Nika got the private dinning room set just right for her meeting with Damon Cross. She wanted everything to look elegant, but sophisticated. She did not want it to say masculine or scream feminine, but fall somewhere in between. So, she chose a white table cloth with black plates, silver goblets to match the silverware and bright red cloth napkins held with black rose holders. The chairs were also a red, to match the napkins.
She had also attempted to dress for the evening in an appropriate manner. Elegant with a hint of business. She hoped her looks and her soft spoken manner would not be seen as weak, but as shy and playful. Only time would tell. She did not know a whole lot about Mr. Cross' personality, as his achievements were what most articles focused on.
She asked the waiter to kindly lead Mr. Cross to their private room when he arrived and she waited, trying to keep from showing her nerves.
Nika did not have to wait long for the waiter to bring her guest of the evening. Cross chose an Armani ensemble for tonight's dinner, and he wore it well. He is a handsome man, and he has a certain presence about him that immediately tells one there is a lot more to him than a handsome face. Nika can tell that while he was still coming into his own, with a couple more years under his belt he could very well be a formidable figure politically, and he's already quite impressive on a one-on-one level.
She also notices that he is smiling as he approaches, apparently impressed with his date for the evening. He waves the waiter off, preferring to introduce himself.
"Ms Crassus? I'm Damon Cross, and I'm delighted to meet you." He extends a hand, palm up, in a most gentlemanly manner.
Nika stands and extends her own hand. "Nia, please, Mr. Cross. I am pleased to meet you as well." She motions to one of the chairs. "If you will have a seat, we will get started." She says with a smile.
Nika takes a seat, her smile turning into a slight blush. "Well Mr. Cross, I would like to take this dinner opportunity to discuss your project and the political ramifications it may have."
She looks up sharply and gives him an innocent look. "If that is ok with you, of course."
"Certainly. I'm always interested in informing others about my work, and in getting feedback." Smiling, he adds "I do hope we can find time to discuss things other than business, though."
"But starting with the business...how much do you know about the new task force?"
Nika smiles apologetically. "Not much, I'm afraid. That's one of the reasons I wanted to invite you to dinner. I have heard you wish to begin this special task force, but no one seems to be able to tell me what it is this special unit is for."
Cross smiles and says "Well, it's already launched, but don't worry... I'm not going to hold it against you that you weren't aware of that. It launched with a lot of fanfare, but since then... well, frankly, we've been pretty much under the radar. Some of that's just the nature of getting something like this operational, but it's still pretty disappointing."
Cross then launches into an explanation. As he describes the project, he becomes quite animated, gesturing to emphasize certain points. His excitement about the project is quite obvious.
"The basic idea started as a public relations ploy. Someone got the idea that people might have a better opinion of the local police department if it seemed more like the ones people like watching on TV, so someone looked at what was popular on the shows and came up with the idea of doing a "special victims unit," like on one of the Law and Order shows, a unit to handle sex crimes, crimes involving children, things like that. Don't get me wrong, it did start as a PR campaign, but the fact is, it's a good idea, a solid idea, and if we can keep it going, it's going to result in a lot more effective handling and prosecution of those sorts of cases.
"In reality, it's not so much a unit as it is an ongoing inter-precinct task force, with officers skilled in those sorts of cases working together on a city-wide basis. I'm attached to the project as its liason with the DA's office, and as the assigned prosecutor for its cases."
I don't understand. Why does Mr. Clarke want control of this? It's a wonderful idea for the community. If anything, we should be helping to fund it!
"That......is a wonderful idea. I mean, of course it has come to fruition and all but.....imagine what could actually get done as far as child abuse goes. That's just.......excellent. Is it panning out well? Are you in need of funding?" Nika asks, sincerely interested in the answer.
Cross frowns just slightly. "It is going slowly at the moment. Part of the problem is typical police stuff... turf wars, who gets credit, resistance to trying new things. But the other part..." He chuckles. "Well, you know how budgets are right now at every level of state and local government. It's safe to say that the District Attorney's office and the Sacramento PD would be very appreciative of donations from concerned citizens. Right now, anything that brings in money from outside is going to get a lot of support from the people in charge, which will trickle down to support on the operational level. Plus, with more funding, we can do this right."
Draft this Post
