Johann had done exceedingly well - better than Vedir had honestly expected him to do, given the task. It seemed the boy was quite eager to please - and with this, Vedir certainly had no issue, given how much money he was likely to make.

The sale had been finalized, much to the annoyance of the Ministry; even now, the paperwork was moving to tear the house down. What neither Johann nor the Ministry needed to know was that the sum Vedir had paid for the house was likely to be repaid even before the new home went up on the market; the previous owner was a lover of hiding his valuables. If he was lucky the Ministry hadn't located them in the house, and they'd soon be his; which meant a healthy profit on top of his repaid debts...

Vedir was considering hiring Bergen to design the new home - as fun as that would be, however, it was likely a bad idea.

He sat, reclined and relaxed, next to the pool of his home. The book in his lap was filled with numbers, though he wasn't paying too much attention to them - just occasionally putting down his cigarete to note something in the far column. He was alone in the large room, Poppy having retreated to her rooms for the night.

He had been expecting Johann's visit, though he was a bit surprised it had taken so many days - therefore, when his butler appeared to tell him of the boy's arrival, he nodded mutely. "Bring him in."

Putting the book down, he adjusted the lay of his red silk bathrobe; while he wasn't exactly naked under it, it didn't do to be seen shirtless too easily. Especially if his suspicions of Johann were correct.

"Mr Prideaux." Johann greeted politely, trying not to be too distracted by his surroundings. He and water didn't get on when it was deeper than a few feet at least, for however many languages Johann could speak, swimming came under the things he was rubbish at.

He stood awkwardly at the foot of the seat Vedir was reclined in, before he was given the indication it was permitted for him to sit. His eyes lingered a moment too long on the fact Vedir was wearing a red silk bathrobe. The warmth in the room with the water was far more than the other rooms the butler had led Johann through to get there, and there was that weird, incomprehensible warmth Johann felt in Vedir's presence.

"Forgive me waiting a few days before I called upon you." Johann half apologised, and lowered his gaze. "There was an unfortunate complication to matters on Monday, and given the arrangement with the property in Diagon Alley, I did not want anyone to make a connection between us over it. Lodging with one's direct manager is a hazard I will attend to shortly." He meant he'd have to move out of Gabrielle's, rather than he'd cause her an unfortunate accident.

"I am very glad things worked out in your favour though." Johann added, raising his eyes again, flicking past the book nearby full of inked numbers it seemed, past Vedir's red bathrobe and back to his eyes. There was that ever so slight giddy feeling in his stomach. It was as if Vedir's house made him feel a little sick.

Vedir smiled at Johann. "Not to worry, Johann. The arrangement you came to suits both parties quite well, I think. The Ministry gets money from the other properties, and I get the home that I was entitled to in the first place - and you earn a commission, and pay from both sides. I fail to see how you could have done better, and your instinct to wait was a good one, given how the ministry might view the arrangement between us. Wouldn't do to have you get fired when all you've done is earn them money, now would it?"

He drew his pen-like wand from his robe, re-lit his cigarette, and sat up fully - swinging his legs over the side of the chair. "Pardon my attire. I was not fully expecting you to turn up tonight, after the delay..."

Smoke drifted away towards the ceiling, and his smile returned. "Still, we must think of a reward for you - and do not try to say you shouldn't have one! Is there anything you would like, Johann? I can certainly provide you with most of the things you could desire." The smile turned wry. "Though alas - not all of of them, I suspect."

Johann quickly averted his eyes as Vedir sat up and swung his legs across to face Johann who was poised on the edge of the adjacent recliner. He couldn't quite understand why he felt drawn to stare suddenly, and it really was quite warm in there.

"Sir, it was just a house. I am privy to many of your dealings to know that it is not the most significant of your transactions lately." Johann replied graciously to Vedir's offer. His face flushed a little. "I am very flattered, Sir, but the commission was most generous already, so I must decline, despite your protests." Even though, the thought of living somewhere else, however much he adored Gabrielle's lavish family home and her company, was rather appealing. He was beginning to miss renting his own rooms has he had been doing back at home before he'd been caught out.

