plotting the future

who: nate and ari
where: school
when: morning

Nate Konovich walked down the school hallways without looking left or right. He held himself upright, confident, determined, but there was something about his posture and stride that suggested that it was purposefully put on, as though he had to work at it. Maybe it was the black. Today, the teenager was dressed entirely in black. Black shirt, black silk tie, black pants. There was a perfect shine to his black shoes. It was an outfit carefully chosen to state without question that there was mourning to be done for yesterday's attacks. But it was also chosen because the attire set off his blonde hair, blue eyes and chiseled features. The starkness of it all served his purpose.

He knew exactly where he was headed, and today he walked up to Arienne DiGiovanni without pause. Today they had no need to avoid each other, and today he didn't have to play at animosity. Not right now. "I'm sorry for your loss," he told her, purposefully echoing his last words of the previous night, just for her, though for everyone else they were a message: he was putting differences aside for now, though not entirely - the words were said without any actual emotion behind them.

Arienne was also in black, though hers was chosen for her as opposed to anything specific on her own part. Therefore it was also not her usual style. It was something much less flowing and much more form fitting. Something that had sharp lines and set against her pale skin made everything stand out all the more. Her hair was pulled back as well--something it usually wasn't. Twisted up, it was all a beautiful picture, it just wasn't one that was normal for the girl. She stiffened slightly at his words, even if it was fully feigned. She nodded, head down a slight bit as it had been all morning. "Thank you." she said, voice soft. Distant, though polite. "I appreciate that."

He stood, still formally, rather than leaning against something as he normally would. "I wanted to let you know, if there is anything I can do to make this time easier for you, please do let me know. I can quite understand that you may not have the heart, or energy, to carry out some matters right now," he offered to her. He chose the words carefully, so that if she took him up on the offer, she wouldn't lose face, long term. But if she didn't, it would seem as if that was by choice and not as some kind of a slap in the face to him.

She nodded, seemingly unaware of the people who were intently watching them, not even pretending to be going about their own business. "I...may require a grace period." she admitted after a long moment. As if the decision was difficult for her, but in the end it was all too much. "Perhaps we should adjourn to the library, to a study room, so we can go over things."

Nate nodded, also ignoring everyone else. "I think that would be a good idea - you can take me through everything which needs to be done. And then you can leave things to me, I'm more than capable of taking care of them during your... grace period," he allowed, playing the part of someone who was attempting to be the understanding gentleman during this time.

Arienne nodded, then turned to lead the way towards the school library. She'd chosen there instead of the activities room because there were small study rooms inside the library proper which lacked doors with windows. Certainly there were windows outside, but the library was on the second floor so it would be difficult for people to spy on them. She said nothing as they got to the library and she checked one of the rooms out for the school period--something that wasn't questioned considering who she was. And then she headed inside, trusting Nathaniel to follow her.

Nate closed the door behind them and, as he did, he dropped the act he'd been carrying for the rest of the school. "So - was the rest of your night... interesting?" he asked her, as though it hadn't involved the death of her mother. He'd taken the measure of her last night in that regard, whatever fleeting concerns he may have had about overstepping the mark had long since dissipated.

Ari dropped her act as well, and went and sat on the small table there, crossing her legs as she swung her feet back and forth just slightly. She smiled at him. "Yes." she said. "Yours? I heard some...buzz over the breakfast table this morning. Something happened..." she prompted, pulling her bag over towards herself slightly as she looked inside for something.

"Russians can take their religion just as seriously as Italians," Nate said, crossing to come nearer to her, taking in her appearance. So different to her normal style. "Some of my step-father's men were there. Two were killed - one with his entire family. A handful more were injured." He stopped, a pace or two from her. "And then there was the killing yesterday morning," he added, since he knew about that one now. To say Iakov had been angry had been putting it mildly. There would be repercussions.

Her smile faded as he spoke, and she realized that her suspicions were correct. Or they would be correct soon. Her plans were going to have to change, and change drastically, depending on what happened. And it looked like things for Nate would have to as well. "I see." she said. "...things are going to need to be done very carefully from here, I believe." she added. "Is there going to be fall out from you? Will you gain from this?" she asked, unsure how it might go for him.

