Nuages de Violet (a Shared Story exercise)

In this thread is an evolving story where you can bring your characters to share the delight of Drama, Romance and Action with each other. The premise is simple; we start with a setting and your characters may wander in from the midst of their harrowing storylines - only to be caught in a situation beyond imagining.

The guidelines for now is kindly be respectful of each other as writers; this includes encouraging each other to contribute to the story, as well as keeping an eye out for any opportunities in the air.

No sign-up is needed, feel free to hop in (and out) of your own accord.

Those words Yomiko reads from the Poem Tome, while hearing the distant roars of aircraft departing. She'd bought this thin book from the royalty-free bookstore to keep herself preoccupied, as departure gate A14 gets ready for boarding.

Yomiko sits by the row of seats beside to the glass, where she may keep an eye out at the terminal when it finally hooks up with the Jumbo Jet's entrance. The evening sun now is especially radiant, setting beneath the vanilla sky; it is as warm as the moments when she lay basking at the beach - when the sand was over her bare skin.

The ocean waters still tumble in her memories.

She only had one picture taken - it was just her there. (Asking a stranger to do this sort of thing isn't her forte.) Everyone else was.. so happy, frolicking to the unseen beat in the air. When you take a look at the photo, you might see in her eyes a forlornness, like a flower alone in a glade, though Yomiko would shrug it off and tell you it was just extra breezy.

From her book's pages, she peeks a glance for whoever else may be waiting. Certainly, there are a lot of people - some with their children scuttling between spaces (like she used to), some who sleep three seats snuggling with their luggage, and a man who furiously glances at his watch now and then.

The world connects / and closes like a ring.

If maybe.. there might be someone nice to talk with. Her flight's not going to last for just a jiffy - the Poem Tome's only 96 pages long.

edited 2nd Dec '11 11:29:57 AM by QQQQQ

Mizuki sat in the same row as Yomiko, and nervously looked out the glass. She checked her phone, and closed it with a small sigh. I really hope this is the right place, she thought. She looked around the gate waiting area, her small backpack to her side.

What to do, what to do, she thought, having decided that getting too distracted was likely a bad decision. Too bad I won't be able to check out more of the local area, this place looked quite nice...

She noticed someone reading a book next to her. Maybe some reading could work. she thought, taking a surprisingly small textbook out of her backpack. It was entitled 'Quantum Mechanics I'. She opened it to a book mark, and studied a couple pages before putting it down on he lap with another sigh.

Noah felt he was spending most of his time these days travelling. Sometimes, it was for something meaningful, like heading back home to visit his adoptive parents and brother, but most of the time, it was just an excuse to get away from the immortals... his supposed own people. He couldn't stand those noble bastard, and obviously neither could his friends. This was one of those times, where he went to the airport, and just got a ticket for the soonest plane that took off. He didn't even know where it went. Still he looked around and saw all the mundane... human, people on the plane, he sighed. He wouldn't feel welcome here. Still, he looked at his ticket, signalling out which was his. It seemed he was sitting next to some girl with a book of poems. Interesting. Well, Noah had nothing better to do than get acquainted.

"Hello there, this appears to be my seat. I'm Noah... Uh, I don't actually have a last name, but I guess that technically, it's Shepard, but that's not important right now."

edited 2nd Dec '11 1:14:39 PM by Dvdmacyoshi

(OOC: If by "your characters may wander in from the midst of their harrowing storylines" you mean "your characters may wander in from the beginning of their harrowing storylines", then I'm in)

Nobody noticed the woman presently calling herself Melissa West. And this was how she liked it. She was pretty, in a generic way, but no more. Her hair was very convincingly blonde, and her makeup was just good enough without drawing attention to herself. She was just a stewardess. That was the story she needed everyone here to believe, and it was one she played very well.

She bustled along, as stewardesses are expected to do, soon finding making way to the row with Yomiko, Noah, and Mizuki. None of them were on the List. But she'd been told not to expect anyone from the List. No, today, she'd be adding to the List.

