The Fellowship of the Sun
A triangular mass of windows and modern side-panels of an off white, the church the Fellowship of the Sun congregate in is nothing short of welcoming. Its doors are comprised of transparent glass, allowing the world outside a glimpse into a richly carpeted and lavish lobby area. This is the heart of the church's information network; a place where tables filled with pamphlets and educational materials can be found as well as the corkboard holding up all the flyers and notices of recent events that might interest the congregation. Attached is a coat room, and the pair of handsome doors leading into the main chapel of the building, as well as a staircase that leads downstairs, where independent study rooms, the kitchen, and function rooms can be found.
In the room of worship, the walls are lined with magnificent, large windows. Large, fairly spacious, the altar stands proud and elevated like a stage in front of the masses of wooden pews standing sentinel. An elaborate wall of organ pipes make up the back wall, and above that is a golden cross, proclaiming its status as a holy place. The room always seems extraordinarily bright and sunny, a combination of the light colors used to decorate the room and the towering glass walls put into effect.
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Early afternoon on the wet, Texas day. It's been drizzling on and off, with rumbling thunder in the distance. Though the thundershowers haven't started around North Dallas, the sky is dark and less than inviting.
Hope has been at the church most of the day, having the day off from the flower shop. Today, she's setting up the Silver Spray(TM) booth, wherein volunteers from the church will be selling the product in the coming days.
"Do you think the sign is off-center?" Mostly she's talking to herself, but she keeps walking backward and tilting her head. Then motioning for the sign to be adjusted to the left or right.
It is the best day to be at the shop but he has other plans. Certain ideas have been floating around in his head so he needs to investigate them. Coming straight from a meeting, Zane is wearing a black suit with a white shirt. The shirt is unbuttoned at the top and the tie is now missing. The young woman that he's looking for happens to be distracted so he walks up behind her. "A little to the left and it will be perfect." Perhaps it's creepy, but Wright isn't looking to announce his presence. It wouldn't do to get himself sidetracked when he has a specific goal.
Not so much creepy as startling.
"EeeEEEK!" Hope jumps a good few feet, but the recognizable voice has her calming down and laughing at herself soon enough. "Hiya, Mr. Wright! Sorry, you just caught me off guard a bit." Giggling, she motions for her helpers to move the sign to the left and then turns to speak to the other man. "I uhm… hope my opinion piece didn't hurt your campaign at all, but after hearing of that poor woman who was in a car accident and got bitten afterward, I just felt someone had to say something…"
Her reaction brings a smile to his face but he resists the urge to laugh. "Well, I should still apologize. I should have made my approach clear, but figured that daylight hours should prove to be safe." He knows of her attack, of course, so is precautious about some things. The sign is studied to the point that he nearly doesn't hear what she says. "Hrm? Oh, that? I enjoyed reading it. You do realize, though, that you need not actually speak out so much about me. I don't want you to feel obligated." If she is going to feel obligated, however, his reason for being in the area may be valid.
"Obligated? I don't feel that way at all. I speak like I do because I have the utmost faith that you're the perfect man for the job." Especially because Hope herself has been attacked, and he's one of the few people in her life (besides Bobby and Serenity!) that have been there for her. Even her own sister hasn't really come to see her… though Tripp did.
Stupid vampire.
Buttering people up isn't something that he's good at intentionally doing. Zane moves around Hope in attempts to place his hands on her shoulders. If she'll allow it, he'll give her a light and completely appropriate massage. "I always appreciate the kind words, believe me. Although I don't know if I'm nearly the man that you think that I am." To change the topic he continues. "Have you considered what you'll be doing when college is behind you? Once you're a married woman and settling into life?"
A massage is completely unexpected, even if it's just the friendly-fatherly sort. Hope tenses, eyes falling to the two that were helping her with the booth. Just to ensure they're not going to start snickering or whispering. Satisfied that they don't think anything is wrong, she lets herself relax a little. "You stand up for humanity, Mr. Wright. In my book, that makes you more than the man I already consider you to be." At the change of topic, she nods. "I've got at least another year of school, but I've been majoring in Education so I'm guessing that means either a job in research or actually teaching."
