#ogdentask

[freddiekolbeck]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TASK 001: FAMILIES

louis kolbeck (alain delon): freddie's granddad was an actor that is past his prime. you would only know him if you were into old gangster movies, or really bad hallmark movies. pals with the likes of robert de niro and al pacino, though they didn't help him out when he drowned the family in debt due to his gambling addiction. freddie has only had a handful of interactions with him, and he learned where his father got it from. freddie has never really had a relationship with him, besides all the comparisons of how he's starting to look like a younger louis.

ralph kolbeck (nikolaj coster-waldau): an ogden alumni. born with a distaste for his surroundings, from his irresponsible father who couldn't be bothered to raise him to the debt collectors who were knocking on his door. his mother died when he was young and he was forced to raise himself. he had the drive to be better and a thirst for success. he vowed to provide for his family, to be a good father and husband but his priorities misaligned along the way. business became more important, he depended on alcohol to relieve his stress, and a poorly timed pregnancy threw a spanner in the works. he did not want a son, which in turn made him an angry man. freddie realised this later on in life.

cassie luker (margot robbie): ralph's current girlfriend, an up-and-coming actress. they've been dating for four years. her career has sky rocketed since. cassie and freddie had starred in a movie together, where she played his older sister. after he was blacklisted, she gave an interview about how unpleasant the set had been due to a young diva. freddie has been caught liking tweets which talk badly of her relationship with his dad.

naomi kolbeck née capper (sienna miller): a failed actress who once had stars in her eyes. she moved to la from a small town with dreams of making it big, and she was willing to do anything to get there. she really did love ralph, but she hadn't expected him to not lift a finger to help her career. so when he told her he'd gotten the maid pregnant, she'd convinced herself she always wanted kids. she was delighted when freddie expressed an interest in acting, despite pushing him in that direction, and she grew to love being his mother, for all the opportunities it gave her. divorcing ralph had been a long time coming, and running back to freddie with her tail between her legs had been humiliating. she was willing to grovel for his forgiveness. luckily he'd been willing to give her a chance, but their relationship remains strained, as he starts to realise that she'll never change.

jo woods (jaime pressly): freddie's birth mom. she'd been the maid at the kolbeck household whilst he was growing up. he watched as she was treated poorly, or as if she wasn't even there. he learned from his parents and acted no differently. but it'd come as a surprise to him when she quit her job, once it'd all become too much for her. she wrote him a letter, explaining everything, which he only read a few years later. they met and talked for hours, and he cried in her arms. he'd been sending her money ever since, but he's rarely seen her after finding out she had another family of her own. he had text her a photo of cassie after the news of his dad's new relationship broke out, pointing out how alike they look, to which jo replied: she's pretty, but are you okay? looking back on it, to his memory, she'd been the only one to ask him that whilst growing up, despite his behaviour towards her.

[morrisxn02]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TAST #3: DORM ROOM

If you opened the doors of suite 205C in the Alcott building right now, you would be met with an impeccably clean room filled with books, artwork, and redolent with the scent of a beach at sunset. Decoration and standard ground rules were almost unilaterally established by Edward, who was lucky enough to share a room with someone extremely complacent and obedient who did not question when he hung paintings all over the walls or took the biggest side of the room to himself. Which, speaking of it, is equipped with lots of storage space, a complete gaming desktop set, loads of books, and two espresso machines. A room fit for a king – or rather, a 12x19 sq. ft suite fit for a soon-to-be disinherited prince, but what's the difference, right? Like all megalomaniacs – Edward likes to look at his little 205C as his own authorial project, something he takes a lot of pride in, something that mirrors his personality. And his roommate? Well, he's just pretty decoration.

[ambroselm]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TASK 002 : FAMILY HOME THE LI MORRISON FAMILY ESTATE

The Li Morrison Home is located on the most prime street in Bel Air. Over 36, 000sqft on over a 47, 900sqft lot, this estate offers almost every conceivable amenity. From an indoor pool to bowling alley, gym, indoor racquetball court, Cinema, 2-story living room and vast entertaining spaces. Fresh from a major renovation, the main house offers 8 bedrooms, gourmet kitchen, dining room for 10 and grand entry hall. To the rear, one finds the entertainment center/guest house of approx 20,000sqft. Complete privacy behind wrought iron gates and mature redwood trees, The Li Morrison Home is one of Bel Air's most pedigreed estates.

[ogdencollegerp]

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER

With the new school year rapidly approaching, there are a series of mandatory questions to be answered and submitted to the main, as well as some info for a quasi-IC TASK that can be posted on your blog !!!

