Corona park was a sea of golden leaves and the sun was hanging lower causing the grass than take a slightly golden effect. The bright plants of summer had died back and been replaced by the autumnal tones and crunch of dried leaves on the winding paths in the forest Walk.

In the cities old Harbour the old warehouse apartments brightly stood out in the harbour, brick weathered by decades of harsh weather and paint of there former companies still vaguely viable though many now where trendy apartments and shops..

The weather had begun to turn slowly to winter, nights where drawing in and the sun Sat lower in the sky. Still Sol City was bright, pumpkin spice lattees sold by the thousand in the coffee shops and the bright lights of Centre Point gleamed out visible for miles despite the changing seasons.

Waking up as the Autumn sun gleamed off the old Harbour and several boats where deploying sails and starting to head out down river Marinalia was still getting used to the warehouse apartment she had rented just by the Marina. It was prefurnished and pretty generic, a large aged brick walled living room and dining kitchen with cast iron columns dominated by the tall windows was pretty inviting, well if you lived there a while. 2 bedrooms and a en suite master completed the apartment, ideal if her sister decided to visit like she often did, one bathroom only cause endless arguments over showers.

Getting dressed in her normal skirt and finding a pale pink track jacket from the floor, never quite the tidy one in the family as she headed to find tea, it had taken her days to find a decent tea shop in the city. Still athletic from years of swimming, long blonde hair and distinctive grey eyes she was not hard to miss at the pool Marinalia still enjoyed to do a few km on a Sunday morning.

Throwing on a light coat, a shoulder bag and a pair of below the knee boots teamed with a pair of vintage aviator sunglasses, a little extra she found in a market years ago, they fitted her profession flying helicopters for the Daedalus Airlines locally, new contract, new city, rented apartment and a white Landrover Discovery parked on the ground floor, sure it ate a good bite out her salary but it was her one real extravagance.



It had been a good swim, 4 km and a smoothie later the bright day outside could finish drying her hair off, it was a too nice day to waste with a hair drier. A few had noticed her figure, and one of the ladies had tutted her boyfriend. Always was a confidence boost to be noticed in a good way. Heading out to the Old Starboard for a snack, a good swim always made he peckish.



The bar was quiet, they mainly served food in the Lunch to early afternoon shift, a shopping bag lent against the Bars veranda balistrade from Swan songs, a few records for her father, he always got bored on his long voyages, Watching the sky above Marinalia saw a familiar helicopter fly over and come into landing at Centre Point. With a painted blue and white tail, one of the crew from Finland, he had been with them a few years. Hers was getting a UK flag kindly painted on the tail as the airline allowed the Pilots a small amount of customization on there aircraft.

She had been flying with them for a few weeks, the pay was solid, Daedalus Airlines had offered a nice bonus too as they where short on crews, though now she had been finally assigned a permanent aircraft now she had passed the flight tests and safety checks that always came with a new contract.

With a hot coffee in hand Kei slowly walked along one of many paved paths within Corona Park. He watched as the golden yellow leaves slowly fell from the various trees around him. This was a part of his everyday daily routine, he had already finished his classes for the day and had nothing else to do but waste time doing whatever he felt like doing. While it seems boring from an outside perspective Kei found it to be one of the most interesting parts of his day. He got to observe all the people around him and take in the beauty of Corona Park. That was simple, and he likes the simple things in life. Taking a sip from his coffee he continued to walk, occasionally stepping on a leaf, hearing it crunch under his weight. It was definitely becoming winter. Upon coming up to a bench he took a seat and let out a heavy sigh.「I'm bored...」He muttered as he placed his coffee down next to him. Despite Kei loving the simple life, he still gets bored like any other person and at this moment, he was bored out of his damn mind. He moved his hands up to his scarf and pulled it up slightly over his mouth and slumped back into the bench. Seeing as he had finished his trades earlier in the morning and there has not been anyone looking for any sort of small arms, he was stuck in a perpetual state of boredom. With his eyes wide open he titled his head back and stared up into the afternoon sky.「Same sky as always, nothing different...」He let out another loud and deep sigh, right after he took a deep breath and stood up. Giving up all hope he grabbed his coffee, slumped his head down, and slogged down the rest of the paved path until he made it to an exit. He was about done for the day and was fully ready to become a hermit in his house for the rest of the day.

Luckily he changed his mind and made a detour along the way home to go and workout for a little while to change up his mood. He downed the rest of his coffee and tossed the empty cup into the trash as he made his way to the Luna Sports Facility. It was quiet a walk but he made it within a reasonable amount of time. After checking in and getting what he needed he changed and immediately went for a swim, despite the cold weather he wanted to jump into the cold water to refresh his body. Within a few laps, he got out from the pool and took himself to the bar to get himself a smoothie. With smoothie in hand he found himself an open seat and plopped himself down. He pulled his phone and began browsing the web as he slowly enjoyed his smoothie.

The sound of a bellowing freight train horn was nothing new to the residents of southeastern Sol-City. For most, the absence of the noise would have been usual, even for a Sunday afternoon. The industrial base of Sol City was just beginning to prepare for the work week ahead. Southside was one of the city’s oldest sections next to the urban core of downtown and the tracks that passed through connected north along the river everything from concrete foundries to steel mills. To no surprise, most of the housing was firmly blue collar and centered on the main drag of Southside Boulevard that continued all the way into the city center.

Tucked away near a crossing, just a few turns off the mainline was Apex Designs.

Outside the open bay door sat a red Jeep Wrangler just barely nosed into the shop enough to keep the rear off the curb. The hood was up and various bottles of different fluids sat on the ground outside, all neatly arranged. On a make shift rope-line stretched across the garage front hung the soft-top’s vinyl windows basking in the last gasps of heat from the Fall sun. A mechanic’s cart covered in numerous tool manufacturers and parts companies’ decals sat idly by the ensemble and somewhere inside the shop a radio blared. On top of the fender sat a canned energy drink wet with condensation. Underneath the vehicle, on a creeper, lay Joel Nicolosi, asleep.

