FIRST SPARK | SETTLING INTO A RHYTHM

[interlucere]

WHO: Lucille, and you!
WHERE: Various places around town, focusing mostly around Recollé University and Catmosphere Café
WHEN: Early October, before the start of the infection
WHAT: Lucille is a busybody + a general catch-all. Closed prompts found in the comments!
WARNINGS: None currently!

[ Throughout the first week of October, Lucille does her best to keep herself busy. With all of the mystery revolving around Retrospec, different lives, murders, and any number of other oddities, sitting idle is only going to force her to let the mounting anxiety she’s been feeling get even worse.

She can be found doing the following during this time: ]

A:
[ During the day, Lucille can be found wandering around the Recollé University campus in an effort to locate weird and interesting things. Her current obsession? Locating bizarre statues and trying to interpret what they are. Is she an artist? Gosh no. But does she have opinions about art? You bet! Get ready to hear them if you walk by.

Or maybe you can help her figure out what these are, because she sure has no clue! ]

B:
[ During odd hours of the day (and sometimes, gasp, at night!), Lucille can be found curled up somewhere around the college campus, either dozing off or sound asleep. The common room in the first-year dorms, the library, various places around the student union building; really anywhere she can find a comfortable spot and has a moment to rest her eyes. More often than not, she can be found surrounded in books and notes, pouring over any variety of study materials. On the rare occasion, the small blond may be caught (again, gasp!) not studying, but instead with some massive book in her lap. The guilty pleasure she’s currently reading? Some kind of campy-looking fantasy, or a classic mystery/thriller novel.

She probably shouldn’t be sleeping here, but it’s okay. Probably. ]

C:
[ And on Friday night, Lucille can be found at the Catmosphere Café. It’s been a long Monday to Friday for her, and she needs some time to recharge. What better way to do that than with a bunch of cats! She can be seen trying to get the attention of various furry patrons around the cafe, but some of them seem to be playing hard to get.

Help her make a new friend and she’ll think you’re the cat’s meow! ]

( If you have an idea for a prompt that is not here, hmu at impearls! )

Comments

Closed to Rayne, Elliot, Natalia and Eren

[interlucere]

[ When was the last time that they had gotten together to do something like this? It feels like forever. Even after moving into the city, things have been hectic. But with everything that’s been going on—and the fact that Elliot and Natalia have been wrapped up in this for much longer—this is probably a welcome departure from abnormal norm.

The air is crisp that autumn morning, and the colors in the trees are near their peak. It’s a perfect day for an outing. Lucille arrives at Elliot’s house a bit after Rayne (more time for her to get ready, and less time for her to be in the kitchen), chiming in like the chipper morning person that she is. ]

Everybody here?

( Feel free to approach this as a free-for-all thread. Don’t worry about tag order, go wild! )

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot's not exactly a morning person, but he forced himself to be awake for his cousins. Right now, he's in the middle of making sure they have everything. ]

Yep! I'm here!

[Elliot you live here]

[coronae]

Of course! [ rayne looks pretty cheerful, as usual. her hair is braided back and she's in jeans and a cute halloween-cat themed sweater, with some dangly pumpkin earrings...

yeah. she's that kind of person.

unlike elliot and exactly like lucille, rayne is a chipper morning person. ]

Which section do we want to hit first? I kind of want to see the elephants!

Closed to Rayne

[interlucere]

[ Making matching costumes with Rayne has been a yearly tradition as far back as Lucille can remember, and nothing is going to get in the way of this. This city can relax for a little while and let them have this. Don’t ruin this, Recollé, Lucille will be very put out if you do. Halloween is sacred, don’t touch it.

With a list of things to find in hand, the older sister glances back at Rayne from over her shoulder, an eager smile on her face. ]

All right, where to first?

