It did, indeed, take a lot of candles to light up the first floor of their new HQ. She?d bought several dozen scented tapers while she was out with Jewell. It?d been hard to come to a decision, so they bought as many scents and colors as took their fancy. The end result was a brightly lit room with a heavy discord of fragrance.

Amthy made a little check on her list of things-to-do. It was a drop in the barrel, but it was something! Her little cheeks puffed and her bright eyes squint. Next came cleaning. Amthy didn?t particularly like to clean. It wasn?t that she was untidy, but, like a child, she was accustomed to someone cleaning for her. Which was fine, or it would be as soon as she figured out how to liberate more of the Guild?s funds to pay for the cleaning crew.

Everything else was on hold until that matter was taken care of. At least as far as the building was concerned. She had an appointment with Jewell to meet with the moving picture man, and another with the sign-maker. They had already met with the novelty man, and their order sat in several brown boxes next to the door away from the growing puddle of water in the middle of the room.

She had been satisfied with the results of the man?s labors. Hundreds of little red pins filled the boxes. Each one declared boldly: ?I *heart* Tara. They would go nicely with the advert stickers they had purchased, and made fine rewards to their supporters. Moving over to one of the top boxes, she picked up one of the long, but short, stickers. The man said people could affix them to their vehicle of choice. The picture was the only one their artist could supply. Apparently, it was the only pose Tara had held for longer than five minutes.

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It was charming in its own way.

"Are you ready, Sweet Pea?" She called toward the staircase that led to the second floor. "I dunn wanna be late!"

Amthy watched her Sweat Pea as she navigated around one of the various groups of candles. There were tapers in hanging chandeliers, fitted into sconces on the walls, clustered together on small make-shift tables, and free-standing four-foot fall pedestal candlestick holders. The light they produced was warm and cozy, and helped to drive some of the chill from the air. It didn?t help any that the ground level was window-poor.

Amthy?s nose wriggled and she pressed a finger to her cheek thoughtfully. ?Should we blow out the candles before we leave?? She asked. Bent at the waist, she braced her hands against her knees. Eye level with one of the many flames, Amthy puffed out her cheeks. ??s like a birthday, ?sn?t it?? A whimsical smile touched her lips as she exhaled. ?Dunn forget to make a wish!? The flame before her flickered and danced on the wick in time to her words. The sight struck her fancy. She could have played all day with the candle, but she didn?t have the time. A brief frown turned her lips as she extinguished the candle and the ones adjacent to it.

?I wished for a new pair of roller skates,? she told Jewell as she straightened. Knuckling her fingers to the small of her back, Amthy turned. She looked for all the small points of light in the shadowy room. It had taken them a long time to light all of the candles. She wagered it would take a while to put them all out again. Magic, she decided, would be the easiest way to deal with the chore. ?On the way home can we stop at a spell shop?? She wondered if they had enough money left to purchase a customized spell. "'s prolly best iffin we go some places together! Wha' iffin there are scary people? I would hate to be alone when I met them. We can split the street an' each go to one side."

Wandering closer to her fellow Blade, Amthy peeked into the box. One of the buttons was snagged for herself with one hand while a handful was claimed with the other. The extras were stowed away into that magical place that was her bosom. ?I didn? think Maz would be interested,? she confessed while pinning the red button onto her chest. ?He?s an artiste,? she laughed and touched her cheeks. ?An? I figure he?s got his hands full making Tara?s movin? picture. It mighta been a conflict in his interests.?

?We?re s?posed ta meet Mister Boyd, tha?s the movin? picture man,? she said to Jewell. Her fingers dipped into her bust and she searched for a square of paper with the directions, ?at the Second Bell recordin? studio.? She turned the paper to show Jewell the address. ?Do you know where tha? is??

?A surf board?? Amthy?s brows furrowed as she tried to place a meaning to the object in that airy little head of hers. She continued to weave through the assortment of candles, blowing them out. Her Wind Sibs, in a moment of whimsy, helped too which made the task that much faster?or something. ?I wanted to get someone to spell the candles,? she said with a nod. ?Then we can turn?em on an? off with a gesture or a word or somethin?.?

Airy thing that she was it was easy for her to abandon the task. Besides, wasn?t the box more interesting than pesky candles? She grinned to Jewell as she wagged the address before the Water Fae?s eyes. At the sound of the rattle, she looked down first at her feet then at the puddle beneath Jewell?s dress. Her eyes narrowed with mirth, and she laughed. ??s magic!? Gush! She patted her hand a few more times to her bosom with her free hand. ?Oh, I can keep all sorts of things in here. I dare say tha?ve lost track o? everything. ?m no? much for spring cleaning,? the Nymph admitted.

Her expression turned thoughtful, and her eyes rolled up as her lil lips puckered. ?The WestEnd? Oh! I hadn? thought o? tha?!? She confided in an excited exhale. The address was tucked in against her palm as her fingers curled over the scrap of paper. Like a little puppy, she followed Jewell. ?No, I dunn wanna be late.? She agreed completely with her Sweet Pea?s assertion that to be late would be rude. She didn?t even think to lock the door of their new headquarters behind them.

