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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 24, 2019 12:34:44 GMT -8
Desert Wolf Motorcycles-- they were not a company that Tap was particularly familiar with; this was likely because she rarely spent much time on motorcycles. They were fun hobbies on closed courses, certainly, but for actual travel? She preferred the Capsule Corporation standard vehicles. Sure, they were not particularly flashy, but it was rare that Tap wanted to draw attention to herself when she was travelling from one place to another. Clogged streets, too many paparazzi, obnoxious fans… Tap wildly preferred them being as constricted to individual locations as she could manage. All of those details regarding travel preference did not, however, prevent her from jumping at the opportunity to dig her fingers into another prospective investment for Capsule Corporation. Motorcycles might not have been something worthy of a “Wellness Division” sponsorship, but damn if they weren’t glamorous-- and a glamorous product needed a glamorous face to advertise it. So it was that Tap had mustered together her smaller, privately owned, advertising agency to travel out to the Desert Wolf Motorcycles development facility; that particular facility was several hours drive out from West City, located near where the Central lands turned to the Western. An agreement had been made ahead of time for Tap to represent their new line of Wolf Fang bikes, though the specifics of her shoot were not yet locked in stone. Evidently, the designers wanted to coordinate with their production crew to get the newest models out for testing around the same time that Tap would be taking shots with them. It seemed to be a more risky endeavor, but the price they offered had nearly doubled, making it against her financial senses to outright refuse them. Once she had arrived, Tap pulled herself free from her private car and took a moment to stretch her arms high above her head. Though she had come prepared with a variety of outfits for the shot, she chose something that seemed the most topical for this particular subject: the woman was clad in snug (black) leather leggings, similarly hued riding boots that laced all the way up to her knees, a dark blue tank-top, and a black leather jacket with minimal adornment save for the telltale Capsule Corporation logos on its sleeve shoulders. Once her gold-rimmed sunglasses were added into the mix, she looked to be something of a high-class ruffian-- or that’s what she’d want someone to believe, anyways. A representative of DWM rushed out to greet Tap’s arriving party shortly after he saw her exit her vehicle. The man that approached her was tall and somewhat lanky; he appeared to be balding but was evidently content with a weak combover- Tap couldn’t necessarily blame him, given that the beard he sported was rather… significant. Well cared for, too. Actually, it caused a sort of aesthetic discordance the more she looked from hair to beard- why wouldn’t he just shave his head? She bit back a scoff and extended her hand to seize the man’s own, shaking it softly before dropping back to her side. “ So glad to have you, Miss Brief! My name is Wes Turner We’re not quite ready to begin the shoot just yet, but I’ll have my people organize with yours to set up the shoot zones around the track. I… regret to say that the overwhelming majority of our test riders decided to back out of this particular shoot,” the bearded man explained with a weak smile. “ ... backed out? Why- are you trying to put me on a wholly untested piece of machinery? We agreed to your prototype models for the most recent run, but nothing that’s not verified to be functional, let alone safe. Explain yourself at once, Mr. Turner,” Tap demanded in return. “ Well, uh. They’re not entirely untested, but… well… We aren’t planning on having you ride one by yourself- individual shots would be done stationary. The mobile ones we wanted to have you riding second to one of our riders, so you could focus on the shots that needed to be made- and so we could emphasize the Wolf Fang model’s ability to comfortably carry a passenger. Our test riders just didn’t feel comfortable riding with someone so, uhm, high profile at their backs,” Wes’s words didn’t sound entirely sincere- they struck Tap as though he were making something up to appease her prior accusation, but it was rewarded only with a small frown from the hybrid heiress. Unless these bikes reached military aircraft speeds, she was positive that she could survive any accidents mostly, if not entirely, unscathed given the natural durability of her body. Still, his reluctance to tell her the truth was annoying. “ I hope you’re a better bike designer than you are a liar, Wes, otherwise this will be a terribly unfavorable shoot for you. Now, do you have someone to replace your craven test riders for me or not?” “ Y-yes, we hired a contractor with a strong technical background, so they should be able to compensate for anything that might go awry during the motion shots. They should be here shortly-- if you’d like, we’ve arranged some catering inside the shop in the meantime?” Tap scoffed and brushed past the apologizing man, all but stomping toward the same door that he had emerged from. Delays were one thing, but they thought to appease her with food? Catering? She certainly couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into soggy sandwiches and overly dry meats. Her experience with catering services were less than ideal, so Tap was left only to hope that her riding partner would arrive soon enough for them to get this whole mess done and over with. wc: 960 twc: 960 SadistSquirrel
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 24, 2019 14:22:35 GMT -8
/CHI-CHUNK CHI-CHUNK/ The sound was monotonous and Malina could feel the hum of the shuttle bus slowly driving her mad… the roads out to the west of West City weren’t in the best state, and it seemed like the bus was barely recovering from hitting one bump (up or down) before a wheel dipped into another and everybody inside was struggling to keep themselves from falling over. It didn’t help she’d committed a cardinal sin; sitting at the window seat too early. Pinned between a window and a snoozing middle-aged man was hardly her idea of a good time. Unfortunately, Malina did not have the good fortune to skip forwards in time. However… Malina finally got off the Desert Wolf Motorcycles rented shuttle bus as she hopped down, boots hitting into the dirt with a thump. She took a quick moment to breathe for the first time in… longer than she’d have liked, only to be immediately shoved in the back by somebody else leaving the bus. “ Ah, sorry sorry…” Malina muttered, before shuffling off to the side. She was dressed in a manner that could only be considered eclectic; a light blue button up shirt sat under a white coat (styled on a lab coat if not exactly up to standard) although it seemed to come down a little too far which, alongside the