Pilatus

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

Paige Kennedy

Paige smiled back at Sio letting her tired olive eyes cut just a little against the peppy redhead in a sisterly glance. “You’ve been waiting all morning to say that haven’t you?” She replied, yawning and looking mildly amused. “No, it was just Milo.” She said flatly. “Sorry if that kills the story for you.” She sipped her coffee. It wasn’t the greatest, but she was starting not to hold Sol City to too much of a standard on many things and it had been sitting on the burner long enough to work against her hangover headache to some extent. She added a bit of sugar to take the edge off.

“So, you were drunk trespassing on city property. Is that where we left off?” She continued. “Then you ran into some random guy you liked on the roof?” She was beginning to fill in some of sketchier details of Sio’s night at the party. “If the door locked behind you and you had to open it to get up there, doesn’t that mean he was already locked up there?” She smirked accusingly to try and let the implications of that sink in to see if Sio could pick up on the greater danger of her situation. With that aside however, part of the redhead’s imagined story was resonating: You don’t want to share the details because you barely believe it is real. The words fell right into what felt like an empty space in her heart and brought forth a feeling of truth that she’d put away from the night before.

@Almalthia

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

Paige Kennedy

Paige listened as Sio recounted the night shaking her head slightly in amusement at the amazingly brazen attitude of the hosts she described. What Sio didn't realize was the story behind her capture of Bob and the two sisters from the party. The pair seemed to be quite the socialites in Sol. She'd never met the older one, but if the girl was anything like her younger sibling, she didn't need Sio's validation. Still tired, but listening carefully, she propped her head on one hand and stirred her coffee even though it didn't have anything in it. Her trained ears couldn't help but listen for any detail that didn't add up and when Sio reached the part about getting locked on the roof, her glance perked up slightly and then narrowed across the table at the redhead. Paige had a passkey and could open any door in City Hall. She was familiar with the stairway and usually entered the building through the same corridor. "What do you mean you 'got locked out on the roof'?" She said. Her tone was not critical, more probing. "How did you get up there anyway?" She knew full well how, but the law officer in her was used to getting people to admit to things without thinking about it.

She wasn't upset, just a bit disappointed in her friend's recklessness. Sio was considerably sharper than most girls her age, but she knew that youth had it's lapses in judgment, particularly when paired with copious amounts of alcohol. It wouldn't have been as bad if she hadn't been alone. Paige was starting to feel some measure of responsibility for the girl, but by no means was she there to be her parent. When Sio asked about who she was out to dinner with, Paige's automatic response was simple: "What makes you think I was out with anyone?" Years of dealing with criminals gave her a delivery that was neither question nor statement. Though she had no problems with telling the truth, she was a bit interested in how Sio automatically assumed she was out with someone rather than being alone or with a group. She thought about Milo for a moment and like the whole morning and most of the night, he was just like a mental block she couldn't get around. She needed some real sleep and still had a slight headache.

@Almalthia

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

Paige Kennedy

In spite of what she told Milo, Paige went in to work. On a best estimate of three hours of decent sleep, she staggered in to a standing ovation from her office. Overnight the news of the Sunday’s actions by the Marshal Service had spread all over the local media like wildfire. The capture of Bob and the gangster, Jackie Costa, were headlines at 5am and continued throughout the morning across TV and radio. Though her name was not mentioned publicly, the whole office was buzzing, particularly about the discovery of the Costa Operation and its multi-tiered connections. For the moment, the Marshal Service was at the top of the game amongst the task force brought in by the mayor. Paige perked up instantly in the praise and the hangover headache from the sake hurt a little less. She chatted with her Chief Deputy for a while and started some of the paperwork until he not so subtly recommended that she take a day, two if she wanted, and get some rest. The US Attorney wouldn’t be in until Wednesday. She could get her next case file then and get back in the hunt. They could hold the fort down for two days. She didn’t protest.

With her little M3 in hand again she headed back south to meet Sio. She didn’t have a clue where or what the, “Old Starboard” was, but some of the locals in the office assured her it was legit. She pulled up and as she got out, looked back at the scar the scorned cripple had left on her borrowed little piece of German engineering. Since the damage was down to the metal, the estimate from Sol City BMW had been considerably more than she wanted to spend and Uncle Sam didn’t pay for cosmetic damage on seized vehicles. She ran her finger over the mark again and sighed weighing whether or not to live with it or dip from the reward money she split with the bounty hunter to fix it. If she did fork over the cash, she resolved that second to hang on to the car tooth and nail no matter what. She glanced over her shoulder as the wind off the river ruffled her standard pony tail and looked at the boat traffic moving leisurely up and down the river. It was a little like home in a way, but she turned and went inside before her thoughts could get carried away again.

