Luceti Valley - The First Log

[lucetimods]

Who: Everyone
What: The start of a new experiment... or is it?
When: August 2nd - August 6th
Where: Luceti itself
Summary: Luceti has become an idyllic and peaceful 50s-esque village. The first few days are just business as usual, right?
Rating: Varies with thread. Please move explicit stuff to appointments post with appropriate warnings.

August 1st had seemed like an ordinary day in Luceti. But late in the evening, for those night owls who had not turned in yet, they were witness to strange fluctuations in the barrier. Beautiful, really, almost like Luceti had received its own 'Northern Lights', even though it seemed to come from the far east, across the ocean. This ominous light show lasted for all of fifteen minutes before it ceased all together. Skimming the ocean waters, a horde of cultists entered Luceti, cloaked by darkness. Upon reaching the entrance to the tunnels, their leader stepped inside and was followed one by one by his fellow cultists. When the last had entered, the tunnel entrance closed. Across the mountains, the entrance to the tunnels in the village did the same.

Midnight passed without incident, but by three in the morning, the change suddenly came. Minds were altered, forms were changed, and buildings sprang from nowhere.

Much later, on August 2nd, morning settled on a changed village, the new mayor made his way to his mansion with his pair of adorable dobermans at either side of him. The sun shined bright. It was a good day to be a Lucetian.

Note: There will be a stand alone log for the homecoming dance. There will be another log for the second stage of the event.

Comments

[touchofrogue]

[Marie Khlome usually wakes up early enough to make lunch for herself and her brother Kurt. Their house in Lowtown was small, but meticulously maintained, and best of all their parents' life insurance had paid off most of the mortgage, so now everything went into making sure they could continue to live there as well as investing into, one day, moving out. Maybe. Marie wasn't quite sure what they'd do if they ever managed to make enough money to leave Lowtown - the place wasn't going to get any better, she always said, if everyone who ever made anything of themselves just left. If you asked her, the division between Hightown and Lowtown was the thing that needed to change.

She left early enough to avoid most of the traffic. Recently promoted to the secretary for the head of Tony Stark's industries, Mr. Stark himself, Marie couldn't afford to be anything other than early. She wouldn't risk coming up so high just to fall now. Hair done up in a simple French twist, white bangs falling to the side of her face, one of seven nearly identical immaculate dresses for the office, she slid into the "brand new" car she'd splurged on just after the promotion. No more hoofing it to work, now she could arrive in style. In beat-up, old, noisey style. At least it got her there.

After work, Marie lingers late, just to make sure her work continues to be exemplary and everything flows exactly as it need to for Tony Stark. Then, she lets her hair down. She's usually too tired to make a real dinner: TV dinners are the fare of weekdays, additionally cold cereal or peanut butter on toast. She'll check in on her brother and his day at school and then go down to the local watering hole to speak with old friends and enjoy a little bit of relaxation, wearing casual trousers and a button-up shirt.

If she isn't relaxing there, however, she's down at the strike. She might not officially be able to help, but she'll do whatever she can otherwise.]

August 3

[complicatedliar]

[And Loki has ended up in Lowtown, through a series of very poor life choices that involve getting thrown out of a couple nicer drinking establishments. That's fine, he'll slum it. He's having a bad night, but the booze has certainly improved his mood.

He also gets very flirty when he's drunk. Some of the girls, it's amusing. Others, not so much...]

August 3

[touchofrogue]

Of course Marie recognized Loki Odinson. He was Tony Stark's attorney, and he made quite the distant, professional figure in office. He was occasionally in the papers for drunken and wild escapades that the girls in the office loved to giggle about after he walked by them. It was annoying.

And so was watching him flirt with Betsy, who didn't seem to know how to get rid of him. Which was ridiculous, the buxom blonde had plenty of practice turning away unwanted attention. Maybe it was the way Loki's clothes bespoke of wealth and privilege, or the way his hands traced graceful arcs through the air, but Marie knew that as soon as Betsy's Rick came back, this was going to get ugly, real fast.

Stupid aristos. He deserved it if he was carried out of here on a stretcher. Marie raised her glass and then noticed the tension around Betsy's eyes.

Or maybe, maybe she was scared. Betsy had never worked in Hightown. She didn't know how to deal with aristocrats. Maybe she just didn't want to get in trouble.

Marie sighed, slid off that bar, and went to go stick her nose where it didn't belong. She wedged herself casually between them, tucking a white curl behind her ear as she did, "Sugar, if you want him to go, just tell him to get."

She turned and raked Loki with her gaze, "I'm sure he can afford to drink some of his own liquor instead of slumming it out here."

Re: August 3

[complicatedliar]

"And why would I want to do that?" Loki asked, grinning. "The company here is quite fine."

Two women. Fine with him. Fine with him indeed. Though this new one did look familiar. Something about the hair...

Re: August 3

[touchofrogue]

Betsy gave Marie an appreciative look and the set of her shoulders relaxed.

