It was amasing how much things could change in one day. It would have been a stretch to say that Alister was being friendly, but there was a marked difference in his demeanor the next morning. He was not as guarded or hostile as he had been and he was actually able to make eye contact with Deirdra. She knew it was difficult for him and she wasn't going to fool herself into believing they had resolved all their issues, but she was pleased to see that he was softening a bit. Her mind was still slightly reeling from the fact that he had called her his girlfriend last night. Could it be possible that he still loved her? She'd give almost anything to know, but she was afraid to push him. She had learned from experience that demanding an answer of him only made her less likely to get one. She had no choice but to wait to see how things played out.
Meanwhile, Valon was lurking around the perimeter of the cafeteria, stealing a glance at them every now and then. He had been doing so for some time. Finally, when Alister went for a coffee refill, he sidled up to Deirdra. "Yes?", she asked, looking up at him. "Is Alister still being an ass?", he inquired. "No", she replied, adding "Why? What are you up to, Valon?" She narrowed her eyes at him, but her tone was playful. "I just wanted to be sure he wasn't going to go off on me after he acted so weird before. That Alister can be a real-", Valon responded, stopping mid-sentence when he heard an all too familiar voice close to his ear. "That Alister can be a real what?", Alister repeated, holding his coffee cup threateningly over his buddy's head. "C'mon. Finish the sentence. Don't mind me." Valon winced and said "-a real nice bloke." Alister scowled, lowered the cup, and went back to his seat. Valon, looking rather forlorn, scuffled off to another table to eat. He was disappointed, as he had hoped to bend Deirdra's ear about his troubles with Mai, and he didn't feel comfortable doing that with a pissed off Alister sitting nearby. He looked with annoyance at the redheaded biker, who glowered at him and mouthed a 'what are you looking at?' in return.
Suddenly, Raphael materialised in the doorway, a look of uncharacteristic urgency on his weathered face. He strode over to Alister and said in a low tone "Master Dartz wishes to see you". Alister didn't acknowledge the statement, but he did get up. Raphael then turned to Deirdra. "He also requests the pleasure of your presence" he said. Deirdra didn't like the way he spoke to her. It was like he knew something she didn't, which worried her. Why would Dartz want to see both her and Alister at the same time? She could think of only one reason. He must have seen them together on the roof the night before. Or someone else saw them and told him. Why he would care, she didn't know though. Last time she checked, it wasn't against the law to comfort someone. Maybe he just didn't like his 'employees' getting too close. Alister saw the worry written on her face and guessed what it was about. He layed a timid hand on her arm, saying "Don't sweat it. He doesn't concern himself with our personal affairs." Deirdra hoped he was right, for both their sakes. She was a fairly good judge of people and she could tell that Dartz wasn't someone she wanted to cross.
Alister led the way to their boss' office. Dartz was waiting for them out in the hall when they got there. He wore the same plastered-on smile as before, as he ushered Alister inside. But he held out his hand to stop Deirdra from advancing. "I will need you to wait here until we have finished our business, Miss Wallis", he said in that ever-gracious tone. Deirdra didn't have a chance to respond before the door shut in her face. Dartz had a way of seeming polite even when his actions were far from it.