Tech did his best to adjust his bowtie. He could not recall the last time he wore a tuxedo. He looked at himself in the mirror. This was the most done up he had gotten in a long time.
"You-clean-up-nice" Rev commented as he approached from behind. They were both looking into the mirror now, "Let-me-just-fix-this-for-ya" he reached around and adjusted Tech's bowtie so that it was perfectly straight.
"Thanks" Tech said, turning to look at Rev. The roadrunner was dressed in a tux quite similar to his own. At first, Tech was nervous about wearing coordinated suits, but Duck butted in, insisting that if they were a couple then they had to have matching outfits.
"You're welcome" Rev planted a kiss on Tech's cheek. He was a bundle of nerves, though he was doing his best to not show it. He so desperately wanted everything to go right on this date, yet he knew that it was impossible to be all that romantic. They would be bombarded by the other guests; he just knew it. In spite of this, he did not comment on the inevitable dread that the evening brought. At the very least, for Tech's sake, he figured he could act happy.
The two of them walked into the common area where Lexi was waiting for them. She was wearing a glamourous, glittering red dress.
"If you two are ready, then the only one we're waiting on is Duck" she said, "You two look cute by the way."
"Thanks" both Tech and Rev answered in accidental unison, proceeding to blush in embarrassment.
"You-don't-look-half-bad-yourself-Lex" Rev commented.
"Well, I certainly hope so, this dress is a hell of a lot tighter than the last time I wore it" she said, checking her watch.
Soon enough, Duck appeared from around the corner. He was wearing a particularly bright and flashy orange suit. He strolled up to them with a confident swagger.
"I know, I know, you all wish you could match my level of style" he noted. Tech, Rev and Lexi all looked to each other, knowing full well that it was the ugliest suit they had ever seen; never the less they silently elected to not say anything.
"It certainly is…quite the outfit" Tech noted. Before they could head out the door, Ace approached them, holding a camera.
"Hold on you crazy kids, let me get a photo" Ace raised the camera, and before any of them could say anything in protest, he flashed a photo, "Oh how I just love prom night" He joked.
"Ah, ah, very funny" Lexi sneered, "Just keep us posted in case you need anything."
They then left, taking the most luxurious jet they had available, and flew over to the Avery Mansion.
"So, Duck, what exactly are we in for with an evening like this?" Tech asked as they were nearing their destination.
"Nothing exciting" Duck answered, "Just a bunch of stuck-up rich people and fancy food."
"But Duck, don't you count as a stuck-up rich person?" Lexi teased.
"Ha ha, very funny" Duck snarled, crossing his arms indignantly as Tech landed the jet behind the Avery Mansion. Some servants were there to greet them, leading the four around a corner and down a corridor. Before they knew it, a red carpet was laid out in front of them. Roped off on either side were an immense number of paparazzi. Tech winced at the amount of flashing lights coming from the cameras. He had not realized there were going to be so many press covering the event. The four of them felt like celebrities as they walked down the red carpet. Duck waved and blew kisses, trying to get in as many photos as possible. To his dismay, it seemed that most of the interest was focused on Rev and Tech.
"Excuse me! Mr. Coyote, do you have anything to say about the gossip concerning Mr. Runner's parents?" One reporter called out.
"Do you have any engagement plans?" Asked another.
"How long have you two been dating?"
The questions kept coming; Tech was unsure what to do or say. He was so used to just keeping his head down and trying to fit into the background. Both he and Rev picked up the pace, just trying to get inside. Upon entering they were greeted by two servants, who gestured as to which way they were to go. It was clear to see that the staff were far greater in number than the last time they had visited. A maid greeted them with a smile.
"Welcome back sirs and madame. Mr and Mrs Avery have personally instructed me to guide you to the ballroom." With that they followed behind the maid as she walked through several back hallways. The route they were taking was quite different from the one which the Avery's had led them through on their personal tour.
"Do you recognize this area Duck?" Lexi asked.
Duck shrugged, "I feel like I've seen it before, but I'm not nearly as familiar with this part of the mansion. I think this might be the back way the staff take."
