sourires-et-masques:

Smoke and stench of alcohol clung to every corner of Hannah’s bedroom. For days she’d just been drowning her anxieties in the two vices, when she would throw off the garb of positivity that she’d worn all day pretending she was all fine and it was all sunshine and daisies. Pulling herself together, she decided to clean up her house because wallowing would not quite help her. Well, it wasn’t her original thought, more like her brother’s words of wisdom but, they had worked.

Hannah had finished cleaning up the place an hour ago, showered and changed into something nice to improve her own mood, and prepared some quiche lorraine which was now happily baking away in the kitchen. Pouring herself some white wine, she was just settling in on the couch with a book when there was a knock at her door.

Surprised as she wasn’t expecting company she walked across the hallway to open the door only to have an exhausted looking Elliot storm in, complete with a briefcase and a business tone. “Uhm, hello, Elliot! What a pleasant surprise. Please, come in,” she said sarcastically but, in an amused tone as she followed him to her living room.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked warmly even though, taking in his appearance she felt sympathetic towards the man. The Diamonds would be the death of him.

“I told you on our phone call. I have papers you need to sign for when we all inevitably get pulled into some dark, dank room for questioning.” His tone was exasperated, tired of the fact that he had done this too many times to count, that he still had people to visit and forms to sign, and he was getting an ugly callous on his thumb from clicking pens.

At the look of confusion across Hannah’s features, Elliott finally took a moment to stop and stare, brow furrowed in confusion. “I called.”

He… had… called… right?

           Elliott took a deep breath.

“I didn’t call, did I.”

@sourires-et-masques

He pressed his fingers against the bottom of his eye sockets, massaging the area like he had seen on the YouTube video until the pressure in his head started to recede. 

Maybe a professional massage might help him in these dire days. A drunk massage. Could you show up to a massage appointment drunk? He’d honestly consider it if that were the case, bodily touching aside.

With a sigh, Elliott rapped his knuckles against Hannah’s door. Just another stop on his tour–backup dancers not included. But Hannah was the anomaly out of everyone. Elliott’s job was Professional Bullshit. He could get a doctor covered, even smooth other a rattled thief or news source. But Hannah was… she was just Hannah. No ties, no need for ties. And even as he stood there, Elliott was still trying to find a way to keep her safe.

The second the door open he strode in, opening up his briefcase as he walked and taking the pen out of his suit jacket pocket.

“Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.”

remedial-prestige:

Eva nodded lightly before moving over to the kitchen to get her guest some water. She wasn’t completely sure why Elliot had shown up at her doorstep but she could make an educated guess about it. Clearly the case with Wren had scared the higher ups about bad Diamond PR being leaked or something, which was only logical.

When she returned with a glass of water, Elliot had made himself comfortable on the couch and was surrounded by different forms. Her brow raised as he mentioned the nature of his paperwork, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. It was only logical that a person like him would visit her for a reason like this. ‘’So, if I’m pulled in for questioning, I can ‘plead the fifth’ so to say, and use these?’’ she asked, taking a seat beside him, just slightly put off by the idea of forging non disclosure forms after the facts. ‘’Is that really smart? I mean, I can just as easily deny involvement… or just… anything  really.’’ she didn’t like the idea of doing this, it felt a little wrong.

Elliott shook his head as he accepted the water, taking a long and generous gulp from it. Were his hands shaking from the booze or from the lack of it? He had no clue anymore.

      “Denying is useless, especially if you’re lying. If someone is worth their salt, they’ll figure out a connection. Or they could fabricate one, lie to you, in order to try and sweat you out and get you to admit something when they don’t have a lick of proof.” He explained calmly and coolly. It was a conversation he’d had nearly half a dozen times by now. Singh wasn’t the only one with cold feet.

He continued.

