They call me Mr. Fahrenheit

Ah, that startled, almost vacant expression. Yes, this would go swimmingly.

“Excellent, excellent. Now that you’re arrived, we can begin straight away.” No sense in wasting time. “Before that, though… Did you bring your paperwork with you? If so, give it here.” Gelwein extended his hand, beckoning for the papers.

Of course, even if the papers hadn’t been brought along, it would have been fine. Gelwein could simply have him sign something here. Maybe put on some additional pressure to have them signed quickly without being read. He’d put in a couple of clauses to let him get away with most things he was planning… But, well, once he had a signature for one thing, he really had it for anything he desired, as long as he was careful…

Sam blinked, blankly staring at the man as he rushed him about. He was...quite eager, to get started, wasn’t he. Then again, Sam knew very little about what was in store for him, he only had assumptions based on things h’d seen previously. 

“Yeah, it’s right here.” He handed out the paperwork. “I didn’t get all the time to read it.” He briskly skimmed it, that counted, right? It’s just like all those terms of agreement things he’d click through when making an account on a website. 

[ ♥ ] — “More than the mayor? Well, that’s certainly a lofty goal! He’s pretty popular.” She giggles. This wasn’t said in a mean way, of course. It was simply the truth. To be more well known than the most known elected official on the island was a pretty tall order. But it was also ambitious, and Felicity always thought that hard work and ambition was the true spice of life. “But I’m sure you can be, if you keep working at it!”

Upon seeing a few new guests walk in, Felicity was already preparing her greeting and winning server smile, only to stop at Sam’s question. She didn’t like shirking her duties, or putting her work off on others, but she was still tired from the earlier rush, and some extra help would definitely be appreciated…

“Ah, if it’s not too much trouble? I would be happy to hand it over to you, if it’s alright.”

“No problem!” Sam flashed her a thumbs up. “You just chill and relax, I got this.” No, he probably didn’t “got this”, but hey, his line of work is all about faking it till you make it. 

[🐎] — What a sweet talker he was. Georgia honestly didn’t mind getting a compliment here and there, but after past experiences, she was careful not to let herself get too swayed by them. The charmers were the main ones to look out for.

She folds her arms atop the fence and leans her weight on it, bringing one hand up to perch her chin on. “Oh really, now? So you’re just a rock n’ roll kinda guy, or will you be delvin’ into other genres, too?” 

While she hadn’t been too impressed by the flirting and ego, his mention of music does pique her interest. She was hopeless with it herself, and didn’t listen to much else aside from country… but she could always appreciate a musician, and the dedication they had for their craft.

His ‘cute’ comment causes her to snort in a short laugh, lips tugging up into a faint smile as she shakes her head. “Hey, hey, don’t put words in my mouth, now!” Playfully, she nudges him in the side. “What ever gave you the idea I’d think you’re cute? Pretty bold of you to assume.”

“Mmm, most people think I’m cute.” He leaned in a little more. “I was jus’ thinkin’ a cute girl like you would think a cute guy like me is cute.” With a wink he pulled back, not wanting to get too far in her face about it.

She hadn’t expected that he’d come from a farm town, he looked a little more like a city guy, but perhaps that was why he lived in Leuda? His passion was nice, and to say she didn’t understand where he was coming from would be a lie.

Muffy took his hand, looking him directly in the eyes. “You’re not just some contest winner. You also won a date with me!” She giggled, turning her attention back to the sky. “People compare rock stars to gods, right?” Muffy asked, “You’re the Harvest Goddess, so, close enough… And you have rockstar hair. So you’re halfway there.”

She frowned a little, her gaze dropping to her lap, “I want to be a successful actress. You know what I have to show for the work I’ve put in? An advertisement for a laundromat that’s since closed.” She laughed drily, “I’m working in a nightclub, can barely pay my rent, and I have to order takeout for 90% of my meals because I can’t cook.” She looked up again, this time at the reflection of the moon over the water, “It’s worth it though. If we didn’t follow our dreams we’d all be pretty boring, don’t you think?”

