All the News that's Fit to Print

[Harrison Cutter]

The offices of the Gazette were rather small, just a few tables and chairs one large room, with the editor's office adjoining it. At a table in the middle of the room, Harrison Cutter stood menacingly over the newest copy of the paper. "Now," he said nicely, "who want's to tell me what's wrong with this issue?" The man asked as he jammed his cigarette into a nearby ashtray.

[Milton Hughes]

Milton squinted up at his boss from his position leaning back in his chair. "No real news, boss?" he suggested. "I was thinking maybe we could have a section on local politics, or something."

[Frankie Prescotti]

Frankie didn't bother to look up from sorting out photos. "Milt's right. Local politics could be interesting."

[Harrison Cutter]

"No, Milt is not right. We need more advertisements! How many times does a man have to pound that into your heads?" Cutter grunted, smacking his hand down on the table "The more time you spend writing stories about cat parades or whatever it is you people do, the less time you're out there not selling ads! Where's the Lockwood's General Store? Or the Pageturner!?"

[Milton Hughes]

Milton rolled his eyes. "Sure, more ads, but people aren't even going to buy the thing if it hasn't got something interesting in." He leant forwards. "You could get those ads in a morning, Mister Cutter, if you'd just let me go interview someone.."

[Harrison Cutter]

"INTERVIEW SOMEONE?" Cutter bellowed. "Interview someone! Listen kid, Pearl does all the interviews around here, and you report on the local color stuff. I didn't hire you to interview people!" He fumed, starting in on another cigarette. "Who'd you interview anyways?"

[Milton Hughes]

"I could interview the mayor- or someone from that new plant." Milton said, earnestly. "Get to know the people who're running this stuff- it'd be real useful for everyone in the town. Pearl does just great interviews, but they're sort of, well, a different focus. We could really make this paper take off."

[Harrison Cutter]

"The reason the paper hasn't taken off at all, you twit, is because we sell a paltry amount of ads." He waved his hand angrily. "People don't want to hear about that sort of stuff, they want to hear about their kid's sport's scores and Auntie's plate collection. That's when they pick up the paper, see the ads, and then buy something. The articles are just fluff." Cutter said with a snort.

[Frankie Prescotti]

"What if Milt got some kind of.. exlcusive with the mayor and the head of the plant? And got them to pay for an opening day ad?" Frankie suggested, looking up and winking at the journalist.

[Milton Hughes]

Milton's eyes widened, and he turned to the editor. "Yeah, that'd be awesome, right? We could do a special on the front page- everyone would want to hear about it. We'd sell right out, c'mon, Mr Cutter, I can do interviews! And I could take Frankie along with me."

[Harrison Cutter]

"We're all covering the plant opening. You, Milt, are covering citizen reponse. Pearl and even I am covering what the mayor and the plant owner have to say." Cutter said, glaring at both of his coworkers. "They had better be buying something, for all the coverage we're giving them." He said with a snort. "But feel free to take Frankie with you, it's not like she has anything else to do."

[Milton Hughes]

Milton groaned. "You want me to ask the grannies and farmboys what they think of nuclear power?" He started to doodle on the front of his notebook, then looked up with a grin. "I'm sure Frankie and me could think of something to do. It ain't like these folks are gonna give us more than a two word answer."

[Frankie Prescotti]

"I do plenty of things." Frankie replied annoyed, pushing the photos away. "I think we'd do more complete coverage if we got to go our own way. Milt's good at interviews, Cutter." She told the editor.

[Pearl Spivey]

Pearl walked in, carrying a tray of lemon cookies. "Good afternoon." she said sweetly, setting the tray down on the table. "Help yourselves to some cookies."

[Harrison Cutter]

"Morning, Pearl." Cutter said kindly, taking a fistful of cookies. "We're talking about what we're running this week. Are you up to interviewing the mayor?" He asked, rolling his eyes at the other two. "You get five more ads for the paper, you can do whatever you like for the opening story, as long as you're doing citizen response. Names in the paper sell the paper."

[Milton Hughes]

"Pearl, you're a stunner." Milton said, taking some cookies gratefully. "Five ads? You're on, can't be that hard, right? Put a lonely hearts up for Frankie here. I'd say Pearl but she could have me at the drop of that pretty little hat."

[Frankie Prescotti]

Frankie shot Milt a death glare. "Hey, I know, why don't we put up an ad for someone to clean Milt's apartment? I can take photos of it, and we can charge extra that way." She suggested in her sunniest tone.

[Pearl Spivey]

A gaudy red smile curled onto her face as she took a seat. "Why, of course I'm up to interviewing the mayor, Harry." She picked up a cookie for herself and waved a hand at the other man. "Oh, now, stop it, Milty. You'll make me blush."