“There’s a paper trail already. But tragedy is a good cover. The gala event was a mess and honestly…” his voice lowered slightly, words almost only for himself, “my life’s just gotten a whole lot worse since… But I digress. I was planning a charity event that fell though but a doctor of your skill would have been invaluable as not only a guest but a consultant. Your affiliation is taken care of.”

He tapped the first file folder.

“All in here.”

damage control | elliott 

alexdiamonds:

Alex didn’t know how exactly he was managing to keep himself together. It seemed mostly to be a lot of booze and a lot of help, and a lot of cursing Wren fucking Diamond for throwing him into this position. He had no idea what he was doing. Tenzin knew, Tenzin should be here. But at the same time, Wren’s message had been very clear - he wanted someone he trusted, someone he knew well, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Elliott had been a god-send, considering the man’s entire job was in this sort of thing - damage control, something his hands were full of. But as usual, it made him helpful to the gang as much as it did to the company, something Alex as a (now former, because how the fuck was he supposed to maintain the facade of a normal employee?) journalist endlessly appreciated.

He sat nursing a very big glass of scotch as he waited for Elliott to arrive in the safe house that had become their new HQ, well after midnight. It had come from Wren’s collection in his office. You owe me this, you asshole. He looked up when the door opened and set his glass down, sighing in relief when he met Elliott’s eyes. “You look like you haven’t slept either. Have to say that makes me feel a little better.”

“Yeah, well, some of us have actual day-jobs and can’t go running around the city at all hours of the night. So next time we do this–we do it in my office.” Elliot set his bag down on the countertop and went immediately to get himself a glass of water. “I have it swept for bugs three times a day.”

Never a sentence he thought he would have to use, but one that was spilling from his lips with alarming regularity. 

He took a long gulp of the cold water, wiping sweat from the back of his neck. With a huffed sigh, Elliott finally just gave up and wrenched off his jacket and tie. It was just another evening cleaning up messes. Nothing had changed–other than the fact that tonight was about covering up the boss.

                   “I’ll give you the same spiel I’ve been giving everyone else. At the moment, the only thing I can do is bury us in NDA’s until one of the involved lawyers sets the building on fire. Hopefully… with me inside.” He opened his briefcase and began rifling through files. “You’re going to need a pen, and possibly a diagnosis for carpal tunnel after we finish.”

remedial-prestige:

Confused, Eva let Elliot enter her home, unsure why he was being so familiar with her. They hadn’t exactly met on a personal basis, which is why his words didn’t make a whole lot of sense. He removed his shoes, which Eva didn’t  deem necessary, but she didn’t call him out on it. After she’d closed the door and walked him to the living room, his entire demeanor changed to a more formal stance. ‘’Oh..’’ surprised by the sudden change, Eva took his hand before responding. ‘’Uh, pleasures all mine, Mr. Abbey…’’ She wasn’t sure what else to say for a few seconds but quickly found her words again. ‘’Can I offer you something to drink?’’ she asked, trying to be hospitable to her guest even though she wasn’t dressed for it.

“Some water, if it’s no trouble.” answered Elliott. He wasted no time, moving to take a small seat on the nearest available chair. He pulled several forms out of his briefcase. All official documents, all off any sort of record. Kept hidden and controlled within the Diamond’s personal files all managed by him. He was going to start adding “Record Keeper” to his resume if he ever made it out of this mess.

       “I have a few things for you to sign. Non-disclosure agreements, keeping everything in order. They all have several titles and versions, just in case someone or something tries to get you to talk.
               Luckily, the feds aren’t the only ones who can use the legal system to their advantage, and no one is really above an NDA.” Elliott explained, as casually as though they were grabbing drinks at a coffee shop rather than discussing hiding illegal affairs from the Federal Government.

