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?
The Sweetwater Fire House was tiny. Smaller even than the small station Ferris had trained in, enough that he certainly thought of it as a house rather than a station. One no less useful than the other, simply a distinction such as how one might use the words boat and ship. The garage serviced one engine and a couple trucks, one serving as more of a small ambulance and the other as a utility vehicle, for search and rescue or helping block off the roads to direct traffic. Until recently, none of them had been used all that much. Thankfully, all the original down time meant they had plenty of time to do maintenance and keep everything in tip top shape.
Most of the firefighters in the town were volunteers on a rotating schedule. Ferris was the only one who was fulltime, spending far too much of his daily life in the station. It was why he had taken up the riding instructor position earlier in the year. Because even he knew it was better for his mental health to get out of the same four walls.
Today he was checking over equipment from the last fire, this one close enough to town that they had been able to do something about it besides just containment. Ferris moved down the line inspecting gear, from boots to coats, to gloves, to tanks and masks and everything else they wore. Most of it their respective owners had seen to, but it helped his peace of mind to double check their efforts. To makes sure nothing was missed and everything was working how it ought to. It wasn't a particularly enjoyable task, but there was a routine to it that he didn't dislike. It was better than laundry, or washing the engine down, or cooking, as far as the fire chief was concerned. The point was to keep himself busy anyway.
His current company was the fire house's resident cat. The great and white tabby liked to follow just about anyone around, but Ferris could swear she harassed him for attention the most on purpose, knowing he wasn't a cat person. She kept trying to climb into his lap while he inspected uniforms and every time, he would nudge her away with his leg or arm. Only for her to come right back.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Oct 31, 2023 14:18:51 GMT
As a volunteer firefighter, Cisco had a much more ‘relaxed’ schedule for when he was supposed to be at the station. Which worked out nicely with his job at the tribune. Especially when he could do a lot of his work from his phone if they had any issues and needed him, plus he was just up the road from the Tribune Headquarters. Nice thing about being in a small town; nothing was to far to make a ‘quick run’ to.
Having checked in with his secretary to ensure he didn’t have any pressing issues to address, Cisco was in his black Escalade heading to the fire station. He pulled around back to the designated spaces for employees and volunteers and parked, stepping out of the vehicle and locking it before heading inside.
He wasn’t surprised to discover Ferris double checking the equipment, and was even less surprised to see their resident cat trying her best to get attention from Ferris. It was like she was determined to win him over eventually, and Cisco couldn’t help but chuckle. “I wonder if she’d stop pestering you if you paid her any mind. Because she doesn’t act like that with anyone else.” He spoke with a grin, walking over and scooping the cat up, much to her dismay. She didn’t seem to appreciate the disturbance and her ears went flat until he set her back down.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Oct 31, 2023 19:47:54 GMT
Even over the radio station quietly muttering in the background, the sound of footsteps behind him made Ferris look over his shoulder. He'd been a little on edge the last few days. Seeing Cisco though, he relaxed and glanced at his watch. That late already, despite it being only three in the afternoon.
"I'm an anti-cat person," he said. He'd made his preference of animals rather clear on a few occasions and this wasn't anything new. He was tempted to make a joke about the others ignoring her too, if they wanted to be bothered like this, but that was recognizing the animal more than he cared to. The cat, affectionately known by a few names but mostly called Meadow (not that Ferris called her anything besides 'cat' if he could help it) was unfortunately the social sort. Still a cat and therefore selective about what affection she wanted when, but nosy nonetheless.
Meadow hopped up on the bench Ferris sat on, attempting to crawl into his lap only to be nudged away again. Thankfully for both of them, he wasn't allergic, so it was just a problem of personal space and appropriate attention. "Reminds me of my ex," he grumbled.
Ferris looked over at Cisco again. "I didn't think you were on today," he said, honestly not sure what day of the week it was anymore. Admittedly he could be neurotic normally, but after that hike... he felt the opposite. "How's things at the Tribune?"
