Irked

Who: Evelyn, Shoshannah, and Ian.
When: Jan. 22, morning.
Where: The Drake

The morning came too soon for Shoshannah. When she woke first, she found herself on Angelo's couch with a blanket over her and her right arm painted on in the style of vines, colored in the style of a rainbow. Time between then and where she was now was a blur. She stumbled along the streets with the umbrella held tight over her head and the canvas, too big for her to carry successfully, tucked under her arm. Shoshannah did her best to not get the canvas wet during her trip, rather choosing to have herself take the brunt of the rain instead of the canvas.

Currently, she stood outside of the Drake, large canvas in her hands, rain water dripping down the neck of her jacket from her wet hair. She had the doorman's umbrella in her hand, closed now since she was under the awning of the Drake, before handing it to the doorman who took it even though he had one with him already.

Stepping into the lobby, Shoshannah propped the piece of art up against the wall and shrugged instantly out of her jacket. She was sure she must be a sight, again, for the guests in the lobby for the second day in a row. A girl with dripping wet hair and an arm covered in vibrantly painted vines? Of course people were going to stare at her. But Shoshannah ignored them when she caught sight of Evelyn at the concierge desk. To Shoshannah, who had no experience staying in a hotel for any extended period of time, Evelyn at the concierge desk looked helpful and full of knowledge about the protocol of a hotel. Surely she could help!

So Shoshannah trudged over to the desk with her canvas and jacket, a bright, albeit slightly chattering, smile on her lips. "Excuse me, I'm sorry, I just don't really know who else to ask. If I wanted to get some tea and take it up to my room, do I just...go to the dining room to do that or not? I don't really stay in hotels so I'm a little confused about it all." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Oh! And I'm Shoshannah. Shoshannah Hagel. It's nice to meet you, Miss...?"

Evelyn glanced up, and it was a good thing that in Work-Mode she was a master of the art of discretion because, seriously, what the hell...? But she was quick with the professionally friendly smile and an answer to the girl's question, "Oh, you only need to ring up Room Service and they can get you whatever you need: tea, meals, extra towels and the like, just dial this number and you'll reach the front desk." She jotted down the number from the front desk on a notepad and pushed it across the counter to Shoshannah, "And I'm Amelia Wright, the concierge. If you ever need any help with reservations or just information on the city, I'm the one to ask." Her smile got wider there, but on Evelyn's side it was wholly for professional purposes, even though it seemed warm as can be. It might have taken her a second -- what with being distracted by the rainbow-y vine-ness of it all, but she remembered the girl from spotting her yesterday. Oh, she remembered the girl. ...And it was really to Evelyn's credit that she was able to regard Shoshannah with a straight face, sans-blinking and everything.

Room Service? What an interesting concept. "So people will really just bring me food, towels, anything I ask for?" Shoshannah asked, looking back at Evelyn with wide eyes, like she'd just had an epiphany. Not that she would call room service and harass them or anything, but they were paid to just bring the guests anything they wanted? "It's nice to meet you, Miss Wright." Shoshannah added with another smile, slipping the number Evelyn had written down into the large bag she had also brought with her.

Shoshannah took a look around and then settled back on Evelyn again. "Are there any bookstores in the area?" Shannah was just full of all sorts of odd questions today. In the back of her mind, she figured it might be more appropriate for her to go up to her room, get cleaned up, and then come back down to ask Evelyn her questions but she was worried that if she got to her room and saw the bed, that there would be no later for her to ask questions in. "Any hiring bookstores?"

Miss Hagel had never heard of room service...? Was she serious, or just pulling her chain? "Nice to meet you to," Evelyn responded, although 'nice' honestly wasn't the word she would've used there. Oh, she wasn't petty enough to paint the encounter in negative terms or anything, but 'weird to meet you' was ringing true at the moment.

And the random question about the bookstores only further served that 'weird' vibe. It seemed unlikely Shoshannah would need a job at a bookstore, or any job really, so maybe she was asking for a friend... or something? Well, it wasn't actually Evelyn's place to pass judgement or even care, and even if she was doing so she knew better than to show any of that. So, the warm smile persisted! "I'm not sure at the moment, but I can check, and send you up a list?"

