Realistic or Modern 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘐𝘯-𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘗)

Kei · Jul 24, 2023

IN-CHARACTER THREAD

Oh My Sweetham is a daily morning broadcast that offers a refreshing view on the day ahead. Providing the most up-to-date news, traffic, and weather alongside interesting stories, lifestyle trends, and community events; the news crew’s professional and quirky cast is sure to put a pep in your step.

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CHARACTER SHEETS

Realistic or Modern - 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴)

Oh My Sweetham Oh My Sweetham is a daily morning broadcast that offers a refreshing view on the day ahead. Providing the most up-to-date news, traffic, and weather alongside interesting stories, lifestyle trends, and community events; the news crew’s professional and quirky cast is sure to put...

www.rpnation.com

EXTRA-PAGES: Lore, City Map, Locations

Realistic or Modern - 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰)

Welcome Travellers!Here in Sweetham, we are a bustling seaside metropolis where your dreams of becoming the next superstar might just be within reach. With such vast scholarships endorsed for studying media, several Sweetham University alumni have found themselves directing the next blockbuster...

www.rpnation.com

INTEREST-CHECK

Realistic or Modern - 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘸 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘈 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘝𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘸)

Welcome to Sweetham!A bustling seaside metropolis where your dreams of becoming the next superstar might just be within reach. With such vast scholarships endorsed for studying media, several Sweetham University alumni have found themselves directing the next blockbuster, writing the upcoming...

www.rpnation.com

Kei · Jul 25, 2023

❝ Ughh! It’s time to take the long way to work. Am I really ready to see Chloe again? What if I just did my own make-up in the car?

VALERIE EVANS

With the sound of crinkling fabric, Val sat up from her bed and stared at the familiar darkness. Her curtains were drawn open as if to welcome any remnants of the moonlight and the stars that passed along the night sky. Truth be told, there were days when she felt suffocated by the space. Despite having a large queen-sized bed, everything in her home made her feel smaller, somewhat more vulnerable to everything she's had to endure these past few years. Two picture frames stood on her nightstand, one picture facing up depicting four young individuals. Three young women and a young man all smiling as they held their cold beverages up against the sunny backdrop of Crystal Beach. Looking back then, they were all bright-eyed and hopeful. These joyful days of youth were few and far between so it made all the pain more palpable when she remembered how there were only two left standing until recently. While the wound might have numbed itself out in lieu of time, she couldn't help the tremble in her heart when the memories flood her mind in these long, quiet mornings. Perhaps, today was the day she finally threw her things out. Eye pandering to the other frame, overturned, she didn't want believe it. Her chest quelled a swelling clamor that would no doubt result in more tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes. She needed to fix this.

To an outsider, her own wiry frame might have appeared like a ghost floating through the halls. Her hair disheveled as the straps of her nightgown barely clung on to her bony shoulders. She used to be able to fill the dress. She didn't even mind the way it used to glisten with fullness around her curves - her hips and thighs, her breasts and stomach. The satin now much easily swayed against her waif-like physique. A simple cover to a ribcage with lungs full of ash and regret. She felt compelled to light one up in the morning. Unsure of whether it was meant for a vigil to the ones she's lost or a placation of emotion that she wanted to keep buried deep within herself. It hadn't really mattered anyways because it was the only thing outside coffee that made sense to consume. She craved its warmth. Its sharp edged clarity that blended into the savory bitterness she'd become so accustomed to. It carried the illusion that she could readily tolerate more of life's collisions. She exhaled the tendrils of smoke, its trail lifted from her lips as it disappeared into pitch black sky. She wondered what it would be like to be so free. To be light without burden. Her mind was beyond exhaustion, but her body was still anchored to reality. What was keeping her here?

As if on cue, her neighbor's light turned on. Yes, that's right. She still had Zack and people in her station. The brunette stamped the cigarette quickly. She didn't want Zack to worry about her anymore. She couldn't count the times she'd promised him that she'd quit. Nicotine, like other drugs, was a hard habit to kick. Even more so when you constantly used it as a coping mechanism when you were feeling like a complete waste of space. Although she was honest with her friend for the longest time, she didn't want to unburden everything unto him. Not when he was dealing with his own day-to-day challenges. He had his hands full with Julia, the sole angel and light of her day. She loved playing aunt and watching her grow up in a loving environment. At least she could do one thing right and spoil the baby girl with love and affection. Besides, as she often reminded herself, she was a grown woman who could take care of herself. She didn't emancipate herself from her parents for nothing.

The water drenching her from the shower felt like a renewal of energy. The beads of water erased most of the jaded feelings that resurfaced during the morning. Val shook any negative thoughts from her head as she saw her own complexion staring back at her. She completed her morning skincare routine as per normal before proceeding to use hot curlers in her hair to achieve those perfect curls. She dressed herself in a large coat and tucked the extra fabric of her blouse into her jeans. With that, she was almost out the door. The morning anchor quickly took the navy blue suit that she'd just picked up from the dry cleaners before heading to her car. The coffee was going to have to wait until she got closer to the city. She was determined to beat the sunrise to get into hair and make-up for today's upcoming interview until she realized who came back into her life a month ago.

The best part of Pinevalley was being able to watch the sunrise from the mountains as she drove into the city. The orange glow was beginning to peak through the pinks and purple linings of the clouds while small abscesses of light gave the trees their silhouettes back from being hidden within the shadows. With the top down from her black convertible, she didn't mind the extra wind filtering through her hair as it gave it those perfect loose beach waves. The only way it would've been even more perfect was if a certain someone was sitting beside her. She could still recall them laughing as they sped past other cars. The way her black hair flowed to frame that beautiful face. Chloe had always been photogenic in her eyes. You could dress that woman in a black trash bag and she'd still find a way to make it look gorgeous. She missed her humour, her wit, and most of all, her company. And yet, it's that same certain someone whom she wished to avoid as soon as she pulled up on SWBN's parking lot.

Unfortunately, it was someone else whom she wanted to avoid for a different reason that she encountered. Val could see Rich pull up on the spot next to her obviously looking like a model. Crisp white shirt just slightly unbuttoned enough to hint at his broad chest. "Why so glum, sugarplum?" His question caught her off-guard. She couldn't deny that working in close proximity, the man did notice things about her that other's normally wouldn't have noticed. "Did you want Daddy to kiss it all better?" She hated that he was so close that she could smell the expensive cologne mixed with body oil that he doused himself in. She could actually feel the bile rise from her stomach as she pushed him off. "NO NO NO! No thanks!" She shoved him walking towards the door, nodding at security to let her pass through with her ID. As she began to see most of her crew mates crowding the entrance to the studio, she offered to buy everyone coffee this morning. "What's everyone drinking today? I'm buying from Sunbucks!"

➜ LOCATION: Studio Doors | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Open - Anyone in the News Crew! | ➜ MOOD: Slightly annoyed by Rich
❝ This looks good! A drizzle of maple syrup is bound to make it even better. I'm gonna bring some extra to share at work!

MOHAN CHAUDHURI

To say that Mo was a morning person was an understatement. He loved getting up before anyone else in his home growing up because those were his moments of peace and quiet. With so many siblings, you can only do so much before they start arguing with each other on who gets to use the bathroom first. As if he was still living at home, Mo would stretch and get himself ready to make breakfast. He yawned, pulling the fridge open to take out his double dozen eggs. It wasn't just that Mo thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day. It was basically what fueled you on whatever was going to come your way. You could at least start it off right by giving yourself a hearty meal!

He glanced at the teal apron his mother gave him so long ago. The edges of the seams were dirtied with food colouring stains he couldn't wash off from even the strongest detergent. But it meant so much to him as it was the first time he'd ever been introduced to the wonders of baking. He reveled in the artistry and precision of it. He loved the way sweet and savoury melding together to create wonderful pastries. It was a joyride for your taste buds, he'd always joke with his siblings. Back then, they couldn't keep their hands off from his cookies even fresh from the oven. He remembers Sai burning his tongue from letting the biscuit not cool enough before shoving it into his face. However, now, there was a hollowness to it all. He no longer had five siblings gathered around the dining table waiting for the cookies to get cold. They've all grown up to their respective fields and pursuing the world on their own.

Ding!

'Morning Momo, Did you get a chance to see the pictures I sent you? Isn't he just handsome?'

He glanced at his mother's morning text. Perhaps, she was still texting him everyday because she was still worried about him. Although a full fledged adult in his 30s, his mother wanted to play match-maker for him, trying to set him up with dates with these "successful" guys. Truth be told, as annoying as that might be, there was something to be said about his loneliness. It wasn't that he was hesitant to date because of the lack of company he felt. It was rather that he wanted to do something for himself. Perhaps, finally experience all these things that those romcoms all promised. He wasn't looking for a friends with benefits or simply a fling. He hoped to find someone with whom he can build his life around. A person who'll kiss him both good morning and good night. Someone whom he can cook for and maybe even have children with somewhere down the line. But boy was the dating something weird and sometimes awful.

His fingers began to press on the glass screen to type his response.

'Good morning, Maa. Yes, he seems like a very nice young man. But I don't know if I would be his type...'

He wasn't exactly a gung-ho, adventure-type of person. From the pictures of the parties and the sports cars and the mountain climbing, he felt a slight disconnect. Mo was open to adventures, don't get him wrong, but he was mostly a homebody. He loved watching cooking shows with friends, having potlucks, and getting comfy in the couch. His body is not as spry as he was in his 20s. He'd settle for the sweet and charming second lead than the hotshot, bad boy main lead any day of the week now. His priorities are just different from the young man whom his mother wanted to match him with. But his mother was anything, if not a little stubborn, when it came to this fact.

'Momo, you can't be so picky. You've turned down every man I've ever set you up with. Even that cute Dr. Gupta from the Emergency Room. I don't you dying alone while your siblings are out there with their partners.'

He sighed. Yeah, I don't want to die alone either, Maa.

'I promise that I won't. I'll meet someone when the time's right.'

The baker didn't know when that would be, but he hoped his soulmate was somewhere within reach. Flipping the final batch of the fluffy pancakes he'd made this morning. He sat down the empty table and slathered it with maple syrup. "Hmm!" The sounds of satisfaction transported him back to a happy place. He began to forget all the troubles there was about love to truly enjoy this meal. Nothing beats the feeling of having something so simple also be well executed. The reason he wanted to try these fluffy pancakes were their almost sponge cake like texture. The first few times, he hadn't gotten the technique down and they turned out more flat than fluffy. But now, he was ecstatic that he hadn't given up. Upon taking the final bite and filling out his iconic green plastic container with all the rest of the pancakes, he set off to get ready for work.

...

Mo arrived relatively early from everyone else, usually setting his little container up in the craft table. He'd gotten the alert that he'd be co-hosting a segment with Leo today so he wondered what they would be presenting. The young man was very clever and he wondered if he wanted a pancake? He went into the staff kitchen before bumping into someone in search of paper plates and a plastic fork. "Oh! I'm sorry! That's my fault!"

➜ LOCATION: Staff Kitchen | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Open | ➜ MOOD: Embarrassed and apologizing profusely
❝ ZZZZZZ. I don't wanna get up yet. Shut up alarm!

ASHER O’REILLY

Fucking hell.

