Pippa's work day begins with Maria Nuñez from Corporate asking to meet her in the conference room.

Pippa, having just walked into the office, is alarmed and nervous but does as she is told nonetheless.

She sends a raised eyebrow to Mary, who shrugs unhelpfully.

"Good luck," Mary mouths as Pippa walks slowly into the conference room.

A meeting with Maria could only mean one of three things: Pippa's in trouble, Pippa's fired, or Maria's here about yesterday's situation. While Pippa hopes the latter would be the reason for meeting with Maria, the former are likely options as well.

The realisation has Pippa hovering hesitantly in the doorway. She's unsure as to whether she should knock or walk in. Maria simply offers the girl a tight-lipped smile and motions for Pippa to sit down across from her. Pippa does as she is told, but not before closing the door behind her.

She begins to play with the hem of her skirt as Maria clears her throat and straightens up in her chair.

"Miss Peck, it has come to my attention," Maria begins, folding her hands together on the table, "that you were sexually assaulted in the break room yesterday. Our company does not take these cases lightly. In order for your assailant to be punished as fit for them, I'm going to investigate this. I will begin by asking you a few questions; answer them truthfully and to the best of your ability. If things become too much for you, tell me. We can take as long as you need. Is that alright by you?"

Pippa nods hesitantly, swallowing down the thick lump in her throat. She clears her throat to dislodge the lump and speak.

"That's fine," she confirms quietly. Maria nods once, reaching for a ballpoint pen and incident report.

"Because this incident occurred involving HR, Rhys will not accompany us in this meeting. I will interview him separately. Ewan and Mark should be along in a few minutes. Before they arrive, however, I would like to ask you a few questions you may not feel comfortable answering in front of them. Is this alright?" Maria looks up from the sheet to make eye contact with Pippa. Pippa clears her throat.

"Yes, this is fine."

Maria nods, beginning to fill in the boxes on the paper.

"Good. Now, I want you to think of this as a woman to woman chat. I'm not going to judge you, and I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable at all. I want to clarify this; if, at any point, you feel uncomfortable, tell me. We'll take a break and go over something else. First question: What happened?" Maria pauses writing, glancing at Pippa.

Pippa sighs out, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.

"I was in the break room filling my coffee mug when Rhys—um— came up behind me and—he— touched me. He—uh—he squeezed my—uh—my butt. When I tried to push him off, he—he pinned me," Pippa pauses, swallowing thickly, "against the counter and felt me up."

Maria nods once, her scratchy scrawl filling the blank lines of the page.

"Okay—"

The door opens abruptly. A goofily grinning Mark peeks into the room with a solemn Ewan stepping in. Mark claps his hands together.

"Ho Ho Ho, bitches!" He then sees Maria, and the grin drops from his face, "Oh shit, corporate's here. Uh hey Maria! Long time no see!" Maria rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sit down, Mark. This is an important matter concerning three of your employees in this office. If I didn't know any better, I would say your management skills need to be re-evaluated if these sorts of mishaps are happening under your nose."

Mark wisely shuts his mouth and sits down next to Maria. Ewan covers a laugh with a fake cough, covering his mouth to hide a smile. Maria clears her throat, and the room silences.

"I apologise for the intrusion, Miss Peck. Let's commence in the questioning. Who assaulted you?"

The room pauses once more as they await Pippa's answer. She plays with the hem of her skirt again.

"Rhys," Pippa says quietly, her eyes moving to her hands. Suddenly, she can feel her frozen body frantically shoving Rhys away to no avail.

Ewan grips the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white. He squares his jaw.

"And I assume Mr Wyatt here rescued you?"

Pippa nods, feeling hot tears sting her eyes.

"I need a moment," Pippa announces, standing up. She exits the conference room abruptly, startling a few employees. Pippa doesn't notice.

She, instead, exits the office and stands outside the building, allowing the crisp winter air to burn her lungs.

Silently, tears fall, and Pippa hastily wipes them away. The office door opens and closes as footsteps crunch behind her, coming closer.

"Hey." It's Ewan.

"Hey," Pippa greets quietly.

"It's okay, okay? You're doing good back there. You're a strong girl. You're a boss ass bitch. Remember that."

Ewan pats her shoulder, and he hesitates to go back inside. He's not usually one for comforting women other then kissing them as he—

"Ewan? Can you just—just stay out here with me? Just for a minute." 

Pippa watches a little bird, most likely lost, walk around on the frosty grass, trying to find itself some type of food.

Ewan nods silently.

"Yeah. I'll stay."

———

What do you guys think so far? Do you like any characters or hate any characters (other than Rhys)? What do you think about Ewan being somewhat of a good guy? Did you think he would be a lewd, immature little boy the whole time?

Tell me your thoughts and feedback! I want to know!