He nearly backs away until he's certain that she's going to relax. Everything remains harmless. In fact, his hands may be a little too restrained for a good massage. "If only the general populace agreed with you." Zane's hands fall free of Hope and he eyes those assistants. "Anyone else?" The award winning smile is flashed before he goes back to the conversation at hand. "I've been considering a few things. There are many 'ifs' to consider in this, of course. Yet if I do win the election, how would you feel about taking a position in the office?"
"Of course you've got our vote," come the words from the assistants, who giggle and give him the same sort of look Hana was giving Hope over him not long ago.
"See," Hope says, turning to face the man, "you have the backing of the people, not just me." Her smile falters a little and she blinks at him a few times. "In the office? Well sure! I'd love to do that. I'm sure I could defer school, or get special allowance to finish the courses independently."
"Not even at the cost of a massage? Maybe I can massage my way into office." This is of course said to the assistants. He's not even intending to flirt, but even such words will not be spoken to Hope. She's too much like a daughter and he'd rather no conflicts with Robert. Hope's fading smile doesn't do much for confidence. Zane watches her close, that same charming smile returning at the end. "Oh, no. You, young lady, need to finish school. I can work around that. A customer made me realize that I do need at least someone that I can trust around me, and currently you're at the top of the list."
The girls laugh, and giggle, blushing and busying themselves so as to try to have that go unnoticed.
Hope rolls her eyes at the two and shakes her head a little. "Wait, me? Really?" There's a distinct OHMIGAWDOHMIGAWD sound to her voice, and she's starting to get all starry-eyed. "Well I'd definitely finish school! I mean, I've every intention to. I already had to defer a year due to what happened with my sister, but I've been working hard and I don't really want to give that up." Still she knows the independent study won't hurt anything.
"Oh, sure. I have consultants and aids and I can and will slowly build relationships with them. But they're just that. People. I don't know much about them. Yet." It is his goal to know all of those who help him, or at least meet them once. Each and every single one of them is a person, after all, and that is how Zane operates. "Your education is more important, you hear me?" At this point he very much is giving her the eye of a father. "Right now I just know that I could trust you and your honest opinion. That means more to me than a hundred supporters."
"Aww, shucks, Mr. Wright!" Hope is full out blushing now. That's very high praise from someone she looks up to a great deal. Her reaction gets more giggles from her volunteers and she dips her head down hoping that they won't see the blush. "I hear you loud and clear. Education first. Maybe I can work in some law and politics courses in the fall. They're listed in the humanities, which is where I need to get a few more credits in."
The giggling is ignored at first, although he does flash the girls a smile eventually. This conversation likely is best had in public but this is more giggling than he's normally used to. "Shucks nothing. I feel like you're my biggest fan." Or biggest responsibility. Zane is full on serious as he regards her. "I can help you with that as much as I can. Any information I can provide or anything." A hand moves to her head to try and ruffle her hair. "Just don't burn yourself out, either. You have to save time for your husband in all of this."
Her hair.
Hope's eyes widen, and she tries to duck away from that fatherly hair-ruffling. Unfortunately she's just not used to getting such attention — her own father was never a very friendly, approachable, or comforting man. "Well I don't know about that, Mr. Wright. Pretty sure Hana'd fight me for that title if she got the chance to." She won't speak ill of her friend. She warned her off, and hopefully that will at least last until the campaign is over. "Bobby understands that I need to be busy. If I'm not busy I think too much." Such as potentially offing herself when she could've been a werewolf. "I promise to take at least two weeks off after the wedding."
