ACME Spring Break

Status
Not open for further replies.

Sophie

Medical Staff
Best answers
0
Color #
C8A2C8
It was the middle of March and the sun hung high and bright, warming the air a balmy fifteen degrees Celsius as light breezes swept in across the Bay. Laughter from both adults and children chimed, and in the Park Chalet Garden Restaurant, an equable Sophie Conrad and a lighthearted @Gudrun Nygård did a final walkabout of the conservatory. Light poured in through the glass panels that lined the roof and walls, and through them, the colourful carpets of tulips and the tall, grey form of a languid windmill could be glimpsed. For now, the tables and chairs around lay empty--but it would not be long before they would be filled.

The invitations had been despatched a fortnight before, in both print and digital format. Addressed to all the ladies of ACME, it communicated a gathering of food and fun in celebration of the spring that had now dawned over San Francisco. The responses were swift and sanguine and it was eventually decided that each attendee was to contribute an item of food or drink. The venue was reserved, flowers ordered to adorn each table, and a string quartet from the local community hired.

Salted and peppered brie, smothering thinly-sliced tomatoes and pumpernickel bread had been baked and squared. Set beside jugs of iced lemonade, they now lay in wait as Sophie turned to smile at her companion...
 

Elsa

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Elsa, Lise
Color #
8d8844
Gudrun Nygård was very excited for her first real Sorority party... until she found out it was a sort of picnic at the park, and wasn't about girls doing things things boys didn't know they did. She had never been to any gathering that required a 2-weeks invitation before either, so this was still an experience. San Francisco and the American way was a little odd to her, but she knew this was the kind of place that needed a reservation in advance or there won't be any space, they have those in Sweden too.

She had moved here a few short months back to continue her degree in Historical Literature with a focus on Lore and Mythology. It was her favorite field back home and ACME was offering its agents something a little extra too: Travel oppotunities.

She invited another friend to this party @Ivy, a senior agent she had met on her first month here, and possibly the only other person she knew wouldn't mind bringing food to a party.
 

Rose

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Abby
Color #
da328
She knew it sounded all pessimistic of her, but from the first moment she saw the invitiation to the ladies' function, Rose Ningolsham knew that it was a less than a good idea for her to go. There had been numerous good excuses placed upon the table, but none of them held up against her friend's persuasive words. Just go once to an event like this, @Constance had implied, and if she really didn't like it, then there was no reason to go again.

Deciding to go was easy enough, but then the March day came around, and she spent much of 45 minutes in search of that invitation to see whether it was a casual or forrmal event and what time it exactly was. Unfortunately, the search proved vain since a wave of origami had hit home, and all paper had mysteriously disappeared. Well, not entirely. If she had decided that the consequence of tears was a price she was willing to pay, she would have started yanking the flying pieces of origami off of the celing till she found the invitation in the form of a bird, shape, or other animal. She tried to contact Constance for the information but found that her friend was not available, and so she was left with the choice to do or die. So she did.

Now here she was outside the Park Chalet Garden Restaurant, lopsided heart shaped scones [She didn't know exactly why they ended up as hearts. That wasn’t the shape she originally had in mind] in hand, and desperately hoping her entry would not be too noticeable having little clue whether she was extremely late or the opposite. After a few deep breathes to force the hurriness away, she entered into the building and searched till she found what she believed was the right room. It had to be. Empty chairs and tables were arranged here and there about the open space, and from the tidiness, she could tell that she was in danger of being on the early side.

She wasn't quite sure what was to be done next until she spotted two unfamiliar figures walking about the room. They didn't seem to have noticed her entry; so she stepped forward and spoke up, "Sorry, am I terribly early? Or am I even in the right place?"
 
Last edited:

Cali

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Cali
Color #
A35C9A
Cali Corranos arrived a little bit later because she had to make sure her vegetarian Acarajé (black-eyed peas bread with peppers and green tomatoes) were well done and not too watery. The Feijoada (stew) had beef so she made the Acarajé in case someone among ACME's international crowd did not eat meat.

She arrived in her Havanas sandals, forgetting to put on real shoes, but in San Francisco it seems to be acceptable.

