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Tower Essence OOC (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9556&page=4)
Marcovian Enterprise, Thursday
President Damien Marcovian, Chairman Charles Reagan
__________________________________________________ ________________________
The high-backed, brown leather chair was a silhouette in front of the large, wall-to-wall window, the sound of fingers drumming against the wooden armrests was a constant sound anyone who entered the Marcovian Enterprise’s private office heard. Seldom were the visitors Damien received to burden his already stressful life; Charles Reagan, the Chairman his late father appointed, was to thank for his relief. Being interrupted by multiple members of his staff would halt his ever-extending business plans with share holders, and donators he had weekly meetings with to discuss future business plans. Of course, CEO’s would occasionally drop by with Chairman Reagan, but they would be quickly dismissed soon after. He didn’t have time for people who worried about a dwindling supply of ink pens. The buzz of his intercom snapped him out of his contemplations. Laura’s voice swept through the room with a mechanical buzz.
“Mr. Marcovian, Chairman Reagan is on his way to see you to discuss the internship letters that were mailed out this morning.”
Swinging his chair around, Damien leaned over his desk, and pressed the intercom button. There was a pause from his end, and he spoke, “Send him in when he gets here.”
“Yes, sir,” his secretary, Laura said, and the intercom went silent.
So, Charles went through with sending the letters out? This will prove to be interesting, Damien thought with a grin. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his legs, and rubbed the five o’clock stubble. He really should have shaved, but Malison had informed him that he looked rugged. He rested his chin on the back on his hand; Malison Bancroft was beautiful, and brilliant engineer, but as far as a personal relationship went, she was just a casual screw –a great one, at that. He doubted Charles’ plan to send out the internship letters, there was a good chance that some of the teenagers would gladly join. If they didn’t, I am sure their parents wouldn’t want them pass up this opportunity, he thought, staring at his office door.
Minutes passed by, and there was a knock on the door, followed by a dignified man in a black suit entering his office. The man radiated with authority, and the cunning gleam in his eyes was almost an alluring trait for the aging man. He had been Damien’s father’s right hand man, then his brother, and now his greatest ally. Chairman Reagan was as cunning as a fox, and as backstabbing as a rat. Damien grinned, having this man on his side was the wisest choice, and a risk all in one.
“Ah, Damien, so good to see you in a good mood,” Charles exclaimed, clasping his hands together, smiling like a falcon surveying its prey. “I assume Laura gave you my message?”
“Yes, she did, Charles. How many letters were sent out?” Damien asked, watching the older man pull up a chair in front of his desk, and making himself at home.
Charles grinned, and folded his hands over his knee, “Ah, yes. The amount sent out… Fifty-six letters were sent out at 5:10A.M Tuesday morning. The post office delivered them most of them by 11:53 this morning. I was assured there was only a handful left to pass out. Are you worried, Damien?”
Gazing head on towards the man, he met the Chairman’s verbal challenge, “Worried? Hardly, I know you would not fail me, Charles.”
The Chairman’s smile was short lived. “We do have a problem, Damien. All the data was not gathered on every member of Generation Y, and the extent of their Guide’s. There might be a larger number of Guide’s present in Lorica. The researcher’s have not concluded search of other nearby towns. We might be looking for a much larger scale of Guide’s resurfacing.”
“It seems we might have more job openings if I do not see more improvement. We cannot have unrecorded Guide’s running around our city. Get to the bottom of things, Charles. I want an update first thing Monday morning.”
La’chance Bakery, Thursday 1:32P.M
Nova La’chance_________________________________________ _______________
“Nova, darling, do not forget to eat your sandwich. I can’t risk you passing out because of the heat,” her mother scolded, hands on her hips, glaring at her daughter who already had one foot out the door, Basil right on her heels.
“I will be fine, Mom, don’t worry!” Nova assured, grinning back at her disapproving
mother, “Let Basil have it.”
Basil huffed, bumping the back of Nova’s leg, growling in protest, “Go eat your food like your mother said.”
Turning to face her Guide, she met his golden eyes head on, “Since when did you turn into a woman? Ouch!” She rubbed her fingers that the wolf nipped. Grumbling, she marched off towards the kitchen, passing her mother in the hallway.
“That girl will be the death of me,” her mother, Claudia La’chance sighed, resting a hand on her forehead.
“You, and me both, Mrs. Claudia,” Basil replied, prancing off to the kitchen to join his master.
Nova was sitting on one of the stools in front of the island in the kitchen, bologna and cheese sandwich in hand. Tearing off pieces, she stuffed it in her mouth, chewing in a hurry. She had overslept today, and her parents had forced her to work in the bakery’s kitchen, only giving her enough time to eat. She had tried sneaking out of the apartment, and leaving her food untouched, but her mother caught her before she made it out the door. Now, she was being forced to eat like a child with her mother –and Basil- watching to make sure she ate every bite. She sighed between chews, don’t they understand that I would rather be at the park then cramped up in this apartment all day?
The sound of loud footsteps stomping up the stairs outside, and the door being swung open alerted Basil, causing him to growl in surprise. She turned around on the rotating stool, and craned her head, looking down the hallway, chewing her food. Her father was hurrying down the hallway with some type of letter in his hand. It must be good news; he was practically beaming with pride. It wasn’t like him to leave the bakery with the staff preparing a three tier wedding cake.
“Claudia, you won’t believe it! Nova, she got a letter from Marcovian Enterprise,” her father exclaimed, crossing the kitchen in a hurry. His shirt was covered in flower, and he smelled like chocolate. Mmm, chocolate, she thought, swallowing her bite of food.
“A letter from Marcovian Enterprise?” Her mother’s tone was as shocked as she looked when her husband clasped Nova on the shoulder, grinning ear to ear.
“Yes, yes, Marcovian Enterprise. She was offered an all expense paid internship to none other than the most successful business in all of Eutropia; Marcovian Enterprise wants her to join them at the earliest possible time!”
Jacogos
01-15-2011, 08:02 PM
Oraké walked out of the La'chance Bakery with a chocolate muffin in hand, heading down the street now as Nova was receiving news of the letter. Of course, Oraké didn't know this, he was just a simple researcher. He liked the bakery, it always had good stuff that held him over until dinner, and Greevis liked it too. He tore a piece off and held it up to his Guide's mouth, who shot her tongue out to pull the morsel into her mouth. She smacked a little before speaking.
