a new opportunity

Who: Ian and Evelyn
Where: The Drake (Ian's Office)
When: Early afternoon

It was a couple hours before her shift was scheduled, and Evelyn was taking moment to straighten her outfit in the bathroom mirror before heading towards Sullivan's office. It was to make sure she didn't look like a girl who got shoved into a wall, not for vanity! ...or at least that was her story and she was sticking with it. And, thanks to one of her roommate's help, she looked pretty normal save for glimpses of the ACE bandage peeking out from beneath her sleeve. Her hair wasn't down, but it was pulled into a braided sideways bun that let it swoop down just enough to cover the bruising on her face without coming off sloppy. And she was pretty sure there were enough pins stuck into it to withstand a tornado, much less a day at the Drake... so she was hoping.

She had no trouble getting to Sullivan's office -- even though she had actually never been in there before. In front of the door, she paused only briefly to collect herself before she raised up a hand and knocked.

Ian was reading through papers, making notes in his own cryptic language in the hotel's books. The day had been slow although the family continued to be twitchy which just meant he had to spend more time focusing on their happiness. Thankfully he'd found a spare moment and closed the door to his office, hoping to hide away, just briefly to regain his sanity. Then of course that moron Dolores knocked on his door. "Come in," his voice sounded as annoyed as he was. Hadn't he asked for just one hour?

Evelyn held back for a second, definitely surprised at the tone: Sullivan had never seemed short on patience before -- and she had seen a lot at the hotel that would have peeved her to no end were she in his position. But him being in a mood wouldn't deter her: she had come here with a definite purpose, and Evelyn held steady when she had a specific goal in mind.

So she opened the door and stepped inside, taking care not to close it behind her. "Mr. Sullivan?" Phrasing the greeting as a question, and keeping her demeanor even more polite and professional, were the her only acknowledgments of his mood. But otherwise she didn't look hesitant -- at work it was easier for her to keep her composure than at home. And despite whole surprise!Account bombshell, she had left her brother's place in a sounder state of mind than that she had arrived in. She still had just as many things on her plate -- more, even -- but now she felt like she could sort through the mess. She was nowhere near dealing with all of it, but she was seizing onto the things she could do something about. And with her wrist out of commission for waitressing, finding another job was one of those things. And thus she was here, standing in Sullivan's office.

He'd been expecting to lose his patience with Dolores, both as his character and as himself. The woman did not listen and eventually his nice guy routine was going to crack a little. Maybe if he made her believe he was upset she might actually leave him alone for a little while. Maybe he could make her cry. But it wasn't Dolores standing in his doorway. "Amelia," Ian stood up awkwardly, purposefully banging his knee against the desk. "I'm sorry, I thought...I...Can I help you?" Awkward was bound to cover the annoyed quickly enough. He needed to keep Amelia looped in, giving her nothing but the nice guy.

Evelyn winced a bit as she heard him bang his knee. She debated asking if he was alright, both knee-wise and to how his day was going (she was assuming not well), but quickly opted against it. She would've asked had it not been for the crush: it was very important for her to keep professional, especially in this moment. And his not-so-hidden feelings made that difficult, difficult enough for her to avoid asking the casual personal questions common in most everyday encounters.

So, instead of inquiring about his knee and personal well-being, Evelyn jumped right into business, fixing him with a polite but direct gaze. She took another couple steps towards his desk, but didn't sit down, ever aware that politeness was just as important here as exuding confidence. How could any boss be certain in her if she didn't come off certain about herself? "Actually, sir, I wanted to talk to you about a job."

Well, that certainly is interesting, Ian thought as he screwed his face up in a look of confusion. "I'm not sure I understand; you already have a job here." He reached down to rub his knee a little. Pointing to the chair across from his desk, he moved to sit himself. "Why don't you sit?"

Well, had a job. She hadn't been officially fired yet, but she was certainly out of a job for a good while. The fact that she could move her fingers told her her wrist wasn't broken, but it felt like 'broken' and whatever awful state it was in had only been a short twist away. Only a doctor could tell her how bad off it was, but she figured it would take a week before it could be put to everyday use again. But being fit for everyday use was nowhere near the same thing as being fit for waitressing where the weight of seven plates on a tray were carried by one hand. So yeah, she was out for at least a couple of weeks... long enough for them to find somebody new and long enough to not be guaranteed an opening when she came back.

