The Jester

Written by & copyright of Earl Bacon Foxonian@aol.com

Featuring Cassie, the Rock & Roll Vixen
http://members.aol.com/rufinoform/Cassie.htm
and Alex
http://members.aol.com/katkottage/donna_fritz_02.jpg

Please read the prequil, "The Last Rose of Summer", featuring Cassie and Rose Brown at
http://members.aol.com/katkottage/the_last_rose_of_summer.txt
Please read the sequil, "Radio Waves", featuring Cassie at
http://members.aol.com/katkottage/radio_waves.txt

Cassie and all other characters are created by & copyright of Earl Bacon except for
Vixina, who is copyright Cloudchaser Shaconage, Laretta, who is copyright Andre Cotton and Alex, who is copyright her creator.

"How much longer are we going to wait, Cass?" Cindy asked as she sat on the stool in
the recording studio  "I wish I knew," Cassie replied.  All of the band's members
had assembled.  Vixna stood with her new electric fiddle at her side, Laretta was
over talking with one of the studio techs, making sure the mikes near her amps
were properly placed.  Even the newest member of the band, Rachel, a deer femme who
sported dark hair (as long as Cassie's, but tied in a long braid, that ran down her
back like a snake.  Rachel had on what looked like a German barmaid's outfit as
invisioned by a Goth (white corset over a black dress with frilly bodice and skirt,
the hemline ending just above her ankles).

She had on black fishnet stockings on her legs and army combat boots (black, of course)
on her human-like feet. In keeping with the rest of her look, Rachel wore black
eyeshadow around her black eyes and a necklace with a black rose around her neck.
Cassie still didn't get the whole "Goth" culture, but she did appreciate the
electronic music that came out of it and Rachel was the best synth keyboardist
around.  Cassie marvelled at the 8 synth keyboards that were surrounding the gothic
doe like the web stands of a spider.  "Good analogy," Cassie thougt, even though Rachel
was one of the frendliest (if a bit shy) people she knew.

"Hey, Cassie! Do ya think this drummer's gonna show?" Vixina asked as she was taking
a moment to clean her glasses.  "I was about to ask you that also, Cassie," Rachel
chimed in from behind her banks of keyboards.  Cassie gave a disgusted snort before
she replied.  "All I know is, she said she was coming.  I've played with her before,
and she sometimes runs a little late.  Just chill out and wait a while longer."  There
was some grumbling from both Vixina and Laretta, while Rachel just sat down on her
stool and stared at her synth banks with her arms folded over her black corset and
white blouse.  Cindy then motioned Cassie aside for a private chat.

"Cass you can't keep lying to them forever.  You know that Lucy wasn't fully on board
for this.  Knowing her, she probably stiffed us!"  The long haired red fox vixen
nodded slowly to the equally long haired (albet with cornrow bangs) snow lepoard to
her right.  Lucy was a small lynx femme that had played on drums with both Cindy and
Cassie when they were in Furrosity.  She had been checking out other bands to play in
when Cassie approached her.  Lucy told Cassie that she had at least two other
bands interested in her, but she would probably accept Cassie's offer.  That was a
month ago.

Since then, both Cassie and Andy, the band's wolf-morph manager, had only spoken with
her once.  Each time they asked her if she was either a "go" or "nogo".  Each time she
said she was a "go" and she would be at the first session.  However, both Cindy and
Cassie knew that Lucy loved the smell of money.  More than once, Furrosity's manager had
to offer her more dough to  stay with the band, with good reason, since she was the best
in the business.  It was never enough for Lucy.  In fact, it was her demanding a
larger share of that band's profits that helped break up the band.

Cindy had been against contacting Lucy, but Cassie felt that her percussion was
essential to the sound she was looking for,so she overruled Cindy.  "Hey guys!
Your drummer's here!" Slim, the chief roady shouted through the studio door.  "Great!
Bring her in!  Okay guys.  Let's be nice to her, even though she's late," Cassie said
as she walked back over to the rest of the band.  When the door opened, the person
who walked through wasn't a lynx morph.  In fact, no one, including both Cindy and
Cassie had ever seen her before.  The young lady that entered the studio was quite
a suprise.

