Backdated to December 10
Feb. 5th, 2019 01:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logs Taking Bobbi's advice, Warren reaches out to the one person who can put his image back together: Hope.
It'd been a while since everything went down. Warren didn't quite know how long -- after all, he was still technically suspended, and Lorna still wasn't speaking to him. With no work to do, Warren found himself with nothing but time on his hands, something that had almost never happened to him. Even as a child, he was thrust into so many activities that he barely had time to see his parents (which was probably the point).
Luz came daily to take care of the place, as always, but even she was running out things to do. Warren had scrubbed the entire apartment from head to toe, even going so far as to clean the grout out bathroom tiles, much to Luz's horror. "Senor Worthington, please -- this is my job," she kept saying but Warren shooed her away. He had to do something.
Once the place was clean, then he was back to baking. He'd gone through so many cookbooks, he felt he could write his own. The sweets he sent with Bobbi were being eaten, that much he knew, but whether it meant he could return to XFI? Well. He wasn't pushing it. Some snacks he sent with Sue to send to the mansion, since he wasn't going there either. It was just too much downtime, so when Bobbi suggested that maybe he speak to Hope, get some help on how to fix his reputation, Warren jumped to the idea. Hope was amazing. He'd seen her work miracles with her diplomacy skills, and she seemed to always have a million plans percolating in her head. He wouldn't be surprised if she already had a plan for him, and was just waiting for his call. This was reinforced when she agreed immediately to meet with him at the penthouse.
Making sure no one else was there (not even Bobbi), Warren made coffee, croissants, danishes and even a quick freezer jam, all laid out on the kitchen island for Hope. He'd given her the code to get in, let the doorman know, and now he waited anxiously for his life back.
Hope let out a long sigh, taking a moment to smooth the businesslike emerald green dress and black blazer that she was wearing. Finally she punched in the code which would let her access the apartment Bobbi had given her the address of. "Mr. Worthington?" Hope called out as she entered.
"In the kitchen," he called out. Didn't matter how many times he told Hope to call him by his name, she always insisted on formalities. Warren had opted for a more casual look -- a simple pair of grey twill pants along with a light blue button up shirt. No tie, but his shirt was neatly tucked in, his belt buckle shined, and he was wearing a newer pair of black Fendi loafers. Casual to Warren was business-formal to most. When she entered, he gave a wry smile and motioned to one of the chairs. "Thanks for coming, Hope. I really appreciate it."
"Bobbi mentioned you needed my assistance." Hope explained succinctly as she took her seat. "I will make one thing clear though beforehand... I am here because of her and the team. Now... what is it what I can help you with?"
"Me," Warren said bluntly. "I need help to fix my reputation, and Bobbi thinks you're the one for the job." He knew Bobbi was probably getting some serious guff for standing by him, and still being with him, but the others liked her and respected her. He also liked and respected her -- fuck, he was absolutely in love with Bobbi, and part of making amends meant listening and valuing her opinion.
Hope nodded grimly. "I expected it would be something like that. I have given it some thought and I might have a few idea's. But you are not going to like it. And while I have some knowledge and experience, I am no expert. I want to be honest about that." She paused for a moment to give Warren the chance to object. When none came, Hope nodded towards the coffee. "If you still want to do this, you better pour us some coffee. We can both use something to fortify ourselves."
Without further comment, Warren did what Hope asked. Before too long, drinks were served, pastries were on dishes, napkins were neatly folded and Warren was seated across from Hope on the island. Wrapping his fingers around his mug, he looked down at his drink and sighed heavily. "I fucked up big time, Hope. I don't know how I didn't lose Bobbi entirely through this process but everything else?" He lifted up a hand and started to tick off on his fingers. "My job....both of them. My family..which was barely there to begin with but still ... my friends...all of them...all I have now is Bobbi and piles of money. So yeah. Fix me."
Softening slightly, Hope neatly buttered a croissant and spread some of the jam on it as she explained: "I have a few ideas, but it is going to be hard. Your reputation was not great to begin with and has now totally tanked. You are going to need to show that you have learned from what happened and that you are seriously trying to change your ways. Tell me, do you still have a doctor friend who owes you a favor or two?"
He frowned and tapped his foot against the bottom rung of his stool. "A doctor friend? I mean, other than Jean or Cecilia?" Did they even count as friends? "I mean, I have some old college buddies that I haven't talked to in years as well....but we were in the same frat, sooo.... what do I need from a doctor?"
