Josh's attention was instantly caught as a young woman walked in. His blue-green eyes landed on her, and as she began to approach him he knew in his gut this was her. It had to be. He had been assigned to assassinate or kidnap a woman he'd grown up with, a woman he'd taken the risk to fall for in an organization that was strictly against it.

The woman who had been talking to him quickly dispersed as Alera walked in, and Josh's gaze followed her as she smoothly sat down next to him, sliding into her seat with grace. She was dressed nicely in a casual yet beautiful black dress that made Josh feel as if he was underdressed. He wasn't in anything fancy, but he wasn't looking like a bum either. He was wearing a long sleeve white and light blue plaid shirt with a dark blue tie and dark blue slacks. His shoes were shiny and black, shoes that would normally be worn with a very nice and spiffy suit.

Three of his fingers were adorned with black rings; his right index finger, right ring finger, and left middle finger. He tapped his the glass that held his drink, a small smile gracing his lips as he looked at her. "Alera Kurtz, is it?" he spoke, his voice laced with kindess and a bit of surprise. "I was beginning to think you would leave me hanging and I would have to call off this entire endeavor." His gaze studied her for a quick moment as he spoke, scanning as many features as he could in a matter of seconds. He was trained to do this, to catch all the details in one quick moment in order to avoid suspicion.

"It's been a few years I must say," he told her, his voice lowering a little to be avoided by any eavesdropping ears. "Josh Wright, if you remember," he introduced himself, holding out a friendly hand for her to take. In this moment his mission was gone. On this night he was not an Insurgent but rather a man at a bar seeking out an old friend whom he hadn't seen in many years. His mission was forgotten, and he saw her not as a target but rather as someone to befriend once again.

He was amazed at how much each of them had changed over the years they hadn't seen each other. She was a grown woman now, and he a grown man. Their features and bodies had matured, and along with that came an attraction he hadn't exactly felt as a young teen. His once shaved face was now lined with thin and handsome facial hair, his jaws had sharpened and his chest and shoulders had broadened. She, like most maturing women had gained some curves that were appealing to a man's eye.

He had a gun concealed and strapped on his hip just in case anything bad was to happen, but he wasn't planning on using it on her unless she intended to harm him. "Rest of your drinks are on me tonight," he informed her kindly and casually. "Depending on how this goes we could be here awhile. Guess I should get straight to the point." Josh cleared his throat, and glanced around, motioning for another drink before saying quietly, "I don't think it can be avoided that we both have gone our separate ways concerning what we do for a living, am I right?"

He took a drink and set the glass down, keeping his hand around it. "I think it's right of me to say that I know you are still well and working for the Imperials, and just so all cards are laid on the table for you to see...I am working for the Insurgents." He waited, looking to gauge her reaction before continuing. "Your name came up in a mission of mine, and I couldn't help but remember it." He gave her a sly grin that was still somehow charming. "Before I made any vast movements I thought it would be worth it to see if you were who I thought you were, and if I could in any way....disregard said mission if you were....who you are."

He knew he was giving too much information away to her, for she could be completely changed now and would use all of this against him. But he had his strings to pull, and had all of his cards in the right deck. He knew how to manipulate this situation if things went south, and if she decided that she was going to turn on him he had her right here. He could complete his mission if she proved herself to be untrustworthy. He was hoping things wouldn't go in that direction, but as an assassin and spy he was trained to always have that possibility in mind.

Josh listened to her speak, holding back a smirk at her sudden sassiness. After she was completely done, he leaned towards her ever so slightly and said in a hushed voice,

"I never said it was a good idea," He gave her a charming smile, but his eyes were alight with a mischievious gleam. His smile faded quickly however, his expression turning into a more serious and even saddened one. His gaze dropped to his lap and he sat quietly for a moment in thought. "I know we've changed. I thought you were dead too, Alera. I didn't know you were alive until a few days ago." he admitted softly. "It took me awhile you know to move on, it's not like I just forgotten you." He looked at her once more, his jaw setting.

"I brought up business because it seems like that's all we do now. And..." he hesitated, trying to keep any waver of pain out of his voice. "Since it involves your life I decided you deserved to know. You know the real reason I invited you here?" he asked her. He didn't wait for a response, but rather quickly answered his own question so she wouldn't begin second guessing herself or doubting him.

"I invited you because the instant I thought that my best friend may be alive...and that I was sent to kill her..." He tightened his jaw, this time a slight hint of emotion slipping through his voice. "I wanted to make sure that it was you and that you were alive because....I can't lose you again, Alera." He shook his head lightly. "I can't lose you again. It was hard enough the first time but no way in HELL am I going to be the one to take your life from you. No way in hell am I going to carry out a mission like this."

He paused to let her speak, and took another sip of his drink. "I've debated whether or not to tell you any of this, but it's come to my attention that I now really have no choice." He looked her way again, deciding to risk it all. "I've been working for the Insurgents ever since I was banished from the Imperials, and if I'm being completely honest I don't think I've ever been completely loyal to either side." He ran his thumb over one of his rings. "You murdered one of our best workers." His blue-green gaze traveled sideways to her, but despite his words they were glimmering with admiration rather than hate.