She was around 5' 2" in height.  An arctic fox in winter phase, her fur color was as
white as snow.  From the top of her head, strands of frizzy blond hair came down to
about her shoulder.  She was wearing a red low-cut leather minidress, the hem ending
about halfway down her thigh.  The rest of her dress was obscured by the short
black leather "biker" jacket she had on.  Around her neck was a gold chain that sported
a golden snowflake pendant.  She had red open-toed stilleto sandles on her white
feet.  "That's right.  I'm your new drummer!  My name's Alexandria, but you can call
me Alex!"  Cassie then looked at Slim and said "Is this a joke, Slim? If it is,
you'll notice I'm not laughing."  "No joke, Cass," The otter began, "she showed up at
the back door claiming she was the new drummer."

"Since you hadn't told me what she looked like, I just let her in.  I'll call security
if you want."  "Do that and you will lost the perfect drummer!" Alex said with a huge
grin on her muzzle.  "So you say," Cindy replied with a stern look before turning
to Cassie.  "Call secunty Cass, She's olviosly a nutcase."  "Naw, give her ah
chance Cassie," Vixina said from across the studio.  "Yeah Cassie, What have we got
to lose?  We need a drummer to lay down the base track anyway. She doesn't have to be
that good," Laretta joined in.

The snow leopard and the vixen turned to look at the gothic deer.  "Well, Rachel?"
Cassie asked, "What do you think?"  The 6'2' deer stood up adjusting her braid so that
it draped over her left shoulder, so it's end was even with her waist.  "Sure, what
the hell.  Beats me having to program a drum track, anyway."  Cassie then turned and
bent down to look the shorter arctic fox femme in the face.  "Okay, Alex.  You're in,
for now.  The drumkit is over there."  "Goody!" Alex exclaimed as she practically ran
over to the drumset, nearly knocking Laretta over as she was tuning her guitar.
"Sorry!" Alex said as she hurredly removed her sandles, so her bare feet could work
the drum pedals.

Laretta gave a fanged grin and replied "No sweat, kid.  Er, how old are you?"  "I
just turned 19," Alex said, as she removed her biker jacket, revealing a sleeveless
dress, a lot like Cassie's, execpt that it wasn't slitted on the thighs.  It was
short enough that it didn't need to be.  While Alex was getting settled in, Cassie
and Cindy had both waked over to where their instruments were and began to strap them
on.  Cassie then looked around the studio.

"Everybody set?" Cassie asked as she adjusted her guitar's volume.  "I'm in," Cindy
said with her paw hand on her bass' neck.  "Me too," Lareta answered, her left paw hand
on her guitar's neck.  "Ah'm set," Vixina chimed in, her elctric fiddle on her shoulder
and her bow in her right paw hand.  "Ready here!" Rachell said as her keyboards were
all lit up with various lights indicating her settings.  "Okay, let's do it!" Alex said
as she twirled her drumsticks in her white furred pawhands.  "One, Two, Three...,"
Cassie began as the band cranked into some old material.

As the band played, Cassie would motion to Cindy to look at Alex.  The snow lepoard
would give suprised looks to the vixen at odd moments.  The little arctic fox was
amazing!  Even better than Lucy ever was!  What amazed Cassie most was how well she
knew all the songs.  Alex also had a mode of attack on the drums that could be
very powerful one minute, yet gentle the next.  After five songs (and two hours!)
Cassie singled a break as Andy stopped in with some sodas and other assorted munchies
for the band.

"Now, that's what I've been waiting for!" Laretta said as she grabbed a bag of Fritos,
tore open the hag and began happily munching away.  "Easy on the snacks Wolfie, or we'll
be hauling you on the stage in a wheelbarrow!" Cindy said laughingly.  Laretta stuck
her tounge out playfully and responded "So I'll have to work out a bit, big deal!  I do
my excersies everyday.  I can afford to cheat a little."  "Or ya can be lahk Cassie.
That lil' old vixen can eat just ahout anythin' and not gain a pound," Vixina said as
she opened a can of Coke.