"Allo," she walked up with food to the conservatory of the Park Chalet Garden Restaurant, "Only us so far?"


-------
aupload.wikimedia.org_wikipedia_commons_thumb_a_a4_Acaraje_Baiana.jpg_800px_Acaraje_Baiana.jpg
Acarajé


aaldeiatem.com_blog_wp_content_uploads_2013_04_Doce_Del_C3_ADcia_Feijoada_Light.jpg
Feijoada tem a cara do Brasil
 

Ivy

Commander
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Iv', Ives
Color #
008080
When Ivy first received the digital invitation, she was sure someone was pulling a prank on her. First there was the fact that it was addressed to the ladies of ACME. Many words could be used to describe Ivy, but a "lady of ACME'" seemed completely pass her swearing, hotheaded-rough persona. Secondly, the invite hinted that someone believed she could cook a dish that wasn't frozen and nuked in a microwave.

Within the next day however, Gudrun Nygård delivered a paper invitation. Upon the realization that this was indeed an actual event and it was being overseen by Sophie Conrad, Ivy suddenly felt an odd sense of panic. She knew these people from work. There was a part of her--a big part of her--that really wanted to make a good impression. Being raised primarily with her father and brother and then starting work at ACME before she was even allowed to date left Ivy somewhat inexperienced and wanting in the social norms of group female friendships.

Ivy changed her outfit at least three times, finally settling on a sheer blouse and silk wide-leg pants. Her choice of food was an assortment of spring rolls from one of San Francisco's finest Chinese take outs, cleverly disguised as homemade with the art of re-plating.

She parked her Kawasaki Ninja and took a bit of time to make sure her blouse wasn't wrinkled before heading towards the conservatory. Luckily there were people she recognized already there, and she flagged down Gudrun and Sophie first.

"The place looks beautiful," Ivy observed. Everything seemed to blend well together, though it was beyond her comprehension as to how that was achieved. She paused, already feeling a bit awkward. "Nice... weather too."
 
Last edited:

Constance

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Kit or Kitty
Color #
3CB371
Constance had awoken to the warm sun as it poked through the thin curtains that covered her apartment window and lightly kissed her face. She had no problem tossing the blankets off and rising from her bed. Gliding towards the light, she opened the window and took a deep breath of the fresh spring air as it floated into her room. Near a tree below, a small bird happily pecked at the ground in the hope of finding a seed of sorts or maybe a tasty worm: A sign that all was right on this beautiful spring day.

Quickly Constance prepared for the day. First her morning run; then a shower. After this she carefully made a large plate of tortilla, cream cheese pinwheels. By this time, she had two hours left before the luncheon. Just enough time to dress herself for the occasion, apply makeup, and be on her way. She was quite pleased with how the day was progressing.

Upon finishing her preparations, Constance made her way to the restaurant, arriving, thankfully, on time. Entering the conservatory in the trail of a few other guests, she was struck by the beauty of the place. Somehow the many windows, the tables, and the empty chairs created a cosy but spacious feeling at the same time. It was perfect for such a gathering as this. After a quick survey of the room, Constance spied Dr. @Sophie Conrad along with another woman and carried her plate of food over to where they stood.

“Good afternoon, Sophie! This place is absolutely lovely!”. Constance glanced down at her tray before quickly adding, “Where would you like me to put this?”.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Sophie

Medical Staff
Best answers
0
Color #
C8A2C8
Individuals trickled in, some bewildered and others enthusiastic, and Sophie watched them all even if only out of the corner of an eye. She was a part of ACME Medical, and thus, rarely had an opportunity to socialise with the non-medical members of ACME apart from mission imperatives and organisation-wide events, which were much too formal for true amity. At the end of the winter holidays, she had found herself in the library of the ACME Academy in search of a book. Hoping to find an English translation of an old French cooking instructive for a colleague, she had consulted the librarian--and had, consequently, met Gudrun Nygård. Directions to what she sought led to conversations about food which spanned across international borders and resulted in later meetings for hot chocolate and sandwiches. It was then ideated that a gathering would be useful for the introduction of newly-arrived Gudrun to the ACME community and to give Sophie the much-needed opportunity to meet associates on casual terms.

