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Post by Tout-Perd on Jun 6, 2007 10:35:09 GMT -5
OOC: Okay, this basically is something that was inspired by the Anime/Manga trend of drawing characters in different, period outfits. This'll be a sort of out of continuity deal, set in the late 1920s. Basically, just translate your character into a powerless version that shows up in Chicago. I think it'll be fun to spin things around a little.
BIC: Zebedee Taylor hunched over the railing at the docks, letting the spray from Lake Michigan blow full into his face. It flecked his glasses, but he cared not. He wore a rumpled suit, several stains adorning its battered fabric. Until two weeks ago, he had been the preacher for a small Baptist congregation in southern Buffalo. But he had dabbled in the doctrines of other denominations, and the church board had removed him rather hastily. Denied the church-provided housing, pay, and food, he had decided it would probably be best for him to seek work elsewhere. He had taken a ferry across Erie, train across Michigan, and then yet another ferry to bring him here.
He had owned other clothes, but his suitcase had been misplaced. Now, all he had was the suit he had preached in every Sunday for five years, and some odd pens and pencils in his pocket. He sighed, and leaned out farther over the railing. Lake Michigan didn't seem to notice him, continuing in its windwhipped way as it had for eons.
"Excuse me, sir. Would you mind making room on the railing for one more?" A voice, silky and polite, petitioned the ex-preacher to move aside. Zebedee complied, and a young girl, probably around twenty years of age, took her place beside him. Funny, Zebedee thought to himself. I'm only thirty, but I've already started thinking of people less than ten years younger than me as children. What does THAT say about me?
"What brings you here?" Zebedee said, brushing a wet piece of hair out of his eyes. "Weather doesn't lend itself very well to a picnic."
"I wanted to forget myself for a little while." The girl responded, and turned to face him. She was short and sturdy of build, but still had a very feminine grace to her. It was evident she had at least some cultured upbringing, from her posture and tone.
"Zebedee Taylor."
"Thyra Russell."
OOC: *hopes he left enough opening for people to get in.*
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Post by kazkame on Jun 6, 2007 21:05:34 GMT -5
Jason wanted to take a walk it had been a long day at the steel mill. His overalls were stained beyond recognition and his face was full of smudges as black as the coal he mined. The lake usually calmed him down after the crap he had to deal with like the horrible conditions and the equally horrible boss. He sighed deeply as he walked among the people trying to get home. One of these people bumped into him and keeps walking with out even a look back. “Jerk”, he said quietly to himself, passing the crowd he finally made it to the docks.
The docks reminded him of his wife, she passes away after contracting a disease. He saw that the docks were not as open as he like but, he didn’t mind company. Jason began to pull his handkerchief out of his pocket. “Gotta wipe these smudges off, mama always said a first impression is everything.” when he reached the group he saw a priest and a woman talking. “Excuse me. Am I interrupting something?” he said with a smile.
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Post by bulbaboy on Jun 11, 2007 12:22:52 GMT -5
Sly had been working in the City Archives all day. A recent fire had caused several historical documents to become damaged with smoke and water and his job had been to decipher the smudges and re-write them so they could be filed and the originals placed in the basement. He had been doing this for almost 30 years and now, at the age of 47, he felt that most of his life had passed him by.
He ran his fingers through his slightly graying black hair, though as he liked to call it ‘salt and pepper’. He brought his hand back down and looked out into the water. The glasses perched at the end of his nose slipped a little so he turned away from the open water and leaned with his back against a railing, letting the breeze wash around him.
He reached into the pocket of his simple vest and pulled out a small knife. From his trouser pocket he pulled out and orange and began to peel off the rind. A few feet down from him was two men and a young lady. *Hummm…* he thought, *Looks like it’s a busy day.*
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jun 12, 2007 16:08:35 GMT -5
"Well, nothing that is so essential that it would be injurious to be disrupted. Just a couple of people brooding." Thyra responded, looking to Zebedee.
"What's weighing heavy on your soul, anyways, Miss Russell?" Zebedee took his friendly preacher tone once more.
"Why don't you tell me first."
"As you desire. I used to preach in a church in Buffalo-"
"What kind?"
"Baptist."
"Ah."
"And then I changed denominations. Needless to say, my church wasn't very sympathetic. If they had kicked me out any quicker I would have had my hair blown off."
"That's pretty rough, I guess."
"So, now it's your turn, Thyra." Zebedee said expectantly.
"Well, it's kinda... Oh, forget it. Errr... You know the local paper, the Illinois Morning?"
"Heard of it."
"My father is... was... the head editor there."
"Fired too?"
"You could say that. One too many editorials about the crime rate, corrupt cops, and excessive gang violence, and..." Thyra's face went blank for a moment.
"He was found in his office, shot fifty-ought times last Thursday."
