Through what could best be termed 'the usual channels', Henry sent a note to Ariadne, with a time and place for a meeting. Namely, a hotel room he rented at the Sterling.

Of course, that could be interpreted about 10 different ways, and maybe that's exactly what the Epopt had in mind. Or maybe he was thinking exactly what everyone else is.

Nonetheless, he stood, motionless, at the room's window, staring out into the vastness of the city, as he waited for his operative to come a-knockin'.

Ariadne had originally thought it was a joke. A hotel room? Please. She's not some..ya..

Ultimately she had decided it wasn't a joke, Henry didn't seem like the type to joke in that way. It was either that or he was a perv. "Please be some twisted joke." She says quietly as she walks down the hallway. Ariadne hesitates for a moment at the door before knocking on it.

After a few moments, the sound of the door unlatching comes through, and a moment later, so does Henry's face, peeking out. Half a second later, he opens the door wide, and motions for Ariadne to come in. "Glad you could make it," he says, without a hint of actual gladness. "Have a seat." He waits until she's inside to close the door and lock it.

The room is standard hotel fare. Double bed, small TV, small bathroom, a small table, two chairs. Next to the TV are two short glasses, half-full. Going by the bottle next to them, it would seem to be brandy of some sort.

Ariadne smiles as Henry opens the door and walks in when he offers. The door closing and locking behind her doesn't elicit a reaction despite the mild anxiety building. Blue eyes take in the room quickly, the only things out of place where the half-full glasses of liquor.

"Something come up?" She asks turning to look at him from the center of the room.

The Epopt follows after Ariadne, picking up one of the glasses and offering it to her. "You could say that," he answers. "Have a seat," he repeats. The tone isn't an order, not really. It could be described as downright friendly. Apparently he'd feeling social today, or he wants something from her. Once she's taken (or refused) the offer of drink, or of a seat, he takes a sip of his own drink before telling her, "You are going to do me a favor.", he says neutrally. "A big one," he adds a moment later.


She does take the drink and the seat. Sniffing the drink for a moment to figure out what it was. Delicate fingers wrap the glass from both sides as Henry claims a favor, somehow. How does this guy manage to sound so blah all of the time? She leans forward a bit in her chair.

"What sort of favor are we talking about."

Henry stays standing, looking at Ariadne, almost like he's weighing her every move, her every breath. The drink is indeed brandy, at room temperature, fresh from the bottle. The Epopt puts a hand in his pocket, a nonchalant gesture.

"I've been talking to the Hierarch," he begins, as though matter were grave. "This city needs a Herald. He wanted me to ask you if you were interested in the position." He lets that sink in a moment. "You're going to accept." Not a smile, not a tic. Fact.

Ariadne allows a small measured smile to creep across her face. "Alright, use that as an excuse to keep track of as many people as I can?" Everyone has an angle. Ariadne is wondering what Animus's is.

Meanwhile...internal dialogue....yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes

The older man looks at the girl, his eyes narrowing just a tad. There were days when the Epopt suspected he would never be done trying to assess what people were thinking. Then there were the days he knew he'd never be done. "Among other things." There's a moment's reflection before he continues. "And before you make his personal edicts known to the people at large, run them by me." Half of his lip curls upward then, but it isn't a smile, not really. More like an imitation of one. "And, lastly," he finishes, "Animus will be expecting a call from you. Tell him you talked to me; let him contact you. We'll run from there."

"Sooo... I need to call Animus, then wait for him to call me about the Herald position?" The smile dims as Ariadne tries to figure out just how that makes sense. Unless it was a test in which case she fails.

Henry grunts for a moment. "Sorry. Thinking of the future. Call him, tell him you accept. That simple." With a motion of the hand, an idle wave in the air, he adds, "He's waiting for the call to give you his edicts, meet you. That sort of thing." His eyes dart, briefly, to the room's door, then back to Ariadne. "Glad this doesn't seem like such a chore." He certainly doesn't sound glad. "But don't think this relieves you of duty," he adds, seriously.

