Aaron was not entirely happy about using his younger friend's ID to get into this place. But Rosalie had shoved it into his hands with a winning, rare, smile and insisted the way to get Zoya on team was to take her to an exclusive place like this. So dressed as fancy as he knew how, which was not at all, he waited round the corner from the building for Zoya to arrive. He wanted to surprise her, and plus she needed to get out and have some fun and they really needed this case. Provided this all went right, then it was win-win.

Though if this place was just for students, he was going to kill Rosalie. It did not look promising that it was at the mall. He knew he should have gone for the night club like he planned. Why was he taking advice from a girl who avoided human contact like the plague? Because people liked her anyway. He did not know how, but somehow she had friends - so she must have some kind of secret he was missing. Plus this was getting him out the house. The more he was out the house the less chance the boredom induced by not using his intellectual skills on a case would drive him crazy.

He was literally one step away from doing a Sherlock Holmes.

(Outfit)

"If this is about Hunter, forget it." Zoya stated in a form of greeting to her colleague, pushing her hands in her pocket and frowning. She had been suspicious form the very start, but this would've been her first outing in almost an year. Otherwise, she stayed cooped up in rooms, practicing with knives or gathering evidence about cheating wives or husbands. When she thought about it, she was almost tempted to take up the case, but then she reminded herself that she hated Hunter and she didn't know why he had come to her to solve the case.

"Anyway, we still have to figure out why he hired us, for all we know, he could be trying to blast what little reputation we have built into smithereens." She added with a scowl, fidgeting with her hands. 'And what is this place? it's in a mall? I mean, seriously Aaron! You really think I will be persuaded if you buy me drinks?"

(Dress)

"For someone who does not like Hunter - you sure won't stop talking about him" Aaron replied with a roll of his eyes as headed over to the ropes that curtain off the area. Flashing the ID Rosalie had given him, he escorted Zoya inside "you need to stop thinking about this deal and have some fun. We work together all day - don't you ever want to play together too? Plus maybe I am sick of hearing about him. All day every day since the case was mentioned the only time I see you is to hear about him!" Aaron then wondered over to get some drinks for them before returning to Zoya.

"Your so suspicious all of the time. Has it never occurred to you that maybe I don't want to talk about it. I mean sure if we do not take a good case soon then I am one step away from dosing myself with a 'Sherlock Holmes' mixture just to stop myself from going crazy and killing someone myself just to have a case. But if you do not want to do the case, then it is kinda harsh to keep throwing it in my face!" That was the way to work with his partner, make her forget about what he wanted - until much later when she might be more susceptible. Plus if they were really not going to do the case, it was torture to hear all about this boy she was meant to hate.

"Puh-lease." Zoya scoffed out in reply, making a face at Aaron as he escorted her inside the curtained area. "I do NOT! And we never have fun. Aren't we supposed to be, quote, just partners, unquote? Why are you suddenly so interested in getting me here?" She asked, tapping her foot impatiently. If she knew Aaron even just a little bit, she knew that he was up to something. And she was sure she wouldn't like it. Before she could voice her other questions he went away to get her some drinks and she took the moment to glance at the crowd around. "Not much of a crowd here." She commented to herself, drumming on the table top in time with the beat of the music being played. She stopped just as Aaron returned and without a word took her drink from him.

"That's the reason why I am a detective! And its better than believing any pretty girl who walks by." She pointed out, taking a sip from her drink before sighing. She was sitting in a Lounge and fighting with her partner, all thanks to Hunter. Scowling as she was reminded of the suspected reason why she was here, she turned to Aaron and raised an eyebrow. "You are not doing drugs Aaron. I won't let you. And if you murder someone who is practically useless to society anyway, I wouldn't mind." She replied brightly, taking another sip of her drink and leaning on the table.

"You know that is not a word right" Aaron simply replied with a shake of his head before smirking and adding "ah but you do! We are still just partners, its not like I am inviting you back to my room, its just one evening to do something a little bit fun" He was glad to get his drink and downed it pretty quickly. He whole mind set was built around being active, doing things, he was suffering more in this empty space than he was letting on. But he was not going to force her to work with the other boy just for the sake of his sanity. Mainly because he had a feeling she was not going to be easily forced, but secondarily because for all there flaws he felt they did make a good team.

"So your a detective that refuses to do any detecting? Sounds like a good detective! ... besides I do not believe just any pretty girl, I do not believe that you do not have a thing for 'wonder-boy' ..." He then rolled his eyes and replied in a slightly affronted tone, he was angry by how she was acting, he was upset and on edge, and the mere mention of drugs was making him twitch slightly "so you would rather have me go to prison than simply work with someone you do not like ... when in all honesty I could do most of the interacting with him anyway. I thought we were a team? But I did not want to talk about this ... and you clearly do. So tell me Zoya, what is wrong with wonder-boy? Why do you hate him so?"

