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 Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:34 am
The sun had risen and was shining on a happy day. Jordan had taken a hot shower and groomed his white fur for extra fluffiness. He was ready to take on the day ahead. The dogman had only left his duplex on the beach a few moments before with the box of party decorations in his arms. His tail was wagging happilly and there was a definite bounce in his step as he made his way towards the jungle.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 9:59 am
Sophie had had enough of the beach, that was to be sure: it was no place to be without even so much as a good pair of shorts and an old t-shirt to swim in. Trudging back towards the jungle and her duplex, she began to wonder if perhaps she could just ask for those things, and they'd be supplied. After all, Dr. Duvert had said that her stay would be paid for, and so far, they hadn't charged her for food. But, then again, she couldn't exactly trust the guy, either. It was all too confusing.
However, she pushed those thoughts aside upon seeing a familiar puff ball of white, and jogged ahead to meet him. "Hey Jordan!" She called out, slowing back down to a walk beside him as she caught her breath. Running was certainly not her strength, and even a little jog made her heart pound a bit. She made it a mental note to start to exercise more, but forgot about it the moment she looked to Jordan.
"So, what're you doing out here?" She looked from his face to the decorations, then put two and two together. "Is it someone's birthday?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:10 am
He'd been minding his own business and lost in his own world, so at first he hadn't heard Sophie's call. It wasn't until she actually sped up to catch him that he was even stirred from his own little world. At first he was afraid of how to explain why he was on the beach with a box of decorations. Luckilly for him, she provided him an out at the same time.
He nodded courteously. "Indeed it is someone's birthday today. I have a lot to do today for preparations so I wanted to get an early jump on the matter."
This was perfect. Jordan ad hoped to find Sophie. He needed her to be there as a testament to the labs generosity and caring for its test subjects. "I couldn't have pulled this off without the help from the labs, though. They were so quick and helpful in getting me every party supply I requested. Fantastic, isn't it?" he wagged his tail happilly as he hoped to snag her with his line.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:14 am
"So you can order stuff, and they just give it to you?" Sophie asked, the concept sparking her interests. That certainly would solve any of the problems she had regarding a bathing suit...but, she wondered if the perks only came to someone who had been there longer. Either way, it was an interesting idea.
"That's pretty cool...So, who's birthday is it?" Sophie looked to the box in the hopes that the decorations might hold some clues, but she still had no idea who it could possibly be. Then again, she only knew a few people, so chances were it was someone she'd never even met. "Want me to help you set up?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:26 am
Jordan smiled. He had her right where she needed to be. Her interest had obviously been piqued as her face lit up. There was hope for her even in a mass of doomsayers who would have her believe the labs are the devil. "Oh yes, within reason, I imagine. I doubt they'd allow something that could harm another person, but in my case, party decorations are a great way to boost morale for everyone involved. I'm sure that if you stay on their good side they'd be more willing to cooperate for a more costly merchandise." he flashed his long canines in a friendly smile. "Do you have something particular in mind, Sophie?"
"It's Kim's birthday." his cheeks reddened as he admitted, with no way to prevent her from seeing, with his paws full. His tail wagged faster too and happilly. Sophie would see paper cups, plates, and napkins with festive balloon print, a happy birthday banner, white paper table cloths, a rainbow of streamers, plus a box wrapped in shiny silver paper with a bow on top.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:33 am
Sophie blinked, then laughed weakly, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish grin. "Uh, well, I just need a bathing suit or something so I can go out and do stuff at the beach. Kinda hard to go swimming in tennis shoes and jeans." She laughed again, but stopped when her attention caught the shiny box within the decorations, and once again her interest went up.
