In the Meantime

Mercy stared at her Styrofoam coffee cup as a wispy trail of smoke lifted off it. One hand was clenched around it and the other hand was thumbing through her mp3 player. Her legs were crossed and her ankle began to bob when she [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8173XEo-Wjo:2evpvngp]found a song[/url:2evpvngp] she liked. She looked cool and calm, like a business professional having an afternoon coffee break. However, she was anything but. Inside she was a ball of nerves. When she had found out that Lilly wasn't going to be in the title match, she was relieved. She wouldn't have to decide who she hated more between Angela and the blonde cheerleader. It would make things much easier for her. When she heard that Lilly was being replaced by her boyfriend Clyde, she practically flew off the handle.

She couldn't believe it! Why was he being put in hentai matches? Titles of all things anyway? He wasn't a hentai wrestler. He wasn't going to be showing off what belonged to HER to the thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home! She fumed but she knew she couldn't do what she normally did and use her influence. She had already done a lot when it came to meddling with Tension, a place she had no pull in. The only reason she could have any say was because of some of the rather loose definitions of what was considered Tension wrestling. When girls who spent most of their time in Friction took the train down to wrestle a one-off match, it became an inter-department fight for jurisdiction much the same way the federal investigators might try to muscle in on local police during particular incidents.

With that in mind, Mercy had no choice but to try and get an appointment with the big cheese, the woman in charge of Tension, Melissa Sellers, and plead her case. Beg, maybe. She didn't know. Despite having a Sellers as a boss, she had never actually met anyone int he family. She had heard stories about Cassandra, but a lot of them were from Lukretia who seemed to have a very skewed opinion of the woman. She could only imagine that Cassandra was like any other person in charge and that Melissa was as well. That was why when she was asked to meet up with the woman who ran Tesnion in a small, easygoing cafe, her insides twisted in a knot immediately. What could it mean? She had no idea just what to expect and could only try and do her best to make sure Clyde wasn't in that match. That's why, as she pulled up her coffee, blew off the steam and took a small sip, she had been sitting at the cafe for almost an hour, already on her third cup. She couldn't be late. She had to be extra early. She had to make a good impression. Say the right things, do the right things. It had been a while since Mercy had had to kiss ass, but she was always pretty good at that when she needed to be.

Melissa didn't show up quite as keen and early as Mercy did, in fact she was on the other side of the scheduled meeting time from which Mercy had found herself on. It was reasonably late that Melissa arrived though, not frustrating, but possibly late enough giving Mercy a little more time to think and stew on the possible gravity of the meeting. When Melissa finally did arrive, it was as silky smooth an entrance as always from the GM of Tension. She knew exactly where Mercy would be sitting considering she herself had reserved the VIP area... thus Melissa saw the pink hair girl well before she was spotted and approach from around Mercy's blind spot.

"Ahh.. Ms. Wrenn..." Melissa said with a soft cooing voice as passed from behind over Mercy's shoulder and glided around towards the opposite entrance to the luxurious cushioned private booth. The coffee shop, Melissa Sellers choice of course, was large and very very high class. Waitresses were taking orders at booths and tables and were paying particular attention to the VIP section. As Melissa slipped out of her white coat to reveal her sleeveless black silk dress with a leg slip, the waitress came over within a few moments to silently offer to take the coat for her. Melissa equally as silently accepted and then as soon as she had been released of the burden, fluidly slipped down into the booth opposite Mercy

"I trust you are well deary...?"

Having her headphones on didn't help when Melissa entered and surprised her. "Ahhaaah!" Mercy gasped and stood up when she heard Melissa's words. She pressed her hand against her chest as she panted and quickly yanked the headphones from her ears and stuffed them into her suit pocket.

Mercy stayed stiffly at attention until Melissa sat down then she eased into her side of the booth with slightly less grace. Mercy looked down and nodded her head.

