Valerie tugged uncomfortably at her evening dress. She was used to running naked through the dinosaur-infested jungles of Venus, and the red stain off-the shoulder job she wore itched her in unaccustomed places. Gala parties and press events were as alien to her as tyrannosaurus wrangling would be to the gown and tuxedo-clad ladies and gentlemen that milled about the ballroom. The perfume Jack made her wear mixed with the cigarette smoke in the air to blocked her sense of smell, while the twelve-piece orchestra in the balcony and the incessant chatter of the party-goers confused her ears. A pack of Venusian blood beetles could sneak up behind her, and she wouldn't even know it until their razor sharp pincers dug into her bronzed flesh. No, Valerie Raptor did not care much for parties.
“Champagne, my dear?” Jack approached her with a glass of bubbly gold and a small paper plate of hor'dourves. Jack looked sharp in his tuxedo, and he smiled easily as he glided between the crowd. Jack Harrison, Valerie reminded herself, was a lifelong native of Apex City, and was an master of this urbane jungle.
“You know I don't drink alcohol, Jack,” Valerie said. She wrinkled her nose as she examined the bit of shrimp and cheese skewered on a toothpick. It tasted bland and processed, but at least it was meat. “My senses are diluted enough right now without booze.” She sighed and shook her honey-blond hair off her shoulders. “Jack, why did you drag me here?”
“Valerie, darling,” Jack said, taking the refused champagne and downing it himself, “as your publicist, I'm sure I don't have to remind you how important it is for you to remain in the public eye. Ever since your rescue from Venus two years ago, people want to know more about you. Work on your biography, Dinosaur Girl of Venus, is almost done. Hollywood is already knocking down the door for movie rights. These public appearances are important if we want to maintain your status as a celebrity.”
The bronze amazon grimaced and half-heartedly picked at a canapé. “If it weren't for the fact that the money is all going to the Venusian Preservation Project, I wouldn't even bother.”
“It's all for a good cause, my dear,” Jack replied. “Besides, these events that Dr. Futura holds are always exciting. Much more exciting than a normal press release. And his inventions are always amazing, don't you think?”
Valerie smirked. “ I don't trust anything more complex than a longbow, Jack.”
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