The maid glanced back to them as she led them on, "Mr. and Mrs. Avery were very insistent that since you were special guests, it would be improper to simply have you walk in with everyone else. The way I am leading you is so that you can make a much grander entrance."
Tech's stomach soon filled with butterflies. The attention the press had given them on the red carpet was bad enough, but now there was no telling how many eyes would be focused on them. He squeezed Rev's hand; the roadrunner looked over, concerned.
"You-ok-hon?" he asked.
"I just… I don't do well with grand entrances. I'm more the type that likes to slide in through the back door and go unnoticed."
"Hey, it'll be ok. I'm here, remember?" Rev smiled. The coyote gave a pained smile back.
"And if nothing else, then your good friend Danger Duck is here to soak up all the attention" Duck professed. Tech rolled his eyes, though he had to admit that for the first time in his life, he was kind of glad that Duck was there to try and hog the spotlight.
Before they knew it, the maid stopped, gesturing for them to wait. They had parked themselves behind a set of curtains; the sound of smooth jazz and general chatter could be heard on the other side.
"I will be right back. Please do not go anywhere until I return." With that the maid slipped away. The four looked to each other. Lexi glanced behind the curtain, seeing essentially what she expected. Before them was the grand ball room, done up far fancier than it had been on their tour. The whole place seemed to be bathed in a golden glow emanating from several ornate chandeliers which were hanging from the ceiling. Several dining tables had been placed around the room, each with a navy-blue table cloth and a fanciful flowered centerpiece, along with properly set up plates, utensils and napkins folded so that they could stand upright. On either side of the room appeared to be buffet tables, although for the most part it seemed they were mainly covered in wine and various other beverages. The room was practically packed to the brim with wait staff and guests. There was a wide variety of eccentric fashion statements, and Lexi was surprised at just how many of the guests in attendance were celebrities she recognized. The staff seemed mostly occupied with handing out light munchettes before the main course and cleaning up any toothpicks and napkins which happened to be left behind. From what Lexi could see, it seemed that there were still guests flooding in, although it was clear that the amount was slowing down. Glancing closer to where she was, she saw that in front of them was what appeared to be a stage, along with a podium up in front.
She ducked her head back in, "Brace yourselves guys, I think we're about to be paraded out on stage."
Tech felt a sudden shiver run down his spine at the confirmation of this, it was exactly what he had suspected and feared. Before any of them could comment on the situation, a familiar face popped in, greeting them with a wide smile.
"Hello there" Mr. Avery grinned, shaking each of their hands (including his own son's) "I'm so glad you could make it; you really are our guests of honor you know? With you here, I just know this fundraiser is going to be our most successful yet! And feel free to donate a little something yourselves, never too late to become an investor after all."
"But our work is non-profit" Tech said. Mr. Avery seemed to ignore the comment, continuing to appear as happy go lucky as ever.
"I just wanted to make sure you knew how appreciated this is" Mr. Avery said, primarily facing Rev, Tech and Lexi.
"And what about me Dad? You appreciate me too, right? After all, I've appeared at every one of these fundraisers" Duck chimed in, trying to get his father's attention.
"Yes, that's nice son" Mr. Avery noted without much thought, "Now here's the plan, I'm going to go out on the stage and give my spiel about all the business stuff. When I say, 'And now our guests of honor' that's when you step out. Got it?" He looked down at them, expectantly. The Loonatics nodded, not quite sure how else to respond.
"Great!" Mr. Avery exclaimed, proceeding to step out from behind the curtain, leaving them alone once more. They quickly heard the chatter die down, then a lot of clapping, and then it became clear that Mr. Avery had begun his rather droll speech in order to try and please the investors. Rev, Tech and Lexi did not pay much mind to it, looking over to a rather disheartened Duck.
"Is-everything-ok?" Rev asked, a might bit concerned after seeing Duck genuinely dismayed for once.
"It's nothing" Duck answered.
