Pilatus

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

Paige Kennedy

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you were just messed up," Paige replied, "I can't recall ever telling anyone to fuck off kindly." She downed what was left of her sake cup and the food thankfully arrived. On an empty stomach, the rice alcohol was beginning to take effect at high speed. She knew she could never go drink for drink with him and at 130 lbs., her tolerance level was not the highest,  but her competitive nature was still keeping track. Listening to him talk of Delta though, caused her expression to slowly fall. She took a few bites to try and break up the look she could feel across her eyes, but the drink was having some effect on her inhibitions. Save for going to UF, she never lived anywhere other than Delta City. She worked her time with the State Police around Delta and even been assigned her home district out of sheer luck when she graduated from Marshal training.  Now she was thirty-one, alone and on the complete opposite side of the country- all by her own hand.

The server checked on them and she motioned for another round on the sake without even thinking. She didn't want to be a sad drunk, but his question struck her directly and she bit down slightly on her bottom lip. There was a wave of emotion she'd never fully dealt with since landing in Sol and it was buried under work where she continued to push it. She shook her head at his question and found some resolve, determining not to look like a bottled up mental wreck in front of him and in public. Home and family were some of the few things she truly held dear and in spite of her stalwart exterior, having them gone were like daggers twisted into her soul. She would do almost anything to go back. "No, there hasn't." She could feel some fire coming through with her words as she answered him. "I hate it here," She said. "It's cold, it's boring and it's full of assholes. At least you had a choice."

@RoccanIronclad

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

Joel Nicolosi

The hours following the race went by quickly for Joel: The podium celebration and the champagne spray, the official post-race press conference and numerous interviews with local and national press. Everyone wanted and interview with him and Tommy. He remembered talking to at least two people from ESPN on separate occasions as the cameras flashed and crowds continued unendingly. Tommy was used to the limelight and the sportscasters had some fun bringing up his NFL days while Joel was getting tired of answering the same questions over and over. He barely had an opportunity to really celebrate and only managed a few quick words with his dad, Marlin and the rest of the crew before being whisked away to talk to another microphone and camera. When he finally made it back to the hauler, the large trophy and plaque commemorating their victory was laying in one of the bunks where Lou had placed it. Joel didn’t even remember handing it to him.

Glancing at his watch as he woke up from a short doze, Joel eyed the big trophy in the bunk across from him with a sheepish grin. He was still in the bottom half of his race suit and knew he had about an hour or two to get ready for the sponsor’s gala. There wouldn’t be any time to head back home for anything extra, but the hauler’s amenities were ample and built in consideration that the drivers should ride as comfortably as their car. The all black designer suit they’d brought back from Ginza was hanging in one of the narrow storage closets. He chuckled to himself at how Tommy had been forced to buy it back in Tokyo and the night’s festivities would mark only the second time it had ever been worn. Still somewhat groggy, he pulled himself up from the bunk and grabbed a cold Red Bull from the refrigerator to help wake up. There was apparently a night of free boozing ahead and he wanted to be able to enjoy it fully. That, and he was looking forward to arriving victorious in front of Marlin’s aunt… or cousin… or whatever relations that bigmouth woman represented and then drinking the rest of them into destitution.

He showered and dressed, not accustomed to taking more than ten minutes to put on clothes, he had to Google how to tie a tie correctly and then it took him a few tries to get it straight enough that he was satisfied. He was partly enjoying the solitude and quiet of the hauler and as he started out Tommy met him at the stairs throwing on a jacket and adjusting an expensive pair of cufflinks on his wrist.“I can’t believe you’re still gonna drive that thing.” He said shaking his head with a grin.

“Hey, it’s practical,” Joel said with a shrug. He glanced around. The temporary pitlane had partially cleared out, but the majority of the teams’ trucks and equipment were still around in various stages of teardown as everyone hit the town for the fading evening. People walked about slower and there was a general sense of finality in the air. “Just right up the road.” He threw one leg over his motorcycle and hit the starter. The Harley sprung to life with an electrical wine and then a crackling rumble. Joel thought he looked rather dashing combining the black suit and bike against city lights and the flaming splash of coloring sunset last gasps of daylight provided.

