Jackie
Child
Professional lazy grump.
Posts: 248 Likes: 23 
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Post by Jackie on Jan 3, 2016 21:23:18 GMT -5
It was that day of the month again, the day Jessica dreaded above all others, the day that was the cause of many sleepless nights… Payment day. That horrible day when the vixen had to sit down for an hour or two and go through the company's finances. These past couple of months had been especially depressing, money was bleeding out of them and barely any trickled in anymore. For Jess, the writing was on the wall, unless they got a half-decent paying contract by the end of the month, the Crimson Talon Mercenary Company was as good as dead. As much as the woman hated the idea of admitting they failed, she refused to let the company go fully into the red, to dig them into debt trying to keep the company alive wouldn’t have been fair to Rhea. Jessica had decided that they’d just have to back out of their lease, sell all their assets, pay any outstanding fees and debts, and walk away with at least a fraction of their initial investment back in their pockets. If it came to that, the vixen honestly had no idea where’d she’d go from there. She supposed that rejoining the military was always an option, but things would have to get pretty bad for her before she’d resort to that, like, ‘move back in with mom and dad’ levels of bad. As much as Jessica dreaded the idea of admitting to her father that she’d failed, the girl could only imagine how Rhea felt about having to admit their flop to her father. Jessica loved ‘Uncle Falco’ to be sure, but he was a helluva lot more demanding than her own dad.
Upon getting everything paid and organized, Jessie went ahead and stashed her PDA and various files back in her file cabinet, at which point she’d cross her arms on her desk and bury her face in them with a heavy sigh. Today was supposed to be a happy day, the Blue Diamond Ball was tonight after all, a night that saw a lot of military bigwigs and their spouses gathered for a few hours of fun. Given their family ties, both Rhea and Jessica were given invites. Really the ball wasn’t all that exciting, or at least by the standards of someone in their twenties, but it was a good opportunity to hang out with their families and do some mingling with the upper crust of Corneria City, plus all the free snacks and booze you could want!
Sluggishly the vixen raised her head enough to glance at the clock on the wall nearby. The event was still several hours off, and it didn’t take all that long for her and her avian friend to get dressed and do their primping. With a huff, Jessica rose to her feet and exited her office, figuring she’d go and see what her vice president was up to and maybe kill a little bit of time in the process...
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Post by aardvarklord on Jan 3, 2016 23:12:53 GMT -5
The sound of a faucet running could briefly be heard from inside the RTMC's bathroom, punctuated with the occasional splashing. After a few good cold soaks in the face, Rhea turned off the water and sighed, leaning on the sink as she stared at herself in the mirror. Even with her efforts to clean herself up, there was no denying that she still looked a little haggard... big surprise there. "Ugh... I don't know how she takes it so well..." the avian muttered to herself, bringing a hand towel up to her face. Like Jess, Miss Lombardi's thoughts were on the company's crumbling finances, though more directly on what was going to happen after the company collapsed. She knew what was happening: they were pretty much done. There were no signs of anything that would give their finances a big enough boost, and at best they would maybe get another month of finances from minor jobs, and that's if they were lucky. It was weird... Rhea was miserable when they were busy, yet every time she pictured what the end of this company would mean for them she felt a cold chill run down her spine. If this thing crashed, she would have to go back to her dad and... admit what happened. She knew he'd take her back but... oh the disappointment. And poor Jess. This was what she wanted to do with her life, this was her dream (or close enough to it), but it was just slowly crumbling around them. What would they even do afterwards? Rhea could probably get back into racing full-time, and while that would be more entertaining for her, Jess would be left out in the cold. And... she couldn't do that to her friend.
Ugh! It was just so hopeless! All that they had worked for seemed doomed, and the funny part is that what it would take to save them was either a string of lucky breaks or a national catastrophe. Even as she left the bathroom, she was struggling to get her thoughts off of the very things that had sent her there to begin with. Fortunately, her growling stomach got her attention, and as she looked at her PDA for time she decided that she might as well go ahead and have her lunch... breakfast... brunch... it was late enough that she'd make it to the ball without issue.
Soon she was in what she jokingly called the "cafeteria" (really just a microwave, refrigerator, and tiny stove-oven combo with a table nearby) and started prepping a bowl of noodles. She had just hit start when she heard her friend's footsteps coming down the hallway and made sure to put on a smile before the vixen arrived, leaning back on the counter when she came into view. She didn't bother asking what the damage was on the finances, she kept track of the books too, so instead she just tried to deflect that thought. "So, you excited for the gala? Gonna eat cheap-o ramen like me before meeting the creme de la creme?" she joked lightly
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Jackie
Child
Professional lazy grump.
