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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 4, 2022 10:57:41 GMT -5
Being contacted by Emilia Villin wasn’t exactly a daily occurrence in Misti’s life – or even an annual one, for that matter. As much as she was accustomed to residents of Grey Pebble (or rather, their PAs) calling her up, some of the families on that side of the city had seemed out of her reach. Until now. She was very proud of herself for staying calm and demure when Ms. Villin, one of the richest and most generous public figures in Los Eurosia, asked her to play at the S. C. University fundraiser. She accepted, obviously. Not only was the pay desirable, but the opportunity to draw in more clients was clear. The event itself was a consequence of the recent damages made to the university. It was a random attack by a suspected gang, the news said. The police had it under control and the university was safe to return to. Misti thought the lack of witness statements was a bit unusual but ultimately no one was badly hurt so she didn’t care – the important thing was that she was playing at the fundraiser! The evening was one filled with smooth jazz. That suited her just fine. The only hiccup was that she was being made to perform in a small ensemble; a few people who played bass, clarinet, the saxophone, and percussion were beside her. She didn’t usually play with others but she was nothing if not professional. It was be fine. And the attendance of other musicians meant each of them could take short breaks during songs that omitted their instrument. During the more familiar pieces her eyes could drift around the room and take everyone in. Mostly men in tuxedoes and ladies wearing dresses and glittering jewellery, with a few wait staff on hand to refill champagne glasses as soon as anyone took a sip. Intoxicated people tended to be more generous, after all. She herself had tried to dress up for the occasion, albeit not as lavishly as some of the guests. Just a black dress (which was already out of her comfort zone) and some short block heels. Stilettos were out of the question – as glamorous as they were they could be slippery to wear depending on the surface, and there was also the risk of them snapping or grinding a hole into the floor if she got too immersed. Misti reminded herself that she was staff; she really didn’t need to be dressed like a socialite. Students of the university were attending as well, so it wasn't like she would stick out like a sore thumb during her breaks. She turned the page on the grand piano’s music desk, beginning the transition from Sweet Dreams to Moonlight by My Side. The song choices were a bit cliché for this sort of event, and if anyone had bothered to ask her she would have suggested something else. Ah well, she was being paid to play, not to nit-pick. ( Nicholas Acker Villin I hope this is okay >_< I assumed The Sector would cover up what actually happened at the uni. Let me know if anything needs to be changed!)
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 5, 2022 13:48:20 GMT -5
//Translations: "Nicholas!" "The reception has begun" // Acker was walking around the university with a group of people around him, a checklist in his hand. Acker stood out among the group because he was wearing an elegant black tuxedo while the others were in work clothes because they were construction workers hired by the university. The contractors were working with Acker's robots. You know how in the pokemon universe pokemon would help the humans with labour work, well, in this case the pokemon were robots. It had passed some time after the attack, so the university was well into the reconstruction process " Nicola!" Acker looked at his mother who was walking down the hallway " Il ricevimento è iniziato" Acker passed the checklist to a worker " Everything is fine, keep up the good work" he was saying that more to his robots than to the workers, but the workers didn't know that so they nodded and thanked him before going back to work " I know that you have to keep working tonight, but there are refreshments for you down the hallway" Emilia informed the workers who smiled and expressed their gratitude. Emilia put her arm around Acker's arm and started walking towards the reception's area, they passed near one of Acker's robots and he gave it a pat, his mother smiled as she always did at his quirks, it wasn't a mocking smile, but the opposite. Acker nodded once they reached the reception's area " Jazz, of course" Emilia loved jazz " Go mingle" Emilia patted him on the arm and walked away to check on the guests. Acker let out a long sigh and his eyes went searching for the open bar, he was going to mingle even though it was with the bartender, Emilia hadn't specified after all. Acker sat at the open bar " Random" he ordered " Pardon?" the bartender was confused " Give me a random drink, your choice" he liked not knowing what he was gonna get, he had tried lots of drinks that he had never heard of before this way. The music changed while the bartender was preparing the drink and it was a piece without piano, it was the saxophone's time to shine.