Yes, her precious hair. She may not be used to the attention but he'd treat anyone like this, especially anyone he considers being a surrogate father to. "Well, now, we can't have any fighting. Though maybe I can talk to her anyway and see if she'll settle for second best." He'll meet anyone and play nice, and the more the merrier. Zane's always looking for trusting people. "Yes. Two full weeks. Robert is fully aware of that, and I know he won't want to go against that." Hope should realize that the two have been speaking about her. "Good. It's settled. I'm glad that you said yes. While I'm sure the current staff will work out well, it would be nice to know that there's at least one person that I can trust."
"You've been talking to Bobby?" Hope is forced to blink at that as well, having not really suspected that at all. Bobby's been playing that one close to his chest. "I'm sure Hana would love to help out. She owns the cutest little flower shop. She'd probably donate flowers to the press conferences and debates." Likely more than that too, but that's all she's spoken with the other young woman about so she doesn't want to promise anything that wasn't previously discussed. "Your current staff has likely worked on campaigns like this before. You… may want to look into hiring at least one security guard though. Some people might not take this well. You know, like the American Vampire League. They'll see it as an affront, and I don't want the vile creatures to hurt you."
She seems so shocked. "I had to. He's the one who said that you wouldn't be in church that time, remember? I may have let it slip that I'd prefer that you two escape for a time. He didn't want you to think we were conspiring against you, I bet. We don't want you to get the wrong idea." Zane pauses to consider Hana. "I'll stop by and speak with her at some point. I can always use flowers." He knows enough ladies and organizations that can use some. "Thanks for the information. I'll look into it." Hope's words cause her to place a hand on her shoulder. There's no massaging but rather a serious expression. "Not everyone who works for that organization is bad. You should remember that. Everyone has differing views, and thinking only the worst of them based on those views isn't fair." He clearly will speak to anyone. "I'm not afraid of those creatures. I'm sure that will change eventually. But if you think security is needed, I'll look into it." Honest.
"I'm honestly not worried about the people who have good intentions of trying to cohabitate with the vile creatures, Mr. Wright. I'm more worried about the vampires that might take offence to your platform or the fact you're part of the church." Hope can understand that some will have differing views. Even Bobby doesn't fully agree with everything she has to say. Still, she'd feel a lot better if her favorite politician had at least one person on security detail. "Oh. Well I don't think you're conspiring against me, neither of you is really like that." Pause. "Well unless you were planning a surprise party."
She has a valid point and he takes it all into consideration. "They have nothing to fear, yet. McNaab is still a worthy opponent." Perhaps they should be taking polls to see where he stands. It might get his hopes up too high, though. "But I do agree that at some point I should have someone around. Do you know of anyone who could be looking for a better job?" Zane will be speaking to a particular bouncer anyway. Certainly he can beat the pay that he getting currently. Even with the serious conversation he has to smile. "No. We're not doing anything like that. I don't know if that's a good thing for you with your wedding so soon. Maybe I'll consider it when you graduate." He is surprising her with a gift, though.
"Bobby might be, but I don't know." She can't, and won't speak for another, least of all her fiance. "It wouldn't hurt to ask him though, since you know, you two have been talking anyhow," she teases with an award-winning smile. "Oh!" Before she forgets, Hope moves over to grab one of the boxes of Silver Spray. "Here, for your office. You can let all your assistants and stuff have some. On the house." Since really, she doesn't need the money so much after selling the patent idea. One box being given out freely is hardly a dip in the income. "It won't do more than give you all time to get away during an attack but it does work. I had a chance to use it myself."
It would be scary how in sync their minds are if he were to think about it. "Hey now. We're talking about you only because we care. Although I need to remember that I don't need to eat so much take-out when you're around." He certainly felt that one the next day. "I'll speak with him, though. He seems nice enough." The box is taken before Zane fully watches her. "You know I'm willing to pay for this." He is. She knows it. "Although I will give these out to the staff. I know they'll appreciate it." He'd even endorse the product if it wasn't for his run for office. "I don't like hearing that you were close enough to one of them to use it. Please be careful."