Posts: 248 Likes: 23
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Post by Jackie on Jan 4, 2016 11:53:07 GMT -5
Upon entering the building's kitchen area, Jessica forced a brief smile towards her feathered friend as she made her way to the refridgerator. "I'm excited for anything that will get me out of this building today..." she'd reply as she dug out a jug of milk. After going to the adjacent cabinet and fetching herself a glass, Jess went ahead and poured herself a glass of the white liquid. After putting the jug back into the fridge, the vixen took a long swig of the cold drink before speaking again. "No noodles for me, I've lost my appetite... I'll just fill up on snacks when we get to the party tonight." With glass of milk in hand, Jess sauntered over to the small table in the room and plopped herself down in one of the chairs adjacent to it. It was pretty obvious that going over the books had really killed her normally cheery and upbeat demeanor, turning her rather somber, though it wasn't like one could really blame her given the circumstances. "Did we get any promising calls today?" Honestly, if Rhea mentioned they'd received any calls at all, whether they were promising or not so promising, it would have been enough to get the woman's ears perked up. Of course when the inevitable 'nothing' came up as it most likely would, it only served to depress Jess all that much more. "Ugh, I don't know how I'm going to look my dad in the eyes tonight and not give us away, at least the next little reunion we have we won't have to worry about keeping all this under the rug eh?" The smile that accompanied this 'silver lining' was very much hollow, though she was right in that regard, for after tonight the next time they saw their parents, the RTMC would be no more and there would be no hiding it. In a weird way, Jessica was kind of looking forward to that day, dealing with the stress of trying to run this disaster of a company was taking a toll on her, and the vixen couldn't remember the last time she'd had a halfway decent sleep. With a huff, Jess took another gulp of her milk before rubbing at the corners of her eyes. "I don't know how our parents did it Rhea, I mean I know it wasn't all sunshine and bunnies in their hayday but dad never mentioned things would be this hard..." Well, that wasn't entirely true, Jess knew their folks had had a couple of wars to keep the credits flowing in, but the vulpine sure as hell wasn't about to hope for something like that to happen again, no amount of money was worth people dying and losing their homes.
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Post by aardvarklord on Jan 4, 2016 12:47:47 GMT -5
Rhea nodded her agreement with her friend, sighing as she looked down at the slightly grimy floor. "Yeah... feels like this place is haunted." There wasn't much of a response in regards to appetites--truth be told Rhea wasn't super hungry either, but she knew that she couldn't stand to starve herself and still keep healthy enough for work. Still, there was definitely a sympathetic look in her eye as she watched her friend and waited for the blasted water to boil. The question of calls got a depressed sigh out of her as the microwave beeped. "Couple wrong numbers and that one prank caller," she responded as she pulled the cup out, hissing at the hot touch before setting it down and opening it up to cool off, "Never seen someone put in so much effort for a joke. Keeps changing his number each time." Weirdly, she actually felt like she'd appreciate the calls if it didn't keep getting her hopes up and dropping them like they were tied to an anvil. The talk of what it'd be like to see their folks sent a cold shiver down her spine she rather visibly looked uncomfortable even thinking about what it'd be like to look at her own dad in the situation. The 'silver lining' was a cold comfort, but she appreciated the thought and smiled thinly at it, looking down at the floor as she grabbed a spoon and her cup to join her friend over at the table. "I... I'm dreading the thought. I mean... dad still talks about us like we're heroes." It'd break his heart to hear that kind of news; as it was that thought would make it hard enough to bluff her way through this evening. Rhea might not have enjoyed this work, but she still didn't like thinking about what things would be like after the fall of the RTMC. She just hoped that their families were accommodating towards their screw-up. As she got a scoop of soup and was blowing on it, her eyes turned back to her friend, the vixen's exhaustion neatly mirroring her own. Jess wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. The reason for their failure was no big secret--there wasn't enough trouble to go around. Though, she did have a funny thought as she finally took a bite of the bland ramen. "Guess that's the only perk of living in a time of war. Our freaking parents ate up all the business," she said, not particularly joking but not being serious either. Ugh... this was just depressing. If they were doing well and were just getting tired of the lifestyle that would have been one thing; just say they were taking their earnings and reinvesting it elsewhere. There was pride to be salvaged from that. But... this was just shameful. After a few more bites she sighed and rested her head on her free hand, "I don't even know if getting a job will be a good thing. I mean, if we get a few small contracts, that's almost more disheartening--it'll only be enough to save it for a month. It's like we're some poor comatose guy stuck on life support."