Ash knew he probably pushed himself a little too much with the boys yesterday, but damn, he did not want to get up today. The ringing in his ears stopped. At least that's what he thought. That thing that was ringing was his alarm, right? He doubt that he was still elbow to elbow with hot girls and creepy guys. They would've tossed his ass out and not let him pass out at the club. He wanted to chuck his phone over to the wall, but it wasn't a good idea since their landlord was kinda a pain. Throw a party one time and this old lady's all up in his business about noise complaints and property damages. It wasn't his fault a bunch of his old college buddies decided to throw a ball around for nostalgia's sake. It was just one window, okay? It's not like they burned their whole building down. Geez!

"UGHHHH!" he groaned against the numbers telling him that it was time to go to work. He pressed the button, but it wouldn't shut off. He really hoped Myles wouldn't hear it from the other side. Airhorns weren't exactly the most friendly of waking up themes on his phone, but it was the only one good enough to do the job. You really think subtle chimes or flutes would do the job? If you did, you didn't know Ash well enough. He could sleep anywhere.

He rubbed his eyes and smelled the shirt he had on. It wasn't really that bad, but he did have to do his laundry sometime. He supposed it passed the smell test so he could wear it another day. I mean, after he washed his body with that Red Zone 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, and soap, who'd really be able to tell the difference? He hopped off from bed and forgone his morning jog due to the fact that he was indeed late. He dawned his black shirt and grey cargo pants before blending some kind of protein mixture into his shaker bottle. When he really put his mind to it, he could be done and ready in less than 10 mins. Wondering if his roommate wanted a ride in to work, he rapped his knuckles at Myles' door. "Hey buddy! You good in there? I'm leaving in 15 if you need a ride."

He knew he was on assignment to shoot the Mayor today. Office days were kinda boring normally, but his other bud, Leo was in today. They can shoot a bunch of things if they put their heads together. Hell, maybe he'll even impress one of the girls there. You know, they've got some fine ladies in that office. His old crush, Cam, their new make-up artist, Chloe, that kinda quiet but cute weather girl, Sam, and that one cool editor, Nora. And shit! If he knew their lead anchor wouldn't shoot him down, he would've tried with Val again too. Passing the hallway mirror before the door, he tousled his hair just in the same care-free manner he'd always done before locking the door on his way out. You can never be too careful with a bunch of wackos on the loose as Myles would tell him. He did admire that guy's heroic sensibilities.

Most of the way down, the elevator was empty. There was just this one waitress that lived in the 3rd floor who sometimes had the morning shift. Red hair in a tight yellow number. Man, he felt himself grinning like an idiot. "Morning Sarah!" he'd memorized her name tag by their second meeting.

"Hey Ash! How's it going?" How did girls do that thing? You know, when they flutter their lashes like that and make themselves look like a puppy dog. He's such a sucker for it.

"I'm pretty good. You know, going to meet Mayor Chen today." Hey, it was the truth, not trying to brag or anything. Ash seemed happy with himself. "How about you? Any big plans today?"

"Oh, you know, same old same old. Just starting my shift with Gus," she clutched the purse to her shoulders, seemingly anxious. Man, she was pretty cute when she bit her lips like that.

Ding!

Before he could respond, the elevator door opened to his van fully lit up with music playing on the background. "Shit!" He apologized to the young woman not meaning to curse. He should run to make sure he still had gas in the thing. "I'm sorry, I mean, it was nice seeing you," he rubbed the back of his neck before seeing her leave and wave goodbye. How messed up was he yesterday that he left the van running? He checked the fuel tank before deciding to load it up. They weren't going to make it past the highway at this rate. He pulled his phone texting his roommate in case he came down.

'hey myles, just getting gas. brb bro.'

It didn't take long before he noticed a familiar face filling up the pump like he was. He guessed, they had a long drive too. "Hey! Didn't expect to see you here," he beemed at his co-worker.

➜ LOCATION: Gas Station | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Myles and Other News Crew? | ➜ MOOD: Kinda in a rush to get going
❝ Mom said to look professional today. This cute red tie is kinda giving. I wonder what Mayor Chen is like in real life?

KENDRA GARCIA

"Thanks chat! I appreciate all of you guys coming to stream today!"

Kenz eyes lit up with all the emotes from her chat. She finished late today because she really wanted to finish Metal Gear: Viper today. She scrolled through everyone else who was playing a game she recognized. Oh, Farm Animal Crossing! Okay! "Hey guys, I'm sending you over to xxSrirachaChazz. Be good to in their stream!" She sent her remaining audience to raid the unsuspecting streamer before turning her camera off. Was it healthy for her to be doing these seven hour streams after school? Probably not. Was it fun? Yes, it definitely was! Collapsing to her bed, she decided to have a little nap before heading off to her work placement. Interning at SWBN was unlike what she had expected. While most people might find their co-op placement a chore, she didn't mind learning the behind the scenes of how big productions work. Although she grew up around a certain degree of fame via her parents, she'd only ever gotten to see wrestlers behind the stage. The vibe was totes different. She felt like she had to make herself more professional here (In SWBN) compared to playing hide and seek with her wrestling uncles and aunts.

It didn't take long before she was fully snuggled up to her bear plush that she realized her nap drew longer than expected. As much as her fit was all ready to go, white shirt pressed with a cute tie to match, she still needed to get ready. She didn't need to do much in her hair since she preferred to keep it short and sweet. She preferred the no-make-up make-up look since they were supposedly going to meet the Mayor today - at least that's what she'd hoped. She could be going to a remote location to help their reporters as well. Usually interns get their assignments on the day of so she had her fingers crossed that she'd stay in studio. Being outside shouldn't bring her as much anxiety, but being spotted by paparazzi made her nervous. She didn't want to reflect badly upon her parents or anyone whom she was associated with. Perhaps, her saving grace was that she got to meet up with her childhood friend, Evan, before they were split up in their separate assignments.

She grabbed her backpack full of goodies - snacks, a waterbottle, her Eigtendo Switch, laptop, and of course a pocket camera - before leaving her dorm room. The bus ride from her uni to SWBN was a short one, but she did have to catch the first one out. A cold breeze blew past her making her shiver and hug herself through her oversized pastel pink hoodie. Early mornings were always so cold since the sun wasn't exactly out yet. There wasn't a lot of people roaming Sweetham university this early making her appreciate the vastness of their campus a whole lot more. She could make out the empty track and football field. She could sit in any of the tables and benches they had in their picnic areas. She could even see the landscaping and the flowers that their school custodians had to maintain through the lights that lit up the path going around each building. It was nice not having to apologize for bumping into people accidentally. With all the thoughts buzzing through her head, the physical world often made itself known by bumping her on the head. Or in this case, tripping her over one of the edges of the path way.

"Ahhh!" Kenz yelled as she fell over, arms flailing to brace her fall as the backpack behind her accelerated her momentum with its added mass.

"Ouchies.." she rubbed palms and knees before dusting herself off. She was doing so well today too. There wasn't any hard grass stains or wet spots since she fell on concrete, but it did take her a moment to lift those legs up. Sometimes, she wished she was as physically coordinated as her dad. But perhaps, this was exhaustion talking too. Between going to her classes, streaming, collabs, interning at SWBN, and her homework, Kenz didn't rest as much as she was supposed to. She simply couldn't say no to any of these things as they were all important to her. How can she give up on the opportunities presented to her at the moment? She simply bore it all and found the strength to soldier on. The best part of interning so early in the morning was they got to go home early as well. Kenz usually got her 3-4 hours of sleep in at around lunch before she needed to go to her afternoon classes.

Deciding to finally give herself a moment to breathe at the bus stop, her eyes began to droop. Her vision swam hazily before she began to nod off again. She didn't even notice when the person beside her appeared until her body shifted towards them. The soft impact from her shoulders to theirs was enough to jolt her awake. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

➜ LOCATION: Bus Stop | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Open! | ➜ MOOD: Sleepy, sleepy
❝ They said you only had to water these once a week, but I'm really not sure about that. I'm gonna add extra water anyways.

YAZU NAKAMOTO

Yazu was staring at the plant in front of him. He'd already completed his daily morning routine of jogging, walking the pups out for poop and pee, scooping up the cat litter, and dropping off food pellets for the fish, hamsters, and rabbits. He was in his suit, squatting on his haunches, when he decided it was time to bring in some green to their office. Granted, most of the time, they were outside of surveillance as they patrolled and guarded the doors to the studios, but he wanted to make their space a little more comfortable and a little less like a evil villain's lair. One plant could go a long way. Besides, cacti were the least fussy to maintain and the hardest plant to kill. Them things even survived out in the dessert where it was hot as all hell. But something about this tag that came with it just bothered him.

The "care" tag read that the plant should be watered once a week and be kept close to direct sunlight. The sunlight, yep, that made sense. But the water once a week part, that's some bull if he's ever heard of it. The soil in the pot was bone dry and that plant needed hydration. And it needed it stat! Now, now, now, he wasn't an expert in these type of plants here, but he did know how to grow vegetables in his plant box in the balcony and he's been around acres and acres of corn fields. Those puppies needed water everyday and sometimes even twice on extreme scorchers during the summertime. "It's okay. Drink up, little guy," he spoke to it as he drenched the entire thing with his watering can. He allowed the whole thing to soak and the liquid to continue to drain from it until he was sure the roots were as wet as they were going to get.

He wrapped the whole thing in a paper towel and then, dropped it safely into a plastic bag that he was bringing to the office with him today. As soon as he entered the door, he was rushed with a flurry of fur. Meows and barks and even little skip hops from the rabbits made it difficult to leave. He might not have any children, but boy did it feel like he had a family of animals trying to keep him in place. "Come on guys! We go through this everyday. I'll be back before you know it." It was a wonder that he got anything done. Truly. He shimmied his way into his living room before locking the door behind him. The lint roller in his pocket did come in handy at swiping those little hairs and strays that clung on to the black fabric. He knew he needed to look sharp today. Mayor Chen wasn't exactly like any other celebrity that they've received in the station. He wanted to co-ordinate his plans with Cam and Quinn today. Maybe he can even get their option on this whole cacti plant thing.

...

"Morning ladies," he greeted them as he held the door to surveillance open for them. "As you may have heard, we have a very important person coming in today. I just wanted to speak with you about the schedule before he comes in."

➜ LOCATION: Surveillance Room | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Cam & Quinn | ➜ MOOD: Serious

AI10100 · Jul 25, 2023

❝ Routine checkups at godawful-o'clock in the morning? Just a typical day here in SBWN.

Camille Trousseau

Considering what would be happening on this day, Camille made sure to get a full good night's sleep. However, that also came with her woefully waking up too early in the morning for her to fully justify going into the office just yet. So she grabbed her jacket and made her way around the neighborhood for her morning jog. It was too early in the morning for anyone to be in the streets— the sun wouldn't even peek out of the horizon until hours later.

During her jog, she began to list down what their schedule would be. With Mayor Chen coming for the interview, the security team would be extremely busy keeping him as safe as possible. This wasn't just some celebrity name that, while stressful to guard, was manageable. Fun, even! But this time around, this was a high-priority target. Now, of course, she wasn't saying that there would be an assassination attempt but you never really know what's going to happen in Sweetham. There would probably be a small briefing with Yazu and Quinn considering they're the main ones in charge of Mayor Chen's protection and there already was a rising headache entering her being.

