The next day passed uneventfully where Emmie stayed in his apartment cleaning, doing whatever women do, and teaching Tobi how to read. In the meantime, Deidara made more bombs for his clients. He visited his sister and told her about Emmie, to his relief she was doing well.
"Sis. You don't understand, she is a colossal pain in my a-uh neck," he corrected when his sister gave him a disapproving look. "Why do you think so? Because she's successful and opinionated?" his sister asked mildly.
"She's so arrogant, she thinks she's better than me and the one time she was being nice, she was faking it! She said it was her job." Deidara shook his head. He thought that talking to his sibling would help clear his head but she was not unraveling anything. Promising that he would visit soon, he drove back to the apartment to find Emmie digging through all of his old paintings and paint supplies.
"Who made these? These are amazing?" she praised. "Thanks, they're mine." Deidara threw his coat in the corner. "Ew, they're really bad, I changed my mind." Emmie sniffed pushing them into his arms. "Haha hilarious admit it, they look good," Deidara leaned in the door frame. "My clients told me something that you would really like to hear, uh you should sit." Emmie frowned and sat nervously, Deidara took a breath before starting, "Someone's taken a hit out on your brother but don't worry, he's gone missing."
Emiliana looked like she was going to be sick, "How the actual hell is that good news? My brother could be dead in a ditch! Who told you-when? Why?" Putting her face in her delicate hands, her slim shoulders shook with muffled sobs. Deidara froze. He was the worst around crying women. He sat down next to her and awkwardly patted her back, "No one's collected the bounty, your brother isn't dead. It's going to be fine, the Akatsuki have some information, we're going to meet them on Saturday." He wasn't going to tell her that they were actually looking for an update when she looked at him, her pretty face suffused with hope.
Emmie became cagier and more restless as the weekend approached. She cleaned and organized the apartment even more. Deidara examined his newly cleaned apartment, "Nice. You're quite the domestic." Emmie walked away, studiously unaffected. "Get dressed in a suit. You look like trash." Deidara glared at her while digging in his closet. "Wow, snappy much." Emmie had already disappeared into the bathroom to change. He found what he was looking for-the last remnant of a life he left behind. Deidara pulled the suit out of its protective plastic sleeve and brushed it down with his hands carefully. He would have worn the other suit that he got from Haku but Emmie had ruined it with the salt water when he let her wear the jacket. Putting on the trousers, buttoning up the shirt, and lastly slipping on the jacket brought back too many ghosts. Deidara checked the fit, it was a bit tight in the shoulders but otherwise, it fit well.
The bathroom door opened and Emmie walked out. She was wearing a slamming lacy jumpsuit thing. "Well, you clean up nice," she smirked while putting on a pair of earrings. Sweeping her hair into a pony tail, she looked at his suit. "How in the world did you get a Brioni suit? Never mind, help me with the buttons." Deidara swallowed, and moved her hair over one shoulder. Oh man, these buttons were tiny and there were so many of them. Deidara cursed and looking over a shoulder Emmie suggested, "I can change, if it's too hard."
"I got this," Deidara grumbled doing up the buttons one at a time. Finished he slid his hands down her sleeved arms, when Emmie relaxed, he gave her ass a grope and laughed when she turned around to hit him.
Exiting the cab, Deidara offered his arm to her, Emmie batted his arm away and slipped past him into the restaurant. Shrugging, he figured that she was still pissed at him. Choosing a table that was the most visible to the entrance, they sat down and waited for the Akatsuki associates to show up. The music started up and Emmie leaned forward, hypnotized.
"Deidara, these guys are amazing! The pianist is using Bud Powell's trumpet style and the cornet player reminds me of Miles Davis! Oh, oh, the saxophone it's amazing!" She gushed, unable to take her eyes off the stage. Emmie turned to him with a genuine smile, a blindingly beautiful smile. It was nothing that he'd ever seen, she had only given him smirks or half smiles. Deidara realized that she was nothing like the moon that he was comparing her to. At first he thought she was cold and unreachable but now Deidara thought she was more like the sun. Emiliana was fiery, bright, and intimidatingly beautiful, the kind of exotic beauty that drew stares but quenched courage.
"Are you listening to me? Hey, they're here!" Emmie dug an elbow into his side. 2 men approached the table, one man was very tall and so incredibly pale his skin looked blue. The other man was slender with long black hair and elegantly dressed. The larger man allowed the slighter man to sit down first. "Emiliana, this is Itachi and Kisame," Deidara gestured lazily. "A pleasure," Itachi, the slighter man reached for her outstretched hand and placed a polite kiss on her knuckles. Deidara stiffened, and put his arm around Emmie. It was a man dominance thing. Emmie tried to shift away but Deidara squeezed her arm in warning.
Drinks were ordered and the men leaned back to wait for the liquor while Emmie was still paying rapt attention to the stage. Itachi leaned forward, "Pein wants an update. Where are you in the investigation?" Deidara reached into his pants and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering them to Itachi and Kisame before taking one himself. He nudged Emmie and handed her the lighter. Distracted, Emmie didn't resist and leaned forward to light his cig. Deidara looked at her through his lashes and their eyes met. Emmie blinked and turned to light the other men's cigarettes.
Deidara took a breath before answering, "We have an excellent lead. We are 90% sure who did it but we need him to get the money." Emmie looked at him sidelong before turning back to the stage. Itachi nodded, "Good. We have heard about Antonio's disappearance."
"Yeah he's acting like a guilty rat," Kisame grunted, draining his vodka. Emmie tensed imperceptibly under Deidara's arm. "As I was saying, he has disappeared but he was in contact with someone." Itachi reached into his jacket and put a slim folder in front of them. Emmie reached for it but Itachi slid it out her reach, "You are positive who framed your brother. Where is your proof?" Emmie looked at Deidara and nodded. Deidara pulled out his phone and sent the video to Itachi who slid the folder to Emmie once his phone dinged with the received message. Emmie opened it and Deidara read over her shoulder. It was a boring run of the mill conversation and it ended with them agreeing to meet over coffee. The date was only a couple of days old. They looked up but the duo had already left.