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 1, 2023 20:27:18 GMT
“Wait, you’re an ‘anti-cat person’?” Cisco couldn’t help but chuckle at the peculiar manner Ferris chose to explain himself. Anyone else simply might have said they just didn’t like cats. But ‘anti-cat person’? That was definitely a first for him. “I do believe you’re the only person I know who would chose to phrase it like that!” He grinned, watching at the cat continued in her pursuit of deriving affection from Ferris. A fruitless venture, but she was persistent nonetheless.
“Oh, was she a cat person, or just very persistent?” Cisco asked with a raised brow, intrigued by this little mention of his past. Outside do their work at the fire station, Cisco knew little of Ferris and he was curious to know more of his fire chief.
“Oh, I put the formal request to switch up my days two weeks ago. If I need to wait another week I can, I thought you said for me to wait two weeks to change the rotation.” He offered, clearly not Al all bothered by the confusion. He chalked it up to being swamped with the local fires, not to mention those in the forest lately. It was a wonder any of them got any rest. Cisco gave a half shrug and shook his head. “It’s a small town, so not much to report on other than the fires, and little goings on amongst the town folk. Oh, my best photographer is leaving. Gave her notice yesterday, so I’ll be needing a new photographer.”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 1, 2023 22:01:32 GMT
Ferris breathed out heavily as Cisco seemed to find his word choice amusing. It wasn't supposed to be funny. He snorted though as the man continued, feathers slightly less ruffled as he chose to take it as a compliment. Better than nothing, he supposed.
"If persistent is what you call someone when they get handsy with you after breaking off your engagement, then yes. Persistent." His tone was a forced kind of serious. Ferris had a lot of other words for Murphy. As strained as their relationship had gotten, as controlling as she was and as off the rails he'd been, as much as it hurt to have someone he loved walk out on him in the hospital with hardly a goodbye, he wasn't mad at her. At least not most of the time. He grimaced, wanting to ask something and not at the same time about Cisco's ex-wife before deciding it was too personal a topic, at least for himself.
The chief nodded as Cisco quoted Ferris back to himself, nudging Meadow away once again without looking at her. "You're fine. I think I updated the schedule, just don't remember. Let me know if I still have to fix it." He'd gotten used to most of the volunteers' schedules that he hardly changed the weekly version except around holidays. The last few weeks had just been a blur, but he did remember opening the sheet recently enough.
"Put up a post at Hollifield or the college, yet? Sure some kid is interested in an internship." Which reminded him. "How're the kids?" he asked, finishing up one locker of gear to move down to the other. He considered asking Cisco for a hand, but wasn't sure what else the guy had on his plate today. Laundry, cooking, cleaning anything form the rec room to the couch to the engine, working out, online and paper training...there was always something to do at the fire house.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 2, 2023 15:13:55 GMT
“Damn, I’ve had my fair share of ‘break-up’ sex, but after breaking off an engagement; ouch.” Cisco couldn’t fully imagine just how difficult that might be, as he’d only ever been engaged and married to one person in his life so far; and they parted on pleasant enough terms. They co-parented Esmeralda wonderfully together, though their son seemed to have picked his dad’s side in everything.
“Break-ups can get messy, I think that’s why I was so relieved when my ex-wife didn’t make any crazy demands. She just wanted an amicable split and to still see the kids.” He gave a shrug, not particularly bothered by the end of the lengthy relationship. Cisco wasn’t a shy man, or an easily embarrassed one. He was very open with the goings on in his life, so much so that practically everyone in the town knew the man had just as many relationships with men as he did with women, and that he preferred non-monogamous encounters. It kept things more entertaining and fun, and enraged his parents. Did he perhaps overindulge in his fun at times? Maybe, but never around his kids. That was the hard line in his terms; his kids were not to be around. Sure his kids were aware of the gossip around town, but at least they didn’t cross paths with the partners their father had.
“I will keep you posted Chief.” He responded with a nod and then smiled. “That’s actually a fantastic idea, I’ll have to work on creating a posting for that, maybe ask Mr. Hollifield if I can have fliers posted around both the high school and community college.” While he didn’t relish the idea of it, he also considered reaching out to his sister Kalena, as she’d been working more on campus than she was at the bank lately.
