solstice rpg

Who: Corwin and Art
Where: Corwin's House
When: Late Afternoon

Art had been fidgeting during the day, trying to keep busy but finding he was getting tasks accomplished in record time and would then have nothing to do until the next customer arrived or until Corwin found him a project with which to occupy himself. He had resorted to counting the stock and even did some dusting. He'd stopped tapping his pencil on the counter when Corwin told him the third time and resigned himself to thinking about which item in Corwin's workshop he'd ask to explore first. Now they were at Corwin's place and Art had some kitchen tasks to take care of first, then it was workshop time. Mixing the hamburger meat my hand, he looked over his shoulder at the mage and said, "I hope you're hungry." It wasn't as if he could eat any of this, though left-overs could always go to Sen. She was working on a project back at their apartment.

"I'm always hungry," Corwin answered absently, sitting at the kitchen table with his glasses perched on his nose and one of his magical tools in hand, prodding at the broken statue of the bird in an attempt to trace the outline in the air of what was missing from it. He was pretty sure this statue had no magical properties, at all, so he felt moderately safe bringing it up from the workroom as Art worked in the kitchen. All he wanted was to see what the statue was supposed to look like, whole. "It'll be fine. Just don't make enough to feed an army. I can pawn some off on the animals, but not all of it."

As if to prove him wrong, Geordi was sitting at Art's feet, looking up and making his best starving-dog impression, licking his chops every now and then.

( I'm like Pinocchio, only I haven't met the Blue Fairy yet. )

Who: Sorcha and Christian
When: late evening
Where: phoneland

Even though the family dinner at Turlough's place had gone relatively well-- no major arguments, no psychotic killers, no shots fired-- Sorcha still found herself relieved when it was over. That many McDonnells in one place was a bit overwhelming, and it wasn't as if she was wildly social, anyway. By the time she'd left, she'd felt tension all through her neck and shoulders from keeping the necessary defensive posture the whole time. Necessary to her, at least. Normally the long ferry ride was a bit of an irritant, but tonight she didn't mind it. Halfway through, she got out of her car to stand near the rail, despite the fact that it was chilly outside. She'd taken out the barrette that had held her long red hair back in a ponytail, and it fell all around her shoulders, strands of it lifting in the breeze as she gazed down at the churning black water. In this light, everything at ocean level looked black, she noticed. It was fascinating.

She had on a light jacket over the long-sleeved shirt and jeans she wore, and she tucked her hands into the pockets as she decompressed from an evening with her siblings and pondered random things as the ferry churned its steady way toward Eldritch. She thought about the books she'd purchased on Monday and had not yet read, and that brought up thoughts of Christian. He'd been a bit odd when she'd seen him, which he'd hurriedly explained was because he hadn't been taking his medicine. Maybe she should call and check on him. They'd made plans for him to show her the lighthouse sometime, but she hadn't heard from him. She pulled her cellphone out of her jacket pocket and flipped it open, then found his number in the contacts and dialed it, putting the phone to her ear.

( The optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole. I'll let you guess which one I am )

Who: Mikael and Jessalyn
When: Evening
Where: Mikael's apartment

With the fog surrounding the island, it was difficult for Jessalyn to get back to the ferry in time to get a ride back to Darkwater. She managed to make it, however, although she was disappointed that she hadn't been able to stop in and see Tayne. She wanted to tell him about the strange woman in the woods, but Jess supposed she would have to just wait until she was able to visit again. It was a rare occasion when someone unnerved Jessalyn, but Neta had managed to do it. She was torn between feeling sympathy for the rude woman, and never wanting to run into her again.

She had the entire ferry ride to think it through, and once the boat docked in Darkwater, Jessalyn started home on foot, determined not to let the encounter bother her so much. Clearly that wasn't going to work if she stayed home alone that night, so when Jessalyn got back to her apartment, she changed into a dark blue sundress and a white cardigan, leaving her wild mass of blonde hair clipped up from her face as she'd worn it at work earlier. Before anything else had a chance to distract her from her planned evening, Jessalyn got into her car and drove to Mikael's apartment. The fog wasn't as bad on the mainland as it was on the island, but she drove cautiously anyway. The last thing she could afford were car repairs if she happened to crash.

