The Heart and the Hero

Interlude -The Plot Approaches a Little Faster than Everyone is Comfortable With

(AN: Actually beginning my plot development arc?? slay (Also, this has just been edited to include Emery, so I deeply apologize to anyone who read it before this)

The office was dark, lit only by the glow of her computer monitor and the lights of the skyscrapers surrounding the windows. The cursor was still blinking at her, as though taunting her, daring her to continue planning, even as she could feel the dull ache of frustration coursing through her.

She leaned her forehead against her palm, letting out a long sigh as she slowly swished her red wine, watching the dark liquid sparkle in the dim light. Setting it down on the metal desk with a click, she hit the backspace and just held down, deleting all the previous work.

Trying to remain confident, she opened a new browser tab, flicking through news stories, trying desperately to find anything alluding to her enemy's whereabouts, and simultaneously trying to find anything to spark inspiration for her next mission.

She paused, however, when something caught her eye.

Sucking in her breath between her teeth, she scrolled through the article quickly, before her face broke into a slight, satisfied smile.

Not taking her eyes off the screen, she outstretched an elegant hand and tapped the button on the side of her desk, waiting for the slight crackle of the intercom to echo before she leaned in closer to the mic.

"Amelia, Emery. To my office. Now."

She sat waiting for a few moments, analyzing the article, and soon heard the click of heels echoing on the marble flooring, faint at first, then growing louder as they neared the office. There was a hesitant knock on her door, then a beam of light filtered through as the door cracked open, revealing the peering face of her first assistant.

"You called, Miss Vivian?"

She barely let the girl finish her sentence before snapping, "Come in, and close that," as Amelia scrambled inside and carefully closed the door, making sure not to shut it too loud and disturb her employer's concentration.

"Yes, Miss Vivian!" Amelia squeaked, then quickly ran over to Vivian's desk, snapping to attention as if she thought her employer would terminate her if her spine wasn't stick straight. How amusing. And not far off the mark either, as Vivian gave her a critical glance up and down, before finally giving a perfunctory nod that made Amelia nearly sigh with relief. Amelia paused, for a moment, and glanced back at the door, before nervously chuckling and clasping her hands together so as not to fidget.

"I'm sure Emery will be here soon as well, he's just wrapping up some paperwork."

She nearly flinched, seeing a small flash of anger in her employer's eyes, then just remained at attention while Vivian reached for the button again, hissing into it, "Emery. That is not a request, it is an order. To my office. Now."

Almost immediately, her second assistant opened the door, albeit much less hurried than his predecessor.

"I'm here, Miss Vivian. Apologies for the delay."

The front of his deep blue and black hair was pulled into a small ponytail to keep the majority out of his face, while the back was left loose to barely brush his shoulders. Vivian resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how unprofessionally he appeared.

Emery casually made his way to Amelia's side, and she visibly relaxed as he shot a reassuring smile at her.

Vivian gave another curt nod.

"Apology accepted, although I would advise you to not let it happen again. I have brought the two of you here to begin briefing you for a new project. As the first to arrive, Amelia will give her thoughts first."