Cassie just smiled as Andy walked over to her, "Whose the new drummer?"  "Her name's
Alex," Cassie began, "She just came in the back door and said that she was our new
drummer.  We gave her a try and she's wonderful!  better than Lucy ever could be."
"Funny you mention Lucy!  Just got off the phone with her agent.  She's claiming that
she was "tricked" by us into accepting a non-existant job offer.  She went over to
where the band "Metal Morph" was playing claiming to be the drummer.  Since they had
no clue who she was, they called security and had Lucy thrown off the property.  Lucy
is furious and told you to quote "Drop Dead!" unquote," Andy said.  "What???" Cassie
said in a raised voice.

Alex was sitting with Rachel on a the floor taking bite out of a sandwich when she
saw Cassie's outburst.  "Ub,oh!" Alex said as she stared at Andy and Cassie. "What's
wrong, Alex?" Rachel asked, noticing the arctic fox's stare.  They're on to me.  Damn.
I hoped this gig would work.  Well, time to go!" Alex said.  The white furred fox
slowly crept over for her shoes and holding thein in her right paw hand and her
drumsticks in her left, slowly crept toward the studio door.

"Sorry, Alex" Rachel said as she blocked the door with her tall frame.  As Alex turned,
she was facing the rest of the band.  "Okay, let's have it," Cassie began, "Were you
the one who gave Lucy the phony job offer?"  "Hey, she wasn't gonna go with you
guys anyway.  Heard her say so at the bus station."  "What were you doing at a bus
station, Alex?  Laretia asked.  The white fox gave a shrug and replied, "Look, it's
like this.  I'm broke.  I used the last of the cash that my mom left me when she died
to hook up with you guys.  I've been a fan of Cassie's for years and I always wanted
to play for you.

When I got off the bus, I hear that Lynx bitch on a payphone screaming at her manager
how if that Cassie gig didn't pan out, she was on the first bus ride back to check
out another band."  "Well, that pissed me off so much that I went over to the Western
Union office and had a phony telegram sent to her hotel.  I got her addy when she
blabbed it to her manager.  What an idiot!  I used the last of my cash to do that.

Anyway, when I saw her speed out on that bus  ride to nowhereville, I just waited until
it was time for her to show up here and deciede to come.  She blabbed that over the
phone too.  Alex took a look around at all the stunned faces before continuing "Look,
I don't care if you guys can me or not.  I got my wish and that was to jam with you.  So
I guess I'll be going, Think you could tell your secunty boss to use a plastic band to
tie my hands instaed of cuffs?  I hate the way they mess up my pelt."

After a few seconds, Cindy burst out laughing "That's rich! Oh, to have seen the look
on that lynx's face when she crashed Metal Morph's gig! Huh, Cass?"  Cassie burst
out laughing so hard that she nearly fell over.  Soon the whole band was laughing.
This made Alex feel at ease.  "Okay Alex, your'e in!  Welcome to the band!" Cassie said
as she gave the arctic fox a hug.  "Only one thing.  No tricks on us.  Promise?"
"Okay, but don't go out that door over there," Alex pointed to the door she was going
to use for her escape earlier.

"What did you do, put a bucket of water up on the other side?" Cindy said in a
joking voice.  "Nothing so crude," Alex began with a note of pride in her voice.  I
put crazy glue on the door handle."  "Hey, Somebody help me!  I'm stuck to the
doorknob!"  They all turned to see Slim struggling to free his right hand from the
door knob of the stage door.  "Alex!" Cassie said in a stern voice.

"No sweat!  Have him free in a jiffy," Alex replied as she took a bottle of nail
polish remover and proceede to free Slim's paw hand.  Cindy then turned to look at
Cassie and said "Cass, did we make the right decision about the 'Jester' over there?"
The vixen looked at the snow lepoard and said.  Look at it this way.  We get and
excellent drummer and comic relief as well. I'll take that as a bonus anyday."  Both
ladies burst out laughing as Slim fell backwards way from the door knocking both he
and Alex to the floor.

The End.