Public Relations [Closed] - Printable Version
+- alonimi (https://alonimi.net)
+-- Forum: Contemporary (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=71)
+--- Forum: Miscellaneous (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=87)
+--- Thread: Public Relations [Closed] (/showthread.php?tid=696)
+- alonimi (https://alonimi.net)
+-- Forum: Contemporary (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=71)
+--- Forum: Miscellaneous (https://alonimi.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=87)
+--- Thread: Public Relations [Closed] (/showthread.php?tid=696)
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 06-17-2017
Renton stared down his nose at the hands that fiddled with his accessory. One corner of his mouth tightened up with his disappointment to not be intimately involved with the machinations against the casino. He nodded his acquiescence but only because she had touched him that way. “Okay.” His agreement was clearly reluctant but part of him was relieved that the Brigadier General and this P.R. Agent would team up to help him.
Gingerly he reached for the biscotti cookie she held. His fingers removed it from her hand and he merely nibbled at the treat for just a taste before he handed it back.
“Thank you, Julianna.” He pulled her into a quick one-armed embrace. “Can we have lunch together?” His baby blues brightened at the prospect of a lunch date with her. “You can have your meeting with Owen first and then you can tell me everything at lunch.” That was his plan so he smiled and then backed away from her. “See you later.” He waved and disappeared into the crowd of agents. Renton pulled one of his disappearing acts on her just for dramatic effect. He blended seamlessly into a group of auxiliary workers in business casual dress.
He hoped she was impressed with his little trick.
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 06-21-2017
She could tell Renton was disappointed, but she allowed it to settle between them. Even if she’d not agreed with Owen’s decision, she wouldn’t have disobeyed the general’s instructions when she was requesting his help. She let him have her cookie, and of course agreed to have lunch with him. She couldn’t resist the light in his eyes when he asked to see her again. She smiled and shook her head as he showed off, before she left the cafe herself. She called Owen’s assistant, Lilian, and set up a meeting through her. Just as he’d said she would, she cleared his schedule for Julianna to meet him just before she would be meeting Renton for lunch.
Julianna was knocking on Owen’s door a few minutes before her scheduled time. Upon vocal confirmation, she pushed open the door just enough to slip inside and closed it quietly behind her. “Brigadier General,” she greeted him with his title. The amount of times she had done that could likely be counted on one hand. She crossed the room towards his desk, stopping just behind the empty chairs arranged in front of it. Her skirt swirled around her knees as she walked, and as she moved closer to him it was clearer to see that she was smiling.
A first time for everything.
Her tail swayed lazily as she spoke. “I want to thank you for seeing me considering this issue with Agent Bell.” Pulling her tablet and her clutch from beneath her arm she held them in one hand as she sidled around the chairs to perch herself on the edge of one. “It appears to me that we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I realize the way I got about business can sometimes be defensive. Perhaps, this is an opportunity for us to try again? As I humbly revisit your offers to assist me with Renton.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 06-23-2017
Owen was the perfect image of stately officer in his crisp, black uniform behind his desk. Grey eyes swept over her from shapely tanned legs to green eyes as she approached his desk. He couldn’t help but picture the way she and Renton had looked together that morning. A perfect pair. His stomach turned a nervous flip in response to the bit of jealousy he felt when the image was conjured in his mind.
Owen was silent while she arranged herself and made her introduction. He didn’t bother to police his gaze and openly watched her hands smoothing the skirt beneath her as she sat.
He waved his hand that it was nothing to him to have entertained the meeting. “Please.” He said with a businessy kind of geniality he had never yet displayed with her. It was the charm he could turn on and off at will. A skill that had, no doubt, helped with his rise in rank. “Call me Owen.”
He nodded his head graciously in response to the courteous way she set about clearing the waters between them. “Of course. I think you and I both know that I didn’t offer out of any sense of duty but rather because I was being obnoxious.” He pulled out a manila file and thumbed through it before setting it onto the desk for her. It was a slim file containing some pertinent information about Renton’s history and employment that he had gathered himself.