"So the reward is in the doing, then?" Vedir said jokingly, though he was pleased at Johann's observation. "Really, Johann, you should be more open to generosity. You certainly do enough to earn it," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"Thank you for being so prompt on those papers, as well. They were very useful," he added, standing up; the movement of his robe as he did so revealed his shirtless state, though the black trousers he wore underneath certainly kept him from being too improper. He walked to the nearby window, looking out over the dark fields; off in the distance was the dull glow of London, but the area around the house was dark.

"You are welcome here anytime, Johann, should you come by trouble or need a place to stay. How will that do, as a reward?" He asked, glancing back towards the young man. "Though I don't know how fond your boss would be of that arrangement - I'm sure she's quite cross with you at the moment."

Still sat, looking at the seat Vedir had vacated. Johann took a deep breath and steadied his head as best he could. There was definitely something wrong with him. Perhaps the heat in the room, or he was coming down with something. Merlin, bad timing to be ill.

"Thank you, Sir, that is most generous." Johann replied, and rubbed the sides of his head wondering if it was just tension. "Cross, no, livid, perhaps." Johann remarked, and then shook his head. "No, actually she wasn't so displeased as I anticipated. Bergen's offers on two other properties have been accepted, and I'll show Bergen's representative round the other property tomorrow for a second opinion." Smirking to himself he turned to look to Vedir a little better.

"Besides, the inconvenience of an intern being put with me the moment I retrieved the keys on the Monday morning turned out to be a blessing. He was a necessary distraction for all parties." Distraction, yes, Johann was certainly distracted. But why, he couldn't quite pin down. "If he hadn't been such, he would have been my scapegoat internally, rest assured."

Johann smiled smugly, sometimes he impressed himself. Pity he was extraordinarily stupid on several other counts, including noticing the huge danger he was putting himself in by dealing with Vedir.

"That's good to hear. Miss Murray-Harker is a formidable woman when angered, I'd come to understand. Not one to cross, or make livid, if one can avoid it." He puffed at his cigarette thoughtfully, watching Johann via his reflection in the glass.

"An intern? A recent graduate, or...?" He knew who it was, admittedly; one of his informants had supplied him with the news, though it was really not of much note. It was really only of note to Vedir because of Vedir's current allies and arrangements - he was one of the few people who knew that Schlagenweit was still in semi-regular contact with Kronos. Silly boy, really - brought back memories of another one...

Bah. Children were sometimes too smart for their own good - but most of the time, they were stupid. He'd silently vowed to make sure none of his took that route, those he'd have to get around to having some first...

Noting Johann's reflection again, he looked over his shoulder. "Are you unwell, Johann?" He asked, noting the boy's consistent temple-rubbing.

"Sasha Schlagenweit, Sir." Johann confirmed. "Chequered past that one, I understand. Do you know of him?" Johann asked, and drew himself straight again as his shoulders had sagged with rubbing his temples. Wearing a suit in such a room and temperature after stepping in from the cool March night wasn't the best of plans. Vedir's half dressed situation beneath his red robe seemed entirely practical.

"I'll be fine. Just a headache." Johann explained too quickly to sound genuine. He winced at himself, irritated for phrasing it that way. "Nothing I can't handle." The linguist assured Vedir and gave a reassuring smile to his employer, which reflected in the glass windows Vedir had been facing until he had turned to look directly at Johann over his shoulder.

Truth was that he'd been relying too heavily on sleeping potion lately. Combining them had made him vomit the previous evening, most unpleasant. Ah, that would be why he was feeling like this, it was all catching up with him. Not Vedir's house at all. He needed something stronger to knock himself out - all this staying up for 72 hours at a time unintentionally was beginning to show. Ignan had written back to one of his letters that Johann couldn't even remember writing, which undoubtedly explained Ignan's confused response at the content. That was it, the lack of sleep was making him feel ill. What a relief. But only half the truth.

