Bubble-Bursting

Who: Ian and Evelyn
Where: The Drake
When: Late afternoon

His meeting with Maya Walker had gone well enough, but Ian still locked himself in his office for an hour or so afterward, making phone calls to find a singer for the ball. He was pretty sure he'd found an act, suggested by the orchestra he'd hired. There wasn't time to audition her beforehand, which was unsettling, but he would just have to hope for the best.

He'd polished off a glass of the expensive wine Mrs. Walker had ordered and made a note to add the bottle to her tab for the ball. It wasn't really necessary but her power play had started to annoy him again when he found the bottle in his office. Out of work to do in his office he finally emerged, headed towards the restaurant with the staff list for the ball. There was a name missing he wanted added.

Evelyn wasn’t on the clock yet – she had arrived early just to double-check that everything was all clear with the schedule and then, finding that it was, went about the task of observing the movements of back-of-house to gauge how busy the meal ahead would be. Simply checking the number of guests wasn’t enough. That didn’t tell her how many people or which ones were working. It was a simple fact of every workplace that some people made more work for others, after all. Evelyn liked being prepared if things would get busy. And they didn’t? Well, she liked being prepared for that too.

One of the chattier girls, spying her, came up to talk about tomorrow’s ball. Even though she wouldn’t be there, Evelyn couldn’t help being interested in it. Unless there was more than one on the police force, she was pretty sure the drunken Jackson Haas she had met was the same one from the paper. The girl mentioned how one of the other female servers had gone home with one of the hero officers one night, and Evelyn was about to ask if said cop sported a black eye when she noticed Sullivan coming up.

Ian had been headed straight for the office, assuming he'd insist that they call Amelia and ask her to be on shift, but instead he spotted her in between him and the office. The frustration didn't show on his face, but it was still there. He'd played enough games today, was it really worth playing more? Probably so. Especially if he wanted her to work tomorrow night. Giving her a sheepish smile, one that spoke of the bunch of roses he'd noticed that came to her at the front desk, he moved around her friend. "Amelia, do you have a moment? I need to ask you about something." The statement was calm, but his face looked pained. As if her having an admirer was paining him.

“Well, I should be on my way anyway,” the girl she was talking to flashed ‘Amelia’ a knowing grin before walking off. The roses yesterday had caused a bit of a stir that could only be overshadowed by something such as the ball. Evelyn figured the fuss was only because the staff was quick to assume Sullivan sent them. Well everyone except for Sullivan – for obvious reasons. And that fact made Evelyn wonder at and worry about whatever he had to say. …And this was another reason she wasn’t a fan of the roses.

She also didn’t like finding herself bothered that Sullivan seemed to have the roses on his mind as well. She didn’t know if it was because it further revealed his interest in her, or if it was because his attentions might cease. But neither reason was particularly appropriate at work, so Evelyn pushed down her apprehension and looked at him with a friendly, though polite, expression. “Yes sir?”

Ian looked a little wounded at the sir moniker. "Really, you can call me Ian if you'd like Amelia. There's no need to be so formal." His hands went to smooth his suit jacket, the nervous tell of the nervous part he played. "I actually wanted to ask you about tomorrow. You must know the Drake is hosting the ball to honor the brave police officers. The Walker family is throwing it, and as I'm also sure you know, they are a big name in town." Ian watched her careful, ready for her reaction. "That said, I was hoping you could work tomorrow."

Well, that was a bursting of the bubble. And for a very clear moment it showed, because well… ‘disappointed’ didn’t actually cover it. And because her brain was trying very hard to mishear him, evident confusion sprinkled her face as well. She quickly recovered herself, regaining her composure as she thought about how best to respond. Because she really, really did not want to work tomorrow – not when a phone call to her parents’ last night had confirmed the plans. Although her expression was largely calm, her brow couldn’t help furrowing a bit on that point. “…tomorrow?” She kept her gaze on him before asking, “Are you sure… Mr. Sullivan?”

