The Sierra Foxtrot War on Christmas
a collaboration between K.S. Reynard and Elarix
K.S. REYNARD'S AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello, all. After weeks of work, delays, and twisted brainstorming, I am finally ready to unleash this beast of a Christmas story upon the Star Fox fanfiction archive. It was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but it didn't work out that way. Because it's much longer than that, I've decided to break it up into three parts, which will be published on consecutive days until it's all out there. I've got to admit that writing this as a collaborative effort was a lot harder than I anticipated; but was it worth it? Ooooh yes. Special thanks to Elarix for helping me put this thing together. Each of us contributed about 50/50 to this story, so it's got a (slightly) different feel compared to my other stuff. If it wasn't obvious enough, this one ties into my full-length Sierra Foxtrot, but that story is definitely not required reading if you want to understand this.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Enjoy the story.
The late afternoon sun neared the horizon as Fox and Fara pulled into James McCloud's recently shoveled driveway. The twenty-year-old, two story home that it belonged to had borne witness to much of Fox's childhood; and even though his mother had long since passed away, his father had no intention of selling the house. Due to his line of work as a roving mercenary contractor, the only residence that Fox kept was a small, two-bedroom apartment in downtown Corneria City – far from an ideal place to host a Christmas get-together. However, he had an entirely different reason for wanting to spend the holiday with his father.
As Fox parked Fara's car in his father's driveway and turned off the engine, he looked into Fara's green eyes and felt a spark of joy flare up inside of himself. Having dated her for nearly a year and worked alongside her in his mercenary unit for even longer, he felt that the time had come to ask her a question of particular importance. For a moment, he thought about the small box in his suitcase that contained a ring that he intended to place on Fara's finger before the end of Christmas Day. He had taken the precaution of wrapping his surprise gift in advance, but he knew that he still needed to keep it hidden from Fara for the time being.
With the car silenced, Fara looked at the house in front of them and commented, "You know, this place is nice and all, but I still don't see why didn't want to spend Christmas with my family at the Phoenix family manor. You could have invited your dad – it's not like my parents would have turned him down."
"No. He would have turned them down," Fox thought, copping a naïve smile. More than anyone else, he knew that his father disliked Fara's family, claiming that 'their opulence could only be compared to their arrogance.' Part of his rationale for bringing Fara to visit with his father for Christmas was so the two of them could interact with each other without Fara's overbearing father and mother around. After all, Fox wanted to make sure that James and his future daughter-in-law could at least learn to like each other.
After pulling their suitcases out of the trunk, Fox and Fara walked up the narrow stone pathway to the front door. The landscaping around the house looked reasonable, but somewhat 'loose'. The path to the driveway had been hastily shoveled and sprinkled with salt, while the road in front of the mailbox remained piled with snow. Even under the blanket of white flakes, the occasional weed or blade of dried grass poked their heads up, and the shrubs in front of the porch were left untrimmed. Understandable, considering that James's line of work as a colonel in the Cornerian Army kept him too busy to pursue other trivial matters, such as having an immaculately manicured yard. Climbing the short set of steps to the door, Fox rang the doorbell and waited until he heard the faint sound of footsteps from inside the house.
A moment later, the door opened, revealing James. The middle-aged vulpine wore a fitted black sweater and jeans, but both Fox and Fara's eyes focus squarely on his aviator sunglasses that looked out of place indoors.
"That's odd. I don't know why he'd wear those inside," Fox mused. "There's got to be some reason for that."
His father gave him no time for further thought. Stepping onto the threshold, he peered through his sunglasses at Fara and greeted his guests. "Hi Fox – hi Fara. I'm glad you both could make it. I was afraid I was going to have to spend another Christmas alone."
Fara's expression dropped. "Is that normally how it goes for you?"
"Nah – usually if I don't have company, I'll invite Uncle Peppy over and we'll drink until the room spins," James laughed. "Although I'm going to have to be more careful about that in the future. Last year, he got so plastered that he thought my truck was a fighter jet and tried to take off in it. Man, I'm glad I stopped him before that happened. Son of a gun tried to drive off a bridge..."
The peeved look on Fara's face told him that she found his story more horrifying than humorous; and when he turned towards Fox, he noticed his son glaring at him with an expression that silently told him, "You're not making a good impression on her, Dad."
