Re: Force Majeure | 4-15-2020 | Afternoon
When it was clear by her posture that Eva had relented, Nathaniel's back stiffened and he attempted to retrieve a scrap of the pride he'd lost. Could that have been considered begging? He wasn't entirely sure, but it was much too close for Nathaniel. Had she known him better, Eva probably would have realized just how important she... this was to him.
However wounded as he might have been, a smirk came naturally when she ordered him to fetch the fallen d20 - something he did with ease. The gift flew from the floor to his hand then back into its box, the piece of wood now temporary imbued with magic.
Nathaniel led and Eva followed, each of her footsteps charged with annoyance and skepticism. Which Nate wasn't at all turned off by. Something about challenging the powerful woman had given the taller man a rush - especially because he knew that ultimately his intentions were moral. This time.
They climbed the stairs, passed up the restricted section and settled on the tucked-away door to the attic. Understanding the implications, Nathaniel didn't offer Eva the chance to enter first. He opened the door and ascended the small staircase to the space proper. Surprisingly well lit by lamps and the sun beaming through the large stained glass windows - the storage room was hardly the scene from a ghost story some might have assumed. Well, except for Nate's push pin and string covered board of pictures and articles.
Once Eva arrived proper, Nathaniel pointed toward the picture of the carefree, blond, twenty-something on the board. "Ruby Adams," he said and pulled the picture down to hand it to Eva. "That was her name when she lived here anyway," Nathaniel added, quickly. "Her real name is Agfinna Grímsdóttir," he said and only grimaced slightly. "She's Asgardian, if the name wasn't enough, and her dad's a fairly important Asgardian or at least wealthy. Anyway, Agfinna lands on Earth sometime after the destruction of Asgard. Changes her name and stops talking to her family," Nathaniel explained. "Great, right? Every parent's dream," he said with his signature lack of emotion. "Except she didn't just want some freedom. According to mom, dad, and what I've discovered, she got mixed up in the wrong crowd. And no one's seen her for over a month. So her parents are worried enough to hire me," Nathaniel looked toward the table that had a large portion of his mystical artifacts. "It's something I'm known for, in certain circles, and my methods seem to make more sense to the Asgardians. Anyway, I use my abilities to find people and it's normally pretty easy. Except for the moment I saw the first picture of Ruby or Agfinna, I knew this wouldn't be that simple," he said knowing that the juju he'd picked up on was certainly clear to the partially awakened Eva. "Something dark and powerful doesn't want anyone to know where she is," he pointed back toward the board. "And I planned on staying here until I figured out what, but perhaps due to my own shortsightedness," gulp. "I didn't expect to find anyone like you," Nathaniel over-shared. Drat.