"Mmm... Always good stuff. Thank you, Oraké." Greevis the fox Guide was wrapped around Oraké's shoulders like that of her skinned brethren around rich aristocrat's. Of course, Greevis was still very much alive, and did this because it was warm.
"Yeah, it is. Hey Gree, you think we'll have to move if the rumors are true?"
"You mean about there being more Guides outside the city? Possibly. I certainly hope not... How will we ever get to this bakery again if we're not here?" Oraké laughed a little and reached up to scratch behind her ear.
"That the most important thing here, little girl? Hah, I guess to you, it is. I don't know, Boss didn't seem to perturbed about it. At least, he didn't say much more than mention it off-hand... Weird, really. You think we're even supposed to know?"
"I suppose not. Who knows, though? The Head Researcher probably has more to worry about than one of his subordinates knowing a random fact." The fox yawned a little and snatched up another bite offered to her from the muffin. "Where to now?"
Oraké shrugged, then thought for a moment as he walked, looking around at the few Masters and Guides that roamed the streets. Most would be in school now, he supposed, but the rest were probably in the park, sleeping in, or hanging at some place or another, depending on the clique. "Eh, let's head to the park. See if we can get you a little exercise to burn that muffin off."
"Are you implying that I eat too much?"
"Haha, now why would I imply that, Gree? Hey, ow," He said as she nipped him on the neck.
Ada did another lap of her room, her eyes flicking between the letter on her desk and out the window as she took steady, heavy draws on the cigarette she held.
Her mother hadn't spoken to her when she gave it over, just held out the beige-coloured envelope and walked away, barely even looking at her daughter.
She didn't believe it could be anything good, the letter, adressed Ada Terra Wilde in perfectly formed, neat letters and pronouncing the sender, Marcovian Enterprise, in somewhat more fancy lettering on the back, could only mean trouble, in her mothers' opinion.
God, imagine if she knew about Luca. At that thought, Ada strode to her desk, stubbing the cigarette out into the ashtray with one hand and scooping up the letter with the other. She would open it with Luca.
She grabbed her jacket, a 3/4 sleeved black affair with shiny suit buttons on the front, and headed for the door, calling a goodbye to her mother, who was sitting in silence at the kitchen table, watching some crappy daytime sitcom over her cereal.
Within twenty minutes, she was approaching the woods' edge. Luca was already there waiting, lounging along a low-hanging branch.
"How did you know I was on my way?" Ada asked him with a grin, reaching up to scratch under his huge jaw.
Luca stretched his head upward, reminiscent of a house cat, though he would kill Ada if she told him so, and yawned widely, something like a grin stretching across his face.
"Ahh, that's nice. How do you always know just where to scratch? Anyway, I smelled you, those things reek a mile off."
"Oh," Ada looked down at the cigarette she'd lit on the way.
She sat down on a rock, and Luca leapt from the branch to stretch out beside her, resting his massive head on her knee.
"What' that?" he asked, eyes on the letter she'd just pulled from her pocket.
"Dunno. Thought I'd wait till I got here to open it."
She did so, her eyes widening as they scanned the page.
"Listen to this, Luca,
To Miss Ada Wilde,
Marcovian Enterprise is delighted to offer you an internship with our company.
All expenses will be payed for, and we hope that you won't miss this exciting opportunity.
Please reply to the given address, or simply come in to our head office with your answer at your earliest possible convenience.
The letter went on with niceties and information for a little longer, but Ada had stopped reading.
"Marcovian Enterprise, this is huge!"
Luca yawned widely again. "So.. what?"
"Oh, show a little enthusiasm. We gotta at least check it out, I mean, we can always pull out if we hate it, right?
"What's all this about we? I don't have to hide in the woods anymore?"
"No way, hose', I'm over it. It's time to come clean. You're coming back to town with me, today!"
"Marcovian Enterprise? Really? When was the last time they ever done this?" Nova patted her mother's arms from the hug, and took the little from her father's flour covered hands.
There were smudges of cinnamon, or chocolate on the beige paper. Living in a bakery had its advantages. Her father made the best buttercream cupcakes. She almost started drooling from thinking of the soft, warm, sweet cupcakes she was so addicted to. Who could go wrong with cupcakes? Despite her tendency to devour sweets more than most people, she stayed around 115lbs. Basil often teased her about flying away before scolding her for trying to rot her teeth out. His reasonings were simple, but hard to understand to a human. Why would she need to tear through the flesh of a freshly killed deer for? She shuddered inwardly at the thought.
Spotting Basil's golden eyes staring at her from over the top of the etter, she smiled, and blowed him a kiss. Reading over the letter, she glanced nervously down towards her Guide. He was one of the most untrusting animals she had ever met, and if she chose to accept the internship, could she really trust that he would follow her into the midst of a building that he claimed was pure evil?
"Mama, papa... I think Basil and I will need to think about this awhile," she said, her father beginning to pull up a stool next to her, "by ourselves." She looked down at Basil, and rubbed her velvet boot against his side.
"Let's go to the park, Basil," she said, hopping off the stool, and feeding the last few bites of her sandwich to her Guide.
Before her parents could disagree, she was already out of the kitchen, Basil following at her heels, and grabbing her coat off the coat rack. There was no since of going without it, despite the warm weather. Closing the door behind Basil, she descended down the stairs two steps at a time, and cut past the bakery's kitchen. Chocolate cakes were baking in the large, industrial ovens.
"Can we stop for a bite?" Basil asked, licking his chops.
"No, Basil." Basil snorted, and pushed past her, mumbling, "fine," beneath his breath. She chuckled, that wolf had a sweet tooth as much as she did. Hypocritical canine. The bells on the door jingled as the door closed behind Basil, and they headed towards the park. With all the concrete, cars, skyscrapers, she was surprised Basil wanted to come live with her family. There was trees planted in square areas in the sidewalks, mainly in rich areas of Lorica, but the main vegetation was in the Lorica City Park. The only reason they had a small forest was because environmentalists petitioned the city, and won. Lorica was like any other capitol city, including the gigantic, and intimidating Tower Essence that acted like a beacon for hope -or to Basil, pending doom.
