Eva's hair was still damp from her post-run shower as she carried her towel down the hall back to hang in the bathroom - a rare gesture - hearing the sounds of cooking in the kitchen. "What are we having?" Her voice carried to Mason as she passed the hall doorway and then disappeared again, before reappearing without the towel, dressed in her evening casual, bare feet under a light sundress.

Mason had just finished washing the vegetables needed and placed them next to the chopping block. Nimble fingers spun the knife in his hand as he grinned over to Eva. ?A bit of stirfry.? His eyes roamed up and down that dress, his smile deepened. ?Want a drink, babe??

At his look, her eyes moved down to her dress, making sure nothing was out of place. Then she looked back up at him. "Yeah, something cold... water or juice, whatever."

Ewan had spoken with Gaerwyn, of a fashion via correspondence, about the growing concerns of the work handled by Eva. What rankled on top of it all, was the continual lack of communication. That he had set a few of the Tunnelers on her to learn of her frequent absences, though notified as they were, was one thing. That Ned Bailey had noted errors in her work and Hudson had done his best to cover for her was past the point of intolerable. It was time for a visit. Having learned of her current residence not long after she moved into it, he made his way from the warehouse to the apartment and gave a knock upon the frame of the entrance. Possible reasonings played out in his mind, diverging and merging pathways, but he reserved his own judgment for the moment.

?Sure.? Mason was moving to the fridge when the knock came. His first look went to Eva, quietly asking, ?You expecting anybody??

Eva?s brow raised at the knock, and she looked from the door to Mason. "No. I'll get it." Her gun was sitting on the counter that divided the open kitchen from the rest of the living room, beside both sets of their keys. She flicked the snap on the holster, and pulled the gun free. Held low on her left side she called out as she moved towards the door, "Who is it?"

Unfortunately, Mason?s gun was in the bedroom. The knife in his hand took a half spin, blade along the inside of his forearm as he moved to the end of the counter. Eyes on the door.

Ewan smiled at the precaution of her question, and answered smoothly, "Ewan Corinsson." He did not state his purpose for visiting. Not everyone the length of the halls needed to know who had brought him here or why. The modernity of the building, he stuck out as it was in his leather armor, bracers and blades upon his back. There was no need to draw further curiosities.

Hearing the name Mason glanced to Eva. His body relaxed slightly as he moved back behind the counter.

A flicker of a furrow passed over her brow, and she glanced towards Mason before pulling the door open. She paused when the thing was just a crack open, waiting to visually confirm it, then smiled and opened it further. "Evening." She did her best to keep her gun hidden at her side.

It was the stance, the backward unrelaxed position of the arm, and he knew she had not answered the door unarmed. A congenial smile, the slight bow of his head. "Evening, Eva." He watched her features. That he had shown up at her doorstep was not exactly heralding a cheerful visit, still he maintained the pleasantries of requesting entrance. "May I come in and have a word?"

The knife was set down on Mason?s way to the fridge. He pulled out a pitcher of peach tea he had made earlier and reached for a couple of glasses. Filling two, he got a third glass down but waited to fill it. Again, his eyes went to the door and the man standing there.

"Sure, yeah." Eva returned his smile, but it was restrained with wariness. His visits didn't always end well. And this was their home. She backed further from the door and gestured him inside. "You remember, Mason...?" It was half statement, half question.

The open design of the apartment was still sparsely furnished. The living room with its pale gray walls was kept company only by a lived-in black leather library couch, and a deep red arm chair with matching ottoman. A coffee table was decidedly absent. Curtains were pulled back from great big windows that shined setting summer sunlight into the apartment and into the open kitchen. A bookcase along the back wall was populated by an exceptionally small selection of books, and a side table beside the arm chair offered a bottle of bourbon and a humidor.

Mason nodded. ?Evening, Ewan. Can I get you something to drink?? Cursory pleasantries.

Ewan stepped inside, turned back only slightly to be certain the door was shut and then turned to give a nod and reserved smile to the man. "Mason, yes, it is good to see you again. I thank you, but no. I hope not to intrude upon your evening for terribly long." A perfunctory glance about the room, one hand followed the circuit of his gaze. "I trust that in your home we can speak frankly? May I also guess that you have some idea of why I am here, though I am able to provide such details as necessary if that would be better."

There was no way to hide the return of the gun to the counter. Her eyes flicked to Mason, then back to Ewan. Her voice lowered, almost as if she were trying to indicate that it was a private matter, excluding Mason. "Uh... no... I can't say that I'm sure what you're here for. Why don't... why don't you have a seat and... and you can tell me." She gestured toward the couch, and moved almost as if she were herding him further from the kitchen.

Mason nodded to Ewan at the greeting. Both brows lifted when he heard Eva. He set the glass for her on the counter and moved back to the cutting board and started chopping. His head down watching the knife rock and slice through a shallot.

