Scandinavian
Senior Member
Ash stands, bows politely and smiles when Cahya enters, but as the other woman speaks her face stiffens into something that can only in the most technical sense be mistaken for a smile.
"I am happy to see that we have started moving toward a mutually agreeable outcome, though I'm afraid that the time it will take to, as you put it, wrap this up, will depend entirely on how willing you are to work with me to find workable solutions to our common problem." Ash motions to the chairs, inviting the other woman to take a seat. "You have stated the actions you feel compelled to take in the event that we fail to reach agreement today, and I will extend to you the same courtesy. If we fail to reach agreement, while I will make every effort to complete the ARAT program, I will not consent to anything on your list." Ash makes a throwaway gesture at the e-paper on the table.
"Maybe you, or someone else, will decide to embark upon various punitive actions, which I will then have to contest to the full extent of my abilities and using all avenues available to me. That would be unfortunate. I might even lose that contest." The two women in the room live in an age where 'the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing' can sometimes be more than a mere metaphor. This is not one of those times, but Ash's voice and the set of her eyes none the less bring the phrase forcibly to mind. "However, I am confident that you have no legal options which will impose a long-term cost even vaguely comparable to beginning our business relationship by setting the precedent that I can be bullied, threatened or cajoled into consenting to gratuitous abuse of my body and spirit."
The way Ash's face and body language opens up after she has made this statement is perhaps best likened to the breath of fresh air following a thunderstorm. "Now," she says, voice suddenly open and approachable in a way that no chip nor wire set can fake, "I think our long-term interests are sufficiently well aligned that we should be able to achieve a much happier outcome than that. Are you willing to work with me to make that happen?"
"I am happy to see that we have started moving toward a mutually agreeable outcome, though I'm afraid that the time it will take to, as you put it, wrap this up, will depend entirely on how willing you are to work with me to find workable solutions to our common problem." Ash motions to the chairs, inviting the other woman to take a seat. "You have stated the actions you feel compelled to take in the event that we fail to reach agreement today, and I will extend to you the same courtesy. If we fail to reach agreement, while I will make every effort to complete the ARAT program, I will not consent to anything on your list." Ash makes a throwaway gesture at the e-paper on the table.
"Maybe you, or someone else, will decide to embark upon various punitive actions, which I will then have to contest to the full extent of my abilities and using all avenues available to me. That would be unfortunate. I might even lose that contest." The two women in the room live in an age where 'the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing' can sometimes be more than a mere metaphor. This is not one of those times, but Ash's voice and the set of her eyes none the less bring the phrase forcibly to mind. "However, I am confident that you have no legal options which will impose a long-term cost even vaguely comparable to beginning our business relationship by setting the precedent that I can be bullied, threatened or cajoled into consenting to gratuitous abuse of my body and spirit."
The way Ash's face and body language opens up after she has made this statement is perhaps best likened to the breath of fresh air following a thunderstorm. "Now," she says, voice suddenly open and approachable in a way that no chip nor wire set can fake, "I think our long-term interests are sufficiently well aligned that we should be able to achieve a much happier outcome than that. Are you willing to work with me to make that happen?"