Once she was done, she began to prepare for the day. Her phone buzzed with a message— Jacques. It was a general 'how are you' block of text alongside what looked more like a business report of the happenings with their family than someone telling a story. Still, she read the block of messages with a small smile on her face as it ended with a small and innocent, "So? You're assigned to the mayor, right? Good luck with that. Hope everything goes well." And maybe they weren't your traditional family in terms of their dynamic— heaven knew how distant each sibling was from each other when they were younger— but she appreciated how they tried nowadays. Cam leaned next to her door as she responded to the message, letting him know what happened to her for the past week. Once she was done, she told him she was going to go to work and he bid her farewell and a good night a few seconds later.

With a more chipper start to her morning, she climbed up into the car and headed over to the office building. It was still too early in the morning for her to pull up at the parking lot. She waved at the night guard, making small talk as her co-worker was trying to snatch himself back from sleep. She greeted Drea, who was also too eager to start the day, and went into the building with her as the night guard bemoaned about his shift change not arriving yet. Cam swung by the staff kitchen first to grab herself a cup of coffee and waited for the others to come in.

------

Alright, another set of prep time as Yazu and Quinn came in. She gave him a lazy two-fingered salute as she approached. "Good morning." She greeted first as she moved into the surveillance room. "An important person seems to be an understatement, isn't it?"

She leaned against the small table. "But yeah. Let's go over the schedule. I know there must be some specifics we should discuss. We have a really big responsibility here but I'm sure we can pull it off between the three of us."

➜ LOCATION: Surviellance Room | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Yazu and Quinn
❝ Breakfast and lunchbox done. Julia's awake. Bus is gonna come in a few hours. Time for work...

Zacharias Maylard

The alarm clock went off. Zack rolled out of bed and started the day like any other. He moved to the kitchen, almost dragging his feet as if he hadn't done the same thing every single day since many years ago. He wasn't a morning person, or an afternoon person, or a night person. But these were the cards that were dealt to him and he had no choice but to work with what he had. At least cooking brought him some joy in the morning, preparing whatever he could with what was available... and there was a lot available. He always seemed to cook for more than three— which usually wouldn't be a worry until he realized that he had cooked for six. Old habits die hard, it would seem, and he had many habits when it came to cooking.

Well, fried rice mixed with hotdogs and omelets made for a great and filling breakfast. Once that was finished cooking, filling the house with that gracious smell that woke him right up with a worked-up stomach. He set it aside and started making lunch. Instead of making Julia eat fried rice for the second time in the day, he opted to give her a few slices of fruit, her favorite tuna sandwich cut in triangles, and some slices of ham just in case. He neatly packed it inside Julia's lunch box and set it inside her My Little Horses pack.

Then he started packing the rest of the sandwiches into a brown paper bag. He knew of a couple of co-workers who would benefit from some quick bites. His own lunch was just the fried rice, wanting all of it to be gone by dinner so he can prepare a new batch. He separated it into three packs and nodded to himself. He wasn't sure if Val would be ordering takeout but you never know. Once that was done, he peered at the clock. He really did feel bad by making Julia wake up too early but she didn't complain too much about it once she got used to the routine. Mrs. Quiambao from the house over had offered to make sure Julia got on the bus every morning alongside her own daughter.

Before he can dwell on his own thoughts that could lead to something more dangerous, Zack started to head upstairs and gently wake his daughter up. Julia blearily looked at him and greeted him, spreading her arm out and urging Zack to carry her. He let out a laugh as he took her into his arms and began to make his way down.

"What's for lunch today, papa?"

Zack hummed as he set her down and prepared her plate. "You'll find out once you open it later at lunch."

Julia stuck her tongue out at her father before her attention is pulled away from her question to the food laid before her. Her eyes twinkled and she kicked her legs underneath the table as she eagerly waited for her father to come over with his own plate. For someone so excited, Zack was impressed she hadn't taken a bite out of her plate yet. So, he said their prayers and allowed her to eat.

He couldn't help the smile on his face as she went into the meal with gusto— reminding him of a couple of people who would come to the house with ingredients on hand and a please and thank you for his services. Zack scanned the table, empty beside the two of them, and wondered how livelier it would be if it was still the case. He wondered if there was still a chance to salvage it, now that one piece of the puzzle reappeared from the void. That maybe the house would be filled with the same laughter that rang through it so many years ago.

"Papa?" Julia called out and pulled him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" She asked, innocently. Oh. He had stopped moving. In fact, he hadn't even taken a bite out of his own meal yet. He must be more tired than he thought.

His eyes refocused on his daughter who had a piece of rice stuck on the side of her lips as she gazed at her father. He doubted she understood the gravity of the situation but her inquisitive look made him feel vulnerable. "Ah... yeah. Yeah, I was just thinking about work, sweetie." He said as he reached for a napkin and wiped the rice off of her. "We're going to be interviewing Mayor Chen. Remember him?"

With her attention successfully diverted, her bright demeanor returned and she nodded. "Mhm! He was very cool that one time during the parade!" She shoveled another spoonful of fried rice into her mouth. "Can you ask him if-"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

She swallowed and continued. "-if he likes dogs? He looks like he likes dogs. Do you think he likes dogs?"

He laughed and shook his head. "I'll ask if I have the chance, okay? Now let's go back to eating."

And their morning routine continued. Once he was sure that Julia was settled, he took a bath and prepared for work. Once he was sure he was prepared, he bid farewell to his daughter and reminded her that Mrs. Quiambao would be coming over when the bus arrived. He kissed her on the forehead and she kissed him on the cheek, gave him a tight hug, and waved goodbye once he was out of the house. He took a deep breath and psyched himself up for the morning. It shouldn't be too bad, as long as Val and Rich decided to stick to the script. With the mayor being the one they're interviewing, he really, really hoped they would work with him on this one. He climbed into his car and made his way to the building.

He pulled into the parking lot and avoided the crowd as much as possible as he went inside the building. There was much to do and he should talk to Ethan as soon as possible to get started on the preliminary script before the questions from the public came rolling in. However, he should swing by the kitchen first to lay down the sandwiches. Maybe Mo was there and he could strike up a quick chat. Wait, no, he would probably be busy too. He should just get on with work and-

He stopped, sighed, and took a wrapped sandwich out of the paper bag as he walked over to a dazed Drea. He flopped the sandwich onto her head to catch her attention. "Hey, wake up, kid. You're on Lakeside duty today, right?" And yes, maybe he did review the schedules to see who went where but that made it easy to coordinate with people instead of running around the office before realizing that they were stationed outside. "Here. Eat this. Maybe it'll wake you up." He continued, handing her the sandwich.

➜ LOCATION: SWBN Building | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Drea

. D O V E · Jul 26, 2023

❝ I can't let the past affect my duty. Anyways, Val is a real beauty, and can I get away with calling Rich haughty? ❝

CHLOE CRUZ

If Chloe could name her greatest nemesis as of this moment, it would be sleep. Of course, it was extremely strange for a make-up artist to be strolling around the SWBN studio in the dead of night; however, Chloe currently wasn’t a make-up artist. In fact, she wasn’t even Chloe. Instead, she walked in the shoes of one Michael Anderson, a night-shift guard, in order to patrol SWBN’s vicinity freely. For what reason you may ask? Well, the newly elected Mayor Chen would be coming the next morning, and SIS made it its upmost concern to ensure his safety.

It meant that Chloe had to wear pounds of prosthetics to copy the exact likeness of Michael, from his bulky frame to his balding head, aided by a well-hidden voice changer beneath her collar. Michael shared the shift with a couple of other guards; she had to make sure that none of them would suspect her and jeopardize the mission. Fortunately, Chloe has a talent for both make-up and impersonation. She had spent days studying Michael to the point that she could confidently say she knew him better than his own best friend.

The surveillance went on as smooth as it could. Though the night rolled by like Chloe would whenever she’d like to catch a glimpse of a certain someone through their window – extremely slow, she still managed to take note of weak points and thought of stratagems for every possible scenario.

Soon enough, the sun began to peek and spread its warmth across the dark canvas. Chloe made her way back to the front building, knowing well that one of the morning-shift guards would arrive in a few minutes. She lazily positioned herself on the guard’s seat, closed her eyes and allowed the serenity to sweep her to sleep.

In her slumber, her mind reminisced a memory that she had shoved into the furthest depths of her mind. It pictured herself being with four other young adults, laughing amongst themselves while a porcelain arm draped itself across her body and a familiar weight pressed against her side. She shifted to the side, seeing familiar locks of brown before watching them slide through her brushing fingers. As the last strand fell from her fingertips, she caught sight of a pair of ocean eyes, immediately luring her in like a siren’s song. As she drew closer, her breath hitched with her love’s name, and she quickly understood why sailors would readily jump to their doom for a taste.

“Helloooo?”

Chloe snapped her eyes open, coughing at her own saliva as she shot forward in her seat, promptly coming face-to-face with Camille Trosseau – a morning-shift guard whom she’d sometimes go sparring with.

“Michael? Did you fall asleep?” Cam laughed, and Chloe was reminded of her faux identity.

“Yeah, sorry. I got tired waiting for the punk who’s supposed to take the next shift. Where the hell is he? I’m supposed to be clocking out ten minutes ago.” Michael bemoaned as he frustratedly looked at his watch.

It wasn’t long before Cam left Michael alone as one of the crew’s camerawomen fetched her attention. Chloe silently thanked Drea as she had been itching to get out of the prosthetics. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Michael’s replacement to waltz in. After berating the guy for a few in-character minutes, Chloe hurried to get to the parking lot and enter a decoy car which SIS kindly provided.

Chloe drove it to the designated alley, hidden from anyone’s view, and quickly changed out of her disguise. She wore a white blouse, the last button by the collar left unfastened, paired with a black skinny jean. She then ran a hand through her raven hair a couple of times and put on light make-up before calling it a day. If she looked presentable enough, she would be a convincing make-up artist.

She released a deep sigh as she exited the decoy car and hopped on her motorcycle conveniently parked in the same alley by herself during the night. She shot out of the passage and swiftly drove back to SWBN’s main building, arriving just in time to witness the brief exchange between the main anchors. Chloe felt a vein pop on her forehead the moment Rich leaned closer to Val, and she had half the mind to throw her helmet at the renowned narcissist.

“Alright, Chloe, it’s none of your business.” She muttered beneath her breath as she dismounted the bike, taking her helmet off and keeping it tucked between her arm and waist as she walked to the entrance. Perhaps she should’ve reminded herself harder when she passed by Rich because the moment his cologne invaded her senses, she couldn’t help but glare at him as if she wished for him to evaporate in place. “Who told you swimming in a pool of chemicals is fragrant? You smell like shit. I can practically feel my nose disintegrating.” Chloe has always been the brutally honest type, but something else seemed to have doused fuel on that fire. She convinced herself it was the lack of sleep.

Chloe entered the building without waiting for a reply, drowsily nodding at anyone she’d encountered. She needed to get to the studios where she was expected to apply make-up to the anchors and casters. Was she looking forward to it? Yes and no. The reason? Happened to be standing right in front of her, offering the waiting crowd free Sunbucks coffee.