"Because you are going to need one of them." She paused a moment to take a bite. "Before I continue, I need to know something though. Are you willing to promise me to do everything I say? No slip ups, no mistakes, nothing? Because I can only do this with your full cooperation."
He took a deep breath. Was he? This wasn't going to be easy, as Hope had mentioned multiple times. And knowing Hope, this wasn't going to be cheap either. He'd end up owing her an entire apartment building or something by the end of this but would it be worth it? He looked right at Hope, his blue eyes open and clear for the first time in ages. "Yes. I am prepared to do it. I can't promise I won't make a mistake, but I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get back to where I need to be. I want everyone to trust me again." He gave a half-snort. "Fuck, I want people not to look at Bobbi with that weird pity in their faces, that whole 'oh poor Bobbi, stuck with Warren. She'd be so much happier without him.'." He gave a rueful grin. "I gotta fix things."
"You have to be willing to do it for yourself too. Otherwise it's not going to work. Think about that long and hard before you agree. Now, we cannot exactly explain to the public that you were possessed or something. So we are going to be explaining that your behavior was a consequence of an interaction between a drug you were taking for an undisclosed illness and your unfortunate habit of using alcohol and drugs. That is where your doctor friend comes in."
A slow smile crossed Warren's face. He should have known that Hope wasn't going to be completely on the up and up for this. He had no problem admitting to a drug and alcohol problem; it was in vogue anyways. "Does this mean I have to go away for treatment?"
"I don't know yet. Treatment, yes, but if local outpatient treatment will be sufficient or if we need to invest in heavier measures I depends on the development. But you need to be seen sticking to it. One of my conditions is that you will abstain from using any drugs or alcohol in any setting that can be vaguely seen as public. And that is not the only area you need to stay sober in. You need to stay absolutely faithful to Bobbi for now." Hope explained. "Is that something you can do?"
Man, it was hard hearing these things but absolutely necessary. With a swift nod, he agreed. "That's not an issue. I'm done with all that. It causes nothing but problems, and I don't need that in my life anymore. All I want is Bobbi, and she's somehow, through magic or something, still by my side. I'm not fucking that up."
"I am going to be holding you to that. If you slip up, I might not be able to do anything anymore." Hope took a moment to finish her croissant and sipped her coffee. "Then there is the situation with the journalist to address." She continued after a moment. "I need to exactly what happened there. And if there is anyone else you have insulted in similar ways."
Warren sighed but he gave her the short story -- after getting punched in the face by Lorna, he'd done a ridiculous amount of coke, went to a club, hit on the wrong person and when turned down, ranted for a while about how she was useless without a man, her work was based on who she'd slept with, etc etc. Social media told him he'd also slapped her in the ass, but frankly, he had no idea. "Anyways," he finished, "it got me put on leave at work. I'm still on leave. My father hasn't spoken to me in a while."
"You are going to need to apologize. And also here... you need to show that you are willing to learn and change. I will need to do a little research on what would be the best way to do that here though." Hope folded her hands and leaned forward a little. "That is the crux for all of this. The only way I see of getting you out of this is to paint it as you having hit rock bottom because of this and coming out as a wiser, changed man."
He gave the younger woman a wry grin. "Well, since that's basically the truth, it won't be a hard story to sell."
Bobbi knew that Warren would be meeting with Hope today at some point, but she wasn't sure exactly when. So when she returned home she made sure to make her appearance an announced one, calling out her arrival once she entered and taking her time with removing her shoes and the like. She didn't want to pry or interrupt anything sensitive that been unfolding, so she gave them both lots of time to intercept her or ask her to leave.
When neither of those things happened, Bobbi made her way into the kitchen and found them there. "Hey guys, hope I'm not intruding."
"Hi Bobbi, you are not... In fact, it is good that you are here, because some what we are discussing also has to involve you." Hope looked up when the blonde entered. "Please join us for a bit?"
"Sure thing," Bobbi replied, grabbing a mug from one of the cupboards and helping herself to a drink once she saw they were having coffee themselves. Her eyes flitted from Hope to Warren, trying to gauge his reaction to her presence. "Hey there."
Warren smiled softly at Bobbi. "Hey babe," he answered, reaching out to give her a slight rub on the back. "You were right, of course. Hope has a plan to make everything better. I gotta make a public apology, probably go to treatment for a while ...will you bake me a cake with a file in it? That'd be pretty damn cool."
Rolling her eyes ever so slightly, a grin appeared on Bobbi's face nonetheless. "You don't want to taste my baking, trust me." She had a lot of great qualities; that wasn't among them. She did reach out and put an arm around Warren in response, however, and gave him a solemn nod. "But I'll support you through it all. Promise."