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 6, 2022 3:28:44 GMT -5
One glass won’t hurt my ability to play, Misti thought to herself when offered champagne from a server. She was mostly using her break as a chance to stretch her legs and walk around the room, but the drink gave her something to occupy her hands and (once the drink was finished) a destination. She meant to simply return the empty glass to the bar, yet as soon as she placed it down the bartender drew it towards him and started refilling. “Oh, I don’t–” her protest died as he continued pouring without any indication he’d heard her. He slid the glass back across to her when it was full, with the pleasant expression of a worker who was going through the motions and not really focusing on his surroundings. She couldn’t really blame him – who knows how long he’d been standing there? “ Thank you,” she sighed, resigned to accepting the drink out of politeness if nothing else. As she turned to leave, Misti did a double take, her eyes widening. Shoot. Nicholas Acker Villin was sat right there at the bar, a few seats across from where she stood. She quickly schooled her features and turned back to the bartender, hiding the panicked look that had undoubtedly flashed across her face. It was all too possible that Acker had seen it, though his dark tinted glasses made it impossible to tell if he’d even been looking in her direction. Misti did not want to look like she was slacking. She was painfully aware of how bad the situation would appear to an employer; her, getting a refill at the bar, not doing the job she was paid to. It was her break, sure, but he might not know that. Potentially Acker didn’t know she was working for him at all, but what if he did? What would be the right thing to say to reassure him ‘yes, I’m doing my job and you should probably hire me again’? He probably heard ‘I’m a fan of your robots’ almost every day, but there was no time to think of anything better. It would be awkward if he had been looking at her and she just ran off without a word. As casually as possible, she made her way over to the seat next to him. “Not that you care what a stranger thinks but… I think it’s pretty brilliant how dedicated you are to your work.” She smiled. Friendly. Professional. Don’t fire me. “ Your attention to detail really shows through the proficiency of your designs and the AI is incredible, they almost seem alive. It must take hours and hours of coding. I can’t imagine how you find the time to do things like this as well.” She felt like she’d said too much, but she was being honest and she’d rather be seen as a suck-up than as someone lazy. Nicholas Acker Villin
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 6, 2022 13:04:44 GMT -5
Acker was looking down his glass filled with random alcohol. He was thinking about his next moves. He couldn't get drunk or his mother would get upset, also it would embarrass the family's name if one of its members got drunk during functions in front of everybody. He had to think about those things. Even though he liked to believe that he didn't care about being a Villin, he still loved his family. Acker was the only family member who had permanently left the family's manor and had moved to his own home. He told himself that he had tried to cut ties, but in reality he would have successfully cut ties already if he truly wanted to. He took a sip of the random drink in his hand and smacked his lips to comically taste it. It was not bad. He wondered for how longer he could sit there drinking before his mother would force him to mingle with other people other than the bartender. Acker was tipping the bartender for the drink when suddenly someone talked to him. He hadn't noticed her, too focused on his own misery for having to participate in this shindig. Acker turned his head towards the stranger, a young woman. Her flattery made him feel a little bit better, his ego always enjoyed it. His dark glasses started scanning her face. Meanwhile, Acker hid his smirk behind the glass because he had noticed the woman's nervousness, it was very specific of employees when interacting with their boss, he had seen it on the face of his own employees before " If my gut is right then mother must have hired her for the night" he thought. " Yeah, I'm your friendly neighbourhood Iron Man" Acker joked before taking another sip " Well, I was present during the attack, so I felt the need to help" it had been impossible to keep his presence during the attack a secret from the public because of his open lecture at the university at the time " You know..." he took another sip " ...you seem to know me, but I don't even know your name, it is a bit rude" he pretended to be offended to toy with her nervousness. If he had to mingle then he would have his fun at least.
