Did You Have Plans?

Who: Brett, Ava, Andrei, Eris
Where: A restaurant
When: Night

They were purposefully running late as Brett pulled up outside the restaurant. It was a decision they'd made together when discussing how best to approach things earlier on. The trade off between getting there first to determine what table they were placed at, and getting there last to ensure that Andrei was firmly in place already. The latter had won out - not least in Brett's mind because he didn't want the bastard to have a clear shot of them in a brightly lit restaurant from the darkness of the parking lot. So, they were running late. Plus, there was the added bonus of the offense that could be caused by rudeness, that was always nice, he thought as they got out of the car and headed for the building.

Eris was wearing all black this evening, specifically going for something that meant it wouldn't be odd for her not to be wearing the necklace. She'd considered going in red and just wearing a different ruby, but in the end opted for black. She'd swept her hair up, much like she had the night of the party, her scar clearly visible. She wasn't sure what to expect, and her stomach wasn't feeling overly great, but she would still rather be there than not. She also had a knife strapped to the inside of her thigh--just in case. It was easier to hide knives on a woman with a slinky dress on than a firearm. Walking inside, she waited for Brett to talk to the staff, to talk about reservations and all. It would have looked odd if she took the lead.

Andrei wasn't enamored with their lateness. A fact that became evident by the terseness at the corners of his mouth as he flashed cold smiles in Ava's direction to humor whatever this-and-that she was occupied with. All the while he took a sips from the water before him as his eyes flicked back and again to the main entrance. And each time he didn't see Eris there? A new depth of hardness hit his gaze, in a way that really wasn't typical of his character. He was, generally, an easy going guy. A man happy to smile and laugh and relaxed in the presence of what made others retch and scream and leave scarred for life. And the hardness didn't disappear until it flashed and glinted into something more passionate, a fire of inspiration burning brightly as his mind switched into different ways he could relate the message of Punctuality Is Important. He turned over the possibilities and details, highlighting ones he figured would get to Eris most. He had taken the extreme effort to orchestrate every detail -- Ava's dress, the visibility of the belt buckle on his new belt, the table placement that gave Eris and Brett the perfect view of the river and gave him the perfect view of Eris. So yeah, lateness and other such screwing with that plan? Was unappreciated.

He'd send her a watch, he decided. A broken one, with the care taken to have it set permanently at the time he had specified tonight. And he figured it was only proper that, what with it being a watch, it should be delivered on somebody's wrist in an intricate box he could have anonymously delivered on Eris' doorstop. But, no, that alone wouldn't do... Andrei's gaze flicked from the door back to Ava, his mouth finally breaking into a genuine edge of a smile as that fiery gaze settled on Ava, again recalling Eris' 'Back Away From Her' vibe from the Drake. Eris and Her Girls... she was always so protective of them, that Andrei figured only one of their wrists would do. He wondered if it should be Ava's, but then branched out into considering one of the girl's from the agency instead. What with Eris' new business being legitimate and the like, none of the girls should be hard to find.

Yes, that's what he would do. Because he had his own possible gains in Ava still; and -- the more he thought about it and the wider his smile got as he took another sip of water -- he determined that, yes, there was the additional bonus of having Ava to taunt Eris with and hitting that woman where it hurt for her tardiness. It was the best of both worlds, a win-win situation, and all of that. And so he was positively beaming once he caught sight of the prodigal couple. And that pleased grin was flash in their direction as he stood up to greet them, his hand reaching down for Ava so she could do the same. The light flashing brilliantly off the belt buckle while Ava's outfit was on perfect display. It was the polite thing to do, after all. "Ms. Stockard," he greeted with a nod, a toothy smile gleaming as if their tardiness didn't thoroughly bother him, "Mr. Trent."

Ava felt just as beautiful as she was sure she looked. Seated at a gorgeously set table with a man like Andrei on her arm, dressed to the nines in the clothing and jewelry he'd picked out for her. She wasn't as bothered by the tardiness of Brett and Eris as Andrei seemed to be and she'd been trying to get his attention off of waiting for them. "They'll get here when they get here, darling. Just enjoy the view until then," She suggested, meaning not only the lake but herself, as well It wasn't much long after that she saw Andrei stand up and glanced over to see the approaching Eris and Brett. With Andrei's assistance, she stood and greeted the newcomers with a smile, releasing Andrei's hand to greet Eris with a series of air kisses. "You look beautiful, as always. And may I say, Mr. Trent looks dashing tonight as well."