"It just becomes part of my duty." Ariadne says as a reply and agreement. Duty...never thought of it that way before. She shifts and starts to roll the glass back and forth in her hands with the ease of someone how has done it many a night before. "Run everything by you, check. Anything specific I should be looking for with his edicts?"

Henry shrugs, an indifferent motion. "No. If I tell you to look for something, you might miss the important bits." Which doesn't seem very logical in and of itself. But Henry Pym never prided himself on using the common people's logic. A moment later, he adds, "Though anything about our friend Janus should get top billing." He looks at her reaction over the top of his glass as he takes another sip from it.

The glass slows as Ariadne nods and then looks straight at Henry. "What about T..Janus?" What had been movement goes to stillness as her mind whirls. Are Animus and Triquetra actually close? Questioning blue eyes look at Henry as Ariadne wonders.

"Nothing you need to worry about," the Epopt replies, without even a pause to consider. "Anything concerning her probably deserves immediate attention, that's all." he sets the almost-empty glass aside. "Any other questions?" Maybe one of them will actually get an answer from him.

Ariadne smiles and takes her first sip from the glass. Not exactly her thing but it works. "I'll let you know then, if she comes up."

So if its nothing to worry about but deserves immediate attention....hmmm She takes another sip and grimaces this time around. "Sure, is there anything that would be useful for me to know before I go knocking on any doors." Open, generic, probing maybe? or just looking for some sort of answer?

Henry hmms a moment, a single finger reaching down to the rim of his glass. "No. Nothing important." He hesitates a moment, before adding, "Should be business as usual, so watch your back." His need to add something so intrinsic to himself felt weird, but he was adapting to his charges. That was the point.

"Alright" A sip of the liquor and smile follow. Ariadne puts her glass back on the table. "So why this room?" A hand motions the room and out the window.

And there was that urge again, the urge to keep everything to himself. But no. No. There were others to think about. His eyes follow her hand, his head not budging. "Simple," he answers, purely neutrally, in that dead voice of his. "What was your first thought when I asked you to meet me here?"

That you had something in mind that I didn't feel like partaking in. Doubt flickers for a moment, am I good enough to bullshit a bullshitter?

"What did you have in mind for the evening. Is what I was thinking when I got the note. Her shoulders shrug in a minute fashion. "It seemed odd but made sense in a way for a meeting of our group."

There's barely a blink before Henry responds. "Occam's razor. The simplest explanation is often the right one." A hint of a shadow of a smile appears. "Except when it isn't. Anyone who followed you here probably thought the same thing you did." Without a hint of a humor, or even a little sarcasm, he adds, "Alcohol on your breath is one step. Now we have to make sure they keep thinking that. See where I'm going with this?"

An eyebrow raises. "What, I need to rumple my clothes and make my hair messy?" It made sense to throw people off but if other pentacles saw.... I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with things like that...

Not a change in the expression, and Henry answers, simply, "We haven't been in here long enough for that. No, something a bit more realistic." He steps closer to her, and says, simply, quietly, "Stand up." Once his eyes are as close to Ariadne's as they'll get, he reaches out, his hand coming dangerously close to stroking her hair. At the last moment, it changes trajectory, and undoes the top button on her blouse. The Epopt's expression doesn't change one iota through the sequence.

He leans in close, and whispers, close to her ear, "Slap me, and walk out in a huff." Not a hint of any emotion, of any deception. His hand starts to slowly, eeeeever-so-slowly, drift down towards the second button.

As soon as he says it, a hand flies up and slaps Henry across the face. Ariadne doesn't wait to see what sort of mark it will leave before she's throwing open the door and storming down the hallway. Muttering angrily as she goes to the elevator, staring daggers at anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way. The glare stays as she walks out of the elevator and leaves the Sterling. Once she's far enough away she calls up the supernal and fades into the social background.

Henry's head whips around, and a hiss of pain escapes through his lips. Ouch. That would definitely leave a mark. Easily concealable, but he hadn't asked her that, just to cover up the consequences. He lets some time go by, massaging his cheek, reflecting on the day. Every breath, an opportunity. Every deception, a seed. Every word, water for those seeds. And the fruit of those labors? Invisible to anyone but him. The Epopt would have it no other way.