Virtual Quill

Kell usually has lunch with R.L. about once a month, since he’s CEO Emeritus of Herd Thinners and because he and Angelique hold a great deal of company stock. It’s not a controlling interest, but enough to have a major influence on the company. It’s a good idea for her to keep him in the loop.
She’s instigated some reforms that he disagreed with, but he’s let her go ahead with them and they’ve paid off. The company stock price has risen on her watch, but as R.L. pointed out, it’s all about the perception of beating expectations.
She emerged from the lunch quite unnerved. All he has to do is issue one statement of No Confidence in her, and the Board would vote that she be dismissed. That’s never happened before, but only because previous CEOs didn’t survive a physical challenge. (R.L. was the first CEO to actually retire while still alive.)
Dad wondered why Kell hasn’t replaced the Board with those loyal to her. She’s tried, but that has to be a gradual process or less the business community will get spooked by “turbulence” within the company. Out of a dozen members she only has a couple absolutely loyal supporters. (All canines, of course.)

Back when Aby was converting Mark’s Camaro into a race-winning vehicle, she surreptitiously installed every safety feature known to automotive science. She felt she had to do this in secret because she assumed that a mouse brave enough to date her would have objected to the extra weight of those protective elements...and that a risk taker like him would see them as useless or worse, as unnecessary things slowing him down.
They didn’t slow him at all, since he was leading the field as the drivers navigated the maze. It was then that his rival Sam Sewerrat unveiled his own secret: rotating blades to cut through the hedges of the maze.
He emerged on the other side of the barrier, directly into the path of Mark who T-boned him. Both cars were totaled, but thanks to Aby’s foresight Mark was unhurt. That was when he revealed that he’d known about her life-saving strategies all along.
Mr. Sewerrat suffered only minor injuries, and was able to escape before the MOUSCAR authorities could prosecute his blatant cheating. Kell vowed that Herd Thinners would sponsor a replacement car, but unfortunately it will be months before it’s ready.

Kell doesn’t usually use her newfound power and influence as CEO for personal reasons, but an opportunity arose for Herd Thinners to increase its profile among a new demographic: MOUSCAR race fans. She agreed that the company would sponsor the vehicle driven by Aby’s partner Mark Meadowvole.
The Camaro was already in race condition (thanks to Aby) and her staff of mechanics at the garage made up the pit crew. It was a dream come true for all of them, and their enthusiasm showed.
It took three weeks for the paperwork to clear (A timeframe shortened by the cash that the company directed to the proper locations). Mark was cleared to compete in his first Scamper Cup series race this weekend.
Interest was high, and the dividends paid off immediately for the company in increased sales that were far above the costs of the racing team. It was a successful marketing strategy for Kell, but she was admittedly unfamiliar with the details of the sport. It was left to Dad to explain those during the race.
Kell pointedly sat in the bleachers instead of the owners skybox which she gave to HT employees who’d won a company-wide raffle. Kell wanted to take in the full experience, and she wasn’t disappointed.
Next week: a full report on the race itself!

Hearing about Coney and her friends at the Happy Little Predator Preschool takes me back to my days growing up in the rabbit warren. Mainly, I think of the contrasts between the two.
I had been concerned that Coney’s appearance would cause her to be an outsider in that setting; that the other children would see her as prey and (while not eating her; the staff is trained to prevent that) would simply ostracize her. Instead she impressed them all with her carnivorous skills, and now they see her rabbit exterior as a form of hunting subterfuge allowing her to lull prey into letting down their guard. In truth, I’ve rarely seen this strategy employed by her, and never intentionally. Coney is 100% wolf underneath her bunny fur, and wolves generally attack straight on without engaging in such ruses.
Coney’s best friend is Lin Lee, whom I’ve written about before. The two of them have bonded; perhaps because they’re both top achievers who nevertheless have issues that come from high expectations. I’m glad they’ve found each other.
That’s quite different from my solitary experience growing up among rabbits, but that’s how it goes in a school system where Fluffiness is part of the graded curriculum.