Jacogos
01-18-2011, 05:15 AM
Oraké walked about two blocks before reaching the park in question, and once there, Greevis uncurled herself from his neck shoulders and hopped to the ground.
"Gah, dangit, legs asleep!" She yelped and sprawled out overdramatically. She whined a little, then finally got up. "Ooohhh... It tingles..."
"Oh hush, you little baby. This is why I think you should get out more."
Greevis growled at him for a moment before turning her snout up and sniffing like a pompous aristocrat. "Hmph. At least I still look adorable." Oraké laughed lightly at that and went over to the oak tree that he had picked out for himself a long time ago.
About nine or so years ago, when Oraké first moved to Lorica, he spent most of his time doodling in this very park. At first, he roamed from tree to tree, depending on his mood, where he had come from that day, who was nearby, etc. When he had finally sat at this tree, however, he created the very first piece of art he had ever truly liked. It was a picture of a fox mother and her litter, which, as he looks back upon it, seemed very ironic since his Guide turned out to be as such. Eh, thats how it goes, right? He had always sat at that tree since.
The tree was a large oak, which a knot that formed a sort of headrest right at Oraké's height, making it pretty much 'his' knot. He pulled out his notepad and looked around, trying to find something drawable. When nothing stood out, he found Greevis, who was sunning on a low branch of the oak nearby. He smiled and started to sketch, the piece turning out a little better than he had planned at first, then slowly disappointed him. He frowned a little. Maybe it would be better when... if he added color. He shrugged and looked back at his Guide. She was looking at him with a sort of knowing shine in her eyes.
"Did you draw me again?? I wanna see!!" She pounced down and trotted over to him, and he just had to laugh. "Please?" She put on the puppy dog eyes, something she was surprisingly good at. Luckily, though, at that moment, Oraké heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, Ork! Wassup, man?" One of his friends, Jonah Cruse, was walking his way, his own Guide a small burrowing owl that was huddled inside his ever-present hat and peeping out of the hole that usually placed on the back of the head, with the strap.
Oraké stood and clasped hands with his friends in their familiar style. "Not much Jo. Just hanging out for the day. Got nothin' to do." He shrugged and Greevis leaped up to his shoulder and hung on the right one, her body suspended halfway on either side of him. Kree, the owl, snickered a little and hooted at them.
"Dude, did you get a letter in the mail today?"
Oraké blinked and thought for a moment. "Just something about college, I think... why?"
"I got this letter from Marcovian Enterprise! They want me to go there for an internship, man! Its crazy. I never thought I guy like me would get into such a cool place." He beamed with eager energy. Oraké just frowned. A letter? Internship? What was this? He had heard nothing about it, nothing at all. It seemed weird to him. He slowly tuned out as Jonah went on about how much of an honor it was, something Jonah could do with just about anything.
The pair received more than a few strange looks as they strolled back into the city, a rebellious looking teenage girl with a cigarette in one hand, and the other resting gently on the head of an enormous, ferocious looking Jaguar.
Well, to Ada, he looked magnificent, his red, orange, gold and black coat resplendent in the sunshine, but she imagined the terrified expressions on the faces of the passersby wasn't because of jealousy.
"Where do you want to go?" she asked Luca, altogether caught up in the excitement of her guide and herself walking together through the city, no more hiding! The letter had been completely forgotten for the time being.
"Wherever you like, dear," the beast growled his response.
"Umm... I wanna take you home to mother dearest, but not just yet, ok. Want to go look at Marcovian Enterprise," she suggested, remembering.
"Umm... not just yet, ok?"
"What's with this reluctance, anyway? You've ben acting weird ever since I told you about it. Aren't you happy we're not going to hide anymore?"
"Of course, I'm delighted. You could have decided that anytime, though."
"Whatever. Let's go to the park, then."
Luca nodded his assent, and they ambled in the general direction of the large (and only) park that Lorica housed.
When they finally reached it, twelve blocks and five smokes later, Luca snorted.
"So you've brought me to some kind of impersonation of the forest you've made me hide in for the last, what has it been, four years?"
"Oh, shut up. You love trees and stuff. And here, we aren't hiding."
Luca let out a short, hissing laugh. "Yes, I do love trees and stuff, it's true. Alright, we'll play for a while.
He growled at Ada in a way that was both playful and menacing- sounding, and began to run after her as she fled in front of him, laughing delightedly.
To any onlookers, it would have looked mighty strange, a fully grown Jaguar bounding after a young and rather small girl.
Marcovian Enterprise
Chairman Charles M. Regan and Malison Bancroft__________________________________________ ___________________________
Standard wallpaper lined the walls inside the halls of Marcovian Enterprise, the same decorative tables with artificial flowers in glass vases, down to the tiled floors was downright annoying; though having a corner office on the top floor of Marcovian Enterprise had many perks. 100% pure Cigars, a chandelier, expensive paintings hanging on the walls, and the beautiful Malison Bancroft sitting in the chair across from his desk. She was brilliant and beautiful –and stupid for her “secret” affair with the prodigy son, Damien Marcovian. Taking a puff oh his cigar, he leaned forward and snuffed it out in his ashtray.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Miss Bancroft?”
“People have been loitering in the lobby about some internship we supposedly offered them. What’s going on? There have even been people wandering into my office!”
Malison’s surprised was well warranted. Not many people were told of the internship program they were offering until today when people started flocking to the office with letters in hand. It seemed obvious from her facial expression that her anger was raising. I’m surprised Damien didn’t tell her. Ah, no matter, he thought, feigning a smile, but there is no use letting the boy off the hook.
“I was sure Damien would have told you of our new change in face,” he said, grinning inwardly as her face flushed with bridled rage, “Oh, it seems he didn’t give you the memo… I was certain with the chemistry between you…” He allowed his voice to trail off as he watched the young woman grip the armrests. Her knuckles turned right, and he wondered how hostile their next encounter would be, that’s the burden of doing good business, darling; keeping business and personal life secret.