"So, is Kim someone special?" She asked, noting the way he was acting. Maybe she was his girlfriend or something. Sophie didn't know why, but her heart sank a little at the idea. But, since it wasn't relavent, she ignored it for the time being, and just looked back up at Jordan, a mischevious grin accenting her canine features. "Awww, that's so sweeeet," she said, her voice dripped with sweet sarcasm and just the slightest tinge of teasing.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 11:10 am
“Swimming’s great for you, too!” he added “This is a great beach to take a swim. Some of the clearest water and the freshest breezes.” He’d swam in the waters before is change but he was hesitant to do so now wit so much fur. It might actually cool him off or make the humidity feel even worse. “I guess swimming in tennis shoes would be difficult. Who needs shoes anyways?” this of course, he referred to his own condition in which he could no longer wear shoes. The reference was able to go without clarification as Sophie had been there to pull off his shoes before his feet exploded into paws.
At her next question, Jordan stiffened up and skipped a step, nearly dropping the entire box on the ground. There was no hiding it. He was as open as a book. She’d called him out, like in some western movie showdown. So he nodded. “You could say that.” He smiled, hefting the box against his knee and back into a firm grip in his paws. Her additional commenting made him blush even more and his eartips burned bright red. If he’d had his paws free, they’d have been covering the redness in his face, but had to push on in the meantime. He wasn’t used to having someone special, nor being teased about it either.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:15 pm
Sophie's look faded into a smile slightly more sincere as she patted the guy on the back. "That's cool, man: sounds like she's a lucky lady." She couldn't help but laugh at the fact that his ears had turned red, though, and it took a moment before she could stifle down the infectious giggles.
"Do you want me to help you carry the stuff? I think we're almost there...wait, where's this party supposed to be, anyways?" She looked around with a curious expression, then turned back to Jordan with an inquiring look. "Are we going to the duplexes?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:26 pm
Jordan wanted to say ‘Yeah, she was real lucky to painfully transform in the presence of a stranger.’ But he didn’t. he mood was set and it had to keep flowing that way. He nodded again. “We’re all lucky to have friends and people who care for us.” He pulled the cheesy line off with a grand grin.
“Oh no, thank you though. Paws aren’t the greatest for carrying boxes, but I’m forcing myself to use them as well as I did my human hands.” Jordan nodded forward as they came to the village. “We’re going to the cafeteria. It’s going to look like a party zone when I’m done.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:44 pm
Sophie couldn't help but smile as she shook her head, nearing the cafeteria. "If only everyone else had the same outlook that you did. The world would be a better place," she commented, running a hand through her hair. She set her sights on the cafeteria nearby, trying to think of it with streamers and such. In her mind, it still looked a little bland, but maybe they'd do a better job than her imagination.
"So...is the 'party zone' going to have music? Games? I don't think you'll have to worry about food, but maybe some doggie bags for when the guests leave..." She didn't catch the slip until after she'd said it, and covered her mouth at first before she sighed, shaking her head. "...Sorry, shouldn't have said that."
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:54 pm
Jordan let the slip slide. It had hit a nerve, yes, but it wasn’t worth quivelling over. As they got to the cafeteria, Jordan set the box down, opened the door and held it open with a leg, then proceeded into the food hall with the box of party supplies. “Yes, there’s going to be music and uhm… I really couldn’t think of party games to play. This is my first time planning a party and I think I’m doing well for a first-timer.”
He set the box down on a table and began emptying the contents. Further underneath the table cloths were hidden a cd player, portable speakers, and various music cds. “Okay, this shouldn’t be too hard… I hope.” He chuckled, after the pause of doom. He tore into the plastic packagings with his claws, freeing streamers, and balloons, and white paper table cloths. He carefully set the gift to the side as he began to work at once, taking streamers and setting them up. “If you’d like, you can start on some balloons.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:02 pm
"Yay music! It wouldn't be a party without it," Sophie commented, taking a seat at a table as she tore open a bag of balloons. "Maybe if you're lucky, you'll get to dance with Kim."
As Sophie looked down at the multicolored balloons, she was suddenly posed with a serious problem. With her nails being the way they were, one wrong move and she'd be popping the things left and right. Sighing, she nearly asked Jordan if there was something else she could do, but as she looked up to the man diligent in his decorations, she realized that it'd probably be even worse for him, so decided that she'd just have to brave it on her own. It was the least she could do.