Valerie has always been an angel. Even the universe seemed to agree with Chloe's sentiments as light perfectly fell on Valerie's figure, accentuating each of her curls and curves. It took all of Chloe’s willpower not to fall on her goddess' feet and beg for both forgiveness and a cup of coffee to get her through the day. In fact, she'd also like to invoke Val to kiss her aching body better, and if she’d be so kind, whisper sweet nothings to her ear while she slept in her warm embrace. Oh, how she longed to relish in her loving radiance once again.

Oh. Oh.

What a very dangerous line of thinking. With a shake of her head, Chloe hugged her helmet closer to her, almost defensively, as she maneuvered around the news anchor. She didn’t even dare to look at Valerie nor speak a word. She simply walked past her with the blankest expression she could muster and beelined for a wall to lean on nonchalantly.

Chloe had to wait for Valerie to finish her business so they could proceed to make-up. She could only wish that nobody noticed her consciously shifting her gaze between Valerie and the ceiling.

➜ LOCATION: Studio doors | ➜ INTERACTIONS:

AI10100 (Ty for the CAM-eo),

Kei | ➜ MOOD: Anxiously simping

Colorless Spectrum · Jul 26, 2023

I'M GONNA BE LATE! AAAGHH! ZEUS CAN STRIKE ME DOWN IF I CLOCK IN PAST SIX O'CLOCK!

Andrea E.

Contrary to the quote above, Andrea was in fact, not late. Andrea was actually very very early which was a problem in it itself.

Andrea's evening started off with her setting her alarm clock to four in the morning. Just enough time to get herself ready and commute to SWBN, unbeknownst to her, she accidentally set her alarm to three rather than four. And to make things worse, she slept at two in the morning because she couldn't keep herself from her curiosity and binged watched a whole Korean Drama on Metflicks. "S***!"

This had led to the young woman with only an hour of sleep, which felt like a blink. It was a nap, an unsatisfying nap. "Uugh." Everything she did was a struggle, from getting up to showering. It was a good thing her bag was already set for the day ahead from the night before. The moment she got on the bus, she noticed that there were only about four other passengers aside from herself which was weird considering most people would already be commuting to work by this time. She was thankful for it though, as she got a seat to chill on the way to SWBN.

She rummaged through her bag as if looking for something. "Pocket camera, check. My favorite mirrorless camera... Right here. Tripod, check. Oh, water bottle! And it's here. " Yes, that's everything that she needed. She left nothing at her house, nothing at all like her phone that was by the end table near her door. "DAMN IT!" She yelled in lowercase, she hit the palm of her hand to her forehead over and over until it left a slight red mark.

And to make things worse, the moment she stepped out of the bus she saw how dark it was. The sky was a shade of indigo, with no sunlight peaking from the horizon, and no red ombre of sky to symbolize the coming of dawn. The clouds merely reflected the dim light of the moon while the stars cheered on its brilliance from afar. This wasn't right. She looked down from her watch and saw the time. This was right and she was wrong.

Andrea spotted Cam from the distance, talking to another guard who was probably going home now that a member of their department was here. "Cam!" She called with every energy she could muster to seem excited. Thankfully, the night was a good cover to hide her bloodshot eyes, a side effect of sleep deprivation. "I got up quite early today and before I knew it, I was already on my way to work. Haha, anyway, I'm going in. See ya!" The young woman gave a short bow of acknowledgment to the other guard with them before heading to the main studio.

She walked towards the path near the kitchens, a good spot to sit if she ever found herself hungry or in dire need of coffee. Actually, she did need it right at that moment but had no strength to get up now that she had positioned herself. A few people had started flooding in, leaving Drea at that corner of the room dozing in and out of sleep, trying her best to fight it off. Andrea heard the crunch of wrappers and the smell of the sweet aroma of ham above her head. It was Zack who slapped the sandwich on top of her head. "Yeah, Lakeside." She answered before taking the wrapped food in her hands. "Thank you, father." Ya know, cause he's a dad? The sandwich, for something so easily assembled, untouched by spices, and so simple, felt like the most heavenly food her tongue had tasted. Remember kids, this is what happens when you don't eat dinner and skip breakfast.

Drea had noticed Valerie walk through the entrance to the studio with an offer to buy a drink from Sunbucks. At the mention of the name, Sunbucks, it was as if something had awakened within her. She shot up from where she sat and immediately sprinted to the older woman like she was after the one thing that could save her life, like a vaccine to the X-virus that has infected her system. Coffee, she needed coffee and Sunbucks offers freshly ground premium coffee beans. Andrea's hands were quick to put themselves on top of Valerie's shoulders, her hair was disheveled into different loops and directions, her eyes were wide and bloodshot, and her lips were cracked from dehydration. "Sun... bucks..." Oh and her voice was hoarse, it was deep and strained. "Dark Roast... Large..." She gave her order all the while panting from her quick run. Note, when it comes to Drea with one hour of sleep, Sunbucks is a trigger word and she becomes a rabid animal.

➜ LOCATION: Near the Studio Doors | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Val (

Kei ) Cam, Zack (

AI10100 ) Micheal (

. D O V E )| ➜ MOOD: Tired, very tired

Ambiloquous · Jul 26, 2023

❝

Public transport, dark skies and stale food—really, a great start to another day of grinding for those views. At least Mo'll have something good at the office; I just gotta get there.

❞

Galileo Scarpa

Stoneport was but a stone’s—heh—throw away from Lakeside, being the closest neighbourhood to the skyscraping structures that defined the city’s downtown. It was also the most contrasting district to the polished contemporary design of the Glass Jungle, tamed and un-jungle-like it may be. In fact, Leo would dare say that Stoneport deserved to be called the real Jungle, with the trunk-like chimneys and corrugated metal frameworks littering the area. He wondered if he could get the denizens of his neighbourhood and Lakesiders to compete for the title; whoever convinced the rest of the districts that they were most similar to the moniker got to keep it. All of this inane thinking was to say that he was very, very bored, sitting on a bus and waiting for it to move away from the stop that had absolutely zero people getting on. It was what, 5 AM on a weekday? Who in the world other than news staff and cafe workers got up at such godawful hours to sit on public transit?

He blinked and opened his mouth for a yawn—only for a horn in the nearly empty next lane to break his concentration. Scrunching his face up in a sleepy grimace, he knocked his head back against the backrest in true defiant teenager fashion. There was something so unsatisfying about letting go a yawn halfway in. But that was life, he supposed. Full of unfinished half-yawns and weirdos who pressed their horns in empty lanes.

Leo glanced out the window and measured the time by the dark skyline; he wasn’t going to be late to prep this time. Even if he was, it wasn’t a big deal since his section wasn’t anywhere near the earliest time slot, and he didn’t have much to ready. Zack might have an aneurysm if he came late thoug—no, he wouldn’t, he only cared about his scripts. He clicked his tongue. The thought of him brought the fact that he hadn’t eaten to mind. He wished he’d grabbed some biscotti from the shelves because while he didn’t feel it on waking up, his stomach was now making it known that it Required Sustenance. Mo—part-time saviour of breakfast and breadbaskets—almost definitely had something cooked up, but it was so long until the bus got there.

As the bus jolted to a stop at another sign, he eyed the nearby corner store. What if he just…

The bus had already left the stop. Panting from the exertion of running-turned-jogging-turned-speed-walking after realizing the vehicle was nowhere to be found, Leo groaned. Of course the one time he got off was the one time the bus decided to quit taking its sweet time and return to normal operations. And all he got for it was a tiny pack of cookies. He hoped they tasted good, at least.

So busy chasing the bus, he barely noticed the newcomer at the stop. As he stood up from his bent over position, he promptly became someone’s 5-second shoulder rest. Glancing confusedly over his shoulder, his morning brain churned in recognition and he grinned. It was a fellow sufferer.

He waved her apologies off.

“Don’t worry about it. Nobody wants to wake up at this time, and if you hadn’t dropped on me, I’d have probably dropped on the ground eventually.”

Ripping open the packet of choco-chip cookies, he plopped one in his mouth and tilted the packet over to her.

“Cookies? Can’t vouch for the taste, but cookies are cookies”

—he made a face—

“even if they’re kinda stale actually. They’re probably still safe to eat, but don’t quote me on it. I’m no food scientist.”

➜ LOCATION: Bus Stop | ➜ INTERACTIONS:

Kei (Kenz) | ➜ MENTIONS:

AI10100 (Zack),

Kei (Mo) | ➜ MOOD: Lazy, hungry, sleepy

exequtie · Jul 27, 2023

❝ how can we make our crime broadcast better than the mayor's interview?

MYLES STAMM

Heavy pants escaped from Myles's parted lips, his cheeks were flushed, and he could feel the sweat rolling off of his tanned skin. He had been at this for the past thirty minutes, switching positions every so often to ease the ache, following her lead and orders, and yet she still wasn't finished! He wasn't sure how much more he could take; his stamina had never been an issue but this was next level, beyond what his body was used to. Myles loved the feeling, but was praying to whatever God was listening to make this end.

"Almost finished, keep going, you're doing great!"

3... 2... 1.

Myles's arms gave out and he crumpled to the floor beneath him, immediately rolling onto his back and lifting his hand to cover his face out of embarrassment, 'She still held on longer than me!' Almost as if reading his mind the personal trainer let out a loud exhale and lifted herself out of the plank position beaming at the camera, "What a workout, guys! Congratulations to those that managed to complete this X-TREME plank challenge, please look for my video next week!" Myles used what little core strength he had left and sat up to turn off his television mounted on the bedroom wall, running his hand through his sweaty hair to push it out of his face. He needed to have better balance if he was going to continue keeping Sweetham apprised of all the crimes and criminals residing within its cities, but damn were planks difficult! Myles sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to report on a tightrope-related crime any time soon... When does the circus come to town again?

Cerulean eyes darted over to his alarm clock, notifying him that he still had time for a shower before he needed to be heading into work. He wanted to make sure he was there early enough to speak with his crew before heading out to Lakeside Financial District and setting up. Myles had a good feeling about today, well, not about the data breach, that was a really bad feeling, but that he was going to get some good intel from police and maybe from some employees. Granting himself one last minute to relax, Myles slowly pulled himself upright and quickly rinsed off and prepared himself for the day. His outfit of choice was a crisp white button-up under a beige blazer and black trousers, complimented with a pair of dark leather brogues recently purchased from Purberry.

"Hey buddy! You good in there? I'm leaving in 15 if you need a ride."

The familiar voice of Myles's roommate and close friend, Ash, called out from the other side of his bedroom door. A grin spread across Myles's face, leave it to Ash to out of the apartment all night and still make it a priority to show up to work the next morning. Myles appreciated Ash's commitment and punctuality, even if it did sometimes mean Myles had to shorten his morning routine to ensure he could carpool with Ash. With that little reminder, Myles finished fixing his hair and outfit, double-checking he had everything he would need for the day. A faint buzz alerted the reporter of a text.