The Jeep Wrangler was one of only three vehicles that Joel had ever purchased in his life and was the youngest of the same three he owned. He’d purchased it not far out of high school in order to pull his first car out of the daily-driver category. After a decade of ownership it had grown from its mostly stock form into larger tires, various lighting accessories, an elevated stance and its most unusual “theme”. The bright red base had two black stripes that ran over the front and the back quarters with two registration plates on the back: One on the lower corner, the standard Sol-City legal registration reading, RAWR, and in the center of the spare tire, a white and yellow, Jurassic Park i.n. C.R. 85 complete with the logo T-Rex skeleton.

The weight of the approaching freight drag shook the ground gently and one eye blinked open. When the conductor sounded the horn for the next crossing Joel stared blankly back into the shop. Sunday was normally the day he liked to take care of his own equipment, in this case putting the top back on the Jeep for the winter and changing out the transmission and transfer case oils. In the Spring, when the top came off, he did both differentials. It was easy to remember that way. However, he had worked through all of Saturday and most of the night. Fatigue was catching up, or rather, had caught up completely somewhere around 11am had passed him. The warmth beneath the vehicle and the gentle fall sunlight had been just right to lull him into a catnap.

The small shop was at capacity with three vehicles. In front, an S13 240SX stared back at him on jackstands. He had stayed up late working on it. There would be new, five-lug hubs for that guy along with calipers, pads, rotors and a master cylinder off of a 300ZX. In a corner the new wheels and tires were stacked and waiting. It would be a smart little street machine when it was done. Beyond that was a BMW X5 raised up on his single lift. Joel hated the car with a passion. Like all X5’s it had a coolant leak and like all BMWs was heinously over-engineered. The spaghetti maze of coolant hoses were a bitch and he couldn’t wait to get it out and charge the customer a hefty sum for his trouble. Finally in the far back of the shop sat an undisturbed 300ZX race car looking back at him from beneath the 240- that was another matter entirely.

He yawned and pushed an empty protein powder tub underneath the drain plug on the transmission and set about loosening the fill plug first as he thought about working all night again and sleeping during the day on Monday.

Joel's Shop Radio #1

Early Morning, Sunday

Sasha melancholily wandered around the penthouse, stroking some ivory keys on the grand piano as he passed. Was he really that bored? Bored enough to go along with one of Lupe’s preposterous plans. No, of course not and once that tub of lard returned he tell him where to stick it. Spying the manila folder gave him pause however and that gnawing feeling overtook him; it was that feeling of inferiority a feeling that told him that if he backed out at the last second, he’d cement to the group that he was not their better. That was just not true, in his mind Sasha was far superior than those two mental morons. Even though it meant temporary lowering himself to their infantile level he would surely win this idiotic game, he would be the best Undercover Normie and remind those bootlickers of their place.

It was a week ago today shortly after Lupe was arrested that the pudgy Cuban came up with the self proclaimed game of kings. The group high on molly were watching t.v. whilst Lupe spun an embellished tale of his singular night behind bars before he was bailed out. In reality the son of a senator spent the night in a private office having his whims catered to by the police and his bodyguards, while the other alleged criminals were subject to a cramped holding cell.

“Like…this bulky Mexican dude was uh coming at me with like a shiv talking shit in Spanish and I laid homeboys ass out with one punch. True story.” Lupe exclaimed triumphally before adjusting his ankle monitoring bracelet.

Khorshid looked impressed and Sasha just rolled his eyes before interjecting… “Your fairytales might enthrall the slower amongst us, but we both know you just sat around stuffing your fat face with complimentary vending machine food as the Chief of Police kissed your bulbous behind.”

It took Khorshid a few moments to the register the insult, but he was too baked to offer a retort. Lupe shoved his Sasha in offense.

“Yo String bean. Like I know you grew up in Russia picking turnips…or distilling vodka…or whatever you mutts do. But here in America things are rough, like before my father was elected senator I had to attend public school to make sure that the stupid voters did not think our family was too rich. That makes jail look like a cakewalk my man. Like those so-called teachers were no bueno. They were always on my case for not applying myself or some nonsense. It is like they did not know who I was, but I digress. No offense I do not think that you could cut it as an average everyday American Sasha. That right there is life on hard…no impossible mode. Imagine living in a world where you had to live with in your means…with like actual consequences…scary stuff. I hate to admit it to you, but you are just not Undercover Normie material boy…too privileged.“

Sasha sighed, “I know I am going live to regret this, but what exactly are you babbling on about? What is Undercover Normie?

Sasha snapped back to the present realizing that quite some time had passed as he stood ruminating on events. He grabbed the manila envelope and fished out a key ring, a piece of paper labeled itinerary, an id card, a driver’s license. He twirled his long hair now professionally dyed light brown in between his fingers a nervous habit ingrained since childhood before mustering the courage to leave the penthouse. Before he departed he glanced in a mirror an admired the transformation; without his make up or his expensive clothing and wearing a pair of glasses Sasha could barely recognize himself. While it sickened himself to look this plain that was the purpose of the game after all and to play he was not allowed to be the styling and profiling Sasha Zhenya Kuznetsov anymore. For one year he was to be Jocelyn Darcy Bray an everyday average American making his way in the big city. He suppressed a gag as he made his way to the elevator.

Afternoon, Sunday:

It had only been a few hours, but Jocelyn was already pinning for his old life back; he almost called it quits after seeing what was laughably called his accommodations. It was unthinkable that one bedroom apartment in one of the more depilated parts of the city and a garish purple 2000 Dodge Neon were now his most noteworthy possessions, but he pushed the negativity out his mind. Things were not entirely too terrible they were certainly not like the old days as at least he did not have to sort through the trash. Compared to most people Jocelyn had a leg up as his car, rent, phone, electric, and utility bills were all being supplemented by his so-called friends and all he had to do was exist for a year on average wage of a factory worker; though he did not appreciate the assistance. The idea was tossed around about him having to work to sustain himself, but cooler heads prevailed as this was endurance challenge after all not a slaughter. Finding a place on foot was a grueling task and he happened upon the Coffee Pot by accident, though it was good to know that he retained none of the survival knowledge from his brief years in the Young Pioneers; however, it would perhaps lessen his father’s (should the wretched man still be alive) perpetual grimace that if he was ever set upon by a savage bear he planned on informing the foul beast of the immortal science of Marxism-Leninism before it viciously slaughtered him.