The thing about secrets, is once you have one, they seem to keep multiplying from there. And with the students that were lured to the Commons each having plenty of reason to want THE GOLDEN GIRL gone, well....now they have even more reason to keep their mouths shut.

MANDATORY QUESTIONS:

Please submit these to the main by NEXT WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10TH. Along with this, please submit an updated basic application for each character containing their updated school year & age for the 2023-2024 year !!!

In the past year, in what ways has your muse benefitted from THE GOLDEN GIRL being missing ??

Why is your muse okay with someone else taking the fall for the fire/for being G/for all of it, really - as in, regardless of if they think THE NAIVE NEWCOMER or THE POLLYANNA or whoever is guilty for any of it, why were they relieved when someone who isn't them was held responsible ??

What did your muse do over the summer that would look suspicious in light of everything that has happened over the past year ?? NOTE - This should tie into, emphasize, or further expand upon their motive.

Were there any other secrets your muse added over the summer ?? NOTE - These are additional secrets - they do not have to be connected to Greer or their motive.

Please note that this will apply to any NEW MUSES as well - and will be being added to the app !!!

AND A BONUS QUESTION:

Please submit something to the GOSSIP BLOG they did over the summer, that while not a secret, is something that IC they wouldn't be thrilled if people knew about it.

OPTIONAL IC TASK TO BE POSTED:

Since this is of course optional, there is no due date, though I would recommend having it up and posted by THIS SUNDAY evening, as that's when the new school year will officially kick off !!!

What did your muse get up to over the summer (with the exception of any secrets, of course) ??? Feel free to answer this is anyway - a photo set with bullet points, a self-para, even just a paragraph added to the character's intro !!! With this I would include updating your intro in general with new info (school year, age, etc), a summary of what happened during the 2022-2023 school year, and perhaps including some plot ideas for the new year.

As always, feel free to send in any questions or concerns to the main !!!

[ironlvngs]

★ — 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗣𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗞 𝟬𝟬𝟮. 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 !

the house that link grew up in had a cold, eerie, and dark atmosphere to it. at least, that was how link remembered it, whenever he thought back to the days where he lived there — as pictured above in the dark and slightly unsettling lighting is what the house looked like through their eyes. but it wasn't perfect, even if it might not have been as bad as link remembers it. they were living in a horrible neighbourhood, and the place was pretty fucking old and full of shit that needed constant repairs, barely any hot water, and fucked wifi.

top left; the exterior of the house.

top center; the backyard that was never looked after, or used for more than a quick cigarette, considering the entire household was made up of smokers.

top right; kitchen ! nothing special there, especially not in the fridge.

middle row left; living room, never occupied by more than one person at a time — unless it was link and his brother before he left, whenever their mother was working late or out ( which was often )

middle row center; their mother's room. simple and quite frankly ugly, she just never cared for decorating or making the space her own, she hardly spent time in there. it was usually her who took over the living room and kitchen.

middle row right; the cramped shared room between link and his brother. speaking of ugly... it's not that his older brother didn't try to put in effort, it's just that there was barely any room for the two of them, much less space to make it more.

entire bottom row; when his brother left them, link finally had more space in his room. he really tried to make it his own — a place to escape, to call his, somewhere he'd feel comfortable. he added posters, his sketches on the walls, made space for his CD's and everything else. but the extra space just continuously reminded him of his brother. at that point, saddened by the absence of his brother and angered by everything that his mother says or does, he found himself just covering the walls and any empty space with spray paint, leaving his room looking destroyed by the time he knew he was going to leave for ogden. as if he'd known that he'll never need to come back to it again.

[milonavarroo]

IC TASK 004: INTERROGATIONS

His father had let the first interrogation slide without much of a fuss, but with the news that people were being brought in a second time (or third in some cases) he called up their lawyer, as well as Milo's PR agent. If this effected his tennis sponsorships, well wouldn't that be so unfortunate. They both spent hours briefing Milo on how to behave, how to answer questions, and tell them right now if he knew anything he wasn't saying. He didn't appreciate feeling like a child, so to say he was unreceptive to any help they were offering was an understatement. Sitting outside of the interrogation room his arms crossed over his chest, and at best giving them a resounding 'no' he didn't know anything.

Eventually his PR agent gave up biding him and his lawyer, heading down the hall and around the corner when the door to the interrogation room opened and he was escorted into the room with his lawyer. It was pretty much the same as the time before -- mildly polite introductions went around, offers of something to drink if he wanted it, and then it was down to business. Thankfully, Milo had better things to do today.

"Can you talk about your time capsule video? Give us some context for the clip that was leaked?”