“I’ll be right behind you.” Tommy shouted over the noise. He had an SUV and a driver waiting.

“Don’t forget your purse, bitch.” Joel said with a wide grin. He flipped his sunglasses down and thundered off.

The chaotic broadcast of his exhaust bounced and echoed across the front of City Hall. He was a little early and the circular drive out front looked like hasty preparations were in their last stages. A few catering vans were wrapping up and people bustled around nervously to the smell of fresh bread in the air. Heads turned and some even pointed at his vehicular breach of proper evening protocol, but no one said a word. Being the race winner had its perks and he twisted the throttle once more for good measure. A valet came out and looked confused, but another brushed him aside and greeted Joel graciously to park the bike in a secured area. He continued up the steps alone remembering that the last time he entered City Hall was nearly a decade ago for traffic court when some dull SCPD officer ironically had written him a ticket for loud pipes. They can all suck it now. He thought to himself with a smirk. He gave a low whistle as he looked at the immaculate spread OHI had set up and flipped his sunglasses up on top of his head. Part of him was hoping no one would recognize him in their hustle to get things ready and he eased over to the nearest bar to get some pregame alcohol flowing. When the barman noticed him, he put one finger over his lips and slinked up to the counter.

@PrinceAlexus

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

Daniel Bruhl as Nikki Lauda in Rush would be pretty close to Joel.



Has the right attitude too...

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

Paige Kennedy

The reaction Paige anticipated looking for she oddly enough found in herself. She could believe Milo's tone when he said he still had the same photo and had not gotten rid of it after all this time. Her ears were trained for lie detection and she knew him well enough to tell when he was lying or holding back. It was her first reaction though... When he spoke the words and happily chuckled, she felt relieved, but couldn't explain exactly why to her own mind. He seemed nearly nonchalant about it. A strange departure from his interrogative attitude about Ana at the Winter Party and almost the same as when she arrived at his place to dispatch Jackie. Even if he had the same photo, she didn't expect him to be quite so at ease. Intrigued, she accepted the picture back from him and leaned back crossing her legs and resting one arm lightly on the seatback. "We sure did win," She stated matter-of-factly with a grin. "And yeah, I think you won the party after too- first place drunk."

The thought of it jogging in her memory view was turning her grin into a full-on smile and combined with the progress they'd made against the sake, she was loosening up. A solid, near non-stop week of heavy investigative work was wearing away like a detox out of her veins. When he brought up his poor car, left on blocks in that parking lot, she laughed heartily, "Was that one of those times you felt like you needed to defend my honor?" She laughed. In her head, she replayed that night as well, though not with completely vivid recollection. She had a few drinks herself and could not exactly recall what started the battle or if they even had anything to do with it. "I think we won the fight though," She said. "I remember that one guy," She continued, "I don't think he'd ever been hit by a woman... That was right before you slugged him blindside, you fight dirty." She said with mock accusation pointing her finger. She refilled the sake cups again. The thought of taking Monday off was becoming firmly more entrenched in her plans. She knew getting the time wouldn't be a problem, particularly after the returns the last twenty-four hours brought.

@RoccanIronclad

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

Also, Actress choice for Marlin.

Margot Robbie is close enough.

@PrinceAlexus

Not fair, sir.

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

Paige Kennedy

Behind her eyes, Paige could see the man, just as soon as Milo's words left his lips. They needed him alive and she'd arrived in time to find him finishing off one of his rivals. She had him dead to rights, but it wasn't enough for her. The time, the innocent people killed and threatened by that scumbag and his lackies all colliding in her mind for that single moment. She could remember how she'd antagonized him just to give her a reason to pull the trigger. The exact words still echoed in her mind and the look on his face. I just want you to remember whose voice it is in your head your listening to. Her father's words repeated. Before the scene could play out any further, she stowed the thought away quickly in the same way she'd done countless times before. She considered her words for Milo. She hadn't spoken a breath about that day to anyone other than the US Attorney and her chief deputy. "Let's talk about something other than work," She said. "You know, 'take a breath'?