Her smile only widened, thinking the best and nicest things about Evelyn. About how sweet she was to help and how nice of her it was to look into the nearest bookstores. "If you don't mind? I can come back down and help you after I get cleaned up a little bit? You shouldn't have to send it up to my room, though. It wouldn't be fair for you." Leaning down slightly, Shoshannah hoisted up her bag onto her shoulder and picked up the painting carefully. "I should probably head upstairs, though, and get out of these wet clothes. So I'll see you in a little while? And thank you so much, Miss Wright, for helping me."

Feeling ontop of the world, Shoshannah headed toward the elevator. A marvelous night, probably the closest to a perfect night that she'd ever had, and then the potential for a new friend so early the next morning? Today was going to be a good day, despite the freezing rain outside. She stepped into the elevator, barely managing to maneuver around the operator, and asked that he take her to the fourth floor, smiling the whole time.

Help her? Evelyn blinked internally, incredulous, the smile frozen on her face for a moment. Why on earth would she need help with her job? ...the girl didn't even know what room service was until a moment ago! "Oh, you don't have to--" she started politely, trying to discourage Shoshannah while being polite and friendly about it. The girl was more than free to stay up in her room -- she was welcome to stay there. Really. Evelyn wouldn't mind. Unfortunately, Shoshannah was heading towards the elevator before she could finish talking and Evelyn had no idea if the girl was going to stay up there or not. Bah.

Ian came from his office just in time to see a brightly colored Shoshannah get on the elevator with what looked like a painting. The doorman had told him the girl was there as soon as he could, knowing that Ian was already rather upset with him that he didn't get the girl a cab like he'd ask so Ian could keep tabs on where she was going. He was able to mask his ire with a look of confusion at the sight of her. Coming up behind Amelia, who also seemed to be watching the girl, he couldn't help but smirk. Amelia looked almost as confused as he was. "Was that Miss Hagel?" he asked politely enough.

He startled her, but thankfully Evelyn managed not jump or start at it. A surprised blink did slip through though. "Yes," She smiled, regaining her composure, "she just came in. I was just about to send tea up to her room--" maybe that'd convince her to stay up there, if they caught her in time? "--and look up bookstores." She paused there, thinking for a moment. She had been half-telling herself what she was about to do in order to get back on track and shake off the whole... odd... encounter thing. "How're you?" For once, she was open to the distraction. Asking about him was better than thinking about her own irked... irk-ness.

Ian flashed his charming smile at her little start. "Bookstores? Interesting request. I told you this job would be tedious." Ian his hip leaned against the counter, his back to the elevator, proving his focus was on Amelia. "And I'm doing well. How are you doing?" He was beyond curious about Shoshannah and already considering being the one who brought up her tea, but keeping things in check with Amelia was still important, as much fun as tugging that girl around was.

"Good," Evelyn lied smoothly. Actually, she wasn't so great. She was worried about a lot of things: worried about what her brother was up to, worried about Dodge and the state she had let him leave in (how could she do that after saying he was her friend?), annoyed that her wrist was still being useless... she wasn't left-handed, and making sure to write legible notes was aggravating. And, of course, in the back of her mind there was that account that hung over her head. Oh, and there was the slightly tiny detail of being none-too-impressed with Miss Hagel. But Evelyn would rather have her teeth pulled than admit any of that or complain. "And the job's not tedious," she smiled, more polite than genuine, "the challenging requests are always fun." Which was true, she did enjoy those. And, aggravating though they were, the pickier guests generally provided the requests most challenging... which she actually enjoyed taking care of, even if she didn't enjoy those interactions.

Nodding Ian smiled. "I knew you'd be good at it. I've already heard compliments,' he told her with another charming smile. Ian paused for a moment, looking slightly nervous, dropping his eyes from hers and smoothing his hands over his vest. "Actually Amelia, I wanted to ask you something. I was going to yesterday, but..." Ian trailed off for effect, looking up at her now, most of the charm gone and leaving only the nervous hotel manager behind. "I was wondering if you'd want to get dinner sometime. Not here."