Nate smiled a little. "I've already gained from this. Iakov's steaming, ready to rain down thunder as soon as he finds a target. And he never has to look far for that - especially not when... colleagues of your family gunned down his business associates at the docks last night. It wasn't too hard to push him in the right direction. He's more malleable in those moods, and I got him to agree to include me in his plans - as soon as he decides just what those plans are." The smile grew a little more at that, with the anticipation of what was to come.

She watched his eyes, listened to every word. "Are you going to be murdering my family, Nathaniel?" she asked. She wasn't sure how high his step father would be aiming. And she was pleased to hear that he was getting a leg up in the middle of all of this. That undoubtedly would save them a lot of work and painstaking smaller steps to put him into position. However, if the plan was to take out her family, then she was no longer relevant. She was sure he would find a way to spare her, but there was only so much he was going to be able to do. Or possibly that he would be willing to do.

"I doubt it," Nate told her. "He believes in an eye for an eye - and he can be specific about that when he wants to be. I doubt that he'll land on your family specifically. Now, the families of your associates - they may wish to watch their backs," he added, giving her a little smile. It was clear from his demeanour that he didn't have any issue with talking about this, about talking of planned brutality, probably murder. "The girl we were talking about the other day, Ramona? Bartellucci, right? Her family is more probable. She may want to be careful getting into that big black car of hers." Nate hadn't had the opportunity to meet the girl, but he'd been paying more attention since Arienne highlighted her.

Arienne considered that, and nodded. She'd take that under advisement. Possibly invite Ramona back to her own home this evening. Distract her with wanting to go elsewhere, something. It didn't fit into her plans that Ramona be targeted. She could be an ally in the future, she wasn't ready to give that up yet. "This is going to escalate." she said, something she was positive he knew already, therefore it wasn't delivered in the way that suggested it was news. Just that it was a fact they should consider.

"It is," Nate agreed, also not questioning that at all. "We didn't start this. And I doubt you did either. Certainly not what happened in the park last night - maybe the man who was killed yesterday morning?" he asked. Iakov was cursing and blaming everything on her family's organisation, but Nate had a rather more cool head on his shoulders. People from both sides were killed last night - last night made no sense at all, and that made him question the murder of Vladivostock, when normally he would have assumed it was Di Giovanni work, if rather more originally sourced than most. the only thing he was certain was mafia-related was the attack on the Lotus last night. That felt practically run of the mill.

"As far as I know, we didn't have anything to do with that. But I will admit that I don't know everything. But I imagine there would have been at least some talk of it this morning in light of everything else." Arienne said, reaching out to trace her fingers along the edge of his collar as if straightening it. "And while I believe the two of us can clearly see things, I have my doubts that anyone else will even pause to consider. So this is going to snowball. The question is how are you and I going to deal with it?"

Instinctively, Nate felt that this had come at the wrong time, that if this had come in five, ten - hell, even two years time, it would be easier to use this. To ride out the storm and come out on top. In the future, this could have been good for them. There could have been any number of ways they could have played this. But, it wasn't the future. It was right now. And just because something was harder, didn't mean it was impossible. Nate didn't believe in impossible - just challenge. "On my side, if I do well in the next couple of days, it'll do a lot to finally get Iakov on side," he said, thinking that through. "He's angry, vulnerable right now. He's lost men, he doesn't understand what's going on. He's treating it like the war has come to town. There are gaps in the Syndicate's operation, and in the way he's dealing with things. If I can show that I can be there to fill those gaps, well, that kind of thing gets remembered. And if Iakov doesn't remember it, then his colleagues certainly will," Nate said, then a thought occurred to him and he sat down next to her, a smile growing across his face. "...Of course, there is another way," he said, thoughtfully. "He's not dealing well right now, he's reacting. Possibly over reacting. With the right kind of impetus, the right words and suggestions put out there in the right places, he could end up making some very, very bad decisions. And that would be bad for business, it might even make him appear to be dangerously unstable. One thing the Syndicate hates is anything that's bad for business... He'd have to go."

