Confrontation

[Oriena]

“You don’t even know me,”
she said softly. Her brows pinched into a frown. Another time she might have smiled at the enamoured way he spoke and teased him like she had the last time they'd met. But she did not wear one of Kallsiti's sultry masks today, and what he saw was honest.

He spoke of a job but gave no helpful details; Carmen didn't even know what Manix did for a living. Clearly he was irritated with Ori - no surprise there; the woman did as she pleased, and if it annoyed others in the process it only seemed to delight her more. Her past was littered with such incidents, and those only the ones Carmen knew about. Usually she was able to smooth such things over; at least where Kallisti's position was concerned. Few were aware of Oriena's connection with the club anyway, let alone that she actually owned it. Most thought the place belonged to Carmen.

“If Oriena has pissed someone off, I need to know whether or not I should be concerned. She’s never asked me to hire extra security before - that's why I'm worried."
Oriena was an Ascendant, which Carmen assumed meant she could handle herself. If she'd fucked off another like her then Carmen dreaded to think of the consequences though, particularly if the club was caught in the crossfire. Oriena seemed to think it would be.

What a mess.

"And I'm not scolding you. If I was you'd bloody know about it."
Her lips flickered into the first hint of a smile, but she did at least sit.