aaron is investigating your tomfoolery. (inplainclothing) wrote in neogenesisrpg, @ 2009-05-13 16:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | aaron yamazaki, johanna hastings, suchiana hirsch |
RP Log: Aaron, Suchiana, & Hanna
Who: Aaron Yamazaki, Suchiana Hirsch, & Johanna Hastings.
What: Taking care of marriage paperwork...and an surprise reunion between Aaron and Hanna.
When: 13 May 2009; ~10:30am.
Where: Schmidley and Schmidley.
Rating: PG.
Status: Complete Log.
Johanna sat back at her desk, satisfied that everything in the office was in its place. She had an appointment coming in at any moment and she never felt prepared unless her office was orderly. She picked up the folder on her desk to review the case one more time before the client came in. Her job, for the most part, consisted of drawing up legal paperwork for the many mandated marriages which was extremely uninteresting, she found. Occasionally, though, there were complications and this particular case had its share of challenges. It sounded terrible to say that those challenges made things more interesting but more often than not, that was true. Besides, she didn't even like the marriage laws so the fact that she was a part of bringing those forced marriages together bothered her. Still, this particular case caught her attention more so than the others. The woman involved was on her second marriage, which would be terrible enough except for the fact that the first was dissolved due to an abusive spouse. At first, the thought had made her blood run cold, threatening to bring up the uncomfortable knot of emotion tied to her own experience with physical violation, a violation she didn't even remember except in vivid nightmares her imagination pieced together. Once that had passed, though, what she had felt was anger. No one had any right to treat a woman like that. No one. And this woman had been forced into an abusive marriage to a stranger against her will and was now being forced to wed again? Johanna couldn't say she wanted to help facilitate another marriage; it seemed cruel to her to subject this woman to that. The law was the law, though, she reminded herself, pressing her lips together as she carefully closed the folder, setting it on the desk. All she could do was help the woman as best she could and hope the second marriage treated her more kindly than the first. Suchiana had made it to the building that housed Schmidley and Schmidley a good fifteen minutes before her ten thirty appointment. She'd dressed nicely in a black skirt and blue blouse (that she'd even taken the trouble to iron), and was on her best behavior, despite her utter unwillingness to be here at all. She didn't want to make a bad impression on the people that held her fate very obviously in their hands. It didn't help that Aaron was very obviously going to be late. Not that she could blame him, he did have a job and people depending on him. It was easy for her to be on time for appointments, she thought bitterly, as she played with her hair. At ten twenty-five, she gave up on waiting for Aaron in the lobby and took the elevator up to the law office, trying to ignore the sense of dread. She pushed open the office door and gave her name to the receptionist. "I'm Suchiana Hirsch. I had a ten thirty appointment with Miss Hastings?" She asked politely, and was told to take a seat. The phone buzzed promptly, alerting Hanna to the fact that her next appointment had arrived. She glanced at the case folder, taking a deep breath before telling the secretary to send her in. Compulsively, she straightened the already neat papers on her desk, making sure for the fifth time that everything was ready to go. Of course it was ready to go; she was nothing if not efficient while on the job. All the same, it was habit to check and so she went through the routine in mere seconds, her glance sweeping over the desk before she nodded with satisfaction. That done, she swept her hands over her hair to ensure it wasn't out of place, either. She briefly lamented the fact that she didn't look very experienced or knowledgeable at her age but that fleeting thought was also routine and quickly gone as she straightened out her jacket and smoothed her skirt. Everything was ready now and though she didn't exactly relaxed, Hanna felt prepared to face the woman who was coming in. She was curious about her, without a doubt, though she didn't allow it to show on her calm features. Regardless of how interesting her personal history was, Hanna knew it would be impolite to be anything but entirely professional in her presence. Thus, that is exactly what she prepared to do as she waited for the next client, a Ms. Suchiana Hirsch, according to the file. Suchi stood as the receptionist called her, and headed towards the indicated door. She tried to fight the feeling that this meeting was going to end badly. That wasn't the attitude she needed! She ran a last, worried hand through her hair and pasted on her official reporter's smile as she knocked, then opened the door. There was no need to panic, there weren't demons or anything lurking behind the door, just a lawyer she could hopefully get to see her side of things. She was surprised to see that the woman seated at the desk looked about her age. Well, far be it from Suchi to criticize any woman who'd made it this far in anything. "Miss Hastings?" She asked hesitantly, hovering in the door as she waited for confirmation. Hanna rose to her feet when the door opened, revealing a slightly hesitant red-haired woman who seemed reluctant to enter. Who could blame her, though, really? Hanna smiled her professional smile, a smile that was welcoming without being too friendly or familiar, nodding her confirmation. