Joel Nicolosi

“Geez, they went through that coffee faster than Poland.” Joel said graciously accepting the thermos from Siobhan. The blaze of her red hair was a roar of color and she wore it the way he liked it- down and unfettered in its natural state. He greeted her with a knowing grin and patted his chest pocket to make sure the flask was still place. Check. They could wander off and he could try again on the libations. He at least wanted a small buzz before Bruno started judging the food competition. As he turned to put his arm behind Sio’s waist and head out for a bit, it seemed the Daedalus crew suddenly wanted to chat longer, namely Marlin who had apparently been eavesdropping on what was being said.

In truth, he hadn’t spoken to Marlin in several weeks and whatever was there from the past, good or bad, he’d mostly forgotten about as busy he’d been with the rally team. He didn’t have any ill-will towards her and still spoke fairly regularly with her grandfather though unfortunately she seemed to wholly want to pursue the route of jilted loser, stuck in the past. As she lectured into the conversation about the merits of flight versus racing he simply returned a cordial smile and firmed his reach around Sio’s hips. He almost felt sorry for her. Almost. He leaned towards Athena slightly as if he were about to share some devastating secret while Marlin talked about the race being a draw, but made no effort to hide his words. “Lot of sour grapes there, I beat her by a quarter mile, very embarrassing.”

Joel shrugged as the only male member trio piped in to discuss cars. “I just drive’em.” He said. “It’s a lot easier when you don’t have to fix what you tear up though.”

The peck on the cheek as the group moved to leave seemed a tad impertinent, though Joel had grown used to the fawning to some extent, however, he could tell Sio was not impressed. What was again, sad, was that on top of it, Marlin just couldn’t resist a parting shot and it reminded him of something his dad had told him when he was younger: You learn a lot about people when they don’t get what they want from you. He simply shook his head catching her gaze as she slinked away, disappointed with how pitiful she looked.

@PrinceAlexus@Almalthia

---

Lilith scrolled down Aria's Instagram profile and liked some of the few recent pictures before following her back on both platforms. Lilith would have asked Aria for her facebook, but who really used facebook? anti-Vaxx moms and old people? Whatever, it was old anyway, and Lilith's account had been abandoned almost as soon as she had gotten it. Besides, it contained some of her old college photos that she would rather not share with anyone. Luckily she hadn't used her real name for Facebook, or she would have had to log back in and delete her account-- something she would never bother to do. It was the past now.

When Aria mentioned jumping out of her apartment window, Lilith cracked a small smile and waved it off. "I have been tempted to do the same, but I only live on the second floor of my building." Lilith understood tweets like those. Stress made her tweet stuff like that too. Although, it usually involved with her jumping into the Sol river.

"Oh, don't be like that! My friend loves your kind of music, and I'm sure she would love your stuff!" Ruby would have loved the cover Aria had sang last week. "Besides, I want to. You have a lovely voice and have a lot of skills with those fingers." Lilith gave Aria a wink before putting her phone away.

After they had finished eating, Lilith looked at Aria as she spoke. She couldn't help but to smile when the other girl confirmed their date. So it really was a date! Oh gosh, was Lilith blushing now? She probably was. Lilith shook her head and wrapped an arm around Aria's arm. "We can walk around a bit more and see what we could find. I saw on Insta that there was a stand with some friend Oreos and this is my cheat weekend, so I want to try those."

Lilith didn't mind being pulled along on a date. She thought it was fun to see what the other person was interested in or would want to show her, but tonight was for both of them. And Lilith really wanted that fried oreo. "We can try the cereal and shaved ice next. To freshen up our palette. Oh! And get some of the boba tea too!" There were so many options that Lilith wasn't sure on what to pick after their trip back to the boba tea place Aria had mentioned. They could always sit by one of the open areas to sit and rest a bit.

.

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Siobhan narrowed her eyes at the girl who kissed Joel on the cheek. Classless birds of a feather. Introduced myself as his better half. Maybe that was too subtle. Knowing Marlin it wouldn't have mattered. She raised an eyebrow at the girl and gave her an icy smile.

Siobhan slid into Joel and curled a hand under his jacket along his spine. Clearly making it known that she was with him, and he her. As they walked off Siobhan stated clearly. "Pity that those uniforms are so stuffy and restrictive that higher reasoning and context clues aren't available to utilize. You must not get enough oxygen ladies. After all 'his better half' must have meant something other than his girlfriend to you. Well just so you know, for work and all. Some refer to their significant others as their better half. So don't go kissing other people's significant others, might get you fired. Just a tip." 

Siobhan paused and stopped being sweet. She turned and pierced Marlin with an intense look. A look that said 'fuck with me I dare you you chicken shit'. "Oh and beating someone by a quarter mile is not a draw. Don't be a petulant mewling child Marlin that is very unattractive. Oh I'm sorry I should have considered to whom I was speaking. You can drop the act of being the jilted anything because you were, no, you are nothing."

