The alarm clock rang at six o'clock sharp.
"Beep beep beep beep---"
Lilah Morgan slammed her hand on the clock, shutting it off. Blearily, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Another day at Wolfram & Hart.
Lilah debated with herself for a minute, deciding if she really wanted to go to work today. Common sense won; excessive absences led to death threats. She dragged herself out of bed.
No, she did not want to go to work today, or tomorrow, or the day after. There was nothing for her there anymore. Nothing she ever did mattered; she was ignored and taken advantage of, and there was nothing she could do about it. Linwood was in charge and abusing his priveleges and she couldn't do one damn thing. Not even quit. Her contract held her to the company and there was no getting out.
Lilah pulled on a low cut red blouse, black pressed pants and her Armani heels. Looking in the mirror to apply her makeup, she glared at her reflection. The mirror painted a pretty pathetic picture of her, looking all discouraged and tired. As if erasing the picture, she splashed water on the mirror. While putting on her makeup, she put on the fake face she showed the world; the right amount of arrogance and smugness one needed to survive at Wolfram & Hart. Any sign of weakness was blood for the sharks at the law firm.
~
Lilah strolled through the corridor on the way to Linwood Morrow's office. He had been nagging her all of yesterday for the paperwork documenting the "recovery" of a priceless Armanaya chalise. Gwen Raiden had been a pain in the ass, stating one amount at their intial meeting, then haggling the price up with the threat of selling the artifact to a rival company. Lilah had actually pulled a gun out on her to try to persuade her, but Gwen had shocked her with a bolt of electricity. It had shaken up Lilah enough to agree to a higher price, which had not made Linwood happy. Lilah briefly considered shocking him with a taser to make him understand what she was subjected to.
~
After Linwood had chewed her out and threatened her for the better part of half an hour while she stared at his distasteful purple curtains (what had possesed him to put them in his office?), Gavin walked in with his report of a real estate deal gone sour that had benefited one of his clients. She'd then had to sit through another half an hour of praises showered on Gavin and how she should take a hint from him.
The whole of Wolfram and Hart were sexist pigs, and Linwood really was a great example of that. He and Gavin making plans to go golfing with the guys from the ritual sacrifice department and cracking dumb blonde jokes. She hoped that someone would accidently hit Gavin over the head with a golf club- even better, between his legs.
Lilah checked her very expensive Gucci watch and realized she had a meeting with a client in five minutes. She grabbed her papers and made her way towards her office, stopping only to order her secretary Marla to schedule a phone conversation with Ferrence Beausire. He owned a small plastics company and was being sued on the accusation that he had been polluting a slum neighborhood with toxic fumes. A very pleasant man.
~
Her client arrived, a tall hairy Ch'sny demon. She put on her smile reserved for clients and ushered him into her office.
"Mr. Ush'baronva Li, you told my secretary that you're looking to perform the Ch'sny Ritual of Ascension. As a client of our firm, we're happy to help you procure anything you might need."
Behind her pleasant demeanor, Lilah was annoyed that she had to deal with such a trivial case.
The demon grunted.
"I need a young woman by tomorrow night."
"Alright," said Lilah, "Virgin? Pre-drugged? Blonde? Any preferences? No? So where would you like her delivered?"
The Ch'sny demon smiled.
"It's so rare these days to have such coopertive and willing assistance."
~
The minute the demon left Marla announced that Mr. Beausire was on the line. Lilah took a breath, smoothed her hair and picked up line one:
"Mr. Beausire, your case is going very well. The jury completely went for the setup."
"Uh huh, yes I see."
"No, no whatever you want will be fine. The witness will be eliminated before he can testify on Wednsday."
"I'll put a little more pressure on the DA."
"Ok, I'll have my secretary call your secretary. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you."
Click- Lilah put down the phone and made a note to call the security department to tell them to eliminate a witness that could ruin their case.
Marla tapped on the door.
"Miss Morgan, I have the agreement you were supposed to sign yesterday."
Lilah extended her hand for the papers and reviewed them before she signed. They detailed an agreement between the company and an Aztec warrior demon that had arranged to be resurrected every 50 years from the dead. She picked up a pen and signed her name with a flourish, the signature at first a bright red, then dulling as the blood sank into the paper.