//Is it okay if Acker gets some info about Misti via scanning? Her name, surname, the fact that she is the pianist for the night, stuff like that. Is there any other info that the scanning could pick up? : D Of course if you rather not then I'll just write that the glasses malfunctioned or something lol//
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 8, 2022 9:13:54 GMT -5
Acker responded to her with a joke, which she counted as a win. One or two rich people she’d encountered had gotten visibly upset when she’d addressed them without waiting to be approached first, but it seemed that Acker wouldn’t be joining that small list. He seemed friendly, like his mom had been on the phone. Misti was about to ask him how he was (the attack must have been stressful even if he wasn’t hurt) but he spoke first. "You know… you seem to know me, but I don't even know your name, it is a bit rude." Damnit. Misti barely stifled a wince. Maybe she’d jumped to conclusions too soon and he’d only pretended to be unoffended. And worse, he didn’t know who she was; she could have left the bar without a glance in his direction and he wouldn’t have known. “Oh, sorry about that. I’m Misti Manning, sir. It’s nice to meet you.” At least she managed to speak calmly, but how annoying. She’d gotten into this mess entirely by herself. She could only hope their conversation would be polite enough and boring enough that he’d simply forget about her later on. Still, it would be rude not to provide him context on what she was doing there. “Your mother employed me to play piano tonight – I’m on break,” she hastened to add, “I’ll have to get back to it in a while, but I thought I should come over and–” And what? ‘Pay her respects’? That made it sound like someone had died. “And make a fool of myself, apparently,” she finished with a sheepish smile, brushing her hair behind her ear. She’d be happy for him to think she was just another fan if it meant he wouldn’t say anything negative about her to his mom. She sipped her drink, eying his tinted glasses. They made her a bit uneasy; obviously she was accustomed to meeting the gaze of whoever she was talking to, and the glasses hid his from her. Weren’t they too dark to wear indoors anyway? Her head tilted, suddenly curious. “Are your glasses those special blue light blocking ones? I feel like I’ve never seen you without them.” Granted, this was the first time she’d seen him in person, but even on TV and in photos she remembered seeing him wearing them. She supposed his extensive work with technology meant he had to take care of his eyes more than other people would. (( Nicholas Acker Villin Yeah go ahead, scan away :3 there’s probably nothing controversial he could find tbh. If he has access to family/health records he might see that her mom died and Misti was a full-time carer for her grandma for a few years? It’s up to you~))
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 9, 2022 7:51:49 GMT -5
Even though Acker might have all the symptoms of one, he wasn't a snob or a classist. He respected anyone who worked for their money in a way or another, he didn't see workers of any kind as less than. After all, he had been raised by the Villins who were good people and some of that had stuck, like it or not. Sure, Acker wasn't a good person, but he also had redeeming qualities that he blamed his family for. Acker's mother had had a great influence in his upbringing and Emilia was a genuine good person hence him being friendly to Misti like Emilia had been, even though he wouldn't ever admit it to himself if someone pointed it out to him. He wasn't the friendly type, or so he believed. His glasses informed him of her identity when Misti said her name out loud, so it felt like Misti was reading the information on the glasses' lenses. However, words kept forming on the lenses: mother deceased, took care of grandmother...mh. Meanwhile, Misti kept talking. Acker took another sip, enjoying Misti's nervousness transpiring with every word. He could have interjected at any moment to calm her nervousness, but he took another sip instead while observing her. He couldn't help it, the mad scientist in him made him observe anything. Luckily, his eyes couldn't be seen behind those dark glasses of his. Acker rose a brow, expecting Misti to finish her sentence, subtly nudging her nervousness even more. He felt that unpleasant annoyance caused by sycophants, he enjoyed the flattery, but only if it was genuine and not for ulterior motives. He couldn't be certain that Misti was a social-climber, but that feeling was there out of habit, he often had to deal with people buttering him up during these functions. Although he enjoyed toying with those kind of people, silver lining. Acker chuckled " How many times have you seen me?" he could imagine it was from tv or stuff like that, he asked to make her even more uncomfortable like his glasses were doing, although it was still subtle, outwardly it seemed he was joking. With one experienced swift he took his glasses off " Why don't you check for yourself?" he offered while holding the glasses towards her. She could check how it was like seeing through the lenses by herself instead of Acker explaining it to her. He couldn't exactly know how she was going to react to this, but he hoped it was going to make her even more uncomfortable, although it looked like he was offering to be nice. Acker wasn't worried about this because the glasses only worked when on him, if someone else wore them then they were just expensive glasses with no special features.