Walking in the doors, her polished silver star and the gun on her hip drew a few glances from the lunch time crowd and she never stopped loving the Old West feeling of it, but instead of boots and riding gear, she wore Converse and jeans with a similar white hooded sweater that she had on the last time she’d gone out with Sio. A waitress, looking at her slightly unnervingly, began to offer her a table, but Paige found Sio as she flipped her sunglasses back and headed over to the booth. She was still noticeably tired and walked with her customary stoic glance down the aisles mentally cataloguing the layout of the place as she went. She ordered a black cup of coffee and sat down across from Sio. “Sorry I’m late,” She said, honestly not sure if she really was.

@Almalthia

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

SOL CITY CHAPTER ONE FINALE

24 HOUR TIME SKIP WARNING

EPILOGUE

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Yes ladies and gents this is it, we've made it all the way through Chapter One for Sol City. With the Gala ending on Sunday night, the last time skip will encompass whatever you see your characters doing inside of the next week so keep that in mind for your posting and be clear what time you're in. We don't want to end with any spatial disruptions.

So the city is yours. There are no events this week. Everything is winding down from the Winter Party and the big race. Life is returning to normal for Sol.

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

SOL CITY CHAPTER ONE FINALE

24 HOUR TIME SKIP WARNING

EPILOGUE

--------

Yes ladies and gents this is it, we've made it all the way through Chapter One for Sol City. With the Gala ending on Sunday night, the last time skip will encompass whatever you see your characters doing inside of the next week so keep that in mind for your posting and be clear what time you're in. We don't want to end with any spatial disruptions.

So the city is yours. There are no events this week. Everything is winding down from the Winter Party and the big race. Life is returning to normal for Sol.

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

Siobhan & Joel

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Location: City Hall Roof; Sunday

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Interaction: Each other Siobhan (@Almalthia) Joel (@Pilatus)

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Mentions:

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Joel smirked a little, “You wouldn't be the first woman to tell me a lie.” He said with a comical matter-of-fact tone. Considering what she was wearing, it was damn near impossible not visualize her sitting in his lap as soon as she said the words, but he kept his expression level and only indulged partially in catching her glance as she leaned against the wall. She was tall, nearly his height without her footwear. He looked out over the skyline then turned back to her taking the bottle from her hand. He made a small show of wiping the neck with his jacket and returned a sly smirk. “You sure you're old enough to be drinking this?” He said. A bit of him did actually wonder since she mentioned her parents so much, but she seemed well spoken, which he liked and very much red-headed, which he also liked. He took a swig and looked at the bottle with raised eyebrows. It was really too dim to read it so he shrugged and took another drink. “Not bad.” He said ignoring her other questions.

“I’m positive that's true, but I'm not like every other woman.” Siobhan sipped her scotch and smirked. She looked up at him and grinned. “Old enough to be on my own.” She winked at him. “Young enough to give you a run for your money. Of course the scotch isn't bad. It's bloody Scottish single malt 30 year Glenlivet. Only some of the best scotch on the planet, well from personal opinion, which is the only one that counts, right?” Siobhan still didn't have her shoes all the way on. “Can I use you to balance while I put these heels on? Or are you afraid of a little thing like me?”

“I guess that makes you some kind of classy drunk then.” Joel said, referring to to the bottle. “And don't flatter yourself.” He continued, meeting her glance with amusement. Women had been after him all day since the race ended. This one just happened to have lucked her way into a more personal interview seemingly by chance, but he still had his reservations about that. “Might as well get comfortable,” He said slinking down to the bottom of the door and purposefully turning his head to keep her from accusing him of looking up her dress. He glanced at his phone, still no reply from Tommy. “I don’t know how long he's gonna be.” Just because he hadn't replied didn't mean it he didn't get it. Knowing fully what she was doing, he continued to look off in the distance until she decided where she was going.

Watching Joel banter back with her was fun and having someone else to call her out besides Paige was refreshing. At least sarcasm wasn't lost on him. Siobhan grinned at him turning his head. At least he's acting like a gentleman, for now. Siobhan sits down next to him and pulls up a leg and fixes the straps on the heels careful not to flash Joel and be rude. “Well if one doesn't flatter oneself then who will? Comfortable would be jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a nice pair of chucks. Old and broken in. But I lack that at the moment so this will have to work. Classy drunk. I'd say more picky than classy. A good beer, double meat pizza and Princess Bride and that would be heaven for me. But more importantly who is this ‘He' that is going to rescue us? At least you had the presence of mind to keep your phone on you. Oh I'm done fixing my shoes so I won't offend your sensibilities and prudish ways.” She smirked at him waiting to see if that got a rise out of him thinking that it was pretty much the opposite for him.

