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 Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 10:53 pm
Autry twirled a piece of lettuce through the salad dressing pooled in the bottom of the plate. "Nah, this is just kid stuff. I did work for the Mafia over in Switzerland, and up through Germany and down into Italy, then I got into arms dealing and drug trafficking. Independent work. Mostly through the Mediterranean and into North Africa."
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:01 pm
"I'm impressed." And she was, almost despite herself. "None of those are particularly easy markets to move through."
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:09 pm
"It's just a matter of who you know. Do the right person a favor and sometimes make a demonstration of what happens when people don't reciprocate those favors." He gave another shrug as he crunched down on his salad. Chewing and swallowing, he went on, "Not exactly the best precursor to a job in Security, much less Investigations. I'm sure your former line of work better prepared you for Intelligence, right? You must have had to do some gathering of information."
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:15 pm
"Via demonstrations," she returned lightly. She pushed around her salad again and then lowered her fork to her plate, pushing it away slightly. "I was well trained for certain aspects of my current position."
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:18 pm
"Hmh, well, the Fleet makes honest messengers of us all," said Autry cryptically, finishing off his salad, or at least as much of it as he was intending to eat.
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:31 pm
"Whether we will or no." Sitting back in her chair once more, Serafima glanced around their little alcove thoughtfully. "Messengers from thieves and murders and soldiers. I suppose it's almost poetic, really."
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:37 pm
"I've never been much for poetry," said Autry, and lapsed into silence. He understood that the Fleet's safe haven meant a great deal to a lot of people and that he was doing something terrible by disparaging it.
Luckily the main courses arrived then, and Autry managed a weak "I think production won't wrap for a year at the soonest, theyr'e going to have a lot of post work." It was hardly the sort of statement that made for juicy rumor, but it maintained their cover story for the waiter, which was good enough.
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:49 pm
Sensing that something she said had thrown him, Serafima picked up her wine glass and shot a brilliant, startlingly lovely smile at the waiter who flushed and almost dropped the plates he was setting on the table. Then she turned her attention back to Autry. "Provided they don't fall behind schedule on the digital work. Which will drive John crazy, you know."
It was a near thing but she had remembered to inflect her words in the British manner, vaguely remembering that she was supposed to be from Wales but long since discarded those tones.
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Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 11:52 pm
Autry watched the waiter disappear from earshot and nodded. "He's gone. You're pretty quick on the pickup." He took his knife and began to dice his meat into more manageable cubes with practiced skill. He paused halfway through to help himself to more of the wine.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:02 am
"It's part of the job," she answered as she retrieved her own untensils. "I may not be on active duty but the training stands. Besides I want to at least last until dessert, don't you?"
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:05 am
"When they see the tip I'm leaving, they won't care if we're the real Ed Norton and Catherine Zeta-Jones, believe me," said Autry. "The tip alone could have got us in here, but this is a bit more fun, don't you think? It isn't every day you have dinner with a famous movie star." He turned on the charm with his smile, and his foot maybe brushed past hers under the table, lightly enough it could have been a coincidence.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:08 am
She smirked, the only evidence that she had felt his foot was a slight shifting of her body, elbow on the table, chin resting on the back of her hand as she leaned towards him. "I don't know, -Ed-," she murmured. "Why don't you tell -me-?"
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:13 am
"Why Catherine," smirked Autry, "what will your husband think?" He seemed to have quite forgotten his food, smiling and looking deeply into her eyes, deep enough to lose himself in them.
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:17 am
"He might very well be jealous." She laughed, watching his eyes track her own with amusement. "I should start a rumor that he's president of your fan club." She smirked. "But then I would have to remember his name and I seem to have a block against that."
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 12:25 am
"Michael Douglas," murmured Autry. "Maybe I should have pretended to be him." He finally took a bite of his steak and found it cooked to near-perfection, on the rare side, as he liked it. "Mhm! This is good. How's yours?"
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