It didn't occur to her until she was parked and walking up the stairs to Mikael's apartment that she probably should have called first. He might not have been home, or maybe he had company, but Jessalyn had already made the trip, so she was reluctant to turn around and leave. If she could figure out how to unlock her cell phone, she'd just call from the hall, but that would have taken far longer than she preferred. So she stood in front of his door and knocked, listening intently for the sound of multiple voices inside.


( He blushed harder and looked down at his guitar as she spoke. That was part of it. Confidence. He could muster it for the stage and for singing for her and even singing for his family, but really putting himself out there? That was another matter. )

Who: Jesse and Tayne
Where: inside the sanctuary
When: evening

Jesse had wandered into St. Florian's as soon as the outside air became dusky and dim, not exactly sure why he'd felt compelled to come here. He'd thought the church was lovely the first time he'd visited it on the previous Sunday night, true, but that didn't explain why he'd crept inside as silently as a shadow, lingering in the back to gaze at the darkened room with its stained glass windows, pews, confessionals and altar complete with flickering candles at the very front. There didn't seem to be anybody in the building that he could tell, and he stood for long moments breathing in the scent of furniture polish, of aged paper, of wax. It was calming in some way he could not have explained if he'd had to.

He moved forward, pausing at the altar to watch the candles flicker and glow, hesitated, glanced around again. Finally he settled on the floor at the far end of the confessionals, curling up in the small space between the booths and the altar, and there he sat for endless minutes. There was nothing but silence, nothing but his own heartbeat, nothing but a near-darkness that was not threatening but, on the contrary, warm and safe. Gradually his head dropped back, resting against the burnished wood of the nearest confessional booth, and his eyes became clouded opaque white. He wasn't asleep, but neither was he aware. Someone somewhere in the vicinity was sleeping, and he'd gone to join them in the dreamworld.

( I tried to help, but my light couldn't touch it. )

Who: Jessalyn and Neta
When: Late afternoon
Where: Eldritch/woods

Jessalyn had finished her lunch shift and soon after found herself on the ferry heading to the island. She wasn't quite sure how the decision came to her to make the trek to Eldritch, but Jessalyn often just found herself breezing along with whatever random thought came into her mind, and after work, she felt like running about the island for awhile, and maybe even stopping in to say hi to Tayne before dark if she stayed that long.

The ride found Jessalyn wandering around the ferry for the most part, seeing as how she didn't really have the patient to sit by herself for the entire duration. She even managed to snag one of the ferry workers for a long winded conversation about the weather and cloud patterns before the ferry finally docked on Eldritch. With her bag clutched against her side, Jessalyn started off toward the shops, spending a bit of time browsing through them. She managed to snatch a couple cute lip glosses from one of the stores, but was proud of herself that she'd talked herself out of taking anything else. Jessalyn was constantly berating herself for stealing, but it was a very hard habit to break. Baby steps, she figured.

( What the hell are you doing here? )

Who: Shoel and Anna Lauren
Where: Shoel's house
When: Afternoon

After switching with a fellow candy-striper-- even though they didn't wear stripes, everyone still called them that-- to cover for them Wednesday, Shoel had her Thursday off. It had been such a boring shift on Wednesday, it was a wonder anyone had needed to be there, at all. Thursday was shaping up to be not a whole lot more interesting. Too bad there was no strange undead to help turn it around. Not until after dark, anyway, at least.

Shoel sat on her bed, contemplating the map, as she was usually wont to do in her spare time. Dracula sat on her lap, purring contentedly, and there were a few books on mage-craft sitting beside her, untouched. The only magic she wanted to be reading about was about death, not life, and she didn't have any new books on death. So sad.

( Zombies aren't 'ew'.... )

Who: Ashley and Santiago
Where: Vapor
When: evening

Ashley wasn't late, but she was closer to it than she liked to be. Tonight she was on bartending first, then DJing up into the wee hours. Just how she liked it. Being in the DJ booth, becoming one with the music, was both more fun and more intense the later it got. She hurried through the foyer at Vapor, her sky-high heels clicking along-- she had such a love of stilettos that she seemed to have developed an innate knack for balancing on them over the years-- intent on putting her purse and her jacket away so she could begin her shift. She had about fifteen minutes before she had to be behind the main bar downstairs, and she liked to allow at least a half-hour in case Miss Amanda or Santiago needed to give her any news or information about the night ahead.