Joel huffed a little in amusement. She kept trying to get a rise out of him, but scant few had ever been able to accomplish such a feat. He grinned a little looking away. “You have a funny way of talking,” He said finally. “You use about forty words when ten will do.” He wondered how she wasn't freezing in what she was wearing, but figured the alcohol was likely burning steady under her skin. Once she started to really sober up, she’d be freezing her ass off. He yawned again, slightly tired. “That person is my friend, Tommy, he drove in the race with me,” He said. “I'm sure he's down there right now hob-nobbing with all those socialites you pissed off earlier.”

She wrinkled her nose at Joel's mention of the upper class mess that was downstairs. “I can tell you that I don't like to be misunderstood so I explain myself fully. As for Tommy, we might want to consider saving him. We're better off here. Although it is getting to where I'm starting to feel the cold. And I'll refer you to Billy Joel for the comment that I pissed them off.” She rubbed her chilled arms. Damn the fact that I stopped drinking. Now I'm cold… Siobhan crossed her arms loosely and quickly, hopefully not so quickly that she drew attention to the fact that she was cold.

”Pretty sure you started that fire.” Joel replied and continued on the Billy Joel nuances. It was becoming obvious that her layer of alcoholic protection was wearing away fast. Joel smirked a little. Being comfortably warm in his expensively tailored suit, he was a bit curious how long she would take to see if he would give her his jacket. There was no doubt however that she was right about the downstairs assembly and the thought of them pickled his nerves as well. In a way she had indeed pulled the cover away from their facade of pretending to care anything about him or Tommy. Joel knew they could have won without them, but Tommy's mind was in the right place and the publicity would pay dividends. It was a one-race deal and they were essentially done with them from a business standpoint. The social aspect was another matter altogether.

“Too bad that most of the time you have to kiss ass to get recognized for your talents. It's like that in the Art business too. You end up picking up different mediums to broaden your scope to keep jobs and money coming in. Paintings only pay the bills so far. You're lucky. You have a highly demanded job. Art is a cruel mistress.” Siobhan tilted her head at his direction rubbing her arms absently. I am not giving in to the cold yet. We'll be rescued before that and he doesn't need the stigma of someone finding me wearing his jacket.

“I think I'm done working on cars because I have to,” Joel said almost with relief in his voice. “After today I'll only do it because I want to.” The winnings from the race were enough to take care of him and Tommy for quite a while. Not that his former NFL quarterback business partner needed the cash, but it was no small sum and thanks to a certain wager Joel had made under the table, his jackpot was going to be significantly larger. His mind wandered briefly to his upcoming trip to Tokyo where he would be claiming a certain part of that prize. He hadn't spoken a word of it to anyone. If Tommy could keep his secrets about their sponsors then Joel figured it was fair to keep his own about betting on the race. “I wasn't sure if you were actually an artist,” He admitted. “I thought you were just talkin’ shit back at the bar.”

“Artist yes. Talkin’ shit; no I wasn’t. I’m serious about my craft. Not a trust fund baby either. I earned my way well after the age of eighteen that is. Really am working on a medical book for an Anatomy Professor. She asked what I wanted for my time and I told her a year of college. Wanted the experience and all that jazz plus it gets me a start on a Minor in Business. I already have the Bachelors in Fine Arts. But all that is boring and I’d put you to sleep with the differences in Manet and Monet and the beginnings of Impressionism. When I prefer the Pre-Raphaelite works like Waterhouse and Rossetti...and I’m sure your eyes are glazing over. At this point I’m going to let you talk cause I’m just doing it to keep my mind off the nip… the chill in the air.” She motioned around with her hands in graceful open gestures. Realizing that she was leading the conversation with her hands and astounded that she hadn’t dropped the glass yet. She blushed and loosely crossed her arms in front of her again and sipped more of the scotch. This is keeping me thinking that I'm warm at least. Fine line that I'll ride.

“I can think of plenty of things I would have asked for other than a year of college.” Joel replied. “All that ‘college experience’ junk is just a marketing gimmick.” He waved one hand towards the east. “I got my degree in business right over here in town, never lived a day on campus, I showed up when I wanted and I left when I wanted, rode the whole thing on a scholarship that they quit offering after I got it.” He was proud of the fact that he gamed the system in a way and feeling like he'd given the finger to the college-life establishment was very satisfying to him. Since she seemed somewhat interested in what he had to say, so he decided to run with it bit though talking about himself for extended times made him feel uncomfortable. “I've got a small business trip coming up and I'm going to be out of the country for a week or so,” He said. “So I won't be able to look at your car for a little bit.”

