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Post by Cajun June on Jun 30, 2011 18:55:49 GMT -7
Keeper had called this meeting and as always their eccentric leader would be the last to arrive. Cajun was always early for everything he did, he hated to be late. He would be followed by Olivia who liked to be earlier as well and then by Rich. Rich would be followed by Karen and the last to arrive would be Keeper.
Cajun already knew what this meeting was going to be about, but Keeper had always seemed to get a little more "proactive" the closer to the full moon it got. Cajun passed it off as coincidence, after all even he felt a little bit more wired when the full moon was approaching. Something about a magnetic pull, who the hell cared anyway?
Their meeting room was one of the spare rooms in the church that no one used, with their meetings held on Mondays it usually meant that the church would be quiet and they wouldn't be disturbed. Keeper and Steve seemed to be pretty close friends which nobody in their little circle seemed to mind - being close to a guy like Steve Newlin meant you had a lot of fire power at your disposal, you just needed the guts to actually use it.
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Post by Rich Calburn on Jun 30, 2011 20:11:22 GMT -7
It wasn't often that Rich broke the mold, but hell, today was a special day.
Usually their little group- the golden ones, as he jokingly referred to them- were pretty stuck in their ways. Every move was predictable, down to who would arrive when, which doughnuts would be missing out of the multi-flavored box at the end of the meeting, and even which day of the week their "sporadic" pickets would be on.
But times were changing.
Keeper had seemed to have something brewing in his brain, and judging by the amount of meetings he had been having with Steve lately, it was something big. Rich was just hoping that when the time came, he'd get his own chance to shine.
"Morning." He said to Cajun, giving the other guy a slight nod. He placed his coffee cup down at his usual spot, then, with a slight smirk, moved it a chair over. He supposed that if he really wanted to incite a riot, he'd steal Karen's seat, but he wasn't quite caffienated enough to deal with her brand of bitchiness yet.
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Post by Karen Enix on Jun 30, 2011 21:45:37 GMT -7
"Hello boys!"
Karen was a little too enthusiastic to be at the meeting this morning, but she always seemed a bit over the top when it came to being in the same room as Rich. She had always gone through life thinking she was god's gift to men, and it constantly blogged her mind as to why Rich hadn't asked her out yet. She dropped all the hints, always wore the low-cut shirts around him and the high heels paired with the short skirts and it always worked with the other guys. Just not the one she wanted, and that made her want to try even harder.
She noticed that Rich wasn't in his usual seat, which left her with two choices. Rich usually sat on Keeper's right and she usually sat beside Rich but Cajun had taken the seat beside Rich instead which put Richard between Cajun and Keeper. Now this wouldn't do and with her sweetest voice she batted her pretty eyelashes and walked over to Cajun to lean over his shoulder..
"Cajun, can I have your seat? Pleeasssee? Trade with me?"
Cajun didn't even look at her and only replied with two simple words. "Fuck off."
"You are such an asshole!"
In a huff she sat down in the next empty seat, fingering the rim of her coffee cup as she took her own moment to pout. She just didn't understand it, but it wasn't like it mattered - she always got what she wanted and who she wanted. Rich would fall for her, all it would take is a little more effort on her part and she was more than willing to play the game.
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Post by Keeper Clark on Jun 30, 2011 22:26:35 GMT -7
Keeper was actually on time for once, a rare occasion but he always seemed to get excited whenever the full moon was fast approaching. His loyal teammates were waiting for him in the meeting room - all except one which had seemed unusual indeed.
The atmosphere among the group seemed different already, and it didn't take long for Keeper to pick up on the fact that Karen was pouting. It had happened so bloody often, especially when Richard was involved. Bloody women, but Keeper prided himself on being able to charm every single person in the room as he took his usual seat beside Richard.
"My Karen, you look absolutely ravishing today."
Karen of course beamed at the compliment, suddenly not feeling the need to pout anymore - Keeper knew just one compliment for the self centered girl went a long way. He turned his attention to Richard who seemed to of barely got his early morning coffee in.
"Read your article the other day, you left those vampire sympathizers fucking speechless. It was damn brilliant."
