Little Lady Briana

20 To Protect and Save

The city council meeting room fell silent, all eyes turning toward Briana. She was at the center of a polished wood table under fluorescent lights that clashed with the beautiful sunlight outside. Ordinarily, she'd have been longing to get out in that sunshine and play instead of wasting her afternoon in a room full of stuffy people and overstuffed chairs that smelled like cigarettes and cologne. Today was different. For once, Briana was at a meeting and exactly where she wanted to be.

The Little girl took a moment to survey her opponents, letting the silence sit in what Aunt Kiara called a "power move." Lorraine Bolinger – the Planning Board Chairwoman – was watching Briana with thinly disguised contempt. She had no idea what was coming. Briana had to suppress a smile as she imagined the cold woman crying into her over-starched black suit. Okay, that probably won't happen, but it'd be fun to see.

Eric Patterson was another problem. He was on a committee that dealt with building licenses – Briana hadn't memorized all the committee names yet, much to Aunt Kiara's chagrin. He sat in his blue suit, looking bored. Briana had learned that he was always paying attention, no matter how disinterested he looked. As a lawyer and almost as much of an ABDL hater as Lorraine, he had the potential to be just as dangerous as her, or more.

Finally, there was Carissa Sharatt, the City Manager, who always wore pretty dresses and pretty smiles but wasn't pretty inside. She was supposed to be an ally of the Rasmussens – they'd certainly invested enough in her, according to Grandma and Aunt Kiara. Carissa didn't care about doing the right thing, friendship, or even loyalty. She only cared about money and power, usually in that order. Carissa also had a husband who owned a construction company, which meant Briana could count on her for at least as long as the project she was about to announce was fresh in everyone's minds.

Briana stood up. Kiara was at her side. She had her Mom clothes on, chosen deliberately to evoke the style Veronica wore to meetings with the city council. Needing her appearance to be perfect, she'd asked Mom to put her makeup on. "Put your war paint on me, Momma!" was the exact phrase she'd used. It'd gotten her a laugh and a hug in addition to the makeup. Briana drew on the memory of that hug as Lorraine coughed impatiently. The hard plastic of the small toy sword she'd tucked into her diaper's waistband reminded her that she was a Knight of Cloudland.

It's time to show everyone I can be an important Rasmussen lady, too!

"I have an announcement to make on behalf of my family." Briana touched a button on the projector remote, lighting up the meeting room's screen with an image of a dilapidated brick building. Situated in the middle of downtown, the building was a shell of aging bricks, with graffiti painted on every boarded-up door and window. It'd been that way since Briana had moved to Ardenthill and for years before. Every member of the city council winced. The Old Factory, as it was known, was the town's biggest eyesore and an often-touted failure of the city council.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the Old Factory," Briana added unnecessarily, driving the annoyance home. "It's my pleasure to announce that Michelle Rasmussen closed a deal with Sonrise Realty last night to purchase the building."

Shocked gasps and surprised whispers between councilors rumbled across the table. Only Lorraine and Eric remained unimpressed. Carissa was sitting up straight in her chair. Behind her glasses, the City Manager's eyes were bright with greed.

"I assume Michelle plans to renovate the building," Carissa said.

"Not Michelle specifically. That'll be my project." Briana touched the remote again. An artist's rendering of a restored Old Factory replaced the picture of its ruined state. Stately restored bricks made a welcoming contrast to pristine white trim. The illustration featured people outside the building in groups, while infographics summarized the restored building's new features.