The venue: Dark, secluded. The kind you reach by a knock on an unmarked door and an exchange of passphrases. Your company knows the words to say, but they don't know you, Franklin. They're watching.

The coffee: Warm and sincere, probably useful as a weapon in a pinch. Poisoned? Probably not. More than just coffee? Very likely.

The dame: Tall, thin, a little feral. No, very feral. Is that a sword you see? Don't mention the sword, Franklin, it's not polite.

The proposal: Best not said out loud. The walls have ears, Franklin. And peepholes.

But the coffee is warm and sincere.