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?
West lounged at the Galeria reception desk. He had his feet up on the shear stone tabletop, leaning the fancy office chair back in a precarious but practiced balancing act. It was one of the less complicated jobs he had ever had, considering the gallery was hardly busy. Occasionally he set up appointments or student visits or ordered supplies...but at least in his first weeks here, it wasn't anything complicated. Most of the time, he just hung out, messaging friends on his phone or watching Twitch streams.
Even when there were people in the gallery, which was rare most days, he wasn't much for answering questions. That was Giacomo's area. Not that West didn't like art, but he was careful not to look like he paid too much attention. There was a fine line that he was an expert at riding. But largely because applying to a new job was a hassle and not worth the effort. Plus he liked having his own income. A guy had needs, after all. Like more tattoos, some books, and maybe a new fake ID.
Post by Giacomo Ettore on Dec 21, 2023 16:19:18 GMT
It had just started snowing outside when Gia entered the gallery with Mikey Royce at his side. He entered with the door with all the grace and pompousness that comes from being at Vampire at over 600 years old. His long hair was pulled back today with a loose purple ribbon tying the strands together near his shoulder blades with a few strands still falling around his face. As they stepped inside he smiled to Mikey and brushed a few flakes of snow out of the man's dark hair before stepping further into the gallery. This place felt far more like home these days than the estate in which Annika had abandoned him. He usually tried not to think of her. The sting of his sire deciding he was no longer worth her time was still sharper than he wished it was.
He spotted West, acting very much like the young human he was, something that Gia was more entertained by rather than annoyed most days. "Good afternoon, West. Quiet day so far?" he asked, assuming so as it usually was and if it wasn't then the young man usually called him.
Post by West Vanderson on Dec 21, 2023 22:42:20 GMT
The front door opening drew his attention away from his phone. West flipped it over on the desk, but didn't shift his position in the chair. Not that he didn't think Giacomo noticed, but he could pretend.
West had no idea how old the artist and gallery owner was, but for a few years now, he'd seen the pale man around Sweetwater. It wasn't until he started working at the gallery though that he paid any attention. There was a strange...timelessness about him. But even when he smiled at Mikey, his eyes always looked full of some ancient weight. Honestly, it was kind of unnerving, especially when that gaze was directed at him. He glanced from Giacomo to Mikey at his hip, raising an eyebrow faintly. He knew the two men were friends, but had they stood that close to each other before?
He nodded. "Only going to get quieter since you brought snow with you, Mr. Ettore," he noted, pulling his gaze from Mikey to the windows behind them. Driving home in that was going to be a joy. "Didn't I just see you, Mikey?" he teased about them crashing each other's work, rather than mention the strange vibes he got from the two of them walking in together.
It was admittedly a little odd to Mikey how much comfort he had found in Gia’s company. Once he had gotten over the initial awkwardness of the obvious fact he had been avoiding Gia for a while after coming back to town of course. There was still something uncanny about quietly shoving what remained of his grief aside while cozying up to the undead. Then again he supposed he should have already understood that Gia would know a great deal about loss being however old as he was. Mikey had found himself falling into old habits of following Gia around like a lost puppy.
It left Mikey feeling conflicted. He gave Gia a little smile as the vampire brushed snow from his hair. There was something deeper about his little shows of affection lately. He also knew to some extent that Giacomo was deeply hurt by Annika leaving. Mikey hadn’t been very attached to her but he knew that there was some vampire nuance to their relationship that went beyond lovers and mentorship. He was snapped out of their little world by West’s teasing. “you just can’t seem to get rid of me, huh?” He teased back sardonically, he knew that West generally spent time in the garage to be around the motorcycles and his sister Seung. It had made him uncomfortable at first but West turned out to be much more chill than expected. Now he would even hazard to say they were friends. Something he had never thought he would say about one of the members of the town's wealthiest founding families. He might have been tempted to ask what West actually did here if it weren’t that the gallery was a sort of glorified way for Gia to pass his time and maybe also for money laundering. Still it was funny to find that a guy from a year or two below him in school that he had hardly even known before was all of a sudden running in all the same circles. Realistically he knew that it was partially that he was letting a lot more people into his life now than he used to. “There’s new people moving here everyday but this town just keeps getting smaller somehow. I think Seung got in some part she wanted to show you..” He knew considerably less about motorcycles than cars. Despite his personal grievances he was happy his sister had made another friend.