sleeves being buttoned up, lead to a very simple conclusion… the coat was a size too big and she was making do. This didn’t leave Malina looking exactly impressive, with a large bag slung under her arm and glasses perched on her nose. It suited Malina just fine however, a quick peer around the hustle and bustle of the test run’s pit quickly drew her eye to the supervisor she’d been assigned to, walking over confidently… only to immediately have to take a quick step back as a trolley being pushed by a very muscular looking man with fabulous red hair zoomed past, kicking up dirt like a motorcycle itself… dirt which quickly found itself on Malina’s glasses. Fuming, the Tuffle took them off and started cleaning them with a rag as the supervisor-come-representative rushed over. “ Malina, right? You were supposed to be here hours ago! We’re meant to be starting tests --” The man quickly checks his watch… not that Malina notices, having not looked up at the man since this all started. “ -- in… two hours? That’s not right, I could’ve sworn…” The overworked supervisor almost visibly deflates as Malina speaks up. “ Shuttle can’t go faster… right? I’ll just head towards the pit, look over the motors.” “ Of course, of course.” But Malina took only a few steps towards that sacred land of machines before poor, overworked Wes Turner revitalised into action. “ Ah no no no you can’t! Change of plans!” The Tuffle paused mid-step, but was noticeably discomforted by the implication. “ Change of plan… howwww exactly?” She said weakly. “ Well… we need you to ride one of the bikes. You probably know them best. A-Also you’ll be taking a passenger.” “ Who… ?” Malina’s reaction to the news that she wouldn’t just be taking a passenger, but one Tap Brief herself… was not considered fit for broadcast. “ Well there’s no need for that sort of language, Miss Malina! It’s… it’s the only thing that will save this complete failure of a publicity stunt! The bosses should’ve known this wouldn’t end well and n-n-now…” The poor man looked fit to fall over, barely having kept up appearances with Miss Brief earlier. “ ... now I’m going to go get more coffee.” He said defeatedly, before wandering off aimlessly… suspiciously not in the direction of the catering. Malina pouted, green eyes digging into the back of the man as he walked away, but there was little for it… the machines would wait, for now… well… for now she had to go and inform one the prized daughter of a company she regularly did contract work for that her life was now officially in her hands. A thought that left her with no small amount of dread. The small Tuffle headed in the catering building, but a lab-coated nerd hardly stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the various engineers and mechanics… Tap on the other hand, undoubtedly stuck out far more and she was quick to move over with a long intake of breath. Here we go. “ Miss Brief? My name is Malina and… well, I’m going to be your driver for today. On the motion shoots I mean.” She moved to extend a hand… before quickly thinking better of it, resting it on her chest and giving a slight bend of her head out of respect. Her glasses were clean now, thankfully… so she wasn’t making too much of a mess of things just yet at least, besides generally looking like a nerd among nerds. Thankfully, she knew that her and Tap didn’t need to ‘get along’ so much as… do the work that needs done. Even if it wasn’t exactly the work she wanted to be doing. This certainly wasn't in her contract!
wc: 872
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 24, 2019 17:02:17 GMT -8
Tap could be found hovering over the, as expected, sad assortment of catered food when Malina approached her from behind. The girl’s… timid, for lack of a better word, introduction caused the corporate heiress to spin on her heel quick enough that her rather lengthy hair was sent whipping over her shoulder to slowly sway to a stop behind her. The motion and length of those black-green strands brought their tips to graze past Malina’s face, brushing her just barely with the faint scent of Tap’s shampoo-- something herbal and vaguely fruity, like perhaps hibiscus and strawberry. When Tap’s near-pirouette stopped, she tilted her sunglasses down and looked her driver from head to toe. At first, the saiyan’s face seemed to twitch with annoyance, particularly upon noticing the oversized nature of her lab coat. A second later, however, a smile spilled across the model’s features. “ Lab coat to contrast my garments- showing the model as fit for ruffian and intellectual alike… plus length enough to flap dramatically in the wind as we drive, evoking a desire for freedom in anyone who would purchase it-- dear me, you must send your outfit designer my compliments. It’s all very, mm, thoughtful--” she paused to look the awkward girl over one more time, realizing that the outfit was not at all professionally assembled. “ -- Ah, you chose that yourself, then. So, brave and a mind for marketing, if even a subconscious one. Good job… Malina, was it? Anyways, let’s get this done so I can get something real to eat. Solo shoots first.” She walked past Malina immediately after finishing, as if she expected the clumsy scientist to follow. She would if she valued her continued employment, anyways. Tap exited the catering room to the staging area beyond, where her photographers had already set up their lighting and equipment around a rather sleek looking motorcycle. It was black with accents of orange and appeared to be rather expensive, though… it was certainly not a ‘chopper’. She would have to be sure that the Desert Wolves corrected their naming schema for this particular model. A quick set of waving hands gestured to her crew that she was ready to begin shooting, while the second wave beckoned Malina to stand alongside the photographers- certainly out of the cameras’ collective line of sight. She slid confidently into the bike’s seat, noticing immediately that it was far too small to comfortably fit two occupants without cramming them closely together- another black mark on the designers’ record in Tap’s book. Still, she appreciated the comfort of the seat for an individual and set about her business of, well, modeling. First, the woman extended her arms languidly above her head and clamped her eyes shut, pantomiming a comfortable stretch as though she had just finished a particularly long ride. Cameras were instantly set into their flutter of sounds, with their operators silently shifting in a wide arc around the bike to capture as many images of the Brief heiress as they could. Once satisfied, she leaned forward and kicked the bike’s stand off the ground; Tap seized its handlebars and clung to the machine as if she were actually riding it- though she made an exaggerated motion of sliding her derriere back to the end of the seat. Naturally, her crew was quick to capture this, getting many long shots that emphasized the tightly wrapped… assets put so provocatively on display. Afterward, she flipped