Children Go Where I Send Thee [Ark, invite]

[Christian Moynahan]

Four for the four that stood at the door,
Three for the Hebrew children,
Two for Paul and - Silas
One for the little - baby boy
Who was born, born, born in Bethlehem
-Nick Lowe, “Children Go Where I Send Thee”

23 December 2014
Ark Industries HQ - Lounge
6:00 PM

Typically, office parties were always the same - food, music, meaningless conversation. A bit of gift-giving and perhaps a sprig of mistletoe as an age-old joke. Christian wanted to go beyond that. The year prior had been his first Christmas at Ark Industries, but he had not thrown a party; he had simply given everyone bonuses and a few days off. This year, having settled comfortably into his position as Ark’s CEO, he wanted to try something different.

He had asked Fallon to quietly rearrange Ark’s lounge, and the woman had thankfully come in overnight to set the room up. The lounge was then transformed into a holiday retreat, complete with electronic fireplace. After Christian came in early on the morning of the twenty-third and taken a look at the room, he had thanked Fallon for her hard work and eye for design, and then locked the lounge, posting a sign on the door that claimed the room had flooded. A few staff members asked questions, but Fallon and Christian fielded them by explaining just what the sign said.

The party was set for six P.M. It was meant as a holiday party in general, for anyone who followed any other religion or not at all. He had simply instructed Fallon to follow a Christmas theme in the tradition of most office holiday parties, and to avoid confusion.

He did not know whether any of the staff had given each other gifts, but he had gotten something for his senior staff, and everyone had a little stocking hung up around the room. Some garlands and such were strung up from the ceiling. No mistletoe, though. A small Christmas tree, clearly pre-decorated, had been set on the main table, and refreshments laid out on a table against a wall. Everything looked and felt very festive. He hoped.

Unsurprisingly, Christian was wearing a very “festive” ensemble himself. His outfit was actually kind of subdued compared to some of the colors he put together on other days. Plus, as in general, he was fairly relaxed, and smiling, because he knew he was about to make his employees very happy. Also, he was looking forward to spending the holidays “off the grid,” with someone close to his heart. As was typical of him, he had gotten her something unique, the only one of its kind on Earth. That would hold until Christmas, however.

He had invited Lucius, Dakari, and the Constants to the office party as well. Whether they would attend was a matter of their having other plans or such. While he did want to see them, he would completely understand if they were busy. He would simply have to deliver their presents another time, likely before he left town for Texas.

As Christian was taking down the “flooded” sign, Alain Jensen, his right-hand man, joined him at the door. “‘Flooded,’ right? Just before a holiday party is meant to take place?” Alain shot Christian a grin. “You’re slick, but not that slick.”

Christian laughed. “Way to bust my ego, Alain.” He pushed open the door and revealed the newly-configured lounge. Alain chuckled in surprise.

“Well. You certainly outdid yourself this time,” Alain remarked, looking around, his eyes falling on the electric fireplace. “Really outdid yourself.”

“Thank Fallon. She did all of this,” Christian poured himself a glass of zinfandel (such beverages not being ‘the norm’ at offices, but everyone knew Christian Moynahan liked to throw convention out the window). “She and the others should be here at any moment. It’s 5:56.”

[Teagan Swift]

Ark Industries... those were powerful words these days, a powerful company lead by the hero of the American people. To think that it was taboo and blacklisted not that long ago, it seemed to arise from its' deathblows like a phoenix. Teagan had heard of the company, or perhaps that was to say the subsidy of the greater Kilvayne empire, before they had contacted her agent. Teagan had naturally thought that Ark simply wanted her services as a model for some photo shoot or maybe for an advertisement. However it seemed there was something... more to be had than mere appearances. 

Freelancer, contracted agent, or whatever was the right term for someone with those loose ties yet contracted to an organization, that was what she was now. Her exact status was cloudy even to her, as she was not sure what she could do for Ark that their brighter minds could not already do. Mr. Moynahan was as brilliant as a man could be, as seen by his successes over the past year, then there was the public relations officer who was right there are every major decision getting the public to buy what the genius was selling. 

A different perspective perhaps, a mind free of the burdens of the pursuit for pursuit alone, free of the responsibility that being a coveted asset of the organization. What she wondered was how the company knew of her intellect when most of the world only saw the mask of beauty that she donned. A handful of people knew of her talent in the arts thanks in part to the private auctions and her designing many of her own advertisements. However precious few knew that she had the intellect that reached for the stars, that she had completed her Bachelors of Science a year prior.

Whatever the case, she had been invited to the company holiday party at the headquarters in California. With no family or friends to visit Stateside during the season, Teagan decided that she would be attending. Teagan made no special attention to dress festively, she instead opted to dress to impress. While not her most impressive outfit, the ensemble she choose certainly was no slouch and would be sure to turn heads whenever she entered. Satisfying and yet not, for all her desire to be better than everyone else and have that recognition, a part of her still disliked the spotlight.

