(From (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=98856.msg5240226#msg5240226))<br/><br/><hr/><br/><br/>Cook was preparing dinner at Atticus slid in, and the room was hot and noisy after the cool silences of the garden. He slid around maids and kitchen boys with a fluid ease and left the bustle with a relived sigh. Through a dim, narrow servant’s corridor and out to the main hall.<br/><br/>His gaze turned at once to the offices, onto Ryan’s door. He hadn’t seen the man since the early afternoon. He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was the longest period of time the two had been apart since Atticus took the position, but it was getting there. He felt a bone deep need to see that tall, powerful man, to simply bask in his presence and let all other thoughts fall away under the mantle of doing his duty. He approached the office, then stopped. The door was open. Papers scattered over the floor.  Cam and Anel were there, Master Ryan, and...<br/><br/>Someone else. Someone who looked familiar. An old client. Not one of his, but a regular none-the-less. A Briars client.<br/><br/>Atticus heard a sharp, shrill whine in his ears. Colours turned stark, jagged. The shadows sank deeper, seeped out and spread. If someone from the Briars could find their way here, why not him, why not Master Blithe? He would come with his knife and so much money –<br/><br/>“Stop it, stop it,” he hissed, forcing himself to turn, to stop staring at that man, and forced himself into the lesser used sitting room. There was a billiard table conjoined to it, like the music room was conjoined to the more popular sitting room. There was a faint hint of smoke – clients used it as a smoking room when they felt uncomfortable smoking elsewhere. The room was not, as he had hoped, empty, but he couldn’t seek a more secluded sanctuary. He had to sit down and breath.<br/><br/>He did just that, collapsing with no bit of grace into an empty chair, leant forwards and gasped steadily, staring at the floor. His sword had caught the chair awkwardly and the pommel was jammed into his ribs. His hands, his whole body was shaking. Bitchfucked, pox riddled idiot, he had to pull himself together. This wasn’t the time to fall apart!<br/>