For the past two nights, there hadn't been much contact with either the owner of the club or the woman in charge of running it. It still ran, of course, since there were still plenty of people who could pick up the slack, but it was a little unusual. After all, Miss Amanda never took a night off, or so rumor had it, and Mr. Baquero only took a night off when he felt like he'd had enough attention fawned on him.

( there may be a quiz )

Who: Cordelia and Corwin
When: Lunchtime
Where: Darkwater Computers

Cordelia was having a pretty slow day at the studio, which meant she could likely get away with taking a long lunch rather than trying to finish a salad or sandwich in between scheduled appointments. She'd almost been late to work that morning, having left Noah's house at dawn and driving home to shower and change. She was in a fantastic mood, however, so she didn't care so much that the only jobs she'd had that day were a screaming newborn baby and then a mother with her surly looking teenage boys. With Joanie taking over for Cordy's lunch, she stopped by to pick up some Chinese take out before driving to Corwin's shop. She had no idea if he'd already eaten lunch, but if not, she had plenty of Wor Su Gai to share.

( Desire not what is beyond your reach )

Who: Jade and Tilly
When: Mid-morning
Where: their hotel rooms, then Eldritch Island

Tilly was no stranger to bad dreams. Her job was a huge part of that, and her past. She also thought it had something to do with her gift, a subtle tug that never truly turned off. It meant that she was almost always the first one up in the morning. Sometimes she crashed hard, catching up on days of scant sleep, but this morning was not one of those days.

Outside of her window the world was white. Where she ordinarily might have been able to see the hotel sign in the parking lot, there was nothing. It was like the whole place had vanished while she was sleeping. It was so quiet. She felt so alone.

( dreams and fog )

Who: Olivia and Jesse
When: Midday
Where: Near the lighthouse

When Olivia ventured down to the ocean after lunch, Tayne's revelation about the lighthouse, and guy who lived inside of it, was the last thing on her mind. It was possible that she'd walked along the beach toward the lighthouse because of subconscious thoughts about what Tayne had told her, but Olivia was a creature of habit, and she was used to taking some time to enjoy the weather, and the water. She'd spent several afternoons or evenings sitting on the rocks by the lighthouse when the tide was low. Nevermind it was still probably dangerous, but her mind wasn't really thinking about safety, and Olivia had never admitted to making the best decisions anyway.

Olivia climbed onto the larger rocks and sat, pulling off her sandals and letting her feet dangle in the water below her before lighting up a cigarette and relaxing. Her mind was full of different, jumbled topics. What work would be like later, if she would make rent at the end of the month, how long it had been since she'd had sex and where Hannah was and if she was enjoying herself more now that she was away from all the water. Not to mention how ironic it was that her closest friend in town was a priest when Olivia was pretty sure she didn't believe in a God of any kind. It was a bit amusing, the way her mind could jump from thought to thought, none of which had really anything to do with the other.

( I guess I pictured you as this big, bulking man with a dark trenchcoat and sunglasses. Really tough looking and intimidating. )

Who: Sam and Torin
Where: Sam’s home
When: Thursday afternoon-ish

Sam Boesch slept like the dead as it turned out, save for only a handful of instances where he flopped over to his back or his side almost moodily. He didn’t stir at all until late afternoon and in the dark of the room it was hard to tell what time it was. Sam was so used to sleeping at odd hours that he’d long since had the wits about him to get proper curtains and the only problem with that was that it was impossible to tell if it was day or evening when he did eventually stir. With a smothered groan he reached for his phone and found it wasn’t where he usually left it so he nudged the curtain out of the way, quick to return it when daylight crept inside. So not ready for that. The food and water had helped some, his brain was currently not trying to explode out of his skull and his stomach wasn’t churning, but it was making quiet little noises telling him, ‘Eat more! Eat now!’