Petal-sleeved, her purple dress was printed with small yellow dots and its hem swirled around her knees as Sophie moved to greet arrivals. Prior to this afternoon, she had drawn out the files of every respondent to the event, her intention only to match faces to the names. Her memory was keen and it now became a personal sport for her as she tallied the names on the guestlist to the faces that were appearing before her.

Among the food that was gathering on a decorated island in the center of the patio, glazed scones were received with gratitude and a fragrant stew of beans and beef could not be ignored. Rose Ningolsham, Sophie recalled to herself as she thanked their contributors, and Calina Corranos...

She was just about to speak more than greetings and gratitude when a wave caught her attention, and then another. Laughing lightly in more spontaneous recognition, she received both Ivy Monaghan and Constance Kitlyn. The food they had brought was handed over to the staff of the restaurant who would take charge of the reheating and subsequent presentation, and Sophie was free to address the younger blonde:

"I'm glad to see you," the doctor said, "How did the essay turn out?" She remembered @Constance approaching her for references on contemporary views of primary medicine care, and they had spent an evening tapping into the resources of ACME and UCSF together.
 

Rose

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Abby
Color #
da328
Rose’s question was answered without words when a wave of other ACME women entered the building after her. She lingered there in the midst of them until she was relieved of her scones and then faded into the background. There was a table towards the corner that her eyes had landed on, and now it looked even more and more welcoming as she began to feel a bit claustrophobic.

She slipped between the different ladies and found her way to the chair. Once there, she couldn’t help but glance down at her cellphone just in case there was a message. Just in case. Of course, there wasn’t, but that didn’t dissuade the slight anxiety from keeping its abode in the pit of her stomach. She really wasn’t used to a feeling like this, and it just didn’t seem right.

The various sounds of motion throughout the room brought her back, and she slipped the cellphone under the table in almost a guilty manner. Already this year she had spent more time looking at her cellphone than any other year in her life, but that fact hadn’t altogether wipe her memory of the times she became frustrated when other people were glued to their cellphones, especially at work.

Making up her mind, she quickly rid herself entirely of the phone by putting it into her purse underneath her chair and then turned her attention back to the women around her. People hadn’t ever been her strong point, but she still enjoyed watching them, strangely.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Colleen

ACME
Best answers
0
Colleen felt the black dress to be a boring but strategic choice, as it would be most likely to conceal any food, drink, or antibacterial cleaner spills incurred during the event. She calmed her nerves with the knowledge that it would be an all-female party, which agreed with her unspoken belief that the ACME females were generally more sanitary than the males.

The only unchaperoned social events she had attended were at Berkeley's computer club, where the primary interaction consisted of trading parts, circuits, and device information. Uncertain as to whether or not this was standard interplay in other settings, she packed two EVGA graphics cards in her purse. Grabbing the "Key Lime pie" she made, her thoughts turned to how raw veganism could be off-putting for some people. The two large bottles of pear vodka hidden in the back of her closet would surely provide adequate insurance.

An hour later, Colleen hurried towards the conservatory. Incredibly late and increasingly doubtful about her food selection, she felt a shakiness build in her arms. Attending a party was surely a misstep on her part, but it was too late for second thoughts now. As she approached a table with food, she set the pie and vodka down and turned abruptly to a nearby group of women.

"Hi! I'm Colleen. I'm really late and a vegan, but I brought vodka and components,"she rattled on apologetically.
 

Constance

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Kit or Kitty
Color #
3CB371
"I'm glad to see you," the doctor said, "How did the essay turn out?
The mention of the essay brought a lack of pleasant thoughts to Constance. It wasn’t that she didn’t find its topic interesting, but the process of finding the few, assuredly elusive research articles that pertained to the subject and then integrating them into a twenty page essay was disheartening at best. While the paper had turned out quite well, she was relieved to have finished it. Of course, as a reward, more similarly enjoyable papers of increasing difficulty were promised in the quarters to come.


Despite all these disagreeable thoughts, Constance mustered a brave smile.

