chesspolitik | Bangkok! Oriental setting - and the city don't know what the city is getting...

There was no better way to drift off into dreamland than in the arms of his beloved Lex after a full day of chess, cajoling Aeneas to drop the pieces he'd stolen and all of the other things that made up his daily routine, or so Anatoly thought. His life before Tabula Rasa seemed a distant memory; he truly could not remember a time he'd been happier. He was where he wanted to be at long last.

All too soon, the sun hit his eyes and he groaned in protest, muttering under his breath. He rolled over, pressing his face into his companion's shoulder and slinging an arm around his waist. It took a few moments for his sleep-addled brain to realize the body next to him was much smaller and softer than it should have been.

At first, he was inclined to pass it off as the island working its cruel trickery again, but something felt off. Lex, whether he was a man or woman, had a scent that was uniquely his. This scent... this scent was not his and yet it was haunting familiar.

He opened his eyes and gasped in horror. He'd gone to sleep on Tabula Rasa and woken up in his hotel in Bangkok. Every detail was just as he remembered, from the appallingly patterned wallpaper to the ostentatious plush carpeting. And there, by his side, was not the man he'd come to know and grown to love, but the woman he'd loved and lost and left - Florence Vassy.

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Oh god. What in the word had he drank last night? Or more, what hadn't he drank. Sure the official story was that Frederick Trumper moves were of the purest in every city he played in, but this was Bangkok and he wasn't about to not experience all the steamy city had to offer. Now if he could only remember if the god he'd worshiped last night had been male or female...Oh well, what did it matter? They had had the pleasure of his company after all.

Despite is slight hangover, Freddie was perfectly composed as he walked out the entrance of the hotel to head for the TV studio. A smug smile was on his face as he knew all about Walter's plan to let the reporters go to town on Sergievsky and then let him emerge as the more composed player. While his gaze had immediately gone to the streets to hail a cab, it shifted when he heard someone who already had attracted a cab to the curb say their destination. His smile turned smugger, if that was possible, when he saw who it was. Now that was a god he wouldn't mind worshipping... "If your going to the television studio, do you mind if I ride along?" He asked, as if the man should be honored.

The familiar voice, but with different inflection, made Lex look up from where he'd been talking to the cab driver through the open door. This had to be Freddie Trumper. Anatoly had been right, so like Roger that it was hard to pick out the differences unless you knew what to look for. And the cocky arrogance Anatoly had talked of hung around him like a cloud but at least Lex was used to dealing with this sort. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed, by the man or his tone as he asked to share his cab, but Lex gave him a polite grin in return. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two about the situation from the man during the ride. "Why not?" After a few more negotiations with the driver, half in English and half in Chinese,Lex stepped to the side and held the door for Trumper.

With a polite nod in the other's direction, Freddie slipped into the cab and looked over with eager eyes as the man slipped gracefully into the cab next to him and pulled the door shut. As the car pulled away, he was already turning in his seat and offering his hand to the man. "Freddie Trumper." He said, of course expecting the other to already know that. Everyone in Bangkok knew who he was by now, surely.

Lex considered the hand for a moment before taking it. "I know." He said with an answering smile. Feeding the ego couldn't hurt and might help Lex get the information he wanted. God knows it worked on many of his father's men at home. Then he considered for a moment before offering his own name, "Lex Luthor." When he changed things, he wanted the players of the game to know the true name of the man they had played against. "I must say it's a pleasure."

"Of course it's a pleasure." Freddie said with a self assured smile as he sat back, half against the door so he could remain turned towards Lex with their knees touching. There was limited space in the cab after all. "Here to watch me beat the pants off these Russians?" Lex was American, so he had to be there for Freddie.

"You could say that yes." Lex had followed Trumper's train of thought and just smiled amicably. It was still the Cold War and Trumper's ego aside, it was an easy assumption to make. But of course, Lex already had an answer prepared so he continued easily, as if without thought. "I'm a press agent." If anything, arriving with Trumper would aid in his cover, since he'd yet to figure out how he was going to get into the studio without a press badge. Arriving with one of the subjects of the hour would no doubt negate that detail.

"A reporter!" Freddie replied brightly. Walter had kept him away from the reporters to avoid any of the bad press he'd gotten in Merano and so he could look the more secure player after Sergievsky bombed his interview today. Which was a guarantee, if what Walter told him was right. But of course, keeping him away from the reporters only made him more eager to talk to one. He leaned towards the other man, getting in Lex's personal space as if it was his right. "Then aren't you lucky I offered to share your cab. I promise, your in for a real treat when we get to the studio. And..." Then he reached out with one hand and set it on Lex's knee, slowly moving it upward. "perhaps I can interest you in a...private...interview later?"

Lex could only raise an eyebrow and give Trumper a slight smile. As much as it repulsed him, he added a bit of invitation into his look so Trumper wouldn't be offended when he stopped the hand's journey north. "I'm sure we can arrange something." Even if Anatoly didn't know who he was, Lex had a feeling Trumper wouldn't want anything to do with him once they got the studio and Lex enacted his plan.

That was good enough for Freddie and he sat back once again, pleased with himself, though he kept their legs touching. "It'll be an experience you won't forget." He bragged, already sure of that.

"Oh I have no doubt about it." Lex replied agreeably, though his smile took on a bit of an inner smirk. No, he doubted Trumper wouldn't forget today, not for a very long time. Then, as the cab slowed down, Lex said, "I believe we're here."

Bangkok! Oriental setting - and the city don't know what the city is getting...

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