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Jackie
Child
Professional lazy grump.
Posts: 248 Likes: 23
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Post by Jackie on Jan 4, 2016 16:19:14 GMT -5
When Rhea mentioned the prank caller that had been hounding them for the last comple of months, it was enough to get a growl from the woman, her fur beginning to bristle at the mere mention of him. As a trickster herself, Jessica could appreciate a prank and generally didn't get bent out of shape over them, but the fool that kept calling them with fake jobs and little jokes had taken things too far. It wasn't funny anymore, and it stopped being funny after the first time. "I swear, if I ever get my hands on whoever keeps doing it, I'm going to wring their neck and kick their ass so hard they'll be wearing it for a hat." the vixen snarled before bringing her glass to her lips and taking another sizable drink of her milk. By the time Rhea had collected her little meal of noodles and joined her at the table, Jessica had already pushed it from her mind, she had much more important things to fret over and get pissed off at than some twerp with to much time on his hands, he was just one little aggravation that accompanied the many larger frustrations she and Rhea had to deal with on a day to day basis. When her avian companion went on to mention how her father spoke of them in such high regards, it actually got the vulpine to snort before she downed the last of her milk and set the glass aside. "Boy isn't that laughable? What the heck have we done to earn such praise? A deployment to some backwater base in the middle of nowhere doing nothing, then six months of escorting trade ships and other menial jobs. Woooo..." as she spoke the words, Jessica raised a finger and twirled it in a 'wooptydoo' fashion before propping her arm on the table and leaning her head upon it, her other hand going to rest on the table itself where she'd lightly scratch at it with one of her nails. "Well that and they didn't have as much competition then as we do now." Jess retorted when Rhea spoke of their parents having a couple of wars to fill their coffers with. As far as the subject of not wanting to drag out their seemingly terminally ill company's lifespan out anymore than neccesary, the vixen certainly understood where her friend was coming from, but ultimately she disagreed. "Ehh, I'd rather hang on to what time we have left with teeth and claws than just give up, you never know, something could come along that might turn our fortunes around." Of course it was just wishful thinking on her part, maybe Jessica was just hoping against hope that a miracle would come along, whatever the reason, full on giving up just wasn't in her, she had her upbringing to thank for that much. Ever so slowly, a small smirk crept onto the vixen's lips as her eyes drifted from her scratchings on the table to her friend. "You might be right though, still think it's too late for me to be a professional actress or a ballerina?" Obviously she was kidding around, but like it or not, Jessica knew she'd likely have to be thinking on a new career path to pursue sometime soon...
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Post by aardvarklord on Jan 4, 2016 18:18:42 GMT -5
Her friend's thoughts on the prankster were definitely more extreme than Rhea's own ideas of what she'd do, but she definitely agreed that he needed to get shut up... and the analogy was amusing enough to get a smirk out of her. Still, it didn't help the awkwardness of thinking how her dad talked about them, scoffing herself at her friend's reaction. " Your guess is as good as mine," she said, still laughing weakly to herself as she ate her lunch. Really though, she had a feeling that her dad was just glad she was just trying to follow in his footsteps, even if there wasn't much going on in the system anymore. Beyond that though, Rhea didn't have much to say, Jess was dead on in regards to the competition and the fact that it would probably be better for them to just stick with this thing until they absolutely had to get out. She still didn't like it, but she understood why and was more than willing to let the thought go with a simple, " Probably right." Really, she was probably just a bit depressed... and again she had much less interest in keeping the company afloat from a personal pleasure standpoint than her sister from another mister. That said, the talk of later jobs got her smiling again and she was eager to latch onto the other topic of conversation, " You? Acting? Sister, if you spent any amount of time around that many premadonnas you'd be in jail for murder. Besides, then I'd REALLY outshine you." The two shot the breeze and hung out in the "lounge" (really just a portion of the hangar) for a few more hours as they just killed time and waited for either a mission to come in or the ball to roll around. The latter happened (big shocker) and they soon got to work trying to get themselves nice and primped up for the ball. Rhea was a bit lucky, she kind of had her own natural make-up in the sense of coloration; really, she just needed to make sure her feathers were clean and take care of some minor tiny details... and brush her hair and tail. Those she asked Jess for help with, and was more than happy to do the same in return. Rhea had been considering getting a haircut for