ID   We have to Prep for your Press Event.

ID   Wake up.

Your bothersome assistant waves her hand in front of your face. You slap it away.

DN   Dina

DN   My Sweet Snowdrop

DN   I'm Not Sleeping

DN   Haven't You Heard of Resting One's Eyes?

ID   That doesn't Explain the Position.

ID   On the Desk.

You sigh and sit up, now no longer sprawled elegantly on your desk.

DN   Oh Boo

DN   Spoilsport

ID   ...

DN   Maybe I Am Prepping

DN   Didn't I Look Quite Ravishing Just Now?

DN   What If I Did This During the Interview? It Would Stun for Sure

ID   For All the wrong Reasons.

DN   But You Agree it Would Stun Though

DN   Imagine the Camera Above Me. Right Up Here

Her impassive face reveals very little.

ID   Get Off.

You moan and hop off the desk.

DN   It's My Desk, I Can Do What I Want

ID   Doesn't the hard Wood Surface Hurt?

DN   Oh Ho Ho!

DN   Yes Actually

DN   Wow I'm So Sore! Oh Ho Ho

You settle down onto the armoir.

DN   Why Didn't I Start Here?

DN   This is What Furniture is For

As you stretch, feeling the luxurious, velvet-like fabric all over your pristine skin, you pat the cushion next to you. She obeys.

Her posture is much more rigid than yours, like she can't bring herself to treat this any less than a business meeting. It's so confusing. Doesn't she know that time away from the cameras is for comfort?

DN   Dina, Dear

DN   My Adorable Little Snowflake

DN   My Iced Cream Cone

ID   ...

DN   My Indestructible Iceberg

ID   I Like that one.

DN   Duly Noted

DN   Anywho

DN   When's the Last Time You Took a Break

DN   And Lived Deliciously Like I Do All the Time?

ID   Good Question.

ID   Ask the one Responsible for my Schedule.

DN   Ho Ho

DN   And Who Might That Be?

You bat your eyelashes. She gives you a look.

DN   Speaking of Your Benevolent and Brilliant Boss

DN   I Can Order You to, Y'know

DN   Be Less of an Icicle In The Mud

DN   And You Would (Legally) Be Obliged to Follow

DN   Consider That

ID   Already Considered.

ID   In that Scenario, your Career would (Legally) be a Mess.

ID   So, it has been De-Considered.

DN   Oh, Pooh

DN   Have More Faith

DN   The Morozov Empire is Indestructible!

DN   We've Made Plenty Sure of That

DN   You and Me and Me As The Pretty One with Talent and Brains

DN   And Your Brains Too

ID   ...

DN   It Would Be So Fun. If You Laid Down Here With Me

DN   Have You Ever Tried Making Snow Angels on Velvet?

Strangely, your words seem to only be making her more impatient.

ID   It's Not about Faith.

ID   It's about Structure. Maintaining it through Diligence.

ID   Just because You can afford to Lounge Around doesn't mean I can.

ID   If Anything, it Guarantees that I Can't.

ID   Haven't you Ever Considered That?

DN   As Much as I Love How Much Consideration You're Doing for an Entire Army

DN   You've Got it All Wrong

You settle your head on one of the arms.

DN   It Isn't As If I Don't Care

DN   I Truly Do My Best Through All The Corporate Affairs

DN   I Just Live a Little

DN   Like Life Will Sort Itself Perfectly Out Around My Whims

If it doesn't, you'll find a way to sort it out yourself. It's as simple as that.

DN   No Use Being Too Serious, Dina

It's not as if other people don't deserve to live like that, too. In fact, she deserves it more than anyone you know.

When you first pleaded with her to come with you to Goldopolis, help you make it to stardom, you wanted to put her on the map, too. And she's done more than her fair share.

DN   Some Shine Would Go Wonderfully with that Packed Geometry

ID   What does that Even Mean.

DN   Some Cleavage For Fun

ID   You Have to stop Speaking in Mineralogical Terms.

ID   It's Going to get you in Trouble one day.

DN   If Needless Jargon of the Materials Science Gets My Ass Kicked

DN   So Be It

ID   ...

ID   It Must be so Easy.

Her voice is low.

ID   I'm Happy for you, Dia. That you've Made It All so Easy for yourself.

ID   But Every Time you put something Aside,

ID   I have to make Sure it won't Blow Up in Our Faces.

DN   It Never Does.

ID   Absolute Certainty is Earned Through Absolute Readiness.

ID   You Earn It, Diana.

Your blood turns cold.

DN   What Do You Mean By That

ID   ...

ID   You Know what I Mean.

DN   No

DN   Don't Give Me that Tone

DN   Don't You Dare Give Me that Tone, Idina Morozov

DN   The Press, I Expect No Less. But Not From You

She looks away.

ID   This Isn't about Whether you Deserve all this or Not.

ID   It's about What's Necessary to Maintain it.

ID   I'm Trying to Help You, Diana. Not Strike You Down.

ID   ...

ID   So, No, I'd Rather be Serious

ID   Because,

She clears her throat.

ID   Because My stability depends on Yours.

ID   I'm Not letting you Throw it all Away,

ID   Just because you want to Live A Little.

DN   I Would Never Throw Any of This -

ID   I Know that's how You Feel.

ID   But I Have to Do My Job. The One you Entrusted to Me.

ID   I Will Carry it Out the Best I Can, Regardless of your Whims.

ID   This is a Sacrifice I'm Performing on Your Behalf.

DN   Sacrifice?

You're still smiling. It's just... a little harder now.

DN   Idina

DN   Am I... Doing This to You?

DN   Am I The Reason You're... Why You Always...?

You sit up, reaching out with your hand.

ID   ...

She stands up, shaking her head and retrieving the clipboard on one of the cabinets.

ID   We're Getting Off Track.

The clipboard is one you gave her a few birthdays ago - leather, with room inside for all her notes. It's been used against you, but you can't find it in yourself to get too upset.

ID   I came to Remind you about Tomorrow.

ID   The Interviewer is rather Young, so be prepared for Gossip.

ID   The Dress Code is Casual. I'm Expecting Muted Colors as well.

ID   I've Set Aside some Options for you.

ID   I've Also cc'd you on a Follow-Up Email I've sent their way.

ID   As well as Tomorrow's Schedule. Make Sure to take a Look at it Thoroughly.

You just nod along, barely listening to what she's saying. But that's alright. When the time comes, she'll remind you again, and support you. She won't leave because of all the pressure - she'll let it shape her, just as it shaped you.

You couldn't ask for better.