Glass Houses

[Oriena]

[[Continued from Triumphant return]]

Much later...

In the shitty clothes Jaxen had given her, Ori was an ill match for her own club. It had taken a few hours to navigate the warren of the underground - mostly because she'd had to work out where the fuck she was, and then other distractions had slowed her path back to Kallisti. She slipped in the back way, inured to the sultry darkness and throb of music. Rafael lounged by the bar, chatting with a cluster of doe-eyed patrons. He offered a quizzical grin and straightened as she interupted to ask where Carmen was. He tilted his pretty head in the right direction.

"Whatever you did to piss her off, Oriena, she hasn't forgiven you for it yet."


Ori just smirked as she wove a path to where Carmen was smiling and pouring drinks. She shot a brief warning glare, but Ori knew exactly how rich the clientle was; it didn't stop her reaching for Carmen's hand and pulling her away. Though she at least softened the blow with a wink over her shoulder as she left them without a hostess.

In the backroom, currently quiet, Carmen wrenched her hand away. "Spit it out, Ori."


"I'm that transparant?"
Ori leaned against one of the dressers, framed by the soft lighting of the mirror at her back. Her eyes glittered, a smirk carved on her lips. Impatience tightened Carmen's posture, her eyes all full of mistrust. Ori put her out of her misery quickly. "I need you to up security for the club."


Carmen's face grew still. There were few who'd willingly risk a confrontation with Ori, but this woman was one of them; it was among the foremost reasons Oriena liked her so much. She folded her arms, glaring at the floor a moment before she flicked the fire of her stare up. "What the fuck did you do? Is it something to do with Manix and the other guy you were with the other night?"


Oriena tilted her head, amused to hear Manix's name from Carmen's lips. Had she actually called the fucker after he slipped her his number? She laughed. "Manix? This is his fault, Carmen. It was his job I tagged along on."


The woman gave nothing away, and Oriena pressed on. The details, and any advantage they may hold, could be teased out later. For now this was more important. "Hire more security. I have some other avenues to explore. And it's probably time you met Kasun."
She indicated with a glance the rooms above their heads, where she kept the wolf man. It was too soon; she wasn't entirely she could trust letting him loose, but she thought he at least understood the difference between kin and not. She supposed they'd soon find out.

"Fuck."
Carmen closed her eyes, took a breath. "When we're closed up for the night, you and I are having a chat. We are talking this whole fucking mess through - and at the end of it, you'd better hope I don't tell you where to stick your fucking job."


Oriena's smile brightened. The mirth bubble under her skin, still high from the day's developments. Soaking in the aftermath, she was in her element.

---

Carmen left Oriena in the dressing room, jaw tight. Fears realised before her eyes as she looked out from the shadows at the oblivious club. She shot Manix an angry text before getting back to work.

Fuck.

<dl>
<dt>To Manix</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>
What the fuck is going on? Why does Ori think she needs more security for Kallisti?

Edited by Oriena, Sep 22 2016, 03:04 PM.