The secretary glanced up from the magazine she'd been flipping through at the arrival of the visitors. Her lipstick-lined lips parted into an easy smile as she rose from her feet to greet the couple. "Senator Amidala?" she questioned. "If you'd like to have a seat, I'll tell Mr. McDonald that you're here." And then she was gone, scurrying around her desk and through the door that led to her boss' office.
Padmé watched the woman go and cast a curious glance around her. The interior of Wolfram and Hart was just as impressive as its exterior, she had to admit. It didn't shock or awe her - she'd seen far too many other impressive things in her life for a simple building to manage such a feat - but it was clear that this company took pride in its appearance. It was one of the few in the area that was wholly undamaged and the decor, while not exactly her style, had a pleasing feel to it.
Yet she still couldn't shake the feeling that these people were up to something.
She had no proof but, then, she didn't really need any. Rarely had her instincts led her wrong. She didn't always listen to them, true, but when she did she typically found that she was right. Not that it would matter in this instance, however. She had already all but made her mind up regarding the job offer. She just had to make her decision official and that would be that, no matter what kind of feeling she was getting.
Looking to Anakin, Padmé couldn't help but smile slightly. She had been so sure she would never see him again that the sight of him here, with her, never failed to make her feel better. Things were going to turn out differently, this time, she swore to herself. She was going to get him the help he needed and they were going to be together as they were meant to be. There was no Council here to interefere. No Palpatine. It was just them... as she had often wished it would be.
The door re-opened and Padmé looked back to the secretary as she emerged. "He's ready to see you," she said in a professional tone, with that same smile that made Padmé think she was hiding something. "Would either of you like something to drink? Water? Coffee? Soda?"
"No, thank you," came the former Senator's reply as she by-passed the woman and made her way into the office. She knew Anakin wouldn't be far behind and took solace in the fact that she wasn't alone in this, no matter what the outcome. Fully inside, her gaze landed on the man behind the desk and she allowed herself a hint of a smile in greeting. "Mr. McDonald? I believe we have an appointment?" LINDSEY MCDONALD
Lindsey stood at the window of his expansive office, watching life going on down below. He'd already spent a good part of his morning working on getting Wolfram and Hart up and running to full capacity. They were still trying to bring in some new blood, hitting many of the better law schools across the country in attempts to woo the best and the brightest. Just as they had done to him.
He heard the door open behind him and turned to see his secretary sliding in and gently closing the door behind her. "Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker here to see you, sir," she said. Lindsey nodded to her. "Make sure they get something to drink if they need it," he instructed, "and send them in."
While the secretary left his office again, Lindsey returned to his desk, shutting the files that he had been working on and slipping them into the top drawer of his desk. It wasn't long before the two were shown in. Lindsey rose to his feet, coming forward to greet them. "Miss Amidala, Mr. Skywalker," he said, extending his hand. "Welcome to Wolfram and Hart." sithlord ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Anakin flinched, practically growling under his breath when he'd heard the secretary call him by the name he loathed, glaring daggers at the woman as she showed them inside. He followed his wife in, letting her enter first, and sneered at Lindsey when he addressed him as Mr. Skywalker, not approving of either title.
"I would prefer it if you addressed me as Lord Vader and not...that other name."
He held back what he could of his anger for his wife's sake, glancing down at Lindsey's extended hand, then away. Sith don't do handshakes. At least, not his brand of Sith. So instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and settled on looking ruffled, waiting for Padmé to do the talking. senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
Exhibiting the natural grace and silent strength that had helped enable her achieve so much at such a young age, Padmé took Lindsey's hand and offered a polite smile. "Thank you," she replied, bringing her hand back to her side. She studied him for a moment. He wasn't precisely what she'd been expecting. He was nothing like the three men who had approached her regarding the job offer, nor did he seem all that similar to any of the others she'd seen in the building thus far. He had a quiet sincerity about him that, whether false or real, was sorely lacking in the others.
"I'm afraid I'm still a little unclear as to how you know who we are," she spoke again. "While our names are fairly well-known throughout our own galaxy, I'm uncertain how they have come to be recognized in this one." That, of course, was just one of the many curiosities that Padmé wanted to get cleared up. Something told her, though, that she would be lucky if she could get even a small percentage of her questions answered. LINDSEY MCDONALD
Lindsey grasped Padmé's hand firmly as they shook hands, returning the polite smile before extending the same greeting to Anakin. He seemed less than thrilled with the idea. "My apologies, Lord Vader." Lindsey took a step back, motioning that they should join him at his desk, two chairs set before the piece of furniture.
