The sun was beginning to dip into the afternoon as the long shadows of Winter extended and grew, Sol City began to slowly make its slow change from golden glow to the speckled lights of millions of artificial stars blinking into the night.

Out in the City park couples made the most of a quiet momment while others walked down the cooler forrested walks throughout the City's green heart. The large classical homes of Park View that lined the park were gold and orange in the light of sunset. Restaurants and cafes across the city prepared for the evening rush of hungry tourists and locals.

In Old Harbour, its warehouse apartments large windows glittered with the marina in a sea of millions of diamonds. The Volunteer rescue centre boat was hauled back onto dry land as a sea plane came into land at the Deadalus pier for flights across the City alongside their helicopter pilot rivals.

---

Pokey the Rhino Gives Birth! Sol City Zoo declares naming competition

In one the furthest North recorded pregnancies in a Rhino, Pokey, who recently arrived last year from Civil War torn Africa has given birth successfully to a male calf. Though mum is yet to let them near, keepers are keen to avoid a poke by her namesake horn and have decided to wait to bring the calf in for examination, given the rarity of a successful birth among those in captivity.

The City Zoo is collecting ideas for potential names and we will be including a link at the bottem of the article. Male and female names are being taken, just sign up below for your chance to name Pokey's calf, and win a special tour of the City Zoo lead by its Main Keeper and Manager, with a chance to interact with some of the animals.

-Pokeycalfname/Solcityzoo.zoo.us-

...

Record Arrests in Sol City Crusade Against Crime

Thanks to the mayor's taskforce, record arrests have taken place across the city as dozens of criminals have been rounded up in a major Federal Operation to clean up the streets.

The Federal taskforce that arrived earlier has made large strides. A spokesperson with the taskforce declared: "We have broken their ranks, now we just need to carry the rout."

Some critics have been quick to point out the cost, and violence of some of the raids: dangerous car chase that could have lead to serious injuries and an arrest gone wrong that resulted in gunfire being exchanged in a public park on the Southside. Representatives with the Justice Department recently claimed to have a recorded a 112% increase in major crime arrests in the past month.

Notable arests include:

Jackie Costa (Illegal Weapons, Racketeering, Attempted Murder)
"Bob" (Drugging of a woman, Assault, Possession of Illegal Substances, Sexual Assualt)
Victor Cargonia Horat (Drugs, mixed offences)
Ignotus Arweleian Boliges (Armed Robbery)
Ben Brown (Fraud, Illegal Trading, Corporate Fraud, Tax Evasion, Insider trading)
Jamie "Red Rob" Fraiser (wanted in Scotland for Tax Evasion and Sedition)
Claire Fraiser (Aiding and Abetting)
George RR Martin (mass murder by pen)

...

WEATHER

SOL CITY continues to experience a slightly warmer than usual Winter season. However, the increase in moisture in the air we believe could raise the potential for a serious Winter Storm once temperatures drop again. For now, enjoy the outdoors!

---

Marilania cursed as she changed lanes managing to go into her old harbour lane instead of the park district, they had moved in a while but she still seemed to be trying to drive to her old home. Her new job was going alot better and as she turned down to the quieter road by city park as the sun set over the expanse of grass, trees and small forested areas.

Hitting a little beeper on her keys the tall steel gates opened to thr parisian style property, a central area with the main house and two wings with garages and other uses. The home had been in the family many decades but shuttered and closed up, Recently now restored and repaired, secured and upgraded once more. They had sold a few properties in the family no one used, and the funds where now repairing those whom they did, London, Paris, and more. This particular one was a favorite of her grandmother, and grandfather and kept out of sentiment and practicality being in better state of repair. The loss of his wife, and age given the acomodations entirely on the second and third levels had meant they where first to use it in a good few years.

Pulling up, and walking into the lobby, the ball room was closed up, what on earth they would do with it was beyond her, most of thr furniture on the reception floor was still covered and so, the ground floor had a large ball room extending away behind folding tall glass and wooden doors, a suite of various rooms for receiving guests, parties. Alas they would have to put them to use. Eventually. Heading up a handsome curving staircase, with detailed iron work and looking at self in a tall mirror over looking the more private family levels above.

Long blonde hair hanging straight, and brushing it slightly to get out her face with a lazy gesture revealing her striking pale grey eyes more. Her leather flight jacket was glittering with wings and patches from former airlines and places, the look did suit her athletic figure, honed by many hours at the Luna sports centre pool. Maybe some 50 years ago another elegant women, twirled slightly in a long dress and checked her hair one last time before greeting her assembled guests wand walked down the curving stairs. Her grandmother, Marinalia Olympus.

Was it vanity to say she looked good right now... Working as a flight instructor suited her and was starting to feel more like her old self. She had been a mess so what recently and o ly now was life starting to feel better. The safety and reassuring quiet of the Manor was definitely helping her to recover faster.

Smiling slightly as home at last and flopping onto a sofa in the shared living area, kitchen and a more intimate dining room than the one below on the found floor. It was nice, between a set of iron and glass doors was a balcony area overlooking the entrance hall of the property. Victoria also had taken the private office that overlooked the rear gardens, it was only fair but the wood paneled space with massive desk was certainly impressive. Above was the suites, each with a ensuite, private living area and bedroom and a walk in wardrobe... She was liking the perks it had...

Lieing back and resting, the lights and quiet waters of old harbour where nice but set far back from road by the gates, entrance hall and courtyard, it was quiet here despite the road. The park was darker, quiet. For once in a few weeks sleep came easy here. The nightmares of Bob and being drugged where less severe, extensive ranges of cameras and alarms secured the home meaning no one would ever be able to approach her unseen or warned here. Some may call it paranoid but after events, it was reassuring to know.

...

---

...

The past week or two had been a wild one for Victoria recently as she walked down the curving marble stairs, still taking it steadily but before her treatment she never would have considered this un aided by stick or support. Gone was the white haired woman, now Raven haired slightly gothic lady, looking sat on the stone Steps to the garden drinking a mug of tea. There was somthing nice about having open space, and it felt safe, private ringed by high outer wall, trees and nature planting meaning no one could see in bar a helicopter. Her sister had already taken advantage of that sunbathing.

Still only 4'9 that was not going to change, and lightly built, some effects would never heal, her skin was slowly taking a more normal tone, even if they had told her she may not quite tan and remain pale. It beat being white as morning snow. Some things she did not mind, the paler skin worked nicely with her intensely black hair, its bold highlights in purple graduating into blues and back into sheer black as a ravens feathers.

She had taken up a new job too, a chance email from a old contact had lead down a rabbit hole, and to a somewhat wealthier rabbit hole at that. Working security and encryption for a defense contractor, the work was finally somthing that challenged her and things atchually felt... Well for the first time in this city, even with her friendship to Milo a a little rocky, well hopeful.

Living here for a while could not be so bad, the calm of there new home, its privacy and reassuring security was doing both sisters good. Even some spare bedrooms, that's if they still had friends left after things anyway.

They had moved into this new home, well Manor in fact it was named on the gates, it had taken some getting used to but they where finding there pace, and now the lower levels unsheeted and shutters thrown open, the ground floor was light, airy and she had taken a former grand drawing room downstairs as her public office for greeting clients. At the front of house, with large light windows, ornate carved fireplace and semi formal sitting areas, just off the large entrence Hall it had views of the extensive city park.

Above on the second floor, the private office was her domain, sanctuary and place of safety looking over the gardens. It was meant to impress, but the relatively tiny Victoria behind such a large desk, with modern state of the art monitors, computers and a particularly squishy leather sofa ideal for when she was hitting a mental wall.

The family had previously been paying for maintenance anyway, and taxes, so living here hardly changed things much bar some extra utility bills and the security company coats. Now someone lived here, even if they used the upper floors mostly, things gleamed, wood shone, and it seemed the soul of the place had been restored once more. No longer a dusty shell that starred blankly over the park, its windows dark pits, now a light, bright, and so far, home. The company maintained many homes in the area and others and had a reputation for discretion and tact, no need to change that.

It had taken a while to agree on things but they had chosen to keep the rooms to rear more private, and it's gardens strictly theres not matter what they did here. They had plans for the grand ball room, hopefully at some point they could work out a way to use it for benefit of people, maybe hold a charity ball.

Marinalia Romus Olympus "Mali"

Marinalia pulled her flight jacket over her neat office uniform with fitted skirt, office jacket with gold flight wings and a simple blouse below. It had been a big wig visit day so she had been doing lessons in her full uniform. Teaching someone to fly in a office skirt was not quite the easiest but she had managed it, and there flight was a safe and uneventful one.

The viability was good and they had done a circuit of the city, before some lower flight training out over the wildreness following the river inland towards a large lake dozens of miles outside the city limits. Quietly instructing and keeping a close eye, her student was learning fast and only needed a few bits of instruction and reminders.

It was warmish day but still winter so she was wearing her leather flight jacket gold wings glittering in the sun, a multitude of patches from various airlines from Rome to Alaska and nations. Near one shoulder one of a blonde haired winged Valkirie. She had picked up the nickname quite often.

Long blonde hair, figure toned from swimming, and if she did say so herself, rather attractive. She looked the part anyway and the gold wings glittering, well she certainly at least got a few glances.

The walk to her white Land rover Discovery was not a long one but bare legs bit slightly even in the unseasonal weather. Driving out the airport it was a Maintenance day so they had a early one at the flight school. If only she had not missed lunch....

The drive through the city was a busy, even living now in Park View the route home would be annoying and she could eat a small horse. Or Rhino... But given pokey kinda had a Gaint horn, she was not planning to go to the zoo for lunch. Heading to Footsteps, the sports bar did good food and once you got used to it was not bad at all. Even if the items she did not quite understand and there was always some kind of American sport on... Hand egg... The ball was a egg... More like rugby with extra safety, baseball, bit like rounders... with more padding, Basket ball, reminded her of Net ball at school, Soccer, just call it football why don't ya.

Parking in Footsteps she remembered meeting Joel and Tommy there in happier times, when things more simple... Pranks.. Life was so much easier. Locking the 4x4 parking was a pain always when you drove somthing like that but she never could drive a little car... It felt wrong... She had driven a land rover or similar since she was 17 and passed her driving test.

Coming from a Rich industrial family had its perks.

Finding a seat at the quiet bar, old memories. If only she had not fucked up that evening... Urgh... She, d be lucky if Joel ever replied to her messages, the picture of there air race they had signed behind the bar.

Good Afternoon mam, Steak, chips and a black coffee please. 1 sugar and cream if possible.

Rest of afternoon off... Got lucky.