Siobhan smirked coldly. Stroking up and down Joel's spine was the only indication that she was truly pissed, and that wasn't visible to anyone in front of them. Raising an eyebrow in a dismissive gesture she watched the three slink away. Turning toward Joel she indicated a booth that was away from the people who just slunk off. "So no buzz yet? Oh speaking of buzz. I met the guy who runs the new flower shop. I'll be taking pictures of it later this week to paint it later. So what's on the agenda with this PR Campaign?"

An Offer

Shannon smiled back winningly. She loved being complimented though there was some genuine humor behind her eyes as well. It was amusing when people didn’t know their fate was outside of their own control or how close they were to meeting it. She glanced briefly at her expertly manicured nails. The black polish was applied perfectly to a high gloss and she studied for any imperfections briefly while Alejandro attempted to explain the merits of Mara’s prostitute mother. Whores were details she didn’t care about and neither was John’s unamusing past. He seemed to be fairly longwinded, which was tiring, but no one was perfect. “I’m connected to a lot of people, Alejandro,” She said finally. The inflection in her voice changed slowly with her words into a thin tone of business as smooth as cigarette smoke while her face darkened with discernment as if she were making an assessment on a piece of property. “Disconnected from others.”

The atmosphere around them continued on happily. To onlookers, the group probably looked much like old friends catching up over lunch.

“It is precious isn’t it.” She said. “A lot like your present situation in this town.” Her focus was solely on Alejandro as she spoke. She could’ve cared less about the other two, but it seemed they were a package deal. “What you find yourself in, is what we call an unknown, unknown. She said. “You don’t know that you don’t know.” She brushed some of her hair aside. “You come in like a traveling salesman, cold-calling and then expecting an audience, but you don’t even know who you’re dealing with.and you were just sitting here wondering why all of your inquiries haven’t yielded a response.” The arrogance of it didn’t need to be mentioned. She could remember Sammy’s father, Frank, the patriarch of the Outfit for decades, had only a few simple “rules” to which he adhered and the one that came to mind in regards to Alejandro was, keep a low profile. Frank always liked her and he could tell that she was more apt to listen to his advice than his own son. “You’re lucky to be alive.” She said with some amusement.

She studied his reactions carefully. What he attempted to hide, what he tried to lie about and what truly motivated him. She needed more than brash opportunism. Integrity mattered. If he wasn’t made of the right stuff, she could always change her mind, but her gut was rarely wrong about people and she was willing to bet all three would be worth more alive than dead. “It’s simple, your flower shop property is worth about six-hundred thousand, you can buy in with me for six or you can sign over the deed… Or you can choose another way...” She paused for a moment to let the offer settle on the table. “You can sit here and wait for Nikki to find you and just take it all because that’s how he operates if you haven’t noticed already.” She said. “He’s already had his little sidekick close enough to put a bullet in the back of your head.” She said. There was no hiding the disgust in her voice when mentioning Nikki’s bodyguard. She placed her hands eloquently back in front her signifying the conclusion of her offer and that there would not be a second. “I’m done with this town Alejandro and there are only a small manner of things holding me here. If you decide to come with me, I will take care of everything you need and you will discover that your initial investment will pay dividends in a very short amount of time.”

@Pyxis

@PrinceAlexus

Hearing the request he nods with a smile. "Of course I can do that. It would be about 5 minutes cuz I Have to drop the chips and the wings." He said as he drops the food for her. While he cooks her food he prepares the mayo, having only brought kewpie mayo for the day he pours it into a cup. Grabbing a brown paper bag he dumps some cheese powder into it before pulling the chips from the fryer and immediately dropping them in there. He seals up the bag and gives it a firm but gentle shake to coat them. He pours them out into a carryout container, then pours out some mild sauce for the wings to coat them. He pulls the wings from the fryer, shaking off the grease before dropping the 6 wings into the sauce. He serves her with a smile. "That will be 9 bucks." He said to her.

Charles makes his rounds at the food festival occasionally stopping back at his booth to check with his employees. After hours of this he heads to the festival area, beginning to prep his station. Soon the competition would start and he would be out to show proof of his chops as a chef and restaurant owner.

Some time passes and the competition begins, Charles deciding to create an almost full seafood menu begins by whipping up a tempura batter with ginger beer and rice flour. Having his assistant begin a bisque, he directs him to chop up some red Argentine shrimp and lobster meat to begin with and melt some butter with heavy cream, Charles meanwhile chops up some cabbage small enough to fit in a food processor.

