"Masks make us feel safer even when they become suffocating. Armour makes us feel stronger even when we grow weary from carrying the extra weight around. The irony is that when we're standing across from someone who is hidden or shielded by masks and armour, we feel frustrated and disconnected. That's the paradox here: Vulnerability is the last thing I want you to see in me, but the first thing I look for in you."
-Brené Brown
Kate stared at her unblinking reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a plain white dress that Fyodor had given her. She wondered where he got the dress from and why he had it in the first place. It was flowy and reached below her knees. She had even done her hair for the occasion. She did the best she could with what she had on hand. It had been only partially tied in the back with a black ribbon. She even braided a piece in the front. She looked strikingly like a Chopin.
Meanwhile, Fyodor sat in his room, not bothering to change his outfit. He wasn't trying to impress her, although he should have been. He didn't think about how his every little move would impact her opinion of him. He simply splashed cold water on his face to prepare for his dinner out with Kate. He looked like everything that Daisy Chopin had taught her daughters to avoid in a man. His hair was still unkempt, with greasy roots and tangled ends. His eyes would eternally be surrounded by dark bags, lids drooping slightly in tiredness. He was extremely thin and no matter how much ate or even worked out would that change. He truly was a mess.
Kate had made her way over to the main room with her small handbag in her arms. She never went anywhere without it. She kept her American ID in it as well as her passport and some money. She also kept some spare facial powder and mints inside of it. As she entered the room, she saw that Fyodor was still nowhere to be found but Ivan was.
"Excuse me, but where is mister Dostoevsky?" She asked in a very ladylike manner.
"He's still in his room getting ready." The man answered simply, uninterested in their little 'date.' In fact, Ivan was very annoyed with it.
Why was his master going out to eat with this woman who seemed very stuck up and just irked Ivan? His master was a wonderfully generous and kind man who was willing to be the villain in order to aid humanity and his followers. The woman he had just met seemed to have no drive and she seemed to not care about her cause-- the whole reason for her being there. Not only that, but she just seemed like she was a zombie, a robot-- no, a doll. All the movements she made were well practised and her words always seemed to be the correct thing to say. How could she behave that way? Ivan despised it. He didn't dislike her, he disliked the way she acted.
"Is it possible for you to let him know I had finished getting ready? I would very much appreciate that." She pleaded with her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. Ivan sighed in annoyance.
"Very well." He rolled his eyes but set off to his master's room anyways. Kate frowned at his open rudeness towards her. She knew servants hated guests occasionally but they usually don't act so negatively to that person's face. But she knew she wouldn't tattle on him or even scold his poor manners, it wasn't her place to.
When Ivan had entered his master's room, he saw his master typing away on his computer. Fyodor was a jack of all trades, good at most everything he did. But he was a God with computers, hence him being the hacker for Rats in the House of the Dead.
"Master, the girl is waiting for you." He informed the man.
"I'm sure she is." Fyodor acknowledged, never stopping his typing. Ivan didn't know how to respond to that. He simply stood there with his hands clasped together and a blank expression on his face. He was, however, pleased that his master also wasn't visibly interested in the woman.
Fyodor continued typing away for a few minutes before standing up abruptly. Ivan understood the nonverbal signal and grabbed his master's coat for him. He handed it to Fyodor who grabbed it as he walked past, a word never leaving his lips.
Fyodor finally entered the front room with Ivan at his side. He had planned on being overly obnoxious towards her that night to try and elicit some reaction from her doll-like expression. He saw her standing there simply, not having moved an inch from when Ivan had left her. She looked gorgeous and well put together. Fyodor was in awe of her beauty but he couldn't help and be disappointed. He was disappointed that her beauty was ruined by her dull expression. She was still a doll despite the extra time he had made her wait.
Meanwhile, she couldn't help but think how unorganised this man seemed. Here he was, not ready before her or even in a different outfit at all after he had made such a fuss about her changing. He presented himself poorly to someone his alliance relied on. She couldn't fathom why he acted this way. He wasn't the most polite at times and he was occasionally too blunt. Not to mention the slight smell that followed him around due to the built-up grease on his head. To be honest, Kate was annoyed with the way he was acting. Why did he act so high and mighty when he was clearly below her?