He chuckled as he walked inside the establishment hoping that they could at least make a decent espresso.

The Coffee Pot
Ren was nursing his black coffee between his palms while staring out the window of the Coffe Pot. A girl was throwing a twig for her dog to chase on the grass, almost tripping in all the leaves.

Dog is a an exaggeration, more like a mutt. Ren thought to himself, narrowing his eyes, looking down at the happy pug running back and forth.

His medical books were weighing down heavily in the seat next to him. Ren hadn't been able to open them today, even though he was falling behind on an assignment. He'd been woken up to an angry message from his father, Robert White, complaining about why Ren hadn't come home for the weekend and that he'd wanted to introduce Ren to one of his new business partners.

It's always work, work, work with that man. A long breath escaped Ren's lips. He continued to stare out of the window, and suddenly a man caught his attention. He was rather tall, with jet black hair and what looked like blueish eyes. Sitting on the bench in the Corona Park, the man leaned back and looked up at the sky. Ren felt a sting of jealousy in his chest. The man looked so carefree. A feeling Ren rarely experienced. While lost in thought, the man suddenly got up, and walked along the pathway until the trees clouded Ren's vision. Downing the rest of the coffee, Ren got to his feet. Slinging his bag to his shoulder, leaving a generous tip for the waiter, he left the café with a sour look on his face. Not noticing the brown haired man sitting a few tables away, drinking espresso.

Ren didn't feel like returning to his apartment by the Riverside. He'd gotten if from his father as a birthday present when turning 21 and the place still felt alien to him. He pulled out his phone, noticing how his hands were shaking. Probably just the cold. Ren thought to himself. Ignoring the way his stomach painfully twisted when rememberinig the carefree look on that strange man's face. He just needed something to warm him up. Nothing the Old Starboard can't fix. Great, barely 21 and already sounding like an alcoholic. But then again, maybe just one drink...

The Old Starboard
Ren slumped down in a booth furthest in the back, a drink in hand. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed a woman in the booth next to him. She had long, blonde hair and was wearing a childishly pink jacket. Ren snorted, while taking a sip of his drink. Pulling out one of his books, which he was pretty sure was a brick in disguise, Ren hoped he would be able to finish a couple of chapters in the quiet atmosphere of the bar before the regular drunks started showing up, making the usual noise.

_______________________
Mentions: @Robo27 @PrinceAlexus

Marinalia noticed the guy arrive in the bar carrying a larger bag of what was later confirmed tome size textbooks that would make handy chocks for keeping a small cargo plane in place. He seemed the normal kind of lunch time passerby in the bar as winter was slowly on its way, it was a warm and fairly friendly place too grab a bite to eat and a coffee or a drink to warm the body and the soul.

Thinking about introducing herself to the stranger, might as well be social and cheer up what had been a pretty lonely day as despite the social aspects, she had yet to gain many friends outside of work in Sol city. Until her phone rang, Ivan, the flight control at Daedalus was never a good omen calling on your day off. With a loud buzz and short blast of a youtube.com/watch?v=Bg59q4puhmg

In a distinct English accent, one which despite traveling the world was yet to pick up more than the faintest trace of her multiple contracts worked from Alaska to Rome, though not trying to be loud her accent made the convocation easier to pick up among the buzz and background noise. Playing slightly with a small silver necklace with 3 moons as she talked, a gift from a old friend many years before.

"Hey Ivan , what's the problem?
Throttle to ... yeah il be ok in the morning. had some wine last night.
You know its my day off rota... paperwork.
DC-7 to .. i know im new but that's old as my parents,. if you give me OT on the FLT.
Fine.. Prop time then, im off Rota, least give me the OT on prop.
Deal, hanger 12, il see you in the morning. long as its loaded and fueled ready."

Hanging up, Ivan had looked after her and helped her when she first started but that plane was from the 60's, her easy going paperwork day had turned out to be a 4 hour round trip in the one of the oldest aircraft in the fleet. Reliable but the seat was definitely not luxurious and the heater was almost powered by a hamster in a wheel.

Turning over to the Man whom had probably heard everything and took off her vintage avaitors revealing her grey eyes and smiling slightly leaning over the small divider and sighing slightly that she was stuck on tea for the rest of the day. He was definitely younger than she was, though she was 27, Marinlia has always tried to look after herself, plenty of sleep and kept fit even after ending semi professional swimming with at least a few km every weekend.

"Sorry about that, you know work always calls at the worst time. hope i did not throw you off your place.."
"good book?"

Joking slightly, it was abit of chit chat but she was bored having only just moved to the city, not knowing the social venues it had taken her a while to find the Old Starboard and a few other places she liked. Things where getting cooler and much as a walk sounded fun in her head, staying inside and warm was becoming more popular as the seasons changed.

@Furiosa

Pharmacology isn't all that awful. Ren turned a page.
It could come quite handy knowing how to properly poison someone... Chuckling to himself.

He was beginning to relax more. That one drink had somehow turned into four, and he was feeling cool as a cucumber right about now. Ren was brushing hair out of his eyes, about to turn a page when suddenly startled out of his focus by an obnoxious song playing loudly. Looking abruptly around him, he found the source of the noise. The woman in the booth next to him had a frown upon her face when she looked at her phone, answering in a voice loud enough for the whole bar to hear. The word DC-7 rang a bell. Remembering a conversation between his grandfather and father a long time ago. Something about planes?

Ren watched the woman hang up the phone, brows furrowing. He kept on looking as she removed her sunglasses - Strange thing to wear indoors. - and met his gaze.

"Sorry about that, you know work always calls at the worst time. Hope I did not throw you off your place..."
"Good book?"

His eyes widened for a second before Ren could compose his face back into a look of boredom. Looking down at his book and up again to regain his footing, his eyes locking in on hers - Grey meeting brown. The blonde woman's mouth curled up at the corners, eyes twinkling with amusement at her own joke. How mature.

