Beware of dog

Control yourself…Become someone who can deal with this.

The city was insane. Franki was versed enough in violence and gun shot and keeping herself safe, but this was mad on another level. In Seattle, she knew her way down ever street and could find any safe place to hide. Gunshots were one of the first things she’d remembered hearing; they didn’t frighten her, but the very real possibility of being shot did. In trying to duck off the street as everyone seemed to be doing, she almost got hit by a car in the process. “Selfish asshole.” She ground out as she ducked off to the side. It fascinated her on some level, watching people fight for their lives. It made her thankful that she was from a life of quasi-normalcy. Impulse had always been something that got to her when her heart was racing and there wasn’t enough rational thought to keep  her emotions in check. He wasn’t far off and she could see that he did not look prepared. “You’re better off running now before you get shot down.” The words were loud enough for him to hear, or so she assumed because they echoed in her ears at a deafening decibel and Franki winced at her stupidity. He could kill her if he waned to and now she was sure she’d attracted his attention.

A woman's voice reached him in the pause between deafening gunshots. Was she serious right now? "That's kind of out of the question at the moment!" he growled in response as another flurry of bullets roared over his head. Several hit the car and Armand knew the gunmen's plan in an instant. Without hesitation, he launched himself forward, away from the vehicle, whose hood had begun to smoke. The bullets were aimed his way once again---why were they so intent on killing him when there were so many easy targets running by?---and he darted in a zigzag pattern in an attempt to escape them. The bodyguard's luck couldn't hold out forever, and he felt a sudden pressure----not pain---in his left shoulder. One glance at the wounded area revealed that a bullet had pierced straight through him, exiting cleanly under his collarbone. There was no expression of surprise or agony on Armand's stony features, despite the blood which now decorated his ruined leather jacket. He simply dove behind a truck a split second before his vehicle exploded where he had abandoned it. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, and Armand pressed his back against the truck as he glanced over to see the woman nearby. "You enjoying the show?" he barked at her with a furrowed brow.

“I have one signature to place and then we can get dinner.” Ricardo looked up at his friend before opening one of the files, reading it through first. “I’ve barely seen you around, I’m starting to get tired of Alonso, when are you coming back to work as my bodyguard?”

A faint smirk of amusement appeared on his features for a brief moment. "I'll always be working as your bodyguard, Ricardo. Someone has to take care of you 24/7," he joked as he walked forward to rest his hands against the back of a cushioned chair.

guilicerri, armand-drago, noemicassani

“Hey you, wasn’t sure if you were gonna have time to show or not.”

Noemi looked up, raising a brow. “Well if it isn’t mister president..well not yet, but you get the idea. An extra hand? or ten?” She asked, pouring the lemonade into a glass. “Because I might need more lemons.” She concluded. 

"Just the one," Armand replied, stepping up beside Ricardo and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Hey," he greeted the two women with an easy smile.

“Then everything is set in place? Good.” Eyes cast up from his phone call as a dark silhouette was cast upon the wall near him. “I’ll speak to you later about the details.” He closed the conversation, ending the call before he turned to face his visitor. “Did Aryana let you in?”

Armand cleared his throat before he responded. “Yes. I know I’m technically off, but I thought I’d help you out a bit longer before I left for the day. Unless you’re finished and want to grab a bite?” He raised his eyebrows and leaned against the doorframe.

Arina nodded, happy that he thought it would be fun as well. She had a very story-book view of what the zoo would be like. She’d never gone. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been allowed to, it was just that her family had done other things. She hadn’t realized how much of her life was spent in the penthouse until then. There were many days when she never left the confides of the house. She was educated in the house, she slept there, she had a play room and she wasn’t allowed to go to sleepovers or anything like that. Guests came to the penthouse, not the other way around. She had never felt trapped there, it was big and always full of something new, but now that she was away from home, she was beginning to notice how restricted her childhood had been. 

Her enthusiasm was endearing and Armand found himself thinking of a child-like persona. Not in a bad way; in fact, it was refreshing to be able to interact with someone who wouldn't bring up the subject of killings, tortures, mutilations, or other atrocious criminal activities. It was a bit disheartening that the bodyguard found such a bright personality as Arina's rare---that showed the kind of world Armand lived in. Still, something about the way she spoke so brightly and cheerily nudged at some faint memory which he kept hidden away in the back of his mind. There was something almost familiar about Arina, which was surprising, seeing as Armand had never really spoken much with her before the auction.

Arina was excited. She’d never been to the zoo, not once in her life, and she was eager to see it. She’d seen pictures, virtual tours online, but she’d never been up to the fence when a lion roamed around. She’d dressed quite simply but still very feminine. She’d tucked a shirt with a peter pan collar into a skirt, the look effortless and flowy. She’d paired her outfit with comfortable flats that wouldn’t give her blisters when walking. The weather was still quite cool, so she grabbed a sweater as well as she headed out to the car. She was admittedly a little disappointed that he hadn’t gotten out of the car to meet her, but she figured he was taking care of his little son. She didn’t let the smile falter from her lips for even a moment as she climbed into the car. “Good morning.” She greeted cheerfully. 

Was he? As sad as it might be, Armand hadn’t really been excited by much, ever. Save for the arrival of his son, which was based on fear and nerves more than anything, that joyful feeling of looking forward to a new experience such as this was rather foreign to him. He had never been to the zoo; his father never would have let them, had they asked. The drunkard would instead have forced Armand and his sister to bring him another case of beer from the basement and return there when they were done. The all too-familiar anger which festered within Armand threatened to boil up for a moment, but the sight of Arina pulling Enzo’s blanket more snuggly around the baby fought back the dark thoughts.

Arina smiled, pleased that he seemed comfortable with her. She imagined it could have been very awkward for him, especially if his date was a complete stranger. She’d at least talked to him before, waved to him as she busied herself cleaning. She wasn’t exactly his best friend, but they weren’t complete strangers either. 

Arina smiled warmly, excitement filling her. She felt good being charitable, and she was looking forward to a fun night out. “Armand? I know this is probably unexpected, I hope you’re not too disappointed though.” She offered. 

“Regardless of your intentions, no one is authorized up here without proper identification.”

“A guard? Okay do I really look that threatening, I mean the only person I could probably cause harm to is myself and thats on accident I swear.”

“Working? What are you doing in here?”