Her lack of visible reaction irritated Fyodor into scowling slightly. When Kate saw this, it slightly pleased her knowing that her actions had stirred a reaction. She knew it was genuine and that's what she loved so much about it. It also appeared as her way of getting back at him for making her wait.
"I apologise for taking so long, I'm ready now though." He smiled tightly.
"How delightful that my host is ready. I must be lucky to have you for the evening." She smiled in the most genuine way she could. Fyodor knew her words had underlying rudeness and he was excited about that.
"Shall we get going?" His fake smile was turned into a real one as he walked over to the door.
"If that pleases you." She followed after him, reaching the door the second he opened it. She slipped outside before he could exit first. She wasn't going to allow this man to now show her any manners.
Fyodor was surprised at her actions but followed her, Ivan following closely behind him. A taxi was already waiting outside for Fyodor and Kate, showing her that he was prepared and just making her wait unnecessarily. She was even more annoyed by this. He was making a horrible first impression.
Fyodor actually held the door open for Kate this time and she gratefully got in first. With the two in the taxi safely, Ivan watched the car drive away with his master and that woman. He headed inside the house and closed the door, snickering to himself as he thought of his master mentally dismantling her.
In the car, the pair sat in silence. Fyodor was still thinking about her words, 'if that pleases you.' It shouldn't matter if it pleases him, she should be pleasing herself. Little did he know, he had just found the first real crack in her seemingly impenetrable armour. Nonetheless, he decided to say something about it.
"My little doll, you have no real idea what pleases me, do you?" He smirked through his half-shut lids. She froze at his nickname. That was what the agency called her... Did Fyodor know who she really was? He couldn't possibly know, she was kept off of all records.
"I'm sorry?" Was all she could manage to get out.
"Cat got your tongue?" He gave her a smirk that was far too cocky but it was well earned.
"Where are we going for dinner this evening?" She asked, blatantly ignoring his questioning.
"Ah, so you've decided to ignore my little antics. How long will that last, I wonder?" He placed his head in his hand, a smile still playing on his lips.
"I'm terribly sorry but why are you acting this way? I've not gotten to know the man you are yet, and your rudeness is apparent in your every action thus far. If you're trying to intimidate me into submission so you can get whatever you want out of the Guild for our alliance, you will be sorely mistaken. The Guild is a powerful organisation that will not be taken lightly, especially when it comes to men like you." She made her threats aware though she hadn't spoken them directly. She had no need to be so direct because her point was well received on the other end.
Fyodor was quite pleased that she stood up to him, but he also realised she was right. He couldn't possibly mess with her so much when his alliance stood in the way. He needed this alliance so that the master plan could happen. If he were to get inside of her head, he needed the Guild out of the picture entirely-- or at least out of her picture. He wanted her mind to be his, he wanted to tear her apart and build her back up in his image. He was going to make her belong to him.
"Do forgive me, miss Chopin, I've been extremely preoccupied with work lately. It would seem I had forgotten who you were. Allow me to make it more bearable for you during our dinner together." He hung his head slightly. He truly was embarrassed of his behaviour. He had gotten sidetracked and didn't even realise what he was doing.
"Of course." She nodded her head before turning it away to look out the car window.
She knew he was the type of man to prey on her sympathy, so showing him her sympathy was out of the picture now. She was eager to see a change in him. She was ready for him to start acting like an actual host to her. His words promised he would, but she knew she shouldn't trust him.
Later that night she would have to check in with Fitzgerald and give him an update on everything. She was undercover and he was technically her boss. Besides, she was supposed to be negotiating this alliance and relaying the information to Fitzgerald.
Fyodor was determined to be on his best behaviour for the remainder of the time that they would be negotiating. However, the second that their negotiation was completed, he would continue on with his dissection of her mind. She would submit to him, but first, he had to submit to her.