Recommended listening:
The Time of Our Lives – The Venice Connection
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There were no immediate changes to her everyday routine but Magnolia was granted certain liberties. Her door remained unlocked at night, and while she couldn't leave the building unattended, she had more freedom within it. She no longer needed an escort to take her to the bigger bathroom down the hall to shower and could venture down to the kitchen for an extra helping of her favourite stew.
It was another test, she knew. Silco was gauging whether the promise of those redeeming letters was a good enough leash to keep her to their deal. He was, unfortunately for Magnolia, correct in his theory.
If she was completely honest with herself, she also felt more at ease than she could remember. There were no afternoon teas to attend with tittering peers trading backhanded compliments. No wedding plans to idly participate in, only to have someone else make all the decisions. She didn't even have to bother with gussying herself up in the morning. There was no one here who gave a damn what she looked like.
In the quieter moments, however, she felt the cold fingers of loneliness. Despite everything, she missed Corrine terribly. Their friendship had been so easy. Sometimes they'd spend whole days together, occupied with their own tasks, simply content with being in each other's company. It hurt to think that maybe Corrine had never returned her fondness at all. How else could Magnolia explain what she'd done to her?
She missed her parents too, in a duller way. She hadn't realized until now how suffocating their constant, impossible expectations of her had been. In contrast, the few excursions she'd been out on with Sevika and Jinx were pleasant, joyful affairs. No one had even objected to the fact that she'd stopped wearing the uncomfortable, scratchy stockings beneath her skirts, allowing her legs to breathe in the hot summer air.
All the same, she was lonely. Sevika provided only occasional snarky remarks and Jinx was still a child. Silco's other employees were either too terrifying to approach or silent as the grave, so Magnolia was forced to keep her own company.
A whistle from upstairs broke her out of her thoughts. Looking up from the table she'd been scrubbing, she found Sevika at the top of the stairs. The older woman nodded her head towards Silco's office.
"He wants to see you," she informed her, before disappearing down the hall with no further explanation.
Setting aside her cleaning supplies, Magnolia ascended the stairs. She had seen Silco only in passing since their meeting a few weeks ago. He still puzzled her, his motivations unclear. She could only guess what he wanted from her today.
Her knock on his office door prompted a distant come in from somewhere inside. Walking in, she found Silco facing a mirror hanging on the wall, fumbling with something at his neck.
"You wanted to see me?" Magnolia asked quietly.
Turning towards her, he jerked his head to indicate the wooden chair in front of his desk before turning back to the mirror. He was perfectly dressed and groomed as always, except for his necktie. It seemed to be giving him trouble, as he attempted a complicated knot.
From her place on the wooden chair, Magnolia watched as his deft fingers began the process again. Silco cursed under his breath when one end came out too short, and Magnolia had to supress a laugh as he furiously undid it again.
"You're overthinking it," she commented, rising from her seat and approaching him. He turned to her with a scowl as she came to stand before him. "Here."
Carefully, she pulled the two ends of the ivory silk from his fingers. Reluctantly, he allowed it, slowly letting his hands drop back to his sides. Magnolia began the delicate process of folding one end over the other, replicating the style she always saw him wearing.
"I can't imagine that you've had many occasions to wear a tie," Silco drawled sarcastically. Magnolia smirked, stealing a glance at his sour expression.
"No, I haven't," she replied, "but any high society wife worth her salt should know how to tie her husband's tie." Silco raised an amused eyebrow and Magnolia blushed, realizing too late that this implied that she was performing wifely duties for him.
Focusing back on her task, she finished the knot off with a final tug. It was a little exciting, standing this close to him. He was undeniably attractive, in the way that the 'bad boys' in her romance novels were. Older, refined, handsome – it was certainly enough to make her heart beat a little faster. Taking both ends of the tie, she gingerly tucked them into his vest, smoothing everything out with a gentle hand.
"There, all done," she proclaimed. Silco turned to inspect her work in the mirror. It was immaculate, of course.
"What a helpful little wife you are," he remarked, a sly little smile on his face. Magnolia felt herself flush again and avoided his gaze, returning to her seat.
Silco walked over to the desk, grabbing his cigar case and opening it.
"I have a new assignment for you," he began. "It has gotten too busy for Thieram to manage at the bar by himself. You'll assist him as a server."
"I've don't have any experience working in a bar," Magnolia countered hesitantly. It sounded intimidating, to say the least. The noise of the bar was barely audible in her bedroom, but the mess she tidied the next morning told her it was usually a wild place.
