Arms Hotel - Late Wednesday Evening.
Nov. 4th, 2020 02:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
superjoanjettJessica returned to her room late in the evening. After the events at Caritas, she headed over to the throughway just to make sure she could leave the island. After stepping off onto the mainland her phone began to buzz like crazy making her groan and turn around to go back to her room.
She immediately packed her bags and sampled the jug of sake as she did. As far as she was concerned she was done with this place.
Or at least until her phone started ringing.
She groaned at caller ID and answered. "What do you want, Hogarth?"
"You've been ignoring my calls," she replied evenly.
"I haven't gotten any calls from you," Jessica replied tersely as she threw more clothes into her bag. "And you've got a lot of fucking nerve to call me after what you pulled."
"My staff has been calling you," Jeri clarified. "But your phone has been cutting them off. I assumed you were just trying to avoid me."
"Well, I'm talking to you now," Jessica retorted. "And I haven't gotten one fucking phone call since I got here."
The realization of that statement just hit Jessica. For the last prior week her phone had been ringing off the hook asking for "help". She just assumed that she got lost in the news cycle.
As Jeri continued to jabber away, Jessica went to her call history only to see that the only calls she had received was when she stepped off the island just a bit ago and that the only other call that cut through was Jeri's. But why?
On instinct she went over to her contacts and realized that Jeri's number was one of the three phone numbers that she had listed as favorites.
"-I went so far as to check my employee's logged phone calls so I know they at least tried to contact you," Jeri continued. "And despite our... personal issues I would like to think we can continue our professional relationship."
Jessica pondered that. "Fine. Whatever. But my rate is doubled."
There was a snort of derision from Jeri. "Because you're in such demand?"
"No, because you're an asshole," Jessica retorted.
"... Fair enough. Would you at least take calls from my staff? That way we can avoid further unpleasantness."
Jessica looked at her phone and decided to take a gamble. "Fine. But it can only be one person. Give me their name and number and I'm only dealing with him or her."
"Fine."
Jeri rattled off a number and name and Jessica took it down. Then without a goodbye from either one of them they ended the call.
Jessica sat and stared at her phone for a bit. And then called Trish.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Call me back," Jessica said.
"Wait. Wh-?"
Jessica hung up the phone before Trish could say anything else and then picked up the phone as soon as it rang.
"What the fuck, Jess?"
"I was testing something," Jessica replied as she started to unpack her bag.
"What were you testing?"
"My call quality. Can you hear me now?"
Trish groaned. "You don't talk to me for a week and this is what I get?"
"Sorry," Jessica replied not actually sounding apologetic at all. "I just needed to test something."
"My patience?" Trish countered. "When are you coming back?"
"I may be sticking around for a bit," Jessica replied as she poured herself another sake.
"... Why? What did you find there?"
"Nothing," Jessica replied with a trace of hesitation. "But there's benefits from working from here."
The pause on the other end of the line spoke volumes. "Jessica, are you staying there to avoid the whole-"
"Gotta go!" Jessica said quickly and hung up the phone as she continued to unpack her bags.
She immediately packed her bags and sampled the jug of sake as she did. As far as she was concerned she was done with this place.
Or at least until her phone started ringing.
She groaned at caller ID and answered. "What do you want, Hogarth?"
"You've been ignoring my calls," she replied evenly.
"I haven't gotten any calls from you," Jessica replied tersely as she threw more clothes into her bag. "And you've got a lot of fucking nerve to call me after what you pulled."
"My staff has been calling you," Jeri clarified. "But your phone has been cutting them off. I assumed you were just trying to avoid me."
"Well, I'm talking to you now," Jessica retorted. "And I haven't gotten one fucking phone call since I got here."
The realization of that statement just hit Jessica. For the last prior week her phone had been ringing off the hook asking for "help". She just assumed that she got lost in the news cycle.
As Jeri continued to jabber away, Jessica went to her call history only to see that the only calls she had received was when she stepped off the island just a bit ago and that the only other call that cut through was Jeri's. But why?
On instinct she went over to her contacts and realized that Jeri's number was one of the three phone numbers that she had listed as favorites.
"-I went so far as to check my employee's logged phone calls so I know they at least tried to contact you," Jeri continued. "And despite our... personal issues I would like to think we can continue our professional relationship."
Jessica pondered that. "Fine. Whatever. But my rate is doubled."
There was a snort of derision from Jeri. "Because you're in such demand?"
"No, because you're an asshole," Jessica retorted.
"... Fair enough. Would you at least take calls from my staff? That way we can avoid further unpleasantness."
Jessica looked at her phone and decided to take a gamble. "Fine. But it can only be one person. Give me their name and number and I'm only dealing with him or her."
"Fine."
Jeri rattled off a number and name and Jessica took it down. Then without a goodbye from either one of them they ended the call.
Jessica sat and stared at her phone for a bit. And then called Trish.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Call me back," Jessica said.
"Wait. Wh-?"
Jessica hung up the phone before Trish could say anything else and then picked up the phone as soon as it rang.
"What the fuck, Jess?"
"I was testing something," Jessica replied as she started to unpack her bag.
"What were you testing?"
"My call quality. Can you hear me now?"
Trish groaned. "You don't talk to me for a week and this is what I get?"
"Sorry," Jessica replied not actually sounding apologetic at all. "I just needed to test something."
"My patience?" Trish countered. "When are you coming back?"
"I may be sticking around for a bit," Jessica replied as she poured herself another sake.
"... Why? What did you find there?"
"Nothing," Jessica replied with a trace of hesitation. "But there's benefits from working from here."
The pause on the other end of the line spoke volumes. "Jessica, are you staying there to avoid the whole-"
"Gotta go!" Jessica said quickly and hung up the phone as she continued to unpack her bags.