Brett's face was like barely controlled thunder - anger being the one emotion that he had no trouble expressing and great problems hiding. There had been no mention of Ava in the note, and his mind was already on what games Volkov was playing bringing her along. It made him suddenly grateful that Eris was here, because he knew he needed a foil right now, a few moments at least to get past the sudden urge to throw the other man through the plate glass window and down into the waters below. Sure, he hadn't liked the man before they'd turned up tonight, but there was a sudden spike of irrational (or possibly perfectly rational, depending on your point of view) anger that took hold of him almost uncontrollably for a moment.

Eris went through the motions of greeting Ava with as much enthusiasm as she was being shown. it was put on, of course, but she'd been determined to get through this and that was part of it. Of course, the appearance of Ava in general there wasn't something Eris appreciated, she'd been angry over her being with Andrei in the first place. But, that wasn't the point, and it wasn't to be addressed right now, either. She noted the outfit, the ruby necklace, everything else. But she didn't react to it. "It's a pleasure to see you again, sweetheart." she said to Ava. "You're radiant as always." she complimented in return, even if she was dressed as a pretty bruise. Then she smiled, looking back to Brett. "He is, isn't he?" she agreed. "He does shine up so nicely." What she was doing was more or less ignoring Andrei, instead heavily engaging Ava, in a way that really just looked like public niceties.

While Eris was ignoring him, Andrei had his eyes on her with a smile that could only be described as 'pleasant', as most people usually didn't ascribe more ominous terms to such a civil gesture. Because his smile wasn't the plastered superficial facade so often used in situations as this, but something incredibly genuine and thus more dangerous. Because Andrei? was extremely pleased to see Eris -- especially now that he was still pondering whether to send that message on punctuality. "I believe everyone here is looking perfect," he interjected, again 'pleasantly'. There was the slightest emphasis on 'perfect', that could have been equally intentional or not, as that aspect of ensuring each detail in place was extremely important to him. His gaze finally ticked over the rest of the party. Surveying Brett, his anger widening Andrei's smile into something sharp and toothy and more amused, then settling on Ava. Who was, of course, looking every bit as perfect as he had planned for.

Always on the lookout for compliments, Ava went from happy to see her friend to pleased that Eris had given her one. A compliment from Eris was one of the few things Ava actually took to heart. "He does." Ava gave a smile in Brett's direction before returning to her seat, hoping the others would take that as a clue to get seated as well. That was possibly her least favorite thing about social gatherings, the awkward moments of standing to greet someone and then sort of just standing around. She was fine being the first to break that. "I'm so glad you could join us tonight. It's a lovely night for a dinner near the water, don't you think? What better way to celebrate Founder's day than with good friends?"

Brett decided that staying quiet there was the better plan and instead moved to hold a chair out for Eris, though his eyes didn't leave Andrei for a moment, especially not having seen that grin of his. Ava, he was sure, just as he'd been sure last time, was being used by the man - and she didn't even seem to know it. It was either that she was entirely clueless, or she was as good an actress as Eris was. Having heard Eris' opinion of the girl, he wasn't putting too much faith in the latter.

Eris sat across from Ava, after Brett pulled the chair out for her and she sat, glad she wasn't going to have to be staring Andrei down for the duration of the dinner. Not that she was surprised Brett put her farther away from the man than himself. She was just internally grateful. "I'm glad to join you as well. it's been a while since I've had an occasion to go out with friends." she said. Which actually, she had never had any true friends so she'd never done that. And this didn't qualify either.

Andrei settled in his chair comfortably, bemused eyes constantly flicking between Eris and Brett. Actually, whenever they settled onto Brett the word 'taunting' would have been more appropriate. Yes, Eris was his main focus -- when it came down to it, every detail he had put into this night had been all for her 'benefit'. But Andrei was a man whose enjoyment in people was wholly non-discriminatory, and Brett's thunderous expression from earlier was just too irresistible to pick at. So his eyes, while his hand held Ava's upon the table, would often settle pointedly onto Eris before bringing them back to Brett with that air that suggested everything was just all in good fun. Because for Andrei? It was.

