The invitations had been sent out to the full list of people requested by the board. The Governor of Rhy'Din, the Baroness of Dockside, prominent business owners and other organizations that may have an interest in Rhydin City's newest endeavor. With that done, Pandora needed only to get a good night's rest before the big day.
~*~
December 8th
?The day is upon us, Samson! Today we do all the things and help all of the people and save the world!? Twirling around her room, she put the finishing touches on her outfit. A smartly tailored navy and tan dress paired neatly with glossy nude pumps, making the nineteen year old look at least a few years older than she was.
Samson, the four pound Yorkie that he was, stared at her with his head cocked to one side.
?Okay, maybe not the world. But some of the people, right?? A double check of her curled blonde hair and neutral toned makeup determined that she looked terrific. ?Very professional, Pan-pan.?
Samson tilted his head to the other side.
?Exactly. Alright, you be good and don?t eat the kitty?s food or else the roomie is gonna get mad again.? Pandora kissed the dog on the top of his head and hurried out of the Old Temple apartment that she shared with two others, plus Samson and a cat named Midnight. From there, she stopped by RhyBucks for a peppermint mocha latte, venti sized of course, and took it with her into Dockside. The Dragon?s Gate Orphanage board had offered to have a driver pick her up but Pandora knew that a walk in the cool morning air would be good to clear her head before the opening ceremony.
As a graduate of the Dragon?s Gate Orphanage and a former child of the streets of Rhy?Din, the idea that she could have been deemed suitable to run the Farron-Queen Memorial Outreach Centre just blew her mind. She had no degree and only a year of school under her belt, at community college nonetheless. But ?You have the sort of experience that the target demographic can relate to. You?ve beaten the odds and you will help them beat the odds too,? Giovanni Diamante had told her when he announced that she had been picked as the program?s face.
?I beat the odds. I beat the odds and they can too,? she whispered to herself as she closed in on the throng of people standing outside of the two story converted warehouse that would from now on house the program?s headquarters. Sidling along the crowd?s edge, she avoiding diving through it until she was near the front of the building, at which point she shouldered past reporters and stepped carefully up onto the riser that had been placed in front of the doors and handed off her latte and jacket when prompted.
?You ready to do this?? Giovanni leaned down toward her to ask. She looked up at him and smiled. He was so very tall, well over a foot and half taller than Pandora was, and it hurt her neck a little to look up that high. He returned the smile and gestured toward the podium that had been erected on the riser. A little stool behind it allowed Pandora to step up to the microphone. As she did, the murmuring of the crowd died down and all eyes lifted toward her. Oh, this was scary. She took in a deep breath and bestowed upon them a brilliant smile.
?Hello and welcome. Thank you all for joining us this morning. It?s a little chilly so I?m glad you all made it out regardless. My name is Pandora Fox and I am the program director for this big, lovely building standing behind me, a little something called the Farron-Queen Memorial Youth Outreach Centre. I know that?s a bit of a mouthful, but it?s with good reason. Today, December eighth, would have been the twentieth birthday of Lila Kathryn Farron. She, along with Miss Clarice Queen, both passed away in May of twenty-fourteen and it is because of them that we are here today.? Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her notecard then aside to those who had joined her on the riser. Giovanni gave her an encouraging smile. Beside him, Noctis Caelum and his wife Claire, stood dressed in black and looking out over the crowd. Claire?s eyes were slightly red as if she may have been crying earlier in the morning. Further down the line, delegates from Queen Enterprises took up the tail end.
?The Farron-Queen Memorial Youth Outreach Centre opens today in hopes of helping young adults like Miss Queen and Miss Farron so that no loved one ever has to suffer the loss of someone so young. We are here to support the youth of Dockside and of Rhy?Din City at large and with the support of the community, we look forward to serving and helping them more seamlessly transition to adulthood. Starting tomorrow, we will open enrollment first to the children?s homes of the city and then on Friday, public enrollment for any who wish to take advantage of our services will be available. We will have classes and seminars on a number of topics including personal finance, resume building, health and wellness, and other subjects, beginning on Monday, January fourth. Our mental health and substance abuse counseling center and our job placement service will be available starting on Saturday. And all of this is thanks to the help of our community and of our generous benefactors. So thank you! Thank you to each and every person, business, and organization that helped make this a reality. Without further ado, members of the Dragon?s Gate Orphanage board in conjunction with Queen Enterprises shall do us the honors of finishing this out.? From within the podium, Pandora pulled free an oversized pair of scissors. They were comically large for the sake of those watching from afar but regardless, she handed them to Gio for him to pass to the waiting board members. Crowding the thick red ribbon, the group clumsily managed to snip through it to the sound of cheers from the crowd.
?You were terrific,? Gio murmured down to her, clapping along with the rest of the them. Pandora beamed, the smile sticking to her mouth through the rest of the dedication ceremony and subsequent tour. Sponsors were thanked, tours were given, and when all was said and done, Pandora hadn?t the slightest idea of where the time had gone. Before she knew it, Gio was offering out her jacket to her, holding it as she slipped into the plush peacoat. ?Did you need a ride home or would you care to join us for lunch??
?Oh, I?m not all that hungry. I can walk, don?t wanna pull you away,? Pandora said with a smile, threading buttons through their holes and adjusting the coat until it was perfectly comfortable.
?At the very least I?ll drive you home. It?s cold and I insist, really,? Gio said with a smile. She couldn?t say no to that!
