Shark Tank

Mercy had spent considerably longer than she probably should have trying to figure out the best way to approach Alinea, the spa owned by Allison Watson. Sarah Allison Watson. Mercy had done her homework on the woman! However, she was about to enter for serious business but that didn't mean she needed to trot out the slacks and tie. She could dress down a bit or maybe dress up! Perhaps a dress? That seemed too much. Maybe something jeans and tank top-y? Probably not dressy enough. She felt like she needed to be disarming but cool. Like she was just walking into a spa that Allison happened to own and was conducting business as a footnote of being there.

After her epic struggle, she decided on a pair of khaki pants that flared just a bit at the bottom and a blouse that had a wavy neck and cuff lines would work. She felt good and she showed off the parts of her body she didn't usually get to. Plus, if she ended up getting the works out of the deal, she'd be ready for it!

She pulled her bag over her shoulder and stepped through the door. She had still come prepared for business and would work that out first. She stepped through the doors and looked around. What a nice place. Obviously it would be but still. It seemed like it didn't belong in Japan.

She walked to the receptionist area and smiled. "I'm here to see Ms. Watson. My name is Mercy Wrenn. She should be expecting me."

Amy, the gorgeous, dreamy-eyed blonde at the front desk, was a little bored. She had no clients booked for the rest of the afternoon, and she was just not used to the spare time. She wanted to ask Sarah if she could take the rest of the day off. Sarah would let her, if she had something better to do. But she didn't. She was just bored.

The delicate chime of the door opening startled her, and she compensated with a magazine-cover smile at Mercy. She had to suppress a giggle when she saw the girl, but she was very good at that.

"Hello, Miss Wrenn. Welcome to Alinea. I'll let Miss Watson know you're here, and in the meantime please make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything while you wait? Tea? sparkling, flat, or mineral water? Something stronger?"

She gestured toward the luxurious salon chairs, and got up from the desk to head to the reception bar, her long, silky skirt swishing about her ankles as she did. In her high-waisted, A-line dress, with a fitted black lace bodice and a flowing, fluttery lavender skirt, could have been from Allison's closet. Amy had come to model much of her personal style after her glamorous boss. Chic but vintage, refined, but with an edge. Amy's ballet flats, though, would never be found anywhere near Allison's feet.

"How are you doing so far today? I hope you have time to enjoy some of our services before you go. I can already tell just what you need!"

"Uuuuh...."

Mercy had smiled at the greeting she had received from Amy but as she did her due diligence with Mercy, the girl was sort of confused. Was she being offered treatment or was this part of the deal? Mercy became a little suspicious and wrinkled her brow but then decided that she could handle a little bit of pampering. Or, at least, some water. "Mineral water, please." She said. The good stuff. She'd grown accustomed to it at one point but hadn't had it in a while. She sighed. Sometimes she missed working with someone who worked with Lukretia.

"But, I'm on here on business so it wouldn't do to get caught up in all of these fabulous services before I've concluded things with Ms. Watson." She said in a friendly tone. She didn't want Amy to think she was pushy. "Maybe after." She said with a bright smile. "I am curious to see what you think I need!" She chirped with legitimate curiosity in her tone.

Amy used a bottle opener to open a tall green bottle of imported mineral water and smoothly poured it into a short stemmed glass. She handed it to Mercy on her way back to the desk.

"I hope so," she said with a casual smile. "I'll let Miss Watson know you're here. Do you know your way back?"

Amy wasn't supposed to send people through to the spa without escorting them. But Mercy seemed nice and harmless and perfectly capable of walking down the hall by herself. She'd make an exception. She picked up the phone on the desk and pointed off toward the large doors at the back of the room.

Allison noted Mercy's arrival on the monitors at her right hand behind her desk. The girl was predictably punctual. She watched the slightly awkward interaction between the paralegal and her employee with detached disinterest, until Mercy moved into the spa hall.

If there was one word that could sum up how Allison felt about Mercedes Wrenn, it was "unimpressed". The girl desperately grasped at control, threw her very limited authority around like she expected anyone to be impressed. She was the world's least intimidating person. She would have been so much more interesting if she kept the same attitude, but dropped all of her legal posturing.