"Wolfram and Hart is unlike most lawfirms, Miss Amidala," Lindsey began as he walked over to stand behind his desk, waiting to sit until his guests did to be professional. "We cater to clientle not only from this world, but to others." He knew it might not be as easy as he first expected. Her companion looked like he would indeed be a hard sell. sithlord ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Sithspit, how Anakin hated this. It was like he was being forced to stand behind Palpatine and pretend he was there for some reason of importance, other than being a Jedi guard. He absolutely hated politics and while he loved his wife, didn't really care much for her political side.
So, like he would've done twenty-three years ago, he focused on something other than the discussion in the room and calmly took a seat. He knew he probably looked bored, but didn't really give a damn. Anakin just wanted to get this meeting done and over with. senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
Padmé took her seat, silently grateful that Anakin was still there with her. She knew he didn't like this sort of thing. Actually, he hated it. She knew that and was all the more appreciative that he was beside her. This wasn't their home. This was new and, truth be told, a little frightening. She wasn't sure what to expect and felt slightly more at ease knowing he was there if things took a turn for the worse.
"Your firm caters to clients from other worlds, yet your planet lacks any real means of sufficient space travel?" she replied, eying the lawyer closely. "You'll have to pardon me if I find that a little odd, Mr. McDonald." Arranging herself a little better, she continued. "However, that isn't nearly as much of a concern of mine as the pressing matter of why, exactly, we are here and how we came to be here. The gentlemen who work for you assured me that your company was not to blame and yet you seem to know a great deal for someone who is completely innocent in the entire chain of events." Leaning forward slightly, she fixed him with a slightly harder look than she'd given him so far.
"You have knowledge of more than this company has been willing to part to date. Either you offer some insight or we have nothing more to discuss." And that was it, plain and simple. She would take the job, wanted to in fact, but she wasn't going to blindly walk into this without at least some sort of idea of how this had all come to pass. Or at the very least, some assurance that they were working to find a solution and not simply planning on using her to reach the masses that would shun them otherwise. LINDSEY MCDONALD
Anakin seemed to want to have nothing to do with the conversation, which made Lindsey's job easier having to focus on only one front and maybe potential battle of wills. Amidala was a very intelligent woman and wouldn't be satisfied with some vague explanation as to how they arrived in his world. And he didn't plan on giving her one.
"Yes, we do, but most of this catering is done away from the eyes of the public. Most human beings of this time are not ready to know what exists out of their imposed realm of normal without an unhealthy amount of public. People barely know that the supernatural, that magic is real on this world because of that," he explained, having no need to lie or exaggerate his words this time. "We might have the capability to broaden our space travel program, but the problem is the people aren't ready for it, not the access to technology."
He folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "And I assure you the same. While we may have dealings with magic, something happened beyond our control to bring you and your companion here. However, we have a little knowledge of who you are and what you used to do from otherworldly contacts and while we sort out this situation, we wanted to offer our assistance in exchange for yours." senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
Padmé didn't need to look at Anakin to know that he wasn't paying a bit of attention to the conversation. If it became something he deemed important enough, he'd speak up. For now, however, he was content enough to simply sit quietly and she was fine with that.
"Very well," she agreed, although she knew Lindsey still wasn't being completely forthcoming. Still, he had his reasons and, while she didn't trust him, she did believe that the truth would eventually come out. It always did.
"What, exactly, is expected of me should I choose to accept your offer?" And that was the cusp of it all. She'd been kept in the dark and only given general answers thus far as to her position. Firm Liaison, somehow expected to assist those who had recently arrived. How was she expected to do that, though? Who was she to help? Everyone, or simply the ones the firm deemed appropriate? Before she could agree to this job - even though she knew she ultimately would even if he didn't realize that fact yet - she needed specifics. LINDSEY MCDONALD
There was something in her tone that made him realize that she wasn't all too convinced by his speech. That was fine. Lindsey hadn't gotten where he was by things being easy and he wouldn't expect them to be that way in the future either. But she was content with the answer for now.
"We would like to put your mediation skills to good use when we negotiate outside of the courtroom, as well as in situations such as yours, where someone arrives in this time or this world unexpectedly. You have knowledge in both situations and Wolfram and Hart would be grateful if we were to have you come aboard and help us navigate some tricky waters." He smiled, warm, open, and friendly, the kind of good ole boy smile that won him the trust of many of his clients. senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
The smile, Padmé had to admit, was a nice one. It almost made her relax and start to trust him. Almost.
