This was exhausting and she was just done with the whole damn thing. The training in Russia had been a once in a lifetime opportunity and now she was stuck dealing with some prick that thought he was absolutely invincible. Apparently he had no flaws in training and if that were the case he didn’t need her around. If he didn’t pull his head out of his ass soon she would contact the Ministry herself and ask them to send a replacement for her. He wasn’t worth the experience this detail would put under her belt. Maybe she would just go back home and cut her stay short if this was how things would be. Those who were training her and Russia knew her exact personality and should have known this wouldn’t work. He liked playing the ‘boss’ card far too often for her taste. Tossing it in her face that he had some kind of power over her was the wrong thing to do. She had compromised with him several times whether he realized it or not, and it seemed he wouldn’t give her the same courtesy.

”If you don’t want to deal with me then stop being a prick and attempt to make this look somewhat believable. I don’t personally care what you think of me, but I’ll be damned if I do anything half-assed because of your lack of cooperation. When it comes to the detail as a whole I have done things your way, have I not?” She shot back at him. If he wanted a different auror on the case he was certainly getting close to having his wish.

She arched an eyebrow at his challenge noting his eyes movements though she had to give it to him that she couldn’t tell much of anything just by looking at him. She could only guess at best. She had noticed he had kept perfectly still refusing to move away which she wasn’t sure if it was more amusing or annoying. ”You are not making this convincing.” She said staying close. ”Do you really think this bothers me? Because from what I can remember I’ve already fucked you. Actually I believe I fucked you for an entire—evening, in just about every position imaginable. If I were to lift up your shirt I could probably still see the marks I left on you. So ask yourself again if you really think this little game you’re playing is going to work on me.” She said curtly. This was getting ridiculous. She was at the end of her rope, and was really starting to regret taking that case.

He missed the gangs. This woman was making him actually miss working undercover, and that was not an easy thing to do. His company was his pride and joy, really, as he was his job. Nikolai didn’t take much time off, though he did have some hobbies, he supposed, but other than that, he just worked nonstop. It was safer than being at risk of death every day with the gangs, though he did like that risk… and it sounded a hell of a lot better than being stuck in this room with arguably the most irritating woman potentially ever to exist. There had been a time when he thought perhaps DiTraverso was simply the most aggravating woman in the United Kingdom, or perhaps Europe. But as time had gone on, Nikolai had really started to believe she might have just was actually the most annoying woman that had ever been born. He wondered if she had a big family, and if they were used to her crazy—or perhaps it was genetic.

“I’ll make it believable, don’t you worry about that,” he told her, rolling his eyes, “I just don’t need a damn lesson from you,” Nikolai added, raising an eyebrow. Did she really think it was helpful to give her a list of acceptable places to touch? Hell, he’d been married before… he knew how to play the part of a man in a damn relationship. He actually couldn’t stop himself from scoffing in amusement at her next comment, before realizing that she had actually been being serious, “You’re not kidding? My apologies,” he stated, still chuckling under his breath, “I don’t recall one situation where you have ever done something my way without fighting me tooth and nail.” At this point, he was sure that she didn’t know the definition of compromising.

The woman also really didn’t know a bit about professionalism, which he supposed made sense. Aurors weren’t always known for being the smoothest around the edges, but he had to admit he was a bit surprised by how crass she had become in a matter of seconds. She had been the one that had started this little game, yet she was the one that had gotten pissed off. It was almost amusing, as he’d been right about her getting herself into a situation. Unfortunately, he was finding himself at the end of his rope in dealing with her at the current time. “I’m going to go check the perimeter,” he stated, moving around her and heading toward the door. Before he exited, however, he slowed his pace, turning to face her, “Perhaps by the time I get back you’ll remember that you’re supposed to be a professional,” he added, raising an eyebrow to get the point across before exiting the room.

This man was absolutely infuriating. She wondered how many people working in the auror department were having a laugh at this. Sure no one would ever see these exchanges as they both did a decent job not showing that they were having quite a few problems when it came to working with each other. Now they definitely didn’t look like they were best friends but she felt they did an okay job just looking like two serious professionals tackling a detail with relative ease, though when they were alone together all hell broke loose. It was almost a ritual at that point. She was well aware she could be quite difficult though she wasn’t quite sure if she was doing it because she genuinely disagreed with every move he made or because their personalities mixed with them sleeping together seemed to annoy her.

She quirked an eyebrow at the man as he told her he would make their little cover believable. ”I never said you didn’t know how to act like you were in a relationship. I’m just not confident you can do those things without looking like you are in physical pain when it comes to me.” She said simply before shrugging. ”The list of places I’m allowing you to touch is for your own safety.” She added with a serious look on her face. If he were to ever try to touch her anywhere other than those areas he risked losing a hand... or some other valued appendage. Persephone’s eye twitched slightly as he scoffed at her comment on him cooperating. ”I never said I didn’t like to ‘discuss’ things with you before I do anything you wish of me. Regardless I still do it.” There were probably times that an argument wasn’t needed but that was just how she operated.

A slow smile crept across her face when Petrov said he was going to check the perimeter, letting her hands lazily slip from his chest as he stepped around her. What she said was very much over the top but it had done its job. He was out of her personal space and leaving the room. She took his coffee cup from off the counter and did graceful little hop to sit on the edge of it taking a long sip from his mug. ”Doubtful.” She said triumphantly before giving him a little salute and a wink. She had won, even if it was only while he was doing another check.

What Nikolai found most irritating was that he’d met with the head of the auror office only a few days before. The man was a close friend and had been since Nikolai had started work there, and they did occasionally go out for a few drinks when they were both needing a break from the damn madness of their jobs. He hadn’t talked about DiTraverso, obviously, as he wasn’t one to bring his issues up unless he was serious about pulling her from the detail and he wasn’t yet at that point. A pub also wasn’t exactly the place for that kind of conversation if he was serious about that. But he had almost choked on the vodka he’d been drinking when DiTraverso had been brought up by Vadik, and apparently everyone in the damn auror office had thought the pair of them on a detail would be absolutely perfect. They all damn well thought they’d make a good team; Nikolai was unsure if they were all collectively going insane, or if them sleeping together had messed with this detail more than he realized. Who knew at this point—and it was all irrelevant now as they clearly didn’t get along. But he knew that they were at least decent at hiding that while in the presence of others. They just needed to finish this detail without killing each other.

“And I’m not sure that I can touch one of your listed appropriate places without you acting like you’re going to be physically ill, but we’ll just have to see how it goes,” he replied, knowing that that was probably the bigger problem than him and his facial expressions. He was Russian, after all, he could get away with looking pissed. Her looking like she wanted to throw up or punch him when he touched her was what was going to cause the issue, “Oh right, or you’ll kick my ass… supposedly,” he deadpanned, still amused by the concept and that she really thought that was a remote possibility.

He wondered how long he could drag out the perimeter check to avoid spending anymore time with this aggravating witch. She would take it as her winning, but any further conversation when she was getting that unprofessional more than likely would have ended with him dropping her from the detail—so she could thank him later that she was still damn well employed. He wasn’t sure how being fired, even from a small detail, would look to her auror office at home. “Черт отягчающие английский женщины с их гребаный упрямства,” he muttered under his breath as he headed toward the door. It wasn’t lost on him that she was drinking out of his coffee mug as he turned around, though he wasn’t sure if that wasn’t supposed to irritate him. It was a damn mug and there were half a dozen others in the cabinet. Not bothering to react to her ridiculous mock salute, he headed out of the room, still muttering quietly in Russian.

--END OF THREAD--