❅ SHITTY LITTLE TOWN ❅ PART 2

[nightmods]

SHITTY LITTLE TOWN ❅ PART 2

There's an article in the local paper, but word travels through the town hours before the first newspaper hits a doorstep: a man went missing down the mine, and they couldn’t even retrieve his body for his wife to bury. The official story is that there was a freak cave-in while the night crew was working, that no amount of preparation or technology could have prevented the act of God that left one of the arterials from the main mining cavern obstructed. Given that it was the night crew, there was only one witness, and he was violating protocol and too far down another arterial to hear or see what happened; because Goluboy has a zero-tolerance policy for breaking protocols, he fired the surviving miner. Goluboy has informed the newspaper that there will be no further efforts to recover the body.

Thus, two events are happening in town this weekend: Ms. Cygne’s debut ball, and a protest against the mining conditions outside the mouth of the mines.

Out in the woods, the fog has been thick to the point where subsistence hunters can’t venture in more than a few yards, and there seem to be strange sounds, almost like music, soft tank drums and ringing, emanating from the murk. It almost feels like the menace of the woods is...encroaching.

PROMPTS

a)  PROTEST OUTSIDE THE MINE

The rage at Goluboy has been a long time brewing, but the people who live in his apartments wisely don’t appear at the protest. Instead, it’s all about twenty people who have just managed to avoid being dependent on Goluboy’s grace who have shown up with posterboards and a loudspeaker, rallying during the miners’ workday. This was all coordinated the day before my word of mouth, and it isn’t particularly well organized; people frequently end up blocking the mining equipment, and the foreman shouts at them to stay away from dangerous areas with marginal success. The three people with loudspeakers end up talking over each other and the chants are piecemeal and overlapping; however, the fact that people are upset about the perceived lack of safety for the miners and particularly for the abandonment of the missing miner’s body. Bring Him Home is the main chant and the only one that seems to get any muscle to it. The fired miner seems to be the person leading the most vocal chants.

The administrative staff from MineCorp have been asked to come field complaints from the protesters, armed with nothing but some talking points from the MineCorp mission statement (something something synergized comparative advantage for diversified innovative solutions something something labor is our most precious resource yada yada). One scruffy man seems to have hijacked the protest with his loudspeaker and is rambling about the animal maulings in the woods. At some point, Goluboy arrives in his armored Ford F-250. He calls over his foreman and has an annoyed conversation, and then he gets out, bodyguard looming behind him, to talk to individuals, putting on an evidently forced smile with gritted teeth.

b)  DEBUT BALL

Ms. Cygne’s debut ball at her mansion is the event of the year, with all the lavishness than this sort of town can muster; beautiful dresses, a chocolate fountain, gift bags with expensive accessories and bonbons, fine sparkling wines, and invitations embossed with gold leaf. Plenty of the little treats are the sort that were presumed extinct in this town; no one’s seen a pair of Gucci sunnies or eaten a Ghirardelli’s in years here.

Most of the festivities take place in the massive ballroom that anchors the mansion, and they spill out into the lawn, where Ms. Cygne has insisted on a sit-down dinner rather than a “ghastly” buffet. The lady of the hour is quite active, making sure to check in with every single person at least once to make sure she’s getting praised for her hosting skills and getting a good look at every youth who’s appeared. The youths themselves have been pressured, by family members, teachers or Ms. Cygne herself, to present themselves as elegantly and politely as possible, and to make a “good showing” at their first event as a notable, respectable young person who may be a contender for Ms. Cygne’s prestigious scholarship.

At the table, people rub elbows with people they may not necessarily speak to otherwise, all brought together by the commonality of being someone Ms. Cygne has deemed noteworthy. Almost nobody allows themselves to get too inebriated, but one woman has a bit too much champagne and begins to cry at the dinner table; her friend, another woman in her thirties, ushers her to the powder room, where she composes herself while everyone awkwardly changes the subject. A few people do mannered waltzes in the ballroom, and out on the lawn, people mingle and make toasts.

c)  EXPLORE ELSEWHERE [Link]

OOC: Please feel free to thread with each other at any location in the town. Available NPCs are bolded. Please indicate in bold in your comment if you would like an NPC to tag in, or reach out to Em or Juliet specifically. We request that each player only request one NPC per character so we may respond quickly. Thank you!

KNOWN IC DETAILS

There is gossip around town that characters can be handwaved as knowing that might drive some questions about the town and npcs:

• The spooky deaths in the woods that have been going on for ages.


• Mining disasters like this have happened before, always before the announcement of a big new mining vein opening up.


