Hostage Situation

The flat of Dinah's fist thudded against Jamie's face but didn't dislodge the girl who then occupied all of her attention. She didn't see the incoming wine bottle, and it staggered her with a hollow 'clonk'.

She stumbled a few steps and shook her head. She was nearly as dazed as Allison was a moment ago, but then she looked back at Mercy with a terrifying, murderous glare.

Jamie wrapped her arms around Dinah's elbow to try to slow her down. "Hit her again!" She cried frantically. Dinah lifted Jamie up with her arm and with a hard shove she threw her off once and for all and sent her back to the floor. She turned to face Mercy and began to reach for her, but Allison interrupted.

"That'll be quite enough, Dinah." She said evenly, in a low voice that belied the intensity underneath. She was standing, a gun in her hand aimed at Dinah. She almost always kept her Ruger SR1911, with it's hand carved, black bone grips, securely in her purse, along with a few other things, for just such an occasion. It was as tasteless as it was bold, and Allison both hated and relished using it.

Dinah froze in place. She wondered if Allison was crazy enough to use it, and for the first time she was not in control. "You... You would never..."

"I think we both know that's not true, don't we?" Allison said, her low even voice gaining quiet authority as Dinah's confidence shrank. "How things change. Ten years ago I'd have stolen away boys or spread embarrassing photographs of you to strike back at you. Now there's this. I think I'd prefer this method."

Allison motioned for Mercy and Jamie to get out of the way. "Leave now. We have much to discuss, yes, but if you even conduct yourself in this manner in my presence again, I should very much enjoy killing you." She said without a hint of boastfulness about it. Dinah locked eyes with Allison and was forced to admit her disadvantage. It was time to go.

"Nice place you have here, Sarah." Dinah said as if making idle chit chat. "Your doll collection is equally impressive. You always did have a way with the girls." Allison made a face and tightened her grip on the gun. Dinah left.

"Would you like me to call the police?" Asked Sukiyo from her place in the corner, where she'd been almost invisible by virtue of her silence and stillness.

Allison gave her a sour look. "No, Suki, return to your duties." She commanded, and the woman left quietly. Allison flipped the safety on and slipped the gun back into her inconspicuous purse. She shook her head and dabbed a finger at the blood on her lip.

"I am sorry, girls, the misfortune of meeting Dinah Clarkson is one I'd not wish upon anyone. I am pleased to see that you are both willful, tough young women. I was fortunate to have you here." She said, coming very close to meaning what she said. "Now, shall we discuss business? It's only appropriate, given the circumstances. You've both earned a bit more esteem in my book today, let's see what we can do with it." She walked easily out of the room and into her office, appearing as though nothing had happened.

Mercy gulped as the wine bottle seemed to only enrage Dinah. Her body shook bu Jamie's cry emboldened Mercy enough to let out a grunt and lift the wine bottle above her head threateningly, even as droplets of wine dipped onto her hair and down her face, opposite of the blood that still left a dry streak down her cheek. She was less concerned with her shirt being stained than her life being ended in a bloody and violent manner. Though she was surprisingly less afraid than she probably should have been.

Still, she was frozen as Dinah reached out and more so when Allison called her to stop. She turned her head and saw the gun. She found herself sighing rather than freaking out. She'd been to Lukretia's manor enough to know what a crazy, gun wielding psycho was and whatever ill intentions Allison had, she did not seem to be irrational. If Allison shot Dinah dead right now, she had no worry whatsoever that the three of them would be in any danger.

She let the bottle fall to her side and watched the scene unfold. When Dina was forced out of the room, she finally let out a deep sigh before slumping to the ground and letting the bottle roll away. She looked up at Allison as she spoke and shooed away her employee. Her ear twitched when she heard the word business and she lifted up her shaky hand and adjusted her glasses before clearing her throat.

"Ms. Watson." She said in a serious tone. "I am not completely versed in the subtleties of Japanese law, yet..." She added the yet purposefully. "But I am fairly certain if you had shot her dead right then and there that you would have been in the right. Certainly she could be charged of a myriad of offenses without things having gone any further than they did."

