Ms. Fix-It, Tag Everett

[Brinley Harper]

Brinley had been a little surprised when the name came across her mobile tablet. A new work order for one of the Colliers. You didn't have to be a researcher or doctor to recognize that family name. It seemed even Colliers were susceptible to computer viruses and it opened the door for Brinley to take a look-see into one of the power families computers. She might find nothing but bad porn, but the thought of digging around in their lives secretly excited her.

Everett Collier...she thought he might be the oldest Collier boy, but she didn't know him from Adam. Too far out of her social circle of hipsters, naturalists, and Adamites. Besides, she was a lowly technician.

She rang the door bell with a huff and waited to see if he was home. Sometimes the customers had their maid or butler let her in. Brinley wasn't sure if she hoped he was home or not. If he was, she'd be a little more limited in her digging and delving. But meeting a Collier--and the potential to verbally poke and jab at one for a while--had a impish ring to it as well.

Brinley smiled and rang the bell again, ever the impatient one. She had shit to do, places to be. And if she wasn't going to get any entertainment on this service call then she just wanted to work through it as quickly as possible.

She put her hands on her slim hips and cocked her chin to the side, looking over the home and it's landscaping. Must be nice. Brinley didn't really hurt for money, but she was no researcher and her life reflected it. Despite abhorring the research and methods the compounds used, she could feel a small sting of jealousy and the burden of her parent's disappointment. Ah, warm family feelings.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes I am already amused by how these two are going to interact.

Everett stared at the ceiling, his limbs sprawled across the bed. The sheets were tangled and twisted to nearly a rope, and the blanket was somewhere on the floor after being kicked off. He'd been dreaming, something terrifying that had his heart still racing. Every second of conciousness pulled away a detail of the dream, though. He had been running, but he couldn't quite remember from what. It was incredible how tired the exertion made him though. He had been sleeping after all.

A noise had woken him. What was that anyway? His house was supposed to be silent. Even the cook and the maid knew to make no sounds and stay out of sight. It was his day off and he liked to imagine he was the only person in the world. No one else to make demands, to judge him.

A sharp tone again and his waking mind snapped into place. He remembered who he was, where he was, and all the details that made up his life. Ugh, it was so much nicer to be in the just waking daze of non-identity.

That sound was the doorbell. Everett glanced at the clock. On his day off, the maid left by ten in the morning so as not to disturb him. Eleven fifteen.

He extracted himself from the mess of sheets and hurried downstairs. He would have liked to have time to put on some nice clothes but the shirt and sweatpants he'd slept in would have to do.

Who the hell would be at the door? He groaned at the thought that it might be a family member dropping in. They were just horrid enough to do that sometimes. Rushing past the security feed in the hall, he stopped short. No, that wasn't a family member. The camera for the front door showed something much nicer. Still, a stranger? Why would she be here? This had better not be another stripper-gram from Camden. Cam had a disturbing idea of gift giving.

Everett flung the door open, slightly out of breath, "Please, keep your clothes on and tell me why you're here."

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[Brinley Harper]

Brinley raised an eyebrow at the man of the house and his wardrobe choice. Apparently he hadn’t been aware of the bi-annual service call. It didn’t surprise her. She found that most of the higher ups found her forgettable. She wouldn’t be gathering priceless information from his PC now, but he seemed just as interesting from the look of him.

…and he thought she was here to get naked? …ooookay.Brin had a good sense of humor though so she let it roll off her back. At least she looked good enough to be confused for a door-to-door stripper.

“As much fun as that would be, I’m here to look at your electronic systems. Bi-annual backup and maintenance? It’s in your service contract.”

Brinley wasn’t sure what to think of the guy. “Sorry to wake you up, you can just ignore me if you like. It will only take about an hour, maybe a little longer?”

She moved forward an inch, waiting for him to invite her in. “And…do you have a lot of people taking their clothes off after they ring your doorbell?”

Brin was genuinely interested in the answer to that question. He didn't look like he had women falling all over themselves for him, but then again she might not be the best metric for that since her own taste fell towards young, sweet, and lady-shaped (well...for the most part.)