OOC: The plot thickens!
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Post by kazkame on Jun 17, 2007 11:43:16 GMT -5
OOC: umm who is up.. ?
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jun 17, 2007 22:35:27 GMT -5
OOC: Either you or Bulbs doing a spit take, or somebody else enterring.
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Post by bulbaboy on Jun 18, 2007 14:21:41 GMT -5
OOC- Yeah I could do a great sit take I think. I don't have much time left on here today so I'll post tommorow unless someone beats me too it.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jun 18, 2007 18:53:53 GMT -5
"Fifty-three times, if I'm not mistaken. And I wrote the article myself, so I sure hope I'm not mistaken."
The dashing, attractive young man hadn't been able to resist overhearing their talk about Mr. Russell, nor to resist approaching the four people standing together on the dock. Now he took off his fedora in salutation and bowed slightly.
"Nice to see you again, Miss Russell. How's your mother? Is she ready for the interview yet? My name's Terrian Brogue," he added for the benefit of the other gentlemen present, none of whom he recognized. "Journalist for the Illinois Morning. Strange business indeed, to be writing about the death of your own boss. I hope that never happens to me again."
He flashed around a winning smile, well aware that it would probably look more suspicious than anything. What did he care? He hadn't bumped old Russell off. For that matter, he didn't know who had. It was a pity; Russell had been a good man. Perhaps around Russell's daughter he could pick up a few leads. He could never resist playing detective. There'd be a story in it somewhere.
Not to mention, he noticed for the second time, she was pretty. Of course, such considerations were hardly appropriate at the time. Particularly because he could not quite remember her first name. He resolved to work on that using his finely-honed powers of observation.
It was a good thing, Terrian reflected as he continued to smile, that his mind worked so quickly. Otherwise it might have taken an awfully long time to think all of these things and he was not much of one for awkward silences.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 2, 2007 23:41:43 GMT -5
OOC: Gonna post soon and keep moving unless Kaz and Bulbs respond soon.
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Post by kazkame on Jul 3, 2007 9:47:15 GMT -5
OOC: i cant think right now so go ahead
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Post by bulbaboy on Jul 3, 2007 10:40:43 GMT -5
OOC- I've tried to post five times now but they were all rubbish.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 19, 2007 22:05:19 GMT -5
"Well, my mother hasn't really been herself, so to speak." Thyra paused, and produced a small mirror. She checked her appearance, ensuring that no tears had escaped. "She's been wandering around the house with a vacant expression on her face for the past couple days. She keeps on even setting his place at the table. I honestly doubt that anything she says would be worthwile information. She may even state that he's still alive."
"Any idea who did this?" Lee said, his voice gravelly and unsure.
"Well, I do have one lead, of sorts. Mister Brogue, were you in the office last Tuesday morning? I heard my father say something about some thugs, all with a distinctive tatoo of some sort, storming into the office the other day. He didn't say much else, though." Thyra said icily, her lips in a slight pout. She didn't like talking about her missing father, but it had to be done. Justice would be served, even if they had to do it themselves.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jul 19, 2007 22:48:12 GMT -5
Terrian shook his head. "I wasn't in the office Tuesday morning, but I know what you're referring to. Everyone in the building was talking about that visit. They all agreed that the tattoo was a golden circle with a red thing inside it, but no one was clear on exactly what. I heard a lot of guesses along the lines of lizards, dragons, snakes... Everyone was blaming everyone else for not sneaking a photo. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful."
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 19, 2007 23:08:11 GMT -5
"That's okay, Terrian. You can't get all the details, all the time. You're just one man, after all," Thyra said, adjusting her beret. She looked around for a moment, and then to Zebedee.
"Well, you wouldn't be familiar with anything of the sort, would you?"
"Nope. Out of towner. Besides, it seems like it would have a fairly arcane meaning to any of us. It probably means some kind of membership in an organization or something." Zebedee said, fiddling with a heavy ink pen that he had produced from his pocket.
"From what I hear, the police keep files on most gangs in the city, regardless of their inability to enact anything against them. Maybe the city has something in their files that could help with that, somehow..." Thyra said, chewing on her lip.
"But the police have been keeping me out of their station the whole time. I think that they're afraid that I'll try to muckrake them or something like that. Being a newspaperman's daughter sometimes gets rather irksome... It's like everybody thinks you're out to know their sins."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Jul 19, 2007 23:24:46 GMT -5
"That's okay, Terrian. You can't get all the details, all the time. You're just one man, after all," Thyra said, adjusting her beret. OOC - Heh. Heh heh heh.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 24, 2007 18:49:56 GMT -5
OOC: Bulbs/Kaz/Photu?