Talking to server, she ordered and sat waiting as a coffee arrived alot faster than her steak but it was fresh... Fresh was worth the wait. Noting the woman was same too as that night... Why did she choose this place... Crazyness... Wanting to relive a momment... She had no idea... At least the food was good.

---

Victoria Darya Romus "Vika"

Victorias day at work had been a tricky one and she had been busy patching the firewall and security systems after a attack. They had not done anything at all but bounce off outer defences but a number of weak points that needed a minor but tricky fix.

Hitting enter and watching all the icons shine up green this time, it was meant to be a shorter day but jobs where done when jobs where done. Leaning back the raven haired woman, hair highlights in blues and purples with a black and red corset topped dress. Tapping her ring ice blue diamond ring against the table, the second and final tests all came in green and successful. Looking out window, maybe a dress was not best choice for day but it was strangely warm for the time of year. The newspaper did think a big storm was coming though, why did Marilnalia not pick maybe like Italy, Spain, or Caribbean. Working on a beech with a cocktail sounded kinda fun.

See you tommrow, the Twinnings is my tea!

Firewalls done, threat maps pretty busy of late. Mostly small fish with no bite , they been bouncing off easily, odd shark probed but never committed. Good sharks.. Though not quite immune to detection.

Have fun, and drive safe.

Sure, she did not look the norm for working in city, but no one was here. The company was a outpost of a larger defence contractor and hired everyone on merit and skills. Given some of there specialities it had meant they where... Charecters. Especially in the cyber and engineering areas... Quirky, diffrent but everyone was the top of there fields. Admitly she had a rather grey job, not everyone wanted to work for people who also where a Private Military Company and had a few dodgy moments to say the least. She had already turned down a offer from the University, but the pay was gak compared the one she had now. Some called it immoral, but her view was more distant, mostly due to having a father and fanily who was in Arms industry.

Heading out the underground car park to her Mini Cooper, she kept roof up as it was still a tad cool for her being British and not quite used to these winters, even with her Russian trips and heritage. She hated the cold. Driving out past the large entrance guarded by the tower on statue of two warriors of the sacrad band of Thebes, spears High glittering in bronze and marble, Sheilds shining in the low hanging sun. The hidden guardians was there eyes... Concealed cameras that meant they still served to guard the building in a little sense.

Driving round to the Coffee pot and parking nearby, despite her cure she was still in treatment and considered allowed a to have a disabled parking badge. It did make parking alot easier though as she headed in quickly... Why did she not wear somthing warmer... The dress did look so nice though...

Sitting down, and ordering a light lunch, Mocha and a extra espresso to wake her up a a little, she played slightly with her hair between fingers not quite believing the changes. It's was no longer white. The walking stick was in bag, she had not had to use it bar a few times that day on a bad stair case. They had been honest, she would never fully regain but 70% at least increase in her movement, balence and so. Everyone forgot the little luxury it was to her, just to walk for a coffee un aided without hell they always took for granted.

Looking round, it was... Averagely busy, and she pulled out a advanced laptop to have a seach about for a few things to Fox Marlins old laptop... It was ainciant but she loved the thing, despite the part she needed bing out of production for a couple of years. Her laptop was a gift from work, latest gen and modified, it was more secure than the norm. She had worked out a little golden hello in exchange for a longer contract. Well they offered, she was not going to say no.

Food would be a while, hopefully the ebay store had somthing... Marlins old laptop was proving to be quite the challenge to repair...

Sarah Cooper

"Alright, buddy, lunch is on!" Sarah shouted into the cave, banging a stick against the plastic bucket threatening to tear her arm off. Before she'd started work at the Sol City Zoo, she would never have guessed that a slurry of fish parts, fruit and vitamins could be so heavy."Get out here and eat, you big fuzzy jerk."

The cave was situated at the top of a large hill, dotted with brown grass and meant to imitate the subalpine habitat of the Grizzly Bear. Down the bottom of the hill was a lake for swimming, with an artifical waterfall to bring out the natural look - guests could view the exhibit from behind the plexiglass fence by the lake. The other side of the hill was densely forested and surrounded by a reinforced fence, on the other side of which was a path that lead to the food court and the reptile house.

The scratching of claws on stone was followed shortly by the snuffling of a massive creature as a great snout emerged from the cave, sniffing at the bucket in her hands. "There you are," Sarah said, rubbing the bear's head affectionately and setting the bucket down on the ground in front of him. Peanutbutter grumbled in acknowledgement and buried his wide face in the bucket, slurping and crunching messily. Sarah leaned against the cave wall and watched him, brushing a few leaf crumbs off the shoulder of her uniform. On a busier day, Peanutbutter's afternoon feeding would be significantly more of a production - she'd bring him out in front of the waiting crowds, explain his diet, crack a few jokes, rub his tummy, maybe play-wrestle with him a bit if the crowd seemed particularly invested. It was a fun show to put on, even if it was a bit much to do it day after day during the busy period of the summer. Today was a slow day, though, which meant fewer shows and much more actual work.

The walkie-talkie at her belt crackled, and Sarah brought it up to her ear. "Cooper here," she said mechanically.

The southern drawl of Angela, her supervisor, rumbled from the device, interrupted by the occasional sharp cracks of gum. "You done feeding PB?"

"Yeah, what do you need?" Sarah picked up the now empty bucket, holding the walkie-talkie with her shoulder and waving down the exhibit hill at a couple of visitors who were staring up at the bear girl. She didn't mind Angela's constant task-mastering, really; it was nice to always have something to be doing, and though lacking in tact, the older woman was always a straight shooter.

"Peters and Xiezhi need help with the lemurs," she replied, "It's bath time."

"Oh, god." Bath time was rarely an enjoyable experience with any of the zoo's creatures, but it was common knowledge that the lemurs were particularly filthy and rambunctious; it was rare to escape from washing them without being covered in a fine misting of urine and feces, and the process itself was an invariably frustrating ordeal.

"Oh god is right," Angela replied. "Say hi to the shitmonkeys for me, poster girl." 'Poster girl' was a common nickname her fellow employees had given her when a picture of her feeding Peanutbutter had been made the front page of the zoo's website. You could also buy an actual poster of it in the gift shops; apparently they were hot items.

Sarah sighed. "I'm on it." She gave Peanutbutter a final pat and turned towards the keeper's exit of Bear Mountain. He snuffled after her, gave a low moan, then turned and padded back into his cave. He wasn't much one for long, dramatic goodbyes - typical of the men in her life, really. "Don't have too much fun without me!" she called after him and continued walking, humming some commercial jingle that had gotten stuck in her head.

THOMAS LANCASTER

---

Half a century ago, there is this American philosopher who asked the question: "What is it like being a bat?". Living consciousness is perhaps one of the great questions of the universe in the modern age. Where do our minds go when we die? What does it feel to take the brains of other creatures and live their lives? And perhaps most interesting of all: Can a robot be conscious?

Various movies and films were made with such ideas. The robots made to feel, to touch and to think, to grow attached or to destroy humankind. Now with the advancement of technology, the question was even more apparent than before. The concept was argued by many to be impossible, but who can say for sure. Science, after all, are very theoretical. One that used to be a fact could be proven wrong centuries later, and one everybody thought being preposterous could turn out to be an entirely new concept of the next Great Age.

Over fifty years later, that question is being asked repeatedly, in the mind of a twenty-four years old disabled man.

"And here we are. All necessary as you embark on your separate doctoral journey."

The professor, or to these living minds advisors, were handing out a couple of sheets of papers. One of them was passed onto Thomas, who was sitting on his wheelchair at the very back of the small table.

"Something to separate the men from the boys. The roars from the meows. And the strong from the moderates. Twenty questions. All about mathematics and computer concept. Each more impeccable than the last."

With that said, Thomas had a look through the questions, examining and analyzing them as quickly as possible. It was indeed impeccable. Each weren't just simple concepts that we could find in the books anywhere.

"Good luck. You'll need it next week 3 o' clock. See you then."

That was the signal for everyone to pack up their stuff and leave. The session is over.

"I'm seriously gonna die with all of this." One of Thomas's fellow friend grunted as he stood up.

Thomas returned the gesture with an amused grin. He too followed these men, shutting his laptop down, stacking his whole bunch of paper on it and stuff it entirely in his school bag. The only paper that was not placed in the bag...was the twenty 'impossible' questions.

"Thomas, you wanna go to the movie right now?" The same friend asked.

"I apologize but I'm not in the mood for that."

Thomas replied clearly but politely as he smiled lightly. Seeing that he was holding the 'impossible' questions, the guy knew exactly what he was going to do.

"As dedicated as ever eh?" He said. "See ya next week then"

---

---

"Hmm."

The questions may not be as hard as it seemed.

On the way there, while sitting on the bus, Thomas could be seen staring intently at the paper he was given. He was going to stop by at a nearby café for comfort and tranquility, but before he arrived there, he felt that there was no more need.

The day is still long. The weather's warm, the sun's in the sky, the flowers are blooming and the birds were chirping. This made the man in his wheelchair regretted the decision to refuse his friend's invitation. He had a lot of time in hand now. He wouldn't want to spend all of it inside the confinement of his room in riverside doing relatively little. It would be lonely.

"Next stop: Sol City Zoo."

The automatic sound of the bus announced the next destination. Thomas lifted his head as he reached for the stop button. He could spend his time there.

The bus slowed down as it approached the stop. Thomas reached out for the controller placed on his armrest and held it firmly. It really felt like he was playing a game whenever he does so. A racing game, but in this case he was experiencing it for real, and sped at a much slower velocity. With a gentle push, the electric wheelchair gained its power and life again. The wheels began to roll, pushing itself and the passenger forward.

"Have a great day." The bus driver saluted Thomas as he lowered the bus door and the ramp. The wheelchair user simply saluted back as he casually rolled down the ramp and headed into the zoo.

The sight was a little odd to miss. A young man in his twenties, strolling down the zoo's walking path, all by himself, without any helpers. It was indeed a little risky, because if he somehow fell over or his wheelchair got stuck somewhere, it would be a sticky situation for him, since he could not walk by himself. But it was worth it. Firstly, he wouldn't want his nurse, Jeanie, to spend all her time around him. Secondly, because sometimes he just wanted to explore the world by himself. He goes everywhere he wants, he does whatever he desires. He would not be bounded by anyone else going with him. Life as a PhD student could be a little isolating, as students would have to spend long hours of research all by themselves. And this was not a weekly or monthly process. It took years, and each years are more difficult than last.

He came down the lake at the zoo, as something drew his attention. People were gathering around the plexiglass fence, watching over something. A gentle lift of the joystick stopped the wheelchair, followed by a right jerk made the thing rotate to the right, turning him facing the bear exhibit.