He rolled his eyes, about to say that this had nothing to do with Greer at all, but his lawyer sent him a look that clearly said he needed to cooperate to show good will. Not that he had any good will for anyone involved in what was going on. Why hadn't they found Greer yet? A person couldn't just disappear off the fucking face of the earth. Not someone like Greer, anyway. "I was saying something my therapist had told me before, and how fucking stupid it was. Me thinking it was bullshit was cut off," Milo said, pressing his lips together in annoyed line.

"Were you aware that Greer Morrison had submitted a video at the end of last year?”

"How would I have known that?" Milo snapped in a knee jerk reaction. "I wasn't her babysitter."

There was a long and pregnant pause after Milo's words where he let out a deep breath, turning his head away from the agent speaking to him. His eyebrows drew together in anger, and frustration.

“Had you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?”

That made Milo turn his head back looking surprised by this information. "Kit was jucing?" He repeated, the surprise written over his expression. "No, I never heard anything like that." If he was being honest it wasn't uncommon, a known secret between quite a few guys in the locker rooms, but Kit had seemed way too boring to get caught up in something illicit like that. Some people were always going to surprise you.

“Had Greer brought up breaking up with him ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?”

Milo couldn't help the chuckle that came from him, something the Agent's all immediately seemed to want to jump on. "If you can tell us, Mr. Navarro, that would be very helpful."

He rolled his eyes again, "she never said anything much about Kit at all," he said, with a shrug. "He never seemed to be on her mind at all, while we were around each other." Again, he'd always expected it was because he was one of the dullest people Milo had ever spoken to. There were so many better people Greer surrounded herself with, he could think of dozens of people off the top of his head, why would she ever need to talk about Kit?

"So, the two of you were close?" The Agent asked, clearly leading to something Milo didn't think he wanted to hear. "Some other students have brought up your relationship with Greer. Why do you think they thought it was relevant?"

"Who?" Milo asked, feeling a hot spike of anger shoot through his chest. He shifted in his seat until it gave an ugly sound squealing across the floor, as if he was about to stand up, until his lawyer put their hand on his elbow to keep him from doing anything too aggressive. "Who the fuck brought me up?"

"You know we aren't at liberty to answer that."

He slumped back in his seat, crossing his arms back over his chest, and looking away angrily again. "It's not any of your fucking business."

"Actually, Mr. Navarro," Agent Brown said, speaking up for the first time, "it is exactly our fucking business." Milo turned his head to look at the detective, the two of them staring each other down for another long moment of silence.

Another Agent cleared their throat and spoke up, "Why do you think others thought your relationship was relevant enough to bring up?"

After a lingering moment, Milo turned away from Agent brown and frowned. "We were close."

"Mr. Navarro is there anything that you’re not sharing with us? About you and Greer, or anything else."

Yes.

"No."

Another silence where he was sure they were expecting him to expand on that, but instead the Agent caved first, asking another question.

"Were you aware of Greer planning to travel to Portugal this summer?"

Another question that caused Milo to make a jerking turn of his head, blinking rapidly for a moment. "How would I have known that?" He asked, after a moment too long searching for a response. "It's not like she had it on her 2022 vision board or anything," he added, nearly the same comment he'd made to Ollie when he'd brought up the question at Halloween.

One of the Agents off in the background seemed to mark something down on a paper as another question was asked.

“Do you have any reason to believe THE GOLDEN GIRL would want to leave Ogden College?”

Once again he stayed silent for a long moment, something painful and aching twisting beneath his ribs. If he was feeling anything beyond annoyance or anger, he didn't let it show on his face, and instead Milo shrugged his shoulders. "If you find out let me fucking know, because she really did leave me hanging high and dry."

"Okay," his lawyer said, cutting in finally. "I think that's enough for today. If you need to speak with my client again I assume you will ask me. Let's go Milo."  

[ollieinoue]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TASK 001: MEET THE FAMILY [REDUX]

Family Aesthetics: ‘you know you can tell us anything, right’, a completely filled ash tray, working terrible hours and coming home late at night, 90s grunge aesthetic, a teeny tiny apartment with no AC and a shitty water heating system, a fridge full of cheap knock off brands, been there done that, cheering extremely loud while the rest of the parents give them strange looks, terribly played out of tune guitars, ignored knowing looks, constant memes in the family group chat, lovingly giving each other shit, doing anything for their child and not understanding a word that comes out of his mouth, late night conversations over takeout.

PRE OLLIE

REN INOUE [ 48 yrs old ; mechanic ] [ fc yutaka takenouchi ]

Ren was born in Hiroshima Japan, and would be the only child his parents had. He lived in Japan for three years before his parents moved him and themselves to New York City, so he honestly doesn't remember much of it.

