Pilatus

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Joel Nicolosi

After winning the Sol City Grand Prix a lot of things tended to come by much easier. For Sol City, the closest people they had to celebrities were Tommy and his NFL fame with the Angels, then there was useless Ethan and the Sirens, but Joel was the most recent and though the fanfare of his initial victory had died down, his involvement with Rebellion had kept the fire stoked with interest. The relative obscurity of auto racing was enough to usually make the notoriety bearable, but he knew he was still Sol City’s flavor of the month in many ways. The mayor had essentially given him and Tommy the key to the city and specifically with that, Joel wanted master access to Old Sol Airport for his imports. After some paperwork with City Hall, a substantial background check and the approval of the Federal authorities at the behest of their State Senator, he could come and go on the property as he pleased. No more checking in at the front desk. He merely swiped his magnetic badge over the reader and the gates to the tarmac and hangars opened in front of the GTR.

There was something about the airport that just felt colder than anywhere else. Maybe the absence of trees to break up the slightest breeze or the expanse of lifeless, jointed concrete and steel-framed structures- It was damn cold in the open and it bit through his long sleeve black t-shirt. He didn’t wear anything Rebellion related on the off chance someone was taking photos of him conducting business outside of the team’s per view. His shirt only sported the classic Prodrive logo with jeans and sneakers. He was easing down the travel lane when he turned the corner and could see the unmistakable red, white and blue livery of a British Airways Cargo 747 down the flightline in front of the Daedalus hangar. There was still some activity buzzing around the enormous aircraft as the freight elevator was pulled away and the nose cone began to close. He glanced briefly at his watch. He was right on time.

The growling hum of the GTR rippled across the hangars as he approached, most of which were closed off from the cold as he passed by a bright yellow DHL 757 and a FedEx MD-10 in various stages of turn-around while he made his way down the line. The main Daedalus hangar was open. He coasted into the bright interior and it was nearly like transitioning from night to day. The bright white lights hummed off the subdued black exterior of the GTR. Inside, what looked like a Daedalus branded C-130 was in mid-check with one of the starboard engines on a dolley while two passenger service helicopters were being inspected on other side of the floor. Even with the three aircraft, there was still ample room for another C-130 inside the hangar, but in center of the floor was a single covered skid along with a black SUV making the scene very familiar. He patted the steering wheel before shutting the engine down. “Don’t you get jealous now.” He said as if he were talking to a pet.

The floor of the hangar was spotless and freshly cleaned as he stepped out; something he could appreciate greatly. His sneaker made a slight squeak as he closed the door and walked over while the hangar closed behind him.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Paige Kennedy & Milo Ventri

Milo’s sense of style was unmistakable. He considered it one of his trademarks. Without his coat, he steadily examined the aisles of flowers and floral arrangements discerningly with his sleeves rolled up crisply, stepping by a couple glancing over the surprisingly impressive selection of the Golden Flower.

The atmosphere was much like the newspaper article had described it: almost like a rainforest, but a well-organized rainforest of meticulous presentation. Flowers and vines hung and were assembled in a way that looked natural and also marketable, flowing seamlessly from one area of the store to the next in a display that almost promoted a sense of escapism. Someone in the staff clearly had a talent for aesthetics. He could appreciate attention to detail and supporting small businesses was something he enjoyed, though judging by the level of activity, both inside and out, they didn’t seem to be wanting for customers, particularly with the events of the evening being in full swing.

The cliched notion of flowers might have been a little juvenile for Paige, but he knew she wouldn’t turn her nose away at anything that was free. What she wanted to know, more than anything, was that he was thinking about her. Much like the small blade he’d given her some weeks ago. She presented a very tough exterior, but her ego could also be quite fragile. She never struggled with being decisive or outspoken, however he had never seen her so visibly torn with what was uncovered beneath the sports stadium.