James sighed in a failed attempt at defusing the tension that had already begun creeping into the air. "Well, come on in. If you brought any presents with you, you can put them under the tree over there." He pointed into the living room to the right, where a modest Christmas tree stood in the corner. Fox noticed several old ornaments from his childhood hanging from its leaves and tried to avoid becoming emotional in front of Fara. Several of the decorations showed pictures of the McCloud family before Vixy Reinard's passing; and as much as he wanted to believe that he had gotten over her, he knew that he never would.
Instead, he turned towards his father and said, "Fara and I are going to put our bags in our room. When are we leaving for that Christmas concert you bought tickets for?"
James glanced at his watch and crossed his arms. "We'll leave in about twenty minutes. That should give us enough time to find our seats."
"That sounds great," Fara opined, shaking her tail. "I've been looking forward to this concert since last month."
"We'll have a great time," Fox agreed, although in his mind, a far different thought prevailed. "I still don't understand why these people in 'high society' seem to like going to these boring events, like visiting modern art exhibits and going to stuffy Christmas concerts. I can't believe I'm going to miss seeing Rage Against a Down for this."
Fara handed her suitcase to Fox and began climbing the stairs to the second floor. Stopping for a moment, Fox gave his father a perplexed look and asked, "What's with the sunglasses indoors? I know you love them, but isn't that kind of rude?"
"I'll explain later," James replied. "I have my reasons for wearing them. Oh, by the way, I have something else to tell you."
Fox took a quick glance at Fara as she reached the top of the stairs, then looked back at his father. "What?"
The older vulpine uneasily scratched the back of his neck and explained, "I invited someone else over. She was going to be staying next door at Cassie McMahon's house, but I told her that she could sleep in the bonus room if she wanted to."
Fox's eyes widened in mixed horror and frustration. "What? I told you that I wanted to spend Christmas together – just the three of us!" He kept his voice down to prevent Fara from hearing him, but still managed to get his emotions through. "Who did you invite?"
"That's a surprise," James replied. "Don't worry, though – she won't cause any trouble. Well, maybe a little, but don't worry about it. We'll still have a relaxing family Christmas."
Fox scowled and turned away from his father, then climbed the stairs to the second floor. By this point, Fara had already walked into the bedroom where they planned to spend the next two nights. As Fox neared the guest bedroom at the top of the steps, he tried to mask his intense disapproval of his father's rash decision. He knew that Fara already disliked their holiday venue, and telling her about their unwanted guest would only aggravate her further.
With both of their suitcases in hand, he stepped into the room and placed them beside the queen-sized bed where Fara sat with her legs hanging off the side. He smiled at the vixen, then took a seat next to her. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he nuzzled into her and sighed. "I love you."
Fara turned her head and looked into his eyes. "You know what? I love you too." Then, she attacked his muzzle with her lips and tongue, begging for Fox to return the favor. Thrilled that the mere idea of having to spend two days in her future father-in-law's house had not killed off her joy of being around him, Fox kissed her back, oblivious to the set of footsteps climbing the stairs nearby. Fara moaned in ecstasy usually reserved for more intimate scenarios as Fox continued to dote on her. Then suddenly, he stopped when something appeared in his peripheral vision.
A tall vixen with blood red fur stood in the doorway, wearing a skin-tight black catsuit with red outlines and matching black boots. A playful – if somewhat devious – smile plastered her lips as she leaned against the door frame. The light from the window at the back of Fox and Fara's room reflected off of her shiny apparel, drawing even more attention to her bodacious figure.
Fox felt his heart sink. For a moment, he hated his father. He had suspected that he might have invited her, but he thought his father would have had the sense to turn her away instead of allowing her to tarnish his private, intimate holiday with Fara. Fox knew the shapely vixen well, and he also knew that trouble followed her everywhere she went. Fara, on the other hand, knew nothing about her.
"He invited Scarlet? What was he thinking?" Fox screamed internally.
Even more alarmed than he was, Fara looked at him and demanded, "Who is this woman? And why the hell is she here right now?"
Fox patted his fiancée on the shoulder, but his tension made it seem more like a slap. "She's my cousin Scarlet. I-I honestly don't know why she's here right now."