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 9, 2022 16:29:39 GMT -5
Misti blinked in surprise as Acker swiftly removed his glasses and held them out to her, revealing (pretty normal, actually) brown eyes. "Why don't you check for yourself?" Misti’s brows shot up. Her gaze dropped to his extended hand, then back to him. “Are you serious?” He seemed to be. Her initial instinct was to politely refuse and perhaps make a hasty exit while she was at it, and yet, she tentatively took them from him, being careful not to put her fingers on the lenses. “Oh, and I haven’t seen you much, just on the news sometimes. I’m not a stalker, promise.” She smiled and held up her little finger to indicate a pinky-swear, but put it down just as quickly, feeling her face warm with embarrassment. What was she, eight? She put them on. Yep, just regular glasses. Her lips twitched, fighting the urge to laugh. This was weird. What was she doing at a party trying on a millionaire’s (billionaire’s?) glasses? “I feel ridiculous,” Misti said flatly. She caught sight of her reflection in the glass cases behind the bar, and she snorted, a grin breaking across her face. She looked like she should be in The Matrix or one of those Spy Kids movies. They definitely didn’t look natural on her the way they did on Acker. Biting her lip to stop herself from laughing, she took them off and handed them back to him. “I don’t suit them at all. Sorry for exposing you to that.”She weirdly felt a bit more relaxed now. The alcohol was probably helping. She drank some more as she glanced around at the guests. “Do you actually enjoy these things? Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s for a good cause but there’s a lot of standing around just talking for hours. Isn’t there something you’d rather be doing right now?”Nicholas Acker Villin
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 11, 2022 13:48:55 GMT -5
Acker felt a smirk coming while observing Misti's nervousness shining in her actions, especially after the pinky-swear debacle. He had to take another sip to hide the smirk. Mh. Apparently it was going to be the last sip because there was no more alcohol in the glass. The bartender noticed that Acker's drink was empty "Random?" he asked "You are a fast learner" Acker winked at the bartender and left a tip "For the lady too" the bartender turned around and started preparing the drinks. Acker had ordered for Misti to put her on the spot. It might look like his offer was friendly, but instead he was still toying with her of course "That's what the last stalker said" that they weren't a stalker, it was difficult to decipher if he was joking or not because of the ambiguous tone he had used on purpose. Acker laughed with Misti at how the glasses looked lon her face. However, he wasn't laughing in a malign way, but more like friends would laugh at each other. There was no malice in his laugh which might seem not like him, but Acker wasn't 100% evil, he had redeeming qualities too or maybe it was the alcohol "No apologises necessary" he put the glasses back on "The glasses were designed specifically for my face" so the glasses couldn't really look well on anyone else's face. "I'm drinking my sorrows away at the open bar, I think that is enough of a clue" was his repose at her question if he enjoyed this kinda thing. As if on cue, the bartender turned around and put down the drinks. Their drinks were pink and each cocktail glass had an umbrella in it. Hey, he had ordered a random drink and the bartender had delivered. Acker had noticed that Misti was getting more relaxed around him instead of more nervous. How was it possible that he managed to make people more comfortable around him when he tried to do the opposite? Oh, he was gonna fix that soon "You asked me what I rather be doing right now" he couldn't really tell her the real answer "Besides this" he took a sip of the umbrella drink "Mhh...fruity" he put down the drink and checked his phone "You'll find out in a few" he put the phone away then rose his cocktail glass towards Misti to clink his glass with hers and took another sip.
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 16, 2022 16:16:19 GMT -5
Another one? She almost spoke her dismayed thought aloud when Acker ordered her another drink, mere moments after she finished her (second!) glass of champagne, but she managed to keep her mouth shut. Her fingers tapped on the side of the bar without her realising, searching for the comfort of piano keys. She quietly thanked the bartender as he put down the mystery drink in front of her. Pink. From her experience, pink cocktails were always dangerous. She could only hope the alcohol percentage of this one was low. Regardless, she knew she was going to have to chug a whole bottle of water to balance herself out before she went back to work. She tilted her head as he spoke of drinking away his sorrows. “If you hate these things so much, couldn’t you get out of it? I’m sure your family would understand.” Misti did not know anything about Acker’s family besides their generosity to the city, and Acker’s mother had seemed kind during their short encounters, so she assumed it wouldn’t be a problem. Surely he was rich enough to do whatever he wanted. Was it only obligation to them that kept him there? “You asked me what I rather be doing right now, besides this.” He sipped his drink. “Mhh… fruity.” Misti bit her lip. The impulse to respond to his throwaway comment with ‘I’m a bit fruity too’ was dangerously strong, but miraculously she resisted it. Her drunk brain hadn’t taken over yet; she was sober enough to remember they weren’t close enough for her to be making jokes about her sexuality. It wouldn’t be appropriate. “You’ll find out in a few.” He clinked his glass against hers. Whether he knew it or not, doing so basically forced her to drink as well; it was bad luck not to sip after having your glass clinked. “Well aren’t you mysterious,” she mused. “Let me guess: fireworks? Robot show? Don’t tell me it’s dancing.” Nicholas Acker Villin
