Pilatus

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Joel Nicolosi

Joel turned off into Footsteps and was often the case, found nowhere to park. So having no fear of Tommy calling for a tow, he did what he always did and parked the Jeep happily up on the curb. With the suspension flexed on the uneven terrain he slid right out and made his way across the parking lot. When he spotted Marlin's Land Rover he very deftly flipped her windshield wipers up as he proceeded inside.

The restaurant/bar was busy for a weeknight, but it was busy most all of the time. Televisions mounted everywhere were tuned to sports channels around the world and the walls were lined and framed with an equally diverse array of memorabilia and artifacts. The ambient noise was fairly high as the patrons attempted to carry on conversations against sports commentators and ambient music. Wearing his standard Matco Hoodie and shorts, he hadn't bothered to change before coming up. Placing the new decals on the car was light work and he rather enjoyed the meticulous nature of it. With the Brits now footing the bill for the race, he was much more free to concentrate on the car.

Someone recognized him and shouted, "Nicolosi!" A few howls and cheers went up and Joel gave a small wave as he approached the counter where Marlin and Tommy were chatting. It was nice having the support of the locals, but he was never really one for the limelight. He took his regular spot at the bar, ironically directly next to Marlin and started to reach over for the sound mixer to change the music off of whatever Grease, 50's doo-wap Tommy had playing, but stopped short as another song came up that he didn't mind.

One of Tommy's rather attractive servers came up and poured a Guiness, "The usual?" She asked and slid the glass infront of Joel. He answered with a light nod and a wink.

"What's the word?" Joel said turning toward Marlin and Tommy.

"Thunderbird," Tommy said with a grin. It was an inside joke. He turned and retrieved the box, placing it up on the counter.

"That it?" Joel asked.

"No, I just keep this big box back here waiting for you to come up and ask questions." Tommy said sarcastically. Joel smirked and gave him the finger. It felt slightly odd for him to be out interacting with people on a weekday while there was still daylight.

Tommy produced a razor blade and very carefully began cutting down the sides of the box. He let out an impressed whistle as he got a first look at what was inside. The sides folded over and he pulled away a large bundle of plastic wrap revealing a large scale model of the racecar.

Joel's face became more serious as he leaned up on the counter to study it carefully. Perfectionistic as he was, he scanned every minute detail, looking for an error or a blemish, but finding none. Every decal was placed correctly and even the white lettering on the tires was spot on. He shook his head and a rare glance of awe came over him. He looked up at Marlin and Tommy and gave a firm nod of satisfaction.

"That's not all," Tommy said. He ducked behind the counter and produced a large framed picture. It was the shot of Marlin's plane crossing over Joel in the car during their race, blown up in stunning color. "Not too bad, huh?" Tommy said, "One of the ramp guys took it and sent it to me. I think we'll put them both right here behind the bar."

@PrinceAlexus

Footsteps Soundtrack #1

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

@Dragonydas@CoolGoy02@Icepick@The1Rolling1Boy@Sola@Furiosa@ReusableSword@Silver Fox@Rabidporcupine@Robo27

Where you at?

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

SiobhanPaige

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Wednesday

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Location: Gym; Main Lobby

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Interacting With: Each other

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With her bag slung over shoulder, Paige crossed the main lobby at a moderate pace. She had other things on her mind and had become numb to those staring daggers at her red jersey. She figured getting Lupe's tether removed would be easy enough and once done, she knew he'd tell her anything she wanted to know. She just had to make him feel important, something his parents never did. There was officially a BOLO out for one of the Cuban's crew and the implications of that night were pretty strong for the Indian as well. She took the time to look into it Monday at the office. She had little care for anyone else and was pretty confident that if things got nasty, Lupe would toss them all under the bus. Then there was the matter of the Dellesantos Gang which was a slightly more complex web of assholes to unravel.

Her footsteps tread quietly across the carpeted floor and following the signs, she finally caught a glimpse of her destination though as she neared her eyes first locked on to flaming red hair that was hard to miss. It was the girl she'd only briefly met at the party wearing the Scarlet O'Hare dress. She gave a polite waive as she approached, but her eyes quickly cut to the side as she picked up the glance of Milo's pathetic girlfriend slinking away. At least she'd have a short walk to her parking spot Paige thought with a devilish smirk as she turned back to Sio.

