PatientBean

The Cost of Vengeance

Since my original role was nabbed (not mad!) I am leaning towards either the new detective or a lawyer.

The Cost of Vengeance

Ya know what, if you are accepting more, I'd love to throw my hat in the ring

Camp Athens - Closed

^{#de9b8f ....|..... outfit .....|..... new york apartment}

The snow clung to the glass that overlooked the one of many streets in Manhattan. It was your typical winter day in New York but it still felt different. A mix of the warmth of a cup of cocoa and the steel resolve of a boss bitch in a boardroom.

Chariselle maneuvered through the knick-knacks and accouterments in the sitting room like she owned the place. And in a sense, she did. But in a greater sense, she did not but that was something she would deal with shortly.

Chariselle put her phone in the tripod and positioned it just so; a way to have the light from outside give her the best natural scenery she needed and the angle to ensure she looked her best. Once she was satisfied (which, let's be real, took longer than a church service which meant she had to adjust as the light from the sun shifted over time) she pressed record.

"What is up Charis-belles, it's your girl here in New York on this beautiful Winter day. There's just something magical about it, isn't there? I know, I know it's a cliche, but cliches exist for a reason. Winter in New York is something everyone needs to experience if you want to reinviograte that young desire for magic again."

As she spoke, Chariselle was careful about the words she used, the tone, the way her shirt opened slightly in the front, but not too much that she get flagged. Body language, hair movement, the simplest of blinks; it was all a part of the image. And it helped she had a bit of assistance from mother-dearest.

"Oh I am seeing the comments and you all are the sweetest! Those morning routines are so important not just because it's good for your body, but also for your soul. Oh thank you bellabelle204, I did get some new lip gloss which brings me to the sponsor for today. You all know I love looking my best and that sometimes means you need a little extra help. I know my girlies understand and even some of my fellas. And my non-binary baes also, #ally. Well this company produces some of the best make-up I have worn since I played in my mom's vanity. They are ethically sourced so you know you are putting good into the world and they come in a range of beautiful colors and good for all skin tones and varieties. I am so serious when I say this company is going places and I am so blessed to be one of the first to help market them!"

Chariselle obviously hid the fact that the company didn't give a fuck about the environment or the earth or how they treated their workers, both in their main office as well as the 'shops-that-shall-not-be-named', but they paid the bills. Or, rather, whatever she considered to be a bill (Starbucks didn't pay for itself!). When she approached them it took some convincing to even have her do this, but you'd be surprised what a little extra love will do to a person.

"So my belles, please use my code Charisbelle20 for 20% off your first order and free shipping! And they are constantly updated products so keep an eye out and keep watching because I guarantee I will not stop hyping them up!"

Chariselle watched the comments scroll in. One after the other as if it was attached to her veins, fueling her with the love. There was a troll comment here and there but that was to be expected from inbred momma's boy bitchtits who had nothing better to do than determine a woman's worth by calling her fat or ugly on the internet while hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. Chariselle could just slap the bitch to invented it, putting humanity so far behind what it could be.

"All right, I do have a bit of sad news. As many of you know I will be taking a brief hiatus from posting on here. It's nothing major I am fine and healthy, don't think I don't see those comments about weight loss or rehab. I encourage everyone to detox from social media now and then to recharge because as positive a space I try to make this be, the internet will internet."

As she spoke she heard the door slam and knew what that meant.

"All right my belles, I am hopping off but please check out that brand and write in the comments a positive affirmation that gets you through the day! Love you!" and she finished with an air kiss.

As she stopped recording she fought an eye roll over. She heard the clomp of feet and turned to face who had entered her domain.

Well, it was his domain but details.

Kyle or Vick or Rick or Sergio or whoever-the-fuck this guy's name was had come back home. While he should have been at work Chariselle knew what brought him home early. Before she could greet him he through the bag he had to the ground. "What the fuck!?!?"

If Chariselle had to guess, Benny or Denny or Mick had left work for lunch and used his debit card, which declined. He probably used it again and it declined. Then Toby or Joby or Quinton scratched his little head and pulled out his phone to open up his banking app to see. Maybe he put a hold on his card and forgot? Yeah, that had to be it. And after facial recognition let him in he would see that he had a balance of -$12.36, the price of the sandwich he had tried to order.