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 17, 2022 4:26:20 GMT -5
Acker let out a chuckle at Misti saying that his family would understand "Ahhh...the naïveté" he comically pronounced the last word with an heavy fake French accent "Oh no, I don't mean to offend you" it genuinely wasn't his intent because he was just trying to make a point "You are a Villin, Nicholas, Villins are expected to behave properly in every circumstance" Acker was mimicking his mother's voice "That was my mother when I was six, bringing me to my very first dance lesson...I could have had private lessons, but oh no, I guess forced socialisation at a young age was good practice" he had a flashback of himself dancing with other kids. He had had to take those lessons for years, but at least all those lessons had made him a great dancer. Instead the alcohol was making him a little chatty "I enjoy dancing, but not in these circumstances..." not when it was expected of him "...and especially not with them" he tilted his drink towards the crowd of rich snob people "I know I know, technically I'm one of them, and technically I'm being a snob myself by not wanting to hang out with them, but they are just a charade, they don't really care about any of this..." Acker opened his arms wide to indicate the room to symbolise the reason why they were all here, the drink in his hand spilled a little. "...they only care about their social status and they don't care who they have to make friends with in order to keep climbing that social ladder" there were a few good apples in the bunch, but most of them were just opportunistic slime balls who never had to work for their money or never contributed to society without gaining anything in return like a huge tax break. Acker had way more respect for the bartender and the pianist next to him. Sure, Acker was selfish and a bad person, but he was losing money to rebuild the university and he contributed to society with his work. He was born rich so he was aware of his privilege, but he had been working for his money and he hadn't used his family money since university, money that he had repaid back by the way. "Robot show? Nah that is so last season" meaning last social season "My robots are too tired fixing the building to put up a show" he joked. Acker wasn't superstitious so he didn't know that he had basically forced Misti to drink, but he wouldn't have cared anyway because his worries were somewhere else "Oh no, here she comes" his mother was walking towards the open bar "And they are not here yet" he put his drink down still half full. "You are dancing with me" there was urgency in his tone "Before it's too late" he had a melodramatic tone as if they had to run away before the big bad caught them "She is coming here, and she will force me to dance with a nice woman who just happens to be single" in other words his mother always tried to set him up with someone during these social events "If she sees that I'm already dancing with someone then she'll leave me alone" he glanced at the crowd to check how close his mother was "Don't worry about the piano" the band would play accordingly if they didn't see Misti coming back, they had tracks sans piano. "I would be very grateful" Acker could connect Misti to other jobs in high places. He stood up while automatically taking his glasses off and pocketed them, wearing glasses wasn't part of the etiquette when dancing which had been inculcated in him since he had been a small child. Per etiquette Acker offered his hand for Misti to take, afterwards Acker would lead Misti to the dance floor.
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 17, 2022 11:12:34 GMT -5
Hearing Acker talk about his childhood and the expectations his family held him to, Misti was beginning to realise she’d misunderstood him. Though their situations were not quite the same, she understood what it was like to be forced by a parent to partake in certain activities. She loved the piano dearly now and had built her whole life around it, but she hadn’t loved it so much when she was a young child who only wanted to play by herself in the woods. “Oh no, here she comes.” It took her a moment to realise who he was referring to. When she noticed Emilia, Misti felt a stab of panic, almost choking on her drink. Was she going to be scolded for abandoning her post? Acker offered a solution. “You are dancing with me.” “What?” Her exclamation was almost a yelp. She listened wide-eyed as he explained his mother’s intentions and his plan to thwart them. Her gaze cut across to the band – “Don’t worry about the piano,” Acker said, as if he could read her mind. His mother was fast approaching. There wasn’t enough time for Misti to weigh up the pros and cons. “I would be very grateful,” he pressed. She understood the implication; that he could make it worth her while. But now she knew a bit more about him, she was less interested in any job opportunities he could offer her and instead was more concerned about the pressure his family was putting on him. Unbeknownst to her, she was easily controlled in this way; it only took a bit of humanisation for her to put another person’s needs above her own. She shook her head as she took his hand and stood up. “Forget that. Saving you from an arranged marriage is more important.” Resisting the urge to glance back at his mother again (she didn’t want to make it obvious they were avoiding her), she allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Her free hand lifted to rest on his shoulder whereas his hand was placed traditionally on her waist. He took the lead naturally; evidently those dancing lessons