'didn't you just gas up, like, yesterday? those siphoning muhfuks. i'll just take a hike until you're here, gotta stretch my stems before i kick ass today'

With one final spin of the door handle, Myles ensured their shared apartment was locked before taking the elevator down to the main floor. He wasn't worried about the potential siphoners, as if they'd want to siphon gas from Ash's van. More than likely Ash got stuck in a roundabout after his night out and drained his tank. Stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets, Myles began a leisurely stroll around the block. It wasn't long before Ash returned, fully fueled and ready to tote the two off to the news station, which was absolutely lively. Every staff member moved about the property like a finely oiled machine conversing and preparing for their morning broadcast, some more awake than others. Speaking of, Myles's mind wandered to Nora who he still had yet to see shuffling around SWBN. Stepping off to the side of the main entrance, Myles shot Nora a quick and nonsensical text to ensure she was awake ~~and alive?~~.

'honk HONK! ! 1!!1! BRR BRRRRRRRR'

Eyes darted over to Ash, a mischievous grin dancing across Myles's lips, "Good luck being stuck at the station today, sounds totally laaaame. Make sure to zoom in on Val's left nostril at least 3 times for me, yeah?" Myles always hoped that Ash's workplace integrity would falter and he'd finally get a closeup of Val's nostril on live TV, but alas, it would likely always be just a dream. He would have made a similar comment to Val about protecting her nostril today, but she was preoccupied with Drea muttering something to her with a look of longing.

"Is- Should I be looking away?" He chimed in, the same grin from before remaining as he watched the scene unfolding in the studio entrance.

➜ LOCATION: SWBN / STUDIO ENTRANCE | ➜ INTERACTIONS: ASH, NORA, DREA, VAL | ➜ MOOD: AMUSED
❝ maybe I should have been a bus driver...

EVAN~~ESCENSE~~ PORTER

Bitter. Evan scrunched his nose and puckered his lips slightly, the cheap coffee leaving a residue on his tongue. If it weren't for his roommate using the last of ~~their shared~~, no, it was definitely Evan's white chocolate mocha coffee creamer, then the convenience store coffee grounds may have been brewed into something more palatable. Alas, Evan was just going to have to suffer through if he wanted his daily cup of joe. Another sip, but this time a soft smile replaced the grimace on Evan's face as he looked at his phone. The current tab on his phone's browser ccontained what had been his best friend Kenz's livestream. 'I wonder when she finally ended, hopefully I didn't miss anything too crazy. You could never tell with Kenz how long the streams would end up lasting, and Evan would be more concerned about the long hours she puts in, but he could tell just how happy it made her.

She had been streaming MG:V, a game that Evan wasn't too familiar with, but nonetheless he tuned in as long as he could while pounding through his classwork. Just hearing Kenz chat with her viewers and enjoy herself was more than enough to keep Evan going through the dense textbooks. He closed the stream and shoved his phone into his trouser pocket, walking from his room to the kitchen where his eyes landed on the still-hot coffee pot containing the less than satisfying sludge.

With a tsk, Evan refilled his reusable coffee cup before emptying the coffee pot's contents into the kitchen sink. While his school-operated apartment was draining his funds, it was worth the extra $500 a month if it kept him from having to share the usual single bedroom dorm room that Sweetham University was oh so proud of. A scam that Evan fell for his first year at SU, which led to a freshman-year horror story. But that was a story for another day, however, as it was time to go.

Slinging his ragged backpack over his shoulder, Evan mentally recounted all of its contents, more specifically his linguistics assignment which required he and his classmates research an assigned extinct culture and dissect their written and spoken language and correctly illustrate its evolution to the current day. It was a headache, but damn was Evan feeling pretty good about it. He also had his journal hidden at the bottom of his bag, just in case he found himself inspired throughout the day. Fixing his thin leather belt that was more accessory than functional, Evan slipped quietly out of his apartment. His apartment was a decent walk from the nearest bus stop, but with it being so early in the morning, there was hardly any foot traffic to hinder Evan.

He hadn't been working at SWBN for long, maybe a few weeks, but already he found himself almost looking forward to the day. He had been worried interning there would require him to be in front of the camera, but luckily interns were only assigned to the back end of things, allowing Evan to stay behind the scenes and avoid the news station's spotlight. Now, what most of the staff at SWBN may not know about Evan is that he has his own spotlight every week on Tuesday at 8pm as SU's very own DJ "E-Z Breeze" plugging listeners in to the peace era's mellow vibes. His paternal grandfather had turned him onto 70s music at a young age and, sure, some of the songs can be a bit goofy, but Evan felt the need to apprise his peers to the sweet sounds. It was also his attempts at putting himself out there, and what better way than hogging the airwaves? For now, that was all the spotlight Evan needed.

As he pondered about what tunes he should play during his next 30 minute slot, he noticed a familiar face. Kenz. But the man next to her wasn't ringing any bells, though Evan felt like he had seen the man somewhere before. Instantly, the promise Evan made with Kenz's father when he first befriended Kenz as children came to mind. He had promised Mr. Garcia to take care of Kenz and watch out for her, always. Readjusting his backpack, Evan picked up the pace and took root next to Kenz, offering her a soft smile before his eyes darted over to the man in front of her, offering him a curt nod. The man looked just as exhausted as Evan felt, what had him getting up at the buttcrack of dawn? His outward appearance didn't instantly set off any red flags; well-kempt, easy-going expression, albeit a slightly lethargic one in Evan's opinion (though with it being this early in the morning, could he blame him?) offering Kenz cookies.

Offering Kenz cookies?

A stranger offering Kenz cookies.

The epitome of stranger danger, the exact type of situation that Mr. Garcia likely had in mind when asking Evan to watch after his daughter as her close friend. Evan let out a mental sigh, had Kenz accepted the food from this stranger? Probably. Despite not having any siblings, Evan got a full workout acting as Kenz's substitute older brother. Taking a cautious sip of his coffee, he kept a poker face as the bitter liquid lubricated his vocal chords. It had been a good 12 hours since he last spoke.

"Good morning," he omitted Kenz's name, but directed the greeting primarily at her, "cookies for breakfast is always a good way to start your day. Though... Mo's cookies tend to look a lot better." The joking hint in his voice slightly betrayed his apathetic expression; it was mutually agreed upon between him and Kenz, and most likely everyone else at SWBN, that Mo's baking was hard to beat. He wondered if he should explain the little comment to the stranger, or just let it ride? Little did he know, the "stranger" was fully aware of just how amazing Mo's cooking was, and could probably tell Evan more about the treats provided by Mo than Evan realized. Another sip of coffee, blue eyes darting between Kenz, the stranger, and the direction their bus should have been coming from at this time.

If only the buses in Sweetham actually ran like they were supposed to.

➜ LOCATION: BUS STOP | ➜ INTERACTIONS: KENZ, LEO | ➜ MOOD: PROTECTIVE

Kei · Jul 31, 2023

❝ The second someone mentioned you were here. I could feel the trouble coursing through my veins. Now I know… I know how much you’ve got a hold on me…

VALERIE EVANS

There was a lingering scent of freshly baked pastries that wafted into Val's nose. Whether it had been Eugene's or Mo's baking, it was bound to be delicious. She could only imagine those two working themselves into a storm so early in the morning. She was truly dumbfounded at how some people come in so cheery and perky in the morning while she, on the other hand, was barely hanging on to a thread. GROWL! It was rather a quiet gurgle in her stomach that reminded her it was time to eat. Most often than not, she ignored these hunger pains, far too focused on the task at hand to give it a time of day. It's why she always looked forward to dinner at Zack's home. Today, however, she wasn't going to gamble passing out from a lack of energy since she was speaking with the mayor.

Long, wavy brown hair swished over her shoulders as she began to survey the area for the craft service table. Her jacket slightly crinkling in the motion before she felt a sudden pressure on her shoulders. Her blue eyes widened into a smile as she turned to see who it was. The small, but familiar hands belonged to someone who she adored quite dearly. "Bunso, good morning!" she greeted the slightly exhausted, yet still adorable young woman came into view. She pulled her in for a quick hug before plucking away at the stray hair on Drea's head. She smoothened the ends so it would lay flat and frame her younger friend's face much better. "Of course! You got it!"

In many ways, Drea was much like a baby sister to her. Or rather that it was Drea's grandparents who became much like family to her, very much so in the same vein that Zack, Vivian, and Julia was. Even when they've first met, she could see the wheels turning in the young camera operator's mind. She was so impressed by her talent at such a young age that she invested in her future. It wasn't that Val was frivolous with her money nor was she really looking to get validation from her peers. It just felt like it was the right thing to do after she'd gotten to know her Bunso. She supposed she was the patron saint of rough childhoods because she didn't even wish that sort of upbringing on her worst enemies. She wondered if it was schoolwork that was keeping Drea up, "Are you okay? They're not already killing you with assignments in school, are they?" Her brows furrowed with concern.

Val pulled the phone from her pocket whilst listening to Drea's explanation. She ordered a large dark roast coffee and a medium green tea without sugar. Then, she scrolled to order the milk bread that Drea liked from a quaint, little bakery called, Bread Haus. As her fingers hovered over the checkout button, more people had started to come through the door. A spiky-haired giant and a certain ~~man-baby~~ dog came waltzing in a little later than usual. While still at the doors, she could feel her own face slowly mimic the Cheshire cat. She was sure that Myles was going to be in the city today as Ash was assigned to camera duty. It was only a mistake that their manager made once before realizing that Thing 1 and Thing 2 over there were worth more trouble than they bargained for. At least with Mo co-hosting with Leo, the other disastrous duo would have a little buffer. "Morning Myles! Morning Ash!" her tone quite saccharine as she grabbed Drea's free hand. "Nope, nothing to see here. I'm just going to borrow Drea, if you don't mind," she beamed at him, feigning innocence.

Pulling the young woman out of their recently arrived friend's earshot, she began to divulge today's plan. "Are you in for pulling a prank on Myles today?" she asked her. "Cause I was thinking that our short king over there would look even better in a pair of heels... and a dress!" It was going to be a long shot, but it was easy to read Myles. He'd been her senior before so she knew his little quirks. "If we suggest that he play a "damsel in distress" to catch these thieves, do you think he'd bite?" Just how far would he go to play the hero today? Hmm... Myles running after the people who'd hit on him as a woman would be hilarious. Cute dress, a blonde wig, some sunglasses, and a pair of stilettos and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. To his credit, Myles was attractive enough to be able to play it off, unlike that Mr. Meathead that he's friends with. How interesting would it be if Mr. Meathead saw his friend in said dress! Would he hit on her too? How interesting!

Although she would internally cackle at the thought, someone else's presence suddenly brought her heart into a stand-still.

...

"Oh honey! No need to be jealous now," Rich cooed at Chloe. "There's enough of Daddy to go around."

He watched her cute little behind enter the building only to halt at Val's presence and proceed to the nearby make-up counter. Following the make-up artist's eye-line, he could see his co-anchor getting giddy and excited with one of the interns over there. "Makes you wonder what they're talking about?"

He slung his arm over the raven haired beauty's shoulders. "We could have our own interesting conversation over here," his finger lightly lifted her chin to meet his gaze. He loved how she played so hard to get. People would think he'd simply just give up. But honestly, it only spurred him even more. Like a new land for the king to conquer, like a feisty prey looking to be put in her place by her master - it was a new adventure and when he had her, it would be electric.

"Shall we give them something to talk about, sweetheart?" His voice quite low and husky, coming in quite close, confident she'd give in.

...