"It's a pleasure to be amongst company that's so... entertaining," he added, eyes shining onto both Eris and Brett as he did so, a slightly wicked curl in his smile suggesting it wasn't dinners he was reminiscing about. "And, of course, feel free to order whatever you desire. They are no limits with me in such enjoyable company." With that his toothy smile pointed down onto Ava, giving her hand a slight squeeze, eyes focused onto Ava as if the statement was uttered completely for her benefit. He was certain it would get a reaction out of her -- a very pleased one. Because she was an extremely materialistic person, to the point that it was such an incredibly easy string to play, and Andrei just had to play it here before their guests.

There hadn't been a time when Ava had given thought to ordering anything other than what she wanted. The social courtesy of ordering a less extravagant, and therefore less expensive, meal didn't register with her. She gave Andrei back a smile of her own, squeezing his hand, and inwardly thinking about exactly what she wanted. Seafood was a given, but maybe she'd pair it with a small steak. The best of both worlds. Having settled on that for now, she cast her eyes back to Brett and Eris. "Have you two been here before?"

Brett had, by now, managed to rein himself in rather more and he made himself relax, using Eris' behaviour as his own model. He also turned to catch the eye of the waiter - which wasn't a hard task at all, given that they'd been here last night and Brett had ensured that he'd tipped well enough that the moment he'd walked in, the staff had been near enough falling over themselves to keep him happy. He ordered himself a small predinner drink, nothing he particularly wanted, but it had been the point of audibly being addressed by name, as well as the momentary distraction to properly compose himself that had been the point. He also made sure to check whether Eris wanted anything, whilst ignoring the other two until the waiter had left and only then did he look back at them. "Oh yes - we know this place quite well," he said, this time with a smile.

"It's got such a lovely view." Eris stated. Because really, she got why the place had been chosen. It was all supposed to play in to making her uncomfortable, driving fear into her heart, or some other such thing. And she wanted him to know that it wasn't fucking working, in the slightest. Though in truth, that she wasn't acting, the choice of where the dinner was being held really didn't hold much significance for her. She'd already been 'dead' at that point, and possibly it was for Brett's benefit, but as far as she knew it didn't hold overly much significance either. But that was the rub with psychological games with people you didn't understand all that well--sometimes you missed the mark. She just wanted him to know very well that he had.

She could also see what Andrei was doing with Ava, though she was wholly unsurprised. Ava was an easy girl to play. She wasn't nearly subtle enough to hide her true motivations for things, so pretty much anyone with a little money in their pocket and the time to give her something nice could play her. She'd always been like that. So, she could see how that was going. It still didn't make her like it any better, and she still wanted to protect Ava from Andrei--but right now there wasn't anything she could truly do. Not here at dinner. "I like the atmosphere." she said, smiling faintly towards the room at large, then she looked back to the both of them. When she looked at the room she was really taking the opportunity to check on Brett, because she didn't know how well he was dealing with things. And she still couldn't quite tell.

There was a twitch at the corners of Andrei's mouth throughout the exchange. Because, yes, he wasn't thrilled with the nonchalance in Eris' and now Brett's reactions. He lived for getting reactions out of people: ranging from the very loud extremes to just subtle discomfort. So Brett's more controlled composure wasn't one he was thrilled about, and Eris -- for whom this night had been ultimately planned for -- with her perfectly relaxed demeanor had his teeth internally gnashing a bit. His gaze hardened a little, focus set more intently on the woman, eyes drawing to her neck and bringing forth his own little smirk there. No, she wasn't wearing the necklace -- not the ruby necklace anyway -- but she was wearing a necklace he had given her nonetheless. It was the one he much rather preferred, as it marked her in a more permanent manner.

Even if her demeanor was in fact quite infuriating, Andrei wasn't a man to throw a tantrum and storm off when he wasn't given his reaction. Instead he watched her all the more intently, theoretical teeth sharpening, a more predatory drive governing his person. And, even if he was incredibly put out right now, he was a patient predator; and his own dark fantasies always put a smile on his face. Because he knew Eris' composure could be penetrated (heh, literally) and broken down -- and with time he would do it again. "So Miss Stockard," he addressed, his reminiscing bringing a black smile to his voice, "How's this new business of yours faring?"

