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Week Seven - Monday
Who: Mikkos and Justine
When: Mid-evening
Where: Chroma - Her office, specifically
What: A return visit
It was the start of a new week, the debut of a new sculpture display at Chroma and, so far, Justine was having a wonderful evening. The turn-out was already much more than either she or the show's collaborators had intended to draw in and, given the early hour, it was likely that people would continue to stream in the entrance for hours to come. Business was good, as always, and so far there hadn't been any unusually note-worthy events. Given the guests she'd had within the premises in the past few weeks, the mundane nature of the evening was a welcome return to the norm. As always, she was dealing with the knowledge of Mikkos' return with the utmost grace; she had even managed to messenger her long-unworn engagement ring back to him with a note that said everything she could not. Whatever romantic fantasies her mind might have been entertaining over the years, it was time to cast them aside, to face reality as it was now: she and Mikkos were not together and had not been for quite awhile – it was time to move on.
Truly, she had carried a torch long enough. Sure, it had been fueled by a messy mix of hate, love, desire and disgust, but now that some sort of closure had come, she could feel the first stages of all of that beginning to slip away. As painful as it had been to see him again, to hear him speak so affectionately of the family he had started, it was what she needed. Chloe had been all over her for years about establishing a life for herself outside of the penthouse, one that extended beyond her duties at Chroma….perhaps it was time to take her youngest sibling's advice into consideration. The occasional step outside of her comfort zone truly couldn't be that mortifying – granted, she had no idea how one went about establishing an active social life nowadays, but Justine was sure that Chloe would be eager to offer her assistance. Whatever nerves already rising could be soothed at the knowledge that, if nothing else, it would be an excuse for time with a beloved sibling….surely that was tolerable?
Justine had worn a beautifully casual red dress for the evening, standing out against the elite crowd packing her establishment as she went about conducting her usual walk through of all the lounges. Tonight it would take longer than expected, given the crowds gathered to see the new collection debut but the wine was flowing, the food was constantly replenished and with Chroma's staff at the helm, the place could nearly run itself. Pausing at the main bar, Justine waved over her assistant manager, leaning over so that she might be heard over the din around them, "I'm going to retreat to my office for a bit – there's a stack of paperwork with my name on it and I'm afraid it has no intention of completing itself. You'll call me if there are any problems requiring my attention?" Marlowe nodded, a warm smile touching his lips, "Of course, Miss Baptiste. I'm sure things will be fine, no worries." Justine nodded as well, gave his hand a light squeeze and turned to take her leave of the main festivities, vanishing down the secluded hallway that would deliver her to her office.
It was just as her hand hit the doorknob that the scent caught her attention – he was back. Now that her memory had been refreshed, never again would she mistake that scent for anything else. Obviously she had been wrong in her assumption that anything worth being said had come out the last time they had seen one another. Squaring slender shoulders, she took a deep breath of preparation and entered the code that allowed her office door to swing open. Her eyes swept the familiar lay out of her office, knowing that if he intended to remain unseen he would be quite capable of doing so. "You must be aware that I know of your presence already," she closed the door behind herself, crossing the short distance to move behind her desk, "there's no need to remain hidden." Justine lowered herself into her seat, crossing one slim leg over the other, and waited for the confrontation to come.
When: Mid-evening
Where: Chroma - Her office, specifically
What: A return visit
It was the start of a new week, the debut of a new sculpture display at Chroma and, so far, Justine was having a wonderful evening. The turn-out was already much more than either she or the show's collaborators had intended to draw in and, given the early hour, it was likely that people would continue to stream in the entrance for hours to come. Business was good, as always, and so far there hadn't been any unusually note-worthy events. Given the guests she'd had within the premises in the past few weeks, the mundane nature of the evening was a welcome return to the norm. As always, she was dealing with the knowledge of Mikkos' return with the utmost grace; she had even managed to messenger her long-unworn engagement ring back to him with a note that said everything she could not. Whatever romantic fantasies her mind might have been entertaining over the years, it was time to cast them aside, to face reality as it was now: she and Mikkos were not together and had not been for quite awhile – it was time to move on.
Truly, she had carried a torch long enough. Sure, it had been fueled by a messy mix of hate, love, desire and disgust, but now that some sort of closure had come, she could feel the first stages of all of that beginning to slip away. As painful as it had been to see him again, to hear him speak so affectionately of the family he had started, it was what she needed. Chloe had been all over her for years about establishing a life for herself outside of the penthouse, one that extended beyond her duties at Chroma….perhaps it was time to take her youngest sibling's advice into consideration. The occasional step outside of her comfort zone truly couldn't be that mortifying – granted, she had no idea how one went about establishing an active social life nowadays, but Justine was sure that Chloe would be eager to offer her assistance. Whatever nerves already rising could be soothed at the knowledge that, if nothing else, it would be an excuse for time with a beloved sibling….surely that was tolerable?
Justine had worn a beautifully casual red dress for the evening, standing out against the elite crowd packing her establishment as she went about conducting her usual walk through of all the lounges. Tonight it would take longer than expected, given the crowds gathered to see the new collection debut but the wine was flowing, the food was constantly replenished and with Chroma's staff at the helm, the place could nearly run itself. Pausing at the main bar, Justine waved over her assistant manager, leaning over so that she might be heard over the din around them, "I'm going to retreat to my office for a bit – there's a stack of paperwork with my name on it and I'm afraid it has no intention of completing itself. You'll call me if there are any problems requiring my attention?" Marlowe nodded, a warm smile touching his lips, "Of course, Miss Baptiste. I'm sure things will be fine, no worries." Justine nodded as well, gave his hand a light squeeze and turned to take her leave of the main festivities, vanishing down the secluded hallway that would deliver her to her office.
It was just as her hand hit the doorknob that the scent caught her attention – he was back. Now that her memory had been refreshed, never again would she mistake that scent for anything else. Obviously she had been wrong in her assumption that anything worth being said had come out the last time they had seen one another. Squaring slender shoulders, she took a deep breath of preparation and entered the code that allowed her office door to swing open. Her eyes swept the familiar lay out of her office, knowing that if he intended to remain unseen he would be quite capable of doing so. "You must be aware that I know of your presence already," she closed the door behind herself, crossing the short distance to move behind her desk, "there's no need to remain hidden." Justine lowered herself into her seat, crossing one slim leg over the other, and waited for the confrontation to come.