“But I am, however, genuinely concerned about Renton’s integration here. And I do not take kindly to any of our members being assaulted when they go about the community. So anyways -" He waved his hand as if he was waving away any of their previous antagonism. "What happened last night? Is he okay? He seemed a little...shaken. ”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 06-23-2017
Genuinely concerned, indeed. Julianna suppressed the knowing look she felt forming on her features. Owen must have known what those earlier behaviors had revealed to her, she didn’t feel the need to rub those hidden feelings in his face. The PR agent was caught with the sudden realization that maybe he didn’t know. That maybe the general was just harboring all these feelings and he didn’t understand them and that’s why he acted towards Renton the way he did. She blinked at him, ears twitching to the sound of his voice as she was momentarily lost in her own thoughts. Julianna continued to smile as they mutually agreed to dissipate the tension that had settled between them.
“Yes, he is,” she agreed with a curt nod of her head, at Owen’s observation. “From what I understand, Renton was a patron at the Deltin Royale Casino downtown last night. A slot machine had a technical error and he attempted to fix it. The casino, however, accused him of trying to manipulate the machine to force a large payout. The establishment’s private security detained and assaulted Renton, until he was collected by the sheriff’s department. The stories are...conflicting.” Julianna accessed her tablet and opened the file she had started on the case. She set the device on the desk and pushed it towards Owen and exchanged it for the folder he’d displayed for her.
“Casino security maintains that Renton put up a fight, but his injuries are more conducive of a beating than a brawl. I’m still waiting on the statement from the Sheriff.” Julianna paused, flipping through the papers, stopping to read something before she continued. “If the Casino decides to press charges, the resulting fallout will be difficult to manage. Most prosecutors will consider the case closed given Renton’s record. I, or rather, we have to stop that from happening.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 06-25-2017
Owen’s index fingers pressed together into a pensive steeple that he rested over his lips. His thumbs were hooked under his chin and he frowned while listening to Julianna’s account of the story. A part of him immediately suspected Renton, but his perspective shifted as he considered the fact that he knew Renton wouldn’t be so foolish as to have brazenly tried to manipulate a slot machine in a well-monitored casino. No, not even he would have attempted something so stupid.But still, it had been very stupid to tamper with it at all. Why couldn’t Renton just leave things alone?
Owen tsked disapprovingly as he moved from his statuesque posture to accept the tablet she was offering up to him. His eyes tracked horizontally as he sped read the notes she had compiled so far on the case.
“Here’s what I can do.” He put down the tablet still glowing with the screen active. He scooted his chair over and bent down to pull open one of his desk drawers. Owen set a rolodex next to the tablet and flipped through it. His collection of business cards looked anachronistic next to the glowing tablet. Owen spoke while he worked through. “The CAF has broad jurisdictional authority to collect intelligence from law enforcement agencies or private entities and run investigations so long as we can prove it pertains to our mission statement.” He rolled his eyes. The mission statement was excessively vague and could be interpreted to mean just about whatever the CAF wanted at the moment.
He pulled out a business card and pushed it towards her. The contact information for a district judge in their circuit. “I can authorize the collection of security footage from the casino. We can send a forensic specialist to the scene, as well to look for ‘evidence.’ He used dramatic air quotes for that word. “I’m not expecting to find anything conclusive. It's just for show. Intimidation tactics. At the same time maybe you might want to make a call to the casino owner and kindly ask that they put the business with their slot machine behind them. CAF agents sniffing around the casino isn’t good for business and makes everyone down there nervous. So perhaps they'd be inclined to acquiesce to your request?”
He leaned back into his chair pleased in feeling he could be useful to Renton's newest drama. “That-” he pointed to the business card. “Is the contact information for Judge Pernice. You can keep that if you need it. He’s a family friend. Back in the day he was my father’s attorney before he became a judge. So if the casino ends up pressing charges we can ask him to pull some favors with the district attorney, who, I understand is a complete prick.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 06-27-2017
There was a subtle twitch to her ears that matched the timing of business cards falling into one another as he flipped through the Rolodex. She nodded her understanding when he mentioned the CAF mission statement. Having finally finished reading all of her employee handbooks, she had a fairly good idea of what exactly that meant. Leaning forward, she picked up the card he pushed in her direction, and quickly red the information upon it as he continued to lay out an efficient plan of attack for the situation. “I’ve dealt with the owner of this casino before,” she explained, letting her hand and the card fall into her lap. “Bimala Sonali. She’s tough, but she’s not stupid. She definitely won’t like the CAF coming around her business.” Julianna had dealt with many clients in the past who were frequent patrons of the casino. It was expected, she wouldn’t have a job without celebrities who were addicted to anything and everything the could get their hands on. Drugs, sex, gambling. This experience was also how she had come to find that the Deltin Royale Casino was a front business for the local wereleopard pard. Not all of the money coming in and out of that place was from slot machines and Blackjack tables. Mostly, the ill-gotten spoils of a trafficking ring.