Mikey lingered near Gia so close he might as well have been touching him even though he wasn’t. It wasn’t really Mikey’s intention to distract Giacomo from his art but he knew the temptation would be there once they were alone in the studio.
Post by Giacomo Ettore on Jan 16, 2024 1:54:51 GMT
Giacomo watched the interaction between Mikey and West with curiosity. He had been unaware they knew each other. Not that he kept tabs on Mikey enough to know every single person he ever interacted with, as much as he might like to sometimes. A sudden possessive urge to sweep Mikey from the room and away from West came like a wave through his body but from what he could gather, West wasn't a threat in any sense of the word. He also resisted the urge to close the smallest distance between them by reaching out.
Instead he stood still, perhaps a bit too still, and distracted himself by glancing back out the window to watch the snow falling. It looked like it had no intention of stopping any time soon and he imagined the roads would be quite treacherous in a few hours. It reminded him of the day he'd met Mikey and a small smile lifted one corner of his lips before he turned back to casually observe the conversation between the two, forcing himself not to rush through it.
Post by West Vanderson on Jan 16, 2024 4:28:44 GMT
West grinned. He liked talking motorcycles with Mikey's sister, but he'd come to enjoy the other guy's company too. It was better than the awkwardness of knowing a whole lot about someone without their consent. Being friends was better. It didn't make some things any less awkward, but it gave them both something else to think about.
"Tell them to come to the art gallery and buy something, 'cause I like having a job," he pointed out, though was quickly distracted by the mention of another part. "The new rotors? Or those exhaust pipes?" There were actually a few things he had talked to Seung about that last time at the shop that he knew she was expecting.
The blonde hadn't spoken very much to Giacomo. The guy was standoffish and awkward, but West had thought that about Mikey too and learned it was best to ignore his initial opinions on people like that. Mikey liked him, so probably he was just shy. He was also his boss, but West only cared the bare minimum about that. "So...you taking on modeling now, Mikey?" West teased, poking a bit of fun just to see if he could get a rise out of either of them.
“I’m not sure, You’ll have to ask her.” He answered but he could tell that Giacomo’s attention was drifting. He hadn’t seen it very often but the vampire tended to turn into a statue when he was ‘restless’. He humored the comment about sending people to buy from the gallery with a laugh. Though Mikey sort of doubted that Giacomo actually needed the money so West’s job likely wasn’t in danger anytime soon. That was one of the benefits of living so long. The real worry was that Giacomo wasn’t much of a ‘people person’. With Annika gone Mikey did worry a little about who was managing this money laundering front of assets. Well, that and he knew that Giacomo did still like having an audience for his art to some degree. It would be a shame if they just collected dust in the show room.
The teasing pulled a smirk from his lips “You could say that.” He wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to call himself a muse but Giacomo had certainly seen every inch of his body. “Depends on what our resident Artist needs.” He added to give Giacomo an in on the conversation or a chance to move things along. Based on the level of sudden disassociation Mikey wasn't sure if Giacomo was thinking very heavily about art or just feeling...hungry. He wondered vaguely if west would be quite so casually teasing if he knew the extent of what Giacomo was. If West found out that he was offering his body to Gia in more than one way. Perhaps it helped lessen the awkwardness for Mikey. To know that while West knew quite a bit about his terrible history with being outed, that the untold other half of the story was standing right here and he had no idea. West did know a lot about Mikey and Mikey mutually knew the Vanderson reputation, but Giacomo's secret was so much deeper than either of their family struggles. Being around Giacomo meant that he was getting a bit of a front row seat to some of the more genuine mysteries in this town.
