Cassandra's Tour

©Joe Martelle 2006

Part 1
Monday

Cassandra Durandal stepped out of the taxi at 215 Tupper St. E at the corner of Britton St. N and found herself standing in front of a large, cinderblock building. The sign above the twin glass doors read "PROCYON STUDIOS" in 18-inch gold lettering.

“Well,” she thought to herself, “This is it. I don’t believe I'm doing this, but Rick did say to come by for a tour and he seemed so nice at the wedding.” She reminded herself, “Both Darron and Faye said the guy's legit... so go on in and have a look for yourself.” She crossed the parking area and nodding she stepped through the heavy, glazed double doors.

Her first impression of the reception area was not what she had imagined a 'Blue' movie studio to be. Sure, there were movie posters on the walls, but nothing graphic. The azure blue carpeting made Cassandra smile. There were, what looked like comfortable chairs, and an oval glass coffee table with what looked like some sort of trade magazines. As her gaze swept the room, she noticed a lovely red and cream vixen seated behind the receptionist's desk. Cassandra would describe her outfit as casual sexy; it showed a lot of fur, but also left just enough to the imagination to be quite stunning.

“I could never wear something like that!” she chided herself. “But it does look good on her.”

“Welcome to the studio, you must be Cassandra,” the shapely vixen smiled, coming from behind the desk to welcome her.

"Ummm, yeah, I am," Cassandra replied.

"Wonderful, we've been expecting you. I'm Kelso, but folks around here just call me Kel," the vixen said as she approached the seemingly shy bunny, holding her hands out in greeting. Cassandra shook her hand; this was her first tour in a studio of this nature.

"Cassandra Durandal." She smiled at the friendly vixen.

"Kelso Myers, but no need to be so formal around here my dear. We are all like Family. Let me show you to Rick's office so he can show you around and introduce you to folks. It is a real pleasure to meet you, Cassandra. If you have any questions just ask." She winked. "No such thing as a stupid question, ya know. Would you care for anything?" Kel asked while leading her into the break-room.

"Umm, a glass of water would be nice. It is just that I am very nervous here."

"Sure thing hon," Kel said patting her arm. "We don't bite… unless you ask." She grinned. As Kel was drawing a tall glass of ice water from the fridge, Cassandra noticed the place had a very comfortable feel to it. There were chairs and tables, a microwave, coffee machine and fridge in the food prep area. There was also a large couch, a widescreen flat panel TV, a game system and a DVD player sitting on a media cabinet that held a selection of disks, as well as the usual amenities you would expect to find in an upscale break-room. Cassandra also noticed there was a prominently framed copy of the Nine Noble Virtues of Asatru on the wall.

"Now that is something I didn't expect to see here. Do you know what this is? These are the Nine Noble Virtues!" Cassandra said taking a closer look at the fine calligraphy and turning with a smile that bordered on pride.

"Yup, that's the code we live by here at the studio, and in our own lives. Rick is a real inspiration for all of us, we... Cassandra, what do you know about Rick?" The vixen asked, handing Cassandra the glass.

"Very little, aside that he runs this place. We met at Darron and Faye Storm's wedding. We got to talking; he told me what he did for a living and invited me to come on by and take a tour. He seems nice enough, and that is why I am here."

Kel nodded. "He does that, and quite successfully, I might add. He is a rarity in this or any business. He really looks out for us, and treats us more like family than mere employees. To say he has honor would be an understatement. But you will probably learn more about what it's like around here by seeing things for yourself. I will say one thing, he inspires loyalty, pride and if you can believe it, compassion.”

"Interesting. Ever since my parents left me for dead, I have been trying to live up to this code." Cassandra said tapping the plaque.

Kel paused, placing a hand on Cassandra's shoulder. "My god. I'm so sorry to hear that. But I will say you are in good company within these walls."

Kel gave Cassandra an appraising look. "Are you possibly considering signing on with us?" she asked, smiling.

"I am." Cassandra nodded seeing the puzzled look on the vixens face at feeling the scars she carried.

"That's wonderful! Wait 'til you meet the rest of the Family." Cassandra shivered as Kel gently ran a hand across her shoulders.

"I only lived because of the cold environment. The hypothermia slowed the bleeding."

Kel nods and fixes Cassandra with an unwavering stare. Not a trace of pity, just a flare of outrage.

"You have nothing to fear from us. We stand by our friends, and woe be unto anyone who threatens a member of our Family here." Kel's face softened. "Sorry about that. I think you will fit in very well around here and I, for one, look forward to working with you."

Cassandra nodded. "I needed that. Thank you. For what it is worth, my understanding is that they are living on borrowed time."

Kel got a hard look on her normally cheery face as she turned to Cassandra, placing a hand on her arm.

"I can swear to you by Thor's hammer, that that time would be at an end should they show up here. One thing that Rick insists upon was that we all take a defensive weapons course. Not only does it keep us in shape, but it really does something to you knowing you can not only defend yourself, but come to the aid of others in need. I imagine that's not what you would expect in an adult entertainment studio, Kel said, grinning at the surprised bunny.

Cassandra slowly drew the Katana she had tucked into her belt. "I tend to use this to defend myself or others,” she said with a knowing smile.

Kel gave the blade an appreciative look, nodding approvingly. "Wow, very nice blade you have there. Interesting rune pattern. That looks like a fine blade you carry there. Looks like you can forego the weapons course for new hires." Kel grinned giving Cassandra a wink.

"Yes, the sword was passed down to me from the masters who taught me. They found me in the snow.”

"Yup, you'll fit in quite nicely around here, my dear. I prefer a Viking longsword myself. Shall I refill your glass, and we can go see Rick? By the way, we just call him Rick, not Boss or anything like that. We are all friends here.”

Cassandra blinked, somewhat surprised at the informality of things here. “Thank you for the heads up. That may take a bit of getting used to." Cassandra nodded to the vixen.

"So, how long have you been the receptionist here?"

Kel gave the bunny a strange look. "Receptionist? Oh! I was just covering for our front office manager, Maureen Greenwood. That raccoon really helps to keep things running smoothly around here."

Kel grinned, noticing Cassandra's glass was empty. "Would you like a refill on that, Cassandra?"

“Oh, Yes please, it seems to help. Thank you Kel."

After refilling Cassandra's glass with both ice and water, Kel led her down the hall to Rick’s office. The one thing Cassandra noticed was his door was open. He was talking with a rather handsome skunk.

"Does he always have an 'Open-Door' policy?" She asked in a hushed tone, as not to disturb the meeting.

Kel nodded. "Yes, as well as an open books policy. Anyone can freely find where the money is going. Rick figures by doing that, someone may come up with a way to save the studio money in some area. Rick pays a reward to anyone who comes up with a more efficient way of doing things."

As they waited outside his office, Cassandra, who hated to eavesdrop, couldn't help but hear what Rick was saying. Taking her cue from Kel, who didn't seem to have a problem with it, she relaxed. This place was really unlike anything she could ever expect.

"That's a great idea, Rog," Rick said seeming pleased. "Give it a try and let's see how it works."

The skunk nodded. "Thanks Rick, that new editing software should give us even higher production values. I'll have a rough cut in an hour or so."

Kel knocked. "Look who dropped by," she said with a smile as she ushered Cassandra in. Rick was pleasantly surprised at seeing her again and welcomed her warmly.

"Cassandra! Welcome. May I introduce you to Roger Olsen, our lead editor? Rog, this is Cassandra Durandal. We met at the Storm wedding shoot."

Cassandra shyly waved to the grinning skunk who stood to greet her. "Ummm, hi."

Rog blinked in surprise, stunned by Cassandra's beauty and waved back. “Whoa. H-hi Cassandra. You were right Rick, she's stunning!"

Cassandra shook her head, finding the floor fascinating. "I am not," she denied.

"Yes you are!” Rick, Kel & Rog said in unison, surprising the shy bunny. Cassandra shook her head unbelieving. "Really, I don't think I am."

Rick, seeing her distress tried to set her at ease. "Sorry my dear, looks like you are outvoted on that one.”

Rick grinned. "I'm so glad you decided to stop by and see what we do around here. You may not know this, but you made quite an impression on me when we met at Darren and Faye's wedding."

Looking around Rick’s office, Cassandra notices the crossed swords on the wall, as well as a small shrine to Thor. Ah, she thought, something to change the subject.

Cassandra looked up at the swords and smiled at Rick. "May I see the swords? Are they display or combat ready?" she asked, thinking she should know better from what she had learned so far. Rick smiled, rather pleased she thought to ask, while handing them down.

"Combat, of course. The only display pieces you will find around here live in the prop room," he said laying the two Viking longswords on his desk. Rog stood in the corner evaluating Cassandra's potential. Years of editing gave the skunk an eye for poise. Cassandra has that in spades, he thought.

Cassandra examined them critically, hefting one to see the balance and usefulness in a combat situation.

"They are in good condition, except this one may need a bit of sharpening," running her thumb across the edge, noting the fact that it didn't have the 'bite' she had come to associate with a properly honed blade.

Roger had seen enough, and needed to attend to his project at hand. "A pleasure to meet you Cassandra, and please, call me Rog. Stop by and I'll show you how we put a video togather. If you will excuse me, I need to get back to work and try out a few new effects."

Cassandra blinked, having forgotten he was there. Her years of training had taught her to assess any situation and seeing he was ‘unarmed’ discarded him as a threat. He IS a skunk, she chided herself. They do carry their own unique weapons. She gave Rog a pleasant, if somewhat shy smile. "Okay. Nice to have met you, Rog," she said, shaking his hand on the way out.

"Hmm." Rick drew a piece of paper across the blade; it sliced through it like scissors. Rick looked at the blade she was holding. "That one may need a bit of honing, thank you for pointing that out. Must have been that Babbitt we had a run-in with last month," Rick said giving Cassandra a wolfish grin.

"Hey, he was the one who tried to break in and torch the place. He didn't think anyone was here. Heheh," Kel said derisively.

Rick nodded. "True. But we were going to give Cassandra here a tour, and let her meet the Family. We can discuss our non-film exploits over coffee after showing her the place."

Cassandra gave a single nod. "I can go for that. One thing, if I may? Do you guys have run-ins with Babbitts a lot?"

Having had her own run-in with them Kel just snorted.

"Perhaps once or twice a month, though they have been laying low after that last incident. But no doubt their bishop will whip the lemmings into a frenzy and we will have to put our fun on hold and deal with them... again," Rick said, replacing the blades on the wall.

"True enough," Kel put in.

"But I must say, Rog is getting quite good with that Japanese long bow of his; especially from his perch on the roof," Kel said recalling the last mass run-in with the Cultist Fanatics, who showed up in mass, with pitchforks and torches of all things.

Cassandra grinned at the name lemmings, for it did seem rather apt. "I prefer calling them "pods" myself," she said with a chuckle, feeling just a tad more relaxed.

"Well said, my dear. Do you have any questions for me before we start? Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question, so feel free to ask anything," Rick said, coming around his desk.

Cassandra shook her head. "None at the moment."

"Very well then, shall we start?" Rick said, ushering the girls out.

"That sounds good to me, Rick," Cassandra replied as they started the tour.

Rick gave a curt nod. "Great! Is there anything you'd like to see first, or shall we just go around to give you the feel of the place?" Rick grinned at Cassandra. "Notice I didn't say get the lay of the land."

"I noticed," she replied, smiling at that. "So what do you want to show me first?"

"Well, our first stop will be Squee, our webmaster." Turning right and then left they came to a door marked ‘WEB-GOD'S DOMAIN’.

Rick turned to Cassandra. "This is our webmasters lair." Opening the door they entered the dimly lit sanctum.

"Squee, got someone I'd like you to meet," Rick said softly as they approached. Seated in a low-slung chair was a fruit bat. He turned and smiled at the visitor.

"Welcome to the Bat Cave," he chuckled. "The name's Squee. I maintain the website, design the cover art and a few other things around here. If it's computer related, I'm the go-to guy."

"Squee, this is Cassandra. We met at the Storm wedding."

"Cassandra Durandal, good to meet you." Cassandra smiled, not having seen many bats in her travels, knowing most by their somewhat unsavory reputations.

"A true pleasure, Cassandra," Squee said cordially. "Are you thinking of signing on with us?"

Cassandra paused. "Honestly? I don't know yet. I doubt I have the talent,” she said, castigating herself yet again.

"Never doubt yourself," Squee gently admonished. "Besides, you will never know unless you give it your best try. But if I may say, you have a very compelling look, not to mention a grace and poise that would translate well. I have a feeling that you would be quite popular."

Cassandra shook her head. "It is just… I am not sure if anyone would understand," she said thinking of the scars she would carry for life, a 'Gift' from her parents. Squee nodded, feeling she had something in her past haunting her.