She shook her toolkit impatiently, waiting for Everett to let her do her damn job.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes Ohhh Everett. My lovely idiot.

Everett rested his hand against the doorframe and let his head slam against it. A technician, not a stripper. What a surprise, the always amazing Everett Collier makes a fool of himself. Nothing new here.

A technician though? He was going to have to rant to someone about scheduling these things. Nonsense like service contracts was beneath him. He had better things to do. At the very least, he liked to imagine he did. After all, what was it he was doing today? Saving any lives? Curing diseases? No. Of course not. He didn't even do any of that when it wasn't his day off.

He'd rather she was a stripper.

He sighed heavily and shrugged himself upright. She'd taken his comment rather well, so he had to commend her for that. She'd conducted herself entirely better than him with everything, actually. Like a damn professional. Wouldn't that be a nice thing to be?

Everett pushed aside the satisfying weight of self-pity and stepped aside, waving her into the house, "Come on in. I'll show you to the main computer and I guess you can figure out networks from there. Or whatever it is you do. I don't know a thing about how the stupid machines actually work, which I guess is why we have people like you. Not that you're stupid, I'm sure."

He was digging himself into a hole. A deeper hole than he'd already put himself in with the stripper comment. Might as well address that since she had asked.

"As a matter of fact, I have an unusual number of women show up at my door who start taking their clothes off. Gifts from my darling brother. Once in a while a few men too, actually. Says he just wants to make sure I have all my needs met." Everett shrugged. Yes, this felt better. Complaining about his family. He could do this for hours. It was a comfort zone. He knew damn well how to complain. "Family is a wonderous blessing."

If he put any more sarcasm in that statement it might sprout snarky little phrases and start a family of sarcasm.

He led the way through the house, taking the long way through the corridors back to his office. Despite not being the hot shot doctor he'd like, he made a great deal of money. The house was simple, all done in white. White like innocence, his decorator had told him. Everett had laughed for twenty minutes over that one. No one would ever associate the Colliers with innocence. All the same, it gave a spacious feel, one of understated elegance and, of course, wealth. He liked to show off.

"So, not-a-stripper technician, got a name? Because I have to say, that nickname is going to be a mouthful." He cracked a smile, hoping his attempt at humor was well received. His attempts rarely were, but one could hope.

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[Brinley Harper]

Brin paused momentarily when Everett called her stupid. It wasn't that unusual really. She would have loved to correct them. She could have been one of the great minds designing the software to run their programs. She could have done a lot of things...but the Adamites needed her in this role. Slipping into homes, stealing what she needed, and uploading it to the server. A lot less glamorous than designing high end software, that was for sure, but war wasn't glamorous.

She could actually sympathize about the family woes. "Aren't they just? Mine consider me to be the village idiot...nevermind that I got into SamTech--without taking my clothes off mind you--and graduated at the top of my class. We're just one big ball of love," she said with a smirk. Commiseration gained you friends.

The house was nice...a bit sparse for Brinley's tastes, but it was well appointed and in order. Likely Everett had a maid. He didn't exactly seem the type to press his own drapes.

She had to agree, that was kind of a long nick name. "Brinley Harper at your service," she said with a mock-salute. "The least stupid technician you could have been assigned, I assure you."

Brin wasn't above taking pot shots at herself or those who accidentally assumed she was dim. She got her revenge in different ways. Dim or not, she knew exactly what kind of fetish porn they liked to watch. That gave her fleeting moments of superiority.

They neared the room and it's mainframe computer. The hub for all the little bits and pieces of the life of one Everett Collier. Super. She put down her toolbox and slipped on her glasses--hey, nerdy chic--and looked at the system.

"You're welcome to leave me to it, but if you want to stick around I promise I won't drill you with the boring details."

Brin unfolded her own nano-laptop and plugged it into his system, the screen suddenly jumping to life as she set it to scan all systems and give her a report. Standard protocol...though she wasn't above sneaking a peek at more if she could. It just depended if the grizzly bear Collier went back into hibernation or decided to supervise.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes Ev has a crush...