( Good Morning Sunshine~ )

Who: Ava and Christian
When: Late afternoon
Where: Booklovers

After M left that afternoon, Ava cleaned up the remaining bits of weeds from the back yard before she washed up again and left the house to run a few errands. It wouldn't do to stay inside and jump at every stupid little noise in the house, and being out and about would help keep her mind off of things. She ended up buying a new pair of flip flops and a couple hair clips, and as she walked by the book store, she decided she wanted a new journal. She didn't frequent the book store all that often, but the nice thing about it was that she could roam and browse without having anyone staring at her, waiting for her to make a choice.

Stepping inside, Ava gripped the white shopping bag with her new purchases and immediately began to look around for the section that would hold journals. She knew it was likely they might be more expensive, considering this wasn't Barnes and Noble or anything, but that was okay. She liked buying original items that you couldn't always find elsewhere. That was a big reason why Eldritch was way cooler than Darkwater, in Ava's mind.

( And it doesn't even go that badly! )

Who: Ava and M
When: Afternoon
Where: Ava's house

If there was one thing Ava disliked more than anything that week, it was being home alone. She knew it was stupid to be afraid, when she was in her own house with locks and an alarm, but lately it felt like every little noise had her jumping and checking to see if someone was trying to break in the house. Who would actually do that, she didn't know. All Ava knew was that the two guys who'd robbed the Qwik Stop hadn't been caught yet, and she still woke up in the middle of the night from nightmares about what had happened. It didn't matter that she lived on Eldritch, or that the two psychos probably hadn't given her another thought. But occasionally she remembered they'd taken her wallet, with her license in it, and while she knew they'd likely taken her cash and credit card - which she'd canceled already - and thrown the wallet away, Ava felt it had still been a scary enough experience that she hadn't been able to brush it off her shoulders like other things that bothered her.

( I'm just hearing things in my head... )

Who: Sam and Anna Lauren
Where: Sam's room
When: midday

Anna Lauren was so jetlagged that it wasn't even funny, but she forced herself to get out of bed by 11. She'd never been the sort of teenager who liked to sleep the entire day away, although she wasn't one of those obnoxious morning people, either. She dragged around the house in her sleepshirt for a while, eating a Pop Tart and drinking some coffee, then returned to her room to stare at her still-packed suitcases. Ugh, no. She had too many things she wanted to do today, too many people to see now that she was back from her dad's house in South Africa. She thought about going over to Shoel's to see if she was home, since it was right next door, but she'd have to do the whole shower and getting dressed thing for that. Later, once she was more awake.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't go visiting, even if the recipient of her visit wouldn't know it was her. Hanging with Sam Newlin as a Siamese cat was just a thing, something she liked to do, and she couldn't really have said why. She'd been that way with other people too since she'd started shifting, from time to time. Anna Lauren stripped off her sleepshirt and then shifted into a traditional seal-point Siamese with blue eyes; she'd always thought they were the prettiest cats in existence. She headed down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the cat door that had been installed for Rosie, her tabby cat who'd died the previous year. It was convenient when she wanted to enter the house without bothering to open the door, for sure. The neighbors probably thought the Van Onselens had gotten another cat, if they thought anything about it at all.

( You're the only cat in town that finds my room fascinating, so I'll know exactly who to blame if I find cat hair in my sheets. )

Who: Dessicant and Lux
Where: Alleyway behind the homeless shelter in Darkwater
When: Early evening

One of the nice things about being a heartless old snake was you didn't feel guilty when you left things for other people to do. Dessicant was damn tired of paperwork, and he was cold, and he wanted to go home-- so he did. He left a note for his night-watch girl to handle the last few purchase requisitions and prep the reports for the city overnight, since it wasn't like she had a lot to do anyway on her shifts, and he locked up the office. Eying the front exit and the last remnants of the line for the kitchen that extended into it, he slipped out towards the back door. He didn't want to deal with any more people tonight. All he wanted was a warm blanket, a hot mug of tea, and some music.

Of course, he got stopped twice on the way back, first by the cook with a complaint which he told to submit in writing, and second by one of the homeless tenants of the building with some wild story about one of the girls putting spiders in his pillows that Dessicant listened to, nodded politely at, and then slipped away from. Paranoid, meddling bastard. Too bad that one in particular didn't have a drop of supernatural blood in him, or he'd have eaten him weeks ago.

( I should be eating YOU, infant. )

Sent 12:03am

if mom & dad ask, tell them I'm stayin @ zack's. too drnk to drive home.