"I can relate. Before I started here, no one would give me a chance. They couldn't see past the fact that I am a bat. Rick here saw the talent in my portfolio and signed me on. I really love the freedom I have in this position," Squee said with a proud smile.

"You know your stuff," Rick said. "I just gave you the space to be creative. And if I may say, you've done a great job, my friend."

Squee turned his attention to Cassandra. "Is there anything you would like to know Cassandra? Computer-related or not. We are all family here," the bat said.

Cassandra was thinking the reputation she had come to accept about bats in general might be unfounded.

"How much effort is involved in running the site, and what kind of traffic does it get?”

Squee smiled with a nod, Good questions, he thought. "Well, on a slow month we get over 750,000 hits. We have a three-tiered subscriber service – Silver, Gold and Platinum, which just hit the 50,000-member mark.”

"Silver, which goes for $20 a month, will give you access to basic features, the PG-13 playful galleries, the newsletter, upcoming projects, pre-release teasers, cast bio's, as well as access to our PSA archive, a 10% discount on Studio merchandise, and a preview of the next tier."

"Gold, at $50 a month, gives you access to expanded galleries; the R rated stuff, and content, access to our "How-To" archive, teaser clips, and cast bio's with the stars favorite pics, desktop downloads, a 20% discount and the option to become a "Personal Distributor", as well as a preview of the Exclusive Platinum membership."

"Exclusive Platinum at $100 a month, gives you access to the NC-17 galleries, stars favorite clips, autographed photos, Photo Requests, a Virtual Studio Tour & interviews, and the coveted ‘Best of Bloopers’ DVD as well as an RSVP invitation to the Platinum Members’ reception at the annual Adult Entertainment Awards."

"As for my part in all this, I setup and update the galleries; edit the studio newsletter we send out to our members; handle all the mainframe upgrades… Speaking of which, Rick we are going to need another teraquad drive for in-house use as well as the new interactive site we are planning. Sorry, let's see, I also handle the E-commerce side of things with Lena Mussett, our marketing goddess," Squee said with a good-natured smile.

Cassandra was impressed. "You must have your hands full with all this." She'd heard bats were masters of multi-tasking, but this was the first time she'd ever heard of anyone handling so much at once.

Squee held his arms wide. "It's more than a job, it's an obsession! I can honestly say I love my job. Rick gives me the latitude to set my own schedule, so I can be really flexible when I need some down time."

Rick just shook his head, "Told you those 18 hour days would catch up with you."

Squee looked crestfallen. "I'd be here =longer= if you would quit sending me home."

"So, as the Web god, what else should I be aware of? Is there any trouble with hackers and the like?"

Squee gave Cassandra an evil grin. "Hackers? Heheh, nope. The last guys who tried to hack the sight ended up on the labyrinth, a self-replicating maze of my own design they couldn't find their way out of. =And= if they logged off, my little Menator worm would hack their hard drive to bits as well as erase their Bios chips."

"I see... interesting." Perhaps their reputation wasn't without merit, Cassandra thought. "I almost feel sorry for them."

Squee just shrugged seeming unconcerned as to the disposition of those who would attempt to hack "his" site. "What can I say? I used to be an uber-hacker in my misspent youth. Like I said, Rick was the only guy to cut me a break."

Rick smiled warmly, rather proud of the bat. "You have many talents, I just give you the opportunity to exercise them."

"Well then, I look forward to working with you Cassandra," Squee said shaking her hand. "Say, if you get Kiv to shoot a few test shots, I can show you what your gallery would look like."

Cassandra blushed slightly. "I am not sure I can go through with it," she said looking at the floor again.

"Don't worry. I can assure you that it won't go on the web," Squee reassured her.

"I see," Cassandra said, feeling a bit more at ease.

"I've got confidence in you," Squee said. "I can honestly say, Rick gave me my honor back. I want to reassure you, you are under no pressure to do this Cassandra. I just thought you might want to see what it could possibly look like."

Cassandra felt a bit more relieved. "I may yet take you up on that offer." She smiled shyly.

"Oh, Rick, did Rog give you any idea on when the new feature would be ready? We've been getting a lot of requests from the members. I want to put up some teasers,” he asked before turning back to the bunny.

"Rog said he would have a rough cut ready to screen in an hour or so, he wanted to try out a few new effects first."

Nodding, Squee turned his attention to Cassandra.

"Cassandra, my door is always open. By the way, I wanted to let you know, you have a lot of say how your gallery looks, in case you were wondering." Squee smiled.

"Thank you for that, Squee. I'm still a bit camera shy." Cassandra blushed.

"My pleasure, you are quite stunning, even if you don't think you are anything to write home about. I know what our fan base likes, and you would do quite well."

"Thank you, though I still feel like I am not." Cassandra seemed fascinated with the pattern on the carpet.

Squee nodded. "Time will tell. When you come on board, we all will work with you to bring out your best. You should have seen Kel when she first started here, and now she has a loyal following. I have a feeling you would as well," he said matter-of-factly. This was his domain, after all.

"Really?" Cassandra was looking fairly pensive. "I will probably come back here later. Thank you Squee," she said then turned to Rick wanting to continue the tour.

Rick gave her a nod. "Sure thing, Cassandra. Squee can talk your ears off, given the chance; those creative types can do that," Rick said with a smile. "Thanks Squee, see you later."

They exited the "Bat Cave" continuing down the hall and pausing at the next door on the right. "The Powder Room," Rick indicated. Doing a quick walkthrough, Cassandra noticed the room was tiled in light pastels, rather nice, she thought. Three sinks, three stalls, fairly typical. Rejoining Rick she nodded pleasantly. "Nice," she said.

On the left was another open door. Peeking in, Cassandra saw a well-appointed office. The wolverine seated behind the desk looked up as they entered. She smiled, standing.

"Hello there, I'm Lena Mussett. Welcome to the studio!"

Cassandra returned the smile. "Cassandra Durandal. Pleased to meet you."

"Cassandra is taking the tour," Rick said. "Lena heads the marketing department."

"So, you’re the marketing goddess, Squee mentioned," Cassandra said with a smile, as Lena rolled her eyes.

"Yup, that'd be me," she chuckled. "I handle all the sales and promotions we do here. Rick mentioned that you might be coming by for a tour. I'm so very glad you did. I put together a press kit for you to look over. It has most of the background information, the mission statement, the vision for the future, that kind of thing," she said handing Cassandra the thick manila envelope.

"Thank you so much. So, what are you working on now, if I may ask?" Cassandra said stepping closer to her desk.

"Putting the finishing touches on the ad campaign, for our upcoming feature, currently in editing. As well as dealing with the day-to-day business at hand. Are their any questions I can answer for you?" she said in her no nonsense manner.

"Oh, um... not that I can think of at this time. Perhaps I may be able to stop by after I see the place, if that would be okay?" Cassandra asked.

"Sure thing Cassandra, look forward to working with you," Lena said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I still have a few things to get ready for the screening. Hope to see you there," Lena said as Rick led Cassandra out of the office and down the hall once more.

"You will have to excuse Lena. She tends to get a tad antisocial when preparing for a major ad campaign," Rick said apologetically as they continued down the hall, stopping before a non-descript door. Rick opened it to reveal a wall of rack-mounted computer hardware.

"This is our Server room. Not much to look at, but you would be amazed at what comes outta here."

They moved on to the editing suite. As they paused at the open doorway, Rog could be seen hard at work adding a transition to a scene he was working on. Rick poked his head in.

"Hey Rog, this a good time, or you at a critical point?"

Rog looked up, swiveling in his seat. "Nah, come on in. Hey Cassandra. Welcome to the wonderful world of editing," he said throwing his arms wide, indicating everything in the room. "You are just in time to see that clip we re-shot this morning." Turning back to his console, he flipped a switch and the scene played out on the flat panel mounted on the wall. It was a very sweet sequence, tender and loving, but Cassandra couldn't quite follow along with what was going on, as there was no sound.

Rick clapped the skunk on the shoulder, obviously pleased with what he saw play out. "Whoa. You are amazing."

Turning to Cassandra, he explained what she was seeing, noting the puzzled look on her face. "This is a sequence we shot for an upcoming release. Rog, replay that will you, and bring the sound up, if you please."

"No problem" Rog reset the sequence it played out as follows...

A rather handsome mouse and fox femme were seated at what looked like a dining table. Blinking and looking closer, Cassandra wondered if that were Kel?

Fox:    "Damn, I don't know. I just look for the kind of guy who looks like he'd be fun, and see what develops. I-I never thought about it beyond how the guy might be in the sack. I guess I figured, if we were good in the sack together, then we should be compatible in other areas too. God that sounds so shallow." Her head sank dejectedly touching the table conveying a sense of utter despair.

Mouse:    "Ever ask yourself why?"

The vixen looked up at his question, her eyes moist.

Fox:    "Maybe I just don't want to end up like my mom, bitter and alone and hating the world for making her that way. She ended up killing herself over it. And, I don’t know-maybe I go out with these jerk-wads to feel...wanted,” the fox said looking sad and lonely, as soft music played in the background enhancing the emotional impact.

Cassandra could feel her pain, and thought, Whoa, this story is actually good!

Mouse:     "How about a nice soak in the hot tub?" Coming around the table, he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Got it fired up and ready to go?" He said with a winsome smile.

The vixen smiled shyly. "That would be great, thanks Glen."

She stood and dropped the robe to the floor as the scene softly faded out to resolve with the two at the hot tub, where he handed her in to the tub. He than began to slowly, sensually strip down to his fur, much to his partner's delight, and joined the vixen in the relaxing waters. The vixen hugged the mouse, kissing him tenderly. The scene faded out as the two shared a long passionate kiss. A jazzy saxophone added to the erotic atmosphere.

Cassandra was surprised when she felt the first tingles of arousal, just watching that clip.

Rick turned, seeing a sweet smile tugged the corners of Cassandra's lips at what she just witnessed. Rick smiled at that. "Kel's pretty good, isn't she?"

Cassandra just nodded, thinking that this was not what she had imagined a porn flick to look like. "Yeah. That was very sweet. Not what I was expecting a movie of this nature to be like at all. Truth be told, it got me a little tingly,” Cassandra said looking at Rick and Rog.

Rick was pleased by her reaction, "Thank you my dear, for that was exactly what we were shooting for," Rick said before turning to the seated skunk.

"Rog, Squee was wondering when he could get some teasers for the website?"

Rog gave Rick a nod. "I should have the rough cut put together enough to screen in, oh a half hour hour, forty-five minutes. I'll let him know. Thanks."

"If I may ask, are you the only one who does the editing around here?" Cassandra inquired, amazed at what she had seen. Rog turned back around.

"No Ma'am. Greg and Phil are my assistant editors. They are out on another project, but you should meet them sooner or later. So Rick, going to take her into the sound stages?" Rog said.

"All part of the grand tour. Speaking of which, we should be in our way. Thanks Rog, keep up the good work."

"Great to see you again, Cassandra. Perhaps we can get to know each other better over coffee or something?"

Cassandra nodded with a smile. "Thanks, I'd like that,” she said as the headed out the door.

“That was quite impressive," Cassandra said. "Rog can do some amazing things in there."

Rick nodded. "That he can. The guy has some real talent. He's won several awards for his editing work."

Next was the door to the conference room, which contained a long mahogany table with ten chairs around it. Very nice, Cassandra thought.

"The Conference room. We meet every Wednesday, as opposed to Friday for most companies. We found having a couple extra days very helpful should something unexpected come up," Rick said.

Continuing on, they turned the corner, coming to a door marked "STUDIO B". Rick paused at the door. "This is one of our two sound stages where we create the raw video that goes to Rog & Crew. Let's have a look, shall we?"

"Ummm okay," Cassandra said, sounding suddenly nervous. Rick opened the door and called in, "Bringing a visitor in."

From the depths of the sound stage came female giggling. Rick turned to Cassandra with a reassuring smile. "This should be fun," he said, ushering her in.

The room was set up as a split stage, one half was a bedroom set, and the other was what looked like a well-appointed living room. Cassandra noticed the "window" had what looked like a realistic meadow as if it was a cabin in the mountains. There were three cameras on tripods, one on what looked like rails that ran between the two sets. Looking up, Cassandra noticed a bank of lights, of which only two were lit, illuminating the two sets. On the bed were very happy looking skunk and raccoon femmes loosely wrapped in terrycloth robes. They waved to Rick and his companion.

"Cassandra, I'd like you to meet Lyllith Woodland and Sarah Landers, two of our actresses. Girls, this is Cassandra Durandal. She's taking the grand tour today."

Both gals bounced off the bed, radiant smiles on their faces and came to meet her, robes flapping behind them. As they approached, Cassandra saw they each held scripts in their hands.

