France: 2140

[Natalie Burr]

Natalie Burr was tired. It seemed that that was a common ooccurence these days. It took so much out of her to have to constantly be in the spotlight, being followed by tourists, citizens and the media, alike. Even more stressful was the ongoing situation at the Manor, it appeared as though the rumor mill had been restored and relocated to the heart of the manor, and with every corner she turned she found herself listening to whisperings of conquering Spain. She doubted it was true, seeing as her father always informed his wife and daughter of events that would draw circus-like media crowds. Natalie understood, though, why the staff believed in such an occurence - her father had been strangely absent in the passing fortnight; he had not made any speeches or public appearances, nor had he been seen around his home.

She had no doubt that there was something underway that had kept her father from the pulic eye in recent weeks, but she knew from instinct that it was in the earlier stages of planning. She sat now on the third level of the Eiffel Tower, there were few people about, seeing as it was a rainy Monday and it could hardly be considered tourist season. She'd chosen a spot that was a secluded as she could find, alone except for one of the guardsmen in her detail. He was young, perhaps her age, or a bit older - she didn't know his name. He would not interrupt her, she knew, nor would he stop anyone from trying to speak with her - for she had insisted that that made her feel as if she were a child, hence he was only allowed to intervene [or come within twenty feet of her, for that matter] if she was in mortal peril, something that sounded utterly ridiculous to her. The rest of the guards were scattered about the level, admiring the view or wearily eyeing suspicious characters. She sighed, watching the rain fall, it was too much for her sometimes, this political mayhem that she'd been ejected into.




(And now I await a response from...anyone, really.)

[Sean Aufrührer]

The past couple of days had been utterly boring. What were you expecting, Sean a twenty one year old man to be happy with the almost non-existent flow of meetings. Well he wasn't because this gave him time to think and realize that he was twenty one and held a very high position in the government, one that people work most of their lives to achieve and he, Sean had just been born at the right time to the right family.

The one good thing about this absence of Adrian Burr was the fact that it gave him time to rest and to well think. Oxymoronish yes. Mostly about what he could be doing. He took a sip out of his coffee that was in a green paper cup and looked up to the beauty of the tower. He looked down it and saw some Gard their. He looked to be older than the High Council member. But the Gard wouldn't dare disrespect this young adult.

He walked toward the guy when he realized that this guy usually was stuck with the task of keeping track of the youngest Burr. Natalie. He smiled as he passed the guy. He looked utterly board.

He shook his head and ran his hand threw his wet black hair and slowly walked up the stairs to the third floor. She like it their. He knew, because he knew he knew her well.

"Natalie." he said and smiled. He leaned up against the wall. His eyes scanned over her quickly, she seemed just about as board as the Gard.

"Don't look to happy you can fool the masses." he said sarcastically. He saw the trash can a couple of yards away and tossed his empty cup into it.

[Natalie Burr]

Natalie looked up, smiling. "Oh yes, you know, because the tourists come out in droves to stare at the Eiffel in the rain, I'm sure."

She looked toward her guard, he seemed uninterested in the conversation at hand. "Long time no see." she said to him, looking across the vast expanse of Paris that lay before them. "Sit, we'll talk."

She slid over, making room for him to sit next to her, "You're lucky I recognized your face, it's been so long," she joked, "What? All that power going to your head, mon cher. I don't even see you around the manor, does my father have you running some top secret organization or are you finding reasons not to talk to me?"

She laughed and turned to look at him, "It has been a really long time, Sean. Je vous ai manqué." I missed you.

[Sean Aufrührer]

"What? All that power going to your head, mon cher. I don't even see you around the manor, does my father have you running some top secret organization or are you finding reasons not to talk to me?" she asked after he sat down next to her. Power going to his head?

"And if i was? Do you think that he would want me to tell some one like ah..." he said looking around and his eyes rested on her. "You?" he asked and laughed. Sure the high position in her father's government was nice, really nice. He just had to stay off of her father's radar and he would make it.

"It has been a really long time, Sean. Je vous ai manqué." He noded. He had missed her too. He had been really busy. And yes he might have been avoiding one of his closest freinds. But at one time in thier past relationship he had thought that he loved her. But once his father died. He put him self into isolation, he did not want to take her down with him.

