Seeing that they were left to their own devices, Alexis turned to Vincent and said before leaving on her own, "I shall use this time to acquire external information from any manuscripts and written documents available in the vicinity. I will see you again before a time period Hayley would often classify as 'dinner time'." It was just Alexis' way of saying that she wanted to use her free time to read any book she could get her hands on. As a being who thrived on knowledge and information, reading appeared to be Alexis' favorite hobby, although her reasons were more pragmatic than what a human would expect.

"Have fun," Vincent says, waving Alexis off as she walks away. Reaching forward, he picks up the television remote and turns the TV on. After a few minutes of channel surfing, he sighs and switches places with Isaac, saying, I'm bored. Your turn. Isaac sighs and turns the TV off before rising to his feet, curious as to what Alexis was doing. He eventually found her in front of a bookshelf, reading something. Walking up to her, he asks, "What're you reading?"

Hearing the male approaching her as she read her book, Alexis turned around and showed Isaac the book she was reading: The Art of War by Sun Tzu. "I find this book amongst the manuscripts within this shelf. The Art of War gained fame within human society due to its situational context and similarity to modern tactical warfare, both in literal terms and figurative terms. Due to the title and the history behind its fame, I have decided to study the writings for closer analysis."

Yeah, that Sunny guy sure knew how to kill, Vincent says. You've never read it, though, Isaac replies, to which Vincent responds, I don't need to. It has the word 'war' in it, so that makes it a book about killing! Isaac rolls his eyes and looks over Alexis' shoulder at the book in her hands. "What're you hoping to learn from this?" he asks, genuinely intrigued.

Alexis remained quiet for a moment, then looked back at Isaac and replied, "The Art of War, by itself, was a memoir of a military general in the face of turbulent and war-forged time, but current contemporary views have espoused the teachings of Sun Tzu as a metaphor of different scenarios outside of the battlefield. Beyond its usage within military strategies, the Art of War is an accepted anecdote within a business relationship and social relationship between humans. I wish to delve more into how the Art of War translates within social context, a subject I admittedly have little information in."

Hearing Alexis say she was reading the Art of War, of all things, to try to learn how to act around other people, Isaac smiles and rests a hand on her shoulder. "Well, good luck," he says. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me, Vincent, or even Sean. I know that the three of us would be glad to help you." That said, he turns to the bookshelf and pulls out Sean's copy of Dante Aligheri's "Inferno," before turning around and sitting down on the couch as Vincent says, Hey, instead of reading, let me out! I wanna talk to her more!

Oblivious to Vincent's protest, Alexis continued reading while Hayley, now bored out of her mind, retreated for a nice, undisturbed nap, leaving the anti-social persona to take control of her body. For the time being, it seemed that all was peaceful for them as they enjoyed the serenity of their new home.

Elsewhere, Arlia gently tugged on her dress and tried to do a last-minute prep of her hair. She had been summoned for a 'strategic meeting' and formal dinner after their previous failure and came dressed in a formal black dress. Still bearing the trauma of her punishment, the auburn-haired woman hid her fears and made herself look presentable as she waited for her guests. They had agreed to meet up at a luxury hotel where she had booked a room at the top floor, giving her the privacy and luxury of the elite rooms. For some reason, she seemed to be rather excited to see her ally again, even though they had known each other for a short period of time.

Nigel stands in front of the large picture window of his suite, looking out at the darkening horizon. He was about to do something he never thought he would do twice: meet up with the heir to the Medici Family, Arlia. Thinking of the brunette with the powers of what seemed like Heaven itself, he can't help but feel a thrill of excitement. "Dinner's ready," a man in full combat armor says as he opens the door. "I'll be there in a moment," Nigel says. Once the man shuts the door, Nigel straightens his tie and brushes out the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. "I wonder how tonight will end," he says to himself before leaving the room.

By dinner time, Arlia had descended into the grand dining hall, having reserved a section of the hall for her and her guests. Men clad in sharp suits remained watchful of the area around them, the auburn-haired woman being closely guarded by the men in suit. The sounds of footsteps finally broke the monotony as Nigel came into view, dressed in a formal tuxedo set that only made him look much more desirable. Trying to hide her ever growing attraction to the fire wielder, she cleared her throat and greeted him with a smile, "Buonasera, Signore Howeland." She gestured him to a seat in front of her as the hall began to fill in with dinners hungry for a high-class treat.

Seeing Arlia, clad in a beautiful black dress, Nigel found himself unable to hide the grin that crosses his face upon seeing her. Walking up to her, ignoring the men who subtly lay their hands on their weapons, he gently takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. "Good evening to you, Madam Medici." Sitting down across from her, he lays his arms on the table, lacing his hands together as he looks at the woman in front of him. "If I may be so bold," he says, "you look rather beautiful this evening."

"Grazie mille, signore. I must say that your tuxedo similarly compliments your appearance," Arlia replied in kind. Thought she didn't show it, she could feel her heart fluttering inside her chest as Nigel complimented her appearance. Not too long after, the waiters came with their first course: A selection of cheese with sourdough bread. "I do hope you come on an welcoming stomach," Arlia teased as she began to sample the cheese and bread entree.