a while actually, since it was getting to the point that it was in the way (or rather had long surpassed that point), but at the same time she'd gotten good at tucking it away when she flew and it wasn't actually a problem. " What do you think Jess? Should I finally get a trim?" Before long they were piling into their baby, an old sports hovercar they'd worked to restore way back before they joined the military (with the help of their dads and Slippy). If Jess didn't protest, Rhea would drive, more because she preferred to, and together they set off to the ball. Now, the Blue Diamond Ball wasn't a truly massive event, not like movie awards or anything of that sort, but it still rented out a large chunk of a very nice five star hotel and had enough celebrities arriving to draw a minor gathering of photographers. The girls actually arrived fairly early, not first but certainly before more than a quarter of the guests had arrived. A valet was waiting for them as they approached, and as she pulled up and started unbuckling, she turned to her friend with an obviously nervous smile, not eager to be in the spotlight again, " Well... shall we?" Inside, the ballroom was largely white with soft blue lighting, a chandelier of sorts hung above and a fountain trickled in the background. Along one wall treats were set up and a small bar was on the other, mostly with classier drinks, or at least things that claimed to be classy. There was a stage in the back where a band was playing some soft music that was probably just them warming up before the bulk of the guests arrived. The glassware was all laid out and the place had a very soothing air to it as a few of the early-comers were happily chatting with each other. For a more visual example looks kind of like this, but bigger and less wedding-y. For the most part there wasn't anyone the girls knew beyond passing recognition, though talking to one of the guests was Wolf O'Donnell, still looking quite fit and dignified despite his age... and admittedly somewhat intimidating. |
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Post by KapitanAntarctican on Jan 4, 2016 20:25:44 GMT -5
Arthur sighed as he rested his forehead on the top of the steering wheel. The flight here took its toll on Arthur, the interplanetary-lag he earned from the flight was still getting to him from last night and his body hadn't processed the temperature nor the time of Corneria as Katina's was much faster and the grey-furred canine was in rough shape, even though a full day had passed. Art gazed around the parking lot and sighed at himself once more, shaking himself awake and rubbing his forehead before opening his rented hovercar's door to head off towards the nice Hotel whose lobby was the station for this gala, all the while Art thought to himself if he'd see any familiar faces. The most he remembered was a few faces back when he was little, they were most likely drastically different now, so Art would have to reacquaint himself with the entire crew of Star Fox, even though most weren't even friends with his father. Joy.
Upon entering the lobby, he sighed at the nice music in the background, it as nice to be relaxed, but he may pass out if he wasn't careful, so he continued to view around the quite extravagant ballroom, not caring for the small clink that followed his footsteps inside due to the damned braces he wore upon his lower legs. A few faces he was unfamiliar to, though a lovely young fox seemed to jot some back memory he seemed to have forgotten about. Besides the familiar looking female vixen, a tall, almost imposing figure, Wolf O'Donnel, he could be recognized anywhere, he just has a natural aura of fear and menace, yet somewhat respectable and dignifying. Arthur continued to attempt to figure out who exactly the red vixen was to no avail, after his futile attempts, he shrugged it off and continued onward to the small bar, with an abundance of odd drinks and fancier mixes of the like. It was nice, the music and atmosphere of the place fit his quiet drinking until the main party-goers arrived. It was odd for him not to talk to people and be social, but honestly the interplanetary-lag was ruining his sociability at the moment, he continued to drink with the fox still nagging at the back of his mind. He really wanted to remember who she was, it wasn't that Art was infatuated, but he was trying to not embarrass himself should the time come that they meet, and he doesn't remember her, which wouldn't come of as a good first impression, making his day even better. Despite his thinking, he seemed quite lax, drinking to himself as he observed the part, almost blending into the background as he did so...if it wasn't for the braces that gleamed in the pale light.
It was high time to become social again, but Arthur hadn't really seen many as a potential target, besides the pair of young females and Wolf, though some of the bigger, more known names were starting to flow in by now, it was time to finally get himself in gear, his father would be here soon and if he didn't TRY to socialise, he'd never hear the end of it from his father, stating that he always knew Art was a quiet person on the inside. With this in mind, he lifted himself from the bar counter and sighed out. Time to actually talk to people.
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Jackie
Child
Professional lazy grump.