Now that, Keeper had actually been sincere about - Steve had made a bloody scrapbook out of most of Richard's articles. Leaning forward he made eye contact with Cajun, Cajun's own job had been all about woman and his night time job of being a risque male escort. "Still keeping up with the latest clientele?"
Cajun took in a deep breath, adjusting his shirt as he took a drink of his own coffee and shrugged. "The older they get, the more money they pay and the more like leather they begin to taste. I need new clientale before I start forgetting what young flesh tastes like"
Keeper chuckled at that and eased away from the table before cupping his hands behind his head.
"Well, I would like to start but it seems we are missing a little lamb. So tell me, which one of you wolves stuck the pebble under the princess's pillow this morning?"
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Post by Rich Calburn on Jun 30, 2011 23:26:52 GMT -7
"Hello boys!"
Rich looked up, but not at Karen- he was looking at Cajun. It was as if, by staring at him long enough, he could wish Karen on the other guy. It wasn't that Rich didn't like attention- hell, he wallowed in it- but he didn't want attention from her. He supposed she was pretty enough, but there was no real fun in women who didn't provide a chase.
That was also why he never tried to hit on Livy. There was no thrill in chasing sheep.
"Cajun, can I have your seat? Pleeasssee? Trade with me?"
"Fuck off."
"You are such an asshole!"
Okay, maybe staring wasn't going to be enough. But there was still Keeper. And speak of the devil... Rich had to admit, he was a bit surprised that it was him and not Livy that walked in. The fact that the normal routine had been broken even more made him sit up straight, like a birddog scenting prey. His eyes stayed riveted on Keeper the entire time he talked to Karen, not even really hearing the words until it was his turn.
"Read your article the other day, you left those vampire sympathizers fucking speechless. It was damn brilliant."
"Thank you." Rich said humbly. Normally he would take every oppurtunity to laud his accomplishments, but that wasn't important right now. Change was afoot.
"Well, I would like to start but it seems we are missing a little lamb. So tell me, which one of you wolves stuck the pebble under the princess's pillow this morning?"
"I think the honor was mine." He responded, stretching lazily. "Should I go look for Livy in the file room? It wouldn't be the first time she got lost."
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Post by Olivia Gunn on Jun 30, 2011 23:34:29 GMT -7
"Should I go look for Livy in the file room? It wouldn't be the first time she got lost."
It was like he had spoke the magic words, because Livy wandered in right that moment, her usual dreamy expression on her face. In her hands was a box of doughnuts, per her usual duties during these meetings. She didn't seem to mind- she liked feeling like she had a purpose in life, even if it was to bring doughnuts to people who really could care less about her.
"Morning." She slid the box of doughnuts across the table, blinking when the box sent Cajun's coffee spilling onto the table. "Oh... I'm so sorry!" She moved around the table, the napkins that had come with the doughnuts in each hand as she proceeded to pat his pants in an attempt to dry them- oblivious to the amused snickers of Rich.
The truth was, Livy was a good person. Not a particularly bright one, but a good one. So what was she doing here, in a room with people who really wouldn't fret about murder? Well, she believed in their cause, though the true meaning behind it didn't quite compute for her. She had first seen Steve Newlin on the night of the great revelation, and she had been convinced she was hearing the voice of God. It was enough to make her sign over her entire bank account and part of her soul to him, anyway, and here she was.... bringing doughnuts and causing a problem.
"I'm so, so sorry, Cajun!" She replied again, her near-violet eyes wide in earnestness.
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Post by Cajun June on Jul 1, 2011 7:16:26 GMT -7
Not with a ten foot pole. That was Cajun's opinion on Karen and hell, he was damn glad Karen was all gaga eyes over Richard because that meant she would stay away from him. Karen was pretty enough, and maybe he would offer her a pity fuck with a bag over her head and tape over her mouth if someone paid him enough but that was as far as it went. No, what Cajun was looking for was a woman. A woman, preferably closer to around his age - give or take six or seven years, who was a little rough around the edges. A woman who intrigued him, had a little bit of a "bite" to her, essentially a woman he could unravel like an orange.
Not a blond haired spoiled bitch who thought she was god's gift to men just because some moron told her she had a pretty face.
