Barbara Rosen - Mikal/Tanya/Chase
A quiet night blanketed the windows of the octagonal conference room. Mrs. Barbara Rosen sat in a prestigious chair next to two very highly regarded men. At sixty-five, her blonde hair had streaks of platinum that not only completed her formidably sharp features, but displayed almost unfathomably the many years that built her. She wore her hair, similarly to the way she wore the Cartier diamond pin perched at the left collar of her custom-cut black Armani Collezioni suit, like an irreplaceable badge.
Years earlier, Barbara Rosen retired after nearly forty years in the judicial system. She was a master debater and she rarely hid her skills. Even hardened lawyers thought twice before engaging Mrs. Rosen in the most simple of arguments. Her husband once decided to argue; and lost, allowing her to be a happily divorced mother of two grown children, a cardiologist and a micro surgeon. They infrequently visit unless she was particular about talking to them in person. Mrs. Rosen believed that a mother should never be pressed to see her children after they completed a level of higher learning.
The two men, one to each of her side, were also well experienced. Marcus Rasmussen, a corpulent man with enough gut to spare, was once head inspector for the Data Investigating Department of Denmark's Rigspolitiet. Unsurpassed when it came to information, he could read and analyze nearly everything known to man, yet he wasn't quite the best at reading people. That talent went to the next man: Professor Baron Kaufman.
The Professor wore a proud snowy beard of ageless wisdom. He had been in his chair at every advisory meeting since the first and he intended to stay until the end of time. In his life, Baron Kaufman had been nearly everything from Archeologist to Zoologist and back to Physicist. He frequently lectured at the nearby academy and had earned himself countless honorary degrees. The one thing he pride himself in, despite his achievements, was his ability to read people. In fact, he was trying to read one now, his eyes scrutinizing the man standing in front of them, a man known here as Chase Devineaux.
Chase formed the last quarter of the core advisory board. Unfortunately, he wasn't here to discuss propositions of a grander work environment. The late meeting had been hastily scheduled following his return from a short but exhausting case. Mrs. Rosen could perceive he was tired, perhaps not even thinking correctly. Which was why she remained extremely hesitant to accept the piece of paper he had handed to her and the two men.
"This is your No-Liabilities form," she said dryly. The form had been signed by Chase Devineaux when he came back to ACME not long ago. By returning this paper, he was making it very clear he had the intention to no longer pursue his endeavors here. "You're leaving us. Why?" Mrs. Rosen asked to open her subject to an argument. Neither Rasmussen or Kaufman said a word as if they had no intention to stop the inevitable, yet she believed thoroughly that they simply knew better. They all wanted to hear his reason.
"Yes," Chase Devineaux declared in a sufficiently distinguished tone. "I appreciate you allowing me to return, but... complications arose. It's in the company's best interest that I don't remain a distraction."
Barbara Rosen reacted with curiosity. What sort of "complications" could he possibly mean? The man before her stood military-style with his legs apart and his hands firmly folded behind his back. His face and manner showed intelligence mixed with the sort of charismatic humility most women would find fascinating. To more immediate gratification was the way his shirt, formal but with folded sleeves, accented the muscles of his shoulders and arms.
She imagined him a strict husband but a glamorously uninhibited lover. Mrs. Rosen shrugged internally at the thought, a woman her age was allowed to fantasize a little.
Professor Kaufman suddenly spoke and brought attention back to the subject matter, "I see, and I'll accept your resignation." At the words, Chase Devineaux seemed relieved, giving an accepting nod. Then Kaufman continued, "But not today."
There was a notion of retaliation from the Detective, a response that was held fast as Kaufman handed the younger man his papers. "Bring it back to us prior to Miss Eleanor Mayhem's hearing on Friday. In the meanwhile, go home, rest. Gather your things and make your peace, we'll see you shortly."
To Mrs. Rosen, Chase Devineaux appeared decadently injured, hurt by the fact that his resignation was postponed. He graciously retrieved the evidence of his unofficial employment with the agency and left without a word.
"Why did we do that, Mr. Kaufman?" Taking off her reading glasses, Mrs. Rosen asked her associate to clarify his actions.
"Men like Chase Devineaux cannot be judged on standards alone, Barbara." The oldest of the three explained. "Let him return to work, let him speak to those that evoke his intangible values. They are the ones most likely to weigh on his decision, not we."