Posts: 248 Likes: 23
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Post by Jackie on Jan 5, 2016 18:04:46 GMT -5
Rhea's little retort about murdering prima donnas got a healthy laugh from the woman, God it felt good to have a genuine laugh, especially today. "Yeah, you're probably right. Cept about outshining me, we both know you couldn't act your way out of a wet paper bag sweetheart." Jessie teased, playfully sticking her tongue out at her dear friend. "I always preferred dancing anyways..."
The next couple of hours ended up being uneventful, just the pair sitting together jabbering about this and that as the minutes ticked by. Really Jess had wanted to do a few things before she had to get ready for the gala, but it wasn't like she wouldn't have time to do it all tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that... Eventually the evening hours began to fall upon them and the sun began to sink low on the horizon, a clear signal that it was time to cut the chit-chat and get themselves ready for the event. Jessica went ahead and accompanied Rhea to her room, figuring they could continue chatting whilst getting ready since Rhea never seemed to mind Jess borrowing her stuff, and she certainly didn't mind when Rhea borrowed her own. The vixen stopped by her own room along the way long enough to dig out the only halfway decent dress and pair of shoes she owned, and after dressing and throwing on some good ol' cubic zirconia earrings, she'd rejoin her companion. As Jessica came to stop next to Rhea and gazed into her friend's bathroom mirror, she briefly considered messing with her hair a bit, maybe try curling it, but after a few moments of deliberating the vixen decided against it if only because she found doing anything with hair was just aggravating... Some hairspray, a bow, and a bit of fluffing would be fine she surmised. As she went about using the white ribbon she'd brought along to tie her hair into a ponytail with a simple bow, Jess couldn't help but smirk and roll her eyes as Rhea asked if she should finally get her hair trimmed up, as it was a question the woman asked her nearly every time they did get themselves cleaned up for get-togethers, and Jessie's reply was almost the same every time. "I personally prefer long hair but I think short hair would look cute on you, try it sometime, you can always grow it back if it doesn't work out." The vulpine loved her long hair for the most part, it didn't get in her way enough to bother her and when it did all she had to do was put it in a ponytail or a bun, which she frequently did when she flew anyways, then again it wasn't nearly as long as Rhea’s. Once she'd finished playing with her red locks, Jessica went for Rhea's make-up drawer. Like the avian, she never really went crazy on make-up, a bit of mascara, eye-liner, and lipstick was all she'd end up using tonight. Rhea had finished by the time Jess did, and after putting all of her friend's things back, the vixen accompanied her out of her quarters and to where they parked their car, her heels clicking lightly on the floor along the way.
Jessica didn't bat an eyelash when Rhea immediately made to climb into the driver's seat of their little hovercar, while she loved flying, she'd never been particularly fond of driving oddly enough, so she was content to let her feathered friend do it whenever they went out together. While she may have not been crazy about driving it, Jess was quite fond of their car. Besides the fact that it had been a joint family project, it and some packed bags were all she and Rhea had showed up with when they started the company, fittingly enough it and some packed bags would likely be all they'd leave with too...
The drive to the hotel where the ball was taking place was smooth and uneventful, and when their car pulled up in front of the building, Jessica promptly unbuckled her seat belt. At her friend's words the vixen sighed exasperatedly, unable to match the woman's forced smile with a meaningful one of her own. "I suppose." she replied before opening the passenger door and climbing out of the car. As the pair ascended the stairs into the hotel, it was pretty clear to see that they were still a fair bit early, as there weren't a terrible amount of people present. One distinctive face Jessica did recognize was that of one of her father's old rivals, a man she'd never personally met but had heard her father talk about in some of his stories, and generally not in a good manner. Despite never seeming to really like the older, grizzled man, her father always spoke of him with a begrudging respect of sorts, and she was willing to bet it was her father that had extended an invite to him, as weird as that sounded. Much to Jessica's relief, her parents were nowhere to be seen, which meant she could get a little liquid courage in her before they arrived. "Care to snag us a table while I get the drinks? You want your usual I assume?" the vixen inquired as she glanced Rhea's way. Assuming the avian agreed and mentioned what she wanted to drink, Jess sauntered off towards the bar. Once there, she'd quietly put in the order for Rhea's mixed drink and a glass of wine for herself, her eyes then going to gaze briefly down it's length as she waited patiently for the bartender. It was then that Jessica saw someone that caught her attention. It wasn't his face that popped out at her, even getting a good side look at him wasn't enough for the woman to recognize the canine, rather it was the metallic braces on his legs that scratched at her mind, did she even know anyone with leg braces? Lord knew their were still plenty of amputees and people with crippled limbs from the last war that had raged through the system, but this guy was too young to have fought in it. Before Jessie could get caught staring at his braces however, the bartender returned with her requested drinks, at which point the vixen thanked him and made to return to whatever table Rhea had claimed for them. After going a few feet however, she'd stop in her tracks. That's going to bug the hell out of me tonight... With a light huff, Jessica turned around and made her way back to the bar. Turns out she'd picked a good time to go pester him, for it looked like he was just about to conclude his business and meander off somewhere. Sliding into a seat next to him, the vulpine sat the glasses she had in her hands back onto the bar before reaching out and lightly tapping on the canine's shoulder. "Scuse me, don't mean to bug you sir but you look really familiar to me, have we met before?" Jessica's ears were perked up as her eyes locked onto his whenever abouts he looked her way, clearly she was wracking her brain trying to remember when/if she'd seen him before somewhere. It was right on the tip of her brain, a distant memory eager to get to the surface.