“Hey Paige.” Siobhan smiled and walked up to her. “I'd ask if you wanted to grab a bite but I have no idea where any really good restaurants are.” Siobhan adjusts her bag pulling her shirt down since the bag caught it exposing skin and shrugs. “That is if you're not busy. I have some time in between classes.”

Siobhan is in a dark grey long sleeved shirt that clings but covers from neck to just below her pant line. She has black yoga pants on and black sneakers on.

Paige shrugged. Here in the light of morning through the lobby the difference in their age was more clear. Sio was a little taller, but Paige figured the girl couldn't be much over twenty, still having some of her teenage youth in her face. A thought crossed her mind and she weighed it against others as the girl spoke.

“I've got a better idea,” Paige replied. “How about you skip class and ride with me for a little while?” She said offering her tone as an innocent temptation. “I've got some rounds to make today, it'll be fun. Nothin’ too dangerous, I promise.”

Siobhan’s eyes widened as she quickly processed the information and grinned. “Sure. Why not? You only live once, right?” She opens the door to the parking lot for Paige to go through. “Rounds? You know, I never asked what your job was. What did I just agree to?”

@Almalthia@PrinceAlexus@aladdin_sane

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Map is updated

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Of anyone wants to chat to Victoria, she at the coffee pot working in a corner quietly.

@PrinceAlexus

While her man bleeds out.

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Paige Kennedy

Saturday Night

Paige eased the door open to her apartment. Inside only the dark shadows of moving boxes and a few pieces of furniture cast against the walls. She had a small essential oils dispenser that glowed in an array of colors as it wafted a scent of eucalyptus through the air. Beyond her high balcony, only the quiet dim of Old Harbor reflected against the river with the western lights of Riverside. Tired, she felt around for the light switch, but having only spent a few scant hours in her new “home” since landing in Sol City, she had no luck finding the panel. Using the gentle glowing light as a guide she eased along the wall, nearly to the kitchen area, before she tripped over an unexpected box on the floor. Cursing under her breath, she pulled herself up to the countertop and swatted a barely visible switch. When the light came on she could see it had actually been a stack of boxes fallen over. The top one burst open on impact and various trinkets and other random items spilled out across the floor.

She moved aside a few things, reminding herself that she needed to at least try to cut down on her cursing. Her dad was always on her case about it. She mumbled to herself, thinking about one of his Bible lectures when she happened across a photo that stopped her cold.

Diamond Stadium was the backdrop of the shot, home of the Delta City Diamonds, ironically the arch rival of Sol City’s Angels football squad. The sky was crisp blue as the stadium towered behind. In the background, the parking lot was full of tailgaters going about their pregame activities. In the foreground, leaned against a bright white Audi R8 convertible stood Ana, Paige and Milo between them. Paige remembered how she “won” the car to drive in an office pool until Asset Seizure auctioned it off. Once again to her father’s annoyance, she and Ana skipped out of church early to cruise across town and meet Milo at the game. The two of them had only been on a few dates then. She looked at Milo, noticeably leaner, he had his arm casually over Ana and his other behind Paige against the car. The two girls leaned in for the shot. All were smiling broadly. Wearing matching tops in the bright red team colors, Ana and Paige both gave the #1 sign from opposing sides of the frame.

Paige found herself sitting and looking at the photo. It was a different time. She told herself. A lot different. Milo was fun at first and her and Ana looked so carefree. Of course Ana would go on to have her world turned upside-down by him and Paige felt herself marred by the profession she had chosen. No. She told herself. It wasn’t a choice, it was a calling. She was doing what she was born to do. Still, she felt she was always being pulled into the dark. It wasn’t long before she was transferred that she and Ana had gone to see a psychic reader. Ana thought it would be good fun. Paige thought it was something they were only going to joke about and never actually do, but there they sat in a dimly lit boutique shop as an older woman smoked and read their palms.

“All I can see with you is the ocean, honey.” The woman said to Ana. “You’re future looks calm for now… just in motion, hard to see. My vision looks west though, which is a positive sign.”

Paige visibly rolled her eyes before the older woman snatched her hand like lightning and rubbed her thumb over her palm, “You though…” She said taking a long drag from her cigarette, tone becoming grim, “I felt you when you turned on the street, missy.” Paige cocked her eyebrow in response and tried to pull her hand away, but the old lady held on defiantly. Ana looked on growing slightly concerned, “No,” The woman continued coldly, “Death is all around you…” She leaned back with her eyes closed and exhaled a cloud of smoke, “You’re looking for someone…” She said tilting her gaze back down. “You’re going to find them… but it’s going to cost you.” About two weeks later, Paige shot and killed a notorious gun runner and criminal pointman that the Marshal Service had been after for some time at the Delta Bay shipping yards.

