Lights, Camera, Orc-tion!

31: Fired

All the air escaped Avicia's lungs, as if she'd been punched in the gut. The world around her darkened at the edges, her focus on the orc in front of her. Her eyes widened, staring up at Kahdreg's face, which remained stony and sober. It was like her synapses couldn't connect. "What?"

"I've arranged a severance package for you. I'm sorry it had to end this way." Kahdreg struggled to keep the emotional wall between himself and Avicia. A feat, given how badly her expression crumpled. He wanted to reach out, to touch her shoulder, to let her know it was going to be okay. He forced his arms to remain at his sides, even as his hand twitched to move.

He didn't actually know if everything was going to be okay. Eventually, of course. But maybe not for a while. At least for him. Especially with Kallinaera's hungry eyes on him.

"But..." Avicia's brain continued to scrabble, trying to latch onto something. What had happened to cause this? She strained to recall every moment, from Friday and the weekend to today, that could have possibly resulted in her termination. Even Kahdreg's expression gave her little to go on. No quirk at the corner of his lips to indicate teasing. No softness in his eyes to convey sympathy nor glint that said he had more planned. Nothing came to mind, until Kallinaera hopped off her chair.

Avicia's eyes flickered to the movement, suddenly realizing the siren had happened. She was the reason, the catalyst. Avicia fought down acid as Kallinaera closed the distance between herself and Kahdreg, the siren wrapping her arms around the orc's elbow. A muscle in Kahdreg's jaw twitched as the siren pulled herself closer to him. As Kallinaera rubbed her cheek against Kahdreg's upper arm, she cooed, "Please, Vivica, don't make a scene. I won't hesitate to call security."

Ignoring Kallinaera and her determination to use the wrong name, Avicia turned her attention back to Kahdreg, trying desperately to keep her voice steady. "Why am I being fired?"

"Someone alerted Spectretainment to your extracurriculars and, frankly, it just doesn't fit with the image the production company puts forth." Again, it was Kallinaera who speedily answered, much to Kahdreg's visible bristling anger. Slowly, Avicia turned her attention to the siren, eyebrows lowering as comprehension dawned in her head. Someone had found out about Bellamy Bluebell, had alerted the higher-ups and put it in their heads that it 'wasn't a good look.' Even if the studio churned out a plethora of content, some not-so-family-friendly, having a known camgirl on staff would somehow ruin them. Hah.

Avicia was about ready to charge into HR, to demand answers for this sudden firing, when Kallinaera's next words derailed her train of thought.

"It also should go without saying that whatever-" at this, the siren raised a hand and wiggled her fingers, nose wrinkling "- was going on between you and Kahdreg is over too."

At that, Avicia fell still, but a flare churned inside her, painful and hot. She felt like a mountain about to surprise the world with an explosion of lava and heat.

"Miss Virlee," Kahdreg snapped, voice sharp as he pulled free of Kallinaera's hold. His tone drew Avicia's gaze to him, but nothing else of hers moved. That mere fact made an unsettling feeling crawl over Kahdreg's skin, but he ignored it. "Allow me to handle this."

"You're dragging this on too long, Kahddy darling." Kallinaera rolled her eyes. She pressed a gentle hand to his upper arm, a smile curling at her lips. Kahdreg's stomach lurched at the sweet tone and soft caress. It was all he could do to keep from jerking away as Kallinaera purred, "I know you're soft-hearted, but come on. You have a schedule, don't you?"

As soon as she touched him, Kahdreg's lips thinned. The reminder of his timetable made his jaw ache, teeth grinding harder together. Around the trio, crew members dawdled and watched, attempting to appear busy. But Kahdreg could feel their eyes and their ears on them. It made his skin itch. Not for the first time, annoyance at Kallinaera flared. Why couldn't she just let him handle it, godsdammit? Furthermore, why couldn't she just butt the ever-loving-fuck out of his life?