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Post by aardvarklord on Jan 5, 2016 19:19:37 GMT -5
Rhea was grateful for her friend's thoughts on hair and continued thinking on it, still debating on it a lot. "Well, I'm not quite thinking of making it short, just cutting it from reaching my butt to reaching my upper back. But... well I'll think about it." Really, it was a practicality thing, not a taste. She liked the length too, hence why she hadn't bothered with it yet, but it still was a pain in a fighter. Then again, if they were about to kill the company, cutting her hair might be a waste. Probably would be best if she just waited to see if the company survived before making that call. For now though, she too tied it back much as her friend did and left a few smaller strands hanging off to the side.
Her friend's reaction to the upcoming party wasn't encouraging, but she definitely felt the same; she was just trying to not feel that way. Wasn't working though. Keeping her smile on as best she could, she joined her friend in leaving the car, giving the valet the keys and what little money she felt comfortable with giving him (still wasn't much, as he rather obviously frowned). Inside, Rhea was rather enthused by the fact that their parents hadn't arrived and actually felt a bit of relief that they would be left unmolested for a little while, though of course that meant they were at the gala still but whatever. The sight of old Wolf wasn't quite as enthusing; she too had heard Fox's stories about the man, but Falco was far less kind to him. There was still respect for his skill, but he was pretty bitter about what happened to Zoness under Andross and still felt like the man got off way too light. Rhea honestly didn't know what to think of the man, so just left it at him being a talented man, if well past his prime. When asked to grab a table, she nodded and eagerly responded, "You got it. Make it a big glass please." No need to explain why; she wanted to get some alcohol in her system before the folks arrived. With that she settled into the seat that she was probably not going to leave through most of the ball. She actually didn't notice her friend getting slowed down initially, mostly because she assumed the vixen was talking with the bartender about something or another.
At the time that Jessica approached Art, however, another person nearby took notice. At first the jackal didn't pay them any mind, chatting with a female leopard as they waited for their own drinks as someone checked the back. When Jess spoke, at first he simply looked over calmly at hearing her voice, just looking at who was nearby out of curiosity. On seeing her face he too came down with an expression of vague recognition, though in this case there was a good chance that the vixen wouldn't recognize him in turn unless she kept good tabs on her competition. He was a very well-kept and handsome man, six feet tall and well-dressed but largely unremarkable in this group... except for his eyes. His eyes were the brightest violet, almost seeming to glow in dim lights.
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Post by KapitanAntarctican on Jan 7, 2016 23:01:28 GMT -5
Having the Fox saunter over to the bar was odd, wracking your mind for the memory of someone, just to have them come near you, simply makes things awkward, not that Arthur visusally expressed it, but he certainly did stop attempting to look in her direction from that moment forth. Even odder, is when that said person sits back down when they are about to leave and taps you upon the shoulder, which made Arthur almost cry on the inside, as this was the exact moment he was attempting not to encounter in his life. Having to talk to the person you possibly forgot in the back of your mind. Yet, a life saving sentence came into the air when she asked if he met her before, thank the stars for coincidences. Turning to the fox to find her ears in a perked and eyes almost digging into his soul, surprised the grey-furred Canine, though he shook it off quickly, cocking his head slightly to the left before letting out a soft sigh and replying. "I was actually thinking about the same thin- Not that if I met myself before, but if we met before." With that out, he sat back down onto his seat and turned to face the red and white female. Arthur then began to lean onto the counter and visually relax, seeming to wear off the initial awkwardness of earlier."Well, I'm Arthur, Arthur Grey. You can just call me Art, and if I may ask, what's your name?" By far, he could've come up with an entirely different introduction to spark his flirtations, but due to interplanetary-space lag, life was just openly denying him any chance with women today.