Post by Giacomo Ettore on Jan 23, 2024 18:00:01 GMT
Gia's casual expression lifted into a bit of a smile at the idea of Mikey modeling for him. He hadn't actually had Mikey sit for a portrait but that didn't mean there weren't at least dozens of various sketches, paintings, and abstract art that had been inspired by the young man. None of those had ever been shown to Mikey though. They were safely in his home rather than at the gallery and the only one who'd ever seen them was himself.
His smile turned into a bit of a smirk at Mikey's response. Mikey had always been more than willing to fulfill every need the vampire had and Gia took full advantage of that. He'd savored Mikey in nearly every way he could imagine. Never rushing, always drawing out the experience to its fullest.
"Perhaps the two of you could model together for me," he said, making his tone just unclear enough that it would be nearly impossible to tell if he was joking or not. "What do you think, West? Want to be part of my next masterpiece?" his tone now practically purring.
Post by West Vanderson on Jan 25, 2024 21:51:34 GMT
When Mikey teased back at his joke, West laughed. Then he took it a step farther, into 'oh right, they probably fuck' territory and West was still amused, but didn't laugh. He still wasn't really sure what he wanted out of people, even just physically. But both of them were cute and soft and feminine and he certainly didn't mind looking. But West had always just been along for the ride, and the ride was that he was a rich, young, white heterosexual male. It was an easy answer.
When Giacomo suggested he model *with* Mikey, West's awkward amused expression became a bit more uncertain. He'd meant it as a joke, a barely concealed euphemism. But surely Giacomo didn't mean it that way? Did he? The blonde felt like he knew Mikey decently well by now, but Giacomo...he had barely any read on the man except that he was pretty and pretty distant. He blinked at the direct question, deciding he had to mean it literally, right? He was an artist, this was a studio, he knew Giacomo did all finds of work... Besides, of course West thought he looked good enough to be a model. Abstract, nude, fashion, whatever the man wanted. "Yeah, that sounds awesome."
As close as Mikey was he couldn’t predict Gia’s mood so he also wasn’t sure which idea Giacomo was actually floating. Wests’s transition from a playful sort of teasing to an awkward hesitation didn’t go unnoticed. Mikey didn’t know much about what West might be into but if he liked men then he certainly hadn’t let on. It would probably still not be the weirdest threesome he had been in with Gia. Realistically he had felt a bit more like a third wheel or a toy of sorts. Even after learning his secret. Things had been different since they're-connected but it wasn’t easy to place. He certainly felt more capable of saying ‘no’ to Gia than before but still ended up giving in to his whims when they were together. He wasn’t opposed to teasing West in this way, he wouldn’t even be opposed if it did lead to something spicy. West had a sort of charm to him. He doubted that Giacomo would be insinuating making West a donor since it didn’t seem they knew each other very well. That he might have been opposed to. He trusted West to some degree but wasn’t so sure he wanted to see the guy get tangled up in the supernatural side of things. He shrugged with a smile that never wavered “Well I’m game if you are. “ His gaze turned back to Gia “ Anything to help your muse maestro.”
Post by Giacomo Ettore on Feb 23, 2024 15:38:42 GMT
Unlike the other two, Gia's artistical mind was very clear and determined. While he had an image in his mind of what this masterpiece might look like and that yes, it would likely be unclothed, he was actually thinking about the art more than anything else. Though part of it was a curiosity to see how it felt to watch Mikey with someone else. He had loved Annika but has never been jealous over seeing her with other lovers. Yet with Mikey he was noticing a jealousy that he hadn't expected. He was trying to explore that feeling.
"Well come on then," he said. He moved back to the door to lock it, since West wouldn't be available to guide any guests. He then motioned for the two to join him and began to walk out of the gallery towards the workrooms. He knew just which room he wanted to use for this.
Post by West Vanderson on Feb 23, 2024 23:43:10 GMT
West raised an eyebrow confused. From the sound of it, Mikey meant...now. But he had work. And he wasn't exactly ready to just- And then Gia confirmed it. Now now. And he was so...casual about it. West stood up, watching him step over to the front door and lock it. He quickly moved to flip the plastic open sign to closed. Sometimes he could be aware and helpful but mostly he wasn't sure what to think.
