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"Now, now, if the lad is that in to you perhaps I should have a word with him? Five minutes, he'll either never call you again or I'll book the church myself." He grinned, clearly trying to keep a light hearted atmosphere but the simple idea that she would was dating some kid, let alone someone who had taken to hounding her filled him with an uncontrollable rage. He was lucky she was there because there no way he could stay enraged while she sat there, it would be like trying no to laugh at clowns. "I know you do but I still worry, I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened." He suddenly remembered the topic from last night being quite a downer and in a hasty effort to avoid talking about another one of her friends who had been in some trajic accident or equally depressing event, decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. "So, what's the plan? Are we driving down to the spaceport and taking a shuttle to Qerus or do you have plans and want to meet me later? If you up for the latter, I'll swing by the office and... Oh." He remembered he was lcked out until tomorrow and didn't really want to intrude on an underworld hunt. "Maybe I'll just go for a drive or something." He didn't know what normal people did when they weren't working or sleeping, he didn't really have any hobbies and there was only so much time he could spend with her before she inevitably grew tired of his dad jokes and unique music choice.

He listened with a slight frown, concerned but not quite sure the appropriate level of concern. He could tell from the way she was speaking and could guess from the context that some kids had decided to try and take advantage of her. He gritted his teeth together his mind slowly ticking away as he listened to her explain. "I see, did you tell anyone about this? Like a teacher or something." He asked but raised his hand, knowing full well that 'under wraps' was the same as 'to myself' in this case. "I take it you know their names? Just hand me a list, we'll say no more and they wont bother you again." He was trying really hard to keep composed. He already knew that from that one sentence he was going to go off the rails and start seeing red. He one goal was to not raise his voice, this wasn't her fault but nobody could mess with her and just get away with it. "We can take the shuttle but were going to sort this out first." He spoke in a very matter of fact way, he knew the sort of people who attended her school; snobby brats who think the law doesn't apply to them and the snake faced teachers who are in the pockets of the more popular families. He didn't like the system but stayed out of it because he reasoned that Zarah would be better off if he didn't interfere.

He listened and while she spoke he picked up her phone and took a glance at the photo, if she had thought that by showing him that and trying to reason with him would have calm him down; she was sorely mistake. If anything seeing the picture only added fuel to the fire. "Zarah, listen to me, I didn't go to school, so I don't know anything about what goes on inside those walls. But I do know that what happened to you wasn't right and people have to take responsibility for it." He put her phone down and flicked it back to her, the screen lingered on the image for a second before turning off. "If we leave this unresolved one of two things will happen; one, they wont stop and increase the intensity until it drives you to desperation. Or two, the same thing but becoming more and more physical before something terrible happens. And that would break my heart." He didn't mean to take the conversation down such a dark path but at the same time he wanted her to understand where he was coming from. "I know your teachers are blind to things like this, if they weren't do you think they'd have told me or your mother about it." Despite being separated he had complete faith in his wife to tall him if their daughter was being bullied, she would have barged into his office and flipped his desk to make him listen. "So, were going to deal with this like Harcrow's and after that, they'll rue the day they messed with you." He was calm and finished with a smile but there was something burning in his eyes.

He nodded, he wasn't really prone to violence either but he did know how to ruin people's lives. It was just that knowing how to do it and actually going through with it were two different things. "Don't worry, we're just going to have few words with each of them, make sure the delete the picture and all the other copies are removed from existence. Who is the ring leader? Is it Dare? He sounds like a real stand up gentleman." He smiled and stood up, taking out his phone as he did. He connecting an earpiece as he flicked through his contacts, dialling one seconds later. "Hey, Frankie, remember that favour?" He winked at Zarah, motioning for them to go and then went and picked up their bags. He relied on her to make sure everything was off and they had keys and passes and things as he was terrible with that sort of thing. The person on the other end of the line kept going on and on until Steven drew the conversation a head. "Can I get two of your friends to meet me somewhere? Call it repaying one of your debts... Maybe." He gave her a thumbs up and put the bags in the boot. "Good I'll send you the address." He claimbed inside the car and waited for her to join him. "A little insurance to make sure things go smoothly. Right who first? Clark and Roy or Varen? The girls live in the same place, I know Varen's father." He started the car and started driving, he might not have know much about their kids but he knew an awful lot about their parents.

