❝ ISN'T IT TRAGIC? ❞
In which Gemma Moretti, a hard-working bounty hunter, clashes with Los Angeles' most hot-blooded defense attorney.
[LUCIFER PRE-SEASON 1]
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CHARLOTTE RICHARDS HAD THE MAGICAL POWER of making a usually cool and confident Gemma a nervous mess. There weren't butterflies in her stomach, more like angry bees, making her shift uncomfortably on her side of the booth that her and Charlotte had claimed from the diner nearest to the lawyer's office. They had both ordered coffee – Gemma took hers black whereas Charlotte required lots of milk and sugar – and as the Moretti quietly stirred her cup despite its simple contents, Charlotte observed her in amusement but also concentration, picking apart every little thing about her face, from the twitch of her lips to the scrunch of her nose.
"Do I make you nervous?" Charlotte asked bluntly, a hint of a smile on her painted lips as she lifted her own mug to her mouth and drew a careful sip. Her question got Gemma to look up from the whirlpool of coffee in front of her, her eyebrows lifted as she faced the woman. She felt caught, like she hadn't done such a good job of hiding her agitation, after all, and it pushed an awkward chuckle out of her.
"What are we, schoolgirls?" Gemma snorted, sipping her own coffee before crumbling under the insistent look in Charlotte's eyes. "Alright, a little bit. You're just very... no-nonsense type of gal. And impressive in so many ways", she admitted, warmth creeping up to her cheeks as immediate regret for her embarrassing confession kicked in. Before she could blurt out anything to dig herself in more of a hole, she brought the coffee mug to her face and drowned any further admissions into the drink.
Instead of making fun of her, though, Charlotte seemed a little hurt, her curt expression softening as she put her own coffee down. "Well, this might surprise you, but I don't always like being that way. It's just what my job requires if I want anyone to take me seriously", she shared quietly, flashing a faint smile as she looked down at her sharp nails in thought. Gemma swallowed, suddenly feeling bad for how defensive she always was with the woman – she hadn't considered that it was an occupational hazard to be so aggressive. She supposed it made sense with the competitive line of work, not to mention the number of men she had to work with. Santiago was much more mellow than Charlotte but it was enough for his co-workers to approve of him. For Charlotte, maybe it was a different tale entirely.
"I understand that", Gemma chimed in, giving Charlotte a sympathetic look. "There's these two detectives at the LAPD, Graham and Paolucci, and they always give me crap and think they're so much better than me. There's no feeling better than getting to shut them up and prove them wrong", she continued with a satisfied smile at the mere thought of wiping the smirks off of the detectives' faces.
Chuckling, Charlotte nodded. "I've had to deal with a lot of frustrating men for the past couple of years. Sometimes co-workers, sometimes clients", she countered, and humming in intrigue, Gemma tilted her head at the woman.
