Esmeralda shrugged. "I don't think it will be a problem, but I need to check with Saphira. It's a short week for her, so it should be fine."
"Well, I'm headed that way, so let me give you a ride and we can ask her while I'm there. Don't," Charisma said, holding up her hand. "I need to talk to Matilda about her chocolate cake." She looked at Brianna to forestall Esmeralda's protest. "What about you?"
"Depends... which part are you asking me about?" Charisma frowned. "Are you asking me about Sunday or tonight?"
"Oh... Sunday naturally. Though never let it be said I got between a woman and her need for chocolate cake," she added with a smile. Brianna snorted.
"I seem to recall...."
"Eh," Charisma held up a hand. "No telling tales out of school, Brianna Brianna. Now... about Sunday?"
"I'll be there."
They had reached the public elevators and Esmeralda pushed on by them with her cart, headed towards the service elevator. They looked at her and then at one another.
"Can we ride down with you?" Esmeralda just blinked and Brianna continued speaking. "You can't use these with that," she stated, "and we know that. And the cars are pretty close to your exit, correct?" smiling when Esmeralda nodded dumbly. "So why don't we just save a couple steps and a few minutes and just ride down with you. That way we can be sure you get that ride."
Esmeralda just chuckled. "All right," gesturing them to one side. "You're gonna want to let me get in with this thing first though. It's gonna be crowded, but at least that way, you'll be able to back in and face the door."
"Let's do it," Charisma said as the door dinged opened, and almost instantly, they were loaded up and headed down. The reaction when they stepped out into the service corridor was abrupt and entertaining. The custodial manager rushed to greet them.
"Senator Walker... Senator Tagherty - is there a problem I can help you with?" When he greeted them by name, every janitor and driver froze, not quite sure how to behave with hierarchy down in the catacombs. Esmeralda just rolled her eyes and moved to her supply closet, carefully restocking before she put her cart away. Charisma and Brianna just remained nearby, trying not to stare and make folks feel more uncomfortable with their presence than they already did. Jas and Turq headed out to recover the limousines, knowing they would be necessary in a very few minutes.
"No Rick," Brianna answered the man, having met him briefly the last time she'd been down here with Esmeralda. "We're just here with Es."
Rick frowned and looked between them and Esmeralda. "Is something wrong?" he asked again. "Es?"
She glanced over at him and shook her head. "Everything's fine, Rick. They want to go over to the diner to talk to Matilda about her chocolate cake, and since I'm headed that way, they decided to give me a ride with them."
His frown deepened into a scowl and he shook his head. "That's highly unusual," he commented. Now it was Charisma's turn to frown.
"Is it a problem for you, Rick?" her words sharp and biting.
He snapped his head around at her tone, and suspected immediately that she was displeased about something. He turned back to Esmeralda, who shrugged and nodded her head in Charisma's direction, knowing Charisma expected an answer from Rick and not her. He cleared his throat.
"No, Senator Tagherty. It's not a problem," he replied stiffly. "It's just never been done."
Brianna smiled at him. "Well, 'tis the season and all that, right? Since we're headed that way anyway...."
He looked at Esmeralda, noting the pallor of her skin and the exhaustion in her eyes despite the smile she wore. Rick nodded slowly. "I suppose so," he conceded. "And it's good of you to look out for Es like that. She's had a bit of a rough time, you know, so anything that makes things a little easier...."
Esmeralda glared at him. "I'm standing right here, you know."
He leered at her, then stepped behind Charisma and Brianna, peeking his head between them. "I know. I figure I've got big guns backing me up this time.
Esmeralda narrowed her eyes. "That's like cheating, you know."
"Um hmm - Saphira would be proud of me," earning him muffled chuckles from not only Brianna and Charisma, but also from several of the custodial and driving staff.
"I'm being ganged up on."
"You'll live," Charisma assured her drolly. "Now let's move it. I hear chocolate cake calling my name." She turned to Brianna. "You want to send Jas home and just ride over with us? I'm pretty sure we can get you home."
"You're pretty sure?"
"Yes. I'm pretty sure. How much do you trust me?" blue eyes twinkling.
Brianna studied her thoughtfully. "I guess I'd have to say completely, so let me go dismiss Jas and I'll meet you at the car." She turned and walked off before Charisma could respond... not that she'd have had a clue what to say. Still, Charisma couldn't stop the smile that tweaked the corners of her mouth. She turned to Esmeralda who had finished her stocking and had locked her cart away for the duration.
"You ready, Es?"
"Yes, Senator." She didn't even crack a smile when Charisma rolled her eyes, but dutifully followed her to the vehicle that had been pulled to the door. Turq opened the car door and Charisma slid in, gasping in surprise to find Brianna already sitting inside. Brianna grinned.
"Turq insisted. She and Jas were waiting here and when I told Jas to go home and why, Turq put me in the car." Brianna wrinkled her forehead in thought. "I think she actually would have done so physically if I'd refused to get in."
"No," Charisma assured her. "But she would have stood there holding the door until you got in just to keep from feeling ridiculous." Esmeralda snorted and Charisma smirked. Brianna just grinned.
"Happened to you before, I take it?"
"Oh yes. We like to think we're in control, but let's face it - it's the people around us who keep us going that are really in charge."
"There's something so wrong about that statement."
"Yes, but there's also a lot of truth to it too," Charisma replied. She turned to Esmeralda. "You're not going to get into trouble for us going downstairs with you, are you?"
"A little late to worry about it, Charisma," Brianna responded drolly. "I mean, there's not a lot we can do about it at this point without potentially making it worse."
Esmeralda held up her hands. "All right, you two - enough," seeing Charisma gearing up for an argument. "You're not gonna start fighting about this on my account. Brianna's right - it's a little late to worry about it, but the fact is that it really doesn't matter. For one thing, we're all going on holiday, and by the time we come back they will have mostly forgotten. For another, you're certainly not forbidden from being there - it's just we never get visitors from your level - it kinda threw everybody off-stride."
"Why?"
"Because we get to be ourselves there," Esmeralda offered with a shrug. "It's where we eat our meals and smoke our cigarettes and talk about our families and cheer for our favorite sports teams - none of the stuff we're allowed to do upstairs. There are rules we have to follow when we're in your world. And I'd venture to say that not a lot of the lower level staff has cultivated any sort of relationship with their? clients, for lack of a better word."
"Why?"
Esmeralda raised an eyebrow and both heads nodded. She sighed. "Mostly because a lot of the folks upstairs feel they are our betters. It's all right to say hi or ask how we're doing, but they don't want to be our friends. So we don't welcome them into our lives."