She talked back. Everett was more than a little surprised. It was something rare for someone with his sort of power. It wasn't even power. He had to face it, he wasn't exactly top dog. All the same, he had money and he had the Collier name. No one ever talked back to him. People rarely even joked with him, a fact he tended to blame for his frequent failures when attempting humor. His family, the basis of all his social training, was not funny. They didn't sit around family dinners making jokes and laughing. They made snide remarks and made mental tallies of how many hurtful comments they scored.

Outside those family dinners, no one seemed to dare make negative comments. Even if he was a loser of a doctor, at least people respected him.

Brinley didn't seem disrespectful. She just seemed confident. Cocky, almost, but not the sort of he was used to. His basis for that personality trait was Camden and well, little Cam was cocky because of his cock.

Everett found himself actually respecting this not-a-stripper technician. He was far her superior, but it was somewhat of a relief not to have her actually act it. No averted eyes, no mumbled "yes sir" and "no sir".

He dropped down on the chaise longue that occupied the corner of the office. It was surprisingly comfortable. Most of his furniture was chosen for looks and decoration, not comfort. Had he ever even sat in this chair? Brinley was in his desk chair, one piece actually chosen for practicality.

He would stay. Her comment had seemed a dismissal, but nobody dismissed a Collier.

"I'll just keep out of your way over here. Feel free to bore me if you'd like. Talk all the technicalities you want and I won't have a clue what you mean, I promise." Everett smiled. The second smile since she'd arrived. At this rate, his face was going to get sore from these unused muscles. "I don't mean to pry, Miss Harper, but I take it you come from a less than perfect family? I don't suppose they'd like me to share, but my own family is rather brutal."<

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[Brinley Harper]

For a Collier, he was quite tolerable. Brinley had heard the rumors about the highly respected (and sometimes feared) family of HealthWyzer but she was surprised that Everett's sense of humor seemed to jive well with her own and she'd even managed to get a smile out of him. Apparently her tactic had worked. Nevermind her boss would have her hide if he caught her 'back talking' to a Collier. That was a risk she'd have to take. Plus, he was kind of cute when he smiled. God, what was he? Twenty years her senior? Oh well, harmless workplace flirting was all part of the Adamite mission. Dazzle him with her...wits...while she rifled through his most private files? Can do.

She looked at him in his chair and cracked a grin.

"If only you were in a suit, it looks like we're in the setup for James Bond #162--The Technician Who Transfixed Me...or something else horribly porny. I suppose we've already established that I'm not a secret stripper--or secret agent for that matter. Kind of a shame," She gave him a smile bordering on cheeky and definitely a little bit flirtatious. Brin had humored herself because she was a secret agent in a roundabout way. Still not a stripper though. That took several drinks first. It was funny that the James Bond movies had been around for eons now--even though they were soft core porn now days. She had found some older ones, just bits of #56 , and they had been corny but actually interesting. Apparently the original James Bond had been action films based on books? She wondered if the author was rolling in his grave at her reference.

"But I suppose that's my roundabout way of saying nice office?"

She put her head down and listened to him as images began to dance across her nanolaptop.

"I won't lie, I've heard the Collier rumor. Aren't you the mean one? You seem rather likable to me," she gave him a truly genuine smile then because they did share the hellish family gene apparently.

"But you've got it spot on. My parents wanted me to become a doctor or a researcher but I was always better with gadgets and computers. I could have got into Watson though science and medicine bored me--no offense of course--but I went for SamTech just to piss them off. Icy ground ever since. They treat me like the village idiot," she said with a shrug. "Now your turn to share since we're both members of the dysfunctional family club."

Share indeed, she thought as a whole slew of passwords flew past her eyes. Collier family home passwords, Everett's personal passwords and...oh gosh, the most boring and mild mannered pornography collection she'd seen on a computer in a long time. That was vaguely reassuring.

