where are you staying, nina?"[break]

DEEP IN THOUGHT...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
gabriel doesn't even listen.
[break][break]
another test. pass, or failure, is his to know alone.
[break][break]
"the league will ask far more from you than even i."
[break][break]
doubtful.
[break][break]
"do not disappoint."
[break][break]
the dismissal is clear is his tone.[break][break]

DEEP IN THOUGHT...[break]

[attr="class","setting"]

[break]
the plead dies on deaf ears.
[break][break]
"again, uriah."
[break][break]