pistachio with hot fudge and fresh peaches
Story: Timeless { backstory | index }
Title: A Break
Rating: PG
Challenge: Pistachio #26: taking a break
Toppings/Extras: hot fudge, fresh peaches
Wordcount: 740
Summary: Horatio Newson and Hallie Rydan discuss Miss Merritt.
Notes: Introducing Hallie Rydan, another hot fudge for the gang. Fresh peaches: These cosmic changes introduce a time for socialising, parties and hanging out with friends.
“I don’t know why the hell you wanted so much glass in your office,” Hallie Rydan sighed, cigarette smoke curling from between her lips. She stood on the other side of the balcony, elbow resting against the bar, dropping ash to the hundreds of storeys’ worth of gleaming walkways and public transport below. Carelessness came naturally to her. “If I never see another pane of glass in my life, it’ll be too soon.”
Horatio Newson didn’t smoke, but he didn’t mind the company of those that did. He supposed it was a good thing-Hallie was one of his closest friends, and his PA used to smoke like a chimney until she recently quit.
“Well, next time I’ll be sure to design it with the comfort of Queen Hallelujah in mind,” he said, smirking because he knew how much she hated her full first name. Tutting, Hallie flicked some more ash towards him and then yawned.
She was a shining, starry girl, Hallie Rydan: with a full head of tumbling black curls that she kept cut to about her chin and two rosy apples for cheeks, there was a natural innocence to her appearance. Smiles were something else that came to her easily, amongst other things.
“Fucked Merritt yet?” she asked, grinning as she inhaled once more, quickly-she did everything quickly.
“Cocking hell,” Horatio replied, running a hand through his hair. “What part of ‘a thousand times no’ do you not understand? I doubt I’d survive.”
“Just saying… I’d go there,” Hallie replied with a shrug and a wicked smile.
“You’re a strange woman.”
This reminded him of when his mother used to ask when he and Hallie were getting married-she being the only female that had remained in his life for any notable length of time. Perhaps “She’s a lesbian, stupid,” hadn’t been the best of answers, but come on. Hallie did not hide the fact.
She never stopped talking about her conquests. Her apparent attraction to Adele Merritt-Horatio had no idea whether it was genuine at this point or simply a running gag that had been going as long as he could remember-was just one example. Hallie was the kind who developed instant crushes on almost anyone. She came to work most days in tailored trousers that ended just above the knee, a blouse see-through enough to see the lace of her bra and a silky black tie slung loosely about her neck.
Almost every other week she played the part of the stunning girl on his arm at various social events; in ruffled, exquisite, slinky dresses that surely cost her entire paycheque… but they would never be a couple and-quite frankly-he wouldn’t want to. As much as he loved her, she would absolutely do his head in.
“There’s something about her,” she said, vaguely gesturing with the hand her expensive cigarette was pinched in.
“How about the fact she’s a fucking lunatic?” Horatio snorted.
“Hey. Come on now. She’s your PA. You hired her.”
“Yeah, the fact she scares seven kinds of shit out of most people means that I don’t have to do half of the jobs I used to because I can set her to them. She’s a good PA, in her own batshit way.”
“You can’t call someone a good PA unless you’ve fucked them,” she said, seeming totally convinced of this. “It’s the rules, hon.”
Sometimes he couldn’t believe that she was a ruthless businesswoman. Then again, her tactic was different to most; Hallie seemed to rely on sheer likeability. And it worked because people lapped it up. Everyone loved Hallie. They didn’t see the backstabbing bitchery until the very last moment, and even then they couldn’t really hate her because it was all a part of business and, aw, just look at that cute button nose.
Horatio hadn’t fallen for it, of course-but he’d seen the potential and that was why he’d hired her.
“In that case I’ll just stop calling her a good PA,” Horatio muttered. He glanced along the balcony to the door back to his office. As always, there was a lot to do, most of it boring. Goddamn it, he was meant to be rich! Weren’t rich people meant to just lie around all day?
“Don’t even think about it,” Hallie said without looking around. “You are staying out here for another…” She glanced at her watch. “Six minutes. At least.”