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Post by kazkame on Jul 24, 2007 19:05:29 GMT -5
OOC: sry for the lateness lee summer hw is a bitch and drains my imagination
Jason began to remember the subject at hand. the paper had said something about a man who had been murded by a gang in his office. A tear fell from his soot cover face as the memory of his father began to flash before his eyes. he quickly wpeded it away with his sleeve to keep his tough appearance up. " well it seem we have a mystery here, but i think the detectives can have their time with this case and solve it", he said coughing every so often.
He turned towards Thyra, " well young lady if you ever need a home cooked meal just pop by oak street and look for bernie's. Just say jason sent'cha and everything will be taken care of." A smile apeared as he took of his hat and tuned toward the priest looking man." well sonny, what'ch do'in out here at this time of night?"
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Post by bulbaboy on Jul 25, 2007 10:42:38 GMT -5
Sly wasn’t sure if it was his old age making him soft or the slight promise of excitement that his subconscious was whispering to him, but he wanted to help. The middle aged man threw the rest of his orange in the rubbish bin nearby and leaned in towards the others.
“Hello, my names Sly,” He began casually but then dropped his voice so only the small group could hear him. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I work in the city archives and I was wondering if you needed any help retrieving files from the police station. If you’re interested I may have an idea.”
OOC- If you actually want to plan something out Lee PM me. Otherwise we’ll just keep improvising.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jul 29, 2007 21:54:08 GMT -5
Thyra looked Jason in the eyes, and smiled weakly.
"Thank you. Any hospitality I can find really makes life that much better. Camaradery helps me forget my woes, I suppose." She nodded with a slight note of uncertainty, and ran her fingers through her hair as Jason turned to Zebedee.
"I was just thinking. But now, I believe that our purpose is to help Thyra here." Zebedee said with his sympathetic tone. When Sly addressed them, Zebedee couldn't help but smile and murmur a prayer of thanks.
"I'm glad to meet you Sly. I take it that you've heard our names already, no?" He then looked at Thyra. "Do you believe that the police will get anything accomplished here?" She frowned, and became slightly paler at the thought.
"No. My father was killed after writing ABOUT police corruption and organized crime bribes. They have no reason to try. We're in this by ourselves." She clenched her petite fists.
"Sly, I think that I'll take you up on that offer."
OOC: I know what I want you to find, but I'll leave figuring out how we get to the police records to you.
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Post by bulbaboy on Aug 1, 2007 16:43:43 GMT -5
OOC-Woot!
BIC- Sly smiled. “Good, but I don’t think we should talk about it here. This place will start getting busier soon so I think we need to go somewhere more private. Anyone have a place?”
OOC- Very short… But hey, it’s good. lol
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Post by kazkame on Aug 1, 2007 20:11:02 GMT -5
" I'f i could sugest maybe the coal factory which not that far away. The guards have all gone home at this time and the place is deserted. It's quiet and noboby will disturb us.", said jason in a humble tone.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 6, 2007 21:19:55 GMT -5
"Good enough, I'd say." Thyra said curtly, looking around to be sure that nobody was watching their rapidly growing party. "What about the rest of you, sound alright?"
"I'm fine with it. Not like I can get any grimier." Zebedee muttered to the group, gesturing towards his tatters.
OOC: All that needs to be said.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Aug 6, 2007 22:32:20 GMT -5
"As long as you're quite certain nobody will bother us," said Terrian. "I don't think this would be a good time for the police to notice a band of suspicious individuals conferring in an empty coal factory."
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Post by kazkame on Aug 7, 2007 20:05:43 GMT -5
"all right" he said with a gruff voice *cough* "excuse me, age might be catching up to me sooner than expected." With a slight movement of his body he began to walk towards the coal factory. " hum di dum hum di dum dum di dum" he hummed as a streetlight began to flicker in a distance.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Aug 20, 2007 12:32:12 GMT -5
"Probably best if we split up to avoid suspicion." Zebedee muttered, and then looked around at the group, analyzing them.
"I'll go with Jason. We're both filthy, and that alone should keep people from questioning us. As for you three, take a long route around the block, maybe grab a sandwich along the way or something. I assume that you three would look more natural as a group." Zebedee declared, and set out after Jason.
"Okay, you two heard him. Quick walk around the block, maybe grab a meal. From what I recall, Sly, the city archives had a fire recently, no? Well, we'll say we're doing a follow up story to it if anybody asks." Thyra rapidly planned this out in her head. The prospect of finding out who had ruined her family was intoxicating. The idea that they might be able to get revenge? Even moreso, despite the fact that it might be out of her reach. Vigilante justice! What a rush!
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Post by bulbaboy on Aug 20, 2007 16:25:10 GMT -5
Sly nodded as the three set off, “Yes and as unfortunate as it was it may be our advantage in getting those…” He trailed off as they came around the corner where a small group of people were milling around at a sidewalk café. Across from there was a street vendor which Sly and the group began casually walking towards.
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