"Water please." She said, sliding onto the stool next to him, light brown hair glittering in the lights as it settled just lower than the line of her shoulders. She smiled as the drink was placed in front of her. "Thanks." Long, delicate fingers curled around the dewy glass as she took a sip, rolling it around her mouth with a sigh, eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the liquid as it slipped down her throat.
"I didn't think programs needed to drink." He said, eyes averted. She kept her closed as she replied.
"Just because I don't need to doesn't mean I can't. What are you here to get?" His dark eyes snapped to her relaxed face in shock, he hadn't thought he was that obvious.
"What do you mean?" She looked at him, swiveling on her seat to face him, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Well, you're new here. And you're here for something. You've been nursing the same drink for an hour and a half, you ignore all the perfectly nice women who try to pick you up and you were talking to Ma. All points to you waiting to get something, I just haven't figured out what yet." She flashed her smile from the stage at him, laughter in her eyes.
"Ma?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her, trying to find where her most vulnerable point was in her code.
"The Oracle, and you can stop looking Mr. Exile Hunter, I ain't got no weakness you or anyone else could use." She took another sip of her drink, smiling as he assessed her. Much to his disgust she was right, he could find nothing to use against her in her code.
"Enjoying the evening?" He asked politely, her laughter answering musically, her hair falling forward as she tilted her head to one side.
"Yup, and I bet you're not. Who are you here for? Can't be one of the people, I'm the only program that deals directly with mortals. You let the Oracle go without a fight, so it must be me. The question remains, are you here to delete me, or for another reason?" 'Too clever by half', he thought grimly.
"I'm looking for my half of a trade." 'Atleast he tells the truth' she mused inwardly.
"Merovingian then. So it is me you're looking for. I'm not going to have to delete you, am I?" her voice had taken a turn and she sounded bored and annoyed, nothing like the laughing singer from minutes before.
"No one can delete me."
"Oh really?" A naturally arched eyebrow raised in disbelief of his arrogance. 'Yup, he's new.' "Pass me that rose." The long-stemmed red flower touched her fingers and she placed it on the bar beside her. "Watch." She closed her eyes, mouthed the word 'aphid' and before his eyes the rose disintegrated as though it had been attacked by bugs. She smiled.
"I guess you can do that to anything." She nodded, closing her eyes again, a folk tune passing her lips.
"If I were a merchant, I'd buy you six diamonds,
And six blood red roses,
For my love to wear." As the last note died the pile of code, which appeared to be dust, shimmered, changing into half a dozen crimson roses, each with a perfect clear stone tied to it's stem. She smiled at his shock, concealed behind a mask of control, she loved playing games with new programs.
"I guess you can do more than me."
"Only because I chose to learn to." Her eyes searched his. "My name's Zoe, by the way." Her hand was extended and he took it in his own, surprised by the strength with which she returned his grip.
"Diablo." Her smile was back, making strange things happen to his code. Their hands released the other and she stood, taking her roses and diamonds with her, throwing him a last smile as she headed back to the stage. He went to a payphone, the Merovingian had lied to him and now the Hunter wanted the truth. What exactly was Zoe and why did the Frenchman want her?