"Really?" he asked as he wached the rain fall. "Because of my charming persona, good loooks, or just because you have no one else to complain to?" he joked. "Nah, Natalie i haven't seen you aound sorry." he apoligesed. She still was one of his closest friends.

[Natalie Burr]

Natalie doubted that all the power was going to his head, it was probably closer to overwhelming than comforting. She knew, however, that he was sitting pretty with a position of such prestige at such a young age, though she supposed that it had helped that his father had been close with hers. Sean was two years old than her, just two.

It was easy to see that he was worried about his position, he stayed away from her father, but Natalie knew damn well that Sean would never lose his position, he could only move up, to Advisor, or say perhaps, the next Adrien Burr. Now that frightened her; to lose the only two men she'd loved - yes, she'd loved Sean, or she thought she had, it was so long ago - to such a dangerous profession, it wasn't what she wanted. Sean could do better.

"I think, perhaps, that I missed you because of your callous, conceited personality and your ever-so-charming ways." She grinned. "You haven't been around the manor for dinner lately. I'm incredibly disappointed."

[Sean Aufrührer]

"I think, perhaps, that I missed you because of your callous, conceited personality and your ever-so-charming ways." He smiled. She still had not lost her touch.

"Well, i see that your lady like manner's haven't dissipated." he joked.

"You haven't been around the manor for dinner lately. I'm incredibly disappointed." She told him grinning. He had been having his meals in his room, or with the other high council members. He usually ate a lone because he was to tired to put on the facade of a polite gentleman, or he didn't want to bump in to Natalie. Though now that he was sitting here with her talking, it wasn't as awkward as he thought that it would be. It almost seemed normal. He knew that he had hurt her, But he thought that his decision was made for the best.

""Well let me make that up for you, Mademoiselle." he said and smiled wickedly. Ditching her guards. Not that hard. The guards weren’t exactly on a life and deaths mission guarding her. They were able to get rid of them when they were younger, and that wasn't that long ago. "There are some nice places to eat around here." he whispered. "I'll pay." he said and smiled.

[Natalie Burr]

She laughed as she listened to him, it was hard to mistake that look in his eyes, she'd seen it so many times before - mischief. They were going to slip her guardsmen and sure she would even allow herself to be dragged along, but it was more fun for her to watch Sean plead with her.

"You were never the observant one, Sean, we are sitting in a restaurant - one of the two in this tower of steel." She smiled, "And I'm suprised at you - you haven't been around in weeks and yet when you show up the first thing you do is try to get me to defy my father." She shook her head, she couldn't sit in the shadow of the guardsmen anymore: they looked at her like she was a burden, oh how she wanted to remind them that she was their job. "Okay, okay. Let's go, mon cher. Lead the way."

[Sean Aufrührer]

"You were never the observant one, Sean, we are sitting in a restaurant - one of the two in this tower of steel. And I'm surprised at you - you haven't been around in weeks and yet when you show up the first thing you do is try to get me to defy my father. Okay, okay. Let's go, mon cher. Lead the way" He smiled. It was true he had never really been the one to think before he asked. He should because he sounded like a total idiot. But oh well.

"Mademoiselle," He said loudly standing up. Enough to make the guards snap back to reality. " There is a wonderful site to see if you follow me this way." he said and grabbed her hand. Walking her over to a ledge and smiled at her. "Beautiful?" he asked. Noticing that the guards were settling back down. Really it was a waste of money to even keep them around for guarding the burr family. But Sean wouldn't suggest that. He would be killed that night.

[Natalie Burr]

Natalie laughed to herself as she saw the reaction the guards had to Sean's dragging her along. They'd started - and then abruptly relaxed. Was it ironic that she counted on their being lazy? She feigned a smile as she peered over the ledge. She wondered how he'd manage to get her past the two guards on the floor - ones who were standing a mere 15 feet away - and the two guards at the entrance to the elevator on the bottom floor - surely the duo would run right into them on their way out.

"Gorgeous." she replied, thinking all the while that actions like this could very well cost Sean his position if her father was in a bad mood when he was told. She whispered, "I hope you realize that you can't smooth talk the guards downstairs into letting us go." She winked, "And I don't particularly feel like jumping from here." She pulled him a few more feet away from the guardsmen, there was corner ahead.

