Long Time, No See

Who: Ian and Shoshannah
When: Late morning
Where: The Drake

After Elle had left, Shoshannah found herself drifting downstairs in need of the open lobby. In need of the people there who hopefully were enjoying the nice weather. Nice weather always put people in a happier mood and while the temperature was warmer than before, it still wasn’t warm enough of a day for Shoshannah to take Angelo up on his offer to pop a hydrant. That would have to happen in the summer, when she would normally be miserable because of the heat. She wound up on a small sofa with someone’s discarded copy of the newspaper in her hands, barely reading it as much as she usually did.

Nice weather or not, Ian was still at work. Guests seemed to be loitering in the lobby more than usual, enjoying the sun glinting in through the windows and the glimpse of blue sky around the other buildings in the skyline. Though he found them annoying, Ian was moving about them, catering to everyone’s whims as best he could.

Spotting a familiar face he moved closer to her, please to see for the first time in a while he had a chance to catch her alone. “Shannah?” Ian said politely, as if not wanting to interrupt her reading, but he could tell she was barely focused.

She looked up past the newspaper and her smile widened into a bright beaming one as she saw Ian. "Ian, hello!" Scooting over on the sofa, she freed up the cushion beside her for Ian to sit. It didn't occur to her immediately that he might not be able to, since he was more than likely working. "Oh..can you take a minute to sit? I don't want to keep you from your work."

He didn’t really have time, but it had been too long since he’d set things into motion with Shoshannah. “You’re still a guest yes?” Ian asked sitting down next to her with a playful smile.

She gave him back another smile and nodded. "Yes," She said, holding the paper out for him. "If you want to take a break from work and read the paper, I'll cover for you." Shoshannah's voice was conspiratorial when she spoke, her smile even more so.

Ian leaned in closer, smile shifting to one that was actually rather close to the inner smile he never showed. “If anyone asks, I’m catering to one of my most important guests,” he said, voice matching the conspiratorial tone in hers. Leaning back he lounged a little on couch, one arm draped across the back. “How have you been?”

Shannah's laugh was small, but warm, as she nodded. "I've been all right. I've been working a lot. I had a friend over last night, her name is Elle. We had a sleep-over." It probably sounded very childish, but Shoshannah couldn't have been happier with the outcome of their sleep-over. The road to it was a little rocky, filled with confessions and stories of childhood. Shoshannah had learned what had happened to Elle and it was still stuck with her, but she was determined to let her friend know that she had support in Shoshannah. So long story short, her sleep-over with Elle had been a very successful way to replace a missing childhood memory. "How have you been?"

“A sleep-over? That sounds fun,” Ian commented, actually thinking it sounded trite and childish, but he’d learned to accept that was just how most things went with Shoshannah. Her naivety was something he’d grown to expect. “I’ve been busy working as well. Though I suppose that’s hardly news of any sort.” He was, after all, always here.

"It was fun," She kept her smile there until she heard that he'd been working. Again. If there was one thing she knew about Ian, aside from the fact that he was unbelievably kind to her, was that he worked far too much. "You should really take a day off, Ian. Do you ever take days off? I always see you working."

The short answer to that was no. Ian rarely took days off, preferring to keep an eye on his hotel instead of lounging about the city or his apartment. If there was a need to not be at the hotel he was willing to do so, but the need rarely came up. “Holidays,” he said slightly teasing but sounding a little exasperated, even if he wasn’t. “I take holidays off. Or I do provided there’s not an event going on. I should probably consider a day off soon though shouldn’t I?” There wasn’t a need for one, but he was interested to see what Shoshannah thought he needed a day off for.

"Yes, you should! You work so hard here, you deserve a nice day off. Maybe even a couple of days. I think you should go wild and take off a whole weekend," She said, teasing back but in a way that suggested she was serious too. "Taking off only holidays isn't good for you, Ian. Running a hotel like this must be stressful and if you only get holidays off, you'll never not be stressed. Would you consider it? Taking a day off just to take a day off?"

“A whole weekend?” Ian asked, pretending to look shocked. Shrugging, he kept his smile in place. Her warnings meant nothing to him, as running the hotel rarely left him feeling stressed. Frustrated yes, but there was a bigger picture here, a puzzle he’s constructed and that amused him enough. “What would a do with a whole day off?”