"Hiya Cassandra, I'm Lyllith, but most folks round here call me Lil," the raccoon femme beamed extending her hand in welcome.

"Welcome to the studio, Cassandra, the name's Sarah," the buxom skunk femme said, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet seeming rather excited to meet her "I do so hope you are thinking of signing on with us."

“Thank you, good to meet you both. Ummm, well... I'm not sure yet."

Noticing Cassandra seemed a bit uncomfortable being the center of attention, Rick diverted the girls’ attention. "How's it going? Think you two will be ready for tomorrow?" The girls looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, we should have it down by the time the cameras roll," Lyllith said. "I really like this one, Rick,” she said, handing the script to him. Cassandra glances at the title, "LOVE WILL FIND A WAY".

"What's it about, if you don't mind me asking?"

Sarah turned back to Cassandra. "It's about 129 pages long," she said, grinning impishly, causing the bunny to blink.

"No, seriously," Sarah said answering Cassandra's question. "It’s about two gals in love with the same guy. He really loves them both and doesn't want to have to choose one over the other."

“So we all meet at this mountain cabin, and we realize that true love is multiplied, not divided," Lyllith said.

"Sarah and I were rehearsing the scene where we realize that we don't have to fight over him. We start comparing notes on our mutual love interest when one thing leads to another, and we find out what gives each other pleasure," Sarah nodded continuing where Lyllith left off. "It really is rather sweet, when James walks in to say he just can't choose, between us, we invite him to join us. It is going to be a real fun scene to shoot," Sarah winked.

Cassandra had to admit, it did sound like fun. "Wow, that =does= sounds fun, but, um…" Cassandra pauses, "I don't know if I could do that." The girls look at each other concerned.

"I'm sorry Hon, would you have a problem being with a femme?" Lyllith asked concerned, placing a gentle touch on Cassandra's arm.

Sarah was quick to put their guest at ease. "We have some really nice guys working here, who know how to treat a lady right,” she said, smiling softly. Cassandra shook her head, thinking back to another life. "No, it's not that. I’m BI, but I just don't know about being in front of the cameras. I've never tried before," Cassandra said, not meeting their eyes.

The girls smiled, "We would be more than happy to help you explore that if you'd like," Lyllith said sincerely, a happy smile blossoming across her face at the prospects.

"She's right. Lyllith is a great teacher. She showed me, and I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs when I was starting out. She's very gentle," Sarah said trying to reassure Cassandra, who looked like she'd be fun to play with.

Just then a shirtless well-muscled mouse walks onto the set. Cassandra recognizes him from the scene she saw in the editing room.

"Speaking of one of out happy hunks," Rick said happy to see the mouse. "Cassandra, this is James Maxwell. You may recognize him from the scene in the editing room. James, this is Cassandra," Rick said as the mouse stepped up, smiling warmly and shakes her hand.

"It is a real pleasure to meet you, Miss Cassandra,” the soft-spoken mouse said.

"Oh! Um hi," Cassandra said, slightly flustered at meeting the handsome mouse in person. "Cassandra Durandal, nice to meet you. From what I saw in the editing room, you do good work," she finished, flashing him a smile.

"Well, thank you ma'am," James said giving her a friendly smile. "I aim to please.”

"You've got great aim!" Sarah & Lyllith said in unison, collapsing in giggles as Cassandra notices James' ears flush crimson.

"Um Thanks... I guess," James said having walked into that one, and in front of a lovely visitor no less!

Rick put his hand on the mouse's shoulder, "Don't let them get to you, James. You know it's all in good fun.”

James grinned. "I know, sometimes they catch me off guard." He turns and gives Cassandra his undivided attention.

"I hope you like what you see here, and I do hope you consider signing on with us, it really is a fun place to work. But seeing is believing, deeds not words, you know. If you will excuse me, I need to put these two evil wenches through their paces," he said, crossing his arms over his broad chest giving the girls a rakish lear. The girls try their best to look innocent; keeping the smiles off their faces... it wasn't working. Lyllith and Sarah burst out laughing, taking him in hand and dragging him back to the bed set.

Cassandra heard Lyllith say, "Okay, lover boy, let's see if you can get it right this time." Rick looked over at Cassandra chuckling, "They really =do= have a lot of fun working together. Would you care to stay and watch them rehearse, or shall we continue with the tour?"

"Umm perhaps a few minutes. Lyllith, James and Sarah really seemed to have chemistry," Cassandra said shyly glancing over seeing the three of them sitting on the bed reading lines and laughing like old friends. "But we probably =should= get going. I wouldn't want to disturb them."

"Okay, there will be plenty of time for that later. On with the tour. What do you think so far?" he asked her.

"Everyone seems so friendly, and those three did seem to be having fun. For some reason I wasn't expecting porn stars to be that nice," Cassandra said as Rick led her out of the sound stage.

"That's the way we operate around here. Though, we prefer the term Adult Entertainer, to 'Porn Star'. The next door is Studio 'A', we will go in there in a bit, and I want to show you the facilities."

Exiting studio ‘B’ and taking a right down a hallway intersecting the one they were on lead them to the shower rooms, the changing rooms and the comfort room. "This is the place where we come to relax. The acting talent utilize it most often, but everyone here has access to it." The room had a large hot tub, a sauna, massage tables and other sybaritic comforts. Cassandra found it very inviting.

"This looks very nice. I see why you call it a comfort room."

"You can make use of it after the tour, if you'd care to,” Rick offered. Cassandra thought that was a very nice gesture.

"That's very tempting, Rick, but um, as you can tell, I'm a bit shy," she said. Rick just nodded. "Okay then. Moving along, shall we take a peek in Studio ‘A’?"

Rick grinned, opening the soundproof door without so much as a by your leave. Cassandra was a little nervous about walking in on another 'rehearsal' or worse yet, a live shoot. The sound of swinging hammers and buzz saws convinced her that there wasn't anything like that going on. Following Rick in, Cassandra saw a set in the making; two Dalmatians were hard at work. Seeing Rick, they both stopped what they were doing. Noticing he had a guest they brushed themselves off, tipping their hats to the young lady.

"Cassandra, meet Joe Rice & Max Aspin, our construction, set design, and prop team. Both appeared to be in there mid-30's.

"Cassandra Durandal. Pleased to met you both. Wow this is looking good,” she said looking over at the concept sketch mounted on the wall and comparing it to the work on the set.

"Joe Rice," the first one said, doffing his hat. "Max Aspen, it's a pleasure, Cassandra,” his partner said.

Rick walked around the set, inspecting their progress and was pleased with what he saw. "Nice job guys."

"Thanks Rick." Max said. "Glad it meets with your approval. And, we are ahead of schedule on this one."

"That’s great news, Max!" Rick said congratulating the Dalmatian. "I look forward to reading your report at the staff meeting. Oh, there will be a screening of the rough cut in about half an hour. You guys are always welcome to drop in, you know."

"Whoa. Thanks Rick," Joe said. "We have been going full tilt on this project and I kind of forgot about that."

"How long does it take you guys to build something like this?" Cassandra asked getting a better look at what they were building.

"Give us a week or so lead time, and we can fabricate pretty much anything they need around here," Max said, looking over at Rick, he asked Cassandra. "Would you care to have a look at our shop, Cassandra?" He had a smile Cassandra liked.

Rick nodded. "It is a stop on the tour. If you guys can take five, you can show it to her." Max and Joe agreed readily and took them through their fabrication shop behind the soundstage. Cassandra was amazed. "You guys can make just about anything here!" she exclaimed, looking around at the wealth of tools and machinery they had packed into the space of a three-car garage. Max and Joe grinned with pride. "We do our best, ma'am,” Joe said.

Located on the far side of the shop was a set of green double doors with "SET STORAGE" stenciled in bright yellow lettering. At Cassandra's look, Rick nodded. "Yup, Next stop on the tour." Passing through the portal found them in a large room containing all manor of set dressing, all sorts of backgrounds, and something Cassandra had no clue what it could be, an oval of blue Plexiglas leaning against the wall.

At her puzzled look Rick stepped in it enlighten her. “That, if you can believe it, is a pond." Rick smiled at revealing one of the illusions of filmmaking.

"Amazing," Cassandra said almost to herself, moving to the side and catching her reflection in its surface, not unlike water!

"Shall we continue?" Rick asked. Cassandra nodded, a small smile dusting her lips. On the other side of the fabrication shop was the prop and costume room. For some reason, Cassandra hadn't thought that a porn studio would need much in the way of costumes. Once inside, something along the far wall captured her attention... the weapons rack. Pistols, rifles, a blunderbuss, and blades. Perusing the items, she had to admit they looked quite authentic, yet on closer inspection she found them as dull as butter knives. Drawing one, a boarding cutlass, Cassandra chuckled at what she saw.

"Amazing. These really look authentic, but the only danger would be dropping them on your foot!" she laughed, hefting the rather wicked looking boarding cutlass, weighing in at almost three pounds. Rick returned her grin with a larger one of his own. "Behold the magic of the movies," Rick said as Cassandra replaced the faux blade on the rack.

Strolling along the costume section, Cassandra paused at one of the racks admiring a dress that caught here eye; a blue and gold brocade evening gown. She removed it from the rack, holding it against herself to see how it would look. Rick just smiled at the look on her face. "Lovely, isn't it?"

Cassandra nodded replacing it on the rack. "It gives our films a higher production value. Story-driven erotica has a broader market than just hardcore or soft core sex films. Not that our productions don’t have sex in them, they do. Quite a lot of it actually, but it's incorporated into the story. Like the scene you saw in the editing room. The sex scene that followed was extremely passionate, but unlike some films, we don't go for the close ups of the intersecting body parts, like some industrial film with fur," Rick said as they made their way back to the main part of the studio.

They paused at a door outside the shop Cassandra hadn’t noticed on their way in. Rick gave it three solid raps, opening the door for the janitor's room. It contained the usual equipment you would expect to find in such a place. Sitting at what looked like a combination desk and workbench in the back was a large grey timber wolf.

"’Lo, Rick." he said.

"Leon, I'd like you to meet Cassandra Durandal. She's taking the tour today. Cassandra, this is Leon Gardner, our building maintenance engineer," Rick said with a smile. Leon stood to greet this lovely lass. Pausing to look over at Rick, he groaned in mock anger.

"I'm the janitor, not an engineer, Rick." Smiling at Cassandra he extended a rather large hand to her. "Pleased to meet you. Name's Leon, I do the clean up around here. Have mop, will travel," he winked.

Cassandra smiled. "Hello Leon, not a job for the faint of heart I’d imagine, but vital to an operation of this nature," she said, not seeming as nervous around the big wolf, who nodded at the observation.

"Yup, that'd be me, and if I’m doing my job, no one should notice. But slip up, and they pound down my door," he said with a working man’s humor. He liked this gal.

"So, thinking of signing aboard the S.S. Pornmaster?" He asked with a "Wolfish" grin. Rick rolled his eyes at the moniker.
Cassandra barked out a guffaw at the unexpected wisecrack.

"Well... uh, I'm not sure yet. Though everyone seems quite friendly and open. This is so unlike anything I would have come to expect a place like this to be that I'm giving it some serious consideration," Cassandra said with conviction. The wolf looked over at Rick leaning against the wall.

"I like her, Rick. I think she'd be a good fit with this crew." He turned back to Cassandra. "I look forward to cleaning up after you, Cassandra," Leon said, giving the bunny a "Big-Bad-Wolf" leer, capped off with a good-natured wink.

"It’s been good to meet you." Returning to his desk he clapped Rick on the shoulder. "Hire her right now," Leon said as Rick showed Cassandra out.

"That has to be one of the most unusual characters I've ever met," Cassandra said as they were walking past Studio 'A'. "But he has a great sense of humor and does a =fantastic= job. The place is so clean."

Rick gave her a sidelong glance. "Clean rooms for dirty movies, is that it?" he sniggered. Cassandra chortled as well. Rick opened the door just down from Studio ‘A'.

"Welcome to the control room." he said as they ascended the short flight of stairs.

The room was about ten by twenty, two tinted glass windows looked down on the sound stage. There was a long counter along the wall loaded with monitoring equipment, lighting controls and a rack looking like a mini version of what she saw in the server room. There were two comfortable chairs on wheels that would allow the engineers to access the wide ranging control panels.

"Here is where the images from the cameras and mics are adjusted before going to the sever room. From here we can set mood lighting add background music or sound effects, like bird sounds in the meadow in the other set. There is an identical control room for the other sound stage as well. We can see it if you'd like, but I gathered from what you indicated earlier, you weren’t too keen on watching the three in the other studio rehearse. For as you can see, the control room gives you a commanding view of the sound stage," Rick indicated with a sweeping gesture at the tinted windows. Looking out, Cassandra saw what Rick meant; you could see everything from here.

