Difference between revisions of "User:MatthiasRat/Model Building"

Revision as of 19:58, 24 July 2008

[[:Category:Paradise|Paradise]] story universe

[[Setting::Paradise| ]]

This story is a work in progress.

Works by MatthiasRat on Shifti

Model Building

Rob the skunk carried the cardboard boxes from the hall into his room and set them down on the clean floor. It had been almost a year since he'd changed into an anthro-skunk and forced to keep his room clean, and still he flinched his toes to avoid stubbing them into discarded detrius that no longer lingered upon his carpet. His friend CM had shown him the necessity of maintaining house and over a week's time helped him turn his room from a pig sty into a place where a Changed could easily keep their true nature a secret.

And now he and his friends were leaving FoxRidge 1600J for good. Trevor, Brett, and Nick had found a house in downtown Christiansburg to rent, while he was moving with Audrey into the upscale apartments FoxRidge offered. A few weeks ago Audrey had accepted his marriage proposal and now his mind was abuzz with managing his and her families as they swarmed in battle over the wedding arrangements. It had to be in Vermont! No in New Jersey! It must be big! It must be small! It must be Protestant! It must be Catholic! On, and on, and on!

Here in Blacksburg, Virginia, he and Audrey could escape for a time and be together without the discomfort of feuding families. In one week's time he'd be out of the Furry apartment and would no longer need to hide. Apart from Patrick whom CM had told because he'd become too nosy, Audrey was the only other among them that knew the secret of the Changed. He hoped she didn't mind lots of potpouri or cleaning up skunk fur.

As the skunk set down the boxes his phone rang. He snatched it from his computer table and read the number. His eyes widened; he recognized that name. He cast a quick glance at the server humming away in one corner and then opened the phone.

"This is Rob. Hello?"

A deep, rumbling voice answered him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Hallman. This is Walter Lundh. How are you?"

"I'm fine, fine, just getting ready to move next week. Already signed the lease and everything." He said that deliberately. The last time the longhorn bull called he'd had to cancel his plans on short notice. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm mailing you, CM, and Mr. Ryan round-trip tickets to Washington in two weeks."

"DC?" Rob asked, both surprised and relieved that he at least had two weeks before he needed to jump through the lawyer's hoops. "What for?"

"Congressman Sandrick requested an update on the status of your project prior to next month's Change. We want to know where to look and what to expect. You and your colleagues must ready a presentation for the Congressman. Will there be any trouble for you?"

Rob walked to his calendar and studied the dates. "I'm going to have to get off work. So will CM. They'll probably be pissed that they didn't have more advanced warning."

"I apologize for that," Walter replied brusquely. "I'm sure the Congressman can send you each a letter if necessary, though we'd all prefer to keep this low profile. Are there any other difficulties?"

The skunk shook his head. "No. It's good for me, but you'll want to check with CM. She might have plans. Will we see you in DC?"

"I'll be waiting for you at Dulles. All the arrangements for the hotel have been made. I will see you there. Good luck with your move. Don't damage anything."

The bull hung up and Rob set the phone down with a long sigh. A move and a presentation! Well, he'd better get started packing then.

CM carried the footboard into Rob's new bedroom and set it against the wall with the rest of the pieces of his bed. The skunk was rifling through his toolbox with Audrey at his side resting one hand on his shoulder. Rob's tail twitched to the far side as he turned to see the bear.

"Hey Audrey, can you go keep the others busy for a few minutes?" Rob asked.

"Changed stuff?" Audrey asked, and at the skunk's nod, she smiled and nodded. "Sure! Open the door when you're done." She hugged CM as she walked past, surprising the bear, and then closed the door behind her.

"Trevor and the others are busy packing their own things," CM pointed out. She rested her paw on the footboard and tilted it back and forth. "Is there something you need my help with?"

Rob held a wrench out and said, "Well, you can help me put my bed together!" CM laughed. "Seriously, we haven't had a chance to talk. You got Lundh's message last week, right?"

CM nodded. She'd been at work the first time the bull had called. Leslie had taken the message, but of course Lundh hadn't said anything to her other than his name; CM was amazed he'd given her that much! "I've got my part of the presentation prepared. I know you haven't had much chance to look it over or anything but what you've done looked good to me."

"Not much else I could do," Rob grunted as he straightened and looked around the room. "Here, against this wall. The headboard should go here. Do you need a paw?"

CM nodded. "It's a little awkward, yes." Together, they carried the arched headboard to where Rob wanted it and then leaned it against the wall. "Do you need some help with your presentation?"

The skunk frowned as he returned for one of the side pieces. "I shouldn't. It's not like I did anything anyway."

"You kept the server going," CM replied with a smile. She could tell the skunk was bothered by something but she couldn't tell what. "Carter and I couldn't do anything without that!"

"But are we really ready to tell these guys anything?" Rob asked. "Bring the footboard; we'll get these pieces together."