But her vapid smile betrayed none of this. "Good day," she said to them, in a plain, sort-of Midwestern accent. "Is everyone finding everything alright? We'll be serving food later on in this flight, but for now, can I get you something to drink?"

Mizuki looked up at Melissa from her aisle seat, and said, "I'll just have a coke for now." I hope they didn't mix up my food order, I forgot to check that. she thought after Melissa's comment.

She checked her phone nervously, then snapped it shut, looking around at the other people on the plane.

Noah looked the stewardess up and down. Something seemed off about her, but Noah couldn't exactly pinpoint what yet. Oh well, at least it would give him something to think about on his journey. He frankly wanted to get his mind off of his current priorities, and issues with Immortal politics.

"Do you have any alcohol there? If so, I'll take some Vodka. If you don't, then a coke will be fine with me too."

Turning his head over to Mizuki, he welcomed himself, outstretching his arm for a handshake.

"Name's Noah, pleased to meet you."

Wilhelm, that thing is called an airplane. Following the rules is really, really important on airplanes.

If I find you in legal custody when I go to meet you, you're going to regret it.

The young man in the long brown coat fidgets in his seat, adjusts his glasses, and stares at the slip of paper in his hand, where Bianca had given him the rules of airplanes. Most of them are in the security announcement, she said, but special ones were added just for him. Among them was, "Don't meow at passengers."

Fuuuuuck.

However, he raises his hand at the stewardess with his fingers curled in, like a paw, and waves it at her. "Whiskey, please. I won't get drunk. I promise. Okay?" He sweeps his light brown hair away from his hazel eyes and blinks at her, almost pleading.

He glances back at the list.

5. In this world, proof that you are 21 or older is required to drink alcohol. Don't ask for whiskey.

Wilhelm smiles nervously. "Sorry. Tea, please. Really strong."

edited 2nd Dec '11 3:38:06 PM by SnowyFoxes

Mizuki tentatively shook Noah's hand back. "Um, nice to meet you too - I'm Mizuki." she said to Noah.

"So... do you fly often?" she said. Well, that was a pretty boring question, she thought.

"I've started taking planes quite a lot, recently..." Explained Noah, who had now shifted himself to the seat right next to Mizuki's to communicate better, "...I never really did it before. It's one part leisure and relaxation, one part... let's say, business. I'm looking for someone, you see."

(OOC: I'll accept your silence as a yes then )

There's a white spot. Kali looked at the little black ball in her hands with irritation. One centimeter across, half of that in height (depending on how you were holding the ball, of course). Just a little white spot. A little. Fucking. White spot. She rolled the ball around in her hands. Judging by the texture of the spot, she'd say... East Asia, maybe somewhere around Russia. Her ticket was for Minneapolis.

Goddammit. Well, it looked like it was time to consult the list again. The ball went back into her pocket, and out came a small, innocuous little notepad. On the first page was a list, written in red felt pen and boldly entitled "THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DESTROY THE PLANET"

"Alright, looks like we can check off Munich." she muttered, crossing a fat red X through the entry labeled only "Oktoberfest". "North's already checked off... still gotta talk to George Lucas about those prequels. Damn. Looks like I'm going to have to move up the schedule a bit."

Move up the schedule was right. By all rights, she probably had twenty, maybe thirty days at the most. Earth days at that, not those ever so convenient month-long Heskofflor days. Not much time to finish the rest of the list. She might have to start prioritizing here.

Speaking of which, she thought, eyeing entry number twenty-eight, I wonder where that flight attendant went... Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the same flight attendant walking out the door, his gait unnervingly flaccid. That... didn't look good. So that's how it's getting around so fast.

She sighed. Leave it to the infection to ruin a girl's fun. Well, whatever. Looks like she'd need to find some other way to occupy herself.