[coronae]

[ traditions are dear to rayne. especially family traditions. and even more especially family traditions with her twin. rayne doesn't know if regular siblings are more or less close than twins, but she's always felt a bond with her older sister and she's never felt the need some siblings get for constant time apart.

lucille isn't just her sister - she's rayne's best friend, really. today she's bouncing along behind lucille, a grin in place. ]

Hmmm! Let's stop by the fabric store first! I want to get some things for our skirts and bodices...

Closed to Li-Na

[interlucere]

[ It’s weird, she’s been living here for a few months now, but Lucille hasn’t gotten a chance to check out Expressive. She’s embarrassingly easy to please when it comes to coffee or tea, so admittedly she never saw the need. But after the plug from Li-Na, she knows she would be a terrible friend not to pay them a visit.

She hadn’t planned on visiting while the other girl was working, but as Lucille walks up toward the bar, she smiles brightly as she sees a familiar face. ]

So I did manage to catch you! Lucky me!

Re: Closed to Li-Na

[invocate]

[It's instinctive at this point. The bell chime sounds and Li-Na glances up to see if someone is entering or exiting. Entering. She doesn't even register the person's face before the cheery greeting leaves her mouth.]

Hello welcome to Expressi-

[Oh! She knows this person!]

Hey! Lucille! Yes, you came in just in time. My shift ends in fifteen minutes.

[Provided they don't get a sudden busload of high school athletes or something.]

Closed to Togusa

[interlucere]

[ The first opportunity Lucille gets, she makes time to head down to the precinct. She probably should have given it time to not seem eager, but she’s never been the type who could stay still for long. Nothing here makes sense, and the potential to help gives her something to focus that restless energy on. Lucille wants to help; she isn’t sure if she’s qualified, but at least she won’t have to sit and wait for too long.

Dressed for the occasion, she is led back toward Togusa office, her attention trailing off to discreetly watch the officers in the bullpen. It’s her first time seeing this side, and there’s an air about it that makes her want to linger longer. But she has a mission here. Maybe she would get a chance later to ask questions. Hopefully.

The receptionist leaves her at his door. That’s when the adrenaline starts to kick in. There’s no reason for it, but it makes her shake out her hands just the same. All right, here we go. Time to take the plunge. She knocks; ]

Mr. Togusa? It’s Lucille.

Re: Closed to Togusa

[standalonehuman]

Togusa rises to open the door, and he smiles warmly. Detective rank has its privileges, and he is dressed in a casual suit, rather than his uniform. "Miss Fairweather. A pleasure to meet you." He bows slightly, and steps out of the way. "Please, have a seat."

Although his desk has a lot of folders on it, they are stacked neatly. Half of them appear to be normal, but half of them are these black folders that have only increased in number over the last few months.

Togusa takes a seat in his own chair (why oh why did you give Togusa a spinny chair, he likes it too much). "Are there any other questions that I can answer first? I'm sure there have been strange things you've noticed over the last week."

Closed to Mariko

[interlucere]

[ To be honest, Lucille didn’t expect to hear back. She’s young, still early in her college career and relatively new to the city. She sent her resume out on a whim, assuming it would have a one-way trip to the shredder.

But instead, she got a response, and a request to meet in-person. Of course she said yes. She nearly dropped her phone when she got the message... but she’ll refrain from mentioning that part to Ms. Aramaki. It’s just coffee, she reminds herself; it isn’t a job offer. But people would still kill for an opportunity like this, and she isn’t going to squander it.

With a time, date and location set, Lucille makes sure that she is at least fifteen minutes early, dressed for the interview she hopes for but doesn’t expect. Sitting at a table near the front of the coffee shop, she waits, looking much more relaxed than she feels. ]

[megatechbody]

[Twenty minutes before the scheduled meeting, Mariko is on the far side of the coffee shop. The resume had been a lucky surprise, one of the last things she received before the temporary closure of her office. An action fueled by paranoia, but the Zee case was getting to her even before she'd gotten any proper headway.

She avoids sighing too loudly as she scrolls through her phone. Keep it together.

Fifteen minutes before and a young woman she can only assume is Lucille Fairweather walks in. She double checks the clock to be sure and smiles into her coffee. A good sign.

