03.2023 | WELCOME BACK! Hello friends old and new! I'm so excited to welcome you all back to SITW! I've made some changes to the plot and added the ability to play supernatural charcaters! So come and check it out! I can't wait to jump back into this little town with all of you!
A strange history surrounds the town, it is a place where mysterious and supernatural things have been known to happen. The reputation of the town reguarly draws in visitors and newcomers alike. While some residents avidly believe in the supernatural, others are far more skeptical. What do you believe?
Another fire. They seemed to be coming in more and more lately. It was late in the season for fire, the heat of summer having died down but the fires seemed to be picking up. Most of them originated from the forest but there were a few homes on the outskirts that seemed to be in danger lately as well. They got the call from the paramedics that a new patient was on their way after their barn had caught fire on the outskirts where they had been working. Severity level seemed severe enough for urgent medical attention but wasn't necessarily immediately life threatening.
Regardless, the staff was prepared for when they arrived, Valkyrie as the Head Nurse was leading the charge and would be the first to greet the paramedics when they arrived. "Patient name and details of injuries?" she asked as soon as they had pulled in. Standard protocol type questions.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Oct 25, 2023 2:33:28 GMT
Every emergency call from the outskirts filled the fire chief with dread. Small town or not, Sweetwater was a big place, and by the time they could answer calls this far out especially for fires, things were usually a bit out of hand. Especially lately. If not for the rangers, Ferris was convinced half the farmlands would have burned by now.
Stretched thin as they were, Ferris was currently filling in for one of the paramedics. He helped the hospital team unload the ambulance and move them over onto another gurney. He handed over the poor farmhand's wallet with his ID and other information. "Connor Holden, 20s, third degree burns on their extremities and smoke inhalation," he said roughly, smothering his own cough. Conducting some impromptu CPR on site hadn't been ideal, but better than the alternative. "We think he got trapped in the building after freeing the horses." Brave idiot.
Ferris glanced up and noted the silvery blonde young woman next to him. He'd seen her a few times. One of the nurses. He was chronically bad at remembering names, but faces he was good with. Considering she was who was asking the questions, she must be in charge.
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Oct 29, 2023 19:50:16 GMT
Valkyrie accepted the wallet, she'd go through it later as she cataloged it but now wasn't the time so she tucked it into the pocket of her black scrubs before she scribbled down the notes that had been offered to her. Only once they were written down did she look up to thank the paramedic but found the Fire Chief there instead. It wasn't the first time he'd been there and surely wouldn't be the last. "Thanks Chief," she said. She had always thought he was a very attractive man and if she hadn't been working then she would have surely got butterflies in this moment. Instead she was fully focused on the task at hand.
The man, Connor, was rushed into the building where a doctor would come into the room just after they wheeled him inside and other nurses began to make sure his vitals remained where they should.
"You've had to fill in with the paramedics more lately," she commented as she finished her notes. "Been seeing you around here more often. I just hope I don't have to see you on one of those stretchers one day," she said with a warm, glowing smile. She knew his job was dangerous and with the increased fires...she hoped no one was starting to slack in safety measures is all.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Oct 29, 2023 20:46:27 GMT
Ferris hardly noticed her slight surprised, focused more on helping turn over his charge to the other nurses and make sure it was a smooth transition. He followed them a few steps but stopped short of the ER entrance. They would handle things from here, and if they needed anything else, they would let him know when he followed up later for the incident report.
He turned away from the doors, unbuttoning his coat to cool off, helmet tucked under one arm. Ferris glanced over at the woman, rifling through his thoughts for a name to match her pretty face. Her smile was disarming. He nodded, clearing his throat with another muffled cough. "Just trying to make sure everyone gets enough sleep," he confirmed. They had the man-power, but more fires than normal cut into much needed downtime.
"Wouldn't be the first time," he said with a shrug. It was a dangerous job, but so far, besides a few minor bumps and bruises, his team was fairing alright. The last time he himself had been to the ER had been last year. It was actually quite a good record for him. Ferris used the moment to search her scrubs for a name badge, only to discover it was on the opposite side where he couldn't quite see. "You're the head nurse?" He guessed with another cough, watching his team reorganize the back of the ambulance in preparation to head back.
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Nov 21, 2023 16:34:46 GMT
What was it about a uniform? She was pretty sure that every girl she knew had a thing for a man in uniform and the specific uniform hardly mattered. The Chief was standing there looking all rugged and manly with his helmet under his arm and smudges of dirt, sweat, and ash on his face. It was a good look, she had to admit. On top of all that, he seemed to be a genuinely good guy, taking care of others by volunteering himself to work more. Impressive really when he probably could have assigned others to those extra shifts. He was the boss after all. Yet here he was, taking on the responsibility personally.