~*~
http://oi65.tinypic.com/adlxyt.jpg
((Feel free to post here if your character attended the dedication ceremony, the tour, or whatever! Polys, descriptions, posts, you name it. Anything works!))
~*~
December 8th
?The day is upon us, Samson! Today we do all the things and help all of the people and save the world!? Twirling around her room, she put the finishing touches on her outfit. A smartly tailored navy and tan dress paired neatly with glossy nude pumps, making the nineteen year old look at least a few years older than she was.
Samson, the four pound Yorkie that he was, stared at her with his head cocked to one side.
?Okay, maybe not the world. But some of the people, right?? A double check of her curled blonde hair and neutral toned makeup determined that she looked terrific. ?Very professional, Pan-pan.?
Samson tilted his head to the other side.
?Exactly. Alright, you be good and don?t eat the kitty?s food or else the roomie is gonna get mad again.? Pandora kissed the dog on the top of his head and hurried out of the Old Temple apartment that she shared with two others, plus Samson and a cat named Midnight. From there, she stopped by RhyBucks for a peppermint mocha latte, venti sized of course, and took it with her into Dockside. The Dragon?s Gate Orphanage board had offered to have a driver pick her up but Pandora knew that a walk in the cool morning air would be good to clear her head before the opening ceremony.
As a graduate of the Dragon?s Gate Orphanage and a former child of the streets of Rhy?Din, the idea that she could have been deemed suitable to run the Farron-Queen Memorial Outreach Centre just blew her mind. She had no degree and only a year of school under her belt, at community college nonetheless. But ?You have the sort of experience that the target demographic can relate to. You?ve beaten the odds and you will help them beat the odds too,? Giovanni Diamante had told her when he announced that she had been picked as the program?s face.
?I beat the odds. I beat the odds and they can too,? she whispered to herself as she closed in on the throng of people standing outside of the two story converted warehouse that would from now on house the program?s headquarters. Sidling along the crowd?s edge, she avoiding diving through it until she was near the front of the building, at which point she shouldered past reporters and stepped carefully up onto the riser that had been placed in front of the doors and handed off her latte and jacket when prompted.
?You ready to do this?? Giovanni leaned down toward her to ask. She looked up at him and smiled. He was so very tall, well over a foot and half taller than Pandora was, and it hurt her neck a little to look up that high. He returned the smile and gestured toward the podium that had been erected on the riser. A little stool behind it allowed Pandora to step up to the microphone. As she did, the murmuring of the crowd died down and all eyes lifted toward her. Oh, this was scary. She took in a deep breath and bestowed upon them a brilliant smile.
?Hello and welcome. Thank you all for joining us this morning. It?s a little chilly so I?m glad you all made it out regardless. My name is Pandora Fox and I am the program director for this big, lovely building standing behind me, a little something called the Farron-Queen Memorial Youth Outreach Centre. I know that?s a bit of a mouthful, but it?s with good reason. Today, December eighth, would have been the twentieth birthday of Lila Kathryn Farron. She, along with Miss Clarice Queen, both passed away in May of twenty-fourteen and it is because of them that we are here today.? Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her notecard then aside to those who had joined her on the riser. Giovanni gave her an encouraging smile. Beside him, Noctis Caelum and his wife Claire, stood dressed in black and looking out over the crowd. Claire?s eyes were slightly red as if she may have been crying earlier in the morning. Further down the line, delegates from Queen Enterprises took up the tail end.
?The Farron-Queen Memorial Youth Outreach Centre opens today in hopes of helping young adults like Miss Queen and Miss Farron so that no loved one ever has to suffer the loss of someone so young. We are here to support the youth of Dockside and of Rhy?Din City at large and with the support of the community, we look forward to serving and helping them more seamlessly transition to adulthood. Starting tomorrow, we will open enrollment first to the children?s homes of the city and then on Friday, public enrollment for any who wish to take advantage of our services will be available. We will have classes and seminars on a number of topics including personal finance, resume building, health and wellness, and other subjects, beginning on Monday, January fourth. Our mental health and substance abuse counseling center and our job placement service will be available starting on Saturday. And all of this is thanks to the help of our community and of our generous benefactors. So thank you! Thank you to each and every person, business, and organization that helped make this a reality. Without further ado, members of the Dragon?s Gate Orphanage board in conjunction with Queen Enterprises shall do us the honors of finishing this out.? From within the podium, Pandora pulled free an oversized pair of scissors. They were comically large for the sake of those watching from afar but regardless, she handed them to Gio for him to pass to the waiting board members. Crowding the thick red ribbon, the group clumsily managed to snip through it to the sound of cheers from the crowd.
?You were terrific,? Gio murmured down to her, clapping along with the rest of the them. Pandora beamed, the smile sticking to her mouth through the rest of the dedication ceremony and subsequent tour. Sponsors were thanked, tours were given, and when all was said and done, Pandora hadn?t the slightest idea of where the time had gone. Before she knew it, Gio was offering out her jacket to her, holding it as she slipped into the plush peacoat. ?Did you need a ride home or would you care to join us for lunch??
?Oh, I?m not all that hungry. I can walk, don?t wanna pull you away,? Pandora said with a smile, threading buttons through their holes and adjusting the coat until it was perfectly comfortable.
?At the very least I?ll drive you home. It?s cold and I insist, really,? Gio said with a smile. She couldn?t say no to that!
~*~
http://oi65.tinypic.com/adlxyt.jpg
((Feel free to post here if your character attended the dedication ceremony, the tour, or whatever! Polys, descriptions, posts, you name it. Anything works!))