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He almost looked like he belonged in the law firm. Almost. Brodie's suit might not have been as expensive as those that surrounded him, but he wore it well. A leather shoulder bag hug at his side, notebook and pen in his hands as he walked through the office with pure confidence. It was how to get past anyone. And at least this time, it worked. Probably falling somewhere between pure determination and dumb luck that he didn't catch someone's attention.
Better was that he could see her. There, at her desk. Bright blue eyes lingered on the woman. Theodora James. She hadn't been here long, but she's already made an impression. And she already caught the attention of the reporter. He did his research, too.
Pale knuckles tapped lightly against the glass door.
When an unfamiliar face was walking towards her door, Teddy spotted him instantly. She took in everything about him in the seconds she had spare with the phone still pressed to her ear. Unknown face, cheap material-clad suit. He screamed reporter, and she didn't remember strictly accepting an invitation for such a potentially momentous event. That was fine. It wouldn't be the first time this had happened to her, and she highly doubted it'd be the last.
She kept her eyes on him briefly before looking away, intent to focus on the work at hand before she indulged anything else. Still, she worked her way off the phone in a timely manner, settling it down on the desk before she took her rightful seat behind it.
"Come in." Teddy offered finally, indicating to a seat on the other side of her desk.
It hadn't taken long for her to get off the phone, and Brodie waited patiently outside until he was invited in. As he entered, he closed the door behind him, a professional smile plastered to his features as he approached her desk. His hands kept busy as he fastened the single button on his suit jacket. "Hello, Miss James," he started carefully. Formally, given her status in this industry. "My name is Brodie Grant. I represent the Stagfort Herald and the Washington Post."
He extended a hand across her desk, palm angled slightly upward. "It's a pleasure to meet a fellow former student of St. Bethany here in Stagfort."
He was polite in his approach; Teddy had to give him that. He would be one of the first people she'd met who she didn't correct on her name. The formality would absolutely suffice. Her mind quickly filed away the two businesses he gave her. She'd have to look into it later.
Reaching across the way, she shook his hand; lightly over firmly and certainly not forcefully. "Ah, another St. Bethany alumni." She mused. His accent certainly didn't give that away, but she supposed the closest school to Germany was that of England.
"So, Brodie," She started with a warm enough smile, "What can I do for you?"
Politeness was the trick here; he knew who had the power between the two of them. Not only did this woman carry status, she held the first decent story on a meta human since he had moved to the area. That was gold to him. He kept his own handshake light, matching the connection she had before settling down in the chair opposite of her.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, noting the lack of formality his name versus how he had referred to her. A note to remember, but he didn't bring it up. "I'm here in hopes to gather some information on the hate crime committed at Frye's Auto against a Miss Emmett Coupland." He flipped open his notebook, glancing down at his notes while uncapping a pen. "You're representing her, am I correct?"
Teddy supposed it was hardly a secret that she was the legal representation for Emmett. Anyone could piece that information together and gather those details. The brand new Lexus parked in the driveway of the very recently torn to shreds garage? That same Lexus parked here now? Obvious.
She offered him a knowing smile, cool as it might have been. "I'm sure you know that lawyers can't make statements on open cases." She explained. He must have heard that a hundred times over already, but she didn't discount him in the slightest for trying.
Of course, this wasn't going to be just handed to him. Really, the reporter preferred it that way - it meant that the story was there. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his legs as he tapped the end of the pen to his notepad a couple of times. "Yes, of course." Though he wasn't moving. "I'm sorry to hear the culprit has yet to be caught, then." It was still an open case, after all.
"But this is your first case on a crime such as this, isn't it?" A thoughtful pause before he tilted his head a little. "In America, I should say. And this is what you came here for."
"I've dealt with meta-specific hate crimes in England." Teddy replied easily. Past cases were a kind of free game. A lack of detail made it easier, and the difference in countries helped too.
She had to wonder where he was from, then. His accent didn't match hers, but it didn't match that of the people around them, either. A trickle of something familiar made her wonder if he knew about her already.
"Something had to spark the interest, after all. You don't get good enough to make partner by choosing this line of work on a quick whim." Still, she expected he knew that already.
It eased into what was more of a conversation, and Brodie smiled over the information offered, though vague. He smiled as he leaned back in his chair, nodding a little despite knowing all of the information that she was offering him. He cocked his head to the side, eyebrows quirking upwards a little. "I'm unsure if you're aware, but we attended school together. Briefly." She was older than him, but there was a small lapse in their time at St. Bethany.
