Post by Rosie on Aug 17, 2017 3:00:14 GMT 10
Series: Feeling is First
Title: Sparked
Rating: PG-13
Event: Stormy Show Jumping
Words: 1555
Summary: Cythera could probably get by without a little help from her friends... Modern AU in which Thayet is a barrister, and regrets agreeing to accompany Cythera on her first date with Raoul.
--
'Didn't get along' had been a minor understatement.
Thayet glowered at the mirror, dragging a brush through her hair. The cramped second floor loo wasn't the place she had intended to get ready. It was just her luck to be caught unawares about the start of half-term, and the panicked father whose custody arrangements were falling down around his ears couldn't be put off until Monday. There'd been no time to slip off home, and she was running late as it was.
She'd run afoul of the Smirker at her chambers' networking evening. They'd recently acquired a hot-shot commercial barrister, and had decided to throw a celebration masquerading as a (very) early summer drinks party. Thayet had only bothered to personally mention it to Cythera's solicitor friend Gwynnen, reasoning her clerks would invite the rest of her clients.
The two of them had established a system at these events. Thayet would walk around for the first half-hour, making banal small-talk with various solicitors, and palming them off on the first viable person from her chambers. She would then hole herself up with Gwynnen for as long as feasible, with brief breaks to pretend she was mingling. (These breaks usually coincided with the need for a refill.)
One of these trips had resulted in her coming face to face with the Smirker. He'd been talking to Dain Melor - or, more likely, Dain had been talking at him for some time. "Christ. Didn't know they made them like this at your chambers, Melor. Where have you been hiding?"
"Oh, Thayet works in family law," Dain had said, the dismissal evident in his tone.
Thayet had glanced over the Smirker, his gleaming hair, the very expensive, well-cut suit, the watch peeking out from under his left sleeve. "Dain is one of our finest." They appeared to deserve one another, so she had no reservations about leaving him to Dain's less-than-tender mercies. "You're in extremely capable hands."
"And what if I'm having family troubles? Whose hands would I be in then?" His smile had clearly been intended to be charming, but Thayet rated people flirting with her in a professional environment somewhere below those who stood on the left on Underground escalators.
"Fortunately, Dain is an excellent listener."
In hindsight, she was thankful that it had been a work environment, though perhaps it would have been easier to wriggle out of that evening if she'd let a few f-words fly. The problem was, Cythera was very difficult to say no to. Thayet had tried employing the same wide-eyed tactics, but she and Buri had concluded that the sincerity of Cythera's disappointment couldn't be manufactured.
It didn't matter. She could get through two hours - three at the absolute most. She applied her lipstick, a vivid red stain that felt like protective armour, and blotted carefully.
The wine bar was a ten minute walk from chambers. If she left now, she would be only half-an-hour late… but it was tempting to sit down at her computer and answer a few e-mails.
No. She faced down barristers with years more experience in court; she wasn't frightened of sitting in a bar with some slimy City lawyer.
Solom's was busy as Thayet stepped inside, and it took her a few minutes to locate Cythera over by the back windows. In fact, her eyes first fell on a figure she hadn't expected. "What are you doing here?"
Buri turned, and immediately looked as though she'd been caught out. "I thought, well, if Thayet is going to be Cythera's bodyguard, who is going to be Thayet's?"
Buri's motivations would have to wait for later. Cythera, ever the perfect hostess even when not actually hosting, was making introductions. Thayet filed the names away, and allowed them each to kiss her cheek perfunctorily. Raoul was a giant of a man, but she liked his good humour and open nature - something not shared with any of his friends, so far as she could tell. Gary and his girlfriend Delia had apparently intended to spend the night in, and were reluctant to forgo a second of foreplay. Alex was dry and sarcastic, and the Smirker was… also there.
That wasn't precisely fair, since Thayet had positioned herself at the opposite end of the long table. Jon seemed to be entertaining Cythera and Alex, and even Delia had stopped trying to use Gary as breathing apparatus long enough to listen to one of his stories.