When Keeper came in it was only natural that everyone's attention went to him. Every group needed a leader, a figurehead as it were. Keeper had a sort of charismatic way about him and a lot of what he said held conviction. Cajun hated vampires, but that is what happened when, at the age of six, your father gets turned and ends up killing your mother right in front of you as you hide terrified under a bed. Cajun still had nightmares.
"Morning."
Cajun glanced at Olivia, once, and returned his attention back to Keeper. It wasn't the normal routine and the fact that Olivia was late seemed to give Cajun an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Oh wait - that was a burning feeling in his lap.
"Ouch! God Dammit! What the fuck Liv??!!"
It was even worse that Olivia was absent-mindedly padding his crotch with spare donut napkins. Cajun jumped up to his feet, pushing her away a little too forcefully than he should of to clean the mess himself.
"You stupid girl! Would you watch what the fuck you are doing next time?!"
And this was the side of Cajun he had been pretty good at hiding - under most circumstances. Karen was amused, she actually seemed to like watching the bordering-on-emotional-and-physical-abuse because it wasn't directed at her. Keeper at this point had folded his hands on his stomach as he kept quiet for a moment. He actually admired that fire and raw emotion that came from Cajun - it always came in handy when you had someone like him on your side.
And Cajun wasn't even a werewolf.
"I'm so, so sorry, Cajun!"
"Yeah well, sorry isn't going to change the fact that I have to sit here in damp pants for the whole meeting is it? I swear sometimes you have rocks in your head where your fucking brain should be."
It was as dry as he was going to get them, tossing the dirty napkins in the garbage he took his seat abruptly. What a bloody way to start the morning.
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Post by Olivia Gunn on Jul 1, 2011 8:32:06 GMT -7
It was always hard to tell just what Livy grasped and what she didn't. Olivia seemed to have this complete and utter "sheep" facade to her- no real expression other than wide-eyed wonder, that she turned on everyone in return. Rich had always joked that underneath her golden hair was the brain of a rocket scientist, God had just forgot to attach it to the rest of her.
To say that she didn't seem to even notice that she was late, or that her seat was taken by Rich, wouldn't exactly be true. Livy noticed the others' constant jockeying for power, but she didn't want to be a part of it. She wanted to serve God, which meant serving Steve Newlin. Whatever he said was law. It was her enthusiasm that had got her placed in the group, not because she was particularly good at anything.
Except getting doughnuts.
"Ouch! God Dammit! What the fuck Liv??!!"
"I'm sorry!" She protested again. Rich made a noise that sounded suspiciously like "baa." She sat back sharply on her heels when Cajun bolted up, her hands still frozen in front of her. She hadn't meant to knock the cup over, surely he could see that? She wasn't Karen- she never tried to be mean and nasty.
Not that it mattered.
"You stupid girl! Would you watch what the fuck you are doing next time?!"
Livy hung her head, her expression somewhere between tears and complete surprise. It wasn't often that she got the brunt of Cajun's anger, but it was clearly something she would make sure not to do again. Ever. "Yes." She said miserably. "I'll be more careful."
"Yeah well, sorry isn't going to change the fact that I have to sit here in damp pants for the whole meeting is it? I swear sometimes you have rocks in your head where your fucking brain should be."
He wouldn't be the first to say it- hell, Rich had said it more poetically at least a dozen times, but the words still stung like hell. "Sorry Cajun." She said again, rising slowly to her feet. She didn't look at anyone as she walked past Rich and took the empty seat next to Karen, examining the faux wood grain of the table.
What a fine way to start a morning.
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Post by Keeper Clark on Jul 1, 2011 11:06:23 GMT -7
"Right. So now that everyone is here we can get to business"
Keeper had waited until both Cajun and Olivia were back in their seats, the group having settled down even if Cajun was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"The meeting won't be long, but there are a few things we need to discuss. Everyone knows we got a lucky break when the vampire brutally murdered the reporter on screen and the vampires showed their true nature to the world. Too many years have gone by that people have been glamorizing vampires into harmless American citizens. The invention of True Blood is a pathetic joke. A false security that has made some people think vampires are harmless fluffy little creatures of the night who are just like us. And articles like this don't help"
As Keeper said "this" he had reached under his jacket and tossed the paper on the table. It was already folded to show the main columnist page by an anonymous writer named Soup. The heading said it all "As Different As You And I, The Unfair Judgement Faced By The Modern Vampire Today".