To his vision, he could see this young girl with brown hair feeding this huge bear. It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if she was just giving the bear the bucket of fish and just let him, or her, eat it in peace. The girl, instead, petted him intimately. And he seemed a little happy about it. Interesting to see how close the zoo workers were to these animals living here.

The girl left shortly, as soon as the bear finished its meal. And also the time for Thomas to go. He wanted to see more, not just one exhibit. Strolling down the walking pathway, through the small park, in which was the place for visitors to sit down, relax and enjoy the scenic around them, Thomas realized something was not alright here. Just as he derailed from the pathway and into the grass area, one of the wheels suddenly sank into the ground, listing him to the right, and preventing him from moving.

"What the hell?"

It seemed like his wheel got caught in some unusual man-made trenches, presumably from some kids once playing here. And now he was struggling to get out of there. The wheel dug deep enough to counteract the power of the engine.

"And thus, Johnathon came out with shit running down his pants and piss staining his shirt." A slow uproar of laughter came from both Eloise and Richard, both present on the microphones for today's broadcast. Yet another enjoyable and humorous entry to the many life stories that each member had to tell. In this case, Oscar had spent the time reliving his childhood memories of education, where misfits like himself were subjected to some of the more embarrassing of entries into life. Even Oscar himself felt a smirk of nostalgia kick in, reminding him of the fun and enjoyment he had back in Scotland those years ago. Oh, how the years fly, come and go without a trace to say your greetings towards. Oscar had felt this pressure build up over time, but still found even greater fondness of his newfound home. Well, he called it newfound, but in reality many of his recent years had been spent getting off of his arse and attempting to rehabilitate himself into the society now thriving under Sol City's banner. "Never heard from the lad again. Couldn't face the music after that day and had to get his school changed pronto. I heard, though, that he now travels the world. Crazy to think he went from a mathematician to an exploring connoisseur. Baffles me sometimes."

Both he and his sister exchanged a look of somewhat mutual thought. Instantly, the two were reminded of themselves. Both had come so far in terms of their success. Whilst their journey was nowhere near completion and had every possibility of failure, they were sitting comfortably without too much indulgence in riches, owning a dream job and both working together as performers. Under the stage name of FVRY, the two had accumulated a reasonable fan-base and fame amongst the indulgence of Sol City's beautiful renditions of musical talent. Whilst it was their side project alongside both careers as Eloise's radio presenting and Oscar's freelancer production work, they cherished it and placed many hours of the day into practicing, purchasing new gear and experimenting with completely new forms of music genres. Recently blasting away with a blend of musical mixology, their previous 3 albums were now set and announcing their staple approach to performance and creation. Oscar, no doubt, was the creative mindset behind the duet's mediocre success, but Eloise was not shy to put her input within its coarse and rough beginnings. They were lucky enough to perform at both Glastonbury and Reading festivals back in the UK the previous year, but Oscar was keen on making a big performance this year if he could get the funding from his freelance work. And with another album nearing its completion, there was still hope.

The two sighed and embraced the thoughts of this dream every night. One by one, they wished to expand their influence and become iconic names in history, repairing the tragic beginnings to their young adulthood. Someday it may come true, but Oscar was pessimistic to always count on hope.

"Incredible. It's always a treat to have you back every week, Osc'." She giggled at her twin's rather childish nickname that had stuck with her since their early beginnings. No matter how much it irritated or disowned his trust, she would always use it. "Don't forget to stick around, folks, for a first hand performance from my brother, Oscar himself, in the live-lounge with some amazing solo work that I'm dying to hear. I'm sure there are some lads and lasses out there who are too. Remember you too can see FVRY live very soon. Tickets are, right now, on sale and are limited to whatever Club: The Pit can handle. It's going to be great to meet you guys once more."

There was always a strange charisma to the way she showed her radio-career. A strong and lustful approach towards her career made for a bountiful and plentiful tone of confidence. It was her place of residence and comfort. Her job was her home. Eloise loved everything about PRM's ability to provide an honest selection of musical talent and bless those who were in need of a kickstart in their career. And with the live-lounge as their premium standout in Sol's network of radio shows, a large handful of visitors tuned in throughout the day and night to listen to the stories, songs and general antics of Eloise, Richard and occasionally Oscar's commitment. They hoped to add a few more interviews with local acts later throughout the week, but only time could tell on their schedule.

"It'd be cool to see everyone there. One of the few shows you've got until White Noise comes out, am I wrong?" Richard chuckled at the obviously forced advertisement, finding themselves engulfed in self-awareness and general enjoyment. There wasn't anything more laid back than this show in recent times, which had in the past given it some flak by competing shows. "Well, once again, let's give it to our wonderful guest tonight, Mr Oscar McGuinness, who will be returning in a few days and throughout the week for more discussions, interviews and support for the show. It's great to have your love for our work. Now, we've got you guys a wonderful track from Flourish, a new act from Norway, and it goes a little like this..."

An hour or so passed from talking to Eloise off-mic came through before he finally claimed his departure. The day was still young, but Oscar had his hopes that it was going to be eventful. He was ahead of his work for the media outlet he was hired by in terms of composition and the evening's meetup to record with the orchestra was already planned and ready to go. Wonderful, it was. All the time, this ability to do what he loved and still maintain a life outside was beyond his expectations; maybe life could go all colourful for a few years after all.

The outside was freshened with a bright ray of sunshine, oddly enough for the winter, the moment he stood outside. Anyone could predict that the world, or city more likely, was his oyster, but he liked to concur and avoid such a lifestyle of riches and fame for the time being. Money wasn't an issue since he'd struck success in his composition work, but it was rather finding things to do. Apart from his sister and Richard, there wasn't really much on his agenda to go visit. Every night, or at least sometimes, he'd feel that struggle of loneliness sink its fangs into his neck slowly. One day, he hoped to fill that hole with friends, comrades, workmates and potential interests of love, an area in life he longed for secretly, but his career was keeping him occupied enough to forget the troubles during the day. Sometimes he thought of going for a drink or two, nothing alcoholic though, in times like these, just to clear his mind and try and study for new opportunities in song creation.

No matter where he was, or why he was there, ideas of lyrics and styles from everyday occurrences were forcing his inspiration to show its true colours. Details unseen to the naked eye kept on sparking his captivity, indulging Oscar in an almost pleasurable quantity of musical thought. Provoked by such matters, Oscar sometimes found himself wandering aimlessly amongst the streets when thinking such things. Now was becoming one of those times.

Some of these thoughts had led his astray, dragging him into a random part of the street that took him a minute or two to comprehend. Where was he? Somewhere in Central Point, no doubt, as he couldn't have gone far. It reminded him of the song he had planned for the live-lounge entry in the coming days: "Led Astray". It was a slow, melodic tune where he wanted to fully express his voice without focusing so much on instrumentation. It was rare for him to sing confidently over the occasional patchiness that he denied of his composition. Yes, both he and Eloise did sing in almost every song they played, but it wasn't to this extent. Using a simple chord progression with his acoustic guitar, it was a song that was brought from the mind when at its worse. Originally it was supposed to be accompanied by some of the heaviest and downright insane levels of rock to show its true pain, but both Eloise and he agreed its effect was magnified and quantified by the chilling lack of music and use of a voice, as if he were pleading to an unearthly being for remorse and consolidation to relief. With an audience split into preferring all forms of music that FVRY had conducted, this was leaning towards the even more personal level of performing. Hopefully someone would appreciate it as much as he did himself...

He had little understanding of what he wanted to do. There were no plans up until that evening. He had time to kill. Maybe he'd bump into someone, or maybe he'd just wander around aimlessly like now. Whatever happened, it was a good day to start off this new adventure in Sol City. Maybe things were going to come up all-Oscar now?

Paige Kennedy

The downtown offices of Elvin Santos Holdings were situated on the 27th floor of one Central Point’s most exclusive high-rise buildings. The modern, black glass tower was not the tallest in Sol, but was far and away the most modern construction at only a few years old. Sporting the logo MODUS in large, deep-blue font on the outside for its chief corporate occupant. The high-speed elevator system, boasted by a discreet placard in the lobby, could take a visitor from the ground to the 30th floor faster than any other building in the city. A changeover point had to be incorporated at the 19th floor to keep the process moving across the various banks, export, real-estate and foreign trade company’s employees in the most efficient manner possible. Paige had been slightly skeptical of the builder’s claim that it was the quickest in the Northwest, but when she’d stepped off outside Elvin’s offices slightly lightheaded, she conceded to herself that they were probably right.

Elvin was explicitly white collar in every way, but Paige knew the first time she met him that he was significantly more deviant and considerably smarter than the average miscreant in Sol City. He’d removed the “Delle” prefix from his last name after he put himself through college, but unlike the usual ghetto to glamor stories, he never let go of the family’s underground connections. Instead, he’d used them, when convenient to make himself rich by shrewdly playing both sides of law. She’d come across him while on the hunt for Bob, finding him the common denominator in many of the infamous Jazz-Night attacker’s handlers. He was almost likeable, for a criminal, similar to a really good salesman at a used car lot. The information he provided then was sound, but she knew he was extracting some benefit in telling her. He lived by a few simple maxims, as he explained: Never get greedy, protect your investments, stay low-key and know when to choose the winning side.

In addition to its panoramic view of Central Point and the waterfront all the way down to the Matthews Bridge, the spacious corner office was filled with exquisite artifacts and set-pieces from all over the world. Handmade wooden furniture, books on a multitude of subjects and a sparkling chandelier hanging at center that, as he explained before, came from some Scottish castle in the twelfth century or maybe it was the thirteenth?. She hadn’t been paying that much attention to that part of the conversation. She glanced momentarily at her phone to check the time as she fiddled with his golf clubs and the small putting area set up near his desk. There was an ornate mirror beneath a large framed Egyptian tapestry that apparently had to be kept at specific temperature to keep from disintegrating. All she remembered was it was an air-conditioned picture frame that cost more than several weeks of her Marshal’s salary. She looked at herself in the mirror briefly and sat down in his chair. When the door opened she spun around meeting the gaze of Elvin and his secretary.

“Ummm, Miss Carla, can you tell me why there’s a Federal Marshal in my office?” Elvin said. His tone rose to a sardonic note of false astonishment.

“I’m sorry Mr. Santos,” Carla pleaded. “She said she would arrest me if I didn’t let her in!”

“Did she?” Elvin replied. “What was she going to arrest you for?”

“I-I don’t know!” Carla continued. “She had a gun and a badge, I thought that’s just what they did. I’m sorry, sir!”