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Hirsch," Hanna offered politely, gesturing for her to enter the office. "Please, come in and make yourself comfortable." She indicated toward the chair opposite her, knowing even with the invitation that she could hardly expect Suchiana to truly make herself comfortable. The majority of the people she saw in her office, it seemed, were uncomfortable with their marriage if not downright terrified. Of course, usually when doing marriage paperwork there were two people present, not just one. Well, this case was slightly different than most and there was some red tape they needed to clear away before they got to that point. Not wanting the other woman to feel threatened or anymore overwhelmed, Hanna held back a little, waiting until Suchiana came all the way before she began any sort of discussion. She might be young and she was certainly new to the office but she was still careful and she wasn't going to make Suchiana any more uncomfortable than necessary. It still wasn't too late to cut and run, a tiny part of Suchi's brain suggested. Seattle was close enough to Canada... it trailed off as reality came back in. She'd survived weeks of planning and packing, she wasn't going to let a simple thing like an appointment with a lawyer break that calm. She just had to trust that this woman knew what she was doing and that she wouldn't get sent back to Jerome. There, she managed to admit it at last. As much as she disliked Aaron, he was infinitely preferable to the monster that was her ex-husband. And what this entire snafu had told her was she could be shoved back into his grasp quite easily. Some of her anxiety disappeared as the woman behind the desk didn't immediately evolve into a hideous approximation of that monster from Alien and devour her soul. In fact, the woman seemed quite polite. She nodded her thanks at the young lawyer as she moved fully into the room and sat in the chair indicated. She supposed she couldn't blame the woman for how awkward this meeting was going to be, she was just doing her job. As she stowed her purse, a conservative black bag she'd switched to instead of her normal messenger bag, under the chair she looked over at Ms. Hastings and smiled. "I'd supposed I'm not the first nervous client you've had to deal with." She said with a little grin. Hanna sat down once Suchi did, returning the smile with some relief. While it was clear the woman was still uncertain, she seemed at least slightly more relaxed, which would likely make the whole thing go a great deal smoother. "I assure you, Ms. Hirsch, you would hardly be the first," she assured her. Even in her short amount of time working as a lawyer, she could speak honestly to that fact at least. She doubted that would change, either. Well, there was nothing to do but get down to business. "I see you've had some complications with the marriage process," she observed calmly, trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible so not to unsettle the nervous woman before her. "Would you like to tell me what you'd like to accomplish here today?" While it wasn't normally her style, she kept her tone somewhat gentle, knowing the subject was sensitive. Still, she wanted to hear the goals in Suchiana's own words, not just read it off the file and make assumptions. Suchi cleared her throat and shifted a little in her seat, trying to get comfortable. What did she want to accomplish from this meeting? "Frankly," She started "I'd feel a lot better about this if I knew without a doubt that my divorce is final and that I won't have to...go back." She said, losing steam a little at the end. There, she'd admitted it. "I'm not in a hurry to remarry, but I don't want to face punishment by the government either." She added after a moment. "I guess I'm a little confused as to how I got thrown back in the lottery without being legally divorced, but that hardly matters now. I'm ready to do whatever you need me to to get this figured out." Hanna nodded as she listened, the case falling along the lines she'd expected had she hazarded a guess. "Your ex-husband has been sent to a re-education center?" she asked, her voice soft but businesslike all the same. When she worked, she tended to have that way about her, after all. She flipped through the papers again, though it was more out of habit than any need to review the information. "The biggest problem I am seeing is that his crime, however despicable, is not one that qualifies for an annulment," Hanna explained, setting the file down once more. "There wasn't any failure to comply with the law. It is, however, grounds for a divorce. I can facilitate