Still, she met his smile with one of her own. "And in return?" she prompted. After all, nothing came for free, her services least of all. While he was right in her possibly being able to help - she was quite a good mediator when the situation called for it - she wasn't going to just agree to do so without knowing what she'd receive in return. The penthouse and clothing, as well as financial security, was nice, but it wasn't necessarily enough either. LINDSEY MCDONALD
"In return, we're offering you a place to stay, a paycheck, protection, and freedom all in the same stroke," Lindsey explained. "You will be on the payroll here, a steady check, not a consultation fee. A penthouse will be provided you free of charge. In return for your services, you'll have free legal representation from the firm as well."
He glanced to Anakin for a moment, seeing if he had anything to add. "We here at Wolfram and Hart like to make sure our employees are well taken care of and happy. I'm going to spare you the dapper speech about a happy employee being a hardworking employee because frankly that's a little to sweet for my tastes." senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
Padmé didn't need protection. She also didn't need to worry about legal representation. But they were perks that might, at some point, come in handy, so she decided that, along with the others he had mentioned, it was a good enough deal.
"Happiness doesn't denote loyalty," she commented simply, studying him for a moment longer. She had a choice to make. A serious choice that would not only effect her own life in this strange place, but Anakin's as well. It was a good thing Padmé was used to making serious choices, and in the grand scheme of things had to admit that this one came easier than most.
"Very well," she at long last agreed, part of her knowing it was going to come to this anyway. The conversation had merely been testing the waters, learning as much as she could about her employer before making it official. She had a feeling that, while she may not exactly like Lindsey McDonald, at some point he would earn her respect.
"I suppose there's some contract to make the decision final?" she questioned. She could sense Anakin's irritation at having sit still for so long and was, herself, ready to get this over with already. "Also," she added as an afterthought, "I would appreciate having the remainder of the day to myself. I still need to become acquainted with the city before attempting to reach its citizens." LINDSEY MCDONALD
"No it doesn't. Contentment with position, security, and a lack of paranoia create a welcoming atmosphere for loyalty, but whether or not the employee is loyal also depends on them. We meet them as far as we can," Lindsey replied honestly, neglecting to mention how the firm treated employees they found to be traitors.
He picked up a slender folder from the right side of his desk, flipping it open and turning it to face Padme. "The appropriate places to sign are marked with tabs." He set the pen on top of the contract before regarding her again.
"Take the rest of the week if need be. We want you to feel confident in your surroundings and what better way then to explore them? I can arrange for you to have transportation to wherever you need to go. We have a driver or two who used to work in the tourism industry. Pleasent enough people." senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
The mere thought of subjecting Anakin to a tour of the city was a horrifying thought to the young woman. She also knew he wouldn't let her go alone which meant, while the idea was a good one, it wasn't going to happen. Picking up the pen, she glanced down at the contract for a moment.
"I doubt transportation will be necessary," she replied evenly enough, raising her gaze to meet Lindsey's, "thank you, however. Should I change my mind, I'll certainly let you know." Then she looked back to the contract.
She knew she should probably take the time to read it through, go over it thoroughly before signing. However Padmé had been in politics long enough to know that the negotiations portion of this meeting was over with. Either she accepted the contract as it stood or the offer would be rescinded. Besides which, should there prove to be some sort of loophole to be found at a later date, she'd find a way around it. She always did.
So she signed with little flourish, sliding it back to him once she was finished. "I will see you at the start of next week, then," she stated with a small smile as she rose to her feet. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. McDonald." LINDSEY MCDONALD
Lindsey took the contract back from the former senator and shut the file, setting it on the side of his desk again. As Padme rose to her feet, Lindsey did as well. "We'll be expecting you, Miss Amidala," he replied cordially, tilting his head in respectful acknowledgement. "It was a pleasure meeting you as well."
He turned his attention to Anakin again, inclining his head. "Lord Vadar," he said, remembering to use the proper form of address this time. "I hope you enjoy your free time in Los Angeles," he said as he passed the desk and made his way over to the door, pulling it open for the young couple to exit through.
"Should you have any questions or requests, feel free to contact me." senator PADMÉ AMIDALA
Padmé nodded in response, casting a glance to Anakin before heading to the door. If he had something to say to Lindsey and didn't want her present, now was his chance. If not, he would be right behind her. Either way, she was ready to leave the man's office as well as the building. The contract was signed and her decision had been reached. Now she had a city to learn and less than a week to learn it in. sithlord ANAKIN SKYWALKER
Anakin didn't really have anything to contribute or tell Lindsey. He'd been half-listening to the conversation and decided that Lindsey knew where he stood and with the way the man handled him self, Anakin didn't see him as a threat. Yet. He'd keep his eye on him, however, and wouldn't hesitate to strike if he felt the need to.
He gave Lindsey a look, bowing in a very Jedi-like manner, as he refused to shake hands or acknowledge him otherwise, and followed his wife out the door.