“It’s fine Carla, really” Elvin replied with a sigh. “I’ll just be a few minutes with the Marshal, tell my four o’clock I’ll be a little late.”

Paige waited for the young woman to leave. Her expression remained stoic as the attractive young girl shot her the stink-eye before closing the large office door. The striker clacked affirmatively deep in the hardwood before she spoke: “Let’s start with you telling me what you know.” Paige said. “Was it Sammy or was it Nikki?” She pivoted slightly back and forth in the large chair impatiently. “You’re handling property for them in Sol, you must know. If you don’t wanna tell me, I’ll just assume it was you.”

Elvin stepped back with a slight smirk and put one hand smugly in his jacket pocket and glanced around the office as if he were dealing with some child that may have broken something in his absence. His contacts had been right on the money about her though, all the way down to the Converse sneakers. Still, he’d been in the game for a long time and being chastised by a girl half his age gave him some amusement. She looked more like she belonged more in a Coed Calendar than behind a gun and a star and he could picture her wearing things other than a leather jacket and jeans.

“What do you know?” Paige persisted, interrupting his momentary fantasy.

“What do I know?” He replied, nearly mockingly. “I know that I’m just getting back from a luncheon with some clients and we were discussing our donations to the Salvation Army and I come back to find a Federal agent snooping around in my office.”

Paige playfully nodded and shrugged as he spoke as if she were going to believe him and just walk away with his story. She plunked a large caliber, snub-nosed revolver on his desk as soon as he spoke about her checking out his office. “Yeah, I found this in the false bottom.”

“I have a permit for that in my other pants.” Elvin replied.

“Sure you do,” Paige said. She began dumping the bullets from the cylinder onto his desk. “Did I tell you I was from Florida?”

“Uhhh… Possibly? You have such a… lovely, dialect,” Elvin said referring to her noticeable southern accent. He was placed off-guard by her abrupt change in subject and watched her hands as the room was suddenly quiet enough that he could hear the dull, metallic sound of the shells touching one another.

“Yeah, I brought in this gun-runner from Cuba one time,” She said looking casually at one of the bullets in her fingers. “He used to have this little… game he liked to play with his flunkies, test their loyalty, make sure they weren’t stealin’ from him.”

“Ok…” Elvin said slightly cautious and not at all curious.

“He’d take a gun kinda like this one,” Paige continued. Her tone lightened somewhat, thoughtfully in remembrance as she slid the single round back in the chamber. “Then he’d ask a question and if he didn’t think they answered truthfully, he’d pull the trigger…” She glanced back up at him, “You follow?”

“Seems simple enough.”

“Do you have any questions?”

Elvin paused and put his hands on his hips drawing his exquisitely tailored jacket back and keeping the same parental smirk. “What are you doing?” He chuckled and shook his head.

“Is that your question?”

“You think you’re gonna make me talk?” He said with only a modicum of uneasiness and a great deal of humorous disbelief.

“That’s your choice.” Paige replied standing up and stepping around the desk with the gun in hand.

“Or you’re gonna shoot me?”

“There’s a five outta six chance, I won’t.” She spun the chamber and flicked her wrist locking it back in place.

“Bullshit.” Elvin snapped with a devious grin.

“Where are they?” Paige said grimly.

“Kiss my ass.”

Click! The hammer dropped, but found no bullet waiting as the action rotated to the next slot in the cylinder. Elvin recoiled in terrified shock, jumping back nearly to the door from Paige’s outstretched arm. “Jesus Christ! What the hell!?” He roared throwing his arms up, “This is a public office!”

“Maybe you should call the cops.” Paige said advancing.

“You are the cops!” Elvin barked.

“Deputy US Marshal.” She corrected.

“Whatever! Y-You can’t just come in here and shoot me because y-you feel like it!”

“Why not?” Paige asked calmly. “Isn’t that how you guys do it? Isn’t that why I still have this bruise on my face,” She brushed her hair back showing the faded blue and black where the mob attacker slammed her against the wall of her old apartment repeatedly. Her tone grew more ominous with each word and her eyes blazed with hellfire: “Isn’t that why he could’ve just as well put a bullet in the back of my head!? So you know what? Now we’re gonna play by your rules.”

“No, don’t-“ Elvin pleaded.

“Where are they?” She cut him off.

“I don’t know!!”

She lifted her arm and pulled again. Click!

“FUCK! Stop it! What is wrong with you!?” He was beginning to involuntarily crouch down slightly keeping his hands in the air. Even though he was taller, she was beginning to have to look down to catch his eyes.

“You want me to stop?” She said, “Just tell me the truth.”

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” He hissed. He became suddenly aware he was panting for air while his heart slammed in his chest. He put one hand over it in an attempt to calm its adrenalin-fueled beat.

“Start by telling me what you do know.” Paige growled.

“Just gimmie a minute,” He coughed and attempted to catch his breath.

“No.” She raised the pistol again.

“HEY! HEY!” He raised one hand towards her in a vain attempt to ward her off. “Ok! What do I know?” He repeated the phrase several times before continuing: “I know that it was probably Nikki that set this all up, he wants you dead and he probably wants me dead too, he’s all about scorched earth, who do you think called off the bikers when you were raiding the hotel? It was me!” He pointed at himself forcefully. “Sammy doesn’t do violence, he just wants to pretend he’s a big shot and live the life, they don’t even like each other that much.”

“And you don’t know where they are?” She still didn’t lower the gun.

“I don’t know!” Elvin barked. He searched his mind for more information to pacify her, “All I can tell you is Sammy’s old lady is into the jewelry collections, there’s an exhibit at the museum, Sammy doesn’t give a shit, but he’ll probably be along.”

“What about Margie?”

“She’s circling the wagons,” Elvin said, feeling some level of confidence in the safety behind his words. “She doesn’t want any part of this shitstorm you all started.”

“And that’s all you know?”

“That’s all I know!” He shouted back before she could barely get the words out.

Paige tilted her head a little, looking at him from behind the small sights. She kept the gun trained momentarily before lowering it away. “Ok,” She said quietly nodding. “I believe you.” She glanced at him hard before placing the gun on a small table and stepping past him never once letting her beam-like glare move away from his eyes. The large wooden door opened easily despite its soundproof weight to the boisterous noise of phones ringing and Elvin’s office staff chatting. As she shut the door daintily behind her, she thought she could hear the satisfying sound of him shouting obscenities at the top of his lungs. She smirked a little and walked back to the elevator.

_{Victoria @PrinceAlexus}

---

The sun had been slowly starting to sink and Ashton mumbled as she slowly opened her amethyst colored eyes. Seeing the edges of her fluff trimmed hoodie that had been pulled mostly over her head to hide away the sunshine allow sleep to overtake her. With a yawn, the tall androgynous firefighter stretched out from her sleeping position on the bench she had taken over for some few hours. Sitting upright, she ran a calloused hand through the messy dirty blonde hair, promptly knocking the hoodie part of her jacket off of the mop head. Rubbing the sandman's magic from her eyes with the back of her left hand, she used her right to scan the messages on her phone. Which consisted of missed calls and angry texts from Marine that nagged that she should be sleeping at the station and not wandering around the city all night long. As well as reminding Ashton to take her medications the doctors ordered and to take things easy.

Also texting in caps demanding Ashton doesn't go running into buildings on fire without the proper gear. And still don't do that without back up from the team. And don't go jumping out of five story buildings.

Giving amused smile, Ashton just texted back that she was fine and was overall relaxing to the best of her abilities. She liked relaxing outdoors, where she could hear the sounds of the outside. Plus, it's not her fault that this city was hard to navigate.... Well maybe a little.

Standing up, Ashton stumbled a little as pain shot through her left leg. It was a lot better than it was, but it was still sore. Grabbing the black came she had resting with her, she used it as support for her leg leg before continuing her wandering around. Stomach growling and still a little groggy, Ashton couldn't help but perk up as she spotted the Coffee Pot and decided to head inside there to get a bite to eat. The burns on her arms and damage to her leg still hurt even after a few weeks... But she can deal through the pain. Better than sitting around at the hospital.

Walking inside, Ashton mentally hummed as her amethyst gaze looked around before perking up as she spotted a pretty raven haired woman sitting at a table with a laptop. What caught her attention was the fact she felt like she had seen this woman before. So of course, the friendly giant moved over to the table. Curiously examining the pretty girl up close, amethyst eyes narrowed as she tried to dig through all the faces she knew. Just about everything seemed unfamiliar... But her face....

Ashton tapped the table gingerly, leaning on the cane as she did so, giving a bright goofy smile of a greeting as the scar face woman's free right hand waved energetically in a cheerful hello. Perhaps if she heard her voice? Maybe she'd recongize the firefighter. Ashton hardly changes and it's hard to miss someone as tall as her. She was aware of this, and sometimes it was helpful.
Last

From the morning he'd left the radio broadcast centre, all he'd done was wander around aimlessly without a care in the world. Every now and then, he would snap images of random occurrences that happened throughout the streets. Every now and then, an individual or two would flash him strange looks when he would randomly flip out his phone and snapshot the latest developments of the city. Whether it was new complexes being constructed, outlandish performers on the street or the occasional confrontation between lifelong friends, every picture could write a thousand songs if he so desired. Whenever he was struck with the lyricist's block, these photos were what came to the light and showed him what everyday life could offer for the voice and sound of instruments. Occasionally he felt a little pretentious in doing so, but if it helped his career without violating laws or morals, then so be it.

However, as the time went on, he felt more and more drawn into something intriguing. Within Central Point, Kook's Musician Store was sat comfortably between multiple clothing chains and restaurants on the main street. It's where most of Oscar's equipment came from, despite certain specialised and personalised gear. Recently, he'd been in contact with Julian "Kook" Konosok, a polish emigrant who'd spent his life selling and expanding his salesmanship beyond expectations. Julian had a fresh take on fair pricing and keeping Sol City updated with the latest brands of guitars, drums, pianos, percussion instruments and whatnot to give himself a standout name in the metropolis. They'd been talking about the latest import of an old analogue drum machine, the CR78, which was famously used by certain acoustic jammers who played in small pubs back in Scotland. Oscar had placed an order on the first one to come through, and the remembrance of it arriving a few days ago caught his interest away from looking for inspiration and more towards the potential to practice and play.

Upon entering, Oscar was immediately greeted with the regular, huge open space that the shop had. Since its early beginnings, the store really had progressed beyond Julian's wildest dreams. It was great to see him selling everything he wanted with success and prosperity to it. Perhaps the nickname City of Dreams he always used to describe Sol city was becoming clearer as the recent days went by.

