User:MatthiasRat/Convention Building
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[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]] story universe |
[[Setting::Paradise| ]]
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This story is a work in progress. |
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Works by MatthiasRat on Shifti |
This is the next story of Christopher's life in the Paradise setting, and the first set in 2003.
Convention Building
Spring.
The arrival of Spring in Blacksburg was occasioned by strong winds, overcast skies, and a steady warmth that nevertheless gave way suddenly to chill and thunderstorms. Flowers bloomed and brought brilliant pinks and violets to gardens. Green grass thrived, and the many farm animals living outside the town center contented themselves with the new growth.
The many students at Virginia Tech greeted Spring with renewed enthusiasm. The semester would be over in only another six weeks, and bounteous Summer waited. On the Drillfield students engaged in sports and games even when the winds rose and tried to carry them away. Some students even flocked to the library to study harder in preparation for the coming exams.
But for SOAP, the work of many months had brought them to Technicon, the local Science Fiction and Fantasy convention at which most of them were staff. They had organized a hotel, wrangled guests and dealers, prepared panels, and pulled hair out. But now they could enjoy the con.
At least that was the theory.
"If people would stop asking me ten questions at once I might be able to answer them!" Van said as he rifled through the boxes sitting behind the registration desk next to the stairs at the bottom floor of the Red Lion Inn. "No, I don't have the string. Talk to Trevor about that, he's Facilities. He's supposed to know where this stuff is. Yes, what do you need?"
Christopher, who sat nearby tried not to chuckle at his friend's exasperation. He was in far too good a mood to allow the craziness of the convention to get to him. Finally, after so many false starts and confusion, they would have a gathering of Changed.
Despite Patrick being in the know -- and Audrey a week later when Rob showed her -- they hadn't been able to visit the Bristol Changed, nor had their plans for a gathering around New Year's gone anywhere. But Technicon was an established event. All Christopher and Rob needed to do was invite every Changed living in Virginia and nearby East Coast states. The bear had even invited Carter, but the wolf couldn't get away.
And now he sat in registration with Van to make sure any of the Changed that did show up received the invitation to the special party Saturday night.
"I can't get you any chairs for the writing panel because all of my volunteers just walked off!" Van exclaimed in his level voice into the radio.
While Van dealt with the many crises multiplying by the minute, Christopher gently but quickly tapped his claws on the borrowed laptop to process the registrations. The line of people waiting turned to the left and back up the stairs to the main lobby. About one out of every three was preregistered which made things move slow. So far that afternoon, he hadn't seen any of the other Changed. After taking the latest attendee's money, he picked up his radio and called, "Brett, Patrick? Can one of you get over to Registration? We're swamped here and Van is taking care of everyone else's problems."
Van threw up his hands in frustration and shouted, "I don't need people here! I need people to start doing their damn jobs!"
Christopher smiled. Yeah, it was a typical Technicon.
"Here, plug this cable in the extension outlet." Rob watched the volunteer carry the cable toward the wrong side of the room. "No, the other one! Over there next to the special effects generator."
"The what?"
"The thing with the shiny buttons that looks like you would use it to blow up Alderaan!"
"Oh!"
The skunk shook his head and turned back to setting up the speakers. He smelled a familiar scent come from behind. He smiled as her fingers ran up through the fur on the back of his head. His tail twitched and he turned his head to one side. "Hello Audrey."
"I can almost feel it," she said as she drew her fingers back and forth. He brushed his tail across her side, but she didn't seem to feel that either. "Does it feel good?"
"Oh yeah!"
She smiled and giggled. "How many of you are coming?"
"Chris has the numbers. I've been making sure Technicon works!" After learning that CM had told Patrick about them, he'd made good on his long-standing desire to let Audrey know that he'd become a skunk. She'd taken the news surprisingly well. The only thing he hadn't mentioned was that CM had become female in addition to being a bear.
"I'm going back to Art Show. I'll see you later." She gave him one last scratch behind the ears and then went back the way she came.
His smiled vanished quickly. A moment later he glared at the volunteer and shouted. "No! That's not an extension outlet! Other side of the shiny buttons!"
By the time the first of the Changed arrived, Registration had finally sorted out its problems and was running as smoothly as things run at a convention. The line had been reduced to a few individuals standing in front of the registration desk. At the back of the group, rubbing his paws together, stood a chipmunk dressed in a medieval tunic and breeches. A plastic sword was slung across his back. Dark brown eyes fixed upon the bear, but Christopher made sure everyone else was taken care of first.