The cab pulled up to the curb and Teagan paid the fare, noticing that she was precisely on time, at the digital clock read 6:00 in those neon colors. With the grace of a ballerina and the confidence of an aristocrat, she strolled into the lobby of the company, where she spotted none other than the CEO himself and another man beside him. With the smallest of smiles, she sashayed over to Christian and gave as much of a bow as her gown allowed. 

"Good evenin' Mr. Moynahan. A pleasure to meet you in the flesh." Her accent slipped through ever so subtly, a mix of her native Irish and her time spent in Milan. "And a merry festive season to you and your associate as well."

[Archie Cane]

Deck the halls with boughs of holly
'Tis the season to be jolly
Don we now our gay apparel
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol

Archie wasn't much for these sort of gatherings. His family was demanding in that regard however, so he had attended many holiday season events in his time. His immediate family would host a party, his Uncle Alexander would host a party. And now it seemed that his employer was hosting a party. His cousin Lucius was hosting Christmas as the White House, a gala event no doubt. He was technically invited to that, but he wasn't sure if he would attend. Well, the office party would be interesting to say the least. There was a new employee and things had been rough for the last few months of 2014, so there would at least be a happy sendoff of the year that was and the year to come. Archie donned a peculiar suit he had deemed appropriate for the festivities, and got the car keys off the hook by his door. He made his way from his apartment to the parking lot, and started up his hybrid car.

He arrived a moment after the new girl, who was apparently a supermodel or something. She was gorgeous, Archie had to admit. Teagan was her name, he recalled. A scientist and a supermodel, as it happened. Stranger things he had seen in the last two years, such as a man from out of the past living in the present and an Angel of Death come to claim the lives of his friends and family, and a war against the US government, and a bunch of other insane things. Archie had developed a much broader spectrum of strange lately than he he once had known.

He walked in, and took the sight of it all cautiously. The boss-man and Alain had been busy it seemed. It was a classy traditional decorative aesthetic for the party, and Archie had to admit it was perfect. On his heels came Eugene Hawke, his longtime colleague who had been recruited at Archie's insistence once he had secured employment at Ark Industries. Gene had been wrangled into Archie's plan of wearing "ugly Christmas sweaters" and his choice was admirable- going with a more literal view of it than had Archie.

"Nice robots," Archie said to Gene with a smile.

"Thanks," Gene retorted, shaking his head at his friend, who had overdone it in his estimation. Archimedes Cane was like that, sometimes though. Eugene was overwhelmed by the glamorous vision presented by Teagan Swift. Archie seemed to be as well...

"Hello, colleagues, and an especially fond hello to the host!" Archie said, by way of greeting. As an engineer, Eugene had to admit Archie's social graces could use some fine tuning. Eugene waved his hand, more of a humble approach really and simply said...

"Happy holidays, everyone."

[Fiona Kingsleigh]

Fiona usual did not attend Christmas parties.  She didn't like gatherings full of strangers, and furthermore, she detested small talk.  After she was married, however, she began attending more company events with David.  Being a law professor, Fiona's spouse had a charm to him meant for grabbing spotlights, and by being arm in arm with him all night at any events, nobody said any more words than "nice to meet you" before resuming their attention on the charismatic David, and whatever subject he happened to be pondering over aloud.

For Christmas this year, David was gifted with a nasty case of the flu, and could not attend the Ark Christmas gathering with Fiona.  She was more than happy to stay home and catch up on some reading (of software programming books) when a certain former movie star working in the Finance department begged her to come to the party so they could hang out.  David was ecstatic that someone from work actually wanted to socialize with her socially stunted wife, and bought her a beautiful dress to attend the event while he stayed home to recover.  Fiona figured that being an actress, her date for the evening would be the black hole of attention, drawing all of it onto herself while Fiona could stay quiet and observe.

They had decided to arrive separately and meet at the party, which was fine by Fiona.  She was waiting just out of sight of the Ark lobby at 5:45pm and observed one of the most powerful men in the United States take down a "Flooded" sign from the lounge door at 5:55pm, and when she saw a very beautiful model-esque woman enter the room precisely at 6:00pm, Fiona slipped in quietly.  Her date was late, and Fiona hated going into large rooms with just a few people because it was hard to avoid conversation, but... damn her obsession with timeliness.

The place looked nothing like the lounge she was used to seeing, having been redecorated completely for the occasion.  Fiona, instead of immediately floating over to her CEO and his friends, circled the beverages table as though she was still deciding what to choose, still anxious for the fashionably late to finally come.  She picked a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and poured herself a glass as two gentlemen, dressed like the Christmas Spirit had one too many tequila shots and vomited all over their clothes, entered the lounge and also approached Mr Moynahan.

"Where are you, Miss Taylor?"

[Christian Moynahan]

And in your waiting hands I will land
and roll out of my skin
And in your final hours I will stand
ready to begin
-Audioslave, “Show Me How To Live”

Alain Jensen

A simple suit had sufficed for Alain. He was not much for the season - he only truly celebrated it for his kids. His wife was of the same mind.They had seen enough Christmases to last them the rest of their lives.