And then Huey, Lewey, or Dewey there would wonder what the hell happened. Was he hacked? Surely he wasn't scammed, he was careful with his information. He didn't save his card numbers anywhere and changed his pin as often as he did his underwear. He was paranoid to a fault. So what could have happened? Laurel or Yanny would then check his history and see a large chunk was deposited from an ATM. And Robert or Tobert would think 'well, I didn't do that' because only a drunk or high idiot would do something as stupid as take all his money out, which meant someone else did.

And then Dasher or Dancer or Prancer or Rudolph would recall who it could have possibly have been. And then he would have stormed out of the shop as one of the workers called out that he still had the sandwich in his hand and in a fit of anger he would throw it to the ground despite the huge number of starving people in the world (a real problem!) and marched back to his apartment.

And here we were.

"I repeat: what the fuck?!?"

"I heard you the first time. What's the problem?"

She could almost see the little vein near his right eye gush. "You know what the problem is!"

"Well, obviously not or I wouldn't have asked. Did something happen at work?"

"Did something....did.." he clenched his fists as he walked back and forth, "No something didn't happen at work."

"Well something clearly has you upset? Come, let's sit and talk about it."

She reached for his hand and he pulled away and she could swear he made a fist, but quickly unclenched it. Good, he knew better. "Why did you do it?"

Chariselle tilted her head ever so. "Do what?"

He clenched a fist again but he held it. "You know what.." His breathing was getting more intense. "Sweetheart, I have no idea what you are talking about, but I want to figure this out."

In a blink she was on him, her body pressing against his, chest to chest. Her eyes met his and she held his gaze slowly, steady, almost like a snake with its eyes on the little mouse that would be dinner. Her mouth pressed against his neck slightly before she cradled her hed into the space, nuzzling against him. "I think we need a minute alone together. Your job has you so stressed out. You have been complaining about it for weeks now. You need a break. Let me take care of you."

Walter or Wally or Walnut's anger seemed to evaporate into the ether. Whatever words hung on his lips melted away with her touch. "Right, yeah, so stressful."

"It's so hard doing what you do. You need some TLC."

She grabbed his wrist and led him towards the bedroom. He followed in an almost loopy daze. "TLC sounds nice."

Chariselle smiled as she pushed the door open, pulling him inside and preparing to make him forget everything for a while.

---

Chariselle got dressed as Nick or Knack or Paddywack laid there, content and blissfully unaware. She grabbed her wallet and put it in her purse, checking to see if the bills she had deposited still were there. She grabbed her togo back and her luggage as well as the passport and ticket she had booked weeks prior. Once she was satisfied she closed the bedroom door behind her and took her things. She looked around one last time. This was a nice apartment, but she knew it wouldn't have lasted. At least Jason or whoever would be happy for a bit until he realized he would have no way to pay rent. Ah well, c'est la vie!

Chariselle closed the door to the apartment and made her way outside. A short taxi ride to the airport and she would be on her way to bigger and better things! She would miss New York, but she would be back once she got what she needed.

---

camp athens entrance

The trip was a blessing. It really did pay to fly first class. Anyone else doing less was missing out. But she had arrived in Greece and found transportation for her ready and willing. The journey is the best, but the destination had its merits.

Once she arrived she looked around. She saw a gaggle of people coming and going, milling about. It was so cute! Like a real summer camp. She grabbed her stuff and strode forward, expecting someone to greet her and take her bags to wherever she would be staying.

Camp Athens needed to be ready. Chariselle had arrived.

---

Château de La Lune

---

---

Millicent

---

Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

---

---

Millicent felt the wave of awkwardness as a hush fell upon dinner. It seemed no one wanted to be the one to break the silence as the cheese and wine were brought out. Millicent scanned the others, willing someone to say something. Her curiosity was running wild with all of the information being given.

She was not a conspiracy theorist. She did not believe there were Jewish space lasers, she felt the Earth was round and that we landed on the moon, she didn’t think there were mole people, and there may or may not be aliens, but if there were, Millicent was sure they wanted no part in human affairs. We can’t get our planet in order; of course they would avoid us like a plague.

No, this whole thing stunk. There was no way this group of random people was brought just to see who won an award and money. Millicent’s mind went to another conspiracy theory and wondered if this was a “greatest game” type deal where they were about to be hunted for sport and stocked up on wine and food before they released them into the wild. Or perhaps this was an Agatha Christie novel and they were about to be picked off one by one. Her money was on Eleanor.

