Gabriel squeezes her shoulder and then lets go, turning away as he takes out his portable communications link and keys in a familiar call sequence.
The soft chime of an encrypted connection being established is clear in the quiet room.
"Mark. Something's come up here -- I'll need you to clear the rest of my afternoon and early evening, at least." A pause, as he listens. "No, it's fine." Another pause, and then he nods at the tiny screen. "Make my apologies to the executive-general, will you? And be sure to schedule him for something more high-profile as a result, that should settle things."
Another nod, and then Gabriel adds, "I'll be at the Troxell Botanic Garden and Park, just so you know." A beat. "No, not alone. My daughter River's with me." A second beat, and then very sharply, "No media, dŏng ma?. I don't care if it's great publicity. Right. Let the security team know-- they'll probably want to add to the detail, given the area. Of course. Xièxie."
He ends the call and puts the link away, looking back at River.
no subject
Gabriel squeezes her shoulder and then lets go, turning away as he takes out his portable communications link and keys in a familiar call sequence.
The soft chime of an encrypted connection being established is clear in the quiet room.
"Mark. Something's come up here -- I'll need you to clear the rest of my afternoon and early evening, at least." A pause, as he listens. "No, it's fine." Another pause, and then he nods at the tiny screen. "Make my apologies to the executive-general, will you? And be sure to schedule him for something more high-profile as a result, that should settle things."
Another nod, and then Gabriel adds, "I'll be at the Troxell Botanic Garden and Park, just so you know." A beat. "No, not alone. My daughter River's with me." A second beat, and then very sharply, "No media, dŏng ma?. I don't care if it's great publicity. Right. Let the security team know-- they'll probably want to add to the detail, given the area. Of course. Xièxie."
He ends the call and puts the link away, looking back at River.
"There. Everything's taken care of. Ready to go?"