Evelyn felt a bit relieved at the compliment. Quick learner she may be, she was still new at this job, and still learning the ropes. So it was nice to know that she was pulling through there. Nothing official had been stated either way as to whether this was a permanent position, but pulling through here might mean she kept the position after her wrist healed. And maybe her being good at the job would put to rest some of those 'she slept with Sullivan to get it' rumors. That? would be wonderful.

When Ian trailed off, Evelyn's ears perked up in curiosity and wariness. At his request, her surprise was well-masked. But before she could answer, she noticed somebody coming towards them... oh, great.

Up in her room, the first thing Shoshannah had done was take pictures of her arm. She wanted to keep this memory, this moment, alive and well in her mind, but with the way people were staring at her arm, it was obvious that they didn't understand. They couldn't understand because they hadn't been there. She'd gone to the bathroom just after that and worked her hardest to get the paint off but the colors had stained her skin slightly. With one arm rubbed pink from all the scrubbing, Shoshannah figured that was about as clean as it was going to get. She quickly pulled her navy dress off and sorted through her bag to find the black one from two days earlier. With the rate this storm was going, she'd either have to go home sooner than she thought or go out and buy another dress, but with little money for clothes and even less patience for her family, Shoshannah was at a standstill.

She smoothed her black dress out as much as she could, hoping that the wrinkles would alleviate themselves over time, before running a comb quickly through her hair to loosen any tangles there, and finally heading back to the elevator and downstairs to the lobby. Not as thorough as she liked, but at least she wasn't soaking wet anymore. She expected only to see Evelyn at the desk, but there was another figure there when Shoshannah stepped out of the elevator. Upon further inspection as she came closer, she realized it was Ian and her lips pulled into a brighter smile.

"Ian, hello!" Shoshannah made her way to the desk, standing on the side opposite Ian and Evelyn not because she thought that was where she was supposed to be, but because there wasn't enough for all three of them behind it. "Good morning."

Ian let his gaze linger on Evelyn for just another moment, for her benefit. He wanted her to know that he'd meant it. Or he'd meant is as much as someone like him could mean something like that. "Shoshannah," Ian greeted with a warm smile, when he finally turned to the girl, taking in her stained arm and dress he'd already seen twice now. Maybe he should suggest the idea of going to pick up some of her things himself. Or sending someone under the guise of going himself. The Hagels didn't need to know who had their daughter yet. "Good morning to you. I take it the room kept you well?"

Evelyn hadn't seen the dress before, but she did notice that while it was stylish, it looked pretty unkempt for a place of the Drake's stature. But right now she was more prone to regard it with well-hidden bemusement than criticism, because it was honestly the least odd thing she'd encountered with the girl. Oh and, ironically, Evelyn was actually relieved at Shoshannah's presence: it prevented her from having to give Ian an answer. Sure, Shoshannah wouldn't have been her first choice, but any interruption was welcomed here. Because, while Evelyn liked Ian very well enough, she just felt more comfortable in the Relationship Limbo between them -- not moving forward, not moving back. Clearly, she wasn't too thrilled with the idea of him losing interest in her... but there was that whole 'No Dating or Sleeping with the Boss' thing that her previous job experience just wouldn't let her get over... whether the guy was appealing or not. And, in regards to Shoshannah, she tried to remind herself how silly it was to be irked by such things at all... especially now that, even if she had been upset, Sullivan had asked her out. Right after spotting Shoshannah. So there was nothing to be upset about... as if she was.

So, Evelyn greeted with Shoshannah with a wide smile--one she still didn't quite mean, but she was trying to. But she didn't say anything just yet. Instead she let her eyes flick down to some papers before her, letting Ian and Shoshannah carry on as she discreetly paid a good bit of attention to their exchange from the corner of her eye.

