'For how long are you going to ignore me, wench?' He asked as he went around the maze of her organize chaos. He was once again looking over every piece of work she had accumulated in the small storage room she was able to make as her own. It was dark and not ventilated well but her choices were minute to nil.
'Until you make yourself disappear.' She drowned his reply with the sound of her electric saw. The man had not explained himself as to why he was there when he first appeared hald an hour ago. She had asked once and he just grinned at her when he entered the small space before he began walking around.
She did point out that it was her space but he retorted that the wing where they were in is named after their family hence it gave him the right to be anywhere he deemed going.
Brienne thought that she was rid of the Lannisters. As long as she keeps her promise of silence and avoid them, not that they move in the same circles so it won't be too hard, she wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. But apparently she was wrong. She denied the foreboding idea of affinity forming in her head. She was pretty sure that despite the jovial appearance and her last encounter of Jaime Lannister at her home that the golden twins had forgotten what she had witnessed. Most especially Cersei Lannister.
It seemed that Jaime got tired of being ignored. She soon found him standing before her as he unplugged her machine.
'You do know it's not smart to ignore your patrons, don't you?' He gave her a disapproving look.
'Last time I checked you weren't my patron.' She said making to grab the plug again from his hand.
'Well, I suppose you don't check the list often enough.' His smirk was patronizing as he plugged the machine and stepped away.
She clamored to turn it off before she removed the safety goggles from her eyes. Jaime was back to surveying the carved banisters laid out over her ragged table.
'What do you mean?' She asked and it was her turn to be ignored. Jaime, the oaf, walked and looked and pried like he had all the time in the world. She supposed it was her own making. But after not hearing his answer she just decided to let it go. He would tell her if he wanted to and he won't if he doesn't want to.
Brienne had learned long ago to not push things that were out of her hands to decide for. She had learned how to let go of things that refused to be within her control.
'What? You're giving up that easily?' Jaime asked half frustrated and half amused when she turned around and made to grab her goggles again.
'I'm never to forcing people.' She retorted.
'All that muscle and never used for coercion, huh?' She refused to even justify his barb with a retort.
She heard him sigh before walking towards her again.
'You make me repeat myself so often and you don't give me the same courtesy.' He said exasperation clear on his face.
'I never did ask for it.' She said with a shrug.
'Brienne, Brienne. If you're going to be working for me, you have to at least treat me nicely. Or at least kiss the ground I walk on.' He teased.
'I'm not working for you.' Brienne reiterated again unfazed. She definitely wasn't in his employ. In fact she wasn't in anyone's employ.
She knew she needed to be sending her completed portfolio to design houses in the capital. But she hadn't much to Margaery's chagrin. After the encounter with Red Ronnet two years ago she has doubts she would be taken seriously in King`s Landing maybe even the whole east of Westeros or farther. Just thinking of that mortifying night makes her skin crawl and cold.
It was only because of the encouraging and prodding of Dean Stark that she managed to push through the last semesters to graduate. It didn`t help too that her father had hinted of wanting to have her back in Tarth. Evenstar Furniture might be more conservative and practical than what she leans into doing but her father still need all the help he could get.
Selwyn Tarth might never say it outright especially when his only daughter had pleaded in the first place to be allowed to go to the mainland to study. Aside from the cost of sending her into the city, her father had always been a tad protective of her after losing his wife and son to an accident twelve years ago. After that it had only just been him and her, and the nosy Mrs. Roelle. She misses her father too and she very well knows that her father shares the sentiment.
But despite all the sound reason why she should be making her way back to Evenfall Hall and her lack of prospect for a job she still couldn't decide to leave the city behind. For three years, she had built a life for herself here and no matter how shabby her little apartment is, it was still hers.
'Well you will if you're as smart as you are big, wench.' He said with an incline of his head.
'Just tell me what you mean. I have much work to do, Mr. Lannis-.'
'Jaime.' He pressed.
'Jaime. I have things to do, important things.' She stressed saying his name with a glare to his direction.
Jaime whipped out from his back pocket a folded piece of paper.
'I bet it's not as important as signing up a contract with the Lannisters.' He said with a wide grin.
Her jaw dropped. And Jaime seemed to take it as compliment as he grinned ready to thump his chest in boast.
