houseofcards_rp | ota {behind the mirror}

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ota {behind the mirror}

He's only meant to close his eyes for a minute, maybe five. But, he'd worked till well after sundown yesterday, then had come Donia Carruthers and her emergency stroke, which had seen him up all night long, getting the woman stable and trying to calm her distraught husband, and by then, adrenaline and coffee had rendered him unable to sleep, so back to his office he went.

And the agenda was full: a meeting with Rowan regarding the security issues involving the other Suits, the conversation with Mano about the h/vac system in the Castle as well as the planning and organization of a possible summer luau for the entire Deck, and countless other little details scrawled into his calendar. But somewhere around mid-morning, Theo's eyes just refused to stay open and he unconsciously leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, slipping into a doze before he realized it.

Just a minute. Just five minutes. That's all.

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It really doesn't make her entirely happy to see her King in such a state. Which is why she'll be waiting for him when he wakes up with a tote bag slung over one shoulder.

First to be retrieved, of course, is a bottle of water for him. "Good morning, your Majesty," she teases gently with a soft smile.

He didn't doze long; his chair wasn't comfortable enough for that. Although Theo'd never been one for power naps, he nevertheless did feel a bit better when he finally opened his eyes, and blinked to see Blythe standing on the other side of his desk.

"Hey," he returned her greeting, sitting up with a lopsided smile. "G'morning. How was the trip?"

"It was... quite relaxing. There were some, ah, interesting parts. Overall, a really lovely time." She straightens, nodding. "And now I'm back and ready for work. From what I can see, it's about time."

"Good." Theo's phone chimed; he leaned up, read the text message then put it back down. "Donia Carruthers had a stroke last night, so Accounting is going to need a replacement since Phillip will be with her for a while. And some time later this afternoon, I'd like to sit down with you and Rowan to talk about the security problems going around."

Theo's brows lowered as he went on, "I'm sure we didn't have a breach like the others, but it never hurts to go over the details." He shuffled through a stack of papers, selected one, then asked, "By the way, how are you and Hadyn getting along?"

"Of course. I've had HR look into it, and I'm nearly certain we're fine, but it's good to be thorough."

She shrugs a little at his question. "We've... always gotten along well. It was a good suggestion from Elisha, really. He keeps me organized."

The King nodded. "Yup. Also, I'd consider it a favor if you kept an eye on Justin. I know he's still trying to figure out his 'niche', as it were, but all of us have duties, and I'm not going to simply let him run wild, nor will he be allowed to harass others going about theirs."

His expression grew a bit flinty. "Life here isn't a vacation, nor a holiday, so remind him of that, if you would."

She listens for a moment, crossing her arms over her chest. "Justin... he had a hard time in the Spades. Um... I don't think that... forcing him into duties is the right way to... go about things." She's silent for a second, then says, "I mean, of course, he has to do something, but... I'll try to work with him to find some way he can contribute and be happy."

"I'm aware he did, yes. However, if he's to overcome those previously bad days, he needs structure and responsibility." One of Theo's brows quirked. "I'm hardly a tyrant, Blythe," he told her blandly. "But we're not going to coddle him, either. He's more than capable of serving his Suit, and I want nothing more for him than to grow and become a well-adjusted young man."

Theo tapped his fingertips together, looking at her. "I'd appreciate it if you would take him in hand. Let him know we're here to support him, not to make his life miserable. And what's expected of him, despite his obvious distaste for authority."

"I wasn't calling you a tyrant, sir." She gestures vaguely with one hand as she speaks. "But I think what he needs isn't so much responsibility as... something constructive he can do without fear of reproach." She shrugs, lips curving into a smile. "So I'll work on it. It'll be fun."

"Whatever you believe will get through to him, I give you carte blanche." Theo acquiesced with a wave of fingers. "And I look forward to glowing progress reports weekly. I've already given him the task of helping me in here with the painting; when that's done, he's all yours."

He leaned forward and propped elbows on his desk. "Anything else on your mind, then? I've got a bit before the next conference."

"Is there anything else I can take off your plate for you?" She laughs a little, gesturing to her tote bag. "I even came prepared with a file folder, Theo. Don't make me leave here with it empty."

He laughed with her, hand over his heart. "My savioress. Pull up a chair." Theo reached for his glasses, shoved them on his nose and began sorting through the papers on his desk, peering at a few before finally finding the ones he wanted.

"The kitchen drains seem to be spotty, or so I'm told. Personally, I think they're just trying to get shiny new stainless steel sinks, but it's possible that the complaint's legit." He passed that memo over. "Secondly, perhaps most importantly, one of the Templeton kids was caught stealing."