Shoshannah gave Evelyn a smile in return, still thinking nothing ill of the girl. She had no inclination of what Evelyn was thinking about her. Turning to Ian, Shoshannah smoothed her dress out again. She tried not to be worried about it, but with the amount of fashion sense that she had (which wasn't much at all), she didn't think wrinkles were acceptable. Especially not in the Drake. "The room is perfect," She started, wondering if she should even explain that she wasn't there last night. She didn't want to sound ungrateful. She really hadn't expected to not come back to the Drake last night, but she wasn't paying for the room and he was holding it for her. And it was a gorgeous room. Her face was telling of guilt, not because of the night she had, but because of possibly putting Ian in jeopardy with his job for being so kind to her. "I'll pay you back as soon as I can. I was actually going to see if I could help Miss Wright find any bookstores in the area that are hiring. Do you know of any?"

Ian gave her an understanding smile. He already knew she hadn't been back that night, but was wondering how she'd explain it. Whoever she was with she was definitely keeping it to herself. Ian assumed that it might have been a suitor that she swore she didn't have and that annoyed him. Not because he actually liked her but he didn't want to deal with competition for her attention. "Helping Miss Wright?" Ian's smile was teasing when he flashed his look back at Evelyn. "Sadly I although I can think of bookstores in the area, I'm not sure if anyone is hiring. Are you looking for employment?"

Evelyn, despite trying to get over her initial mindset with the girl, felt an internal scowl at the way Shoshannah had phrased that. 'Helping Miss Wright...' she didn't like the way that sounded, especially not in front her boss. And a small, brief twitch of the cheek managed to break through Evelyn's otherwise pleasant expression. Hell, she was more than capable of doing her job after all. Help was something she did not need. Although, at Ian's question about looking for employment, her ears perked up again. Merely because she was curious, simply because it was honestly surprising if Shoshannah was looking for work. And if she was? She wondered what the story was there, even though it was a matter Evelyn would never pry into. Petty moments or not, she still had that personal code she lived by.

Shoshannah was still mulling over how to explain where she was last night. Maybe if she offered to pay twice what the nightly rate was, he wouldn't be upset? But he was asking her another question and she figured that, for now, it wasn't a problem. "I am. I was hoping I could find a bookstore that might hire me." Working in a place like the Drake would be nice, but she wasn't cut out for it here. People relied in the employees of the Drake. The first time she zoned out on someone, it would be done. She'd save herself and Ian the awkward conversation about employment here. "I love books and I thought a bookstore might be fitting." And by fitting, she really meant 'willing to hire her'. She needed to start making her own money. Then she could pay for the room here, pay for Angelo's painting, maybe buy herself a new dress once she saved up. "Can we write down their addresses, though? I'd still like to go by and see them." Maybe Ian was wrong? Maybe somewhere was hiring? She'd never know unless she tried.

"Seems reasonable enough," Ian answered with that understanding tone he'd perfected at age five. "Working on moving out still then?" The smile he gave Shoshannah was the winning smile, the one that screamed "I am completely trustworthy" even if he was anything but. Reaching across Evelyn, and ensuring that his hand barely grazed hers as he went by, he grabbed her note pad and pen, scribbling a few names and addresses. Turning back to Evelyn, whose little crack in her perfect demeanor he'd caught earlier, he did his best to garner her attention away from their guest. "What about the library? They are always looking for help right?" Ian was hoping to get an answer out of her, as she hadn't said a word since Shoshannah had interrupted them.

Evelyn's pleasantness and interest actually required less forcing as the conversation progressed, not that it was reflected on her face: it had never stopped being anything less than pleasant and polite. So Shoshannah was looking for a job for herself... that fact had caught her moodiness-free interest. And when Evelyn heard Shoshannah was working on moving out? That brought forth some honest respect from her. Evelyn worked hard to be able to take care of herself, and not even a somewhat sour mood could get her to begrudge that in others. Of course, one might think she'd consider Shoshannah's prominent last name to make her moving-out 'less notable' than her own, but Evelyn actually didn't view it like that. If anything, the girl would probably have a greater shock of it than she did, especially since 'NAIVE' was plastered over her brighter than the smeared rainbow on her arm. And that solicited some worry, because Evelyn was a pretty sharp girl well familiar with the rougher side of things before moving out, and even she fell into a pretty nasty trap. And it didn't matter how petty she could apparently be: there were some fates Evelyn just didn't wish on others. Ever.