But he'd agreed because he thought it was a fun idea, so he shrugged over the surprise and returned to his easy smirk, stretching his hands up over his head as he followed behind the pair and then folding his arms behind his head in another stretch. He was curious too, having not really visited the workrooms all that much besides a passing glance inside some of them. He became more and more excited at the modeling concept. While it was too soon, maybe this was his calling. Sure beat college courses.
Mikey raised an eyebrow a little. He hadn’t really expected Gia to start up this little venture right away either.
He followed the two along to the workroom and waited for Giacomo to instruct what he wanted of the composition. Mikey had no idea what emotions Giacomo might be delving into. He hadn't actually though Giacomo was at all as interested in him as he had been. Mikey had been downright obessed with Giacomo since the night they first met. No one had really quite compared to the level of adrenaline rush he got being with Gia. He himself had changed quite a bit and so had his feelings toward Giacomo. They were more complicated now. He was happy to just go with the moment for now. As long as it pleased Gia. His eyes roamed to West who he considered a friend. He offered a reassuring smile. He had faith that Giacomo was going some where with this.
Post by Giacomo Ettore on Feb 27, 2024 16:04:56 GMT
Gia walked through the halls as if this was the most casual thing he'd done all day. He, of course, was fully aware of even the small hints of hesitation in the other two young men. Being on the earth for as long as he had had made him quite skilled in picking up the smallest clues that came from other's body language. It was a language he considered himself very fluent in.
He led them through the hall an past a few doors. Some were closed but a few were open. One held fabrics and clothing designs on mannequins. Another had colorful light cascading around the room from the various stained glass pieces that had been created. They were the works of a just a few artists who had come to apprentice here from time to time.
Giacomo led them up the stairs and to another hallway where there were more doors and finally into a room that had floor to ceiling windows covering two of the walls. They looked out on a pretty view of the quaint street below them but were covered in flowing sheer white curtains that were shifting slightly from the air ducts that were currently on. In fact the entire room was white. Every wall, the floor and ceiling, and every chair was white. There were even a few pieces of art on the walls and those were also entirely white.
"Wait here a moment," Gia instructed and began to move around the room to the set the scene. He pulled a large white faux fur rug to the center of the room followed by a white high backed chair with carved details in arm rests, feet, and around the top to look almost throne like. He then went to grab an easel and a canvas before he turned back to the two young men.
"Strip down to just your underwear, please, and then I will tell you where I want you," he explained, speaking in a tone as if this was the most normal and casual thing in the world.
Post by West Vanderson on Feb 27, 2024 23:21:17 GMT
West had been to most of the rooms in the art gallery. Some of the specific studios he had only ever looked in, but he was at least familiar with the lay out and some of the artists that used the spaces and knew enough buzz words of their work to convey ideas to those who asked. But it was safe to say he had never been in the White Room.
With the snow falling outside and the glow of the sun softened by the thick clouds, even the natural lighting that seeped past the curtains was white light. The blonde stopped just inside the doorway, taking in the space. Every time he looked somewhere, it was as if his eyes needed a moment to adjust before revealing more little details. The space wasn't some empty room used for photos, but rather it was both sterile and comfortable. Every piece of furniture and decor was precisely curated to both draw the eye and yet blend into its siblings all at once. He pulled his gaze from the curtains to the eerily soft white art on the walls. The rug appeared and disappeared again as Giacomo moved it, the floor swallowing it up. The intricately carved throne ('chair' simply would not do), made him raise an eyebrow.
The room was trippy already and it would be even better to smoke here.
And then the man was ordering them both to strip. West couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Well, that was the point, was it not? Giacomo's casual air was still a bit odd, but from what he knew of the man, that wasn't unusual. The guy certainly had a real 'artist' vibe about him. "Why not," West said with a shrug, easing out of his jacket and then reaching up to tug his shirt up and over his head. He stepped out of his sneakers and unzipped his jeans, dropping everything on the floor around him and creating a small island of color.