Chapter Text
The phone buzzing for the third time made him turn and push his partner. It wasn't hIs waking up time yet and they surely were not gonna answer LaFontaine's phone, but it was 7:30 in the morning, on a Saturday and the only person that could be up at that hour would be either Danny or drunk Carmilla, but Carmilla hadn't been drunk for years now.
"LaFontaine, your phone is buzzing" said JP in his distinctive accent, earning a growl before they sat and took the call.
"You better have a good reason to wake me up this early on a Saturday, Lawrence" they said. The silence of Danny talking on the other side, followed by a startled LaFontaine getting up and totally awake.
"oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit... When is it scheduled? What time?" An apologetic look and they going out of the room, then out of the place. There was nothing important JP could remember LaF had to do that day, but he was sure they would tell him eventually, so he went back to sleep.
Perry was, of course, already awake at her home. Starting with the cleansing of the place, interrupted by the phone. Taking her time she answered after the fifth ring.
"Hello? Oh! Danny, what a nice surprise to call this early! How are you?".
Next thing, Perry was getting ready to leave her house with a very worried expression. It was a beautiful morning, and it had just being ruined with those news.
In the meantime, Kirsch and Danny were breaking camp, far into the woods of Styria. Danny piling stuff while on the phone, Kirsch folding the tents and tying them on the respective bags. There was no way they were gonna be back on time.
"This is all your fault Wilson!" Were the words Danny used when she finally got her phone back and checked her inbox. They had an excursion once a month, and every time Danny was glued to her phone, only this time Kirsch had managed to steal the phone and make it seem like she forgot. It was a nice trip, Danny deserved to be relaxed for at least one day but he felt guilty and told her.
"I've got your phone all the time D-bear"
"Don't call me that"
"Yeah and I just wanted you to have a nice and relaxed time y'know? I'm sorry"
Danny took it just fine, until she turned it on and got a mail with some details about some interview happening that same day later at 9 am. Then she got mad. Crazy mad. And worried. And Kirsch felt worried as well as guilty. His heart beating hard all the way back to the car and then back to Silas. There was no was they were gonna be back on time.
Theo got to Silas Dinner before 7 am. He cursed -like every morning- his job, cleaned up, pre sliced the pies, made the mix for the pancakes and pre heated the grill. He cursed one more time for getting to like the job he got imposed instead of going to jail after, well, burning down the zetas house when he was kicked out -long story short, he deserved it-.
Students came in and out, some stayed to have breakfast, some took the food for the road and then came in the woman Mel had told him about.
"Same deal, a booth away from other costumers. Close a side of the dinner if you have to, is just this new person will take my place because I can't do it this Saturday" she said.
"Or you're just scared of Carmilla" he said.
"Carmilla is the reason you're running this place and not getting matching tattoos and a boyfriend in jail. Just get my space ready" Mel said and hung up. And sHe was right. Carmilla had told him to choose between jail and mopping floors until he paid the damage. He started with floors and now he was in charge -and part of his salary was being reduced to keep paying his debt-.
The woman got in at 8:50, told him about the interview and that she was taking Mel's place. He got her to the booth and watched her wait for more than an half an hour until Carmilla got in.
"I'm here to meet Mel, bro head"
"Good morning to you too. Mel sent someone else, she couldn't make it. She is waiting in a booth, on the left side, I'll take you" Theo said, stoping from going around the counter when Carmilla stared at him. "Or I won't... I'll take the pancakes and coffee to you shortly".
"Looks like Mel left everything set" Carmilla said, making her way to meet the other woman.
The clock was marking 9:50 when Perry and LaFontaine rushed in, knocking a student. "Oh I'm so sorry!" Said Perry, helping the fallen girl up.
"What the hell is happening?" Asked Theo, plate of pancakes on his hands. LaF had stopped dead on their tracks, realizing it was a little too late to do anything.
Laura had got a job as soon as she arrived at Styria. She had a great background, experience and she happened to be the last Voice of Silas Editor in times of Lilita Morgan, so she didn't need much of a recommendation or a background digging. Mel knew who she was in terms of journalism.
To say she was nervous was accurate and not. She wasn't nervous about interviewing Carmilla, but she was. She wasn't nervous about starting a job, but she was. She wasn't nervous about running into her old friends, but she surely was. It was this tiny fact that she was gone for a couple of years what made her nervous.