"Steve and I have been tracking the news feeds and the trending topics, that right there is causing more controversy than Richard's article last week. More sympathizers are coming out of the woodwork and that is what brings up my assignment for the men. Richard, you work at the gazette so surely you must know somebody you can recruit? Someone who has some say in the final print perhaps so that this sympathetic vampire activist bitch doesn't get a final draft? If it comes down to it, we find out who this writer is and we find another way.
Everyone in that group, with maybe the exception of Olivia, knew exactly what that had meant.
"And Cajun maybe you can find someone who is involved in law enforcement or education? Somebody who has influence, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, over others. I expect to see at least two new faces here by the months end. Steve still has the picketers placed at Fangtasia which has already served its purpose for disencouraging some fangbangers from entering. However a little undercover work wouldn't hurt either and I've decided that Karen will be the best person for that job."
"Me? Why me?"
"Because, peaches, you are fang banger bait. They are just as guilty as the vampires who keep them as pets. Find out where they live, where they work, what kind of double lives they lead. They will realize that supporting vampires just isn't worth it when they start losing their jobs and their families are forced to starve on the streets and our church will grow. Steve has already planned a free house for ex-vampire worshipers to come when they have no where else to go. So is that clear for everyone? Does everyone know and understand their roles?"
Keeper looked at each one of them in turn, almost forgetting about Olivia.
"Oh, and you Olivia, Steve would like to see that you personally are there to help the ex fang bangers see the grace and glory of our church. You think you are up for that?"
Even Keeper knew, the best person for that job was definitely Ms. Olivia Gunn.
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Post by Rich Calburn on Jul 2, 2011 7:59:53 GMT -7
Rich had steepled his fingers, watching the exchange between Olivia and Cajun. He highly doubted he would have found it nearly as funny if it had been his own crotch that got toasted, but he was never one to focus on “what might have been.” Rich was definitely one for getting results, hard and cold.
”…And articles like this don't help.”
Rich didn’t even have to look to know what Keeper had tossed onto the table. “Soup,” (what the fuck kind of name was that, anyway?) had been a thorn in Rich’s side since vampires had come out of the coffin. Every single move forward he made, he- or she, it was possible- came along and pushed him backwards. It drove Rich nuts, to say the least, and the longer it went on, the more he called for Soup’s blood. Apparently Keeper was just now getting the memo.
While the others leaned forward to see what the paper said, Rich leaned back in his seat and stared straight ahead. He wanted to be the one to get rid of Soup. He wanted to oust the little rat.
"Steve and I have been tracking the news feeds and the trending topics, that right there is causing more controversy than Richard's article last week.
Rich grit his teeth.
Richard, you work at the gazette so surely you must know somebody you can recruit? Someone who has some say in the final print perhaps so that this sympathetic vampire activist bitch doesn't get a final draft? If it comes down to it, we find out who this writer is and we find another way.
Rich blinked, shifting in his chair. “I’ll work on it.” He actually had someone in mind, someone he was fairly certain he could win over… Even as tempting as the second option.
Keeper next turned his attention to Karen, and then to Cajun and Livy, but Rich was no longer listening. It looked like he was in for a bit of a drive back to work today, even though it was his day off. No worries. He had a plan.
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Post by Olivia Gunn on Jul 2, 2011 8:04:19 GMT -7
Olivia hadn’t been paying attention. She was still sulking, her chin resting on her upturned palms, while around her the attention was all on keeper as he gave out jobs. She really hadn’t meant to hurt Cajun, truly, so he didn’t have to be so mean to her. Still, Jesus wanted her to forgive, right? Steve said he did, so it must be so.
It took her a minute to realize that all eyes were on her, and she straightened in her chair, blinking.
Oh, and you Olivia, Steve would like to see that you personally are there to help the ex fang bangers see the grace and glory of our church. You think you are up for that?"
Steve wanted her to? The girl broke into a brilliant grin that lit up her pretty face. Already God was rewarding her for her forgiveness of Cajun! Steve had given her a special mission, all to herself! “Of course! Thank you!”
Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.