Cisco looked back up at Ferris at the mention of his kids and smiled. “Great, actually. Esmeralda was asked to help design the float for the Christmas Parade, and her brother made the junior varsity football team this year, so he’s been trying to hit the gym and ‘bulk up’ a bit.” He chuckled, shaking his head a little and glancing at Ferris. “Thanks for asking.” He looked around the room and then gave a light clap of his hands as he moved. “The place won’t clean itself, I’m going to head inside to make sure the laundry gets all dealt with today… do you have a preference on the food being made for dinner?” He asked, pausing in the doorway to heat what Ferris might say, rolling up the sleeves on his navy blue dress shirt. Depending on the chores and state of things, he wanted to try and come back to help Ferris finish checking the gear. But he didn’t want to shirk his duties and have the other man think him lazy.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 2, 2023 19:56:15 GMT
"Wouldn't call in break-up sex, but I've had that before." Ferris snorted. He'd had a few girlfriends after Murphy, but most of those relationships had been very casual and not amounted to much. He'd thought for the longest time he had his life figured out only to have it come crashing down. Even now he still didn't know what he wanted. Guys like Cisco made him a little jealous on that point. To just be comfortable around people seemed liked such a rare commodity for him. "Good to know sometimes those things work out okay." More or less.
It was also good to hear Cisco talk about his kids. There was something...wholesome about hearing what was going on in his family. He always seemed so happy. Hearing about Christmas already made Ferris shake his head. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet! And it hadn't snowed. But really, his dubiousness was the principle of a parade at Christmas. Too cold for that sort of thing if you asked him. "With your genes, he's gonna need some luck," he teased. "What position?" Not that he had to know what he liked just yet. Plenty of time to try things out and learn what he was good at. Ferris wasn't all that into football, but with the limited number of sports around the town, he made do with watching high school sports. He wished there was more hockey, but unless he wanted to coach (which he did not, kids were not his forte) he was out of luck.
"Sounds good." A couple loads of towels and bed sheets made for a lot of folding more than anything. Of course, some people forgot jackets and other articles of clothing. Meadow managed to slink onto Ferris' lap and attempted to lay across his legs and the jacket in his lap. He sighed and gently lifted the coat to send her sliding off to the floor. As for food he shrugged. "Anything, long as I'm not cooking it." The chief wasn't bad at making food, he just disliked the act of cooking. "I think Ethan bought a couple things this morning," he added hopefully. "I'm almost done here and then planning to work out if you want to join me." the fire house had a small weight room that was used quite a lot in down time.
The rest of the station was mostly quiet. A couple of other firefighters were working on reports or other tests, or things for their main jobs in the main living space while the radio hummed in the background. While it was mostly down time at the moment, all that could change rather quickly. Ferris was just glad for the quiet as he finished up the last two lockers of gear checks and stood up with a stretch, massaging his left arm and the bandage under his sleeve.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 3, 2023 21:42:09 GMT
Cisco gave a knowing nod, realizing he hadn’t had break-up sex since he was a teenager. But then again, it’s difficult to have ‘break-up sex’ when you’re not entering into relationships with anyone and just enjoying things for what they are. He wasn’t against relationships, he just hadn’t met anyone who shared his same ideas on openness and non monogamy. Which wasn’t a bad thing, but it did make conversations awkward when he had to be ‘that guy’ and just explain his preferences. Most people chalked up his polyamorous lifestyle as him being unable to commit without cheating. Oh how those rumors made him laugh. “It’s not without hiccups, but we’re all learning on a curve here.” he said with a slight chuckle. The divorce had completely blindsided him, but he respected her reasons and everything was amicable. Hell, they still planned to do holidays together at his house just to give the kids some sense of normalcy.