Once he got talking, she'd delve a little deeper into the computer files...though she found herself genuinely interested in his life. The verdict was still out on whether that was good or bad news.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes <3

Everett wasn't sure how to deal with this woman. Mindlessly, he picked at the fabric of the chair. Was she really chattering about a porn series to him? He felt slightly lightheaded. It wasn't even the nasty sort of chatter he heard from Cam. It was simple and light, borderline babbling.

It occurred to Everett to wonder when it was that he last had a conversation with an actual person. Not his family--they certainly didn't count as human. Not his co- and sub-workers. Did he even speak to his servants? He still hadn't been able to figure out his driver's name. Harvey? It had to start with an H. Like Harper. Brinley Harper. He remembered that perfectly well.

His mouth actually gaped when she asked if he was the mean Collier. Who asked a Collier if they were mean? His family owned this Compound. If he truly were the mean one, he was fully capable of having her turned out into some Pleeb dump. Hell, he could probably get her into Painball for that kind of insult.

Instead his jaw was hanging loose and his eyebrows were about to shoot off the top of his head. He had no desire to stop her. In fact, he was nearly positive that he never wanted her to stop talking.

"I..." His words fell short. Everett was used to being in tough conversations. His brothers were quite literally painful to speak to sometimes. Here he was stuttering like he was no more than a pigoon. He searched for a word to describe the feeling. Was this what it felt like to be intimidated? He'd always wondered what that meant.

He cleared his throat and tried again to address the brilliant girl--woman--in front of him, "I'm not the mean one."

That was a start. He wanted to bury his face in the crisp white fabric beneath him.

"Well I think I'm not anyway. I think I'm the least mean, I guess. I suppose that's what anyone wants to think of themselves though." The words were starting to form better now. "My parents wanted me to be a doctor or a researcher too. Mother is a doctor. You've probably heard of her, everyone has. The Great Doctor Collier. I was supposed to be the next Doctor. I mean, it's not like being any doctor. I was supposed to be the best and greatest ever in existence. But while I was at Watson, I just sort of got stuck in the mess of it all and now I'm some crappy second rate guy who takes away your wrinkles."

Not that she had wrinkles. Her face was just how a face should look. People would kill for her face. Possibly literally.

Blinking, he pulled his thoughts away from her and her improbably beautiful skin. Why had he just told her all that? He never admitted to anyone how he felt about his stupid job.

"It's a good job though," he recovered. "I do well and all, but I guess you know how it goes. Just not quite right for the family."

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[Brinley Harper]

Well that was good. He wasn't the mean one. Likely if he was, she would have been headed on a one-way ticket to the Pleeblands. Not that she really minded that prospect too much so long as one lovely lady researcher joined her and they headed for the hills and lived off the land like they had discussed--even jokingly--in the past.

But she didn't want Everett to voice displeasure with her. She liked the game they were playing and the flirtatious tight rope she was balancing on. She could balance many things; Brin had become a good liar over the years to cover her tracks, but there were only so many plates she could spin. However she wasn't anywhere near her maximum yet.

She flitted her eyes between the screen and the reclining man and listened to his story. "I know quite well who your mother is. My mother worships her. She'd likely faint if she knew I was in the house of Everett Collier. I think she's a bit of a groupie, actually," Brin said with an eyebrow waggle, letting Everett continue onward.

He felt the similar familial guilt that he hadn't Been Somebody and that made her like him more. Sure, his job still came with boatloads of cash, but Brin didn't do it for the money. "I'm sure you're the best wrinkle doctor in the complex," she assured him, "I'd certainly go see you if I had a need. Besides, it could be worse. You could always be the crappy technician who removes viruses and backs up totally crazy porn files for a living. We're just two black sheep, aren't we?"

She paused, wondering if he'd wonder what she saw. "Not that you have weird porn. Quite normal, actually---but can we forget I said that? I'm supposed to not notice that stuff."

Brin handled porn rather nonchalantly after her desensitization to it all via work. Besides, it was only natural to have sexual tendencies. Hers didn't involve goats, but hey...whatever...His had been tamer than her usual bedroom acrobatics so she put him on the good list. She shrugged to herself and turned her eyes back to the screen.