“I was pleased with the final draft, and so was the teacher it turns out. Thank you so much again for all your help finding applicable research. It can really be a bother sometimes.” Constance would have followed with a compliment of the doctor’s absolutely splendid dress, but, by this time, guests were forming a line with the intention of greeting the two hosts and thanking them for the kind invitations to this luncheon.

Side stepping out of the line, Constance excused herself. “I should probably find a place to sit. I certainly hope to talk with you later.”
 

Derrin

ACME
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Derrin, Der
The early morning sunlight slipped through the slats of Derrin's blinds, becoming more powerful as it rose into the sky, signaling the start of a new day. Its beams hit her square in the face, and returning back to sleep was a quickly dimming prospect. So instead, the girl sat up, stretched, then made her way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, the date on a tastefully done invitation caught her eye.

That's today?
Derringer had joined the Agency less than a month ago, and was stuck in a rut of training, work, and home. At the courteous prompting of a few of her senior colleagues, she accepted the invite, promising herself and them that she would go to get to know her coworkers outside of a few polite exchanges.


She opened the fridge again, wondering what she could come up with in such a short time. Eventually she settled on a batch of fudge brownies, which baked in the oven as she showered, and cooled as she stood in front of her closet, wondering what to wear. Having a penchant for anything black, leather, or studded severely narrowed her options. Eventually she settled on a pretty coral wrap dress. With a pair of low heels and her usually braided hair cascading down her shoulders, Derrin had to admit that she felt out of her element, but cute nonetheless.

Choosing not to ride her bike in fear of mussing up her hair she arrived at the venue by taxi. Entering the conservatory, and gratefully relieving her arms of baked goods, she felt a sudden shyness as she approached the group. The dress that she wore had pockets, which she liked because she could conceal both her namesake gun and now her nervousness.

"Nice day isn't it?" she began.
 

Ivy

Commander
Best answers
0
Known Aliases
Iv', Ives
Color #
008080
As the women mingled and found seats, Ivy couldn't help but think that this was actually going quite well. She found Colleen Slate to be an excellent conversationalist, even if her replies were sometimes perplexing. Further speaking to Gudrun and Cali and learning about how much time they took to prepare their dishes, her nervousness quickly gave way to hunger.

The food was starting to smell really good, and a smoky scent of something grilled caught her attention. As a child, Ivy developed an acute sense of smell. It came in handy at least twice during V.I.L.E. cases, and several times when she could prove that Zack hadn't done his laundry. In this case, Ivy followed her nose, though she couldn't see any sort of live cooking station. It was then that she noticed the orange flames fanning just beyond the glass conservatory.

Jarring back, Ivy pushed a chair behind her causing its legs to screech against the travertine floor.

"Fire." Her first attempt wasn't nearly as loud as she wanted it to be so she cleared her throat and tried again, "Fire!!"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Latest threads