the bike’s stand back into place and pulled herself off of it. Tap moved to the side opposite the bike’s stand and sat down on the ground, leaving one leg straight while the other lifted to form a triangle within the silhouette of her legs; she braced her elbow lazily against her knee and looked into the distance, appearing quite disinterested with the whole affair. This was, after all, a machine for those whose thoughts were with the roads they could be ripping through- not the here and now. Again, camera workers snapped images from every angle. Finally, it was time for the cover shot-- Tap rose off the ground and lightly dusted herself off, then dipped her hands up beneath her shirt and seemed to fiddle with something at her back. A moment later, she rolled her shoulders forward and back a few times, only to then catch something that fell from the front of her shirt… closer inspection would reveal that it was, in fact, her bra. She gave Malina a singular glance and a knowing smile, then threw the discarded undergarment toward her. “ Hold on to that for me~” Her attention returned to the bike and she again straddled its seat. That time, she scooted forward to cling snugly against the bike’s engines and hefted her chest forward to line up with the machine’s low-placed handlebars. She tugged the bottom of her shirt down and trapped it between her stomach and the fuel tank. Tap leaned further forward and very lightly braced her then-unbound bust against the bike’s handlebars, ensuring that a tantalizing amount of her cleavage’s shadow could be caught by her camera crew all while the handlebars clearly imprinted themselves against her bosom. She made a few practiced expressions at various levels of intensity toward the cameras, allowing them to fully capture that borderline salacious show before, finally, sliding back to the very hind of the bike’s small seat. “ Solo shoot is over. Come, Malina, it’s time to get the motion shots underway,” she called to the Tuffle without looking at her, though she patted gently on the seat in front of her as something of an invitation to slide on in. wc: 961 twc: 1833 SadistSquirrel
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 24, 2019 18:57:52 GMT -8
Malina could barely get a word in as the heiress talked, assessed her clothes (and not entirely positively) and waltzed past her… Malina was hardly the most socially powerful but it was clear that Tap had the ability to push through a conversation like a wrecking ball if she wanted to. With a disgruntled wiggling of her nose she drew a quick breath and bustled along behind her. “Right, of course Miss Brief. Of course.“ Taking up position behind the ranks of photographers all snapping pictures of the model as instructed, Malina was only getting more and more anxious… idly rubbing her wrists against each other as she watched Tap pull pose after pose. Her eyes wandered idly over the poses as a small part of her brain whirred and clicked as she analysed each one, bringing each one down to their intent and aesthetic implication. “Well how did it go? Everything going to be good and okay and definitely not going to bring harm to Miss Brief?” Malina jumped at the voice of the supervisor almost in her ear, facing him with a clearly wide-eyed expression… even more so at the state of him. He looked like he was being run ragged, and the neat tie he’d wore around his neck had slowly loosened off… he looked disheveled at this point. “That’s uhhh… certainly the plan, Mr Turner. Sir. Boss.” Malina gave a quiet cough and adjusted an invisible tie, a bit of contact embarrassment or something. “Maybe we should’ve had solo shoots second… ah well, we’ll fix it in post.” As her gaze slipped back towards Tap’s posing, she was surprised to meet eye contact with the heiress proper… “-- at for me~” Was all that Malina managed to zone back in on, before she had undeniably expensive undergarment flung in her direction… She caught it effortlessly, returning a winning smile. … Meanwhile, in reality; Malina’s eyes tracked the flying brassiere… she reached out to catch it… only to fumble, barely managing to prevent it touching the ground. She heard an audible gasp from her supervisor, but her heart was racing too much at this point to care. She gave a meek nod towards Tap. “Uhhhhnderstood! R-Right here! Ahaha…” With a little wiggle of her wrist, a mockery of what could ever be considered a wave, she spoke quietly to the supervisor. “D-Do you think I could maybe have a… helmet?” She queried timidly, looking up at him with a hesitant smile. “Well… it makes the Wolf Fang look unsafe, you see… marketing division strictly stated no helmets.” Malina looked more than a little shocked and the taller (if thinner) man visibly jerked back from the smaller woman as she stared up at him, bra clutched tightly in her hands. “That’s ridiculous! These prototypes they’re… they’re… safe, but my contract doesn’t have any protection for injuries or… or…” “Wellllll… neither did the driver’s?” With a quiet groan she buried her head in her hands… amongst other things, not recognising the potential misunderstanding. At least now she knew why the test riders had backed out. She could feel herself starting to sweat, feel the anxiety building up more and more but… well, she didn’t have a choice and that was that. As Tap called her to begin the motion shots, she drew a deep breath, head straight up and bounded through the dirt towards her… full to the brim of a fake bravado and confidence. She can’t let Miss Brief recognise how much of a colossal mess this whole affair was. The confidence lasted precisely the amount of time it took Malina to walk up and see the cameras now facing her… she choked, before looking back to Tap with a smile. “I uhhh ahhh you… mmnhk…” With a beaming smile and a growing blush she practically thrusted Tap’s bra back towards her and quickly hoisted herself up into the driver’s position, letting the bike sit on its stand for a moment. She eyed over the track… before her attention turned to the motorcycle itself. Bending forwards, she seemed incapable of not giving a wipe over a few dials and peering at the internals… she was being a busybody but as nervous as she was she wasn’t putting her hands on the throttle until she knew this wasn’t going to immediately crash and burn. Unfortunately, she leant back up she realised just how tight of a squeeze it was going to be to fit two people on here. Why did DWM think the Wolf Fang was designed for two!? With her cheeks threatening to turn further red she looked back to Tap. “Ready? Just hold on if you need to, Miss Brief!” Just about the only benefit the Wolf Fang had for two-person riding was a sizable back end, perfect for gripping onto, after all! With a quick lean forwards, Malina’s hands gripped the handles of the Fang and with a quick twist of the wrist and grip of the throttle felt the engine kick into the life… she quickly kicked the stand off the ground and took off, dust kicking up around them as the tires spun into the ground for a brief moment. The ‘chopper’ was meant to be able to off-road, but clearly needed a little more finetuning, which it probably wouldn’t get before it was time for it to be on the show floor. She kept a slightly slower pace as they sped away from the photographers, allowing them to get their snaps of the heiress, before pressing on down the track. While not the most complicated thing, it became increasingly clear that Malina was *not* the intended driver as she noticeably slowed down in the turns. Thankfully, the track didn’t have much section too far away from the photographers for more than wide shots and it didn’t take long before the two were coming down the end straight of the track towards the photographers once more. Malina’s voice breached the din of the engine for a moment. “Let me know what you need for this shot, Miss Brief!“ Whether she could reasonably do what was required or not… Malina recognised she’d simply have to do them. One way or the other.
