Tea or Coffee?

[Elsa Bellefonte]

What was it with everyone and thinking that Elsa was in it for the popularity? She didn't really care about the whole catching more flies with honey then vinegar nonsense. Allies she could use; friends were just extras that she might pick up here and there. Though she had to admit that the thoughts that drifted through Chris' mind were much more interesting. All the pretty girls were crazy?

Well, at least he thought she was pretty. Then again, it did seem like people kept thinking that for some reason. Maybe she'd accidentally raided Erika's makeup container, or maybe her sister simply hadn't been the shining example of social awareness that she usually was. Elsa didn't know, but she wasn't sure if she cared.

Either way, it seemed to lighten Chris's opinion toward her. That worked for Elsa: she didn't want to completely antagonize the young man. He wouldn't be of any use to her if he wouldn't go anywhere near her, after all. "Another will be fine," said Elsa, nodding, "and yes, precisely as last time. I'll be sitting here thinking of more things we can argue about."

She looked to him with quirked brows and a half-smile, clearly pleased, though part of her did realize that Chris might grow slightly suspicious at her picking up on what he'd been thinking. Then again, it was rather obvious, wasn't it?

[Christopher O'Connor]

Shaking his head he went back to the counter to get more coffee for Elsa and another drink for himself. This time he got two chocolate chip scones to go with the beverages. In his mind going with the chocolate chip was a safe bet because all girls liked chocolate, right? Unless she happened to be one of the unlucky ones who were allergic to the delicious sweet. If that were the case then he'd just eat two scones instead of one, and possibly get her a different type.

Drinks and scones balances carefully between his two hands he made his way back to the table. During this time he pounded on how she kept making comments that were eerily like the thoughts going on in his head. Chris might not be the brightest bulb, the shiniest penny, or the cleverest fox in the chicken coop. But he wasn't exactly a blunt spoon either.

Once he was seated he put the scones between them and handed over her drink. Then with a devilish grin he picked up one of the scones. "So either we think crazy alike, which I hardly doubt. Or you can read minds." Between the last time till this short meeting he'd notice a little too much overlap from his thoughts and her words. Plus there seemed to be a were kind of itching or something in his mind sitting near her. So he was guessing she had some sort of mind power, and she just so happened to be using it on him. Or he was just really easy to read, and she was guessing.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa smiled as she watched Chris leave, clearly enjoying playing with him just a little more. She got to stretch herself like this so rarely, and it felt good to play with a little mouse like this. Plus, his mental allusions were quite entertaining to read. Elsa even chuckled a little, enjoying turning it to make herself into the fox as it were.

"Chocolate scones?" she said as he came, not even turning to look at him. She heard his comment and chuckled again. "You mean it can't be both?" she asked. She took the treat and the drink, nodding and actually giving him a "thank you" as she took them. "I'm actually surprised you hadn't found that out yet, as it's not exactly a secret. I'm the mind reader of the Bellefonte family, and I just so happen to be one of the best at it that you will ever encounter."

Smiling confidently, she took a sip of her drink before adjusting to make sure that she could get her scone into it. She broke it off daintily before dipping it into the drink. "I don't always reveal it to people because it's so much more entertaining to let them figure it out. Only took you a few meetings," she said the last and gave him a look cats gave to humans. Then she nibbled on her scone, and all that was missing was a purr.

[Christopher O'Connor]

Taking a rather large bite of his chocolate chip scone he nearly made an inappropriate sound at how good it tasted. It probably went better with coffee, but he wasn't done trying out the different kinds of tea. For some reason it unnerved him every time she somewhat laughed like the sound wasn't normal coming out of her mouth.

"I suppose I have more important things on my plate than researching everything about your esteemed family." Chris said all of this after sipping down the scone with his flavored tea. His grandfather would be greatly disappointed to hear he hadn't researched his client thoroughly. But he disappointed his grandfather frequently, so he wasn't overly concerned. "Is that confidence or hot air?" He gave her a sickly sweet smile as he broke off another piece of scone to pop into his mouth.

She played with people like they were chess pieces in her game with life. "Two meetings. Two. And the last time I was focused on finding your precious broach thing." Maybe it had been a hair barrette? He couldn't remember and he honestly didn't care. The longer he spent with her and the more she talked he was really starting to believe she was a sociopath.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Why was it that everyone responded with the whole "I have more important thing to do then know about your family?" They clearly wanted to sound as if the whole name thing didn't impress them in the slightest, and that so often sounded like bluster. For another, it was foolish not to know about the family that ran the school you attended. If nothing else, you could be in an excellent position to understand how the academy runs and how to potentially work that for other people.

