Pilatus

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

@GarlandDaHero

Good to go. You can move her over to the CS tab.

I'll update the balance afterwards.

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Joel Nicolosi

Joel plowed along northbound up the 923 Loop passing tractor-trailers crawling along the roadside with their hazards flashing and a plethora of other vehicles making parking spots out of the snow drifts the plows had built up along the sides of the highway. The Jeep’s faithful heater roared happily on its highest setting and it was cozy inside even as the cold wind beat against the soft-top. A couple of gusts hit the denim fabric like a sail, shaking the lightweight body, but they soldiered on, man and machine against the elements. Joel grinned a little. He hated snow, but driving in it was good fun and he had left it in two-wheel drive since leaving the shop just for the challenge. The big tires aggressive tread bit in hard and he hardly felt the frame drift at all over patches of compacted ice. The CB radio crackled as a truck driver a few miles ahead confirmed the ramp to University Boulevard was still open.

The weather was worsening significantly as he made his way to the intersection outside the University parking lot, nearly at a total white-out. Flashing yellow traffic signals were being ignored and traffic in general was becoming a free-for-all of red brake lights, confusion and blankets of snowfall. Deciding to relent on his fun challenge rather than deal with the madness, Joel reluctantly reached down for the four-wheel drive shifter and dropped the front differential into action turning off the street and making his own path over the snow embankment then up the small knoll that separated the main university parking from the street. Since he knew there would be little chance of anyone attempting to stop him, he made a fairly direct path over the campus, crossing over sidewalks, turning the wrong way up one-way avenues and generally making a mess of the landscaping underneath the snow.

Having enjoyed his bit of trailblazing, he pulled up on the curb outside the library and sent Sio a text as he mused briefly about the years passed when he last darkened the door of Solaris Universatas. What an idiotic name. He thought as he typed away on his phone. Staffed by total idiots, it fits.

I’m sittin outside, bring yo ass
No free rides

#4x4play
@Almalthia

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Been rereading some posts to tonight looking at where all the groups are currently.

Expect a bit of a mini-update tomorrow on where we're going with this skip and plans for the next one.

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Joel Nicolosi

Eyes blinked open. Groggy, Joel for a moment stared straight up at the tile, drop-ceiling of his upstairs “living room”. Somewhere during the night his curiosity had pulled him from his bed to the couch where he wanted to get a look at just what level of panic was setting in on the local newscast. The TV displayed quietly where he’d left it with some mid-morning national talk show that danced shadows all over the room and a news ticker ran across the bottom of the screen with alerts about power outages and other chaos across the city that he squinted at briefly with some amusement. Joel’s upstairs could be near pitch-black any time of day which was how he liked it and made it easy to fall back asleep. The kerosene heater roared downstairs in the shop, but that wasn’t what woke him. The vibrating hum of a call sent his phone crawling across the table and he swatted at it to make it stop, grumbling to himself as did so. He wasn’t expecting any calls with the weather.

Sure enough, there was an unread message from Sio to go along with an incoming call from the University. He stared blankly for a bit as his drowsy mind considered who in the hell would be calling him. This better be good… He thought to himself contemplating just letting it ring out, but then remembering Sio saying something about going over there for some reason… He hadn’t really been paying that much attention. She was probably pissed about the message he sent about her car, which would in turn be hysterical. He shifted a little back under the warm blanket that he tossed over the couch as he grabbed the phone. WIth the kerosene heater running, he had the heat-pump turned down significantly to save on the power bill. Even with all his winnings from the race and other promotions, he still couldn’t bring himself not to be frugal. He yawned and stretched a bit as the call continued to vibrate in his hand, knowing it would soon cut to voicemail.

Swiping his thumb over the screen he switched it over to speaker phone. “Joe’s bar and grill.” He answered.

@Almalthia

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

A PHONE CALL...

Upstairs in Leo’s office the hardline phone rings all to itself as Leo, Marcus and the other staff of Club Aether tend to keeping the Club running and taking care of those seeking shelter from the storm. The call is from a local number, only just across the river in Central Point, the Caller ID display reads: ES Holdings, Inc.. As the call rings out, a chipper female voice comes on the voicemail speaker seemingly unphased by the weather outside:

Hi, this is Carla calling from the offices of Elvin Santos in Central Point. Mr. Sullivan, we hope you and your staff find yourselves getting along safely through the storm. Once the weather settles, Mr. Santos would like to arrange a meeting to discuss your future plans for the Club Aether property as well as helping you to nullify some of the recent bad press in the local media.

The fax machine sprung to life as she spoke.

I’ve sent over a proposal prepared by Mr. Santos personally for your review before the first meeting. He hopes that you will find it worthwhile and that we are all very excited about the prospect of working with you. Thank you very much and have a good day.