"Yes... He sucked on his tooth. "Book's just so enchanting that I needed four of these not to get too excited." His hand gesturing towards the empty glasses beside him, squinting at the woman. Ren had no idea why this woman was talking to him. Maybe she's lost? "Anyhow, don't worry. It takes more than an annoying ring tone and loud chatter to throw me off." He snickered. Suddenly feeling the need to relieve himself, Ren stood up faster than he should've. The bar started spinning. With little to no breakfast, those drinks hit him harder than they should've. He swayed a bit, taking a couple of steps to steady himself and gripping the bench wall connecting their booths. Ren inhaled slowly through his nose, and stalked off to the bathroom. Avoiding the look the woman sent him.

When he returned, there were a few drops of water trickling down his neck. His face looked more fresh, like he'd just gushed water on it. The rest of his face was blank. He walked back to the booth the woman was sitting in, and sank down opposite of her. "So, miss aviator. Ren's eyes twinkled with mischievousness. "You're just going to let Ivan push you around like that on your day off?"

---

@PrinceAlexus

The guy had had a few drinks to be sure, he seemed to meet her interpretation with a slight attack. A sharper comment. Though he had a few drinks and likely was less inhibited. He probbly was wondering why she even noticed him, truth be told she was bored and Marinalia walkways enjoyed trying to get to know a few locals.

"annoying, nope. Least I can tell it's mine"

Notcing him stagger slightly and head off to the toilet, he was unsteady. Must of had a few drinks for sure. Laughing slightly as he was unsteady and staggered off. Returning he seemed to be to be abit more confident. Cheeky. Maybe too much.

Returning in a distinct English accent that was warm but measured.

"Marlin, though miss is correct. Oh, Ivan, yeah, aviation. Flight crew, Good job, I'm kinda new so you always get the bad jobs no one else wants.

Its kinda traditional. Best office in the world even if it's attached to a 50 year old piston hauler "

Smiling slightly. And noticing the size of the books could only mean one of 3 professions, all pretty well paid and not so easy to get Into.


" so. Those books make you a lawyer, doctor or accountant."

Random stranger. In a bar, sure some people probbly would think her strange but what was the point living in a lively city like Sol when you did not explore and discover new things.

Remembering her day, there was a guy, younger she noticed at the pool, though not straight away, too intrested in her time and trying to keep a good pace he seemed to dawdle abit more. Somthing different about him, seemed confident. Relaxed, self assured like someone who had no real worries.

@Furiosa@Robo27

The day was still as young as ever even after having spent time swimming several times and enjoyed a smoothie here and there, Kei realized that it was just turning noon. Basically he still had a whole day to do more stuff. After cleaning off the chlorine water from the pool in the gym showers, he got himself freshened up and redressed in his very casual formal clothes, adjusting his tie to be loose, he stepped out from the Luna Sports Facility and breathed in deep. He then stretched his hands up and above over his head and closed his eyes mid stretch. He was deep in thought and did not break the stretching pose for at least a good three minutes. He was really considering what to do for the rest of his day, he really didn't want to end up hermitting the day away. He finally opened his eyes and lowered his arms he felt refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day, he looked weird to passersby but that didn't bother Kei at all. Since his mind was clear and refreshed he felt he needed a midday drink as well as a midday snack at The Old Starboard.

All things considered before making his way to The Old Starboard he decided to stop by his house and take his car. The distance to The Old Starboard was right on the cusp of being walk-able but also being too far walk to. Luckily his house was en route to The Old Starboard so it made the overall trip not bad at all. Arriving home he opened up his garage and looked between his two cars, it was a hard choice to make but he ended up going for his WRX STI, going over to a lock box on his wall he fumbled his keys a little bit before finding the key that fit the lock on the box. Once in the box he grabbed the key fob and keys for the car and immediately closed the lock box and locked it. With keys in hand he unlocked the driver side door to his car, settled himself into the seat and immediately started the car. The engine roared to life and lit up the wall before him with the bright LED headlights. He shifted the car into reverse and backed out from his garage. After closing the garage door behind him he immediately shifted into first gear and began his trip to The Old Starboard.

The drive did not take long, it maybe took him five minutes since traffic was all clear. Parking was a breeze as the place wasn't too busy and as such he was inside The Old Starboard within seconds of arriving. Upon entering through the doors he did a quick scan of the premises as he does. What caught his eye immediately was two people with varying levels of blinding hair color. One looked familiar, he felt that he had seen the female earlier at the sports facility out of the corner of his eye but he was not one hundred percent sure. As for the male he knew nothing of him, he was just a stranger to Kei's eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and bee lined his way to an open table and took a seat. Without a moments notice a waitress was already waiting on him and was already taking his order. It was at that moment that Kei realized that he wasn't there for sit down service, he was there for the bar. Feeling a little embarrassed he let the waitress know and she smiled back and reassured him that it was ok. Upon excusing herself from the table, Kei got up and made his way to the bar where he signaled to the bar tender.「I'll just take a rum and coke for now.」The bar tender nodded his head and got Kei his order out immediately. With his rum and coke in hand he took a light sip from it and listened to the ambient music playing throughout the establishment.

@Furiosa@PrinceAlexus

A sharp and coarse cough was the first sign of autumn for Kebi, it was also what unfortunately woke her up from deep sleep as her throat constricted around the lack of air she had under layers and layers of blankets. They were dusty and borrowed from relatives but kept her warm when the time came, which for Kebi was better than nothing.

She flipped the covers over her head in a huff of apparent frustration, not entirely sure just what caused her to wake in such a bad mood. "Well, I already forgot what that dream was about five seconds right after I woke up."

As usual in her morning routine, she stared at the ceiling with a faraway look in her eyes. It wasn't as if she could actually see the ceiling itself even as the blur of the morning left her eyes, but it was nice to reassure herself that she wasn't completely blind. It took maybe a good 30 or so minutes before she even found herself moving a muscle and even longer until she was actually sitting up, ready to embrace reality and not wander her post dawn thoughts.

Sitting up, she shook a hand through her, and reached over for her glasses which was next to blank news sheets strewn across her work desk. The visage was enough to remind her of the article she needed to have done by early tomorrow. Pictures, citations, interviews, she needed these things in order to complete what some might have seen as a small school project.