She looked over Allison and shook her head. "I trust you 're aware enough of that." Mercy stood up and wobbled over to Jamie to help her up. They'd been through enough in the past half hour or so to not have to tear into each other. She felt like they might have been sisters or comrades in some way. In the Pulp Fiction sort of way without, thankfully, all the butt rape.

"Though, if I were your legal counsel, Ms. Watson, I would inform you of Japan's stringent firearms regulations. Though it matters not to me, I am wary whether or not such a weapon is allowed to be in your possession. It would be prudent to look into that. I would be, however, willing to make sure the issue is settled in a wholly legal matter." She adjusted her glasses with an air of professional finality that she hadn't exerted in quite some time.

Mercy's legs were wobbly was she took a step forward and looked at Allison and gave a soft smile. "Yes. Business... I have been eager to do some real business for quite some time. Let us see what proposals and alterations you have made." She then looked at Jamie. "And... what of Ms. Valentine?" She asked curiously, tilting her head as she looked over Jamie. She didn't see a reason for her to be around any more and wondered what Allison had in mind.

"Oh, darling, I've known Dinah for a long, long time. We've fought as long as I can remember. When I win the fight, it will not be by having shot her. Those fleeting victories have a way of becoming defeats with time. My victory will live on with Dinah, and I will revel in it every time I see her." Allison wasn't sure that someone like Mercy would understand. It didn't matter.

"And I assure you, my gun is quite illegal. If you would like to pursue that matter, I would certainly compensate you." The gun being illegally in her possession was half the appeal for Allison. She pitted her will and her means against anything she could, almost daring something like the law to test her. She did not have a proper legal team in Japan, though she still had access to more than adequate legal representation. Mercy didn't need to know any of that, though.

Allison sat down in the luxurious, high backed leather chair behind her desk and shuffled a few papers around. She opened a drawer and removed a folder, placed it on the center of the desk, and flipped it open. Jamie shuffled in and leaned up against the door frame with her arms folded over her chest.

"Miss Wrenn, this is your existing contract with AFW and Lukretia Von Creuzfeldt. It's nothing unusual, particularly the meager pay scale..." She said, and placed one small stack of papers in front of Mercy. She removed a second from the folder and placed them next to the first. "This is my proposed contract. There are several key differences, most notably the lack of Ms Von Creuzfeldt's involvement. I'd like you to work for me, and any involvement you have with the AFW would be through me. I would never dream of limiting your involvement. The description of your position is quite open ended, although I am not interested in paying you a salary. Consider this a retainer agreement. I am willing to pay you a fee up front, in addition to further compensation commensurate with your accomplishments. The contract itself is quite dull... though you may just enjoy reading it. The future possibilities with it are quite interesting."

The contract was very loosely worded at best, although Allison very specifically reserved the right to terminate the agreement on grounds of unsatisfactory job performance. "I'd like you to do what you'd like, what you're good at, and do it for me. I will help you grow and develop into a strong, commanding woman, and I will pay you quite fairly for it. Your legal expertise would be quite welcome. I may ask you to accompany me to the ring as a valet, to look after my interests there as well. Any involvement in the ring would be strictly voluntary."

Allison leaned back. The lure of money and station would hopefully be enticing enough to the young paralegal to convince her to ignore the ambiguity of the contract. The document itself was irrelevant. Once she got her hands on Mercy, the girl would work for her because she wanted to please her, wanted to be rewarded, not because the contract demanded it.

Of course, if she rejected it outright, it was no great loss. There was nothing particularly special about this one save for her impressionability, and that was certainly not a rare thing. If she walked out she's still have Jamie, and she was an easy dog to keep loyal.

"Your fee... the sum is noted on page three, I have here a check for 500,000 yen. Is that adequate for your first day?" She picked up the check from the folder, the last remaining piece of paper in it, and rolled it down her fingers. Jamie's mouth watered at the sight of it.

Mercy was too eager to get a look at the contract to be able to put too much care into what Allison was saying about Dinah. If they wanted to go around playing Jean Valjean and Javert for the rest of their days, it was no business of Mecry's. She bet the two probably secretly enjoyed it somewhere deep down within their depraved souls.

"Understood. I'll make a note of it." Exactly as she thought, though it seemed as if Allison wasn't just unaware but didn't care if it was. Well, if things got tight financially, she could always fall back on that to get a little bit of money.