“And a few private files, all the right things, you understand.”

remedial-prestige:

This was the last person Eva expected to see at her door. She recognized the man as a member of the Diamonds she’d met once or twice before at formal Diamond gatherings. If she remembered correctly, he was in charge of Diamond Corp’s pr, which meant his job stood on an equally as unpleasant level as getting hit in the face with a pile of runny stool these last few days. His tone of voice however, sounded positive, which Eva didn’t exactly buy. No one with his job description within a time like this, could actually feel as positive as he tried to sound. ‘’Uhm, yeah, sure Mr… Abbey was it?’’ she spoke, stepping aside for him to enter her home. 

She did suddenly feel a little self conscious. She wasn’t dressed for company, and certainly not some Diamond Pr guy. She closed the door after he’d stepped inside, trying to stand as confident as she could in the lazy outfit she was wearing. ‘’Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, or..?’’ she offered, her hand lifting to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Her eyes glanced at the television screen, where the Diamond case was still being reported and she rushed over to the remote control. ‘’Yeah.. I was just.. tuning in on that..’’ she hurriedly lied as she turned off the tv. 

“Please, Eva, you know I prefer it when you call me Elliott.”

Perhaps it was the soldier in him, or maybe the part of him that enjoyed spy flicks far too much. He was paranoid–couldn’t stand not to be these days. Anyone could be listening, watching, from anywhere. It was better to assume friends were hanging out rather than seemingly unrelated people talking like coworkers.

Elliott took her invitation and stepped over the threshold, allowing her to close the door behind him. He took off his shoes out of courtesy, though he didn’t intend to stay for very long. 

As soon as they were alone, Elliott turned on a socked heel and offered her his hand in a far more cordial greeting than the one he’d exhibited out there.

         “My apologies, Doctor Singh. Elliott Abbey, Diamond Corp PR. It’s a pleasure to meet you on a more official basis.”

remedial-prestige:

What a colossal mess Eva had found herself wrapped up in. She was at home, staring at the television screen as the news reported every detail of the Diamond case. Ironic how on her few days off from the Presbyterian, something like this happened, making it impossible for her to relax and enjoy the only free days she’d had in forever. Ever since the news broke she’d been on edge, and worried about the future. She was worried for herself, knowing that with just the right amount of digging in the right place, law enforcement may find out she’d been on the Diamond’s payroll for years now. But she feared for the people within the Diamond gang that she’d come to care about during those years even more. They were in even more jeopardy than she was with how publicly they worked under Wren Diamond. 

Eva sat curled up on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket as the news gave the latest information. She’d basically rolled out of bed, taken a shower and slipped into grey sweatpants and a pink t-shirt before dropping herself in front of the tv for the latest information. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and on her coffee table was a steaming cup of tea she’d just made. She was about to pick up the steaming mug when her doorbell rang, shaking her from her fixated stare at the television. Eva slid from the couch, making her way to the front door within seconds. Honestly, she wanted to get her butt back on that couch as soon as she could, so her plan was to get rid of whomever was at the door as quickly as she could. She pulled the door open, ready to tell the salesman of ‘whatever they’re selling’ she wasn’t interested, but instead being faced with someone unexpected. ‘’Oh… Hey.’’

There was damage control, and then there were the numerous illegal things Elliott was doing to cover up the bullshit his life had become. 

Any logical man would have skipped town the second all of this came to a head. Wren Diamond, arrested. The gang, underground. The company, a shell of itself. Everything was a mess and why had he signed up to clean up the messes with a public face, again? God if he knew. This whole experience was wrecking his liver.

The leather handle of his briefcase was getting warm and slippery under his palm as he waited for Doctor Singh to answer her door. Just another stop on his damage-control tour. If only he was paid as much as concert tickets for that shitshow would cost.

The door opened and Elliott immediately set upon his face a friendly, easygoing grin. In truth he and the Doctor had only met at a Diamond function or two–he had to actually look up her first name before arriving at her place. But with no one above suspicion, an official connection wasn’t a good idea.

“Eva, I’m so glad I caught you at home,” he said as he rolled the tension out of his shoulders, “do you mind if I come in? The subway was murder.”