As typical, not even getting paid was enough to motivate Kebi into finishing her work earlier than need be. She stared at the time on her phone, not at all pleased that she'd have to get up and go interact with the world just to ensure that she'd have some money to eat tomorrow. "Alright so, 9:00am not bad, maybe we can actually get to where I need to be, and take some shitty pictures right?"

Without a second thought she walked over to the bathroom, quick to grab her toothbrush and get to work on her daily morning routine. It didn't take long at all for her to come walking out the bathroom with her hair in a messy bun, wearing an over-sized and slightly frayed hoodie with leggings and laced boots. All casual, and very unlike the professionals in her industry, but it'd have to do.

She grabbed her phone her headphones, packed her bag with her camera, laptop, and notebook, and headed out of her small apartment to her Vespa in the downstairs parking lot.

As far as anyone could tell Kebi was definitely a newcomer to Sol City, the city itself felt like something of a maze, but one that Kebi had no problem exploring with her trusty Vespa. However, often times she'd find herself asking for directions here and there, and to this very day she had no idea just where anything actually was, sometimes even her own apartment looked foreign to her in the grand vastness of the city ahead.

Speeding past the sites of the city however, made up for being lost along the way, at the very least she got a nice view, and at the very worst a pissed off city native would begrudgingly tell her where she needed to go. Of course, today just had to be one of those days where she had to piss off more people than she intended to. Speeding into the Southside of town was not something she typically did, in fact just the sight of it made her feel claustrophobic, something about it reminded her that life wasn't always an easy breeze like this city seemed to suggest.

Regardless, she didn't bother changing routes as soon as she saw the first dilapidated building, there was something incredibly homely about this part of the city, tucked away from the bustle and gleam of other parts, and not nearly as well kempt. Kebi was actually supposed to be doing her report on a inquiry into one of the factories down in Southside. While, this wasn't some groundbreaking national news making headline, there had been rumors of illegal dumping into the Riverside waters by this particular company. The last time she came here to interview them, she'd been rudely turned away, however she was assured that this time there might be something more succinct than the original answers she got.

Even if there wasn't, she always had her camera to at least sneak in and hopefully document any evidence. Maybe she was having delusions of grandeur about just what she would find at this factory, the rumor could have just been competition trying to invoke competition through libel. Kebi had no real way to know since her own source was anonymous and was found through the net as usual. Did the locals know about the little backpage Reddit where everyone came together to talk about the city? She wondered for a quick moment.

As her eyes began to scope out her current surroundings, she didn't particularly notice her Vespa gradually slowing down and the handle growing increasingly unsteady in her grip . She should have been looking out whether or not she found herself in a small alleyway, it wasn't long before her Vespa ran headlight first into a wall which caused it to simply lift her only a few feet off her seat but just enough to jolt her awake.

The headlight busted against the hard wall, and Kebi was left backing up to confirm the worst. That wasn't the only thing damaged, as she attempted to turn the key and was left with an engine that refused to start. "Oh fucking great..." she gritted between her teeth as she stood off to the side and examined the outside of the Vespa.

As expected, she knew nothing about Vespa repair, and nothing about upkeep either if it was so quick to fail on her now of all times. She huffed, already regretting the fact that she even came to a part of the city she wasn't even accustomed to.

Kebi spotted a convenience store nearby, and walked over, asking for the nearest repair shop she could find. For once, some luck came her way once the shop owner confirmed that a shop existed just a few blocks away from here.

"A-Pex Designs? Is that right?"
She worded the name of the shop as if Apex was not a word in her vocabulary.

"Yep, if I reckon it should be a few blocks from here. You could use your phone GPS to find it."

"I sure will."

Making her way back to the Vespa she moved the handles into her grip, and walked with it towards wherever her phone pointed. Dragging the vehicle was one thing, but having it constantly drift off where she didn't need it to was another. Rounding corner after corner Kebi was able to find Apex Designs which to her was a godsend had her aching feet not been the first thing to fail her.

"Just a few blocks huh? So much for that."

She walked into the shop, being careful not to let her Vespa knock into any of the vehicles currently being worked on. Walking just close enough not to be within the vicinity of another car, she used the kickstand to make the Vespa stand still before walking further to see if she could get any help.

"Uh....hello???? Anybody there? Kinda need help with my Vespa....if you guys? or...girls.....or person....can fix that kinda thing...?"

She knew she wasn't making the best impression but she hoped it was enough to catch whoever was inside the shop's attention since no other customers or employees seemed to be around.

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@pilatus

Ren was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Marlin, huh. He knew little to nothing about flights, and therefore he was reluctant to say something on the subject. He hated talking about things that made him look ignorant. Luckily, he didn’t have to. Marlin pointed at his bag of books.

"So. Those books make you a lawyer, doctor or accountant."

Sighing heavily, already forgotten about his studies, Ren straightened his back, cracking his neck to both sides. “If it were up to my father I’d probably be all three.” He balled up his fists, knuckles turning slightly white. As if just realizing his own movements, Ren quickly loosened his grip and flexed his fingers, moving his hands under the table. Sheesh, way to go bringing up your daddy issues to a complete stranger.

“But yes, future doctor - at your service.” Ren did a two-fingered salute off his forehead, a half-hearted attempt of a smile hanging on his lips, not quite reaching his eyes. “And these little bad boys are my company until my next exam.” He patted his bag while speaking.

Ren was debating whether or not he should leave before the woman got tired of talking to him. On one hand, her company was not the worst. It was a nice distraction from his own thoughts. And the option of returning to his cold and quiet apartment wasn’t too tempting. Unconsciously Ren started fidgeting with his nails. It’s not like you know a bunch of people in this city. What’s the worst that can happen...

Ren had moved away from his childhood home in California to Sol City. Get some space to focus on his studies – or so he’d told his parents. They were displeased that he didn’t want to attend Stanford University like they had, but had reluctantly agreed to it. His father even bought him an apartment on the Riverside so Ren wouldn’t have to live in those filthy dorms, as he’d put it. To be honest Ren just wanted to get away from his father’s tight leash and being met with false niceties by everyone after introducing himself as a White. There was big money in that name, and his father had sunken his claws both here and there to get his way, businesswise and privately alike.