wc: 1,036 twc: 1,908
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 24, 2019 19:48:33 GMT -8
Finally, Tap brought her full attention to bear on Malina as she approached. It may have felt like being looked down from Olympus itself, being so drenched a gaze that shimmered with equal parts amusement and pity. She slid herself silently back further to allow the labcoat-clad woman ample space to climb into the driver’s position atop that woefully small seat. Tap took her awkwardly offered bra back into her hands and looked down on it curiously. What did… Malina expect her to do with this? There were no screens nearby, and going back inside would take up precious time; sure, she could put it back on somewhat discreetly without exposing herself fully to the camera crew and the DWM support cast. Truthfully, Tap wasn’t worried about the professionalism of her own photographers, given that they had already seen her in far more scandalous states of undress. She could not, however, speak for the integrity of the DWM support team. It’d only take one stray camera photo of her awkwardly re-equipping her undergarment to circulate the ‘net with all sorts of unsavory accusations. Besides, Malina should have understood herself just how uncomfortable those damn contraptions could be. The heiress shook her head and threw her bra back at one of her waiting wardrobe personnel, then slid forward to hug herself tightly against Malina’s back. Her legs clamped against the Tuffle’s thighs and her torso draped forward, pressing its entirety quite noticeably into the girl’s back; Tap’s hands looped around Malina’s waist before slithering forward to clutch the very front of the bike’s seat. She could sense at least a little unease in the driver, and that was enough to amuse her… and enough to drive her into further exacerbating the poor girl’s nervousness. The long-haired woman pressed her cheek into the side of Malina’s head and spoke quietly into her ear- just soft enough that its intimacy could be called into question: “ Millions would pay untold amounts of money to be in your position right now, Malina. Try to relax and enjoy the fact that you are getting basically getting cuddled by someone impossibly beyond your means and are getting paid for it~” once she finished teasing, Tap pulled her head back and turned to nod affirmatively toward her camera crew. “ Now, square up your shoulders and try to look dubiously masculine. The shots will not have you in focus, but we want to be sure that viewers can imagine themselves in your position no matter who, or what, they might be. Head down, eyes on the road, and drive past the camera crew a few times. Make sure you’re going only fast enough to make my hair, and your coat, whip in the wind. I’ll handle the rest,” Tap’s instructions were rather corporate in their tone, but would be easy enough for anyone- even Malina- to follow. So they set to driving- painfully apparent that Malina was not at all a professional driver. She was, however, sufficient enough for Tap to feel comfortable testing a few poses in motion each time they strafed past the camera crew. The first time, she clung even tighter to Malina’s back and snuggled her face against the girl’s shoulder, making it appear as though she were comfortably riding behind someone she cared greatly for. The second strafe had her leaning slightly back and looking into the distance, as though searching for some unknown destination. The third was similar, though she silently pointed toward nothing in particular with an excited expression worn on her face. At last, the fourth strafe saw to it that she leaned back as far as she safely could and adopted a rather sultry expression- one punctuated by her hand gripping firmly against the inside of Malina’s hip. Once they finished the fourth run, Tap leaned back in and again spoke to her driver- this time louder than the others, to overcome the roar of the engine and the whistling of the wind: “ Pull in and park! That should be enough for preliminary editing, we’ll wait to see if my crew needs more shots to work with after they spin up a few rough drafts of some spreads.” wc: 715 twc: 2548 SadistSquirrel
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 24, 2019 20:47:06 GMT -8
Malina could only nod at Tap’s instructions as they drove around the track, it took her a moment but she eventually rustled her shoulders up and did her best attempt at looking androgynous enough to appeal to the eventual crowd of people that would be seeing her and the rich heiress on… Her heart skipped as she realised just how many people that would be, hardly helped by Tap’s teasing words tickling her ears. The poor Tuffle felt herself driven to distraction. Not least of which came from suddenly having an esteemed model clinging closely to her back. Distraction was hardly ideal riding a prototype bike around a dusty track however… but as the laps kept coming, Malina was getting more and more confident in her abilities… and more and more able to shut out the anxiety. Thankfully not over-confident, and it wouldn’t take long of her going a little faster than Tap wanted to undoubtedly get told in no short order to slow down. By the time Tap’s hand squeezed against her hip, Malina was so thoroughly in the zone she barely noticed… only noticing after the pressure on her hip faded! “ Stopping now, Miss Brief? Understood!” She shouted over the roar of the engine, a tense of her body betraying an incoming misstep as she started to tug the brakes… only for standard momentum to kick in, causing them both to jerk forwards roughly. While Malina was stopped by the engine block beneath her and was quick to rectify by letting the engine throttle up again, Tap was likely not so lucky… Malina stammering as she most likely felt the full weight of the model’s front thump harshly into her back. “ Fu-- Ah! S-Sorry Miss Brief!” She stammered, letting the motorcycle engine slow down first before hitting the brakes proper once more, awkwardly finangling her foot to kick the motorcycle stand