Raoul proved interesting, to Thayet's delight. He regaled Thayet and Buri with stories of his team-mates, and Buri revealed a surprising wealth of knowledge about his rugby club. Once or twice, Thayet was close to calling her on it, but reminded herself in time that Buri didn't usually make much effort with new people, and it was promising that Buri would try this hard with somebody Cythera wanted to date. Cythera's last two boyfriends had been terrified of Buri, and though Thayet continued to pitch it as a valid litmus test, Cythera had yet to be convinced.
Eventually, Raoul declared it his turn for a round, and Jon took the opportunity to play musical chairs. "Hope you don't mind, but I thought we should get to the part of the evening where the two people on the date actually spend some time together."
"Why would we mind?" Buri snapped, glaring down the other end of the table. "Please, tell us about your life making money for people with money."
Jon looked taken aback, as well he might. Thayet, accepting a new glass of wine from Raoul, decided Jon could handle himself. "I - well, I'm the third Conte generation at my firm."
"Fascinating. I always find it so interesting when people decide they need to breed their replacements."
Thayet bit down hard on her inner lip, struggling not to laugh.
To his credit, Jon rallied well. "And what untrodden path are you forging for yourself?" he asked, with that disarming grin again.
"I teach martial arts." Buri bared her teeth in an almost-smile. "Let me know if you would like a demonstration."
"You know, Alex has been talking about taking up something. He used to do jujitsu, and I think he misses it. Why don't you-?" He halted, as Buri vacated for the other side of the table. "Was it something I said?"
How could she explain to somebody that it was something - everything - he represented? Thayet didn't bother. "She can be a little abrupt."
Buri wasn't the only member of the company well-versed in making others feel uncomfortable; Thayet offered no follow-up conversation.
The men, she discovered, had all been to school together, and perhaps it was this pseudo-brotherly bond that prompted Gary to rescue Jon. "Thayet," he said, as though his girlfriend didn't have her hand as far up his thigh as possible, "what drew you to the bar?"
It was a topic Thayet was passionate about, more so when faced with Gary's kind eyes. She told him about giving a voice to people, how she really felt she made a difference in people's lives, how pro-bono work-
"Oh, God," Delia snorted. "I remember Johnny going through all that. The amount of people who just want something for nothing - that's what you used to say, isn't it, darling? Absolute graspers, the lot of them."
Thayet's hand trembled, and she placed her glass on the table. "You don't have to do it," she said levelly, eyes fixed on Jon who at least looked embarrassed.
"You do if you're going to be partner." Delia grimaced, and Thayet realised how much more pleasant she was when her mouth was otherwise engaged.
"Oh, my mistake," Thayet bit out, fumbling for her purse in her bag. "How silly of me to think it was about giving people access to justice and helping out the less fortunate - of course it's just one of those vile stepping stones on the way to your million pound bonuses." She drew in a steading breath, and decided she really had to take a break now, before she exploded. "Anyway, I think it's my round."
Cythera's powers of empathy were strong enough that she joined Thayet at the bar. "I take it Mr. Smirk isn't to your taste?"
The drive not to spoil Cythera's night led Thayet to shrug off the whole conversation. "He's not really my type, no."
"Good." At Thayet's questioning look, Cythera folded. "He's got a - oh, maybe she's a girlfriend, but someone he's stringing along, in any event. Alex says she's a nice girl - their parents are friends - but Jon's just using her, for, you know. Sex."
Thayet rubbed her forehead, suddenly feeling tired. "Cyth, would you mind if I went home? I've got a horrible headache. Raoul is definitely the least murderous of the lot, anyway."
"Oh, Thayet, of course not. Look, give me two minutes to say goodbye, and I'll come with you."
"Absolutely not," Thayet said firmly, knowing she would need to slip away quietly so that Buri also stayed. Buri would be Cythera's best defence against the piranhas of the City. "If you try to come, I'll stay out all night, and make sure you'll regret it tomorrow."