this, naturally, but my concern is that divorces, at this time, are rather copious affairs and they require a great deal of paperwork. We can set that in motion, naturally, but we will either have to put through a request to grant permission to put off your marriage until the divorce is finalized or a request to have the marriage annulled under extenuating circumstances, which would be more immediate, thus freeing you up for a new match." Well, that was a mouthful and Hanna was almost afraid to see if the woman was glazed over staring at her. "I'd assume so." Suchi said, responding to the lawyer's question about Jerome. "We haven't had any contact at all since I woke up in the hospital." She said, only wincing slightly at the memory and the dull ache of her recently healed ribs. She wasn't even sure how she'd ended up in the hospital, honestly. "I vaguely remembering signing something official looking, but I was on a lot of painkillers." She frowned a little, nibbling at her lip as the options were explained to her. "Quite frankly, I wouldn't mind dragging this out for as long as necessary, but I do worry about the consequences." That was an understatement. She had no wish to get anywhere near the Readjustment Center, let alone see the inside. "I'm inclined to go with whatever you think would be best, but I guess I should probably check with my fiance...thing." She said with a tiny grin. It seemed absurd to apply that term to Aaron. "He said he was going to be here, but he's running late." She dug around in her purse for her phone, checking to see if a message or a call from Aaron had arrived since she'd gone in to the meeting. There would be no message waiting -- Aaron, instead, had been pulling out all stops to get from the police station to the office. He wasn't obsessively prompt, but it bothered him to keep people waiting on him...especially someone he did not yet know very well and would likely be tied to for the remainder of his life. The impression wasn't a first one, but that didn't mean he wanted it to be a negative one. He had swept through the glass doors, ridden up the elevator, located the office where his involuntary future was waiting for him -- now pushing the door open and entering the lawyer's office, the chatter began: "Sorry I'm late -- Chief needed to talk to me, and apparently my appointment was of less priority, then of course the perk of getting to use sirens for personal problems is definitely a lie because we don't actually get to do that. I haven't looked at the time yet, but I hope you haven't been wai-" The words caught in his throat when he finally looked up at the lawyer sitting across from Suchi. Maybe...he was asleep at the station, and this was a very bad dream. Johanna suppressed a smile at the comment about drawing out the procedures as long as possible, though she tried to remain as professional as possible. Truthfully, she didn't blame Suchiana; she would be just as eager to postpone her fate should she find herself in a similar situation. All the same, the government was almost unreasonably harsh with regard to the marriage laws. She considered the options in her mind as her client rummaged through her bag, presumably looking for a phone with which to call the errant fiance when the door opened. At first, Hanna thought this to be a good thing as it would allow them to proceed. She thought this until she saw who it was that had walked into her office door. She was fairly certain that her heart stopped as her eyes met those of her ex-boyfriend. Suchiana's fiance, she reminded herself, though her stomach flopped as the thought crossed her mind. It had been so long since she had seen Aaron but she never imagined how hard it would be to sit there opposite him and arrange for him to marry someone else. The universe was cruel, she decided, trying to force herself to remain composed, but it was exceedingly difficult given the history that she and Aaron shared. Johanna opened her mouth to speak and found she had no voice with which to do so. She closed her mouth, swallowed, and tried again, hoping she looked at least marginally more in control than she felt. "Aaron," she greeted, keeping her voice as even as possible. "It's been awhile." ....Whoa. Suchi had the undeniable feeling that she'd just been thrown into the middle of a situation she did not completely understand. She was quite obviously the third wheel in...whatever past Aaron and Ms. Hastings shared, and there was a tiny terrified part of her that worried that somehow this was going to affect her. She was going to get caught between those two, she was going to get sent off the the Readjustment Center, she was... Taking a deep breath, Suchi pulled herself together and did the only thing a rational human being could do in a situation like this. She fled, or tried to. "Do you have a restroom?" She asked, breaking the silence as she stood. Under other circumstances, she'd feel guilty abandoning Aaron, but she felt it hard to muster any sympathy. Pressing his lips together, Aaron curled his fingers around the doorknob with a tense nod of acknowledgment to Hanna, not yet moving from the frame. Disappearing into the restroom and not coming back out again