into position to let it rest once more. Turning in her seat somewhat, she gave an apologetic look to Tap. “ So sorry, can I help or…” She looked wide-eyed, aware she’d messed up at the unfortunate last hurdle and her brain couldn’t help but feel it was the end of the world as her hands reached out to try and aid the heiress down from the motorcycle… in the likelihood they weren’t warranted or wanted… she kind of awkwardly let them hang for a moment before coughing and following suit. Already, a number of the crew were rushing over… some mechanics for the motorbike to ensure it was okay, and even a few medical staff immediately came over… instantly for Tap, regardless of the fact she was likely entirely fine. Among this small horde of people rushing their position was one Wes Turner. “ Malina! You had one job --” “ ... not my job…” “ -- and you went and messed it up! This isn’t what you were contracted for!” Truer words had never been said, but the disheveled representative wasn’t exactly in the mood for logic. It was about this time that he remembered he wasn’t putting on his… best face for the VIP, quickly snapping to Tap with a faux-smile and a cloying tone of geniality. “ Ah! Miss Brief, v… very sorry could… could I interest you in the catering once more? While we sort things out? I do hope this hasn’t negatively impacted your intention to stick to the ahh… deal? It would be a shame for uhh…” He gave a brief glance at Malina. “ ... everybody involved.” Malina was barely managing to avoid straight up pouting, who would’ve thought a simple contract like this would turn out so crazy… but here she was being reprimanded for losing her cool while driving for one of the biggest names in modelling? And practical princess of the corporate dynasty that was Capsule Corp… the sheer gravity of her potential mistake was starting to hit her, but all she could do was take a long gulp of air and push through this. Besides… maybe Tap wasn’t as mad as her brain was telling her she was? It didn’t really matter at the moment after all, her anxiety was telling her that everything was utterly… well… ruined. If Tap asked for her to follow in some way, she would. Otherwise she took a moment to collect herself, before inevitably finding her way back to the heiress at a brief later date… inevitably looking for some way to redeem herself or apologise… even if Tap wasn’t exactly looking for either.
wc: 745 twc: 2,653
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 25, 2019 13:49:17 GMT -8
Tap felt the tensing of her driver’s body a microsecond before the braking mishap actually took place, granting her just enough time to prepare her body to spring off of the motorcycle’s back in the instance of something catastrophic happening. Instead, Malina seemed to hold enough control of the powerful machine to simply force the heiress to slide forward, flattening herself somewhat painfully against the coat-clad driver’s back. She grunted at the impact and grimaced until the moment that the bike had fully stopped; Tap pried herself wordlessly off of the back of the bike and glowered at the medical staff that rushed over to ensure her safety. “ Do you buffoons seriously believe that a little hiccup like that could hurt me? You’ve seen what I’m capable of- do not insult me by thinking that I might have hurt myself from a jerky stop at the hands of a novice rider,” she scolded her staff and began to walk toward her travel-trailer, clearly somewhat fussed by the whole ordeal. However, she couldn’t help but overhear the similar scolding that Malina was receiving from that damnable Wes Turner. Worse yet was when he pivoted to address Tap and offer her something resembling an apology-- and more of that disgusting catering they had inside. Tap turned to Wes and stamped toward him, seizing his shirt by its color the moment she got in range. With the single arm, she lifted the man off the ground and glared rather intensely up at his elevated face. “ No, Wes, you had one job. All you needed to do was hire a trained rider who could ferry me briefly from one end of the track and back- repeating only a few times. It wasn’t hard, there clearly was minimal risk to me at such low speeds, but you instead opted to sit this poor creature in groping distance of me and expected her to perform like some kind of hero. Is she a bumbling mess? Absolutely-- did she behave in any way that I would not have expected from any other average person in her position? Absolutely not. Now, you are going to ensure that a spare bike is included in Malina’s payment and will refrain from further insulting someone who is nothing more than an extension of your own incompetence!” with that, she dropped the man flatly back onto his feet and again spun to return to her trailer. Tap lifted a hand over her shoulder and waved toward the trailer before demanding: “ Come, Malina.” wc: 436 twc: 2984 SadistSquirrel
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 25, 2019 14:15:07 GMT -8
Malina went quiet as Tap unleashed a rhetorical fury upon Wes Turner, the supervisor seemed appalled at the verbal ruination being slung his way… but any time he tried to bring his voice up to respond to Miss Brief, she talked right past him. Not that he had much to say, the last thing he could do is risk the Brief’s wrath. Financially or otherwise. And besides… lifting somebody off the ground is what can only be referred to as ‘a strong argument’. Malina couldn’t help but give a faint sheepish smile, even though she figured this was going to be cutting into her pay fairly heavily. The Tuffle couldn’t help but feel a little vindicated as Tap chewed Wes out… although as Tap referred to her as a ‘bumbling mess’ she gave a small, almost petulant, pout… it was quickly wiped away as Tap’s demands hit the both of them. “ W-Wait… one of the bikes?” “ One of the bikes!? Miss Brief you can't be serious!” Both of them seemed equally surprised, although the former was rather more positive than the latter… the colour fled from her cheeks however as she was suddenly beckoned by the heiress to follow behind her. Both Malina and Wes gave themselves a quick dust off, for entirely different reasons, before the Tuffle picked up the pace to follow behind the half-Saiyan. “ Miss Brief? Did… did you want something? W-Well, of course you did because you called me of course but but...” She queried as she caught up, by now the two having made it back to the model’s trailer. Far behind the two, the supervisor merely stood in shock for a moment… how could something have gone so dramatically poorly? As he stood there, a speeding trolley pushed by a majestically muscled man rattled closer and closer… only to come to a grinding halt right in front of him. The trolley pusher merely gave a beaming grin, pushing a bottle of water into his hand… with a broken sigh, Wes took a long drink. At least somebody wasn’t actively making his day harder. Now… how on earth was he supposed to authorise another bike to go to an independent contractor of all things!?