So even though she wasn't jumping up to make the girl her next close friend, Evelyn's smile came easier now... although it unfortunately started a bit at Ian's question. "...The library?" A subtle frown stirred beneath the surface as she faced Ian, recalling her encounter with Lily there. Lily, who knew about Evelyn working at the Drake, and who Evelyn had assumed knew Ian somehow... but if she did, surely Ian would know if they were hiring or not? And if she didn't, well, Evelyn (a bit selfishly) wasn't keen on sending Shoshannah -- who knew her as Amelia the Concierge -- to the library where, apparently, the librarians still remembered her. "I'm not sure... maybe?" She brought her gaze back to Shoshannah, because now the girl had caught some genuine interest and because she felt awkward staring Ian in the eye, "You could definitely check there... although since the city can't seem to fix the ruined areas after all these years, I'm not sure how well they'd pay for another librarian."

But, because she didn't want to be too discouraging, and she wanted to at least help steer Shoshannah clear of some of the shadier business, she continued. "But I can think of a couple more bookstores; and even some other businesses you might want to check?" And she proceeded to carefully jot down some addresses left-handed as she verbally listed some more bookstores and businesses in the area. Actually, it was surprising just how quick she was with the response. Nearly all of them were places Evelyn remembered constantly checking for employment a couple months ago, when she was desperate to get away from that lawyer's office. She still remembered all of them as if it were a very unpleasant yesterday. But that was months ago, and some of them might have openings now. She handed Shoshannah her own list, keeping her gaze directly onto the other girl's, "But... you should go about things carefully." It almost sounded like a general well-wishing, but there was certainly an underlying warning tone that suggested Evelyn meant it a bit more than that.

Switching from Ian to Evelyn, Shoshannah watched as she wrote down on the pad of paper, the hope in her growing. Maybe today would be the day she could finally find something. She'd been looking for quite some time now and even had interviews for prospective jobs, but she'd ruined them all with her pesky condition. It didn't exactly label her as reliable when she fell asleep during their questions. But she had quite a few chances now and there were at least two or three bookstores that Evelyn had written down. Taking the list gently, Shoshannah swore she'd caught a little glimpse of a bandage under Evelyn's shirt. She knew that material very well due to her father's job, but she didn't pry about it. It wasn't her place to ask and Evelyn didn't seem to be in pain. Shoshannah might not have even seen anything, who knew?

"Thank you very much, Miss Wright." Scanning over the paper, she spoke gently. "I've tried the library, actually, and you're right. They aren't in the market for another librarian at the moment. I would have liked to work there, though. I really love that library. So I thought, what's the next best thing to a library, and all that came to mind was a bookstore." Holding the paper tight in her hands, Shoshannah was careful not to smudge the ink or rumple it. "Maybe I can see if any of these are open today. Couldn't hurt to check, right?" At Evelyn's warning to be careful, Shoshannah could only smile more. "Thank you," She said, her voice a bit softer. "I'll be fine." She assured, touched that Miss Wright seemed concerned for her. Everyone she'd met so far has been so concerned for her well-being and somehow, their concern was much nicer than her own mother's, who was generally just rude to her about her laziness instead of legitimately concerned.

More than anything else Evelyn had said, the warning had made him curious. Again he wondered about her injuries as she hadn't been very enlightening on that matter. "Some of the stores should be open today or at least this morning," he reassured Shoshannah, turning his focus from Evelyn back to the other girl. "Miss Wright does make a good point though. You should probably do your best to stick to the Drake after dark. If you do need to go out, I'd take a cab. There's been some uncomfortable whispers about this last group of bodies they found." The warning sounded genuine as well, even if it was just so he could keep better tabs on where she was headed off to in the evenings.

Evelyn hated it, the way it was so much harder to maintain her focus whenever that subject drifted near. Especially since, when she was at work, she could maintain her face about practically everything -- overhearing shady business, the incredibly frustrating guests... hell, Shoshannah had walked in dripping wet with rainbow vines painted on her arm and Evelyn hadn't even blinked! But this matter wasn't so easy to just grin and bear through, and she really had a hard time understanding and accepting that. Sure, there was a bunch of horrible things that could have happened: she could've lost her money, or her life, or been violated... all that could've happened, but none of them did. So she should've been able to just be grateful and move on with her life, in her opinion. It made perfect sense to her, and she deflected the questions about her wrist easily enough and carefully kept the other injuries concealed.