Cythera's eyes crinkled, and she hugged Thayet. "All right. Message me when you get home."
Title: Sparked
Rating: PG-13
Event: Stormy Show Jumping
Words: 1555
Summary: Cythera could probably get by without a little help from her friends... Modern AU in which Thayet is a barrister, and regrets agreeing to accompany Cythera on her first date with Raoul.
--
'Didn't get along' had been a minor understatement.
Thayet glowered at the mirror, dragging a brush through her hair. The cramped second floor loo wasn't the place she had intended to get ready. It was just her luck to be caught unawares about the start of half-term, and the panicked father whose custody arrangements were falling down around his ears couldn't be put off until Monday. There'd been no time to slip off home, and she was running late as it was.
She'd run afoul of the Smirker at her chambers' networking evening. They'd recently acquired a hot-shot commercial barrister, and had decided to throw a celebration masquerading as a (very) early summer drinks party. Thayet had only bothered to personally mention it to Cythera's solicitor friend Gwynnen, reasoning her clerks would invite the rest of her clients.
The two of them had established a system at these events. Thayet would walk around for the first half-hour, making banal small-talk with various solicitors, and palming them off on the first viable person from her chambers. She would then hole herself up with Gwynnen for as long as feasible, with brief breaks to pretend she was mingling. (These breaks usually coincided with the need for a refill.)
One of these trips had resulted in her coming face to face with the Smirker. He'd been talking to Dain Melor - or, more likely, Dain had been talking at him for some time. "Christ. Didn't know they made them like this at your chambers, Melor. Where have you been hiding?"
"Oh, Thayet works in family law," Dain had said, the dismissal evident in his tone.
Thayet had glanced over the Smirker, his gleaming hair, the very expensive, well-cut suit, the watch peeking out from under his left sleeve. "Dain is one of our finest." They appeared to deserve one another, so she had no reservations about leaving him to Dain's less-than-tender mercies. "You're in extremely capable hands."
"And what if I'm having family troubles? Whose hands would I be in then?" His smile had clearly been intended to be charming, but Thayet rated people flirting with her in a professional environment somewhere below those who stood on the left on Underground escalators.
"Fortunately, Dain is an excellent listener."
In hindsight, she was thankful that it had been a work environment, though perhaps it would have been easier to wriggle out of that evening if she'd let a few f-words fly. The problem was, Cythera was very difficult to say no to. Thayet had tried employing the same wide-eyed tactics, but she and Buri had concluded that the sincerity of Cythera's disappointment couldn't be manufactured.
It didn't matter. She could get through two hours - three at the absolute most. She applied her lipstick, a vivid red stain that felt like protective armour, and blotted carefully.
The wine bar was a ten minute walk from chambers. If she left now, she would be only half-an-hour late… but it was tempting to sit down at her computer and answer a few e-mails.
No. She faced down barristers with years more experience in court; she wasn't frightened of sitting in a bar with some slimy City lawyer.
Solom's was busy as Thayet stepped inside, and it took her a few minutes to locate Cythera over by the back windows. In fact, her eyes first fell on a figure she hadn't expected. "What are you doing here?"
Buri turned, and immediately looked as though she'd been caught out. "I thought, well, if Thayet is going to be Cythera's bodyguard, who is going to be Thayet's?"
Buri's motivations would have to wait for later. Cythera, ever the perfect hostess even when not actually hosting, was making introductions. Thayet filed the names away, and allowed them each to kiss her cheek perfunctorily. Raoul was a giant of a man, but she liked his good humour and open nature - something not shared with any of his friends, so far as she could tell. Gary and his girlfriend Delia had apparently intended to spend the night in, and were reluctant to forgo a second of foreplay. Alex was dry and sarcastic, and the Smirker was… also there.
That wasn't precisely fair, since Thayet had positioned herself at the opposite end of the long table. Jon seemed to be entertaining Cythera and Alex, and even Delia had stopped trying to use Gary as breathing apparatus long enough to listen to one of his stories.
