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?
It had been a few days since Ferris had given Cisco the idea to post the photography internship with the paper, on fliers around the local schools. And he had gotten quite a few interested applicants, but surprisingly the one that stood out the most was one, Calliope Bartlett. The sample work she sent in was quite impressive, especially the shots she’d captured of various events around the town. Not to mention the shots from around her family’s Orchard, they were stunning.
So Cisco had arranged to have a casual style interview at the fire station, mostly because he’d traded shifts with one of the other volunteers and didn’t want to cancel on her… namely because Callie had grown up to be quite the looker and Cisco liked the idea of bringing her around the fire station. Even if only to try and push Ferris into uncomfortable settings.
This thought alone made him grin, he enjoyed tormenting his superior. And he thought Ferris needed at least an attractive female to lay eyes on, even if just for some back-up to convince him to go for the calendar idea. He had finished with the majority of the chores around the station and was simply waiting on a load of laundry to finish. He was expecting Callie to arrive at any moment, so he took this time to make a trip to the rest room.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 25, 2023 21:44:51 GMT
In the wake of another small wildfire caught by one of the rangers, Ferris had spent all night setting up a fire break. While it wasn't uncommon to set a controlled burn to deplete an area of fuel, their department was so small that even if he called in every volunteer at once and contacted neighboring departments, he worried they couldn't maintain it safely. So instead, the fire chief had wrangled the help of a local construction team with their heavy machinery to cut a fire break in the forest. He'd been out all evening and most of the night ensuring that was handled and the fire didn't get out of control.
Ever since collecting the rangers' notes on the fires and corroborating with the fire department's notes, he noticed that most of the fires were in one area. One "territory" so to speak. All of the outliers had known sources. It left him a little on edge, suspecting something else out there starting these fires, but he still hoped it was just some dumb kids. Would be a lot easier to give them a good smack outside the head and an arson charge. If it was anything like Penny's vanishing, though, Ferris suspected it would be much harder to explain if they ever discovered anything concrete.
This afternoon, Ferris was using the shower to wake himself up and not having a successful time of it. He eased the temperature knob to cold and stood there soaking in the cool water and shivering. The moment he turned the water off, he heard the door open and someone walk to one of the urinals.
Ferris pulled his towel off the ledge and dried off, touseling his hair and then wrapping it around his waist. "Morning, Cisco," he greeted as he passed him on his way out of the bathroom and toward the dormitory. It was almost 4pm.
Post by Calliope Bartlett on Nov 25, 2023 23:17:02 GMT
The level of excitement was unreal for Callie as she set about getting ready this afternoon, she had an interview with the editor of the Tribune, Francisco Irvin. Granted she knew him from founding family events and such, and from rumors around town that really started to run rampant after his divorce; she couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit nervous. She very seldom let people know of her interest in photography, but the fact that the fliers showed up around school after she’d had a meeting with Principal Hollifield where she’d briefly mentioned photography, it just seemed to make sense to give it a go. Besides, he could end up shooting her down, and she would be okay with that.
Callie’s parents were busy at the orchards today, so she was thankful not to have to explain to them her plans for the day. She set to work getting ready and might have taken advantage of the fact that her parents weren’t there to discourage her attire; a very see through black lace long sleeve bodysuit, paired with a black bra, some light wash high-waisted jeans that fit her form perfectly, a simple black belt with gold buckle and a pair of black ankle boots. She accessorized with two simple gold necklaces and a black purse. She opted to leave her hair down, brushing out the tighter curls she had done earlier in the day so they were loose and soft looking. She grabbed a deep green velvet coat, slipping it on and giving her hair a toss over her shoulder as she gathered together a file folder with some more examples of her work the included some various landscape shots and portrait style photos of friends.
And with that she set out toward her truck, double checking that what little make-up she wore was decent, mascara and a simple neutral colored gloss on her lips. It didn’t take her long to get to the part of town where the fire station was located, parking her truck toward the back of the building as she gathered her stuff and headed toward the door.
