And just as Theo had promised on departure of their first meeting, he returned the next evening around the same time, carrying a tray of two cups of tea and some biscuits with him.
"Good evening Miss Winters, I hope you had a pleasant day~" he greeted as he entered the room, walking towards her desk, sliding the tray on a section of desk that wasn't occupied with paperwork.
"Evening" Isabel bid tiredly, taking the time to finish the page she was currently working on before looking up "Not really, William has done nothing but nag at me all day yet again… man, does that guy half prattle on about nothing… and yourself?"
"Oh, I am aware" Theo chuckled, picking up a biscuit and starting to nibble on it "Can't complain, normal day really, checked up on the supervisors progress, filled out some boring paperwork, etc, etc, etc."
"One question, when you do that do you put Will first or leave him last?" she questioned picking up one of the cups, fixing her tea the way she liked it and took a sip, thankful for the amber liquid after a extremely long day.
"He's always first, I find my meetings with Will set the tone of the day, if the meeting is boring then the day will be a bad one and if he is particularly fun to annoy, then the day will be a good one. It was safe to say, today was a good day, which I do believe I have you to thank for, hence the tea delivery" Theo mused, casually gesturing towards the tea tray.
"Let me guess, every meeting day has been a good one since you appointed me as the insufferable stick in the mud's assistant?" she predicted pointedly, knowing that the most like reply was a resounding yes.
"Naturally, you really seem to get under his skin so effortlessly, m'dear~"
"Which you find amusing?"
"To say the least" he agreed with a grin
Isabel rolled her eyes "Well that's enough about lollipop man for my tastes" she stated trying to move the topic away from Will before she started wanting to bang her head on the table.
"You started it Issy, I was merely being nice and answering your questions" he clarified, dusting biscuit crumbs off him self "Although he may be an amusing interlude to the day, he is hardly a topic of a thrilling conversation."
"Was just curious that is" she justified with a shrug
"You do speak a lot about him, one would think you fancied him"
"Hell no" she exclaimed pulling a disgusted face "Not in a million year would I ever even consider thinking about him like that, just the thought makes me feel nauseated"
Theo chuckled deeply "What about me? Do I nauseate you?"
"No way I'm answering that… if you want compliments, go fish for them somewhere else" she replied crossing her arms over her chest.
"Ahh come on Issy~ don't be a spoil sport~"
"You'll just have to find out for yourself, won't you? If you want me to like you, keep coming back and allow me to get to know you" Isabel suggested with a smile
"Well I suppose if you want me to keep coming back, that's something" he mused thoughtfully before going back to sipping his tea
"Why wouldn't I? You have to be the most bearable of the people I've spoken to so far, so your company makes a change from having to endure being surrounded by morons" she replied in the form of a somewhat back handed compliment, not wanting to stroke his ego to much.
"Oh really~ just bearable, huh?" Theo questioned, raising an eyebrow "Well, I'll definitely have to work on that~ because that is fine for now but in the long run, I want to be at least considered a friend" he declared with a light smirk that practically broadcast that his strange little mind was setting to work on some whimsical scheme.
Over time Theo's visits increased length, as the pair got more and more comfortable talking to each other, by the third week they would sit around for hours every night, talking about their pasts, funny things that have happened to them, and many other things. They shared opinions, good humouredly argued over things, even had a lengthy discussion how to get Will to crack a smile, without attacking him with a chisel and hammer.
All the while Theo covertly inched close to her, moving his chair closer to hers, tasting the waters, until he was ended up sitting right next to her behind her desk.
Isabel oddly enough actually enjoyed spending time with Theo, something that wasn't all that common to her, she would usually either just keep her distance, or get bored of the people around her and simply push them away. So much so she actually let him touch her, something that seemed to make him happy, she had even come accustom to hugging him goodbye after the second week.
Theo happily collected their usual tea order, getting cake to celebrate that it had been a month since she first started here and three weeks since they first met. He hastily moved towards her office, trying to make up for the face he was running a hour or so late today because of the mountain of paperwork he had received, including the end of the month status reports, expenditure lists, orders for necessary items for the next month and other forms that get handed over on the last few days of the month.
When he arrived he was surprised what he found, Isabel seemed to have fallen asleep at her desk, her head resting on her folded arms, her loose raven hair falling natural across her face. He chuckled softly as he put down the tray, checking she was asleep before scooping her up, taking her to his office and laying her down on the sofa in the corner. He slipped his jacket off, using it as a blanket to cover her…
"Must be going soft in my old age…" he mumbled thoughtfully as he resent actions caught up with him, he was glad no one was around to see this display for it would severely wound his reputation as a tough nut leader.
Although he was unable to have their usual late night chat, he could help but find watching over her as she slept strangely a nice alternative… damn, he really was going soft. He shook his head before fetching the tea and cake, consuming it before returning to his work, every now and then his eyes drifted off the page onto the sleeping form of Isabel.