"I don't know, spend time with friends or take your lucky mystery lady out on another date?" Shoshannah suggested, shrugging a little. "Or just catch up on some reading. Sleep in. Eat a bunch of chocolate or cake or something really bad for you. I could come up with a million things you could do." She said, her smile there again. "If you take a day off, I can finally introduce you to Angelo, too!"

Most of what Shoshannh listed sounded like an absolute waste of time, especially since Ian wasn’t exactly the type to indulge in the sort of things most people did. The last part, that caught his attention though. “I’d finally get to meet Angelo?” That was something worthy of taking a day off.

Shoshannah nodded. "Sure! I know he still wants to meet you and I planned on going to see him a little later today. If you want to tell me when a good day for you is, I can ask Angelo if that day works for him to. Or..either way. I can ask Angelo first if you'd rather." She was feeling even more excited by the prospect of Angelo and Ian finally meeting. Two people she cared about who hadn't had the chance to meet and finally there were steps being made that would allow her to introduce them. And Ian would get a day off out of it, too. It was perfect!

“Find out what works best for Angelo. Since I never take days off I’ve got some flexibility,” Ian said, a hint of a tease in his voice. This was more than exciting, getting to meet Shoshannah’s lover from the seedier part of town. It open opportunities to lay out plans he’d had to put on hold because he hadn’t seen her in so long. Yes, this was certainly worth a day of Dolores screwing up his hotel. Perhaps he’d speak to Kess to ensure she worked the day he was out. He had more faith in her not bringing the place down around her ears in one afternoon.

"I'll do that." This was exciting, really exciting. Getting Angelo to meet Ian was really important to her. Ian had been so nice to her and continued to be just as nice. He was a good friend and she wanted him to meet Angelo, especially because Angelo had expressed wanting to meet Ian too. But for now, she made a mental note to remind herself to ask Angelo before moving on. "What ever happened with your mystery lady? Did your date go well?"

Ian nodded in approval, small smile playing on his lips. Inwardly he was grinning at how easily it would be to bring Shoshannah down right now if he wanted, but there was a bigger game here he could play if he could be patient. So he mentally convinced himself that it was fine to bide his time. “It went quite well actually,” he told Shoshannah. “I’m hoping we can go out again sometime soon.” Ian couldn’t help but think of Becky and wonder if news of her visit to the Drake had traveled to Evelyn yet.

"Did she like your flowers?" Ian had put so much work into picking the right flowers for his date that Shoshannah wasn't sure how she could dislike them. And it was nice to hear that Ian had had a good time on the date. "If it went well, I think you should ask her out again. How can she say no to a man who brings her beautiful flowers?"

“Very much so, so thank you for your help in picking them out.” Shoshannah hadn’t done that much in the way of help, but Ian knew when and where to pay a compliment. “I intend to ask her out again, I’ve just been too busy to commit to a time to take her out. No one wants to cancel last minute because of work.” There was also the pesky business of Evelyn not wanting to date her boss and insisting they wait until her she found another job before going out again. That had been frustrating even though he’d already punted more than one call for references away in the past week

Shoshannah lifted an eyebrow at him. "And you think that's not a good enough reason to take a night off of work? I do." She gave Ian a smile that bordered on a grin. "You're busy all the time, Ian. Taking a night off one in a while to take someone you like out to dinner, it's not such a bad thing."

“You may have caught me in that one,” he countered, chuckling a little. “Maybe i can align meeting your Angelo with another date. Then I only have to take one day off.” Ian seemed amused at the prospect.

At which Shoshannah rolled her eyes. "Or you could go a little crazy and take two days off. Besides, then you can tell her you spent the whole day thinking about her and preparing for your date? And who doesn't want to hear that?" It was more practical to try and plan both things on one day, but Shoshannah was really pushing for Ian to take just a couple days off, if only because she thought if anyone deserved them, it was Ian.

If Ian had to guess, he’d assume that Evelyn wasn’t one of those girls, the ones who wanted to think that the men they dated did nothing but loiter around and write poetry about their beauty. She was far too practical a puzzle for that. Still, he played along with Shoshannah, smiling and nodding. “Alright, maybe I’ll consider springing for two days off.”