Julianna kept this information to herself, for now. She was content to follow Owen’s plan of attack until it possibly fell apart. Bimala didn’t yet know who she was dealing with. Julianna and the CAF. She’d succumb to one of them, if it meant keeping her little secrets deep underground where they belonged.
She glanced down at the business card in her hand again when he pointed it out. Her ears pricked at the mention of the the now-judge, being his father’s attorney. Her tail swayed curiously where it hung over the end of the seat. Julianna was curious, but she didn’t follow that particular line of questioning. She would look it up on her own instead of risking her newly cleaned slate with the brigadier general. She considered that he wouldn’t be happy to find out that she had been snooping either.
Guess, she wouldn’t get caught then.
“Thank you, Owen,” she had almost called him general, but decided to test out the name she’d been allocated instead. It was a nice name. She liked it. She smiled brightly at it. “I’m sure Renton will be just giddy to hear that you’re helping with this.” She laughed softly, and pushed her hair over her shoulder. She surveyed the man across from her with quick and subtle shifts of her eyes. Julianna thought back on the way Owen had touched Renton’s face with such gentleness and concern.
“Renton’s injuries all appear to be superficial,” she explained to him. She thought he might like to know, giving his secret affection for the other man. “There is...a lot of bruising on the face, ribs and torso, but nothing was broken. He declined medical treatment at the jail, and with me when I picked him up. He was...uh…” she paused, trying to find a better word than the one that immediately came to mind, but fell short. “Scared? When I retrieved him. I took him home with me so I could monitor his injuries.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 06-28-2017
Owen’s eyebrow lifted inquisitively as Julianna accurately named the owner of the casino. The corner of his mouth curled up pleased that she knew her stuff. He wasn’t necessarily surprised because he had pegged her as competent despite his earlier suggestions that she would need his help to manage Renton. “Very good.”
His face went blank when she suggested that Renton would be pleased to hear of his involvement and assistance. The idea that his secret crush on the techie had been too readily revealed made his stomach turn a nervous flip. The previous ease by which they had conducted the conversation dissipated and tension gathered in his shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean by that.” He responded stiffly before occupying himself deliberately with putting away the Rolodex even though that wasn’t important. "Agent Bell enjoys attention from anyone who will give it to him."
Owen did very much want to know about the extent of Renton’s injuries and how he was handling it. But he didn’t want to seem over curious. So he occupied himself again with the preliminary report she had prepared on the tablet. A sharp gaze flicked to her when she informed him that Renton had gone home with her. He was immediately suspicious of their closeness.
“Thank you for the information.” He passed the tablet back to her and pushed himself up to stand. The leather groaned as it was relieved of the weight of him. “I’ll have him signed up for personal defense and combat training modules since he seems keen on getting himself in trouble.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 06-30-2017
Julianna hummed low in her throat and cocked her head, a clear sign that she disagreed with him. She advertised this with her body language before following it up vocally. “I think we both know he favors your attention.” She glanced up at him from beneath her lashes. The blank expression he wore wasn’t the mask he thought it was. Julianna could also tell that she was pushing the issue too far; he was all tense, but she persisted. She even noticed the sharpness of his glance when she mentioned their little sleep over. Her ears pinned backwards briefly, sweeping against her hair before popping upright again. For a moment she appeared concerned. “I can...certainly suggest that he attend these modules, but as a non-combatant they can not be made mandatory.” Julianna laughed, a quick chirrup of a noise as if she had just thought of something. “But of course, if you’d like him to attend you could offer to train him personally.” Standing when he stood, she took the tablet back from him with murmured thanks. She clicked it off and tucked it back under her arm along with her clutch and the file he had lent her.