__________________________________________________ _____________________
Wilderness Patrol Barracks, 34th Patrol Regiment
Sergeant Major Peter Vance
News reached the wilderness patrol a lot later than normal. The Eutropian Military was recently informed of the new changes taking place in Marcovian Enterprise, and decided to inform them of other changes that would affect them as well. Slamming his fist on the rickety wooden table in the barracks, he caught the messenger flinch. damn it to hell; they are mixing our soldiers in with city patrol. What the hell are they thinking? Boy was he pissed. He had heard rumors of possible transfers, but he would have to ship some of his soldiers to the city. They would be delighted to return to their families on leave, and even move some of the families to Lorica if need be. The pay would be good as security guards, better than the pension they were getting now. Better food, better sleeping conditions, less of a chance of being injured or death. He could see why some of his men would be excited, but the coincidence of transfers and the talk of Guide’s returning in the barracks did not settle well with him. He grunted, and took a deep swig from his thermos.
“You are dismissed, soldier.”
“Sir, my apology, I know you just lost a soldier. Transferring other seems like a smack in the face, sir,” the young man said. Standard military uniform, standard buzz cut, standard clean shaven face. The kid was fresh out of boot camp and speaking to him about losing a fellow soldier. For obvious reasons, it was offensive.
“Leave, soldier; now!” he barked, sending the soldier into a salute and quick retreat.
what am I going to do without some of my best men… he thought, scowling, damn Marcovian Enterprise.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
Lorica State Park
Nova La’chance and Basil
“What are we going to do, Basil?” she asked her Arctic Wolf Guide who strode beside her through the park.
The wolf was silent save for the low growl in the pit of his chest. She had heard several lectures from him about how cruel humans can be. He had met a few other Guides’ within the city, and discussed the existence of Marcovian Enterprise and all the city patrolmen wandering around with rifles ready to shoot any Guide that became hostile. Lorica might not be the best place to live, but it is the safest, she thought, sighing. Rounding a corner, Basil suddenly stopped in his tracks, his fur bristling up like a cat on Halloween. She nearly tripped when Basil blocked her way. He grunted when her knees hit him, but didn’t budge.
“Stay back, Nova,” Basil growled.
“Wait-what? Basil, what’s up with you?” Nova asked, surveying her surroundings as her Guide taught her to do. Instinct was always the Guides’ strong suit. Then it struck her; a girl about her age, as small as her with fiery red hair was laughing and running around with a large, magnificent Jaguar chasing after her. Anyone else who would have seen what she was would have thought the Jaguar would have killed her by now, but there was something in the air. An electrical charge, the type of feeling she usually felt when other Master’s were around with their Guide’s. Basil must have felt it, too, because he relaxed and allowed her to step past her within snapping at her with his teeth.
“Do you think she got a letter?” she asked.
“Maybe – put don’t push it, girl.” Basil nuzzled his head against her leg, forgiving her for bumping into him like she did. Whoever said wolves were unaffectionate?
Jacogos
01-24-2011, 01:59 AM
Jonah had stopped talking and Oraké finally realized it in time to give his friend a grin and half-hearted 'sorry'.
"You know how my mind wanders, bra."
"Hah, its cool, Ork. I guess I'll catch ya later, I'm gonna check this letter out at the Enterprise. See ya, man." Jonah replied.
"Peace, Jo." Oraké waited for the teen to be out of earshot and sight before turning to Greevis. "Internships? What do you think that is?"
Greevis gave a sort of shrug that was only apparent if you knew how she did it, mostly with her eyes. "I don't know. I guess Marcovian wants to keep the Guides closer. I assume its only for Masters, right?"
Oraké shrugged as well, more obviously. "Who knows? I guess we'll find out through more observation." With that he stood and stretched, pocketing his notepad.
"Hey!! You never showed me the drawing!" Greevis pounced on his leg and nipped him gently, keening quietly.
"Greevis, don't make a scene... I'll show you back at the apartment, alright?" She didn't move and kept up the whine. "Ugh, come on, at least let me go, girl."
She gave a hmmph and let go, trotting a short distance before sitting on her haunches with an air of someone crossing their arms in a pout. Oraké grinned. She may be pretty damn old for a fox, but she still acted like a little girl when she wanted to. He went over and picked her up, receiving a bite on his hand for his trouble.
"You aren't ever going to get a pretty little reynard (male fox) if you act like that." Oraké mused with a grin.
"Hmmph, and this is the only way you can 'pick up chicks'." She retorted.
"Oh ha-ha..." About that moment, a feline growl was heard, to which Oraké immediately searched for the source. A large black jaguar seemed to be playing with a girl, chasing her, to more aptly put it. It might only have been playing obviously to the fact that she was laughing, and that the jaguar had yet to catch her. Few humans could outpace a fully grown cat like that.
"Hey Gree, I don't think we've ever seen them around before."
"Actually, I think I've seen the girl before, but the jaguar is indeed new. You think they just got paired?" Greevis pondered.
"The way they play kind of knocks that theory out, don't it, Gree?"
"True... Must be a hidden Guide. Shall we?"
Oraké blinked, confused. "What, talk to them?"
"Go. Now." She stated simply.
"Anyone ever said you are very much a whip-wielder?"
"I have no idea what you mean. Clearly I am a fox. How could a fox hold a whip, much less use one?" Greevis said simply, with a truly innocent tone.
"Never mind, Gree, never mind..."
Oraké, with Greevis still in his arms, casually approached the girl and her Guide, curious as to why he had never seen the beast around before. It'd be hard to miss that. "Hey there! Ain't seen you around here before." He spoke with a friendly tone that he used normally when addressing Master or their Guides. Part of his training, he supposed.
Ada stopped suddenly, and Luca skidded to a halt behind her, only just shy of colliding with the girls' back. She placed a hand on his neck for reassurance, eyeing the newcomer and the fox that sat nearby. Luca licked his lips a little, a large growl erupting from his stomach.
"Oh, I don't think so, sweetheart," she chided him gently, but her eyes remained on the boys' face.
"Uh, hi," she replied a little stiffly, wondering if the fox and the boy had the same relationship she and Luca shared. The jaguar had told her there were others, and it was true that seeing a young person walking around with a usually wild animal wasn't rare these days.
"I'm Ada," she said, deciding he seemed trustworthy enough. His tone was friendly, and she was usually pretty good at picking up when people's intentions were bad. If she didn't, Luca definitely would, "and this is Luca. I live here, but Luca.. well, it's his first trip into town," she finished her introductions with a grin, looking at him expectantly for a response.