* * *

Amthy clung to Jewell?s arm with her eyes wide. Her gaze swung without pause; sweeping from one side of the street to the other and back again. She had only been to the WestEnd a handful of times, and most of those trips had been to Sid?s Brownstone. Out and away from the familiar, she was thankful to have Jewell there beside her. With her lamentable sense of direction it would have been a miracle for her to find the Second Bell on her own, let alone find her way back home!

The Second Bell Studios were housed within a reclaimed factory and two adjoining office buildings. Graffitied cinder blocks and red brick with crumbling mortar didn?t seem all that welcoming to Amthy. The address on the paper led them to one of the office buildings?the shorter of the two having only three stories. The building was narrow but deep, and Amthy could just see the fire escape winding down the side when she peeked into the alley.

?Seems kinda dirty,? she observed to Jewell as she lagged behind her fellow Harpy. She sniffed. ?An? smelly, too.? Both of those statements did little to keep them both from entering the lobby of the building, which was, thankfully, cleaner than the outside. The d?cor was minimal but tasteful with a heavy, tall desk in the back and a receptionist behind. After a brief discussion with the receptionist, they were buzzed up to meet with Mister Boyd.

Mr. Eugene Boyd was a slick, if not greasy and ever-so-slightly slimy, man. He wore polyester and patterned silk with heavy gold chains that accented the tufts of chest hair that peeked out of the ?v? of his partway unbuttoned shirt. His dark brown hair was carefully coiffed with enough pomade to make his hair look like formed plastic at first glance. He was also handsome, which was the only way he was able to make the whole look work.

?Amthy, babes!? He called as he oozed closer to the nymph and Jewell. ?Glad you could make it.?
?Mister Boyd, this is Jewell.? She introduced her Sweet Pea with a charming smile.
He admired the blue-haired Fae with his arms thoughtfully crossed over his chest and his fingers pinching his chin. ?Have you ever thought about being in the movies? Your face has character.?

Since this was her first time in Eugene?s office, Amthy toddled around the room and investigated everything that caught her attention. All the other times they had met, it had been in neutral locations to keep suspicion down, and since the commercial had been filmed covertly; there hadn?t been much reason for her to be there before that moment. ?Can I have this?? She asked as she wagged a statuette in her hand.

That forced Eugene to stop fawning all over Jewell long enough to snatch the gilded bit of resin out of Amthy?s grubby hands. ?Sorry, that was a present. Are you ready to see my masterpiece?? He asked the women.

Amthy clapped and jumped in place. ?Oh, yes! I wanna see!? She sang with a squeal.

Eugene tipped his head and motioned for them to follow him, which Amthy only too happily did. The room he led them too was dim, and lined with rows of chairs. Amthy claimed one for her own and stared at the screen before her. Not before she patpatpatted the chair next to her. ?Ohoh, sit next t?me, Sweet Pea!? While they got situated, Eugene went to start the reel. The sound crackled and numbers flashed over the screen as the lights went off completely and the picture began.

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Amthy leaned toward Jewell and whispered near her ear, "is art s'posed t'be understood?" Her lil nose scrunched. "Why weren't we in it?" She asked Eugene with a disappointed pout. "I think Jewell an' I woulda been a nice addition, duncha think?" She asked her fellow Fae.
"It speaks to the people," Eugene cut in with a self-assured smile. "It gives them confidence!"
"Why is she picking her nose?" Amthy asked Jewell more than Eugene.
He continued as if Amthy hadn't spoken. "How can you look at her darling face and not love it?"
Amthy considered that for a moment. "She is very pretty an' I already love her very much."
"Beauty sells!" Eugene tapped a finger first to his nose, winked, and then pointed at Amthy and Jewell.
"Though tha' rash doesn' make her look very nice."
"It makes her look less threatening." Eugene countered.
"I think her mongoose flatters her figure better. Don't you think so, Jewell?" Amthy asked as she twisted a little and played with a section of olive-green.

Amthy loved a party. And she loved Jewell even more for mentioning one. The Woodland Waif clasped her hands together and gave Jewell a starry-eyed look. ?Do you think we could have a party?? She asked. ?I would very much like to have one! And if anyone deserves a party, it?s Tara!? She asserted.

Jewell had Eugene stumped for the moment. He slid his hands over his slicked hair. ?But the campaign isn?t about you lovely ladies. It?s about this Tara chick.? He snapped his fingers, winked, and withdrew. ?I did get a snap of her in that lingerie she wears,? he pointed out to Jewell as Eugene flopped into his chair. ?And that was Hot.? He put stress on the ?T? in hot and gave it one of those implied capitals.

He reclined back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. ?There was also the money concern,? he mentioned in a lazy way. Untucking one hand, he waved it dismissively to ward off any protest. ?I wasn?t given an infinite amount of money, and that?s what makes the world go ?round. I managed with what I had. If you want more than that?.? Eugene let his voice fade off and brushed his thumb over his middle and forefingers. ?I need a bigger budget.?