"Y-yes, ma'am." Mercy said and smiled nervously at Melissa. "Thank you again for meeting me." She said. "You didn't need to go to all this trouble though. An office would have been fine." She said, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Melissa was a little taken aback with Mercy's highly strung response to Melissa startling her, a few people in establishment turned their heads to look curiously at, what was now in their eyes, the "uncouthed clod" and the person who was sharing such company. It kind of gave Melissa the psychological advantage, although the Sellers woman wasn't too keen on Mercy's sudden sudden actions.

"Please, compose yourself.." Melissa advised Mercy, but kept the smile on her lips as she said it. After they had both been seated and other eyes had left their tables to go back to which ever tables they had initially been, Melissa responded.

"If you were expecting to see me caged up in some office that smells like a library... You probably called a meeting with the wrong Sellers. It is not any trouble at all, I like to conduct my business and pleasure.. In more cozy atmospheres"

Mercy lowered her head and blushed faintly at Melissa's words. They were a little weird to her. "Please forgive me, ma'am." Mercy said. "But I never thought of an office as a cage. It's just a good place to do business." She was a woman of law and law required extra knowledge at one's finger tips that couldn't just be carried around inside the head.

"But, thank you for meeting with me, wherever it is." Mercy said and flashed a small smile at Melissa. "I..." She said and turned her head. "You have heard about why I scheduled a meeting with upper management? I did not think that anyone else would listen to reason, to be honest." Not that Mercy had any expectations of Melissa listening to her, but she figured at least she'd be ignored for different reasons than she was by everyone else.

Melissa had done some background reading on Mercy and had come to the conclusion that she might be a bit too contrary for her on good. The comment about offices, as small as it was, seemed to be in keeping with Melissa's estimations of the girl. Melissa parted her lips and it looked as if the Sellers woman was about to answer, when instead her eyes trailed to the side where a waitress was hovering

"Mmm... I'll have a Mocha Latte, dear.." She placed her order, making Mercy have to wait for her response and in a subtle nonchalant way exerting a sense of superiority over proceedings as things would flow at Melissa's pace. The waitress wrote down the order on a note pad and then looked to Mercy for her order also..

'So that's how she's going to play it...' Mercy thought as she she watched Melissa casually order. Mercy turned and looked up at the server. "Chai Lattle, please." She said. She then folded her arms neatly in her lap and kept her eyes down, keeping her view at Melissa's neck so she was not making eye contact nor staring at the woman's chest while still keeping her focus solely on Melissa. She had perfected this technique a long time ago and it helped work wonders. She just had to figure out what to say or do until Melissa felt like addressing the reasons he came.

"This cafe is very nice." She said in a soft tone, raising her eyes briefly. "It's been a while since I've been to one like it."

"Why thank you.." Melissa weirdly thanked Mercy for the compliment on the cafe as she smiled softly.

"Its good to know you have sophisticated tastes in locale... I'm sure you'll find the beverages equally as pleasing." Melissa carefully stripped her hands of the pair of black elbow length gloves she had been wearing "In fact, I regularly frequent this establishment.. It is good for business or pleasure... Or both at the same time if you'd prefer..." She folded the gloves away and then placed them in her purse.

"Do you like to mix business with pleasure Ms Wrenn?"

Mercy smiled when Melissa thanked her. She just had to figure out how this woman ticked and then she could properly kiss her ass. That was what she needed to do. "I had gotten used to living pretty lavishly for a time, so I do know what it is like to enjoy the more refined things in life." Mercy said, lowering her head a bit. "Things aren't like that these days, but I am still able to live comfortably enough that I can splurge every once in a while." She raised ehr eyes and smiled again.

Mercy watched as Melissa took off her gloves. They seemed a bit unnecessary but that was what people of opulence did. She turned her head and blushed a bit. "I suppose that it can be fun sometimes, ma'am." Mercy said. "Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with doing my work though." She began. "I'm sure you know what that's like."

"Of course... of course." Melissa said softly "Not that mixing business and pleasure is always good, it does depend on situation and the people involved." Melissa looked off idly to one side, using her hand to gently swipe back a few strands of blond out away from her eyes and back behind her earlobe.

"Speaking of which... How might you describe your relationship with a certain Mr Gastin...? Would you say that he is your client? friend? ...lover? ...all of the above perhaps?"