There's Nothing Blue About Firewhisky.

It was impossible for him not to laugh. It had a body to it, this laugh. It was the sort of guffaw that raised lips up over teeth and let the overly whitened molars to glint in the light. Elijah ran his tongue over his canines absent-mindedly, teasing the sharp point that they came to.

He flexed his fingers in the same breath and sat further back in his chair, reclining with ease that was not becoming of a man who was supposedly meant to be conducting some sort of business deal. He couldn’t help himself though. It was sweet, almost, her reason.

“You want one?” He asked her finally, moving from the layabout post to one of rapt attention as he brought himself forward, planting his feet firmly on the ground and letting his elbows rest on the rim of the table; his father’s scolding to keep his arms off of tables as a child never quiet having left him.

“I want the Loch Ness Monster stuffed and mounted in my foyer, darling, but it’s not going to happen any time soon. Give me a better reason. If we all got what we wanted we would have a lot more conflict in this world. How are you at hiking, may I ask?”

"It was worth a try," the dark witch admitted lightly with a single-shouldered shrug. He had reacted predictably, with a laugh, but Katrina-Carlotta was unsure if he believed her truth or not. Rolling her shoulders back, she studied the man's change in body language. He was leaning forwards as if intrigued, a definite difference from the casual sprawl of before.

"But why?" the woman couldn't help but ask humorously, "the Loch Ness Monster is far too big to be tasteful in a foyer. Besides, a kraken would be almost as good a pet as a dragon by my standards." Katrina-Carlotta knew that he'd probably laugh at her again, but this time that was her intention. His previous laugh had certainly relaxed the man, and relaxing Elijah further could only benefit her.

"If I must provide a better reason, then I suppose it may be prudent to remind you just how useful having me owe you could be," Katrina-Carlotta relented, tone more serious than it had been, with a hard edge that emphasized her accent. It was dangerous to owe people favors, especially someone who worked in the government, but the European didn't care. She always had been very good with loopholes, so the witch figured that there was no need for fretting.

"I'm fair at hiking," the assassin informed the Deputy Minister. She was better than fair, due to her monthly exercise of spending twenty-four hours in the woods. Katrina-Carlotta had started the little tradition of hers over ten years ago as a way to keep her reflexes sharp and insure that she never got spoilt by luxuries. It had slowly evolved into something of a winding-down time for the witch. There was an odd peace that could be found when it was only yourself and your wand isolated in nature.

There was something oddly relaxing about Europeans from the mainland. Talking with them broke up the dry, strange wit that the English and the Irish boasted. Talking with Kat-Car reminded Elijah that it was important to stay on his toes; that everyone wanted something and if you gave too much, they wouldn’t think twice about coming back for the rest. But, that said, Elijah didn’t mind indulging the Dark Witch this. Dragons were easily disposed of later on if one could get a hold on them once more; though that was always the most difficult bit. So perhaps he was taking a risk.

“Are you worth it?” He asked suddenly, surprising himself more than her. “Are you worth giving a dragon to, only to invariably cause mayhem and destruction, answer me that?”

Elijah sat back in his chair as a predatory sort of smile spread over his lips and he chuckled a little more before cocking an eyebrow up. “It’s a big foyer,” he assured her silkily before considering the option she presented to him. He hummed thoughtfully, the guise of giving it thought while not really giving it much at all.

“I’m easily pleased, my dear. I don’t want a paper trail leading back to me. You probably don’t want one leading back to you. We both like that anonymity.” Elijah ran his fingers through his hair after a moment before considering Kat-Car again. “So you wouldn’t be opposed to doing a little bit of legwork for your dragon, hmm?”