"Mr McGuinness!" The blend between his Slavic, slightly German and fluent English was once again coming into the light as the frantic man cracked a large smile. The two had become quite acquainted recently, which was good to know. Having contacts like him in the music industry was crucial if he ever dreamed of getting anywhere. "No dilly-dallying! I know why you're here, my good man!" Without allowing Oscar to say what he wanted, he already knew from the expressions of his face to a telepathic inference that he had come for the newly ordered CR78. It had always sounded very artificial, but a strange charisma had come from its simplicity that attracted Oscar beyond comprehension. He had a tendency to fall into the more simple things in life, finding a strange attraction to anything of the sort. Within minutes, the man was already back out and setting up an array of wires leading out to the front of the store.

"Oh, uh...Julian? What are you doing? I thought I was just going to pick it up and-" Suddenly, the man once again cut him off with an extravagant booming voice filling his dominion.

"Nonsense. You test it out here, right now. I'll grab you a Telecaster and you can jam outside for a while. Make sure it works and attract me some more customers, yes?"

Oscar couldn't help but love Julian's enthusiasm, constantly. There was never a dull moment in his life, and the previous promises Oscar had made to perform for him in gratitude was now sinking in once more. Well, having performers outside of his shop just jamming away was always a good business practice to attracting even more customers, despite the fact he couldn't be satisfied with the masses he'd already accumulated. He was a special fellow, no doubt. Oscar could see him going places no one else would ever dare to jump in the business of retail and salesmanship.

Several extension leads later leading outside the front door, a stool had been set up. It was always really awkward and anxious for Oscar to just dump himself out into the street to play. With everyone walking past, he felt a bit too close to the audience for comfort. It wasn't that he was in disagreement with being near others, it was just the sudden pressure of not planning for the situation. It was always that "out-of-schedule" experience that worried him. He'd been living so many recent years of his life following a strict timetable, doing the same thing in and out of one another within his rehabilitation department that he almost forgot what freedom was like. Everything had to be planned and go accordingly to it. Now he was, though not forced, being inadvertently pressured into playing and testing out his new gear upon arrival. Seconds passed and soon enough he was outside, sat in a stool while many people walked by without the bat of an eye. So he sat there, waiting. It was awkward. Everything was awkward, but soon enough, time started to take its toll when he flicked on the CR78 drum machine, getting the telecaster on a clean tone and slowly playing some soothing tunes he slightly improvised over the course of his playing. And with the final few notes found, he began to sing where he was...

"Alexander, you'd better get your arse moving! They're coming in any minute for that cake!" hollered the short red headed woman covered in flour and icing. Alex nodded and started quickly, but carefully, the drop lines on the final tier of the wedding cake. He loved his job, he really did, but it could be incredibly stressful. Looking over his shoulder he pulled out his phone and headphones playing whatever had been playing before. It ended up being one of the local radio stations. They were chatting on about something and he wasn't fully paying attention.

"And thus, Johnathon came out with shit running down his pants and piss staining his shirt."

Alex hadn't been fully paying attention and caught the tail end of the story; it made him stop piping and stare in confusion at his turn table. "What in the fuck?" Shaking his head he finished the last line and sat back blinking at his cake. It looked great, it really did, but it sure made his eyes hurt. He pulled his headphone out and pocketed them as his boss, Ann, came over. She looked at him proudly and started to get it into the box with the help of her son. Ann asked Alex if he wouldn't mind sitting in her office and she'd be in in a moment to talk to him.

"Have you done what we've talked about?" Ann asked as we walked into the small office.

"No, I get off work and I'm just too tired. My hands hurt and so do my eyes. My boss really overworks me," he replied with a grin and Ann shook her head.

"Love, you need to go meet people. You've been here three weeks and you've got no friends."

"I do so. I have you, and John, and Kelly, and our regular customers."

"That's great and all, but you need to go out and explore. Meet new people. I knew I shouldn't have let you move in upstairs. You're dismissed for the day, I'll call Kelly in. You go make use of that bus pass I bought you, you hear?"

"Yeah yeah, I hear you." The two of them stood and embraced before she shooed him out.

After a quick shower, that left the boy smelling of roses, he walked to his closet and looked at the options. He'd recently been thrifting to recreate his wardrobe. He pulled out his binder as well a simple grey t-shirt and some black skinny jeans before looking at his small shoe collection. While his mom was pretty heartless about most things, if it were gender neutral he could wear it. Most of his shoes had been from the men's section, but if dressed properly could pass off as women's so it was allowed. He ended up picking up his black Busenitz along with a black bomber jacket. Once he was dressed he blow dried his hair, deciding to leave it down and fluffy instead of in a quiff. He picked up his camera bag and went to the bus stop, determined to get on the first bus and take it where ever it would take him.

The first bus that came up happened to be heading to the college campus. He decided to head there and grab some lunch before getting on another bus, maybe to the zoo. It was kind of close to the campus if he recalled correctly. He'd looked into the zoo a few days prior, but decided to offer his help at the bakery instead. It's not that he doesn't like people, he loves having friends, it's his voice. It's been cracking a lot lately and he's trying to avoid explaining his situation to others. He doesn't want anyone to know he's trans, he wants to live stealth. His youtube channel is under a different name so no one in the real world will find him. That's the hope anyway, it's still his face.

After a quick lunch and tea he makes his way to the bus stop. He ends up getting on the same time a guy in a wheelchair does. He's about to offer his help, but he looks like he might get upset with that so Alex keeps to himself. He stays close though, just in case something were to happen. He went to high school with a guy who had been in a wheelchair and he never saw him alone, always had someone nearby as he was prone to tipping himself over. Maybe Austin was just an idiot who took turns too quickly and not everyone needs assistance. Alex shrugged and pulled out his headphones to listen to some music. He ends up picking iamjakehill and letting the music take him over.

Just as Alex is about to hit the stop button the gentlemen in the wheelchair hits it. The two of them plus a small family of 3 get off. The little girl looks a Alex and he smiles at her and gives a small wave. She giggles and tucks herself into her mom's leg causing the three adults to share a chuckle. Looking around he noticed a poster hanging of a girl looking very comfortable feeding a bear. You could say Alex was curious and headed right to the bear exhibit to try and catch feeding time.

He made it just in time to watch her petting the animal, Peanut Butter according to the plaque giving him a small smile. He watches on and notices the worker speaking into a walkie then picking up the bucket and waving to them as she left. He turned around and noticed the small family had also made their way over. He crouched down to the height of the little girl and gave a kind smile. The father quickly scooped the girl up and gave Alex a funny face before he and his wife hurried away. Thinking about it a twenty-one year old alone at the zoo and crouching down to talk to a small child for a second time is a little weird. He turned around to walk away and noticed the guy from the bus. He looked like he was struggling. Upon further inspection Alex saw his wheel stuck in a hole. He kicked off and ran towards him.

"Need some help?" he asked as he grabbed the handles and lifted the side stuck in the hole. He's forever grateful for his at home/work workouts. He's taken some of the 25 pound bags of sugar from downstairs and used them a few different ways to try and bulk up his arms a bit.

@Silver Fox

---

Victoria was waiting, as the encriptions locked one by one, point to point and behind 1024 bit codes, youd spend weeks just trying to identify where and where it was sent before you even stood a chance at breaking into the data being transmitted. it was slow as hell for anything but simple text but closest you could get to unbreakable for the present. green lights and codes flashed across until the chat screen finally opened, it was a public wifi but the advanced security easily compensated for any risks.



<ACCOUNT = MILADY>
<DATA LINK SECURED / ACTIVE>
<CERBERUS 1024 ACTIVE 100%>
<ADSS PASSIVE>

<Milady>Know why SOl so active right now. its a feeding frenzy right now

<Cardinal>Sol, you know i don't go down the rabbit hole anymore

<Milady>Sure about that . Oscillating security keys are not widely known . had to be one of the musketeers

<Cardinal>False . you know the suits likely have that tech . We where not only ones working in shadow realms . Business but we had so much more

<Milady>I made that security key . you think i not tell . Bullshit . That was fun, we never would of worked long term

<Milady>True . your not only smart one . your talking to one . We never tried . your threat map is way up . Il look . i aint going deep though . Im tiny bit curious now . Thanks X . Still a chance V .

<DATA LINK CLOSED>
<ALL SYSTEMS CLOSED>
<RECORD DELETED>
<LOGOUT = MILADY>

Sure, he knew more than he let on and she knew more than was revealed, it was a dance they always played and had done for past few years. They had worked together when she was back in England, dated and spent a few memorable nights in Moscow on a job "sharing to save money" as they had started out. well they both knew that had been a lie but hey. It had ended, it never was going to last, well maybe... that looked at the time about as likely as England winning the world cup though.

Still the mystery was proving ever deeper, someone big had a intrest on SOl alright and Victoria had a bad feeling it would be not a good reason that the city had drawn the eyes of a larger fish. there was always minows but the great sharks always swam with purpose and reason. they never did anything just for fun.

Pausing from her thoughts Victoria noticed someone was approaching and felt a nudge as her coffee made little rings in its surface, looking up she spotted the slightly goofy wave of Ashton, yeah had to be her. No one else she had met was as distinctive in Sol so far. Bar maybe the red headed cop.. she was definitely pretty though her hair stood out in her mind for some reason. Drama not so much, red hair yes now.

Looking up with the same grey eyes, though her skin tone was more like alabaster and her hair raven black rather than ghostly white it used to be. Blinking slightly and noticing a cane, and what looked like some definite injuries. Yep, that definitely was Ashton but she had certainly been busy of late. The level of change in Victoria she was surprised she had made the link, having to look up, the treatment had not changed her height in anyway, but she was dressed in a black and red corset topped dress, something the old Victoria never would have worn. a Blood red stone glittered on a short necklace round her neck, a symbolic purchase of her anew. Victoria looked a tinge gothic, but with the pale skin and dark hair, the look did suit her nature and disposition. More importantly, for first time in years she felt like she was in charge now, not the illness.

With same English accent adding the tinge of Russian she had the Gala, ashton was nice to her that night, pretending to be someone else, not in this situation. Some things like her hand position was hard to break and seemed to instiively want to reach for a stick that was not there getting up and so, but after all 9 years of habits was hard to break and she still needed it at times. she never would be fully back to old health but was far better than her former self.

Hey, I changed abit. Still Vika, I got cured of a sorts. This is the real me hidden under the illness.

Sit, rest your .. well i know what standing about with a stick is like. its not always easy.

She had the posture ok, but at the angle she used she used did not look perfectly comfortable, though she had 9 years to master it forced by circumstance and health. She was honest, this was her before she had fallen ill, it was her returned. The risks had been worth it, 70% chance of success, 30% stuck in a wheel chair, but when you had lost so much it was worth the risk even if she would never be a athlete again.