A sheepish grin tugged Sam’s lips up, Eyes directing themselves towards his hair. At least his hair was on point. “I suppose.” He rubbed the back of his head. 

“You got that right,” he nodded, looking back up towards the moon. “Following my dreams is the whole reason I moved out here. If I hadn’t I’d still be living in my parents house working a dead end grocery store job. Now I”m living on my own working a dead end restaurant job.” He laughed and looked back over to his date. 

She appreciated the attempt to clean nature, but Muffy knew by this point it was impossible - she had a gentle smile as she took a seat, carefully placing the roses on the ground next to her, the only thought in her head being that he really was charming. Why wasn’t everyone she met like this?

“I love it here,” she said as she turned her attention out to the world around them, specifically the ocean where she could see the moon shining over it, “Every time I come here I feel so at peace,” she looked back to the blond, “I suppose now, being here with you, I’ll be reminded of you when I come back.” She laughed quietly, hopefully this wouldn’t turn into a bad date, because then that’s all she’d remember.

“But, anyway. Tell me about yourself, Sam.” She winked at him, “What do you do?”

“What do I do?” She was giving him the floor to talk abut himself. Oh man, was this like, his elevator pitch? That thing he vaguely remembered from high school? He shifted a little closer, feeling oddly...humbled. “Well, besides being a harvest goddess,” he laughed.

“I”m...just some dude from a little farm town across the ocean.” He shrugged. “But, I’m gonna make it big, someday. I’m gonna make a name for myself. I’m gonna be one of the greatest rockstars you ever seen, right up there next to the greats.” He sighed, looking up at the moon. 

[🐎] — The compliment pulls an awkward laugh out of her, a light dusting of pink coloring her cheeks. Georgia never had been one to take compliments well, particularly those dealing with her looks. So to play off her embarrassment, she offers up a light scoff, “Well gee, thanks… but I bet you say that to all the girls, huh?”

This Sam certainly seemed like a charmer, which made a lot more sense when she learned he lived on Leuda, and was apparently some pretty hot stuff over there. Or was planning to be? If anything was clear, it was that ego of his.

“That so?” She inquires, her tone a mix of curiosity and amusement. “And how, pray tell, do you plan on becomin’ a legend?”

“Mmm, not all of ‘em,” a smug smile played on his lips. His arms folded and he turned around, leaning his back against the fence. “Only the cute ones.”

“My apologies.” she promptly stopped what she was doing and frowned thoughtfully. If he was able to walk on it, it was likely a sprain - but judging from the swelling, she was pretty sure it was a severe strain. She started scribbling onto her clip board for a moment and then looked up at him again. “Since you can at least walk on it, I think it must be a severe sprain. But just in case, I can get you an appointment with a radiographer to take x-rays. I’m sure we can get you in by tomorrow, but…”

She tapped her cheek with the back of her pen for a moment. Normally they rented out the crutches in such cases, but she was pretty sure she could waive the fee, so long as she knew he was coming back in the next day. 

“How about I get you set up with some crutches in the mean time? You definitely should try and rest it tonight. Put ice on it, but make sure you give it breaks from the cold as well. And keep it elevated as best as you can. It should help some of the swelling.” putting the clipboard aside, she stood up and headed toward the door. “Give me just a moment, I’ll go get you some crutches.”

Crutches? He was gonna have to use crutches? Aww great, just fantastic. He sank a little into the bed, still not wanting to meet the doctor face to face. Man he really fucked himself up, huh? It was gonna take him hours to get home now. What is Chelsea saw, or Muffy, or any of his friends. He’d be a total loser.

[ ♥ ] — “She is!” Felicity gushes. “The absolute cutest.” Maybe she would bring Snowball to work sometime… or maybe not, the restaurant had a strict policy on animals, after all, and she really didn’t want to lose her job, even if it was for the cutest little princess on the entire planet.