"But glossing over that touchy subject," she said with an awkward smile, "your system is fine. I'm going to defrag and do some updates but it shouldn't take much longer. Then I'll let you enjoy your day off in peace because I seem to be doing a great job of rambling at you with all sorts of inappropriate subjects, hm? I guess I just enjoy good conversation," she said with a shrug, flicking through his files with a tap of her finger. She paused to memorize his passkey for the door and security system and kept working.

"Would you like to set up our next little computer date? I'll send you a note card next time so I don't intrude into your day off. Maybe the singing kittens one, that one is just quaint," Brin said with an eye roll. Brin couldn't deny that she hoped he'd be home for that appointment too. He was intellectually stimulating and she liked the awkward semi-smile she'd been eking out of him. She'd get a full grin eventually; a new personal challenge.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes Absurdly darling darlings.

Of course she'd heard of Lauren Collier. He hadn't expected any different, but someday he had to encounter someone who hadn't. Brinley didn't seem to share the worship she ascribed to her own mother though. That was a plus and it made his straighten up confidently from his usual slouch. Maybe this encounter would mean she'd think of him as The Doctor Collier. He could be the original for a change.

On the other hand, he felt he would still be just as satisfied if she just thought of him as Everett. No expectations came with that.

He felt his face burn red as she brought up porn again. It had been odd enough in a general sense but this... she actually had seen it. Why did he have that? She probably thought he was a creep now. No, everyone had porn. Didn't they?

"Normal?" He knew there were worse things out there than the videos he had stored on his drive. Still, he hadn't expected her to be able to know what was there. Semi-annual computer check, she'd said. Did someone do this regularly? Someone other than Brinley? She was all right. He didn't like the thought of it being anyone else though.

"You don't have to rush. My day off is pretty boring actually. This might be the most exciting interaction I've had in a while." He groaned, "I have made myself sound like the dullest person in the world, haven't I? Boring stuff at work, boring stuff at home. I even have boring porn, apparently. Feel free to rush then before I dull your brain too much."

Even if she hadn't turned out to be a stripper, this was certainly the most action he'd get in a while.

Hesitating, he asked, "Will it be an entire six months before I get the singing kittens or will you come by sooner?"

He realized he was very much hoping she answered with the latter.

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[Brinley Harper]

Brinley laughed ,a light and lithe sound in the room. "You're not boring," she assured him, "Most of my clients are either absent or treat me like I'm so far below them I might as well live in Pleebland." She wasn't exactly sure he flirted with all the staff, hell, he might be equally nasty under other circumstances. But he was being civil and quite enjoyable currently and that was refreshing. Almost made her feel bad that she was memorizing his pass codes.

She put a few tools away but paused when he asked if it'd be six months or sooner. So he did like her. Interesting. Brin usually stuck to extracting information from data sources, but going to the Collier source itself had to be worth something extra, right? The Adamites could use this.

"I could come sooner," she said with a mischievous smile, "Singing kittens and all."

Brinley had a thought that coincided quite well with her new plan of getting under the skin of the most powerful family in the compound. "Actually...I don't have any other service calls planned for today, and if it's your day off and you're afraid it's going to be horribly boring...we could always go get lunch?"

She smiled to herself as she turned her back to him and continued to put away her things. "I won't even mention pornography again. Scout's honor...that is, unless you want me to..."

Brinley turned around and let him see the shit-eating grin on her lips. It was nice to know someone liked her--even if they were part of the problem and not the cure like Noelia and Brinley. She was allowed to be human and feel some pride that a well respected, older man found her...well...endearing? Certainly not ladylike and sweet. Those were not two words that had ever really fit Brin well.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes Sorry it ended up short...

Everett considered how he would've treated another technician. Maybe one not as lively or snappy as Brinley. He probably would have ignored that person entirely. It was a step above treating them like Pleeb trash, but her comment still made him feel the need to reconsider his actions towards lesser persons.