Ren and Marlin sat in silence for a while, both lost in thought. He was brought back to reality by the door closing loudly behind a new customer, who sauntered in and sat down on a table a few metres away from them. “That’s him – from the park...” What was only meant as a private thought slipped out under his breath without Ren noticing.

He watched as the waitress and the customer worked out a misunderstanding, before she hurried off to another table – even though there were few other people there. The man sat down by the bar instead and Ren felt his stomach twist again. That carefree look was back on the man’s face and it shouldn’t bother Ren as much as it did. He looked away quickly, as if the sight burned his eyes.

“So, you’re a pilot?” Focusing his eyes on Marlin again, continuing. “How did you fall into that line of business?” Even though Ren was uncomfortable with subjects in uncharted waters he would do anything right now to distract himself from the growing uneasiness in his stomach.

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@PrinceAlexus @Robo27

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Marlin seemed more relaxed and sat back sipping her tea, she was stuck with tea now she had to have 24 hours from bottle to throttle. The rule was strict but simple to remember, they even had made it rhyme. Noticing the guy he was definitely the one from the pool, small city it seemed, even among the thousands you could still remember a face.

Thee comment about a father, obviously this one had a few issues, not that marilania could talk on that one.

"Doctor, well then Mr DR. About as heavy as a flight manual. "

More relaxed and playing slightly with her air, a prominent diamond ring glittering on not that finger twirling long blonde strands idely more as a old habit than anything else. Then she noticed the remark about the man from the Sports facility, yeah that was him, had to be.
More quietly and tactful than the trainee DR with a accent slightly warmer than first.

There was something interesting about him as she looked over curiously trying to be discreet as possible though her grey eyes quickly met his for a second and turned away back to the man she was talking to. This bar was certainly interesting and a far better choice than going back to her apartment at Old Harbour. She would of only ended up watching the boats or mindlessly playing some app game. Maybe she could of taken a drive, the Land rover Discovery was fun to drive though was a fuel hog in the inner city stop start traffic.

"Oh, he was at the pool, i was doing my Sunday morning swim, easy 3-4km. "

Ok, that was a blatant humble brag, she had worked very hard to keep up her fitness and times though, many in her profession had got fat sat down in office, on the job, nice hotel food on stops.. it was easy to let the weight slip on but Marinalia was determined not to lose that part of her life and one of few constants she had on her travels.

"Yeah fully licensed, took a lesson and found my thing, passed when i was 18. Currently work out at Daedalus. How long ive been flying is my little secret. Guess its in the blood, my fathers a merchant ships captain. we a willful lot"

Thinking on what else she had to do that day, not much, though she would have to makesure to dig out her earphones, the old anolougue pair just incase, Deadalus was a modern airline but even they might not have fitted the DC-7 with a brand new radio and comms system

@Furiosa@Robo27

Tommy awoke to the gentle rock of the waves, having long ago dispensed with the need for alarms, the waves tended to be how Tommy woke up most mornings. Blinking the sleep from his eyes he could see the early dawn sunlight beaming through the port side windows. Getting out of bed Tommy began moving through his morning routine. Checking his phone, turning on his Keurig Mini, grabbing himself a towl, and hopping in the shower. After a quick shower Tommy dressed himself in his usual attire, a pair of dark slacks coupled with a white button-up, a black suit jacket and a pair of black oxfords. Afterwards it was just a matter of grabbing his coffee, keys, and cane, something Tommy didn’t leave home without anymore, before he disembarked from his home and made his way to the parking lot just east of the pier. Sliding behind the wheel of his Continental he turned the engine and the car purred to life. Pulling the car out of the parking lot Tommy set course for The Coffee Pot, where he would continue his morning routine with a hot breakfast and an additional two or more cups of coffee.



A short drive later and Tommy could be found in his usual spot at The Coffee Pot. This too was part of his morning routine, he had become something of a regular at The Coffee Pot. Sitting at his usual seat, in the back, it wasn’t hard to observe the other patrons on this Sunday morning. Watching other patrons come and go had become something of a habit for the retired athlete, and today was not different. This morning the café was frequented by a couple other regulars that Tommy recognized by face if not name as well as some faces that he did not recognize, including that of an overly exhausted student. Had it not been a Sunday, an early day for Footsteps, he might have been tempted to strike up a conversation with just about any of the patrons. However as it was nine weeks into the NFL season and an away game for the Icarus Angels, Footsteps beckoned and Tommy had to answer.



Pulling into the employee lot behind Footsteps, Tommy’s watch read 9:38 A.M., just early enough to make sure the bar was open on time. Tommy wasn’t really needed to oversee Footsteps, he had hired more than competent cooks and wait staff, but the intent behind opening the bar had been to disrupt the monotony of retired life and letting others run it just didn’t contribute to that plan. So Tommy had made it his own personal duty to be there when Footsteps opened and when Footsteps closed as often as possible but with today being an away game for the hometown meant a higher flow of business and so Tommmy decided that he'd be spending most of this Sunday at the bar.

Using the back entrance led Tommy directly into the kitchen where Ted, one of the two cooks at Footsteps, was already hard at work prepping for the day. Tommy gave the cook a curt nod and smile as way of greeting, which was returned almost instantly. Ted wasn’t much of morning person so the Saturday and Sunday shifts typically meant that conversation was a no go until later in the day. From the kitchen Tommy moved out into the dining area where three other members of the staff were getting things set for the day. Exchanging brief pleasantries with each Tommy also set to work checking the register and making sure everything was stocked before at three minutes ‘till 10 unlocking the front door and turning the outside lights on.

Kei Quietly took sips from his mixed drink, he felt the warmth of the alcohol wash over his whole body, and the carbination from the coke bite his throat as it went down slowly, this was a potent mix, something that he was thoroughly enjoying. As he sipped his drink slowly, he looked around the room again, but this time something met his gaze. Rather than something, it was someone, and not just one someone it was two someones. At first it was the male's gaze he met. The males eyes seemed to look Kei over as well as give a vibe of envy. After a few seconds the the male immediately averted his eyes and was looking back at the girl he seemed to be interacting with. It was at that moment the female's gaze met with Kei's gaze. Her gaze was different though, it seemed to be more of a confirming gaze from what Kei could tell. Just like the male's gaze the female quickly averted her eyes as soon as she had realized that her gaze had met Kei's.