As the festival gets deeper into the competition, Charles begins pouring out batter onto the grill and spreading it out thin before turning his attention to the bisque while his assistant lays out heavy amounts of cabbage on the grill beside the pancake like batter. Directing his other assistant to the fridge to grab some cream cheese and mascarpone. The second assistant begins preparing a cheesecake filling with the cream cheese and chocolate whipped cream.

Working like a well oiled machine for some time the 3 men create a 4 course meal of okonomiyaki with crab, beef and bacon, jiggly cheesecake, lobster bisque and a 3 shot carbonated cocktail that includes an absinthe martini shot with a moonshine soaked cherry, apple pie moonshine with cinnamon whiskey and finishing it off with hot cocoa rum and some whipped cream on top.

As he plates the okonomiyaki he covers it in streaks of kewpie mayo on top of the japanese style barbecue sauce. Setting the plate on a platter, he serves the bisque with it and the cocktails, opting to cut the cheesecake before the judges.

He cheers his assistants and makes his way up to the judging area where he reveals the meals serving the judges the platter then reveals the still jiggly cheesecake, cutting into it with a knife carefully as to keep it from suddenly deflating. Turning it in he smiles and bows slightly, saying his thanks before heading out to let them judge and deliberate.

Paige Kennedy

“If you don’t quit your bitchin’, I’m gonna really give you somethin’ to cry about.” Paige shot back. She slapped his leg as if he were an old workhorse. “Now get to it.” She could instantly tell by his distraught expression that he had no clue what the hell he was doing. She knew she could have stopped him and probably done a better job, but the comedy that followed was completely worth it. As he floundered around cluelessly, hitting boxes, shelves, walls and generally making a mess of anything that wasn’t bolted down, she was right there with a wisecrack every - single - time. He smacked a piece of racking while attempting to turn with a pallet and several boxes of Sol City records hit the floor ungracefully. She cackled with laughter. “Nice drivin’ Mario!” It may have been childish, but giving Sol City a giant F-YOU in the records department, felt very satisfying. She wasn’t going to clean it up and by the looks of things no one would be noticing for quite a long while. Watching Tao make a fool of himself on the lift just topped things off nicely.

When the door came into view her smile quickly faded and her eyes narrowed sharply. She felt her heartbeat pick up and her hand felt for the gun on her hip. Though she doubted anyone was on the other side, after all the trouble they’d been through, there was no telling what they would find. She motioned for him to get off the machine and get behind her.

Approaching cautiously through the mess of broken banker boxes and papers strewn over the concrete floor, she kept one hand delicately over the grip of her pistol and eased up next to the door where the hidden transponder waited. Plain gray and black with a silver handle, there was nothing special about it, though the transponder itself looked different from all the others as if it were a newer model. She put her ear to the wall and listened- not a sound. The room was stone quiet. The forklift engine began to tick as the engine cooled. She glanced back at Tao to make sure he was out of the way and exhaling slowly, she moved the key up to the small box waiting for the affirmative chirp and release of the lock.

Nothing happened.

Confused, she looked at the transponder, and waved the card by it gain, still nothing. Not even putting the card flat against the surface did anything. Glaring at the device, the long string of violent cursing that was prepped to explode out of her mind was halted as memory jumped in front. The power was off. It was the only absent condition from that day. She sighed and her shoulders dropped in annoyance. Her ponytailed blonde hair rocked with the shake of her head. Perhaps it would be a test to see how good he really was at the whole “hacking” thing, but they had no other choice and she felt a sense of desperation in the words, though as she briefly thought more about it, if it came to it... she wasn’t above ramming the forks through door and ripping it off its hinges- whatever or whoever was on the other side be damned. It was almost like a game and she wasn’t going to be denied this close to the prize. “When we were here before, the power was out,” She said. As they had walked, she had told him bits and pieces of her story with Milo and other things, mostly about being a Marshal in Florida and how much she hated Sol City. “Can you make this thing ‘think’ that the power is off? And we’ll see it works.”

@Allycat

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Lilith smiled when she felt Aria press closer against her. While the warmth of another body welcomed, she enjoyed it more for the meaning behind it. She was glad that Aria was starting to get more comfortable with Lilith. Maybe she could sneak in a kiss? Nah, that would be too forward, and it might embarrass Aria. Talking about embarrassing...

"You are adorable, Hyoon." Lilith may have been practicing how to say Aria's surname for a day or two. Maybe after their first meeting last week. The point was that Lilith wanted to pronounce her last name correctly and maybe impress Aria. Either way, Lilith was telling the truth. Aria was adorable when she got awkward. Lilith couldn't help but to gently squeeze her arm as she continued to lead the way to the fried oreo stand. She didn't think much of her little slip-up. Lilith thought it was rather cute of Aria to say "girlfriend." Lilith hadn't had a girlfriend in a while, or a real girlfriend anyway.