He wasn’t completely sure how to take it, nor had he been very vocal when she finally told him, just listened. When he moved to Sol City, he’d put the past away to start a new life for himself, only to have it literally thrown back in his face with Paige’s transfer. Granted, if it hadn’t been for her, he would have undoubtedly wound up in a much deeper mess than where he had stupidly placed himself, or worse. Still, never did he think he’d be in the midst of fighting a major criminal enterprise alongside a woman that once loathed his very existence, much less being in a relationship with that same woman. He smirked only slightly to himself at the thought as he continued to browse. Life could be real funny sometimes. The crux of the matter remained though. He thought about his life, what he really wanted and about the opportunities that would never come again. Ultimately, very soon, they would both have to choose and he would have to be the first.

He bent down slightly to study a tropical bouquet that he thought she would like; enjoying the combination of fragrances while noticing a similar bloom across the store on display under glass clearly marked as sold.

@Pyxis

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Joel Nicolosi

Social convention was never his forte. Something about it, maybe just his natural sense of spite turned him off it completely. If it was tacitly expected, he usually rejected it. Sol Mates Thursday was no exception. The lights of downtown were the same as always in the fresh darkness of night from his regular spot at the Lighthouse. The glowing ambiance of downtown and the lights of the Matthews Bridge in the distance folded over the sharp lines of his GTR like a stealth fighter. The same barge pulled steel coils up the river, just as it did every weeknight and he watched the water ripple off the bow before glancing back over to the traffic flowing unhindered across the bridge and the steady rhythm of tires over the concrete joints. It was dark, though still early in the evening. He preferred the night, but the days were beginning to get longer. The cool of the night bit against his long sleeve t-shirt and he took a sip from his coffee cup.

In some ways he missed it and in other ways he was ready to do something else, maybe even go somewhere else. A few years ago it was enough to prowl the 923 Loop from night to night looking for sport. A flash of lights and a few minutes over 200mph made him feel as alive as he could humanly comprehend. Riding the GTR, he easily owned the expressways and it reminded him of those times in some ways, but now he was paid to drive fast and it wasn’t the same. In a few days they would be off to the Vineyard Rally and he would again be behind the wheel. The more he thought about it, the more nebulous it became. His thoughts shifted to Sio and he wondered how long she would put up with it and how none before her had managed to last. He knew if he were any kind of “good man” he would be taking her out for the night, but inside he knew that she couldn’t compete and that he wasn’t “good”.

The heat of the coffee in his hand had numbed his grip somewhat and he took another long sip seeing the steam rise in front of his vision. He glanced at his watch. A few more minutes and he’d be off to the airport. Another car and another challenge a few months down the road. He knew the Germans wouldn’t be crazy about his racing for another British sponsor, but the Isle of Man was still obscure enough that taking a crack at the production car record on his own time didn’t violate his contract laws with Rebellion or Porsche. If they had wanted to put up a car, he would have drove for them just the same, but Maxamillion Olympus wanted the record for a British car and Joel wanted the record for himself. The course was stringent enough on a motorcycle and only a few successful runs had been completed in cars. He’d have to get it right after only a short amount of practice on the actual stage and therein was the excitement: He would only have a precious, short opportunity to put it on the edge, the only place where he really felt like he was living, where decisions made in fractions of time or the unthought flex of instinct would carry him through or potentially kill him. It was his true self.

The thought of it was exhilarating though the blazing line of a narrow, winding, English island road played behind his eyes, his outside demeanor remained stoic as usual. He glanced back towards the Lighthouse to see a few couples enjoying the evening and just couldn't understand how people were satisfied with such dull lives. Tossing his empty cup into a waste bin he checked the traffic on his phone before heading out to Old Sol International.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

THIRSTY THURSDAY EVENING

CITY WIDE DUAL EVENT WITH

SOL CITY SOL MATES

- SEASONAL - CLEAR & COOL -

Love is in the air! Find your Sol Mate and don't let go!

Special day with a special person or sourcing a special person? Sol Mates is the event for you!

Life can be pretty lonely in the city, why not find someone to share your adventures in Sol with, be they your partner in crime, angel or devil on your shoulder. Who knows where it will lead if you don't try and take a leap!

As an added bonus, the City's much-loved, regular, weekly party, Thirsty Thursday, falls on the same night this year as our Sol Mates celebration. Enjoy cheap drinks and food all across the city. Regular hot spots include THE PIT nightclub and LIGHT LANE.

