Pilatus

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

@Tenma Tendo

Approved, see you in the character tab.

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

Just as a note since we got REALLY busy today: Please make sure you let all the characters that haven't had a chance to react to the current scene get a chance to post before you start new replies. Not trying to stifle anyone here, believe me this has been a fun one so far, but we do want to try to be thoughtful of those who might be busy and haven't had time to get a post in.

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

Joel Nicolosi

Thankfully it appeared that karaoke singers had run their course for a time and Joel happily chalked that up to good luck as they managed to get a fairly decent table. The ambient music the Club usually belted over the impressive sound system would be good enough for a while and as he toasted glasses with Sio he thought for a little while at least that it would be good to just spend some time with her. With the car picked up, the last vestiges of the Grand Prix weekend were put to rest. Sure, there would be other things that came of it as they continued to slog through the mountains of e-mails, voicemails and letters that poured in daily, but most of it was just junk to Joel. There were a couple interesting ones from well-known racing teams that he needed to consider and he liked that Sio represented a completely unbiased opinion.

The main floor continued busy as ever as he leaned back in his seat and scanned around. Everyone was just a wash of people and faces from their table on the perimeter. No one really stood out, nor was he looking. His eyes were making their way back over to Sio when he spotted Ethan looking towards them with one of his customary, predatory glances. Very nonchalantly, Joel shot him the finger in return, making sure the lead singer got a good view as nodded with a challenging smirk as he did it. In high school they were a couple years apart, not friends and not really enemies either, they moved in distinctly different circles, but both were Sol City natives and their combined fame and egos created a bit of an unspoken rivalry. He couldn’t wait for the inevitable question from Sio.

“Looks like somebody’s already having too good of a time,” He said motioning with his glass for Sio as what appeared to be two plain-clothes officers were dragging someone up from the floor. However, his attention shifted as a few catty shouts went up from the other end of the bar where he couldn’t really see anything other than the people’s backs aside from one extremely tall person. Whatever the confrontation was about, it seemed to mostly consist of women which he found mildly entertaining. He glanced over at Sio and shook his head as a couple guys very futilely attempted to calm the situation. He knew better than to get in the way of a bunch of drunk women out for blood and sure enough the tall one took a bottle to the cranium as things were really getting riled up and people started throwing hands.

Joel sighed a little and finished his beer regretting that he hadn’t trusted his gut instinct when they walked in the door. If he wanted to see a fight he could have just taken her to the 501 Club. Somehow he expected Ethan to be at the root of it as causing drama was one of his favorite MO’s. “Better drink up,” He said to Sio unenthusiastically watching a full-on brawl taking shape. “The cops will be here any time and we’ll be here all night.”

Ambient Fighting Music


@Almalthia

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

Paige Kennedy

Paige glanced down at her phone watching the signal for the public Wi-Fi blink away enjoying her drink and waiting. As she’d mused many times before, her job often reminded her of going fishing with her granddad when she was a little girl back in Florida. The bait was set. They just had to watch the cork bobbing for a signal to pull the hook though this particular lake only had one catch she was interested in putting on the line. Sitting quietly as music continued to blast across the club, the looks and observations of others did not go unnoticed: The tall blonde in plain clothes, the nervous looking young guy and also a familiar face. She remembered Marinalia Olympus’ face from Bob’s case file, but the look of another one with dark hair that suddenly slinked away behind her made her olive eyes scan by again briefly like a sentinel. She was mostly interested in the tables and the lounge area where her prize was suddenly finding his connection broken and didn’t follow the retreating woman any further.

A few moments passed and a text from Xi, popped up on her phone:

Coming up behind you

She picked up a small knife on the bar counter and angled it daintily in her hand as if she were a bored, single-girl playing for attention, but actually looking for CT’s approach in the polished metal. He had his slender laptop folded under one arm and looked like he hadn’t changed clothes since that morning still sporting his track-pants and stretched white t-shirt. Same as they had done, he could easily tell where the signal was controlled and as he neared she flicked her hair playfully and spun around on the stool drawing her jacket back and putting one hand on her gun. “Hello, CT” She said cheerfully.

“Shit.” The man spat stopping in his tracks. He seemed to consider his actions briefly and looked around. Paige watched his eyes instantly dart to the exit. When he turned to bolt again, Xi was right behind him and he bounced off the ex-Marine like a brick wall dropping his laptop and hitting the floor in a heap.

