Lunchtime Negotiations - for your_host_cj (and eventually corky_sherwood)

[heythereslugger]

The plan was perfect. Not only that, but it was a plan which simply could not fail. Murphy had considered all of the possibilities, all of the loopholes, and all of the roadblocks. She was certain that by the end of this lunch, she would have C.J. Cregg convinced of the fact that she really just deserved to be let back into the White House. So she'

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[your_host_cj]

C.J. breezed through the Iron Gate's main entrance, spotting Murphy already seated at a table at the far end of the patio, drink in hand, looking irritated. And their meeting hadn't even started.

Side-stepping a waiter, she made her way toward the table, her smile more of a grimace as Murphy noticed her approaching and checked her watch, not especially discretely. C.J.'s 11:00 press briefing had run over, but she had managed to make it to the restaurant - some nine blocks from 1600 Pennsylvania - only ten minutes after their scheduled meeting time. Ten minutes was fashionably late. Ten minutes was White House late. Ten minutes was nothing, and Corky Sherwood, C.J. noticed with a twinge of relief, was missing as well.

"Murphy, hi, sorry to keep you waiting," she smiled as she reached the table, taking her seat across from the reporter. "My briefing went long." At this, Murphy's eyes narrowed slightly. "You found the place okay?"

[heythereslugger]

Finally, at exactly 12:10, Murphy spotted C.J. making her way over to the table. She looked rushed, and damn well she should look that way, after being ten minutes late. As the other woman took her seat, she asked an awfully stupid question, and Murphy couldn't stop herself from sounding irritated as she answered it.

"Well, of course I found the place okay," she said. "It's not like I haven't been here before, what with the fact that I've lived here for more than 10 years."

Damn it, she thought. That... probably can't have been a good way to go.

"BUT," she said, sitting up a little straighter and plastering a bright smile on her face, "um, it's okay. You didn't really keep me waiting..."

Well, great, now this'll just look completely unnatural.

30 seconds in and she already wished it could start over.

[your_host_cj]

C.J. tried not to visibly cringe at Murphy's obvious annoyance. "Well, great..."

She was unnerved and she hated it. But the reporter sitting across the table wasn't the one calling the shots here, she reminded herself. C.J. had the upper hand in this meeting. Murphy wanted something from her, not the other way around, and she was going to get nowhere by snapping.

She would let Murphy make her case. But as far as C.J. was currently concerned, reporters with histories of immaturity, anger management issues, and violent tendencies weren't at the top of the list to be issued press credentials.

Her smile beginning to feel more natural, C.J. accepted the water glass the hostess filled for her. "Are we waiting for Corky before we get started?"

This ridiculous exercise might be less painful than she'd originally thought.

[heythereslugger]

"Corky?" Murphy asked, feeling a little bit of color drain from her face. "She's, uh... she couldn't make it. She's awfully busy with... stuff."

It'll probably be better not to mention the fact that I ditched her, she thought, taking a few larger-than-necessary sips of soda. The last thing I need is Corky distracting C.J.

"So seeing as how she won't be coming, I thought we could just get right down to business." She forced another smile, and hoped it didn't look as evil as it felt.