But when things such as walking alone or walking at night or just walking down the street were mentioned? Like now? There was another small twitch and that smile started to look a bit a strained, even though she fought to prevent it. So she dropped the smile, passing it off as being distracted again by the papers before her, before glancing up again -- a bit more composed. She briefly wondered if she should add to her warning, clarify it, and tell Shoshannah something along the lines of 'Be aware of shady employers who take advantage' or something... but, really, that didn't seem so great when the employer who just asked her out was standing there (and her warning certainly wasn't about Ian). "Well," out came the pleasant and toothy smile again, "I certainly wish you success on your search, Miss Hagel." Yes, part of it was to be polite but she did mean it -- she didn't wish the girl ill, even if Evelyn still had no designs on friendship and considered the girl odd.

Shoshannah listened to the two of them, thinking their warnings kind and sincere. She blinked at Ian, a sense of confusion in her eyes. "Angelo keeps warning me about the streets to. I don't see why anyone would want to hurt me if I just mind my own business, though." It wasn't that she didn't take their warnings seriously, it was just that Shoshannah didn't think she was going to be getting involved in any sort of shady business that might lead to her getting hurt. She certainly didn't think anyone was going to kill her, but she couldn't help the little twinge of fear in her eyes.

"I would have taken a cab..." She started, glancing down at the paper with less of a reason this time, just to avoid their eyes. "...But cabs don't run for free." She explained with a smile on her lips. She didn't know how absurd the idea of a Hagel not having money might be. She could always just go home, hash it out with her parents, get some more money and be stuck there in that household, but that wasn't what she wanted. They'd make sure to keep their eyes on her at all hours of the day. She'd be lucky if she saw the streets again if she returned home now, so walking didn't seem like such an awful option compared to the prison her house was starting to feel like.

The twitch that jumped behind his eye was covered, but still there. Angelo? Who for fuck's sake was Angelo? "You'd be surprised," Ian said gravely, his eyes ticking back to Evelyn just briefly. The girl had incredible composure, but he'd been watching her, even when he attention was supposedly on Shoshannah and he'd spotted it cracking around the edges, especially at this topic of conversation. "The slums of the streets are far from picky." Ian paused, not wanting to be forward, but it needed to asked. "Angelo?"

The girl's response irritated Evelyn on a level most guests hadn't managed, but she bit back her tongue. Saying nobody would hurt her if she minded her own business? Seriously: was this girl joking or just an idiot? If it was a joke she didn't find it all funny, and if the girl was just being stupid well, Evelyn had no pleasure dealing with that either. Or maybe the girl was just being arrogant, thinking her last name would protect her from danger -- working at the Drake, Evelyn had met more than her fair share of people like that. It hadn't really occurred to her that Shoshannah just might be sheltered. Who could be so sheltered in this city to not know of its dangers? Did Shoshannah think all the murders and muggings and assaults in the newspaper only happen to people who 'didn't mind their own business'? As if they deserved it?

She would've given the girl a lecture, but Evelyn didn't trust herself enough to remain civil on that subject. Besides, it wasn't her job to lecture the girl and Ian had touched on the matter anyway. The comment on the cab told Evelyn one thing -- that the Hagels had cut their daughter off financially. And that would generally bring forth some empathy from Evelyn (not in the family cutting off, her family would always be there for her, just in the 'financially struggling' experience) and stir a willingness to help... and it still did. But she was just a bit too sore about Shoshannah's attitude to be especially helpful. And Evelyn would've suggested a bus, except, well... taking the bus had gotten her in her predicament in the first place hadn't it? To be fair, she had never had much trouble with the bus before, it was her dumb ass freakin' falling asleep on the bus that had started it. But still, 'bus' had an unpleasant connotation for her now and she was already struggling with her composure as is.

So instead Evelyn smiled, nodded, and focused on seeming interested in the subject at hand even though she couldn't care one way or the other who 'Angelo' was or wasn't.