The fax machine finished off a several page transmission a few moments after the phone call ended. In it Leo will find a cover letter with contact information, a few pages of legal text and an offer for the club at 25% over its current market value.

Mentions for active Club Aether staff:
@MissCapnCrunch@CaptainSully@Zaxter996

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Paige Kennedy

Paige smirked a little at Dustynn’s comments about the car and that she was from the Southside of Sol City. “I'm actually from Florida, this is the first time I ever drove in snow.” She replied. It wasn't her intention to scare the hell out of Dustynn, she knew they would be fine, but she couldn't resist the way it sounded particularly with her characteristic, very not Sol City accent and as the defrost and heat roared, she spotted Milo’s truck coming down the street, throwing snow out from the giant tires while bright headlights pierced the air thick with snowfall. She shook her head and couldn't help it as her little smirk grew into a little grin. “Look at this redneck...” She said slyly nodding ahead towards him. Her tone made it obvious she knew the driver.

It was about that time the front-end of the truck seemed to veer slightly towards the snow banks already heaped up by the city's plow-trucks and further towards, a person. “Oh, shit.” Paige's lips slightly mouthed the words, but no sound escaped. She watched as the truck slid further. Thankfully, Milo caught the skid and corrected, though the result had him very ungracefully spun around in the middle of the street. Paige let out a small sigh seeing him jump out to help the person and put the Suburban in gear shaking her head before they drove up to the scene. Knowing Dustynn had also seen the whole thing, she felt obliged to explain….something before the poor girl thought they were all completely unhinged. “That’s my…” She thought about the word briefly before she spoke and how juvenile it sounded, but also, in a flash of less than a second behind her eyes, the name behind it. It was a phrase she’d never uttered her entire life and the first person to hear it would be an almost complete stranger: “...boyfriend, Milo. He’s going to help us get out of here, I think.” If he doesn’t kill anyone first. Instantly remembering, that around a month ago they were ready to kill each other.

The snow crunched beneath the tires as Paige pulled up behind Milo and the other woman letting the window down. It was somewhat strange being stopped in the middle of what was usually a very busy street, but there was a fortunate break in the sparse, though panicked traffic. “Nice drivin’ Dale Jr.” She said sarcastically looking at Milo with an eyebrow cocked and knowing how much he liked his silly Nascar racing. She glanced at the blue-haired girl, which was slightly unexpected. “Are you okay?” She asked.

@RoccanIronclad

#betterlatethanpregnant - Now Fully Assembled!

@MissCapnCrunch@Rodiak

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Paige Kennedy

“I don’t think it’s gonna cut it any day.” Paige said flatly glancing back out at her soulless government issued transportation being more and more steadily buried in snow. “I liked my 4Runner better.” She knew Milo would remember the one and only car she ever really owned. Her dad bought it used as her first car when she was in high school from a local dealership in Delta City. It survived two years of high-school, then UF, and multiple trips all over south Florida before she got on with Florida State Police and had a cruiser of her own. Beaten, bruised, with faded-silver paint and numerous decals from her and Ana’s various escapades scattered all over the back glass, the odometer had to be somewhere north of 300k, but it soldiered on, unkillable. “Did you know my dad still has it? He still drives it.” If he knew half the things we did with that car he’d probably disown me. She thought with a brief smirk.

As she spoke, she noticed a young girl leave from the front entrance and then promptly come back in after getting a good dose of the weather. “Yeah, daddy doesn’t know about a lot of the stuff she sends me.” Which so far included the expensive winter jacket she was wearing, a nice purse to fit her gun when she went out, some hollow-point bullets, a few other things and presently, a very large bottle of high-proof Jamaican rum. Paige’s mother made good money as a judge, while her father made very little as a preacher. As Milo was also well aware, they did not see eye-to-eye on everything and Paige was essentially just like her mother, only a step further. She thought about the logistics of what she said and knew she probably sounded very blonde to Milo, but she’d never been in a snowstorm before. “I guess I should follow you?” She said thinking about his silly, jacked-up pickup making a track for her to go behind. “I don’t know I’ll see you when you get here.”

When the weather died down and Milo went home, she didn’t didn’t want to be without transportation, nor did leaving the property of the Marshal Service in the Sol City Clerk of the Court’s parking space sound like a particularly good idea. As she thought about it, the young girl that came back inside, partially covered in snow, which attracted the attention of several officers as the swing of the door again let the heat out. Paige shook her head slightly at the girl's comment as she hung up with Milo. She at least seemed to be dressed for the occasion while Paige still only had on her regular jeans and sneakers. Before she could say anything an officer came up and sternly asked what they were doing there and that they needed everyone to leave as soon as possible, only on-duty personnel were being allowed to stay.