"Not!" Zoya insisted childishly, playing with her glass. "You shouldn't, it would just hurt your ego when I refuse." She added jokingly, patting Aaron on his shoulder. She sipped her drink and frowned. She knew she was being selfish, this was their biggest case up til now and it had been far too long since their last case. She felt bad that she was basically pushing Aaron over the edge and guilt tugged at her conscious. But Zoya was made of sterner stuff, she may feel bad but their was no way in hell, heaven or anything in between that she was going to team up or help Hunter. "Wonder boy?" She echoed in amusement trying to keep in her laugh.

"I am pleased that you think of me as pretty, even though I do not share your views but I am a good detective. I just refuse to take this case." She snapped back at him. She hated fighting with him but she didn't want to take up this case. Hunter held too many bad memories, and she didn't like revisiting her past. There was a reason she never visited her family and she planned to keep it that way. Seeing his reaction, she immediately regretted bringing up drugs but wasn't he doing the same by bringing up Hunter. "Yeah, that is the idea. I would like it better if you went in prison if you keep bringing him up. And don't insist that I do it! I know why you brought me here! And we are a team, so can we please behave like one? I don't wanna talk about it! DON'T PRESS ME!" She burst out, irritated. these few days had been pretty rough on her, but she didn't want to take out all her frustration on Aaron.

"You know what why are we even partners if you clearly do not trust me? You might as well find another partner and put me back in the gutter where you found me" Aaron snapped back just as frustrated, and even more on edge because of his withdrawals kicking in. Sighing heavily he sent her a helpless expression and murmured "I can't do this any more Zo, I need a case. I got to have something. I feel like the walls are closing in on me. Please Zo, you gotta give me something!" He hated to beg but he was getting desperate. He needed this more than he needed to keep Zoya happy. Maybe there were both being selfish - but something had to give, somewhere. He rose from where he had dropped into a seat, and began to pace up and down, his hands shoved into his pockets and a frown spread across his features.

"You know that's not going to happen Aaron." Zoya replied quietly, studying Aaron. She guessed that his withdrawal symptoms were kicking in and his next words just confirmed it. Zoya hated it when he begged her to take up the case, and she felt pathetic because she knew she couldn't. She felt as if she was being stretched to her limits and sooner or later, she would just break. Charles Dean Hunter meant a lot to her, he was so much more than just her ex-principle. He was like a father to her and it was he only who pushed her and gave her the courage to start her own Agency. And now everything was falling apart.

Without looking at him, she drowned her drink and replied, "Do it. I won't help you. I won't stand in your way and I definitely would NOT interact with Hunter but do it." Getting up, she stuffed her hands in her pockets and marched past Aaron, not looking at him, towards the exit.

"Why can't you help me? I do not expect you to interact with Hunter at all. I will do all that. All you would do is help me sort the information out back at the office. But you know what your right, we should just not take the case ... I can survive." It was a lie which was proved by the fact he strode over to the bar and sitting down informed the bar tender it was going to be a long night and to give him the most alcoholic drink they have, and to keep the drinks coming.

"Shut up Aaron. You know I will help you anyway! How do you expect to solve the case without my help?" Zoya shot back, trying to joke and make him feel better as changed direction from the exit to where Aaron was sitting. She knew he would probably figure out that she was lying, just as she figured out that he was lying. "Don't. Okay? Take it up, you need it and its time we tried working separately for a bit anyway." She added seriously, as she held up a hand to tell the bartender that he was not supposed to get anymore drinks for Aaron. "And don't drink and trash the place! I would hate it if you went to jail, wouldn't put a good impression on......your client."

"It is my life and I can get drunk if I want to ... plus I thought you wanted me in jail" Aaron retorted only half joking as he downed the rest of his drink and then petulantly pushed it expectantly towards the bartender. He glanced over at her and replied "I am smart, I have a life built on smart, but you know I can't do a case alone. My social skills suck, people just won't talk to me, frankly most of the time I make people want to hit me. So what's the point ... what's the point of any of it any-more ..." Aaron was good at sports, he had always been good at sports, but he never went to the gym between cases. You could tell he found a case he could really get into when he was at the swimming pool and not the bar.