"Rick, I don't recall seeing these windows when we were down there? Did I miss something?" Cassandra asked.

Rick just grinned. "Nope, let's go back into the studio and I will show you a bit more of the magic we use in the movies," Rick said as he led Cassandra back into the Studio 'A' construction site. The lights were turned up, so it was very well lit, but when Cassandra turned too look at where the tinted windows should be, all she saw was wall!

"How do you do that? I mean, from the control room there was a clear view of this studio, but being in here they seem to have disappeared?" Cassandra asked.

"Stand right here, I’m going back into the control room and adjust the lighting and all shall be revealed," Rick said as he headed for the control room. Once there he flicked on all the lights in the tiny space then keyed the studio P.A.

"Cassandra, I'm going to be bringing the stage lights down then I'll be right down, okay?" Rick asked.

Cassandra nodded to Rick's disembodied voice. As the lights faded to inky blackness, Cassandra saw what looked like a fine mesh screen where the windows should be. The stage door opened briefly as Rick rejoined Cassandra.

"Well, what do you think?" Rick asked seeing Cassandra staring at the camouflage job.

"Amazing... But how?" she asked.

"Allow me to demonstrate. Okay Kiv, bring up the house lights," Rick said into the darkness and the set was soon back to it's normal lighting level. Yet, despite knowing where the windows were, with the studio lights on, all she saw was... wall.

"We use a micro-mesh screening. That, combined with the tinted windows renders the control room invisible. So even if we need to shoot against this wall, all anyone will see, is wall."

"Thanks Kiv, see you in a few," Rick said to the empty room.

"Any time...boss,” a phantom voice answered.

"That was Kiv Baker, our studio photographer. We will be meeting him next. He's a really nice guy, and does all the photo work for the web site as well as promotion and advertising."

"This place is amazing," Cassandra said getting a closer inspection of the wall and still not seeing the windows behind the camouflage.

Rick smiled. It was nice to hear someone from the 'outside' say what everyone 'inside' already knew. Rick stopped at the next door down the hall. A sign on it, written in gold letters in a fine script, said "KIV BAKER: Studio Photographer” below which was an image of a 35MM camera. Rick held the door as he and Cassandra entered the photographer’s studio. Kiv Baker was an easygoing bobcat, with a ready smile and put Cassandra immediately at ease. His studio was well lit without being harsh.

"Kiv, I'd like you to meet Cassandra Durandal. Cassandra, may I present to you, Kiv Baker," Rick said,

"Hello Cassandra, welcome to my world," the bobcat said in a lilting voice. Cassandra was taken with his soft handshake and warm smile.

"Oh, hello there. Thank you Kiv. It's very nice to be here," Cassandra replied, returning his warm smile and wandering a bit, looking around his studio. Cassandra saw a rather fancy digital camera mounted on a tripod. This was set before what looked like a fine green silk backdrop set before a rectangular cushion positioned atop what could best be described as some sort of backless loveseat. Cassandra had to admit, it looked comfortable. Smiling over his camera, as Cassandra looked about to sit on the perch. Kiv got ready to shoot.

"Cassandra, have a seat. I'd like to show you something, if you please." Somewhat surprised by Kiv's unexpected request, Cassandra sat on the cushion.

"Perfect," Kiv almost purred as he adjusted the focus. "Now, look over at Rick."

Rick was standing about five feet away off to Kiv's left. Rick gave her a radiant smile.

*Foomp* There was a momentary flash; Cassandra blinked looking back at Kiv who gave her a thumbs-up from behind his camera. Cassandra smiled demurely and Kiv snapped another shot.

"Wonderful!" he said extremely happy with Cassandra.

"Want to go for a few more, or would you like to see what we’ve got so far?" Kiv asked.

There was an impish quality to his voice that made Cassandra almost giggle. She had to admit, this was fun. A little voice inside her head said 'Go For It! Your Having Fun!' Cassandra couldn't argue. Giving the bobcat an impish smile of her own she winked and said, "Why not, this is fun!"

"Fantastic!" Kiv said, his enthusiasm was infectious.

"Okay, now lets try something smoldering... look at the spot of tape on the floor, good. Now slowly look at the camera."

Cassandra saw an 'X' of white tape about halfway between the camera and where she sat. As she was almost at the point of looking into the lens, Kiv snapped the picture.

"Wow! That was unbelievable!" he exclaimed, looking up from his camera and giving her the thumbs up.

"How are you doing Cassandra?" Kiv asked, his bubbly enthusiasm lent almost a party atmosphere to this thing.

"Me? Fine. This is a lot more fun that I thought, though I'm not too photogenic."

Kiv blinked as if he'd been slapped. "Who in the world told you that?" His smile was back once more. "That is so untrue! And I should know." He paused for dramatic effect. "I'm a Professional!" he declared raising a pointed finger upwards as to emphasize his point.

Cassandra couldn't help but giggle at the bobcat's comical antics. Kiv looked first left that right, that impish grin back on his face. Looking over his eyes just like a little kid planning something sneaky.

"Hey, Cassandra, want to do something just a little bit naughty?" He asked in a conspiratorial voice.

Cassandra took half a second before she repeated his sidelong glances returning that impish gaze. "Sure, what do you have in mind, Kiv?" She hadn’t felt this way since she was a kid.

"How about we do an off the shoulder naughty shot?"

That didn't sound so bad, Cassandra thought. "Okay, how do you want me?" she asked.

"Okay, loosen your shirt up, then slide it off the left shoulder." Cassandra did so, bringing it about a third of the way down her arm.

"Excellent!" Kiv almost crowed. "Now, place your right hand just above the material... Perfect! Now rotate slightly towards me, and give Rick over there a sultry look, as if you want to do something very, very naughty." Cassandra did, and Kiv snapped the shot.

"Oh, wow! That is great! How about one more, turn so you are facing me... perfect. Now slide the other shoulder down bringing it even with the first one." Cassandra did just that, slowly, playing to the camera. Kiv snapped another shot.

"That's perfect! It shows just a bit of cleavage. Now look right at the camera, pretend to be a very bad girl."

Cassandra thought of the time she swiped a few cookies her aunt baked as they were cooling on the windowsill.

"That is just the look!" Kiv purred and snapped one of the most erotic images yet. ‘This gal is good!’ he thought.

"You want to keep going, or see what we've got?" Kiv asked with a rakish wink.

Ooh, Cassandra was tempted, to see where this would lead, but at the same time she was almost dying to see what Kiv was so exited about.

"How about I see what we've got, and we can go from there?" Cassandra said, still not thinking she was anything to write home about.

Kiv wagged his head. "Sounds great to me! Give me a minute or three and I'll call them up on the monitor,” Kiv said turning to his computer consol and setting the six digital images for display. Cassandra rearranged her shirt before heading over to see the results. Standing behind Kiv, he sent the images to be viewed on the high-resolution monitor set to display an 8x10 photograph.

"All right, my dear," Kiv said softly. "Tell me, what you think of...this!" The first shot displayed it self. Cassandra could NOT believe what she saw. The girl in the picture was... Beautiful! That couldn't be her...Could it?

"Oh... My...God. I-I-Is that... me?" Cassandra asked in a soft voice. Kiv looked up at her. "Yes Cassandra. That's all you."

Cycling through the other five pictures, Cassandra still couldn't bring herself to believe that these incredibly sensual pictures were of her. But there was no denying it. She sat there while Kiv snapped them. It took her almost ten minutes to recover from the shocking revelation. A smile broke across her face. They were right. For the first time she finally got a glimpse of what the others here were talking about.

"If it would be all right with you, Cassandra, I'd like to sent these over to Squee, so he can make up a demo gallery for you to take a look at,." Kiv asked. A gentle touch on her arm brought out of her revelry. Cassandra smiled at this incredibly talented photographer.

"Sure, send them over so Squee. I'd kind of like to see what he could do with them. Thank you Kiv, you have no idea how special this is to me,” she said and gently kissed the bobcat on the cheek.

"Wow, thank you Cassandra. You are so sweet,” the bobcat said with honest appreciation. "So I take it, you like what you see so far?"

Cassandra nodded, a look of pleasant wonder painted across her face. "Oh, very much. You showed me something I've never seen, something that seemed to be apparent to everyone here."

Cassandra paused, trying to bring herself to reveal a secret she's tried to keep hidden from the world, realizing that it may disqualify her. She glanced over at Rick before turning her attention to this wonderful bobcat. "Kiv, I must be honest with you. Rick knows. But you may be put off, and I understand if you wouldn't want to work with me, but you do such good work. What I show you will be with me forever."

Cassandra paused, looking over at Rick. He gave her a slow nod, an almost proud smile on his face. It gave her the strength to see this through. She slowly unbuttoned her shirt turning her back to Kiv; she lowered her shirt revealing the two crossed diagonal scars that ran across her back, and lowering her head with resignation.

"Oh... Cassandra," Kiv said with more compassion in his voice than she'd ever heard.

"Pretty bad, isn't it," Cassandra answered sadly.

"No. It makes you unique. Scars show that you survived. Please believe me when I say, this detracts from nothing," he said gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Remember, I'm a professional!"

Cassandra snorted a laugh. She couldn't help it, Kiv's indomitable spirit shining through, evaporating the despair that seemed to have settled around her like a wet blanket. She looked over her shoulder, that beautiful smile of hers brightening her face. Kiv nodded, his eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. Cassandra turned to face him, holding her unbuttoned shirt closed over her breasts.

"You really mean that, don't you?” she asked softly, finding it hard to counter the sadness she'd kept for years. Yet here was this amazing photographer, who had showed her the true beauty hidden from her sight, saying her secret shame was of no consequence.

"Kiv never lies, Cassandra," Rick said gently. "Believe me, he knows of what he speaks."

Kiv nodded. "Remember, you didn't think you were photogenic, either. I think I disproved that misconception, so why would you doubt me now?" he said, giving her an almost hurt expression, holding her gaze a moment before that delightfully impish smile scampered back across his face. Cassandra had to admit defeat, smiling with a nod.

"Okay, you're right. It's just this is all very new to me. Thank you Kiv." Cassandra re-buttoned her shirt. "Besides, you’re a Professional!" She said, mimicking his exuberant declaration, a bright grin on her face, causing Kiv to do a double take before bursting into laughter which was quickly followed by everyone on the room. Cassandra’s mood lifted once more. A moment later, Kel popped her head in.

"Oh! Hey Kiv, is this a bad time, or are we still on for my new gallery shoot?" The vixen asked, pausing at the door.

"Nah, come on in. We were just having some fun, weren't we, Cassandra?" Kiv's bubbly exuberance once more filling the small studio.

"You don't say?" Kel asked joining the rest of the party, her eyes alight. "Can I see?" She finished excitedly, looking directly at Cassandra who drew Kel over to Kiv’s computer station.

"Just hit F-12 to replay the sequence," Kiv called over to the girls while he and Rick talked.

"I like her, Rick. It will take a bit of work to bring her up to speed, but from what I've seen she's a natural," Kiv said looking over at the girls who seemed to be having a rather animated conversation.

"Just look at her, Rick. You saw for yourself how comfortable she was in front of the camera." Rick had to agree, she did seem much more relaxed than she was when they started the tour. This was a good thing, Rick thought.

"Perhaps you're right. We'll see what she thinks of Squee's Gallery, but I will say this much, things are looking up."

Kiv had his attention on the girls, Rick noticed Kiv had 'that look' on his face. The same look he got whenever he was planning something special.

"Seeing the way those two are hitting it off gives me an idea,” he mused, one hand under his chin.

Rick could tell the bobcat was going into 'Camera-Mode.' Placing a hand on Kiv's shoulder, gently restraining him, he said, "Kiv. This is her first walk-through. We haven't even signed her yet. We don’t want to scare her off, now do we?" Kiv blinked, his train of thought temporarily derailed. Turning to Rick and looking somewhat lost.

"What? Oh, right. I was seeing something very special for those two. Platinum Level," Kiv smiled. Watching the scene play out in the cinema of his mind. Rick just shook his head, what was it about these creative types?

"Kiv, do you want Trisha Dish to tie you down again?" Rick grinned to himself, thinking of his badger actress whose tastes ran to the... exotic. That got Kiv's attention. "What? No! Once was enough, thank you. Although, you've got to admit, she does look good in leather."

Rejoining the girls, they seemed to be having a difference of opinion on something, although both of them were almost giggling over what ever it was.

"Oh, please-please-please-please-please! It would be so fun!" Kel pleaded, hands together imploringly.

"NO!" Cassandra said, a huge grin on her face, barely able to keep the laughter threatening to spill over into a full-blown giggle-fit. It looked like a losing battle. "I could NEVER do something like that... tehee." Cassandra giggled, grinning widely shaking her head.