Title: A Break
Rating: PG
Challenge: Pistachio #26: taking a break
Toppings/Extras: hot fudge, fresh peaches
Wordcount: 740
Summary: Horatio Newson and Hallie Rydan discuss Miss Merritt.
Notes: Introducing Hallie Rydan, another hot fudge for the gang. Fresh peaches: These cosmic changes introduce a time for socialising, parties and hanging out with friends.
“I don’t know why the hell you wanted so much glass in your office,” Hallie Rydan sighed, cigarette smoke curling from between her lips. She stood on the other side of the balcony, elbow resting against the bar, dropping ash to the hundreds of storeys’ worth of gleaming walkways and public transport below. Carelessness came naturally to her. “If I never see another pane of glass in my life, it’ll be too soon.”
Horatio Newson didn’t smoke, but he didn’t mind the company of those that did. He supposed it was a good thing-Hallie was one of his closest friends, and his PA used to smoke like a chimney until she recently quit.
“Well, next time I’ll be sure to design it with the comfort of Queen Hallelujah in mind,” he said, smirking because he knew how much she hated her full first name. Tutting, Hallie flicked some more ash towards him and then yawned.
She was a shining, starry girl, Hallie Rydan: with a full head of tumbling black curls that she kept cut to about her chin and two rosy apples for cheeks, there was a natural innocence to her appearance. Smiles were something else that came to her easily, amongst other things.
“Fucked Merritt yet?” she asked, grinning as she inhaled once more, quickly-she did everything quickly.
“Cocking hell,” Horatio replied, running a hand through his hair. “What part of ‘a thousand times no’ do you not understand? I doubt I’d survive.”
“Just saying… I’d go there,” Hallie replied with a shrug and a wicked smile.
“You’re a strange woman.”
This reminded him of when his mother used to ask when he and Hallie were getting married-she being the only female that had remained in his life for any notable length of time. Perhaps “She’s a lesbian, stupid,” hadn’t been the best of answers, but come on. Hallie did not hide the fact.
She never stopped talking about her conquests. Her apparent attraction to Adele Merritt-Horatio had no idea whether it was genuine at this point or simply a running gag that had been going as long as he could remember-was just one example. Hallie was the kind who developed instant crushes on almost anyone. She came to work most days in tailored trousers that ended just above the knee, a blouse see-through enough to see the lace of her bra and a silky black tie slung loosely about her neck.
Almost every other week she played the part of the stunning girl on his arm at various social events; in ruffled, exquisite, slinky dresses that surely cost her entire paycheque… but they would never be a couple and-quite frankly-he wouldn’t want to. As much as he loved her, she would absolutely do his head in.
“There’s something about her,” she said, vaguely gesturing with the hand her expensive cigarette was pinched in.
“How about the fact she’s a fucking lunatic?” Horatio snorted.
“Hey. Come on now. She’s your PA. You hired her.”
“Yeah, the fact she scares seven kinds of shit out of most people means that I don’t have to do half of the jobs I used to because I can set her to them. She’s a good PA, in her own batshit way.”
“You can’t call someone a good PA unless you’ve fucked them,” she said, seeming totally convinced of this. “It’s the rules, hon.”
Sometimes he couldn’t believe that she was a ruthless businesswoman. Then again, her tactic was different to most; Hallie seemed to rely on sheer likeability. And it worked because people lapped it up. Everyone loved Hallie. They didn’t see the backstabbing bitchery until the very last moment, and even then they couldn’t really hate her because it was all a part of business and, aw, just look at that cute button nose.
Horatio hadn’t fallen for it, of course-but he’d seen the potential and that was why he’d hired her.
“In that case I’ll just stop calling her a good PA,” Horatio muttered. He glanced along the balcony to the door back to his office. As always, there was a lot to do, most of it boring. Goddamn it, he was meant to be rich! Weren’t rich people meant to just lie around all day?
“Don’t even think about it,” Hallie said without looking around. “You are staying out here for another…” She glanced at her watch. “Six minutes. At least.”