"Whiskey, please. I won't get drunk. I promise. Okay?" Odd. That sounded like it came from the seat behind her. She turned around, and foudn that indeed it had. From a young man by the looks of it. A rather good-looking one at that.

Well that was easy. Armed with a problem that needed some fixing, Kali quickly regained her effervescent attitude. Looking to the stewardess, she called out, "I'll have what he's having!"

Wilhelm leans backward when the lady in front of him turns. Even after he hits his head on the cushion thingy that's right above the seat, he keeps pressing against it.

Fuck. He wasn't supposed to attract attention that fast. And this flight is supposed to take hours!

He opens his bookbag and starts taking out clockwork and tools to occupy himself with.

Melissa flew off with the orders, as ever the model of efficiency, and had soon returned with the drinks — untampered with, this time — that had been requested.

Coke for the woman reading about quantum mechanics. That one seemed pretty normal... but then, so did Melissa. But she was constantly fiddling with that phone of hers. The mistake of an amateur, or totally innocent?

There was the man who had requested, and received, vodka. He seemed to have noticed something about her. Best not to worry about it, though. If things went according to plan, all she'd be doing today was observing. Like things ever go according to plan, she thought. Still, this one could be trouble.

Strong tea for the man who had previously ordered whiskey. Where was he from? He seemed a bit uncomfortable here. An Alosian immigrant? No, he didn't have any sort of accent she recognized. It was perfectly normal, in fact. Maybe he'd just lived a very sheltered life. There was the clockwork — she briefly looked at it, and made only a cursory effort to hide her interest. After all, examining such a thing was normal. She didn't understand much about clockwork, but it didn't look like Mauros handiwork. Curious.

Another round of strong tea for the woman with, of all things, a list saying, "Thing to Do Before I Destroy the Planet." Surely a jest? But who could tell? This one might be trouble. Melissa was very fond of Earth.

The far-off woman reading the book of poems had made no order. She seemed harmless enough, if a bit nerdy. Not unlike Melissa herself had once been. But for now, she could bother Melissa or another stewardess if she changed her mind about having a drink.

Their drinks, and others, delivered, Melissa then made an effort to look busy, seeking out others who might be worth watching.

edited 2nd Dec '11 5:22:02 PM by KillerClowns

"I see." Mizuki said to Noah. Me too, well at least some thing. she didn't say, taking a sip of her coke instead.

"So, what do you do, then?" she said.

"A wide variety of things," explained Noah, "But I guess you can call it Politics... really, it's all very complicated, and never very important at the moment... in fact, I'd rather take my mind off of it right now, so I suppose it's your turn to talk about yourself." The girl was studying a book on Quantum Mechanics, so he could tell she wasn't a complete idiot. Good enough for him, she's bound to say something that would interest him.

"Right." Mizuki said to Noah, closing her book, "I'm a university freshman, studying Applied Math and Physics. It's a full time job, really." If anything, that's an understatement.

"But it's fun!" she said, "Um, you know, learning about how the universe works and stuff like that."

"University, huh? I studied several things at University... actually, MANY things at University, so much so that I can't even remember the course I actually applied for in the first place... and this was only a year ago. I spent a lot of time attending lectures for classes I wasn't even a part of. The funny thing is, no one actually noticed." Noah gave a short laugh to himself, then continued, "Ah, University was fun for me. That's where I met most of my best friends, and they've been very loyal to me."

"I'm glad you had such a nice time." Mizuki said to Noah. Hmm... he seems nice enough. Probably not him. she thought.

She glanced out one of the windows, watching the perfectly ordinary sky passing by.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Any places you've visited you really enjoyed?"

Tea? She didn't want - oh. Right. Didn't he just change his order? Fuck...

"Well, only one thing for this." Kali said, ruffling through her pockets. Where was it... ah! From her pocket she produced her emergency reserve, a small metal flask filled with whiskey. Or at least she was pretty sure it was filled. She couldn't remember if she'd already emptied or not. Only one way to find out.

