"I've got 'em!" Violetta called as she walked into her mothers house. She didn't get an answer right away. Thinking it was strange she called out, "Mom...Dad?"
She walked to her mother's study. There, standing like a powerful overlord, was her father. "I already said, you can't have this document."
Violetta saw her mother standing behind her father for protection, clutching onto the page Violetta had copied. Violetta could tell there was someone else in the room. Someone who had elicited this reaction in her parents.
…
…
Mr Palmer has known the Noblis family ever since Laura was a little girl. When he showed up for his scheduled meeting with Laura, he didn't expect that she had forgotten about their meeting completely.
He found her in her office pouring over a document. She was looking through a book seemingly studying some sort of document. Whatever it was, it must have been very interesting for her to not even notice him entering her office. She was normally so protective of her private space.
He looked at the document on her desk. This circular writing! Where did she get this!? Wasn't this the ancient Eitri script of the elf people!?
Laura finally noticed the presence in the room, "Did you get the coffee?" She looked up only to see that it was not Amistad.
"Mr. Palmer!" Laura stood up quickly and immediately covered the document.
"Laura," Mr. Palmer said his mind raced a million miles a second trying to think of a way he could get in on whatever research Laura was on. "You seem to have forgotten our meeting today?" Perhaps she would even take him to the site that the document came from. It might even be an ancient ship!
"No- Um... Yes," Laura flustered. "I did forget our meeting. I'm sorry Mr. Palmer. This is highly classified. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Laura knew exactly what kind of document this was. She also knew that trying to translate the ancient Eitri script of the elves was basically forbidden. The only way to get around the "forbidden" part of that was if it was a government commission, making it classified.
Amistad walked into the office with his wifes coffee and saw Laura standing there asking this slimeball to leave. This man was the Curator of one of the best museums on the planet! He was also a jerk that took credit for others' work, or flat out stole jobs that others were working on. He had an obsession with all things Eitri. Amistad knew Mr. Palmer had a private collection at home of Eitri belongings. These items in his collection should probably be in a museum or government vault somewhere. Mr Palmer did not know that Amistad had accidentally glimpsed his private collection, or he might have hired someone to kill Amistad by now. It was just 3 very little broken pieces of metal with Eitri writing on them. The metal pieces were all different types of metal and only one of the metals did not originate from this planet. There was nothing as complete as this document anywhere as far as he knew.
Amistad knew this creep was not going to drop this matter at all now that he had seen the drawing.
"Mr. Palmer," Amistad greeted the ugly little creep. "I didn't know you were coming. My wife must have forgotten to mention it."
"I can certainly understand why," Mr. Palmer greedily eyes the document in Laura's hand. "I too would have forgotten a meeting if I had a Eitri document in my grasp. A document… I'm sure you wouldn't mind sharing the origin of?"
"Mr. Palmer," Laura explained. "I'm afraid that information is confidential. You of all people understand…" Laura was implying that this job had been given to her by the government. If the government had been the ones to give her this assignment, then Mr. Palmer would have no choice but to relent.
"Confidential? Is it?" Mr. Palmer asked. "Then why is your husband here?"
"My husband and I are a team on this," Laura explained feigning patience. She was so angry at herself for not remembering her meeting today. If only she had remembered he was coming over to discuss the next exhibit, then she would have been able to reschedule and avoid this whole mess.
Amistad took over the flow of conversation, she was beginning to get angry. It was not obvious yet, but after loving her for so long he could tell. Placing his wife's coffee on her desk, he said, "As you know, I am retiring from the family business. My daughter will be taking on her historian apprenticeship next year, and I want to be available for her. This confidential work will be my last. I announced my retirement early so I wouldn't have any requests coming in while I take this job on."
Mr. Palmer nodded. "I see." He looked up at them stubbornly. "Then, of course, you won't mind my checking the governmental seal to make sure everything is in order?"
There was no governmental seal. Amistad looked at Mr. Palmer, knowing he was trying to pull them into some sort of trap. "No," Amistad replied. "I wouldn't mind." Mr Palmer looked at him shocked. "...If this wasn't a confidential agreement that is." Amistad continued. He knew that certain governmental contracts were not allowed to be seen by anyone who was not included in that contract. But these documents were few and far between. They were also not well very known, but Amistad knew Mr. Palmer had signed a contract like this before when he was younger.
Mr. Palmer smiled guiley. "You don't have a contract. Do you?" Then he looked at Laura who stayed holding onto the document. "Since you can't show me the contract, give me the document. I will copy it and bring it back to you. I only want to study it."
"No," Laura said firmly. She knew this jerk just wanted to take it, and steal their work from them. He had done so before, but not this time. This time it was an Eitri document. It was more rare than anything "I will not give you this document, a copy of this document, and I will not tell you where it originated." She couldn't tell him where it came from anyway. She herself didn't know where it came from. She did keep a very confident and domineering look on her face. She knew most people would back off thinking she was right when she made this face.
This time however it didn't work. She had something he coveted very desperately. "I will keep it hidden. I just want a copy of it."
"No," Laura said. She had already implied that she had a confidential contract with the government. If she gave in now there was no doubt in her mind that he would use this against her somehow. For refusing the first time.
"Just give me the document," Mr. Palmer was the curator of a prestigious museum. He was not used to the word no. He was also used to people sucking up to him constantly. Even those with confidential agreements would show them to him, and include him on some of the knowledge that was to come.
Laura herself made way for him on certain things before. She had never had a confidential agreement before though, and he knew her father had raised her to be just like him. Hell bent on keeping the rules. Even when the rules led him to his own death. Of course Laura turned out just like her father. He wondered if she had hidden other things from him and what they were.
"You can't have it," Amistad said a little overbearingly and now standing in front of his wife.
"If you don't either give me a copy of the document, or show me the government contract, then you will regret it." Keeping Eitri documents in your own home was prohibited by law. Mr Palmer reached out for Laura to hand him the document.
Amistad raised his posture and stood like the king he was once raised to be, "I already said, you can't have this document."