"Actually, I'm his third cousin," Scarlet corrected, destroying Fox's attempt to make it seem like her presence could have been explained by a closer family tie. "His dad invited me over. I'll be staying in the room next to you. Man, I'm so excited about this. Christmas this year is going to be awesome with you, Foxie!" With that, she turned her back on Fox and Fara and stepped into the bedroom next to theirs.
Dumbstruck, Fara glared at Fox and snarled, "Are you serious? Your dad invited her to stay here? I can't believe this! Is he nuts?"
"Fara, I'm asking myself the same question," Fox groaned. "Don't worry – it'll be fine. At least she won't be going to the Christmas concert with us."
A mere second later, Scarlet's stepped back into the doorway. With a smile on her face, she sighed and cavalierly asked Fara, "I seem to have forgotten my dress for the concert tonight. Could I possibly borrow one of yours?"
"Or not," Fox thought.
Fara's eyes dilated in rage. "Absolutely not! Get your own! You didn't even pack a single dress in the massive suitcase I saw you take into your room? Is that all you wear, you skank?"
Scarlet's eyes narrowed, but her attitude remained unchanged. "If you must know, I'm very selective with who I share my 'assets' with. And yes – this is what I wear most of the time. I find these catsuits so much more enthralling than those boring clothes that are in vogue these days. I'm sure you'd think the same thing if you tried one on."
"Are you trying to get me to trade with you?" Fara scoffed.
"Pfft!" Scarlet spat, giving her luxuriant black hair a toss. "I'm just trying to do something nice for a stranger. It's that time of the year, you know. Christmas spirit and all that crap."
Fara's teeth poked out from her muzzle, and her oversized ears folded flat against her skull. "Well, that sucks for you, because I'm not letting you wear one of my custom-tailored designer dresses to the Christmas concert that you are not invited to. So, get out!"
"Fine!" Scarlet relented. "But I am going to the concert. Mr. McCloud was kind enough to buy me a ticket, and I'd hate to see it go to waste. He won't leave without me, so unless you want to be late, you'd better help me find something to wear. Or, you could get back to making out with the door open so the whole house can hear you moan."
As Scarlet disappeared into the hallway, Fara pounded the mattress in rage and gave Fox the most evil look that he had seen from her since the time when a clumsy partygoer spilled cocktail sauce on one of her dresses. "Is this some kind of setup?" she demanded.
"I'm going to have to talk this over with my dad," Fox assured her. "Scarlet has to go."
"And not to the Christmas concert!" Fara added.
Standing up, Fox bit his lip and looked at his watch. "We need to leave in a few minutes. We'd better tell my dad that if he's not ready to go, we're going to drive separately."
"I almost want to go separately just to keep him from bringing that disgusting tramp with him."
"I'll make sure he knows what's on our minds," Fox replied. "Come on – let's go."
After walking down the stairs, Fox left Fara in the main entryway and searched for his father, who seemed to have suddenly disappeared. He called out his name several times; and then when that failed to create a response, he walked through a nearby hallway and opened the side door that led to the garage. Still nothing. Running his fingers through his headfur, he took a deep breath and walked back towards Fara. Then, he heard a rattling sound coming from somewhere nearby. He glanced at his watch and cursed under his breath when he saw the time. They needed to be leaving now to arrive at the concert in time to claim their seats without missing any of the performance.
He recognized the sound as coming from inside the master bedroom, located on the lower floor. Approaching the closed door that led to it, he shouted "Dad?" and pushed the door open at the same time. He burst into the room, prepared to find out what was taking James so long. However, once he realized what the cause of the holdup was, he rolled his eyes and sneered. In the space between the bed and the room's spacious closet, Scarlet stood next to James with a short, black dress in her hands, dressed only in her lace underwear with her catsuit in a ball at her feet. The vixen blushed when she saw Fox, then cracked a shameless smile. "Oh, hi Fox! Care to help me put this dress on?"
"I think you can handle that yourself," Fox deadpanned before his attention turned to his father. Without saying a word, he emphatically pointed to his watch and frowned.
James held up his hands. "I know, I know. Just give Scarlet a minute. We're almost ready to go."
"No, that's just it," Fox replied. "Fara and I don't want her to go with us."
"You two are no fun together," Scarlet huffed, pulling her dress on and fastening the two shoulder straps.
Walking towards Fox, James crossed his arms and explained, "Since I reserved the seats for you, me, and Fara a month ago, Scarlet isn't going to be sitting with us at the concert. Her seat is in a different part of the auditorium. She'll only be with us during the car ride."
