Going To Meet The Man (Lukretia & Taylor)

Taylor stood poised to pounce on Lukretia the moment the opportunity presented itself. Then Lukretia seemingly called an end to the fight, as if it was her decision. Taylor backed up a step, cautiously, and let her get up. Why was she letting this ho-bag dictate the terms? Why did it feel like she hadn't won the fight? She narrowed her eyes at the tricky German.

"Youuuu suck." She spat. She lunged quickly at her, just a feint to make her flinch. "You should know about me by now, you moron. I am not to be headbutted lightly." She boasted, and pulled the hem of her white tank top up to her mouth and bit down on it to show off her tight, defined abs. She ran her fingers over her stomach and cocked her hips to one side, looking as cocky as possible while feeling more unsure about things than before their little scuffle.

"But yeah, definitely get back to work, I'll show myself out, unless you want to headbutt me again." She headed for the door.

Lukretia brushed her dress off as Taylor spouted her epithet. When She flinched, Lukretia's muscles tensed and she almost took the bait, almost eager to jump back at Taylor. When Taylor lifted up her shirt, Lukretia brought her hand to her mouth to cover up a smile.

"Oh, meine frau." She said in a sing song voice. "If you are putting on ze charm, it just may be vorking." She then laughed and turned her self away from Taylor and walked back towards her desk.

Lukretia then turned her head and grinned at Taylor. "Oh, it is very tempting. If you allow me to step into something more appropriate for fighting zen maybe I'll oblige you." She said giving Taylor a raised eyebrow as if she were asking Taylor whether or not she wanted to continue.

Taylor stopped just short of the door. She folded her arms over her chest and cocked her hips to the side and paused for a moment before turning to face Lukretia.

"Mother fucker..." She muttered. "Are you coming on to me? Dude, am I like a walking tube of Spanish Fly for freaky dike chicks? How the hell do you find time to run a company if you're ready to strip down and roll around with every girl you see? There's a lot of hot girls here, man, you must be pretty busy.

"Look, if you want to throw down with me, go change into your shit, and I will hit you so hard I'll correct that adorable speech impediment of yours."

She consciously removed her hand from her hip and stood up straight again, pulling back her attitude a notch. If Lukretia wanted a fight, she'd have one. Taylor never backed down from a fight. She got in plenty of trouble that way.

Bing. The elevator doors slid open to reveal Lia Cross whistling a jaunty tune, carting a small drink tray with three coffee cups and a plastic carry out food back slung over one arm. "Howdy there, Hilde-baby." She gave a salute to the secretary. "Your sandvich... that's German for sandwich I think, right here. Side salad. And the cookie is just because you're so sweet." Lia leaned in and booped Hilde on the nose, grinning cutely.

Before Hilde could respond, Lia froze, her rabbit ears perking up. She glanced toward Lukretia's office door, hearing the argument within. She gave a knowing wink and a finger gun salute to Hilde, sliding one of the coffees off the tray for her and grabbing the other one. I got this, she mouthed to Hilde.

Fetching coffee for Lukretia was beneath Lia, but, then again, so was being Lukretia's bodyguard/security chief. At least the latter paid quite well. The commotion in the office was just the sort of thing Lia was on the payroll to defuse... if called upon. Lukretia loved trouble, and Lia knew there was no sense in keeping her out of it. At least Hilde was pleasant enough. Lia did not exactly trust her but she was exceptionally difficult to dislike.

She glanced back to Hilde again, waving as she strode through the door to Lukretia's office. "Got your coffee, bossman," she shouted. "Oh, hello!" Lia turned toward Taylor, a look of genuine surprise on her face. You have GOT to be kidding me. After their last encounter, Lia had put Taylor out of mind. Of course she would have to encounter her again. If Taylor did not keep turning up, who else would be an annoying pain in the ass, besides Lukretia at least. "Hey there, cutie-pie? What brings you to meet with the boss here?" Lia strode across the room, setting the coffee on Lukretia's desk and pitching the tray into the wastebasket next to it.