Millicent’s eyes wandered over to the lone woman who remained fairly silent apart from asking for the steak sauce. Eleanor clocked her too. In a way, she was the lone figure. Everyone else seemed to be getting along well, apart from the punching and taking shirts off and leaving to, presumably, take care of business. She didn’t.

So, taking one for the team, Millicent spoke up. ”So what’s your deal if you don’t mind the bluntness. You’ve been awfully silent through this.” she said to Renne, eyes on the lookout for the slightest twitch.

Renne smiled brightly. ”Oh, hi, sorry I'm Renee. Uh, I'm a pre-school teacher from London. Nothing as interesting as you all,” she admitted.

And that was it, wasn’t it? The others had arguably more exciting careers and here was a pre-school teacher. While Millicent thought teachers did fantastic jobs worthy of high pay and benefits, what was this one doing here? What did she do that was worthy of a nomination.

”So what’s your opinion about all of this? Why do you think you were nominated?”

”I wouldn't presume to know for sure. However, I recently was involved in leading a project at my school. We started teaching low end cooking skills. A lot of these kids come from families that struggle and teaching them the extra life skill will hopefully help them more in the future. I know a lot of people never learn any cooking skills.” Renee sips her wine. ”I can't be totally certain that's what garnered the attention to get me here. But it is the only thing I've done that deserves it. The whole thing is rather fantastical.”

Millicent looked at the woman and felt she believed her own words. Whether that was true or not remained to be seen, but if what Renee said was true, then that would qualify for an outstanding achievement award. Millicent almost felt badly at the cross-examination.

Almost.

Because even Renee was not above suspicion. Millicent then took a sip of the new wine brought out and enjoyed some of the cheese. Still, her mind wandered, warping itself to find someone who wasn’t beyond suspicion. Perhaps after dinner would be the best time to find out more.

Avengers Academy: X of Swords ⚔️

Sabine Bassard

---

Location: Sometime in the Past
Skills: N/A

---

---

Daylight shone through the window of the secondary education school in Lyon, France. Madame Shobaine sat at her desk in the front, awaiting the meeting she had requested a few days ago. She had been dreading this talk. She often enjoyed meeting the parents of her students, those who relished their children’s education and joined in, volunteering or offering supplies to the classroom.

Mr. and Mrs. Bassard were not parents she would call….giving. They didn’t hinder their daughter’s education, but they didn’t seem to support it outside of financial matters. Sabine was a smart child. Madame Shobaine enjoyed having her in class, and she got along well with the other students. But wasn’t that part of the problem? Weird as it was to say, Madame Shobaine had to deal with children and their ever-fleeting relationships. Sabine was one child whom others seemed to like. Even gravitate towards.

One instance she recalled at the beginning of the school year was with another girl named Etoile. For whatever reason, Etoile and Sabine butted heads. Or rather, Etoile tried. Madame Shobaine caught Etoile saying something rude or pushing Sabine, and she nipped it in the bud almost immediately. But Sabine never cried, never got angry, never returned the energy. Instead, it seemed like Sabine was calculating something. Like if she looked at Etoile long enough, the girl’s behavior would change.

And then the stroke happened. Etoile was playing outside, and Sabine was watching. Sabine often never joined in with the other kids, preferring to play alone, but she was watching Etoile intensely. Madame Shobaine was on duty that da,y but she turned her head for a second before she heard screaming and crying. Madame Shobaine turned back and saw Etoile on the ground, writhing and shunting. She ran over to check and called for another teacher to reach the paramedics. She knew some information about strokes or seizures and turned Etoile on her side so, in the off chance she vomited, she would not choke. Eventually, the girl stopped and began to cry, more likely the event scaring her. The paramedics soon came to grab the girl while Madame Shobaine got up to phone her parents. But her gaze hit Sabine, who just…stared back at her.

No, she wasn’t looking at her. She was looking at Etoile.

And did she have a smile on her face?

---

Ever since that day, Madame Shobaine had kept an eye on Sabine. She first thought it was crazy; no little girl could cause something like that. But she began to notice little things here and there. Sabine getting the highest marks on a test while everyone else failed, Sabine getting extra portions at lunch, and the cafeteria worker admitting she forgot why Sabine got more than the others, are little bits of oddity.