And for ten minutes, Mariko watches.

There is so much that people say without saying and Ms.Fairweather, very clearly wants to be taken seriously. She's got a decent sense of herself, dressed professionally without looking too stuffy. A table by the front so she can see who's coming in. It's hard to ascertain if she's nervous - she probably is, but it's good that she's not fidgety or overly twitchy.

Five minutes before the meeting time, Mariko picks up her coffee and approaches. She's dressed a hair less formally, but hopefully that helps her prospective secretary relax.]

Ms.Fairweather?

Closed to Dave

[interlucere]

[ After the whole bug business, Lucille knows she can’t just wait for someone to come save her the next time she gets attacked. There is no if here—she just assumes it will happen, and that she needs to be proactive. Getting caught out would be bad, and while she probably couldn’t get away with carrying a sword in public (although Nat does, so maybe..?), the skills could probably transfer elsewhere.

Also swords are cool. People who use swords are cool. Thus Dave is cool and she wants him to help her be cool. Little does she know…

Calling him out to the park, Lucille greets him with an enthusiastic wave. Wearing something easy to move in, her hair tied into a ponytail, she looks more like she’s ready for a jog than a fight. Lowering her arm, she lets her hand rest at her hip. ]

So I know how to swing a bat pretty well. I doubt that translates over, but at least you know where the bar is.

[ In a word: Low. ]

[parodeity]

Well, that's at least knowin' how to swing something?

[ in contrast, dave turns out to be a tall skinny white dude in black skinny jeans and a loose red hoodie. he also is inexplicably wearing shades in the middle of the day. at least the red hoodie is some color, since he's pale and white-blonde, and otherwise is only saved by freckles. at least he does have swords on him...

which aren't in sight. he threw two swords into his sylladex (i.e. personal hammerspace) and then went to meet lucille. ]

So, I figured you didn't have a sword, so I brought an extra. Although we can use practice ones if you'd prefer?

Closed to Leo

[interlucere]

[ This isn’t usually her job. But when she was approached to fill in as a student shadower for one of her classmates, Lucille was more than happy to oblige. Of course! It’s not too hard, right? She just has to keep an eye on a high school student for a few class periods, piece of cake. She is more than happy to help.

She sees the name of the student she’s assigned to, and immediately something jumps out at her. Why did that name sound familiar? It’s probably a coincidence. She hasn’t been here long enough to know anyone from the high school, so she’s probably just imagining it.

Heading into the room of chattering teenagers, Lucille glances at the nametags they wear in an effort to find who she’s partnered with. Not having any luck, she calls out through the crowd: ]

Leo Valdez? I’m looking for a Leo Valdez. Are you here? Raise your hand if you’re here!

[ Well that’s not subtle at all. Hope he likes public embarrassment. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Luckily, it takes a lot more than calling him out like this to embarrass one Leo Valdez! He probably does worse to himself on a daily basis, so when she calls him, he hops right out of his seat to flash her a grin.

And now that he’s gotten a good look at his escort… Well, he may not have wanted to be here in the first place, but it’s nice to know he’s apparently spending the day with a pretty lady. That should make the whole “this is why college is so great and totally worth being in debt for the rest of your life!” lectures worth it. ]

You rang?

A!

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt tugs at his backpack as he makes his way along campus - and he happens across a familiar face near a pair of sculptures of weird heads. He comes to a stop nearby and chuckles.]

Oh hey Lucille! I see you found the local eggheads!

[interlucere]

[ Hearing a familiar voice, Lucille turns to see Kurt. Giving him an amused smile, she turns her attention back to the weird heads. ]

Local eggheads? There are more of them out there?

[ Is she going to need to go on an egghead hunt? ]

B:

[oniipeach]

[ And when she wakes up in the library, there's a heavyish guy's jacket wrapped around her shoulders. Its owner is nowhere to be seen at first glass, but Touya - and she may or may not recognize it as his - is in his own nook on the route between her and the library's exit, rapidly taking notes from a couple of thick chemistry books. ]

[interlucere]

[ Well, this is unexpected. Usually she's a light sleeper, so the fact that someone managed to drape their coat on her is bordering on impressive. Should she just leave it here on the table? Or..?

