Useful Prospects (Lisabeth & Joshua)

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Josh knew he could play the next move in whatever manner he wanted and Lisabeth's father would have little and less capability to deny him that. Well, that was, of course, if the man had absolutely any idea who and what he was dealing with. Josh took him to be a clever man though, if current meetings and letters were anything to go by.

The business proposition was in full swing now, and Josh could only imagine the disbelief in Lisabeth's father's eyes when he read the letter when Josh had invested the full amount in to the business plan and only asked for half of the share he'd originally been offered. It would have been, if only briefly, amusing to be a fly on the wall in that moment.

Lisabeth's letter had, Josh was sure, been laced with sarcasm in respect of her thanks, but Josh didn't care. So far, he had the upper hand as he had played his move last. When it was going to end, well, Josh wasn't sure, but it would be on his terms.

Sending a note to Lisabeth's father, Josh had detailed that they would be going for tea in Diagon Alley. Not his kind of fun in the slightest, but it looked proper. In reality, he had a proposition for the witch, her mind... He wanted to explore more, get to know her more.

But people were not always the easiest thing for Josh to decipher.

Sitting down at the table he'd booked for the afternoon, Josh waited for Lisabeth to arrive, sure that she would not miss this date, if not for her own benefit, then at least for her family's.

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Anticipation and preparation came hand in hand ever since her father had shown her the letter Josh sent him. Lisa spent her time not only mentally preparing herself for when they met, but also in slight excitement. She could not figure out Josh, and that irked her slightly, but at the same time, she hoped he could not figure her out. If there was something she knew how to do well, it was hide true intentions and her true face, presenting what others wanted to see as well as what was, well, proper.

It wouldn't do for some to know that she enjoyed toying with certain people, or that she had an almost unhealthy interest in the art of conning others. Of course, it wasn't something she did everyday or would ever admit to even knowing about it, but Lisa liked the idea of being able to convince people of falsehoods, something she knew she could do if and when it called for it.

When Josh's letter came, Lisa was more than ready to jump in head first, but she never did that, and so she spent half the morning carefully thinking through things, making sure she had plan Bs for plan Bs for almost every situation she could think off.

Wearing a simple dress, something she wore for almost all occasions, she made her way down to the tea shop. She was early, as she usually was for things she cared about, and stepping inside, spotted Josh at once. Making her way over, she paused as she reached it.

"Good afternoon, Mister Murray," she greeted, keeping her tone as respectfully polite as she could without it sounding fake. There was, however, a genuine smile on her face, albeit a small one.

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Thankfully, Josh didn't have to wait long for Lisabeth to enter the tea shop. Checking his watch subtly, he noted she was early, promptness was something Josh liked in people, but he would never compliment someone for it, simply put, he expected it.

Standing up as she came over, Josh nodded his head slightly at her greeting. "Lisabeth." Josh acknowledged, motioning for her to take the seat opposite him. It looked like she'd come alone, which whilst unconventional was much more practical for the two of them.

With a wave of his hand, the waiter had quickly appeared at the side of the table, pouring them both their tea - Josh hadn't bothered to ask what Lisabeth wanted to drink, they were both going to drink the same. A mint green tea of Josh's selection. The waiter didn't question it, and for a moment, he wondered if Lisabeth would. That would make for an interesting start.

"You like playing games." Josh told the witch once the waiter had retreated to get the scones to accompany the tea. "If I were a betting man, I'd say your father doesn't know about your stunt. Though, I wouldn't worry, I have no reason to tell him." He continued, whilst Josh was beyond cunning in his own manner, he only used information when it would benefit him. Telling Lisabeth's father of her unconventional mannerisms would only serve to remove them from her personality.

"Or... perhaps it's all your father's doing to try to gain my attention?" Josh added, testing the waters to get to the botto of the whole thing as he watched her with interest.