'You're not serious,' she whispered as she took the paper with shaking hands.
'Read it and see for yourself.'
She quickly scanned the document. And true enough it was an offer for a position as an apprentice designer for Lannister corps' auxiliary company. There was nothing that the corporation hadn't touched. It was often said that more than half the gold running the country was of Lannister's making, mined, refined, and minted.
'B-but I didn't apply.' She said dumbfounded as she looked up at Jaime Lannister who was still grinning down at her.
'Do you know what my job is in the company?' He asked at her with a raised brow.
She could only shake her head. She has no idea at all as she had never been interested. But truth be told she wouldn't have been surprise if Jaime Lannister's sole job was to wear suits and grin the whole day. There's got to be some business profit coming out from that.
Even in casual clothes such as jeans and a simple pullover shirt that he was wearing, Jaime still looked as golden as he was when she first encountered him. But now that she looked however she did see a bit of a change in him, his beard had grown out and his face looked thinner than what she remembered from a few weeks ago. If she would care to analyze further she might even say he looked haggard.
Jaime laughed deprecatingly for her and Brienne could guess that a bit was for himself.
'I'll have you know that I work as Creative Director. Very vague I know, the title doesn't matter half as much. What matter is what I do.' He took a seat or more like leaned on to a relatively empty but hardly clean ledge on the wall.
'And what is it that you do?' Might she try to deny it, she was half hooked already with just the prospect of a job offer. It is after all a job offer from Lannister group. She couldn't even begin to aspire to work for anyone more than her father's own shop just a few minutes ago much less to such a big and well known company.
'I discover talents. That's what I do, Brienne Tarth.' He smirked. 'You've just got a one way ticket to success.'
She was at a loss for words. It was an opportunity too grand for her to imagine but it was there and Jaime looked serious or as serious he could possibly be with his proverbial smirk. The paper on her hand had the official seal and she reread it again. It was crumpled from being in his back pocket but it was real and solid in her hands.
'I'm supposed to go back to Tarth.' She murmured more to herself than to the man who was grinning, completely self-satisfied. But she knew that the option of going back to her home island had been an option she was hesitant to make, and every second the idea was getting blurrier, a mere vignette to the clear vision of her designing and creating that could possibly reach people she never imagined to reach out for.
'Don't be ridiculous, wench. You've just been handed the best offer you could ever hope for. With this offer, my own recommendation to boot, even Ronnet can't do a thing.' The mention of Ronnet Connington threw cold water to her quickly heating up aspirations.
'You knew.' She murmured.
'I didn't initially. Ronnet is not someone I concern myself with, the rat. But I do my research.' He said with a shrug.
Jaime knew and yet still there was an offer in her hand. Ronnet Connington made sure to sully her reputation every chance he got not to add the public humiliation he did at her very first exhibit. The man had widely ridiculed her work and snubbed every piece she put forward. All for the fact that she did not so readily agreed for him to represent him.
When Ronnet first appeared she was so new to the city and had only made very few pieces to show up for. She was so unsure and insecure barely an adult. Still but he took notice of her and her work. He was extremely nice and gallant, at a point she almost thought he was trying to woo her. But when he proposed that she sign up a contract with him where her work will be branded under Griffin's Roost she was unable to agree right away. It wasn't of any belief for something amiss but how thankful was she for her meekness that caused her to pause. Ronnet Connington proved to be an impatient man and cruel too. From that point on, he tried to subtlety thwart opportunities for her and insulted her personally whenever they cross paths.
'A small fry like Connington can't mess with the big guns, you know. But I must commend him for taking notice of your work not that he would have done you any good. The rat is an ass. A stupid red donkey.' Jaime spat with an obvious dislike for the said man. Brienne refused to think that his anger was in her behalf.
She couldn't help but giggle as she imagined Ronnet's very red hair and donkey face. He once ridiculed her for looking uglier than a horse.
'I take that as acquiescence then. You will sign the contract and Lannister corp will be your official broker and dealer.' Jaime Lannister smiled at her and something in her chest loosened. A sense of relief flooded her and moistness filled the back of her eyelids.
'Don't cry, wench. You'd only look uglier.' He commented but still with the beaming smile, his golden mane looking like a halo at that very moment.
