DARK LONDON NIGHTS // sully from top boy

33 - mutual respect

London
Nov. 9th

"Ms. Brown?", Nora heard a deep male voice from behind her, "do you have a second?"

She turned to see one of the managing attorneys, a middle-aged man with a bald head, horn-rimmed glasses and a black suit, running after her. Surprised, she stopped and smiled delightedly.

She was in court, today she had delivered a long monologue and questioned a witness on the stand.

"Of course," she said happily. She wondered what he was trying to tell her.

"I thought your strength and the rhetorical way you emphasized the arguments was really remarkable," he said, shaking her hand.

Nora could hardly believe this. A compliment from such a highly respected and important colleague was most rare and incredibly meaningful.

"Thank you very much, that means a lot to me," she replied gratefully, and let the rotund man engage her in conversation about the case.
As they said goodbye and Nora let herself be driven home, she still could hardly believe it. Hopefully, this could only mean good things for her promotion.

She immediately called Louis and frantically and excitedly told him about the conversation she just had.
When she got home, she jumped into the shower, washed off the stress and hectic of the day off her skin, and then went into the kitchen to make herself something to eat, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

Was that Louis? He had been so excited earlier that he had offered to come over to hear the whole story and toast to it.

Nora rushed to the door full of anticipation, pushed back the security latch, turned the front door key and opened the door.

She had expected anything, but not...

"Sully?" she asked in surprise, looking up into the grim face. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer, but apparently invited himself into her apartment, because he walked past her and stepped into the entryway. He was wearing a hooded jacket, with the hood over his head, loose pants, and old, scuffed sneakers. He smelled of cigarette smoke and of his perfume, which Nora would always recognize from a mile away.

"Don't you have to stab people or something?" she asked provocatively. Then he finally turned directly to her and looked her in the eye.

"You for sure got even unfriendlier while I was gone, innit?" he said coldly, looking at her disapprovingly.

"I wouldn't call it unfriendly" Nora said, looking at him in confusion as he took off his sneakers, soulfully relaxed and totally unbothered, as if he owned the damn place.

Then he sauntered into her living room, looking around and letting his eyes wander over her furniture, while Nora followed him around in confusion.

Finally, he sat down on her couch and Nora remained standing stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"Are you finally going to tell me what you're doing here?" she asked, annoyed.

"Do I need a reason to be here?" he asked in a raspy voice as he looked up at her.

"Hmm, let me think," Nora began, feigned ignorance, "you had me kidnapped, then kicked me out, didn't check in with me for days, told your people to communicate with me and forbid me to go out, and even beyond that, we've never been friends, you kill people and I don't even know who you are.  So yeah, I would say you need a damn good reason to be here".

He nodded in a playfully appreciative and impressed manner, then released his gaze from her.

"Then I'm here to ask how things are going with your work colleague"