"Fried Oreos would be more of a snack you eat at three in the morning after going to the club, and you're still slightly wasted." Lilith said like she had lived that before. Of course, it hadn't been much of a club, but a party at one of her client's home where she may have gotten drunk and left early to satisfy her fried foods cravings. "But I like your idea more." Lilith winked at Aria as they finally reached the short line for the fried goods.

When Aria mentioned her perfect teeth, Lilith grinned and leaned in closer to Aria. "Hmmm, it seems like today is our cheat day, so we can eat whatever we want. It won't hurt if it's one day, right?" She leaned back as the line began to move.

Diets, Dilemas and Deep fried twinkies.

Marinalia
Marinalia sighed as she took a moment away, sipping her rather sweet over sugary concoction and taking a few minutes sat on a Pile of boxes with Athena who was touching up her makeup in a mirror rested on a larger pike of stacked up freebie mugs, plushy strange amphomorphic planes that were cute but creepy in own way.

She was grumbling to herself somewhat. Her resentful side took over when she saw those two somewhat. Probably a lot. She hates Losing. Marinalia had passed a pilot's license for the first time as a teanager still, swimming, Fencing, horse riding... Everything she accomplished at some level. Of the 4 fencing was a tad rusty and shaking it off horse riding though. "urgh. Something just gets my goat... Fine yes. I hate losing. Especially to that particular redhead. Just be careful, her family meant to be some big shot in medical or law, cannot remember exactly what. I was a tad drunk that night at gala. What food did the old man like again? Asian is ...you seen out there?. What was local for you. Got any ideas?" Athena looked up packing the mirror away, she could be professional and also keep pride in her appearance. Flirty it not, she was fully qualified on most of the Deadalus helicopters. "Think I got her goat more, your qualifying on the biggest turbo prop in the fleet, what she does, artist right?. Who got a professional career not a gig economy. You won already. Big shot? Flirting ain't illegal. Not in America anyway. Don,t worry Valkyrie. Local was San Francisco. Until the rents went stupid.

Fine...old man likes Japanese at times, sometimes koreen, never Thai. Apollo pillow talked... We dated but it did not work out and stayed friends." chatting casually, yep. Athena rarely went further than flirting despite seeming so. Things did not always add up to how they seemed on the surface layer. "Yeah but urgh. Yeah artist. I like her work though. I cannot disparage that too much.

Canada's still bloody cold though. Just be careful Athena. San Fran. England. Capricq. Anyone work local here? Most of the pilot arm are from somewhere else" leaving on a questing the two called out they were on the food run to feed the seeming 5 thousand. Working with the general public was plain stressful. "Be back in an abit, we on scavenging duty. We need more of those plushy ... Planes... Thomas the tank engine creeped me abit ok. Got it. No Thai, Japanese, Wings, got the list."

---

Heading out, chatting having hooked her arm in Marlins in the busy crowds and the Asian Brunette threw a smile over to the Rebellion tent while Marlin was making a wave off hand sign and too high gesture, and several other minimised aviation hand signs ending in refuel. The kiss was enough to probably rile those two up for the event, or least Marlin thought. Things between them where a tad interesting. "Wave off, runways busy. And I was just overhead, it was close loss...yes lost but overhead equal at mid point perfectly. Not a quarter of a mile. Id of needed to behind him on like 2-3 gates for that distence and I was matching till final straight.

Though you confirmed there serious. That gossip blog was right, he must have a thing for red heads after all. Or tiny blue dresses." giving her friends arm a fair tug to stop her before continuing her second part passing by towards the Asian section close by in the food fairs American section. Quarter mile. Sure, the air race was a loss but it was a close ending, finishing overhead and low then climbing higher and slower on the return route as fuel was getting tighter not having planned for a second run. "What's the real deal Marlin... I know you well enough to know, you kept glancing at the junk food area earlier" Marinalia was a little vexing them to take flak off her sister. The more they looked at her the less they could notice Victoria. She was still at a delicate phase and did not need the stress or argument. "Fine. It's real and also to keep her away from Victoria. She,s... Still not fully out in the clear. Your smart. Things came out too soon for anyone's good." A rather big oh reached her mind and clicked. Why could those two not do simple? Victoria and Marlin were trouble magnets with a T. "Oh... Crap. Yeah. There's easier ways you know. Is there a goddess of trouble because there you?. No offense your plans make less sense than Inky playing Scrabble. Your family are a little nutty let's be honest."
@Pilatus@Almalthia

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@Tyler Night@Allycat
Meandering their way through the busy American section spotting Victoria leaning over talking semi seriously with cheesy chips, and chicken wings. She might pay for it later but they looked delectable and deliciously devilish tempting.