"And you'll forget all about it in the morning," Marie said, propping one hand on her hip. "Not that I don't appreciate the attempt to mingle, but the attempt to bridge the divide between the classes might be better received if you were a little less tight."

Re: August 3

[complicatedliar]

Loki laughed. "Oh, I'm feeling quite loose, I assure you. Just having a few laughs. You needn't play at being a prude for my benefit."

Re: August 3

[touchofrogue]

Marie gave him a Look, "If that's your best pick-up line, no wonder you're down here trying to 'mingle.' Why don't you just go home?"

Re: August 3

[complicatedliar]

"I'm not trying to pick you up. Or are you feeling disappointed?"

[snikting]

Where there's a strike, a man who enjoys drinking can't even afford to booze. Not with three daughters at home, all of them trying to make like they're living some semblance of a normal life. Among his fellow workers, Logan is just as irate as the rest of them. When he spots Marie among the crowd, he feels a twinge of misplaced anger. He'd heard about her new job. Lucky her. Meanwhile, he'd be breaking his back in the fields this evening, just for half pay.

"You sure you ain't lost, Khlome? You wouldn't want yer new boss to think you went rogue already."

[touchofrogue]

Well, that was uncalled for. Marie's lips flattened.

"I think I know my way around my own town, Logan. I just stopped by to see how everyone was doing."

[snikting]

"We're all still here." The implication was obvious, of course. They had stayed. He was going to see this through, even if it killed him.

[touchofrogue]

"No word on if they agreed to a meeting?"

[snikting]

"Hell ain't yet froze over. So not just yet. They're gettin' more and more scabs each day. They figure eventually we'll just give up."

[touchofrogue]

"And if that happens," Marie said grimly, "you'll lose any kind of credibility if you ever do it again."

Her hand formed a fist at her side, "I wish there was something we could do to shake them up."

[wise_maiden]

[When there are breaks in the day - whether to go back home for the night or even during a lunch hour - there's always time for some refreshments with an old friend, no? Raine Silverberg doesn't drive - it's just too much money to worry about taking care of a car on top of her bills that piled up after her husband's death - but she'll do her best to make it on time to meet her friends, and of course dressed smartly for the times, with a bright colored hat and drape to accent the outfit.]

[touchofrogue]

[Some days it felt like the only way Marie got to eat lunch was to take it out. She couldn't eat at her desk; there was always more to do, and her sudden rise in the secretary pool had made things even more awkward among the others. She didn't mind. She'd just eat by herself and carefully reinforce that space. But it was much better to go out and meet with a friend, it gave her a chance to let her hair down a little in the middle of the day, figuratively speaking.

Marie's hair was carefully coiffed in a simple French twist, her white bangs tamed to frame her face. She was dressed modestly and neatly, her clothes obviously worn but clean. She made a slight nod to fashion by tying a scarf around her neck; it was one of three. Raine had likely seen them all.

Marie plops on to their usual table and places an order for coffee before even turning to greet Raine, which she does with a smile.]

Hello, Raine. You're looking well.

[wise_maiden]

Thank you. I try. [It's fashion humor.] It's good to see you, Marie. How have you been doing?

[touchofrogue]

Busy. [She sighs a little and tucks a bang behind her ear.] I don't get home until about nine these days. How about you?

[wise_maiden]

Same, especially now that there are major parties going on. I'm just glad that it helps the store...

[touchofrogue]

[Marie leans forward a little.] How is that going with the strike? A lot of people are struggling just to make ends meet. Is that making it even more difficult for you?

Day 1

[alloys]

Tony had yet to form a full-fledged opinion on his new secretary. Sure, she was capable enough, but being his secretary took much more than just capability. Her test today would come in the form of seeing him reasonably unsettled; his recently-revealed daughter was coming over to his house to meet him just later that day, and Pepper hadn't taken that news over breakfast particularly well.

The look he leveled her with as he breezed into the office practically screamed for a pot a coffee, just the way he liked it. Way too saccharine. "Messages, Marie?"

Re: Day 1

[touchofrogue]

Marie stood when he entered and went to the coffee pot, and prepared the travesty just the way he liked it. At least it was a fresh pot. The poor coffee.

"Several newspaper reporters have called for an official position on the Factory Strike. Dan Hather's secretary called to confirm your appointment for this afternoon."

She handed him his coffee.

[alloys]

"The board can handle the reporters." Tony was more than content to let the board handle most of the decision-making of the business. He took his coffee in hand. "I'll be ready for Hather as long as you can hustle the junior executives out of the office by then."

Hather was a staunch business veteran. He wouldn't be a fan of all those youngsters in suits in high level positions.

[touchofrogue]

She didn't like the idea of the board handling the strike interview. That wouldn't only look irresponsible on Mr. Stark's part, but she was sure that whatever they said would just inflame the strikers. This was a terrible idea altogether.

"That won't be a problem, sir." It was surprisingly easy to lure junior executives out with the right pastries.

[alloys]

"Good. If you've got that handled, then I need you to riddle with my for a bit." Stark secretaries weren't just present to manage communication and appointments - Tony needed someone to verbally bounce ideas off of.