Ari nodded at that, following the logic. "And if he should happen to prove to be a liability, where would that put you?" she asked. She was aware it didn't work like her own family--Max had explained that to her. That it was all merit not family. So just because his step father would be out of the picture didn't mean that it would actually effect his standing. "How much authority do you think you could realistically take over, and will your age impact that?"

"My age and general experience will mean that I would never be acceptable for his replacement, not yet," Nate told her, knowledgeable enough about the inner workings of the Syndicate. "If Iakov goes, then he would be replaced by one of his captains. I can think of a few candidates. It would be likely that one would assume command immediately, for the short term, and then thereafter would either be confirmed in his new position, or would be requested to step down if they decided someone else was more suitable. And, if he refused to do so, then he'd be stepped down. What I could gain from it would be reputation, advancement - someone who was more predisposed towards me."

"Could you set in place someone who would take you under their wing so to speak?" Ari asked. "Someone who not only would be predisposed towards you but who wanted what you could offer? Someone you could depose when you needed to?"

Nate considered that for a moment, looking up towards the ceiling, before turning back to her. "Not immediately. The prime candidates are all too set in their ways, they've already got their men around them. I could think of some it would definitely be better for me to have in charge, but for someone who was very much my man? Well, really it all comes down to how bad things are about to get - and where that is targeted," he said, giving her a look that suggested that maybe they could have a hand in that one.

Ari of course immediately got what he meant there, it had been on the tip of her tongue to suggest that they manipulate the explosive struggle that was about to happen from the inside. "What are you going to get most recognition for?" she asked. "What do you need to pull out of all of this to be in the right position for things?"

"Immediately, keeping my head and being willing to do whatever needs to be done, without question. Eventually? Being willing to question at the right times, being able to put forward suggestions that actually work. Plans and jobs that benefit the organisation. Making a name for myself, building my reputation," Nate told her. "And to be in the right position for things, I need Iakov, then Gregor Sidorov and Petrov Androvich off the scene." He considered it a little more. "They'll want a Russian in charge - 'they' being the original connection. The Syndicate still has strong ties to Russia," he explained. "Moving up, it works as a meritocracy, but when you get right to the top, it's pretty much like your side of things - blood tells. But by losing Iakov and his two closes advisors, we lose not only his two most obvious replacements, but also the strongest connections to the fact that I'm not his real son. I've been Konovich for ten years now - give or take the times when it's suited me not to be. I think I could probably even 'find' some adoption papers to formalise that. Between that and actually proving myself? And if someone takes over who isn't Konovich, and who would have an eye towards 'mentoring' me, then I think we could have a good set up."

Ari was quiet as she considered these things. "What if I happened to give Gregor or Petrov's name to someone I know who could take them out of commission?" she posed. She was of course considering her brother. Max would want some action soon either way, and she had an idea that he would take what she offered and go with it, regardless. And with the state of things, it could even work in other forms, just so long as she kept her source quiet.

"I think that would be unfortunate for Sidorov and Androvich," Nate replied, not at all against the idea. "Of course, they're both fairly well protected," he added, though he didn't see that as necessarily being a problem. It would depend who she gave their names to. Within both of their organisations there existed people whose job was dealing with specified targets, and it wouldn't surprise him overly much if she had contacts with that sort. She was core DiGiovanni, after all.

"Which one would you prefer falls first?" Ari asked him, leaning slightly closer, watching his eyes. "That is, if fate opted to favor your advancement, of course." Fate could be manipulated, if one did it correctly and she made it her business to do that.

Nate didn't blink as he held her gaze. "I don't believe in 'fate'," he told her. Fate was whatever you made it. Destiny was whatever you created for yourself. "Sidorov would be easier - so Androvich. Once they get wind that they could be targets, their protection will only increase. It makes more sense to go for the harder one first, or else he may be out of reach."

Arienne nodded, a little smile lighting her lips. "Noted." she told him, having the name, and now she was good to go. "You know, there is a rather mouthy Jew who drops her name like it's nothing with a gallery downtown. There's a showing." she said. She'd heard enough complaining about the girl and how she spouted off her name enough over the dinner table. "I'm sure her family is going to be there to support her, it's only polite."

