The reception area of Batten Tower was every bit as artfully sculpted as the outside, with white marble floors, the walls paneled in an expensive, pale wood that matched it perfectly, and a large desk made of the same which stretched from one side to the other of the dividing wall behind it. That wall was made of the same marble as the floors, the shield logo with the stylized, tribal bat in the middle of it emblazoned on its surface. Over this wall water flowed in unceasing profusion, nearly silent save for the faint sound of its passage into the catch-basin hidden carefully at floor level. To either side of this two sweeping staircases led up to a second level, and the elevators to the upper levels of the Tower proper beyond that.

Sitting behind this desk was a slender, pretty blonde figure who seemed as though she were more a part of the decor than an actual employee of the company.

Of course, that was exactly how Batten wanted it.

But, like so many things when it came to the Playboy, it was mere illusion. Olivia 'Liv' Johannessen was much, much more than just the pretty face one saw when they came in the front door to the Tower.

She was one of the few that knew all the secrets.

But then, that was her job. Her title was simply 'receptionist', but in fact she was the Playboy's first line of intelligence, and while she didn't particularly seem all that important, she was one of the main reasons the Tower and the business ran smoothly.

And Batten liked it that way. As few bumps as possible, that was the way he wanted it, and only a select few made it past her desk into the Tower that didn't work there, if they didn't have an appointment.

As soon as the dark-haired woman in her uniform strode into the main lobby, Liv's golden-brown eyes picked her out. There was no one else here, naturally, and it wasn't the woman's outfit or her looks that drew the blonde's attention, but her manner of walking, the way she held herself.

Military, for sure. Liv knew the type. She'd worked in Naval Intelligence long enough to be able to spot it a mile off, in or out of uniform. And the phoenix symbol emblazoned on the woman's uniform was familiar to her, as well. Batten made sure she had all the tools and information she needed to work as smoothly and efficiently as possible, and she utilized all of it to its maximum potential.

Fixing a smile on her features, she nodded to the woman and pulled up her scheduling application on the interactive multi-touch surface of her desk, responding in the same professional, courteous tone.

"Of course. Mr. Batten is currently not in the office today, and I expect he may be out for the rest of the day. However, I can set something up for..." She looked down at the schedule laid out on her desk, scanning through it. "...perhaps tomorrow, or the day after. His schedule is more open in the afternoons, if that is acceptable."

The woman before her was not the only one capable of wearing masks. Which was okay - actually, it was a rather common thing. Most of the people who came to the Tower to set up an appointment with the boss were quite adept at concealing themselves behind such walls. It was something the receptionist was accustomed to.

And her job wasn't to pry, anyway. It was to be sure that only those that she approved of were able to get in, and this woman, despite that stoic air about her, seemed honorable enough. And the Ravenlocks...well, everyone knew who they were, right"

Her fingers flew over the interactive touch interface built into her desk as she made the appropriate entries into the schedule, knowing as she did them the information would be relayed by the Tower's intelligent monitoring system up to the Playboy within moments.

Looking back up with a dazzling smile at the woman, she spoke again. "All right, the appointment is all set for the day after tomorrow. I gather that Commander Ravenlock would like to keep the reason for her meeting confidential?"