"Yeah I do, but not for drinking. You going in jail and me being fine with it is applicable only if you murder a criminal or maybe Hunter." Zoya replied, still trying to joke around and make the conversation more comfortable for her. She hated seeing Aaron weak, in her mind, Aaron and weak didn't equate. Nor did her taking care of him. It was always him that was helping her out of sticky situation during a case, helping her out whenever she got stuck and brute force was needed. "Think of it as practice, you need it." She replied, glaring at the bartender to ensure that the glass remained empty. "And there is a point. You need a case, and a better case than this can't be there for you. And just how much are you going to push me into doing what you want? you know I can't take up this case! I have got too many emotions attached with it!"

"I am not trying to make you feel bad, I really am not ... I just can't believe how much I need you" Aaron falteringly tried to make sense of his thoughts, for a person who did not get on well with other people it was hard. It was a fine line between the fact he never wanted to make her unhappy but at the same time he could not do this without her. "Plus I am not just thinking of me - I am thinking of you to. Won't getting closure be worth it? Wont finally being able to shut the door on that whole family be better than spending time wondering whether you made the wrong choice. Because you will wonder, I know you ... I know you far too well, and I just want to keep both us from making choices we are going to regret ..."

Zoya sighed, knowing that she had no other choice. She was just going to have to take up the case, even though she didn't want to. She couldn't lose Aaron as a partner and he really needed this case. If he didn't get it....well Zoya didn't want to go there. And anyway, Hunter wasn't important to her, she had pushed him away and she was determined not to let him affect her. Time to put it to test, she thought as she slumped, tiredness overtaking her. It had been almost a week since she had slept properly and the strain was beginning to get to her.

"But what if I mess up? What if I can't solve this? What if what everyone says about me is true? that I am just a high school barbie trying to play detective. I can't disappoint Charles Hunter Aaron. I just can't and I am scared."

"You look nothing like Barbie" Aaron replied bluntly, instantly, because when comments did not make sense he never could resist commenting about it "and your an amazing detective. Together we can solve any case. Just think of what those critics will say when we do this? They will be forced to accept you! Or we can go with my original plan and I can go pay them a little visit ..." despite his pain Aaron managed to make a joke and then for her benefit flexed his muscles, as though to prove his point "plus have you seen the stilleto's on barbie? I would not like to be stabbed with something like that ... nah Barbie is not some-one to be messed with!"

Zoya gave a short laugh, her very first since Charles Hunter's death. It wasn't natural for her to be this serious or snappy, she was always fun to be around, cheering people up, making the atmosphere funner. "Fine." She replied, giving in. Later, she would probably hate herself for it, regret this decision and yes, like Aaron told her, obsess and wonder whether she had done the right thing or not. "We will take the case. 11:00 AM at the site of murder, don't be late, don't be hungover." She added, pushing herself off the table and yawning, effortlessly going to her usual demeanor during a case. Fixing up meetings, getting people to talk, snooping around. She doubted even Aaron would guess the effort it cost her.

"I promise not to be late. I make no promises not to be hungover" Aaron replied with a wink but the bartender was not giving him anything new any time soon after the look from Zoya so it was pretty safe that he would be fine the next day. He then added in a teasing tone with a smirk "oh you know I love it when your bossy Zo ..."

"Maybe not you, but I am sure he is promising." Zoya replied with a smirk, pointing towards the bartender. She wouldn't admit it, but it felt good to have some structure back in her life. She had a case now, something to look forward too and she was determined to solve it. Those who murdered Charles Hunter are going to get it now, she thought to herself, her expression darkening fr a moment, before she smiled at Aaron. "Yeah yeah. And we both know how much you need that. I doubt you've ever managed to reach on time Aaron." She shot back in the same tone as his, glad that everything was fine between them.

Aaron kept the teasing going and letting out a light groan replied "I do need it ... do it again Zo ..." He had to admit that if he did not know all her worst parts as well as her best parts, he might be attracted to Zoya. She certainly fit him well. But she had seen far too much of him - for that to ever work. He needed a girl who did not know about his past. A girl who was not Zoya, and was not Rosalie, but at least he had a case now. He had a case and he could start putting himself to work. Even now his brain was already whirring through all the possibility's. The more he thought the happier his expression became and soon he was grabbing his keys "I need to hit the pool ..."

"Cannot Aaron." Zoya drew the words out sadly, like it really did break her heart. Laughing, she punched Aaron lightly on his arm, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you should do that, its been a long time. You are getting out of shape! And if you find a pretty girl at the pool, skip her for tonight and I will buy you coffee tomorrow!" She called out after him, happy that he was happy. She had taken one for the team, as always. Sighing, she turned back to the bartender and her facade broke. Scowling, she ordered a drink, snapping at the bartender when he reminder her of her previous actions, the ones that specifically told him not to bring anymore drinks.