sounded really tempting, he had to admit -- of all the lawyers in the world, of all the people in the world, Johanna Hastings probably held the position of Person He Least Wanted To Run Into, but he would inevitably have to return. He could exactly decide he didn't want to deal with the marriage papers when the marriage wasn't even a choice in the first place. None of this was a choice. Aaron walked over to the empty chair and sat down, finding himself in the very rare condition of speechlessness. Or perhaps it was just the utter disinterest in speaking. Folding his hands in his lap with his lips still pressed into a line, he tapped his thumbs together, eying the books on the wall. The prickle of hurt and anger was clawing its way up again, but he just needed to survive the meeting, yes? Remain calm. Well, this was certainly going well Hanna thought as she nodded to Suchiana's simple request and directed her toward the restroom. That, at least, was an easy problem to solve and it was easier to focus her attention on the nervous bride-to-be than the would-be-groom, who just happened to sitting opposite her with his mouth pressed into a grim line that reminded her of just how badly things had ended between them. What was there to say to the man she had loved with all of her heart and then fled? What could have possibly prepared her for this moment? Drawing in a deep breath, Johanna tried her hardest to remain coolly professional, something she usually fell into with such ease. Everything seemed to required extra effort with Aaron in the room, even breathing; Hanna felt she had to carefully regulate the breaths, in and out, to remind herself to stay calm. In fact, Hanna was almost afraid that if she didn't remind herself to breath, that she wouldn't at all. "It is very good of you to come and support your fiance," Hanna said, though the word fiance tasted sour in her mouth and it was hard for her to keep that feeling from her tone as she spoke. Some part of her had always been aware that her choice to leave Aaron had left him open to other women but the reality of seeing him wed to another, of having to take part in the process that would make it happen, was far more difficult than Hanna could have ever imagined. Shifting awkwardly (hearing "your fiance" from Hanna was even stranger than hearing it in general), Aaron nodded silently again: It was as if his voice box had been knocked out of commission, and he was completely and utterly uncomfortable with that feeling. The silence was making him uneasy, waiting for him to fill it with some sort of response, but even with a statement that left room for at least some sort of verbal acknowledgment, the words would not come. Aaron leaned back into the chair, continuing to tap his thumbs together, and after a few more moments of dead silence, he finally found his voice again -- though it was subtly tenser than normal. "Support is typically a good factor to have in a marriage, I figured." Suchi had retreated to the bathroom and securely locked the door. She set her bag down on the lip of the sink and stared at her reflection in the mirror. What in the seven hells had just happened in there? Obviously, the two knew each other. And she had a hunch that Ms. Hastings (was her name Johanna?) probably had more feelings for Aaron than Suchi might ever have. She was actually surprised by how defensive that thought made her. Because if Johanna really had feelings for Aaron, then she could have taken steps to remove him from the lottery, and Suchi's life as well. She squared her shoulders and set about rearranging her hair. If she was going to stay out of the conflict in the lawyer's office, she needed a fairly obvious reason for her absence. Johanna was uncomfortable with the fact that Suchiana had left the room, not because she was afraid to be alone with Aaron (though the thought was unsettling, to say the least) but more because she felt guilty for sending her client running over personal matters. Well, there was nothing to be done about that now, she sighed, figuring that all she could do at this point was try and get control of herself and sort things out before she came back. But what could she even say to Aaron? Especially when he spoke of marriage, which affected her more than she expected and certainly more than she would have liked. She tried to buy more time by shuffling papers about, flipping through the file for what felt like the thousandth time. She considered whether or not she should continue, which would be easier, giving her something to talk about, or wait until Suchi came back, which would likely be the polite way to handle things. "I'll try to make this as smooth as possible," she finally offered, keeping her voice as even as possible, though there was a stiffness to it, too. "You seem to be doing well." It was awkward and Hanna wanted to retract the statement immediately after she said it. It was true, but it didn't help matters; Hanna had always found Aaron attractive. She resisted the urge to rifle through the papers again, trying to remain as professional as possible. Running a hand through his hair, Aaron still couldn't bring himself to look Hanna in the face -- he really, really