Unimpressed, Paige lifted her jacket open showing her star and gun and that she didn't have to follow any of their orders.

“Okay, she with you then?” The officer quickly spat back and motioned towards Dustynn. He had a lot to do and wasn't in the mood for a showdown with someone he couldn't control.

“Yeah, she's with me.” Paige shot back instantly and glanced over at Dustynn. His tone was enough to prick her nerves and there was enough going on that she wasn't going to put up with a grown man being a bitch. She hoped the girl would have sense enough to play along. SCPD would not be in the mode for providing transportation and the girl looked like she didn’t have a lot of money. Ditching her would have just sentenced her to the same bench or cot that she was also in the process of avoiding.

As the officer walked away somewhat defeated, Paige looked back at Dustynn with some satisfaction that she had put him in his place. “Don't worry about him, he's just being a dick.” She said cutting her eyes again to make sure he was indeed on his merry-way. “I'm Paige… And I'm not a cop.” She said offering a handshake. “We’ll get you outta here.” Inside her jacket pocket she thumbed the key fob for the automatic start while outside the Suburban’s lights came on as the engine started. The wipers tossed away a healthy layer of snowfall.

She was looking forward to spending some time with Milo, just the two of them for a while after they helped out Dustynn. She knew Milo wouldn't mind. They certainly had bigger adventures in the past. Some day-drinking sounded like a plan for sure and reminded her some of the date they had before she was put in the hospital. Other than Thirsty-Thursday with Sio, it was the last time she'd really indulged.

@RoccanIronclad@MissCapnCrunch

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

@LunarMist

discord.gg/k6nBCq

Here's a link to our discord channel where you can join us in our silly discussions. Link is good for 24 hours or we'll just have to generate another one.

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

@LunarMist

Yes, indeed. Just move her over to the character tab.

SOL CITY - Modern Slice of Life - Chapter 2 - Completed & archived. 2/2

Paige Kennedy

Paige made steady strides down the hallway and her mind was racing nearly as fast as her feet were carrying her. The whole SCPD office was buzzing with phones ringing and boisterous conversations. She knew the regular beat cops were getting ready to have one hell of a few days. She’d overheard a conversation about not having enough snow-chains for all the cruisers on duty and an ambulance stuck somewhere on the Westside. They were calling in everyone. Catching a glimpse of the outside from a passing window she knew she was already in deep shit. Driving in, the roads weren’t necessarily bad per se, though definitely not good either. She knew it would be worse when she left, but the view outside was almost bleach white and coming down in blankets nearly filling the tracks in the parking lot. Fuck. Sure, she’d passed all the aggressive driving courses and recertified every year, however there wasn’t really any way to simulate a snowstorm at the Marshal Headquarters in south Georgia.

Walking a little further she looked at her phone as the reception came back when she got closer to the front lobby near the visitation area. She was sure Milo was wondering why she hadn’t called and felt her back pocket vibrate with a text. Now she was wondering if that redneck truck of his would be able to make it to pick her up or if she would have to just go for it. With the new information she extracted from CT, the thought of spending the night in City Hall on a bench or cot was even less appealing. If they were going to be stuck inside, they could at least start plotting out what they were going to do. However, the thought that followed stopped her in her tracks as she held the phone in front of her and started to call Milo off the link in his message. Ever since she’d been back on her feet and the Giancana case was in full swing, it seemed like their relationship, if that was what it could be called, had taken a back seat. They’d been out a few times and it was fun. She was loosening up, even getting past her own reservations about Ana and with Sio’s help, living a little again.

So badly, she wanted to be the one that took down that brood of Detroit thugs and she was closer than ever. Many had tried before her. It would be the stuff of Marshal legend if she could pull it off. Her heart beat little harder though, torn between telling him what she’d found out or admitting that she just missed him. As officers and city-staff passed by her busily, she stared at the screen for a moment before she hit the call button, putting the phone to her ear and glancing around as the line rang.

“Hey,” She said as he picked up. The image of him sitting there smoking a cigar was the first thing that came to mind and she smirked a little thinking about the metallic scent of his workshop. “Sorry, I just got out…” She hesitated briefly, something she knew he would pick up on immediately. “...I’ve got some stuff to tell you.” She continued having to talk louder over the noise. “I think I’m gonna try and make it back to the house. Do you think you could come up and follow me?” She stood up on her toes and glanced outside looking for where her big Suburban was waiting. She’d stolen the parking spot for the Clerk of the Court up front and there was a hefty layer of snow over the windshield. “Maybe we can open that bottle of Wray that my mom sent up since it looks like we’ll have some time to kill.” She thought about Xia for a moment. Unfortunately, her new Caribbean friend would miss that bottle if they got started on it.

@RoccanIronclad@MissCapnCrunch