For a brief moment she had considered it, but she couldn’t call him by Ian. She didn’t like addressing him as Mr. Sullivan now that he had made a point of telling her she didn’t have to; but Evelyn needed to establish lines that prevent her doing things she’d regret. And calling him by his first name could make some lines blurry. Because the fact was sometimes she found him very charming, and sweet, and very much liked the attention he gave her… But even a speaker’s charm and handsomeness can lose some effect when the words were something she didn’t want to hear.

Ian's face flinched in supposed hurt when she continued to call him by his last name, but he didn't comment. The hurt would muddle with the confusion about the flowers, hopefully giving an impression of a man who feels he's lost his chance. "You're one of the best Amelia," he told her with a slight pleading in his voice. It was an honest statement even if his delivery was faked. She was one of his best servers and after his meeting with Mrs. Walker today he'd want only the best at the event. "And that's not just my opinion."

Evelyn was quiet for a moment. There was a Choice here; and she felt the weight of it being something much bigger than the decision to simply pick up a shift. After her running into Zhen, she had been feeling even more dissatisfied with where she was and the fact that she didn't have any real plan or idea for a way to get out, or up. Until now. Maybe it was just ego, but she had long noticed, or felt, that a good portion of her fellow staff-members seemed oblivious or just lacking of common sense. It wasn't that they weren't good at their jobs, just... not really the type to think out-of-the-box.

Evelyn had known she was one of the best. But it seemed that her tendency to take on more than her duties, and step in to prevent problems before they became issues, had just gone unnoticed or ignored by her supervisors. So to actually hear it aloud by the hotel's manager, assuming it really wasn't just his opinion and he wasn't biased by his crush on her, was reason enough to pause in her rejection. So an Opportunity dawned on her: that maybe the first step in getting out from where she was and headed towards what she wanted wasn't in finding a different job, but in first moving up within her own. And she couldn't help thinking that choosing not to work the ball would shut that door. But she was supposed to see her family tomorrow, and Evelyn really wanted to make that happen...

...but she really really had no intention of being a waitress for the rest of her life. And, after this ball, she felt there was a way to make that happen. And that was something she hadn't gotten hopeful about in a while. So, after that careful moment, Evelyn finally bit back an emerging sigh and answered, "I can be there." There was another pause before asking, "When should I start?" She hoped that she wouldn't be needed for the set-up, and that she could still somehow take Jessie to the theatre tomorrow.

Ian had watched her, a hopeful look on his face, but behind it he was studying her. There was no doubt that she was more intelligent that most of his employees, or most of the people he dealt with on a regular basis, but it was still interesting to see it. When she did agree, he wondered about her motives, if they were something he could use to manipulate her. The face he showed her though, was relieved. "Thank you Amelia, I really appreciate it. How early can you be here? I'd like to get everyone in at least a good two hours before things get started, just to make sure everyone is up the snuff and everything is in its proper place."

Evelyn considered it, trying to see how she could manage working the shift while still getting to take Jessie to the play. She factored in the time to bring her niece home, say good-bye to her and her brother, make it back to her apartment to get changed, and finally get to the hotel. And no matter how many times she tried to re-work it, or consider different transportation methods, the fact was... it couldn't be worked. At all. And Evelyn couldn't completely hide her disappointment at that fact; because she had just talked to her mother yesterday and confirmed everything, and because she had always been the reliable one. Even though she had lied to her family, she had always at least shown up when she said she would. Until now.

Evelyn smiled at Ian, although her heart really wasn't in it. "I can be there as early as you need me to be." She had already agreed to work tomorrow, and it had been a one-or-the-other decision. So, hell, she was going to fully commit to it.

The disappointment was hard to miss, but Ian chose not to comment on it, showing only the happy and relieved hotel manager face. "That's fantastic Amelia," he said with a hint of excitement. His hand caught her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, if you could be in around four that would be ideal." The smile faded just a bit, as if something had come to him as an after thought. "Wait, this was the shift were trying to switch earlier this week wasn't it? You didn't have plans with your boyfriend did you?"

Evelyn shrugged it off, even though thinking of her family wasn't something she could really easily shrug off. "Oh, it's not a problem." She smiled a bit wider, trying to be reassuring. There wasn't a boyfriend. Hell, there hadn't been a boyfriend for at least a good few months before the move. But Evelyn, unwilling to come out and say 'I don't have a boyfriend' like some kind of invitation, but also not liking the idea of Sullivan thinking she had one, finally added, "The plans... aren't with any boyfriend."