"Interesting - her name?" Nate asked. Information for information, it was only fair, and if he could give Iakov a target, and let it be known in the right circles that he'd 'helped' put this one together - there was no way that iakov would allow him to take total credit, even if it was due, after all - it would take him a long way.

"Shoshannah Hagel." Arienne said, smiling at him. "I've got faith you can put that to good use." she told him. There. They both had little plans, they both had tasks to strive towards. Hopefully, they would put them both in a better place than they currently were. "I have something for you." she told him, changing the subject. And she reached into her bag to pull out a small box with a black ribbon wrapped around it.

"For me?" he asked, smiling both at the name, and the box as he took it from her. He seemed actually touched by the idea of a gift - especially one so unexpected.

She nodded, a single incline of her head. Inside the box, after she'd very carefully let the caked on blood dry onto the necklace she'd been wearing the night before, she'd wrapped it up for him. There was still blood on the chain, and the little silver disc had been just curved enough to catch the light--so there was a good portion of blood that had set in there. It was nearly black at the center it had been so thick. She imagined it was something he would appreciate, a sentiment that was just between them, a moment in time, commemorated.

Nate carefully lifted the necklace out by the chain, letting the pendant spin slightly, looking at it from all angles. He knew what it was, of course. He recognised it, and seeing it again brought back memory of the way that the blood had been splattered across her chest. It had been cooling when he touched it, felt it under his fingers against her skin. "Thank you," he said, though he didn't look at her - he was still fascinated by watching the dried blood against the silver.

She was watching him as he appreciated the gift, and it was the reaction she was hoping for. That it would mean something, and so far as she could tell, she'd hit the mark. She had another gift for him too but that one would have to wait, she didn't have it yet. "You're welcome." she told him. "I imagine you can put a clear lacquer on it, to ensure it stays as it is, but I thought you might like it better in it's natural state. At least for now." she told him. Yes, she'd put quite a lot of thought into it.

Nate’s gaze lingered for a little longer on the pendant, then suddenly ticked up to hers. “Yes,” he confirmed, laying the necklace carefully back into the box and replacing the lid. He held it in his hands, something precious to him. “Yes, I like that better. I still have your souvenir,” he added, he considered it his gift to her. “It’s at the cemetery, in my step-father’s family crypt.” It said something about the Konovich family that they hadn’t been in Eidolon for much more than a decade, but they already had a family crypt. It said money. And death. Nate had always appreciated that.

Arienne smiled at that. "Perhaps some night we should meet there." she said. She thought it might be interesting. Not only that, but more private than anywhere else. No one was going to go poking around the cemetery, not in crypts they weren't meant to be in. So, she was definitely considering that a place they could see one another. She could bring candles.

"I was thinking of that," Nate agreed. It would be private for them - at least, until something happened to Iakov. He had his own ideas in that regard. He wanted the man taken down by his own. That would feel like justice, and it would be better for Nate in the long run. People needed to remember Iakov poorly, not as a hero or a martyr, then if anyone recalled how he hadn't supported his 'son', then they wouldn't question Nate - they would question Iakov's mental state. But that was a consideration for the future, not right now. "Last night was... Special for me," he admitted, turning his attention to the girl beside him.

"It was for me as well." she told him, voice just a tiny bit quieter as she leaned slightly closer. "I wish there hadn't been so many potential witnesses around. I would have wanted to linger much longer." she admitted. Which was one hundred percent true. She'd desperately wanted to stay there, to remain with him, to savor the entire ordeal. To indulge herself and him.

"It was hard to leave you," Nate added, also dropping his voice, mirroring her as he leaned in. "I didn't want to." But whilst he was a guy who revelled in taking risks, some risks were a step too far, even for him. And kissing a DiGiovanni in the middle of a public place was one of them. That wasn't a risk: it was a death wish.

She kept her eyes on his, pleased at the reciprocation happening. "I didn't want you to either. I didn't want to leave myself. Something tells me we'll be hard pressed to come upon such an opportunity again." she said. "But I have faith that it'll stand out in my memory very clearly."

It had stood out in his memory as well, and in the intervening hours his mind had returned to it, time and again. He didn't think that would change in the near future. It was a memory to savour, he was doing that just now, reliving it even as they spoke. "I wanted to kiss you," he told her, though he felt she already knew that.