wc: 365 twc: 3,018
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 25, 2019 14:55:41 GMT -8
She disregarded the shared disbelief of Wes and Malina alike, instead letting her silence on the matter speak the volumes in her stead. The Brief family was not one that let others question them for their demands, nevermind the Saiyan lineage that pumped through her veins even before her mother’s addition had been considered. No, if a man had dared to question a descendent of the Brief family in front of their great, great, great… however many times great patriarch, poor Wes might have been left little more than a smear on the ground. Fortunately, Tap realized that such things were exceptionally bad for business- so a little intimidation would suffice instead.
Tap remained mostly silent as she opened the door into her trailer and climbed the few steps inside, expecting Malina to have the sense enough to follow and to close the door behind her. The inside of the trailer was lavish, but perhaps not so much so that it would leave the poor Tuffle feeling entirely out of her element. It was certainly a product of great expense, but it was warm and welcoming with little in the way of excessive or gaudy furnishings. It was, after all, a “simple” place that Tap was supposed to be able to retire to when she needed to regain her wits, free from distractions of both the outside world and her own amusements. The trailer came stocked with a relatively large refrigerator, counter space for food preparation, a functioning sink, a small hallway that lead back into a room that was primarily comprised of a massive bed, and a door that appeared to lead into a spacious bathroom- or, as spacious as a trailer could manage. Across from the serving counter was a curved, soft looking couch. It was that couch that Tap hurled herself into, spinning to land on her back as she took to letting out the sort of exasperated sigh that one would more commonly find in indignant teenagers.
“If I just cut you loose to wander around out there, you’re liable to get yourself exploited and make my bargaining position appear weaker, should I need to force an issue. You’re going to remain in here, with me, until my crew calls for us. Capsule Corporation is ready to pay the first half year of insurance on that bike, in the instance you want to keep it rather than sell it-- call it compensation for being made a pawn in this silly little game we’re playing,” Tap huffed out another breath and turned to look quite plainly at her refrigerator.
“Drinks are in there-- you’re welcome to what you’d like if you’d be a dear and fetch me a water.”
wc: 462 twc: 3446
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 25, 2019 15:15:11 GMT -8
Malina managed to have the mental energy left after recent events to actually close the door behind her after she shuffled her way up into the trailer behind Tap Brief. For a while she simply looked around, holding her bag close to herself as she took in the space… while it was ‘simple’ for Tap, it was pretty clear it was a little more than even Malina was used to. Absent of gaudy or excessive furnishings sure… but it had furnishings. Given her last place had an entire wall missing… well, the trailer was impressive compared to that! The Tuffle broke her momentary silence as Tap spoke, idly shuffling her glasses on her nose. “ You’re ah… too kind Miss Brief! But really, thank you… my contract really isn’t prepared for this sort of thing and and… R-Right! Water.” With an uncomfortable, if genuine, smile she nearly bounded over to the sink, looking around for a glass… before choking audibly. “ O-Or do you have bottled water, right… probably. You wouldn’t want it from the…” Her lips worked quicker than her brain, a restrained giggle coming out. “ ... tap.” It was a good job Malina wasn’t looking towards the model… the Tuffle was absolutely mortified as she silently opened the refrigerator, quickly grasped two bottles of water from inside and slowly stepped over to Tap on the couch. “ Hereyougomissbrief!” Well, that could’ve gone far worse… just about. She quickly offered the bottle to her, before moving to sit down carefully on the couch… practically perching at the edge as she took a long drink from the bottle… noticeably lowering the water level by the time she removed it. Thirsty? Probably at this point, anxiety drags up a terrible thirst after all, and Malina was clearly anxious. It took her a moment, but something Tap had said made her curious. “ Miss Brief… what did you mean by ‘pawn’? Isn’t this just some normal advertising deal or something? If I can ask of course don't wish to pry of course!” While she sat, waiting for Tap’s answer to finish (or otherwise) Malina slowly seemed to calm down and relax… the walls of the trailer were close around her and shut out the drama of the space outside. It was comforting, and it didn’t take long for her to shuffle back from the lip of the couch and eventually flump back. The coat remained on though, even if it was entirely unnecessary. Sure, she’s more comfortable but she’s certainly no less awkward.