So the girl with the Jaguar Guide is named Ada? That’s a pretty name, Nova thought, eyeing both humans and their Guide’s. Basil seemed to be intrigued, and disgruntled by the appearance of a Fox Guide. Interrupting the two conversing would be extremely rude, so she thought against it; nudging Basil the other way, who, by his own right, dug into the concrete sidewalk, grunted in protest.
“Move, Basil,” she uttered beneath her breath, glancing down towards the stubborn wolf, “Now.”
Ordering Basil was a difficult task alone; coupled with trying to make him move only added further frustration. Shaking her head, she quietly strode off; half knowing Basil would soon follow. What the man had said was true; she had never seen the Jaguar Guide around before. A cat that large with such a bright coat would stick out with pink butter cream icing on a chocolate cupcake. I still need to decide if I should accept the internship. What am I going to do if Basil refuses? She could feel worry lines forming on her forehead, knitting her brows together.
“I’m thirsty,” Basil informed her, and trotted off towards the small fish pond they just passed.
“At least you aren’t hungry.”
“Oh, I’m hungry. Got anything to eat?” Basil stopped long enough to look back at her, lick his chops, and turn his attention back to the water. She shook her head with a grin. He was always hungry; the wolf had a sweet tooth, which sometimes made him crave more food than he should consume, but who would blame him? Both her parents knew how to cook, and cook they did. She’d end up weighing three hundred pounds if she didn’t have a high metabolism, and job around the park Friday and on the weekends. Would Basil leave her if she decided to accept? Thinking about it made her chest tighten with fear.
Jacogos
02-06-2011, 03:44 AM
Oraké watched the two's reactions closely, as was his nature as a Researcher. At least he didn't have to write it down right away, else he'd be a poor one in any case. It was obvious the two hadn't noticed him and Greevis beforehand, else they wouldn't have reacted so. She also had that closed feel about her that made Oraké wonder if she realized that he and Greevis were Master and Guide. He had met a few other Masters who were overall ignorant of their own relationships, but it wasn't common.
"Good to meet ya, you can call me Oraké. This one's Greevis." The last he said indicating the fox in his arms, who at that point decided to hop down and stroll about a foot in front of him.
"I can speak for myself, Ora." She said pompously, then looked up at the girl and panther. "As he said, I'm Greevis. I figured that I hadn't seen him around before..." She was referring to the big cat then. Oraké seconded her thought mentally, figuring that since most of his time was spent chasing Masters, he wouldn't have noticed one without his or her Guide. He also applauded Greevis's attempt to be friendly, something that the panther probably hadn't seen from other people yet. Everything was slowly being stored in his mental files.
"First time here? Well then I hope you give him a good tour, else he might go back, hah." He grinned good-naturedly, to offset any possible downside to the comment. He had a knack for saying just the right thing to set someone off, and he never knew what would, so he tried to keep a positive note on every sentence.
Suddenly, he remembered what Jonah had been talking about, and decided to investigate, now given the opportunity.
"Hey... Did you happen to get a letter from Marcovian today?" He asked only a little suspiciously. Greevis shot him a look, but otherwise remained nonplussed.
Ada smiled down at the fox when she, rather peevishly, stated that she could speak for herself, and said hello to the creature, nudging Luca into doing the same.
"I would never leave Ada," Luca retorted a little stiffly to Orake's comment about him going back, and Ada frowned at him, telling him in a low voice, "that's sweet, darling, but you don't need to be rude about it.
Luca and I have known each other for years," she told Orake in a louder voice, turning to look at him.
She didn't, in fact, know all that much about the relationship between guides and masters, with her mother always being so closed to the subject. It didn't really seem like the kind of thing you walked up to a stranger on the street and asked about, and she was an open-minded girl, and had taken her and Luca's connection as she felt it - deep and unbreakable, it wasn't something she had ever questioned.
She knew there were others like them, of course, but this was really the first time she'd spoken at any length to another person with their guide.
"Hey... Did you happen to get a letter from Marcovian today?" Orake's question broke into her thoughts, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"How did you know that?" she asked him, suspicious ever so slightly sounding in her own voice.
Nova sat down next to Basil by the pond; the ground was soft and probably a little wet, but she hardly seemed to notice. She watched him fill his stomach with water before he plopped down on the ground next to him, resting his wet muzzle on her thighs.
"You want to join," Basil stated after a minute's silence.
The wolf guide was smart, she'd give him that. She avoided locking eyes with him; she couldn't bear to right now. She really hadn't made up her mind, but she was leaning towards the offer, though fearing Basil would leave her. She pulled the letter out of her pocket, and read over it silently. She felt guilty for not looking at Basil, who, obviously took notice of her discomfort. Basil grunted, and continued staring until she could no longer take it.
"What, Basil? Staring is rude!"
"So is not answering your own Guide," he huffed.
She pursed her lips, and stared at the wolf, wrinking her nose. "What does the letter say?" Her jaw almost dropped; Basil actually asked about the letter?
"It says I have been accepted for an internship at Marcov-"
"I know that part. What else? Does it tell you why? Or when the expiration date is? What are the benefits? Are they going to give us a place to stay?" Basil rambled on questions, taking pauses only to catch his breath.
"Hold on, hold on. It says here that we have full medical, and dental care for both you and me; room and board is free when signing a lease or something. They say we can go see them anytime for a tour around Marcovian Enterprise, our living quarters, the cafeteria, lounges, and the indoor garden."
"Can we leave anytime we want? Or bring our own food?"
"Yes, and yes. But it says in the rules that their is a 9 o'clock curfew, and we will be required to have a mentor, carry a Name Card to get into areas that are not offlimits to us. Apparantly, certain contraband is not allowed. They have metal detectors, and security guards to search us if they think we are a a threat. Oh..." Nova's voice trailed off when she read one of the rules.
Guide's are required to be on a leash while inside the main building. Any hostility will result in a muzzle for canine and feline Guide's, or pet carriers for other Guide's. Any further disputes from Guide's is punishment ranked by the severity of their disobediance.
"What?"
"You have to wear a muzzle when inside the main building. It didn't mention anything about wearing one in the apartment building," Nova assured the growling Basil whose teeth was partially bared.