"I doubt you have any working experience at all," Silco shot back irritably, while lighting his cigar. Magnolia looked down at her lap in embarrassment. He was right, but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it. "You'll figure it out."
Silco sat down at his desk once his cigar was lit. "Sevika will bring you your uniform this afternoon. Come see me before you start your shift."
He began to flip through a stack of papers and Magnolia took that as her cue to leave. She should've strangled him with his fancy tie while she'd had the chance.
As promised, Sevika dropped off her 'uniform' later that day. Although to call it that was a huge overstatement. It didn't take long to put on considering there was barely anything to it. Bright red and satiny, the dress ended mid thigh, the top lacing up in a mock corset. It was vulgar. Magnolia's face felt hot just seeing herself wearing it in the mirror.
She poked her head out into the hallway, convinced that she'd find Sevika out there with her actual uniform, having a big laugh at her prank. But the hallway was empty, and she had only a couple of minutes left before she was due to check in with Silco before her shift.
Magnolia hurried down to his office, praying that she didn't run into anyone on the way. She kept to the wall of the hall above the club, which was already filling up, the thrum of the base pounding through her rib cage.
Going in when she heard his response to her knock, Magnolia immediately spotted Sevika sitting on the couch. Looking her over from top to bottom, Sevika let out a low whistle, grinning at her appreciatively. Sniffing indignantly, Magnolia crossed her arms over the chest and moved her gaze to Silco instead.
He wore a bewildered expression, his good eye wide as he performed his own scan of her. The hand holding his cigar was hovering mid air, as if he had forgotten that he was in the process of bringing it up to his lips. Magnolia had had enough of being ogled.
"You want me to go down there?" she asked incredulously, "Wearing this?"
Sevika guffawed and Silco seemed to come back to himself, averting his gaze and taking an extra long drag of his cigar.
"Is the little Piltover damsel scared of the big bad Undercity patrons?" Sevika mocked.
"No," Magnolia retorted automatically, too quickly, making herself sound childish and defensive. "I simply do not think that this is appropriate attire for anyone to wear anywhere."
Sevika only continued smiling at her, not buying her excuse for a moment.
"This is what I am asking of you," Silco intoned, drawing Magnolia's attention back to him. "If you cannot perform such a simple job, perhaps our agreement needs to be reconsidered."
Looking down her nose at him, Magnolia frowned in annoyance. Her pride wouldn't let her admit in front of these people that the thought of descending into the practical mosh pit that was the main floor of The Last Drop on its own was frightening. But without even the comfort of her usually modest clothes? It was outright terrifying.
"Fine," she barked, turning to leave. Sevika heaved herself up, opening the door for her and letting in the deafening roar of the music downstairs.
"Off you go, sweet cheeks!" A strong hand grasped her shoulder and unceremoniously sent her careening into the hallway. Roughly colliding with the railing, Magnolia turned to give them both a piece of her mind only to find the office door shut in her face.
What a couple of ogres!
Straightening her "dress", Magnolia steeled her spine and raised her chin loftily, heading towards the stairs. She'd be damned before she let them dismiss her as some precious little Piltover damsel. She'd show them just how tough a Davenport could be.
The sight of Magnolia in that ridiculous scrap of red silk would be burned into Silco's mind forever. He'd hadn't been specific when asking Sevika to pick up something for Magnolia to wear and now sorely regretted it. Legs that, despite her diminutive height, seemed to go on forever. The inviting swell of her hips. The way the boning of the corset pushed her cleavage up for display. He was sure he would think of it often when he lay sleepless in his bed, hands finding their way south to bring himself some sort of relief.
The hungry, possessive thing in his gut that he'd been trying to actively supress reared its head. He didn't like the idea that sweet little Magnolia would be on display for his less than virtuous clientele. He did his utmost to squash it back down, trying to logically argue with himself that his men would be there to keep an eye on her and a cute little waitress would be great for business. That this feeling was born solely out of a desire to keep other people from getting ideas about things he considered his. Not to mention that it was important to test her. If she was to have a more permanent spot in this world, she needed to be able to handle herself in all sorts of uncomfortable situations.
Regardless of his efforts, his mood soured and he found himself with a shorter than usual temper. Sevika made some excuse or another to see herself out, having sensed his darkening mood. He didn't miss the knowing smirk she wore on her way out. The tension building inside him made Silco want to violently rip apart all the endless paperwork on the desk in front of him. Had he been a lesser man, he would've done just that. But Silco was nothing if not a man of utmost control. Instead, he decided to check on the little mouse and see how she was faring. It had been hours since they'd sent her down there, nearing closing time now. He wouldn't be surprised to find her hiding away in the stock room, hoping no one noticed her absence.