Waving over, they queued up and pulled out a list of things to aquire for the hungry pack of staff. Helping the kids was fun, and something she found came easily but it was tiring after a while. You needed a break. Dressed in the smart deadalus uniforms, hats on for show and gold detailing glittering off uniforms arms, badges and Marinalia gold and ice blue diamond necklace in a now hard to find legally African variety. Athena glanced over hoping nothing happened to Victoria because they were pretty crazy normal, yet alone riled up. Waiting her turn the English accented blonde pilot reeled off there list. "ah, hello, Some of the guys at work reckon you do best wings ever made, so 5 sets of wings, 3 hot, 1 volcanic and 1 nuclear blast number 5 with extra ... Pepper and onions please, 3 sides of chips with onion rings, 3 without and 1 Tex mex carnosaur with extra meat please... Packed like crazy at the tent. Volunteered for the food run, Old man's easier to work with on a full stomach." Athena wondered how the people ate some of those but if they wanted there stomach linings atomised it was there party. The pretty Asian American Brunette batted her eyelashes abit, she was flirting more of fun than anything. They did look rather nice in full uniforms "oh, you forgot the 3 diet cokes, Valkyrie one root beer if you have it and a bottle of ... Vinto...whatever that is of you got it please oh Mr chef. Sorry forgot the ...what did they say. Sizzling sauce set with dragons of the delta? I . Sure there just trying to wind us up? If not for drug testing I'd say there on something.

Don't give me that look Marlin, if your cutie from the Caribbean you're so obviously smitten with, you'd not notice if it was day or night. Besides, I'm after different teams to you so no competition." Marlin rolled her eyes a little, Athena was Athena but she liked her, never a boring day working with her or in the same state. Her last comments causing a slightly embarrassed but happy smile."Those too please, you got card? Your good smells amazing...your making me hungry standing here.

Hey, what, ok, yes I like her. Quite a bit. Alot. I'm not that bad. I noticed a lot... I admit the beech was a tad distracting." it was all good natured. Athena had not even batted an eyelash at her dating Xia, more just interorg ted how they ended up together...somewhat redacted on the more personal details. The photo of her and Xia on the beech was reprinted in a nice frame on her desk at work. It was simple but said everything she had felt next to a group family photo.

---

Mentions X 4 added to the sections they pertain.

---

Joel Nicolosi

It was funny because he hadn’t really beaten her by a quarter mile in the race and Sio apparently thought he was being truthful and not facetious in his comment to Athena. He knew, even if they didn’t see it, Marlin wouldn’t be able to stand not trying to explain how things went down, but at the same time she’d have to admit to her friends that she had indeed, lost the race to him. Joel smirked a little at the thought as his redheaded “better half” gave his former blonde fawner, both barrels. Considering the company it entailed, they had never really talked much about the air race, but he resolved to later tell her the whole story and the Brit had even given him a reason. He loved when things fell into place so easily.

“Pssh, the Iron Chef took my cup,” Joel replied as they walked away. He took a swig from the thermos and being satisfied with the brew dumped the entire contents of the flask into the thermos and swirled it around a bit. There was more than enough to get Sio in a happy place since they were sharing the cup, but he doubted he was going to feel anything, even on an empty stomach. He shrugged as they walked. “I don’t have an agenda for the rest of the day,” He said, glancing around. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could remember coming to the market festival as a kid and at no point in time did he ever think he’d be a participant in any way. Things were changing and at times he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Sure the cars were great and the travel was fun, but sometimes he missed the simplicity of what he had before: Staying up all night, working when he wanted and generally being a drain on society. Listening to UFO abduction claims on talk radio and trying to figure out the wiring diagram to a Fiat while downing copious amounts of coffee at 3am was wildly satisfying. Now he had a regular “job” and a girlfriend. He mused about himself from a year ago not recognizing who he had become, though his mother was happy just for the girlfriend.

He shook his head a little and tossed the thoughts to the back of his mind as they continued. A few people recognized him as they walked and he returned casual nods and waves. Every so often someone would take a picture of the two of them with a phone or camera- something he still wasn’t crazy about. Photos by the track or the stage were one thing and were basically expected, but as particular as he was about photos of himself he still didn’t care for the public spotlight, though Tommy had warned him what was in store. He shrugged. “Might as well indulge while we’re here.” He said patting his stomach. “I could eat.”

@Almalthia

_{LOCATION & TIME : SWAN SONGS, MONDAY EVENING
INTERACTIONS : ASSOCIATES , SHANNON - @Pilatus
MENTIONS : N/A}

---

Alejandro watched the woman carefully. She carried herself with some sort of pride and what he considered arrogance. Or was it the facade of power? No, no, what was it? He couldn't really put his finger on it, but the woman reminded him of his mother. Oh, his dear mother. How disappointed she would be if she were here. She wouldn't hear a word coming from this woman's mouth for more than a second. She would have just shot her between the eyes for even looking at her in the eyes. Alejandro loved his mother, but that woman was ruthless and unforgiving. She only demanded and took. There was no need to wait for her. She only took, much like this Nikki, that Shannon mentioned.