"The butler handed me some correspondence that you needed translating." He swiftly changed the subject, reaching into his suit jacket for the letters in his inside pocket. "Would you prefer I translated to English, then translated your written response in return?" He glanced at the oriental script. "Merlin... that's pretty serious." Johann despite himself had translated mid paragraph and was now leant over the letter, silently mouthing the words to himself before pausing and considering their accurate translation. 

"Oh yes, I've heard of him - would be surprised to find someone who hasn't heard that name, after Christmas. Unfortunate case overall, poor boy. Good to see he's still able to work, however." He was watching Johann rather intently as he spoke, watching the man's nervous twitches, his odd expression -

"You really should be getting more sleep, Johann," he chided gently. "Though I'm sure you hear that from everyone, I really must repeat it. And do feel free to remove you coat, it can't be helping with the humidity in here."

He returned to the chairs, snuffing his cigarette out in his ash tray and leaning on the metal frame. "That would be most useful. I can read most European language passably, but the Asian ones elude me." He smirked again.  "And yes, those are fairly serious. Please try to not make any errors or your success with the house will be quite nil, I'm afraid."

"I understand entirely, Sir. I will take care to translate accurately as always." He nodded and tucked the letters back, already a little spooked at the content.

"Sleep? You're right, I don't do a lot of that, and everyone does tell me its bad for me. Perhaps that indicates I don't take direction well?" He shrugged, and in the process shrugged his jacket off, draping it beside him, the letters within it, and tugged at his long purple shirt sleeves. It was cooler without it, however much he felt momentarily informal until his mind reasoned that Vedir was dressed less formally still, and the hour was late.

"I rather think the dead of night is a far better time to work uninterrupted. Especially when one lives in the house of Gabrielle Murray-Harker." He smiled to reassure himself and also Vedir that his documents were safe with that working practise.

Later, Johann couldn't quite understand why he had continued to explain the next thing to Vedir.
"When colleagues appear as if they haven't slept all night, it is usually a small child or a woman, but nobody ever makes the assumption towards me. Its as if only those two distinct reasons are worthy for staying up all night for." He shook his head. "Neither of which have ever kept me awake exclusively."

He looked round to Vedir.
"Sorry, I'm rambling. I should leave you to your evening, Sir. My health is the last of your concerns." Despite himself, a flush rose to Johann's cheeks. For some uncanny reason he felt able to disclose odd things like that to Vedir, weird snippets of personality unlike as he did with friends.

"Good. Thank you, Johann - I would like to be able to read them as soon as possible and I will need you to translate my reply," he said, as the young man removed his coat. "And as convenient as working at night can be - a practice I engage in myself, from time to time - one must always remember their next day's engagements." He chuckled. "Though if interruption is an issue, I can certainly understand. Just try and get more sleep when you live on your own..."

He looked at him thoughtfully as Johann spoke. "Do they now? A convenient assumption, then, should you ever seek to keep an affair quiet," he said jokingly. "No apologies needed, Johann. Do go and get yourself some rest - sleep or otherwise. I will see you in a few days, I expect."

Nodding curtly, Johann found his feet, hooking his suit jacket back over his finger.

"You will Sir, sooner than you think, if I can ensure it." He lowered his head respectfully to Vedir. "Good evening Mr Prideaux." With that he turned and walked to the door, exhaling slowly. Once beyond it, he smacked his right palm straight into his forehead enough to make the butler flinch, and then swung his jacket back round his shoulders, mind already racing once more, and the letters pressed against his chest.

The house had worked, and Vedir's trust was gained again. He doubted that what was contained within the letters would bring him much peace in his own dreams though, if and when he found a suitable sleeping potion to bring them to him.