Gesturing for Ashton to join her and kind of nervously running a hand through the raven black hair as the vertical highlights of purples and blues graduated though, Victoria gestured to Menu in a welcoming manner, she could at least buy her a coffee for looking after her that evening. If ashton reconised her, would anyone else but she seemed to be confused to so perhaps she could pass for someone else even to guests at the party? that would be fun to test anyway, might be a handy ability, all she needed was some decent sunglasses and perhaps a change of makeup style?

You looked after me, seems im returning the favour, Want a coffee?

You where kind to me when i was feeling abit down and more vunrable, least i can do.

Looking slightly concerned at the stick and her seeming new crop of injuries, she did not want to quite open that door so directly and obviously though. Folding down the laptop to be polite, Cardinal would be to busy digging, he pretended to be interested but he loved a good mystery. one of the things that had brought them together for a time in the first place. looking back, she shook her head slightly at old thoughts and eyes snapped back to present and Ashton.

Joel Nicolosi

Joel strolled up the jetway casually with his bag slung over shoulder much the same way as when he’d left though without the headphones. Along the trip he’d so worn out his peculiar playlist that for a while, he felt like just listening to the sounds of the world around him instead of hellraising metalcore or old episodes of Coast to Coast AM. He wasn’t feeling too badly jetlagged from being able to stretch out and rest in first class, but luxurious as it was, he was glad to get off the plane. Being away for more than two weeks had started to wear on him some and he hated living out of a suitcase. The return trip to Sol City had been more about finality than the anticipation he felt before when he flew out for Japan. He glanced around briefly observing how everything just carried on the exact same way day after day at the airport. The newsstands, the shoe shiners, the coffee shops all looked basically the same as when he’d left them. How dull. He thought and was glad that he never lived a life of such strict routines.

In his free hand he carried a small, gift-wrapped box and as he made his way to the baggage claim, he dropped it off at the Daedalus Airlines main office. As he handed the package over the reception counter, he wondered briefly, as he had before when he found it, if he should have bought it in the first place and he chastised himself a bit for being a softy. Still, he said he would buy it and once offered, his word was about as flexible as a steal beam. Since Marlin liked rotting her teeth on sweets so much, he even tossed in a bag of freshly made Hakuto Mochi as a bonus. He knew Siobhan would give him endless shit if she found out, though the redhead would later find she had quite a few items waiting on her back at the shop that cost significantly more than a plush toy and some Japanese candy.

The weather in Japan hadn’t been much different than Sol unfortunately and as he walked out to the parking garage, Joel was glad there was an apparent warm front settling across the city for a time. He mused about another vacation to tropical climates and immediately thought about the myriad of media bullshit that was probably waiting on him when he got back to Southside. Wearing a new Motul-Autech baseball cap and sunglasses along with his standard Apex Designs hoodie and shorts, he was glad no one had recognized him. In escaping quickly off to Tokyo shortly after the Grand Prix, he’d essentially skipped out on trying to keep up with most of the media circus. Yea, another vacation would definitely be needed. He grinned at the thought as he approached his Jeep Wrangler, pulled the battery key from his pocket and popped the hood. Japan had been wildly successful for him and he accomplished all his “business objectives” plus a few more. In a few days his most sought after prize would be arriving at the Old Cargo airport and he would have to be out there to greet it. His grin became a wild smile as his hand replaced the key and he shut the hood to the simple smell of basic, conventional motor oil that ever so slowly leaked from the old Chrysler 4.0 valve cover.

Driving down 23 the city’s skyscrapers and evening lights came into view behind the tree-lined interstate. The Jeep's big tires roared over the payment as their aggressive off-road tread found nothing but flat asphalt and the occasional pothole. Still without the radio on and only the droning sound of the rubber against the road, he thought more about what was waiting for him: Siobhan and her Corvette, Marlin and her drama, his mom and dad. He wondered what Tommy and the rest of the crew had been up to since he’d been gone. He’d only spoken to a few them sparingly from overseas. The hard pill to swallow was always the same: No matter how much he went out of his way to enjoy his solitude, he still wound up feeling bored and alone. He grumbled more to himself. He was glad to be home.

Knowing that he essentially left nothing substantial in his pantry before flying out, he was going to have to stop for a few groceries and at least some form of dinner, though he felt nothing like sitting down somewhere. Just a couple protein bars would do it until morning for now.

---

"Come on, only a little bit further. You got this!" Bo's warm and encouraging tone erupted from the mountain sized man's chest and practically caused the ground itself to rumble. Despite maybe being a tad bit too much of a reaction Bo's excitement did manage spur a slight chuckle out of the young man that it was directed towards. Randy, the teen who was the current target of Bo's unrelenting positivity, was nearing the end of a pair of parallel bars that he was using to support himself as he walked. The boy's steps were shaky and unsteady, but with each one he took Bo offered yet another round of praise and encouragement that pushed Randy forward until he finally reached the end and was able to be sat down into the wheelchair that was waiting for him at the end of the bars.

"That was great bud! Your fastest time yet!" Bo said as he helped adjust Randy in his wheelchair, giving the lad a pat on the shoulder once he was done. Randy had been coming to visit Bo for about six months now ever since the teen's car accident, some idiot was drinking and driving and plowed into Randy's car. The boy was in pretty bad shape when he first came to the clinic, poor kid didn't ever think he would be out of the chair again, but with a whole lot of hard work and enough encouragement from Bo to drive any sane person to madness Randy was building his confidence back up bit by bit. Bo actually had hopes that by the end of the year that he'll have Randy out of the chair altogether and getting around with a set of crutches.

"I'm a regular flash." The young man said with the same level of sarcasm that one would expect from any teenager. Bo couldn't help but laugh and pat Randy's shoulder again.

"Hey don't sell yourself so short kid. I've seen people on the streets move slower than you do and they didn't get hit by a truck." The young man let out another chuckle in response to Bo's little joke, The giant couldn't help but want to cheer the kid up. It was in the middle of the laughter that Randy's mother entered the room, quickly grabbing the duo's attention. "Looks like our time is up bud." Bo said before turning his full attention to the awaiting mother, offering her one of his warm smiles. "A pleasure as always Mrs. Dawson. Hope your day is going well."

"Morning Mr. King. How did Randy do?" Mrs. Dawson was always rather curt and straight to the point, Bo could appreciate that though he would of preferred it if she tried to seem a bit softer given the current situation, but for the most part he simply tried to out do her crassness with his own warm nature.

"Randy did fantastic this morning. Got through all of his stretches and leg exercises no problem, not to mention he got himself completely across the bars by himself. You got a real fighter here Mrs. Dawson." As he explained the duo's morning Bo placed his hand proudly onto Randy's shoulder, the lad dawning a slight smile in response.

Mrs. Dawson herself though simply offered a quick nod of understanding before moving across the room, gathering her son's bag, and then getting behind his wheelchair. "Thank you Mr. King." She said, her voice keeping its same no nonsense tone as she began to escort Randy out of the room.

"Anytime ma'am." Bo said as he strategically placed himself aside the pair in order to allow himself to follow them out. He had long learned that the second Mrs. Dawson arrived to pick up her son she would try and exit the building with him as fast as humanly possible so Bo adapted to following the pair in order to wrap up his dialogs with Randy.

"Okay bud next week we are going to kick it up a bit, so make sure you rest up alright." Bo said as he strode along the pair in an attempt to keep up with Mrs. Dawson's hurried pace. Randy merely offered the universal 'yeah yeah yeah' that any kid his age would give in response to instructions. Bo offered the boy a chuckle as he held the clinic door open for the two to exit. "See you two next week!"

Bo's smiled remained on his face as he closed the door and reentered his clinic. He looked over his little business and took a moment to breath it all in, a small bit of pride swelling in his chest. That moment was short lived as the realization that Randy was his last patient for the day dawned on him. It was rare that Bo found himself with moments like this, that he didn't have nothing to do or anything planned. A slight feeling of uneasiness weaseled itself into the towering man's heart, he never liked stillness like this. Luckily he was able to change that rather quickly, clapping his meaty hands together once Bo settled onto the plan that popped in his head. If his years in the Army taught him anything, when in doubt work out!

---

---

The amount of energy that filled Bo's body after a work out was slightly surprising, despite his muscles aching and his clothes being soaked with sweat the goliath's spirts always doubled by the end of his session and today was a hell of a work out. After he closed up the clinic that morning Bo headed down to the Luna gym. His initial plan was to try and keep it a simple light cardio day, a little bit of treadmill and maybe a small bit of weights, but he ended running into a few of his boxing buddies and they roped him into doing a few rounds. A few rounds eventually turned into a small competition in the group which in turn evolved into a few passersby wanting to join in, by the end of it Bo found himself taking part in a little tournament of sorts. Though it wasn't his intention Bo not only ended up in the spur of the moment game but even winning it by the end of things, though he had more than a few close calls through out it.

A number of the so called competitors didn't want the fun to end and wanted to head out to a local sports bar that they knew about, they even managed to talk Bo into tagging along with them with the guise of wanting to congratulate him on his victory. It was a rather rowdy scene as the group arrived if Bo was going to be honest though that should of been expected of a pack of boxers who were just coming off of a match. They managed to get themselves a table and by some miracle found a server brave enough to try and take the lively group's orders. Bo himself wanted to hold back and ordered himself a simply lemonade while the rest of the group went on to order themselves a whole array of alcohol.

Bo couldn't help but laugh as he watched his little assortment of newly gained comrades joke and reminisce about past fights they were in, even going as far as to show off old scars and bent fingers and crooked noses. He always felt at home with people that could appreciate their old battle scars, Bo found it cathartic to tell the stories about how he got a scar, it was like getting something off his chest.

Overall Bo was enjoying how the day turned out, even if it was a spur of the moment decision that got him here he wouldn't of wanted to change a thing about it.

---

---

Siobhan had spent two weeks either with Paige on the phone, at the gym, after classes, on the weekend; pretty much making sure Paige was okay. She was pretty sure that Paige was about ready to kill her.

So giving Paige a break and avoiding the jerk that she mouthed off to she decided that it was about time to see if Joel wanted his first payment. Going over to the bank she took out the first deposit on Karen. Stopping by the market and getting some fresh salmon she decided that she’d cook for him. Salmon, some soup, salad and rice. Maybe. Unless Joel was allergic to something. Nodding to herself she pulled out her phone and walked to an isle that was clear. Nothing better than coming home to a great meal. Picking out some ingredients she quickly dials Joel’s number she waited till he picked up.