Ah. Alejandro leaned forward slightly as the carefree smile returned to his lips. So he was right. It was this Nikki guy. Mara and John had told him that the name kept popping but gave it no importance due to the lack of information on the guy. Alejandro knew when there was no information; there had to be something hidden under. Shannon's words had confirmed it.

"You have been watching then." John said as he put aside the food Alejandro had given him. "And there is no bullet in Alejandro's head." This only meant that Nikki was either not interested yet or was waiting. There had been no suspicious activity that jumped out too much around Alejandro since they had arrived, so it must have been a coincidence.
"Yes, yes." Alejandro rubbed his beard, eyes never leaving Shannon's cold stare. "You hate him. You hate his little sidekick too."

"He killed your husband." Mara said with a monotone voice.

"So Nikki is in charge. He is interested in properties. He is not afraid to take things by force." Alejandro tapped his index finger on his chin as he continued to list a few things he had learned from Shannon's brief dialogue. "He killed your husband, or was involved with it. You are not going to be around for much longer, and I assume you have some sort of power within Sol, because obviously." Alejandro rolled his eyes as he continued to tap his chin. The situation in Sol wasn't any different from places where he had been to already. Los Angeles had had a similar situation when his father rose to power. Jose had been some random guy from Sinaloa coming to LA selling his stuff. Years later, he had power that reached South America all the way to Argentina. Isabel, his mother, had been the one to take charge after his father fell ill and extended up North. Alejandro now stood in a similar position, his parents had stood years ago.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Isabel would have just started a war in Sol. Valeria would have done the same, but quieter. Bloodier. Valeria would have sent a message by now. Torture a poor soul and let him loose with a message for Nikki. Let the man know that she wouldn't be waiting any longer. Or she would have just sneaked in, make herself part of his little ring of goons and get close enough to disrupt the hierarchy of their little organization.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

That wasn't Alejandro. No. Shannon was right. Alejandro was a business man. He saw profits and opportunities. His mother saw power. His sister saw influence. If he wanted Sol, he would have to change his plans. Think bigger. Think outside the box. An ally wouldn't be bad. His father had taken lots of allies during his rise. He had been gotten key members from the top gangs in the city to work for him.

Tap. Tap.

Shannon mentioned that Nikki's goon had been close enough to put a bullet in his head. Mara and John would have to look into the when they returned to their building. Shannon had also made it quite clear that Nikki was not interested in talking business with Alejandro, but how could he take her word for it? He needed more. More information. Shannon could be working with Nikki. It could be a trap.

Alejandro should just leave.

Tap. Tap.

No. He couldn't. He had invested in this city already. Sure, he could pack his stuff, sell this shop and just go back to LA or even Dallas to help his family there. But Alejandro was invested. He had even gotten the attention of Shannon. If she was telling the truth, she needed him just as much as he needed her. How unpleasant.

Tap.

"Fine. I'll buy in with you." Alejandro said, just seconds after. Both Mara and John turned to look at him like he was crazy, but he just smiled and leaned forward, easy smile still on his lips. "If you're going to take care of everything, why would I refuse? I assume you want to get rid of this dude, and you have a motive. He gets the boot, or the bullet, I don't care what really, then you have no reason to stay in Sol anymore," Alejandro leaned back and reached in his pockets to pull our a cigarette. "And I just do the rest. Clean up the city and bring my people in. Sounds like a deal to me, doesn't it, Shannon?"

"Alejandro, you can't. It's not how we do--" Mara was interrupted by John, who raised a hand towards her and shook his head. She simply sighed and glared at Shannon. Oh, how she wanted to pull out her gun and just shoot her. Maybe in the thigh or knee. Make it painful for being such a bitch.

"Mara, manners." Alejandro said without taking his eyes off of Shannon. "I am willing to work with you to obtain a mutual goal. I am sure my two associates here will be delighted to do so too."

>>Come, let my spice mesmerize you.<<
>>NPCs, and whoever wants some spicy food realistically.<<

A subdued Ssssssszzzzzzzz can be heard from Ryan's cart. The fire is roaring, the smell be wafting near and wide. Ryan, ever immersed in his music and his cooking, is quite literally dancing behind the wok. His arms moved with precision and the contents of the wok were tossed around with vigor.

