"Image is all that matters."
"Essentially, yes."
"And you'd rather live...."
"I accepted that my reality had to conform to society's standard a long time ago, Brianna."
Brianna held Charisma's eyes for a long moment, then blew out a breath while shaking her head in disgust. "I'm glad I don't have to live like that then." She picked up her cell phone and hit her speed dial, gratified when Jas picked it up on the first ring.
"Yes, Senator?"
"Jas, can you please come pick up Senator Tagherty from my apartment and take her home?" Brianna felt Charisma's head snap in her direction, but she refused to acknowledge her. Instead, she kept her attention on her phone conversation.
"Absolutely, Senator. I can be there in five minutes."
"Thanks, Jas. Senator Tagherty will be downstairs waiting. And she'll have a good-sized box with her as well - you'll need to put it in the trunk and help her get it inside when you arrive at her home."
"Understood, Senator."
"Thank you, Jas. I owe you."
"It's my pleasure, Senator." Brianna thumbed off the phone and crossed over to the closet, removing Charisma's coat and turning to find Charisma still sitting on the couch, unmoving. She placed Charisma's coat over the back of the sofa and picked up the analog phone, dialing a single digit. It was answered immediately.
"Sergeant Orwin? Could you send someone up to my apartment, please? Senator Tagherty is leaving and she's got some stuff to take with her."
"Yes ma'am, Senator. Someone will be right there."
"Thank you, Sergeant." When Brianna hung up the phone, she turned to find Charisma glaring at her.
"You're throwing me out??"
"You could look at it that way I suppose. You stated that you weren't hungry, and I'm now completely clear on where I stand with you. As I see it, that means our business is finished. So you're free to take the letters and be on your way with them. Because you were right, of course - I wrote them to you for a reason, and I sent them to Mama for safekeeping. Some part of me obviously does want you to read them... otherwise I would have destroyed them myself when Okasa returned them to me."
A knock on the door halted their conversation, and Brianna walked over to answer it. "Senator Walker? It's Corporal North. Sergeant Orwin sent me - said Senator Tagherty needed help getting some things downstairs." Brianna checked the peephole, then waited for the young woman to hold up her ID badge. Satisfied, Brianna nodded and opened the door, then motioned to the box she'd tucked under the table behind the couch.
"Thank you, Corporal," Brianna offered as the woman hefted the box.
"Of course, Senator. Anything else?"
"No... that's it. Senator Tagherty will be right down."
"Yes ma'am," waiting for Brianna to open the door, then leaving without looking back. Brianna shut the door and turned back to Charisma who was slowly belting her coat.
"So that's it then?" Charisma asked as she moved to stand beside Brianna at the door. Brianna forced herself not to stiffen as Charisma approached, but Charisma picked up on Brianna's trepidation and lingered just out of touching distance.
"That's it. They're yours now, Charisma - you can do what you want with them. Read them, put them away somewhere safe... hell, make a bonfire out of them for all I care. It doesn't matter to me."
"I... thank you, Brianna. You do understand there's nothing personal about this, right?"
Brianna snorted. "Of course there's nothing personal. There never has been," ignoring Charisma's sharp inhalation.
"So, I'll see you at Mama's for Christmas Eve, right?" trying to get the conversation back to something that they would both be comfortable talking about. She was glad there was still over a week before the holiday rolled around. Maybe she and Brianna would be back on a more even keel by then.
"No, Charisma. You won't see me at Mama's for Christmas Eve. I'll call and make my regrets."
Charisma searched the green gaze, but there was nothing to read in Brianna's eyes. "If you really feel that way," she started to say slowly, only to find herself cut off by Brianna's determined voice.
"I do. I'll make sure Mama understands that it is solely my decision."
"You're running away again??"
"No. This time I'm saying goodbye." Brianna opened the door and Charisma crossed the threshold, feeling a finality about things when Brianna softly shut the door between them. Charisma drew a deep breath and headed towards the elevator, refusing to look back.
************
"So that's it then? We're done?" Saphira asked when Indi stopped speaking. As soon as Charisma had climbed into the limousine, Indi had taken off to let Esmeralda and the rest know what had happened during the confrontation in Brianna's apartment. Even without knowing what had caused Indigo to ask, Jas had given her the go-ahead with a nod, agreeing to keep an eye on Charisma until Indi could get back to watch over her until time for Amber's shift.
Esmeralda motioned her thanks and indicated for Indi to head back before she turned to Saphira. "Not yet," smiling sympathetically when Saphira slumped marginally. "He will decide when it's over and we'll be called home then... or at least the rest will. Ruby will have to make a report and everyone else will corroborate her story by filling in their bits."
"And what about your part, Es? You're still in charge of this.... I'm not sure what to call what this has become."
"All in a day's work, Phira," Esmeralda replied. "As for my part, He'll let me know when He's ready for my report on the mission."
"That's messed up."
"A little maybe - but that's the way things work... or not, in this case."
"So how long does it take to get the call?" Esmeralda frowned, not understanding Saphira's question. "Once He is satisfied with the results... or once the results are deemed final," waiting for Esmeralda to nod her comprehension, "how quickly does the call come?"
"It's almost immediate... at least for the team leader. The others follow pretty quickly though."
"So we're not done yet."
"Evidently not. I'd like to be a fly on the wall when Brianna calls Okasa though. I think Okasa is going to see the District Attorney side of Brianna Walker, and there isn't gonna be room for a plea bargain."
"Do you think Charisma will read those letters tonight?"
"No," said firmly and without hesitation. "I think she'll wait, accepting the time as some sort of penance for having them in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised if somehow in her rationalization about all this, Charisma sees not reading the letters as a form of punishment for Brianna as well."
"That's warped."
"Yeah, but everything else is at this point, so why not her thinking as well? Remember what she told Brianna - it's all about image and perception. She believes that Brianna needs her to read these letters, so if she delays reading them, then she does penance and Brianna is punished."
"For what?"
"Excuse me?"
"For what? Why does Brianna need to be punished?"
"I dunno - you asked if I thought Charisma would read the letters immediately. I was just thinking aloud from there. Given how things have gone so far...."
"My head hurts now."
"Honestly... so does mine. But my heart hurts too. These two seem determined to be miserable apart. Granted, it's more Charisma than Brianna at this point. Denial's not just a river, ya know. Brianna's mostly given up, I think." Esmeralda shook her head. "It's still a lot of speculation on my part of course. Opal and Indi will be able to give us more facts when they get home."
"Meantime, let's go fix a little dinner. I'm not sure Ruby will eat at the diner like we do."
Esmeralda nodded. "And you can tell me how you got the night off while Ruby is working."
************
"Okasa, this is Brianna."