Perhaps he could start by not thinking of them as lesser. No, that was too broad. Too many of the people he interacted with really were lesser. They were trash and not exactly worthy of his limited time and energy. It was them though, not just their stations. Brinley was an example, although possibly the only one, of someone with less status who could clearly keep level with him.

Were there others out there like her? His experience certainly said otherwise, but then he'd never been looking. It made Brinley all the more appealing though that she stood out amongst her peers. He couldn't help but being impressed by her and he suspected anyone who met her would feel the same.

She smiled and he considered it his greatest success of the day--probably month--that it has been his own doing.

"To be honest, I haven't gotten around to breakfast yet." He shrugged, "My cook probably is still around somewhere if you'd like some egg product and toast. Or, no, maybe something nicer. Like you said, boring day. If you really want to keep company with me, I can at least treat you to some utterly non-boring food."

Non-boring indeed. He already had several ideas for incredibly expensive restaurants they could visit. It wasn't likely he could entertain her for very long, but if there was one thing Everett knew he could do well it was spend money. He had zero confidence in his own charms, but was there really anyone in this world who wasn't impressed by the finest dining in all the Compound?

"It could be the fanciest place you ever manage to talk about porn in." He made a noise that he was nearly positive was a laugh. It sounded--and felt--rather like a scratchy cough.

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[Brinley Harper]

Well, well, well...Brinley Harper certainly never thought she was going to be wined and dined by a Collier. She almost let out a small laugh as the thought flew through her brain. She did laugh at his joke. Brin seemed to be talking a lot about pornography today...not that it was too far off the norm for her.

"Oh I don't know, maybe it's all just some sort of Freudian slip? I've got a dirty mind," she said, waggling an eyebrow at him as she put away the last of her equipment. "But sure, let's get lunch. Now you've got me all curious about where we're going. I'm guessing you get in anywhere you want? No reservations needed? Fancy."

She realized she wasn't exactly dressed for that sort of place, but didn't exactly finding herself caring. In fact, the more people who saw them together...the better. At least for her, anyway. She didn't fancy herself a gold digger. Hell, he could take her to the Happicuppa and it would serve her motives. But she couldn't deny the burst of exhilaration at the prospect of being treated like a beautiful, exotic creature by an older, richer, good looking gentleman who just happened to be out of her social stratosphere by an obscene clip.

"I'm all done here," she said, locking up her tool box. "So, shall we go? I'd ask if I looked good enough to go out in public, but you're in your sweatpants," she said, making a small jab at him. It was in good nature though and her face displayed it. He seemed like he enjoyed her banter, and she his. It was definitely going well and she was getting more and more excited about the prospect of their lunch...date. Hm, yes, it was a date.

[Everett Collier]

Awakened by the runway noise
Suck it up kid, assume battle poise

Tag: Brinley (Ruby!) Notes Oh goodness, the words wouldn't stop flowing. Thank you muse!

Reservations. It was the first thing she'd said all day that seemed to show her class. Brinley did well at comporting herself outside of the construct, but of course she wasn't truly outside. She still had a life completely different from hers.

A trade. What would that be like? Besides impossible. Possibility, even plausibility, was irrelevant to a daydream. What then would it be? Everett tried to picture being a technician like Brin. Did she struggle for money? What did struggling even mean? Of course it probably meant no servants. She probably made her own food--or ate those crass food products the researchers kept cranking out. She probably made her own bed. No, Everett scolded himself, best not to think of her as an entity that used a bed. That led to a host of other thoughts that, while more appropriate that pornography, weren't something he felt should be crossing his mind right now.

"The Collier's have a private table at any restaurant we frequent." He felt like a pompous ass admitting that. To be fair, it wasn't an entirely inaccurate assessment. But wealth was so normalized to him. Going somewhere to be served food and actually having to wait for it, like a common person? It just wasn't the Collier way, although in retrospect it probably would have been a good way to teach the boys patience. Money seemed to have deprived them all of an adequate sense of that. Oh well. Entitlement beat patience any day. "We're never there at the same time, obviously, so it usually works out pretty well."