Like a lot of first gen kids from foreign families there was a lot of pressure put on Ren to become successful, and assimilate into a new country. Unfortunately for the Inoue's, Ren was an extremely rebellious person and that is what he spent most of his youth doing.

He created a band in High School with some of his friends called Drink the Kool Aid (he's the lead guitarist), and spent most of his time fucking around with them, fucking around with random people in bars, getting drunk, getting high, and partying. So, no, he did not graduate high school. He never saw the point in formal education.

When he was about 23 he met a girl named Faye and the two hit it off pretty fast. She was fun, she liked the same music as him, she thought his band was cool, the partied together literally all the time. They liked hanging out they were friends.

Until one day when he was around 27 Faye told him she was pregnant and thus Ollie was born.

FAYE INOUE [ 45 yrs old ; hostess & cashier ] [ fc christina ricci ]

Faye Bright was born in Hoboken New Jersey, the youngest child of the Bright family and the only daughter. Her mother left shortly after she was born leaving her and her three older brothers as her father's responsibility.

Her father was a drunk, and much much worse more often than not, and her older brothers weren't much better, so Faye often found herself anywhere but at home from the age of eight until she moved out on her own at the age of sixteen. She hasn't spoken to her brother's or her father since moving out.

She was mostly getting into trouble in those years. Going out and partying way too young. But who was going to fucking stop her?

It wasn't all fun and games, though. Faye often worked multiple jobs while finishing High School, supporting herself, because nobody was going to do it for her. Her life was rocky, and difficult, but she still managed to do it all on her own without needing anybody else.

When she was about 18 years old one night, wandering into some city pub playing some shitty punk band is the night she met Ren. He was fun, and interesting, and the two of them developed a fun little friendship.

She never planned for it to become more than that until she realized she was pregnant with his child, and everything changed for the both of them.

POST OLLIE

The first years of Ollie's life were rough for both him and his parents for many reasons. Ren, who at the time was also dealing with his father's death, wouldn't have known responsibility if you pasted the definition onto his forehead. He was great with Ollie but damn if he'd ever be able to take care of him. Faye on the other hand was almost the opposite, she had a job, she could buy food for the baby but … she was sorting through her own trauma and to say she was a bit cold towards the baby would be an understatement.

If it was not for Ren's mother, Yumiko, Ollie's Obaasan, he likely would have had a much much worse time during his early development. She set down an ultimatum, that unless they wanted her to take Ollie for herself, and move back to Japan they needed to shape up. It was rough for both of his parents. His father got clean (besides casual drinking and smoking pot), got his Equivalency, and started a job as a mechanic. Faye struggled a little more, but went to some free counseling at a shelter, and as time went on had an easier time building bonds with Ollie.

By the time Ollie was five his parents were making enough to move into an apartment of their own that was big enough to house all of them, not Ren's mother's one bedroom apartment they had been living in. And once Ollie was six Yumiko Inoue moved back to Japan feeling like his parents were up to the task of taking care of their child.

Ren and Faye were legally married pretty soon after that at a local courthouse, mainly for the benefits it would bring, rather than being in love with each other - but who needed to be in love to get married? If anything their relationship was much stronger than almost every single one of the married couples around them, they've shown that years and years over now. Ollie's never had a reason to complain about their relationship.

While the bonds between the Inoue family were quite good, it was still rough going. Ren and Faye were working more often than not and Ollie found himself home alone often. They did their best to make sure he wasn't left up to his own devices hen they could, and there were many free children's programs Ollie was stuck into. Everything from children's tumbling, to summer reading programs and everything in between. It was many of the people in charge of those programs that told Ren and Faye that Ollie was showing signs of being an extremely gifted child. He was learning at a much faster rate than any of his peers, had a reading level far beyond someone his age, and was frankly just very smart.

They didn't ever have the means to put Ollie into any advanced private schools, and any time someone offered any sort of opportunity for a scholarship Ollie outright refused. He just wanted to go to school with his friends, and all was well about it, really. He did eventually get tested officially, and it was determined his IQ was 169 (nice) which put him in the .03 percentile of the world's population.

His parents did what they could to insist Ollie take advantage of the skills he'd been given. He had a real opportunity to become something much better than either of them became. He could really do something to help all of them in the long run. They didn't mean to but there was a lot of pressure put on Ollie, and he didn't want to disappoint anybody. So, eventually Ollie agreed to advance his classes, and was put into High School a year ahead of his peers.