Her smile was back and genuine again as she nodded. "I think two days off will be good for you. I hate to think you don't have any time to relax because you're working. It's one of the most beautiful days we've had so far and you're still working. But...it's still working if you suggest a restaurant for lunch and walk with me there, isn't it?" She asked, the spark in her eye flashing a little.

“I would have loved to take advantage of the lovely day yesterday,” Ian lied. “But I had more than one employee catch a sudden illness.” That much was true, but he’d opted not to fire anyone for playing hooky. They’d make up the time to him later when he found something awful for them to work on. At her suggestion, he smiled, letting his eyes match hers. “I think perhaps it would be. After all, I can’t leave my guests to just fend for themselves.” Standing he offered her a hand up. “What type of lunch are you in the mood for?”

Shoshannah carefully folded the newspaper back up, took Ian's hand to stand, and placed the newspaper on a table nearby for another patron to read. "Well, I'm not sure but if you want to pick a place while I go to my room and grab my purse, I'll pay?" She suggested. Shoshannah was generally happy with whatever restaurant she ended up in. More than likely she'd never been there and getting to experience new things was right up her alley.

“You don’t have to do that,” Ian told her, but he was willing to let her if it gave her some sort of satisfaction. Any plan he had for her meant she trusted him, enjoyed his company and would fall back on him if things went badly. If he kept her happy she’d do just that. “I’ll take care of some things at the desk. Come by there when you’re ready.” Ian escorted her to the elevator leaving her in the capable hands of the attendant before heading back to the desk to let them know he was going to lunch.

Shoshannah was happy to pay for their lunch. She had enough from her pay check to have a lunch with Ian and grab a taxi to Angelo's apartment later. It would set her back on saving to pay for Angelo's painting, but only a little and Ian had paid for their last lunch together so she felt it was only fair. It took her not log at all to grab her purse and take the elevator back down to the lobby, heading straight for the front desk. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Ian was discussing front desk business for the moment when Shoshannah walked up. “I’ll be back in an hour,” he told the man behind the desk, one of the only men he’d hired to work there. “Ready,” he said turning to Shoshannah and offering her his arm. There’s a little cafe a few blocks away if that works for you?”

She slipped her arm through his and smiled to the man behind the desk before turning to look back to Ian with a nod. "Sounds perfect!" She wondered if it was the same cafe that she and Elle had just been to, but that didn't matter. If it was, the food she'd had there was delicious and there was always something new to try. "Is he new?" She asked Ian as they stepped away from the desk. "I don't see many men working here."

“Great,” Ian said wondering if anything didn’t sound perfect so Shoshannah. He led them out of the hotel across and across the street, still talking while they walked. “Him? No, not really. I don’t put him at the desk much but it worked in the schedule today. I get wary hiring men to work at the front desk. They tend to not be as capable as catering to guests needs as women are. I think it has something to with women being nurturers.” He smiled as if he meant it as a compliment. He considered it a weaker aspect to the feminine psyche, always catering to those they have no real investment in.

"I think there are men that could definitely work at the front desk." Honestly, she had a feeling that some men would be better than some women to work. Dolores still didn't sit right with her and the man at the desk had been kinder to her in less than a minute than Dolores had. "You have a way with people, so it's not like all men can't be attentive to guests. I think there are even some men that would be better than some women at the front desk."

Ian had to chuckled because he knew who she was referring to. “I know she seems like a pain, but most of the time she is rather good at what she does.” And Dolores was dumber than a brick and easily distracted by gossip. She kept her nose out of how he ran the hotel and in everyone else’s business, which was fine by Ian.

Shoshannah was caught red-handed, apparently. Embarrassed, she looked away for a moment. "I'm sure she is. Maybe I was too distracted when I first met her to really get to know her. I know I looked a mess and I wasn't focused on her, so that didn't help."

“Don’t fret about it,” he told her, reaching up to squeeze the hand that was resting on his as he led the way down the street. “She’s a handful from time to time, but very good at what she does. I think the problem was that she didn’t realize who you are.” Dolores had thought Shoshannah was just some girl off the streets whom would have been better suited for a night at the Sunny Shores Motel, not an establishment like the Drake. The first day they met her few realized Shoshannah was in fact a Hagel.