Jacogos
02-07-2011, 08:55 PM
He nodded slightly to the Guide's answer, smiled slightly. "I understand, it was just a joke on the city. I swear, the only truly interesting thing here is the Tower, and that only in the bad way..." He shuddered slightly, as did Greevis, who looked down as she did. She didn't like the idea of that thing, always there, always seemingly watching.
When she reacted to his question, he laughed slightly. "Hah, I'll take that as a yes. Don't worry, I just know a lot of Master's who've gotten the same," he half-lied. Only one, and he asked this one on a whim, but it was starting to prove his half-theory that only Master's received letters. He'd have to talk to the HR about this.
"Anyway, they were saying that you get free room and board and stuff, right? You been there yet for that tour or whatever it was?" He asked doubling to sate his own curiosity and to see what she already knew about it. Greevis let him do the talking as she watched the panther. The gears in her tiny fox-head were whirring as she thought up plans that included this one. What she lacked in brawn, this one had, and that made him key. Hopefully, this internship would turn out to be a double-edged sword for the Enterprise, if Greevis's guess was right.
Ada frowned, not remembering that part of the letter, and pulled it from her pocket, her eyes scanning the lines of writing again. She had only read the first part, she remembered now, and she quicky reached the section Orake was talking about.
"Yes, free room, board, dental and medical care... oh," She fell silent, glancing at Luca. He was not going to like this.
"It also says Luca has to wear a leash," she finished quietly, "and that if he causes trouble, he'll be muzzled."
Luca growled, shaking his head fiercely in a surprisingly human gesture.
"Not a chance," he stated plainly, and Ada sighed.
"Maybe, once they've had a chance to see that you're not dangerous..."
"I AM dangerous!" Luca roared, standing up from where he'd laid down on the grass and pacing a little, obviously fuming, "why didn't you say anything about this before? I shouldn't even be in this city!"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't read this part before, I swear!"
Luca settled a little, resting back on the grass, his head by Ada's waist.
"Alright. I believe you. Now what?"
"I don't know.. I was going to accept the offer but, well.." Ada looked hopelessly at Orake for help, "What do you think? What should I do?"
Basil paced around the pond, growling and snapping his teeth at an unfortunate fly. Nova hung her head; Basil wasn't the least bit happy about the mention of muzzles or having to wear a leash. The thought of living on her own was almost too tempting to pass up, and somehow, Basil knew that. Lifting her head, her eyes locked with Basil's.
"You want to go?"
She swallowed, "Yes, but-"
"I won't leave you, Nova. You should know I will not leave your side."
"You won't leave me?" When Basil shook his head, she almost sobbed, and hugged him around the neck, burying her face into his white fur, "Oh thank you, Basil! Thank you!"
"Nova? Can you promise me something?"
"Huh?" Nova pulled away to meet Basil's eyes, "Promise what?"
"Promise me... that if things get out of hand we will leave."
"Yeah, sure. Of course, Bas-"
"Unless there is something making us stay. I don't trust them; they wouldn't allow anyone a free internship if strings weren't attached. We'll need to keep our guard up. Cryptic messages, codes, the works might be needed."
She giggled, "You sound like someone from the Patrol planning a mission."
Basil looked like he was grinning, and licked his chops with a gleam in his eyes, "This is a mission. If other Guide's are involved, I won't allow them to be victims to that damned tower." Basil returned to her side, and rested his head upon his paws. "Is there anything about when we need to show up there for a tour or something?"
She returned her attention to the letter. She scimmed over the words written, looking for any sign of a date, or the word "tour." Would they even give us a tour? she thought, skipping passed the rules, benefits and accomadation sections. She was on the second page of the letter before she cursed, and shuffled through the papers till she reached page one again. Sure enough, she found the date. The tour started tomorrow, on Friday, and so would an orientation.
"The tour and orientation is tomorrow."
"Orientation?"
"Yeah, a bunch of people talking to us, showing us where we can and cannot go, what to do, you know, the usual," said Nova, dismissing the whole Orientation business with a wave of her hand.
"Then we are going?"
"Only if you want to."
"Then yes," Basil huffed.
Jacogos
02-10-2011, 09:54 PM
Greevis piped up at the mention of leashes as well.
"Leashes?! That's absurd! And muzzles too? That's just-"
"Greev, calm down." Oraké said quickly. The fox quieted but muttered to herself a little as she moved over to wrap herself around his feet. He had to admit, though, the panther's (and Greevis's) worries were well placed. If Marcovian put that clause in, there was no doubt that the letters were meant specifically for Masters. Of course, this probably hadn't occurred to Ada and this Luca.
What do you think? What should I do? the girl asked, obviously directing the question towards him. That in itself caught him off guard, and he stuttered for a moment before recovering.
"Err, I-I guess you could at least give them a try. Hell, I don't know..." He paused for a moment. "I haven't really decided myself." Well, he needed an alibi if she caught him at Marcovian. Foresight was something he prided himself in, thankfully. It was something that tripped Greevis up every so often, though she'd never admit it.
"You got a letter too?" Ada asked, surprised.
She curled her fingers into the fur on Luca's neck reassuringly, wondering to herself.
"I don't know.. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it, would it? I mean, surely they wouldn't make us stay if we didn't like it."
She looked down at the letter again, her eyes flickering back and forth as she skimmed along the paper.
"It says orientation is tomorrow. What do you think, dear?" she asked Luca, and though the Jaguar's face was a blatant expression of antagonism toward the idea, he gave a small, reluctant growl and gave his assent.
"But if there's anything suspicious about it, I'm leaving. And so are you," he said decidedly, making it clear with his tone that Ada had no other option.
"Alright," Ada agreed, and smiled, "You never know, it could be great!"
Luca didn't look convinced in the slightest.
"Maybe we should get ready then, shall we go home. I want to introduce you to mother, anyway." Ada was torn between amusement and sadness over what she knew her mother's reaction would be. If she even noticed them coming in, though a fully grown, orange coated Jaguar wasn't easy to miss.
"It was nice to meet you," she said to Orake, "and you," to Greevis and she left the park, Luca following close behind.
On her way out, she caught sight of a girl sitting by the pond, seemingly in conversation with a huge white wolf, and she smiled at the girl, guessing from the easy way they sat together that this must be yet another Master and Guide.
"We're more common than I thought, and Orake got a letter too," she commented to Luca. "I wonder how many people will be at this thing?"
