Kevin & Darcy | X-Ranch Halloween Bash
Oct. 30th, 2023 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsKevin takes a few hours to catch up with Stacy, then stays to watch that night's shows as part of her weeklong bash. Darcy introduces him to some of the other staff — or as he likes to call them, future assets.
Darcy tossed her stocking clad legs across Kevin's lap as she slid into the seat next to him. The lurid orange softened only by the dimmed lights of the audience's section. "Did you like it?" She tugged lightly on the bobbed wig framing her face. "Je-uh, Barbie Girl's her cam handle, the one that was Fred for our act? She recruited the group for it, though she originally considered me for Daphne instead. Decided it was a little too on the nose. Viewers can see me with red hair anytime they want, the brown is new. Different. And the glasses too, of course." She winked at Kevin through the blocky lenses, an actual pair of hers that made frequent appearances at the Snow Valley office.
"I remember this cartoon being a little different." Kevin said wryly. He'd carved out six hours to fly in, talk over things with Stacy, and then spend time watching Darcy's show. "Wasn't one of you supposed to be Casey Kasem?" He joked, patting her on the shin.
"What can I say, we love reboots," she replied with a grin, still riding the high of her performance. "And no, we're not reanimating anyone for this holiday. Mystery Ladies Inc, except for Dane." Darcy nodded with her head towards a tall, partially canid man working the crowd. "He makes a killing with the furries. I helped moderate one of his streams once and they're bananas, but extremely well-trained." She flipped the lid on the water bottle in her hand and let the liquid slide down her throat as she watched various performers working the crowd between stage acts. "How long have we got you for? I know you weren't sure you'd be able to make it out."
"I've only got a few more hours but-" He said, pausing to accept a whiskey from one of the passing staff. "I am free for those hours. Stacy and I cleared up business about twenty minutes ago. So, if this is your party, you're in charge of what we do here."
"Business? Is that what they're calling it these days, Boss?" Her eyes were bright with mirth. "I'll need to do some mingling, but–" she flicked his lapel just under the pin attached to it. "Since you're one of Stacy's VIPs, paying you extra attention will be easy. Expect a bit of flocking if she points you out. And I'll walk you out to your car when you're ready to go. Least I can do, since you made it out here."
"Not this time. We had actual business. I mean, it's like spending days in a cathouse has made you focused on one thing." He took a sip from his drink. "God, I hope she doesn't tell stories about me. I don't mind you hearing them, but being notorious is a bad thing for a spy."
"You've got entirely too much starch in you," she teased. "And you know both of us better than that. All that pin says is you're worth the effort to pay attention to. Most of the people here wearing one are known to be big spenders when someone catches their eye. A few of them just have specific performer preferences." She nodded at the section Henry was sitting in, and the cluster of women around him. "That lot's part of the patron-side book club. We did an in-person reading for them yesterday afternoon and they've been gravitating to him since."
"This place has gotten weird. I thought a brothel was a place you went to for sex." He groused, but he was twitting her specifically.
Darcy poked him in the side. "It can be both, grumpy. And I need to find you a companion so you don't take that mood back to the office."
"I don't want a companion. I've been training you. So you take me around and tell me what I should know. Daphne. No, wait, Velma, right?"
"Velma is fine." She screwed the cap back on her water and stood gracefully, tucking her hand into Kevin's elbow as he joined her. "Are you just here as Kevin then, or should I introduce you by another name?"
"Kevin is fine. Most of them assume it is a fake name anyhow." He said. Despite his tone, he certainly wasn't having issues. It was more that he was naturally inclined to resist being the point of attention. "Sorry, grumpy old man. You should know that by now."
"Favorite old grump," Darcy replied lightly. "Don't worry, I can keep people at bay if you'd prefer. I just don't want to get in the way of your ability to have a good night, depending on the story we spin."
"Relax Velma. I'll be fine. Just point me in whatever direction your friends are at. Or future assets, as I like to call them."
"I will leave your recruiting practices between you and Stacy, because she's much more terrifying than I am. And I suppose you don't mean the Doug and Matt, although if you'd like to spend your evening with the two of them I'm sure you can pick them out of the crowd." She was being cheeky. Kevin deserved it, just a little. "Hm, alright. I know you know the twins and Henry. Let me introduce you to Lainey, Lyn, and Lorina. Lor's probably going to try and collect you."
"Lainey, Lyn and Lorina sound like a country girl group from 1992." He said archly, but let her lead him around the ranch.