"Oh, come on. You saw those pictures! I dare you to tell me you don't look sexy!" Kel said pointing to the monitor.

Cassandra shook her head, knowing if she looked into the vixen's face she'd be on the floor laughing. Rick and Kiv were standing just out of range, broad smiles mirrored on their faces. Kiv nudged Rick in the ribs as if to say 'Told-you-so'.

"I'm not saying that! They shocked me when I first saw them. For the first time, I realized everyone here was right when they said I was good looking." Cassandra gave a furtive glance at Kel. "Okay, I admit it, they DO look sexy, but..." cutting herself off as a burst of giggles slipped through. Cassandra had to admit it, she was having one of the best times she'd had in a long time.

"Sexy is FUN!" Kel almost crowed, having made her point. "And this would be fun too! Oh come-on! Please-please-please-please-please!" Kel pleaded starting to giggle herself.

"What's this all about?" Rick asked, grinning widely. The girls’ laughter was infectious.

"Rick!" Kel mewed, pointing at Cassandra. "She won't play with me!"

Kel tried for a pout, she even managed to stick out her lower lip before the pent-up laughter bubbled out. For a good three minutes neither of them could do anything but laugh, and just when the girls thought they had it under control they would look at each other starting a new cascade of giggles. Cassandra was leaning against Kiv's desk for support. Whatever it was, Rick thought, it really had them going. Once it was out of their systems and they recovered enough to be coherent. Rick asked his question again.

"Kel here wants me to do a photo shoot with her," Cassandra said through a face-splitting grin.

"A playful one!" Kel guffawed. "We would have so much fun!!!" Kel cried her eyes bright. Kiv was jubilant.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't be fun. I just can't get in front of a camera---" Cassandra froze in mid retort. Her eyes sliding over to the monitor where her pictures were slide showing on the screen. "Okay! Let me rephrase that. What I mean is I don't think I have any talent to work here, despite the fact that everyone thinks it's a forgone conclusion that I am already working here. Everyone is so friendly and from what I've seen here, this looks like a great place to work," she continued, turning to silence Kel with an up raised finger. The vixen eeped and slapped her hand across her muzzle. Cassandra gave a nod of thanks.

"I have no idea how to work in this kind of place. Not to mention the fact that it has shattered my preconceived ideas of what a Porn- oops sorry, what an Adult Entertainment Studio was going to be like. You have eliminated 95% of my reasons why I felt I couldn't do this. I wasn't good looking enough, or that my scars would disqualify me from even working here, despite the fact I was starting to really like the idea of signing on. Well, Kiv has shown me what everyone was talking about. I look good. No, I look beautiful. I always thought I was fairly plain, nothing to write home about." Cassandra paused a few moments as the truth sank in.

"From the moment I walked thru the doors and saw the azure carpeting I knew this wasn't what I had expected at all. Kel made me feel welcome, as has everyone here. Even Leon told Rick to hire me! The biggest hurdle I will have is to get over my shyness."

Kel came over placing an arm around the shy bunny who was rapidly running out of excuses not to work here.

"Cassandra, if it will help, when I started working here, I had a real hard time even posing with Kiv here. The idea of acting in front of the camera terrified me. But then Lil and Sarah took me under their wings, and now..." Kel shucked her top without a second thought. "See, no big deal. The one thing Lil pointed out was that this is nothing we haven't all seen in the mirror. Look around Cassandra, is anybody drooling or shocked to see me topless? Except maybe you, that is?"

Cassandra looked around, neither Rick or Kiv seemed to notice.

"Look everyone I've met here is right. But, could you work with someone who looks like this?" Cassandra said once more opening her shirt, but this time turning her back showing her scars. No one said a thing. Cassandra felt a light touch on her shoulders; Kel was gently massaging the knots and running a hand down her back. Cassandra stiffened momentarily as her hand passed over the twin scars. Kel stepped around to look her in the eyes, not a trace of fear or revulsion, just acceptance. A smile dusted the vixen’s face.

"Cass, I would love to work with you. It's who you are." Cassandra had to smile at that, as the vixen removed her shirt completely.

"I still want to do a photo shoot with you. I mean, look at us, we are already topless. You have a beautiful smile, and a beautiful body. I don't see any problem, do you?" Kel said softly. Cassandra realized, the vixen was correct. Again. She drew Kel into a hug; it felt so good not to have to hide anymore.

"Thank you Kel. Um... would it be okay if Kiv just took a shot of us sitting together?"

"We could do that. Come on over and have a seat. Which do you like, right or left?" Kel asked as they stood at the cushioned seat.

"This should be fine. Thanks Kel." They turned around and sat together. Kiv was at his camera.

"Rick, Kiv, if it would be okay with you, I'd like to see what a picture of the two of us would look like. Okay?" Cassandra asked.

"That would be fine, Cassandra. Remember the idea here is to have fun. Kiv? Anytime you are ready," Rick said quite pleased that Kel got through to her.

"This is going to look great! Thanks Cassandra. Smile!"

*Foomp*

"Beautiful! Cassandra, I would like to compose three more if you please. Kel, stand behind Cassandra. Now take one step to your right… excellent! Place your left hand on her shoulder. Perfect! Now look at each other, you two are friends after all. Smile!"

*Foomp*

"Wow! Now if you would switch places. Kel, sit where she was. Cassandra, yeah that's it, to her left, hand. Oh that is such a great look you two are giving each other! Smile now!"

*Foomp*

"WOW! That looks great! For the last one both of you sit, perfect! Now turn to face each other. Yeah that's it! Now, both of you reach up and do patty cake! That's it! A tad bit higher, perfect! Now look over at me. Remember how fun that was? That's the look."

*Foomp*

"Excellent! That is fantastic! Come have a look at these!" Kiv displayed them on the screen.

"OOOOOHH! That looks great Cass! Wow! Look at that one!" Kel enthused.

Cassandra had to admit, those looked fantastic! Friendly, fun and almost... loving. "Wow, those look... wonderful! What do you think Rick?" Cassandra smiled at the grinning raccoon. ‘This was a LOT of fun,’ she thought.

"Well, that first one looks very nice, but the look in your faces hint at being naughty. Wow, I like the way those two came out, it looks like you really enjoy being with each other, almost loving. Beautiful. That last one... pure mischief, yet here are two femmes who still know how to play! Excellently done, what do you think Cassandra?" Rick asked very pleased that the shy bunny was starting to loosen up.

"I think they are very sweet, there is an innocence, yet a hint of something else. I can see a love that these two share. Kiv, how did you do that? Those are very loving looks,” Cassandra asked placing her hand lightly on the bobcat's shoulder.

"Cassandra, I just captured what I saw. You and Kel work well together. Thank you for doing these, they look wonderful."

"Kel was the first person to greet me as I came through the door. She was very friendly, and I think it is reflected in those pictures. Thank you, thank you all. I never would have believed I could ever do something like that this, but after seeing these… you are so beautiful Kel. Thank you for these. And if things work out, then I would like to do a shoot with you. Look at me, I am standing around topless! I never thought I would be here like this when I walked thru the door. This has been fun!"

"You have just about wiped out 95% of my resistance, that last five percent being my shyness. Wow, deeds not words, just as James had said. Amazing. Kiv has shown me, through his deeds more than all the words everyone has said throughout my tour. Not that they weren’t correct, I just couldn't see it until Kiv showed me what everyone else has seen. How many more stops do we have on the tour, Rick?"

"Six, I believe. Bruno, the studio manager. Then Rea Scott and Bev Foster, our security team. Maureen Greenwood, who runs the Front Office. Then go to the screening, drop Squee's to take a look at what he has for you, and finish up with Lonna Weston in Bookkeeping."

"I was holding down the fort for Maureen when you arrived. She was going over a few things with Bruno, taking her post just as I was showing you into Rick's office," Kel said as Cassandra retrieved her shirt.

"Cassandra, would you mind if I sent these along to Squee as well? He can add then to your gallery mock up." Kiv asked.

"Sure, thanks Kiv. You don't mind do you, Kel?" Cassandra turned to the vixen who was setting up for her new photo shoot.

"Nah, they were just for fun. Thanks Cass, that was a lot of fun. Enjoy the rest of the tour. See you at the screening," Kel waved as Rick and Cassandra left the photo studio.

"Not as bad as you thought, was it?" Rick asked as they were heading for Bruno's office. Cassandra shook her head, with a chuckle.

"No. Actually it was quite fun, and very informative. There are a lot of good folks in this Family you have here. You know, when I walked in here, I was dreading this. But Darron and Faye assured me you were legit, so I came out. And I am so glad I did. Thanks Rick."

"You are quite welcome, you made =quite= an impression on me at the wedding. Here we are – Bruno, our Studio Manager."

Peering in the open door, Cassandra saw a large brown bear his back to them on the phone with =someone= and from his tone, he was none to happy.

"I don't care! You guys screwed up on your end! NO! Don’t even try and go there. You are coming dangerously close to being in breach of contract here! Parcel Post it overnight if you have to as long as you get it here by noon tomorrow! Yes, ALL of it! The entire shipment! I want to see all three pallets sitting on my loading dock by noon tomorrow, got that? Or I am going to throw you to the sharks. No, it gets better. I will personally Black List you on the A.E.E preferred Vendor listing. Then nobody will do business with your company ever again. What was that? That's right, noon! Right. Bye!" The bear growled, slamming the phone into its cradle. “Stupid Putz!”

"Knock, knock,” Rick said as they stood in the doorway to Bruno's office. Bruno turned with a snarl, "All right, what! Oh, Rick. Not a good time for this. No offense, little lady," he said, letting out a long breath, releasing some of his pent up rage. Grabbing his cup and downing half the contents, he made a face. "UGH, cold coffee. And I just got this before that call.”

He turned his attention in Rick. "That was Sun Beam, calling to inform us that the shipment of preview disks that we are distributing on Friday, won't be here. Somebody "forgot" to tag the pallets for expedited shipping. So, it's still sitting on their damn loading dock!" Bruno looked like he wanted to hit something. The wall already sporting two massive fist-size holes.

Rick just smiled. "Be that as it may. Cassandra, may I introduce our Studio Manager, Bruno. Bruno, may I present Miss Cassandra Durandal. She's taking the tour today," Rick said inclining his head at the growling ursine.

"Okay. Fine." The bear locked his eyes on a new target, the bunny standing in his office.

"This is The Studio, this is my office, and this is my cup. And right now it needs more coffee." The bear stood, intent on making his way to the break room.

"Name's Cassandra. Perhaps you should switch to decaf, Bruno. There are several brands on the market now that are just as tasty as the real thing."

Bruno dropped back into his seat blinking at Cassandra as if he'd just been slapped across the muzzle. Hard. "Uh, right. Maybe I should look into that."

Shaking himself out of that unexpected "Rabbit Punch" that seemed to have knocked the starch out of his fine foul mood. "I'm Bruno, I manage this pornographic mad-house. As you no doubt heard, we occasionally have... problems with our Vendors. In this case, Sun Beam Replicators. We decided to give them a test run, to see if they handle our full-scale production runs. They are new listing on the Adult Entertainment Empire's directory of recommended suppliers. We are launching a new promotion on Friday so we contracted with this outfit for expedited shipment, which cost us a nice chunk of change, thank you very much. So now, because of their screw up, we have 30,000 promo disks sitting on their loading dock! The contract says three-day turnaround. Order on Friday, delivered by noon on Tuesday. They were trying to worm their way out of their contract by saying they can have it to us by Thursday, Friday by noon at the latest. I was... reminding them the contract says delivery by noon tomorrow. I am going to be standing out on the loading dock at noon tomorrow, list in hand, if I don't see three pallets of promo disks sitting there, they are =history=. I may even give them a 45 minute grace period."

"Anything dealing with studio business, bring it to me. I deal with the day-to-day operations. Any questions, from trivial to earth shaking, bring 'em on. We have an 'open-book' policy around here, meaning anyone at any time can come in and see where the cash is flowing. We pay a bonus for anyone who can show us a more efficient way of doing things that won't compromise Safety, Quality =or= Production Values."

"Thank you, Bruno, I very much appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to speak with me. Perhaps we can meet for coffee later, and then I can ask you few questions on the finer points of this operation," Cassandra said and with a nod turned and followed Rick out of the bear’s office.

"Don't let him phase you. That level of stupidity, really gets under his fur. Since we are passing the lobby, let me introduce you to Maureen."

Maureen Greenwood was a rather stunning raccoon femme in her early 30's and looking a good ten years younger that she was. Aside from her duties running the front office, she was the initial point of contact for anyone walking in the front doors. She had an uncanny sense for potential, for both talent and trouble. It was to Maureen Greenwood that Rick brought Cassandra.