Paige took another sip of her drink and left it calmly on the bar before stepping down from the stool and placing her weight on the knee she saw him favoring after he’d jumped from the window earlier. “Told you I’d get you.” She pressed her foot harder not caring that others noticed her.

“Alright! Alright! Shit!” CT protested against the pain. He reached for his laptop, but she deftly stooped down and swiped it out of his grasp.

“No-no, now,” She said with parental sarcasm. “This could be considered a dangerous weapon.” She handed it over to Xi.

“You didn’t get me a drink?” Xi said observing her empty chair and abandoned glass as Paige cuffed CT and hauled him up to his feet. He still had the smell of an apartment dumpster on his clothes; the ripe aroma of diapers, stale food and rotting fruit. Her lips curled a bit in revulsion.

“I’ll get ya one for the ditch.” She said with a triumphant smirk.

Xi’s glance seemed to wander away as she spoke. The small perimeter of onlookers they’d attracted also looked to have their attention drawn elsewhere. “Nah, I think I’ll pass now,” He said gazing curiously towards the other end of the bar. “Looks like the locals are getting restless.”

Paige glanced back finding Marinalia and the small black haired girl being confronted by another group of women. That poor girl seemed to attract trouble wherever she went. However, instinctively, she knew the shorter one was none other than her sister, Victoria. Sio’s story of the bar back at the Gala first flashed in her mind at the sight and she knew her intuition to be correct. The little skunk had apparently covered up her white stripe, but the stench was still there and making a scene as usual. A part of her wanted to join the others in stomping her ass into the curb after what she did to the her car and how she’d embarrassed Sio, but she waited all day to nab CT and they had to get him out before things got completely out of hand.

And escalate it did! As she pushed CT out of the back door, the man glanced back almost gleefully at the sight of a catfight, but slightly relieved to some extent. The sound of a bottle shattering combined with numerous whoops and shouts escalated over the music as the heavy metal door shut firmly behind them.

“Better go ahead and make the call,” Paige said to Xi with some amusement as the growing raucous could be heard even outside. She looked back as they crossed the street to where their cars were waiting at a small drive-in diner. Xi was already on the phone with 911 reporting the fugitive in custody and calling in the local police department for a Code 10-10 (Fight in Progress). Soon every SCPD unit within a ten mile radius would be descending on Club Aether.

@Silver Fox@Almalthia@Alex_The_Great@PrinceAlexus

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

@LostBrotherGrimm

Always room for one more and I love it when people take the time to read the old thread. There is always room for one more.

To answer your question, we did just get two female characters which should balance us out when I update the count so you're free to choose on gender.

Thanks for checking out our game. We really are working to make something special and different here.

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

@Rodiak & @FloriCello

Both good. You can move them over as soon as @PrinceAlexus approves.

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

Joel Nicolosi

Joel could tell Sio was a bit star-struck, suddenly less her constant joking-self and at a temporary loss for words, but he shrugged it off with a smirk. He could remember when his dad first taught him to drive and how he’d similarly been blown away with what could be done with a car in the right hands: How to take a corner, when to brake, when to accelerate, oversteer and understeer, feeling the weight of the car moving in the seat and not being overwhelmed by the shift in momentum as you worked the wheel and pedals. It was like playing an instrument, but difficult really to describe to the uninitiated and a talent honed over years of practice. The experience was life-changing for him. Looking forward and storing the thoughts away as they walked the long corridor, he stuck his hands in his jacket pockets, leading the way and breathing the delightful smell of burnt rubber that still clung to his clothes. In his hopes of not being recognized, his jacket was a less conspicuous fleece with a small Bridgestone logo on the left chest, jeans and sneakers.

As they stood at the entrance to the main hall, Joel could tell he’d made a wrong decision when a sign advertised karaoke night. Oh for fuck’s sake… He thought to himself. He wanted to hear good music, not drunken flotsam. He sighed a little; almost embarrassed that he’d drug Sio along and contemplated turning around and going elsewhere, but his practical side anchored him down. You’re already here, might as well get what you came for. A view of the bar further reinforced his presuppositions as the array of people, that were clearly not fans of the musical genre he preferred, congregated. Overdressed, clueless and not his sort of company, the scene looked more like the Mos Eisley Cantina bar than any sort of reputable music venue. He glanced back at Sio, not wanting to ruin her good time as a familiar voice took the stage. He leaned in to talk in her ear over the noise of their first song, “I actually went to high school with that guy,” He said nodding towards the stage. At least they were a professional band and their practiced sound was crisp. “C’mon, let’s get a table.”