The corners of his mouth turned into a slight smile. "Impressive to say the least." He leaned back a little in his chair, taking another drink. "I will say this: no matter what side I'm working for, I will not run the risk of losing you for such a thing." He paused, thinking once more. Here she was, sitting next to him for the first time in years. He may as well lay all of his cards out on the table for her to see, and if she chose to play them against him, he would die happy knowing that at least she was alive and he didn't kill her.

"And I pray to whatever God is listening that He will give me time with you at least once more before I'm killed for abandoning my post." Nothing about his tone was in any way joking, and it was clear from his eyes that he was one hundred percent serious, and that he still cared deeply for her. "I'm sure that by tomorrow morning the Insurgents will have word that I've come into contact with you and did nothing about it. They'll hunt me down for this, but I want you at all costs to avoid them. They want you dead, Alera. If not dead they want you tortured for what you did, and I am not going to be the one to lead that charge."

He slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing a massive scar running down his left forearm. "If you need proof of my word, I got this for insurrection my first year there," He lowered his popped collar to reveal several more scars around the base of his neck and chest. "And these for insurrection just a few months ago. I'm not loyal to them but they trust me, and that buys you enough time to find a way in and to find a weakness."

He had no clue what she would think of all this, and he was hoping she would at least sort of understand that her situation was dire. He wanted to spend time with her again, he wanted to reunite with her in a way other than this, but in order to do that she had to be safe, and she had to get out from under the watch of the Insurgents. His gaze fell to the table, and he spoke in a hushed tone,

"Please understand that I miss you, and I am immensly happy to know that you are alive. I want to catch up with you, I want to know what things have changed, and I want to be as close to you as I was before." He looked back over at her, the shadows hiding parts of his face while the light from the bar illuminated the rest. "I just want you to be safe, Alera. I want to be out from under the noses of the Insurgents and Imperials all together, and I want you to remain alive through all of it."

Josh felt a light tingle run through his body as her hand grazed his. No matter how light or soft the touch had been it caused a reaction within him that brought back all sorts of memories from all those years ago. After listening to everything she had to say, he came to the conclusion that she had missed him just as much as he had missed her, if not more.

However unlike him she was logical in her reasoning, and provided all sorts of reasons why this had been a bad idea. No matter the consequences though, he was willing to run that risk. "Running away from problems isn't the best way to solve them," he told her quietly, although a caring smile was planted on his face, his eyes shimmering in the dim light. "But maybe in this case I'm willing to go that route."

She suggested they go up to her room, and he followed her gesture to the staircase. The hairs on the back of his neck rose slightly in response, a few red flags going off in his mind as well as a low burning fire of the possibility of intimacy. He went quiet for a few moments, weighing his options and choices before coming to the conclusion that he didn't much care anymore.

His time with the Insurgents had granted him power and smarts, but that was all it had given him. Alera, in the short time that he'd known her as a teenager, had provided him with so much more, and opened his eyes to the beauty of companionship. He turned to look at her once more, nodding silently.

"Okay." he said, agreeing to her proposal. He looked at the bartender, sliding money his direction before splashing down the rest of his drink. Part of him wondered how drunk he'd have to be before he would make any stupid decisions. All he knew was that whatever happened tonight between the two of them...he wanted to be sober. He wanted to participate in any conversations they would have, he wanted to be able to take in any information she gave him, he wanted to be able to feel and react to her touch and her words. And if things got a little more heated than he was anticipating...he wanted to be there for that, too.

He slowly stood up, thoughts and memories suddenly whirling through his mind. Memories of being a young teenage boy in the black room, grappling with another boy around his age. He could remember feeling the eyes of the other children on him as he trained, trying his best to usurp his opponent and prove himself to the leaders who forced them to do their best.

He remembered the pain of many bloody noses, many bruises that would last for weeks on end, broken bones and pounding headaches. But he also remembered the feeling of Alera leaning against him when everything else seemed to be shit. He remembered sneaking out and talking to her under the cover of darkness, the moonlight being the only light that bathed them.

He remembered feeling the urge to kiss her on many occassions but never had the strength to do so. He remembered the splitting pain in his chest the day they were caught out alone, and how scared he'd felt when they were torn apart. He remembered the fury that burned inside of him as he was thrown in another training group.

Still, he fought to see her. Still he would abandon his post at night and find his way to her. He remembered getting caught there, too, and being pulled into the head office, forced to listen to the higher powers speak about his actions and debate on what to do with him. He remembered the out of body feeling when the decision was made to give him an option: be killed or be cast out.

Of course he'd made the decision to flee, permanently banished from the Imperials. Apparantly word of the truth had never reached Alera, and the poor girl had been lied to the rest of her life, led to believe he had died. Of course he'd been found by the Insurgents, and of course they'd taken him in as a means of finding out more about the Imperials. He was trained harder, quicker, and he was told to feel nothing.