So let your hair down and let the good times roll and expect to call out on Friday.

Please be clear with time and locations to avoid time conflicts with other players

As always. Any questions or help required feel free to contact us in thread, PM or Discord. You could send a post owl, raven or the pony express but it might take a a little longer.

---

S T A R M E S S E N G E R

SOL source of News since 1895

Latest News

LIFESTYLE

Local Flower Shop Blooms

Have you been downtown recently? Spring is on the way and one local business has caught our eye over the past week. Yes, I’m talking about the Golden Flower in Central point. As I watch our city begin to come out of its Winter shell at the first glimpses of Spring, it’s hard to miss this quaint flower boutique.

As a frequent observer of Sol trends, I have been following this tiny shop since I first noticed the signage change on a stroll downtown a few weeks ago. As competitive as the floral market can be, with the emergence of online retailers and the ever growing cost of downtown real estate, I have to say I crossed my fingers that this one would succeed and I’m so glad to report that this Sol small business is booming, particularly in the last week.

An indulgence of the inside will net you numerous exotic fauna from around the world making the shop feel more like an experience rather than just a storefront. The owner, a kind immigrant to Sol City from the midwest, Alejandro, often attends to the inventory personally and along with his two associates are always kind and happy help even if I’m only there for idle chit-chat. The meticulous attention to detail in the arrangements is something I have never appreciated so much and to only call this a “flower shop” seems pedestrian.

Alejandro and his team have certainly found a niche here in Sol and I for one applaud them for it. Sol City needs more people like them and the small success stories they can bring our city more than it needs another nebulous corporate sports stadium. I’m recommending the Golden Flower, particularly with Sol Mates coming up, and I hope our readers can find their way downtown to support this local business.

_{Karley Smith
Editor-Lifestyle and Social Media
Star Messenger}

OPINION

Organized Crime Reorganized

When you have covered the streets of Sol City for as long as I have, you start to see patterns over time rather than people and events. I look back at the 70’s and can remember the first surges of drug imports from Mexico and California, the hardcore influx of migrants and contraband from South America in the 80’s and the biker gangs of the 90’s, the tech bubble of the early 2000’s that brought our first wave of “cyber crime” and the accompanying responses from City Hall that have ran the gammit of heavy-handed conservatism to near, nonchalant cultivation from the other side of the fence.

As the city deliberates on the introduction of a second, major sports team, I can see the groundwork for more organized crime taking place in our city. Some might say, I’m completely off base, but as the adage goes: Strength invites challenge. Our mayor, bless his soul, put our city at the behest of the Feds when he sought to crack down on the rampant street crime present on our streets and while none can dispute that the approach, in the short term, has been remarkably effective (and should be for the financial cost incurred by the city), I would argue that he has merely attracted a more deviant form of criminal.

Say what you want about the death of Elvin Santos, and it is certainly not my place to promote conspiracy theories in this newspaper, but I think we must all acknowledge that the untimely death of one Sol City’s self-made men in real estate was indeed extremely timely for criminal elements within the city, whether it was intentional or not. Elvin meant well for Sol City and those poised to fill the gap in his passing, I contend, do not. Major sections of The Run have been sold off since his passing along with the former property at Club Aether, all of which will be essential negotiating a future site for a second sports stadium.

Look at the streets of Sol and you will no longer find common street thugs, half-baked drug dealers and the like. Our city has merely attracted a higher class of criminal. The Visigoths biker gang has been replaced by suit and tie Yakuza and the Dellesantos gang has been absorbed into a still faceless racket from the midwest that is yet to be revealed, but all on the street can feel it.

City Hall and our Federal occupiers need to wake up and see the bigger picture, before the writing is on the walls, literally. The walls of a brand new stadium owned by organized crime.

_{William Queen
SCPD - VICE (ret.)}

LEGAL

Legal Eagles Nest

Conan Barbarius launches law suit Vs Thulsa Doom over the true meaning of the riddle of steel. Ancestral conflict turns into modern day legal battle.