She handed off her notes to another nurse who came back after getting Connor into one of the treatment rooms. "Hmm?" she replied briefly at his question before it fully registered. "Oh, yes, I am. Valkyrie Winter. Did you need to speak with the doctor? I could go get her instead?" she suggested, assuming that he might be asking because he needed something she couldn't offer in her position.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 21, 2023 20:44:50 GMT
There was just something about blondes that always did it for him. Of course, he was sure a lot of guys felt that way. Valkyrie in particular always had a sort of elegance and glow about her. Even after a long shift in black scrubs. It wasn't the first time he had noticed, but much like this time, they were both working.
The handing over of notes and other paperwork confirmed he was relieved of his charge, but he wasn't in a rush. He and his coworkers could take a breather here and he preferred to ensure he wasn't needed for further information or a ride to the town over. He did a casual inspection of his uniform and personal gear. A little more scuffed up than normal but seemed to be in working order.
Ferris shook his head. He knew people after living here for a handful of years now, but he didn't really know anyone, even if there were some he wished he knew better. "Ferris," he traded names. "No, just...the work you and your team do here is impressive. And so are you." he added, clearing his throat. He never had been the sort who was good with words.
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Nov 27, 2023 1:12:07 GMT
Ferris. It was a name she'd never heard before but it fit him well she thought. His words made an instant blush rise to her cheeks in surprise. She didn't know what she had been expecting but such a fine compliment was certainly not it. "Oh," she said, her voice a little breathless, "well that's very kind of you, Ferris. Thank you." Being a genuinely humble person, she had no idea what she had done to make her think she was 'impressive' but it was one of the best compliments she'd ever been given before.
"Though I'd have to say the same for you. The work you do is anything but mediocre." Certainly quite impressive himself, fire chief and all that, and a damn good one from what she'd seen of him so far.
She felt a little unsure of herself and was looking for a reason she could slip away like she usually did when she wasn't sure what to do in a situation. However, she somehow found a small burst of courage and before she could stop herself she found herself asking. "Hey, would you like to maybe go out for coffee or something sometime?" The blush on her cheeks deepened. She shouldn't have asked that. He was gonna say no. For all she knew he was probably already married and she was just being unprofessional and inappropriate.
The funny thing was that Valkyrie was very confident in nearly every aspect of her life. Living countless lives would do that sort of thing. Yet her last relationship had really rocked her confidence in the 'men' department and she always felt unsure of herself when it came to even making friends with men.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 27, 2023 1:43:02 GMT
He was relieved when she took his compliment in stride. Proof he wasn't so terrible at conversing these days. Having it returned felt just as strange as when he had said it. He smiled though, because it did sound nice. "Thanks. Though, a good day for me is when no one notices I'm working." which, if not for any in patients, could probably be said of her too. When nothing concerning happened around town, when his services weren't needed, those were good days. Maybe not impressive, but he preferred that to the alternative sometimes. "But we're always ready, eh?" He added with another slightly easier smile.
Ferris glanced over to the entrance a few times, waiting out the clock a bit longer. Of course, the fire station wasn't that far away if the urgent care needed anything further. Still, his own work adrenaline prevented him noticing any uncertainty on Valkyrie's end. Her question caught him by surprise, half turning back to look at her ethereal features accented by a deep blush.
"Yeah, I'd l-like that," he said quickly, ever so faintly getting caught on the second work like he was about to say a different four-letter word starting with an "L" that was entirely too on the nose for him personally. He pushed forward. "The Nook has coffee or something," he said, mostly playing with her words but it came out more than a little smart. And then came the hard part, for both of them. "When are you free?"
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Nov 28, 2023 19:22:51 GMT
It was with a feeling of relief that he agreed, how embarrassing if he would have turned her down. She chuckled as he played on her own words and glanced out the door as if she could see The Nook from here. She couldn't of course. "Oh, um," yes, that was the hard part. With such a small town and only so many nurses, she worked a lot of shifts.
She pulled her phone out of the pocket of her black scrubs and pulled up the calendar app. "I get off tonight in a couple of hours, then I work a couple overnights after that so I guess I could do a morning those days...my next actual full day off isn't until...two weeks from today." She scrunched her nose and looked up at him. "Any of those work?" she said, knowing he was probably at least as busy as she was. Wouldn't it be her luck if they worked opposite schedules?
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 28, 2023 21:22:40 GMT
Ferris slid his hands into his turnout's pockets, glancing over at the truck to see Ethan grinning and flagging him down. The man gestured at his radio, but Ferris only shook his head. He'd turned his off. If there was something important, he was less than fifteen yards away. He wasn't about to have Valkyrie overhear whatever nonsense the others were discussing over the radio about him talking to the lovely young nurse.
