“You know about that do you?” Leonard asked, not much surprised that she had heard about his run in with the White Skulls.
“Indeed, I heard you made quite a mess.” Two waiters arrive with a set of menus, “but I must thank you for bringing to my attention how inadequate their security is. I’ll make sure to rectify this shortcoming.”
“I hope I didn’t step on any toes with what I did,” Leonard gave a nod to the waiter before taking a quick glance at the menu, not recognising anything on it.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, such a small thing can easily be forgotten.” Nightingale reassured him as picked up her own menu. “Shall I order for the two of us?”
“That would be good thanks,” Leonard sighed as he put his menu back down, even after reading some more he couldn’t make out what any of the dishes were.
Nightingale ordered for them both and the two waiters left with a bow, leaving the pair alone again.
“So,” she began making small talk. “Have you always had a talent for causing chaos wherever you go, or was this a more recent development?”
“I wouldn’t say I have a knack for making trouble.” Leonard chuckled at her question, “it's Willam that you should be mad at, he’s the one that dragged me into this.”
“That's fair,” she relented, taking a sip of her wine. “How did the two of you meet? I hope you don’t mind but we did a little background search and didn’t seem to find any relation between the two of you.”
“It’s a long story,” Leonard dodged the question, eyes hardening somewhat at the revelation that she had gone searching through his records.
“We’re in no rush,” Nightingale smiled.
“Maybe another time.”
“Very well,” she took a perverbale step back, letting the line of conversation drop.
“Enough about me,” Leonard wanted to gather some information about her, not liking being kept in the dark. “What about you? You never did give me your family name.”
“My apologies, where are my manors?” She held her hand over her chest in a playful attempt to pretend she was shocked. “I am Nightingale of house Ventura, the founders and rightful rulers of this great nation.”
Leonard tried his best not to gawk at the name of Bastion's former royal family. If he didn’t know what he did he would have immediately dismissed such a statement, everyone in Bastion knew that the royal family was slaughtered to the last during the rebellion. At least that was the common consensus.
“If she's telling the truth, why is she here? My memories said the royal family were hiding in the Condor Kingdom.” Leonard tried to make sense of it but he couldn’t, he lacked information. He couldn't help but take a quick glance about the restaurant to see if anyone was listening, if he was caught meeting with a member of the royal family he would be in big trouble.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You asked, didn't you?” Nightingale smiled.
“But what's to stop me turning you in? If what you're saying is true, you of all people should know that your name is not welcome here.”
“You are very welcome to try if you wish,” her smile never faded. “However let's be real, who would believe you? As far as the galaxy is concerned our family no longer exists.”
“What do you want from me?” Leonard asked, while he wanted to climb the hierarchy of the Bloodhounds to expose their connection with Condor and help mitigate the damage to Bastion when eventually did invade, he did not expect to meet with a member of the royal family this early, if at all.
“We have our finger in most of Bastion's organisations so to speak, however some of the revolutionary factions, house Vallum especially, are proving frustratingly difficult to get inside.”
“You want me to spy on my own family?” Leonard accused.
Nightingale chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to betray your family. But perhaps you could simply provide us with some information every now and then. You would be well compensated for your efforts I assure you, it would work to everybody’s benefit.”
Leonard felt conflicted. He knew for a fact he couldn’t trust a word that came out of her mouth, false promises of wealth and power meant nothing to him. For all he knew she was just using the royal name, and in fact had zero relation at all.
Still what he knew for a fact was she was related to the Bloodhounds, and by relation the Condor Kingdom. While he would be remiss to betray his family, if he wanted to save the nation as a whole some blood would have to be spilt.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“Very well,” Leonard agreed to the arrangement. “However I will reserve the right to refuse any information you may want if it goes too far.”
“Of course, we all have our limits after all.” Nightingale gave a small nod in understanding. “It is good that you are so prompt with your decision making however, time often is a luxury we can not afford.”
Before Leonard could decipher the cryptic nature of her last words the waiters returned with their food. A steak of some kind from an alien species he didn’t know placed on top of a green mash alongside a swirl of sauce dotted around the plate.
“It's beowolf steak,” Nightingale explained to him. “Imported all the way from the Wolfheart Kingdom.”
“Sounds expensive,” he said before taking a bite only to be overwhelmed by the flavour. “But it tastes good.”
“I'm glad to hear it,” she said before getting started herself, the pair eating relative silence only broken by minor small talk. The two waiters came back when they finished, taking away their now empty plates.
Nightingale stood with an unreadable expression, holding her hand out. “I trust this will be the beginning of a fruitful partnership. You wont regret the decision you made here tonight.”
“I hope not,” Leonard took her hand and gave it a shake sealing the deal.
“My driver can take you back to your estate.” Nightingale offered and Leoanrd accepted, saying his goodbyes and turning to leave.
“Oh, one last thing,” she called out. “There is a Bloodhound gathering tomorrow evening that I think you should attend. It would be good to meet the people you will be working with after all, I’ll have John forward you the information.”
Leonard nodded in acknowledgment before the two parted ways. He was left with a complicated feeling as the car lifted up, drinking two glasses of bubbling wine on the limousine bar to settle his nerves.
“What have I gotten myself into?” he thought to himself, running his hand through his hair. “This runs a lot deeper than I originally thought, all I planned to do was to expose the Bloodhounds connection to the Condor Kingdom before calling it a day. But now I've gotten myself entangled with the remnants of the deposed royal family who want me to spy on my own.”
Or ‘share information’. Leonard scoffed, it didn’t take a genius to know that the two were the same thing, just one was wrapped in a nice bow while the other wasn’t.
“I've long since been convinced about the threats that lay on our nation's borders, but trying to confront them is another matter entirely. I may not want to contact Bulwark because they’ll stick me in a lab and I’ll never see daylight again, but maybe I can find someone else. Time often is a luxury we can not afford indeed.”
The limousine touched back down outside the estates walls, bright lights now illuminating its face as the night grew late. The main gates were pulled shut, however a smaller access door remained open for any later comers or night owls that worked on a different schedule.
“Good evening,” Leonard greeted the guard as he walked through, an automated system overhead already having scanned him.
The lights in his family's apartment were all out, everyone seemingly retiring for the night. However the light in his fathers office still shone through its slightly ajared door, to which Leonard gave a light knock before letting himself in.
“Ah Leo,” Arthur looked up from his datapad. “I heard you went out for the evening, how was it?”
“Eye opening,” Leonard said as he pulled the door shut, an action that earned a raised eyebrow from his father. “Do you have some time now? I have a favour to ask.”
