The room was colder than she remembered it being when she left. He had told her he'd be making some modifications to their little temporary safe house, but she didn't realize that meant boarding up the windows and closing the vents. With a heavy sigh, she knocked and waited for an answer before pushing the door open and stepping in.
"Welcome back, Emma. You took your sweet time."
She hated it when he spoke without looking from his work. It was a little unnerving, to be perfectly honest. Though to expect anything else from Shaw was a stretch. He always had his nose buried in some papers or attention focused on whatever poor sod he'd managed to get his hands on. Hard working was one way to describe him. Addicted to details was another, but of course she'd never voice these thoughts aloud.
"Lehnsherr was rather hard to track down. He's been moving quite a lot recently." She explained, arms folded over her chest and hip resting against the door frame. This seemed to peek Shaw's interest, his eyebrows raising and pen stilling on paper. However, he didn't speak or look up at her quite yet. She waited impatiently for him to respond, her eyebrow raised questioningly. Finally, after several moments he looked up and hummed thoughtfully.
"But you did find him." He clarified, voice calm and curious. Emma sighed heavily and nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the statement.
"I wouldn't have come back if I hadn't."
"So tell me then, Emma." Shaw started, pushing himself to his feet and stretching out slowly. "If you found him...Why isn't he here right now?" He asked, expression unreadable as he circled around the desk and stopped in front of Emma. She looked up at him with narrowed eyes, but didn't back away.
"You don't think I tried to bring him, do you?" She asked, unable to keep the bite from her voice. Shaw chuckled softly and slipped his hands into his pockets, watching her with an amused smile.
"No, I'm sure you tried. I know you well, Emma dear. My question is...Why isn't he here now? You don't usually let people get away." He was mere inches from her face, but she didn't back down. Working with Sebastian Shaw, one learned to keep their uncertainty tucked away, even if the man was no where nearby. She did wrinkle her nose at their closeness, unable to help the scowl that formed on her face.
"He had a companion with him," she said calmly, "a telepath."
Shaw raised an eyebrow at this and tilted his head, his curiosity clearly peaked. He stepped away from Emma, lips twitching with an almost teasing smile.
"A telepath? A strong one, clearly, if they made you run off with your tail between your legs." He hummed, biting back his smile at Emma's irritated expression.
"Bite me Shaw. You know I'm th-"
"Maybe later love," Shaw interrupted, cutting her off with a wave of his hand, "I'm more interested in this telepath of yours." He moved back around his desk and dropped into his seat, eyes never leaving the woman across from him. "Tell me Emma...Who were they?"
Emma was quiet for a moment, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and a frown creasing her brow. Shaw waited a moment before sighing and leaning back in his seat, gesturing for Emma to speak before folding his hands in his lap and watching her expectantly. Something about the way his lips seemed to always be quirked up in a smirk, and how his eyes never seemed to give anything away made Emma even more hesitant to share her information.
"Emma. I asked you a question, and I expect an answer." Shaw said calmly, using a tone very similar to that of a parent speaking to their child. Emma wrinkled her nose and scowled at him, stepping into the room and kicking the door shut behind herself.
"A boy...No more than a child." She started, deciding to get the worst part out of the way first. Before Shaw could interrupt, she continued. "Very strong for his age. The thoughts he was projecting were like nothing I've ever felt before."
Shaw listened intently, his head slightly cocked to the side. When he was sure Emma was done and waiting for his reaction, he straightened up in his seat and finally spoke.
"So you're telling me that you ran away from a kid?" He chuckled, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Emma snarled at him, her eyes blazing angrily. Shaw only grinned and raised his hands.
"Easy Emma. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. If this kid is as powerful as you make him sound, then I'm interested."
Emma frowned at him and once again placed her hands on her hips. "And what about Lehnsherr?" She asked. "Are you going to forget about him just like that?" Shaw shook his head with a sigh and stood once again, his hand resting lightly on the back of his chair.
"If he's traveling with another one of our kind, then he won't let that kid out of his sight for a second." He said matter of factly. "My guess is that wherever the kid is, Lehnsherr won't be far behind."
Emma hummed gently and nodded in understanding, a small smile beginning to play at her lips. "So, we get the boy, and he comes to us." She said slowly, watching Shaw nod along.
"Exactly, Emma my dear." He propped his hip against the desk and smiled. "Go find Azazel. He'll get in and out quick enough. And tell him to be careful...I want the kid in one piece when he gets here."
Emma nodded and turned from the room, pausing in the doorway and looking back over her shoulder. "How will Lehnsherr know where we are? I'm not going to be the one giving him directions. God knows he won't ask politely."
"He's smart," Shaw shrugged, " and he's already headed in the right direction. We've got a couple days ahead of him, we'll get there with plenty of time to spare. And if he's gotten stupider, then we'll send Azazel with a note." Emma raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother questioning any further. Shaw seemed certain enough, so there was no reason to pester him further. With a small shrug and nodded, she turned away.
"If you're certain." She murmured. "I'll tell you when Azazel has gone." She added before strolling from the room and heading down the stairs. Shaw watched her go before settling down and sifting through the papers on his desk.
"A new telepath." He mused to himself, a small smile quirking his lips. "Oh this will be fun..."
