Two Birds One Stone [Alastair, Antonetta]

Eh, good. He prompted her! That little nudge had her fall right into his arms, figuratively of course. She reached down to poke her fingers together like she was fidgeting uncomfortably in the moment. One might be suspicious by how long she was taking, she liked to think it was authentic to have her life delicately in the balance and someone who never knew anything other than her life of being directed to do her tasks.

A marionette with its strings cut stumped when presented with real choice. How pathetic he must think.

"If I say no, you'll just apprehend me right?"

She mumured dejectedly. Feigning a bit of sadness that she truly had no freedom in this situation at all no matter which option she picked.

“That depends on the manner of your refusal. I am offering you a chance to be free of your shackles, but you have done nothing yet to warrant an arrest. The Vandenreich’s relationship with the Duvalier Group may be tense of late, but you can still walk away.”

Trying to save the person in front of him was Alastair’s driving force as much as it was his undoing, but even he knew that he could only save those that actually wanted his aid. Whatever game Antonetta was playing, whether genuine or otherwise, would decide her fate. Many choices likely led to her doom, his own desired path did not guarantee her salvation, but the choice would always have to be hers.

His body tensed, wondering perhaps if she would now make a gambit and try to act rashly, as the telltale signs of Blut Vene began to emerge across his exposed skin. He was ready to act at the drop of a hat now, but he dared to hope that it would not come to that. Though he was guilty of always thinking that, really.

She slumped at his words. Wrestling with his words or at least giving the impression of it. She didn't like that he was geared up for combat and surely strong enough to hold some merit when she had disadvantaged herself. Ah, she wanted to crush him for her own satisfaction. It wasn't necessary and she could almost imagine her sisters chiding her for this behaviour.

There was a job to do here, a purpose to him that went beyond him. How stupid.

"...I'll go if it's from my sister Not you."

Antonetta said guardedly, unwilling to trust this man with his flagrant display of hostility towards her with preparing for a fight. Arlette was why she was here, she should prioritise that and deal with him later. She just had to lure Arlette out.

A frown cracked across previously guarded features, settling comfortably with Alastair's aggressive disposition. He was hardly going to expose Arlette over something as trivial as this, there was hardly any deception to it, so perhaps that made him wonder if this was genuine. She was a strange creature, but so were many that he found himself dealing with of late.

"This is about your own fate, not Ms Arlette. Continuing to seek her out will not save you from this predicament you find yourself in."

Again he pushed, perhaps it would be too much but, at this point, he would rather she make up his mind so he knew what to report. Regardless, he would need to double up the security detail if Arlette had managed to just waltz up to his front door.

"..."

He was right there, it wasn't Arlette who could save her but Mr. Eisfluch was missing a key detail. What little sister didn't want to see her beloved older sister if she was living on borrowed time? If this choker was a terminal illness and could kill her at any minute then of course she'd want to see her dear sister one more time.

"I just don't want to die and never see her again."

She said with watery eyes threatening to roll down her cheeks.

Water could dampen any fire, Alastair knew that all too well. So perhaps even Antonetta's crocodile tears would finally break his stone-faced visage. Yet, as she held them at bay, so too did he stand tall. If she was so desperate to see Arlette then she could have found a different way to approach this, the numbers did not quite add up in his head.

"Then make what choice you think gives you the highest chance of survival. Either put your trust in a stranger or a known entity."

He did not need to add that if she walked away then she would likely never see this opportunity again. Perhaps this was all part of her game, or just maybe, it was all part of his. To tactfully manoeuvre her to a secure location and do away with one threat to Arlette.

At his answer and after her wait she finally moved, reaching up and tugging her broad brim hat down like she was trying to cover her eyes and hide the fact that she was feeling despair. It didn't work very well though given that wet trails made themselves known on her cheeks and she was quivering in a mixture of emotions unknown. Fear, frustration, misery or anger. The turmoil was difficult for anyone to place and Antonetta couldn't tell herself if it was all a farce either.

That damned naive little girl and her innocent words. Why did she get to be so happy and carefree while they weren't allowed to be? It wasn't fair.

She dropped her bag at her feet before turning to run away from him, wondering what his reaction could be to her abrupt attempt to escape and refusal of his offer. Perhaps she could just pass away without ever seeing her sister again and die some pathetic death, wouldn't that be a shame Mr. Eisfluch? Of course it wouldn't weigh on the conscious of the man that so casually took Arlette from them.

That mutt would sit back and relish his victory while Antonetta would just try a different tact.

Antonetta's departure was expected if Alastair was being honest, she seemed like a skittish creature, so it was strange perhaps that he found himself stepping out of his door to reach out for her as she turned away. His weapon faded to dust as his hands swiped at the air she had previously occupied, finding no purchase on their intended target and leaving him grasping for nothing. After all that he had said, and all that he knew about her, he would still have taken the chance to try to spare her from whatever dangerous game she had become embroiled in on Claudia's orders. He was certainly a fool for doing so, and it might have ended up with the tables turned right around, but that was no excuse for failing to try.

But his reactions were slowed by his caution, and she was already rocketing away.

His brow furrowed, looking down at the bag that she had left behind. Was it one final ploy? A last-ditch effort to catch him off guard, or the desperation of a woman who truly did not know what to do with herself. Maybe it was, or maybe it would eventually lead her back to him.