Lights, Camera, Orc-tion!

4: Shopping

The movement was sharp and intent, as if an idea had just smacked him upside the jaw and snapped his head in her direction. "Do you have any formalwear?"

"What?" Avicia's eyebrows lowered with confusion as suspicion colored her tone, "Why?"

"There's a charity event on Saturday," Kahdreg spoke as he placed his dry cleaning on his director's chair. His tone came off as matter-of-fact and cool, as if Avicia should understand right away. "It's a good chance to maintain good connections and maybe get some more investors."

Still not understanding, Avicia frowned. "And what's this have to do with me?"

"If I go without a plus one, I'll be bothered all night by... certain people."

So, he wanted her to be his... date? Or whatever the business version of such a thing was. Briefly, she amusedly thought 'escort' might apply here, but shook the thought away. It didn't escape her how his nose wrinkled while thinking about these 'other people' at a social event. He didn't even want to go. Shaking her head, Avicia gave a beleaguered sigh. "Is this really covered in my personal assistant duties?"

"No," he admitted after a moment. His jaw worked back and forth, obviously displeased with her not jumping on the chance to attend. "Did you have other plans?"

"Yes." Avicia answered automatically and jutted her chin out, a steeliness in her eye as if daring him to say otherwise.

Kahdreg raised an eyebrow. After a beat of silence, wherein she made it clear she wasn't going to feed him the answers without prompting, he prodded, "What are they?"

"I do have a personal life, sir." She added in her head, I'm not obligated to talk to you about it, either.

The director's jaw continued to work back and forth as he thought. Avicia realized the motion made the tips of his tusks graze over his cheeks. Faintly, she wondered if this was something equivalent to her biting the inside of her cheeks, but Kahdreg's commanding voice broke the curious thought, "Well, cancel whatever you have planned. You're going to this event with me."

"Bu-" She started, anger rising to a boil.

"Weekends are double pay and a half."

Avicia's mouth snapped closed, but a flush of heat bled into her cheeks. She hated herself for being so easily swayed with money, how it made her look. But the image of medical bills accumulating on her fridge flickered through her thoughts. The hatred turned toward Kahdreg as he gave her a slight smirk, as if he'd known the money would convince her. That look made Avicia's stomach lurch with dread and anger. Also, with something else that made her squirm.

She swallowed down the sensations warring in her stomach and reached for the first excuse that popped into her mind. "I don't have anything appropriate for such a function."

The orc shot her a look, with one eyebrow curiously raised. He seemed about to say something, before he shrugged and returned his attention to his phone, tapping something across the screen. Her eyes flickered to the phone, willing it to suddenly combust in his hands. It seemed he had decided and he believed that was the end of it. "I need to shop for a new tux, anyway. We can pick up something for you, too."

"You're paying for a dress for me?" Avicia scoffed, partially disbelieving this turn of events while realizing it was totally in Kahdreg's character. He had basically strong armed her into this position, too. Though it was a very lucrative job, something about how he went about these decisions chafed. Her eyes flickered to the rest of the crew, willing someone - anyone! - to interrupt this hijacking of her life.