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You leaned back in your chair and tapped the side of your face while making a thoughtful sound, but the truth was that you’d already come up with an answer to her question. You just wanted her to think that you’d thought it through a bit more before letting it fly out of your mouth.
<span class="mu-r">“Honestly? No, not really. And I don’t think even the best of our heroes could claim otherwise. And that goes double for those of us that do this for their own personal gain.”</span>
Silvija tilted her chin up slightly and raised an eyebrow. She clearly wasn’t expecting that kind of response. You were just full of surprises like that.
<span class="mu-r">“You may not think much of me, but I love this city and the people that live in it.”</span> you continued. <span class="mu-r">“I just think that there shouldn’t be any reason that we both can’t get what we want. I like to believe that I fall somewhere squarely in the middle of both sides.”</span>
Sable’s inquisitive look shifted into a frown, and you suddenly felt the need to amend your statement.
<span class="mu-r">“Well, maybe not <span class="mu-i">exactly</span> in the middle. I'm sure you have a file on me somewhere around here. And if you read it, I’m sure that it’d paint a very confusing picture that would lead to you doubting my intentions even further.”</span>
Both women in the room shared a look that told you that was almost exactly the case.
<span class="mu-r">“I’m also going to hazard a guess and say that if you had deemed me too dangerous, I probably wouldn’t even be sitting here right now.”</span> you said. <span class="mu-r">“I mean, come on. Either I just walked into the world’s stupidest trap, or there’s a real, genuine chance that we might be able to see eye-to-eye on this.”</span>
Sable gave you a slight nod. <span class="mu-s">“You’re right. I <span class="mu-i">have</span> been watching you. You <span class="mu-i">are</span> dangerous.”</span> she said flatly. <span class="mu-s">“The only question is: ‘To whom do you pose a threat?’”</span>
You leaned forward a bit, keenly aware of the bodyguard shifting her weight from foot-to-foot right behind you. <span class="mu-r">“Not to you.”</span> you answered simply.
A long, pregnant pause filled the room, and you were beginning to wonder whether Silvija would answer you at all, when the corner of her mouth turned upward into a slight smirk. She was giving you a thoughtful look.
Alright, that wasn’t a bad sign at all. Better to keep the ball rolling.
<span class="mu-r">“On a scale of 1-10, how mad was Mr. Fantastic?”</span> you asked. <span class="mu-r">“I need to know if I should bring flowers to our upcoming meeting.”</span>
Sable waved a hand in front of her face. <span class="mu-s">“Not nearly as upset as he should have been. He was more worried that you or someone else would use it for ‘nefarious purposes’. But, when nothing serious happened, he eventually calmed down and went back to doing…whatever he does.”</span>
Well, that was reassuring. You weren’t exactly in the mood to get into a fight with the entire Fantastic Four. Just one of them would probably be able to tear you apart in only a few minutes.
(Cont.)