Hearing more about their new business was something Ava was interested in as well, although there was an unnecessary flare of jealousy in her when she heard Andrei mention it. Why did he care about the business? He'd better not be in the market of finding one of Eris' new girls to take out instead of her. But of course, that was a little irrational of her to think. She respected Eris, but what girl did she have in her business now that could really stand up to Ava? Besides, Andrei could simply just be interested in her work. It was a polite thing to ask, inquiring about businesses. Which was what he had better be interested in, because Ava was not going to stand for something other than that. She turned her attention back to Eris. "Faring well, I hope?" She hadn't needed to be in the escort business yet, but she still had Eris' card on the chance that she may want to at at later time. And she'd consider it if Andrei's intentions for asking about Eris and Brett's business were anything other than pure.

Eris was wondering if this entire dinner had been set up so Andrei could grin at them toothily. It was looking like that was the point, which had her quite suddenly bored. Or, not necessarily bored, but there was a part of her that was. A part of her that was the woman who used to twist people around her finger so easily they thought it was their idea later. And if he was going for unsettling, he wasn't getting it. Which really, made her even less likely to get unsettled, because irritation was settling in. She smiled at the question, eyes back on Ava. "We're doing just fine." she said. "Obviously, things are still getting established, but so far, we've got an impressive client list." Which was mostly true. They were still just starting out, but for just starting out they were doing quite alright. She took another sip of her wine, and gave Ava a warm expression, knowing she was ignoring Andrei again, but that was part of the point.

Andrei was going for unsettling, and his own ego hadn't forseen him not getting it. And as he watched Eris, focusing on her almost exclusively, and saw that, yes, she really did seem that unbothered? Everything in Andrei seemed to tense. Not overtly, but the blow to his pride couldn't keep him a perfect picture of relaxed bemusement. Because Andrei had never really had to deal with this before: his mere presence tended to make people he just met uncomfortable, and that weakness in others amused him. He was a man who struck violent emotions in those victims he let live -- and even when they controlled themselves, he was very adept at sniffing out a weakness, that bit of discomfort or anger, that others might have missed. But, of course, that was generally the point of him letting them live -- and he did let them live. He preferred not to kill, but those he aimed to kill were killed and stayed dead like they were supposed to.

And yet here was Eris, a woman he had broken so thoroughly and who should have been an incoherent mess when she came back from the dead -- who had seemed like a gift-wrapped, if unplanned, toy for him to reuse -- sitting there and smiling as pleasantly as ever, truly betraying no weakness, and it was unforgivable. He hadn't gone to immediately kill her after running into her, and had taken the effort into so many details for her, and -- really -- she was just being ungrateful. He took a sip of his water, gaze still focused there, cold smile still in place because he was a man who smiled far too much than was normal, and continued with the small talk. "Your agency already seems to be making a name for itself," he agreed, "about how many girls have you already employed?" And his interest there was a touch too pointed. Andrei already had an idea, he had done some digging into the agency. But he wanted her to know of that interest in his girls. Because Eris kept whatever weaknesses she had under lock and key, but she had always been protective of her girls.

Glad to hear of her friend's success, Ava smiled back at Eris. Until, that was, Andrei brought up her business again. It was one thing to be friendly and polite, to ask a fleeting question about a new business, but it was quite another to ask a pointed question about specifics. He wanted to know how many girls Eris had working for her? Why did he want to know that? She didn't try to hide the confusion on her face, although she did play along with it and give a laugh. "Darling, so interested in business, aren't you? I'm sure we'd all enjoy a chance to talk about something other than business for a night, wouldn't we?" She asked, giving a glance from Andrei back to Brett and Eris. She knew she would and she was looking at them for assistance, since talking about Eris' new girls was not something Ava wanted to do around Andrei. Maybe alone with Eris, yes, but not at all when Andrei was present.

Brett smiled at Ava. "Quite," he said, barely glancing at Andrei. He knew for damn sure he didn't want to be talking about the girls around this bastard. "There's a time and a place for business," he added, looking over at Eris, then over at Andrei, for the first time since they'd sat down actually doing so for any period of time.