~
Lilah sat down at a table and took a look at the menu. Today, she had decided to spend her lunch break at a charming little cafe nearly hidden behind foliage, reputed to have good food. She ordered the lasagna dish.
Turning her attention to the paper in front of her, she jotted down a name. As a joke, she had begun a list of people intended to kill before hitting age 37. The list was up to 25 names and getting longer every week. Her top three were Gavin, Linwood and Angel, in that order. She even had causes of death for each of them. It was a pleasant fantasy she allowed herself.
The lasagna arrived, smelling spicy. Lilah folded up her list and put it in her briefcase, took a bite of lasagna, and smiled for Wolfram & Hart's survelliance cameras.
~
After taking a few more phone calls and soothing a client's bruised ego, Lilah received a file from Surveillance. They did a pretty good job, spying on friend and foe alike. The file contained a report on Angel Investigations and several photos.
The report gave a detailed summary of Angel's emotional status: "After his son's kidnapping, Angel is currently alternating between depression and rage. His most recent action demonstrates his rage, as he attempted to suffocate one of his former closest friends, Wesley Wyndam- Pryce, who was partly responsible for the kidnapping-"
Lilah had to stop reading there. What a development! Wesley separated from his little group of friends! Maybe she could recruit him. It would sure up her value in Wolfram & Hart and would probably prove interesting as well.
Lilah continued to flip through the report until she found a passage stating that Wesley was probably feeling abandoned and guilty right now. She could use his abandonment issues to her advantage, but the guilt was another story. Hmm, maybe a little of Dante's work would get under his skin. (Does the name "Judas" sound a bit familiar, Wesley?)
~
Hours later, after long suffocating work, she checked the clock and saw it was five. Just before she walked out the door, Linwood called from the golf course and assigned her a man who was being charged with recruiting prostitutes. Lilah was confidant that Linwood assigned her this case just to piss her off. And maybe drop a hint about her status in life. As if she didn't know how precarious it was already.
In her annoyance, she didn't notice the tall, long haired demon that had walked into her office, who hit her hard across the face. Her mouth bleeding, she looked up at him. Bellowing, he kicked her head and pinned her to the floor.
"YOU---SCREWED----UP!"
Lilah recognized him now. This demon had been fleeing from several a group of demons that had been demanding repayment for a long overdue debt- in blood. Lilah had cut a deal with the creditors, and the case had been dismissed.
"Why?" demanded Lilah, wiping her mouth. "We made a deal with with them, they agreed to take 40--"
"Yesterday," roared the demon, "They came and took their blood debt!"
He showed her a bloody stump where his left arm should have been.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not liable for-"
"Liable to hell! You pay!" screamed the demon .
He pulled out a knife and Lilah pulled out a gun from her purse. She rolled to miss his stab and shot him in the abdomen. When he halted, she shot him through the head and watched with satisfaction as he slumped to the floor.
Lilah picked herself off the floor and kicked his body to the side, her smile fading. As pleasurable (and necessary) as it had been to kill, Linwood would be angry that she had killed a client. Plus she had just created for herself a fresh pile of paperwork.
Didn't really matter though. Screw Linwood. She was on his black list currently and didn't seem to be getting off anytime soon, so she could do whatever she wanted.
Sighing, she turned to leave and tell Marla to have someone clean up. Lilah hoped the blood wouldn't stain the carpet.
~
At home, Lilah took a long relaxing bath. Sipping her Chardonnay, she lamented the state of her salary. For all the work she was doing, she deserved a raise. Five days a week, up to fifteen hours a day, she was at that law firm. She had no friends, family or pets. Everyone at work either feared or despised her (ok, that didn't bother her too much). Her assignments sucked, her hopes of promotion were sinking daily and her office didn't have a window. To sum it up, her life was the same useless evil repeating itself out day after day.
It had started out well, when she had signed her contract at age twenty five, fresh out of law school, still a little innocent and idealistic. Eleven years later, older and wiser, she wondered: if she had known how her job would turn out, would she still have signed on?