Brazenly, Lia glanced at some of the papers across Lukretia's desk, picking one up and reading it half-heartedly. "Oh, don't stop on my account. You two, just keep on going." This was not a fight Lia was eager to pick sides on. Worse, Lia was not really keen on explaining her employment to Taylor of all people. "She's not... harassing you, is she, Bossman?" Lia added coyly to Lukretia.

The door opened behind her and then came that voice... Taylor's heart sank. Just what she needed, a psychotic rabbit-girl to come in and brighten her day. She wanted to call in Hilde to even out the sides.

"Oh, hey nutjob. Luke here was just coming on to me in a way that was genuinely uncomfortable for everyone in a twenty mile radius." She said, trying to sound as though she were unshaken by Lia's sudden appearance, while she looked Lia up and down. "You stay out of this! We've already figured out that I can kick your ass without breaking a sweat. Um..." Wait, why was she here? "What are you... you work for... Uh, what exactly is it that you're supposed to do for Ms Lookatmeimagerman?"

She had a bad feeling. Whatever Lia's reason was for being there, it couldn't have been good. For Taylor. It was specifically bad for Taylor. She knew that. Maybe she should just leave, but... that felt like giving in. She wouldn't give in.

Hilde smiled warmly at Lia's entrance. "Danke" She said softly and bowed her head in gratitude. She wasn't used to being served but for some reason Lukretia managed to get Lia to do the lunch run. Perhaps it was because Lia's job required her to do little except stand about. Even if there was a threat, Lukretia being as she was, would probably welcome it. Meanwhile, Hilde was extraordinarily busy doing paperwork and scheduling and all manner of business. Hilde blushed as she was teased but gave Lia a warm smile and soft chuckle as she turned her attention to the food, having already filtered the ruckus on the other side of the door into white noise.

Meanwhile, Lukretia had a contemplative look on her face while Taylor attempted to chastise her further. The blue haired punk was nothing if not persistent with attempts to try and insult her, even if she wasn't very good at it.

"I am skilled enough to know how to mix business und pleasure ven appropriate meine frau." But as she spoke, she contemplated whether or not to continue the fight with Taylor. She wanted to, of course, but it was hardly a fitting thing of her stature to do so. Rather, she should be the one goading Taylor into a fight.

Thatnkfully the decision was made for her when Lia slipped through the door. She raised an eyebrow as she shuffled in and then grinned widely when she saw how Taylor and Lia acted towards one another.

"Oh my." Lukretia said as she stepped forward. "Frauline Cross is an... exterminator... of sorts. You see I have a very small insect infestation und I believe zat she can at least help to some extent." Lukretia then smirked. "Don't vorry, meine frau, you aren't even vorth putting ze venig hase on your tail so zere is nothing to vorry over. Zough." Lukretia began, tilting her head curiously. "It seems as if ze two of you know each other. How vunderbar!"

Lukretia clasped her hands together and smiled at the both of them.

"Wh--Exterminator, my ass! She can't exterminate anything! She's just a moron. Look at her!" Stupid Lia with her stupid fake bunny ears. "And... I didn't understand most of what you just said. But NO it's not wonderful! Why do all the people I hate seem to stick to me like glue!"

Taylor dialed back her rage to the smolder setting. "Alright, honey-bun, did you still want a piece of me or are you going to hide behind your little bunny-bun now that she's here? 'Cause... I got stuff to do. Like take a nap. You people are too freaking exhausting."

"Oh, I vouldn't vant to interrupt your big plans for a nap.How lovely it must be." Lukretia looked up and down at Taylor. She was still insisting on making Lukreti decide. The German domme smirked at Taylor.

"Nein. Suddenly I have realized meine place. I do not beg for fights. If ve are to have a fight zen it vill be done on meine terms, not yours. I am on ze top, meine frau. If you desire to be vere I am zen it is on you to knock me off. I vill not valk down to vere you are. If you can understand zat much zen I vill look forvard even more to ze time ven ve can face each other.

Lukretia then lifted up her hand and mockingly waved Taylor off. "Now go on. Spew some tired little insult to make yourself feel better und remove yourself from meine sight."