wc: 416 twc: 3,434
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 25, 2019 15:45:18 GMT -8
The short woman’s joke brought about an immediate, wary stare from Tap. She waited for Malina’s subdued giggle to subside before she finally allowed herself to crack a smile, even going as far as laughing quietly to reassure the anxious girl that she had not overstepped any particular boundaries… this time. “ I haven’t heard that joke since school- really brings me back…” she trailed off just as the Tuffle offered up that bottle of water. Tap quickly unscrewed the lid and pressed its opening to her lips, tipping back to drain a full quarter of the bottle into her throat quite rapidly. Modeling, too, was a business that inspired a mighty thirst, apparently! The question that followed afforded Malina an inquisitive gaze from the heiress. It was nearly baffling to her that the girl had not realized what had begun to transpire the moment she had accidentally braked a little too soon. Of course, Tap didn’t expect every person to be quite so opportunistic, but… surely even someone as bumbling as Malina would want to press every advantage they would possibly be afforded, right? The model capped her bottle once again and brought its bottom to rest against her thigh, whereupon she crossed her legs and pursed her lips to indicate more openly that she was giving Malina’s question proper consideration. In reality, she continued to dwell on what would inspire a person to be so oblivious to the things going on around them; moreover, Tap was beginning to realize that this poor woman might be a project worth investing some time into. For amusement’s sake, of course. “ Pawn, as in a metaphor for a chess game-- you do know what ‘chess’ is, don’t you?” she let the question hang just long enough to be satisfied with her tease, but not so long that Malina could begin to respond in earnest, “ I mean to say that your little mishap with the brake afforded me an opportunity to negotiate for more from this particular deal. You see, we signed on expecting a professional driver and allowed Mr. Turner to provide us with, well, you with assurances that nothing would go awry. Nothing had gone wrong, until that… let’s call it an incident. I have no way of actually verifying whether or not what happened was an accident on your part or some failure of the bike itself-- meaning that we have the ability now to levy concerns of safety regarding this particular product. If we cancel the shoot and are required to terminate the contract due to an inability of Mr. Turner to provide adequate safety for me, we may then sue for the damages of lost wages and unnecessary risk to my person. I very much doubt that they will want to force our hand so far, so we instead are put at a superior position to renegotiate the benefits afforded to us by this particular job…” Tap lifted her bottle and pointed its end toward Malina. “ ... and the crux of that is you. If you publicly state that it was a failing on your own part, we still have an advantageous position given that we were provided with a less qualified driver than we were promised-- and if you back whatever we assert, or even say nothing, our position is that much stronger. By following my lead and playing your part, you stand to gain just as much as we do, because I have no doubt that you were not properly informed of the job that you were suddenly expected to fulfill. By declining to ferry me on that bike, you would have lost your own contract… meaning that you were compelled to do what you did under duress. Even that could be used to explain the mishap, if you opted to back Mr. Turner’s weak defenses.” “ What I am essentially saying to you is: Congratulations on your newfound partnership with Capsule Corporation, dear girl.” wc: 678 twc: 4124 SadistSquirrel
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 25, 2019 16:05:07 GMT -8
“ I… I know what ches-- hhnffhh…” She gave a faint pout realising she’d taken the bait somewhat as the heiress continued, Malina herself simply sat and listened for a time with all the curiosity of a student listening intently to a teacher… in truth? She hadn’t really thought of things that way, although the deception of it rubbed her the wrong way regardless of our own past experiences with deception of her own. Perhaps she simply assumed she had simply escaped the duplicity… but it seemed that games of subterfuge were only just beginning as she raised a hand, flicking hair from her eyes. “ Somehow I don’t think partnership means what it usually does here but I’m not so stupid that I’m going to argue over it because it’s clearly an improvement regardless…” The Tuffle gave a deep intake of breath, before sitting up and pulling off her coat finally, settling back in her light blue shirt as she looked to Tap with a gaze that was a little more interrogatively inquisitive than the model may’ve expected from the otherwise subdued and apparently ignorant woman. “ So what is it you actually want from me exactly, Miss Brief? It sounds like you want me to uhhh… lie about the little stumble as being a problem with the prototype.” She seems put out by the suggestion for a moment, before giving a quiet cough and continuing… raising a hand with a smile to try and get Tap to give her a moment to finish. “ In whiiiich case… well, the brakes are very sensitive right now of course, which is what happened. I tried to bring the throttle down and the brakes activated. Needs to be tuned a little but that should’ve happened months before putting somebody as uhhh…” She hesitated a moment before smiling sweetly. “ ... valuable and esteemed as yourself?” Her eyes flicked this way and that for a moment, before she took a quick sip. “ Does that sound about right… ? Work enough for you? It’s… partially true, although obviously I shouldn’t have been driving either but it shouldn’t really be an issue to pushthatasbei--” And she drifted off into a stammer again… it took a small moment for her to recover. “ Although the half year’s insurance is good, I’m not sure it really balances out though.” Malina pursed her lips to one side in thought. “Give me an opportunity to show you what I can do. Why I was contracted to work here. You don’t need to hire me, or make any commitments or… anything like that. Just give me the opportunity.” The short woman turned to face Tap fully as she spoke, tucking her legs up onto the couch… it made the conversation a little more casual, even as Malina dragged it towards business. If she was going to lie to give Tap a leg up, she wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away from her… it was probably the best she’d ever get.