~
Finito
"Beep beep beep beep---"
Lilah Morgan slammed her hand on the clock, shutting it off. Blearily, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Another day at Wolfram & Hart.
Lilah debated with herself for a minute, deciding if she really wanted to go to work today. Common sense won; excessive absences led to death threats. She dragged herself out of bed.
No, she did not want to go to work today, or tomorrow, or the day after. There was nothing for her there anymore. Nothing she ever did mattered; she was ignored and taken advantage of, and there was nothing she could do about it. Linwood was in charge and abusing his priveleges and she couldn't do one damn thing. Not even quit. Her contract held her to the company and there was no getting out.
Lilah pulled on a low cut red blouse, black pressed pants and her Armani heels. Looking in the mirror to apply her makeup, she glared at her reflection. The mirror painted a pretty pathetic picture of her, looking all discouraged and tired. As if erasing the picture, she splashed water on the mirror. While putting on her makeup, she put on the fake face she showed the world; the right amount of arrogance and smugness one needed to survive at Wolfram & Hart. Any sign of weakness was blood for the sharks at the law firm.
~
Lilah strolled through the corridor on the way to Linwood Morrow's office. He had been nagging her all of yesterday for the paperwork documenting the "recovery" of a priceless Armanaya chalise. Gwen Raiden had been a pain in the ass, stating one amount at their intial meeting, then haggling the price up with the threat of selling the artifact to a rival company. Lilah had actually pulled a gun out on her to try to persuade her, but Gwen had shocked her with a bolt of electricity. It had shaken up Lilah enough to agree to a higher price, which had not made Linwood happy. Lilah briefly considered shocking him with a taser to make him understand what she was subjected to.
~
After Linwood had chewed her out and threatened her for the better part of half an hour while she stared at his distasteful purple curtains (what had possesed him to put them in his office?), Gavin walked in with his report of a real estate deal gone sour that had benefited one of his clients. She'd then had to sit through another half an hour of praises showered on Gavin and how she should take a hint from him.
The whole of Wolfram and Hart were sexist pigs, and Linwood really was a great example of that. He and Gavin making plans to go golfing with the guys from the ritual sacrifice department and cracking dumb blonde jokes. She hoped that someone would accidently hit Gavin over the head with a golf club- even better, between his legs.
Lilah checked her very expensive Gucci watch and realized she had a meeting with a client in five minutes. She grabbed her papers and made her way towards her office, stopping only to order her secretary Marla to schedule a phone conversation with Ferrence Beausire. He owned a small plastics company and was being sued on the accusation that he had been polluting a slum neighborhood with toxic fumes. A very pleasant man.
~
Her client arrived, a tall hairy Ch'sny demon. She put on her smile reserved for clients and ushered him into her office.
"Mr. Ush'baronva Li, you told my secretary that you're looking to perform the Ch'sny Ritual of Ascension. As a client of our firm, we're happy to help you procure anything you might need."
Behind her pleasant demeanor, Lilah was annoyed that she had to deal with such a trivial case.
The demon grunted.
"I need a young woman by tomorrow night."
"Alright," said Lilah, "Virgin? Pre-drugged? Blonde? Any preferences? No? So where would you like her delivered?"
The Ch'sny demon smiled.
"It's so rare these days to have such coopertive and willing assistance."
~
The minute the demon left Marla announced that Mr. Beausire was on the line. Lilah took a breath, smoothed her hair and picked up line one:
"Mr. Beausire, your case is going very well. The jury completely went for the setup."
"Uh huh, yes I see."
"No, no whatever you want will be fine. The witness will be eliminated before he can testify on Wednsday."
"I'll put a little more pressure on the DA."
"Ok, I'll have my secretary call your secretary. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you."
Click- Lilah put down the phone and made a note to call the security department to tell them to eliminate a witness that could ruin their case.
Marla tapped on the door.
"Miss Morgan, I have the agreement you were supposed to sign yesterday."
Lilah extended her hand for the papers and reviewed them before she signed. They detailed an agreement between the company and an Aztec warrior demon that had arranged to be resurrected every 50 years from the dead. She picked up a pen and signed her name with a flourish, the signature at first a bright red, then dulling as the blood sank into the paper.
