Thread: Trouble in the Vortex (Mr Quixotic and darjeeling)

Felicitys irritation had almost been palpable when David had left her office, leaving his cold coffee mug to sit and stain her wooden desk. She had even grabbed it when the door clicked shut behind the man, but the barest hint of a circle was there and for some reason, that had angered her more than Davids smug mug. She had considered throwing the cup away, but the fact that it belonged to the company had her begrudgingly set it aside atop a pink post-it note. She spent much of the afternoon glaring at it, only looking away to fire off some emails that radiated a chill that might have been felt even through the safety of a computer screen. The calls passed through to her phone remained unanswered, though Felicity listened to the messages left on her answering machine either way. They were matters of no importance and her work day ended much like every other day the only difference being that Felicity had made her way to the I.T department rather than drive back home. It was seven in the evening and the office usually closed at five. She noted that Vortex liked to design their departments practically the same, as even the location of the head office was in the same place, with a few aesthetic differences. There were more computers and the smell of coffee was much stronger here. For some reason, it only reminded her of David so it was no surprise that Felicity had slammed the door shut behind her with a loud bang before stalking her way to Alphonses cubicle. The man himself was a sweaty, nervous mess, sitting stiffly in his chair and fiddling with his green-and-yellow tie and almost jumped right off the seat when Felicity rapped her knuckles on the thin wall of his little booth. M-maam, I found I mean, they left Felicity could only roll her eyes as she slipped into the cubicle with Alphonse all but shoving his chair in the opposite direction to make room though there wasnt much to begin with. She seated herself on his desk, pushing aside wires and a keyboard and crossed her legs. If it were possible, the man would have drowned himself in his own sweat as the brunette leaned forward, the buttons on her collar popped open for more than obvious reasons. Shed much rather sleep with a gorilla than touch this man, but he neednt know it. Alphonse was her little mole, doing all the digging where she couldnt and in return, her whispers and promises were sweet and covered in honey. He was nervous and lonely and whether or not he knew that she would never make do on her words, he was still ready and willing to comply. Start from the beginning, Felicity instructed. Be quick about it. Alphonse stuttered and stumbled his way through the information he had gathered, about Eric looting through old files and previously accessed users and even older emails Felicity was sure she had scrambled into less than dead pixels. Technology had never been her strongest point and as the man continued to ramble, the curses roiling about her head grew in volume and intensity until a loud sigh crossed with a growl escaped her and she pushed herself off the desk. Alphonse didnt know what Eric was looking for, and he didnt need to know either. But she was certain now. David was the one who was in the know, and to what extent, she needed to find out. This rodent would be of no help to her. She thanked him plainly for his time smoothed down the back of her skirt and her heels clicked as she walked away with Alphonses eyes trailing after her but her mind was on other things by now. There was no limit to what David could use that information for. There was no doubt that he would look to get her fired and taint her reputation forever. If she didnt do something, she might even be forced to change her name or move out of the country entirely. She could even be incarcerated, and the reality of her situation dawned on her as Felicity spent yet another night fully awake and unable to sleep. Thursday came and went without much happening but Felicity was on edge nevertheless. Every time someone knocked on her door, she half expected it to be David or even the police and if it were possible, her snappishness seemed to intensify. She could only be thankful for the sleep she had gotten that night with the help of a gratuitous amount of alcohol. Friday thundered forward in the form of a raging hangover which she successfully soothed by lunch time but the corporate dinner was looming over her like an executioners axe. David had yet to pull anything suspicious apart from being incredibly friendly but if there was ever a time to expose her, the dinner would be one. She contemplated faking ill or even falling and breaking her ankle to avoid going, but the thought of cowering away made her somewhat ill. She had always been a sore loser and handing David the trophy without putting up a fight was a possibility she should have never considered in the first place. There seemed to be an air of anticipation about the office when it neared closing time the corporate event was always rather grand after all, an all-expenses paid dinner was nothing to sneeze at. Felicity herself slipped out of the building before anyone could see her. Despite her trepidation, she found herself behind the wheel of her car and dressed up for the occasion. There was no point in making a fool of herself and arriving in sweatpants and a bulky winter coat. She had on a black, strapless dress which cut off just above her knees, and heels to elevate her height. Her hair had been let down and curled at the ends and Felicity had even applied on slightly darker red lipstick and minimal amounts of mascara and blush. Never let it be said that for all her habits and cold demeanor, she was still a relatively attractive woman when she tried. If one could look past her biting tongue, that is. Once inside the grand hotel, she smiled sweetly at the waiter and gave him her name, following him as he led her to the large room Vortex had reserved for the dinner and gestured at one of the tables. A couple of people had already arrived but she knew that many preferred to be fashionably late. Of David there was no sign, but she managed polite greetings here and there to her employees. The dinner didnt change much, only that the situation called for a little more cordiality on her part and a little more sucking up on theirs.