Eris winked at Ava, and leaned forward, tone light and sweet, teasing. "Don't be too hard on him, dear, some people just aren't graced with the ability to observe proper social niceties." she said, like she was having a good natured rib at Andrei that of course was just a playful tease. And she figured it would piss him off something fierce. she didn't think Andrei was the type to have much of a tolerance for things not going his way, or to be the kind of man who'd be able to take things gracefully. He was a psychopath. They weren't known for their great wells of restraint and social grace. Really, of the type she'd known in her day, they were much more known for their childish temper tantrums that could be triggered incredibly quickly and violently.

Oh, and now she was insulting him. Normally people didn't do that, and when they did Andrei just wasn't emotionally invested enough to care even though he noticed it. But this was different, because there was a definite interest -- a definite investment -- in Eris that didn't let the flippant remark just roll off with his apathy. His eyes narrowed, amusement falling from his face as the light in his gaze was replaced with something more dangerous if not as cool-headed. In some way, it was about the... ingratitude of it all. The total disregard this woman was showing toward every little detail, every painstaking effort he had put in. For somehow falling into some place where his hands felt tied and bound considering the location -- which was never a feeling he reacted to well. She wasn't showing weakness, but that didn't mean she had none. He'd find them out. And he'd use every. single. one of them against her. Even if, in the end, they were only physical -- because in that case? Everyone had pressure points. Everyone. Andrei himself took a sip of water, not saying anything through the dirty look he shot Eris from above the glass. He was too aware that public locations weren't at all suited towards taking his belt and reopening that necklace of hers -- just to remind her that she wasn't as impenetrable as she put on.

Brett caught the look, because once he'd decided he was composed enough to finally look at Andrei, he was watching the man - and watching him carefully, very much assuming the guard dog persona. This man concerned him, worried him - had had him reviewing the entire layout of their place, looking at the security of it in detail. He knew Volkov's methods, had seen some of his victims, had a handle on his MO. So, he was watching him carefully, noting every little move. And he caught the look. He said nothing, didn't bring attention to it, but it didn't go unnoticed.

Ava didn't know much but she certainly knew she was done with this awkward silence now. She had both her hands in her lap under the table anyway, but let one grace along the side of Andrei's leg, trying to get him to be a little more social and a little less annoyed that he'd been ganged up on. Smiling back at Eris and Brett, Ava searched herself for a good ice-breaker now, feeling odd that she had to even work at breaking the ice with this group. "I believe we should go shopping," She said, pointing it towards Eris. "We're long overdue an outing, just the two of us, don't you think? It's not healthy to only work, work, work all the time." Glancing over at Brett, she added, "You'll forgive me for stealing her away sometime, won't you?"

"He won't mind." Eris said, still smiling like nothing was wrong. But she was, however, bored. Because this just wasn't going how it would have if she'd been in Andrei's position. And while she could tell she was pissing him off, she was growing weary of the build up leading to nothing. "Ava, sweetheart, come over here for a moment, would you?" she invited. "I haven't got a look at your shoes, not properly, anyways." And it would have been unseemly to duck under the table or anything. "I have this anklet that I think would be perfect for you as well, I want to see." she added, pushing her own chair out slightly to turn, crossing her legs and not at all behaving as if this were an odd request. It might not be. And really, Ava loved to be admired and doted on, she was sure she'd not find it odd herself.

Ava certainly didn't think it was odd. She was nothing if not proud of the finer things she had, specifically her shoes. And if the doting and attention she'd get from Eris wasn't enough, the promise of one of her anklet's certainly didn't hurt either. So she smiled at Andrei before standing as elegantly as possible and crossing to Brett and Eris' side of the table. She lifted up the skirt of her dress enough to show Eris the extravagant pair of golden-colored heels, no doubt paid for with a pretty penny of Irving's money. "Aren't they beautiful? What does this anklet of yours look like?"

The restaurant wasn't especially crowded -- not crowded like the Kitten Club could be crowded -- but there was more than enough people to make Andrei nervous. He tended to scare a hell of a lot of people, yes, but in the end he wasn't going to fare well against a crowd if he did something... stupid. And the woman was really, truly getting to him. In a way that he recognized could have him doing something incredibly stupid at a cost to himself. And, yes, giving Eris that reminder she wasn't so unflappable would feel... incredible. But Andrei's love of himself outweighed the temptation of that pleasure. So he finally ticked his eyes away from Eris, let the gaze pass over Ava before finally settling onto Brett. For a brief moment, Andrei watched Brett watch him before saying anything.