In the dim lighting and roaring speakers he hoped that no one would recognize him. With Ethan and his lot strutting around like a bunch of punk-goth turkeys he felt an extra buffer of distraction as he led Sio around the perimeter of the main floor to get a booth or table where they could chill out for a few.

@Almalthia

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

Paige Kennedy

“Odd place to hang out on the lam.” Xi said as they strolled down the dark corridor. The steady thrum of the music reverberated down the long hall.

“He’s an odd duck for sure.” Paige said. She hated heavy metal music. Songs were better when a person could understand the words.

“So how did CC find him here?”

“Apparently he was online bitching about the music sucking,” Paige replied steadily having to raise her voice as they drew closer. She handed him her phone which displayed an update on CT’s blog carrying on about the rock music scene in Sol City going soft. “He mentioned some popular band being back in town so they started following the social media back to here.”

Xi chuckled. He had the spark-plug wire to CT’s moped in his jacket pocket. After some light teasing about the man’s earlier escape, it had taken him about two minutes to pop the seat off and remove it when they found it, again hidden behind a dumpster in the back lot close to the exit. Still grinning slightly from the story earlier, he regarded Paige carefully in the corner of his vision as they walked. Her usual recalcitrant mood seemed colder than normal when they met up across the street. Ever since coming back to work from her stint in the hospital, he noticed her fuse seemed to have shortened a bit and he could tell there were other things on her mind, though he lent the majority of that to the newly reopened Giancana file and knew she’d been working on it most of the day instead of being in the field. The poor thugs that passed as “security” folded instantly under her deathlike glare and the presence of two Federal Officers.

Paige wore her standard jeans, sneakers and leather jacket over a white top as well as her usual stoic look and pony tail when they hit the main hall. She hated clubs. Perhaps lending to her strict rearing, she only viewed them as a hives of debauchery and ill-repute. She was looking forward to dragging CT out of there in the public view.

“That looks expensive.” Xi said with a glance up to the impressive, glowing chandelier.

Paige only gave the lighting a passing glance amid the sounds of crashing guitar riffs and the triumphant shouts of drinks being downed in large amounts. Xi managed to think of the spark plug wire before her and she was looking to make it even. She had a good idea where to look and nudged him to come closer so he could hear. ‘Look past the chandelier,” She said. “I think that’s a wireless antenna.” She took out her phone again and looked at the available networks. On the Heavens was listed with the highest strength and open access. “That’s it, the CC guy said he would be on the public Wi-Fi where he couldn’t be traced.” She looked around again. “That, and he’s probably wiping out everybody’s bank account that’s on it too.”

Xi followed the wires coming out of the antenna hidden in the rafters down from the ceiling where they entered the bar area. “We just gotta get’em to turn it off and he’ll pop up.”

“That’s easy enough, just watch my back.” Paige replied and headed towards the bar.

It was crowded, shoulder to shoulder, perfume and cologne clashing against bare skin and sweat as she made her way. Paige had a presence that made people naturally step aside and combined with the remnants of the bruises slightly hidden behind her blonde locks; she cut a more intimidating figure than usual as a space at the corner of the bar opened up. As one of the bartenders came forward she had to admit she did like the ornate décor of this particular club especially the exquisite stained glass behind the main bar. It was a nice touch and told her things stayed relatively controlled in Club Aether for such a delicate piece to remain unharmed. She put a twenty-dollar bill on the bar and scribbled a note to the young girl before she could ask for her drink order:

Turn off the wifi

The server looked down at the note curiously at first then looked back up strangely at the unexpected request. Paige drew her jacket open slightly revealing her sidearm and Marshal’s star. “Five Minutes, and I’ll have a Collins.”

The girl seemed intrigued and as she stepped away to start Paige’s drink reaching under the bar for the router and turning it off.

