Hourly Challenge: Group Shot

a/n: Lila the OC NPC runs a gas station in NLA. Today they are having a party.

Slight swears.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft. Try to spot the in game characters and one of my Crosses.

"Okay, okay, you're gonna need to squeeze in a little more," Gino shouted at the unruly crowd. People were milling and darting in front of a large banner that read: "West Gate Skell Refueling Station 1st Anniversary". He'd brought it along with a few bunches of party balloons in to work earlier that morning. Now he had his comm device set up on a tripod with a timer. If only he could get everyone to stand still for 10 whole seconds.

The station manager Lila, small and sour and clinging to the shoulder of a slender gilded skell, looked down at the refueling station crew below her. "Ricky Bobby! Maybe you could lift Twyleth onto your shoulder." Her order was followed by a high pitched squeal as the burly fuel attendant gently lifted his small grey Ma-non coworker and held her close. He didn't put her on his shoulder, but she still had her arms wrapped around his neck and was now whispering in his ear. Lila grinned to herself. Those two used every excuse to be sappy and sweet, and Lila was happy to provide.

Gino was still trying to wrangle the group close enough together to manage a single group shot. It had been his idea to get a large format picture of everyone that worked at the station. This had taken some organization over the past week by Lila, because they pulled part timers from BLADE and civilian sources, not to mention a swelling number of casual xeno technicians. Not everyone was happy to be there.

Graham, for example, had slunk over from the back of the Industrial section and was trembling at the edge of the group. Lila didn't realize his financial troubles were still that tricky. "Case," Lila shouted to another human, a coppery headed BLADE, "let Graham squeeze next to you. Go on, Graham, you'll be fine there." Case grinned and yanked the colorless civilian over to her. Even the most persistent creditor would think twice about starting trouble near Case the Headcase.

"Come on, Adola," Gino was now whining. "They can't all be working in the Quickie Quickie Mart."

"Meh meh meh," retorted the Nopon matron. "Adola blessed with many niecy- and nephypon, and all work at family rates." She clucked at a tide of pastel colored fluff balls, swiping at them with her wingarms until they were bunched around her pronounced belly, all of them meh-ing reproachfully but otherwise only wobbling slightly.

There was Orphean buzzing, a Prone bellow, plenty of twittering Ma-non questions. The pizza bill was going to cut hard into this week's profits, but the Ma-non were funding the station, officially a division of Candid & Credible. Lila gripped the skell harder as it wobbled slightly. Someone new was climbing up the other side.

"Fun times, right?" Alexa asked cheerfully.

"When did I invite you?" asked Lila.

"I'm one of the staff! Don't you recognize me?"

"You've worked here exactly once."

"And it was tons of fun. So," Alexa said slyly, running a casual hand along the shoulder of the skell, "this is the Ma-non designed skell that everyone's talking about, huh?"

"Nope," Lila cut her off. "You don't get to touch it."

"Look!" Alexa as now poking parts of the head and chest areas of the skell. "I'm touching it! I'm nooooooot touching iiiiiiiit!"

Lila was laughing and shaking her head at Alexa's teaseing when Gino snarled up at her. "Can you twist your fool head this way for a sec?"

Lila and Alexa calmed themselves and smiled professionally at the comm device. Gino finished some kind of maneuver, then ran toward the group. He flopped into a dramatic slide in front of Adola and her flock of littlepon, several of whom helpfully climbed up and perched along his legs.

There were a dozen sparkling flashes that left swirling golden glitter dancing in the air. More Ma-non technology, and Lila wasn't sure how that would improve the photo, but she'd had enough. The prototype skell was starting to shake loose from the restraints.

"Okay, people, we got a great one," she shouted. "Go hit the refreshments!"

She slid to the ground and went over to where Gino was frowning into his comm device. "It looks like crap, Lila," he said angrily.

"Accurate, then. Don't worry. We don't need a picture to remember this day. Come have a soda."

a/n: I really like this station. It was originally funded by Sakuraba and located over by the Administrative Hangar area. Then it moved to the West Gate for reasons. It's been doing really well!