"You seem to be a man of many hats, Trent," he commented, for once having to actually work to force that easy bemusement in his voice. He was forcing his gaze to stay off Eris -- it wasn't easy, as half his attention was obsessing on the woman. But in his forcing his gaze he had forced some of his attention onto the man across from him.

Brett didn't know what Eris had planned, but he felt a little better as Ava stepped away from Volkov. Whilst he didn't actually think the guy would be stupid enough to try anything in public, if pushed into a corner, Ava would have been the first to be grabbed, and a guy like that - Brett wouldn't lay money on him being entirely sane. He didn't doubt though that Eris had something planned, and in the meantime, he was going to play it cool, he was going to keep a hold of his temper, he'd promised himself that much. Because he wasn't stupid enough to start things in public either. And even if they were in private, he didn't know if he could actually take Volkov. But, he could keep his cool, so that's what he was doing as he reached for the wine glass and took a sip, keeping his eyes on Andrei and ignoring the women as he did so. "Like you wouldn't believe," he agreed, with the ghost of a smile.

Eris stepped close to Ava, and murmured into her ear, too quietly to be overheard. "Ava, I need you to trust me. Sit down in my seat, and just listen." she told the girl, giving her arm a light, reassuring squeeze. Then she turned her eyes back on Andrei, as he spoke to Brett. She didn't say anything to him yet, though she had her plans. First, though, she wanted Ava sitting down, out of reach, right there with her and Brett. Safe. Or, as safe as it was going to get.

Ava was undoubtedly confused. Eris had promised an anklet and she'd expected at least a little doting on her shoes, but when Eris spoke, she realized that her words had been a coverup. And as trivial as it was, Ava wanted a little doting. But that was something that could wait, she supposed. She trusted Eris. Eris was basically the only other woman Ava did trust, so for that reason she slipped into Eris' seat, watching her expectantly, if with confusion as well.

Andrei was hyper-aware of Eris' movements, of what she was doing. But he forced himself to ignore how that beautiful scar just called out to him and kept his eyes on Brett. Having to force his gaze onto the man finally had a mind that was so gummed up with fury and obsession ticking again. Eris had proven adept at keeping her buttons well hidden -- he had underestimated her in that regard -- but Brett? Andrei's exploits and dancing around police went back to days when the 'Syndicate' was more ambiguous idea than any kind of fact. And while Eris had been a woman who had held true to her own grounds until she had been forcibly removed from them, he remembered that Brett had gone from a cop too straight to stay off any radar, seemingly opting for death than compromise, to an O'Malley underling and Syndicate-used clean-up crew. Even if Andrei didn't know the particulars, he was a man who had buttons that could be played -- had been played -- to fly in the face of all he was supposed to stand for. Eris may not have been cracking, but Andrei guessed Brett was the weaker link in the chain.

"I always knew you cleaned up well... but the custodian of women? Can't say I ever pictured it," he answered, an unreadable light dancing in his eyes, continuing that little bit of conversation before finally seeming to notice the women. "And our dates seem to be playing musical chairs on us," he commented, tone appropriately light and teasing although his gaze brushed just a second too long onto Eris. It wasn't exactly intentional -- it would have happened regardless -- but he partly let it happen for Ava's jealous benefit. "And yet there is one chair left and one woman still standing," he grinned, it being the slightest touch wicked, with the unspoken yet obvious invitation for Eris to sit next to him before bringing his gaze back to Brett.

Brett swallowed down some more pointed comments, because he didn't trust himself to be able to say them and keep his temper. It had a tendency to run away with him, after all. Instead, he turned his attention to Eris when directed, looking up at her and addressing his answer to her rather than to Volkov. "Well, I don't think she's a woman who likes to sit when she can stand," he said, still wondering what she was up to, and that slight question appearing in his eyes for a moment as he looked at her.