"Are you sure, because-"
"I said it's nothing!" Duck exclaimed, interrupting Lexi. After that outburst, they stayed quiet, not wanting to provoke him further. Before the tension could dissipate, they heard Mr. Avery call them out, and they quickly found themselves heading out onto the stage.
Tech could feel his knees wobbling as he looked out in front of all the people. Rev squeezed his hand, exchanging a subtle glance. The crowd cheered as they stepped forward. The four of them waved, trying to appear courteous. Mr. Avery then gave a few more words, and before they knew it, it was time to mix and mingle.
Mr. Avery shot them a glance, leaning in close, "Remember, you're representing my company tonight, so I expect the best behavior." He whispered to them, before leaving to talk to some of his guests. At this point, the four looked to each other, before all eyes turned back to Duck.
"What now?" Tech asked.
"Now we schmooze" Danger Duck adjusted his cuff links, stepping down from the stage with confidence, "Just follow my lead." The three remaining Loonatics had never done anything like this before, but not knowing what else to do, they stepped down as well, keeping an eye on Duck. Tech and Rev linked arms awkwardly, not quite sure what vibe they wanted to give off.
"Oh, Danger darling, have you brought the rest of your compatriots?" An older woman the shape of a pear wearing a prune-colored dress asked.
"Ms. Flubblebutt, how nice to see you" Duck bowed ever so slightly, "These are only a small selection of the members of my team. For safety reasons, not everyone could attend. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh why of course" Ms. Flubblebutt nodded, "I must say though, even if it is not everyone, it is still quite exciting! Nice to meet you." She held out her hand, and Tech shook it, trying to keep up appearances. The three of them each gave nervous smiles.
"Likewise, ma'am. It's a… a real privilege to be here." Tech said. The woman appeared as if she were about to say something else, when suddenly another person waved to her, practically pulling her away.
"My apologies" she professed, "It appears someone I know has spotted me, though I do hope to get more acquainted later in the evening." With that she trotted off.
"Is-this-all-we're-going-to-do-for-the-rest-of-the-night? Go-around-and-talk-to-people?" Rev asked.
"Hey, it ain't glamourous work, but it keeps the investors happy" Duck shrugged. Suddenly, a malicious voice curled up from behind, "Well, fancy meeting you here."
All four of them turned around to see a slender woman in a glittering blue dress, matched by her shock of hair, the same color as her clothes. She stood there jauntily, or at least as jauntily as one could at an occasion like this. A devious smirk was plastered across her face.
"Misty Breeze" Tech noted, as if greeting an arch rival, "I thought they didn't let reporters in here. Shouldn't you be outside with the rest of them?"
"Oh please" Misty rolled her eyes, "As if I would be caught dead intermingling with those plebians. Who do you take me for, some kind of amateur? I've been invited here as a guest." She lorded this fact over them as if it were some kind of grand reward. Both Rev and Tech glared into her eyes. The tension was so palpable that it felt like the rest of the crowd did not matter; the only thing of consequence was this moment between the three of them. At least, that was the mood before it was broken by Duck.
"Oooh Misty! I'm your biggest fan! Do you remember me? We've met before you know!" Danger ran up to her, bouncing up and down in excitement. Both sides seemed to be taken aback by this. Misty winced; she could not help but wonder how a fan had managed to get inside a high-class gala such as this. It was a most unpleasant interruption; after all, she hated her fans more than anyone else she knew. Each encounter was an exercise in tedium.
Lexi quickly stepped in, "OK Duck, I don't quite think this is the right time for this sort of thing." She placed her hands on his shoulders, doing her best to try and guide him away.
"But-but we were just getting started!" Duck struggled as Lexi practically had to shove him away. Rev, Tech and Misty all looked on as they disappeared into the crowd, before resuming their stare down.
"Well, that was certainly…something that happened" Misty commented.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but can we just cut straight to the case here?" Tech asked, "My boyfriend and I are not particularly happy that you outed us on live television."
"That's ironic" Misty scoffed, "Seeing as I absolutely adore the two of you. After all, if it wasn't for your little relationship then I would probably be out of a job by now; you saved me." It was evident that she was being honest, though the tone in her voice reflected a sense of superiority, of victory. It was evident that this statement was not meant as a compliment, but rather as a declaration that she was the one who would come out on top in this moment. She was the one who had unveiled them to the world, and when it came to what the public knew, she still held that power.
