”Good.” Maria replied, effectively dismissing Elisa by picking up a case folder that had been on her desk.

Elisa understood the intent. The captain didn’t want there to be any mistake on the job, no matter how friendly towards you she might be when the situation called for it, that she was still the superior officer and that the chain of command was there for a reason had to be understood at all times.

Elisa left the captain’s office and made her way back to her desk and the paperwork waiting for her there, saying hi to her friend Officer Morgan on the way.

She didn’t feel like she might start crying anymore, but she still felt kind of shaky inside and she wanted to get out of the station as fast as she could to give herself a little alone time to think and get her emotions a little more sorted out before her date with Dominique.

Despite whatever else was on her mind, she still wanted to make a good impression.

—————–

Demona, or rather Dominique now, was seated in her chair, having turned around from her desk to look out over the city when her assistant, Robyn, had told her that a representative from Xanatos Enterprises was here asking to see her. She’d turned to look at the beautiful view mostly to calm herself enough so that she wouldn’t be tempted to try choking whomever it was to death with her bare hands on sight.

That Xanatos had dared to send someone to her like this as though there could be anything further to discuss, as though she weren’t resolved on killing him, no matter what she’d agreed to with Elisa, as though there could be some bargain struck to settle what was between them now – It was an insult that had her roiling with fury inside. In certain matters, she’d truly come to believe the people of this time fools, even perhaps Elisa Maza to an extent (though, in her case, at least her convictions were honorable ones; if a bit naive in this case). Those of the modern age seemed to like to think that everything could be dealt with in nice, polite, ’civilized’ ways. Well, perhaps they could, for some, but not for her. After what Xanatos had tried to do, she would see him dead, preferably by her own hand. She wanted to look into his eyes as the life left him and make sure he knew. Knew that actions had consequences – that there was a price to be paid for trying to make property of another living being – for trying to make property of her. So he was a fool, as well as a betrayer. Oh, but even a fool could be a dangerous and clever fool, couldn’t he? Perhaps he was even deliberately trying to make her as angry with him as he possibly could? Hoping it would give him some advantage? Lead her to some rash action? Either way, she had little stomach for indulging him in his games, and she very much wished she could simply send Langston away without seeing him. She obviously couldn’t though, not without risking losing a potential tactical advantage. Of course, this errand boy Xanatos had sent could well only offer her misinformation, but the risk of that didn’t outweigh the potential gain of having a window into what Xanatos’s game was now. Even misinformation might give her a clue. She’d have to be careful though – If she wasn’t, she could easily fall into another trap. David Xanatos was, after all, nothing if not a skilled manipulator, of people and events.