Maybe Shoshannah was thinking too much, but she was starting to feel like something was wrong between the three of them. This had started out as a nice conversation about bookstores in the area and now it was about her safety and who Angelo was. But even as she realized that there might be something off about their conversation, the thought was stolen away from her and replaced with thoughts about Angelo. "Angelo is," What should she call him? "He's my friend. A good friend." Definitely a friend. A good friend that she kissed last night, but she didn't need to share that with either of them. It was a moment for her and Angelo alone. But the smile she had on her lips gave her away.

"I guess I should go talk to my father then?" She suggested with a little laugh. She was embarrassed of course. She'd only been talking and thinking awful things about her family since their fight, but she couldn't see any other way to do this. Maybe her Father would help support her until she could get on her own two feet? He'd always been much more receptive to the idea of Shoshannah's independence than her mother had. And he was probably worrying himself sick. Maybe a trip to Eidolon General wasn't a bad idea after all. Money or not, Shoshannah was suddenly realizing just how upset her father would be with not knowing where she was. She didn't want to move back in to that house no matter what, but at least explaining her side of the story to Bartholomew would probably help her chances. She'd taken a step toward a life of her own and she wasn't about to back-track.

God damnit. There was no denying what that the damned little smirk on her lips meant, and Ian flashed a face of hurt for Shoshannah, just a moment as if seeming to gather his composure in front of his employee. Ironically the employee he'd just asked out. If he was going to continue to push the romantic angle with both women, keeping them apart might be the best action from here on out. "It probably wouldn't hurt, no. He's probably worried about you by now. Do you need someone to go with you?" Ian doubted it was something her late night rendezvous could offer, but it was something he, Ian Sullivan of the Drake and the DiGiovanni family could offer. At least then Hagel would know who had her. Seeing his reaction would be priceless.

Because Evelyn was only pretending to be interested in the subject, she caught Ian's look there. ...what the hell? 'Family friend', huh? Or maybe it was something he tried to convince himself of... she wasn't quite up to thinking Ian was intentionally pulling her around, but that hurt look at Shoshannah's obviously-more-than-a-friend-Angelo certainly gave her pause. She'd be an idiot if it didn't. Oh, look, yay... more irked feelings popping up. Although this time she wasn't sure if they were directed at Shoshannah, Ian, or herself. She brought her attention back to Shoshannah; "Well, I hope you do what you think is right for you," she added politely. Evelyn was completely lost on this subject, and she wasn't one to get into the personal business of people she just met -- or even people she'd known for a while. She didn't know why Shoshannah was leaving home or what the story was with her parents, and Evelyn knew that sometimes there were very good and very personal reasons for a child to leave their home -- not everybody had grown up in a loving environment like she did. In fact, her family seemed to be the exception in her neighborhood.

Catching Ian's gaze, Shoshannah felt her heart sink into her stomach. Was that...hurt? He looked so sad. Of course, Ian's attention to her was important but Shoshannah hadn't wanted to read anything into it. A kiss to the palm of the hand, while still intimate, wasn't the same as a full on kiss. Shoshannah's face was not as happy as before, now reflecting worry and guilt that she might have hurt Ian's feelings. She hadn't really imagined he was thinking of her that way. She should really apologize but...how could she do that infront of Miss Wright? That wouldn't be proper, would it?

She tried instead to have her apology reflect in her eyes as she glanced back at Ian, catching hold of his gaze. "I couldn't ask you to do that, Ian...I'm always taking up your work time, it seems. But it would be nice to have a friend there, someone to back me up. My father can be a little intimidating at times." Turning back to Evelyn, Shoshannah still couldn't get the look of guilt out of her eyes. She hadn't even realized it and now she'd gone and hurt someone really didn't want to. She gave Evelyn a smile, but it wasn't as cheerful as before. "Thank you, Miss Wright."

Turning back to Ian, she started up again, still trying to make amends for something she hadn't realized she'd been doing. "I'm really grateful that you're letting me stay here, Ian, but if you need the room open, I'll go get my things? You shouldn't have to keep it booked for someone who can't pay you yet."