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 26, 2023 3:37:19 GMT
“Hey Chief.” Cisco said with a slight wave of his hand, then oddly furrowed his brow for a moment as he glanced at the watch on his wrist. Finishing up at the urinal, he washed his hands and headed past the dormitory, poking his head inside for a moment. “You are aware it’s late afternoon, not morning… Right?” He asked with a raised brow.
He knew that sometimes with the amount of fires being handled it was easy to lose track of time, but then again he might have just been being pulling his leg. He glanced at his watch again and then looked back to Ferris. “Oh, and I’ve got a potential candidate for the photography internship stopping by for an interview.” He admitted with a sheepish smile, hoping Ferris wouldn’t be too bothered by the intrusion.
“I already had this on my books when I swapped days, and I didn’t want to cancel on her… plus I figured you’d enjoy the feminine presence.” Cisco teased, giving a half smile as he walked back toward the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 26, 2023 4:31:59 GMT
Although plenty used to changing clothes in front of others, Cisco's question behind him as he pulled dark blue pants on still made him jump. He put his hand out to the wall to correct his balance. Ferris turned to look behind him at Cisco, eyeing the man up and down, trying to figure out how long he had been standing there. "You're aware some of us were up until 6am, right?" He shot back. He didn't care what time it was in the real world; it was his morning and he wanted to make eggs and hoped to God Ethan had taken care of the morning gear checks already. It was shaping up to be either one of those really slow days that dragged on, or one of those really busy days that dragged on, and Ferris wasn't sure which he dreaded more.
The fire chief stared at him blankly at the mention of an interview. It was too early to ask him to remember anything. He turned back to his cot, grabbing a white T-shirt and tugging that on over his head. "No."
He didn't really mind when some of them used time for other activities. It was a small town, plenty of days nothing happened, most of them had other jobs and families. He did schoolwork on duty from time to time. As long as everyone knew what their first priority was while on a shift. They were here for public safety, after all, not interviews. Or hookers. Ferris rolled his eyes, still with his back to Cisco. "You know there are women who work here too? I'm sure they would love to hear you talk about how their presence is to be enjoyed." He pulled on a light blue collared shirt to finish their standard uniform, though he didn't bother buttoning it up.
Ferris left the dorm and headed upstairs to his office to check emails and reports, checking in with the others on duty that he passed. Thankfully the morning checks had happened and a couple of them were cleaning up the engine while the rest debated dinner plans while working out. He brought his laptop downstairs to the main table to make himself available while he alternated between reading reports and working on a philosophy class paper he had been putting off.
Post by Calliope Bartlett on Nov 26, 2023 5:40:17 GMT
After ensuring she hadn’t left anything in her vehicle, Callie made her way into the fire station. There were a few firefighters working on cleaning the engine so she put on a smile and walked up to the guy, her coat not buttoned closed; giving a nice glimpse of her lace top. “Excuse me guys, sorry to interrupt. I’m supposed to be meeting with Francisco Irwin, would you mind showing me where I need to go?”
Her tone was sweet as honey, and she tried not to pay attention to the way one of the guys practically tripped over the hose he was handling when he caught sight of her. Instead, she just smiled and gave an appreciative nod as one offered to take her inside. She gave a polite wave to the man who nearly tripped and followed the other man inside. Callie was quite aware of the looks coming her way as she was showed around, but she just continued following him until he showed her to a table where another man sat with a laptop. Callie recognized him as Fire Chief Felwinter, having seen him around town and even photographed a few times in the paper with articles relating to the recent fires.
“Mind if she stays here while I find Cisco?” The other man asked, looking a bit disappointed to be leaving her there. “Sorry, I know he’s on duty, but he seemed pretty insistent on keeping the interview… I’m Callie.” She gave a slight nod, moving to offer a hand for a greeting at the same time as Cisco walked into the room with a smile
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 26, 2023 5:40:42 GMT
Cisco gave a slight shrug, not bothering to argue his case with Ferris as he continued on toward the laundry room where he checked on the load he had in. It still had a few minutes, so he decided to do a quick run through on checking the trash, washed his hands and then returned to fold the sheets and towels from the dryer.