Eris looked Brett in the eyes for a long moment. She smiled, an odd expression, unreadable. "You have him covered, don't you, sweetheart?" she asked, tone very light. Then, she looked back at Andrei. When she spoke, she kept her voice low enough that no one would really overhear unless they were specifically trying to. "Here's the thing, cupcake." she said sweetly, leaning forward to rest her hand on the table, leaning more to eye level with the man who'd attempted to murder her. "I'm bored." she told him, eyes firmly on his. "And, I'm done." she said. "I'm sure this seemed like a fabulous idea at the time, getting us here for a dinner, sitting there grinning like a vapid moron from the other side of the table, but really?" she asked, shaking her head. "That was all you had?" She sighed, tsking. "You haven't started to fuck with me, and you should give up while you have the chance, because I will bury you." she told him. Then she looked back to Ava. "And you're not going to touch her." she said. "You see, Ava, this lovely little necklace," she said, touching the scars around her neck. "Are courtesy of your date." she continued. "He's the one who was sent in to finish me off, and he missed, and now he's a little upset about that fact." Her eyes slid back to Andrei. "And he thinks he can get to me through you. But I think I've known you longer. I think you and I have a long, very nice history which is built on trust and respect, especially considering previous professions." She drew in a breath and let out a mock sigh. "I don't think he's got the slightest idea who he's fucking with. But I do know that this pathetic little game he's trying to play here tonight? Is over." Then she looked back to Ava, and smiled. "That anklet really will look adorable on you." she told her. "You remember it, it had the sapphires." she added. And she trusted Brett to be sure that Andrei didn't do anything stupid like grab a knife and try to stab her.

The expression 'hit you like a ton of bricks' had never quite meant much to Ava until now. But if there was ever a time to feel like she was crushed under a massive amount of bricks, now would be it. Learning that Andrei, the man she'd been so infatuated with that she had actually offered to help break him of the Syndicate's hold on him, make him a free man, had done that to the one woman she'd ever trusted, the one woman she respected? It was not a good realization. For the first time, she was uninterested in the anklet. She turned her eyes from Eris to Andrei, a whole host of emotions playing in there. Of course she had to wrap her head around this, so the first thing was how he could have done this to Eris. She trusted Eris to tell her only the truth, why would she make up a lie about something like this? Ava's answer was that she wouldn't, and that left the fact that Andrei had tried to kill the one woman Ava cared about. And the proof was right there, on her neck. For the first time in a long time, she felt sick to her stomach. "...Why?" She wasn't going to ask if he did it, she believed Eris. But she felt like she had to say something, even if she didn't care why, just that he had done it.

Andrei was up, hitting full height long before he even thought to move. He had shot up too quick to grab a knife, but he wasn't a man who needed to. He could do just fine with his bare hands, he really could. And with the bright fury in his eyes it looked like he was about to. It was only the movement around them, the turning of heads, the sudden silence of voices that stopped him and kept his movements still. But his eyes spoke volumes of all the things he would be doing had not the public's eyes been on him. He didn't move them off of Eris, and for a long moment it didn't look like he had even heard Ava's question, much less answer it. But then his gaze ticked over to Ava, and only in seeing her expression did they morph from the murderous glare into something dark and proud and wholly unrepentant. "Miss Stockard made enemies in her old business," he replied, voice level without actually admitting to anything. His eyes ticked back to Eris as his lips curled up into something that wasn't a smile but rather a dark mockery of. Bury him? She could try. Hell, people had been trying for almost two decades. And here he still was. "People were interested in her reaping what she'd sewn."

Brett stood as Andrei did, expecting some kind of movement after what Eris had said and anticipating it. He pushed his chair back so that it wouldn't get in his way if he needed to move fast, and he shifted slightly towards the girls. He was aware of the maitre 'd approaching from one side, to find out what the problem was, and he made the classic 'stop' sign, palm out, though his hand was by his side. The man, professional that he clearly was in a place like this, saw it and stopped, still halfway across the room. Brett said nothing, but he'd been a cop, a bouncer, a thug - he had long experience of controlling matters through physical presence and body language alone, and right now, he was just waiting to see how things would pan out.

Eris didn't look towards Brett, and didn't give any indication that she expected anything less. Really, for her part, she was glad he'd backed her up. Or would back her up. Something. It wasn't like they'd discusses outting the guy before they'd got here. That had been a decision on her part. There'd been no time to discuss matters. But there he was, backing her up, and she appreciated that. "You're making a scene, Andrei." she told him, tone light. "You might want to stop that."

