Office Politics

[lawyerlilah]

I think I need another vacation. I'm excruciatingly tired of dealing with my co-workers at this point. On the positive side, though, the cute little drug addict is still a reluctant guest of Angel and his crew. One less headache if you ask me.

Christian Ryan, current bane of my existence, is still irritatingly smug. Everything the man touches

Comments

[vampdetective]

I stop at the door to Lilah's office. I can hear her in there, on the phone to some flunkie and she doesn't sound happy--which actually is her usual tone. I nudge the door open. It can't hurt to see if she knows anything, even though I'm certain she won't tell me what she knows. The others are searching the basement, she doesn't need to know they're in the building. I step inside and stand there, waiting for her to notice me.

[lawyerlilah]

I'm rolling my eyes in my head until they nearly get stuck, dangling a Jimmy Choo pump from one foot. "You can tell Mr. Yamata that the contract is null and void if he insists on adding that clause. I'm an immovable force on this one."

I freeze as I notice two unpleasant things: a scorpion clinging to my curtain and Angel lurking just inside my office door. "I have to go," I say abruptly. "Handle it." I hang up the phone and arrange a slightly plastic smile on my face. "Angel. How nice to see that our vampire detectors are working as well as usual."

[vampdetective]

"It is nice--I wouldn't be able to pop in and say hello once in a while, otherwise." I walk in, tucking my hands in my coat pockets, and lean against her desk. "So how've you been, Lilah? It's been such a long time since we had a chat." I eye the scorpion on the drapes. "New pet? It suits you."

[lawyerlilah]

I get up from my seat, feeling at a disadvantage sitting down. "And I've so missed our little chats," I say dryly. I move away from the scorpion. "My last client left that here. It narrowly escaped being an hors d'oeuvre."

[lawyerlilah]

"Kennedy is not my concern," I say, shifting my weight and sliding onto the edge of the desk so my feet are off the floor. "So don't go all humanitarian on me, Angel. Oh wait, I forgot. You're L.A.'s assigned savior."

As soon as he's gone, I'm calling Maintenance to get that damned scorpion out of here.

I pause, watching him. He's so damned earnest. Wonder what it would take to make him lose his cool? "And I'm not clear on why you feel I owe you information."

[vampdetective]

"Aww, Lilah, I thought we were best buds," I say, nudging the scorpion slightly in her direction. "Huh, so I guess what he told Cordy was the truth, you are out of the loop these days. Guess it makes sense--you know I took a trip to the future a while back? Ryan's name had been added to the Company--I guess he's a real up and comer. And I'm wasting me time because you don't know anything useful anymore."

[lawyerlilah]

I make a mental note to triple my efforts to get dirt on Ryan. That asshole. Angel could merely be trying to rattle me-- I wouldn't put it past him-- or Christian could have said that. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of asking, though.

"What I know," I say, my voice like silk, "is confidential." I file away what he said about Christian's future with the firm to think about later.

[vampdetective]

I smirk, making sure she knows I think she's just saying it to cover. "Of course it is," I say, sympathy in my tone. "Never thought I'd see the day. You used to bust balls on a daily basis, Lilah. Tsk." I stand up straight and start to move toward the door. I decide to go find Eve, she might at least have more interest in Kennedy's condition. "Have fun rounding up your little friend."