New Journals

Neutral Grounds
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    I even have the site white listed, for a wild shot can any of you post a new question in the guessing game I had set up
    Quote Link
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    I would like to see if that will get my email to ping
    • Interesting
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    I know that might just be a shot in the dark but why not try
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    Sure why not?
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    I hope you get it fixed Invader!!
    • Like
    Reactions: Jade
    Quote Link
  • Dj Inn(Djinn) :
    Dj Inn(Djinn) has left the room.
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Good Morning everybody. I hope you all have a wonderful day :)
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Did you know a group of Jellyfish is called a Smack? -Nat Geo
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    Smack O’ jellies is now a term
    • Haha
    Reactions: Lucy
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    ((OOC: So, I am still here (at least, while ACP is still a thing, then I have to tether my phone to my laptop, send it's internet to Ethernet to my router and setup my other laptop to access that... I managed it once totally by accident)... updating stuff I'm working on is not a fun process (if anyone checks my stories folder on my Google Drive) anymore... the laptop at my desk is old (Core 2 Duo, 2Ghz, 4 gigs RAM, Win7 Ultimate)... Chrome won't update, Drive won't work... I'm stuck using FreeFileSync to keep stuff up to datep things synced. I have plans of getting a job and having money to have something better (a doorstop is better)
    • Love
    Reactions: Julie Justice
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    [continuing] I'm sorry if any of my posts are/could be inflammatory or anything... some of them are stuff I've had in the pipeline for a while, and I messed with it enough to get it postable... that's why there are dates showing when I started working on stuff... I'm not, and never have been, trying to step on anyone's toes or say "this is how it should be"... I have no say here, not sure who does these days (like I posted... maybe this is a test to see if we devolve into chaos). Posts like Hierarchy were started long ago, and meant as a guideline and not because I'm the voice of Sauron.
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    [continuing] I don't have the time to be here a whole lot, I don't have much beyond mom to help with my rent (and once I have a job, that'll take up more time, though I will keep working on stuff (both for here and not) as often as possible, and post when possible on here. I have a question that needs some clarification... being that we are supposed to get permission from the person if we use their character in an addition/story/post, how would that apply if the character is core to the universe (like Carmen... I can replace @Chase, maybe cobble someone into @Ivy's place... but, like @Carmen, being that she's a major character, as long as I don't have her acting or write a major part for her, would that circumvent the rule at all?
    • Love
    Reactions: Julie Justice
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    [continuing] I'm just curious... the absence of the major's leaves a gap that I'm not sure what to do with anything... we (the Left Behind) could do a story together (or some stories separate), and that'd be cool, but without being able to use any major's, I'm not sure where to take anything. And, yeah... you can probably guess what my typing is like here (or anyplace else)... I type here or in Word, I type something (or notepad), and 15-20+ seconds later it shows up, so I have to stay on top of my grammar and spelling. I have to keep on top of all that, because I'm working on the big Carmen story at the same time, so I can't slip off my game.))
    • Love
    Reactions: Julie Justice
    Quote Link
  • Julie Justice Julie Justice:
    @Jon Eckart Not exactly sure if I understand all your computer probs. I hope you get those resolved soon. Yes, I have many probs with my basic Google Chrome, too. I think it's fair to say we all have a love/hate relationship with technology. 😆 As far as your stories are concerned, you can use any cannon character you like, whether there is a person playing that role on here or not. Say the story is a fanfiction; and that the version of Chase, or Carmen (or whoever) from the computer games, gameshow (or whatever). We don't do Netflix Carmen, mostly because of the violence. And because it is fanfiction, you can also create other characters and situations to suit your story. Now, Chase, Carme, Ivy (or whoever) were here, of course, you would ask their permission; tell them your idea; and if they like it they might write it with you. 🙂
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • Julie Justice Julie Justice:
    @Jon Eckart Now, if you for a friendship with someone on--and off-site, you might form a partnership with them, and write stories together (like Chase and Carmen; or Chase and Ivy; or Lucy and I) and then you will just put a statement saying that this story is a co-write with whoever. In fact, if you collaborate with this person a lot, people will just assume they have your permission; although you should always say it anyway, just as a common courtesy. In fact, ironically, the only people whose permission you must always ask to use their characters are "original" characters, who are creations of their individual writers (which most of us on here, are) specifically because we are not cannon. I hope that makes sense. 🙂
    Quote Link
  • Julie Justice Julie Justice:
    @Jon Eckart Now, if you want to write something, but don't have a lot of time, I would suggest posting a status; or replying to someone else's status. Or you could start a guessing game. Look under Forums/Guessing Games, and look at some things other people have done, to give you ideas. I hope that helps. 🙂
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Did you know that the Mockingbird is the state bird of 5 states? Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
    • Like
    Reactions: Jade
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    It seems the Mock-5 is unstoppable... Go Speed Go!
    • Like
    Reactions: Lucy
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    I just heard on the news they're going to have to remove the Sakura trees in Washington because of damage to a sea wall. They have to build a sea wall and replant new trees.
    • Like
    Reactions: Jade
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    They were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo!
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Okay wait. Only 158 of the 2,500 have to be taken down. They are also taking clippings from the cut down trees to propagate new ones
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Is everyone ready for the solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024? :)
    Quote Link
  • Invader Invader:
    yes
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    Affirmative
    Quote Link
  • Laverna Laverna:
    I’m staying inside
    Quote Link
    Laverna Laverna: I’m staying inside
    Top