“Welcome home stranger. How does a home cooked meal of salmon for your first night back sound? I picked up a few things and I have your first installment. Do you have any allergies and what kind of wine do you prefer? One last question, my place or yours for dinner?”

_{Victoria @PrinceAlexus}

---

The moment Victoria spoke, Ashton was positive it was Victoria, with quite the different pallet change. Still, the tall dirty blonde beamed cheerfully as reconnecting with the woman brimming with elegance. Although, she supposed Viky wasn't a snow flower anymore... Maybe a Calla Lily then? Giving a nod at the offer, the giant firefighter took a seat across from Victoria. Slipping off her baggy black jacket to allow it to rest at her hips on the seat. Wearing a simple gray tank top, her well toned and worked shoulders and arms from years of being a firefighter showed. The side of her arms had the newly obtained burns upon them, though they were about healed now.

At the explanation, Ashton's expression was a little surprised but soon gave a wide smile and clapped her hands together excitedly in congratulations over the accomplishment. Glad that it seemed Victoria was feeling better.

With a smile, Ashton gave a double thumbs up with her black fingerless gloved hands before holding her left hand horizontally just above her eyes as if searching. Then pointed with the same hand toward the raven haired girl. Trying to indicate that it was very nice to see Victoria again.

Ashton was about to protest of Victoria paying for anything, but perhaps it be rude to do so. It was after all a bit of a thanks from the last time they saw one another, so it should be fine. So Ashton gave a thumbs up and a nod of a approval before putting her hands together and bowing a little as a show of thanks.

Scratching her left index finger against her scarred left cheek with a cheerful smile, a little embarrassed as she saw Victoria look a little concerned toward the cane. Ashton didn't really mind talking about it or anything, she just didn't want people to worry to much. Patting the palm of her hands against her almost non existent chest, she held up her left hand with tip her index finger and thumb pressed together to form a 'o' while the three others were held up. The hand forming the 'ok' sign to try and explain that she was fine.

Victoria must haven't gotten the news, so Ashton shuffled with her jacket, pulling out some folded papers. Opening them up and flattening them up a bit, she set it on the table and pushed it toward the Raven haired to allow her to examine it, which turned out to be newspaper articles about the incident.

'Tensions rise that one night after the Romus Family party, wealthy business owner Shaun Deen's five story apartment bursts into flames from a explosion with himself and his daughter Elly Deen still inside their loving home. Did not for true heroics of local Firefighter Ashton Griffone, they would have surely perished. Off duty, Griffone was seen charging into the building. Soon coming out with Shaun Deen over the shoulder with his little girl's hand in the the other.

It doesn't stop there however as Firefighter Griffone returns into the burning building! She was then seen jumping out of the window five stories up and into the river with fire bursting behind. Medics and the rest of Sol City's Fire Deparment had managed to arrive during that time and fish out Firefighter Griffone from the river. A cat was found in her protection and returned to Elly Deen. Both Griffone and Deen had been rushed to the hospital. It's been reported Deen has suffered several burns and a concussion but will recover within a month.

Firefighter Griffone suffered from burns on her arms after having to remove her jacket to protect Elly Deen. Broken ribs, and broken and burned leg from a collapsing chandelier, as well as suffering such a fall. However, Thanks to her training, she most likely would have suffered worst without it.

When Griffone awoke, she reported that she suspected the fire was caused by arson by a timed bomb hidden behind the oven. Police are already on high alert with the risen crime and now seems to need to worry about a arsonist. Is this city truly safe?'

Ashton gave a soft silent chuckle rubbing the back of her head a little bit, clenching her hands on either side of her head before opening them up and waving them a little like making a 'mind blown' motion. Before waving her left hand in a 'no big deal motion' with the same cheerful smile on her face. After all, she was just doing what she thought was right. She didn't see why newspaper had to blow everything out of proportion.

Paige Kennedy

When she was released from the hospital, Paige had set about where she left off with Jackie Costa- Looking into his handlers and who took their cut from his lucrative racket. It didn’t take a lot of investigative work for the trail, built over several years and assembled across multiple agencies, to lead to the Detroit-based Giancana Crime Syndicate. Others worked the file before her, but like all the pros, nothing ever really stuck; just dead-ends. There were too many cogs and gears in the system for the head of the family, Boss Frank Giancana, to ever be in danger of arrest himself. Jackie wasn’t even really a big wheel, just a well-connected one. He made friends with Frank’s stepson, Nikki and was smart enough to always control his own operations personally. In short, he produced consistent results and mostly working alone kept betrayals and competition from his rivals in the Syndicate at a minimum.

As she walked out of the tower, Paige scanned around the Central Point crowds before she took her phone out and checked a few messages while her mind remained on the case file. Frank’s other son, his blood-son, Sammy, was the key to the case, she thought. Sammy’s file denoted a considerably more cautious history than typical mobster royalty and Elvin’s statements seemed to back up her suspicions that the two brothers were rivals: Nikki was a trigger-puller, hot-headed and short-tempered, like Jackie, he produced results and violently surrounded himself with those of the same mindset. Sammy on the other hand, was rightful heir to the throne, that simple. She’d never dealt directly with Italians, but knew enough to know that family trumped all, even if the heir was a total wuss. Somehow, she would have to work that angle against their goals for Sol City.

The smell of evening preparations across several of Central Point’s restaurants wafted by her nose and her stomach growled in anticipation. There was a decent walk back to the parking garage and she conceded that she might as well enjoy a meal rather than sit in downtown traffic for an hour. At least the weather was not its usual, horrifying cold, she thought as she walked. Her jacket kept the slight chill away, a simple white shirt underneath, black jeans that fit snugly around her legs stopping at the ankle and grey Converse sneakers. As was her custom, her Marshal’s star was concealed partially behind her jacket along with her sidearm. Her hair was up in its usual pony-tail with a slightly more liberal amount hanging to frame her face and cover up the bruises that remained on one side of her temple. She glanced down at a message from Milo and smiled a little.

Continuing down towards the garage, she bypassed a few restaurants and bars, not entirely settled on what she was in the mood for and being peculiar with her hunger. Everything was so damned expensive in the Northwest compared to Florida. She was checking the reviews of a few places on her phone when she heard music starting up nearby. Great, just what we need, She thought. Hobos in Sol come with guitars… God, I miss Florida. She shook her head in annoyance and continued swiping her thumb, but as the beat seemed to settle-in some she found it not all that bad and glanced up. The small sound machine gave a bit of a retro-vibe that she liked and though the musician, fiddling with the small machine, appeared a tad uncomfortable, he seemed to know what he was doing and was clearly not a hobo which was a plus. She took an outside table at a small bistro next door to the music shop and decided to give both the food and the music a chance for a while.

@LetMeDoStuff@RoccanIronclad

Wednesday Morning

Kurt absentmindedly drummed his fingers on the counter that he manned. The book store he had been working at since arriving in Sol City wasn't particularly busy. It specialized in used books, but also rented out used textbooks for the students at the university. Even then though, Kurt wondered how the place managed to turn a profit. His eyes drifted lazily from shelf to shelf: various novels of an even wider range in quality, a large stock of non-fiction works, and a meager collection of textbook. With a small sigh he walked out from behind the counter and picked up today's paper from the small reading area that the store offered. Kurt skimmed the paper, not so much reading as merely occupying time. There was a baby rhino at the zoo. "Oh...look at that little guy..." he muttered at the snapshot of the infant rhino. The zoo was even holding a contest to name the new rhino. "Doesn't that just warm the cockles of your heart."

The rest of the morning and early evening was just as uneventful. An elderly woman came in and donated some romance novels, and a student from the university came in and turned in a textbook that had rented earlier in the semester. Beyond these there was the occasional person who would walk in, quietly browse the shelves without giving Kurt so much as a second glance. He didn't mind though. His job was incredibly peaceful and he appreciated it. The years working as a case manager didn't help with his anxiety and his mother's passing only worsened it further. Since coming to Sol City he had felt at ease for the first time in years. The weather, the people, the businesses. It was everything he craved while in the middle of nowhere. He smiled from behind the counter, grateful for the situation he found himself in.

Wednesday Afternoon

With a text from the book shop's owner Kurt was allowed to close the shop several hours early. The shop was situated on the very far end of Light Lane, what Kurt jokingly referred to "Just a Lane" as the nicer shops and the ornate lighting ended roughly a block before where the small book store was located. With the early closing Kurt would have some free time to.....some time to.....to... Kurt stopped in his tracks, right in the middle of the sidewalk. He hadn't been free this early in the afternoon in what felt like ages. Normally it was late enough that by the time he walked the length of Light Lane the city's bustling night life was in full effect. But today he could savor parts of the city that he normally couldn't. All of the places that normally had their doors closed so their employees could enjoy their own slice of Sol City's night life. Kurt did a quick mental checklist of the things in town that he hadn't quite made it out to yet. Finally he settled on finally making the pilgrimage to the Old Sol Museum. He hustled to a bus stop and eager awaited the beginning of his day trip.

The bus let Kurt off almost directly in front of the museum. He was immediately in awe of the building in front of him. The building's golden dome gleamed in the afternoon light, and the bright colors seemed to glow with a life of their own. Two men in historical uniforms stood "guard" on either side of a tall iron fence. A few people milled about taking photos of the building, and entering the exiting the building. According to the schedule that Kurt found online he still had a few hours before the museum closed. He walked up the sidewalk towards the entrance, still in awe of the building before him. When he entered the building he was immediately greeted by the skeleton of a large sauropod dinosaur. A tour guide, who seemed to be about Kurt's age addressed a group of school-aged children nearby. "As I'm sure you noticed when you came in, the main hall of our museum is the home to our very own Diplodocus skeleton! Not just any skeleton though. This is a replica of Dippy, who used to be in the main hall of the London Natural History Museum. That museum moved Dippy a bit further into their building, but we think that our Dippy belongs right here! That way she can greet everyone who visits the Old Sol Museum! You can see more dinos like Dippy in the DinoSol exhibit, in the rear East wing." Kurt stood away from the tour group, not wanting to make his eavesdropping obvious. He had intended on looking at exhibits that pertained to local history, but a sense of child-like wonder told him that the dinosaur skeletons should be his first stop. After taking in Dippy for a few more seconds, he set off towards DinoSol.

Marcus had become very familiar with the ceiling of his bedroom over the last few weeks. He had memorized every detail. Like the peeling paint in the far left corner, or the strip that was a completely different colour. Why it was a different colour was a mystery, probably an abandoned painting project from the previous residents. The strange yellowish stain in the middle of the ceiling was also a mystery. One he didn't really want to solve. These are the kinds of things one commits to memory when they spend most of their time in bed, staring at the ceiling.