wc: 495 twc: 3,929
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 25, 2019 16:28:33 GMT -8
Tap watched, and listened, with amusement as Malina outlined her own thoughts regarding the matter. It sounded as though she was uneasy about the prospect of being made to say something that wasn’t entirely true- but she also did not seem to want to put herself in Tap’s sights to be professionally torched. Fortunately for the both of them, Tap’s business aggression did not tend to include making an example of someone who did not willingly become involved in her games of corporate shenanigans. That was, of course, barring the rare instances where someone took so poorly to her suggestions that they thought to publicly crucify Tap(and by extension, Capsule Corporation) for such things. In those cases, Tap was more than happy to ensure such individuals would only ever be able to find gainful employment in border cities and outposts-- like one Pine Town. Gero Enterprises did so enjoy having fresh… citizens to pit against those many demon incursions. “ But it is a partnership. By choosing to not act against my interests, you prove yourself to be worth of investing at least a small measure of trust in… and trust is so valuable a currency that I get to spend too rarely. Those that I, and Capsule Corporation, trust are afforded many opportunities that less… savory individuals might have. Let me be clear on this, though: I have no intention of instructing you to lie. I am not so pathetic as to commit fraud for a small edge. It is my belief that anything worth having should be earned-- with at least some shred of integrity,” she paused to unscrew her water bottle’s lid and took another long drink. Monologues were parching business, you see. “ If any statement is actually required of you, I expect you to say only the truth of the matter. As I said, all roads end in my benefit as we move forward. As for your actual skill set, why don’t you tell me the original purpose you were brought here for? Clearly you were not intended to be my chauffeur- so what, then?” wc: 357 twc: 4481 SadistSquirrel
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Post by SadistSquirrel on Sept 25, 2019 16:43:17 GMT -8
Malina seemed a little on edge at first, but as Tap kept talking she kept relaxing further and further until she eventually seemed entirely happy with the current situation, taking a quick drink from her bottle. Her responses were mostly silent nods and ‘mhm’ , but Tap made what might’ve been a mistake. Actually asking about her work. “ A chauffeur actually!” She let it sit for a moment, before snickering. “ No, no. I’ve been working as an independent contractor for a while now… I’m something of an engineer you see and I’ve picked up quite the reputation. Enough that DWM hired me to give an eye over the latest project. I’ve been coming down here for a while now… want to say a half year, there abouts? The motors aren’t the most cutting edge of technology, even if they’re going through this extensive prototyping stage… really, there’s less of a focus on speed and more on its ability to comfortably offroad. Which, while fine… they keep being pressured for more horsepower and just generally it’s a mess… hence why they’ve been hiring on outside contractors. I’ve been doing fine work, wouldn’t be anywhere near as finished as it was without me! Buuuut… I’m still a contractor, which means my job security is about as tight as a Westner’s --” She caught herself in a spiralling ramble that was about to end fairly poorly, not entirely sure what she could get away with around the heiress. “ -- … wallet.” The safer option, really. With a deep intake of breath she continued, a little less aimlessly. “If it’s mechanical, I can work it. If it’s chemical, I can work it. If you give me a job I don’t know how to do, I’ll learn it and do it. I’ve been working with machines and technology since I was a kid, it’s in my blood and I’ll outperform any of those chopshop monkeys out there.” She gestured outside with a look of frustration. For all her talk of ‘being an independent contractor’ it seemed she had a level of frustration with that independence, perhaps not entirely by choice. “With my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back!”
wc: 363 twc: 4,292
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Post by zer0gravitea on Sept 25, 2019 17:07:23 GMT -8
The heiress lifted her fingertip to her chin and pressed on it from the side, causing her head to cant gently to the side as she considered what Malina had just put on offer. Again, the woman’s lips pursed-- Capsule Corporation was not lacking for engineers of any variety, given how competitive it was to get into any of the company’s subsidiaries… to say nothing for working in the mother company itself. Under that notion, Tap couldn’t properly justify hiring another one out of the blue. However, she did not have many reliable contacts within those branches of Capsule Corp nor its subsidiaries, meaning that she often times was weighed down by bureaucracy and favor exchanges when needing to get a particular project expedited. Having her own engineer on her payroll could certainly help solve some of those problems, however rare they happened to be… “ Hmmm…” the saiyan hummed aloud, furrowing her brow with further thought. For the girl to boast so broadly to the heiress of Capsule Corporation when she had previously been so timid… it boded either particularly well for Tap- or exceptionally terribly. There were a few ways at hand to test the engineer’s prowess, but Tap finally opted to rely on simple conversation; she didn’t quite have the patience to actively watch the girl work yet… or ever, probably. Research and development was such a boring thing to her, after all. “ I can see that you have great faith in your abilities. I’m willing to place a small investment of my time and interest in you, but you will be expected to prove yourself- repeatedly. If you consistently show to be worth your salt, I’ll ensure that rare and exciting possibilities shower you with… I’d say glory, but is there much glory in engineering? Nevermind that; let’s start with this, instead: Suppose I wanted one of those bikes to be refitted to my own needs. Something that focuses less on off road performance and more on long distance fuel efficiency-- and a wider seat, so I need not huddle so close to whoever I am riding with. Assuming unlimited resources, would you be able to make those adjustments? And how long would it take you, if so?” wc: 389 twc: 4870 SadistSquirrel
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