No, she's going to look for the owner. Poking her head into the nook he's in, Lucille smiles, his jacket folded over her arm. ]

Fancy seeing you here.

[ She has a hunch it might be his. ]

b

[twostringsonebow]

[Well... It seems she'd been attempting to get through her latest book, before she plopped off like that, and Goro watches her for a long moment before sitting down a bit away with his own thriller. He'll let her sleep for a little while more, but eventually he will give her a gentle shake.]

Miss Lucille? The library's going to close its doors in half an hour, so if you'd like to get any reading done you should do it now.

[He knows they share maybe like, one or two classes given they're around the same sort of studies, but she's a sweetheart. Goro won't let her book go neglected like that. And he won't let her sleep til closing time.]

[interlucere]

[ Normally a light sleeper, she must have been behind on rest, because the moment he begins to shake her shoulder, Lucille nearly jumps out of her skin. The book topples out of her lap and onto the floor in front of her, and she flounders a bit. ]

Wha—!

[ Oh gosh where is she what's going on who—

She looks up, blinking almost comically quickly. It takes her a few seconds to process. ]

...Goro?

[ You nearly scared her to death, geez. ]

B

[dornen_kiste]

_{[ It wasn't the first time Yogi had seen this young woman around the campus, passed out in one fashion or another. It concerned him, just a little. But she had seemed okay. But the day he saw her passed out and papers scattered was the day he decided to come up, brushing the papers together reaching out to gently shake her shoulder. It was a coffee time of morning, and here she was, asleep. Had she been here all night? ]}

Um, miss? Miss are you all right?

oh my god

[interlucere]

[ She might have been here all night. Or, more likely, Lucille found her mind buzzing at some unholy hour of the morning, and instead of keeping her sister up, she decided to make camp in this commons area. If Yogi chooses to look at the papers scattered around her, he will have a hard time figuring out just what she's working on; subjects running the gamut between scholarly and just plain Weird, and all written with immaculate penmanship.

She doesn't wake up when he goes to tidy up her work space, but the moment he shakes her shoulder, Lucille jumps. That carefully stacked pile of notes he's worked on? She knocks it over, papers scattering in every direction. Rip. ]

Wha—!

[ ohgoshwhattimeisitwhereisshe?! ]

Closed to Akira

[interlucere]

[ When Lucille put out the call to her admittedly small list of trusted contacts, she hadn't expected to get a bite. More to the point, she hadn't expected to get a bite from someone who she vaguely recognized from class.

She also didn't expect a seven-hour bus ride to Magatus. With the snow pack drawing lower with the changing of the season, they would have to settle for a late-morning departure. They wouldn't have much in the way of daylight to question the locals—not that it matters, as they have nothing to tell.

So, as the sun begins to dip beneath the horizon, Lucille waits by the front of the ski lodge for Akira to return with any news. She has a theory, but she wants to hear his thoughts on the matter first. ]

[maskreant]

[ This was the perfect time to disclose that he is the person talking to her on the network!! Also finding charms to help others. Two birds with one stone right here—except this quest is going south faster than he expected. The train ride was already gruesome and Akira kept pacing around and counting at times on the cart like a weirdo.

Anyway, He was desperately hoping they could do this quest in daylight, so he's a lot more antsy as the sun sets on Magatus... While not completely turned yet, there are horns hidden in his curls somewhere, then he's feeling rather peckish? Not good. He does his best to ask around and see if the locals know anything.

He unfortunately returns empty-handed and keeps his distance from her when he arrives. ]

I hope you had more luck than me...

[ Doubt that this Illuminitron exists, but the mailbox hasn't led him astray on these quests just yet. ]

Do you think it'll be like a lighthouse in the dark?

[ Ugh. ]