"I wanted you to." she told him. And how she felt on the matter was quite clear. She'd wanted him to with an ache she hadn't realized existed for her. Certainly for others, but never herself. She understood normal emotions because she needed to be able to do that to properly manipulate those around her. But with Nathaniel, everything was much more real. It wasn't an act put on, it was truth, in it's own strange way. "I wanted to do more than I did."

He looked at her for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her, still holding the box in his hands, reliving how the blood had felt on her skin, imagining it still there. It wasn't last night, here and now, but everything was so fresh, and with her gift, he could recapture all of that.

Arienne was fully immersed in the moment herself, so when he kissed her, she returned it. It wasn't her first kiss, but it was their first kiss. And the others had merely been small things given out for specific purposes. This was different, on all levels. It was the first time she'd really gone with desire, really found herself wrapped up in that. Generally nothing affected her like this. But him, the circumstances the night before, that feeling of sharing things no one else would even begin to understand...it quite effectively had Ari's attention. Nathaniel had her attention. And she wanted him to know that.

Nate finally placed the box on the table behind them, not breaking the kiss at all as he placed it carefully out of reach. The gift was precious to him, he didn't want anything jolting it, or risking flaking the dried blood off the silver surface. That would never do, but he wasn't willing to stop this either, this was equally special for him, she was equally special. She was someone he'd never even imagine could exist as he reached to touch her skin, the side of her neck.

Ari made a soft little sound, something that wasn't a play, wasn't feigned. She tilted her head to accommodate him, wanting this. Him. She wasn't thinking about where anything was leading, she wasn't planning anything. Really, for nearly the first time in her life she was just going with something. She wasn't looking at the next step at all, she was right there, in the now, in the moment, with him. It felt a little like it was the first time she was alive, or awake. It was a revelation. Arienne hadn’t even realized she’d been missing something. She lived her life on a timeline. She set things up, she looked to the future. Which meant most of her time was spent merely enduring the current day, classes, homework, conversations where she was bored so badly she started throwing in little manipulators just to spice up the conversations the dull witted girls at school were having.

This was anything but dull. And she wasn't enduring her time. She was right there with him, right now.

Nate deepened the kiss, not wanting this to end at all. This wasn't like every other time - and there'd been lots of other times - everything about her was different. She compelled him in ways that he couldn't put words to. Kissing her was an insane action, even for him, but just being with her, playing the games they'd been playing - it was all insane. Yet doing it made him feel alive, and stopping now... He'd sooner jump into the river and drown. This was living, this was life. And she felt it too.

As she did that, Nate went with it, sliding his hands down to her waist and lifting her enough to pull her into his lap, sitting back on the table so she was straddling him. Definitely something that nice girls didn't do, but something he very much wanted and, so far, they'd been of one mind in what they wanted.

There was another sound from her with that, though it wasn't one of protest. It was strange, but the idea that they could get caught in there, like last night with everyone screaming around them, it didn't detract. She was kissing him with abandon when he moved her, feeling her heart race. It felt too hot in the room, and like she was going through sensory overload and yet still wanted more.

He finally broke the kiss, just enough that he could take a breath, pulling back an inch or so to look at her, wanting to see her eyes right now. As he did so, his hands slid to her hips, pulling her down a little more, hard against him as he pushed up just enough to move against her.

Ari watched his eyes in return, still lost in the moment there with him. Her own breath was ragged, short, uneven. She drew her lower lip between her teeth, running her tongue over it a moment. Her eyes dropped to half shut when he moved, and she drew in a shakey breath with it. She definitely wasn't used to the sorts of reactions he was getting out of her, but that was something that she was reveling in. She hadn't considered it possible before Nathaniel had walked into her life. Taking a little bit of initiative of her own, she slid her nails along the back of his neck, just beneath the collar, and dug them in a little more than was strictly necessary.

“You know,” Nate told her, slightly breathless himself. “Anyone could walk in at any time.” The door wasn’t locked - someone may want to talk to either one of them, or may not realise that there was anyone in here at all. The idea of being disturbed when he was with a girl didn’t bother him that much. The concept of being disturbed with her - well, the stakes were a lot higher, but, for him, that just gave a little extra bite to all of this, more thrill. There was nothing he loved more than a challenge, riding that line.