"Nicknames, except for Lorina," Darcy replied, leading him to a trio of women. "Elaine, Carolyn, Lorina, this is Kevin. He's one of Stacy's VIPs for the evening." Their mutations were fairly obvious. Elaine had a black scorpion's tail protruding from her body, chest covered in scattered bits of carapace. Carolyn's were less obvious up front, but as she raised one hand in a wave more appeared, skin shifting tones to camouflage into the surroundings. Lorina's seemed almost like an affectation at first, long white bunny ears sticking out of curly blonde hair, until you were close enough to notice her delicately white-furred face and bunny nose. "It's a pity you won't be here tomorrow night since I get to be the mad hatter to Lorina's white rabbit."
"I would hope to Jefferson Airplane," Although he cut himself off from mentioning he'd seen them live in multiple dives back in the day. No need to reveal that much. "You ladies guests, talent or a Halloween pillowcase candy mix of both?"
"Oooh, cutie with good taste," Lorina gushed, stepping boldly into the man's space. "I'm talented honey. Obviously." She did a shimmy, nose twitching in amusement, then gestured at Elaine. "Lainey's like your girl here, she's mostly remote talent. Carolyn's mostly a guest, but very occasionally does the tamer side of talent. Nothing the old fuddies at her work could hold against her, of course, but burlesque shows or a little cabaret action are tame enough."
Darcy covered her hand with her mouth to hide her smirk. Lorina was being fairly tame, but it was amusing all the same to watch her turn her attentions to Kevin.
"There's something to be said for a little cabaret. Leaving just enough to the imagination." He said, amused to see her already trying to work the situation. "But it seems Stacy is lucky to have you all associated with her." He exchanged a little meaningless chitchat with them, despite Lorina's best efforts and steered Darcy along towards the next group. "I said who should I meet, not who do you think it's funny to try and feed me to, brat." He said out of the side of his mouth.
"Ooh, are you going to punish me?" Darcy's eyes were full of mirth. "All three of them could be useful assets in the right situation. Carolyn's got a degree in nuclear physics and excellent connections with the US Navy. Elaine's a mercenary. And Lorina is very, very good at improvised weapons. She's practically one of those old Looney Tunes cartoons." She gave his arm a comforting pat. "She also likes collecting pretty people that tip well so she can indulge in her engineering habit."
"I'm not sure if I should let you spend extended days here any more. It gives you a very cheeky attitude." His tone was wry but she could see the calculations going on behind his bland look, processing the information away for later. "Alright, let's continue to mingle. Just stop trying to angle us towards the 'bobbing for Bobby' corner again."
Darcy tossed her stocking clad legs across Kevin's lap as she slid into the seat next to him. The lurid orange softened only by the dimmed lights of the audience's section. "Did you like it?" She tugged lightly on the bobbed wig framing her face. "Je-uh, Barbie Girl's her cam handle, the one that was Fred for our act? She recruited the group for it, though she originally considered me for Daphne instead. Decided it was a little too on the nose. Viewers can see me with red hair anytime they want, the brown is new. Different. And the glasses too, of course." She winked at Kevin through the blocky lenses, an actual pair of hers that made frequent appearances at the Snow Valley office.
"I remember this cartoon being a little different." Kevin said wryly. He'd carved out six hours to fly in, talk over things with Stacy, and then spend time watching Darcy's show. "Wasn't one of you supposed to be Casey Kasem?" He joked, patting her on the shin.
"What can I say, we love reboots," she replied with a grin, still riding the high of her performance. "And no, we're not reanimating anyone for this holiday. Mystery Ladies Inc, except for Dane." Darcy nodded with her head towards a tall, partially canid man working the crowd. "He makes a killing with the furries. I helped moderate one of his streams once and they're bananas, but extremely well-trained." She flipped the lid on the water bottle in her hand and let the liquid slide down her throat as she watched various performers working the crowd between stage acts. "How long have we got you for? I know you weren't sure you'd be able to make it out."
"I've only got a few more hours but-" He said, pausing to accept a whiskey from one of the passing staff. "I am free for those hours. Stacy and I cleared up business about twenty minutes ago. So, if this is your party, you're in charge of what we do here."
"Business? Is that what they're calling it these days, Boss?" Her eyes were bright with mirth. "I'll need to do some mingling, but–" she flicked his lapel just under the pin attached to it. "Since you're one of Stacy's VIPs, paying you extra attention will be easy. Expect a bit of flocking if she points you out. And I'll walk you out to your car when you're ready to go. Least I can do, since you made it out here."
"Not this time. We had actual business. I mean, it's like spending days in a cathouse has made you focused on one thing." He took a sip from his drink. "God, I hope she doesn't tell stories about me. I don't mind you hearing them, but being notorious is a bad thing for a spy."
