Stone Cold

Target Acquired | Dante + Prudence

Prudence just stared at the man, raising a brow curiously at his words. “Very poetic of you.” She offered a small nod of her head. “But the way that the governments in countries work in regards to us is none of our concern. So if they ever have gone to you for help, that is their choice and not ours. And perhaps now they see that they shouldn’t of done such a thing. It lead to us having to exist and take over for the moment. We travel. As for needing you, I imagine that is for others to think about. I see no reason for me to ever need you around. Either way, this is an objective. I fulfill them.”

Her eyes moved to the door before she looked back to him, sighing softly. “They listen. Whether they care of not is not known to me at this moment. Either they come in here themselves for you or I wait for an order. I’m sure you understand how things like these work.”

"...How informative but let's cut through the idle chit chat shall we?" Dante pushed away from his chair and wandered around the living room, observing the decor and Prudence from the corner of his eye. What the hell stopped him from killing her right now? Nothing, it would seem. She had to be extremely trustful of the people that employed her. He guessed this wasn't her first time with a psychopath. The Irishman suffered no delusions, he knew he was trouble. He just honestly didn't care.

He turned on his heel and faced the woman again. He suddenly chuckled and shook his head. "Simpletons the lot of you. Can we get this over with? There's no sense in making me wait is there?"

Target Acquired | Dante + Prudence

As he moved forward, there was a slight vibration on the coffee table. Her cell chimed, and she held up a single finger before she took the call. Act like yourself. No use in playing games with this one. Save it for the other after we have him. Prudence sighed, nodding her head silently to herself. “Yes, of course.”

"We already have the information needed. We’ve had it for some time. I should know, I’m the one that gathers it. Only rarely am I brought in to handle situations but as you can see from how London is currently, we all must pitch in to help." She wasn’t as warm as she acted before, and she never was when it came to the people she spoke to that were targets. "Leaving is up to you. Trying to leave, that is. You’ve been considered a high threat to the population of London. We call it containment when we take those that are threats, but I suppose we both know the word for it is kidnapping."

Dante rose a brow at the phone call. He could hear a bit of what the other end was telling her. Her demeanor changed once she hung up. What was a welcoming mask had now been dropped for a more prickly personality. He took in her words carefully. She gathered intel on people considered a threat to London. Good to know.

"I see...so you believe I'm responsible for all those bumps in the night?....Hardly. In the end, all roads lead to Rome. If you think containing me will change what happens to this city...you and your people are very much mistaken. I'm a businessman, Miss O'Haire. London is where I do business. So I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon because...if we're being honest here...people like you, need people like me. Every good story needs a villain or else there would be no hero and no story. You can pretend all you like that what you're doing is for the benefit of the little people but in the end, you'll always come back. Any time there's a monster you can't get rid of, every time you need weapons or information, or people to blame; you'll come to people like me because we're not afraid to get a little nasty. Otherwise the world would know of your corruption and inability to get the job done. Of course, I'm just twaddling right? That's what your people are thinking right now as they listen to this conversation, Miss O'Haire, so please, spare me your rhetoric."

Target Acquired | Dante + Prudence

"I’m hardly a mystery." Prudence chuckled, looking at the man carefully and scanning to see what he had on him. She didn’t doubt that he called men already, but that wasn’t for her to worry about. There were orders given and she was to act them out accordingly. "Prudence O’Haire, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you." Her hand moved, gesturing to a chair as she sat down herself. "You can have a seat. Close the door behind you, I wouldn’t want the neighbors to come passing by. They tend to be nosy since I’m new to this building."

With the door being closed it showed that things were set. At least, as set as they could be before they arrived to the next location. “Excuse how rude the call must have come off to you. Either way, I am very glad that you arrived here.”

"I see." Dante closed the door behind him and crossed the rest of the distance between them. He then sat in the seat she indicated. "Prudence O'Haire...alright. So I'm here. What is it that you wanted to know?" The woman looked rather unassuming but Dante knew better. He didn't know who she was or what she was capable of or even what all of this was about. Regardless, he had been getting bored lately and this would prove to be interesting in the long run.

toriofnyc

#dante stone

Target Acquired | Dante + Prudence

Everything was set up and ready for the arrival of Dante Stone. All Prudence was supposed to do was return to the flat once the initial steps were taken in the objective. The flat was ready and she was hardly one for being impatient in such circumstances. If the individual didn’t show up then they were going against the agreement—more drastic measures would have to be taken in order to have the situation under control.

It was quiet in the building aside from a few distant voices from those above. But they were hardly anything to worry about—her concern was with the man arriving to her flat. When she heard quiet footsteps approach, she just smiled a bit, having to play the role she was given for this particular situation. “The door is open, Mr. Stone. You can let yourself in.”

Dante usually wore a suit. He didn't think that's how normal people dressed but it was how he liked to be perceived wherever he went. He was a man of business, of course. Leisure only ever took place within his domicile. He didn't wear the suit this time. This wasn't business. The Irishman could smell the trap from his office when he received the messages. Lucy Phanthomhive had tried to get him before, though not so directly. He thought maybe she was behind this, but it was too elaborate for her. This was something different. It made him all the more glad that he called Jack.

After he had left the note for the Welshman, Dante traveled on to the address he was given. He wore dark blue jeans and a black polo shirt. It was the most casual he had been since his days as the Butcher. Despite the obvious signs of treachery, he was curious as to who wanted him and why. If he played his card right, he could let this pass over him like he had most things.

“The door is open, Mr. Stone. You can let yourself in.”

A woman? How interesting. Most likely the bait. Dante pushed the door aside and peered in at the brunette before him. "And are you my little mystery, dear?" He replied, crossing the threshold.