CM pondered the question for a moment as she retrieved the footboard. Rob had both side pieces laid out in front of the headboard and was checking the various bolts to make sure he had the right ones. She ran her tongue along the back of her short fangs and grunted. "We have enough to give them a good estimate. We've ruled out pretty much everything except exponential growth. That's scary in itself."

"And there should be a heck of a lot more of us than there are, right?"

CM set the footboard down and held it steady with one paw. She was careful not to nick the wood with her claws. "Yes, but Carter would know more about where they should be than I do.. It'll be good to see him again at least."

"He won't have his jeep with him this time. Did you get stuck in coach too?"

CM nodded and Rob rolled his eyes as he lifted the first side piece and put the bolt through the hole. CM held the other end up with her free paw. She laughed and rumbled. "His note did say that he reserved the two seats next to mine too. Paid extra for that. I'm going to need it." She patted her tummy which was already building up girth for winter hibernation. Of course, if the August Change played its usual tricks, she wouldn't be a bear for much longer.

As long as she became male again she wouldn't mind staying a bear forever. But that wasn't up to her.

"Well, that's something at least. I hope you didn't have any plans for next weekend."

CM grunted. "Jan and Dennis were planning to come down to visit."

Rob's tail darted to one side and he glanced back at the bear in surprise. "The boar and the hedgehog? Wouldn't that be like their third time this year?"

"Jan's fourth, Dennis's third. He couldn't make it last time." CM grinned and shrugged. "Jan's determined to make a biker out of me. He's probably going to succeed at some point too. Just don't have the money for it now."

"And Leslie would kill you," Rob added.

CM's grin didn't fade even though she nodded. "Yeah, probably. They're working on that too."

"So what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd be in DC anyway, and if time allowed, I'd meet them there. Probably going to have to be in the evening though. Looks like Lundh wants us there to present and get out as quick as possible."

"Probably to keep from too many questions being asked," Rob said. He stood up, brushed his pants off, and walked over to where CM crouched against the footboard. "Okay, the first one's in. Scoot back and I'll get this bolt in too."

Roanoke Airport was a small regional airport with a single concourse. There were direct flights to Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Richmond, and of course DC. Their plane left at 2:20, so Rob picked CM up at her apartment a little before noon. They each had packed an overnight bag, though in CM's case it looked like one that would barely fit in the overhead compartment. Rob resisted the temptation to ask the she-bear if she'd packed the kitchen sink.

Traffic was light that Friday as they drove up I-81 to Roanoke. The airport itself was reasonably busy with families heading out for the weekend to visit relatives as well as several others heading out of town on business. The pair checked in, saw that their flight was on time — which surprised the skunk who'd never seen a plane leave on time — and headed for the security.

Both of them felt a little anxious passing through the security station, especially with the post-9/11 heightened security measures. But neither of them were singled out for extra scrutiny and they passed by unmolested.

While Rob went to their terminal, CM stopped at one of the terminal-side restaurants and ordered the largest fish item they had on the menu. That and an appetizer of fried cheese sticks. It did sate her hibernation hunger for the time, but she knew she'd be hungry again in a few hours. At least the flight wouldn't be long. She hoped that Walter would be understanding about how much she'd probably order from room service!

When CM went to their terminal she found the skunk reviewing his portion of the presentation. He'd been able to finish only the day before and only because Audrey let him shirk his duties to setting up their new apartment. He'd have a lot of catch up to do when they got back, but CM had volunteered to come over a day or two and pitch in to make up for it.

CM settled her bulk on one of the benches and grimaced as the arms pinched her paunch. "Ugh. They need bigger seats."

Rob glanced up and chuckled. "How much do you weigh?"

"About two-eighty," CM replied. "I'll hit three hundred again by the Change."

The skunk nodded. "The way you eat, yah. What are you going to become?"

"A rat I expect," she replied. She briefly touched one breast with a claw and grunted, "And hopefully male again. Do you hope to change again?"

Rob shook his head. "Skunk wasn't my first choice, believe me, but I've gotten used to it. I'm happy this way, so why Change again?"

"But if you did, what would you prefer?"

The skunk put his papers down in his lap and leaned back into his tail which curled over the end of the seat. "Something feline I think. Jaguar. Definitely a jaguar. Oh, and male too."

CM chuckled. "Well, odds are you won't change again. How goes the presentation?"

"Slow," Rob grunted and shook his head. "I think I'm going to be reading over this on the plane. I finished the slides at like 3 AM last night."

"Well, if you practice, don't practice too loudly," CM said as her eyes followed a family coming up the causeway and settling in next row of seats. "We won't be alone."

Rob glanced at them and nodded. "Right." He lowered his snout to the pages and though he moved his lips, not even the bear could hear anything he said. She glanced at the clock, sighed, and resigned herself to waiting another hour for their flight to depart.

 Work in Progress