"Varen it is. Would you just reach into the glove box and get the red memory card? Put this one away while your at it." He pressed a button and a little card popped out of his phone, each card was like a different phone, loaded with its own numbers and set up. The red one was filled with everything Stratos, things that concerned him or that he found useful, he tried to keep them blackmail free but anything could be considered compromising if it was spun in the right light. "Just because Dare left your school doesn't mean he's off the hook, you know that right. We have to make sure he deletes that photo, didn't make any copies and understand that he shouldn't do it ever again." He didn't want to sound cruel but once he set out to do something he couldn't just stop mid way though, you don't get to be a mildly successful business consultant with thank kind of attitude. "Besides, handling a group of blackmailers and weirdo's is the same as dealing with a corporation who is hell bent on running a tiny store out of business. Know more than they do and then merge everything so that you own the majority share." He grinned, pulling the car to stop outside the Varen residence. "I wont force you to come inside but it would be the first step in standing up to them." He turned off the engine and got out, looking back into the car for her response.

He grinned and clapped his hands. "Oh, I'm not mad. Yet. Things will take a turn for the worse if they don't show remorse but we'll deal with that when it happens." He shut the door and checked his appearance in the reflection, first impressions were important in every social occasion. As he turned to face the house his expression grew solemn, in his mind it was important to set the mood from the very beginning and the mood for today was don't mess with my daughter or I'll ruin you. He approached the house and waited for his daughter to catch up, it was important that she was there. "Remember, no matter what happens I'll take responsibility. Also, you look nice today, new dress?" He almost broke character for a second before pressing the bell. A tall, thin man opened the door and looked at them, his eyes sunken and hollow from the stress of debts that had piled way too high and the sleepless nights that came with that. "Morning Ray, you mind if I come in and speak to the boy?" He didn't wait for a real answer but instead barged inside pushing the man backwards until he was past the threshold. All the time the man was mumbling something but it was too quiet for humans to hear. Steven watched him for a moment, letting him compose himself before speaking again. "I know he's here, shout him down." He spoke in a stern commanding voice, Ray looked between the two of them then turned and shouted his son. A moment later his son emerged and stood at the top of the stairs. "Jonathan? Come down here, I want a few word with you and your father." He really hoped he wasn't the running kind. He didn't feel like a chase this early in the morning. But you just never knew how people would respond to being confronted directly.

He waited until the kid had reached the bottom of the stairs, he was purposely taking his time but it mattered little to Steven, he had all day and was committed to solving the matter. "Don't worry this wont last long, if you do what I tell you." He didn't smile, his eyes watched him with disgust but that was the only emotion he seemed to portray. "I know what you did and so you have until the count of three to delete the picture and ensure me that you don't have any other copies of it, and in return I'll leave you alone. You have until the count of three. One..." He like to think that he was a man of his word, although in this case he really wanted to punch the boy and be done with it he felt that wasn't going to impress Zarah. "I don't know what lies that b***h has been telling you." Steven nodded slowly, a vein bulged in his head but he held it back. "Two..." He managed to bite his tongue long enough to get to two, if Zarah wasn't there he would have almost certainly hit him for that. "Zarah, you went crying to your daddy and now he thinks he can threaten me." Steven smiled and shook his head slightly as if there had been some sort of misunderstanding somewhere. "And here I though I could try reasoning with you. Three." He looked over at Ray. "I've had a look at your finances and I can defiantly get you back in the black." There was a glimmer of something in Ray's eyes as he looked at him. "Take his phone and smash it, then do the same with his computer and anything else that might hold a picture. Go on, you know what's more important." Ray hesitated for a moment then followed Steven orders to the letter. "You can stop this if you tell me everything about the picture." He still had time but from the banging behind them not long.

Jonathan looked between the uncompromising face of Steven and the unsympathetic eyes of Zarah for a moment, every time there was a loud crash or bang in the back ground he would flinch hard, until it was too much to bear. "Alright, please make it stop." Steven kept his eyes trained on him for a moment longer before calling off Ray, he directed Jonathan into the dining room and took Ray into the kitchen to get him something to drink. He didn't have anything against the father except he hadn't raised a good kid but there wasn't much he could do about that. He returned to the dining room and raised his hand to Zarah, the man was fine but this was hardly the time to ask about it. "The photo. You make any copies?" The boy shook his head, it wasn't that Steven didn't believe him it was just he like to be safe. He produced a contract projector and placed it in front of him, a blank document opened up before them. "Repeat after me: I, then your name, do herby declare that I will delete the image in question from any device I see it on, will not send it on to anyone else and report any additional sightings to Steven Harcrow. If I breach any of these points I offer up my life as forfeit." The words appeared on the screen as he said them, it made oral contracts a lot more binding when you could use them like this. "Sigh here. You will receive a hard copy in the post in the next few days" He picked up the device and put it back in his pocket. "Come on Zarah." He motioned to the door and walked out, he didn't take any particular pleasure in bulling the kid.