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Post by Cajun June on Jul 2, 2011 9:19:54 GMT -7
Cajun had reached for the article first, his anger getting more and more apparent the further on down that he read. Whoever this "Soup" was he wouldn't hesitate to slit their fucking throat if he ever found out who they were. How could they honestly act so blatantly bullheaded - obviously this sympathizer hadn't the faintest idea what vampires were really like. But Cajun did. Cajun knew all too well and he was about to tear the article to shreds but Karen had snatched it from him before he had the chance.
"And Cajun maybe you can find someone who is involved in law enforcement or education? Somebody who has influence, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, over others. I expect to see at least two new faces here by the months end."
It was the only part of the conversation he heard, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms as he thought about where to go start scouting for a recruit. Law enforcement or education hmm? His mind drifted to how nice it would be to meet a pretty teacher who was single and insecure about herself in some sort of way. No, even better, someone who wasn't a teacher yet but just fresh out of grad school. He did well with insecure woman, and in his experience 99% of women were insecure about something in their lives. Make that 99.9%, women for Cajun were easy to read.
"Gonna recruit from your little brothel of wrinkly old ladies Cajun?"
"Didn't know you were looking for an invitation"
Karen's face went sour, Cajun's retort had been so quick she was left speechless. She turned toward Keeper, waiting to see if he would be ending the meeting soon so that she could get started on her assignment. From the look of things, Cajun was itching to get started as well.
"This meeting is adjured. I will see everyone next week"
Keeper was the first to get up and make his exit, followed by Cajun who had stopped to address Rich.
"I assume you already have a mark in mind? I am thinking about heading to the LSU's offshoot education campus. Find myself a pretty little bird, if you know what I mean"
If he had to be honest with himself, Richard and him were... business acquaintances. Once and awhile they would get together and have a beer but that was usually as far as it went. Richard was the only person beside Keeper, dare he say it, that he would trust to be alone with in a dark alley so to speak.
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Post by Rich Calburn on Jul 3, 2011 8:46:15 GMT -7
When Keeper dismissed them, Rich got to his feet and tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash can, his mind already on his own particular mission. He was on his way out when Cajun said his name, and he turned to face the other guy. Rich liked Cajun well enough- they weren't best friends, and never would be, but they had the same cause and were known to be slightly competitive.
"I assume you already have a mark in mind? I am thinking about heading to the LSU's offshoot education campus. Find myself a pretty little bird, if you know what I mean"
"Something like that." Rich said slowly, sticking his hands in his pockets. He pulled out the keys to his Jeep. "I suppose that would be a good place to look for one- as good as any, anyway." He had already determined that he was going to be more successful than Cajun this time around. It was something about Rich's manly obsession with one-upping everyone around him, proving his worth.
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Post by Cajun June on Jul 3, 2011 10:07:02 GMT -7
"Something like that. I suppose that would be a good place to look for one- as good as any, anyway." Damn. Richard was a stubborn one, but Cajun knew all too well that Richard was just as competitive as he was.
"Really Rich, not even a little hint? Afraid you will come out second best-" Cajun wore a smug look as he added - "Again?"
It wasn't any secret that both Richard and Cajun had different approaches on how they handle such situations. The goal however was always similar and Cajun had assumed that was why Keeper put so much stock in them both. They both knew how to get the job done, and a little "friendly" competition never hurt. A grin came on Cajun's lips when he gave Richard a pat on the back before heading past him.
"Look at this way old friend, if you completely fail this assignment you will always have Karen's shoulder to cry on" The snicker from his lips continued, all the way out the front door.
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Post by Rich Calburn on Jul 3, 2011 20:01:46 GMT -7
"Really Rich, not even a little hint? Afraid you will come out second best. Again?"
Rich smiled- he knew that Cajun was trying to goad answers out of him, but he also knew that the way to win was to keep his mouth shut. “No, of course not.” He said with a smile. “Are you afraid you’ll lose if you don’t have the slightest idea what I’m doing?”
Two could play at this game. Cajun might have won before, but Rich was determined to win this round… even if he had to play a little dirty. Or rather, dirtier.
Rich made a face as Cajun patted him on the back and said, "Look at this way old friend, if you completely fail this assignment you will always have Karen's shoulder to cry on"
“I would rather be a fangbanger, friend.
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