"Months ago, during the trial run. Caught me in the campus parking lot. We need better security there." Hope will be working on that one too, come the fall semester. It's one of those issues that she won't let rest. "You really shouldn't have ordered from all those places, but it was a great night. It made me think about setting up a board game for the church."
His eyes actually narrow. For a moment she'll see the passion inside of him. She'll see the anger and the concern over the fact that she was in danger. "I'll make a few phone calls." This is said slowly as he holds back the irritation. He must practice, just in case. Eventually the emotion is pushed aside and Zane appears the typical man he always is. "I didn't know what you wanted. Honestly? The issue was with eating all of it." Some things are just dumb, he has to admit. "A board game night for the church sounds like a great idea. You'll have to let me know if you actually go through with it."
The irritation would be mirrored in her own face but she's turned all her irritation into trying to do something about the issue. "You don't have to, Mr. Wright. I got to my car safely. I really think that one either thought I was my sister, or wanted to talk." Either way, running was the best option and that's what she did. "If we ever dine again, I'll make sure you eat in moderation. We wouldn't want you getting sick before the election. The media would make too many speculations." She nods, smiling. "I'll see what we can set up. I'll talk to some of the young mothers in the church and see if they can't come up with ideas for it."
A finger moves to tap the underneath of her jaw, another little gesture that he reserves for those he fathers. Not that there are many. "Yes, I do." If something does happen to her he'll likely tear the city apart in search for angers. "I should speak with your sister, too. She's going to get you both into trouble." Faith simply needs to see how much better life will be when she's safe. Zane laughs loudly, unconcerned with who may overhear. "If the media had their way, they would shape it to say that I was pregnant with our lovechild. I've learned not to be bothered so much by some things." It's only when they mention his wife that he gets upset. "If you'd like anything for it, just say the word. I can even order food, since I seem to do that well."
"Okay, ew! The media is just wrong, and tabloids are worse. Never believe what you read in tabloids." Hope should know. She's read enough lies about her sister to last a lifetime. "I'll let her know. I just warn you, Mr. Wright, that she's firmly in the other camp. I think she broke things off with her fiance over one of them." While she loves her sister, she's obviously not thrilled with the way her life is going now. "So make sure you meet during the day, in a very public place."
Another laugh comes at her reaction. "I only believe none of what I read and half of what I see. That unfortunately is the truth. But it's okay." He may not mind the attention but there are those like Faith and Hope that might. The warning is given consideration as Zane watches Hope. "She's your twin. I'm sure that I'll be fine." Surely the twin of one so close to him wouldn't do anything wrong. "But I'll be sure to, if she even agrees to meet with me. I'll see what I can get out of her."
"She may be my twin, Mr. Wright, but that doesn't make her safe." Hope can't even really see her sister now that the evil creature that was her best friend confirmed what's going on. "Please be careful. We'd all be losing someone pretty important if you were to go and get yourself grievously injured."
He mimics a previous action, that finger to her chin. "I'll be okay. It's not close enough to the election for something to happen to me." This is said with confidence even if Hope is doing well to feed into Zane's paranoia. "I'll go make a few calls and let you get back to what you were doing. I just wanted to make that offer before I forgot." Knowing ahead of time makes things easier for him, at the very least.
His confidence doesn't mirror her thoughts, but she knows he'll wind up with security one way or another and that makes her feel much better. "We're almost done here. We get the license from the city tomorrow to start selling the Silver Spray out of the church. I just want to have everything perfect so that the volunteers can be ready to go once we get the okay." She moves to the side to let him get through to make his calls. "I can't wait until you win. I'm flattered and honored that you asked me."
He'll have security, yes. It may not be the most high scale security but he'll at the very least get the two lovebirds working on similar schedules. "If you need anything, at all, give me a call. I'll see to it that it gets done." Zane is a man of action and so she'll know that he means it. Again he ruffles her hair before he begins to walk away. "I adore your confidence. I'll see you in the Mayor's office." With that he disappears, off to make the world a safer place.