Ian's face looked ashamed, even a little flushed. "I'm sorry, I thought with the flowers..." he trailed off, giving the impression of being very nervous. It was interesting though, if she didn't have a boyfriend but was still getting flowers. Was there another admirer competing for her attention? He wasn't upset about it because he didn't actually care of her, but it might put a kink in his plans.

"Oh, that?" Ha ha ha those. stupid. flowers. Evelyn kept her composure, but she allowed a slight frown at the mention of what she wasn't so fond of. "Definitely not a boyfriend." Her face betrayed her for a slight moment as she recalled the rude jerk whose mood swang faster than a con-man did identities. But she broke her expression into another smile. "Definitely."

Everything that was on her face, Ian read with ease. It was actually difficult what to comment on what might seem to intrusive. He went with the assumption that someone interested in her would read her reactions attentively. "Good," he nodded and followed it up with a sheepish look. "Not good, I mean...Well you know."

Evelyn remained silent on that point, very careful this time not to betray any emotion other than polite attentiveness. She was somewhat uncomfortable, but not disappointed, at his reaction. Getting hit on wasn't uncommon for her, most of it came from at work; but even compared to the encounters she had outside of work Ian's -- she could call him that in her head, she supposed -- manner was... different. And refreshing. It wasn't the blatant flirting she was used to handling, but it seemed more earnest in its own way. And she wasn't unaffected by it.

But acting on it? She couldn't do that. Even if he genuinely liked her, she didn't want to take -- or seem to take -- advantage of that. If she was interested in sleeping her way to the top she could've done that at her old job. So she carefully passed over the subject, forcing her posture to remain relaxed as she asked, "So, what do you need me to do tomorrow?" Not that she wouldn't end up doing a good deal more than that, but it was good to know what her 'official' duties were.

Ian appeared relieved at moving on from talking about his feelings and to talking about work. "I want you circulating the ballroom actually. The type of serving that requires actually interacting with guests." The smile he gave her seemed genuine, hinting that she was good at that. In reality the unspoken compliment was just another statement of fact. She knew how to behave around major Family types without acting like an idiot and he needed that. He need Maya Walker to be impressed.

Again, she was always one to appreciate when her skills were recognized. "I can do that," she replied through another smile. It would have been wider if it weren't for the fact that the whole 'disappointing her family' thing was weighing on her shoulders.

He returned her smile, giving the impression that he was pleased that she was pleased. "I knew you could Amelia."

And at that Evelyn was quiet for a brief moment, shifting her weight sightly before pointing back to the general direction of the coatroom. "I should probably go clock in about now." Her small smile this one required some effort behind it as her mind was elsewhere. At least that much was discernable to keen eye by her half-distracted manner.

She was thinking of plans for tomorrow, and how to break them off, and how to do it in a manner that ensured Jessie could still go -- Evelyn didn't want her niece missing out just because she was letting her down. And she figured she should probably call Rebecca. Or she could tell her family the truth -- sort of. She could say she needed to work... except that her family still thought she worked at the lawyer's office. And they might wonder at her being needed so last minute for a Saturday. Either way, she could use the help of her childhood friend. And that would require a lot more emotional preparedness than she had at the moment.

"Oh yes, of course," Ian conceded motioning for her to go. "I'll see you tomorrow Amelia. I'm looking forward to it." He turned to go, pausing to give her a quick smile over his shoulder, a quick hopeful smile.

Evelyn returned the smile for as long as he was looking, but couldn't hold it any longer than that. As he turned a corner she took her leave as well, heading towards the coat room and seriously considering the decision she had just made. The reasons she had for making it still went through her head now, and to her they still held some good sense, but it didn't change the fact that she felt shitty about it. She was actively considering the best lie to tell Jesse and her niece, but she wasn't devoid of a conscious about it. Unfortunately the guilt she felt wouldn't undo anything, so Evelyn was left to spend her shift working out just what she was going to do.