"You've got entirely too much starch in you," she teased. "And you know both of us better than that. All that pin says is you're worth the effort to pay attention to. Most of the people here wearing one are known to be big spenders when someone catches their eye. A few of them just have specific performer preferences." She nodded at the section Henry was sitting in, and the cluster of women around him. "That lot's part of the patron-side book club. We did an in-person reading for them yesterday afternoon and they've been gravitating to him since."
"This place has gotten weird. I thought a brothel was a place you went to for sex." He groused, but he was twitting her specifically.
Darcy poked him in the side. "It can be both, grumpy. And I need to find you a companion so you don't take that mood back to the office."
"I don't want a companion. I've been training you. So you take me around and tell me what I should know. Daphne. No, wait, Velma, right?"
"Velma is fine." She screwed the cap back on her water and stood gracefully, tucking her hand into Kevin's elbow as he joined her. "Are you just here as Kevin then, or should I introduce you by another name?"
"Kevin is fine. Most of them assume it is a fake name anyhow." He said. Despite his tone, he certainly wasn't having issues. It was more that he was naturally inclined to resist being the point of attention. "Sorry, grumpy old man. You should know that by now."
"Favorite old grump," Darcy replied lightly. "Don't worry, I can keep people at bay if you'd prefer. I just don't want to get in the way of your ability to have a good night, depending on the story we spin."
"Relax Velma. I'll be fine. Just point me in whatever direction your friends are at. Or future assets, as I like to call them."
"I will leave your recruiting practices between you and Stacy, because she's much more terrifying than I am. And I suppose you don't mean the Doug and Matt, although if you'd like to spend your evening with the two of them I'm sure you can pick them out of the crowd." She was being cheeky. Kevin deserved it, just a little. "Hm, alright. I know you know the twins and Henry. Let me introduce you to Lainey, Lyn, and Lorina. Lor's probably going to try and collect you."
"Lainey, Lyn and Lorina sound like a country girl group from 1992." He said archly, but let her lead him around the ranch.
"Nicknames, except for Lorina," Darcy replied, leading him to a trio of women. "Elaine, Carolyn, Lorina, this is Kevin. He's one of Stacy's VIPs for the evening." Their mutations were fairly obvious. Elaine had a black scorpion's tail protruding from her body, chest covered in scattered bits of carapace. Carolyn's were less obvious up front, but as she raised one hand in a wave more appeared, skin shifting tones to camouflage into the surroundings. Lorina's seemed almost like an affectation at first, long white bunny ears sticking out of curly blonde hair, until you were close enough to notice her delicately white-furred face and bunny nose. "It's a pity you won't be here tomorrow night since I get to be the mad hatter to Lorina's white rabbit."
"I would hope to Jefferson Airplane," Although he cut himself off from mentioning he'd seen them live in multiple dives back in the day. No need to reveal that much. "You ladies guests, talent or a Halloween pillowcase candy mix of both?"
"Oooh, cutie with good taste," Lorina gushed, stepping boldly into the man's space. "I'm talented honey. Obviously." She did a shimmy, nose twitching in amusement, then gestured at Elaine. "Lainey's like your girl here, she's mostly remote talent. Carolyn's mostly a guest, but very occasionally does the tamer side of talent. Nothing the old fuddies at her work could hold against her, of course, but burlesque shows or a little cabaret action are tame enough."
Darcy covered her hand with her mouth to hide her smirk. Lorina was being fairly tame, but it was amusing all the same to watch her turn her attentions to Kevin.
"There's something to be said for a little cabaret. Leaving just enough to the imagination." He said, amused to see her already trying to work the situation. "But it seems Stacy is lucky to have you all associated with her." He exchanged a little meaningless chitchat with them, despite Lorina's best efforts and steered Darcy along towards the next group. "I said who should I meet, not who do you think it's funny to try and feed me to, brat." He said out of the side of his mouth.
"Ooh, are you going to punish me?" Darcy's eyes were full of mirth. "All three of them could be useful assets in the right situation. Carolyn's got a degree in nuclear physics and excellent connections with the US Navy. Elaine's a mercenary. And Lorina is very, very good at improvised weapons. She's practically one of those old Looney Tunes cartoons." She gave his arm a comforting pat. "She also likes collecting pretty people that tip well so she can indulge in her engineering habit."
"I'm not sure if I should let you spend extended days here any more. It gives you a very cheeky attitude." His tone was wry but she could see the calculations going on behind his bland look, processing the information away for later. "Alright, let's continue to mingle. Just stop trying to angle us towards the 'bobbing for Bobby' corner again."