“Hey, I’d like to think he took after his mother’s side of the family enough that he’ll be alright.” He shook his head with a smile, not minding the teasing. Shit, Cisco didn’t fill out and start looking less like a twig until he started college. He didn’t even bother with football himself, he’d been more for baseball. “He said they want him to train as a wide receiver, and he seems really interested in giving it a go.”
He gave a nod, then grinned. “Well, so long as y’all can be ready with a fire extinguisher, I’ll give it a go.” His eyes gave away his jest as he chuckled and finished rolling up his sleeves. He looked back to Ferris with a raised brow, then nodded enthusiastically. “Definitely, can’t be the only lanky looking man around here, I might not get asked to be in the calendar.” This time he gave a playful wink and headed further into the fire station to begin his chores.
They weren’t a large station, and everyone did their part in helping keep things pretty well maintained and tidy for the most part. Cisco collected the sheets from the hamper labeled ‘dirty’ and spit checked for any stains before tossing the soap pods in, and added the bedding. Enough for two loads without straining the dryer too much. He added the bleach and fabric softeners to their respective slots and let the machine get to work. Next he checked the trash cans, emptying and replacing bags in the rest room and the kitchen. After adding the bags to the larger trash bins outside, he grabbed out an Instant Pot. Cisco washed the inner piece of the Instant Pot and put it back together as he looked to gather his ingredients.
While he might not have been the most skilled cook, he didn’t mind it. It was something he enjoyed doing, even if he wasn’t a professional. After taking a peak at the available ingredients, Cisco decided on Potato soup. So, he put on a basic black apron and set to washing the potatoes while the bacon started cooking on a skillet. He knew there was a setting he could have used the instant pot for cooking the bacon, but that was beyond him at this moment. And you could never go wrong frying up bacon in a skillet. After twenty minutes, Cisco had almost everything stirred into the pot and ready to get cooking. He placed the lid on and let the appliance do the work. He cleaned any dishes he used while cooking and wiped down all the surfaces.
The washer was ready to be swapped and start the second load, so he got the first load switched to the dryer and the second load started, then rolled his eyes at realizing he still had the apron on. Cisco walked back toward the kitchen to hang up the apron and gave a pleased nod.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 3, 2023 23:33:26 GMT
Between some of the other volunteers and his time spent at the alehouse, Ferris had heard plenty of rumors about a few of the other firefighters as well as others in town. Cisco's jaunts on both sides of the train tracks didn't bother him. Far as he was concerned, people deserved to be happy. The rumors about him cheating on his ex-wife or that he would on current flings Ferris paid very little attention to as well. Long as whatever he did in his personal life didn't interfere with work, Ferris reckoned it was none of his business. Besides, he'd heard all sorts of rumors about himself that weren't true. His favorites being the reason he was single was that his ex and he had in fact married and were still together. Or that he had a secret lover in town, had for all four years he had been here, and that was why he moved here in the first place. Talk like that didn't hold any water.
Ferris shook his head at Cisco's parting joke. "You a firefighter or an arsonist?" he teased back.
The comment about the calendar was pointedly ignored. The chief wouldn't say he discouraged the concept, but he wasn't about to spearhead such a thing. It made him uncomfortable. But when he had first started here, the previous fire chief had organized such a thing. Sexy firefighters in more or less clothing and in some cases only barely decent was a major fundraising piece, and not just in town.
Major goal of the day complete, he moved toward the living space and connected kitchenette, relieved the cat had finally gotten bored with him and wandered off to bother someone else. The smell of potatoes and bacon and cheese was almost as soothing as a hot bath. He stepped into his office first, to check that he hadn't missed any emails or other alerts and then moved back into the hall just behind Cisco as he pulled off the apron. Ferris chuckled and paused to lean in the doorway. "Smells good in there, chef. Think it will last until dinner time?" Sometimes they had organized meals. Other times it was just a 'get it while it's hot and you're hungry' sort of deal with everyone in and out. Ferris wasn't planning to eat until after working out a bit, but he had to admit, the smell made him realize just how hungry her really was.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 4, 2023 0:22:17 GMT
Cisco chuckled, opening the pot to stir and adjust the settings a touch before letting it finish the meal. “The potatoes still have to soften up a bit, so it’s got time. Recipe said it would take forty minutes, I think that gives me plenty of time to get a workout in before it’s ready to be served.” He said with a proud smile, Cisco knew he wasn’t the most accomplished chef, but there was something to be said about making food and getting to see people enjoy it. And this recipe was a favorite of his kids.