Christopher knew the chipmunk from his profile, but he couldn't admit that in front of Van. When the chipmunk moved in front of him he smiled and said, "Welcome to Technicon! Do you want to register for the weekend or just the day?"
The chipmunk grinned, scalloped ears twitching at every noise. "The weekend. I'm Kyle Paglioni. I'm coming here to Tech next year."
"Oh?" He hadn't mentioned that in their last email. "Well, you've picked a very good school! This is a beautiful area, and everybody here is really friendly. Where are you from?" While he made the overeager chipmunk chat about things they already knew, he processed Kyle's registration. He surreptitiously scribbled a room number onto one corner of his program book. He then handed him a badge and grinned, "Well, Kyle, you're ready to go enjoy the con. I'm sure I'll see you again later."
Kyle nodded and affixed the badge to his tunic. "Definitely. How many others?"
Christopher cast a quick glance at Van, but he was busy registering another attendee. "Five, not including us. Tomorrow, eleven o'clock."
"Night?" Kyle grinned, his incisors sticking out two inches from his lips.
"Yup. Have fun!" He gestured with one claw to the person standing behind him. "Yes, welcome to Technicon!"
Kyle nodded and slipped out of the way. Christopher watched his short tail flit back and forth as he disappeared into the con.
Rob walked past the hotel rooms toward the main lobby and listened to the chatter on the radios. "We've got Carolyn here, but Steven's plane is just now landing," Trevor said. "Somebody needs to be driving to the airport to pick him up."
"We have somebody running transportation," Van replied. "Why aren't they at the hotel already?"
"They just got back with Tom," Trevor replied.
"I'm on my way," Nick replied. "I've just got to drop one thing off and I'll be on my way."
He smelled them first. Rob passed beyond the line of hotel rooms and stared down the concrete steps at the patio at the group of individuals seated around one of the wire-mesh tables. A chipmunk, otter, opossum, and an older man who looked like a Golden Retriever, sat chatting animatedly, their voices complimented by churrs, barks, and chittering exclamations. As soon as he came into view, they turned and waved at him. The chipmunk shouted, "Hey! Here we are!"
Rob grunted and climbed down the steps. He tapped his staff badge with one claw as he came over. "Sorry I can't talk long, I'm on my way to take care of another crisis. Is everyone okay?"
"Doing great!" the chipmunk said. "You're Rob, right?"
He nodded and extended a paw. The chipmunk and he shook, and he said, "And you're Kyle." He then turned to the otter, who still managed by her dress and the color of the fur on her snout to appear in her thirties. "And you're Claire from Bristol. Sorry it's taken so long for us to meet."
She smiled, her whiskers bushing over her lips. "That's all right. It's been a crazy year. This may be the craziest thing of all. I've never been a science fiction fan."
"That's okay," Rob said. "We've got other panels you might like." He looked at the opossum whose age he couldn't quite tell. He was filing his nails and sliding his jowls over rather sharp looking teeth. "I don't know you. Did CM find you?"
"Edgar Burlow," the opossum replied. He half-stood in his seat, long tail dragging against the decorative iron,and shook paws with Rob. "I'm actually Hokie alumni, but I live in Richmond now. And yeah, I met CM on the forums. She said this was the best chance to meet folks like us."
"We hope it will be," Rob admitted. "It's the only con in the area with two Changed on staff at least!" The skunk finally looked at the old dog. His paws rested on a cane and he had an unlit pipe propped between his teeth. "Carl, I'm glad you could make it."
The dog's tail wagged once and his ears turned back. "My nephew always had good things to say about Technicon. Now ya'll better not disappoint."
"Your nephew comes to Technicon?" That genuinely surprised Rob.
"Few years back. He's overseas with the Navy servin' his country."
"Good for him." Rob clasped his paws together and nodded, long tail flitting behind him. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go strangle one of my volunteers who's fried a circuit board in Main Programming. You guys have fun, and remember, keep track of your fur. This hotel has a no pet policy, and we'd rather not get in trouble!"
"Rob! We really need you in Main Programming!" one of the video staff shouted through the radio.
The Changed laughed as Rob rolled his eyes and vaulted up the stairs.
Work in Progress 