He had just finished when one of the other volunteers, Calvin, started telling him he had a very attractive female guest waiting at the main table. Cisco gave a smile and a nod, finishing up the laundry before he made his way there. He stepped into the doorway as she introduced herself to Ferris and he couldn’t help but grin as she extended a hand to the other man.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting, I really appreciate you being flexible enough to come here for the interview.” Cisco gave an appreciative nod as he motioned to the fridge. “Can I get you a water?” She gave a polite nod as he picked out a bottle of water from the fridge and brought it to her, while pulling out a chair for her to sit. To his delight, she removed her jacket before taking her seat. Yeah, the internship was absolutely hers. The interview was more of a formality than anything else. “Did you bring your portfolio?” He asked as he took a set across from her, watching as she moved her hair to the side as she slid the flower across the table to him. Her work was impressive, but he already knew that from the samples she’d sent in with her application. He glanced over at Ferris with a wink.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 26, 2023 6:35:03 GMT
Ferris finished up the reports easily enough. While there had been a lot going on yesterday, most of it wasn't people or property related. His paper, on the other hand...he gave up and stepped into the kitchenette to make himself a small breakfast of two eggs over easy and toast. He ate it over the stove as he cleaned up and had just sat back down at the table when Calvin walked in looking flustered. Ferris raised a questioning eyebrow at him until the young woman followed him in.
She must be Cisco's potential photographer. Though if he was being honest, from her lack of outfit, he wasn't really sure what to make of her. Like a stripper who just got back from a job and didn't get a chance to change. The lace...shirt? was beyond revealing and even her jeans were more elastic than denim. He stared more than he judged but kept his expression expectant as Calvin failed to explain anything and simply said he was going to find Cisco. He frowned slightly. This was not a public meeting place, but Cisco had asked.
"Nice to meet you, Callie," he said, forcing a small smile. "Chief Felwinter," he added as he took her hand in a brief firm handshake before glancing over at Cisco. The man had the gall to wink at him. Ferris closed his eyes for a moment and resisted the urge to run a hand over his face in despair. Between him and Calvin, he had less and less confidence in the men of the human race. He returned his attention to his laptop, seeking safety in staring at a mostly blank Word document instead of at the brunette on the other end of the table.
Post by Calliope Bartlett on Nov 26, 2023 14:38:40 GMT
While her attire of choice was rather revealing, Callie wore it confidently and without concern of what anyone else thought. She enjoyed the attention, although her focus was definitely elsewhere. Today was about this internship, and hoping she was given the opportunity to showcase one of her favorite talents. She gave a soft smile and nod to the fire chief as she shook his hand and turned to look at Cisco. She removed her coat and accepted the seat offered to her by Cisco.
Callie took a drink from the bottle of water provider to her as she watched Cisco look over her portfolio. “I tried to make a selection to showcase some variety without repeating the samples I sent with the application.” Callie admitted with a slight hand gesture, moving to adjust herself in the seat, crossing her legs and watching him intently. Her gaze flickered over to the fire chief, who seemed rather wrapped up in something on his laptop, so Callie looked back to Cisco as he thumbed through the photos.
While she might not have needed a paid internship, due to family ‘allowances’, Callie definitely wanted to pursue this. Lately she was aching to mix things up. With talks about pursuing photography instead of the family’s orchard business, and moving out with Alexis; she was ready to make a name for herself that wasn’t simply known because of who her family was. Her brown eyes studying Cisco curiously. She could understand some of the rumors about him, but she didn’t know what was true or not… same with Ferris. Lots of rumors surrounded the fire chief, especially because he seemed so good at keeping to himself. She ran a hand through her hair, her honey colored neck more visible now, as she folded her hands in her lap; waiting to be asked anything else.
“You said on the phone you’re working on a community garden or greenhouse project, is that something that would make dividing your time too difficult?” Cisco finally asked, casting a look back to her over the photos. “Oh, I don’t think so. the current stage the project is in doesn’t require as much hands-on attention at the moment, and when it gets to a more demanding stage; there will be more people involved so it won’t solely fall upon me.”