In a modern day twist to the two clans rivalry dating back longer than anyone has recorded, Conan Barbarius challenged Thulsa Doom for the true answer to riddle of Steel in the courts. Having previous attempts included a proposed trial by combat, the new legal drama is a welcome relief especially when Conan came prepared with the Atlantian great sword of his ancestors and Thulsa with the age old curved sabre of sept both wielded by there ancestors.

Though it seems a small matter the two clans have contested the Riddle for centuries and centuries, Conan Barbarius lawyer Valeria was confident of victory having won several difficult cases including "Destroyer Vs Destructo. Right to claim dark lord status" and other rather obscure legal disputes. "I'm Certain we will win this case, evidence is backing us and we have numerous ancient texts to support us. Mr Thulsa Doom knows but is making frivolous allegations"

Well this certainly a unique case in my opinion despite having joined the JAG Corps after injury I have never seen a case quite like this one. We are going to follow this one and hope Thulsa Doom or his representative are open to comment on what they can and give us a update. Thusla Doom is represented by Anubis Law and Litigation.

_{Cmdr. Chip Hazzed (USN-JAG ret.)
Star messenger}

WEATHER
Seasonal weather tonight for Sol and surrounding areas, clear and cool, a perfect evening for your Sol Mates celebration wherever it may take you.

For a more detailed and up to date report on the go, download our app, SOL CITY WEATHER 24/7 on most popular app stores.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

24 Hour Time Skip Warning

Short jump to THURSDAY . Thirsty Thursday + Sol Mates Special Event

Consider what your characters have been doing throughout the week following our last big event.
Any questions please let us know.

As always, if you feel that you are not ready to skip. PLEASE speak up!

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Next skip is looking like we're headed to Thursday (IC). Since there's still a few interactions going on, we'll probably let this one run through the weekend before we post an official announcement.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Paige Kennedy & Milo Ventri

Dazed and exhausted, the images of her dream splintered and faded away as vividly as she had just seen them leaving only a feeling instead of a memory.

She hadn’t slept much and when sleep finally did come it was more of the body’s final surrender to an absolute need. Hours passed in silence as she stared at the ceiling or looked at her phone, anything just to take her mind off of what she and Tao uncovered at Luna Sports Facility. It was an impossible task. She knew it and she knew what was going to be the right thing to do, the thing that would make everything fall into place the way it should. In her years in law enforcement, she’d seen the same thing play out. People got greedy and stupid. Good people. She had laughed in amusement at the stories. All the old-timers said the same thing: Greed would get you killed quicker than a bullet. Still her mind wandered through the possibilities.

Wiping hair and sweat away from her eyes, she looked straight ahead at the end of the bed, feeling the weight of a tired, sunken scowl on her face. When she returned from LSF, she hadn’t said much to Milo and she knew she hadn’t been exactly pleasant either. Pulling herself up on her elbows and propping her upper body slothfully against the headboard, she felt like she had only picked up where her mind had left off, like television left on white noise. She sighed, hearing the sound of him tinkering in the shop. The sound of metalwork traveled easily through the converted living space. She hadn’t told him and if she wanted to be honest with herself, she knew the reason was because she was afraid.

Her stomach groaned suddenly with a pang of hunger and with some dogged energy she grudgingly tossed the heavy blankets aside and made her way to the kitchen. Nothing that he had was safe from her grasp and she rummaged through the pantry and cabinets without a second thought. Setting the toaster up and ramming down two slices of bread, she turned and leaned against the counter, looking over the living room outside at the rain covering the street and waterfront. She wiped a hand over her face. Another fucking shitty day in this shithole city. The thought that followed blasted through her groggy mind quicker than she had time to stop it, the same pattern that repeated all night: You now have the power to do something about it.

@Almalthia

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Joel Nicolosi

Joel very groggily rotated his feet to the floor rubbing one hand slowly over his face feeling the stubble of a day under his fingers. He glanced around, somewhat adjusted for the darkness, looking for his phone and that maybe it was on the nightstand, but no luck. His hand searched around nearly knocking over a lamp when he felt Siobhan shuffling beneath the covers. Her fingers eased up his arm as she crept over behind him and kissed his shoulder. She mentioned something about coffee and a shower to which he gave a slight chuckle. “I don’t think you ‘start the coffee’ here,” He said, having found his phone with his foot, tossed aside along with some of his other clothes from the night before. Her breath was warm against his shoulder as he glanced back in the dim light. He could just make out the grin on her face.

