ax_main | Tamara and Warren, backdated!

Tam hops on board the Vogue train--and has some plans of her own to discuss with Warren, too.

With Shen on board, Warren felt like the hard part was over. Now all he had to do was tell Tam, and he was 100% certain she'd be on board. Regardless of whatever weirdness had gone on with her and Shen. And Shinobi. Warren never brought it up because... weirdness.

Anyhow, he caught up with Tamara at lunch, sliding into the table next to her and arranging his wings so they didn't crowd hers while still draping elegantly over the bench. "Heyyyy. So, man, have I got an awesome idea for you."

"Hey you," Tamara said, grinning up at him. She reached a wing over to bump his, pushing a slight charge from her to him, like a static shock that left a funky tingling sensation after. It was her latest trick. "Tell me?"

"Whoo!" Warren's wings shivered and he laughed. "Damn, you're getting good with the... electrical... whatever, thing.

"But yeah. Photoshoot. High fashion. Plus profiles. You, me, Shen."

Shock washed over Tamara’s face, followed almost instantly with delight. “Ohmygod, really?! You’re serious??”

"So serious. The most serious." Warren looked just as gleeful. He'd expected something like this response, but as usual, she was exceeding expectations.

Tamara propped an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, grinning up at him. “Tell me everything.”

Warren laid out the details piece by piece: the huge, gorgeous, glossy fashion mag, the celebrity photographer, the three designers who were on board for styling wing-friendly couture just for them. "It's gonna be a whole event, seriously. There will be a few fittings just to get the lay right--no one's worked with wings yet but my own tailor--and then the shoot will be over a whole day around New York.

"The profiles, we get to say what we want. I mean, I'm sure they'll try and spin it somehow, but, eh."

“Ohmygod, this sounds amazing, I am totally in,” Tamara gushed, but the wheels were turning in her head. There was an idea that she’d been sitting on for a while now, putting off, but... She bit her lip, looking up at Warren, trying to decide what to say.

"Uh oh." Warren cocked an eyebrow. "That's a scary look. What's wrong? Did I do something?"

“No! No - worse,” Tamara replied, smirking a little woefully. “I think I’m gonna ask you for something.” Which, as a rule, she never did. Since making friends with Warren - and doubly so since she started dating Shinobi - Tam had learned to accept gifts and help without feeling like she was being bought, but that also went with not asking for things, the equal trade of not abusing their generosity or acting like their money was why she liked them.

Warren's wings perked. "Oh, that's okay." He chuckled. "What do you need?"

It pulled an affectionate smile from Tamara, but she was still feeling uncertain. “So you’ve got PR people who like, set this up, right?”

Warren nodded. "On retainer. Anything I need, any time." It was taking up all his meager income these days, but at least it was his to spend, not his father's, so he counted that lucky.

Tamara chewed her lip for a moment, then decided to lay it all out for him. “Okay, it’s like this: I’ve been getting requests from news and TV shows for like, ages, y’know? And I’ve ignored them all, ‘cause I was telling my own story with the Youtube videos. But I’ve been thinking... that maybe it’s time go mainstream. And I’ve got no idea where to start, but I bet your PR people would know that, right?” Annnd she was rambling. “Think they could at least, like, give me some pointers, or...”

Before she could go on forever, Warren chuckled and said, "Yes, absolutely, I'll give you their info and let them know to expect a call.

"This is huge. How long have you been thinking about it?"

"Since Shen's protest, I guess," Tamara said, quietly beaming up at him. Warren was either completely oblivious, or totally perfect. Score one for perfect today. "It just feels like the right time, y'know?"

"I get it--timing is everything. When the moment calls, you gotta answer." He was smiling a bit dopily now, obviously impressed with the idea. "They can definitely set you on the right path, help you work out a plan--it's hard to know where to start, but that's what they're there for. Use them all you want."

"Ohmygod, thanks," Tamara gushed, relief flooding through her. The angle at the table was too awkward for a hug, but she pressed herself to his side for a moment. "You're the best."

Warren shoulder-and-wing bumped her side. "I am, I know, but I love to hear it." He winked. "Seriously, though, this is some major stuff. I mean, not even gonna finish high school, huh? Seizing the moment?"

"Kinda? We already do like half our classes online anyway, I'm not gonna be a total drop out." That wasn't the kind of role model she wanted to be. ...which kinda sucked, because giving up school entirely sounded way more fun, but whatever. "But definite yes to seizing the moment!"

"They have totally online high schools all over the place now, too," Warren pointed out as he had the thought. "So if you need to fill in gaps it'll be easy enough. Shit. This is gonna be amazing."

Tam grinned up at him. "Starting with Vogue."