With curiosity in mind Kei got up with his drink in hand and decided to go up to the two talking. Seeing as they were a few steps away, it only took Kei a few steps to make it to them. Before speaking up Kei quietly cleared his throat and somewhat interrupted the two.「Hi you two, sorry if I am being a bother, but I couldn't help but notice you guys gazing over in my general direction.」He took a small sip from his drink and continued on.「Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right, but regardless I figured I might as well introduce myself to the two people that seemed to be looking at me.」He pulled up a seat next to the pair and gave them a friendly smile.「My name's Kei Kinzo nice to meet you two.」

@Furiosa@PrinceAlexus

Before Joel had taken ownership, his garage had once been some sort of welding shop. He remembered walking the empty floor with the commercial real estate broker before they’d closed on the property and the welding dust that had been all over literally everything. What a pain it had been to clean up. Inside, he’d kept the old office area largely intact. The upstairs had been a conference room combined with two other small offices and a few years ago he’d decided to consolidate and make the area a living space. That project was still unfinished, but the shop floor was a pristine wonder. Blueish-gray tile shined in a semi-gloss finish that continued halfway up the wall with a black border that separated the bright white that continued up to the blacked out ceiling. New light fixtures hung along with air and electrical lines for his usage.

Behind the back wall office area was Joel’s main toolbox: a royal blue affair with polished handles and various drawers and doors containing a myriad of tools, all neatly organized. The entire assembly was taller than he was and featured various electrical hookups in a center desk area for convenience. He kept a laptop in the center along with a high stool where he sat briefly researching topics completely unrelated to his present work. A visitor would notice this small section of the shop, not visible from the outside, was slightly more personal than the sterilized main floor. Several pictures hung of him with past friends and events, many featuring the car presently in the back of the shop. Trophies of various dates were tucked away on a small ledge above along with framed certificates and letters. The radio blared and he paid no mind to the visitor that had sauntered in with her injured scooter.

He swiveled on the stool and found the younger female standing there. Freezing in place he shot a slightly dumbfounded double-take toward her, his eyes confirming to his brain that there was indeed another person in the shop and right in front of him. Wait, what day is this? Was his first thought. Damn, I left the door open... was his second thought. “Huh?” Was all that managed to register out of his mouth. He reached back to the laptop while eyeing the damaged scooter and eased down the volume. Shit I like that song too, what hell is this? His eyes scanned the small scooter, a Vespa, which looked to have taken some cosmetic damage then to its apparent driver who looked as if she had taken some fashion damage. Not that bad Joel, you did leave the door open, you dumbass. His mental notes continued.

Since she had apparently pushed it in, he figured it wasn’t running. Simple a machine as it was, he was still a little curious. He’d never touched a Vespa and hers seemed to be a pretty old one, but still in surprisingly good kit. Interesting. He remembered once hearing that some of them could be worth more than a few dollars. As was his custom, the first thing he did after hopping down was pop the seat up and see if there was fuel inside. “So what happened?” He asked, still glancing it over. It briefly occurred to him that the tasteful aroma of Jeep gear oil still hung on his long sleeve t-shirt and shorts.

@Desparadina

Joel's Shop Radio #2

The Coffee Pot

Having enough time in the coffee shop mulling over a surprisingly decent expresso Sasha succumbed to the boredom and slumped down his chair; subconsciously he hoped someone would have already forced him to reveal his true personage, so he then could flaunt his superiority over the assembled peasants. Alas it seemed these dullards were fooled by his clever guise, perhaps he was playing Jocelyn a little too well. With a little more charisma Sas… err Jocelyn would have these fools kissing the ground his perfectly pedicured feet walked on. He was not irked at the lack of attention, no sir, not one bit.

His right hand traced the luxurious Epi leather of his Neo Belaia clutch, while the lavish Louis Vuitton bag was a reminder of his status it was also his cheat bag. A smug smirk enveloped his face, those sycophants back at the penthouse should have not taken his word that he would play fair. At first he considered not smuggling some provisions with him, but then again God made temptation so alluring. His new strategy was to lay-low (as he doubted his toadies would check up on him in any notable capacity) and he would win this idiotic challenge; cheating would technically be going against the spirit of the whole shebang, but if he was not caught was it cheating?

His burner phone pinged notifying that his UberLUX driver was waiting on him outside. He placed some crumpled bills on the table and made his way outside. A cold wind blew as he entered the high-end luxury sedan. Walking was over-rated.

The Old Starboard

Sasha rolled his eyes as the driver prattled incessantly about his brood of brats. The state of the service industry in this city was a joke and so was the fact that this walrus mustached moron procreated. Worse yet was that the imbecile droned on about the local gay scene when Sasha inquired about bars. Why the man thought that Sasha would want to know that information was beyond him. Flustered he twisted his long hair in his fingers. Stupid old fool, what did he know. Nothing that is what. Did the simpleton not realize that Sasha was one of the city’s most eligible bachelors and not a homosexual…he just veered off the proverbial path from time to time which is a completely normal heterosexual thing to do. Pervert was probably hitting on him or something. Eck…gross. He suppressed a gag as the car pulled up to The Old Starboard. Despite his disgust with the peon he had the twit walk around the car and open the door for him. Sasha scoffed at the driver as the imp had the audacity to tell him to have a “good day” and to “stay safe”. How presumptuous.