"Well, I have a job I'm unable to physically do for a while," Evelyn correct as she took a seat, briefly flashing her bandaged wrist before folding both hands on her lap. "I hurt my wrist, and there aren't any jobs in the restaurant that don't require some type of lifting." She smiled a bit, internally pleased at how she managed not to falter there as she smoothly passed over an explanation. "And when I talked to the supervisor today, he suggested that I speak with you."

Actually, the 'suggestion' hadn't been that at all, merely a sarcastic 'take it up with Sullivan' brush-off. Her supervisor seemed content with just letting her go and getting someone else to replace her shift, but Evelyn wasn't going to give up that easily. Jobs weren't readily come by, and she figured she'd have better luck with Sullivan. And not just because he liked her. Evelyn was too proud to be kept on just because the boss had a crush.

"Oh," Ian commented, looking concerned and unsure of what to say in regards to her injury. He doubted that the supervisor at the restaurant had suggested any such thing, but he might have pointed her in Ian's direction with someone that resembled spite. "Well, what can you do? With your injury?" he asked careful, seeming nervous as he usually did around Amelia.

"Aside from heavy lifting with that wrist I can do pretty much anything -- working with the front desk or in the casino," she listed off, letting him know she could work well outside the restaurant. "I'm a very quick learner: I didn't have any waitressing or restaurant experience before this, but in the three months since working here I've proven myself to be one of the best servers on the staff, so I've been told." She gave a pause there, subtly eyeing him as she his own words there. She kept her tone confidently matter-of-fact, not arrogant -- because she was speaking the simple truth here: she was smart and had been more than capable in her job. "If something needs to be done, I don't need to be told twice about it... and many times I don't need to be told at all." Because she had noticed that wasn't the case with many of the employees, Evelyn was specifically pointing out that tidbit there.

Finally, Evelyn threw her last bit in, "But -- if you're short on training resources at the moment -- I still know the restaurant, and I could still be useful there even with my wrist. I know how it runs, and what needs to be done when--" and what could be done better, but she didn't say that just yet "--and I've also noticed that... occasionally... the supervisors seem to have a lot on their plate." Actually, usually they just weren't doing their jobs, or lazy, or just incompetent with some matters. And, thus, Evelyn reached the Main Point, "I could help them out there there while my wrist heals."

It was a bit forward, yes, but she had thought it through. She kept telling herself and others she wasn't planning on being a waitress forever, well, here was her finally following through on that plan. Normally, she would've waited a bit to get to this point -- where she was all but outright asking for a promotion -- but her hurt wrist was forcing her to highlight her use outside of waitressing. And, even though she still had no plans on using it, the money in the Account gave her that extra bit of security that encouraged her to go ahead. If worst came to worst and Ian said no and she lost her job... well, she at least had enough money to tide her over for a while.

Ian considered all of what she said with an inward smile. It was quite amusing, the way she remembered what he'd said about her, and how she was now subtly turning it against him. He knew he'd liked he for a reason. She was similar to him, liking to twist things so they went the way she wanted them to.

"As much of an asset to the training staff at the restaurant, I can't imagine your supervisor ever forgiving me for just tossing you at him in such a position." The man he'd hired was a pain, but the more power over everything Ian let him believe he had the more control Ian had over him. "And I just hired a girl to work the front desk for the one I fired." Ian paused on purpose, obviously thinking hard about what to do about her plight. He would draw it out, find out just how bad she wanted it before he told her what he had in mind.

His silence made her nervous as he thought things over, but Evelyn was very, very careful not to let that show. Desperation was something she had always been prone to hiding. And she had learned a disturbing lesson about letting your boss know just how much you wanted or depended on a job. But at least this time she wasn't dependent on the job. Even though she really wanted not to use it, the account was there in the back of her mind. And she figured she had enough of her own money saved up to possibly tide her over until she found a next job.

But he was taking a long time thinking of a solution, and since she had no reason to doubt he wasn't trying his hardest there, she came to the disheartening conclusion that there wasn't anything available. She still waited just a second longer and managed not to fidget, but as soon as her body became too still, she figured it was time to accept defeat there and get to scoping for 'Help Wanted' signs. "Well, I appreciate you seeing me," she forced a smile as she moved to get out of the chair.

That was surprising. Before, he would have assumed she'd put up with anything to keep the job, that she needed the job. Only her willingness to just walk away, made him wonder what had changed. For an instant he considered letting her walk away, intent on refusing to hire someone intelligent ever again, but he couldn't do that. She was far more interesting here, with him, and there for him to manipulate.