Seeing Chloe come in with Rich, Val immediately stopped talking. Her smile disappeared from her face as her lungs felt like they've just been crushed by a piano. She found it so difficult... to b r e a t h e. She swallowed trying to relieve her unexpected dry throat. Blood rushed to her head as her pulse pounded faster than the EDM beats at a rave. “Sorry Drea…” her words trailed off as she processed her surroundings.

Just a few feet away, there was the other half of her soul, her shining light in the darkest of nights. Her pure radiance, even for a second, would bring warmth to the coldest cavern in heart. She illuminated the world around with they way she held herself so tall, so brave. Her fire. Oh how the flames danced so beautifully that one would forget themselves even for a moment. How exhausted was she from being scared, but how awake she was now that Chloe’s here. If left to her instinct to steer, she would sweep her delicate rose away and kiss her through the thorns. Let her lips b-l-e-e-d crimson as pledge to loyalty for her queen, her one and only immortal. Allow her fingers to run through her hair like they were water from the rain and press her hands into the small of her back to hold her a little longer as if to take away it’s pain. She’d rather die on the day when they could spend an hour without this distance than spend the rest of her life knowing she couldn’t love someone else…

No one could replace her.

Her eyes began to glaze, she tried so hard to prevent herself from bawling in front Drea. In an instant, the bracelet Chloe left behind felt like a cuff on her wrists, tremors crept down into her arm. “H-have you seen Zack?” She hoped her Bunso saw her oldest and closest friend. She needed his help. Her own light-headedness threatening to betray her strength then and there. With the seconds left of her remaining composure, she texted him from her phone.

‘Zack, I can’t do this.’

➜ LOCATION: Studio Doors | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Drea ( Colorless Spectrum ), Myles ( exequtie ), Chloe ( . D O V E ), Zack ( AI10100 );; Mentions: Eugene ( fleetingfeathers ), Leo ( Ambiloquous ) | ➜ MOOD: Happy to see Drea, Ready to debut Myles as a princess, Dying to hold Chloe, Desperate to talk to Zack
❝ Is there even anything good to eat around here?

ASHER O’REILLY

"I'm sorry do I know you?"

Ash was dead. Absolutely decimated on the inside from embarrassment. His cheeks weren't flushed, but he could feel the sweat on his back as he cringed so hard internally. My bad! So he's made the mistake of identifying a stranger for someone else. But it could happen to anyone, right? He apologized to the lady who was still in the middle of fueling up her car. "Sorry miss! You just looked like someone I know." He gave her his best apologetic smile. Good thing he remembered to shower and brush his teeth this morning or he'd be in even more trouble for smelling like the bottom of a bar. The dark haired woman gave him the most bombastic side eye before paying at the pump and driving off. While his charms would've normally kicked in by now, he was clearly on strike two for two today. Man, he really hoped he wouldn't carry this bad luck around the Mayor today. Imagine if he had, it'd be a record for the shortest term serving the city thus far. Idling too long, he'd forgotten that there were people behind him until they started honking their horns. Crap! Focus Ash!

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm done!" he retorted before getting back into his car to pick up Myles.

An alert popped on his phone as he ducked his way into the driver's side. He read his roommate's message and grinned a little. To be honest, Myles' temper amused him. Perhaps, it was just that he was getting reminded of his older brother and his protective nature. He wanted to send him a quick text back to cool the reporter's jets. He was looking out for him too.

'omw. i'll be there in 10 min.'

The nearby lights turned red and he marveled at how empty the streets were this early. On days like this, he would've preferred to hear the purr of his babygirl instead of being stuck in this old van. The thought of her very outline waiting for him under the warm glow of the streetlamps as the light spilled over her shapely body, highlighting her assets, was just so alluring. His hands would instinctively reach out to touch those shallow ridges and delicate curves. He'd continue to rub her down until she would glisten. His eyes darkening at how she'd squeak when his palms rotated in circles. So delicious. At that point, he's already hooked in so deep that he'd curse under his breath fully aware he stood no chance. He had to mount her. He swore he'd never lose control of the way she felt underneath him. Ahh... But when she just shivers as he clutches her on the right spots, the sensation wholly consumes him. So addicting. And the noises she'd make was a death sentence. Simply maddening how it drove him insane. He'd pull her even closer, leaving no space between them. Yes, baby. Let him sink in a little deeper. Let him hear you scream. Just when he thought he couldn't stand it anymore, he'd renounce all logic and lose himself in the moment. Go feral. Go faster. Go harder. And when it came to the end of the road, he'd pump her so very full until she undoubtedly couldn't take anymore fuel...

Hmm... Dyna...

Ash found a sudden urge to buff and ride his Harley Wide Glide (motorcycle) that he aptly named Dyna. Seeing it waste away in the parking garage pains him; however, he couldn't haul all his equipment on it when he was filming. Besides, it provided too big of a distraction. There's no guarantee that he'd even stay in the SWBN building if he could simply cruise the open roads with his bike. Just him and his babygirl. It was a perfect date! Alas, it was a short trip back to Lakeside and any remaining daydreams left his mind as soon as Myles opened the door to the passenger seat.

It wasn't a surprise that the building was already full of staff when they've arrived. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Cam and wave hello to his old racing idol, but she was no where to be seen. If he had to pinpoint the source of his fascination with motocross and motorcycles, it was 50% due to her influence. She really did make it look cool back when he was a teen. The other 50% was his dad. His old man was a muscle car fiend. When he wasn't working on the clock for Sweetham PD, he'd just be chipping away at restoring the old beauts he'd bought for cheap at the junkyard. One man's trash, right? He saw one of the camera operators and their anchor gossiping away at the front of the studios doors. "Yo Drea!" he waved. "You ready for the trip to the city?" He smiled at their anchor too, "Hey Val! What's up?"

Myles walking in front of his gave him the look. He caught up to his friend only to hear the epic idea he'd had of pranking Little Miss Perfect today. His friend's on-going escapades involving Val made his job a whole lot more bearable. They kept a secret scoreboard in the break room to tally up who's winning and it was par even yesterday. Maybe they could pull ahead today. "Sure, man. I'll even get down to the little nose hairs," he grinned back at him. "I'll try to get her on commercial breaks so she wouldn't even see it coming." While they were conversing, Val and Drea seemed to walk across from them clearly scheming their own payback from the looks of it. He knew that look Val gave them since he'd seen it before in his brother's eyes. They were up to something alright. He clapped Myles back, "I'd watch out for Drea, my guy. Val's up to something. Call it a hunch."

He walked over to the craft table seeing a container with some kind of pastry inside. He wanted to open it, but he was suspicious that it might explode or something. Too early for pranks man. He turned to Myles, "Want anything from the vending machine?" He wanted something to go down with his protein shake.

➜ LOCATION: Vending Machine | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Myles ( exequtie ) & Drea ( Colorless Spectrum ) | ➜ MOOD: Down to Prank Val, Low-key Starving, Simping for his motorcycle XD
❝ Please don’t mind me. I’ll just stand over here. I hope we make it to SWBN in one piece.

KENDRA GARCIA

Gah!

The heat from Kenz' cheeks must've been bright red by now. Hearing the young man's deep voice, especially so early in the morning, got her all types of flustered. Gosh, how does she even begin to articulate a response to that. Her heart threatened to jack hammer out of her chest. 'Kenz, you dumb, dumb,' she reprimanded herself. 'If you hadn't gotten so into Metal Gear, you might have been more awake.' She gulped, clutching her knees for support, trying to avoid as much eye contact as possible. She was grateful that his response had been more receptive and understanding rather than outright outrage and searing criticism. Yet still, her social anxiety got to the better of her. She turned her body towards the stranger, if only to properly apologize the way her mother had told her to do so. She needed to hold herself accountable. Her closed eyes slowly opened only to lift her gaze to someone familiar. She knows that tuft of red hair and that friendly grin from TV. It was the cute genius that her friends gushed to her about when they caught his segments. She subconsciously brought her hands over her mouth while a squeak escaped from her lips.

"Eep!" She would've taken the anger from the stranger instead. This was too much for the teen. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Scarpa." He was so nice. She'd seen him only a few times since she'd just started at SWBN, but he always seemed to be preoccupied with conversations with the other talent and production staff. There was a light-heartedness to him even when he discussed topics that proved to be beyond her own comprehension. She appreciated the way he explained things and it made her even more curious about the scientific news circulating around the world. At his mention of dropping down, she violently shook her head. "I'll keep an eye out for you, sir." Her expression flashed a cross of concern and seriousness. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to him. She took on this internship to prove to her parents that she can be trusted with her own decisions. If she'd lost this job, she would be so crushed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the crinkle of plastic as the science reporter opened his snack. When he offered her a cookie, her face relaxed into a shy smile. "M-May I?" There goes her stutter again. Her fingers trembled at the packet as she took one out and raised it to her mouth. "Hmm.. Ish show gud," she spoke through her chewing. "Thank you!" She genuinely thought they weren't that bad. Then, she remembered she had snacks to share too. Letting the sleeves from her oversized hoodie roll down to her elbows, she began to dig through her own backpack. She did pack some dried apricots and almonds as well. Her mom's been giving her dried fruit since she was small so they became her go-to when she needed a quick pick-me-up. "Want some too? They're good, I promise!" her tone a lot more confident than before. She twisted the container top holding it out to him as well.

It wasn't long before that when another early riser joined their breakfast bunch. Her ears perked and eyes lit up as soon as she recognized that monotone voice. "Morning!" she blurted, linking her arms with his. It was more out of familiarity than anything that she did that. She does the same thing with her older brothers and her dad. Evan was practically family to her too. Plus, he was warm. She was still a little cold through her hoodie. "Yeah, but it's actually good, Evan!" she tried to buffer comment in case Mr. Scarpa took it the wrong way. The poet's sarcasm could take a while to get used for some people. She nudged her friend's shoulders, also holding out her snacks. "Want any?"

A sharp light soon came into focus as the bus arrived with almost full seats. Kenz put her snacks away while fishing for her bus pass. She allowed the boys to go through first as her hands reached the bottom of her bag. She swears it was just here. But where? She opened her zipper even wider to get a closer look. It must've fallen out when she fell on the path. Suddenly bolting without notice, she hoped no one else took it so far. "Please be there. Please be there. Please be there," she whispered to herself like a mantra for good luck. She didn't want to be late today, but it was starting to look grim. The lack of sunlight didn't lend itself well to her search. She remembered the landmarks of where she fell and thankfully, there it was. However, by the time she'd returned to the stop, all the seats looked taken. She was going to have to stand.

Shrinking herself to hold on to the lower handles, she apologized to the passengers she's disturbed. "I-I'm s-sorry. E-excuse me." She grabbed onto the bar where she could, silently praying the bus wouldn’t throw her off balance. With such a petite build, she may very well end up checking if gravity’s still working by greeting the floor.

➜ LOCATION: Bus | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Leo ( Ambiloquous ) & Evan ( exequtie ) | ➜ MOOD: Hanging on for dear life
❝ I wish I could simply trust this SIS agent, but not knowing who they are is like leaving a big vulnerability unchecked.