"And I believe we have a shared interest. You came here to help the meta population. I've come to report how they're treated here. I'm sure you can agree it's different."
Though Teddy had the eyes that made every face memorable, she couldn't say she recognised him. She took the silence offered to see if his expression jogged her memory, but there was nothing there. In the end, she had to shake her head. "I wish I could say I remembered you." She offered genuinely. It would have been nice to have a familiar face amongst all these Americans.
But when he spoke about what brought him to this country, she felt a little ease. Tension lacked in that kind of conversation, and it was just simpler. "The difference is almost shocking, honestly." She agreed, letting him know in a round about way that he was right about this. "Its unfortunate that we sit in twenty eighteen and still, any denomination of people are discriminated against for something they can't help."
Admittedly, he hadn't expected to be recalled. "It's alright, I was a quiet child." The few that did notice him often were the ones to get him into some sort of trouble, though that was the past and he had little interest in reflecting back on it, especially as her interests turned. The conversation felt as if it had taken a lighter turn - a shared interest and concern.
"It's worse than I had imagined," Brodie agreed with a nod. "With the change of the the political tide, it's coming out in full force." His lips pressed together as he grimaced. "I came here specifically about the meta population, but I found myself witnessing so much more. It still baffles that the system ignores basic human rights."
With a shared interest revealed, relaxing into the lax nature of this interview was easy. It was never as simple as asking a lawyer a question and getting an answer. But the more he shared, the easier it became to engage in this kind of conversation. He had a stake in this too.
"I appreciate the fact that you want to shine a light on the heavy discrimination that takes place in this country, let alone in the city with such a high density population of meta-humans." They were case in point; moving from overseas to really, the first place of its kind.
Easing back in her seat, she looked at him with a usual stint of confidence. "If you wanted information on Miss Coupland's case, I imagine you could ask her about it." She offered then, equipping the right smile for her off the cuff detail; "And I imagine she'd be eager to talk to you. And if she had no issue with it, her lawyer would have right of way to comment too."
It was refreshing to hear someone actually say they appreciate his work. Often with a description of his title, people dove into saying that it seemed important, but there was always a glaze over their eyes that proved they didn't quite understand the weight of it all. Here, as he sat across from someone with a similar desire to help, he truly believed those words. He lifted his chin a little with pride.
And there it was - a small break. It was often a dangerous game to try and get a quote from a victim on an open case first; it usually put him immediately on the wrong side of the lawyer representing. In the time he had spent poking around this particular case, he'd heard a great deal about the mechanic. At least now he could approach her without potential backlash from the clever woman sitting across from him. "I'll be reaching out to her," he confirmed.
It was incredibly important to get this first meeting right. There would be more cases past this in which he'd likely be turning to the lawyer about. Slowly, he pushed himself up to stand, not wanting to overstay his welcome. "I'm sure we'll be in touch." A hand dove into the inside pocket of his jacket, securing a business card and extending it out to her.
Offering anything to the media was a potential nightmare. Teddy knew without having that conversation with him that he understood that already. She also understood from their very brief exchange that he had no intention of doing anything to throw the current case in disarray. It was odd to place any kind of trust in a reporter, but a lot of people deserved the chance to stand by their claims, and he was no exception.
She also knew Emmett would talk to him in a heartbeat. Anything to shine a light on the people who tried to ruin her life. She made the mental note then and there to get ahead of it and reach her before he did. Easily achieved.
She watched him stand, and she rose to meet him. "I hope so. After all, I'm sure there's a lot you can fill me in on, too." He was fortunate to be on the ground of every discrepancy. She swapped his card with her own.
It felt like the best outcome based off of a first impression. Brodie had to be thankful that someone so adept was working in Stagfort. Not only for his own reasons, but for those clients she chose to protect. He could see the beginnings of a great professional relationship, and that was worth not taking lightly, especially given the reputation Theodora James brought with her name. Her card was placed carefully into his wallet. "I'll be sure to reach out to you if I find anything worthwhile," he promised.
Heading for the door, Brodie raised a hand up to say goodbye. "Thank you again for your time, Miss James." He then reached for the door, letting her return to her business as he planned the route to take with the mechanic.