The first one didn't go so well: only half-full did she snag it on a nail and make it pop, causing her ears to ring for the next minute or so. However, she somehow managed to get the hang of it, and after she'd blown up a few, she pulled out some ribbon, sut it with her teeth, then tied the balloons to them, taping the decorations on the wall opposite from where Jordan worked.
She admired her work from a few feet off, then turned and sat back down, stretching out a few more balloons to be blown up. "So, what do you think, Jordan? A couple more and this place'll be looking pretty awesome."
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:10 pm
He blushed at the comment of getting to dance with Kim and lost himself in that thought till the loud popping startled him back to his task. "Let's get some music going." he stopped what he was doing momentarilly to pop in some techno. He figured he couldn't go wrong with it. There was plenty of other music as well if someone objected. As he strung streamers, he heard Sophie ask his opinion and he gave as much a thumb's up as he could with his thumb-turned dew claw. "Looking good, Sophie. Thanks for the help." Jordan went from task to task, even helping with a few balloons.
Today was the big day and Jordan was in no short order of excitement. All his efforts were paying off and everything was looking better by the minute. He’d been- with Sophie's enthusiastic help- stringing streamers over the cafeteria and blowing up balloons all morning, while the food and punch was being prepared in the kitchen by Delia. It was a great help to have her working on the party spread.
The multi-colored rainbow of streamers followed the outline of the cafeteria doors and flowed overhead where they either cascaded onto a table end (every other row of tables) where they were taped or continued to dip and bow from the ceiling for the length of the cafeteria.
Blowing up balloons with fangs had caused more than one to pop in his face, startling him half-to-death the first couple failed attempts. Balloons were taped around the inner cafeteria door.
In the back of the cafeteria was a ‘Happy Birthday’ banner with the letters strung to each other in a colorful arch.
Handling all that tape had been painful. As much stuck onto his fur as it had to the decorations, so a few strands of white fluff hung from the occasional balloon and streamer.
A few tables were covered by white, paper table cloths. Atop the white-covered tables were platters of various food: There was cubed cheeses of all varieties, from mild to spicy; diced chunks of luncheon meats surrounded by a ring of carefully-rolled meat slices; crackers of all sorts (saltines, butter crackers, melba toast, wheat, and vegetable crackers); for the more herbervorous people, there’s several platters of assorted fruits and vegetables; likewise, there’s also beef, pork, poultry, and even raw fish (as per the usual cafeteria selections). There’s also a large bowl of fresh green salad, bowls of vegetable and cheese dips, as well as salad dressings. In the middle of the spread is a large punch bowl filled to the brim with fruity red juice. Surrounding the punch bowl are plates, cups, and napkins with festive balloon print.
The dogman was running back and forth making sure everything was set up and ready like it should be, from the tables to the streamers, to the balloons, to the food. And when no one was looking he snagged a cube of ham. Yummy.
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:21 pm
Sophie reclined in a chair away from the center of the room, stretching her arms. It'd been so long since she'd actually prepared for a party with cutesy decorations and balloons, and she'd forgotten how tedious it could get. But she'd also forgotten how fun it was, and smiled to herself as she watched Jordan to continue to buzz about, acting busy over things that she herself would've long since stopped worrying about. Sophie supposed that this Kim girl really was that special to him, and if that was the case, she would do whatever she could to make sure that things went well for the two of them.
"I bet she'll love this," Sophie said, standing up as she walked over towards the food tables. Personally, she wouldn't have minded a snack, but seeing as how she hadn't eaten much for a while now, it didn't particularily bother her, and she could wait. "Can I ask what you got her, or is it a secret?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:28 pm
Jordan was proud of the end result. It looked, sounded, and smelled like a party. Everything was in working order and all that remained was for the guests and the birthday girl to arrive. He'd made certain to leave a note for Kim on the door to her duplex asking her to meet him in the cafeteria today. It was cheesy and a bit lackluster, but it made him giggle at the thought of how surrpised Kim would be when she saw everything he'd done for her.
"She's gonna love it. She has to to." he peered over his shoulder, back at Sophie. "I'm not giving any hints. Everyone gets to know what's in the box when she does. And not before." he grinned, keeping it hush-hush.
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