The little dark smile that touched her lips when he said that said it all for her. She liked the way he sounded, and she had considered what he was saying. "I am aware." she told him, leaning a little closer, sliding her dug in nails a little bit, scratching him, just slightly, where it wouldn't be seen unless he wanted it to be. Ticking her gaze between his eyes, she could see the reflections of the windows in the room in them, the darker silhouette of herself. "Is that going to stop you?" she asked.

For Nate, in any situation there were two responses. There was the ‘right’ response, and there was the truth. Of course, what the ‘right’ response was, differed depending on what the situation was. He knew that, right here and now, if he was pretending to be anything other than himself, the answer would be ‘of course, that bothers me, we should stop’, maybe with a continuance in another place and time. That right answer wouldn’t be the truth. And she got the truth. “No - that’s not going to stop me. The only thing that would stop me right now is you,” he told her. If she didn’t want to take this further right now, then he would stop. Otherwise, he had no intentions of spoiling this thrill.

Considering that, she drew in closer, nuzzling against his cheek for a moment before she traveled to his ear. Exhaling softly into it, a nice little sigh, she spoke in an almost steady hush--but not quite. "There are certain things I feel we should wait on for different circumstances," she started, mind having provided her with certain details they couldn't fulfill at this juncture. "I feel if you're going to be drawing blood from me," which he would considering her status as untouched, "It's only fair that I draw blood from you." And that was something they were both heavily interested in, and she thought he might appreciate.

He’d thought she had his entire attention before, but as she said that, if was as if she had caught it even further. He had another flash back to seeing her, streaks of blood across her skin in the darkness, only, this time, when he thought about it, it was his blood. He moved against her, clearly caught by her suggestion. “What did you have in mind?” he asked, a moment or two after he should have answered for it to be smooth.

She smiled at that, after a soft little sound he got out of her. "Someplace private. Someplace where if there's screaming involved--and I imagine there will be--then we're not going to risk being overheard. Someplace where we can spend the night, take our time." she added. She traced her fingers along the side of his neck towards his collarbone as well, the idea forming in her mind more solidly than it had before, even if she'd had light inklings of something of the kind. "I had in mind a gift. Something everyone would see, that would tell a story of you surviving against heavy odds. And nothing tells a story like that like a scar."

“I'll find us somewhere,” he promised, and this time there was absolutely no hesitation. Nor did he ask for any further details. She’d given him enough to get him excited, to make him know that the rest of the day would be spent tracking some place down. He wanted this, all of this - and the tidbits she’d given him, even the suggestion that whatever she would do would hurt him, enough to make him scream, make him bleed - certainly enough to leave a scar. That only made him more eager, more determined that this was going to happen. Nothing she’d said detracted from this in the slightest.

Arienne bit lightly at his earlobe before she moved to look him in the eyes again. "Do that. And when you do, you let me know and I'll arrive whenever you want me to." And she knew she would do that, she would pull out all of the stops to manage it. She'd sneak out, she'd slip from any security measures in place, she'd do whatever it took to get her there with him. She'd take whatever consequences came down on her for it.

“You can count on it,” he promised. After what she’d said, nothing could get in his way in planning this. Absolutely nothing. He leaned in and kissed her again, though this time he didn’t draw it out.

She kissed him in return, chasing after him just a little to give him a couple of lingering kisses, before she drew back. It was all moving quickly but she was happy with that. She was happy with how things were working out with him in general. Nathaniel matched her. And she'd never imagined that as a possibility. The city was going to change one day. Things were going to go in directions no one else thought feasible. That no one else considered. They were going to rewrite things in their own image.

And beyond that, there was a part of her that appreciated things on a much more personal level than she ever did. It was that existing in the moment aspect of their relationship, that she was just discovering. She wanted him. She wanted to be with him. And she planned on making that happen no matter who she had to tear down in the process. This had all gotten personal for her, something that was new. And there was an undiscovered fierceness that went along with it that she wanted to hang onto. It was all playing with fire, but she was happy with that.