"Maureen Greenwood, I would like to introduce you to Cassandra Durandal, she's taking the tour today. Cassandra, this is our front office goddess Maureen Greenwood." Rick grinned at the slight surprise in the raccoon femme's eyes.

"Hello there, my dear. You must have snuck by under cover of Kelso. It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said with a smile, extending her hand.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I kind of did. Kel was sitting in for you when I got here and she directed me to Rick's office. I'm glad to meet you, Maureen,” Cassandra smiled impishly shaking the raccoon's hand and feeling a tiny zap, not unlike touching a doorknob after walking over synthetic carpets. Cassandra blinked in surprise. Maureen closed her eyes inhaling and letting out a deep sigh. Nodding. Releasing the bunny’s hand. Looking at her with a slight tilt to her head an almost dreamy smile flowed across her muzzle. Her green eyes held just a hint of an unearthly glow.

"She has a past that lies in the snows, yet has a future in the warmth of our Family. You will do quite well here Cassandra." She turned to face her boss. "Hire her, Rick. She’s Family."

Addressing Cassandra once more, bathing her in the warmth of a smile, that would melt the harshest winter snow from her Northern mountain homeland. "A pleasure to meet you, dear. If you have any questions, come see me. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Family that is Procyon Studios,” she continued, returning to her place behind the receptionist’s desk.

"Rea and Bev are in for quite a shock,” Maureen said offhandedly as they continued their tour. Cassandra froze in her tracks for a moment, turning to Rick.

"Rick, who was she talking about? Who are Rea and Bev?" she asked. Rick smiled. "Our next stop in the tour. I want to introduce you to our security team."

Rick paused at a non-descript gray door Cassandra hadn't noticed on her first trip down the hall. Opening the door and ushering Cassandra in Rick smiled. "Bev, Rea? Got someone I'd like you to meet, giving another grand tour," Rick called out as they descended the ramp to the basement security office.

He smiled as a very faint sweet musk scent reached his nose. Cassandra saw that there were three holding cells, a wide-open space, and an office near the back of the cavernous room. From the back office came two of the largest ursines Cassandra had ever seen. One a grizzly, the other a snow white polar. Rick had a knowing smirk dance across his muzzle as the two uniformed femme's approached.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here Rick? Did you bring us a snack?" The polar bear said with a leer, smacking her lips.

"Now now dear, the last time you ate some unknown snack, it gave you a belly ache. Let Rick introduce us first," the grizzly said looking at the diminutive rabbit Rick had brought in.

"Cassandra, let me introduce you to Rea Scott, and Bev Foster our Security team. Rea, Bev, This is Cassandra Durandal, she's come for a tour" Rick said with a smile. Rea looked crestfallen.

"Does this mean we can't snack on her?" The polar bear said to Rick.

"I'll just step over here and let you three get acquainted," Rick said backing away about five paces. Cassandra gave an almost evil chuckle staring down the two ursines. She had tangled with more than a few back home.

"Rea, tsk tsk. You don't want to make a snack out of me. If you think eating someone you didn't know gave you indigestion... Well, I would do far worse than that... Don't you know you should never eat something that doesn’t agree with you?" Cassandra grinned at the polar bear looking her straight in the eye.

"Whoa-ho, spicy. I like that," Rea said giving the blond bunny a wide toothy grin.

"Well, it's nice to meet you too," she said with a wink, giving Bev a sidelong glance. Not taking her eyes off Rea.

"Hello Bev, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, I like you two already. You look like you’d be fun to play with," Cassandra leered wagging her eyebrows.

Bev gave Rick a pleasantly surprised look. "Where did you find this spicy bunny bite, Rick? She sounds tasty." Bev gave Rick a nod. He just winked back. Bev shrugged with a chuckle, turning to Rea, and giving her muzzle a lick.

"Come on, Lover, the bunny is right. Last time you ate something that didn’t agree with you, we had to have your stomach pumped, a bucket full of squirrel chunks. Think what it would be like chucking up a bunch of bloody bunny bits."

Cassandra barked out a guffaw at the grizzly's logical comment. Rea relented with a sigh. "Yeah, your right honey-box. I'd hate to cough up a butt puff," Rea chuckled giving Cassandra her hand.

"Hello Cassandra. It's good to meet you. Name’s Rea Scott. You are one of the few who stood up to us, not to mention making wisecracks of your own!"

Cassandra took the offered hand, "Good to meet ‘cha, Rea. Wouldn't want to have hurt you now." Cassandra grinned.

This struck Rea funny. "You here that Rick, Cassy here thinks she could hurt me! Not counting that sushi slicer of hers. Boy, she's got a pair on her, huh?"

"I don’t know, Rea, she just might wipe the floor with you," Rick chuckled. This was going to be fun, he thought.

"What! I out class her at least three to one! I'd mash her into bunny paste! Not that I'd want to, mind you, but come on."

"Hey lover, stop picking on the tasty femme, besides I might like to play with her if she'd be accommodating," Bev said giving Cassandra a wink.

"Sounds like it might be fun, Bev. I'm Bi. You know what they say... 'You swing both ways you never go home alone." Cassandra fired back.

"Ooo, Rick, you've got to sign her on, if for no other reason than so I can have a new play toy!" Bev gave Rick a delighted chuckle.

"We shall see, Bev. She did some fantastic shots with Kiv. But she's more than a bit camera shy."

"No kidding! That’s cool, Rea and I have had a spin or two in front of ‘em. I was a lot of fun," Bev said drifting over to Rick watching Rea and Cassandra trade barbs.

"Well, those two seen to be hitting it off. Thanks for bringing her by, it's a rare fur to stand up to both of us thinking of making a snack outta them. Oh look at them; they are getting into a pissing contest. It’s not going to be pretty," Bev said as the two of them went to intercede.

"How, ‘bout it, Snowball, want to take your best shot at me?" Cassandra said with a huge grin. Rea matched it.

"You hand Rick that little pig sticker of yours, and we can go a round or two if you'd like." Rea laughed, this bunny was fun!

Rick and Bev interceded. "If you two insist on jumping each other, I'm grabbing a camera, I can see it now," Rick said holding his hands in the air as if reading a marquee. ‘bunny live-in -vs.- bear boffing. Who will out orgasm the other and be the last fur standing?’ Hmmm. I kind of like that idea," Rick mused as he thought it over.

Rea and Cassandra both slack-jawed, eyes wide just stared at Rick then at each other. "Whoa." they said in unison. Bev couldn't take anymore and burst out laughing. It was so infectious soon everyone was leaning against each other. Once the laugh storm had passed, Rea and Cassandra glared at each other good-naturedly.

"You are all right, Cassandra. It takes quite a lot of moxy standing your ground when we threaten to turn you into a sexy snack. But talking smack! Damn, that was a good one. I'm glad it didn't come to blows, I’d hate to squash you into bunny paste and squirt you into next week."

"Oh? Is that so?" Cassandra did her best to sound indignant. "I say I will have you flat in your back before you can do much more than tickle my tits,” Cassandra said looking smug, arms folded across her chest.

Rea looked delightfully incredulous. "Oh, no! You're tugging my tail. Rick, did you =hear= what your little Hot Crossed bunny just said to me?!" Rea squawked.

"Hey you two, no blood on the concrete. Leon said he wasn't coming down here again after you two painted the walls with those Babbitts last month,” Rick warned good-naturededly.

"Hey! That little puke tried to stick me with a knife! Took a swing at Bev, putting a nice slice in her uniform near her kidneys, if you'd forgotten. Of course I went berserk! No one attacks my lover and lives to walk away!" Rea growled, feeling a gentle touch on her forearm.

Looking down, she saw Cassandra giving her a winsome smile. "I know how you feel Rea. Mine =did= get away."

Rea looked between Rick and Bev. Rick just nodded.

"Have a look." Cassandra said, as she calmly took off her shirt, looking the ursines in the eyes before turning her back on them. The sharp intake of breath was the cue for Cassandra to nod, turning around and slipping her shirt back on, shock and outrage painted on the bears' faces.

"They would have killed me, as was their intent, had I not fallen in the snow. It slowed the blood flow. I was found and nursed back to health. It was not a random act of violence, it was an execution. I knew my attackers and the reason I was attacked and left for dead..." Cassandra paused, giving the two ursine a thousand-yard stare thatt chilled them to the bone faster that a winter blizzard before continuing.

"Why was I attacked? Who would do such a thing? For what crime warranted my death? My Crime? Telling my close friends that I was Bisexual. Why was I attacked? My Bisexuality was seen as a stain on the family honor. Who were my executioners? My own parents. For with my death the family honor would be restored."

"Here is the irony, for striking down their own child, they were declared ‘outlaw’, a standing kill-on-sight order issued. Whatever honor the family name possessed has been stripped away by the very act they sought to restore it."

Rea looked remorseful, knelt down and gently touching Cassandra’s shoulder. "I'm so sorry for that Hot Crossed bunny, remark."

Cassandra smiled at the ursine femme. "Thank you, but now there is no need. Kiv showed me that my silent shame detracts from nothing. I no longer see them as a source of shame, but as badges of honor, for scars prove you survived. But I appreciate your words none the less Rea." Cassandra got a wicked grin once more. "Besides, we have to have that go around so I can flip you on your back, =never= underestimate the 'Hot-Crossed-bunny! "

She winked, giving Rea a quick kiss on the nose before putting a bit of distance and crouching to taunt the big polar bear. "Come on Snowball, take your best shot!" Cassandra teased. Rea once more got that look of rising to the challenge.

"Hold it you two. I'll be =right= back. I’ve got to grab my camera!" Rick declared dashing up the ramp. Rea took this opportunity to give Bev a quick nuzzle. "Now try not to hurt yourself love, she looks like a quick little bunny," Bev said caressing her lover’s cheek.

Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud. Rick was back with his digicam. Rea looked up at the grinning raccoon. "Lemme guess. You want to get it all on tape, when I get a hold of her and squeeze her so hard that her ribs squirt outta her mouth?" Rea grinned over at Rick who was taping the entire event.

"Yup, this is going on prime-time Pay-Per-View Cable TV. All right you two, introduce yourselves to the audience!" Rick chuckled; this was going to be fun. Bev came out into the center 'ring' acting as referree and doing a great job of it.

Cassandra stepped up to Rick and thrust her scabbard into his belt. "Hold this a minute, okay?"

"All right, you two, go up and introduce yourselves to the camera," Bev ordered. Cassandra was first to step up to the camera. "My name is Cassandra Durandal, and I am going to lay that big bear flat on her back. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Call me 'The Hot-Crossed-bunny!" She danced away 'woo-hooing'.

Next it was Rea's turn at bat. "Name's Rea Scott, undefeated world champion. When I get my hands on that bunny, I am going to and squeeze her so hard, her ribs are going to squirt outta her mouth, then squash what's left into bunny paste!"

Pumping her arms and tightening her fists 'til her knuckles cracked. A rather intimidating sound, Rick thought as he took up his position as Bev calling them up to her.

"This is a one fall event. First one on the ground loses, got that?" She growled, shifting her eyes between the combatants.

"I'll do my best not to hurt you, Rea," Cassandra said. Rea snorted, "I'm going to squash you into bunny paste, jar you up and sell you on the Internet!"

"All right, back off and lets do this thing!" Bev announced swinging her arm to the ground.

Rea started to growl the way only a bear can. Cassandra all of a sudden started acting like a ditz; a vapid expression, bobbing her head from side to side, going 'dee-dee-dit-dee-dee'; seemingly oblivious to the towering ursine bearing down on her.

Oh, this doesn’t look good, Rick thought.

Just as Rea's hand was about to rip the rabbits head off, Cassandra snapped out of ditz mode. She grabbed the bear's wrist, rotated about 30 degrees, yanked down on Rea's arm and snapped her right hip up. KA-WOMP!

Rea was flat on her back with Cassandra sitting daintily on the big ursine' s chest, sweetly smiling down and waving one dainty hand at a very stunned Rea Scott. Bev stepped in and lifted the bunny's wrist. "W I N N E R!" She declares before lifting Cassandra off her beloved. Turning to kneel at the fallen warrior's side and caressing her cheek. "Told you she was a quick little bunny."

"AAAAAAAND CUT!" Rick calls and steps over to check on Rea. Slowly sitting up, she shakes her head to clear the fog, looking over at Cassandra and still not believing what just happened.

"How the =HELL= did you DO that?" Rea asked as Cassandra stepped over to help her friend up. Cassandra drew her hands together under her chin, inclined forward giving a tilt to her head and through half-lidded eyes said, "Ancient Lapine Secret." She then steps over and retrieving her sword and tucking it home once again.