"I actually brought something for you this time." She said refilling the sake cups and giving a sly smirk. It felt right to try and direct the conversation down a brighter path though she had originally planned to wait a little later. She turned and dug into her purse and moving her pistol aside, retrieved a small plastic bag with a certain photo inside and placed it infront of Milo. "Who is that skinny guy?" She said teasing. She always loved to look for initial reactions. Spotting it was a large part of her training back in Glynco. Everyone had a tell of some kind and though her instructors mainly focused on the recognition and application she adopted it to everyday situations with her family and friends just because she found it interesting. No one could ever hide the first raw emotion from a trained eye. The moment captured in the photo had been the start of a great day all around though the presence of Ana in the shot made Paige wonder how much or if Milo still loved her or if he really had moved on. She still hadn't mentioned a word about helping him to her. "I found that the other night in some of my moving stuff."

@RoccanIronclad

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

Just for fun and because I've been thinking about this for a while and I'm extremely picky: Everyone that wants to, post a picture of who would play your character(s) in a Sol City movie. Since we require an anime/art-based face claim on the app this will add a little dynamic in visualizing characters.

I'll start off:

I'm not satisfied with prospects for Joel, but Molly McQueen is a dead ringer for Paige.

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

Paige Kennedy

Paige returned Milo a cocked eyebrow at his lofty expectation of her being able to meet back up in an hour. Sure, she could get ready faster than most and she hated to have anyone waiting on her for any reason, but an hour was going to be a tall order. She looked like a wreck and he'd chosen what appeared to be a fairly posh venue which meant she'd need a little more time to wash out the lovely smell of gunsmoke and grain alcohol from her hair. Peachy. Maybe he was just excited, she thought. He was thanking her over and over which was a rarity in him and talking of being in her debt. It was fine, really. She didn't need him in her debt and was so increasingly hungry that she probably would have been okay if he wanted to go to Subway. She headed back for her apartment.

It'd been a while since she last wore a dress and she tossed an old standard out on the bed: A black angel-sleeve design that hit just above her knee. The sleeves only came down a little past her elbow so it wasn't completely impractical and the shoulders were cut out which she liked. The last time she wore it was back in early fall in Delta when she and Ana had gone out. It felt like an eternity ago... and going out for fun had become increasingly rare, particularly in the time leading up to and after her transfer. Her career felt like it had taken a darker turn and Sol City seemed a flashing checkpoint in that direction. She pulled hard on a tangle and squinted slightly. Looking down at the brush she found a couple gray hairs and sighed.

Before she looked at the time, she knew she was late. She finished up a loose braid that rested on her shoulder and sent Milo a text. There was a wide, dark red belt she liked to wear to break up the black and a matching purse that her mother bought her as a gift from the factory outlets; purchased specifically to be just big enough to fit her gun. She balanced herself on the closet door frame and kicked on a pair of platform wedge sandals that elevated her height a few inches. Pulling the strap over her ankle she realized she wouldn't hurt for a pedicure too soon either. She was tired of running, tired of assholes and bureaucracy and ready for at least a few hours break. She thought hard about just taking the day off Monday.

Walking in the restaurant about thirty minutes late, she was glad she'd taken the time to look a little more presentable. Soft carpet, low light and dark hardwood with floral Asian accents were the main themes. The prepared dishes smelled amazing as she found her way over to where he was sitting. "Not bad," She said with some measure of astonishment. Like her, Milo could have fairly exquisite tastes when he wanted though the sake was kind of a surprise. "Sorry I'm late." She said hanging her purse on the chair. She picked up one of the small cups and examined the ornate cherry blossoms hand painted on the side. A server immediately appeared and filled her water chalice.