But she puts that thought out of her mind as he starts to list off his instruments and the types of music he played, and upon hearing one, she gasps. “Bass! Oh, I have a friend who plays that! Bass guitar. They’re really good.”

Felicity leaves it at that though, no matter how much she wanted to gush over Neil’s playing. She knew he was pretty shy about it, and that spreading that sort of information around would be betraying his trust. She didn’t want that. “But, anyway… I see! Passion, huh? That’s a good thing to have in any aspect of life… maybe I should think about the types of music I’m passionate about, and try it out.”

She smiles. “You certainly seem to have a lot of passion for music, though. Do you play professionally? Or have you ever thought to?”

“A bassist huh?” He would admit, he was interested. But he decided to leave it at that. Maybe that was a question for another time. 

“I don’t yet,” he slid off the counter, folding his arms. “I hope to soon. Someday I’ll be the most well known guy on this island, more than the mayor.” Even though he didn’t know the mayor yet. 

[🐎] — “Huh… doesn’t ring a bell.” She says bluntly, not intending to be rude. Georgia was simply being honest. “But it sounds like a pretty out of the way place, so that’s not surprisin’. Sounds rather cozy, honestly.” Small towns were much more appealing to her than big, bustling cities. In her eyes, the smaller the place was, the better. “I barely remember it, but I come from similar. Westown, if you’ve ever heard of it?”

She snorts. “Well, when ya put it like that, I can’t deny it has some romantic charm to it. Bein’ swept off your feet by the love of your life, and spirited away on the back of a gallant horse, towards your happy ending? Mighty nice visual there.” Georgia was also a huge sucker for sappy, romantic stories, but that wasn’t something she was all too open about. 

His stumble over her name doesn’t go unnoticed, and when he asks for it, Georgia flusters up a bit. “Oh! Goodness, how rude of me. I haven’t even properly introduced myself yet…” Clicking her tongue at her own blunder, she holds a hand out for him to shake. “Sorry ‘bout that! The name’s Georgia. And I haven’t even asked you yours, uh…”

“Georgia,” he repeated as if he was committing it to memory. “Fitting for a pretty girl like yourself.” He was going to mildly flirt, not turn it up to 11 though. “Sam.” He takes her hand in a tight shake. 

Muffy had been expecting the flowers, they had after all been a point of discussion when the date was arranged, but she was pleasantly surprised nonetheless, taking the flowers with a big smile on her face, “Thank you!” she began, “Red is my favourite colour, and I love roses!” She already had the perfect place for them in her apartment, honestly, part of her only wanted to go on dates for the fact it helped her decorate.

“You look pretty handsome yourself,” She said, “I like the beanie. Practical and stylish!” The fact that the sun was setting definitely helped it was called the golden hour for a reason, right?

“I know somewhere,” she said as she took his arm and began walking, “It’s on the cliffs, we’ll be able to see the moon over the sea. It’s usually pretty quiet but today…” She gestured vaguely to the crowds of people around them, “I think we’ll be okay. Most people are going up the mountain or somewhere like that.” It didn’t take long for the pair to arrive at the location, and by some miracle they seemed to be the only couple there. Muffy turned her head to look at Sam, “Shall we sit down?”

“Hmm,” he hummed, pride swelling in his chest. Of course he picked the perfect flowers. He liked to say he was good at reading women. “I picked em cause they looked like you.” He was trying too hard and needed to stop. 

He walked along, taking in all the sights and sounds of Arcadia. It all made his heart ache slightly. Sounds of the ocean crashing against rocks reminded him oh his home not too far from the shore. Arcadia always managed to put this weird energy in him. An odd mixture of excitement and homesickness. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

Since building his new facility on Elysia, Gelwein had begun putting out volunteer requests for his experiments. Willing volunteers were such a pain to gather… But he couldn’t well kidnap people for his tests. Not yet, anyways. Besides, there were plenty of ways to get people to do things they technically hadn’t agreed to. You just needed to go about it the right way. 