The young man's gaze was quickly drawn away from the ceiling as his phone started ringing. He jolted upright and lunged over at his bedside table, yanking the charging cable out of his phone, only to be disappointed by the caller I.D. Dejectedly, he slumped back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling again, letting the phone ring out. He only wanted to talk to one person. The one person who was definitely not going to call. A few moments after phone stopped ringing, the text message tone went off a few times. Marcus sighed and reached over to his phone to check the messages. He had several missed calls and unread messages from several people. Specifically his mother, and his best friend Chris. The most recent was from the latter. Most of the texts said roughly the same thing.
'Dude, you okay?'
'Answer your phone.'
'Check your damn phone.'
'I'm worried man. At least message me.'
'Okay, fine, I'm coming over to make sure you're not dead.'

Marcus let out another sigh, before replying to the message.
'I'm not dead. Just want to be alone. I'll call you later.'
It was a lie, he didn't want to be alone. But he didn't want anyone to worry about him. And he didn't want to leave his bed either, but, he realised he was going to have to, sooner or later. After a few more moments of staring at the ceiling, he rolled out of bed. Being careful not too step on the take away containers and beer cans that littered the floor around his bed, he ventured out of the fortress of solitude his bedroom had become, and made his way to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror for a while. His shoulder length hair was messy and knotted, and his face was covered in a thin layer of facial hair that he normally kept shaved. He spent a few more moments staring at the shower, something he had not used for a lot longer than is considered healthy. He didn't want to, but the smell that he emitted was bad enough that he was even starting to disgust himself. After another minute or so of silent deliberating, he forced himself into the shower.

He slumped against the cold tile wall, and slid down into a seated position, resting his head on his knees as the warm water washed over him. He sat like that for a while, just letting the water fall around him. After about 20 minutes, he lifted his head, and groaned as he forced himself to his feet and grabbed the shampoo. He spent another few minutes actually cleaning himself. It was way harder to make that small amount of effort than it should have been. Regular people with regular jobs and regular minds do this every day without too much hassle. But even the smallest task seemed monumental to him. Although, even if everything seemed to hard, and it almost hurt to force himself to make the effort, as he stood in the bathroom wrapped in a towel, he actually felt a little bit better. Not by a lot, but at least he felt clean.

It was another hour before he forced himself to get dressed, digging through his floor-drobe to find a clean pair of jeans, his A Day To Remember T-shirt, and a jacket. He wasn't sure why he was bothering to get dressed, but making a small amount of effort actually lifted his spirits a bit. Made him feel like he accomplished something. Even if it was just something people should do every day without a second thought. It was then when he felt his stomach grumble, and remembered he hadn't eaten in about a day and a half. And of course, his apartment was bare of anything edible. He was going to have to brave the outside world. For the first time in nearly two weeks. Luckily, his apartment was walking distance from a good little café, that also happened to be across the road from the music store, so win-win.

As he waited for his coffee and bacon and egg roll, something caught his attention. Someone started playing guitar outside the music store. And they were good. Really good. Marcus nearly wandered over there without his food, before his name was called and it snapped him back into focus. "Thanks." He muttered with a forced smile to the barista as he collected his coffee and roll, and wandered across the street to the guitarist. He kept his distance, but stood and watched, sipping at his coffee. The use of the drum machine added something different, gave the song a drive it might have otherwise lacked. That was something Marcus needed to try himself, he decided, once he could afford a drum machine.

---

@Saarebas

Marilania was waiting as for a refill on the coffee she was drinking and saw a mountain of muscles and rowdy guys walk into the bar, all big, some bigger, one of them was a utter giant though and looked like had walked out the Got box set she was watching last night in bed. They where definitely a bunch of charecters and causing ernough of a stir around to makw a little zone of clear bar around there table.

More of a problem was that they had her Coffee refill mistakenly taken with there rather large and alcoholic round of drinks and if she wanted her cafine fix Marinalia would have to go over and claim it back from the muscle bound monsters. After the attack at Jaxx night that kind of situation made her alot more nervous than before and and fumbled about her bag for somthing, sliding a can of CS spray and a stun gun concealed depper in her bag.. After recent events she had taken things more seriously but stopped short of her aunts suggestion of a dagger, Marla always took things to the extreme.

Dressed in a flight jacket with a multitude of patches including a UK flag, gold wings and a bunch of various airline badges from Europe to Alaska. With a slight tap as she dropped off the barstool and patted down the fitted office skirt part of her more formal uniform. She did not quite like the 4 stripe designs and just wore the gold wings.

Heading over, slightly scared though her accent was pure British, with long blonde hair and a athletic figure built from years in the pool. It was pretty intimidating but she wanted her coffee more. Tapping the giant slightly and reaching over to get the coffee pot off the tray. Nerves kicking in, her accent was approaching cut glass old British. Standing at 5'5 she was aloy smaller and shorter than this mountain of a mano.

Expectkng the odd jeer or comment at that, she tried to remain clam as possible and just get her cafine fix and not wanting to wait the age a busy bar would be for a new round.

Excuse me, you have my coffee.

Just after my cafine fix.

Yeah, the nerves caused by group probbly did not help the servers memory, they seemed rowdy but not the same sense of dread or thr bad vibes she got off the jazz night group though. They where rowdy but not... The malichous nature was not there.

She had to admit, the man mountian made her curious out of sheer nature of being so huge, you rarely saw people that large and they always had a decent story.

---

@Silver Fox

Victoria waves aside Ashton weak protest against paying, she earned it and let her gesture to menu options before she placed a quick order to a server and turned back to Ashton, with a slight twirl as her hair was graduating between the colours in motion.

Taking a a little time to work out the what Ashton meant, yeah she had changed alot and appreciated the compliment.she had changed alot but definitely felt better in herself now.

Yep, I still Don, t like hospitals though!

I even started a new job, so things seem abit better than you last met me. Not quite so much of a mess now.

Ashton always took some guessing to work out exactly whst she meant, OK? Alright? She seemed to be implying she was not hurt badly and Victoria could understand that look, having been well on receiving end of it a good few times. Feeling a skittle bad about it but it it was hard to when you knew someone was healthy last time you met them.

As she handed over the article, yeah she definitely missed that as she was out of it, tests, or appointments in hospital and so. She had mm spent the week busy and so, barely even had time to message anyone yet alone check the news. Ashton had been, well a hero... A slightly foolish hero perhaps by a hero none the less. No wait... Was it... She might have been flying out that morning and had a early night. Impressed, and slightly Suprised... She jumped 5 floors, burns, legs and she was walking about... Her doctors had a fit at far less!

Wow.. Hero of the city then. Congratulations.. Though get well soon and back to work. That was extremely brave of you, though maybe be more careful! You might run out of lives.

Yeah, I probbly was heading to Texas probbly that morning, left very early for well..what made me... Like me.

Woah... Sol got.. Dangerous.. That and the stuff from work... Damn. That's scary... Those places well protected... No wonder security was nervous.

With last part as more a comment to her own thoughts, arson attacks, sharks on the Web, round up of local criminals... And a baby Rhino born, well that was adorable. She would have to register a name. Bit of fun to make up for the dark tidings. Pokey... Pokey and polo? Hopefully not rhino with a hole though. Cardinal might be intrested knowing that orgonozed crime and so was seeming to go crazy of late alongside the feds. He might want to go careful on his searches she knew he deny.

Finding a note pad she acquired from work. "Black Shield Security and Defense Research." with thr image of two Greek soldiers from Theres back to back with spears drawn and Sheilds raised, wrongly attributed to be Spartans alot. They did not have best reputation at a all, but she trusted Ashton somewhat. She gave her a good feeling about things. Writing down a phone number and a address in Park View. Would be nice to keep in touch anyway. Even if phone calls not work. Though there new home was alot more able to welcome guests than the old.

Keep in touch in future? I'm kinda staying in city for abit.

Moving house is never fun though!

Laughing slightly, and talking n gesturing over coffee and some cake, it was a nice way to send a afternoon. Normal even, espechily after a somewhat busy day dealing with Sols newfound cyber bait that seemed to waking every fish after scraps possible.

THOMAS LANCASTER

---

"Uh?" While Thomas was struggling with the wheel, he was unknowingly released from the sticky situation he was put in. Before turning around, he could smell the gentle scent of rose, as this person was really close to the wheelchair. He thought initially to be a female, but the voice was a little weird. It was the type of voice that a normal male adolescence would be experiencing, as he goes from high-pitch to low-toned. And without much thoughts, he turned around, to see a...gentleman?

It really looked like he was wearing men's clothing. No, it was actually neutral gendered. But his facial feature was somewhat...erratic. Not that Thomas is a master at studying human biological features or anything, but he had rarely seen a face like that. His hair was fluffy indeed. Flamboyant would be the first word that sprang to his mind whenever a reference about this guy was needed. But hey, he helped Thomas, so he ought to give him the thanks.

"My goodness. Thank you..."

That's the problem.

What is the gender of this person before him? First impression was very likely a he, but what if he was wrong, and ended up hurting the guy's feeling. He knew that transgender can be quite sensitive, even though it is no longer a deviance like we used to see it. But he didn't want to address him as bluntly as just a 'thank you'.

"...mister?"

In the end, he decided to go with the more likely scenario, and hoped he wasn't wrong.

@Alex_The_Great

Joel Nicolosi

Joel was about to take an exit ramp for a grocery store on the north side when he noticed his phone light up in the cupholder. Siobhan? He glanced down at the name. For fuck's sake, I can't even get to the house before people start blowing up my phone. He started not to answer it, but curiosity needled at him. Maybe she did need something important. He reasoned. She was normally pretty good about giving him space. Then again, he knew there was a part of him that wanted to talk to her, the curious part. He reached down and swiped his thumb over the screen before pressing the speaker firmly against his ear to counter the road noise. "Hey, what's up?" He said tiredly. What she came up with next however nearly made him run off the road. Home cooked meal? Was she serious? Normally the only place that could be found was at his parents' house. He wondered briefly if he had enough pots and pans for such an endeavor.

"Just shellfish," He said with some astonishment. "But I don't really like seafood other than salmon." He watched the ramp go by as she continued knowing he was basically committed, but didn't care. "I don't really drink wine," He said, already picturing dinner in his head and thinking that the sight of her making it wouldn't be too bad either. He didn't know what she was expecting though, he wasn't planning on starting her car on the same day as his return home, maybe only bringing in some of the parts that he ordered. "Get some Chimay, blue label." Which wasn't wine, but close enough. As she mentioned her place or his, he smirked some. She was about the most trash-talking woman he'd ever encountered. "I'll be at the shop in twenty."

@Almalthia