But then, she wasn't completely predictable. After what happened last time, Allison would've expected her to stay far away from her spa at all costs. She imagined the pink haired girl leaving claw marks down the red hallway rug while Sukiyo and Cathleen dragged her back to Allison's office. Why did she agree so readily? For her pride? For the job? For Clyde?

Allison straightened her silk Parisian necktie and smoothed down her fine, slightly shimmery dress shirt. She stood up and slipped on a perfectly fitted, nearly black suit jacket, and adjusted the collar of her shirt over the lapels. She wore a slender silver watch on her wrist and a pair of silver-and-pearl earrings, and her makeup was subtle, but with just enough color to show she was wearing some. She propped her door open while she waited for her guest.

Mercy took the glass and nodded politely, thanking Ami just before she took a dainty sip. How wonderful! She took one more sip as Ami asked if she knew where to go. Mercy blinked.

"Uhh..." She paused and looked at the doors. "I... think I can figure it out." She said and gave Ami a smile. Memories of this place were certainly seared in her head but she wasn't exactly thinking about the floor plan with all the rest of the chaos going on.

She nodded to Ami and then handed her the glass after taking another sip from the water. She then proceeded through the back until she reached the open office. She peeked in the door and when she saw Allison there, she entered. "Ms. Watson." She said and looked the woman over. She had been dressed for business. Mercy's attire was much more relaxed. Mercy furrowed her brow.

"I assure you that my attire is no indication of my professionalism." She said immediately as she swung her bag around and held it up against her as if hiding behind her work things. "Would you like me to close the door? Will we be conducting business here?" She asked.

Allison smiled warmly at the buttoned-down and unimpressive little waif who stepped into her office. "Of course," she said. "And please, do."

She gestured to the plump, black, leather chair across from her desk, and stood up to approach a small bar against one wall. "I hope you don't find me too presumptuous..." She said, as she began pouring from different bottles and measuring into a glass with ice. "Or worse... unprofessional, but I thought you might enjoy one..."

She finished the drink by cracking a can of Coca-Cola and topping off the glass. A brisk stir, and she handed the drink to Mercy. Allison held no grudge against any of the ingredients in a Long Island Iced tea, but their combination just seemed so working class. She didn't care for it, but she'd be willing to bet that Mercy would quite enjoy it, if she allowed herself the luxury. And Allison would rather like to see it.

"Thank you ever so much for coming by. I hope you can find time in your schedule to enjoy the spa before you're off. Free of charge, of course, for associates."

She returned to her chair and smiled at Mercy while she waited to see what the little paralegal had to say.

"ok." mercy said and shut the door behind her. She took a seat in the ridiculously comfortable couch and eased into it. She watched as Allison mixed a drink and Mercy took it. She gave it a tiny peek, as though she could inspect it. Maybe it was poisoned? or drugged? She wasn't really thinking about that though. She took one sip. it wasn't her favorite, but it was good. "Maybe... just this one." She said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, it's no trouble." Mercy said as she waved her hand at Allison, trying to hide the sheer delight in her eyes. Finally! She thought and pumped a fist in her head. "Business is always done best if the atmosphere is just right." She said. "Unfortunately in law, we can't always have that, even with a nice cherry desk and a Corinthian leather seat. It's just so hard to get past the business of it all." She admitted. Those seats were AWESOME though. Mercy wished she had one for her office.

"Ahhh, but I know you're busy too so I'll get right to it. Solving your issue without wrestling and without resorting to legal measures like a restraining order might prove difficult for someone to think of an alternative, but I think I have one that will satisfy you. And in a manner that fits your, uh... style."

Mercy took another sip of her her iced tea and looked back at Allison with a polite smile. "I suggest that you settle your dispute in person with all parties invited and have everything mediated by an arbitrator. That way everything is handled professionally and everyone can say their piece without having to worry about violence erupting. After that, a contract can be drawn up that will have legal ramifications if either party is unwilling to abide."