The final straw was a week ago when an ice cream truck stopped by outside the school and offered “free samples”. Madame Shobaine noted that Sabine was not present in class at that moment, excusing herself to the restroom, but was outside quickly to pick up her sweet confectionery.

So Madame Shobaine had it. Something was up with Sabine, and she needed to inform the parents. The behaviors after Etoile were nothing, but if her gut was correct, Sabine was dangerous.

---

Remmy Bassard hated having his schedule interrupted. Cosette Bassard hated having hers interrupted even more and made it everyone else’s problem. Still, the two walked into the school arm in arm. Cosette often did this to show that, yes, this man was her husband and everyone else better back off. The giant diamond on her finger did the extra work for her. So when one of the office assistants walking past gazed a little too long at Remmy, Cosette was on her like a jungle cat stalking her prey. Nothing more than a look sent a cold shudder through the woman’s body as she sped walked away.

Madame Shobaine was at her desk when the two of them entered. She stood up in greeting. ”Hello Monsuer and Madame Bassard. It is lovely to see you again.” Madame Shobaine hid the fact that she hadn’t seen them since the week before school started, and not a word since. ”Please, have a seat. I appreciate you making time.”

Remmy and Cosette walked to the front of the classroom. Remmy took a seat at one of the desks, and Cosette hesitated, looking at the chair like it held the plague. Remmy gave her a look before she rolled her eyes and sat down. ”Of course, Madame. What is this regarding? Is Sabine in trouble?” Remmy asked. Cosette, meanwhile, looked at her nails as if they held the world’s secrets. Madame Shobaine made a mental note to direct this towards Remmy as Cosette seemed to have other things in mind.

”First, I wanted to say I enjoy having Sabine in my class. She is remarkably intelligent for someone her age and is a joy. But…” she hesitated a bit. How does one bring this up?

”Madame Shobaine, whatever it is I can assure you we can deal with it. Please, I have a meeting in an hour.” Madame Shobaine flustered a bit. Again, she normally had supportive parents who wanted to be there to discuss their children’s futures. Even parents who held tough jobs still showed up willing to work. ”Yes well…I have noticed in the period that Sabine is…different. Not that being different is bad, because it isn’t. But more so…it’s…I mean I noticed..”

Cosette finally decided to be present. ”What the hell is it?”

”Does Sabine have powers?”

They sat in stunned silence, letting the question wash over them. Madame Shobaine blushed slightly, but held firm. ”I’ve noticed some irregularities with Sabine. Things that I cannot explain normally. A young girl earlier this year had a stroke that her parents cannot identify as there is no family history and..”

“So you think my daughter caused it?”

“I mean, she was there. And the girl had been harassing Sabine..”

“So this girl has been bullying my daughter and this is the first time I am hearing about it?”

“With all due respect, I did reach out…”

“And on top of all of that, you are assigning her blame?”

“There’s more to it than that!”

“So let me see if I have a read on the situation. You see my daughter’s tormenter have a stroke and rather than decide it must be a medical reason lob the blame on my daughtrer on top of whatever other ‘evidence’, and I use that word loosely, you have to explain away both your failure as an educator as well as the school’s ability to ensure my daughter is protected and in an environment she can thrive in. By your admission, you said she was smart and a joy to have in class, and now I am thinking that you devised a witch hunt against her by coming up with stories to suit your needs. Powers indeed. You and this school should be ashamed!”

Madame Shobaine sat back in her chair, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. Had she been wrong this whole time?

”I am so sorry…”

Remmy stood up, Cosette in tow. ”Apologies are not enough. It is clear my daughter’s education is not a priority. We will be pulling her immediately. And you can take it up with the administration about why they will not be receiving future donations. Have a good day, Madame.”

With that, Remmy and Cosette turned to leave. While his back was turned to her, Remmy’s face didn’t hide what he was feeling. He remembered his deceased wife. He remembered the loss, the hurt, the pain. He remembered how much it had impacted Sabine. And he remembered when he, too, first noticed some irregularities. He had been on the fence about going elsewhere. Sabine could not be trusted in this environment.

He would be dealing with her later. For now, he needed to make some calls.

---

It turned out Etoile’s family had a history of seizures. It just skipped a few generations. The test Sabine did well in while the others didn’t? The other children had food poisoning and Sabine hadn’t eaten that day. The extra portions was because the cafeteria worker noticed something and wanted to ensure Sabine had food and didn’t want to disclose it. The ice cream truck was from another child’s father. Every bit of it explained.