He watched Valkyrie scroll through her calendar, feeling more and more let down as she continued. First at the sheer inconsistency of her schedule and then more and more at the lack of availability overlaps. For her to not have a full day off in so long was rough. He did, but he spent a good portion of his off days catching up on sleep. "Mine's a bit easier. Free Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays." Of course, when he did work the other days, they were literal 24 hours. Usually only an 8-10hr hard shift and then spending the rest of the day and night at the station. But it was all work. Even Wednesdays, he went in to catch up on reports or just to be around his work family while he did online classes or other things.
Since he as working right now, that meant the only available slot was tomorrow morning (a quick turnaround time for a casual maybe date). He was working right and wasn't sure how long of a day it would be. "Any other mornings?" Ferris asked hopefully. This was working out rather spectacularly poorly already.
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Nov 29, 2023 2:37:29 GMT
At least he had a consistent schedule. Wouldn't that be nice? She chewed on her lip thoughtfully as he asked about other mornings, scanning her phone for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays that she had available. It was early in the week so there were potential options without having to wait for her to have a day off. "Ummmm, looks like I could make this Friday work in the morning," she said with a hopeful smile as she looked up from her phone back to him. "Would that work for you? I could also do next Wednesday."
This was definitely a bit challenging but hopefully that was a sign it would be worth it. She could keep her fingers crossed.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 29, 2023 2:52:20 GMT
"Friday morning. 9am. Coffee and something." Set. Match. though in all honestly, he was relieved. He didn't believe in fate, but it would have been one hell of a frustrating and hard to ignore coincidence if their schedules had been opposite each other and not a single day lined up. But he was willing to be as flexible as he could. He didn't usually get called in on his off days, but sometimes his shifts ran long. He imagined she dealt with that and more.
Then came the other hurdle. Which, at this point, probably it was more of a mogul than a hill. "I don't have my phone on me." He never brought his personal cell phone with him on call. Sometimes he did in the truck, but once he was fully suited up, it wasn't useful to him. "Can I give you my number?" Ferris almost added that his reasoning was so she could text him the date and time, but he hadn't had even a casual date in ages. Besides, who was he kidding, he didn't use the calendar app on his phone for anything. But this way, if something did come up, they could talk. And, well...they could talk.
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Nov 29, 2023 17:53:52 GMT
Valkyrie smiled as they found a day that worked and put in her calendar right away. Not that she thought she'd forget, there was little chance of that but she was always very organized and liked to use her calendar as almost a sort of diary. It was helpful to remember when certain things happened when she was looking back on her year or trying to remember when she first met a new friend. "Perfect," she said as she hit save.
When he asked to exchange numbers she was more than happy to do so. It made sense too in case something came up and one was running late or, heaven forbid, had to cancel. "Of course," she said as she pulled up a new contact form on her phone and handed it to him so he could fill out his own information. "Here you go. I'll send you a message too so you'll have mine as well." As she passed the phone to him she was left with nothing else in her hands and she tucked her hands into the pockets of her scrubs as she took him in, fully in uniform. He was the exact picture of a firefighter that every girl imagined. Handsome, strong, a little rugged. She almost couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to meet up with her.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 29, 2023 22:39:45 GMT
Every moment the nurse spent looking down at her phone was a moment he could study her in silence. Knowing she had wanted to ask him out, even just for coffee and a chat, made him feel a little more comfortable that she was looking at him. It only seemed fair he allow himself to look back. If he was better (or worse) at flirting, he would have taken her use of the word perfect and repeated it back to her, because even in scrubs and stray bits of silver escaping her loose bun, that was what she was.
Ferris wasn't quite ready for her to simply hand over her phone, taking it in confused silence for a moment. Was this how people traded numbers these days? He supposed it made sense. Less room for error. He set his helmet back on his head to free up both hands to type. "Great." He punched in his number but purposefully left the 'name' sections blank so she could fill in whatever she wanted. Ferris handed Valkyrie her phone back and took his helmet off once again, sweat damp hair only more of a mess the second time around. He ran a hand through it to almost no effect. "We have to get back to the station. But I'll see you Friday, Valkyrie," he said in parting.
Post by Valkyrie Winter on Dec 18, 2023 20:32:57 GMT
Valkyrie had to fight the urge to bite her lip as she watched him typing in his number on her phone. His helmet back on and a perfect profile of his chiseled jawline and intimidating expression would have already had her melting, but his fingers through his sweaty hair nearly did her in. He had to know the kind of effect he had on women. He had to.
"Great, see you Friday," she said with a smile and watched him go. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she thought about seeing him again. The next few days were going to be quite distracting for her.