When The Devil Comes Knocking [Alastair, Arlette]

The cats? That was what this was all going to boil down to? Even Alastair could not contain his surprise that Antonetta might be undone by her pets, as it only seemed natural to assume that a woman in her position and profession would not be so attached to such creatures. Still, perhaps it had been naive of him to assume that there was such a weakness out there.

"That is not quite the silver bullet that I was hoping for, but it is something to consider when moving forwards."

He huffed, though more out of irritation than exasperation, before sinking down into a seat of his own. Whatever was going on with Antonetta, he did not know if this next encounter would be the end of it. If they failed then she might not return, but was that a victory that they had won or another defeat? This silent war would find a way to take its toll soon enough, it seemed.

"How are you managing? Your health is quite pertinent to me and I cannot help but notice that your condition is still rather poor."

A sudden, cutting question but her answer was likely quite important. It was hard to fight with one arm tied behind your back, especially when that arm was the one that could actually anticipate what might come next.

"The most genuine silver bullet would be me. Antonetta doesn't care about anybody even remotely as much as she cares about us. I don't imagine it's too surprising to you that none of us have ever thought much of the idea of being 'sisters.' But Antonetta's always been different. Gentler. She's always wanted to be a family."

Arlette knew that much was true. Nobody else mattered to Antonetta, so how could she really even think of an alternative? It was only Alastair's followup question that took her out of that thought process, and her expression grew a bit sour, glancing toward one of the windows.

"It's not surprising. Injury like this isn't something most people are meant to go through. I can at least walk on my own now. There's not any worry I'm going to just collapse out of nowhere and need someone to save me."

The thought that being saved again would have been the worst thing did cross her mind, but that only irritated her more. At least it looked like it was simply toward the situation on the whole.

Arlette was quite right, she would be the perfect bait to lure Antonetta out, but Alastair would never consider that a feasible possibility until she was firing on all cylinders again. He was bold, occasionally to the point of foolishness, but even he would not take such a risk with a friend's life. There was far too much to lose than to gain, from where he was sitting.

"I imagine most people might have died from the procedure, for that alone I am inspired by your spirit. I can see you pushing yourself a little further every day, please take care to ensure that you are not going too far too soon. If we're to ever stand a chance at thwarting Lady Duvalier then I will need the real bullet to be just as deadly as it once was, however long that takes."

There were only so many times he could ham it up before he sounded like a broken record, but it was important to him that she knew where he was at. He cared about her enough to risk his career at the Vandenreich on the belief that working closely with the Duvalier Group would help them save more lives, and again when that was all revealed to be part of some greater scheme. It had certainly crossed his mind that Arlette might be playing him just like Claudia was, but he did not want to believe that was possible. He never wanted to be the person who doubted that his friends would stand alongside him.

It was frustrating beyond belief, to hear Alastair say that. Arlette knew perfectly well that she needed to be better than this, that she couldn't do anything to help right now. It was made so much worse by the simple fact that this was, without a doubt, the first time she'd ever wanted to help anyone. She'd wanted to be here.

"I won't be going anywhere any time soon. I have too many things to see through."

Arlette seemed to slump a bit in her seat, though it was more out of exhaustion than anything else now. There was a long way to go before she could see through things on her own, and that alone was tiring before she even thought about any physical endeavors.

"I've been looking into establishing a research facility here. I doubt I'll be able to compete with Section 12 any time soon, but having our own development environment would be best for security reasons. We aren't going to be able to handle things as well if we're still on the back foot technologically, and she and the Gotei are both fairly cutting edge."

Despite not being a member of the Vandenreich proper, she certainly spoke as if she were one.

"Good. I am counting on you to take care of yourself."

It was good to hear her talk about future plans. That was something that he could work with, a little direction, and it was certainly true that the Vandenreich lacked the technology of its rivals. They were a global organisation, and yet they were always leaning on others for their supplies. Relying on the generosity of locals or the support of these rivals that were hardly a permanent solution.

"I can see about allocating more resources to establish such an installation, though it would be much easier to accomplish if you were on the inside. I did not want to ask till you were back on your feet, but it feels pertinent to clear up now. You have my trust, my support, but I am not the Vandenreich. There are plenty more that will hardly know the difference between funding this venture and purchasing Duvalier products."

Alastair sat rather rigidly, back straight upright in his seat, as he glanced across at the slouching Arlette. He had been waiting to make this suggestion ever since they had first started this partnership, and yet it was not something he had ever expected to find himself in a position to just come out and say it. Of course, back then she had been joined at the hip to Claudia and that was not something anyone had expected to change.

This question had been one Arlette had anticipated for a decent while now, though she hadn't wanted to bring it up herself. Not until she felt she'd recovered, at the very least. But considering Alastair had asked, she would have felt rude not answering him.

"I'm not against joining, but I don't know if I'd quite feel right doing that when I can't contribute much beyond my resources. If you think that's enough merit for me to join regardless, then I will."

It was fairly straightforward from her perspective. At her level of strength, she didn't feel as though she could do much of anything for the Vandenreich apart from fund them. Physically and spiritually, she was in shambles right now, and it was more or less spite that carried her through the day.

"Though there is certainly scope for broadening your horizons, do not sell yourself too short. These resources are not worth anywhere near as much without you, for it was you that accrued them."

Of course, that was likely a matter of perspective. Some might be apprehensive about bringing Arlette into the fold but Alastair would help them see the path. They needed someone that was truly capable of managing logistical operations, a specialist with industry experience, and he could envision no one better than Arlette for the role. Providing some professional steer to the research and development wings was another key benefit, as the Vandenreich had talented people but it was still chasing after the work of every other organisation.

"I will pull on some threads and let you know. It may well take a few days for anything to come back, there is a lot on our plates right now. In the meantime, we can try to move against Antonetta. The less time we give her to plan, the better it will go, I reckon."

"How kind of you."

People didn't tend to compliment Arlette terribly often, and when they did, it was usually in a purely professional sense. There was Bauher, at least, though the two of them had what could be called an "odd" relationship. Not quite purely professional, but not exactly friends, either. She'd probably need to talk to him soon about all this, too, wouldn't she? One thing at a time.

"She's not good with stress, never has been. I guess that could have always just been her faking it to get at me, but I don't think she's that good. Not to mention I don't know if she has it in her to lie to me like that."

Sighing at the situation, Arlette rubbed her forehead briefly, just a bit overwhelmed by the whole mess she was in these days. It was better than being dead, but that didn't mean everything was A-OK and she was having a good time. Well, maybe things would pick up.

At least she still had the formula for Fruits.