They walked together towards the door, her tail swayed in time with the movements of her colorful skirt. When the reached the barrier, Julianna hesitated. “Would…” she began to speak, but stopped, turning to look at him as she did so. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 07-11-2017
Owen could feel a heat rising from the pit of his stomach when she emphasized that Renton favored him and followed-up with the suggestion that they might enjoy one-on-one personal combat training sessions. He was thankful for the partial coverage provided by the high collar to his uniform, because Owen could feel that his neck was bright red. Perhaps she wouldn’t notice. He cleared his throat and tugged agitatedly at the sleeve of his uniform. “Well, if my schedule allows it, I could certainly work with Renton on defense. If he is uncomfortable with such classes perhaps you should attend as well. Since you two are so ... close. Besides, if you’re going to tango with the kinds of people Renton gets himself tangled with some knowledge of personal defense would benefit you.”
There. He thought that would solve any notions that he wanted to be alone with Renton and have the opportunity to put his hands on the other man and throw him around a bit. Ridiculous. Certainly not. Not Renton. Owen was a professional. An officer. Julianna could play chaperone and benefit from the courses as well.
“As for lunch,” he stepped forward to pull open his office door for her. The perfect image of gentleman. “I have to decline. I am taking a working lunch today. Thank you for the kind offer.” His face was a mask as he lied about his lunch engagement. He, in fact, was not too busy to have lunch with them.
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 07-11-2017
Julianna noticed, but she pretended not to. Mostly for her sake, because she knew she had pushed the general to the very edge of the subtle teasing that he was going to politely tolerate from her. It was that tug to his sleeve that gave him away. It was a superfluous gesture. A fidget. How uncharacteristic. A silver furred ear fell off the side of her head as he suggested that she join Renton in the classes he had in mind. The other fell off the other side as he not so casually mentioned their closeness until both ears were a flat plane. She opened her mouth, looking as if she might protest, she should protest, because she knew what he was doing. And that was trying to prove a point. Her ears swiveled towards him. “I will talk to Renton,” was all she said. Not specifically agreeing or disagreeing to his suggestion.
When he declined her invitation, she only shrugged her shoulders. A brief lift that was paired with a slightly remorseful expression. “Another time then,” she suggested airily, moving through the opening that he had made for her. “Thank you for meeting with me. Have a nice day, Owen.” She smiled at him, before turning on her heel and exiting towards the elevators. She pulled out her phone as she walked, opening up a new thread of text messages she addressed to Renton.
>Where would you like to go for lunch?
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 07-12-2017
“Another time.” Owen agreed before he closed the door on her. He rounded back to his desk and took out the Rolodex again. Thumbing through the cards he had collected over the years, Owen found a new one. The business card given to him by one Miss Julianna Maxilion. PR Agent. He humphed in frustration at the name printed on the delicate little card before he leaned back in his chair. In his mind he saw Julianna and Renton standing together in the cafe line. Matching and looking confidential with one another. Why did it make him jealous? And yet, at the same time, he was comforted to know Julianna was looking after Renton, too.
Owen took out his cellphone and programmed Julianna’s phone number into it followed by a daisy emoji. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what had prompted him to do that stupid thing. But he also changed Renton’s contact information to have a matching daisy emoji after it.
It was an uncharacteristically busy day for Renton, which was good and bad. It distracted him from worrying over his recent addition to his troubles. But he found the workload difficult to keep up with as well given that he was still tired and that his mind kept drifting to his assault. He hadn’t realized how late it was until he received a text from Julianna reminding him of the approaching lunch hour.
>Let’s stay on campus today. I’m sooo busy.
>wanna meet up outside the canteen?
The canteen as Renton decided to call it was simply a cafeteria for CAF employees.
>hehehe do you like my military lingo?
>btw, how did it go with general grumpy pants? my ears were burning all morning :/
>was he nice to you?
>is the CAF sending me back to prison?
>does he get to decide that?
>wouldn't that be like a darcy thing?
>should I go bat my lashes at him?