She raised an eyebrow at Joel. “Seriously? What’d you do pull a Van Wilder to get their panties in a wad? You’re going out of the country? Where to?” Siobhan was genuinely interested, which in and of itself was rare but to be interested in a guy? That was front page news worthy. Why is he so interesting? It's like he has different lights that highlight something different each time he talks. I just really want to sit and listen occasionally interjecting a comment here and there.

She’d made a few sales in different countries that she hadn’t visited yet. She rubbed are arms and legs for warmth and waited to see if he would answer.

Joel chuckled a bit at her comment. College had been a breeze for him and he’d only scantly applied himself to be successful. “Yeah, nah.” He grinned and considered his next words, not that he was afraid of telling or concerned who might find out, but because he'd been so disciplined in keeping it under wraps. He had to admit, however, that some part of him did enjoy a good piece of gossip. “I'm actually going to Tokyo,” He said, a smirk growing on his face that he was unable to restrain. “If I tell you a little secret, think you can keep it to yourself?”

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

Well guys/gals, we are coming up on the end of Chapter One for Sol City and it has been a classic. Some have asked, When are we doing Chapter Two? How long will it be 'til that starts? What about that Delta City game?

@PrinceAlexus and I have talked about these subjects for a while (a long while actually) and we have our own ideas on how to proceed, but we want to hear your opinions first. Do you want to do Delta next or Sol Chapter Two? Also, since we're nearing the end, we want to know what you liked most about the game and also what you didn't like/needs improvement. Don't worry you won't hurt our feelings and we do truly want to know before we head into the next game.

Pretty soon you're going to see an announcement about the end of the current IC day, which has been going on for quite some time since there has been so much going on and the Epilogue for Chapter One. Stay tuned for that.

So go ahead and let us know what you think here in the OOC and ask questions. Official announcements are in the works and as always, we are thankful for everyone that has stuck with us and made this game so fun for the last several months.

-P

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

Paige Kennedy

Paige looked from the window as the streets went past. She had spoken little since they left the lobby of the high-rise and though she still had Milo’s coat over her shoulders, she only briefly glanced in his direction. Coming down from the high of the night was colliding with a mixture of emotions and fatigue that she could see in her reflection from the dim backseat. The foremost of which was guilt. Who are you even, Paige? A voice continued to question. She thought about Ana, still in Delta and she felt lower than dirt. She still hadn’t told her about Milo and now she felt in her heart like she was driving closer to a cliff and had just hung two tires over the edge before jerking the wheel back. The thoughts were quickly sobering and when her building came up in sight, she was relieved. Maybe going back to work tomorrow was the best thing.

When the car pulled up, she knew she would have to acknowledge him again and she did her best to gather some resolve to face him. “Thanks for the dinner and the drinks.” She said and squeezed his wrist above the sleeve a couple times, not wanting to touch his hand. The gesture was simple enough, though she still felt like it was another betrayal. Her eyes looked at his again only momentarily as their gaze collided once more and she got out of the car leaving his jacket behind. A cutting gust of wind whipped through the air and bit against her exposed skin as she walked away. Gritting her teeth, she hung on to her purse and crossed her arms in a paltry defense against cold that nearly took her breath away. When she made it into the lobby, she stopped and rubbed her exposed arms attempting to regain some warmth and was thankful that no one had seen her.

Stepping around a maintenance sign for one of the elevators she slapped the button on the next one open and waited, still shivering. She took her phone out and read Sio’s text. At least she looked like she was having a good time, but her question about Milo’s whereabouts hit her with another pang of guilt. You lack integrity, Paige… the same voice from before barked as soon as she read the words. Sighing in exasperation, she thought about inviting Sio over as the doors opened, again thankfully empty, but the thought of her warm bed began to overrule everything else. Just got back in, you can tell me about it tomorrow, kinda tired. She texted back.

Now knowing exactly where the switch was, she turned on the light and kicked her shoes off as soon as the door was closed behind her. Until home do we part. She said to herself rubbing her feet. A small bar bordered her kitchen area and she removed her gun from her purse before hanging the bag over one of the high chairs. As was her custom since getting “settled”, she checked the false bottom of a small display table where she kept her actual service weapon and then tossed her keys into the visible drawer remembering she’d have to uber back to the parking garage where she’d left it in the morning. Might be a good time to catch up with Sio, she thought.

She thought she would again be asleep as soon as she hit the bed. Going to bed twice in the same day never felt quite normal, but she’d grown accustomed to taking sleep when she could get it. However tired her body may have been though, her mind kept racing. Thoughts of Ana, Milo, home and her job all blinked to the forefront and flashed away as she laid there awake. She tossed and turned for what felt like hours, still asking herself the same question: Who are you, Paige?