“The kids love this recipe, they didn’t care too much for the tomato soup I made a few days ago, but then again; it was mostly blended up cooked veggies. Esmeralda preferred the grilled cheese sandwiches I made with it.” He said with a chuckle, not at all shy about sharing his life. Cisco had always been like this, even as a child. His parents used to tell him he could talk the ear off a brickwall. Which never made any sense to him, but parents usually said odd things to their children.
Her looked back to Ferris and raised a brow. “Ready to go pump some iron?” He asked with a half smile. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the Ferris’ company, not to mention he was definitely easy on the eyes. Ferris kept to himself a lot, which made him quite the mystery and that meant so many rumors flew around about him. Which made him even more interesting in Cisco’s eyes.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 4, 2023 1:27:09 GMT
He was tempted to try some then and there, if just to sate his curiosity. Most of them weren't remotely professionals when it came to the kitchen. It helped that some at least like cooking more than others. Ferris' idea of a good meal was either burgers or something frozen, so Cisco cooking anything else was always a relief. "Good thing half the guys around here are big children," he noted, mostly serious. Just because many of them had kids and other fulltime jobs didn't mean they couldn't eat like kids themselves. "Grilled cheese doesn't sound too bad either. Add some bacon or tomato..." he trailed off, only making himself hungrier.
He turned toward the fridge, and plucked two water bottles out of the bottom drawer, tossing one at Cisco and then gesturing for him to follow him down the hall. "I was thinking leg day," he said, pushing open the gym door. Sure, a lot of their job was lifting, but that had to start somewhere. The space was simple. Windows on one wall, a vibrant crimson accent wall, dark carpet, and a small collection of red metal weight machines and benches, along with a treadmill and elliptical. After his 'hike' the other day, Ferris was fine with avoiding those. It was a bit surprising to find the space otherwise unoccupied. Someone had left the college's radio station on, some alternative rock from obscure bands he had never heard echoing over the speaker. At least it fit well enough for what they were planning to do. He set the water bottle next to one and pulled his thin sweater off, shirt lifting up a bit as he did. Ferris tossed it to the floor and straightened his shirt. He wasn't too keen on explaining the bandage on his arm, but he didn't like sweating through his clothes either.
He stretched a bit first before seating himself on the bench and checking the weights on the bench. Nothing too heavy, so would be a good warm up, he decided, situating himself.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 4, 2023 21:22:38 GMT
He chuckled at Ferris’ words, knowing he wasn’t far off. Most of the guys were pretty easy to please when it came to the food being made, namely because they weren’t expecting anything gourmet while at the station. That, and anything made that wasn’t previously frozen was always a treat. “I still think Esmeralda is a more difficult person to cook for. Just the other day, she told me something I made needed ‘more flavor’.” Cisco shook his head, then laughed a little. He raised a brow at the recommendation and gave a nod. “I mean, we do have more bacon in the fridge.” He offered with a tap of his chin, but then shrugged and began to follow Ferris to the weight room.
He didn’t mind whatever they decided to focus on for the day, he was grateful for the company. “Be right back.” Cisco said as he set down the bottle of water and stepped off toward the bathroom. He wasn’t exactly in workout clothes, so he needed to remedy that. Thankfully, he kept an gym bag at the station for this reason. Five minutes later Cisco returned in a grey t-shirt and pair of black loose fitting ball shorts. He couldn’t help but notice as Ferris adjusted his shirt that there was a bandage on his left arm.
“Well now I can see why we’re having a leg day. At least tell me the other guy got hurt worse.” He chuckled, giving a playful wink as he stepped to the side of a machine to do some basic stretches. He wasn’t the most athletically inclined man around, but even he knew not to just jump in without stretching.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 4, 2023 23:43:51 GMT
Ferris smiled slightly. "She knows what she likes," he said, siding with the man's kid against him despite everything.