had paid off. She wasn’t as professional as him but she knew the dance well enough to avoid stepping on his feet. Seconds passed and no one came to interrupt them. “I think we made it,” she said quietly, aware that nearby dancers might overhear and spread gossip if she spoke too carelessly. “We should make a plan for you to sneak away. It's unfair that you're being forced to be here. We’re safe for now but I could be called back to work or your mom could be determined enough to pull you aside regardless.”She looked over his shoulder as they turned, casually scanning the room for a way out. Then she remembered a door she'd seen when she and the rest of the band had been setting up. It was on the opposite side of the room from the open bar, a little further away than she'd like. She tilted her head towards it, subtly pointing it out to Acker. “We could head that way. You can’t see it from this angle but there’s a door behind that pillar. It leads to a corridor that connects to one of the university's lecture halls, and I'm pretty sure there should be a fire exit in there. Going that way would also put a crowd between her and us – she’ll lose sight of us unless she decides to walk around the entire dancefloor.”She finally looked at him again to gauge his reaction to her suggestion, then immediately wished she hadn’t. The adrenaline from their narrow escape was wearing off, allowing her to fully process what was happening. She was dancing. With Acker. All because she’d decided to return an empty glass to the bar. Misti blushed; it was extremely unusual for her to be in such close proximity with someone she’d met only minutes beforehand. She’d never been averse to eye-contact but it was more daunting when they were so close. She raised an eyebrow, deciding to play it cool. “So, is this a regular occurrence? Your mom playing matchmaker?”Nicholas Acker Villin
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 18, 2022 12:56:21 GMT -5
Acker rose a brow at Misti saying that she was doing this to help him and not for the award. His mind wondered again how sometimes he managed to make people more comfortable and friendly around him when he tried to do the opposite, he seriously needed to work on that. Emilia was standing next to the open bar, a hand on her hip in a pose that meant she knew what her son was doing, but that it wouldn't matter because he had to stop dancing sooner or later. There was an attractive blond woman standing next to Emilia, Acker didn't need his glasses to know who the woman was because he knew her from his family's social circle "That's Barbara, she is having an affair with a married man" the things he could blackmail the rich socialite with if he only got an itch for it. Acker had to chuckle when he imagined himself as the Gossip Girl of Los Eurosia. His power gave him open access to every text or phone call, but also the Villins' rich friends used his security system as a way to solidify their friendship with his family. It was thanks to that security system he knew about Barbara's affair. And it was thanks to open access that he knew about some of the rich families' plans, well, also because the Villins had been invited. Plans that Misti could be the pianist for. He was about to speak when Misti turned into Agent 007. Hearing Misti's plan put a genuine smile on Acker's face, he couldn't help it because she was taking this seriously like his assistant would "You remind me of my assistant" which was a compliment "He too would have planned our exit like is Mission Impossible" too bad his assistant couldn't be there because he had sent him away for an assignment. Acker looked back at Misti and...was she blushing? A part of him felt better that he was putting her on edge again and he smirked when he noticed that she was trying to play it cool with that question "Yes, unfortunately. My mother is very insistent about me getting married, keeps talking about grandchildren" something that would never happen, Acker didn't want to be a father for a multiple of reasons, although technically he felt a fatherly love towards his machines and devices. Acker leaned closer to Misti's ear "Are you sure you want to go now? We'll miss it" he whispered in her ear, but not in a creepy way, or at least it wasn't his intention to be creepy. Okay, to be fair, if he put her on edge a little bit more he would have enjoyed that, but still. His phone buzzed in his pocket, exactly three times in a specific rhythm. Finally. Acker winked at Misti and a second later the lights in the room turned off thanks to his power. There were gasps, people asking what was happening and then a spotlight shined on the stage. There were three people dressed like those disco people in the 70s. The people on stage started dancing and the lights in the room turned back on, but this time they were all colourful. Disco music started playing. People dressed in disco style entered the room and started dancing with whomever was on the dancefloor "They are all drama students from the university" Acker had planned this with them for the charity. Emilia had a shocked expression on her face and the snob rich people tried to keep distance from the peasants. The rich people weren't enjoying the change of scenery, it wasn't elegant or snobby enough for their tastes. Not that it mattered, they had already donated the money to the fundraising. Acker was laughing "Oh, this is just the beginning" the theme was a constant changing of themes. Emilia was trying to find Acker in the crowd "Now we go, unless you want to stay" he looked around to check where his mother was "I'm not leaving the university just yet, I have to go the university's library, the rest of the students are waiting for me there" the students for the next theme change. If Misti decided to follow Acker then they would go to the library together.
