<div class="floatright">(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j77/wulfjaeger/___protector_of_time____by_vincentxyooj-d5lw1gq_zps59496fa9.png)</div><br/>If it had been anyone else, Kari might have considered the way that Damian addressed her as a slight or as a frustrated acknowledgement that she was unceremoniously interupting something important.  With Damian it was hard for Allia to tell.  She'd spent a lot more time with him over the past weeks since their unexpected rendezvous in the gym, but interestingly, she didn't  know him any better than she did after they were done.<br/><br/>When he moved out of the way, Allia took his motion as a silent invitation to enter his room.  She was surprised how spartan it was, how efficient it was to provide Damian a place to work and sleep all at the same time.  A hook of a smile crept over the corner of her mouth as she looked around.  Spying the game on the vid screen, Allia paused for a moment, watching the men move tossing a small ball between them using sticks.  It wasn't a sport she'd be familiar with, but it was always fun to learn something new about the man she worked with an occassionally fucked.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry to interrupt you.  I honestly don't know why my legs brought me here...."  Allia searched for words, for reasons why she'd interrupted Damian.  Subconsciously she must have had a reason, but for the time that reason was lost on her.  "....I guess part of me..."  She turned to face him, settling her hands on his desk, resting her weight back on her arms.  "...just wanted to clear the air with you regarding my outburst at the meeting.  I don't know why I didn't believe that you had already calculated the risks and rewards of your plan.  You didn't need me throwing my emotions into the mix."  Allia looked down, breaking eye contact with Damian for a long moment.  "And I think the other part of me wanted to know....."<br/><br/>Allia paused, not knowing if she should go forward with her question.  What had happened between them had been fun, had been amazing, and had been exactly what she needed at the moment.  But she wasn't sure what Damian's intentions towards her were, regardless of the signals she'd given him since.  "....I want to know why you haven't made any indication of a desire to get together again?  There, she'd said it...now the cat was out of the bag.  "I know we've been busy, but I believe I was fairly assertive about the interest in doing it again."<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/ffximage/2009/03/02/yb0303filmbana.jpg)</div><br/>When she walked through the door, Desmond could only smile.  Her rough, brusk look with the fiery red hair and a body covered in tattoos had been odd for Desmond at first, not sure how to relate to her.  But over the short time they'd known each other he'd learned very quickly that much of that outer image was a shield for the soft fragile girl inside.  Living in a hardcore merc family had pushed her to show a strong outwardly image, but there was another side that even her father probably didn't know about.<br/><br/><em>Her father....</em>The though hit him in the back of the head as he chided himself.  Desmond watch as she approached, standing to give her a soft hug and a kiss on the cheek.  He wanted to respect her concerns about how it would look if someone from her company saw them.  Although he knew the early hour of the day attracted none but the most ardent of regulars, he kept things distant until she opened the door.<br/><br/>The bartender set down a glass half full of clear dark brown liquid.  "It's no problem.  I wanted to see you.  Besides, after what you've been through I'm surprised you didn't want to meet earlier."  Desmond watched the spirited woman sitting next to him.  The weight of her new responsiblities was weighing heavily on her, it was obvious in the way she held herself up and the slack tiredness in her eyes.  "Did those troops I sent your way work out?  We're full up on ground pounders, and it was only fair that you got a chance to vet them before one of the other units picked them up."