YAZU NAKAMOTO

The surveillance room was well lit and fortunately spacious enough to fit their group. Yazu had looked at the monitors just quickly scanning any suspicious behaviors from all the screens. The camera close to the studio shows pretty typical behavior. There were a few staff and personnel walking across the screen; however, nothing at all seemed out of place. In the parking lot, the head of morning security could confirm that no guest cars are currently in the vicinity. Being an employee for a long while at SWBN, he'd already memorized each one of the car models and licenses of the regular employees. He was also made aware of the VIP's black SUV and the other black sedans accompanying the Mayor. Perhaps, others would consider the escort to be too much, but in his line of work, anything could happen. He was always grateful and willing to work with the city's own police personnel to have as many eyes as possible to keep Mr. Chen safe.

Satisfied with the camera check of the perimeter, he turned towards his colleagues, acknowledging Cam's comment. He corrected himself, "Yes, you're right. Mayor Chen is no ordinary VIP. We do need to be as vigilant as possible today." He set his plant aside on the table and took his notes from the briefcase he'd brought along. Before his shift ended yesterday, he was made aware by the CEO himself that SIS was also in place for this operation. The covert government organization has sent their own man to canvas the building yesterday in case there was any last minute disturbances. They said that there may or may not be an agent joining them as a civilian today as well. The agent's identity was concealed even from the CEO; however, they did possess the proper badge to access the building. He nodded along her sentiment, "I greatly appreciate your vote of confidence, Cam. Between the three of us, I'm sure all will be handled smoothly."

He turned his back to pull on the white board that was kept on the edge of the room for such meetings. Taking the black marker on it's ledge, he began to roughly draw the floor plan of the first level where the Mayor was going to come through. He drew slim rectangles for the doors and small squares for the windows. When he was satisfied, he collected the other red marker and circled all the doors and exits. They needed to cover these seven exterior doors today. Two doors at the entrance, two at the fire escape on the left and right side of the building, one for the parking garage at the first level, one for the parking garage in the basement below, and finally, on top of everything else in the drawing, he circled the fire escape on the roof of the building. All these points of entry could be compromised so he wanted to double check that nothing's changed from yesterday night.

"At the moment, I believe we need to do a perimeter check on the following locations. We would have to walk the building separately and check for any tampering. Weird locks, door entries that don't recognize the magnetic card passes, loose handles, furniture or decoration that seem out of place. As we do this everyday, I trust your judgement so radio on your walkies if something's off."

He wanted to be sure to give everyone a chance to voice their concerns so far. "Any questions or concerns, right now?"

➜ LOCATION: Surveillance Room | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Cam ( AI10100 ) & Quinn ( Stitches and Patchwork );; Mentions: SIS agent/Chloe ( . D O V E ) | ➜ MOOD: Serious

Stitches and Patchwork · Aug 4, 2023

❝ Get the point or this tea is going to be slurped so much louder.

”SAM” CRIMM

Mornings. God. Sam and her body mostly got along but in the morning, she swore that it was as though the sound of her alarm turned her whole body against her. At least that was the best explanation for the wave of grogginess she felt upon being jolted awake by the beeping of her alarm. Even after a good night’s sleep no less.

A groan left her lips as Sam reluctantly opened her eyes. Only to immediately regret deciding to sleep on the side facing her window. Allowing her to be greeted with an unwelcome mess of bright lights and color that was the morning. Immediately Sam winced and tiredly flopped over so she was laying on her other side. Away from… that whole thing that she was too tired to deal with.

So instead she focused on her phone, lazily reaching out for it and grabbing it by its sides. Sam proceeded to drag the cracked device towards herself, tilting so the screen was facing her. Only to squint upon seeing the screen. Right… phones were also bright and colorful.

With the clumsy tapping and swiping of her fingers, Sam managed to lower the brightness of her phone, allowing her to actually perceive what was on the screen. The time and… two text messages.

Ferdinand
Wish you luck with this “very special broadcast”

Ferdinand
I look forward to hearing about it tonight

Just a few words but it was enough to earn a chuckle from the ravenette as she liked both texts and quickly typed a reply.

Sam
I’ll text you after work

With that she powered her phone off, letting it slide onto her mattress with a dull thump. As she processed how she needed to wake up. Mayor’s not gonna wait for her. And she didn’t cut the zoom last night short for nothing.

With those thoughts, Sam managed to lift herself from bed into a sitting position. A hand rung through disheveled strands of raven hair as azure eyes drifted over to her closet. All while various thoughts began to formulate in Sam’s head. A mix of complaints and encouragements. But one fact had her standing up and walking across the small apartment.

If she got ready quickly, she could snag the caffeine and food she desperately needed before work.

——

One hour. And forty seven minutes.

Even when Sam made an effort to wake up early, get ready early, and try and beat traffic, the busy streets of Sweetham made what was meant to be a simple task lasted one hour and forty seven minutes. Leading to her arriving at her workplace finally in a hour and forty seven minutes as she finally parked her car on the forty eighth. And after staying in the car for much too long, she finally stepped out of the cramped vehicle. Just one dramatic stomp followed by her tiredly stepping out of the smaller vehicle with a sigh, a sip of her tea, and a bite of her bagel. If these things were not able to keep her going, the world was doomed.

With that Sam begun to power walk through the parking lot and into the building, smoothly pulling out her ID with not so much of a glance and a nod being exchanged between her and security before she was let in. She did not look particularly grumpy. No, despite the frustration getting stuck in her car put her through, that was easily calmed with the baked piece of heaven and the cup of sweet liquid ambrosia in her hands. But there was a stormy look in her eyes. A furrow in her brow. Small details that caused a rather intimidating almost angry air to surround the weather reporter. All of which stemmed from the fact she had a job too. So far it was one of the only things she didn’t screw up.

Thus, Sam paid no mind to the groups of employees forming inside of the building. She noticed familiar faces like Ash, Myles, Val, and Drea split up into their respective duos, no doubt for some sort of scheming, as she looked around the building. She gave them nothing more than a passing glance. After all, they were not stopping her from getting ready nor could they be much help at the moment. No. What was stopping her was an all too familiar anchorman hogging the attention of their makeup artist, one of the only people that can actually do something helpful for at this moment. At least trying to with his arm wrapped around Chloe’s shoulders like some worn inching across the sidewalk. A sickeningly sweet grin that combined with the aerial assault on one’s nose he called his cologne caused her to scrunch her face out of distaste for a moment as she approached them in strides. After all, this was something she did not have the time for. So, coming to a stop just a few feet away, Sam interrupted the best way she could think of.

Taking a long and loud sip from her tea. All while giving the two the most deadpan stare.

“I have a topic you guys can talk about. The fact we have this whole important broadcast happening soon. Y’know, with the mayor,” Sam declared in a rather matter-of-fact tone after a few seconds of obnoxiously slurping her drink. All while her gaze never left Rich. She wasn’t exactly glaring at him either. Just staring at him with a stone faced expression. A look so expressionless and hollow, he might as well have just been some statue she was giving a bored look over while she was on some walk. “I can give you the exact time it’s happening if you want or I can have my makeup done?”

Sam proceeded to nonchalantly take a bite from her bagel. Seeming to purposely draw out this confrontation as some strange form of intimidation before speaking once more. “Honestly, going for the latter. Actually helpful.”

➜ LOCATION: STUDIO DOORS | ➜ INTERACTIONS: CHLOE (

. D O V E );; MENTIONS: VAL AND ASH (

Kei ), DREA (

Colorless Spectrum ),
,| ➜ MOOD: FOCUSED; PREPEARED TO BE A MENACE

Ambiloquous · Aug 5, 2023

❝

To give the bus seat or not to give the bus seat, that is the question.

❞

Galileo Scarpa

“Mister… ? Sir?”

He scrunched his face together and his eyes wandered off into the distance, his early morning social gears not quite running as they would’ve been otherwise. Who exactly was she calling? His grandfather wasn’t standing behind him, so it could only be him, but the designation was such a shock that he paused and considered how he presented himself. Shifting his feet uncomfortably, he rubbed the back of his head.

“Just call me Leo, please. Don’t take my words so seriously, yeah? I'm chill.”

Although the uneasy flush of her face really matched her tie, seeing her lips curve up in a more positive emotion was much better, and he relaxed on seeing her take a cookie. The intern really didn’t need to hammer in the compliments though, especially on cookies that mediocre, and he waved his empty hand to emphasize.

“No need to butter me up. Really, even I agree it’s bad.”

Though he’d been smiling this entire time, his eyes had been drooping from the little sleep he’d gotten the night before. This changed on seeing the snacks Kenz pulled out. Clearly the world had decided that the dry cookies were just a speedbump on his true path to sustenance, and missing a bus was not the end for his rumbling stomach. Too tired to filter his words, he said entirely seriously,

“Are you actually my saviour? Thanks so much.”

And with his thanks given and gratefulness displayed to the maximum he could in the wee hours of the day, he reached out his hand and grabbed perhaps a few too many dried apricots from the container. It wasn’t polite, but he was of the opinion that politeness only mattered when the basic needs were met. Besides, he had shared first—it was fair. Even if his cookies were complete garbage. Even if she had eaten only a single tiny round. Okay, it wasn’t fair, but he knew she was unlikely to argue the point.

But the next person who came might.

Blonde and blue-eyed, a knight armoured in passive-agressive inside knowledge instead of plates of silver—is the image his imagination might have conjured if his brain was sharp enough to deduce the defensiveness in Evan’s movement and had read a fantasy novel the night before. Unfortunately, it was not and he did not, so he just blinked slowly and directed his beam towards him. Another sufferer to join their bus-going gang. It was always better to have more companions with you in hell, right? Maybe he had snacks he could mooch off too.

“You’re more than right. Can’t even compare the two in the same sentence.”

He shrugged, his grin turning wry.

“Too bad it’s a long ride until we reach the man and his supply of breakfast foods.”

He swept his gaze across the empty street.

“If the bus comes, that is.”

He didn’t offer the other a cookie. He felt that Intern 2 had more discerning taste buds than that from his critique alone and wouldn’t dare presume to taint his mouth with his stale baked goods. Watching Kenz trying to convince her friend that his cookies were indeed good was like watching bacteria move in a petri dish. He had no idea what the purpose of the specific action was, if it even had one, but it was vaguely interesting in a way that seeing something completely unintelligible was. He still had no idea that Evan was trying to make a dig at him, and that she was trying to de-escalate—he only noted the difference in behaviour but not the intent.

Then the bus came and in a flurry of activity too fast for it to stick in his uncaffeinated brain—his sight kept being dragged to the cup Evan was nursing—Kenz was on, then she was off, then she was on again but without a seat. How were there so many people on the vehicle all of a sudden? She was so pint-sized that letting her toss about the bus appeared to be looking at a crash about to happen, and he could almost hear the waterfall of apologies spilling from her mouth as it ensued. It would probably ruin her morning. He wasn’t a believer of chivalry; he subscribed only to the sacred laws of the first-come-first-served—but he had taken her dried fruit in exchange for a pitiful cookie and she was reminding him of a sad orphan on Christmas Day looking up at the windows of a warm home and that was grounds enough.

Standing up with a slowness that matched the years of someone quadruple his age, he waved an arm at the empty seat.

“Take my seat. You look to be this close”

—he pinched his fingers with a centimeter gap between—

“to getting thrown to the ground. Can’t be having my saviour do that, yeah?”

➜ LOCATION: Bus | ➜ INTERACTIONS:

Kei (Kenz),

exequtie (Evan) | ➜ MENTIONS:

Kei (Mo)
| ➜ MOOD: Lazy, less hungry, still sleepy

Colorless Spectrum · Aug 5, 2023

Andrea E.