• Children who take Ms Cygne's scholarship never come back to the town, and their letters are very formulaic.


• Goluboy's wife died under mysterious circumstances, his girlfriend went to jail for the murder, and he is about town courting again.


• Cygne has a pond full of so many beautiful swans, aren't they lovely!


• The curfew sure is heavily enforced. Is it because the sheriff knows something about the monsters in the woods and is withholding information?

OOC DETAILS
❅ Deja Vu: Characters may optionally start getting some very brief flashes of memory or deja vu but this will be brief, confusing, and alarming rather than revelatory and full memory regain will not be possible. Still, players can opt to have this cause a feeling of possible unease or un-rightness to the situation that can be used to drive characters to have questions or be suspicious enough to investigate areas and situations.

❅ Event Length: This part of the plot will involve an npcing stage. It will last approx. two weeks before the last part, part 3, though this end time may be shortened to match player pace if npc threads progress quickly.

❅ New Intros: If your character wasn't introed in part 1 you can handwave they've been there the whole time and just intro in part 2.

❅ New Characters: If you app a new character and want to intro them at this time, assume they arrived just in time at the location the plot takes place in to be caught up in the magic drawing everyone in. They would have gotten the Man in the Moon's spiel from the welcome page right before being magically sucked in.

Comments

Paul Delius (Apollo)

[divasmio]

[ prompts will be posted below! ]

Closed to Goluboy

[divasmio]

Paul generally likes to keep his desk organized, so the files spread out in front of him are upsetting for a number of reasons. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, leaning forward as if getting closer to the the problems will make them easier to solve. He had been much more relaxed when this was a simple land dispute, before an endangered species had been discovered. It's hard enough making one legal nightmare disappear; Now Paul had to deal with wrongful death, too?

MineCorp has been a steady client of The Law Offices of Tonans, Lucis & Fulgur for years dealing with these kinds of issues. Paul had been calling the firm requesting they fax over some old case files he could reference, but no one's been getting back to him.

He glances at the drawer where he keeps his anxiety meds, and considers taking an extra dose, but decides against it for the time being. He still needs to meet with his client to talk about what the hell actually happened in that mine.

[shittylittlenpcs]

Goluboy doesn't arrive on time, which is something he'd never tolerate from Paul; it's clearly a power play to show up forty-five minutes after they were supposed to meet to discuss the miner, Rick Pallett, and his untimely demise. He walks in and loudly slams a bunch of files on Paul's desk.

"Alright, let's get this over with. We need to, what, figure out how much money to give the widow?" He checks his watch. "I'm already running late. What do you need?"

[divasmio]

Paul doesn't comment on the wait; He's frustrated, and he's certain that Goluboy knows that, but there isn't anything he can do about it.

While his firm hadn't gotten the files he requested to him, he was at least able to get some information from proprietary files & the city's court records. He flips through one of the manila folders on his desk, pausing on a certain page and setting it down on the table for his client to see.

"First off, I need documentation showing that the safety upgrades from the last wrongful death suit were implemented. Then I need to know exactly what happened to Mr. Pallett in that mine."

[shittylittlenpcs]

"They were implemented. I'll sign an affivadit saying that much. There's only so safe you can make a mine." Goluboy rolls his eyes. "The details are technical and probably better left to paper. You understand that there's no way we're allowing anyone to go down that arterial to inspect, right?"

Goluboy pauses. "For their safety. Not just because what we're working on in there is...really technical and not ready for the public yet."

[divasmio]

"Mister Goluboy," Paul says carefully, mentally trying to stave off a headache. "If I'm going to make this go away, I can't have any surprises coming out of left field. I need to know everything you know about what happened down there."

Something feels wrong, but Paul can't put his finger on what. Besides, it's not his job to judge his clients.

OPEN - Big Top Circus Coffee (Will match style)

[divasmio]

Paul is sitting at one of the smaller tables with a half-eaten pastry and a large mug of decaf. He's staring intently at his phone, brows knit in conversation as he scrolls through his text messages.

Delivered. Delivered. Delivered. Read Yesterday, 6:42 PM. Delivered.

He pulls up his contacts and calls someone. Anyone with good enough hearing might catch that whoever he's calling sent him to voicemail. He frowns and ends the call without even listening to the whole message.

When someone passes by, he speaks up, still staring at his phone. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any contacts outside of town, would you?" He finally looks up, a tinge of concern in his eyes. "When was the last time you heard from them?"