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 18, 2022 17:05:52 GMT -5
Looking at Barbara and Emilia made Misti wince. Acker’s mother did not look happy and the blonde beside her wasn’t ecstatic either. But before Misti could get too worried about their potential wrath, she was distracted by Acker’s gossip. She blinked owlishly at him. “Wow. And she’s trying to start something with you as well? Scary.” It was truly concerning to her that some people could have affairs at all – seemingly without remorse and (in this situation) likely being a ploy to social climb. His likening of her to his assistant made her feel a little better about the way she’d behaved around him tonight; she couldn’t have been completely terrible if he was comparing her to someone he probably interacted with on a daily basis. She wondered what type of work his assistant did. Maybe they’d be friends. Acker leaned closer, his voice lowering to a whisper, and Misti swallowed, blush deepening as she resisted the urge to squirm away. She was beginning to think he enjoyed making her embarrassed. Yet she brushed those thoughts away, choosing to believe he simply didn’t have the same boundaries as her. She was about to ask what it was that they would miss, but then he winked, and the room was plunged into darkness. Her grip on him tightened, her mind immediately jumping to the reason the fundraiser was being held in the first place: an attack. Had the gang returned? Should they run? A spotlight cut through the dark. Seemingly from thin air, young people in 70’s outfits appeared and began converging on the dance floor as the music changed and more colourful lighting filled the room. Misti laughed, nearly hysterical from relief as she released Acker and stepped away from him. Obviously, there was no need to dance anymore, and it didn’t look like she was about to be running for her life either. Upon his invitation to leave she nodded eagerly. The drinks she’d had were getting to her head; her inhibitions were definitely lowered and the potential consequences of her actions were being squashed further and further to the back of her mind. “At this point I don’t think anyone will notice.” His mother probably wouldn’t hire her again anyway if she’d recognised her dancing with Acker. Staying put and grovelling to Emilia seemed useless. “Let’s go.”They weaved through the crowd, dodging dancers and aghast socialites alike as they made their way to an exit. “When did you have the time to organise all this?” she giggled. The fundraiser itself had been rapidly thrown together so the repairs could be made as soon as possible. How could Acker find willing students, get a plan sorted that wouldn’t get leaked to the uninvolved, and provide outfits for them all within days? More perks of being rich, she supposed. The library wasn’t too far away. There were students waiting inside, as Acker had promised. They were gathered around different tables like commanders looking down at war plans, and almost all of them looked towards the pair as they walked in. Misti awkwardly gave the students a small wave, unprepared to have many eyes on her at once, then glanced between them and Acker quizzically, wondering what they’d cook up next. Nicholas Acker Villin
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The heart wants what stupidity seeks
GROUP:Gifted
AGE:40 yrs old
PRONOUNS:He/Him
HEIGHT:1.88 cm
GIFT:Technology Manipulation
OCCUPATION:Freelancer - Inventor
WRITTEN:173 posts
POINTS:
Post by Nicholas Acker Villin on May 19, 2022 10:30:45 GMT -5
"My assistant organised it, he is a miracle worker I tell ya" also the students were really eager to help their university and they believed their performance was part of the fundraiser. And it was. Just Acker's version of the fundraiser instead of mother's. While they were walking the hallways to reach the library, Acker informed Misti of available jobs she could take. There was a party next week which she could be the pianist for, another party where a piano bar was needed, a family had children who needed piano lessons etc etc "My assistant will send you the info for the jobs" Acker would inform his assistant later. "Dinner theatre?" Acker asked while entering the library "Yes, we decided to go that route" food was already available, the drama students were going to provide the theatre. The students were wearing costumes, some from Shakespeare, some from novels and books, even comic books. These drama students were good, so Acker imagined they were going to have some fun with this by mixing and matching the various stories. There was a round table with many books scattered all over it. Acker walked at the table and checked the books, apparently the students were using the books to fact check "Hey..." a male student dressed up like Romeo approached Acker "...is she your date?" the older man wasn't really listening because his attention had been caught by something "I wanted to ask her to be Juliet" The student was too eager to wait for a response and eagerly approached Misti "Would you like to be my Juliet?" another student turned around and rolled his eyes "Leave her alone, Austin" the Austin in question sent a death stare to the other student. "What happened to the text?" Acker asked out of nowhere and some of the students in the room approached the table to check what the old rich man was talking about "What...this book, the pages are blank!" one of the students announced "This one too!" Acker checked the titles "The books are the original version and the Disney version of Peter Pan" the story, apparently the university had a written version of the cartoon to help drama students with their performances. "What were you planning with this?" there was a hint of concern in Acker's voice "There is a group of us dressed up like the crew of the Jolly Roger" a female student dressed up like Tinker Bell explained "We were using these books, but I don't understand why the text has faded away" Suddenly, there were screams coming from the main area. Acker raced back to area where the fundraiser was taking place. More people had come in since the 70s disco performance, there were more professors and students, but Acker was focusing his attention to the Jolly Roger's crew. The crew was walking around the room, weapons in hand, they were threatening the people into surrendering their valuables. Captain Hook was standing on stage, he looked more like the Disney's Hook than the original. Acker was scanning the weapons. The scan judged that there was a high percentage of the weapons being real. Acker didn't even have time to react before Barbara started making a scene "What is this? Some kind of show?! I'm not giving you my jewellery!" one of the pirates grabbed Barbara by her throat and whispered something to her. Barbara started crying. Acker had to contact security and...where was Misti? He looked around to check if she had followed him or not.