Fox scratched the back of his neck. "Well, if she's going, Fara and I are going to drive separately. You can go with Scarlet."
A sheepish grin appeared on James's face. "I'm sorry to say this, Fox, but my car's been giving me trouble lately. Sometimes it'll start, and sometimes it won't. It's been getting worse lately, but I can't find anyone to fix it because everyone's closed for the holidays. Sorry, but we have to go with you."
Turning to the side, Fox clamped his hand over his face and lowered it. "Did you plan this all from the beginning?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," James asserted, scratching his nose. "I only invited Scarlet because the house next door was too full for her to stay in without sleeping on the floor. Besides, things are always more fun with her around." He placed his hand on Scarlet's shoulder and stroked it, prompting her to blow a kiss in his direction.
"Fara doesn't think she's fun to be around," Fox countered.
Even through his dark, tinted sunglasses, he could tell that a frustrated expression lurked behind James's lenses. "With all due respect, what does Fara think is fun? Really – I want to know. I'm trying to make it nice for you two this Christmas."
For a moment, Fox's train of thought hit a penny on the rails and screamed off the tracks, smashing into a sheer cliff wall and exploding in a cataclysmic fireball of reality. As hard as he tried to recall what she found humorous, the only thing that came to mind were her cringe-worthy romantic comedies that he could barely stand to watch. Of course, Fara thought they were hysterical and demanded that he watch dozens of them with her. "Maybe he has a point," Fox thought. "Maybe I… No! I don't care if he doesn't like Fara – I'm proposing to her this Christmas, even if it means that I have to tie Scarlet up outside to make sure she doesn't do something to ruin the moment! Then again, Scarlet might actually be into stuff like that..."
"Come on, Fox! Let's go!" Scarlet cooed.
- § -
Staring at the ominous '5:04' on Fara's car clock, Fox grimaced and pulled into the parking lot in front of the enormous opera house where the Christmas concert had already begun. Filled to capacity, the asphalt expanse was heavy on cars but light on parking spaces, forcing Fox to park at the extreme outer fringe over a thousand feet from the building.
The instant he put the luxury car in park, Fara leaped out and grabbed her purse. James matched her in exiting the vehicle, but Scarlet had other ideas. Leisurely opening her door and making sure not to dent the car in the next space, she yawned and pushed herself out of the car, then leaned against it and stretched. In the process, she blocked Fox from passing her.
"Scarlet, come on! We're late!" Fox snapped, shoving her out of the way and chasing after Fara, who had all but broken into a sprint that was crippled by her two inch heels.
Scarlet frowned. "Fox, I'm not late for the concert – they're early for me. Lighten up a little. It's not like our seats are going to be gone when we get in there."
Ignoring the red vixen, Fox jogged to catch up with James and Fara, who actually understood the concept of punctuality. In a minute, the three reached the opera house's front doors and stepped inside. In the main atrium outside the concert hall, numerous opera house workers stood by. All of them wore matching black and white dress outfits, which made James happy that he had managed to find a dress for Scarlet to wear. As much as he disliked giving one of Vixy's favorite pieces to Scarlet, he felt that he had done the right thing. After all, Scarlet was practically a niece to him – although he never mentioned how he had come to know her apart from Fox.
After James presented their tickets at the front entrance, they searched for the stairs to the upper balcony where their seats were located. Half a minute later, Fara stopped and held her legs together. Fox noticed her discomfort and approached her. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he asked, "Are you alright?"
Fara shook her head. "I, um… I really need to powder my nose in the ladies' room. Go ahead and find the seats. I'll be up there in a minute." Then, she scanned the atrium for a 'restroom' sign and noticed one on the left side of the room. As she disappeared into the women's restroom, Scarlet opened the front door and stepped inside. Her knee-length boots looked somewhat out of place with her elegant dress, which was several inches too short due to her being four inches taller than Vixy. The opera house staff looked at her suspiciously, but said nothing as she joined Fox and James.
"The balcony is at the top of the staircase here," Fox stated, pointing to one of three staircases in the vast atrium. "Dad, where's Scarlet's seat?"
James pulled his tickets out of his pocket and squinted to read the tiny black print on them. "It says her seat is in section QQ, in the extreme back right of the balcony."