@RoccanIronclad

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

Joel Nicolosi

Joel strained his neck to find one of the large screens that was carrying the event for the spectators when Marlin’s voice broke in over the radio. For a moment he didn’t say anything and just let the car continue up the hill as the news sank in. People were leaning over the stands, waving flags and jumping everywhere he looked and with the engine humming along at low idle, he could easily hear them. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say or feel. In school, he’d never played sports nor did anything really competitive with others. He’d never been to the “big game” or had much school spirit to speak of. It was all completely foreign. As he drove, somewhere down deep was the realization that he never, truly thought they would actually win.

Other drivers and teams came up on the radio to congratulate him and as he came up to the tunnel he glanced over to his side at a small black bag his dad had strapped to the rollcage. Joel wasn’t a very patriotic type, but he did make a promise that if he won he would fly the flag. He protested at first, but his dad insisted and reminded him that the Japanese would fly their flag if they won and so would the Germans and so on. When he protested that the car was built in Japan his dad again, sternly reminded him of the numerous times they had all helped him rebuild it firmly on US soil. When he emerged from the tunnel Old Glory was flying from the window bringing about a huge roar of approval from the stands at the bottom of the hill and from the harbor.

When he rounded the last corner he slowed to a stop and set the car in launch mode, this time to take care of something he promised himself. Watching the gantry lights flashing in the distance signaling the end of the race he glanced up and saw the news helicopter flying overhead and smiled broadly as hit put the pedal to the floor and dumped the clutch. The wildly expensive rubber compound of his tires attempted to bite down briefly against the raw torque of the screaming V8, but the car shuddered as traction was broken and tire smoke filled the air with the shouts of spectators. He cooked them halfway up the front straight before they finally bit down again. With a flick of the wheel and another firm stomp of the pedal he whipped back around and headed to the paddock giving the car a few more happy jolts of power along the way.

The second place GT-R and a red Viper for P3 were waiting when he entered the podium area and he carefully drove between the masses of people that leaned over the hood with smiles and shouts. Many touched and patted the car lightly making him briefly think about all finger prints that would greatly annoy him later on. He thought he could hear his name called by a few and it was all a very weird and surreal scene again. He pulled in-between the other two cars finding splashes of red, white and blue along the side of the GT-R and it gave him a sweeping feeling of satisfaction. He could see Marlin, Tommy, Lou and the rest of the crew waiting for him to get out as he shut the car down. A camera crew anxiously waited alongside. He took his helmet off, glancing briefly at the Sol City Orange and stretched flag design modeled after his racing idol. A pang of emotion hit him. A totally new feeling and a slight welling up in his eyes as he looked at all of them from inside the car. He literally couldn’t believe they’d done it.

He climbed up out of the car and gave a firm pump of his fist in the air drawing a roar of approval from the crew and assembled crowd. He could feel a teardrop fall away, but hoped like hell the amount of sweat across his face would hide it. An outstretched hand gave him a towel and he patteed his face and hopped down from the door. The camera and microphone were immediately in his face.

“Joel, Joel… after years of trying, years of just getting here, you’ve finally done it,” The reporter shouted against the mass of people. “How does it feel to finally be champion in your hometown?”

Joel brought the towel down and shook his head. He had no idea what to say. He’d only seen videos of how others reacted to being in the winner’s circle on such a grand scale. He looked over at Tommy and Marlin who were the closest and knew that he had some kind of uncontrollable smile on his face, but not really any words. “It’s good,” He said almost stumbling for words. Tommy slid into the frame seeing his teammate a bit awestruck by the limelight and gave him a big bear hug and a firm shake on the shoulder, “We’re all champions,” Joel continued finding a little more presence, “The whole team team,” He said extending his arm for Marlin and the others to crowd into the shot, “Not just me... Tommy, the crew, our sponsors, all of us.” He was gaining slightly more confidence as he spoke. “It’s just a good feeling… I don’t know what else to say.”

@PrinceAlexus

Post a random fact about yourself.

I've participated in the destruction of three trampolines.