Mercy greedily took hold of her contract. and looked it over to make sure it was real. She listened to Allison as she thumbed through it. "Yes, the pay was meager because I was making nice money as Ms. Sinclair's paralegal." She let out a sigh for her loss.

She looked over at the other contract that Allison had given her. "Well, there are certainly advantages to not working for AFW officially, however, it also has advantages. I'm also not sure how you can legally manage this." She said eying the contract. "Unless there are clauses in your contract which allow you to outsource and maintain contracts which are both binding between yourself and any person or persons with which you make the agreement an as well as your own employer, that being AFW Incorporated, I should think that under this existing contract that I could be removed from the premises or arrested for trespassing."

Mercy lifted up her glasses and looked at Allison. "And honestly if you were able to negotiate such a contract then I should like to speak with your attorney."

She continued to skim through the fine print. What was boring to some was Mercy's life. "Quid Pro Quo suits me just fine, honestly, I don't think there will be an issue there." Mercy stated as she flipped through the words. Mercy pulled out her 35$ pen and looked over the contract, touching portions she thought were relevant before pushing it to her lips. "The openendedness of the contract is intriguing but if we are to leave it at this, then I will also need to be able to terminate the contract at my discretion as well as yours. Thinking of my own interests, I am not certain if I even desire to stay in Japan. I need to be assured if I find a job that pays better or decide to return to America that I'm not forced to continue with our deal."

Mercy nodded. "I'd also like to do that. I'd like to forgo any and all in ring appearances if possible but I'll certainly do valet work if necessary. It was no worse than what Ms. Sinclair had me doing. Legal council, well, of course you've come to the right place." Mercy said as she clicked her pen and smiled proudly at Allison.

Mercy watched as Allison wrote out a check. That in and of itself would be good for a plane ride home, but not much else. "Clear up these oversights and I'll make sure that you have my guaranteed services for at least a month."

She then paused. "oh!" Mercy raised her finger suddenly. "I do have two requests...' She added and looked at Allison. She pushed her pen forward. "I'd like a nicer pen than this one, and I would like access to this establishment. At your cost if possible but I'm willing to settle for a significantly reduced rate if you simply must be paid." She said as she adjusted her glasses and looked at Allison coolly.

Allison did not smile while Mercy spoke, but she showed a small amount of the weariness she felt for this girl. She could've guessed almost every word she said, given her combination of rigid nature, her inflated self confidence within legal maters, and her general lack of experience. It was tiresome, but Allison was not about to have her time wasted.

"It seems you're not very imaginative." Allison said, her tone equally low but hard where it had been smooth, quietly authoritative. "I do hope that you don't think as small in other matters as well."

Of course, the girl had requested a pen, of all things. Either it held personal significance, or she really was that small-minded.

"Mercedes, let me be clear. I am not offering you this contract because you are the best legal representation I could manage. I found you in tow behind my dear street urchin, terrified and quivering like a child at the thought of my sister-in-law returning. Do you think that I have come to the right place for legal representation? Please understand that I am not someone with whom you are accustomed to dealing. I am offering you a chance to improve yourself, to grow, to become the things that you currently can not conceive of but desire nonetheless. I would recommend that you reserve your criticism and word your demands carefully." Allison reprimanded her just enough to try to frighten and deflate the girl's professional confidence. Crushing her would be too easy, she just needed to trim off the unsavory bits so as not to spoil the rest.

Allison straightened up in her chair and smiled warmly to unsettling effect. "Should you ever wish to terminate this agreement, I would never dream of stopping you. All I ask is that you speak to me in person before doing so. Now, I see you have your own pen... Do you have any further questions regarding this offer? Your duties? You have nothing to fear, certainly, I would never dream of putting you in the ring."

From her perch in the doorway, a bright eyed Jamie was still trying to stifle a smile over Allison referring to her as her 'dear street urchin'. It made her feel like she belonged to something, somewhere, in some pathetically small way that was significant to Jamie nonetheless.

Mercy narrowed her eyes at Allison as her heart started to race. Now things were beginning to progress as they should. Allison was a tough cookie. Mercy liked that. She also seemed to be as dubious and incredulous as Mercy first thought. Thankfully, Allison was also far too engrossed in her own self to properly estimate Mercy's skills. "What I like is what I like and that is that. I'll save my imagination for other things." She said in an even tone.