hated feeling uncomfortable in a situation, and he hated it even more when he couldn't even manage to pretend that he wasn't. Confidence -- confidence -- no matter how he coached himself to stop staring at the bookcase and drumming his fingers compulsively on his leg, he refused to listen to himself. He knew he was being immature, and it didn't take a deep internal reflection to acknowledge it, but she didn't really deserve maturity right now, anyway. Or such was his justification in the matter, and he felt it was a mighty fair one. "I am." Polite. Polite. Forcing himself to tear his eyes from the bookshelf, his eyes finally fell on her. It was so strange seeing her in the context of her adult life -- successful in her lawyer-pursuits, so different and yet more recognizably Hanna than he felt he preferred at the moment. "You do, too." "Thank you," Hanna replied as calmly as she could manage. She could feel Aaron's eyes on her, taking her in, but it was different than when they were together. Then, he had seemed to drink her in but now, it felt as though he were picking her apart, as though her every secret and flaw were laid out for him to see. It made her want to shrink into the floor and vanish but fortunately, she was practiced at holding her cool. After all, that was what work was about for her. Aaron had shaken her up but she hadn't quite lost her cool. At least, not yet. It would be best if she got down to business. "To fill you in, we were discussing the options to facilitate your upcoming marriage," she explained in her most professional voice, though it was difficult to hide the slight edge in her voice as she said the word 'marriage'. "I think the best course might be to attempt to expedite the divorce paperwork of your fiance. She has a very legitimate case for divorce and with the state of the current government, I don't think they'll object in the interest of going forward with the marriage. We can also put in for a dispensation until the paperwork has cleared, though that might not be honored. Your fiance expressed her concern that you be involved in this decision." Hanna found it easier to talk to Aaron in this professional capacity. When she was going on, it was easy to forget who she was talking to. After all, a client was a client, right? At least, that's what she told herself. Aaron's posture subtly tensed when marriage, once again, was raised in the conversation -- a topic that wasn't exactly avoidable, given that the entire purpose of the meeting was to take care of the marriage papers. He wished Suchiana would come back so he could distract himself from the suffocating feeling of clawing his way through this conversation. "That's fine with me," he said with a distanced voice and a nod. Johanna might have taken a sick pleasure in Aaron's obvious discomfort were it not for the fact that she really and truly had no reason to want to see him suffer. While she was glad to have the upper hand, at least for the moment, her feelings for Aaron were a tangled mess. Since the break-up was hardly the result in her no longer having feelings for him, a lot of that unresolved emotion threatened to resurface. Thus, making Aaron squirm wasn't her number one priority, even if his presence was making her squirm. Of course, it wasn't helping that the very last thing she wanted was to see him married to someone else! "I am sure I can arrange to have the paperwork drawn up if Suchiana agrees to take this course, naturally. Obviously, it's in everyone's best interests to speed the process along to avoid further government entanglements," she replied, electing to continue despite the distance in Aaron's tone. She forced herself to consider that he might have changed, that he might not be the man she had loved in college anymore. That would make it easier, wouldn't it? Aaron had never spoken to her that way before. "I would certainly need her consent to go forward, however." Hanna gazed at the door, willing the woman to return. While having her there wasn't going to make things easier, Hanna imagined she was liable to crawl out of her skin with discomfort if she had to spend any more time alone with Aaron. Aaron pursed his lips into a line and nodded his head; his eyes remained trained on her as her eyes honed in on the door. Part of him wanted to speed along the process and just get it over with (there were worse brides out there), but part of him wished there would be a snag that would spare him having to be arranged in a marriage at all. It didn't seem like there was any such snag in existence, and even if there was, it would probably be one that would prevent him from marrying who he wished to, so it didn't seem any thing to hope for. The whole lottery and marriage thing would be a problem, had Johanna not cheated on him -- had she not thrown away the possibility like it was a bubblegum wrapper. An unpleasant squirming twisted in his stomach, and he pressed his fingertips into the space above his knees. He just wanted this meeting to be over. Suchi had finished rearranging her hair in the bathroom and tiptoed back to the door, waiting for a lull in the conversation and gathering up her nerve. She still wasn't quite sure what was going