12-08-2013, 09:05 AM
Vlad seemed happy with Artemis' decision to stay near the door. As the pretense of politeness faded, the criminal seemed ... pleased. There was a reaction he was used to. He expected the agents to act in a way without friendly preamble.
When Artemis moved on to her association with Cerberus, however, Vlad stepped away from the city window. Instead, he met the woman's gaze. Within the space of a breath, he was standing less than a foot from her. "At least Cerberus was created with a purpose in mind." The criminals, however, were taken from their prior lives and used until they were no longer valuable. They were twisted, formed to the SFA's purpose. Vlad ignored the fact that the analogy fit so cleanly. Instead, he pushed the thought away with a hiss of irritation. His threat levels remained just below the threshold of true danger.
He listened to Artemis' talk about understanding. It was a brilliant little speech. Inspiring, really. Vlad immediately seemed to push the explanation aside, casting it away as though it were a lie. It had to be. No agent came to the criminals looking to "truly understand them" and become friends, or some silly excuse for a partner. They came to learn more about them, yes. They came to find the ins and outs of the criminal, finding and exploiting their weaknesses and strengths. That's what the physical tests were for, and what the psychology tests were intended for ... everything.
As they moved on to the topic of the books, Vlad finally backed away from Artemis. What really seemed to calm him was how she avoided threatening him. Her hand wasn't even near the Purium blaster. That alone seemed to surprise him. Vlad's teal eyes stopped glowing, and his Purium crystal dimmed. Though he still nearly shook with the effort of not attacking the agent, he seemed willing to turn his attention elsewhere.
"An outside perspective," Vlad clasped his hands behind his back once again, regaining a calm composure - on the surface. "I would hazard to guess that the author had plenty of personal experience with each of the criminals in question." A slight smile teased his lips. "I am curious to know whether or not he ended up in a cell of his own."
Once again, the tall male fell silent. He wasn't one to carry on a conversation just to make her happy.
Last edited by Esmme; 12-08-2013 at 06:07 PM..
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