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 26, 2023 14:39:44 GMT
Cisco would be lying if he said it wasn’t difficult to keep his attention on her face, but he was doing a bang-up job so far. Casually flipping through the photos he could definitely see a lot of potential. She had the raw talent, but was she tough enough to handle the backlash from family? Being the ‘disappointment’ of the family was not new to the man, and he didn’t quite have Callie pegged as one to be able to handle that level of stress. Would it be cruel to offer her the internship just to have a pretty face around the office if it risked her mental health?
“Not to be too personal here Callie, but how do you think your family will handle you pursuing work outside of the family business? I mean, we’re both members of pretty well known families around town that have certain expectations… would you be able to handle that?” Definitely not a typical interview question, but he wasn’t completely heartless. And just because he made a lot of decisions with the wrong head, didn’t mean he couldn’t be objective. Surprisingly, Callie didn’t look too thrown by the question and she rested against the back of the chair as she seemed to carefully choose her words.
“While I appreciate the concern, I don’t believe I’ll have any issues with that. They don’t get to dictate how my life is going to play out, and you of all people should know that there’s no shame in disappointing family… not for something that you’re passionate about.” Her response seemed to hold a bit more to it than he’d expected, which immediately earned her a level of respect in his eyes. Cisco liked to know about things around town, and seeing how she presented herself and spoke, he could easily see why she was mentioned in admiration in some of the more fun circles he was a part of. Callie might have only been a nineteen year old high school senior, but she didn’t present herself as such.
“Well, your first task will be to help me convince the chief here about a fundraising idea.” he flashed a wicked smile, then looked to Ferris as he put back her photos in order and set the folder back on the table.
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 26, 2023 15:37:15 GMT
While familiar with most of the founding families these days, Ferris didn't know any of them all that personally. History and rumors and who owned what and family reps and all the typical politics were one thing. The finer details of who was who was lost on him though. Callie he knew was a Bartlett. But he knew next to nothing else about her. Maybe 20 or so from the look of her, probably fulltime school and way, way too comfortable with grown men staring at her.
Every time Callie moved - taking off her coat, crossing her legs, leaning over the table, taking a drink - every movement had Ferris flick his gaze over to her. He would immediately look away, annoyed and desperately trying to get work done. Damn lace.
He managed to ignore most of their conversation and actually put some words down on the page. The class wasn't all that difficult, but it was a lot of reading and writing, two things he did not excel at. Ferris did roll his eyes as they mentioned family. Not because he thought it was a bad question, everyone handled family pressure differently. Mostly, the fire chief found Sweetwater family politics annoying. But he supposed he had a skewed view of family, since he was estranged from most of his. At least Callie's answer earned a smirk. He glanced over at Cisco, as if to ask 'sound like anyone you know?'
He turned his attention back to his paper, forcing out another paragraph only to hear his title dropped. He sighed. "Convince me about what?"
Post by Calliope Bartlett on Nov 26, 2023 16:29:16 GMT
While she might have appreciated the concern her expressed regarding family politics, she really didn’t see what that had to do with her ability to handle the internship or rather, what business it was of his. Then again, she knew he wasn’t trying to be prying, just caring about something that had little or nothing to do with him. Callie was glad her response didn’t immediately end the conversation, in fact he looked almost impressed with her. She raised a brow, dark eyes flashing between Ferris and Cisco, but returning once again to Ferris as he spoke.
“Well… with the new year rapidly approaching, I thought now would be a good time to do a little fun raising. I’m thinking the typical calendar of firefighters.” Callie’s gaze shifted back to Cisco curiously, a half smile on her lips. “Personally, I think it’s a great idea. It’s a classic, and you know how small towns love rallying to support their hometown heroes.” She admitted with a more intrigued look, though for a different reason than just the idea of firefighters posing for a calendar. The fact that it sounded like he’d just given her the internship, which meant she would be the one getting to take all the photos… which meant some extended time spent around the local firefighters.
She looked back to Ferris with a half smile. “It’s also a great way to boost morale for your team here, who doesn’t love the idea of a fun photo shoot for a good cause?” Callie tossed her hair over her shoulder, exposing her soft, honey colored neck as she took a another sip from the bottle of water. Her demeanor suggested she hadn’t the slightest clue of what she was doing, but there was the smallest hint of mischief in her brown eyes. She most definitely knew what she was doing.