Raoul proved interesting, to Thayet's delight. He regaled Thayet and Buri with stories of his team-mates, and Buri revealed a surprising wealth of knowledge about his rugby club. Once or twice, Thayet was close to calling her on it, but reminded herself in time that Buri didn't usually make much effort with new people, and it was promising that Buri would try this hard with somebody Cythera wanted to date. Cythera's last two boyfriends had been terrified of Buri, and though Thayet continued to pitch it as a valid litmus test, Cythera had yet to be convinced.
Eventually, Raoul declared it his turn for a round, and Jon took the opportunity to play musical chairs. "Hope you don't mind, but I thought we should get to the part of the evening where the two people on the date actually spend some time together."
"Why would we mind?" Buri snapped, glaring down the other end of the table. "Please, tell us about your life making money for people with money."
Jon looked taken aback, as well he might. Thayet, accepting a new glass of wine from Raoul, decided Jon could handle himself. "I - well, I'm the third Conte generation at my firm."
"Fascinating. I always find it so interesting when people decide they need to breed their replacements."
Thayet bit down hard on her inner lip, struggling not to laugh.
To his credit, Jon rallied well. "And what untrodden path are you forging for yourself?" he asked, with that disarming grin again.
"I teach martial arts." Buri bared her teeth in an almost-smile. "Let me know if you would like a demonstration."
"You know, Alex has been talking about taking up something. He used to do jujitsu, and I think he misses it. Why don't you-?" He halted, as Buri vacated for the other side of the table. "Was it something I said?"
How could she explain to somebody that it was something - everything - he represented? Thayet didn't bother. "She can be a little abrupt."
Buri wasn't the only member of the company well-versed in making others feel uncomfortable; Thayet offered no follow-up conversation.
The men, she discovered, had all been to school together, and perhaps it was this pseudo-brotherly bond that prompted Gary to rescue Jon. "Thayet," he said, as though his girlfriend didn't have her hand as far up his thigh as possible, "what drew you to the bar?"
It was a topic Thayet was passionate about, more so when faced with Gary's kind eyes. She told him about giving a voice to people, how she really felt she made a difference in people's lives, how pro-bono work-
"Oh, God," Delia snorted. "I remember Johnny going through all that. The amount of people who just want something for nothing - that's what you used to say, isn't it, darling? Absolute graspers, the lot of them."
Thayet's hand trembled, and she placed her glass on the table. "You don't have to do it," she said levelly, eyes fixed on Jon who at least looked embarrassed.
"You do if you're going to be partner." Delia grimaced, and Thayet realised how much more pleasant she was when her mouth was otherwise engaged.
"Oh, my mistake," Thayet bit out, fumbling for her purse in her bag. "How silly of me to think it was about giving people access to justice and helping out the less fortunate - of course it's just one of those vile stepping stones on the way to your million pound bonuses." She drew in a steading breath, and decided she really had to take a break now, before she exploded. "Anyway, I think it's my round."
Cythera's powers of empathy were strong enough that she joined Thayet at the bar. "I take it Mr. Smirk isn't to your taste?"
The drive not to spoil Cythera's night led Thayet to shrug off the whole conversation. "He's not really my type, no."
"Good." At Thayet's questioning look, Cythera folded. "He's got a - oh, maybe she's a girlfriend, but someone he's stringing along, in any event. Alex says she's a nice girl - their parents are friends - but Jon's just using her, for, you know. Sex."
Thayet rubbed her forehead, suddenly feeling tired. "Cyth, would you mind if I went home? I've got a horrible headache. Raoul is definitely the least murderous of the lot, anyway."
"Oh, Thayet, of course not. Look, give me two minutes to say goodbye, and I'll come with you."
"Absolutely not," Thayet said firmly, knowing she would need to slip away quietly so that Buri also stayed. Buri would be Cythera's best defence against the piranhas of the City. "If you try to come, I'll stay out all night, and make sure you'll regret it tomorrow."
Cythera's eyes crinkled, and she hugged Thayet. "All right. Message me when you get home."