Nigel smiles, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly at Arlia's compliment. Keep it together, Howeland, he chastises himself. After managing to calm down, he watches the waiter place their appetizer on the table. Chuckling, he says, "Well, I do feel as if I could eat." After trying the bread and cheese, he says, "This may just be an entree, but it is rather good. It gives me high hopes for the main course." Setting the remains of his cheese and bread on his plate, he asks, "Speaking of, what is the main course, tonight?"

Arlia hummed for a moment, trying to recall the course list from the top of her head. "Well, the main course would consist of several dishes as this restaurant serves a 12-course meal instead of a simple dinner menu. As you are aware, the cheese and bread are merely the entree. We'll start the main courses with pickled Kobe beef with charred strawberry, a ricotta ravioli with a soft egg yolk, and followed by shitake mushroom topped with filled peppers. Next, we'll have halibut poached in truffle butter in a coconut crepe, then risotto foraged ramps, prosciutto and fresh parmesan. A course of French onion soup with fresh thyme and gruyere cheese would come afterwards, along with roast pork belly and celeriac root puree. To top them off, we will have pear ginger juice to clean our palate, then followed with rib eye steak with grilled mustard greens."

Arlia chuckled as she concluded her list. While not a picky eater, she did enjoy a gourmet taste. "And we still have the dessert to look forward to, Signore Howeland. I would suggest that you do not worry about the courses. I assure you that they are made from the very best and most fresh ingredients we can find. I sincerely hope that you enjoy them."

Nigel chuckles and says, "Just listening to all of that has me hungry. Well, I'm sure that I'll enjoy every bite of it all." After finishing his bread and cheese, he decides to look around the room as he waits for the first course of the meal to be brought out, deciding to eat as minimally as possible in order to enjoy it all. Eventually, he found his gaze drifting from some far corner to just across the table, where it stays focused on Arlia. Watching her, he notices that everything she does has a sort of grace to it that's utterly captivating, which does as well of a job of making her attractive as her physical appearance. Soon, he realizes he's staring and looks away, coughing nervously into his hand before asking, "So...I guess we're supposed to talk about another attempt against Isaac and Hayley...right?"

"Ah, yes! Of course," Arlia replied, having been lulled and charmed by Nigel's presence. The way he spoke and how he carried himself only made him seem so dream-like to her. His British accent, which she considered to be alluring, certainly only strengthened her view of him. Lightly clearing her throat, she looked at Nigel and said, "We now know who we are fighting against. Though our previous assault was a failure. All is not lost. With our current information, I would suggest that we seek a way to split them up and attack them when they are at their most vulnerable."

"I was thinking the same thing," Nigel says, glad that they seemed to be on the same level. " It would be easy separating Isaac and Hayley, given Hayley's hatred for your and Isaac's other personality's bloodlust. The only problem is Sean Anderson. I've worked with him a few times and I can tell you, he is no pushover. The power that man possesses...Well, it almost seems godlike." Resting his elbows on the table, he laces his fingers together and rests his mouth against his thumbs, thinking. After a few moments, he says, "I would suggest using some of our men to distract him, but Sean almost seems impervious to firearms, considering his skill with the elements.

"We can't exactly send in our men now that we knew that he's fighting at another level entirely," Arlia mused as she took a bite out of her food. "I would suggest that we look for a different route. Instead of trying to distract a man that knows the way of war, why don't we focus on the amnesiac and the stubborn woman? From the intel we received from you, we know that Isaac Ryder used to work for the same employer you are working as of now, but he had somehow lost the memory of his service. There is also the fact that there was little background information on Hayley Summerland prior to her membership in the underground fighting ring. While I cannot guarantee that this information would be useful, it could give us an insight into her strengths and weaknesses, a psyche profile, if you will."

Nigel nods and says, "Every little bit of information helps, even if it's whether or not they put sugar in their cereal every morning. My people, and I assume yours, as well, are skilled in using everything they can to their advantage. One morning, they may awake to find their sugar had been replaced by arsenic and won't notice the difference until it's too late." After pausing for a moment as the waiter finally brings out their first course, he adds, "I'll have some of my men place bugs in the apartment while they sleep tonight. While I can't guarantee that Sean won't notice them, I still believe it is our best first move. We have the capability to use even silverware as a means of information gathering."

"Oh? That sounds quite intriguing!" Arlia was pleasantly surprised to learn what Nigel and his organization could do. "My family is entrenched into the politics of this city. With just the right words and people, I have access to every information in this city, from something as simple as personal details and address, to something more complicated, something like criminal record, medical records and the like. I must emphasize our current need to remain inconspicuous and discreet. We cannot afford placing our enemies on a state of high-alert or we wouldn't be able to ambush them."

Nigel smiles and says, "Oh, don't worry, I'm fully aware of the need to be discreet. After all, it wouldn't do to have those three constantly looking over their shoulders." Suddenly, an idea comes to mind. Setting his eating utensil down, he says, "Or maybe that's exactly what we want. If you instill enough paranoia into a target, they start getting nervous, making mistakes. They lose sleep, constantly expecting an attack that may never come and, when they're weak and least expecting it, we strike."