A Significant Conversation (Viveca)

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie Shaw had been an extremely busy woman lately, between her engagement to Marcelo, her reintroduction into the halls of power at Shaw Industries and the newfound reemergence of the Hellfire Club, her summer had not been much of the break that most students could expect. It was fortunate indeed that she had only a fraction of the sleep requirements of an ordinary person. But she had been extremely troubled about the most recent news she'd heard. The same psychopath who had brutalized her had somehow got ahold of her list of mutant-friendly employers and had already murdered one of them. She suspected that he would continue working up the list. She'd already alerted Marcelo and had almost immediately thereafter gone to Sweating Bullets as fast as she could.

There were a few things she needed to speak to Viveca about. One was an immediate matter of life and death, the other merely a potential matter of life and death. Both very important and not particularly good news. She'd fired off a text to Viveca on her way, the driver being under directions not to waste time.

I need to talk to you immediately. Urgent.

Hopefully Viveca got the text before Stephanie arrived, though it wouldn't matter much. She was going in there, and if she had to tell her the news with a customer in the room, she'd do it. Confidentiality was ideal, naturally, but it was more important that Viveca know than that others didn't. She couldn't claim they were close, exactly, but they'd developed a mutual respect that had occasionally threatened to bubble over into actual friendship.

It would be interesting finding out how Viveca took the newest developments.

Comments

[pyroprincess]

"They used to serve songbirds here, not too long ago. For me, though ..." Stephanie moved up to open up a safe under the bar with a key and pull out a bottle of limited-edition Louis XIII cognac, one of only five hundred made. She had three in the safe.

"You're welcome to join me." Stephanie said simply, pouring herself a generous snifter. There weren't many people she would offer the libation to. The only other person who had tasted it was Marcelo.

[parkave2skidrow]

A fangy grin. "You don't have to break out the antiques just because our joint business stuff may technically kill me. But thanks. Just a little. I want to leave room for Mr. Walker."

[pyroprincess]

Stephanie poured her a good-sized finger of the libation and passed it towards her. The drinks poured, the Louis XIII went back in the safe. She'd switch to something else if she decided to have more than a drink or two.

Well, there were about two drinks in her glass.

"On the positive side of things, I'm engaged. Finally made the man an offer he couldn't refuse." She showed her ring-bedecked hand to Viveca.

[parkave2skidrow]

An appraising look at the rock. "Nice. Wish you had more space to enjoy the situation. Less traction." Less Hellfire, too, but with this much on Stephanie's plate, Viveca doesn't want to rub that in just yet. She vaguely heard of tact once.

[pyroprincess]

"Believe me, I've had enough of traction to last me for a very long time. You cannot believe how painful and inconvenient having your wrists, shoulders, hips and knees dislocated is." Stephanie took an appraising sip of her drink. It was delicious, a virtual infinity of subtle and bold flavour notes. Something to be savored.

She probably drank altogether more of it in that first sip than was proper. "Believe me, I would love little more than to go back to a few months ago, where the company was as good as mine and I was much freer. Not about Marcelo. The other things.

But one cannot live in the past."