<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/J9kQzma.jpg)]</div><strong>Name:</strong>Callista Reed<br/><strong>Time &amp; Location:</strong>Evening | St. Clair Residence<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Nodding to Alex, Greeting Kate and Violet<br/><strong>Dressed:</strong>Casual, belted crepe charmeuse tunic over a short skirt, heels<br/><strong>Content:</strong>Arrival at the HOA meeting<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Getting everything set up in the new house, keeping the remodel on schedule, plus dealing with the board of directors for the PharmEC/Privec Invitational arrangements had occupied most of Callista's day, though she'd still gotten in her early morning run and the new yoga class.  Even though the move had been 'officially' complete, and the last of the boxes unpacked, there was still a lot to do.  If she were honest with herself, Callista might have admitted that part of the reason that she was plagued with last minute details, schedule changes, and the like was because she operated best when there was chaos all around her.   It gave a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction, when she quietly, firmly, and seemingly efficiently whipped it all into shape to offer up the neatly packaged, elegant result.<br/><br/>Her outfit was much the same, thrown on at the last minute after a quick shower.  She had heard Jason moving around downstairs -- that was another thing that was going to take some getting used to, but, really, what had turned out to be a favor for a friend was turning out to be a diamond in the rough that needed just a little polishing, a little staging, to make it dazzling.  Callista never doubted for a moment that she'd accomplish what she set out to do, though for now her plans in that regard were just the roughest of outlines.  While it was true that she hadn't sorted through her immaculately organized closet to find just the right look, she instinctively knew the image she wanted to present, and made it happen.  Casual, not overly dressly or showy, in keeping with her choice to buy in a part of Towering Pines that was, perhaps, not the most expensive or glamorous.  When one did a lot of charity work, it didn't do to have too much on show, else the people who were writing the fat checks, making the lovely electronic transfers, might start thinking that their funds weren't needed.  It was a balancing act that Callista had nearly perfected over the years, upon a foundation of excellent mentors, an expensive education, and instinct.<br/><br/>It was also important to not be early.  Early gave the appearance of not being in demand, of being over-eager or desperate; being late often created the impression of someone who wasn't together enough to be taken seriously, and that was one thing Callista could not ... would not ... abide.<br/><br/>She arrived a few minutes earlier than the appointed time, but not more than a few.   Though she had met some of her new neighbors, Alex from the yoga studio, and Kate, her neighbor who shared her passion for fighting of the encroachment of time, as well as the rewards of a midnight swim and the occasional ice cream indulgence, there were many she didn't know.  She suspected that many people in the neighborhood didn't bother with HOA meetings, though many of them probably had lawyers who would be quick to point out any overstepping, but she liked keeping her hand in.  Her property, her house, and you could be damned sure that she would not give over say of what she did with it without a fight ... unless it suited her.<br/><br/>With only a pause to brush her hair back, made fashionably untidy by the breeze, tucking a few strands behind her ear in a manner that highlighted the care she put in to fighting off the march of years, Callista made her entrance, introducing herself, smiling at those who caught her eye, looking for familiar faces even as she met gazes and held them, pausing for a word, making herself known without pushing too far forward until she had the lay of the land.<br/><br/>She saw Kate first, sitting with a woman she hadn't met yet, and Alex, standing against the wall with folded arms, looking none too excited about being there.  There were refreshments, including wine and other drinks, and while it was tempting ... Callista snagged a bottle of chilled Fiuggi mineral water, wiggled her fingers at Kate with a smile, and started to make her way over to Alex, though it looked like the delay in getting the water had led her elsewhere.<br/><br/>Instead, she headed over to Kate and the other woman.<em>"Mind if I join you?  Most people look like they'd rather be almost anywhere else,"</em>she said by way of greeting, softening the observation with a smile.<em>"Is it really going to be that bad?"</em><br/><br/>Boring, almost certainly, given the subject matter, but that went with the territory, didn't it?