[Harrison Cutter]

"No, you two lunkheads, you need to get ads from outside businesses." Harrison said, in between cramming cookies in his mouth. "Just because Prescotti won't go for a soda with you doesn't mean she's lonely, Milt." He grinned at the older woman. "Glad to hear that, Pearl of my heart. And if you run into his wife or any other city officials, you be sure to sniff out if there's trouble in paradise, huh? Nobody can be that perfect."

[Milton Hughes]

"Not as much as you make me dream about you, Pearly." Milton retorted. "And keep making jokes like that and people are going to wonder why you know my apartment so well, Frankie, and however many papers it would sell I don't think we want that on the front cover." He grinned irritatingly. "I don't have time to go for soda with girls, boss, not with all this cutting journalism you put me to."

[Frankie Prescotti]

"I'm sure everyone is going to know your apartment as well we all do, Milty as soon as it starts to get warm and there's a good breeze." Frankie shot back. " And I bet I can get you six ads, boss."

[Pearl Spivey]

Pearl crisply bit into her cookie and grinned. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out, Harry. You know I will." She smiled at the younger man. "Now, now. Enough's enough."

[Milton Hughes]

"I can never get enough of you, Pearl." Milton said, crunching another cookie. He shot Frankie a look. "And I'll get seven."

[Harrison Cutter]

"Maybe if you actually turned in cutting journalism you'd meet girls, Hughes." Cutter said gruffly, "Oh, and Pearl, darling, I know you're busy, but if you could maybe manage to get us an ad? You'd make my day." He said, grinning, before looking back at the other two. "Where was this initiative back when I wanted it? Ten ads! And don't try to grovel any more or I'll make it twenty."

[Frankie Prescotti]

Frankie rolled her eyes and mouthed a "See what you did!" at her coworker, before pulling out her camera and fiddling with it in annoyance.

[Milton Hughes]

"I do meet girls." Milton said, "Only in this town they're either singing their throat out in that damn choir or shoving peonies in my face." he turned to Frankie with a fierce "You started it."

[Pearl Spivey]

Pearl opened her handbag and pulled out a small planner. "Oh, I suppose I can do that for you, Harry. Let me make a note, so that I won't forget." she said, scribbling a loopy note in the planner. "Oh, and I was thinking of fixing a pie tomorrow. Any flavour requests?"

[Milton Hughes]

"Apple!" Milton said, quickly. "Do it for me, sweetcheeks. Your pies are divine, Pearl."

[Harrison Cutter]

"Your peach pie is always a real treat, although I haven't had a strawberry rhubarb pie in a real long time." Cutter said happily. "You don't know of any other club or society meetings this week, do you Pearl?" He glanced back at Milton and Frankie, looking mystified. "Why are you two still here!? I'm not running some beatnik layabout cafe! Get out of here!"

[Frankie Prescotti]

"Milton, you don't want apple. You're going to want crow." The photographer pointed out. "I think your peach pie is good too, Pearl."

[Milton Hughes]

Milton rolled his eyes, and stood up, stretching then running his hand through his hair. "Right, boss, ads, boss, whatever you say, boss. Coming, Frankie?" he said, grabbing his notebook and pen then heading out the door.

((out))

[Pearl Spivey]

"Well, now, I think I might already have peaches at home that I need to use for something, so that would be mighty convenient to fix." Pearl replied, scribbling down another note and flipping a page. "No, don't see any meetings, though I'll make sure to keep an ear out. Bye, Milty!"

[Frankie Prescotti]

Frankie got up, grabbed her camera and followed Milt out. "See ya Cutter. Have a nice day, Pearl!" She called.
(out)

[Harrison Cutter]

"So, Pearl, now that the kids are gone," Cutter started. "How do we want to run this? Nuclear power plant: Bright new future, or Nuclear power plant: Exspensive mess?"

[Pearl Spivey]

"You too, Francine!" Pearl replied, fiddling with her pen as she considered the options. "Well, I think we should start off with a "bright new future" look on things, and that way we can always run the "expensive mess" thing if they goof up. Doesn't really work that well the other way around."

[Harrison Cutter]

"Good, good." Cutter said. "I like the way you think." He said, jamming his second cigarette into the ashtray. "You think they will mess it up?"

[Pearl Spivey]

Pearl shrugged and stuck her planner back in her bag. "Everyone messes up. It's just a matter of when and how much."

[Harrison Cutter]

"That's my girl!" Harrison said happily. "You keep up with the good work, Pearl. I'm going back to my office." The man said, grabbing his ashtray and heading into the adjoining room.

(out!)