It'd been a while since everything went down. Warren didn't quite know how long -- after all, he was still technically suspended, and Lorna still wasn't speaking to him. With no work to do, Warren found himself with nothing but time on his hands, something that had almost never happened to him. Even as a child, he was thrust into so many activities that he barely had time to see his parents (which was probably the point).
Luz came daily to take care of the place, as always, but even she was running out things to do. Warren had scrubbed the entire apartment from head to toe, even going so far as to clean the grout out bathroom tiles, much to Luz's horror. "Senor Worthington, please -- this is my job," she kept saying but Warren shooed her away. He had to do something.
Once the place was clean, then he was back to baking. He'd gone through so many cookbooks, he felt he could write his own. The sweets he sent with Bobbi were being eaten, that much he knew, but whether it meant he could return to XFI? Well. He wasn't pushing it. Some snacks he sent with Sue to send to the mansion, since he wasn't going there either. It was just too much downtime, so when Bobbi suggested that maybe he speak to Hope, get some help on how to fix his reputation, Warren jumped to the idea. Hope was amazing. He'd seen her work miracles with her diplomacy skills, and she seemed to always have a million plans percolating in her head. He wouldn't be surprised if she already had a plan for him, and was just waiting for his call. This was reinforced when she agreed immediately to meet with him at the penthouse.
Making sure no one else was there (not even Bobbi), Warren made coffee, croissants, danishes and even a quick freezer jam, all laid out on the kitchen island for Hope. He'd given her the code to get in, let the doorman know, and now he waited anxiously for his life back.
Hope let out a long sigh, taking a moment to smooth the businesslike emerald green dress and black blazer that she was wearing. Finally she punched in the code which would let her access the apartment Bobbi had given her the address of. "Mr. Worthington?" Hope called out as she entered.
"In the kitchen," he called out. Didn't matter how many times he told Hope to call him by his name, she always insisted on formalities. Warren had opted for a more casual look -- a simple pair of grey twill pants along with a light blue button up shirt. No tie, but his shirt was neatly tucked in, his belt buckle shined, and he was wearing a newer pair of black Fendi loafers. Casual to Warren was business-formal to most. When she entered, he gave a wry smile and motioned to one of the chairs. "Thanks for coming, Hope. I really appreciate it."
"Bobbi mentioned you needed my assistance." Hope explained succinctly as she took her seat. "I will make one thing clear though beforehand... I am here because of her and the team. Now... what is it what I can help you with?"
"Me," Warren said bluntly. "I need help to fix my reputation, and Bobbi thinks you're the one for the job." He knew Bobbi was probably getting some serious guff for standing by him, and still being with him, but the others liked her and respected her. He also liked and respected her -- fuck, he was absolutely in love with Bobbi, and part of making amends meant listening and valuing her opinion.
Hope nodded grimly. "I expected it would be something like that. I have given it some thought and I might have a few idea's. But you are not going to like it. And while I have some knowledge and experience, I am no expert. I want to be honest about that." She paused for a moment to give Warren the chance to object. When none came, Hope nodded towards the coffee. "If you still want to do this, you better pour us some coffee. We can both use something to fortify ourselves."
Without further comment, Warren did what Hope asked. Before too long, drinks were served, pastries were on dishes, napkins were neatly folded and Warren was seated across from Hope on the island. Wrapping his fingers around his mug, he looked down at his drink and sighed heavily. "I fucked up big time, Hope. I don't know how I didn't lose Bobbi entirely through this process but everything else?" He lifted up a hand and started to tick off on his fingers. "My job....both of them. My family..which was barely there to begin with but still ... my friends...all of them...all I have now is Bobbi and piles of money. So yeah. Fix me."
Softening slightly, Hope neatly buttered a croissant and spread some of the jam on it as she explained: "I have a few ideas, but it is going to be hard. Your reputation was not great to begin with and has now totally tanked. You are going to need to show that you have learned from what happened and that you are seriously trying to change your ways. Tell me, do you still have a doctor friend who owes you a favor or two?"
He frowned and tapped his foot against the bottom rung of his stool. "A doctor friend? I mean, other than Jean or Cecilia?" Did they even count as friends? "I mean, I have some old college buddies that I haven't talked to in years as well....but we were in the same frat, sooo.... what do I need from a doctor?"
"Because you are going to need one of them." She paused a moment to take a bite. "Before I continue, I need to know something though. Are you willing to promise me to do everything I say? No slip ups, no mistakes, nothing? Because I can only do this with your full cooperation."
