The Electric War

Chapter 3 - American Humor

And so after their big success came more, giving them the reputation of being rather useful, if a bit too stuck in their daydreams.

One such daydream would be presented today, and though Tesla seemed rather confident about it, the whole thing gave Franziska such a bad case of nerves that she had felt nauseous nearly all day.

So she there she was infront of a mirror, adjusting the outfit she had carefully curated for this very occasion.

"Oh hi Franziska." Marion greeted her, walking into the room.

"Hallo Dotty." she replied, not looking away from her reflection.

"Dotty?" Marion said with a disgusted tone. "Dot is one thing, but Dotty-" Franziska sighed.

"Quite another I'm sure..." she answered, shaking her head. "I'm nervous, can't you tell?"

"No!" Dot answered in a playfully sarcastic tone, hoping up to sit on the edge of the table. "Certainly not, you have the confidence of a king!" Franziska rolled her eyes, straightening her tie.

"And the looks to match," Marion added, but as she examined her friend's outfit, she frowned a little. "though I don't know how daddy'll feel about that suit..."

"It's only a pair of trousers Dot," she brushed it off, though she was beginning to regret her decision. "It's no different from what I wear when I'm working."

"It's a bit fancier though." Dot commented.

"Well should hope so," Franziska replied in a flustered tone. "I do want to make a good impression."

"On who?" Dot gave her a sly smile. Franziska furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean 'who'?"

"You know what I mean." Marion insisted.

"Quite frankly I don't." she snapped, wishing Marion would get to the point.

"Sure you do," said Marion, rolling her eyes. "Tesla."

"Nikola?" Franziska felt the heat rush into her face. "No, no, we just work together."

"Closely together." Dot insisted, raising her brows.

"We're merely friends Dot," Franziska corrected, though her face still felt hot. "Nothing more."

"Sure..." Marion rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that-"

"Are you ready Fran-" Nikola interrupted them, checking up on his partner. "Du siehst umwerfend aus!" His jaw dropped at the sight of her. Dot didn't know exactly what he said, but still gave Franziska a sly smirk.

"That's a fine suit, it's sure to impress the board!" Tesla told her, admiring her reflection. "Shall we go?"

"We shall," she answered, nodding. "See you around Dot."

"Best of luck to you." With a "thank you" and a nod, they were off to Edison's office. Tesla moving their latest idea on a cart, the whole thing draped in a large cloth. This wasn't the first time they'd done this, but hopefully it wouldn't be their last.

Before going in, Tesla tossed her a playful smile, attempting to reassure Franziska who was shaking next to him. She returned the gesture, but anxiety still lurked in the back of her mind.

Entering the office, the pair were enveloped in the drifting smoke of cigars and loud snickering from the back of the room.

"Oh?" A voice spoke from the rest, though who it was they couldn't tell. "What's this then?" They approached slowly, taking deep breaths as the rowdy laughter quickly turned to hushed whispers.