Re: OPEN - Big Top Circus Coffee (Will match style)

[bringinghopewithme]

Aster, picking up some espresso for his new employee's caffeine addiction, having stopped to ponder everything he's recently learned over a mocha, looks up sharply at Paul's voice. He frowns as he recognizes one of Goluboy's lawyers.

"Why do you want to know?" he asks, because while he very much wants to talk about the difficulties that exist with leaving town and what he's learned about them, this could be part of a scheme to get his land.

[divasmio]

Paul hadn't realized the passer-by was Aster, but doesn't shy away from continuing the conversation. This isn't relevant to the case, anyway... provided he doesn't mention his firm isn't responding, either.

"I've been reaching out to friends back home, and all I'm getting is voicemail. No callbacks. And they're not even opening my texts." He frowns. "People in town respond just fine, though." When they want to, at least.

[bringinghopewithme]

The truth is, Aster isn't big on technology. He has an email, he's sure, but when he thinks about it, he isn't sure how to access it. He has friends he's made abroad that he communicated with through WhatsApp, but where even is his phone these days? He has no idea. He gets by here without one.

Which means he can interrogate the lawyer, not the other way around.

"You tryin' to put a fast one over your friends? Maybe that's why they don't return your calls," he says, to get it out of his system, before he pulls up a chair and sits across from Paul. "When was the last time you left town, or anyone you know did? Who's tried latest? When was the last time anyone came to town, either?"

[divasmio]

Paul decides to ignore the comment about his friends. Aster doesn't know his life. "Haven't left town since I got here. That was..." He pauses, frowning. How long has he been here, again? He can't quite remember what date he'd arrived. "A while back, anyway."

He sets his phone down, looking thoughtful. "I don't pay much attention to who comes and goes these days," he admits, trying not to admit that he genuinely doesn't know when was the last time someone crossed the town's border.

OPEN - Nog's Bar (will match style)

[divasmio]

01.
Everything's fine. Everything is fine. And because everything is fine, he can go to the bar and flirt and find someone beautiful and interesting to take home with him, because things are normal and that's what you do when things are normal. If things were weird and strange, he wouldn't go to a bar.

Paul doesn't go around announcing himself as Mr. Goluboy's lawyer, but anyone who's had legal run-ins with MineCorp have certainly seen him before. He knows he's handsome and charming, and Paul leans into that charm as he buys a drink for the good-looking face a few seats down from him at the bar. He flashes a winning smile their way.

-

02.
Anyone who has had legal dealings with MineCorp or Mr. Goluboy himself would recognize Paul. Even when he's not flirting with you, he's still sitting at the bar, flashing that beautiful smile and desperately trying to quash this unease he's been feeling for the past few days.

1

[boldboimler]

Boimler isn't easily visible, taking his place among some other country boys and girls. They're all settling in tiredly at the bar for drinks after a long day's work at the local farms, ranches, mines, or slaughterhouses. There are a few bars around town but it is a small town, the drinks at Nog's are affordable, and there really aren't enough classy people for any one bar to only court classy clientele.

So while Apollo is there, looking around for the lookers, Boimler and some of his farm hands are there, noticing who's sitting there down the bar.

The farm hands look smug. The area of the farm under environmental review isn't close to the vineyards - they're still at work, getting paid. But nothing can be done with the overall parcel until something is decided.

While Paul stars down the opposite way at whoever he's bought a drink for, Boimler flags over the bartender. Whatever he orders gets a few snickers from the farm hands around him and a smirk from the current bartender on duty, who is well aware of what Paul is in town for.

The bartender eventually walks over and plunks a drink in front of Paul.

"Here. This is for you, courtesy of on of them farm hands."

It's a very very blue drink. If he tries it, it'll be pleasant enough, if very sweet, made of peach snapps, sweet and sour mix, blue curacao, coconut rum, and a dash of sprite.

Boimler leans back a little to hide himself in the row of much brawnier farm workers.

[divasmio]

Paul regards the drink in surprise. He glances over to where the bartender motions just in time to see Boimler duck into the crowd of farm hands.

One taste of the drink and he recognizes it as a blue balls. Cute. As stressed as Paul is, he's happy to have a distraction to focus on. He puts his suave persona on as he picks up the glass and makes his way over to the farm hands. He stands a comfortable distance away, looking pointedly at Boimler.

"If you wanted to vent your problems to me, there are less cryptic ways," he says coolly, pausing to take another sip. "You have my attention."

He suspects that Boimler did not want his attention in the slightest.

[boldboimler]

Boimler turns around on his bar stool and crosses his arms.

