I'd Do Anything [TAG: David]

[TONY LA'MONZE]

Tony reached a small window of the apartments, big enough for him to climb through. He knew it was dangerous to shift into human form on ground level- it would better if he could get to a window higher up. But there were no ledges for him to stand on or a way for him to climb up, so this would have to do.
His heart was pounding in his ears as he shifted and crouched, flattening himself against the wall as he gave the window a push with one hand. Locked. He let out a small, annoyed sigh. He should have known. He quickly fished his lock pick out of his pockets and set to work.
Once, a guard started down the alley where he was, and he sucked in a sharp breath and flattened himself in the shadow. Thankfully, he went unseen, but he was nearly positive someone could've heard the pounding of his heart, it was so loud in his ears.
Finally, he managed to pop it open. He cringed as it creaked, and slipped inside, shutting it closed behind him with a click. For a moment, he crouched in the darkness, letting his eyes adjust and pausing to get himself oriented. The microscopes would be down the hall to his right.

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------David Chandler walked the halls of the guards' apartments, following his assigned duties as a front for more serious matters. His demeanor showed nothing betraying his intentions as he made his way towards the small laboratory. Many of the files on inmates as well as staff were kept locked up in a small room adjacent to the lab and the new warden induced more than a few questions in the S.I.S. agent's mind.
---------He stopped abruptly in the hall when movement caught his eyes. A window opening and the slightest sound of feet landing softly against the ground met his ears. With the silence of a well trained spy, David slipped into an open side door and looked down the hall. What he saw was a great disappointment. An inmate breaking in. He actually had to focus on his job.
---------He considered abandoning his mission for another night, but then a thought struck him. It was the perfect excuse for being by the lab. When the teen entered the room down the hall, David came along behind him and leaned casually against the door frame. If he was going to make a show of it, he might as well do with style. His right hand stayed in his coat, hidden and resting on his gun holster. "Strange. Usually they go for the kitchen," he said, announcing his presence.

[TONY LA'MONZE]

Tony's form straightened and his lips pursed. A guard. But something was different about this one. He could tell by just the voice. He quickly unplugged a microscope and the necessary accessories and slipped it into his bag with a nonchalance that belied his pounding heart. The cold press of the metal of his knife was a suggestion against his thigh.
"If you had meant to stop me you would have done so by now," he murmured quietly, turning to see the tall, slight form in the doorway. He held his arms out. "So stop me." There was no taunt in his voice. It was flat because it wasn't a taunt. It was a test. He was curious. Like he'd said, most guards would've fired or gutted him the first they saw of him.

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------He was clever, that was unexpected. Usually the clever ones didn't get caught. The fact that he got caught meant that he was putting up a front of cleverness and bravery which, if tested, would prove only to be paper thin, or he was so clever he could make his way out of any situation with his wits alone. Then there was always the other possibility of him being so full of himself that he really thought he could get out of any situation, but in the end it would prove to be just talk.
---------"Most guards would have stop you without a thought. Killed you like a mindless animal who strayed too far from his cage. Now judging by that microscope you are taking, I can see you aren't the normal thief looking for medical supplies or food or weapons. Honestly, you've piqued my curiosity." The last part was not a lie, though not a full truth. He was curious and presented himself as such, but hidden behind the mask of a mask was his cautiousness of the stranger and the focus on his original task. He was analyzing the boy and hoping that he would give him reason to not have to kill. This was not a good day to die. Not for himself or the intruder.

[TONY LA'MONZE]

Either this guard couldn't see him too well or he wasn't brushed up on his database. Either way, Tony smirked. This guy had no idea what he was getting into. He casually stuck his hand in his pockets, feeling for his knife. It would be a last resort that he didn't want to get into. Unlike some others from his original gang, he didn't enjoy killing people.
His other hand gripped the satchel that held the microscope and the accompanying supplies. "It's for a friend," he said shortly. "Not like I can expect you to understand," he murmured under his breath in French.
He vaguely wondered whether he could just crawl out the window and this guy wouldn't stop him. But he couldn't be sure if he wouldn't just stab him in the back... and he wasn't keen to test that theory. Slipping past him wasn't an option, since there was only one other way out of this room. Shifting was an option - however, he could shift quickly, grip the bag around his neck and in his teeth, and get out of the window easily and run away. That was probably his best bet.

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------When the boy spoke in French the final pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Antonie La'Monze. He bore a slight resemblance to his father, the famous leader of the supernatural rebellion, but no doubt took more after his mother's side. "Pensez-vous que le concept d'amitié m'est étranger?" he asked. You think the concept of friendship is foreign to me?.
---------He raised an eyebrow. "Interesting," he said, changing the topic while still speaking in nearly perfect French. "What kind of friend in Sangvene would want a microscope when survival is such a high priority? And whats more not have the resources to get it. Alliance members are catered to and the Nightwalkers receive special treatment on account of Miss Lynch. So, what could be so important that a microscope takes priority over a can of soup and a box of bandages?"

[TONY LA'MONZE]

Tony was startled by the man's ability to speak French. It'd been so long since he'd heard his native tongue. He quickly regained himself and felt his chest tighten at the guard's words. What was his game? Why did he care?
"Give me a reason to tell you and maybe I will," Tony snarled back angrily. He knew that Daphne kept a low profile. He was determined to keep it that way. This guard obviously wanted information and he was not about to give it to him. However, he didn't want to leave. He missed speaking French - even if it was with someone like this slim, dark-haired guard, and this man's countenance intrigued him.