"Ms. Watson." Mercy said to Allison. "I have already informed you that I do not find that name suitable except in certain situations. We have not reached that exception and if all things remain as they should, we never will." Mercy adjusted her glasses.

"I understand perfectly fine, Ms. Watson." Mercy said. "You're looking for a bitch... and not the sort you've made of Ms. Valentine. You want to use me for your own nefarious ends and if you happen to get some "Decent legal advice" out of the deal then that will just happen to be a bonus. It's good for you that being a bitch is part of a paralegal's skill set and that I am not so naive to think that my hands can't get a little dirty. I was just fired from my last bitch job. No, Ms. Watson, you're exactly the kind of person I deal with on a regular basis."

She let out a sigh and huffed. "It's true that Ms. Valentine and I had run into an unfortunate situation on your premise. but as I recall without your illegal firearm, your situation was no better than ours. I understand you wish to capitalize on our misfortune and I am even willing to go along with it. It's quite true that you, for now, do hold some of the cards and most likely the better hand but I am not without plays of my own."

Mercy leaned forward. "Do you think I am scratching at the gate to find the best bitchmaster I can? No more than you are looking to me for the greatest source of legal council. You are not the be all end all when it comes to employment opportunities you are merely the most convenient. I'm certain you feel the same way about me when it comes to bitches, right? I'm easy, convenient, quite an expendable rube. No skin off your back if I get up and walk away right this moment. I HAVE a contract, you are merely here now with one that is more convenient and fitting my needs. You'll find I'm a suitable enough bitch and I think one or two little perks would be no skin off your back. The rest of the contract, as long as the clauses are put in writing, or Ms. Valentine agrees to notarize the existing contract as an observer of any verbal extensions, is quite suitable to me."

Allison raised an eyebrow while Mercy began to fire back at her. After the first few, she amused herself by counting how many times Mercy used the word "bitch", but she quickly grew tired of it. She took a slow breath and allowed her icy calm to elevate herself above Mercy's breathless tightfistedness.

"You seem to have very clear expectations for prospective employment." She said as she reached over the desk and calmly picked up the new contract and placed it back in the folder along with the check. "How unfortunate. I don't believe that you would benefit from this experience. If you simply must divide your time between fetching coffee and convincing your employers of your legal knowledge, you may do it elsewhere. I'm afraid I have little interest in what you're offering, and my time is valuable."

She stood up from her chair, closed the folder, and picked up Mercy's original contract from the desk and held it out to here. "Here is your original contract, as issued by the AFW. May I point out, it does appear to be missing a page. I'm sure you have your new friend to thank for that."

Jamie squirmed.

With a professional smile to Mercy, Allison extended a hand toward the door. "I don't believe I will see you here again soon. It will take you some time to save up enough money to afford a pedicure here, given your intended salary. Goodbye, please leave through the front entrance, as opening the rear door will trigger an alarm."

Jamie wanted to back slowly out of the door, but she lingered just in case Allison had anything to say to her. Or give to her.

"You may go as well." Allison said. Jamie backed up out of the room, disappointed, and looked wide-eyed at Mercy.

"I thought you were a lawyer!" Jamie whispered. "I didn't know you were a bitch!"

Mercy couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at Allison's words. Allison thought that Mercy was content to do bitch work all her life. She was not. It was a necessary evil for now. That was fine. She'd learned something quite valuable today.

She took the contract and stood up. She collected her things and nodded to Allison. "Yes, it's quite unfortunate. Sometimes negotiations breakdown. I hope that there will be no need for me to be back into this establishment for any reason." She added as she turned. "Good day Ms. Watson."

Mercy then strolled out towards the door and as she heard Jamie's words, she pulled back the hand that the held the contract and shoved it forward so that she slammed it into Jamie's face, letting it drop and scatter to the ground. Even if none of the pages were missing, she wouldn't be needing THAT thing. The thought that it took here so long to realize what she had to do, and at the cost of meeting Jamie and and all the trouble she brought with her was such a horrible lesson that she hoped to never forget.