~
Lilah sat down at a table and took a look at the menu. Today, she had decided to spend her lunch break at a charming little cafe nearly hidden behind foliage, reputed to have good food. She ordered the lasagna dish.
Turning her attention to the paper in front of her, she jotted down a name. As a joke, she had begun a list of people intended to kill before hitting age 37. The list was up to 25 names and getting longer every week. Her top three were Gavin, Linwood and Angel, in that order. She even had causes of death for each of them. It was a pleasant fantasy she allowed herself.
The lasagna arrived, smelling spicy. Lilah folded up her list and put it in her briefcase, took a bite of lasagna, and smiled for Wolfram & Hart's survelliance cameras.
~
After taking a few more phone calls and soothing a client's bruised ego, Lilah received a file from Surveillance. They did a pretty good job, spying on friend and foe alike. The file contained a report on Angel Investigations and several photos.
The report gave a detailed summary of Angel's emotional status: "After his son's kidnapping, Angel is currently alternating between depression and rage. His most recent action demonstrates his rage, as he attempted to suffocate one of his former closest friends, Wesley Wyndam- Pryce, who was partly responsible for the kidnapping-"
Lilah had to stop reading there. What a development! Wesley separated from his little group of friends! Maybe she could recruit him. It would sure up her value in Wolfram & Hart and would probably prove interesting as well.
Lilah continued to flip through the report until she found a passage stating that Wesley was probably feeling abandoned and guilty right now. She could use his abandonment issues to her advantage, but the guilt was another story. Hmm, maybe a little of Dante's work would get under his skin. (Does the name "Judas" sound a bit familiar, Wesley?)
~
Hours later, after long suffocating work, she checked the clock and saw it was five. Just before she walked out the door, Linwood called from the golf course and assigned her a man who was being charged with recruiting prostitutes. Lilah was confidant that Linwood assigned her this case just to piss her off. And maybe drop a hint about her status in life. As if she didn't know how precarious it was already.
In her annoyance, she didn't notice the tall, long haired demon that had walked into her office, who hit her hard across the face. Her mouth bleeding, she looked up at him. Bellowing, he kicked her head and pinned her to the floor.
"YOU---SCREWED----UP!"
Lilah recognized him now. This demon had been fleeing from several a group of demons that had been demanding repayment for a long overdue debt- in blood. Lilah had cut a deal with the creditors, and the case had been dismissed.
"Why?" demanded Lilah, wiping her mouth. "We made a deal with with them, they agreed to take 40--"
"Yesterday," roared the demon, "They came and took their blood debt!"
He showed her a bloody stump where his left arm should have been.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not liable for-"
"Liable to hell! You pay!" screamed the demon .
He pulled out a knife and Lilah pulled out a gun from her purse. She rolled to miss his stab and shot him in the abdomen. When he halted, she shot him through the head and watched with satisfaction as he slumped to the floor.
Lilah picked herself off the floor and kicked his body to the side, her smile fading. As pleasurable (and necessary) as it had been to kill, Linwood would be angry that she had killed a client. Plus she had just created for herself a fresh pile of paperwork.
Didn't really matter though. Screw Linwood. She was on his black list currently and didn't seem to be getting off anytime soon, so she could do whatever she wanted.
Sighing, she turned to leave and tell Marla to have someone clean up. Lilah hoped the blood wouldn't stain the carpet.
~
At home, Lilah took a long relaxing bath. Sipping her Chardonnay, she lamented the state of her salary. For all the work she was doing, she deserved a raise. Five days a week, up to fifteen hours a day, she was at that law firm. She had no friends, family or pets. Everyone at work either feared or despised her (ok, that didn't bother her too much). Her assignments sucked, her hopes of promotion were sinking daily and her office didn't have a window. To sum it up, her life was the same useless evil repeating itself out day after day.
It had started out well, when she had signed her contract at age twenty five, fresh out of law school, still a little innocent and idealistic. Eleven years later, older and wiser, she wondered: if she had known how her job would turn out, would she still have signed on?
~
Finito