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------David raised an eyebrow at the sudden feral hostility, less out of surprise so much as a way of saying he disapproved while still being intrigued. "Hostility only ever brought one such as you a knife to the throat. Diplomacy takes a man miles farther than a shotgun and a mean look in the eye." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and began casually pacing without leaving enough room to let the other present party run out the door.
---------"So you come here with sticky fingers and a snarl expecting to make it past the Sangvene guards, known for the slaying of vampires and the taming of werewolves." He stopped and picked up a folder on the table, absently carrying out his original mission while not taking his full attention away from the young La'Monze boy. "Now that," he put down the folder and turned to face the teen, crossing his arms and leaning against the table, "Is idiocy. Or might be. But you're too clever for that. Working from your head to the benefit of your heart, it seems, but far too clever to let rash emotions take hold." He was beginning to enjoy this. It had been a good year and a half since he had been able to analyze a situation out loud. It was always more enjoyable than when silently processed. "So you must think that you're not only clever enough to get in, but clever enough to get out unscathed as well. You don't seem fool enough to rely on strength alone."

[TONY LA'MONZE]

At that a smirk played on Tony's face. Momentary pride and his own logic warred within him. He wanted to answer him, to affirm his suspicions about what the man believed to be true. But he'd lingered for far too long. It was better to leave, to catch him by surprise. He casually circled the room, calculating the distance to the window he'd left unlocked. In human form, he'd be clumsy and far too big - but in a graceful lupine form, he could easily hop up on to the table and get out. The only trouble was the microscope. In fox form, it would be difficult to get it up quick enough to miss a gunshot. But he couldn't just toss it and risk breaking it. He decided to stall long enough, let this man have his game and his thoughts, and continue to think, to form a plan.
As the guard spoke, Tony's eyes flicked to the window and then to the broom-handle not far from him. It would be a simple matter to take up the broom, stun the guard, and find the time to ease the microscope over the edge and up the window, shift, and get out and back to the library.
On the other hand, what if he saw that coming? A whack in the head with a club was hardly a sophisticated solution. There had to be another way out...
He looked up at the guard and gave him a smile. "You talk an awful lot about me and say nothing of yourself."

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------David watched Tony's eyes, taking mental note of how they moved about the room. This boy was good, better than the average armature inmate, but he still gave far too much away. The way his body was inclined towards the exit. The way his eyes looked unguarded at the window and then the broom. Not exactly an open book, but not exactly guarded from a bit of page turning either. "Me? I'm just a Sangvene guard. Uniforms, guns, and paperwork describe my job. Really no one in light of the great son of Arthur La'Monze, leader of the Rebellion, and savior of the supernaturals." He laid the sarcasm on lightly with the flattery, making it clear that he was not impressed by titles and lineage without blatantly mocking. Mocking never got anyone anything but a fist to the face. "And I am not the one trespassing so I have no need to explain myself."

[TONY LA'MONZE]

Tony actually laughed at that. This man was clever, and he could see the way his trained eyes were taking him in. Tony forced his muscles to relax, but he kept his mind working. He took slow, calculated, calm steps in a circle around the room, stopping by the table and resting his open palms face-down on it, leaning forward. He looked up at the guard and smirked. "You sell yourself short, Monsieur, you're obviously not - how did you put it-?" he paused, "Ah, 'just another Sangvene guard'. If you were, you would've shot me by now and dumped my body outside to be picked over by the inmates. After all - I believe my file says 'kill on sight'." He straightened, eyes narrowing. "So why don't you?"

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------David was enjoying himself. Sangvene was so lacking in people of interest to talk to. They were all bureaucrats, bullies, or boring. The shortage of intellectual conversation drove him to irritability from time to time. La'Monze was interesting and actually had a bit of wit and wisdom in him, unlike most of the inmates he came across. It was true, the file said 'kill on sight' but in his one year of work, Chandler found that files often lied and that the people writing those files saw the inmates as little more than animals. He cross his arms and met the eyes of the boy. "You seem bright enough. Go ahead and tell me why I'm not killing you. Give it your best guess."

[TONY LA'MONZE]

Tony smiled and straightened, folding his arms and watching the man. "The same reason I'm not killing you, I think," he replied, his voice quiet but still ricocheting lowly off of the concrete walls of the lab. He shouldered his bag and his head tilted to the side, eyes narrowing as he assessed the guard. "You're intelligent. Good conversation is hard to come by in Sangvene."
He decided not to mention what he was going to - the loneliness. This guard was clearly different, and Tony doubted he had many friends. They were similar, the guard and him, they both yearned for stimulating conversations, for friendship - both were tired of being alone, perhaps.

[DAVID CHANDLER]

---------"Oh you're good," he said, impressed by the boy's observance. David promptly decided this was the best day at Sangvene in the entire year and a half he had worked there. "You see, the downside of working in a prison, is that it is full of criminals and it is most commonly the unintelligent fools who are caught breaking the rules. The other guards are here for money or racism obsessions, neither of which hold an inkling of the logic required for a decent conversation." He sighed, appearing relaxed, but still ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. While keeping his guard up mentally, he let himself enjoy the company.