"Look-if-it's-all-the-same-to-you-then-I-would-rather-you-not-go-interviewing-my-parents-and-giving-everyone-a-false-impression-on-actual-events" Rev sneered.
"I'm sorry darling, but I simply interview the people and they give me their perspective. I have no reason to go injecting my own bias, I make money either way." She was speaking the truth, in a technical sense at the very least, yet at the same time her words still had an air of sliminess about them. Each word she said was like a jab, as if she were trying to wield the moral high ground.
"Regardless-it's-not-as-if-the-whole-thing-is-exactly-fair! After-all-you've-gotten-just-about-everyone-to-talk-about-our-relationship-but-you-haven't-even-come-to-Tech-or-me-to-give-our-thoughts-on-the-whole-thing-and-do-some-damage-control!" Rev had begun blurting out his frustration without properly thinking it through. He did not quite know what he was expecting to get out of it, but he certainly was not prepared for what came next.
"If that's the way you feel about it then why don't you come on the air and we can do an interview" Misty suggested slyly. Both Rev and Tech blinked in shock at the offer, then looked to each other. At face value, it seemed like a good idea. They could go on the show, give their perspective on things and clear the air, and then all of this drama surrounding them would hopefully die down. At least, that was how it would go in principle. It was the person who was offering this opportunity that was raising some red flags. Neither of them had a reason to trust Misty Breeze; for all they knew her editors could take the footage and make them out to be far worse than they had come off during filming. Not to mention Ace's rules about interviews. He would not be happy knowing they had agreed to go on tv with the person who had drawn so much attention to them in the first place. On the other hand, this was a great opportunity to clear the air. Ever since that interview with Rev's parents had been broadcast, public perception on them (and the Loonatics at large) had been skewed. People started out thinking of them as cute, but now it seemed all anyone talked about was the drama with Rev's parents. If they had the chance to properly explain why there was so much conflict in the first place, then Tech was certain that the public would come back to their side. The two of them glanced back to Misty Breeze.
"We need your word that you won't go editing the footage to make us look bad" Tech glared, as serious as he could possibly be.
"Oh of course not!" Misty ginned, "It's like I said, no matter what happens, I get paid the same. Plus, I bet that this interview with you two will be a ratings bonanza for the network!"
"Great" Rev said sarcastically.
"Then it's settled! My people will contact your people to work out the details, see you then!" With that, Misty Breeze trotted off, waving to them as she was enveloped by the crowd. Tech and Rev glanced towards each other, trying to process exactly what it was that had just happened.
"Did we just do what I think we did?" Tech asked.
"You-mean-schedule-an-interview-with-one-of-the-most-notorious-reporters-in-all-of-Acmetropolis-who-will-most-likely-find-some-way-to-embarrass-or-humiliate-us-on-the-air? Because if that was what you were thinking, then yes, yes we did" Rev answered.
"Ok, seriously, how many more of these people do we have to talk to?" Lexi asked, exhausted. Ever since she had whisked Duck away, it seemed like they had socialized with one boring rich person after another.
"Don't worry, we only have another five hours of this, and then we're home free" Duck practically had to yell over the volume of the crowd, quickly turning to greet another guest. Lexi rubbed her temples out of frustration and exhaustion, before attempting to return to her more outgoing sociable self. She was doing her best to put on a brave face, but in reality, the evening had been absolute torture. None of these people had anything interesting to say, and they all asked the same questions over and over. What was it like being a super hero? What did you do before the impact? Do you get a lot of people asking you out? After a while it just became painful.
"Is there anywhere we can go to escape this?" Lexi whispered in Duck's ear, taking ahold of his arm to get his attention.
"Ah, need me to save you?" Duck smirked.
"Just get me the hell out of here!"