Laura arrived to the dinner Mel told her about ten minutes before nine, not too early nor too soon to meet Carmilla. She said hi to the guy on the counter -she had read his story back in VOS and it was interesting-, he took her to the booth and there she did wait.
She rejected his coffee at 9:02 and asked for a hot cocoa instead. "I'm not much of a coffee drinker, sorry" Laura said when Theo -as he introduced himself- told her his coffee was really good. At 9:20 she went into the washing room and asked for a cookie from Theo when she got out, looking at the door when it got open just to see a pair of students getting in.
Laura texted Mel at 9:40 saying she was leaving. Carmilla didn't arrive.
"She is always late, don't leave or she'll never agree to an interview with us again" Mel texted back, so Laura stayed. Five minutes later she heard Carmilla's voice, talking to Theo. It took Carmilla three minutes since she got in the dinner to when she stood in front of Laura. She counted.
At 9:48 Laura said Hi to Carmilla, and watched how Carmilla's smirk disappeared from her face, to be replaced by a blank expression. Two minutes later she heard the door open aggressively and Perry's voice. She got up and looked back to her and LaF.
The alarm went off at 8 am, giving her one hour and a half to get ready. But she did slide her screen to the right and went back to sleep. Is not like she was irresponsible, it was a little bit the fact it was a Saturday and that she didn't want to be on time where she had to be at 9. It would feed the "you are always late no matter what" argument from Danny and the "you clearly need to care more" one from Perry.
It was very clear she cared, right? After all, she had done and changed a lot to prove it. Or enough at least. She just wasn't very excited about it. After all, Carmilla had opposed to every try of all media to get a hold of and interview her, but this was a Silas Voice research interview and according to her friends, she couldn't say no.
"You can't deny an interview to the newspaper of the University you own" Danny had said. "It is the 3rd anniversary since they got back to business"
"And why can't they ask you the questions? You're the Dean, I just put the money" Carmilla said.
"Because it is the anniversary! They already asked us all questions. They want something bigger for this third year" said Perry, passing a plate of brownies -skipping JP- for they to eat.
"Well they could wait for the tenth year for me! Tell them to interview Kirsch. Hell, Mel can interview herself just leave me out of it" Carmilla bickered.
Somehow, at the end of their weekly dinner she had accepted.
Carmilla got up at 9:03, arrived to Silas Dinner at 9:45. She teased Theo, as usually. She made her way to the booth he pointed at to find this person -that wasn't Mel because why would she be there after so much insistence?- for the interview.
Her heart sank at 9:48 when she found herself face to face with Laura Hollis, six years after their last encounter and her stomach turned around just a second later when she said hi.
Carmilla's brain turned off, staring at Laura for a couple of minutes until Perry and LaF rushed in the place, making a scene as usually and Laura stood up to look at them both, but Carmilla couldn't look away. At 9:51 she shook her head, passed by Laura, ignored Perry and LaFontaine and got out of the dinner.
She called Danny, who answered right away.
"Carmilla I am so sorry. I just got to read the mail Mel sent to me. I could have warned you, I'm really close to your place" she said.
"So you didn't know?" Carmilla asked, a knot in her throat.
"No, of course I didn't. I wouldn't do that to you. I mean I hate you but not that much" Danny said, and Carmilla laughed. They were in silence on the phone. Carmilla got to her place and waited outside for Kirsch to drop Danny. When she got there, the call was still running and when Danny got off the car Carmilla finally spoke again.
"She is back"
"To the Dean of Silas
Miss (yeah sure) Danny Lawrence:
On behalf of the upcoming interview with Carmilla Karnstein for the three year anniversary issue of the Voice of Silas special article, I am very sad to inform that I won't be able to do it myself BUT there is a new person in the team and she is very experienced. Also she said she knows Carmilla.
I'm sorry Lawrence, I had a wedding and I wasn't gonna assist but then this person came in and now I can assist. Rain check? But huge thanks for convincing the boss to do it.
I've spoken to Theo and he is gonna give them a quiet place to go through with the interview and I'll meet Miss Hollis on Monday to start edition and then publish the article when the anniversary date arrives.
Don't get mad, I really need this weekend off. Have a nice camp trip with bro dude. Watch out for mosquitos.
Yours truly Melanippe Callis.
Voice Of Silas Editor because someone couldn't let me be the Summers Guardian.
But I love my job, Thanks Lawrence.
P.s. Her name is Laura Hollis."