"Yay!" The excitement of getting coffee had left her forgetting her manners. "Oh, good morning Ate Val!" With her hair smoothened out, Drea looked much more decent than before. Still, her features showed how little sleep she got last night. In a lot of ways, Valerie Evans was the older sister Drea never had. Growing up as an only child was lonely despite the love her grandparents had given her. There was always an envy inside her heart whenever she saw her classmates playing with their siblings or kids in a park. But there she was, treating the young woman as a little sister, heck, even Drea's grandparents adored the reporter. It was hard not to, Val was sweet and kind, and add the fact that she was helping out by paying for College, the Evangelistas were immensely grateful for it.

Drea imitated the expression that Valerie adorned on her face, wondering what had got the woman to make such a look. "Oh," laughter bellowed out from her lungs, it was full and loud. "I'm crushing my assignments!" She boasted with her chin high, chest out, and striking a pose. "What actually kept me up though, was a drama. It's really good, every episode got me wondering what happens in the next one and I just kept saying, Okay just one more and I'll sleep. Until I finished all of the episodes in just one sitting. It even had me bawling at the end, I wasn't really on board with the main ship... I didn't hate it, just that there was this one character that had more chemistry with the female lead, but it was a nine-point five out of ten watch nonetheless. I would say, I think it would have been better if-"

The Camera Operator's ramblings were cut off as the Anchor decided to pull Drea to someplace farther away from Myles and Ash. Upon noticing the two, twenty-two year old waved at the other duo, people called them roommates, best friends, anything but lovers. Just wanted to reference it. "Hi!" A quick hello would suffice as a morning greeting, yeah?

A sharp intake of breath could be heard as Valerie revealed her plan to Drea. The image of Myles with a blond wig, pink dress, and high heels is just pure Barbae vibes, and knowing that gives Drea great excitement. "I love that! It would be so funny too!" One of the things Drea loved about her colleagues is the prank war, it's very entertaining, and it's great for Drea's photo journal. "I'll talk to the stylist! Surely they got something in the racks that could fit Myles, I also remember a blonde wig used from last year's Halloween Special. WAHAHAHA, I can imagine it already!"

"Do you think we should also- Val?" The excited words turned into a worried and gentle tone toward Valerie. She was so enthusiastic earlier but it was gone. The melancholy was palpable in the air. Drea wanted to help, but she had no idea what it was that was causing it.

“H-have you seen Zack?”

It was hard not to notice how this affected the person that she treated as a part of her family, but she wouldn't there ask why. No, if Valerie was comfortable with sharing it, then the older woman would have told her already. "Last I saw Zack, he was going to the kitchen." She took Val's hand in her own and gave it a soft squeeze, "There must be something bothering you, would you like me to accompany you until the kitchen door?"

➜ LOCATION: Near the Studio Doors | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Val (

Kei ) | ➜ MENTIONS: Zack (

AI10100 ), Ash (Kei), Myles (

exequtie ) | ➜ MOOD: Concerned, still tired

AI10100 · Aug 5, 2023

❝ Lots to do. Hopefully everything is in proper order. Still gotta be careful though.

Camille Trousseau

Cam curiously noted the cactus that she had failed to notice earlier being placed down on the table alongside a couple of notes. For a moment, Cam had a staring contest with the plant as Yazu began to speak. Why did he bring a cactus? Was it to decorate the surveillance room? Someone did say that they needed more green in here but Cam didn't think they decided on a cactus specifically.

She wanted to call out its presence; however, Yazu seemed like he was focused on the mission briefing. Would it be rude to ask a question about it? She reached forward to touch it but still did not comment on it. Cam tried to think back to Yazu's place. Did he always have a cactus? She couldn't remember. Maybe it was a new addition. Bring your plant-child to work day, maybe.

Her eyes were ripped away from the cactus when Yazu started to draw on the whiteboard. The layout of the building that she had come to know like the back of her hand over the years of working there as security. "I'll start from the bottom. I'll take the parking garage entrances then head up to recheck the perimeter." Cam offered. Yazu hadn't mentioned anything about any car or vehicle that didn't belong to the crew but she would have to make sure that nothing slipped his eye. Check. Double-check. Triple-check, right?

"Mr. Chen will be coming from the front doors right?" She asked as she moved closer to the whiteboard. "Maybe we should check out the outside perimeter as well, no? I'm not saying we're going against some sniper in another building but... well, better safe than sorry, right?"

She paused. "Also, what's with the cactus? Sorry, I'm just curious."

➜ LOCATION: Surviellance Room | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Yazu and Quinn
❝ Well, at least I'm awake now...

Zacharias Maylard

Zack waved as Drea practically zombie-walked her way out to obtain her coffee. With that, he turned back and made his way to the kitchen to place the items into the refrigerator after he penned Tuna Sandwich — take one if you're hungry just heat it up. Mo seemed to have prepared something too which is great. Today would be a stressful event and he wasn't sure if some of the crew would even be able to eat until Mr. Chen had completely left the premises. He thought about the security detail. Now those guys would be even busier.

He made himself a cup of coffee. This would be his second cup. Would that be wise?

Probably not. But he never prided himself on making smart decisions when it comes to the consumption of coffee. Perhaps the only person who has him beat regarding that was Nora.

As the coffee heated up, Zack began to mentally think about the outline for the interview. The outline was basically done and he had passed it onto the tech crew to plug it into the teleprompter. Still, he couldn't help but go on and recheck it on his phone to see if he had done everything correctly. He normally couldn't mess up— the pressure for this one was doubled.

His coffee was prepared and he placed a lid on top of the cup. With that, he was about to make his way out of the break room and towards his meeting room with Ethan. He wondered if he had arrived yet. However, his phone buzzed.

'Zack, I can't do this.'

Now that could make him awake more than any cups of coffee and pure shots of caffeine could.

'at the break room meet me there we can talk somewhere more private after'

Zack hadn't seen her earlier. What could have happened? Then again, there's only one thing— or rather one person— that could make her act like this that could be conceivable closeby. He let out a sigh. He couldn't blame her at all. With Chloe's... reappearance, it threw the peaceful balance they had back into chaos with no one to pick up the pieces and fix it. His brief one-sided conversation with Chloe was born out of extreme emotion and now he didn't even know how to face her again.

And for Val... Zack wouldn't be surprised if he would spend breaks with Val outside while she smoked again.

He took a sip of his coffee and shook his head. Today was going to be a long day for more reasons than just Mr. Chen's interview.

➜ LOCATION: SWBN Building | ➜ INTERACTIONS: Drea, Val (through text)

. D O V E · Aug 5, 2023

❝ Do I still have a place in her heart, after all? ❝

CHLOE CRUZ

A lingering pang struck Chloe's chest as she watched Valerie interact with Drea. The sensation spread farther and farther across her body as the two continued interacting closely, every giggle like an echoing taunt aimed at her. A phantom lodge felt stuck in her throat. She needed to fight the urge to clear her throat, grab her former lover by the arm, and announce to the whole world that they belonged together. Alas, all she could do was swallow her pride and reflect on what Ethan said before they parted ways.

"She will always be your weakness, Chloe. People like us were never meant to have one."

Ethan's words felt like tiny knives spearing through her heart, yet it was all too true. Someone like Chloe, a woman pledged to vengeance, could never be the right person for the perfection that was Valerie. She deserved someone who'd always be there for her, not someone who'd disappear as soon as duty calls. Every night, Chloe would remind herself of these words. She thought that it'd keep her resolve from faltering; yet here she was, watching her walls chip away as she kept her gaze on the anchorwoman. She wanted to store every detail of hers in her memory. If she no longer has a place in her life then she prayed that she was at least allowed to watch her from a distance.

As Chloe mused, her eyes caught sight of a familiar jewelry dangling on Valerie's wrist. Her eyes immediately dilated with recognition, and her pulse feverishly raced at its implication.

As if on cue, a muscular arm slinked its away across her shoulders, prying her attention from the female anchor to her male counterpart. Chloe found herself staring at Rich's haughty face with flushed cheeks and furrowed brows. Normally, Chloe's fist would meet Rich's approaching face by now, but even her hatred for the narcissist wasn't enough to silence the pounding of her heart. The possibility that perhaps after all this time, Valerie had kept her in her thoughts , and that maybe- just maybe, she was still welcome in her life, was making her feel all sorts of feelings deep within.

"I- uh..." She stammered, the edges of her lips betraying her as they slowly curled into a smile. Should she try and talk to Val later? Would they reconcile? Would she pull her into an embrace? Could they go back to the way they were before?

A loud slurp resonated from the side, followed by a handful of blankly-delivered statements from the resident weather reporter. Sam spoke of the upcoming interview with Mayor Chen, successfully snapping Chloe out of her stupor and reminding her of the reality of her situation.

As if a switch had been triggered, Chloe swiftly shoved Rich's face away and followed it up with a quick stomp on his foot. "Get the fuck away from me, you randy trash." She hissed while her eyes shot daggers at him. "Try that again and I'll beat your ass up." She warned before placing a hand behind Sam's back and gently guiding her to the nearby make-up counter. Chloe kept her glare at Rich until the partition that divided the make-up room from the rest hid him from view.

The make-up artist gestured for the reporter to take a seat in front of the vanity mirror. As she moved to get everything ready for the session, such as setting the ring light up and fetching the make-up kit meant for Sam, she felt embarrassment bubble at the pits of her stomach. "Thanks for interfering. If it weren't for you, I probably would've caused a scene over that jerk - or gave him an ugly black eye." There was an obvious disgust in her tone. Of course, Sam was also to thank for for waking her up from her delusion. Chloe silently promised herself that she'd make Sam extra pretty today - even though there was still this pervasive giddiness tugging on her chest.

Ignoring her feelings, Chloe pulled out a brush and stood in front of Sam with a scrutinizing look. She lightly tapped the unbristled end of the brush against the underside of Sam's chin, dragging it up to her cheekbone before humming thoughtfully. "What are you feeling today? A light make-up? You know you have a naturally cool skin tone and a beautiful bone structure. A clean look, a tied hair, and the classic red lipstick would look so well on you." She gave her cheek a final tap before plopping on the seat beside, releasing a long sigh as her bottom met its soft surface.

"You should finish your breakfast first, though." Chloe stared at the ceiling, an exhausted look present on her face. "What would I give for a cup of coffee..."

➜ LOCATION: Studio doors | ➜ INTERACTIONS:

Kei

Colorless Spectrum

Stitches and Patchwork | ➜ MOOD: Giddy, Hungry

Realistic or Modern 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘐𝘯-𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘗)

Kei

(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)

Realistic or Modern - 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴)

Realistic or Modern - 𝙊𝙝 𝙈𝙮 𝙎𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙢 (𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰)

Kei

(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)

AI10100

Expert Lurker

. D O V E

Birb™

Colorless Spectrum

You are the spring I've waited for a long time

Ambiloquous

Graphic Fanatic

exequtie

One Time Luck

Kei

(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)

Stitches and Patchwork

The Cheese Knees

Ambiloquous

Graphic Fanatic

Colorless Spectrum

You are the spring I've waited for a long time

AI10100

Expert Lurker

. D O V E

Birb™

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