Aurora (queenbeastie) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-07-22 16:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | aurora [disney], maleficent |
Who: Aurora and Maleficent
What: Aurora gets knocked into by a guy carrying way too many coffee orders. Maleficent sees this as an opportunity. Also more business talk.
When: Today
Where: Palvano Corporation
Rating/Warnings: G/PG
Status: Complete.
Aurora was proving to be a distraction. Every time she moved, her skirt would rustle, or her hair would bounce and reflect light into Maleficent’s eyes. She swore it had to be on purpose. People didn’t just do that. There was a glass partition between her office and the desk that Aurora had been set up at. It allowed her to observe the girl, but still give her a sense of privacy. She’d been positioned across from Maleficent’s secretary (an attractive hispanic woman with a generous bosom).
Aurora was beginning to settle into life working at Palvano. She had her own desk, and that was in the same room as her new boss’s secretary. That seemed like it might be kind of a big deal. Admittedly, there was a lot about business culture that Aurora didn’t know yet, but she expected she’d learn quickly.
There were some people who were resentful, and felt as though Aurora was being given special treatment. And in a way she was, but Maleficent didn’t care. She’d stepped on worse toes, and harder, in her rise to the top. Maria was worried she’d be out her job, but she needn’t worry. Maleficent trusted her like she did few others. But this was Aurora.
This was her beastie, and as always, she was curious as to the habits of this creature. Her wings strained at her back, and she extended her glamour to flex them.
Maria looked up at a soft breeze that came through the open door, then decided she’d imagined it.
Aurora thought she felt a breeze for a moment, then decided that she probably hadn’t. She had neatly arranged her work space and was currently taking a moment to check her company email account to see if there was anything she needed to address or if there was any spam to clear out. She’d set her desktop background to a woodland scene, as she found that such images generally helped lower her stress.
“Aurora. Would you come in here?” Maleficent didn’t lift her head, though her eyes were on the woman.
“Yes, Ms. Tamsin!” Aurora stood up, pausing to slide her chair under her desk, and entered her boss’s office.
The smile that graced her lips came with such speed that she was unprepared for it. Damn this girl. She lifted her head, eyes snapping up to Aurora's face. She plucked a file from the out box and held it out between long, elegant fingers. "Take this to explorations on the 14th floor. Bring me a latte on the way back, if you would be so kind. Maria?"
"Yes, Ms. Tamsin?" The secretary poked her head in.
"Would you like a cappuccino?"
"Yes, please. Hazelnut."
Maleficent nodded as Maria returned to her desk. To Aurora, she waved her hand dismissively. "Get yourself something as well, if you wish."
“Yes, Ms. Tamsin.” Aurora nodded to Ms. Tamsin and Maria. Hazelnut cappuccino and the usual latte, after dropping the forms off on the 14th floor.
She made her way out of the off to the elevator, holding the file carefully so as not to bend it in anyway.
Mal tilted her head as the elevator closed, then returned to looking at her computer screen. Maybe she could get some work done without the distraction, if only for a few minutes. But she quickly found herself restless and bored.
If Diaval was around, she could have him tail her. Maria was a great secretary, but she was no raven.
The elevator ride went quickly, and Aurora dropped off the file, making sure that the person she gave it to knew it came directly from their boss. She then made her way to the cafe. There was a slight line, but she decided it would give her time to go back over the other women’s orders and decide on something for herself.
Tap. Tap. Tap. She tapped her pen on her desk and looked out the door and wondered where her intern was. "Blast." She got up, and made her way to the elevator, quite simply unable to keep still.
The last person in front of Aurora in line seemed to be ordering for half the floor he worked on, and almost every order was a special order. She felt sorry for the barrista.
Utterly casual, Maleficent went down in the elevator, then strode out once it reached the floor with the cafe. "I wonder where my beastie has gone."
Aurora sighed with relief as the man in front of her finished paying for his order. She glanced away for a moment to see if anyone seemed to be going to get in line behind her. She turned back around just in time for the man--and all of his coffee orders--to crash into her.