As Sasha made his way to the bar he attempted to channel the Jocelyn persona, but was overcome by an urge to partake in a particularly naughty vice. After ordering a Scotch…J&B on the rocks (a personal favorite) he made his way to the bathroom. On his way there he wrinkled his nose in disgust as this establishment reeked from lack of ambition as well as well as class, culture, taste, and intelligence. He thought he recognized one of the rubes from the coffee house as well, which would be all too fitting if true. Once inside the bathroom he made sure he was truly alone before reaching inside his clutch for a small mirror, a hundred dollar bill, a razor blade, and a clear bag containing a gram of cocaine. After snorting a few lines he shuts his eyes and feels comforted by his racing heart; tears stream down his face. For a moment he feels blissfully in tune with universe before crashing back down to earth. Flushing the razor blade and the empty bag he reverently places the other items back in his clutch. Sasha dries his tears and wipes the slight residue of cocaine off his lips with a handkerchief. Ensuring his nostrils are not bleeding he bounds his way back to the bar an extra pep in his step per say.

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_{8:00 AM}

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Through the smell of the harbor and a song coming loudly from Sadie's phone, the 21-year-old college student woke up for the day. She groggily got herself ready for the day. She needed to hurry and get to Footsteps since today was an away game. All hands on deck sorta deal. She grabbed her phone and earbuds turning the song she woke to on at full blast. In two days she had a showcase and a habit of her's was to listen to the selected song as often as she could to get the sound down perfectly.

Leaving her small and somewhat chilly, due to faulty AC, apartment, Sadie made her way to the Coffee Pot. Ever since she let her friend borrow her Keurig the darn thing just doesn't seem to work right anymore so until the foreseeable future Sadie has become a Coffee Pot regular. To be honest she really likes it. The coffee is much better when made by someone who actually knows how to do it. Her only issue is that she seems to have the inability to wake up properly until that first sip of the dark nectar.

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_9:30

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She hadn't spent long at the Coffee Pot. She had work and didn't want to make everyone do all the prepping for the day without her. When she got there the only other person there was Ted. He almost always beat everyone else here despite being far from a morning person. It was impressing if she had to be honest. Waving to the chef, Sadie made her way to the front and started cleaning up.

She had been there for about 30 minutes before Tommy walked in she finished what she was getting ready and moved over to help out the other waitress so they'd be done before opening. When they finished she looked at her watch noting that opening time was on the horizon and quickly stuffed her earbuds into her pocket and waited for the first patrons of the day.

Marilania noticed the man walk over, she had obviously not been as discreet and under the radar as it had seemed. Well this was going to be embarrassing, there was probbly a way out of it though, and without having to resort to desperate measures.

Thinking quickly and replying in a warm English accent that sounded like she only left the country a week ago.


"oh, yeah... Kinda. I thought I recognised you from the pool earlier. Luna sports, blonde obviously... Pale Blue swimsuit? Hair tied back? "

She always hid her stomach at the pool, a nasty knife wound in a mugging had left her with a scar she hated. One of the reasons she had become the person she was, traveling, taking jobs. The family business had always been less than polite but things got too cut throat. That was not Marilania and she broke from her mother's path and took a life akin to her father.

Money was not worth the price it took.

He introduced him self, least he was polite, going a tiny bit pink at being caught out her hand reached out for the vintage aviators before deciding not to run off, despite her squirming embarrassnent at being caught out.

"Marlin, though if your being formal, Marilania, Romus, Olympus. Sorry about staring. Id be a rather bad spy. Break eggs, make omelettes. What brings you to Sol city, everyone has a story"

Romus. A remeninder of a father who had abandoned her yet saved her in a way, his dealings in Africa, and shipments had caused her to have to leave Alaska. Why could he not ship somthing less political than guns.

Olympus. Olympus heavy Industries, a large UK based industrial company, her grandfather headed the board, her mother, aunt all had a say, thr webs of lies, the darker side to success and pits they had gone to achive it was a kind of black stain no water could remove. A stain that caused her to never settle, the longest she had been in a City was 8-9 months before moving on.

Looking round the bar another stranger had entered, brown hair, just the same as everyone else, nothing special. Went up to the bar, no real chit chat. Thr bar was getting busier, probbly just some person wanting a beer and a quiet night.

Not noticing as he left the bathrooms, she turned back to the two strangers, what must people think, a youngish blonde, strangers, some honorable lady of course... Though doubted anyone in this bar would be innocent of anything less.

@aladdin_sane@Robo27@Furiosa

"Doctor, well then Mr DR. About as heavy as a flight manual."

Ren snorted at the attempt to mirror his own nickname joke. "Ren is fine."

As if coming out of thin air, the man from the bar was suddenly next to them. Ren looked up at the man, raising one eyebrow.

「Hi you two, sorry if I am being a bother, but I couldn't help but notice you guys gazing over in my general direction.」

Ren's face was back to a total look of boredom, with a sudden interest on a stain on the table and a faint trait of pink on his cheekbones.

「Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am right, but regardless I figured I might as well introduce myself to the two people that seemed to be looking at me.」 He pulled up a seat next to the pair and gave them a friendly smile.「My name's Kei Kinzo nice to meet you two.」

"That's a bit presumptuous, don't you think? Maybe we just wanted the waiter's attention." Ren rolled his eyes and leaned his head away from the man. Kei, apparently.

Ren was starting to get dizzy again. His palms were sweaty and it dawned on him lunch yesterday had been his last meal, and maybe that wasn’t his best idea ever. "I'm Ren." He chocked out, still not looking at Kei, before he abruptly stood up again. "Bathroom, sorry." As he left the booth he could hear Marlin introduce herself vaguely.

"Marlin, though if your being formal, Marilania, Romus, Olympus…"

Ren didn't really have to use the bathroom, he just had to get up. The stress from his studies and his family had been building up, and apparently today was a day just as good as any to get a meltdown. It didn't help that Ren wasn't feeling like himself today either. He would usually bite strangers head off if they tried to talk to him, but for some reason he just couldn't bring himself to do that today. He walked quick paced over to the bathroom.

Pressing his eyes closed, hoping it would shut out the pulsation in his head, Ren pushed the door open just as a man was leaving. Ren was almost a head taller than the man and it took him a little too long to notice him. He had too much momentum from his stride and stepped on the man's foot before he could stop, but then his head started spinning again – and he toppled over and took the man with him in his fall. They landed in an awkward tangle on the floor. "Ugh…" Ren hit his head against the wall in the fall, and was even more dizzy now than he was from before.

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@PrinceAlexus @Robo27 @aladdin_sane

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