He frowned, reading over the report. "Samson's only eight, but he knows better. His mother brought it to my attention--seems this isn't his first offense. I'll leave it to you to take care of, if you would."

That knocking at the door frame is Justin pushing his way in, a couple of cans of paint in hand, and a couple of brushes in another. "Yeah, sorry. I can work around you, no worries."

Hey, you were the one who told him you wanted your office painted, Theo.

Theo opened his eyes and sat up, spying Justin just coming into his office, and smiled. "Ah, yes. Excellent. I have..." he pushed back from the desk, rose and fetched a few large pieces of heavy cloth, shaking one out, "...drop-cloths."

He set it aside, nodding to the couch and chairs along the wall. "Let's move the furniture out into the hallway, and we'll start on that side and work around."

Some paint rollers and pans and tape to keep the paint from getting on the trim of things probably would have also been a good idea, not that Justin would have known to fetch them. Or necessarily cared.

Also, the paint cans he's carrying may be full of the cheapest paint there was to get at the store, so it likely looks something rather reminiscent of concrete gray.

But he'll just set the cans down and raise his eyebrows at the furniture. "You do realize you'd be better off with somebody who actually knows what the fuck they're doing, right?"

Fair warning, Theo, fair warning.

She'll glance through the memos, nodding, then look up at him. "Of course. I can take care of this. If- if there's anything else, please don't hesitate to tell me." She attempts a smile, but this time, her expression stays mostly serious. "I already watched one King work himself to exhaustion. I really, really don't want to see it again." She worries, that's all.

There's no personal assistant to keep him out, so Alasdair just steps into Theo's office, and then...pauses, before he clears his throat.

"I can come back later if this is a bad time?"

She does have a real reason for being here. She does have business she wants to run by the King of her Suit.

It's just that when she finds people sleeping at their desks, she has to wake them up. In her blood. In her system.

At least this time it's with a rough shake on the shoulder rather than a smack on the head. "Hey, doll. Terrible for your spine."

Theo smiled back at her, nodding. "I don't plan to make a habit of it, promise." He even crossed his heart, no pun intended. "After I get Justin started in here, I might just nip out of the office for the rest of today and catch up on my sleep."

Sounded like an amazing plan, now that he thought about it.

Opening his eyes and blinking, Theo sat up, spying Alasdair in the doorway and waved him in.

"No, no, not at all. Come in, come in. Just taking a power nap."

He gestured to a chair. "Please." Steepling his fingers, Theo propped his arms on his desk and assumed an open, waiting expression.

"What's on your mind, Alasdair?"

Theo didn't immediately open his eyes, but rather grunted instead. "Yeah, I know," he mumbled back, still unmoving. "'s why I have this chair, instead of one more comfortable."

He finally did open his eyes and glance up at her, quirking an eyebrow. "Catnap," was all he said before gesturing her to one of the empty chairs near his desk.

"And to what do I owe the honor, milady James?"

"Never too late to learn something new," Theo replied cheerfully. He glanced at the cans of paint, cocked an eyebrow and shook his head. "I wish you'd have checked with me before shlepping those heavy things all the way up here, Justin."

Theo stepped over to the small closet on the other side of his office, rummaged for a few minutes, procuring two large paper bags of painting supplies as well as two cans of primer and two cans of peachy-cream colored paint. "I already had most of this up here."

He fished a photo concept from his stack of papers and held it out. "This is the plan," he explained. "Already have the furniture, as you can see, but the walls need to be done, as well as the carpet." His grin reappeared. "Won't take long."

She couldn't help the brief quirk of a smile. Always nice to let oneself feel trusted. Likely Theo was just too tired to care, but she'd let herself be an optimist.

Chairs were nice, but easier was simply checking her hip lightly against the side of his desk. It would, after all, be more conducive to smacking him awake again.

"First and foremost to my horrible concern that my King is going to leave me with an absolute mess of paperwork when he falls asleep on a letter opener."

He was awake now, never fear. To her comment, however, Theo snorted a chuckle, scrubbed a hand through his hair and leaned back in the chair, crossing arms over his chest.

"I doubt that," he half-smiled. "Don't use one." No, he just tore the ends off the envelope--call him strange.

"A man who likes to live dangerously, I see. How in the world d'you not panic about the paper cuts you might get?"

Then again, how often did people get actual snail mail these days? Perhaps the whole point was moot. But also perhaps a few minutes pondering a moot point would be good for a tired brain.

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