Maleficent watched this occur with a peculiar fascination. It was like a slow motion trainwreck. The coffee spilled all over Aurora.
The CEO swept through the room, and waved her hand. It was as though time stopped. She waved her hand again and Aurora fell into a slumber. Quickly, she floated her back to her elevator. The doors closed, and time resumed in the cafe, but Aurora remained floating. There was a private suite on the floor of her office, and there she took Aurora, laying her on a couch as she used her magic to wring the coffee out of her clothing, and soothe away the burns before they could do permanent damage. She sat on the arm rest, and stroked her hand over the girl's forehead.
Aurora awoke slowly, brow furrowing in confusion. She’d been getting coffee, and then--well, she wasn’t in the cafe any more. Her clothes looked a little worse for wear but mostly dry...and she was lying on a couch. She felt a gentle touch on her forehead and glanced up. “Ms. Tamsin…” She blinked up at the older woman. “...did I hit my head?”
"Yes, when you were knocked over. Worry not, I'll see him disciplined. One should watch where they are going. Being sloppy at one task means one is sloppy at others." Maleficent stood, trying to distance herself emotionally and reduce the warmth she was feeling. "Don't worry about the coffee, I'll have someone else bring some up."
The man had been trying to carry more orders than one person should. Aurora sat up slowly. Her head didn’t hurt, but she still felt a little stranger and tired.She glanced at her boss again. “Thank you for looking after me,” she said. “Was I out for very long?”
"Twenty minutes, or so." Maleficent's hand twitched, like she was going to help Aurora up, but she ended up not moving. She felt like she needed to kick a puppy to counteract all.... this. (This being Aurora and the way it made her feel and the conflict she still felt over her dreams. How much easier things had been when the story had been different....Less ambiguous.
Aurora frowned. She didn’t really know much about head injuries or anything like that, but that didn’t sound exactly good. “Do you think I should see a doctor? I mean...my head doesn’t hurt, but I should still be careful, right?” She wasn’t exactly sure if it would be safe to go home. What if she did have head trauma and she passed out again? There’d be no way for anyone to know until she came to again. If she did. That was a little worrying.
“I can have the staff physician attend you, but she didn’t think there was much to worry about, darling. Just to make sure you’re one-hundred percent. You should take the rest of the day off.”
Knowing that the staff physician didn’t think there was much to worry about did make Aurora feel a little better. “Thank you,” she said. She took a slow, deep breath.
“If it’s okay with you, could I just...sit here a little longer before I go? To make sure I’ll make it home alright.”
Maleficent felt a great deal like she wanted to pet Aurora’s hair, and it was almost irresistible. Her hand even made the move before she stopped it. She sat down next to Aurora. “Of course.”
“Thanks.” Aurora sighed. She carefully leaned her head back to rest it against the back of the couch. She closed her eyes for a moment. It probably wouldn’t do to keep them closed for too long, but this was a bit more excitement than she’d expected for the day, and it wasn’t the nice kind of excitement.
After a moment, she opened her eyes. “Did you ever get your coffee?”
She shook her head, still struggling to keep firmly in the position of power she should be in. "No, but I'll request they send some up later. It's just coffee, Aurora."
“Okay.” Aurora raised her head and tucked her hair behind her ears. She felt more like she could make it home now. She decided she probably should take it easy the rest of the day once she got home, though. “I think I feel well enough to go home now.”
“Is there anything you need, you let me know.” She tried to put up an air of ‘I don’t want lawsuits’ but maybe there was a little more to it than that.
Aurora stood up slowly, pleased to find that no dizziness followed the movement. “I will,” she said. She smiled slightly. “Thank you again for looking after me.”
Maleficent folded her hands in her lap and nodded. Her wings strained. “It was my pleasure. Will you need assistance going home?”
“I’ll be...well, it might be safer if I said yes. I’ve never really hit my head hard enough to pass out before and, well…” Aurora frowned. “It does worry me a little.”