Basil P.O.V Basil's ears perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, though he kept silent. It was the Jaguar Guide and his human Master by the judge of their breathing and footfalls. He kept quiet as he listened to Nova ramble on about her hopes and about Marcovian Enterprise. The thought of it made his skin crawl. He had noticed more Guide's were showing up from walks through the city, and their Master's were Nova's age. It was easy to tell the Guide's who held superiority over the underling Guide's. They seemed to radiate power, wisdom, and... obediance. They were completely tame, like the animals in the Zoo who grew up in captivity. The wild was slowly growing restless with all the rebellious animals fighting with the towns people, and the Wilderness Patrol Nova's father talked about. He mentioned his friends' that joined, and of those who died. What really got him was the Epidemic people grieved over. What Epidemic? He remembered hearing as a cub about Guide's fighting against humans in the cities, but that was before his time. Could that be what happened? He snorted; he couldn't wrap his head around it. Why should he care? His job was to look after Nova, and protecting her was his number one priority.
"Can we go home, Nova? I'm starving," he whimpered, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.
She frowned, but caved in with a sigh, trying to hide her smile behind her hair, "Oh, alright. Since you are going to die if you don't get fed."
"You starve me, woman," he said, rolling over on his back, kicking his legs into the air. He inwardly grinned when his master patted his stomach.
"Ya, sure I do, Basie, sure I do."
Marcovian Enterprise
Damien Marcovian and Malison Bancroft
"Ms. Bancroft is here to see you, sir," buzzed the secretary, Laura.
He exhaled deeply through his nose, and swallowed his bite of the Cesar Salad with grilled chicken and Italian dressing. What ass chewing will I get this time?he though, dabbing a napkin to his lips. He glanced to the intercom, and shrugged. Malison would let herself in; he learned that way before he took office. She wasn't one to sit around and wait for anything. He took a sip of his water, and counted three whole seconds before the door to his office swung open, and Malison strode in with Laura closing the door behind her.
"I see you let your self in." He smirked when he cheeks flushed with anger.
"Maybe I wouldn't need to if you were more of a gentleman and let me in yourself," she retorted, leaning across his desk when she arrived. "What the hell is going on, Damien?"
"What do you mean?"
She was fuming, "People are violating my work space, talking about some internship bullcrap! Charles said it was your doing."
"Moi? Oh, the internships. Yes, they were my idea." I can't remember whose idea it was in the first place. Oh well, it works to my advantage.
For a moment, Malison was speechless. Beneath her lab coat -why would a technician need one?- she was wearing a fancy V-neck purple top. Her necklaces hung down towards her clevage for a more dramatic appeal? He gave up listening to all her fashionista rantings, but if the clothing showed off her body, he was all game. I'm such a dog, he thought, a rich, rich bachelor dog. He grinned, and was lectured for his wandering eyes and smug attitude.
"Did you ever hear a word I said?"
"Trick question?"
"Ugh! Why do I even bother talking to you?" she exclaimed, tossing her hands in the air in a show of defeat.
"Why? For one, Malison, I am your boss. I sign your paychecks, and not talking to me would look bad," he said, leaning over his food, lowering his voice, "and two, would you really stop talking to me?" He had half a mind to lick his lips, but she might smack him if he did.
Her jaw went taunt; he could imagine her clamping her teeth down in fury, but she shrugged it off with a pompous shrug and a tilt of her chin; oh how conceited and stuck-up she was. Hot, and fiesty, and the only rod up her ass is mine.
"You look better when arrogance doesn't spew from your mouth," she said, and strode towards the door. She turned back to look at him, and he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork.
"Oh, Orientation for the new interns. You'll be speaking as well," he said, dismissing her after she slammed the door behind her. He gritted his teeth; she almost knocked a painting of his father from the wall. The old man never knew the power he held in his dead, wrinkled hands.
The apartment was silent when Ada opened the front door, peering cautiously in.
She had scared the wits out of Mrs. Rafter, the elderly woman who lived on the floor below them, on her way up. Well, more precisely, Luca had scared the wits out of her. It had taken Ada a full ten minutes to calm Mrs. Rafter down enough to explain to her that Luca was a friend of hers, and was not going to hurt her.
"Hello, mum?" she called, her voice echoing a little. There was no response, which was unsurprising, since her mother didn't often speak to her, but she relaxed a little anyway.
"Come on, Luca," she said, and they both entered the flat, Luca as tense as she was.
"What the hell.." as the entered the kitchen, Ada saw she had been wrong in thinking her mother wasn't home. She was still sitting at the kitchen table, in the same place Ada had left her that morning. The only difference was the fill level of the liquor bottle that sat next to her.
Her mother was staring in horror at Luca, but there was no fear in her eyes. It was closer to... disgust.
"Mum, this is..."
"Get that fucking thing out of my house, right now!"
"But.."
"Shut the fuck up! Get out! Don't you come back here with that beast!"
"Alright, alright," Ada stuttered, feeling hot tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. She swallowed hard, Luca letting out a low growl behind her.
"I won't be coming back then, mum. I'll never leave Luca."
"Good riddance! You little bitch, how could you do this to me? How could you? You're disgusting!"
Ada didn't wait to hear any more, her mothers' ranting quieted to a low rumble in the background as she ran to her bedroom, Luca close behind her.
"Ada, maybe I should..."
"Don't even say it!" she whispered fiercely to her best friend, her guide, stopping the frantic packing she'd begun to wrap her arms around the Jaguar's neck, "she's been wanting to do this for a long time, believe me."
She was freely crying now, not holding back now that she was gone from her mothers' sight. Packing some clothes into a large satchel, she paused for a moment, looking around her bedroom, grabbed the spare pack of cigarettes off the dresser, emptied her moneybox into a small purse and added them both to the satchel as well.
Everything else she would leave.
"Goodbye," she said solemnly to her still ranting mother, and closed the door to the apartment behind herself and her guide, closing the door to her old life with it.
Maybe for good.
*
They went back to the park, there was little other options. Ada had no fear of being attacked or robbed with Luca sleeping beside her, and it looked to be a dry night. She'd spent more than a few out in the woods with her guide, so she wasn't unused to sleeping outdoors.