She turned to Rea. "Actually, it was part of my martial arts training in unarmed combat. I have had to tangle with a few of your Northern cousins; they fancy blades not unlike the ones in Rick’s office. But there is one in the prop room that is a dead ringer for those carried by the Ursa Raiders. Quite a nasty bunch. No offense, and present company excluded of course. I could show it to you after we finish up if you'd like?" Cassandra smiles.

"Yeah, thanks. Cassandra, do you think you could teach us some of that, Bev and I?" Rea asks.

Cassandra thinks a few moments then nods. "Sure, I could do that, if it would be okay with management, that is," she said looking at Rick.

"Sure, fine with me. That is, if you want to work here?" Rick asked, noticing the time. "We’re about 4 minutes to screening, shall we?"

---------------

Exiting the screening room, Cassandra had a pleasantly surprised look on her face. "Whoa... so =that’s= what you meant by story-driven erotica. Rick, may I be =completely= honest about what I just witnessed in there?"

"Of course, always. Being new around here, you can look at this stuff with a 'fresh eye' so to speak. So please," Rick replied, ushering her into his office.

Cassandra closed the door. "Okay, I =know= it was a rough cut; Rog kept repeating =that= after every rough spot. But quite frankly, it got me =extremely= wet. The sex scenes were wonderfully erotic and had me more than a few times looking around wondering whom I could drag off to Studio 'B'. Now then, I've got to ask... is this normal?" Cassandra fidgeted wondering if she should continue.

Rick smiled, rather pleased."...And?"

"Well, if I am having this kind of a reaction to the rough cut, what will happen when we screen the finished film? How is something like this handled? What are the protocols? And what about... protection?"

Rick leaned forward steepling his fingers thinking a moment. "All good questions... most of which are answered in your new employee handbook. As to your reaction to the rough cut... that's a good thing, a =very= good thing. It means we are onto something here. There are often a lot of 'wandering hands' during a screening. If you want to, fine. If you don’t want to, just say ' No thank you'. It's that simple. As to dragging someone off... well, quite frankly, that would be up to you and your partners. Most folks head for the comfort room, if you don't have a problem with being in a room full of other mating furs, which, working here you shouldn't. And as for ‘normal’... we like to say 'Normal is a setting on a washing machine'. Bev and Rea go down to their office, and will often invite a few along with them. If you want to, fine. if you don't want to, that's fine as well. A frequent visitor is Trisha. She's a badger femme actress whose tastes run to the... 'exotic' shall we say. =But=, Trisha Dish does look good in leather."

Rick chuckled at Cassandra's dawning comprehension. "Oh," she said with a blush.

"Protocols are no sexual harassment. I know, sexual harassment in a porn studio? Yes, it happens just like any other business. No means NO. There is STD testing, it's mandatory, every six weeks. If you bed someone out in the world, use condoms! You don't want to bring anything home. Hook ups happen, and it is sometimes hard to keep your personal life from getting in the way here at work. The prevailing attitude is unconditional love. No game playing, jealousy or possessiveness. People aren't possessions.”

“Keeping that in mind, you are free to bed anyone who is willing. =But=, if you are scheduled for a scene the next day, you may want to rest up, or slow down, you don’t want to tag-out halfway through the set. Good rule of thumb: If it doesn’t interfere with work, than you can boff anyone, anytime, as often as you wish. You are under NO obligation to engage in anything outside your scheduled shoots. Most folks =do=. It is a free environment. All we ask is no permanent marks outside whatever you came in with. Some femmes like to get their nipples or other body parts pierced. One thing that is stressed, if they do, they will be out of commission for about 6 weeks."

"We have an extensive library on 'How-To’ training manuals on techniques. Lyllith Woodland has become out resident 'Go-To' gal on the proper way to do something. As for protection... most femmes here are on long-term methods. There are some options listed in the Medical Services Index. You may look at an unplanned pregnancy an inherent risk in this line of work; there are some very good options to keep you safe. Birth Control is nothing to leave to chance. Don't rely on condoms alone, they are primarily used for STD protection. Condoms do break. It is another acceptable risk. And yes, they are mandatory for any of the sweat scenes. We feel it puts out a good message to act responsibly."

"There, that is, in a nutshell the, Procyon Studios Safer Sex Lecture. Any questions?"

"Um... well is =everybody= here available?" Cassandra asked hesitantly.

Rick nodded, "Pretty much. Another good rule of thumb is consider =everyone= here to be available unless they say otherwise. It is permissible to ask at the time they turn you down if they may be interested later. And if so, give them permission to contact you when they feel they would like to spend time with you. For an example, you being Bisexual would have the widest selection."

"Makes sense. Thanks Rick. This is =so= unlike what I was expecting." Cassandra smiled to herself.

"So, what do you say we drop by and see what magic Squee has done with those great pictures Kiv shot?" Rick said coming around the desk and leading Cassandra down to Squee's realm.

"Knock Knock. Hey Squee, is this a good time, or are you right in the middle of something?" Rick asked as he and Cassandra made their way into the Bat-Cave.

"Nah, come on in! Cassandra, those were some =amazing= shots Kiv sent over. That first set was... Wow. But the =second= set, with Kel... if that doesn’t get a rise out of someone, they are dead!" Squee laughed in an upper register dipping down. Not painful, but very bat-like.

"I have set up half a dozen gallery examples for you to look at. I used that first shot for both the album cover as well as the click-thru thumbnails, it is just so stunning. Here you go, take the mouse, and have a look."

Squee turned around to face Rick while Cassandra seemed to be chanting the mantras, "Oh.... My...God”; “Whoa”; and “Oh...that's beautiful."

"You know, with more images, I could be more creative. But considering what I had to work with, I'm pleased with the results. That first image... that could be her trademark. The fan base is going to go =wild= when she debuts. Rick, we've got a mega-star here."

"Kiv saw the way she and Kel interacted, which led to the second set at her request. He is all ready planning a platinum-level project. You should have seen what happened when she met Rea and Bev."

Squee sat back a bit knowing =just= how those two ursine femmes could be. "I hope they didn’t rattle her too badly, those two make quite a team, the intimidation sisters. She seemed okay at the screening."

Rick chuckled. "She not only stood her ground, but was talking smack!"

The bat's eyes went wide. “No," he breathed.

Rick grinned. "It gets better. She was hitting on Bev at the same time she was staring down Rea! Bev and I chatted as Rea and Cassandra traded barbs. We intervened when it was turning into a pissing contest."

"Now I =know= you are serving wax fruit. Next thing you are going to say is that they got into a scrap and Cassandra didn't get a scratch. Sorry Rick, but no way, remember the mess she made last month. She just about wore that guy’s intestines as a necklace!"

"It's true. I flipped her on her back before she could tickle my tits," Cassandra said resting her head on the bat's shoulder. "Lovely galleries by the way. Which would you use, Squee?"

"Oh, number three is the one I thought looked best. The thumbnail opens to an oval portrait on the cover. Notice how there's plenty of room for three levels of pics," Squee said with pride. "There are three levels to these, galleries. Now you didn't have something for every level, so I took the one that showed a bit of cleavage for the gold tier and those incredibly sexy ones with Kel for the Platinum-level members. But like I said, this was to just to give you an idea. When Kiv sent over those first ones, wow. When I opened the very first pic I must have sat here for almost ten minutes basking in the radiance of your beauty. At that point I knew... you were in the right place at the right time."

"Are you on board? Cassandra, =please= tell me you are going to sign with us?" Squee almost went on his knees to convince Cassandra to stay. She bathed him in that radiant smile he had first seen in the picture... this was almost transcendent.

"Yes Squee, I've come home. Thank you. You were the first stop on the tour and you were so amazingly friendly. It set the whole tone for my visit. You are the first bat I have ever met. No finer an ambassador could I ever know. Thank you my friend."

"Oh, how many shots do you put in each section?" Cassandra asked with a smile thinking of that wonderful photographer.

"120 total. 20 for silver, 40 for gold, and 60 for platinum. I can say the platinums are going to flood you for requests. They have two of the best perks, autographed pictures as well as photo requests. With a request, you have final say yea or nay, so you are not obligated to do anything you're not comfortable doing, okay?"

"Thanks Squee. So Rick, where to now?" she asked as they stepped out into the corridor.

"Last stop on your whirlwind tour, Lonna Westen, our bookkeeping wiz".

"Lonna, Cassandra has just finished the tour. Cassandra, may I introduce you to our bookkeeper, Lonna Westin. Lonna, this is Miss Cassandra Durandal." Rick stepped aside to let the femme's get acquainted.

"Cassandra! It is good to finally meet you; Rick has spoken very highly of you. Please, have a seat," the border collie smiled.

"Thank you, this is nothing like what I expected, but I am glad I took Rick up on the invitation," Cassandra replied, shaking hands and taking a seat.

"I am so =very= glad you did. So, what do you think of all of this?"

"Well, honestly, I dreaded coming. I thought it was... well, nothing like =this=. I am very impressed. Everyone I've met here has been friendly, open and honest, answering any and all questions. This is the most amazing place I have ever in my life seen. Rog showed us something... then seeing the rough cut, it was... nothing like I would =ever= expected an adult film to be. It affected me. Sarah, Lil and James were unlike =anything= I would have expected Porn-uh Adult Entertainers to be like. They were extremely friendly, and seemed to be having a really good time. Then there's Kiv. I don’t know =how= he did it, but he actually got me in front of the camera. I had no =idea= I looked that... beautiful. Everyone asked me if I was signing on board, and looking forward to working with me, and I don't even work here yet! It really made me feel welcome."

"From what you have seen, and the folks you have talked with, would you be interested in working here, Cassandra?"

"Yeah, actually, I would =love= to work here. But I haven't filled out an application yet or even had an interview," Cassandra said still as confused as ever.

Lonna looked over at Rick and smiled. Reaching into her desk drawer removing a folder with Cassandra's her name on it! Laying out the contents across her cherry wood desk, she replied, “Well then, you are going to need this. It gives you the breakdown quarterly profit sharing, benefits package, your new employee information booklet, as well as listing the upcoming productions. There’s also your I.D. badge, which Kiv will laser etch your picture on; your A.E.E membership card; and the Medical Services Index. You will need an STD screening before you can start work, but that can be handled tomorrow, when the mobile testing facility arrives to do their blood draws, which are taken every 6 weeks. We provide complete medical, dental, vision as well as alternate care. A 401k retirement plan, travel allowance, paid sick leave and vacation time... not to mention company outings. Now, if I may have your identification documents, I can get you entered into the database."

Cassandra blinked, not quite understanding, pulling out her wallet and handing over her three Identa-cards. "Umm, I - I haven't applied for a job here yet. I don’t even know what positions need filling an--- Boy, I walked into that one. Now I know how James felt! I know you folks do things a bit differently here, but... won't I need to fill out a formal application or something?"

Lonna sighed, with a smile on her face trying to clarify things a bit for the bewildered bunny. "Okay, Hon.. The way we do our hiring is via studio evaluation interview. You see, you have indicated to Rick, that you were interested in possibly working with us. The invitation was issued, if you accept, we move on to stage two of the hiring process, which starts the minute you step foot in the door. Now, normally you would have your intake interview with Maureen, who would get an idea of whether you would be interested in possibly working with us. We have a 90% hire rate from Rick's talent searches, A.K.A invitations."

"Rick gives you a tour. You meet everybody on staff, as well as some of our talent, and a few of the crew. We all talk with you, find out where your interests lie. You are encouraged to ask questions... seeing how you interact with the Family, so to speak would tell us whether you would be a good fit."

"You were a little shy, which is understandable, some folks have certain hang ups that would make this an uncomfortable place for them to work, and =nobody= wants that. You took an active interest in pretty much every aspect of the studio, which was a good thing."

"You also took an active interest in the upcoming production and the way you interacted with the talent went very well. You weren't uncomfortable with the idea of working with femmes, when you met James, though it could have been any of the guys, it just happened to be James, you picked up on his subtle hint, which was one of the keys. You not only picked up on it, you applied it. "DEEDS NOT WORDS."

"You had the chance to see what a scene was like, nothing graphic, usually. Nothing seemed to faze you. Rog said it affected you in a positive manner, which is a good thing, separate from the interview process. You were honest when you said how it affected you."

"Leon was your toughest hurdle. The janitor deals with all the, shall we say 'post-production' clean up. and believe me, it can get messy. You not only understood the important role he fills here, but you were not repulsed with what his job entails... another plus, you got his wisecrack."

"You noticed the control room windows - not everyone does, you know- you wanted to know the how's and why's. You took it a step farther than most, trying to unravel the mystery. I'd call that bonus points."

"Rea and Bev, our big bad security furs, that is another area you scored big points. Those two can be intimidating; it's part of their job. The fact that they are lovers didn't even warrant a whisker twitch. Standing your ground, talking smack and hitting on Bev at the same time impressed them, but flipping Rea flat on her back won them over big time. They demanded we hire you if for no other reason than as a play toy for Bev. You showed compassion and great resolve in showing your scars... which Kiv say detract from nothing."