He was surprised to find her flitting about the still mostly full room with relative ease. From his place above, he leaned his hands on the railing and watched as she skilfully maneuvered around rowdy patrons, a tray of drinks held aloft. She offered smiles here and there, dashing to take and fill orders at the bar. Occasionally, she flushed and grimaced when a customer got too close or tried to cop a feel, but she was small and quick enough to mostly stay out of arm's reach of the touchier visitors.
Silco continued to observe as she made her way to the front of the room, bringing change back to a young man with a mop of blonde hair. He was obviously drunk, judging from the slight way he swayed and the sloppy grin on his face. Her back to Silco, Magnolia handed him his coins and nodded vigorously at something he told her. The man – no the boy – leaned in closer to tell her something, one hand resting on her waist to help balance him. Silco narrowed his eyes. He couldn't make out the movement of the boy's lips, but whatever was said made Magnolia throw her head back in laughter, one delicate hand coming up to smack him playfully on the shoulder. The blonde grinned even wider, clearly pleased with himself. Silco's hands curled tight on the railing, his knuckles turning white.
He was easy to miss in the dark upper level of the club, but his glowing eye must have caught the attention of the blonde. Silco locked eyes with him over Magnolia's shoulder. The boy immediately yanked his hand away from Magnolia as if burned and Silco watched with some satisfaction as the blood drained from his face. Backing away on uncertain feet, the blonde all but ran out the door, leaving a very confused Magnolia looking after him. She turned to follow where his gaze had lead, but Silco pulled back into the shadows away from the railing and out of her sight.
Shrugging away her confusion, Magnolia returned to her work. Silco slinked back into his office, feeling better than he had all evening.
Just after closing, Silco was still pouring over papers when a knock came at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal Magnolia, who stepped in and closed it behind her. She looked tired and slightly ruffled as she approached his desk, but otherwise alright. It looked like her first shift had gone quite well. He quirked an eyebrow at her and gestured with his cigar towards the chair in front of his desk. Magnolia smoothed down her skirt and sat primly at the edge, her posture perfect as always. Always so fucking demure, he could choke.
"Do tell, how was your first shift at this humble establishment?" he inquired.
"It was…" Magnolia played with the hem of her skirt as she thought of the right word, drawing his gaze to her legs once again. "Interesting."
Silco released a huff of a laugh. Interesting. He didn't doubt that.
"It's not all that different from hosting a party, I must say," she added. Silco resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course that was the closest comparison she had.
"I do have a question though," she continued. Silco quirked an eyebrow at her as he leaned back and brought his cigar to his lips.
"What is an Undercity Special?"
Silco choked on the smoke he'd just inhaled into his mouth. Oblivious to his attempt to subtly cough himself back to breathing, Magnolia carried on.
"Is it a drink? A customer asked me for one, but I checked behind the bar and didn't find it. I thought maybe it was a specialty cocktail, but when I asked Sevika, she stormed off and threw the guy outside." She looked at him earnestly as he finally composed himself. "Do we not offer Undercity Specials here?"
Silco hid his smile under his hand, barely able to contain his laugh.
"We don't offer that here," he began quietly, meeting her eyes, "but they do over at the brothel down the street."
Magnolia's eyebrows scrunched together and her mouth opened and closed a few times as she worked it out. Silco saw the exact moment when everything finally clicked, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline and her face colouring a very charming shade of pink. At that he couldn't help his bark of laughter. Her innocence and propriety were just so damn sweet. Throw a little innuendo her way and it would upset the entire axis of her world.
Still flushed and with her arms crossed petulantly over her chest, Magnolia huffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
"In that case, I have another question," she stated with an upward tilt of her chin.
"And what might that be?"
"Am I allowed to slap rude patrons?" Silco smirked at that, feeling the warmth of pride in his chest.
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
Still embarrassed but seemingly pacified, Magnolia nodded and left his office. Silco reclined, feeling a lightness he hadn't in a while. The little mouse was slowly morphing into a fierce little cat. She'd do just fine around here. Just fine indeed.
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Author's Note: This chapter was incredibly self-indulgent, so I apologize. Plot who? Never met her. The time between Christmas and New Year's is a bizarre abyss and rules do not apply.
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