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

Joel Nicolosi

Joel smirked a little at her joke and shook his head. Always joking, always playing. He thought reaching over to help her with the belts. He didn’t care about the innuendo or the questionable position of his hands as he tightened the straps down properly and fastened them together maneuvering around her shoulders, waist and chest. Making sure she was safe in the car was more important than flirting for the moment. Parental as it may have seemed, she was going to find out why soon enough. Though he had to admit that he was enjoying it a little bit. The familiar smell of her hair and the closeness between them felt natural and it was evident she was genuinely glad to be there: A sentiment that was not lost on him. Not to mention, she looked very sharp in the jacket he picked up for her.

With a small wave to the assembly he moved the sequential gearbox into first and pulled off the pallet slowly giving the tires their first taste of the North American continent. He could hear them squeaking over the concrete floor, biting down even at a crawl. A few of the workers moved their hands in circular motions looking for him to light them up, but he resisted the urge while still in the warehouse. Another small switch turned on the lights and a button on the steering wheel activated the high-beams. Holding it down caused the high-powered LED bulbs to pulse rapidly. He made sure everyone was out of the way and he was clear before giving them all what they wanted. It was just a short burst of power, but the tires lit up instantly in white smoke and that was enough as they growled away. Showing off in the traffic lane wasn’t exactly smiled upon.

He looked over at Sio, his face only lit by the faint glow of the controls, “Checkmate.” He said. The word was barely audible over the growl of the exhaust that exited behind her seat, but he knew she could read his lips.

One of the most interesting things about fast driving, at least to Joel, was just how accustomed people were to going between 55 and 85mph everywhere they went and how deeply ingrained it was in the average person’s psyche. So much time was spent within that window and below it, every day, since birth, that the thought was just automatic. When time was taken out of the average person’s objections to distance, it was near enlightening how accessible the world became. As he turned on to the old highway that led back to the city he didn’t give any indication towards her as he purposefully increased the speed gradually until the telephone poles were going by like fence-posts. The intersection for the 923 Loop blinked in the distance and they were there in seconds blazing by a Shell station with the cackling rumble of deceleration. The light for the turning lane was green and the howl of the exhaust reverberated beneath the overpass as he swung up the ramp and really put his foot in it causing the rear end to come around slightly. He jinked the wheel slightly to counter it grinning broadly the whole time.

They hit the highway and he blasted past a semi, looking ahead and making his moves several seconds beforehand through the night traffic they screamed along making it to the junction for 98 in less than a minute. The car wrapped around the curving on-ramp like it was on rails and he went back up through the gears like a song nearly trance-like in his concentration and control. Just like in Japan on the track he could feel the body of the car settling down on ground beneath the air as the wind-tunnel refined body leaned into the wind. He knew he could have never beat them if the Sol Grand Prix’s straightaway had been a quarter mile longer. There was no comparison in the downforce created by the GT-R. The car was like a rifle shot.

As lane markings blurred together into solid white lines Joel saw his exit coming up and relented on the accelerator coasting down the exit lane seeing the downtown glow of skyscrapers in the distance. The composite brake discs had no problem slowing them and glowed hot orange in the night air as they returned to the land of normal traffic on the surface streets. Coming to stop for a traffic signal, he nudged her shoulder and leaned over so she could hear him, “Quick trip, huh?” He said with a smile in the darkness.

It wasn’t far from the highway and they cruised under the streetlights and neon signs drawing glances from groups of pedestrians traveling up and down The Run. He held the high-beam flasher a few times enjoying himself immensely as they passed before carefully angling over the entrance of Club Aether. The car again drew steady glances and some even pointed as they rumbled past the entrance and he gave a couple obligatory taps of the pedal bouncing the wild exhaust note off the side of the building. He swung around to some of the parking in the rear spotting a white GTR parked securely in the distance and backed in next to it making a pair. It was just good form to keep the nicer rides together. He shut the engine down.

“I haven’t been here in years,” He said to Sio glancing at the building. It looked the same as the last time he’d seen it. “I don’t think I know what this place looks like in the daylight,” He mused. “Used to be pretty cool though. Let’s get a drink and we’ll head back out and see what kinda trade we can stir up.”

@Almalthia

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

@Avanhelsing

We're 12/10 right now, so it's not as biased as it was. You can still do a CS for a male.

Anyone thinking about a second character needs to consider a female first.