"Venting? I'm not venting anything, just commemorating the moment with an appropriate drink choice. I'm so glad we could put things on hold for a bit and reassess. It's so important right now."

He holds a hand to his chest, as if deeply moved.

"Both sides are doing right by the owls right now."

[divasmio]

Paul quirks an eyebrow. "I suppose the owls are lucky to have someone like you who's ready to spend the rest of his life protecting them."

02.

[bestbrotherever]

[Lowell is in his usual seat at the bar as well. But unlike his usual demeanor, he's not sulking, but assessing the others around him.

[He notes small changes in Paul's behavior. Not surprising, given the troubles his main client is going through. The important thing is, there might be an opening there against Goluboy.

[When Paul smiles at him, instead of scowling and looking away like he normally does, he smiles back and relocates to sit next to the lawyer.]

[divasmio]

Lowell is a handsome man, if a bit surly. It's nice to see a smile that feels a little more genuine than what he offers the crowds at public appearances. Even if the man isn't relationship material — he does have a reputation, after all — Paul's happy to at least see where this goes.

Especially if it distracts from how wrong everything has started to feel lately.

"Mr. Keyes. Been an eventful few weeks, hasn't it? How have you been?"

[bestbrotherever]

Lowell waves a hand- the one not holding his scotch glass- airily. "Quite busy, for a change; some have the belief that the town might be able to force MineCorp to bend to their whims. I am practically drowning in petitions."

He leans forward. "Though I suppose that is nothing in comparison to what you have to deal with. 'I have no control over the matter' is not an answer you can give to your boss." He flashes a sympathetic smile.

[divasmio]

Paul leans back casually and raises his eyebrows. He's no stranger to this kind of fishing expedition; Lord knows he's done it before when probing for information. He traces his finger along the rim of his own glass, looking coy. "I manage well enough."

He is not managing well, and hopefully tomorrow he'll finally get that meeting with Goluboy to get some damn answers. But that's tomorrow.

"Of course, it's never a bad time to drum up some positive PR. Perhaps we can schedule a meeting with my boss to discuss those petitions. I'm sure we could find middle ground that serves the interests of both parties." He takes another sip of his drink. "But tonight I'm here to forget about work for a while."

02b. the handsome bastards table

[ninjavampire]

At a corner booth in the rear of the bar, Miguel finds the anonymity of the noise and the crowd (even this crowd) to be a little nostalgic. It reminded him of when things were promising in his life, rather than stuck in MineCorp's monotone concerto of impossible deadlines and unreachable asks.

He's not a frequent visitor here. His choice of drink is whatever lager brand they had in a bottle, not particularly confident in the homebrew concoction sitting on tap. It's been ages since he's drank much socially and he doesn't feel like testing his luck with driving home after the curfew again.

So, he looks across the table to the face of the legal department, his expression perfectly dry and even.

"How's the latest shitstorm treating you, Paul?"

DILF adventures! Even if one of them doesn't remember he's a father.

[divasmio]

Paul huffs a soft laugh. He's smiling, but it's tense. And why wouldn't it be? A wrongful death suit is a huge departure from land disputes, and no one at his firm is calling him back.

But now even that feels distant from his mind. He can't stop thinking about the way Goluboy suddenly clammed up when he mentioned the gate.

"Never a dull moment." He shakes his head. "But trying to get details about our latest problem is like pulling teeth."

[ninjavampire]

Ah. A nervous lawyer is never a good sign.

"Sounds like the boss realized he stepped in it."

Miguel is not nearly deep enough in beers to have lost his inhibitions, but something about the latest death has really made the cynic in him return in full force. Get enough accidents like this and some of the company's tar ends up on his reputation, too.

"Anyone with eyes and an ability to read could have seen this coming."

He's taking a long swig.

Closed to Goluboy - Forward-dated to after all of Paul's other threads

[divasmio]

Paul arrives at work early and heads straight for the most likely place the company might be hiding dirty secrets: A records room that almost nobody had the clearance to enter, not even Paul himself.

He doesn't have access to a powerful enough magnet to disrupt the electronic lock, but he did once have an internship at an office that used something similar. Pulling a can of compressed air from his briefcase, Paul kneels next to the entrance and slips the straw under the door, firing a burst of cold air on the other side. He hears a soft click and quickly grabs the handle. It opens without an issue, and he enters.

The room is lined with file cabinets, and Paul isn't sure where to start — until he sees the papers strewn about the conference table in the center of the room. He makes his way over to see what they are.

OPEN - wildcard

[divasmio]

[ whatever you want! will match style. ]