A light knock sounded at the door.

“You can go ahead and start that shower though,” He said, close enough to kiss her cheek, but pulling away to go to the door. His eyes had adjusted enough that he could see a path through the furniture. He yawned and scratched at his midsection, pulling his shorts up slightly before tripping over something unseen as he approached the door. He flipped the latch aside and turned the knob slowly to get a peek out into the hallway. A rather dapper looking server glanced back at him from the other side with a cart of covered dishes and a pressed pot of coffee that Joel could instantly smell. He didn’t remember ordering any room service, but he certainly wasn’t about to turn it away.

“Good morning, Mr. Nicolosi,” The young man said with a crisp sense of professionalism designed to make any guest feel like the most important person in the building. “Compliments of Mr. Hinkelstein.”

Joel cracked the door just enough to let the cart through catching a brief glimpse of the very posh room in the beam of light that cut through from the hall before closing the door and reaching for a small lamp he’d seen. The room glowed from the small light and he gave the tousled red hair and scantily blanketed figure of Siobhan a once-over before examining the contents of the cart. Among the covered dishes was a note and a bottle of Stroh 80. He opened the note to find a chicken scratch of hard-scribbled cursive that he had to look at carefully to read:

Wakey-wakey! Welcome to the land of awake! I’m sorry I could not stay to make everyone breakfast, must get back to Stuttgart! Remember, you come to Germany, I take care of everything, breakfast, lunch and dinner. You bring Siobhan and you want for nothing. My treat! We race again! I left a prize for first place luggage cart driver. You can put more than sugar in the coffee!

Best wishes,
-Bruno

@Almalthia

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Paige Kennedy & Milo Ventri

In the back of her mind she could hear Milo’s voice in rolling darkness. In an instant she was back in his shop with the gangster informant, Titus. The dim light bent obscure shadows over the old workshop as it cast over the profile of tools and unfinished metalwork. She watched how he worked over the poor man. From years of labor with his hands, Milo’s arm strength was nearly machine-like in its pure utility. The tension in his forearm smashed like a piston while the other gripped and pulled the deadweight of his target back into place as if setting a railroad spike to be driven. For a split-second she could see herself, watching, her face cold and unmoving in spite of the man’s pathetic pleas. Then she could see him again. The look on his face. Milo gleaned little enjoyment from he was doing. Later, when the adrenaline wore off, he would he reflect on himself harshly and question what he had done. Deep down he was a good person. As she watched his fist crash against Titus’ skull again, she felt nothing but satisfaction. Deep down, she knew she wasn’t so sure about herself.

The room was unnaturally quiet save for the sound of the scene in front of her and the increasing pounding of her own heartbeat as if the rhythm blended into her thoughts, growing with the tension in the room.The scene blended with a memory. She could remember how she had drawn her gun and fired before it happened. Simultaneously, she could see herself and she could feel the weight of Milo’s hammer in her hand as the words came, “That’s enough.”

Her hand moved just as swiftly as she remembered. Her pistol draw was as natural as a snap of lightning over the ocean. The weight of the gun and motion of the barrel rotating in her hand were something she had complete control. It was like magic to watch. The fluidity of the movement of the gun from the holster on her hip she could see herself looking down from behind the aligned sights; her hair moving in a breeze that wasn’t there. Snapping back into her own eyes, Titus was gone along with Milo and all of his shop. Sitting in the chair and staring back at her from infront of her gun was Ana.

”What are you doing, Paige?” Her voice was clearly nervous, but carried her familiar note of sincere concern. Her eyes looked up past the pistol and into Paige as if not even seeing the weapon pointed directly into her face.