Human
Head Editor at The Tribune & Volunteer Firefighter
Post by Francisco ‘Cisco’ Irwin on Nov 26, 2023 16:30:08 GMT
Cisco couldn’t help but silently admire her. She didn’t seem phased the way he’d expect from a female her age, which he had some opinions on, but didn’t want to speculate or just come right out and ask. Instead he’d store it away for further investigation at another point in time. Namely, when not on duty at the station.
He grinned at her support of the idea he shared, directing his gaze to Ferris’s nodding as she spoke. Though not at all able to avoid noticing the particular way she adjusted her hair before taking a drink, almost as if it was being done in slow motion and Cisco couldn’t help but watch with fascination. He was suddenly wishing he was speaking to her under different circumstances, he imagined she would be a lot of fun.
He suddenly frowned a little, realizing he just offered her an internship, so he couldn’t hit on her. Not as her boss. Cisco looked to Ferris and raised a brow. “What do you think Chief?”
Post by Ferris Felwinter on Nov 26, 2023 22:16:51 GMT
Ferris' easy-going facade cracked at little as he frowned. He knew what that meant. He hadn't been living under a rock for the last few years. Hell, his last station did a calendar every year but that was a larger city and not like anyone casually walking across the street would know him from just one picture. Sweetwater was tiny. None of them would be able to go to the bar anymore. Before he could voice any of these and other concerns, Callie (who from the sound of it was already hired) piled on. Which she didn't need to do verbally, her simply being there, showing off her soft neck, slender collar bones and the V of bare skin down her chest was already enough of a distraction.
The local hero act was bullshit and they all knew. But he of all people couldn't be the one to say it out loud. He sighed as she continued with something about moral and fun, which did soften him a little. Sure, maybe it wasn't his morale, but Cisco clearly liked it. And he had a feeling Calvin would. And even Ethan despite having a serious girlfriend. Probably most of the others would too and those that did not want to could opt out. Which really just left him feeling outnumbered. The calendar idea wasn't the problem. He was.
He sighed and closed his laptop, folding his arms over top of it. "I think a small-town setting is asking for a lot of discomfort on both sides. I think we don't have enough staff for it even assuming everyone will participate, and I won't make them." And, he wanted to say, he thought Cisco had brought Callie here just to gang up on him, but he couldn't say that in front of the woman without it coming out wrong. "Besides, that's a little...much, isn't it?" he settled for lamely. Sure, some people liked scantily clad - oh who did he think he was talking to. Cisco let women eat food off of him and this girl wasn't wearing a real shirt.
Post by Calliope Bartlett on Nov 27, 2023 1:23:45 GMT
Her near perfectly manicured nails strummed against her leg as she listened to Ferris speak. Her dark eyes watching him intently as he shared his thoughts on the matter. And while he wasn’t wrong, she didn’t agree. “Chief Felwinter, I think you’re missing the point.” Now fully turned to face him, the gloss on her lips making them gleam a bit as she spoke. We’ve dealt with a record high with fires not just in town, but in the woodlands too this year. Everyone wants a way to support our firefighters, but sometimes people are a bit stingy with their finances and decanting unless there’s a little something in it for them.”
She took this moment to remove herself from the chair, standing and walking around the table as she continued on. “This month alone the amount of resources, manpower and time you and your team have put into aiding in not just fires, but any emergency situation in town is already more than what you all should be expected to handle in your monthly budget. Giving the townsfolk the opportunity to not only supports you all financially, but to also share in the fun of seeing their local firefighters on their calendars… is that really something you want to be responsible for shooting down?” Callie now leaned against a counter, her arms now crossed loosely in front of her chest. She paid no kind to the smile on Cisco’s face as he just looked between then, her gaze stayed on Ferris.
“And we don’t have to make it awkward and raunchy, we can do it in a way that is fun and let’s the community see their fire station as people, not objects.” Cisco’s smile faltered slightly there, looking a bit confused as she finished.