[Ariyah – Downtown – Studio X – BoL – A]
Ariyah reined in the flash of annoyance at the man’s condescending tone. She wasn’t a big-wig by any stretch of the imagination, and she was okay with that. However, that does not mean she appreciated being talked down to. Ariyah pasted a polite, attentive expression on her face and tried not to shift in her seat.
The man’s next words only served to annoy her more. She had thought that this man was just instructed to inform her of her task, she didn’t expect him to know her history as well. Does the Prince intend to announce her secret to all and sundry?
And who was this man anyway? He had not even seen fit to introduce himself. Was she supposed to ignore his blatant disregard of etiquette, or was this a test to see if she had backbone?
With what she have seen of Seattle’s Camarilla so far, it was most likely the former.
Ariyah lifted a corner of her lips in an approximation of a smile, “You’ll have to forgive me for finding your description of the task a little vague, Mr….” She let her words trail off, prompting him for an introduction. She will be polite, and she will be respectful, but she will not be stepped on. As the man said, she needed to show that she was worth the Camarilla’s investment.
“As I wrote in my letter to the Prince, I am willing to prove my usefulness to the Tower and to get back in its good graces; however, I need to ensure that the required task is reasonable. My previous sin was due to my lack of judgment, and I do not want a repeat of the same mistake again.”
Ariyah leaned forward slightly, her eyes meeting her companion’s across the table, “Let me reiterate; this is not reluctance on my part. I just want to know what I’m getting myself into before I sign on the dotted line. After all, an informed partner is better than a blind devotee.”