They curled up under a large oak, Ada lighting a cigarette and Luca snuggling close to her to keep her warm.
"I guess the Marcovian thing is meant to be, then," Ada said quietly, her tears dried now, replaced with a hollow dryness in her throat.
Luca didn't reply, holding his own worries in for the moment.
"Are you alright, little one?" he asked her.
"I will be."
She finished the cigarette and laid her head on his side, falling asleep quickly.
Luca stayed vigilant, huge, sombre eyes keeping a close watch in the darkness.
Jacogos
02-15-2011, 10:56 PM
Oraké noticed how the two seemed to almost forget about Greevis and him, and he didn't mind, just nodding at her first question and leaving them to their discussion. Oraké's mind was on what he was going to do after these two were gone.
When Greevis piped up with a light "And you as well, Miss Ada," Oraké came out of his self-created stupor and smiled slightly. "Hope to see ya there, then." He watched the pair leave, taking note of everything the two had said in his own little stalker-ish method of research. He looked down at his fox Guide, who was uncurling herself from Oraké's feet and stretching.
"We should head over to Marcovian. I need to see what I've obviously missed," he said slowly, still half-way in thought. Greevis nodded, then hesitated. Oraké noticed. "What's up?"
"I'm going to... look into something real quick. You'll fill me in, right?" Oraké nodded, used to this sort of thing from her. "You have to do the same, miss." She scoffed slightly. "Don't I always?" she said in a falsely innocent voice.
"Hah, so you say." With that and a gently pat from Oraké on the fox's head, the two separated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greevis moved off quickly to find where the girl and her jaguar had gone. Catching sight of them, she stayed far enough back to escape notice of the jaguar, who'd be able to pick out even her light paw-pads at a decent range. She also tried to stay out of sight of normal humans as well, as lone Guide's weren't very normal, and it was nearly impossible to tell a Guide apart from a wild animal in any case.
She followed them all the way to what she assumed was the girl's house. She quietly hopped up into a closed widowsill and looked inside. A woman was yelling at Ada, which caused the girl to run off out of sight. Greevis waited, slightly disgusted at the woman at the table who was taking quite liberal sips from her bottle of some sort of foul looking liquid.
When the two returned, Greevis hopped down and waited in the bushes, watching as the two passed her and went back the way they had come. Greevis was tempted to follow them, see where they went, but decided against it. It was obvious they had nowhere to go now. Most likely, they would go to Marcovian for shelter, at the least. Satisfied, the fox pranced away, towards Oraké's apartment.
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"You didn't know either?"
"Boy, how the hell would I know anything about some internship? I tell them about our findings, not the other way around." John Prokter was the Chief Researcher, though Oraké refers to him as HR for Head Researcher. He thinks it has a better ring. At the moment, HR wasn't very pleased with the news that the very Masters that his group had been studying for the past few years were about to be INSIDE the Enterprise headquarters.
Oraké understood his concern. With Masters that close, it would make Researcher's unnecessary, possibly even obsolete. That would put them all out of jobs, if Marcovian saw it that way. There was also the fact that if the Masters realized that the Researchers that had been blending into their groups this whole time actually worked for Marcovian, it would damn the branch even quicker than the internship itself would.
Oraké sighed. Maybe he was just overexaggerating things.... again. After giving a simple report about the new Master and Guide he met today, Oraké left and headed back to his apartment, where he and Greevis exchanged their excursion stories before heading off to bed.
Marcovian Enterprise
Chairman Charles M. Reagan
The whole place was in an uproar, but the employees did not rebel against the President's order. Why would they? Any slip up, and they would be out of a job, and be living on the streets. Marcovian was a generous organization, preparing housing near work for employees would were less fortunate. What a crock of crap, he thought, gazing out his office window. The Grandfather Clock he had in his office chimed eleven times. Eleven already? He had finished a delicious dinner in his office; lobster had always been his favorite. He chuckled; before he was hired, he would be lucky enough to even dine on lobster once every few months. The nearest sea food restaurant was on call, set on speed dial with the office phone. His tab was always paid; his bills kept up to date, and his country home was in the process of being finished. Life was good, but it could be better. The President, the late Mr. Marcovian's second son had a much more leisurely life style than what the brat deserved. The best cars, an expensive loft all to himself, the family manor that his late father built, and passed down in the will. All would fall into place soon enough. The Head Researcher had expressed his dismay about the internship, worrying about is stake here at Marcovian.
"Do they really care about their place?" He shook his head; the lower class was always worried about meager little things like losing their only source of income. If they were lucky, the 'researchers' would become the assistants of scientists that will be working with the new Master's to test their strengths. They should count themselves lucky. The red lights on Tower Essence flickered to an odd, regulated rhythm related to the signal being transmitted. He hated the Tower; it would always be a constant reminder of his failure. The Guide War had tore up many towns and cities across Eutropia, but with the money Marcovian Enterprise pumped into the economy, they were able to rebuild within five years. Cemeteries had become overcrowded with the loss of people from the "Epidemic" the government passed off to hide the fact that Guides' and their Masters were responsible for the deaths of people all over. If only they knew...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
La'chance Apartment
La'chance family and Basil
"Yes, mom, we decided to accept," Nova said, being squeezed by Mrs. Claudia in some sort of hug.
"Bella, I am so happy! You have made us so proud!" Her mother beamed, releasing her only to wipe tears away before hugging again.
Basil watched with amusement as Nova was passed back and forth between her parents until she managed to wiggle free from their grasp. He wasn't much for emotions, and he trotted off towards the room him and Nova shared. He would miss sleeping at the foot of her bed, but he had no other choose but to follow Nova where ever she wandered off to, and now, it would be to the Enterprise responsible for the Tower that weakened him and other Guides in the city. Some protection method, he thought, jumping onto the bed. Nova appeared minutes later, waving to her parents; he could tell she had been crying by the puffiness of her, and her reddened cheeks when she looked at him.
Nova sniffed, "We should start packing, Basil. The Orientation will be here before we know it."
"Yeah, I know." He rested his head on his paws. Having no thumbs resulted in his lack of being able to help with most things, most of which would be packing. Nova wasn't that fond of wolf drool, or holes punctured into her clothing from his multitude of teeth. Nova didn't bother asking him to help, either. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts as much as he was. This will be a disaster.
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