Mercy felt a little bad. She was practically throwing Clyde to the lions, or, one lioness to be exact. However, it would settle things without violence and it would put everything behind him AND his sister so they could move on with their lives. That was the most important thing to Mercy at the moment.

"Ah, now that's interesting..." Allison leaned back in her chair. "It's a bit weighted in my favor, though, don't you think? Given all the things the Gastins have done..."

She put a finger to her lips as if deep in thought. She was, of course, thinking, but the gesture was entirely for show. "I'm most interested, though, in what you said about... atmosphere." She smiled again, and sipped from a glass of water on her desk. "I think you can imagine that I couldn't agree more. In this office, I've carefully chosen every detail, arranged every piece just so, and yet I change all of it regularly. Isn't that interesting? The chair you're sitting in is important. I could tell you the name of the man in France who built it. But when the time comes, it will leave and never come back and something else, made by someone else, will take its place."

She wondered if Mercy would see her point. Unlikely.

"But maybe what we need first is the correct atmosphere for this discussion. The spa has four primary rooms, and I think I know who ones would be to your liking. These gloomy winter months can be so wearisome. Would you like to lay in the sun while we chat?"

Mercy looked sideways at Allison's words. Of course. "Well, I don't think either of them are very good negotiators and you certainly have a silver tongue but they WOULD be allowed counsel to represent their interests, as would you." She said simply.

Mercy paused as Allison poke. She heard what Allison was saying but was busy with her own thoughts. No doubt Clyde would try and persuade HER to be their counsel and, while it DID seem the best option at first, there may have been some issues. She'd have to be very careful. Really, she should just set it up and be in the room to make sure everything was done fair and to make sure the arbitrator was fair as well. THAT would probably be for the best. Mediate the mediator, so to speak.

"Fascinating." Mercy said as she took another sip of her drink. "I guess you have fancy tastes like my old boss' boss and your boss, as well." Lukretia was probably was a bit less concerned with the exact position of things and who made what for her, but there was no getting around the fact that the woman had unequaled tastes. Mercy thought briefly about the similarities and differences between Allison and Lukretia and wondered. Allison certainly ACTED like Lukretia in many ways. At least, as though they had similar bank accounts. Maybe there were some differences though. Mercy couldn't quite put her finger on it by the time Allison asked for a change of scenery.

"Oh, well... sure!" She chirped. "Whatever's most comfortable for you, Ms. Watson." She said with a smile, again trying to hide her eagerness at the opportunity to enjoy Allison's luxuries.

"Mmm." Allison gazed evenly at Mercy. Of course the artless girl would reduce Allison's tastes to the word "fancy". She would never expect a cheap suit-wearing paperweight like Mercedes to understand the nuances of Allison's work.

"Well, come along, we can at least brighten up a cloudy discussion."

She stood from her desk and strode gracefully to the hallway where she closed and locked the door after Mercy. She led them down the hall to a door made of stained birch and set with bamboo. When she pushed it open, it was much thicker than one might have imagined, and when it shut again it sealed away any potential disturbances from the hallway outside.

Inside, it was a balmy, sunny day on the French Riviera, somewhere in the 1960's. Sunlight shone down from the ceiling, through some series of complicated tricks of engineering, and onto what closely resembled a beach-front bistro. Small, round tables set with pale blue rattan chairs and flowers, low-slung lounge chairs lining an inviting, crystal pool. A small sculpture here, a painting of the night sky over water on one wall flanking a miniature kitchen and bar. The room was easily twenty meters long, and half as much across.

The warm sun and the crisp air, that smelled of flowers and clean salt water, instantly set the mind at ease. Allison removed her suit jacket as she moved toward the bar, gesturing to the side as she went for Mercy to have a seat. She loosened her tie and unbuttoned two buttons on her satin shirt, and poured herself a glass of white wine, garnished with a fresh strawberry and a corkscrew of lemon peel.

She returned to a seat at the table with Mercy. "Now," she said. "Isn't this better? It's such an unfortunate thing that's brought you here, but the experience doesn't have to be the same. So, you were saying?"