The exchange concerned him. Just how much did this woman keep from everyone only pitched the simmering doubts into a higher boil. The evidence of this outwardly was only the arch of one brow, but he obliged to what extent he could and sat about the edge of the couch with a touch of a lean forward. While his swords were the half length of normal blades, particularly constructed for his style of fighting, they still made sitting on such cushioned surfaces as couches a precarious undertaking -- for the couch. The visit was to be unpleasant enough without adding damage to their upholstery. "I shall make the reasons succinct. In the past several months your absences, though you do give notification, have been frequent.

"If that had been all, it would have been worrying, but not overly alarming. However, your work then began to suffer as well. Errors that Ned or Hudson would have to correct. A dynamic shift of the work load from your desk, and along this time no request for leave or aid, no communications to its cause. I would not have you blame Ned for any revelation of this matter; he had not expected Gaerwyn to stop by one day. Neither, evidently, had either you or Hudson, for neither of you were to be accounted for." There was likely more, but he started there, waiting for anything, something to ease his mind or direct his course. Gaerwyn had given him possibilities based on what they had considered as reasons, but if it were something else entire, something Gaerwyn did not know, then he had only his own conscience to guide him.

"What?!?" Mason gave up all attempts to be quiet in the kitchen. "What for? Messing up a few numbers?"

Eva's eyes shot to Mason and she held up a hand. "Mason... please..." Her chest was starting to heave angrily as she looked back to Ewan.

Mason practically bristled when she threw up her hand to silence him. He stood there behind the counter, arms folding over his chest.

"In light of your recent weeks of distraction, absences, errors, and --" Ewan cut short and turned to Mason. "Mason, I appreciate that to you a few numbers seems an insignificant thing indeed, unless it means the company make less profit on trade, which means less pay for our workers, which means they lose their jobs.

"Moreso though," Ewan turned back to Eva, "it is the second time you have been unable to confide in the company of troubles and ways to aid you. You have spoken that you believe your private life is your own business. We disagree on that matter, but Gaerwyn has allowed for the differences of opinion. Not to the point however, that others have to cover your errors, and you still insist on keeping us in the dark as to what the cause of these troubles are."

So this was about her keeping her life private. The thought made Mason's jaw clench tighter, grinding his teeth.

"Can we help you? Perhaps not? But from Gaerwyn's point of view, there is an employee failing in her duties and giving no reason other than a promise to get it under control. If there is something that could give us some other perspective, I would be glad to hear it."

The paper was still held out, but Ewan's very stance made it quite clear he was willing to hear anything that would dissuade this course of action. He could also feel the anger coming from both of them and worked hard to not let it echo inside him, his body forced to relax.

Eva shook her head her voice hard and insistent. "This is unbelievable. I... I... I have worked for almost a year for Gaerwyn, during which time I spent months working the job of two people while Hudson was missing, and I did that without complaint, without asking for anything in return. I have withstood your nosy, insufferable prying into my personal life,which could be of no useful purpose to you other than having another means by which to control me. I have shown nothing but loyalty and honesty to Gaerwyn and everyone at the warehouse, and in return I'm paid with release after having some trouble of my own."

Mason's annoyance twisted into a guilt fueled anger. He knew why Eva had taken the days off, why she seemed unfocused when she returned. It was because of him and his heart episodes. "So what you are saying is, if she doesn't tell you everything, you are going to fire her. That's blackmail."

"I appreciate your - " She looked over at Mason, and then back to Ewan. "Just forget it. Go find someone to work with you who has no life." She reached to grab the payslip from his hand.

"No, it is communicating with your employer when there are troubles that effect his business. We communicate with you. We expect some of the same. And we have shown loyalty to you, Eva." Ewan's own temper was now beginning to flare. "I have shown loyalty to you in not sharing what I know about you. In supporting you, in keeping you there as long as I could. You want Gaerwyn to risk his entire business, the respect he has built within the trade community because of your pride. I will not allow it."

He released the paper to her hand. "I wish you well, and Gaerwyn will write a letter of reference for you if you should so desire. Good night to you both." Ewan turned for the door, wanting them to say something, anything to change this, but also certain that what he did was what he had to do.

Mason came around from behind the counter and moved to the back of the couch. "Screw you Ewan." He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills and hummed it at Ewan's back.

The rattle, the sound, Ewan turned to block what was being thrown at him. He had not stayed alive this long by not being aware of enemies at his back. Instead of blocking, he caught them.

"Bull. If you wanted communication you wouldn't have come here with her walking papers."

"Mason..." Eva turned to look at him, her frown deep.

"You think you know stuff. You don't know anything. You have no faith in your own employees." Mason was on a rant now as he turned towards Ewan. "She is freaking scared to death that I might drop dead any second. Did you know that?"

Eva's eyes widened with every word Mason said. "Don't. It's none of his business. Please."