For a moment it felt like she could feel her heart hit the inside of her chest and the sensation was so overwhelming, it was excruciating, like a wave of emotion that washed over her whole body and pounded down into the farthest reaches of her soul. The gun lowered slightly, but not all the way. She could still feel the weight of something in her other hand and she realized she had never tossed the hammer aside like in her memory. She looked down to see a withered bouquet dissipate out of her grip into dust. Around her, the sky was a solid overcast of gray clouds rolling with the wind of an approaching storm. Strands of loose blonde wisps danced over her eyes. Still her arm did not lower the gun. They were in the middle of nothing, just a large field of swaying grass with a single tree behind Ana. She could hear the wind swaying through the branches and moving the leaves. Time seemed to feel non existent as she looked at it, almost mesmerized by the sight. It was different somehow, like it didn’t belong, mossy and vibrantly green like something from a rainforest instead of the northwestern plains.

“Paige?!” Ana’s voice snapped with an audible tinge of anger. Her eyes were narrow, glaring up at her.

Paige looked back at her grimly. The sudden contempt in her friend’s voice igniting a wholly recognizable fire in her heart. The raw anger roared up through her heart and into her extended arm. As she felt herself pull the trigger, she snapped awake.

Sol City Modern Slice of life - Chapter 3 - (all welcome new and old)

Joel Nicolosi

Eyes blinked open. The room was dark though gray hints of sunlight obscured by thick cloud traced around the border of heavy curtains. What sounded like a rumble of thunder rolled in the distance, but he wasn’t sure what direction he was facing. As his eyes strained to find focus, he could make out the shape of furniture throughout the room. It was a big room and smelled of lavender, vanilla and... coffee. A particular coffee that he was particularly well acquainted. He turned his head slightly seeing the outline of a feminine figure sleeping next to him rolled up in sheets and a comforter that felt like vapor from some Himalayan mountain village condensed into a fine linen set. He rolled his head back to look straight up at the ceiling. There was some sort of vaulted design to it that he couldn’t quite make out in his groggy mind as an old, but strangely familiar feeling crept into the whole of his skull: a hangover.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes with one hand which only seemed to intensify the feeling. With his regular tolerance, he could not remember the last time he even felt hungover, but the memories began to manifest slowly: They had left the park later in the evening. Bruno, true to his word wanted to cook for everyone. The city had reserved the Matthews Suite for him, the most luxurious room in the downtown Ritz and likely the most decadent suite available in the city. The German would accept nothing less. Joel couldn’t remember what he cooked other than it was some of the best food he ever tasted. The haughty chef had every ability to back up his scathing critiques. Somewhere along the line, the liquor came out and then the beer and a challenge was issued to the the Rebellion team- to which Joel’s formidable drinking abilities were revealed. However, Bruno and the other Germans from Porsche would not be denied. All of the alcohol in the suite was wiped out in the first hour.

More alcohol was summoned promptly.

They went and got more alcohol.

Shot for shot.

Beer for beer.

Das boot was brought out.

They couldn’t put him down.

Joel grinned through his aching head in the dark.

It went on for hours.

The suite became full of people and the power of the unplanned party exponentially grew as the music level increased like some Berlin rave club at 2am. The festivities spilled out into the hallway where a race on the luggage carts was hastily organized. As the main driver, it was Joel’s duty to pilot the Rebellion cart. Even though Bruno was by far the heaviest, he insisted on “driving” for Germany. He sat down in the low cart, knees folded at an angle to get onboard with a fine silver serving tray in his hands as a steering wheel. “Look at me! Fucking rally driver!” He howled and was handed a beer mug that he promptly downed without hesitation. “I sell fucking energy drinks! My name is Joel!” He turned the tray in his hands rapidly mimicking a steering wheel.

Joel placed one finger horizontally beneath his nose and offered a salute before mockingly goose stepping over to his cart.

“Oh, you motherfucker!” He heard Bruno guffaw. The hallway had become crowded with people on both sides howling with laughter.

Laying there in silence with his mind still mostly in a haze, Joel still couldn't remember all of the details, but that the race didn’t go far beyond the first bend in the hallway where Bruno’s cart promptly overturned along with its heavily intoxicated pushing crew crashing into the Rebellion effort in an obscenely shameful display of humanity- He hadn’t had so much fun in a long time.

@Almalthia