"As for Bruno... you weren't put off by his gruff exterior even though he was in far too foul a mood to interview you. Suggesting he switch to decaf was something he wasn't expecting. He said it took the starch out of his foul mood over the promo disks."

"Then, there’s Kiv. He is =very= good at his job. He can see things most folks can't. Your first shots were =stunning=. Kel's fun, isn't she? I'm afraid she's an exhibitionist; you didn't bat an eye when she shucked her top. I am glad you were relaxed about your body and the fact that =you= could suggest the second session. Those shots are so... loving," Lonna finished.

"Thank you Lonna, Kel was the first person I saw when I walked thru the door. She made me feel =so= welcome. The azure carpet almost made me laugh. It was so apropos. What =other= color would you use for a place that makes "Blue" movies! The lobby alone started to unravel my preconceived notions of what this place would be like. I honestly expected to find 'sticky' floors – =EWWWW=! And in Kiv's place, I felt my inhibitions melting away. My scars weren't something to be my secret shame, but badges of honor to prove I am a survivor. After I showed her my shots, we got into a giggle row. When I showed them, I knew they were nothing to be ashamed of and when Kel shucked my shirt off it felt =good=. Maybe that's why the loving look, but it didn't matter. I knew I was home, Maureen confirmed it. So, Lonna, where do we go from here?" Cassandra finished with a smile.

"Well, when we start rolling on "Love-Will-Find-A-Way" I would like you to shadow this production. Observe, see who does what, ask a =lot= of questions between takes. I will see to it that you get a copy of the script so you can follow along. Why don't you take your I.D. card down to Kiv and have him take your picture, slip it on, then set up a time to shoot your first gallery? Oh, and let Squee know it's official, so he can start getting your gallery set up. Then wander down to Studio 'B' and let James, Lil and Sarah know you are on board and will be shadowing the production – get to know your fellow actors. It is a pleasure to have you on board, and welcome to the Family, Cassandra. Oh, one little thing. Have you given any thought to a nickname? Lyllith is Lil. Could you work with Cassy or Cass? Think of autographs, you will be signing a lot of pictures.”

The collie stood, handed Cassandra her identity cards and her new hire information package and shook her hand.

"Thanks guys!" Cassandra exclaimed. And with that she bounded out of the office.

"So, what do you think, Rick?" Lonna asked.

"I think she will work out just fine. Both Maureen and Leon say to hire her, that she's a good fit. I thought she would be, it's why I issued her the invitation. I'm glad the Family approves of our new daughter. Squee says she's going to be =BIG=.” Rick gave a nod.

"Oh? How big did he say? He knows our sizable fan base."

"Here is what he said, and I quote ‘That first image... that could be her trademark...The fan base is going to go =wild= when she debuts. Rick, we've got a mega star here.’ End quote"

"Whoa. And if =anyone= would know, it's Squee. That bat has his finger on the pulse of the fan base. If he says she's going to be big, than she's going to be =really= big. I only hope she can handle the pressure that goes with the job,” Lonna said getting back to her paperwork.

----------------------------------------

Cassandra floated down to Kiv's studio, slowly eased her herself through the door. As she had expected. Kel was still shooting her galleries. It was quite interesting to watch from this end; Kel was =definitely= having fun. She must be shooting her platinums; the vixen sounded squishy and the studio air held a sweet scent of personal musk. Cassandra smiled as the sounds of her pleasure were punctuated by the *Foomp* of the lights as Kiv captured the femme's ecstatic release. She heard Kiv cooing to Kel as she recovered from her pique.

Emerging from the shadows, Cassandra beheld a very sweet sight; Kiv tenderly holding Kel, rocking her gently, running his hands over her back. Kiv caught sight of Cassandra and nodded her over, she added her own hands to the vixen's back massaging her shoulders. Kel trilled softly.

"Mmm, that feels won-der-ful. who's doing that?"

By way of an answer, Cassandra dangles her new Studio I.D. in front of Kel's face. It takes her a few moments to focus, and a few moments more to process what she saw.

"Cassy? Is that... Kiv! She's Family!" Kel oozed off the bobcat's lap and into the arms of her Studio sister.

"Welcome home! It's good to have you here." Cassandra glanced at Kiv's lap and noticed... "Um, I didn't interrupt something, did I?" Cassandra asked.

"Nope we're done here." Kiv grinned, taking her badge. "This was for Kel's NC-17 Gallery, she'd been getting requests for some 'Hot-Action' shots... so we did. I just 'lay back and took it,' Kel's the star of the show. I've just got a nice tool, or so the femmes tell me. So I let her have her way with me," he chuckled.

Kiv shook his head and went to set the equipment up to etch Cassandra's badge. Cassandra helped Kel to rest on the chair Kiv had vacated. "Whoa... I knew there was something special about Kiv. but how is he as a lover, Kel?" Kel looked at her studio sister and smiled.

"Kiv is a wonderful lover. He will plow a femme any way she wants, and he's right, he =does= have a nice 'tool'. We had finished the Silver and Gold galleries and were halfway through the Platinum when I remembered the requests for some action shots, and Kiv... well Kiv stepped up and shall we say rose to the occasion. He just lay back and let me have my fun," Kel said stretching languidly giving herself a sniff.

“=UGH=, after that workout, I need a shower." Giving Cassandra a smooch, she headed out to the studio. "Off to hit the showers. Thanks Sweetie, that was fun."

"No prob, sweet stuff, glad to be of service," Kiv said putting the finishing touches on the inscriber and turning to the nay saint actress.

"Okay, Cassandra, we are all set up, come on over and we can put your lovely portrait on your badge. Welcome aboard, Hon. Stand in front of the studio backdrop, if you please. So, what do they have you doing first?" Kiv asked. Cassandra took up her position in front of a rectangle with "PROCYON" set in gold lettering diagonally across the azure backdrop. Quite lovely, aesthetic even, Cassandra thought as she stood smiling at Kiv.

"Okay Cassandra, shuck out of your top, cup your hands under your breasts, hold them up for the camera, and smile."

"What!?" Cassandra squawked until she saw that impish grin painted across Kiv's face.

"Sorry Hon, it was too good to pass up. Now then, just look at the 'heart-on' the camera here and give me one of those sweet smiles of yours... perfect!"

*Foomp* Fizzzzzzzz-Ding!

"Okay, here you go sweetie, welcome to the Family," Kiv said sliding the lanyard over Cassandra's neck. Holding it up, she was once more amazed at what this talented bobcat could do, for on her I.D. badge was a stereo holographic head shot, her face smiling up at her as she looked at Kiv in shock.

"How...?"

"Pretty neat, huh. Makes 'em almost impossible to counterfeit, besides it really brings out your eyes," he said with a wink.

"So, Cass, what do they have you working on first?" Kiv asked as he stowed the equipment.

"Oh. My first assignment is to shadow the new production to get a good idea of what everyone does. Thank you Kiv. Oh! almost forgot, when is a good time for my gallery shoot?" She asked as they stepped over to his work station to consult his schedule.

"Let's see...I have a ten o’clock with Trisha and friends. Some publicity shots with James, Lil and Sarah at one... say Two-ish?"

Kiv asked thinking of possible layouts.

"Um, Cass, Seeing the way you and Kel hit it off, and how well that set came out, gave me an idea for a photo layout with you and Kel. Now, you don't have to do it immediately if you don’t feel comfortable, but you two really seemed you have chemistry...This would be -very- special..." Kiv said with that smile of his. Cassandra was intrigued.

"Oh, Just -how- special are we talking about here?" She asked, with a small smile dusting her muzzle, lowering her head, looking at him over her eyes. It had a nice effect on Kiv, she thought.

"Well it's...Whoa =that= is a sultry and incredibly sexy pose! ... Uh, Oh! This would be a Platinum Exclusive only. It is going to be Hot, Sexy and erotic as hell, what do you think? I've bounced the idea off Kel, and she said it sounded really fun."

Cassandra thought about the prospects, thinking that last session was a lot of fun.

"Sure, I'll get back to you after I make my rounds and you can pitch it to me,." she said, giving him a peck on the nose. “And Kiv... You may want to run through the shower, you've got a lapful of vixeny goodness there," she said with a wink as she headed out the door.

=Part 2=

Making her way to the "Web Gods domain", she tapped on the door before entering. "Squee? It's Cassandra."

"Enter freely and of your own will. So how did it go?" The bat asked.

"Fantastic! I have a shoot set for 2-ish tomorrow, and was to ask you to do the set up. Thank you, Squee. Umm, may I ask you something… something just a little bit personal?" Cassandra asked softly, this was always a very touchy subject with some folks.

Squee tilted his head, then nodded. "Sure, what would you like to know?" Squee paused, there were certain things in his past best left alone.

"This is all very new to me, but I was wondering... Could I give you a hug? You were so nice to me when I first got here and everything."

Well, this was a new one, Squee thought, I guess there's a first time for everything. "Sure, that would be really nice. May I hold you for a few moments as well?"

Cassandra bathed him in that wonderfully warm smile of hers. "Yes Squee, I'd like that, thank you. Rick mentioned it was always polite to ask first."

Cassandra held her arms out and they embraced. Squee let out a sigh of pure contentment and joy as he just held this wonderful rabbit. This was pure joy. She felt so nice. Not a trace of hesitation, she had her head resting on his shoulder, showing no sign of wanting to get away, just melting into him.

"Oh, Cassandra, thank you for this. I knew there was something special about you," Squee trilled and reluctantly broke the embrace. Cassandra held on a few moments more.

"Thank you Squee that was... nice. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable; I just wanted to thank you for working with me. You are a good cuddler, you know that?" she said sliding her hands down his arms to hold his hands in hers.

"Wow, well I do now, no one's ever said that to me before. You’re a great cuddler too. Thank you for that, Cassandra. I would like to use that first pic as your trademark. That image that will make the fan base go nuts, giving them something to identify you with, so every time someone mentions your name, =that= will be the image they see in there mind. Tell you what, come by after your shoot, and let's see what we can come up with."

"That sounds like a plan, thanks. C-ya tomorrow afternoon." Cassandra waved on her way out.

# #

Turning down the intersecting hallway, she made her way to Leon's office. Knocking on the door, she waited a few moments and opened the door. The burly timber wolf was sitting behind his desk. He looked up as someone came through his door.

"Cassandra! Finish the tour?" She nodded. "So, what do you think?" he grinned, she seemed more self-confident.

"You really were a down to earth guy, I loved your sense of humor, and I just wanted to thank you before I headed out. Your parting comment really made me smile. You are the most unusual fur I've ever met. Thank you for taking time out of your day to meet me."

Leon looked a tad bit crestfallen thinking she had turned down the job, until she whipped out an all to familiar card, her studio I.D.

"I did it! I am now a member of the Family! I just wanted to let you know that I'm on board the S.S. Porn-Master. So, I just wanted to thank you in advance for cleaning up any messes I may make," Cassandra grinned impishly.

Leon paused a moment then burst out laughing slapping his knee. "Yep, I knew you would make a great fit here. You are the =first= one who understands this position. Thank you Cassandra, and I really =do= look forward to cleaning up after you." The big wolf grinned, "I like you. You’re going to do very well here."

Leon handed her I.D back and she slung it around her neck "Thanks. I am going to be shadowing the production. Thanks again Leon, just wanted to touch base, I've got to head over to Studio 'B' and have them bring me up to speed." She snapped a crisp British officer's salute and turned tail, exiting his office.

Passing by the comfort room, Cassandra saw just the folks she wanted to see relaxing in the hot tub. She walked in and greeted them. "Hey folks, check it out!" she said waving her new badge. Lil and Sarah looked at each other grinning madly and bolted from the water, intent on hugging the stuffing out of their new Studio Sister.

"No-No-No-No! I'm dressed!" Cassandra exclaimed, keeping the two =buck-naked= femmes at bay. "I just wanted to let you know what's up, and that I'm going to be shadowing the production. And I need to talk with you Lil. I’m =really= going to need your help getting up to speed here."

Lil and Sarah grinned at each other. "Okay Hon, first things first, shuck out of those clothes. You can hang them over on the wall. Then let's get you into the tub," Lil said with a gentle voice.

"Well, um I am a little... shy."

"Easiest way to get over that, is to confront it head on," the raccoon femme said. Cassandra nodded and soon was standing sans clothing in front of the two soggy femmes who each took a hand and led her into the tub, immersing her in the warm waters. Cassandra had to admit, it did feel wonderful. Seeing James across from the three femmes made her blush slightly, but Sarah and Lil sitting on each side put her more at ease.

"Welcome to the Family, Cassandra," Lil said. "You probably have half a million questions, so where would you