"You really need to ask that?" she replied, smirking as she picked apart her scone. "I've been training at it for years, and it's your abilities that are of interest to me. I think we can both agree that we're not hitting it off personality wise, but nothing says that we have to get along in order to be of benefit to each other."

Elsa finally popped a bit of the scone into her mouth. it tasted surprisingly good, and she made a note to potentially pick up a few for later. She studied Chris while she ate it, though she was already fairly certain what his answer would be. Money talked, after all, and it had the sweetest of voices.

[Christopher O'Connor]

"Ah, hot air it be then." Chris smiled nodding curtly before sipping his tea thinking he might need to switch to sterner stuff. Too bad they didn't make Irish coffee here that would be the drink to indulge in when dealing with Elsa. But at it were he was stuck with what he believed to be dragon fruit tea. It was not settling well with the scones at all.

His eyebrows went up in interest as she went on and felt his smile twist into something devilish. "Benefit, eh?" There was more than one type of benefit he'd like to receive from a pretty girl like her. But he was sound of mind at the moment and wasn't about to suggest it. Later mayhaps. "Aye, you got my attention."

So she did eat. Some girls seem to just stare at food then later run on a treadmill for all the calories they consumed with their eyes. "I be guessing you 'ave another job for me?" If so then he could add it to his stash for his car. Course at his age maybe he should start saving for an apartment rather than a cr. Most places in Kallispell one could walk to anyway.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa gave Chris a cool look at his assertion, though she opted to let it slide for now. He was going to be one that required at least a little leeway on the leash. Too much choking and he'd become too resistant to help entirely. She kept picking at her treat while he continued, rolling her eyes at where his mind inevitably went. Maybe next time she should wear a mumu and a hajib. Or a dress with a ridiculously plunging neckline, either, really.

"Nothing in the immediate future," she replied airily before popping another bit of scone into her mouth. "I wouldn't mind putting you on something of a retainer, but I understand you want to remain more of a free agent. I do know that I'm going to want to utilize your unique skillset sometime in the future," if only Elsa knew how soon, "and having you amendable to that is in my best interest."

Elsa took another sip before setting both drink and delicacy down, looking at Chris with arched brows. "Naturally I plan on making the offer more appealing by offering a good deal of money." Which was likely what he'd hoped to hear all along.

[Christopher O'Connor]

Sighing his spirits sank down as she declared that no new business was coming any time soon. He settled back into his chair gazing off at the surrounding people. His attention was partially on the girl who sat across from him something about a retainer. Like he cared about her perfect teeth. A shift switch was happening at the counter and he grinned slowly as a very cute boy took the position. Not that he didn't appreciate the cute girl, but this boy was drool worthy.

After a few seconds he flicked his attention back to Elsa only to find that she was still talking as though she was in some big board room. In about ten to fifteen years the girl would probably be running the school or something. Well, at least she sounded the part. Course then again, gazing at her, she looked the part as well. Probably all that good blue blood breeding or something.

Chris's attention was going back to the cute boy when he heard the words 'good deal of money' and he snapped back like a mouse trap spring going off. "How much money is a 'good deal' here?" Eyebrow going up he quirked up his lip in a half grin as he focused in on the wealthy girl across from him.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"For retainer fee or per job? I'm figuring the job is going to make a difference depending upon the difficulty of the task and the urgency of my need for you to complete it," replied Elsa smoothly. She took another sip of her coffee, knowing full well that she hadn't given him anything close to a satisfactory answer. He certainly wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

"How does, say, five hundred a month for retainer? And by that," she looked up at him, "I mean that you will be available for jobs that I require and will put aside any and other jobs you have on hand. I frankly don't care if the president of the United States phones and requests that you help as a matter of national security: you'd drop the job," Elsa paused, taking another sip and seeming to consider something.

"Actually, if the president does call, you should probably attend to it. It would be nice to have him owing us a favor."

