Maverick & Saitou, LLP. (open to all)

She separated the paper clipped stack of papers from the lone sheet and flung the marked up draft of the appellate brief on the desk of the office intern, glad that it didn't scatter the other papers too far. After all, the boy was her intern so her needs trumped those of her partner. Besides, the boy seemed eager to earn her praise whenever possible, so she'd give him yet another opportunity to do so. Whatever she needed to do to keep getting such high quality work done around this place. Well...not quite whatever.

Once certain that the rather sloppy stack of papers would not come tumbling down, Adolpha made her way over to the glass window, offering a soft smile at those who walked by as she placed the remaining sheet of paper against the cool material. Working the roll of clear packing tape from the small pocket of her knee length navy colored skirt. She shifted the piece of paper a little higher up on the glass to what would be eye level for most people, her matching blazer lifting slightly to show the hem of the eggshell toned collared shirt she wore beneath it. Pressing the tape against the paper, Adolpha worked the edge loose and applied it to the edge of the paper, securing it against the window. As the sound of the tape being pulled away from itself stopped, her fingers fumbled with her hair for a moment, finding the scissors she'd shoved into her ponytail. Cut, tape....cut, tape...finishing the last side of the flier, she couldn't help but smile softly to herself at that the fact that would need a “help wanted” sign. No matter that she'd have to take a slight cut in her pay to fund the salary of their future administrative assistant. She and Saitou-san were doing well enough that they desperately needed someone to handle the daily mundane tasks around the office so they could focus on their cases, contracts and court dates.

Besides, she was certain that her pay would go back to normal soon enough. It wouldn't be so bad since the assistant would start off as part-time. For the moment, she was more than comfortable in her meager apartment. It was as warm and homey as she would likely get in Japan. A part of her had not quite accepted the fact that she may spend the rest of her life here. That would depend on a number of things...

She rested her hand on the sheet of paper, glancing up at the clock on the wall just up and over the door to her right. Letting out a deep and hefty sigh, Adolpha undid the buttons on her jacket, deciding that if she had to sit around until the office was officially closed, she'd at least do so with a bit of informality. Resisting the urge to kick off her shoes across the room, she took down her ponytail, the tension on her head easing as she sat back down at her desk. Looking down at her heels, she slipped them off, placing them in quick reach as she sat back, put her heels on the top of the one clear corner of her desk and pulled out a rather thick novel. As far as she was concerned, her work day was already over...

Fifteen minutes left on the clock.

"Oh, screw it all."

The faint irritation in her voice showed a little more as she slipped out of her blazer, hanging it on the back of her chair to don the next day. Taking her feet off the corner of her desk, she shoved her heels underneath, refusing to wear the blasted things home as usual. Adolpha walked on tip-toe, the cool tile floor too chill for her taste as she makes her way to the closet and flings open the door, catching it before it made another dent in the wall behind it. Her heavy winter coat hung there, the soft grey material a nice contrast to the black boots she shoved her feet into. Snatching her scarf from where it hung on a lone rack, she closed the door with one hand as she slipped it over her head, tucking the ends into her coat before buttoning it to make a simple hood to keep some warmth in. "I swear, I don't think I'll ever get used to these Japanese winters..." Taking her purse out of the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet, she lightly kicked the door shut and pulled out the keys.

The blinds now closed and the lights now off, she stood at the entrance, setting the alarm on the place, the beeps muffled by the noise coming off the street. Quickly leaving the store, she took only a moment to secure the lock and drop the keys in the pocket of her purse. Her stomach grumbled slightly as she started walking down the sidewalk, her nose twitching a little from the cold, but mostly from the scent of food in the air, only faintly tainted by the dampening humidity. It was only as followed her nose that she realized her arm was itching yet again. So...she or he was nearby. But how many false alarms had she had in the past?

[Adolpha has moved to City Centre: Cafe-Cafe]

“Morning, Adolpha-chan,” her partner said in the soft sing-song voice she had. The other woman hovered around her desk, gathering papers into a briefcase as Adolpha walked in, a tone sounding to alert those inside that someone had entered. She smiled softly, the soft scent of coffee meeting her nose, and she welcomed it this morning.

“Your case starts today, hmm?” Adolpha asked her, hanging her coat in the closet and kicking off her boots, her feet seeking the cold security of the heels under her own desk. The short-haired woman nodded, a soft sound of assent coming from her as she flittered around her desk like a hummingbird. Finally, the briefcase closed, and Saitou-san shot out of the office. A glance at the clock told Adolpha that the court seemed to want to get this simple matter of a DUI out of the way before weighing on heavier matters.

Turning on her computer, she went to help herself to a cup of the weak coffee. Still, it was good enough for her taste buds, and the clients appreciated having something to sip on when they were present, weak or no. Returning to her desk, she opened her email and set about to the matters of the day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She waited until she saw the car drive away, the carrier leaving with the completed brief and the required forms and copies. Another copy was on its way to the client, for what it was worth. They'd talked briefly on the phone, and she had an appointment with him the following week. A glance around the office and Adolpha decided she didn't want to be there. Saitou-san had called and told her to close up when she left since her court case was taking a little longer than originally anticipated.

It was not late enough to head home and stay there for the rest of the day, but she didn't really have any plans. It was supposed to be a busy day, but with no emails and no responses to the “Help Wanted” sign, what more was there to do?

Changing her shoes and tossing on her coat, she decided to head home and pick up Kiba. The poor dear had been cooped up in the house for far too long, and cold or not, he needed his exercise.

[Adolpha has left City Centre: Maverick & Saitou, LLP and has moved to The Park: Music's Muse]

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