The request he had put out was simple, merely asking for a volunteer with no magical ability whatsoever, to take place in an experiment involving magic. The reward, in the request, was stated to be “dependent on the outcome of the experiment.” He offered nothing further in way of explanation.

Eventually, he got a response from someone by the name of Sam- whom he was currently waiting for in the lobby of Laboratory 5 of the Elysian Six Laboratories. When a man stepped through the door, Gelwein could only assume his test subject had finally arrived.

“Welcome,” he greeted, drawing out the word almost pretentiously as he walked over. “You’re the volunteer, I presume?” @sixstringing

He’d seen the flyers posted around town. A trial of something, and you could get paid for it. Sounded a lot to him like those ads he’d see on tv back home. Free clinical trials and getting paid for it. It was just testing different medications and whatnot. He personally didn’t know much about magic, but realistically how different could it be. And hey, if there was free cash in the mix then you bet your ass he was going.

With his paperwork in hand he cautiously made his way up to Elysia. The labratories here were much more...labratory-ey than he expected them to be. Most labs back home looked like hospitals from the outset. After a lot of wondering he finally made it to the correct building, looking around himself as he stumbled inside.

Chelsea paused when she heard his statement and looked back up to him with another amused grin crossing her face. She realized he probably had some questions about her motivations at this point, and as she flopped back on the couch next to him, she chuckled softly. “I know I don’t. But I want to. And before you think I’m just being nice or something, I’m not.” she shrugged her shoulders, figuring being transparent was probably in her best interest at this point. “I’ve been in love with music my whole life, and just… Nothing beats seeing a live band, you know? I miss that, since I moved to Leuda. And if I can find a way to get a band to come play at my own club…. It’d just be so freaking amazing!” 

Not that she figured he would just agree to it all so easily. It was a lot to process, for sure, considering he had never even heard of her before. “It’s cool, I figured you would need some time. You should check the club out, too, if you haven’t. See what you think of it and whatnot. It isn’t like I’m in a hurry for an answer or anything. It isn’t like I’m going anywhere anytime soon.”

And she lived right next door, so it wasn’t like it would be hard for him to find her, if he did decide he wanted to. Even if he didn’t want the job, she was already curious enough that she’d settle with just being friends who sat around and listened to music all day. Either way, it was a win for her. 

Sam rubbed the back of his neck once more. “Yeah...I’l think about it.” He hummed, a soft smile on his face. He knew there had to be some sort of ulterior motive, but if that motive was just wanting to have someone play at he club, then he couldn’t feel very bad about that.

[🐎] — Georgia nods and gives a small hum of interest, keying in on a few choice words in his statement. Back home. So he must not have been from Arcadia… but he couldn’t be from Leuda, either, since he mentioned there being farms. “Oh, I see… so I reckon you’re not from around these parts, then?”

At his next statement, Georgia can’t help but snort. Boy, if only he knew. “Easy? It might look easy, but horse ridin’ takes a lot of dedication and work. There’s a lot more that goes into it than just gettin’ on the back of a horse and gallopin’ off.” It admittedly frustrated her a bit when people didn’t take equestrianism seriously enough, but Georgia couldn’t be mad at the guy— he knew nothing about the sport, and she couldn’t blame him for that.

“But,” She runs a hand through her curly tresses, “if ya ever wanna learn? I’d be perfectly willin’ to teach you more about it. We offer horse ridin’ lessons here at the ranch, so…”

“Nah, I’m from across the ocean. Little tiny town called Pelican Town. Not big enough to show up on any maps. You gotta zoom in really close to even get it to pop up.” Of course he was talking about the map on his phone, not an actual map. 

“Sounds romantic tho, don’t it.” He shot the girl a quick glance and snickered. “Galloping off into the sunset like the ends of all those romance films.” He was a sucker for cheesy stuff like that.