"Aw hell, like I'm sitting there," Scarlet scoffed, swatting the ticket out of James's hand. "Come on, Foxie – let's go. Hey, wait – where's your little pre-nup?"
Fox looked around the room and hoped that Fara would emerge from the restroom and rescue him from Scarlet's annoyance. "She had to go to the bathroom."
Scarlet smiled and shook her head. "I thought she would have done that before we left."
"I know, I know," Fox affirmed. "She's really excited about this concert, though. Maybe too excited, I guess."
After waiting for five more seconds, he gave up on waiting for Fara and climbed the stairs to the balcony. An elevated hallway curved around the backside of the auditorium, and three different sets of doors led into it. James held up his tickets again and commented, "Our seats are through the door in the middle. Scarlet, yours is through the one on the right."
"Thanks," Scarlet replied, disregarding James's instructions and following the two vulpines through the middle set of doors. Ahead of the other two, Fox entered the upper balcony and looked out at the vast expanse of seats. Somehow, he managed to spot the three empty chairs in the crowded section ahead of him. By some incredible fortune, the seats were positioned on the edge of the row, which meant that he and Fara would not have to sit next to anyone they did not know. Fox smiled at his luck, then looked over his shoulder and motioned for James to take the left of the three seats next to a magenta-furred vixen wearing a black turtleneck sweater.
James slid into the seat, leaving the second chair opened for Fox. As he fidgeted in the plush chair and made himself comfortable, Fox noticed Scarlet hovering over the seat on the edge of the row. "Scarlet, your seat is over there," he muttered, pointing to the back right part of the enormous balcony. Scarlet followed Fox's finger to a solitary empty seat at the top of the balcony, nestled so far into the corner that anyone over six feet in height would have bumped their head on the ceiling. She stared at the empty chair for a moment, then shook her head and dropped into the seat next to Fox.
As the sounds of 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland' filled the auditorium, Fox bumped Scarlet on the arm and growled, "What are you doing?"
"I'm sitting in this seat," Scarlet replied. "Now shut up – I can't enjoy this concert with you talking over the music. Dammit, where's the mosh pit? I don't see it anywhere."
"It's a Christmas concert, Scarlet. Are you seriously asking me that question?"
"Heck yeah I am. Any minute now, that stuffy orchestra will be getting off the stage to let some real musicians play. Right?"
"Scarlet, I don't think you realize what kind of Christmas concert this is."
"What? Are you telling me this isn't the Trans-Cornerian Orchestra?"
Fox cringed, but an exasperated smile broke through. "If it wasn't obvious enough, no."
Scarlet frowned and hunched over in her seat. "Seriously? Who would pay money to watch this crap for two hours?"
"Try three," Fox replied. "Believe me, I'm only here because of Fara. Personally, I can't stand this music."
"Wow," Scarlet cringed. "At least this chair is comfortable. Man, this fabric rocks. I need to have this sewn into my next catsuit."
Fox rolled his eyes, oblivious to his father initiating a quiet conversation with the magenta vixen next to him. Glancing to his right, he watched as Fara entered the auditorium and wandered towards him. As she neared Fox, she noticed Scarlet in her seat and clenched her fists, visibly shaking in rage. For all of three seconds, she tried to avoid making a scene in front of the audience, but that notion went out the window almost immediately.
"Get out of my seat!" she barked, leaning into Scarlet's personal space.
Scarlet returned a nonchalant expression. "Will you shut up? You're ruining the concert for me."
Fara placed her hands on her hips and flattened her ears. "Oh, excuse me! I'm sorry, but until you get out of my chair, I'm going to make sure you're miserable! And by the way, your seat is over there." As Fox had done before, she pointed to the lone chair on the other side of the balcony, though with more emphasis.
"Hmm…let me think about that – no," Scarlet grinned. "Have fun over there."
Face flushed with rage, Fara leaned forward and tried to pull Scarlet out of her seat, but the tall vixen weighed more than she expected. Letting out a frustrated yip, she repeated, "Get out of my seat!"
"Tell me why I should," Scarlet purred, giving Fara an angelic expression that infuriated her even further.
"Because it's my seat!" Fara all but shouted above the noise of the Christmas music, now playing 'Frosty the Snowman.'
Scarlet shook her head. "If you look at the tickets, you'll see that there are no names assigned to any of the seats. All of them belong to Fox's dad. I have just as much right to this seat as you do."