>both just to be safe
>lol jk
As questions came to mind, Renton kept shooting them to her regardless if she was in the process of sending a reply.
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 07-13-2017
Her phone was buzzing enthusiastically in her hand as Renton sent a wave of texts in the same manner. Every time she went to reply to one statement another popped up in the message thread as he continued to broadcast his thoughts in real time. As she rode the elevator down to the floor that housed the tech wing, she settled with the response of:>You’re not going to prison.
And would explain the rest to him when the met up. She navigated the floor until she found the row of desks that belonged to the intelligence analysts, and continued onward until she stopped at Renton’s workstation specifically. Admittedly, she was surprised to find him there, still working. It would have been easier to just confirm that he was where he was supposed to be while they were texting, but she enjoyed the pleasant little shock of finding him where he belonged.
“I would perhaps hold off on trying to bat your lashes at him,” she suggested, playfully, rearranging her belongings in her arm. “I teased him a lot during our meeting. He might be a bit sensitive.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 07-19-2017
Renton had been so consumed with his work that he jumped when Julianna addressed him. He laughed lightly as he brushed off his brief surprise. Renton swiveled around in his chair to face Julianna. “Oh no.” He feigned worry. “What did you do to himmmm?” He dragged out that last consonant to sound cute as he swiveled around in his chair to get back to typing furiously into a black dialogue box on one of his screens.
“Sorry. Maybe we can go off the campus another time for lunch. They have me running penetration tests today for some reason and they want the results like yesterday.” He sighed exasperated with the current demand on him.
He finished typing and punched enter and locked his screen before swiveling back towards her. He slapped his thighs and rubbed his hands along them. “So. We ready?” He asked even though she was the one waiting on him.
“So you had a nice chat with him?” Renton asked as they left the tech wing. “Was he nice today?”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - megs - 07-23-2017
Silver ears twitched when he jumped. Not that she had been intending to surprise him, but there was something instinctively entertained by the way he whirled around to face her. Julianna only shrugged her shoulders, brushing off his apologies to stay on base for lunch. They both had work they needed to get done, and could do without the distraction of wandering off and losing their afternoon at a cute cafe. “I was gentle,” she said to defend herself. “He was being uncharacteristic this morning and I couldn’t just let him off the hook.” Julianna watched Renton work over his shoulder, though she had no idea what he was doing. Even his previous mention of penetration tests did nothing to clear it up for her. She waited patiently for him to reach a place to stop and when he turned to face her again she smiled down at him, tail swaying pleasantly behind her knees. She nodded eagerly at his preamble to leaving.
“I don’t know if nice is the word I would use,” she mused, walking close to Renton’s side. “Accommodating? Perhaps, that will work. Regardless, he was pleasant enough that we were able to come up with a plan to take care of this whole casino thing. He did mention that he wants you to participate in a few defense and combat modules. I told him I would mention it.”
RE: Public Relations [Closed] - saronym - 07-23-2017
As they walked, Renton hooked his arm through hers and almost leaned into her. He felt the desire to be close to her. Her bright personality and recent events left him feeling as if Julianna were a friend. They certainly felt friendly in the way they gossiped about the brigadier general. “Yeah he was acting kind of funny today. Wonder why.” Renton shrugged blissfully ignorant to the fact of Owen’s crush on him and how his visible injuries had jarred the grumpy general.
Renton frowned at the mention of combat classes. “Ehh.” The breathy vowels from the back of his throat signified that he wasn’t terribly interested. “Do I have to?” He whined at her like a child begging his mother to be let off the hook for something he didn’t want to do. Renton didn’t know the possibility that Owen might teach the courses himself. Or that Julianna might be in attendance. That would have certainly changed his outlook on the matter.
When they arrived at the employee cafeteria, Renton led Julianna to the salad bar. He felt like having something fresh and light on his stomach. He was feeling a bit jittery still from the previous evening and wasn’t keen on having heavy or hearty food on his stomach.
Renton filled a large bowl with a healthy helping of greens, vegetables, croutons, and his favorite vinaigrette dressing. He also bought a carbonated orange water and selected a table for them. The cafe was brightly lit that day thanks to natural sunlight filtering through the glass atrium. It gave the illusion of being outside even though they were in a massive building.