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At the motion to sit, Lisa followed, hating the fact that she was in a place of his choosing, for that meant he had the upper hand. It was always that way; the person who initiated a game - or a round of a game - would always have better standings. To Lisa, it only made things that much more interesting, for it meant she had to rely sorely on her own wit instead of plans

Raising her eyebrow as the waiter came, she allowed a look of curiosity to show, glancing down at the tea and back up at the man across the table. "Thank you for ordering," she started, picking up the teacup and blowing gently on the surface to cool the liquid. "How did you know I liked this flavour?" she continued, knowing for sure that he had not actually picked according to her preference. In fact, as the faint odour of mint came wafting over, she knew it wasn't a flavour she would have ordered on her own.

Mint was nice, in ice cream and other desserts, but with tea? If it was there, she'd drink it, but only if there weren't any other options. Whether Josh could see through her lie or not, she didn't care.

The question came fast and without any hesitation, something she was pleasantly surprised by. "Everybody likes games in one form or another," she replied, neither admitting to what he was saying nor denying it, although she was sure it was a statement and not a question. "I wasn't worrying," she added a moment later. And truly, she wasn't. Her father was an old softie, easily fooled by women (Lisa learnt some tricks by watching how her mother got her father to agree to certain things) and she was quite sure she would have been able to get out of a mess. In any case, that was not what happened, and she choose not to dwell on it.

As Josh continued, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his words. Letting out a small laugh, maintaining the grace and posture that all women should have, Lisa gave her head a tiny shake, and then paused to sip at her tea. Placing it down gently on the table, she looked Josh straight in the eyes. "Perhaps, perhaps not. It doesn't matter what I say - it matters what you believe. So, I give you back your very question: what do you think?"

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The thanks for ordering Josh didn't acknowledge. It was, after all, a man's place to order in such situations. Or, at least, it was in his family, their social standing. A woman was simply an accessory of beauty. "A lucky guess." Josh responded to her question, though he could guess at the fact it likely wasn't really as she'd said in that moment.

Leaving his own cup for the time being, Josh simply watched Lisabeth drink the concoction, and explain how people liked games in some manner. Indirectly answering without giving herself away. It gave him something to think about as she insisted she wasn't worried about him telling on her. That raised questions of it's own. Did she not find the situation troublesome, or did she not believe that he could bring her down if he wanted to.

That left Josh with some assessing for a moment.

But with his own question thrown back at him, Josh couldn't help but sit in silence for a moment. That was not how he wanted this to go, but he could deal with it. "What I believe?" Josh asked, lifting his cup and taking a sip of his tea, savouring the taste for a few seconds before swallowing. "I believe that a family such as yours would be interested in gaining my attention." He replied, never in a tone of accusation, but in a manner they both knew what he was saying was true.

"However, it's highly unconventional." Josh continued. "Which would lead me to believe that it's not your father."

Josh allowed another moment to pass, analysing a little more. "I find the game interesting, truth be told. You don't think any length is too much. I mean, you could easily have ruined your father's business proposal with your recent stunt." Josh continued, waiting there to see how she would react to that news.

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Watching him carefully as she waited for him to answer, Lisa noted with some interest that he was able to keep his emotions and facial expressions intact. She would never admit it, but it was something she admired, for unlike Josh, she was only able to do that sometimes, and not as well as he did. It would be something she kept silent about, of course, and as he continued, she simply nodded.

It was true. Her family, while holding power and being of some higher status than others, were not the highest. The Murray family, on the other hand, was not only rich, but extremely, extremely powerful. Josh did not need to say what kind of attention, but to be married to someone from that family - especially the Head himself - would mean an instant boost.

Her father, though, was not all that cunning; he never could have come up with a plan like that. It was far too risky for their family, for if it blew up, it would have ruined the family entirely. Unconventional, as Josh put it moments later, and she nodded again. "It is also unconventional for me to play games," she commented lightly, knowing she was admitting outright to his first statement. "But you are right. It is not my father's doing."

As Josh went on after a moment, she smiled softly. "Yes," she said at once, not needing to think; she had prepared an answer for this, guessing that it would have been brought up sooner or later. "It could have." She paused, sipped her tea again, and then placed the cup down. "But it didn't." With a casual motion towards herself, she went on, asking the question she guessed he'd ask next. "If it had? Well, that would be another conversation altogether. I'm not interested in that; I'm interested in what is happening and what is. Too much time thinking about what could have been only wastes time."