With that, his ears fell and he almost visibly seemed disappointed in what introduction he chose, nevertheless, he smiled and awaited a response, in an awkward sort of way that made him want to just slink his way back to his car, and sleep off the damned feeling he had inside that told his body he was awake at 3am not 8pm.
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Jackie
Child
Professional lazy grump.
Posts: 248 Likes: 23
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Post by Jackie on Jan 8, 2016 18:49:06 GMT -5
Jessica was quite elated to find that she'd not been the only one wondering if they'd met once before, it couldn't have been coincidence that they recognized each other, if only vaguely. Despite this revalation however, it didn't help her remember who exactly he was any better. Grrr, guess she'd just have to settle for him spoiling it for her... His quirky words speaking of 'not having met himself' got a giggle from the vixen, certainly she could have easily remembered someone this...'odd'. Then came a proper introduction, Arther Grey was his name, and surprisingly, it rung no bells in Jessica's mind. It wasn't until he mentioned the nickname 'Art' that the girl's eyes lit up with obvious realization. "OH! Duh! Gosh it's no wonder we don't remember each other." Of course she'd promptly realize that Arthur hadn't experienced the same realization as she did. With a chuckle, Jess went on to elaborate. "Your father, is his name Willam Grey by chance? 'Bill'?" Whenever this bit of information was confirmed, the woman's smile widened a fair deal. "I'm not surprised you don't remember me, we only met once or twice and we were both very young, the memories are hazy for me even." Seeing no reason to keep Arther in the dark any longer, the vixen went ahead and introduced herself. "I'm Jessica McCloud, we played together a few times when we were little. I was maybe four or five, you were seven or eight. Our fathers flew together in their younger years, mine spoke, and still speaks, very highly of 'Commander Grey'." Still smiling warmly, Jessica extended a hand towards Arther for a friendly shake. "It's nice to get to see you again, and all grown up no less! I'd love to chat and catch up, but if I don't get this drink to my friend over there, she's apt to come over here and box me one, you're more than welcome to join us though." With the invite extended, Jessica picked both her and Rhea's drinks back up and made for the table Rhea was sitting at. It was at about that time that the woman realized someone was watching her, a rather tall jackal to be specific. Briefly her green eyes met his vibrant violet ones, but besides finding his eyes quite mesmerizing, Jessie did not recognize him. Mentally shrugging it off, she'd walk back towards her friend, with or without Arther in tow, tail swishing about behind her.
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Post by KapitanAntarctican on Feb 28, 2016 17:17:09 GMT -5
Hearing the vixen's name, his jaw slightly slacked whence he hit the revelation of his stupidity. After the entire explanation she gave, he almost wagged his tail in excitement to find one of his old childhood buddies, with the offer to join her for meeting another woman? Why not, what could possibly go wrong he thought to himself. "Of course I shall tag along, what's the harm in accompanying the famous McCloud's stunning daughter?" With that said he took his own drink and tailed alongside the Fox, his legs clinking all the way, which absolutely annoyed Arthur beyond all sanity as he gritted his teeth trying to act as if they weren't actually there. It isn't that he dislikes them, but he simply doesn't need them drawing all the attention in the world to his direct position, hopefully Jessie wouldn't exactly mind his noisy steps, hopefully her friend wouldn't either, in all honesty he was tearing his own insides apart at this point, he really was not prepared for tonight at all, his fur a tad too ruffled, his clothes a bit too wrinkled, everything was going the exact opposite of how he actually envisioned tonight, even his ears weren't working with him as they flopped as he walked instead of being the usually perky selves they were.
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Post by aardvarklord on Feb 28, 2016 18:22:05 GMT -5
Try as he might, the jackal found himself eavesdropping on the other two, and while he went out of his way to not be too rude, he still caught names: and his ears rather obviously perked up at the mention of both Arther and Jessica's surnames, particularly the latter. In fact, while he may have looked away once he knew who they were and returned to conversation with the leopard, he still found himself looking back over at them thought occasionally in thought. Still, he kept his trap shut until his feline companion left to greet some friends who'd just come in and turned to speak with the two... just in time for them to head back to the table, leaving him with a hand up and an open mouth. Sighing and straightening himself up, Cameron shook his head and went to join his friend for the time being, just vowing to intercept McCloud before the night was over.