[Christopher O'Connor]

Tea in hand he swirled the straw mixing the flavoring into the tea, or at least that's what it looked like. The supposedly brewed the teas with the actual fruits or some such, but it sure looked like added flavoring to him. "The fluctuating fee per job does make sense but I have a fifty dollar ground fee for any job." He got figured fifty was steep enough that he wasn't going to be running around for every little lost set of keys. But it wasn't so steep that people weren't willing to get him to help find their grandmother's herlom what-cha-macall-it.

Chris had to concentrate rather hard not to let the amount of money she was offering show on his face. The constituents however made him cringe and sigh in slight aggravation. "If I'm in the middle o' a job I canna...I cannae just stop." He mumbled looking off to the side. "I donnae have enough control on that part to ignore it. Yes, I can get work both your job and whatever job I was on at the time. But I cannae just completely stop a job. It's literally physically impossible."

Leaning back into his chair he picked at the scone eyeing her reaction. "If that's a deal breaker so be it, but I'm working on that part." To ignore the impulse for a day wasn't horrible, but any longer than that and things got bad. It was an impulse, an urge, an obsession whatever one wanted to call it. But ignoring it was simply not an option. Normally he didn't like sharing that tidbit of information with anyone, but if this was going to be a long term gig his client deserved to know.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Easily covered," replied Elsa, waving off his base fee. Fifty dollars would be perfectly acceptable, and she didn't intend to make use of him unless that fee would actually be worth the effort. the slight price might actually give her a little pause before calling him at will, though she might consider doing that simply to show that she could.

Though it sounded like there would be some exceptions. Not physically possible? Elsa skimmed Chris's thoughts, trying to deduce what precisely he meant by that. Ah, he meant it quite literally: he literally could not alter his searching once he'd started. He'd be locked in or the desire to find would be impossible to ignore. Elsa certainly understood this and didn't see it as an issue. Not that the thought didn't have her pausing for consideration, studying the young man.

"Well, in that case, I should probably lower the retainer fee," she replied, making certain to sound quite put out. "Seeing as you wouldn't be quite as useful," she tapped her fingers, considering and doing some mental adjustments. "How does three hundred a month with fifty per job done in that month sound? With adjustments for any particularly difficult jobs," She offered, raising a brow. It sounded good to her, and having someone on hand who could find literally anything or anyone, well, it would be far too useful... particularly if that someone owed allegiance only to her.

[Christopher O'Connor]

Playing with his straw he watched her intently trying to read her expression since he couldn't read her thoughts. He didn't think that he would like being able to read people's thoughts. It would ruin surprises, and make people awfully boring. Not only that but some of the thoughts would have to be gross, and you'd find out how a person really thought about you. Some things are better unsaid and unknown. A twinge went through him making him feel a tad bit sorry for Elsa.

Then he felt that odd itching feeling that he got around her sometimes. Well, maybe itching wasn't the correct word for it, but he just didn't know how to describe the feeling. "Hey, are you peekin' in me head?" Chris sounded hesitant as though he wasn't entirely sure if she was or not. Because honestly he didn't. It wasn't like he got his mind read all that often.

The fact that she was still willing to hire him was enough for him. The retainer was still a lot more money that he was expecting and it certainly beat working some part time job. "Tha' sounds good 'nuff for me." Besides he knew it was a good idea to make positive ties with a member of the Bellefonte family. Connections with the right people made life easier, and one never knew when he might need such a connection in the future. "You kin that your other family members can call on me too iffin they need be." He shrugged taking a sip of his tea before continuing. "Unless you want this purely on a one on one basis."

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"I'm usually poking about in people's heads," Elsa replied almost distractedly, even waving a hand in dismissal. Most people figured it out easily enough, as she lacked subtly, especially when she got too intense or simply didn't care. Chris had to be expecting it by now, and Elsa didn't see any reason not to live up to those expectations. She did smile slightly as she finished saying it though, pleased that he was at least able to pick up on that much, if nothing else.

He'd certainly be useful, and Elsa fully intended to keep around anyone who could potentially prove to be of anything resembling use to her in the future. He seemed willing to put up with her digging about and tossing her authority around, and that was enough for now. She nodded in agreement with his terms, already figuring that she'd pass along the information to her other family members.

"I'm certain that I'll be sending you quite a bit of business," she said casually, tapping at her drink again. She considered Chris, smiling slightly. "You certainly are quite interesting, and I look forward to seeing what comes of our partnership," though she supposed that she shouldn't call it that: they were hardly partners in this. Her lips twitched at the thought, as she knew full well that Chris would likely agree with her in that respect.