Returning to the present moment, Paige found herself shaking her head lightly and slipping the photo gently back into the box before she quietly went to bed.

Wednesday Morning

Stepping down from the stair machine, Paige checked the time from the clock on the wall. There was no morning meeting on Wednesdays, so she’d decided to get her workout in early before going in and surprisingly the Luna Sports Facility again offered everything needed, and some. With the neat little golf venue, it was turning into her favorite place in Sol City. Not as good as Delta of course, she mused with a smirk, but acceptably close. The massive room was dedicated completely to cardio and cable training equipment while the adjoining addition, nearly as big, was filled with free-weights, racks and benches. The gym was busy and the sound of machines humming, plates clanking and various morning news programs filled the air from ceiling mounted televisions. Ambient light-pop music that was tame enough for everyone pumped through the speaker system.

With her earbuds in, Paige heard none of it and she casually observed the morning workout rush as she moved across the large room to finish up with some stretches. She likewise noticed she had a few observers of her own, but many looked on her with a narrow glance. Wearing a Delta Diamonds jersey-shirt she had cut up into a workout top gave the loyal Angels fans a very noticeable pang of irritation as wearing the sworn enemy’s colors in the home team’s gym equated to some form of sports sacrilege. Her hair was up. She had a black, form fitting top underneath that left her midsection exposed under the Delta jersey and leggings with a low top pair of Converse sneakers that matched the red of Sol City’s most hated team. She went about her stretching happy in the fact that she was causing so much emotional distress and conflict.

Finishing up, she grabbed her bag and towel and headed out to the main lobby patting the sweat off of her face feeling refreshed from the couple hours’ worth of exercise. There was supposedly a smoothie bar to be found, not that smoothies represented the healthiest option, but she’d been fairly disciplined over the last few days and the workout rigorous enough that she felt like rewarding herself a little.

Paige's Workout Music 1

SiobhanPaige

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Wednesday

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Location: Gym; Indoor Pool

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Interacting With: Each other

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Siobhan pulled herself out of the water if the indoor pool and toweled off as she went to the changing room. She had done about 10 laps before she was starting to feel clear headed. Then she pushed herself for more and lost count after 15 all together. She was beginning to wonder what possessed her to even come here. She wasn't concentrating on work or school like she needed to. Nope it was men.

Sighing she walked into the dressing room and changed; dry enough that she wouldn't leave wet spots on her clothes. She put her hair up in a bun after getting most of the water out. Walking out to the hallway she stopped to take a drink out of the water fountain

@Almalthia@RoccanIronclad

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

@RoccanIronclad

I think you meant Saturday afternoon in your post. That is unless Vika stayed another day.



@PrinceAlexus

Vika's header also reads Sunday afternoon.

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Also still around even though you didn't tag me.

y tho

@Mattchstick

@Mattchstick

There ya go, buddy

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

Joel Nicolosi

Joel watched Tommy approaching the hauler with a clear scene of disgust on his face. He knew what the man was doing and he didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. Tommy was playing on the singular button he knew he could push. Joel’s competitiveness was near poisonous, almost suicidal. He zipped up his racing suit with a deathlike glare. Lou, standing alongside with Joel’s dad gave the young mechanic a confident grin and a fist bump. Joel headed down the stairs to a scene of whoops and hollers from the rest of the crew enough to draw the attention of their more noble English morning guests. Joel glanced at them defiantly, grabbed his helmet and went out to meet Tommy.

Seeing Joel approach was the exact outcome for which Tommy had hoped. As a man that led sports teams his entire life, several to championship fame, he knew what motivated men. Joel was a little bit harder case as he’d never participated in anything that built comradery or team spirit. He had to be motivated by other means. Now we’re in for a show. He thought. Tommy smiled broadly inside his helmet as he came to a stop and peeled the window back. “What’s wrong buddy?” He said sheepishly and taking his helmet off.

“You tell her to keep that thing in the air.” Joel said darkly and shoved the radio headset in Tommy’s face. He had a murderous look that Tommy enjoyed immensely. This was a man ready for battle. Mission accomplished.