But did that stop Sabine’s father from coming home and screaming at her? Asking for an explanation to things beyond her control? Accusations rang out and Sabine could do or say nothing to stop it. Cosette didn’t help matters either, urging Remmy on saying Sabine was ‘lost’ and needed extra attention. She needed to be away from others. After all, what was preventing Sabine from affecting Cosette’s mind? Cosette never did find that missing diamond bracelet, perhaps Sabine made her forget where she kept it and then sold it?

Remmy didn’t fully believe his daughter to be a danger, but he was blinded by anger, sadness, guilt. Sabine’s mother was able to handle these situations better than he could. There was just a connection between the two of them that he never could grasp.

After a tense few weeks the family picked up and moved across the ocean to the United States. It served Remmy well as his business could be done anywhere. Cosette was happy to have new places to shop at. And Sabine….

Sabine grew angry. She had always been sad since her mother died. More so since her father married the witch. But now it held anger, fury. A swarm of emotions in her chest and through her body.

Her father never noticed because he assumed his daughter would be fine. He didn’t notice when she would eat fewer and fewer meals, didn’t notice her wearing long sleeves even in the heat, never noticed the anger underneath the surface.

All the meanwhile Sabine practiced her abilities. Little things here and there, nothing dangerous and nothing that hurt someone else. But even then she cared little for how it impacted everyone around her. She knew she wanted to use it more, but knew if she didn’t get help from someone she could cause trouble. So when the Margaret Carter Institute opened up auditions Sabine urged her father to reach out. Once she was offered a chance, she took it. It was going to be somewhere new. No one would know who she was.

And if they painted her a villain, so be it. A villain is what they would get.

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

It's over for you bitches <3

𝔻𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕠𝕟: ℝ𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

Lady Isolde Halcryst

---

---

Name: Lady Isolde Halcryst

Age: 26

Physical Description: Isolde stands at 5'8'' and has a slender frame. Her light, blonde hair is long but often tied up in elegant styles situated with a silver tiara. She has light gray eyes with her left eye being augmented, though it is subtle. She has a cream complexion accentuated with make-up. Her style trends to formal and high-end clothing and she wears noticeable jewelry.

Enahncements:

Left Eye

• Social Chameleon: Isolde's eye enhancement allows her to pick up on the subtle movements of others. When people lie, they often have tells that give away their true thoughts. Isolde is also able to pick up on social cues, which lets her blend in well with others.
• Enhanced Vision Scan: Isolde is able to see farther than the normal human with her enhancement. She is able to zoom in and see things with clarity. With her scan she is able to record what she sees and keep a record of it saved automatically.

Hands

• Chakram: The world is not as safe as many believe so a person of Isolde's standing and background needs protection. Isolde's hands have enhancements connected to a specialized Chakram, a throwable, bladed weapon. The weapon is collapsible and can be easily hidden and her enhancement allows her protection as well as the ability to move the weapon when thrown
• Psychometry: Through the use of touch Isolde is able to pick up information on an object or a person. This is only as useful as what the object or person can give off, such as fingerprints or origin if an object or background on a person (provided the information is available)

Status:

Crysttaline Council - People's Choice: Isolde is a member of the Crystalline Council, elected as the people's choice for no other reason than the belief she is one of few who could "shake things up" and get things done that the other council members cannot or will not. This affords her a sense of power to be able to change things and improve the way of life for the people or a means of grabbing power that no one else has.

High Society: The Halcryst family is one of influence among social spheres. While they have wealth that is numerous their main power comes from their ability to bend ears to them by dealing in information. From a young age Isolde was raised to keep an ear to the ground and gather favor from information. It's often amazing what someone will pay to keep secrets hidden.

Backstory: The Halcrys family is well-known, for good and ill. Bellatrix and Caspian Halcryst are among the high elite of the city of Qona. The lone child, Isolde was raised to guard her secrets and deal in others'. This gained the Halcryst family many friends and even greater enemies, though they never feared retaliation.

As she grew older, Isolde garnered favors from many influential people who trusted her with information. Information she used to benefit herself and ensure things went the way she chose. Despite her class, Isolde was seen as a small-time hero as she would use information to better the lives of other citizens. It didn't matter if she did it for selfless or selfish reasons, what mattered is that change was enacted.