Rhea, for her part, was actually aware of her friend's chatting with the canine at the bar, though she just mentally brushed it off as her having what fun she could while they were still able to. Of course, she did want her drink and to chat with her friend some more, so she found herself getting a little impatient as she tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for them. As she waited, she took note of some of the other people coming in, but for the most part they weren't familiar faces, or at most familiar in the sense that someone who kept popping up on the news was familiar. That or Wolf, but she wasn't exactly game for talking with him.
When the duo finally started coming towards them, she started straightening up a bit, mostly just to make a good impression--though she had to admit that there was perhaps a little of the 'ooh, he's cute' kind of thoughts going through her head. As Jessi got into earshot, Rhea almost immediately teased her, "Send you for drinks and you come back with a guy. Wish I had a joke for that--never thought I'd need them with you." Smirking a little, she was pretty quickly distracted by the sound of clanking as the guy in question approach, which briefly confused her until she realized that he had something under his pantlegs. Braces or something, she'd imagine. Really, it didn't bother her, and she quickly smiled at him without much thought in the matter as hopefully one of the two introduced him. "Rhea Lombardi, nice to meet ya," she introduced herself regardless, offering a handshake to the canine before taking the drink off her friend's hands and promptly taking a quick sip. With a satisfied sigh, she leaned back in her chair and relaxed, commenting lightly, "Well, if nothing else the party has nice drinks."
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Jackie
Child
Professional lazy grump.
Posts: 248 Likes: 23
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Post by Jackie on Mar 8, 2016 20:57:53 GMT -5
Jessica couldn't help but blush a bit at Arthur's words, which was unfortunately quite visible beneath the white fur on her cheeks. "Flattery will get you no where with me, Mr. Grey." she'd reply playfully as the man fell into step beside her, his braces clinking quite audibly with each step. The vixen wasn't perturbed by it in the slightest however, even his disheveled appearance didn't irk her any honestly, and if she'd known just how self-conscious he was at that moment, she'd have assured him all was well. Rhea's little quip as they arrived at the table only served the redden Jessie's cheeks that much more, and she'd roll her eyes in response to her friend's little joke. "Hush you, otherwise you'll be lucky to get anything stronger than milk tonight." the woman countered as she handed the avian her drink before seating herself, motioning for the canine to do the same and have a seat with them. "Anyways, say hello to Arthur Grey, son of Commander Grey himself and a childhood playmate of mine." Jess went on to say before introducing Arthur to Rhea. "Arthur, Rhea Lombardi. Wonderful pilot and professional pain in the ass." the vixen ended with a sweet smile cast in her best friend's direction before taking a sip of her own drink. As everyone got settled in, Jess found her gaze drifting back to Arthur. "So, how has life treated you since our little play dates? The years certainly haven't slowed your father down any it seems. As busy was he was when we were younger, it's a wonder we got to play together at all honestly." she'd end with a chuckle.
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Post by KapitanAntarctican on Jul 2, 2016 17:26:13 GMT -5
Arthur gave the vixen a small smirk to her comment upon his flattery, though it wasn't completely his fault that she was a McCloud, it wasn't everyday you could jest with a War Hero's daughter. Other than those thoughts, he didn't do much else but cringe at the sound of his braces, until he made it to the table where Jessica's friend awaited.
Arthur, almost immediately gave a chuckle to the bird's comment on bringing him over as well as drinks, though Arthur didn't make any other gestures besides his silent laughing at the duo's little battle of wits. Well, until they were introduced, a Lombardi. Well, by the stars, he was literally meeting every single one of his father's old allies' descendents, talk about amazing luck on his end. Arthur's gaping jaw was closed after the initial amazement of meeting both a Lombardi and a McCloud on the same day to be replaced by a kind little wave of his hand after he sat down with them and as Jess introduced him. "Nice to meet you as well Miss Lombardi, amazing to see that the dynamic duo passed down a generation!" He laughed a bit oddly at his own sentence and settled down in his seating.
His ears perked up at Jessica's questioning, his life after they were playmates? Pretty uneventful besides him taking the route of the "Join the StarForce!". Though Arthur was sure they'd never believe "Boring" as a good answer, so he shrugged up and replied a bit sarcastically. "Oh you know, pretty well, legs never really got better but they never did stop me from flying around the stars. How about you two? Haven't heard much from you two but I'm certain a McCloud and a Lombardi are bound to be doing something amazing."
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