Part of her wanted to show off, fly Aurora home. But that would be showing her hand too soon. Much too soon. "I can arrange a driver for you." Part of her wanted to drive herself.
“Are you sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble? I do appreciate it, but I don’t want to impose,” Aurora said.
Maleficent then had the best idea, ever. "Perhaps I ought to leave early as well, you could ride with me."
Really?” Aurora’s eyebrows raised a little. This was beginning to feel a little bit like special treatment, but she wasn’t sure what would prompt that. “If you want to.” She grinned a little and added, “You are the boss, after all.”
“I am sure it is on the way, and it will not be as though I am driving. I’ll call up my driver.” Maleficent got to her feet. She had arrangements to make and needed a few minutes, perhaps, to wonder just what she was doing. And why she was doing it.
Aurora nodded slightly. “I’ll get my things,” she said, then excused herself to do just that. There wasn’t much to round up, so she returned shortly.
Crooking her finger, Maleficent indicated that Aurora should follow her. She led her into the private elevator, then leaned against the back wall, arms folded and eyes focused on the blonde.
Aurora followed. The elevator hadn’t lost its novelty. She watched the people and and the floors of the building as the elevator descended. It really was pretty amazing.
“There is so much one could do here, and no one would be the wiser,” Maleficent joked.
Aurora glanced at her boss inquisitively before some of those possibilities hit her. Oh. Wow. She could see how a private elevator could be...handy for that. And now she couldn’t help but wonder if Ms. Tamsin had ever used the elevator...that way.
Ms. Tamsin had a very mysterious smile on her face as the doors opened to the underground parking garage. The car was already waiting (expensive, EU make, but not a limo), with the driver holding the door for them.
Aurora decided that her boss had better taste in cars than her father did. Admittedly, part of that might have had to do with how little he trusted the people who looked after her with expensive vehicles. It was not the most pleasant of thoughts, thinking that he wouldn’t trust them with the good cars but he apparently felt fine leaving his only child with them. She brushed the thought aside and climbed into the car.
“Huntington Beach, is that correct?” She tried to remember Aurora’s file, and it wasn’t too difficult, considering she’d spent hours scouring over it, looking for anything she might possibly need to use. For what, she didn’t know, but she wanted to know it, just in case.
“Yes,” Aurora said, giving the driver the exact address. “Thank you again for doing this.”
“I do not mind.” She rested a hand briefly on Aurora’s knee. Her fingers were impeccably manicured. Then she sat back, and directed the driver.
The touch was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Aurora settled back as well, gazing out the window as the driver pulled out of the parking garage.
Pulling out her phone, Maleficent tapped at it, as though she were doing some extra work while they were driving. It seemed as though any conversation was now over. She leaned back and crossed her legs.
Aurora watched the scenery go by for a little while. She glanced at Ms. Tamsin, who seemed busy with her phone. Aurora still couldn’t believe she’d managed to land an internship so soon with such a major company. It almost seemed too good to be true.
“You have questions.” It was a statement, not a question, and she did not look up from her phone.
Aurora bit her lip. “I...it feels a little like you’re…” She paused, thinking of how to word the next part. She didn’t want to sound ungrateful. But it did make her curious. “...like you’re putting in more effort where I’m concerned.”
Her eyes moved from her phone to Aurora’s face. “You’ve potential. I learned a long time ago to not let potential become wasted or squandered. There are those who languish on the bottom rungs of the ladder because they simply cannot climb, and then there are those who possess the ability to climb very high, and yet are blocked at every turn. I don’t wish for you to become the latter. It remains to be seen if you will allow yourself to be squandered or not.”
Aurora found herself smiling. It was nice that Ms. Tamsin thought she had potential. She’d always tried to do her best and push herself, but in most everything else she’d done, there had seemed to be at least a faint tainting of her father’s influence, direct or just from his existence as her father. Being appreciated for her own potential? That meant a lot to Aurora.
“Thank you,” she said.
The older woman’s smile was warm, and once again more genuine than she intended. “You are welcome.”