@RoccanIronclad

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

Paige Kennedy

Paige was finding a good rhythm in her footing as they walked and though her head was still swimming the cool of the night was helping her get her bearings back. She looked calmly at the lights of the city, the cars passing by, signs, people, sounds- all of it. Being observant was part of her job and she couldn’t help but look at the details in everything. Seeing others walking together, couples walking, while still holding on to his arm was making her feel in part like a passenger in her own body. She knew what it looked like, but for the moment she was okay with it. It was nothing that hadn’t happened before. He was only her steady, drunken guide to Sol City… right? She shook her head only so slightly at the thought, not even enough for him to notice.

The sounds of the street didn’t permit for a lot of conversation and neither said much along the way. The walk itself felt good enough for the moment, though as they continued her thoughts kept swirling, gaining traction against her alcohol intake when the wind gusted and her steps carried her with him. She missed home terribly and he was the only link back to that place, that time. Her grip tightened slightly at the thought. He was right, she would get through it, but the nuance of it, she knew, felt incomplete. She looked down at the sidewalk momentarily knowing there was something else missing and she wasn’t just homesick. Her hold on his arm remained in spite of herself and still being aware of her inebriated condition, she knew she could store the thoughts away and just blame it on the alcohol later. No problem.

As they entered the lobby of the high-rise she could see a few casual glances come their way as people came and went. The warmth and modern décor of the building were entirely welcome to her and she had to give him credit for walking all that way without his jacket and not so much as even a shiver. She wriggled out of it and folded it over, handing it back to him before turning to look at herself in a nearby mirror as he spoke about the place. Her braid still looked decent, but strands of her hair had fallen away around her face in their usual, slightly disheveled fashion and she tried in vain to corral them with the others. Still unsatisfied, she glanced back from the mirror and noticed his collar also slightly off kilter from the walk. As she turned and started to fix it for him an older couple walked by and the lady of the pair smiled warmly at her.

Paige looked at the woman blankly as her fingers suddenly stopped around his collar. She looked back at him, her olive eyes meeting his as her hands fell away slowly and she turned her glance away from him. “Maybe I just needed a walk…” She said quietly, “I probably should be getting back… it’s been a long day.”

@RoccanIronclad

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

Joel Nicolosi

The doors closed infront of him as Joel leaned against the back of the elevator alone. As soon as they were firmly closed and he was moving, he let out a sigh of exhaustion and relaxed against the railing a bit. He'd seen the painful look on Marlin's face and would be lying to himself if he said he didn't feel some remorse for her. He wasn't a monster and genuinely didn't want to really wound anyone, but the hard realist in him kept reminding him that none of it would have turned out like it did had he just sat there at the bar and laughed it off with the rest of them. He was gracious to Maria for her congratulations and wasn't going to leave the party; just needed some space to calm down for a while. Thankfully, Sio had been sensitive enough to allow for his escape, though he could hear them continuing to bicker as the doors closed and he ascended. He wasn't sure what she was after and maybe she did have some ailing old junk Corvette, but whatever it was outside of that didn't involve him and that was good enough.

The second floor balcony level was mostly sparse save for some kitchen work being staged next to the elevator. A line of covered dishes were sitting ready. The cooking staff paid him no mind as they busily hustled the hot carts into the awaiting open doors. Briefly taking in the pleasant aroma, Joel walked along the inside of the wall for a bit to stay out of sight of anyone below finding a quiet table at a small cafe area that appeared to be closed. He pulled out his phone and his eyes widened slightly when he checked his now completely full inbox. There were numerous more requests for interviews, sponsorships and appearances locally and even nationally. Shaking his head in semi-disbelief, he scrolled further finding a video-game company that wanted a closer look at the car to add into a future console project. The prospect seemed interesting enough and he saved the email as he looked further.

A restlessness continued to bite at him as he sat at the small table scrolling along until he found a particular email in Japanese that he also quickly saved as he looked around over his shoulders. He still couldn't shake the feeling that someone or more were watching him and he walked over to a nearby maintenance stairway and let the door firmly close behind him before he listened carefully that no one was around and started up the steps. To no surprise there was a sternly worded warning sign hanging on a chain as he neared the top, but he was high enough that he could hear the sound of the outside traffic and calmly stepped over the blockade. Two, more flights and he was at the top. He opened the door and took a full breath of the fresh night air before he took a business card from his wallet and carefully wedged it between the plate and the striker to keep the door from locking behind him.

@PrinceAlexus@Almalthia