"Ok, ok." Duck finished up his conversation with the person he was talking to, and quickly lead Lexi out of the ballroom through one of the doorways. They quickly found themselves walking through one of the smaller back hallways, taking various turns until they finally came to a small doorway. They walked through and wound up somewhere on the outside. They were standing on a small balcony, overlooking the forest below. The area was dimly lit, with just two tables and a couple of chairs. Duck closed the door behind them. The chatter from the party was loud enough to be heard even all the way out here. Duck pulled out a chair and sat down, placing his feet up on the table. Lexi decided to sit down on top of the other table, letting her legs swing off the side.
"Well, you certainly had a place in mind" she commented, looking out at the view.
"When you're forced to attend events like this, you tend to find places to hide away in case you need a break" Duck said, "This just so happened to be the closest one."
"So, your parents make you attend a lot of events like this?"
"A lot is an understatement. I've been dragged out to every charity luncheon and ball they've either hosted, or been to, ever since I was first adopted. They like showing me off I guess. It makes them feel really special, being able to show off their adopted kid. 'Look at us, we're the Avery's! We adopted this poor child out of the kindness of our own hearts.' That's when the cash comes flowing in" Duck explained. Lexi rested her chin in her hands. This was the first time she had seen Duck so… cynical. He usually exuded an air of confidence, trying to woo and impress everyone he knew, but the way he spoke here was so frank. If she was being honest, it was kind of weird.
"You do like your parents thought, don't you?" She asked, "I mean, without them there's no telling how your life would have ended up."
"Like them! Well of course I like them, how could I not? I mean, look at everything they gave me! I'm the richest person I know and have servants waiting at my beck and call. I've been given… I've been given everything I ever wanted." Duck's voice became notably melancholy near the end. He sat forward, taking his feet down and leaning on the table.
"Alright Duck, c'mon, why don't you just tell me what's wrong?" Lexi folded her arms, waiting for an answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Duck moped.
"Oh honestly, do you think your being subtle? Something's bothering you so just tell me what it is already." Lexi turned her body so that she was facing him more directly.
"Alright" Duck sat up indignantly, "This is… this is the first one of these charity functions I've been to in a while and I guess… I guess it just brought up a lot of emotions I wanted to ignore."
"But you seem to be great at this stuff. You were better at mixing in with the crowd than the rest of us."
"Well of course I'm good at it! My parents have been parading me around since they first picked me up!" Duck slouched down, resting his face and arms on the surface of the table. Lexi stood up, taking a seat next to him. She was not quite sure what to say. She had never in her life seen Danger so open and vulnerable before. She wanted to say it was almost endearing.
"So, your angry at your parents for subjecting you to all…this?" She asked. Duck looked up at her.
"I'm not angry with them, I'm just… I guess I feel like they… I donno. Sometimes I think they just look at me as more of a trophy than their actual kid."
"Oh Duck, I'm sure they love you."
"Do they?" Danger immediately sat up, "Because in my entire life I can't recall them once saying it."
"But what about how they always go on and on about how great you are, and what about that giant painting they have of you?" Lexi continued.
"Oh please" Duck scoffed, "That's not them being proud parents, that's just them showing me off like they do with the rest of their stuff."
They sat there for a moment. This was perhaps the first time Lexi truly felt sorry for Duck. She had feared for him before, that was the nature of their job after all, but she had never truly felt that bad for him. A strong part of her wondered whether that brash attitude of his was simply the result of a lifetime of pampering, or if it was instead an act to try and get some attention.
"Well, if it's any consolation" she began, "even if we aren't as close as a real one, I always kind of thought of us Loonatics as a family."
Duck glanced over, "Really?"
"Yeah. Your kind of like an annoying brother if I'm being honest." Lexi smiled.
"So, I suppose that makes you the bossy older sister?" Duck joked.
"Exactly… hey, wait a minute!"
"Too late! You already agreed to it!" Duck burst out laughing. Lexi wanted to get angry with him, but in truth she had walked right into that one. They did not talk much more after that. The two quickly decided to head back to the party, knowing their absence would be noticed sooner or later. If nothing else, they could not let Tech and Rev fend for themselves for the rest of the night.