Isolde fought for a seat on the council, but was met with roadblocks. No one wanted a Shadow Trader of information to find herself with a seat, but the people rallied behind her, offering up her name as the people's choice, hoping for change across the board. A way to fight corruption with someone who at least could face the heat. She won the seat and joined the council, aware that her position would be met with fickle favors and intense looks, betrayal almost inevitable.

A life of garnering gossip and saving secrets meant Isolde had some power. Power she would use to change and progress. Gone were the days of things remaining the same. Power is progress.

Welcome to Havenwood

So I gave it some time, but since there has been no word, I am going to be pulling out of this RP. I get that life happens, but there really is no excuse not to keep people in the loop. Even a simple "still here" would suffice.

I wish you all the best, and maybe we'll RP in the future.

Château de La Lune

---

---

Millicent

---

Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

---

---

Millicent had tried to enjoy the rest of the dinner, but things were sort of spiraling beyond control. Granted it probably started when that pompous jackass made a rude comment towards Ivanna and then in reference ot Miguel, which then, of course, led to Miguel decking the man and him leaving in a fit, while everyone else sat there and ate and drank.

This was beyond wild. And no one was saying anything.

If this were any other award-type deal, Millicent was sure the behavior demonstrated here, by multiple people, would surely put them on the lower end of receiving it, if not outright telling them to leave. So what was different about this one?

Millicent overheard the conversation between family members. So nominations were a thing. Anyone in the family could nominate someone but it was the matriarch, Elenore, who ultimately decided who to invite. That sent little pinpricks across Millicent’s skin. It stood to reason then that someone in the family nominated her, which meant they knew who she was and, if the note in her room was any indication, knew more than she ever wanted to admit.

Millicent wondered if the other invitees were in similar situations. Wouldn’t it be just a coincidence if all of them had somethign to hide and all were conveniently invited to this fancy mansion to have their secrets revealed under threat.

Millicent looked over at the one woman, Jeanne, after she spoke to the pilot. ”With all due respect, I think we are past privacy since we are all here and are clearly here for the reason suggested in the invitation, so what harm could there be to know who nominated us?”

Millicent glanced around, trying to use her social deduction skills and pay attention to any body language shifts. If they wouldn’t tell her who nominated her vocally, perhaps they would non-verbally. ”I agree with him, as much as I appreciate the invitation and the time away, it is rather suspicious to have heard very little of this whole thing.”

Jeanne looked down the table glancing at Elenore. She didn't seem to be paying attention to them. “Well, I only know who I nominated anyway. I don't know who nominated you.” She seems to be trying to tell Millicent more than what she could.

Millicent couldn’t read anyone at the moment and that was frustrating. Though was Jeanne implying Elenore nominated her? If so, why? Was she a fan of magic or was there more underneath the surface.

Either way, Elenore shot straight up her suspect list.

She turned her attention to the handsome pilot who expressed some concern over this whole thing. Perhaps he was a kindred spirit in suspicion. ”I am sorry, I never introduced myself to you either. Mllicent. You said you were a pilot?” She tried to hide her tone, but so far it seemed Ralph was the most deserving for career alone. She included herself, as much as she prided herself on her abilities. A magician, a drag queen, and two ghost hunters didn’t seem deserving of a nomination, much less an award.

Ralph took a quick sip of his wine and then reached around Sam to offer a hand for Millicent to shake. ”Hello, I'm Ralph. Yes, I'm a pilot. Pleasure to meet you.”

Millicent shook hands. ”Yes, same. So what do you think about all this? Feel free to be honest. Apparently, we can do no wrong.”

Ralph laughed, ”Apparently anything short of murder. Or using HP sauce. I don't even know what that is.” He leaned back into his chair and tapped his chin thinking. ”Honestly, I'm weirded out by this whole thing. Part of me wishes I had stayed home. But too late. I'm here. Hopefully, that's just nerves and not anything really bad gonna happen.”

Millicent nodded, thankful she had it right. Ralph was suspicious too. She made a note to talk to him more without other ears listening in. ”Yeah, this does give off murder mystery vibes. Ah well.” Millicent returned to her drink, careful about letting anything else slip out.

Thus far she had gotten to know a few of the other nominees and family members. It was a regular smorgasbord of personality types clashing. Surely this many would pop off at some point (punch to the face aside). She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.