Now, here he stood with the woman who he thought had been either killed or cast out. The woman who he loved first, the woman he could never see in any other way. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he looked at her, waiting patiently for her to lead him where she wanted to go.

"Lead the way," he said, gesturing towards the stairs. "I'll be right behind."

Josh forced himself to keep his eyes upwards as she stood, reminding himself that he was a gentleman and this was nothing more than two friends reuniting, and heading someplace to chat privately. Even just walking her movements entranced him, and he followed her slowly up the staircase, following her gaze as she looked around for any unwelcome spectators. The both of them were trained to be on constant lookout, even when off duty. One never knew when someone was watching, or what unexpected thing may happen next.

Which is why Josh was both shocked and at the same time completely calm when Alera suddenly shoved him hard and fast back around the corner and up against a closed door. Despite her astonishing strength, his quick thinking and reflexes allowed him to tense up his body enough so that when it hit the door it muted the thud, eliminating any sort of clue to whomever or whatever she had seen that they were there.

One hand pressed firmly against the door to steady him, and the other arm instinctively wrapped around her as a sort of protection and brace. He had no clue who or what Alera had seen in the hall, but he was smart enough to know that he needed to stay as silent and as still as possible, her quick silencing gesture comfirming that theory. He stood still, trying to calm his beating heart, their bodies flush against one another's. His heart was racing partially because of the position they were in, and partially because of the unknown obvious threat that they were hiding from.

She moved, reaching to the door behind him and pushing but there was still no movement from it. He tensed slightly as she did so, trying not to make any sudden movements to make this any more awkward than it was, no matter how much his childish heart was racing with glee. The two of them waited in complete silence as she peered to keep watch. For a few moments he closed his eyes to help himself concentrate on being quiet, silencing his breathing although his chest still rose and fell to the natural rythem. It seemed as if hours had passed when they finally heard footsteps. Josh opened his eyes, watching Alera and trying to judge any expressions she may make as she watched whoever it was walk away.

She finally looked back at him, and he felt his heart take a rather unnecessary flip, as if he was a lovesick teenager again. Holy hell, this was going to be an interesting night, wasn't it? He physically felt her body relax into his, so he naturally assumed the coast was clear. However still she lingered against him, and he couldn't help but wonder if she didn't want to pull away. He knew he didn't exactly want her to either, but he also knew that it wasn't practical for them to be standing here like this anyway.

Finally she released herself from him, smoothing out her dress. He gave her a slight apologetic smile but said nothing, not sure if she would appreciate any sort of flirtatious comment after something like that. She informed him that it was an Imperial, and he nodded.

"A close one indeed." he answered, his tone carrying with it an underlying flirty flair, which let on the fact that he was using a double meaninig. Implying of course that it was a close call with the Imperial, but also a very close moment for them as well. He couldn't keep the small grin off of his face, his eyes gleaming with the playfulness of his youth, as if it had never fully left him even after all the years of murdering for the Insurgents.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and followed her casually to her door, his gaze traversing the hall on instant lookout for anyone else. He couldn't see anyone, and he trusted Alera's judgement on whether it was safe or not. He walked smoothly into her room, hearing the satisfying and familiar click of the door closing behind them.

He took a brief moment to look around, his brain automatically and instinctively analyzing everything in the room, as he was trained to do in any situation. It wasn't exactly intentional, just a natural reaction at this point to analyze everything in the room and everyone, to get a feel for them or his surroundings. It came in handy as both an assassin and a spy.

He turned to look at her as she spoke, telling him he was free to sit and asking if he wanted anything. He gave her a grateful smile but shook his head. "No, I don't need anything. Thank you though." His hands remained in his pockets, and he lingered where he was for a moment longer before walking slowly over to the couch, sitting down and resting his hands in his lap.

He ran a hand through his dark auburn hair, his rings glinting in the lamp light. Alera sat down next to him, crossing one of her legs over the other, delving into the start of a conversation straight away.

"We do," he agreed, offering her a small smile. He paused for a moment or two, thinking over what he wanted to say. He decided maybe it was best to start in the past, to establish how they'd both felt back then, and then lead to what has changed. "You know I never really stopped thinking about you." he said quietly. "Not back then. Not now. I don't really remember much of my life before the Imperials. And...as cheesy as it sounds I think most of that has to do with you."

It was true, every word. He remembered the fire, and he remembered being captured by the Imperials and taken "under their wings" but not much else. He remembered meeting Alera for the first time and everything before that had become blurry, as if his previous life no longer had meaning. In reality...it really didn't anymore. His parents were dead, most of his friends were gone, and he had been kidnapped. What left of his previous life was worth going back to?

His gaze dropped to the floor, and his words became quieter, as if he was a bit shy to say the following.

"You always seemed to make the pain go away. After training. After a beating. You always made it better. No matter how rough the day had been before...you made it better."