What if they were though? What if his parents were out for a brunch meeting? What if one of his brothers was kicking off his alcoholism bright and early?

It wouldn't be so bad. More than likely, Everett would end up standing an inch taller with a chest puffed out like a red-breasted penguin. They wouldn't be there with a woman like Brinley Harper. For a moment, he actually found himself hoping he could cross paths with one of them, just to lord over them his prize.

No, Brinley wasn't a prize. If anything he was the prize. Despite all his worth, she was the one who seemed to be stooping to come down to his level. How did she possibly make him feel that his value was being increased by her presence?

He glanced at the pants he had hastily thrown on when the doorbell had interupted his late sleep and he felt himself blush sheepishly.

"I'll just go straighten up then and call the driver around for us. There's a sitting room just straight down the hallway, to the right from where you came in. Feel free to make yourself comfortable, but I shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

Everett never was more than a few minutes. He wore the same thing every single day. The variation was negligible. Navy blue or black suit? Patterned tie or solid? It never mattered and he tended to wear clothes by the order the maid happened to place them in the closet-room. Today would probably be navy blue with sold.

He was hesitant to leave Brinley. He didn't mind her being unattended in the house--she was obviously to classy to be a thief--but he was nearly positive she would simply run off and ditch him as soon as his back was turned. At least, that's what he'd do if he were in her place.

Still, he motioned her down the hall and stepped into the elevator, watching her disappear as the doors closed.

Dressed, and having spent more than a few moments trying to get his hair to lie properly (had he really been looking so absurd this entire time?), he returned to the elevator and stared anxiously at the doors as they once again opened on the ground floor.

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[Brinley Harper]

Fancy indeed. Private table, driver, and a staff to attend to his whims. Brinley had never had a 'servant' in her own home, but her parents had passed Brinley off to a nanny and they had a house maid. It always made her feel uncomfortable how her parents had treated Enna as less--even though Enna had been the wife of a once well respected researcher. She was just...a thing. Now Brinley understood how her nanny must have felt. She was truly out of her depth with Everett and that made her nerves sing with unchained exhilaration.

Brin had to resist the urge to reach out and hug Everett when he blushed. It was simply too endearing. He'd been so wound up in their conversation that he'd forgotten his sweatpants. It was cute.

She followed him to the sitting room--it was larger than her bedroom. "No problem, take your time,"she assured him, wanting to refresh her makeup before going. She never wore much, but it seemed appropriate to reapply her lipstick and add some mascara to take her look from on the clock to lunch date. Quickly rifling through her toolkit she pulled out the little personal bag she carried and used the reflective glass surface of his hall table to freshen up. Good enough. She was always quite casual--especially for work--so there was nothing to be done about that. Skinny khakis, ballet flats, and a company polo cleverly hidden under a sweater...it would have to suffice.

That was...until he returned in a suit. Holy moley. He cleaned up nicely and now it was her turn to feel inadequate.

"Are you sure you're not actually James Bond?" Her smile widened, betraying her giddy excitement at their lunch date and showing him that yeah, this was not normal for one Brinley Harper. She owned two suits. One with a short skirt and a long jacket that got her some leers and compliments and a snappy pants suit for jobs. She'd worn it...once.

Dressing up changed her perspective on him completely. Maybe that was the difference between gods and mere mortals like herself. The power suit. Now he commanded attention and was more than handsome. He had that air of wealth and intrigue that Brinley would simply never possess no matter how much money she had in her name. It just wasn't in her nature.

But she was here for work! Focus. Adamite work. Woo him, get into his life, give back profound intelligence. She refused to go all gaga over him for more than two minutes simply because of his status. Being good looking and witty, she could go legitimately gaga over that--until she felt guilty that Noelia didn't know about it. But they both led double lives, surely Lia would understand...

"Okay, now I definitely feel under dressed. You don't have a ball gown and a glass slipper hiding anywhere? Size four? Maybe a size 7.5 shoe, though I've never tried the glass pumps so who knows..." Brinley trailed off her joke, feeling overwhelmed. "Shall we?"