He took a deep breath. Was he? This wasn't going to be easy, as Hope had mentioned multiple times. And knowing Hope, this wasn't going to be cheap either. He'd end up owing her an entire apartment building or something by the end of this but would it be worth it? He looked right at Hope, his blue eyes open and clear for the first time in ages. "Yes. I am prepared to do it. I can't promise I won't make a mistake, but I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get back to where I need to be. I want everyone to trust me again." He gave a half-snort. "Fuck, I want people not to look at Bobbi with that weird pity in their faces, that whole 'oh poor Bobbi, stuck with Warren. She'd be so much happier without him.'." He gave a rueful grin. "I gotta fix things."
"You have to be willing to do it for yourself too. Otherwise it's not going to work. Think about that long and hard before you agree. Now, we cannot exactly explain to the public that you were possessed or something. So we are going to be explaining that your behavior was a consequence of an interaction between a drug you were taking for an undisclosed illness and your unfortunate habit of using alcohol and drugs. That is where your doctor friend comes in."
A slow smile crossed Warren's face. He should have known that Hope wasn't going to be completely on the up and up for this. He had no problem admitting to a drug and alcohol problem; it was in vogue anyways. "Does this mean I have to go away for treatment?"
"I don't know yet. Treatment, yes, but if local outpatient treatment will be sufficient or if we need to invest in heavier measures I depends on the development. But you need to be seen sticking to it. One of my conditions is that you will abstain from using any drugs or alcohol in any setting that can be vaguely seen as public. And that is not the only area you need to stay sober in. You need to stay absolutely faithful to Bobbi for now." Hope explained. "Is that something you can do?"
Man, it was hard hearing these things but absolutely necessary. With a swift nod, he agreed. "That's not an issue. I'm done with all that. It causes nothing but problems, and I don't need that in my life anymore. All I want is Bobbi, and she's somehow, through magic or something, still by my side. I'm not fucking that up."
"I am going to be holding you to that. If you slip up, I might not be able to do anything anymore." Hope took a moment to finish her croissant and sipped her coffee. "Then there is the situation with the journalist to address." She continued after a moment. "I need to exactly what happened there. And if there is anyone else you have insulted in similar ways."
Warren sighed but he gave her the short story -- after getting punched in the face by Lorna, he'd done a ridiculous amount of coke, went to a club, hit on the wrong person and when turned down, ranted for a while about how she was useless without a man, her work was based on who she'd slept with, etc etc. Social media told him he'd also slapped her in the ass, but frankly, he had no idea. "Anyways," he finished, "it got me put on leave at work. I'm still on leave. My father hasn't spoken to me in a while."
"You are going to need to apologize. And also here... you need to show that you are willing to learn and change. I will need to do a little research on what would be the best way to do that here though." Hope folded her hands and leaned forward a little. "That is the crux for all of this. The only way I see of getting you out of this is to paint it as you having hit rock bottom because of this and coming out as a wiser, changed man."
He gave the younger woman a wry grin. "Well, since that's basically the truth, it won't be a hard story to sell."
Bobbi knew that Warren would be meeting with Hope today at some point, but she wasn't sure exactly when. So when she returned home she made sure to make her appearance an announced one, calling out her arrival once she entered and taking her time with removing her shoes and the like. She didn't want to pry or interrupt anything sensitive that been unfolding, so she gave them both lots of time to intercept her or ask her to leave.
When neither of those things happened, Bobbi made her way into the kitchen and found them there. "Hey guys, hope I'm not intruding."
"Hi Bobbi, you are not... In fact, it is good that you are here, because some what we are discussing also has to involve you." Hope looked up when the blonde entered. "Please join us for a bit?"
"Sure thing," Bobbi replied, grabbing a mug from one of the cupboards and helping herself to a drink once she saw they were having coffee themselves. Her eyes flitted from Hope to Warren, trying to gauge his reaction to her presence. "Hey there."
Warren smiled softly at Bobbi. "Hey babe," he answered, reaching out to give her a slight rub on the back. "You were right, of course. Hope has a plan to make everything better. I gotta make a public apology, probably go to treatment for a while ...will you bake me a cake with a file in it? That'd be pretty damn cool."
Rolling her eyes ever so slightly, a grin appeared on Bobbi's face nonetheless. "You don't want to taste my baking, trust me." She had a lot of great qualities; that wasn't among them. She did reach out and put an arm around Warren in response, however, and gave him a solemn nod. "But I'll support you through it all. Promise."