Tommy climbed out and put on the headset as he switched with Joel. He started towards the English delegation, but not before Joel dumped the clutch and covered them all in tire smoke and exhaust blast. Another prideful chorus went up from the crew as they watched the car head back out to the course after Joel’s little display in foreign relations. Tommy coughed and waved away the heavy white air that covered the group with a diplomatic chuckle. He was trying to restrain a smile as he spoke to Maxmallion. “Your grand-daughter is certainly talented my friend,” He glanced back as the smoke cleared seeing nothing but a red flash moving out over the field. “My partner wants to give it a go now.” He jumped on the radio and called the tower.

Joel didn’t need to check the readouts on the display. He knew when the car felt right. It was perfect. There was not a nut, a bolt, a spring, a valve, a rod or any other part of the car that he had not handled personally. He knew every single inch of the chassis and what it was capable of. Tommy just wasn’t up to the job. Either that or he wasn’t trying on purpose. Either way, he knew he could win. He could feel it in his gut. It crossed his mind briefly that she would probably be faster on the second run, having had extra practice and lighter on fuel, but he didn’t care. His whole life he’d lived for moments like these. Sometimes it came a quarter mile at a time, other times it was a streetfight that only lasted a few moments. This was what it was like to be alive.

“By God he’s already got it in the wind,” Joel’s dad said. He grinned with pride as he watched through a pair of binoculars. Joel thundered down the taxiway wide open towards the starting mark. Marlin’s plane swooped down with its characteristic howl right behind him as she headed for the first gate. Her form was on, sharper than before. Wings level, smoke out, she hit her first break-turn as soon as Joel’s brake lights lit up.

Joel slammed through the gears, each one launching the revs higher as he hit the first turn. There was never a half movement or a gentle arch. Every turn, every input on the controls was for maximum possible effect. When his foot left the brake it immediately put the accelerator on the floor, no in-between. He could feel the grip on the verge of sliding the tail. He was on the edge. The grass of the infield came up and was gone again in a flash. Gear, gear, gear until he was back into final. Another turn, repeat. The howl of wind came up over the car against the scream of the engine and was gone again. Hard turn, back in the throttle. Push!

The two courses crossed paths in the “center” of the apportioned raceway. A photographer would have grabbed a golden moment in time as Marlin crossed over Joel in knife-edge flight. A spurt of fire blasted from his exhaust as her prop turned in fury. He could hear her flash overhead. They broke away from each other in less than a half a second.

Joel sailed off the final turn feeling the rear end come around, but he stayed in it kicking up a small tuft of grass where the rumble strip ended. The finish line was directly ahead along with Marlin’s last gate arrayed in the classical checker pattern. She wasn’t there, but he could hear her, approaching fast and from behind. He didn’t look in the mirror. It was a drag race now. Same as all those times in high school. He thought. His grip on the wheel tightened to white knuckles under his gloves. Closer, closer, the line was nearly there. He could feel his pulse pounding through every ounce of blood in his body. She was right on his tail, lower this time than when she raced Tommy, getting every extra ounce of height for speed she could possibly muster. They blasted over the line and it sounded like her prop was right over his head before it peeled away.

“Hoooooly shit man!” Tommy shouted over the radio. “You got her by a nose!”

Joel exhaled what felt like ten gallons of air and sank into the seat as the car decelerated. He realized immediately that Tommy had indeed given it a hell of a go. She was definitely fast. His heartbeat was likely visible beneath his driving suit as he felt the adrenaline pouring away in buckets. He rolled up to their temporary paddock and spun a couple of donuts, sending the smelly white smoke cloud over everyone for a second time. He really poured it on this time.

“Damn son! I think you are made of hellfire!” One of Tommy’s teammates said hauling Joel out of the car. He barely had time to get his helmet off before he was mauled.

With the assembled celebration, it felt like he’d won the Indy 500. He brushed a mass of sweaty hair out of his face and looked up in time to see Marlin landing. Then he saw her big mouthed aunt standing there looking dejected. He couldn’t help himself: “Hey!” He shouted with about zero eloquence, “We’ll take our money, now.”

@PrinceAlexus

Sol City [Modern Slice of Life] . (CHAPTER ONE COMPLETED!) . ARCHIVED

@Mattchstick

Makes total sense to me. You can have him out there as a "spectator" of sorts, but yes, it would be a requirement for our little event.