"You're not taking up my work time," Ian reassured her. "I'm not even supposed to be here today, but it's hard when I just live upstairs to not always be here." He moved around the desk, the look on his face the ever vigilant friend. Just seeing that guilt in her eyes was enough, she knew she'd upset him. There might even be a possible opportunity to still make a move. "Stop worrying about the room. We're not booked up, no one is traveling in this weather unless they have to." He rested an understanding hand on her shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder at Evelyn, out of Shoshannah's line of sight and gave her a pleading apologetic look. Prior the girl walking up they'd been in the middle of something important, and from his face, he didn't seem to want to leave things open ended. "Amelia, you'll think about what I asked right? I'd very much love to arrange something." His eyes explained as best they could, that he still wanted her, and the look was just for her.

"I'll think about it, Mr. Sullivan," Evelyn promised through a somewhat strained smile, the lingering doubt not dashing away as it had previously. But, really, that doubt was the least of her reasons for holding back an answer. It seemed to her that she had numerous other reasons that held her back, wholly regardless of whether she liked Ian or not. And she did, although she hadn't let herself like him too much; but she knew that if he weren't her boss? and if he didn't know her under a false name? she would've said 'yes' a while ago. Rather than keep eye contact and watch them walk out, Evelyn returned her gaze again to the papers before her which, actually, she had been working through just before Shoshannah arrived--they hadn't been there solely for an excuse to deflect her gaze.

Shoshannah politely looked away, down at the purse on her arm, as Ian spoke with Evelyn. It wasn't her business what they were talking about, but of course she was curious. She tried to think of something else instead, though, and fond herself focusing on the stained parts of her arm, tracing the different colors with her eyes. She wouldn't deny that Ian's going with her to see her father put a sense of ease in her. Sometimes it was hard for Shoshannah to get her father to listen to her. Sure, he wasn't at all like her mother, but she still figured he'd need a little convincing from her to let her stay. And besides, if she could bring along the manager of the Drake, who better to prove that she was in capable, protective hands there? She waited patiently for their conversation to end, thinking she'd need to go and get her jacket before they could head out.

Ian held Evelyn's gaze until she dropped hers to the work on the desk. "Don't stay all day today, Amelia. I'd rather you head home before the afternoon wears on. There's not anything to book tonight with almost everywhere being closed due to the weather." Turning back to Shoshannah, he donned the friendly charming smile. "I'm ready to head out if you are."

Evelyn glanced up briefly at that, but with Ian returning to Shoshannah she didn't respond. Leaving early would be wonderful, really. It would give her time to try to assuage some of those worries that had eaten at her the past couple days: she could drop in on her family -- she had been missing them more sharply than usual -- and she could see what Jesse was up to: try to dissuade him from at least doing anything stuipd and dangerous on her account. ...and, there was Dodge. Her conscience had been eating at her for how she had just let him walk out, distressed though he was and even after he had said he had nowhere to go. And she had half-expected him to show up yesterday the way he was wont to do, but he hadn't. And she was worried--did he go back to his place, wherever that was? Or did he wander about in the bad weather, or had he been to oblvious and gotten himself killed... yeah, Evelyn had relied heavily on the sedatives the past two nights. So she'd try finding him, not wishing for another night of restless worry and guilt.

Turning back to Evelyn, Shoshannah smiled again. This time when she did so, she really meant it. The woman had been nothing but kind to her this whole time. "Thank you so much, Miss Wright. It was so nice of you to help. I hope to see you again soon!" Turning to Ian, she continued to smile. "I'll just be a minute? I've got to go get my jacket." She took the moments in the elevator to reflect upon what had happened. Hopefully she could repair some damaged ground with Ian over the course of this afternoon. He'd been so kind to her, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.

Returning downstairs, Shoshannah pulled the still damp jacket onto her arms and shivered. Hopefully this talk with her father would go well. Hopefully she'd soon have more than just two dresses and one repeatedly wet jacket to wear. With the weather fighting against them all the way it was, she wouldn't be surprised if half the city was sick as dogs by the end of this storm, herself included. Returning to Ian's side, she smiled again at him. "Now I'm ready." All she could do was hope that this worked out for the better.