Yes, what a coincidence it is that we know each other. How did I miss this? T. Sparks... I thought... Lia brought her hand to her face and her eyes bugged out, nearly exploding in laughter. "Phhhfnt!" She snorted through pursed lips. "Sparks! That's... That's YOUR last name! SPARKS! HAHA! SPARKY! It's SO perfect!" She raised her hand up, "Sorry, sorry. That's... I didn't even know that was your name!" Part of Lia's job was heading off potential threats for Lukretia. T. Sparks was the name she had received from Hilde about this appointment, and, in her defense, she did not even really remember Taylor's first name so when Hilde had informed her about Taylor, the wheels never quite clicked. No criminal record of anything major had caught Lia's eye in her research, so the name passed like so much white noise.

Still, not catching something so obvious. It was a little embarrassing. This was not a job that demanded 100% of Lia's ability but, still... That was kid stuff. Lia took her work more seriously than she let people know. She slacked a lot, yes, but usually because she could. If she was getting this sloppy...

As she watched the two catty girls bicker, Lia came to the realization that, no matter how cool it would be to see these two kill each other, it simply was not the right thing to do, for her job or just on general principles. Her job usually involved heading off situations like this. As effective and satisfying as a decisive show of force could be, subtlety and wit were usually the best options. Neither was Lia's strong suit but she could try.

Of course, how do you stop two people who do practically nothing but pick fights from picking fights with each other?

Keeping her smile, Lia tossed the paper back on Lukretia's desk. "Oh, yeah, the inappropriate sexual come-on nonsense? That's just how Germans say hello." She arched an eyebrow at Lukretia, "Ah, yeah... exterminator, riiiight. Yes, whatever. Something like that... But, yeah, Sparky... Pfftngh... Sorry, last time, I promise!" She raised her hand again at Taylor, "Cutiepie over there is dead on. I don't know the first thing about fighting or exterminating. I'm really just ripping you off." Lia winked at Lukretia before she turned back to Taylor. "Wait, seriously? You are... Geez louise, every time! Every stinking time I see you you are trying to start shit. With me, with random stangers? Seriously?! Here too? With your boss, too? Is there a single person in the world who you can interact with without all this tough girl grade school drama? I mean, seriously." Lia let out an exasperated sigh, her features lightening. This was not a good pitch so far, so she tried a different tack. "Look, take a chill pill, Sp... Sp... T-dawg." She really did not remember Taylor's first name. "Look at the German here. What two words come to your mind? Right, Whore. Comma. Attention." Although, to be perfectly fair, the way Taylor was dressed hardly suggested anything better. "She WANTS people to start shit with her. She gets OFF on it. I mean, literally. Lit-er-al-ly." She wiggled her eyebrows to suggest that she was deadly serious. A second's pause and she grinned brightly once more, "Anyways, how've you been?"

Taylor planted a hand on her hip and gave Lukretia a wry look as though she was totally ridiculous, all the way until her last line. Her eyes widened. Immediately she wanted to scream back at her and hit something and...

Lia interrupted her. Taylor fumed, paced back and forth a little. That was totally unfair. That's NOT what she does. Lukretia was just... Oh, man. Sparks. It must've still been in the system. She'd been going by Parker, her real name, for months, but she never thought that Sparks would still be lurking around in the AFW computers. Automatically she put her palm to her face and inwardly groaned. That was exactly what she needed, for the bunny-girl to have more to make fun of her about.

Not more than a few sentences in, Lia was just as bad as Lukretia. "H-hey... but..." She protested. Tough girl grade school drama? This shit had to STOP.

"I DO NOT!" She shouted as her temper snapped like a twig. She spluttered as Lia kept talking. "That's... That's... You... WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SUCH A DICK! You are SO laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!" She shouted at Lia until she ran out of breath.

She straightened up. "How have I... You... Is there like, a club for people that like to be a total dick for no reason? Is Luke the president? GAWD. Well, I'm just great, I'm great, kicking ass, taking names. For the record, your crazy German friend here was trying to start shit with ME. SHE HEADBUTTED MY FACE! And she's been practically begging me for a toss, but dude, I don't have the time to fight EVERYONE, and I don't have the stomach for HER." She said jabbing a finger at Lukretia.

Wait. She looked back at Lia like she'd missed several steps. "Why ARE you here?"