//so what happened is: a student has a power that allows him to become whatever fictional character he is reading about, the gifted touched the books and absorbed the words in the books causing the pages to become blank. this student doesn't know about this power and it happened by accident. the power affected the students near the gifted hence why the entire crew of the jolly roger is present instead of just captain hook (and why the student dressed up like tinker bell is fine because she wasn't near the gifted). the power turned the weapons from props to real because the weapons are part of the characters. i hope this makes sense! i just wanted to spice things up a little xD oh btw you can move the npcs too of course, so feel free to have hook do some shenanigans if you'd like! lol//
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ignorance might not actually be bliss, but it is certainly less work
GROUP:Human
AGE:27 yrs old
PRONOUNS:She/her
HEIGHT:5'8"
SEXUALITY:Pansexual
OCCUPATION:Piano Tuner & Teacher
WRITTEN:33 posts
POINTS:
Post by Misti Manning on May 20, 2022 17:42:46 GMT -5
Misti was pleasantly buzzed, both from the alcohol and the job opportunities Acker had offered to procure for her. However, a man appeared in front of her in a 16th century style outfit, frills and all, asking a question that immediately ruined her good vibes: “Would you be my Juliet?” Misti blanched. “No.” He looked surprised by the bluntness of her response. She too was surprised – surprised that some kid about seven years younger than her would try a pickup line like that. Luckily one of his classmates scolded him before he could pester her for the reason she said no, or worse, start negging her (a tactic Misti had unfortunately witnessed many times), but, distracted by this exchange, Misti completely missed Acker’s discovery of the blank books. She only heard the screams that suddenly erupted from the fundraiser hall. She and the students surrounding her froze, staring wide-eyed in the direction the screams came from. Acker had a different response. “Ack- Mr. Villin!” She tried to grab his arm as he rushed past her but he was too fast, out of the door before she could completely process what was happening. After a moment of deliberation she went after him, driven by a misguided sense of loyalty that could only be conjured by a few drinks and promises of more work. When she got to the hall, she quickly spotted him standing alone. Marching over, she reached out to grasp his sleeve near his wrist. She still wasn’t quite comfortable enough to touch him but she needed his attention and, in her semi-inebriated state, she was seriously considering dragging him off for his own safety (or rather, for her peace of mind). “Prank or not, why would you run towards the screams?” She almost hissed. Did he have no sense of self-preservation at all? The sound of someone crying drew her attention away. Barbara. It looked like a few of Acker’s students had gone off-script and were causing havoc, but this one was being especially egregious, having a hold of the poor woman’s throat. “Oh for goodness–” Misti abandoned Acker almost as quickly as she came to ‘rescue’ him. If the gossip about Barbara was true, she certainly had her faults, but Misti would not stand by and watch a fellow woman be manhandled. She called out to the pirate as she approached. “Hey! Pal! Turn it down a notch. Can’t you see she’s upset? There’s a thing called taking it too far.” “You think this is taking it too far?” he grinned, tilting his head. “Would I be saying anything if I didn’t?” she snapped back. “Let her go, asshole.”He gave her a considering look. “Okay.” He pushed Barbara aside, who yelped and fell to the floor. There was a flash of scarlet on her arm – wait, had his knife actually nicked her? Misti thought they were props! And then he was advancing on Misti. Quite quickly. Her eyes darted around, looking for something to defend herself with, but she was standing in the middle of the hall. There was nothing in reach. Her gaze dropped to her feet. Okay, maybe there was one thing. She bent to yank one of her high heels off, then threw it, hard, at the pirate’s face. He froze in his tracks, his expression aghast. “Did you just throw a shoe at me?” Misti didn’t reply. She took the opportunity to pull her other heel off and threw that one at him too, but this time he saw it coming and batted it out of the way. With no more projectiles at her disposal, she darted in the direction of the piano, planning to place it between her and the unruly pirate so he couldn't reach her. (( Nicholas Acker Villin I love it, teach me to be as creative as you lmao))
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