[MillietheWarrior]

(Human form ref, Petunia from Happy Tree Friends)

Sapphire tugged uncomfortably at her dress in a vain attempt to make it longer. This was all a huge mistake, and it wasn’t even her idea. Only a few weeks ago, a rather critical critic (see the irony?) wrote a rather scathing article about one of her employers, and said employer had been so furious, she’d demanded that Sapphire ‘go undercover and expose that rat bastard for the lying son of a bitch he is!’ And those were her words, not Sapphire’s, she’d like to point out. So, she’d managed to finagle her way into the author’s good graces (if one could call them good; he gave her the creeps) and he’d asked her out on a date at his home. His. Home. That was way weird. She would’ve preferred a nice restaurant or something much more public, but her boss’s orders were clear; if she was going to find any dirt on this guy, she’d have to check his house. But still…

Sapphire felt very out of place here. Not only was she going on a date in some random stranger’s (random creepy stranger, she’d like to point out) house but he didn’t even have the audacity to pick her up. He’d given her the address and told her to meet him there. She didn’t like this, not one bit, but she had to admit, his house was rather extravagant. He’d managed to buy it on an author’s salary? That was impressive. When she’d first arrived, she’d been sure she had the wrong address. A house this big, and this nice and beautiful couldn’t belong to a measly article writer, right? Sapphire let out a long breath, and tugged once more at the indecent scrap of cloth she’d been forced into as she stepped up onto the sidewalk. She’d met this man before, a couple of times, but only ever in passing; his son was a model, and Sapphire, being who she was, was well aware of his reputation.

But the man, Kobra, or whatever, was still super creepy. Or maybe it was just her nerves that told her that. Scowling at herself, Sapphire shook her head, mentally preparing herself for facing her “date” and ‘having a good time’ while snooping for information that could bring him down. Personally, she hated this plan; he was just doing his job, and who cares? It wasn’t as if the article had dented her boss’s reputation in the least; it was all about spite and revenge though, which was something Sapphire hated and didn’t see the merits of. But she did what she could for her job, and that was all she could do.  Taking a deep breath, and crossed her arms over her chest, reaching one hand out to quickly ring the doorbell. She kinda hoped he wasn’t home, but she was never really that lucky.

[ToxicShadow]

Hearing the ring of the doorbell from across the house, Archaic, as was his actual name, was quick on his feet to answer. When he pulled the door open, he did something that probably greatly surprised Sapphire - he bowed. When he stood, there was a friendly, charming smile set on his face, something those in his working circle had likely never beheld. "Please do come in," he said, waving her in as he held the door. "I do sincerely apologize for making you come out here on your own. I'm afraid that I had a lot to do around the house before having a guest over." Being a single father wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world, not when his job and their jobs, alike, kept them all busy throughout most of the day and night. Of course, the only known child to his 'Kobra,' alias was his one son, the model, no less. He would have to watch it, having someone over that knew him as Kobra rather than Archaic.

"I prepared dinner for us," he explained, guiding her throughout his immaculately kept home and into a dining room with a rectangular table fit for up to ten people, complete with crystal chandelier and all. "So I hope you have your appetite."

His motivation for inviting Sapphire over was a hazy one. Originally, he had planted himself near her and her employers, through his son, no less, with the intention of making them his next victim. Being a well-known critic, Kobra's articles were well read, and somewhere along the line, he had just started to have fun tearing people apart with his cleverly placed words. Yet, he had taken a bit of a fancy to Sapphire, being the pretty little thing that he was. There was no denying it, Archaic had a thing for pretty women, especially pretty women that weren't necessarily in the spotlight, if his children, having come from more than just one mother, had anything to say about that.

He'd dated many women, but he had never entirely stuck to one or fallen 'in love.' He wasn't incapable of love, as he loved and adored his children, but that wasn't quite the same thing. At least he wasn't heartless, having visited one of the mother's in the hospital while she was on her deathbed, being the only person to visit her after her family left her for dead. If anything, his bad track record was choosing women that didn't tell him that they were pregnant after sleeping together, and then somehow up and leaving the children, leaving him to find out over a phone call. It happening more than once was almost laughable.

"Was the trip over here all right? Do you need anything right away?" His questions were considerate as he pulled out a chair for his lady company. "Oh, you don't mind steak, do you?"

[MillietheWarrior]

Sapphire quickly uncrossed her arms when the door opened, feeling somewhat surprised (And half relieved and half disappointed) that he’d answered the door himself. Didn’t rich people like him (And subsequently, her boss) have maids and butlers and whatnot to answer doors for them? Or an assistant? Sapphire mentally scowled at the idea of someone like herself working for this man and doing such mundane things as answering doors for him, but she quickly brushed it aside, plastering on the winning smile she always wore at work that kept people from suspecting anything about what was really going on inside her head. “Um, no, it’s all right,” she assured, brushing a lock of blue hair over her shoulder.

“Sapphire wasn’t quite sure what to do or say as she stepped through the threshold and into his house; it had a unique smell, one that reminded her of cinnamon and apples, and, as expected, had some rather expensive looking furniture and decorations. Sapphire was used to such things; she was, after all, an assistant to some of the most well known fashion designers in the world. Glamour, glitz and expensive things certainly didn’t bother her, even if she herself didn’t own anything like them. “It’s actually kind of…different to have a dinner date at someone’s house. I’m used to restaurants, so I think this is kind of nice.” Less nice, more creepy, she reminded herself. She wasn’t buying his nice guy routine for a second. All she needed was a little time to snoop around his house and find things out about him that could be used to bring him down.

She didn’t condone this behavior at all; it was sneaky and devious and she felt really, really bad for deceiving him, because despite his article, he was a very nice man (If not someone disturbing to her, but it could’ve been her own personal tastes; there was just something in his eyes…) “The trip was fine. I took a cab, so all I had to do was give him the directions.” She offered him a winning smile, twirling one long, cerulean lock of hair between her fingers. “And I don’t mind steak at all.” She didn’t care what they were eating; she wanted to get out as fast as possible. “Eh, um…so how has life been treating you? Business going well? And how is your son? Is he doing all right?”

She wasn’t sure if she should sit down in a chair, or wait for him to invite her to sit, so she just stood awkwardly in her terribly uncomfortable and much-too-high-for-her-tastes high heels, blue eyes cautiously glancing around the room (and discreetly searching for anything that might be incriminating in his kitchen, which wasn’t likely).