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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 20:59:34 GMT -5
"Yer not gonna embarrass anybody with yer acts tanight, are ya, Foxy?" Sid asked, leaning around his star performer to straighten his bowtie in the dressing-room mirror.
Alex rolled his eyes slightly and grinned. "Nah, Sid. You know me--no politics. Keepin' it light." He cuffed his employer's arm fondly. "I better go find Gracie. I've thought up some new jokes I want to go over with her."
"Yeah, okay." Sid followed Alex out of the room, and then their courses diverged. Alex went off to find wherever Grace was lurking backstage, and Sid stepped out front into the empty ballroom.
It was election night. A number of the wealthier supporters of James Marcus Cole, and some of his campaign staff, would soon be arriving at the Paragon Club for a private party--along with whatever guests they chose to invite.
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2007 22:03:30 GMT -5
Slipping past the first group of Cole supporters as they climbed out of taxis and limousines at the front curb, Daws ducked through the doors of the Paragon Club and took a look around the foyer as she pushed her fedora back.
She wasn't sure if her presence tonight would raise any comment from Tiernan's quarter -- but just in case, she had conjured up the paperwork to "prove" that she was tailing a philandering husband among the ranks of Cole's supporters. If Tiernan himself made good on his threat to appear, she wanted to be there.
Not as if you can do anything if he does show up, Ace. She shrugged off the thought and moved through into the main ballroom.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 22:11:49 GMT -5
Sid was in the foyer exactly on cue to shake hands, grinning and affable. "Evenin', folks. Glad ta have ya here tonight. How're ya doin'?..."
Catching sight of Daws, he grinned very faintly and winked.
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2007 22:21:18 GMT -5
Daws nodded faintly in response to the gesture and then moved off to find as unobtrusive a corner as possible from which to watch the night's proceedings.
Among the group of guests who were coming into the Paragon's foyer was a small man with thick glasses and prominent ears. He stepped forward with an overwhelmingly wide smile and seized Sid's hand.
"You must be Mister Rosenstein. Mickey Koopman, Mister Cole's campaign manager. Can't tell you just how much we appreciate the support."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 22:25:05 GMT -5
"Well, er..." Sid grinned feebly as he pumped Koopman's hand. "Thanks, but ya know, we got hired fer this party. We don't take sides on politics here. Your people just had the good taste ta get us before the other guys could."
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2007 22:30:43 GMT -5
Koopman nodded, still beaming. "Oh, of course, of course. Still, there are places where Mister Cole's supporters would not be welcome -- even as paying customers."
He finally released his grip on Sid's hand and made an expansive gesture. "Lovely place you have here. Thanks again."
With that, he surged on into the ballroom, making a beeline for the next person he intended to glad-hand.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 22:52:03 GMT -5
Sid shook his head in bemusement, and dutifully continued his own greetings of the visiting parade. Now that the VIPs had thinned out, a few visible mutants were tentatively putting in an appearance.
He shook hands with a brawny brown-skinned young man, whose tidy blue suit contrasted oddly with his cornrow braids. The campaign worker noticed Daws as he turned away, and with a grin, he approached her.
"Hey there... I remember you." He frowned. "Don't quite remember the name, but you came around to campaign headquarters a while back to interview me..."
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2007 22:55:19 GMT -5
Daws nodded in recognition and held out her hand. "Sure, I remember. Regina Dawson. You're . . . Rico, right?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 23:08:19 GMT -5
"Yeah, Rico Sandoval." The young mutant shook Daws' hand gregariously. "Some night, huh? Guess now we get to find out if all our work pays off. I thought I'd be watching the returns on TV at home, not a swanky place like this, but," he shrugged good-naturedly and grinned. "Somebody must've liked my face. I got given an invite."
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2007 23:13:24 GMT -5
Daws grinned in return. "I know what you mean. I managed to scrounge one up, myself. 'Course, all I'm really interested in is the returns." She shrugged good-naturedly. "Here's hoping for good news, there."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 23:31:24 GMT -5
"That goes double." Rico wandered with Daws into the main ballroom of the club. By the arrangement of the organizers, there was a huge screen above the stage on which a local television channel would be projected, allowing the guests to watch the election results. At the moment it was blank, and the house orchestra was blaring cheerfully on a Sousa composition as if it were the Fourth of July.
"This guy Rosenstein goes all out, don't he?" Rico mused. "You figure he's for Mister Cole, or just another norm out to make a buck?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 19, 2007 23:33:56 GMT -5
Daws shrugged. "Beats me. I figure he's turning an okay profit for himself, so maybe it's just business. Not like a place like this drums up a lot of mutant business day-to-day."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 19, 2007 23:50:43 GMT -5
"Yeah, I can imagine all the rich norms..." Rico grinned. "We got a few rich mutants here tonight, though. They don't come out in society much, but somehow they made good in business or inherited money or whatever--and tonight they're out to show Mister Cole their support."
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2007 0:01:46 GMT -5
Daws smiled. "Nice to see that not everyone who makes good forgets about helping out the rest of us."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2007 21:28:25 GMT -5
"There's one of 'em now," Rico remarked, nodding toward a short, plump man with a baby face and rather unnaturally large eyes.
"George Fillman, of Fillman's Jewelers. He's got the X-ray kinda vision thing going on, so he sees stuff like flaws in stones and the best places to cut 'em. He hasn't made any secret about it, but I guess not a lot of people know because you can't really tell by lookin' at him. He does plenty of business, anyway."
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2007 21:38:04 GMT -5
Daws nodded. "Yeah, a cli -- er, a contact of mine used to work for him. Not surprising that he gets a lotta business -- I saw some of his work."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2007 22:26:01 GMT -5
"So what's it like writing articles, being a mutant?" Rico asked innocently. "You get to write much of the way things are for us?"
Meanwhile, across the room, Henry Casselton noticed Daws. He had been invited as a business owner who quietly supported the Cole campaign. Now he was cornered by the political dronings of one of his duller peers, but he flashed Daws a quick smile when she looked his way.
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2007 22:33:28 GMT -5
"Ah . . ." Daws shrugged. "Not as much as I'd like to. There's a few indie papers out there that do cover that pretty well, though -- even if their reader base isn't all that broad. Not yet, anyhow."
She spread her hands. "Who knows -- maybe, if Cole gets into office, that'll be a sign that more people are starting to care about what it's like for us."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 20, 2007 22:53:55 GMT -5
"Here's hopin'," said Rico.
The immediate invasion of guests had petered out, and now Sid was making his way up onto the stage; glancing at his watch, fussing with a microphone. The orchestra's musical imitation of "Victory at Sea" on steroids died down at his signal, and he cleared his throat as the crowd began turning their attention to him.
"Evenin', folks! Glad ta have ya here. Who's feelin' good about a victory for Mister James Cole tanight?"
There was the requisite applause and cheering, and Sid nodded his head.
"That's great. Well, it's about twenty minutes 'til we start watchin' the returns at seven-thirty. So until then, I'm gonna turn over the stage ta the guy and gal ya really want to see--Foxy Malone and Grace Duval!"
Amidst more applause, he bowed and ducked offstage, to be replaced by his two vibrant stars. Alex and Grace pranced out onto the stage and launched into a "zoot suit" comic musical number.
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Post by skybright on Jun 20, 2007 22:59:27 GMT -5
Daws chuckled at the antics of her friends onstage and glanced at Rico. "Well, we're gonna have something to keep us busy for that twenty minutes, anyhow. I imagine it's gonna be a lot more tense for Mister Cole."
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