Shannah shook her head. It shouldn't matter who she was. She wasn't really anyone important or special like a political dignitary or something. "I hope she doesn't treat other people like that." Still, it made her wonder why she should be treated any differently than anyone else. "I would hope she'd treat everyone equally. I think that's only fair, don't you?"

Ian couldn’t help but again gawk inwardly at how unaware Shoshannah was at how the world around her actually worked. “Fair yes, but not typically how things go,” he told her gently, seeming like he didn’t want to drive a truck into her ivory tower, even if she needed it. “At a place like the Drake we have to be selective.” In a way it disgusted him that she was raised with this silver spoon in her mouth and yet assumed that since she had everything everyone else should as well. She had no concept of what it was like to earn the luxuries afforded to her. Ian knew all too well how high he’d had to climb to do have what he wanted and he hated Shoshannah’s idea that what he wanted should be shared with everyone.

"Selective how?" Apparently so selective that she was allowed a free room, but that didn't really make much sense to her. The 'why' of it was still floating around in her head, because she considered the room she had a blessing given to her from a kind friend. The look of confusion was plain on her face as she glanced up at Ian. "If it really is so selective, then I should start paying for the room. It's not really fair of me to take up a room like that and not pay anything for it."

“Selective as in the Drake caters to a higher clientele,” I an explained. “And no, you’re fine, unless you desperately want to start paying.” He shrugged a little, as if there was nothing he could do about it.

Actually paying for her room at the Drake was a nice concept, because for some reason she felt like she was putting Ian out by not paying for it. But it was finally starting to dawn on her that she had couldn't remember how much a room at the Drake would actually cost her. "I just don't want to put you out. I've been saving my money from work to pay Angelo for a painting he gave me, but if my not paying is a burden, you'll let me know, won't you? So I can find a way to get you the money?"

Ian himself had no issue with calling her father to insist he cover the cost of the room, but the he also had no issue with giving the family something they could hold over the man. “I’ll let you know, but I don’t foresee it being an issues. Angelo gave you a painting? Of what?” Ian didn’t care for art, being colorblind took quite a bit out of that, but he was curious about Angelo. It would be good to know more about the man before he met him.

Happy for the change of subject, Shoshannah's smile was back on her lips at the chance to talk about Angelo and his painting. "It's a landscape of Chinatown. It's beautiful! I have it in my room if you'd like to see it sometime. I just thought it was lovely. He's really a wonderful painter. He plays the trumpet too."

Ian knew full well about the trumpet part from when he’d followed Shoshannah to One More Round. “Sounds like a Renaissance Man if I ever heard of one,” Ian mused leading the way into the cafe and securing them a table by the window. “I’ll have to see this painting at some point then.”

Once at the table, she draped her purse across the seat's back then slipped into the seat, smiling. "I think you'd really like it. Oh, you'll know the answer to this. I wasn't sure if it was allowed, so I haven't asked but would I be allowed to hang it on the wall? It's just propped up against the dresser now..." It wasn't like Shoshannah would really know how to hang a painting correctly anyway. She figured it couldn't be too hard, unless she dozed off and slammed herself in the thumb or dropped the hammer on her foot. Which was entirely too possible.

So much of Ian’s job involved catering to guests with strange requests. People wanted towels in a certain place in the bathroom, they wanted the room that faced a specific way or a certain view and those were just basic run of the mill options. In the end Shoshannah’s request wasn’t unheard of and Ian managed to not look at her bizarrely. “I’m sure we can arrange something. I can send someone up to hang it for you, you can tell them where you want it.”

The thought of Angelo’s painting proudly displayed in her room, like it should be, was enough to make her smile brighten even more. As the waitress came over, Shoshannah ordered the first sandwich she saw off the menu because she hadn’t had time to look and figured it would be as good as anything else on the menu, before looking back to Ian. “Thank you, Ian! And thank you for coming to lunch with me. It’s so nice to see you again.”

Ian gave the waitress his order as well, the same one he always gave, and then turned his attention back to Shoshannah. “No thanks needed,” he said shaking his head about the painting. “But I’m glad I came, it’s nice to see you again. You’ll have to tell me everything that’s been going on since we last spoke.” With that he settled back ready to listen to her tell him the details of the past few days, patiently pouring over them for anything that might be useful for her downfall.