"Wait," he told her, shifting as if to keep her in her seat. "I need another concierge. It's not really a standard job, but you'd be dealing directly with guests, which can be trying." The idea had come to him, before he'd teased her with it. If he could get her mixed up in family business he could own her, and thus use her to his own whims. "Most of the time it's just making sure they get the right bottles of champagne in their rooms or extra towels, but when it ranges outside of that, they'd still expect you to cater to it."

Evelyn stopped mid-rise, no longer in her seat but not quite out yet either, surprised by the offer. For the briefest moment a confused frown danced at the corners of her mouth, because she had honestly figured there weren't any positions available... and she wondered if he was just making that up, inventing a job on the spot only because he liked her, or felt sorry for her... and that possibility did bring out the frown, if only for a moment. She eyed him carefully, not wanting to be offered the position for such a reason if that were the case.

...But he seemed sincere -- or maybe the sincerity was him in not wanting her to leave -- but it was enough to push her towards acceptance. Because job-hunting was really not fun... and she needed to have some sort of job. For her to be able to still leave comfortable and pay for her place (or a new place, once she got around to doing that) was just suspicious. And suspcious wasn't something she wanted to be when she had that much money in her name and no real idea where it came from. "Alright," she let herself slide back into the seat and smiled, and this time it wasn't forced. It even came off slightly relieved now that she was spared another job search. But most importantly: she wouldn't have to dip into that account or her own savings. "I guess... when should I start?"

Ian smiled, looking relieved himself. For a moment there, when she'd frowned he wondered if she was considering turning him down. It would mean that he'd have to keep a very close eye on her, especially if Amelia was planning on doing things without being told, but there was still fun to be had there, and a chance to own her. "You can start whenever. The schedule would be a little different, more during the day and getting you out of the dinner rush."

And that was something that made made her relax just a bit more, although she didn't realize that until after the fact. She hated that, the way the idea of leaving the hotel late at night bothered her... it was one thing to be worried about that walking around the rougher parts of town... but to be worried about it walking out of the Drake? In the upscale parts of town whose streets were never deserted? It was childish. "Well, a more regular schedule wouldn't hurt," again she smiled and it came off just the slight bit too bright; overcompensating to herself for being so unwittingly worried about such a thing... it was inconsequential before. "So, I'll be here tomorrow then?"

He returned the bright smile, playing the part of the naive guy with a crush who just assumed that she was happy to be working with him. In reality he was curious what had sparked such a bright smile, where just moments before she'd been frowing. "Tomorrow works fine. I look forward to seeing you." He stood this time, smoothing his vest and tie even though they were already prefect, just a nervous tick he'd given the Ian everyone sees. "I'm glad you came to me Amelia and glad I could help."

"Thank you," Evelyn rose from the seat, briefly straightening her skirt because it was a bit uneven from the chair. All in all, she thought this had gone pretty well: she had a new job, it'd get her out earlier than usual, and the meeting had gone even more professional than she had hoped. Keeping in line with that professionalism, she kept the smile and held out her hand for a shake, "Until then, Mr. Sullivan."

"It's Ian, Amelia," he told her with a small smile. He came around the edge of the desk, moving to close the space between them. "Let me know if there's anything else I can do." The look on his face was shy as he reached out gently touching her shoulder.

"Oh that's all," she replied, the brightness of the smile dimming a notch as he passed over the handshake. That... could be a problem. It would already be hard enough to convince the staff (and herself) that she wasn't still here just because of the crush. "Well, I'll leave you to your work then," she flashed a small yet sympathetic smile. But she discreetly stepped away from the shoulder masking the movement behind the excuse. He may have been happy with seeing her, but Evelyn recalled his annoyance at being interrupted. Before walking out, she gave him a last good-bye that was puncuated with an awkward pause where his name should be. Yeah, the first-name thing was still going to take some work.

"Of course," Ian told her before holding the door open for her to go. "Have a good day, Amelia." True to his character he watched her walk away, then once she was out of sight from the office door, he pushed it closed again. Walking back around his place, he took the phone off the hook, and then settled into his chair, leaning back a little running his hands through his hair. Giving Amelia the job he gave her was going to take more work on his time, she was dangerous, but he appreciated her, and if he could turn her, if he could own her, it would certainly be worth his time. She could be the perfect asset.