#INTERACTION ;; wren x phoebe (001)

[seolinah]

It's an easy in now that Phoebe's agreed to let him make sure she got home safely. Getting a chance to check out the so-called security surrounding her place. Wren smiles warmly down at her. "Believe me, I don't think of you as some damsel in distress," he reassures. Though for a journalist who's supposed to have good instincts, he couldn't claim she has the best gut instincts. Not if she can't tell how dangerous the man she's allowed into life is.

As the elevator dings and the door opens, he waits for her to step in before following after. He glances at her in his peripherals once the door closes and they head to their desired floor. "So I know you said you have a 'plan', but please tell me you do actually have some precautions set in place." Wren's prying for information but continues to mask it as concern. "Otherwise, maybe I can help. I'm sure it's better with two people to figure things out than do it all on your own."

phoebe has always relied on her wit to get her by, convinced there is no problem she can't talk her way out of, a belief she has even as she stares into the face a man sent to kill her. like most journalists, she's had her fair share of reckless moments, which includes deciding to publish a story on one of the most powerful criminals in town. her editor cautioned her about pursuing dangerous leads, but even now, as she's talking to wren about a threat to her safety, some part of her doesn't take it seriously, convinced people like that aren't nearly as tough as they seem.

"well, when you put it that way... i can't have you feeling guilty about letting something terrible happen to me," phoebe jests, one of her brows raising in a playful gesture. her possible demise is nothing to joke about, but it eases her anxiety a bit, as does making it seem like she's the one doing wren the favor here. she presses a button to call the elevator, then she turns back to face him while they wait. "i don't want you thinking i'm the damsel in distress type or anything. that would be a bit embarrassing," she tells him with a nervous laugh, unaware that's exactly what she is.

[seolinah]

It's a naïve reaction to an otherwise very real threat. He almost felt bad for her that Phoebe was so unaware of her proximity to the person that could harm her. And while he would normal laugh and roll his eyes, because it really is ridiculous as a plan, he could only feign further concern. Hell, Wren's sure any normal person would be alarmed to hear their go-to plan was to simply find them and watch them back. If he could only commit to pulling the trigger then it would be just another perfect step in what should be an easy plan.

"I don't mind," he insists gently. "Isn't it better to be safe than sorry? I wouldn't exactly be able to live with myself if something happened and I wasn't there when I could have been." The lies fall off his tongue easily enough. Phoebe's just a job, a means to an end, but getting to know her seems to be what's complicating things. There's a reason he usually doesn't make contact like this with his targets - he wants them to be nothing but anonymous fatalities - but his client wants to make ensure the story she's cooking is dead and gone once she is as well. "Think of it as easing my conscious if that helps."

vulnerability is not an emotion typically in phoebe's wheelhouse. she tends to believe that people are never generally interested in the fears or concerns of others, but that's likely just the jaded part of her that has spend years in the journalism industry, where the sole objective is always getting to the meat of the story—not that phoebe considers herself immune to that. ambitious is her preferred adjective, but some would even call her downright sneaky. she has done her fair share of questionable things, including following a person or two for a lead. maybe this is her karma.

"my plan is to find out who's being watching me and watch them! the watcher becoming the watched. that's what they deserve," phoebe replies with a shrug, like it's really that simple. in reality she has no idea if anyone is watching her, but she wants to feel in control. she softens at wren's offer. "you don't have to do that. i know my place isn't exactly on the way to yours." at least not where he's claimed to live, which phoebe has no reason to question.