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Josh conceded the point on her playing games being unconventional, before pausing once more. "Only if you were to be caught by the wrong person." Josh amended her statement, though he did wonder if it were completely conventional if she was playing them anyway. Though, she was not his daughter, so to him it didn't matter in the slightest. This was just a game, to pass time.

Being told her was right made a small smirk touch Josh's features. The words were unnecessary, but fueled his ego anyway. Of which, Joshua Murray had a large ego, but not a sensitive one.

The extended talk on it not mattering what might have happened was one that made Josh, his smirk growing just a faction. "Your style of thinking is most becoming." Josh told her in something of a backhanded compliment. "Dangerous, but becoming." He added, because though he liked it, it did have it's downsides.

"Though, I should ask as to what you're trying to achieve. You play your card, I play mine back. And yet, there has been little and less purpose to the exchange. Unless I am overlooking something." He continued, the last sentence said in such a manner that he did not believe it to be the case. "So what do you want, Lisabeth?" Josh asked, getting to the point of the meeting because despite his immeasurable talent of analysis, the witch before him was immensely good at hiding her intentions.

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"I wouldn't have done it if I knew I would have been caught," she replied, simply, tone not bragging or proud. Lisa was simply stating a fact. She never took too high a risk, and always made very precise calculations before she ever made a move, so if she had the slightest inkling that her father would have caught her, she wouldn't have done it.

At the compliment - for she was sure that was what it was - Lisa couldn't help but feel a tad bit surprised. She never thought Josh would ever say anything like that, and she felt a little pride filling her at the words. Even as he continued, lessening the effect of his words, she knew it was the truth and didn't ignore it completely. "Danger is relative," she commented, but what she meant exactly she did not say. Josh could figure it out, she was sure.

At his next words, she couldn't help but smile. He was getting to the point, going straight in for the kill, so to speak, and she appreciated it. Dancing around the bush only served as a time waster, and that was never something she enjoyed. As he concluded, Lisa let out a small laugh. Inclining her head slightly, she didn't even hesitate. "Well, Josh, people play games for one or a mixture of three reasons. For fun, because they're bored, and or to win. Which of the above is open to debate."

Pausing for just a couple of seconds, Lisa smiled at him. In a smooth motion she placed her hand down on the table in front of him and released a sweet she had secretly palmed moments earlier. "Anyway, while we are on that topic, I do believe you were the initiator. I was merely..." A very brief silence passed as she thought of the right word to use. "...retaliating, as any sporting person would."

Lifting her shoulders very slightly to indicate shrugging without actually doing the motion, for she knew 'Purebloods don't shrug' as told by her tutor, she concluded, "So, really, I should be asking you."

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To say Josh was a little disappointed that the witch only took 'risks' when she deemed there wasn't one was perhaps something of an understatement. Whilst he understood what she was saying, there was only a small benefit to minimal risk. Of course, there was also minimal loss, but Josh didn't wish to go in to that.

Very few people played with Joshua Murray, and none who did lived very long to tell the tale of how they had gotten one over on him. But Lisabeth was becoming something of game in many and more ways than the silly sweets being passed back and forth. No, she knew how to play a good game, and Josh found himself... not minding her company. "I would start, and close, the debate with the fact that even if you want this game to be in the category of the latter, you will never succeed." Josh told the witch coolly, not in a manner that left it up to debate, but in a manner that put his foot down.

Joshua never lost.

"Why I started the game?" Josh asked, shaking his head slightly at the sweet that appeared between them. Moving his hand, Josh pushed it to Lisabeth's side of the table. "I wanted you to eat one. Without pulling a face to prove your sour disposition to be true. If I am wrong, it was a front, and your face will screw up in all manner of shapes." Josh replied, allowing a small pause. "And either way, I will win. You don't eat it, you're a coward and no longer worth my time. You eat it, you prove me right and you're sour. Or in the worst case, you prove that I was wrong, but I would still win because you would make the most unladylike faces known, and I will have those in my memory forever."

With that, Josh sat back, leaving the last piece of the game in Lisabeth's court.

» To Meet You (Joshua)
» Lisabeth Windsor
» An Unconventional Opening (Lisabeth & Josh)
» I'll keep on trying... (Joshua)
» Are you joking? (Joshua)