Up.

In your still rather choppy mangling of language, you converse with Agathe, riding the tram all the way up the side of the hill, enjoying the evening air and taking in the view as lights start to flicker on. Taking the lead, Agathe brings you around to the outside seating of the restaurant up here, where you manage to get a quick pic of the city down below, just as the last bit of sunlight dips under the horizon. The crunching of ice behind you makes you turn, and you see Agathe walking towards you carrying glasses of white wine and the back of a waiter, walking away. Taking the offered glass, you clink them together and toast to her health, before enjoying being wined and dined.

Dinner is pleasant enough, and the two of you bond over workplace grievances and swapping stories of memorable projects. Red-cheeked from the alcohol, Agathe laughs heartily and has to wave some air into her face. When it's time for the bill, you have to settle it by a coin flip, because neither of you are willing to back down on who is paying. On the walk back down, because you missed the last tram, Agathe is a little wobbly and you offer to let her use your shoulder for balance. "I'm fine! I'm fine, I've got this!" she says, smacking your hand away. But after taking one step, she immediately stumbles sideways and you quickly catch her. "Eheheh, guess I'm not as fine as I thought."

You raise your eyebrow at her and shake your head slightly, but then you hear Djal's voice, cold and angry, in your ear, and his burning grip, growing tighter and tighter on your shoulder. "Stop playing around and bring her under our control." You swallow nervously and meet the eyes of the inebriated woman in your arms. Taking a breath, you slowly lean your head down while picking her chin up. Your lips almost meet before you feel her shove you away.

"I'm sorry. But, but, I- I can't," she murmurs, turning her back to you. You tilt your head sideways and just stand there, watching her, while Djal is screaming at you to take her now. "I, I have a boyfriend, and, and... but Dom..."

"I understand," you say softly, coming to stand next to her, being mindful of her personal space. "Terrence has told me how things work at this level, and I'm not too comfortable with it either." You take a breath and clear your throat. "I'm not going to push you Agathe, but thinking for the future, I think that the two of us can, at least agree, that we can work together. So, with that being said, this is as far as it needs to go between us, but for both of our careers," you extend your hand to her, "can we both agree that for international projects, we will be each other's first picks?"