She unscrewed the flask, and spiked her some tea. "That's better. Hey, want some?" She asked the kid behind her, shaking the flask.

"Uh...."

Wilhelm sniffs the flask and checks if the stewardess is looking.

"Thank you, ma'am," he says, and pours it in his tea.

Matt twisted his cane on the floor, knowing that if he tapped it on the ground like how he used to when listening to music, it would make an annoyingly loud thunk that he wasn't always aware of. Let's face it, however; he just sometimes got lost in nostalgia, from the days when he got to watch Akira on his laptop after school. It was the one good thing he remembered about growing up in Japan; the soundtrack cleared his head, made him feel ready to perform the same show night after night for months on end. This would be the first and last time he could relax for a while, feel like he has no immediate obligations. He rather liked long car or plane trips for just that reason, for bearing the fleeting feelings that came with freetime.

Skinny, young-looking, and fashionable, his appearance was more in line with an eager high school graduate with far-reaching dreams for the world than an experienced actor and father. He crossed his legs, leaning his head against the wall next to him as strange, violet-colored eyes watched nothing in particular.

Matt tapped his fingers absentmindedly on his leg with no particular rhyme or reason to it. The approaching energy signature of the stewardess climbed through his finger from the deceptively simple-looking steel ring on his right hand, causing him to 'look' up from the floor. As she passed his row, he stopped her.

"Ma'am, would you mind finding some apple juice for me? If not, water will do." His London-accented voice sounded just as youthful as he looked.

edited 2nd Dec '11 6:20:10 PM by CrystalGlacia

I'm fucking bored.

There are no pianos on airplanes. Bianca warned him about that. So he brought a backup plan.

6. Don't harrass people. If they tell you to stop what you're doing, stop.

Playing the harmonica isn't harrassing, is it? Wilhelm takes it out of one of his inner coat pockets and begins improvising. Something bright and happy, like a country dance.

While Melissa did notice Wilhelm's surreptitious addition to his tea, it was something that was, quite simply, not her problem. So she pretended obliviousness. After all, a bit of alcohol, and he might say something worth remembering. Worst case scenario, a drunken passenger wouldn't be too much of a problem, so long as she didn't attract attention to herself while manhandling him. She also disregarded the harmonica — she'd deal with it if someone complained.

She heard Matt's request, and said, "yes sir. Right away." This young man, who, if she read him right, was blind, seemed harmless as well. And rather handsome. A shame she couldn't afford to risk such dalliances. It was hard finding good men where she worked. Still, that was far off — right now she was Melissa West, stewardess. So far, so good, she thought. Sometimes it was nice when things went according to plan. She soon returned with Matt's drink.

edited 2nd Dec '11 6:32:14 PM by KillerClowns

(OOC: Back! I was out for the evening, sorries.)

The two strangers beside Yomiko are starting up this chit-chat - what must be the "Hi-how-are-you" part before getting to the interesting tidbits of each other's lives. Yomiko'd buried her nose in these pages of poetry, letting her mind disappear in the words of Yeats, Wordsworth and White from the uncomfortable sensations of Liftoff. The sharp banking until the plane had settled on its due course.

She doesn't feel like barging in with her own presence. It might be rude of her; she decides to listen intently to what Mizuki (supposedly the young woman with the textbook) had to say about her university life. One day, Dr Mizuki can proudly announce the new unified String Theory on the podium! For now, she's a freshman, studying what courses she's taking.

The stewardess is coming down the aisle - serving out drinks. Yomiko imagines having a nice bottled Spritzer.

edited 2nd Dec '11 6:32:59 PM by QQQQQ

The bookish young lady appeared to have removed her nose from the pages of her tome. Curious, and not just out of a professional need to gather information, Melissa turned to Yomiko when her cart rolled by. "Sorry," she said, "I'm not sure you heard me the first time I passed by. Care for something to drink?"