[Sean Aufrührer]

"I hope you realize that you can't smooth talk the guards downstairs into letting us go. And I don't particularly feel like jumping from here." She told him as they walked a couple more feet to the corner.

"There is even a beater View over here." he said as the rounded the corner. "Come on." he said and smiled at her. "I don't plan on smooth talking my way threw the guards." he said playfully. He wiggled his eye brows.

"I plan to avoid them completely." he said. No he wasn't going reveal his mater plan. Because he didn't have one. But she didn't need to know that. "I just plan not to see them at all. As long as they don't see us leave, we wont have any problems from your parents." It used to be their parents, but his were gone now.

[Natalie Burr]

She grinned and pulled him along a few more feet, "You're right, it is a better view. I should take pictures for daddy." she said, and then lowered her voice, "Oh great, avoid them completely? It's not me I'm worried about if we get caught, it's you. Because I know for a fact that if my father were to yell at me, my mother would yell at him, telling him for the thousandth time that I'm a nineteen year old girl, and I don't need to be watched."

The guards had been a sore spot for her parents for some time now, her mother had repeatedly told her father - much to Natalie's pleasure - that having a guard detail was a hinderance to Natalie's life, "Adrien, you're being absolutely ridiculous!" she used to say, "I can only imagine how difficult it is for her to meet new people when she's got four men with guns standing around her - and her father, the most powerful man in France! It's too difficult, Adrien."

[Sean Aufrührer]

"You're right, it is a better view. I should take pictures for daddy." she said, and then lowered her voice, "Oh great, avoid them completely? It's not me I'm worried about if we get caught, it's you. Because I know for a fact that if my father were to yell at me, my mother would yell at him, telling him for the thousandth time that I'm a nineteen year old girl, and I don't need to be watched."

"Yes. i am sure that he would enjoy that." he said so that the guards would hear. He quickly looked at one his eyes were out of focus. He smiled, well they were not paying attention now.

"After you." he said stepping aside to let her lead them out. "And if no one sees us then we don't have to worry now do we." He said following her. "And i think your guards will be in trouble more for loosing you then for me taking you out to lunch." he sated as they made it pass her guards that were now thinking of doing things other than what they were doing now.

[Natalie Burr]

Natalie risked a quick glance at the guarsd as they snuck past, they seemed preoccupied, lost in thoughts and daydreams, they were hardly concerned about a nineteen year old rich girl, they just wanted to be paid and sent home. She could hardly blame them, they were young, barely older than her, they'd much rather entertain themselves with thoughts of beautiful women and champagne than fickle Natalie. For a moment she felt fleeting hatred for her father, it was one thing to restrict her life, but somehow she blamed him for doing the same to theirs. The feeling evaporated quickly.

"And I think your guards will be in trouble more for losing you then for me taking you out to lunch."

"I certainly hope so." she paused, listening to what she'd said, "Oh, is that terrible? That I hope they get into trouble? After all, their incompetency allows me to get away with so much." She laughed, allowing Sean to pull her further away from the guards.

[Sean Aufrührer]

Doing this again brought back fond memories, that frankly Sean had forgotten about. Her laugh, the feeling of adrenaline pumping threw his veins, the fear of her father, the guards. All of it he used to experience on an almost day to day basis, but now this was a rarity.

He looked around the corner two more guards and they seemed to be alert. Damn. Well a wired plan formulated in his mind. It was strange but since the guards were both male it just might work. Sean would even do what he predicted that they would do. He pulled her into their blind spot, it was up against a wall.

"Natalie, you were right we are not going to be able to get pass the guards. But i have an idea. " he said. "It is crazy but it is almost fool proof. You got trust me." he said and smiled.

[Natalie Burr]

Natalie looked at him, then towards the guards. She repeated this twice before a single thought floated across her mind. He was plotting, and when he was plotting nothing was ever safe; she'd learned that the hard way over the years. It was probably something slightly stupid, something abominably ridiculous and something completely irrational, but she knew she'd do it anyway.

She looked up at him from against the wall she was leaning on, "Crazy is the only adjective you could come up with? I know you, Sean, and your plans usually fall into the 'deranged, maniacal, nonsensical' category." She laughed, "Do share."