Isabel awoke in the early hours of the morning to find herself not at her desk but on a large black sofa… she groggily sat up, looking around her unfamiliar surrounds, it wasn't until she heard a familiar voice, as she consecutively recognised the coat that had slipped off being draped over her, she finally got her bearings.
"Good morning sleep head" Theo's voice greeted from behind her
Isabel remove the coat of her, laying it over the back of the sofa before sitting on it properly, turning to face here there voice had come from. "Hello Theo…" she bid
"You really shouldn't sleep at your desk Issy, it isn't good for you~ It does all kinds of havoc to your back and neck, and if you carry on like you'll turn into another of the grumpy buggers that we have round here~ And we can't have that can we?" Theo mused as he check a piece of paperwork,
"That was very sweet of you to bring me up here, thanks Theo" she thanked him earnestly, flashing him a small smile
"Well someone's got to make sure you look after yourself, don't they?"
"No one else has ever really seemed that all that bothered before now…" Isabel mumbled
"Then that's their fault not yours." He stated quite seriously before letting a smile pull at his lips "And I must insist that you stop categorising me with everyone else, I am myself, not a number" he added with melodramatic flare, sweeping his hand across in front of him before pressing his finger tips to his chest.
Isabel laughed lightly, another thing she never really did commonly before she met him, but she just could help herself around him, he just seem to have a natural talent for making her smile. She held up her hands "Fine I apologise, I will never associate you with these other beings ever again"
"Good, apology accepted" he nodded firmly before flashing a grin
"Deary me, who would have thought that the mighty manager Warren, was such a big softy" she mockingly speculated out loud
"I would appreciate it if that thought stayed between us"
"What if I was to be really mean and go about telling everyone that you're just a big teddy bear really?" she inquired putting emphasis on the 'teddy' part,
"I may have to disown as a friend and get you fired, something I would regret but what has to be done will be done no matter what"
"Oooo harsh… all for the sake of your reputation?"
"Yes, a leader is nothing if he is not respected by the people that work under him"
"Ah but you seem to be forgetting that to be a great leader, the feeling must be mutual, you must trust and respect those who work beneath you, must have faith that they can complete your orders to the letter ever time. You ain't showing me that, since I am not only your friend but one of your subordinates as well, but still you don't believe in me enough to have faith that I would keep such a thing to myself without having to be told…" Isabel stated sternly, taken on a somewhat authorities tone, that made Theo look up from his work.
"For that I apologise… I do respect you, Isabel, not only as a subordinate but as equal in many ways" Theo bid sincerely
"Apology accepted" Isabel replied "You're a friend Theo, and that is a term I don't take lightly, so naturally I will keep everything you have told between us, you could tell me that your real name is Nigel and you like having sex with sheep, and I wouldn't tell a soul… might recommend help but I wouldn't say anything"
Theo burst out laughing at her absurd suggestion "That's good to know, but I'm afraid I am and have always been Theodore James Warren, and I prefer my partners to be of the female, human persuasion, although at one time I thought I may be bi, but he turned out to be a woman using a male disguise to fit in, so I'm officially straight." he admitted in a nonchalant way "So Issy have you got any interesting, bearing in mind that I will also honour that agreement, secrets?"
"What you mean other then being extremely over qualified to be Lollipop boy's lackey? I suppose I have one or two, but I'm afraid you just don't know me well enough to be told, even with the agreement in place."
Theo stood up abruptly, walking over and sitting beside her "Now you haven't told me this before… I know you have been round a while but you have never really mentioned just how long."
Isabel exhaled heavily before leaning back "I really dropped myself in it didn't it? Never mind I guess… well I'm 724 years old…"
Theo looked a little stunned by this "You're almost twice my age… I'm only 376, and I am the one the oldest in this department. So if you've twice my age, that means you have to be second in command quality by now…"
"I am aware" Isabel grumbled running her hand through her hair "No actually I'm even more over qualified then that, I got my first SIC position at 478, I'm actually Leader level, have been for at least a century."
"Geez… so why the hell are you skiving at the bottom of the chain with Mr Stoic and his clone barrage?" Theo asked with wide eyes "You should be in a big office somewhere giving out the orders, not having to follow them"
"I needed a change, leadership is alright but there is a lot of shit that comes with being a female leader in a male prominent species." Isabel mused softly, "After centuries of that it is somewhat of a relief to do the more mundane stuff"
"Well if you ever fancy stepping up the ladder, just say and I'll see what I can do" Theo advised friendly nudging her
"You really are quite the sweet man" Isabel said softly, ruffling his hair, giving him a quick side hug "Any way best got going, need to lock up my office and go home"
"Sure I can't convince you to stay a little longer?" he inquired
"Nah, I should let you get some rest, bet it's getting really late. I'll see you tomorrow" she bid before getting to her feet and leaving the room
"Night Isabel" he called after her.