Ryan has retrieved some of the ground beef and pork combo from one of the iced coolers and began stir-frying it in the hot wok. Before the protein was added, Ryan heated up some of the chili oil and some neutral cooking oil in the wok at the same time. He wanted the protein to take on some of the chili flavor, sure, but he used the extra neutral oil to preserve the natural sweetness of the proteins themselves.

Next came the fermented beans. Namely the broad bean chili sauce from Sichuan and fermented black beans, The hot oil, both from what he had added and whatever has rendered out from the beef and pork, drew out the scent and taste from the chili bean paste and fermented beans.

The next things he added was the fried chili blend from before. He took care to not add any more chili oil into the wok as it did not need any at this point. The point of this step is to simply let the flavors of the fried chilis and the content of the wok get to know each other. (Thank you Andrew Rea)

Once the content comes back up to temperature, Ryan tossed in the aromatics. Namely, ginger, garlic, and a small amount of fresh Facing Heaven chilis, for the spice it offered in its fresh form. Mixing the contents together, Ryan took a small spoon and tasted it, to see what other seasoning it could use before Ryan start to put the finishing touches together.

The taste was on point. It was where he wanted it to be, knowing what else he is going to add to it. Sure, in its current state the sauce-like mixture is nearly inedible, but Ryan was going to transform it. First, Ryan added in some rice wine, for its distinctive flavor that is different than a sherry or regular cooking wine. Stirring vigorously to combine. Once that step is finished, Ryan stirred into a corn starch slurry that was made from a mild chicken stock instead of water. The aroma and taste of the chicken stock would be very very faint against all the strong flavors already present in the dish. Once the mixture heats up and comes to a boil, the full thickening powers of the corn starch came through. Taking the once thinning mixture to a perfect 'sauce consistency'. Giving the mixture another taste, Ryan decided to add in a little bit of honey. Not only to take some of the edge off of the spices present, but to add in another subtle dimension to the entire dish. Finally, as if to dot his 'I's and cross his 'T's, Ryan retrieve the chilled, diced tofu and gently added them into the wok. Then, as carefully as possible, to tossed the tofu and the sauce together to not only warm the tofu, but for it to take on the flavors present in the wok.

During this entire time, everything in the wok was taking on a secret flavor. One that can only be described as 'wok's breath' or 'wok-hei' A flavor that can only be achieved by stir-frying in a well-seasoned cast iron wok with high flames.

Gingerly, Ryan removed the content from the wok and onto a pure white porcelain plate, making sure to clean off the edges. Then, finally, he tossed on some pre-sliced scallions to give the distinctively red dish a nice touch of green. "Please, take this to that judge. Oh, here. Don't forget these I suppose..." Ryan place a small bowl of white rice onto the tray as well. "Well, I guess these too..." Ryan moved over to the clay oven, lifting the top. The steam and smoke bellowed out from within. The smell was quite memorable. One can pick up the smell of toasted sesame, black pepper, pork and freshly baked bread.

Of course, these are buns he made and set to bake before he started working on the tofu dish. The outer shell is baked to a toasty brown. Flaky to the point where the shell cracks when pressed. The filling inside is juicy, aromatic, and riddled with the flavors of black pepper, scallions, ginger and pork. The meat juices have been absorbed by the inner layers of the bun, resulting in a cracker-like shell but a slightly chewy interior.

Placing one bun on a small white porcelain plate, Ryan deemed the tray as satisfactory and sent the helper off.

Mapo Tofu and Taiwanese Black Pepper Buns are now ready.

(A little bit more on 'wok's breath', by the Michelin Guide)

---

Was Lilith too much for Aria? She could tell how much the shorter girl kept looking away, and her voice would cut short, or she would trip over her sentences. Lilith didn't want to make Aria feel uncomfortable around her, but gosh did Aria look cute when she got flustered. It just made her want to compliment Aria more and more and see those lovely cheeks of her turn red. How she would love to see other parts of her--

Lilith cleared her throat and shook those thoughts away. This was the first date. First date only and nothing more. "Sure, I sometimes go for those too, but after dancing all night, you need some junk food to get you back up. A blunt does sound nice right now." Maybe they could get some edibles next time and just go out to eat again or wander the beach. Getting high on the beach sounded fun.

"Don't like clubs, huh? They're not for everyone." Lilith understood that. She was the outgoing type that loved to just dance with random strangers and sometimes hook up with them, but all of that only happened a few times a year. The last time she had gone, clubbing was about two months ago, and she had gotten lucky to score some Instagram model. The model had taken Lilith to see her fancy apartment by Central Point and had some fun in her jacuzzi. The night had been fun, but Lilith didn't even remember her name, and she was sure the model had forgotten Lilith's too.

Today was just a regular date with a nice girl that Lilith kept wanting to compliment just to see her flustered face. At least, that was what she thought until Aria invited her over. To her studio. The offer had taken Lilith by surprise that she didn't even notice it was their turn to order.