on in there, but she definitely didn't want to go back into a situation even more awkward then the one she'd left. But Aaron had taken time off to come with her here today, the least she could do was not leave him alone in a room with someone he obviously knew and disliked. She took a deep breath and re-opened the door. "Sorry." She said, giving them both a tiny smile as she made her way back to the chair. "Has Miss Hastings filled you in?" She asked, turning her attention to Aaron. "I think this might be a decision we have to make together." Grateful for the excuse to focus on someone other than Hanna and something other than that foreign ill feeling in his stomach, Aaron turned to Suchi and answered with a curt nod. "Don't worry about it," simply relieved that the group was back up to three. "The situation's been explained. I think either option is workable, really, and whatever we choose, so long as we clear it with the right people, we won't have to worry about negative fallout or fines or governmental readjustment or something." Curbing the dryness before it could fully form, he finished in a less tensed voice, "What are you leaning toward at this point? I don't know how long divorce papers take to go through, in the first place." Hanna was relieved when Suchiana appeared again, even if she felt sorry for her for being stuck in the middle of the uncomfortable spot Aaron and Hanna found themselves in. Still, she had an impressive calm about her when she returned and despite the fact that Hanna's first instinct was to dislike the woman Aaron was going to marry, she had a begrudging respect for her. "I think our best bet right now is to put everything through. I think our best chance is an expedited divorce if only because it's in the best interest of the government and they tend to do things that are in their best interest quicker, I find," Hanna commented wryly. "I've gotten some preliminary paperwork drawn up based on the file. If I could get your signature Ms. Hirsch, I could start putting things through." Hanna removed the papers from the file and set them on the table for Suchi to examine, carefully avoiding any sort of eye contact with Aaron. Suchi read over the documents carefully, following along with her finger when the legalese got complicated, then finally nodded. "This looks good to me." She said, reaching into her purse for a pen. "So after these get filed, do I have to make any court appearances or sign any additional forms?" She smiled shyly at the lawyer. "I'd hate for you to have done all this work just to have me mess it up." She was still getting a hint of the awkward vibe she'd felt before,but both of them were trying to cover it up. Well, there was clearly something deeper between Aaron and Ms. Hastings. "There will be no need for a court date providing your spouse agrees to the terms of the divorce," Hanna replied, again, still focusing clearly on the business of the matter. Now that she was on a roll, it was easier to stay focused on those matters, particularly because she was studiously avoiding looking in Aaron's direction. "I believe, given the situation that all will proceed smoothly. There are no children involved and each of you will retain your own property. You have already been separated and it's in the best interest of everyone that this happen quickly." She didn't mention that she strongly suspected that whatever facilities Suchi's husband was staying at probably would also be eager to move this process along. Hanna forced herself to give a smile to both Suchiana and Aaron, despite her disinclination to do so, reminding herself that though Suchi was going to marry Aaron isn't wasn't either of their choice and that it truly was an unfortunate situation for all involved. "I will be in touch if anything else needs handling," she promised them both sincerely. "Thank you for your time," Aaron said, nodding and forcing himself to look back at Hanna. He was addressing her, and he could handle being polite. He was a polite person. Pretend it's any other lawyer. "Is there anything you need for us to do? Or to be thinking about doing in the near future?" "Please do keep in touch." Suchi said, finishing her signature and dating the papers. She passed them over to Johanna, then tucked the pen back in her purse. "If there's any additional information you might need, let me know. You've been a great help," she continued honestly. "I was really starting to get worried about this, but you've clearly got this under control." She stood and pushed in her chair, intent on leaving things in the same condition she found them. She draped her coat over her arm, then glanced uncertainly back at Aaron. "Ready?" He nodded, standing up and hooking his thumbs in his pockets. "I think that about wraps it up, hmm?" Almost out... "You're set for now," Hanna assured the couple, putting the papers away and rising to shake their hands. "I'll be in touch. I wish you both the best." It was hard to say, not because she wished anything less than the best to Aaron but because she had never realized just how hard it would be to see him marry someone else. Well, that was life, she reminded herself and she could do nothing but move on. |