03-17-2014, 05:24 PM
It was days before she returned to Kallisti.
In the daytime, the club's interior was cast in shadow, silent and hollow. Carmen's reproachful stare took in the faded purple bruising of her cheekbone, but she was wiser than to pass comment. The consideration flashed in her gaze though, and Ori wondered why it was she even cared. It was not like Oriena modelled herself as the face of the business; her indiscretions would have little impact on Kallisti's reputation. If the concern was instead personal, Ori was not interested in the coddling. Or the chastisement. Her mood was quiet, and any questioning would be banked in silence anyway. At best.
Carmen said nothing though, and Ori passed her unmolested.
A neat pile of paperwork waited on the desk in the office. Carmen had been headhunting to fill Emma's vacancy, and recruitment was among the few things Ori still preferred to have a hand in. She ruffled through the pages, absorbed a few pertinent details to pour over later, then collected her phone and keys. "If you need me, phone'll be on,"
she said on her way back through. Though she doubted they'd be any necessity; she'd hired Carmen for a reason, and the woman was good at her job.
"Two suits showed up after you left the other night. Something to do with the guy you were with. Not the one you left with." Carmen's gaze latched to the bruising, and her mouth snapped into a firm line, which probably meant she'd assigned the blame to Jaxen. Like Oriena would have allowed him to do that to her. A wry smile twitched her lips, stretching the skin tender, and she filed the warning away to contemplate later. If Jon had brought trouble to her door she would not be grateful, but neither would she duck her head beneath the parapet. She was queen of this castle, and she would be defending it.
"Anyone else comes asking questions about customers, you call me."
Kallisti operated on non-disclosure and its employees knew to keep their mouths shut. Oriena didn't fear the slip of petty secrets, but she was wary of serpents.
In the daytime, the club's interior was cast in shadow, silent and hollow. Carmen's reproachful stare took in the faded purple bruising of her cheekbone, but she was wiser than to pass comment. The consideration flashed in her gaze though, and Ori wondered why it was she even cared. It was not like Oriena modelled herself as the face of the business; her indiscretions would have little impact on Kallisti's reputation. If the concern was instead personal, Ori was not interested in the coddling. Or the chastisement. Her mood was quiet, and any questioning would be banked in silence anyway. At best.
Carmen said nothing though, and Ori passed her unmolested.
A neat pile of paperwork waited on the desk in the office. Carmen had been headhunting to fill Emma's vacancy, and recruitment was among the few things Ori still preferred to have a hand in. She ruffled through the pages, absorbed a few pertinent details to pour over later, then collected her phone and keys. "If you need me, phone'll be on,"
she said on her way back through. Though she doubted they'd be any necessity; she'd hired Carmen for a reason, and the woman was good at her job.
"Two suits showed up after you left the other night. Something to do with the guy you were with. Not the one you left with." Carmen's gaze latched to the bruising, and her mouth snapped into a firm line, which probably meant she'd assigned the blame to Jaxen. Like Oriena would have allowed him to do that to her. A wry smile twitched her lips, stretching the skin tender, and she filed the warning away to contemplate later. If Jon had brought trouble to her door she would not be grateful, but neither would she duck her head beneath the parapet. She was queen of this castle, and she would be defending it.
"Anyone else comes asking questions about customers, you call me."
Kallisti operated on non-disclosure and its employees knew to keep their mouths shut. Oriena didn't fear the slip of petty secrets, but she was wary of serpents.
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