"Hello? Lady?" The teen behind the table with a cash register said. "Are you gonna order?"

"Oh! Lilith laughed nervously as she slipped out her wallet and pulled out her card. "Sorry, uh, two fried Oreos with powdered sugar." She gave the younger girl her card and waited for the payment to transfer. A second later, they were both handed each a fried Oreo.

"Sure, I'll go over to your studio." Lilith finally said with a smile. Aria's question had taken her back, but it had been a pleasant surprise. They would be able to have some time just to talk. With another smile, she bit into her Oreo. They could also share a blunt. Lilith had one hidden in her new purse.

The Deal

“I have mourned by husband, but unfortunately he put himself in that situation.” Shannon replied. She spoke as if she referring to some former employee she had to let go and there was little emotion carried with the words. As he wrapped his fingers considering the offer, she continued to study him. John and Mara were open books, easy to read. Alejandro was more composed, but he had a tell same as the rest- He smiled voraciously, as if it were some defense mechanism that made him feel like he was in control. She knew she had him in the place that he desired since his arrival in Sol City, but only it wasn’t with the company that he anticipated.

John and Mara’s shock at his acceptance of the deal only further confirmed her assumptions.

Shannon quietly held her composure through Mara’s continued protest. She had what she wanted, though another old rule came to mind the same as it always did when conducted business:: The deal’s not done until the money changes hands. “I know how to pick a winner, Alejandro.” She said calmly. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” She placed her small, black clutch on the table top as if she were about to walk away, but stopped midway as a thought suddenly reemerged behind her eyes.”Oh, there is one other thing.” She said, standing and looking down at the three of them. “In your shop, you have a Bird of Paradise that you keep under glass- I want that.” She said, her original grin returning slightly. “Consider it a finder’s fee.” She briefly glanced back over shoulder before walking away. “I’ll be in touch.”

@Pyxis

Jeremy sighed as he looked around his new apartment. He'd already been there a couple of days, but he still wasn't quite used to it yet.

"It's my own fault. Can't even complain about it."

And it was true. He should've known what he was getting into when he chose a place with such cheap rent, but for some reason, he was still kind of surprised when he found himself in a room that was maybe slightly larger than a walk-in closet. Well, ok, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. There wasn't really room for much other than his bed and the kitchen, which probably meant he shouldn't be inviting any guests over in the near future. They'd have to sit on his bed if he did, because there was no room for a table or chairs.

The kitchen was decent though, and it also had a small balcony where he could grow a few pot plants.

So all in all, he could probably survive in it, at least for now. Maybe when he found a new job, he'd be able to afford somewhere at least slightly better, but as the depressed, unemployed slab of human he was now, this was the best he could hope for, and probably better than he deserved.

But self loathing would have to wait, he had preparations to make! Yes, after spending a decent chunk of the last few days figuring out how to get all the right permits and collecting ingredients, he was ready to earn his rent, selling dishes made with unusual ingredients to the hungry hordes that would be visiting the festival later that morning. More than a few of them had to be imported, but thanks to the efforts of Adrian Washburne, who may or may not be one of the richer people on the planet, he had been able to get more than enough to feed both them and himself. He even got some less crazy meat for the less adventurous customers, although it was still uncommon enough to keep the gimmick alive.

"Welp, guess I'd better head out."



"Hey, are you scared of snakes? Does the idea of alligators have you quaking in your boots? Well why don't you come on over and remind yourself that you're the one at the top of the food chain, not them! Try some rattlesnake chilli if you're in the mood for something with a little bite! Or maybe you'd prefer the classic fried gator? Or of course, if you'd prefer something a little less out there, you could try a nice kangaroo stir fry! Take a seat and face your fears in the most delicious way possible!"

Despite working on it for quite a while the night before, Jeremy was beginning to wonder if this maybe wasn't quite the best sales pitch he could've come up with. He wasn't really use to attracting people over, or really being especially social in general. No, he was more of an awkward loser, who would occasionally be confused for intimidating, so this was a new and scary experience for him. Thankfully though, the stall was pretty nice, with a little counter on the side where customers could sit on some bar stools he'd bought and eat right there. He had a nice little set up he'd managed to salvage together too, and while getting everything over to the park had been a little difficult, he was able to keep up with the orders fairly well.

Of course, that was probably just due to the low number of people who were willing to order snake or alligator, but he preferred to think it was his great talent in the kitchen.

In all seriousness though, he'd at least thought the kangaroo would be normal enough for anyone who might not go for the other two...

"Come on, don't be shy! Come and see what it feels like to eat an animal that wants to eat you just as badly! Take a walk on the wild side! Help me pay my rent! Get over here and try some delicious recipes from all over the world before I run out of ingredients!"