"Alright, I'll tell you why you should get your disgusting tail out of my seat. My family's company makes half the weapons and vehicles for the Cornerian Army and makes over fifty billion credits a year doing it. I'm one of the top ten richest heiresses in the whole world. I could buy this auditorium if it was for sale."
"It's funny you say that," Scarlet commented. "I used to use your weapons for my mercenary work, but I eventually came to my senses and realized that they're overpriced pieces of crap that break the instant you drop them in water or sand. I get my guns from the Gaia Corporation now."
"Ooh, I can't stand you!" Fara yelled, clenching her fists and teeth. "You asked for it!"
Fara hooked her arm forward to punch Scarlet, but the larger vixen effortlessly deflected her attack and struck back with her claws extended. She had no intention of hurting Fara, but her retaliatory strike injured her in another way when her claws dug into her dress and ripped a small cut out of the fabric near the top of her ribcage.
Fara stepped back in shock, examining the damage to her dress with wide, horrified eyes. Looking back at Scarlet, she gasped, "Y…You tore my dress." She paused, allowing unadulterated hatred to filter across her face. "No one destroys my clothes and gets away with it!"
Scarlet's smile evaporated when Fara dove onto her and assaulted her with both fists. Not taking Fara's attack lying down, Scarlet retaliated and punched her in the muzzle. Both vixens flailed at each other in the seat next to Fox's. The vulpine wanted to do something to stop them from hurting each other, but he was too afraid of being hit himself to stop them. As he leaned over in his seat to avoid being punched, a burly rhino wearing the opera house's formal attire jogged down the steps leading from the balcony entry doors and stopped next to Fara and Scarlet. He stared at both vixens with anger seeping from his face. "You're interrupting the concert," he growled in the most guttural voice Fox had ever heard. "I'm afraid I'll have to show you the way out."
Fara stopped punching Scarlet and looked up at the rhino, oblivious to the fact that her muzzle was almost buried in Scarlet's breasts. "But…I've been waiting for this concert for over a month!" she panted.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but behavior like that will not be tolerated in this establishment. Now, come with me. You too," he added, pointing to Scarlet.
Horrified and infuriated, Fara pushed herself up and dusted off her torn dress, then stepped onto the stairs in the middle of the aisle. Trying not to look as distraught as she was, she looked at Fox and motioned for him to follow her out. Fox nodded in response, all the while trying to avoid expressing his immense glee at being able to leave the concert early. As he stood up, he nudged his father and said, "We've got to go. Come on."
James looked at Fox, then turned his attention back to the magenta vixen next to him. The woman handed James a folded scrap of paper, which the vulpine stuffed into his pocket before standing up to follow Fox, Fara, and Scarlet out of the auditorium behind the rhino.
A minute later found the four standing outside the opera house, looking out at the sea of cars before them. The relative silence disappeared quickly as Fara turned to Scarlet. "What is your problem!?" she screamed, her ears pinned back.
"Hey, you punched me first," Scarlet nonchalantly replied. Somehow, her clothing had escaped the fray unscathed, unlike Fara's overly expensive dress which was now covered in claw-shaped tears.
Fara fumed, biting her lip to the point of bleeding. As the iron-tinged taste of blood entered her mouth, she snarled, "Good luck getting back to the house, because you're not coming with me, you bitch!"
Crossing her arms and looking wistfully off to the side, Scarlet pretended to be offended. "Hmph. Fine. Suit yourself."
While Scarlet continued to stare at the nearby city buildings in Corneria's downtown sector, Fara ordered Fox and James, "Come on – let's get out of here. It's not even Christmas and my holiday is already shot, thanks to her!" She took one parting glance at Scarlet, then led Fox and James towards her distant car. Without changing her posture, Scarlet watched the three foxes as they climbed into Fara's car and raced out of the parking lot, running the stop sign at the exit in the process. When the beige-colored luxury sedan disappeared behind a nearby building, Scarlet pumped her fist and thought, "Yes! I did it! Now I can get to Cassie's party early to help her set it up!"
Smiling from ear to ear, Scarlet pulled her smartphone out of her purse – which she never wore with her catsuits but wore with her dress because it had no pockets, and also because she hated the idea of hiding her phone in her bra – she opened her 'Liftcar' app and selected the nearest available 'Luxury class' driver in the area.