He nodded as Cisco excused himself. Sometimes he forgot that not everyone lived at the station like he did or like at the first department he had worked out. The chief spent more time here than in his apartment and most of the time wore a plain T-shirt and shorts or sweat pants depending on the weather. Today was cold enough he had opted for the later.
Five minutes later, Feris had finished warming up and set the weights on the machine before sitting down. Of course, he couldn't avoid using his arm entirely, thankfully the bandage and everything was holding together well enough that he felt comfortable enough in an emergency, but lacking that, he was taking it easy.
He gave Cisco a confused look for a moment. What other guy? Was that some sort of sexual innuendo? "Oh. I went hiking my last day off. Got a little ambitious with the rock climbing," he said somewhat evasively, looking over his arm.
"It's not a problem," he quickly, starting to pump his legs and complete a few reps with the leg extenders on the bench, gripping the sides for balance. He hit ten and slowed down a little but pushed through to fifteen before leaning back to take a break. He pushed himself up and offered the bench to Cisco for a turn. "I'll spot you. Nothing crazy yet," he reassured, knowing the other man wasn't exactly a muscle building. Not that Ferris was either. He spent a lot of time working out, sure, but more because it made him feel better rather than with the intent to bulk up. He was no football player either.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 9, 2023 13:34:22 GMT
Cisco watched as Ferris’ face went from a look of confusion, to grasping what he meant and he couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Why did confusion look so good on him? “Damn, maybe you should stick to the rock climbing on campus for a bit.” the corners of his mouth twisted up into a grin and he couldn’t even pretend to say that in a more ‘serious’ tone. Ferris shrugged it off, so Cisco wouldn’t press. He watched the man do leg extensions and gave a nod of approval as he was offered the machine. “I don’t know if I can match your counts, but I’ll do my best.”
While Cisco maintained a nice toned form, he wasn’t big on complicated workout routines and machines. He preferred running with bit of weight training to just keep him from looking ‘underweight’. But he sat down and adjusted himself in the seat until he was comfortable and set to work, slow and steady. He gripped the sides to help him bear down properly and was slightly embarrassed when he was struggling to hit eight, but powered through to at least ten. “I think it’s safe to say even wounded you can easily beat me on any of these machines.” Cisco laughed with a shake of his head, not at all too shy to laugh at himself.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 9, 2023 19:02:18 GMT
"Yeah," he agreed with a small grimace. He didn't really want to draw anymore attention to it than he had to and was just glad Cisco didn't ask any other questions. If that meant the other man laughing at him, he could handle.
"Ten count works for me," he said with another shrug. Fifteen might be a bit ambitious he supposed. And he was mostly looking just to distract himself than to embarrass the other man. Ferris didn't have much of a preference, but a lot of what they did was cardio and weight training. After a particularly rough time off, such as his last hike, he preferred something a bit more involved. Not so mindless so that he could get lost in what he was doing.
Ferris put his hand on the weight when it was clean Cisco was beginning to struggle. He didn't apply any pressure or take any weight, but should the man need it, he wanted to be able to help prevent him pulling something. "Two more, let's go," he encouraged simply. Clearly the fire chief wasn't going to laugh at Cisco, even if he laughed at himself. He stepped aside to give him room to clear the machine so he could go again.
"Probably," he allowed easily enough. Not that Ferris considered himself a muscle guy, but he kept a very athletic shape. He was a lot more muscle than fat. Mostly due to his job and the time he spent here alone. Perhaps once he might have tried to impress someone, but even since the air force, it was more about the routine than any physical or social goal. But certainly he had the toned abs and thighs and biceps to prove it. He was keen to do a few more reps on the bench, before moving to other equipment, tugging his T-shirt off in between. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot he could do without using his arm, so even with less reps he cut things short, pausing to massage his arm. "We have time to shower before dinner?"