Ava was slowly loosing the shock she'd felt earlier, replacing it with anger at the sight of Andrei right now. He didn't look anywhere near remorseful, not that that would have changed the fact that he'd tried to murder Eris, but it was something that she expected to see. Even a fake remorse. On the contrary, he looked proud and that was disgusting to her. Really, Ava just wanted to leave. To get up and grab everything she had, which consequently wasn't much because she didn't bring purses to gatherings like this, and leave. But she wasn't leaving Eris here, even with Brett to protect her. "And to think I was going to help you free yourself from the Syndicate..." It had been her plan all along, to draw him out of the Syndicate since she despised them and had taken an interest in him. Why she'd spoken in Russian, she didn't really know. Maybe it was instinct, or maybe she wanted it to mean more than if she'd said it in English. Either way, Ava was standing and taking a few steps back and to the side. She really did want to leave, it was just a matter of leaving when Brett and Eris did too.

So what this all came down to was a game of Who Leaves First, and Andrei for one wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't a Pride Thing -- he gave only as much a damn needed to keep himself alive as to what people thought. It wasn't about them. It was about her. Right now every nerve in his being was fixated onto Eris, and his eyes weren't going to leave her until she was well out of the door. Andrei took a step forward, hand extending out as the corner of his mouth twitched with his hard gaze, playing off the obvious upset as some sort of civil send off. Because he did care enough to know a scene wouldn't do him any kind of benefit. "Good night, Miss Stockard," was all he said, tone tightened by a fury and a dark resolve to see this woman again and have her wish she could be only bored.

For Eris' part, she was delighted that he wasn't leaving. It meant that he couldn't wait outside to jump them when they came out, and it also left the entire restaurant full of people staring at some jackass who was sitting there by himself, who'd clearly managed to drive an entire group of people off--including the woman he'd arrived with. That was going to leave quite the impression. And, with that in mind, she looked at his hand disdainfully, then looked between Brett and Ava. "You know," she said, ignoring Andrei. "Usually, I quite like it here, but I believe I'm done with this place tonight. What do you say we find accommodations where the company isn't quite so distasteful?" she suggested, and that time she did say it just loud enough that people could overhear it properly. She held out her hand to Ava. "Come, sweetheart. You really deserve to be around a better grade of people."

Ava wanted nothing more than to be out of this place with Brett and Eris. She hadn't thought there was anything left in the world that would truly horrify her, but knowing that she'd not only taken an interest in, but bedded, the man that had attempted to murder Eris sure did the trick. She gave Andrei one last look, that of disgust, before taking Eris' hand. She was more than ready to leave.

Brett stood to one side, so that the ladies could walk ahead of him, putting himself between them and Andrei, taking Eris' lead in not saying a word to the man. he could see what she was doing, and whilst he was still cautious in case the man tried something as they left, he saw no reason to countermand it. As she was, he was glad that they were getting to leave first. Not having Andrei waiting for them in the dark was a good thing in his book.

Eris led the way, keeping hold of Ava's hand, and she smiled at people as she left. Yes, leaving first was the way to go. "We have apartments at our building, dear." Eris said as they exited. "I'd prefer if you stayed in one of them tonight. There's building security and he wouldn't know they're there." she stated. "We can figure out something else later. But I don't want you going home tonight, or anywhere he can easily find you."

Ava was not as good of an actress as Eris was in this kind of situation. Sure, she could fake it with the best of them in private, but right now? She couldn't wipe the look from her face. She nodded to Eris at first, but when she looked at Eris again she made sure to lock eyes. "I'll stay with you tonight, but he will not run me from my home." She'd worked hard for that penthouse and the things inside it. And it wasn't like Andrei had a key to her place, but she could take precautions anyway like changing the locks. But there was no way in hell he would make her leave her place. Unless she got an even better place, but in this city, she highly doubted something like that existed.

Again, insults that -- from anyone else -- would have rolled like water off his apathetic back had left him livid as they fell from Eris' lips. He didn't much care right now about the attention of the public, but he was furiously fixated on the fact that Eris was smiling so smugly when she left. Although, once they had gone, there was really no reason to stay any longer. He actually did enjoy good food, but the last kind of mood he was in was one willing to sit down and enjoy it. So he paid. And then he left -- not hurriedly -- but not really pretending to be in any kind of good mood either. He was pissed, and fuming, and really of a mind to take on the only kind of work that made him feel better.