This was an office party, though, and not just any old one. This was Christian’s party, and Alain fully expected the man to do something not only nice, but also slightly quirky. And the man did not disappoint. The man had broken out some zinfandel for the occasion, likely from the vast stores of liquors Christian had hidden somewhere within the building, the location of which even Alain did not know. That was Christian, though. Full of surprises. Quirky.

But truly “quirky” was the suit Archie Cane had chosen to wear to the party. His friend Eugene was pushing it with that sweater, but Archie had just taken it to a whole ‘nother level. Alain did not know whether to roast the man or applaud him.

He greeted Teagan Swift with a nod of his head. The woman was beautiful, and her dress only accented that. “Happy holidays to you as well,” he said with a smile. Next he approached the two men and shook their hands. “You certainly look… festive,” he said with a chuckle. ”Happy holidays, gentlemen.”

Next to appear was Fiona Kingsleigh, who was resplendent in a lovely red gown. Red happened to be Alain’s favorite color, so that helped as well. He greeted her with a smile. “Happy holidays, Fiona,” he said pleasantly. “Looking for someone?”

Drew Moynahan

“Late to the party” was not just a turn of phrase in Drew’s case. He did in fact arrive late, but then again, his cousin had not expected him to be on time. Although they had only known each other for a few weeks, they had learned to read each other easily. It must have been that familiar connection. Drew smiled to himself.

He stepped into the room and took in his surroundings. Everything was so bright and cheerful. Typical Christian, always trying to find the best in something. Forever seeking perfection. There were so many imperfections in the man, however, that he was attempting to design the outside to make up for what he lacked. Drew knew that personally.

Of everyone present, it was Teagan who caught Drew’s eye. He knew her to be a model, and she was every bit as beautiful as one would expect her to be. But the black ensemble she had chosen… that bespoke much. He approached Miss Swift after Christian and Alain had. “Good evening,” he said, a smile on his lips. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced. Drew Moynahan, our boss’ cousin. I’m serving as Ark’s government liaison.” The job was actually an easy one, when the President had been and in a form still was the head of Ark’s parent company, the Kilvayne Corporation. Besides, Christian was part of the small circle of influence that truly ran the country, legislative and judicial branches be damned. Drew had settled into the position easily.

Drew raised Teagan’s gloved hand to his lips. then lowered it. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Christian Moynahan

It was time to gather everyone and get the business out of the way so that everyone could enjoy the party. First, though, their were introductions; Alain and later Drew flanked him on each side as Christian greeted his staff.

Teagan he especially liked, due to the fact that she was also Irish. There were a few things about her that he could really do without, especially her penchant for wearing expensive clothing in a building when quite literally anything could happen (snakes in an office, sprinklers activated remotely, to name a memorable few). “Pleased to meet you as well,” he told her, smiling. “I hope you enjoy yourself.”

He greeted Archie and Eugene with a laugh. “And here I thought I was pushing the festive-outfit bounds,” he told them. “Gentlemen. It’s good to see you outside of lab coats. Happy holidays to you too.”

He found Fiona next, and overheard her question to herself. “I’m sure Alice will be here shortly,” he assured her. Alice did have little Sharon to take care of as well, after all. “As will Fallon… hopefully.” He chuckled softly. “I’ll wait for them to arrive before I introduce everyone.”

[Teagan Swift]

Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths can I ever go back
Dreaming of the way it used to be
Can you hear me?

Teagan smiled politely and gave a small nod as Alain greeted her customarily and giggled a little bit as Christian bade her to enjoy herself. Oh she certainly would enjoy herself, both on this day, and in the coming weeks and months as she delved deeper into whatever work Ark decided to throw her way. Some might have called her pretentious and a glorified brat in the past, her pursuit of betterment of herself compared to others, but it was all to lead to her own benefit in the long run. All had a place in the world, hers was simply to be above the majority, how could they not see or appreciate that?

Ark did though, or so Teagan was going to believe, and she hoped that the work to come would challenge her beyond anything else that had come her way. Most of all, she hoped that she could set aside her modeling as a hobby rather than her career. Teagan knew her beauty, knew that she wore almost everything well, what she needed was not the weight of social blitzes but to further herself, to make herself a better version than she was now. 

The rest of the guests seemed more or less festive, though the one lady seemed a bit anxious as if she was not comfortable in being at the party. However she was surprised when a stranger that she had not even seen a dossier about approached her and introduced himself as Christian's cousin. Teagan's eyebrow arched severely, as she had been unaware of any of Christian's family working for the family, wondering if there was a reason that Drew was not more well known.

She was a little taken aback when he raised her hand, giving it a small kiss, and lowered it once more. "A fan of chilvary are you? How... interesting."  Teagan said with an odd smile herself, wondering what was the mystery of Drew Moynahan. "Teagan, Teagan Swift, although you may call me River if it suits you."