Ollie became a lot to handle for his parents through out his teenage years, despite how hard they tried. They fought all the time, Ollie would be gone for days at a time with only a few texts telling them (lying) about where he was, and the signs that Ollie was using drugs (to two people who also got into drug use when they were younger) were probably pretty obvious. But it was hard to really do anything about it. Ollie was still getting top grades in school, he was turning in all of his work, he was so skilled at fleecing the system that neither his parents, nor his school could really … do much unless he was the one who reached out. And he never did.

It was clear that Ollie was a troubled teenager, but his parents worked so hard and so often all they could really do was make it clear that if he ever wanted to talk they would listen. He never did.

So, despite the underlying worry that always lingered around their son, they were always extremely proud and supportive no matter what he was able to accomplish. He graduated the top of his class, and they were so excited for him. He got accepted into such a great school, Ogden, and was the first person in their family to go to college and they were so excited for him.

There were a lot of rough years for the family, but things have come full circle. Ollie's matured a little bit (shocking I know) and realizes his parents aren't actually out to get him, in fact if anything they've been probably a little too soft with him but he appreciates them. And the longer he's been away from home the more he's come to appreciate them (hard not to when he's surrounded with the terrible stories everyone else at Ogden has of their parents). Over all things with the Inoue family are going well. At least as far as Ollie is concerned. He sees no reason why his parents would still be worried about him, or anything. He's doing great.

OLLIE'S OPINON

First of all, write this down: his parents are really fucking cool. They're both still very 90s grunge type of people, and it's obvious to tell just by looking at either of them, or their aesthetic. It was fairly often that Ollie was brought to some shitty dive bar to help his dad and his dad's band set up for some set they were playing. They were never good, but it was always a lot of fun, and Ollie has a ton of fond memories hanging out with his mom and dad, eating some real good bar food. Most of his childhood was honestly a really good one, from everything he can remember. And even though things got tougher as he grew up (mostly thanks to him) it's extremely hard not to look at his relationship with his parents and see it positively. They fought a lot when Ollie was a teenager, Ollie did a lot of shitty and stupid things just to be a brat. But he is aware that despite how busy they were working they were doing it all for him, and they tried so much to be there for him. He's not stupid, he's not blind, he saw it all. He resented them for it at the time, but it makes him love them even more now.

All that said they put a massive amount of pressure on Ollie. They knew he was the only way they were all getting out of the hole they live in, he knew that too. They told him multiple times everything was his choice and they'd never make him do anything he didn't want to do but he saw the disappointment every time he turned down some opportunity that would have really done something for him. Eventually he gave in, and that is likely why he is where he is now, but it was never something he actually ever wanted. it was simply clear that… he had to make it. They made that clear. He couldn’t waste what he had- skill, potential, natural talent. They never were mean about anything. He never felt like if he screwed up that they wouldn’t love him. And that made it so much worse but he constantly feels like he’s fucking up. That he’s living on this precarious edge that any wrong move he makes will show all the ugly, messy, fucked up things he does, and feels, and this image that they have of him will be shattered. He’s terrified of that happening, but he feels like it’s only a matter of time.

SOME FUN FACTS

Due to dad and his grandma mostly handling his very early childhood he learned Japanese before he learned English, but he doesn't know how to write it. And he doesn't necessarily consider himself fluent, because beyond his grandma and dad the only real place he heard Japanese was in anime or movies. Which is a bit different than how people speak if he were to actually go to Japan and speak with people. But it was technically his first language.

No one in his family cooks. Ollie can bake, but cooking? Most meals in the Inoue family were sandwiches, mac & cheese, instant ramen, rice, and onigiri. Also anything you can microwave. That was basically it.

Ollie's parents always try very very hard to go to school functions when they can. It's not easy since Ogden is about 6 hours away from New York, but they really try hard to show up when they can to important things. Ollie doesn't hold it against them, and if they do miss something important they always go out to celebrate on their own together when they can.

The whole family is stoners, sorry. Yes, his parents know he smokes pot, and have said they know. But he's an adult now and can do what they want. The apartment has a ton of snacks in it because they're all stoners though.

Do they know he does harder drugs (yes). Do they know he has addiction problems (probably). Have they ever addressed it? No. Honestly one of the biggest problems with his parents is they're not really good at discipline, it's always been a thing. They probably don't know how to even begin addressing this sort of situation. It's strange. He’s kind of existing in this strange place where like… If they confront him about it he’ll die figuratively, if they DON’T … he might die literally. he really doesn't know what he wants to happen.

[juliettehv]

IC Task 4: Interrogations

Juliette stared at the three officers sitting on the other side of the room, her eyes stepping from each of her aggressors one after another. What a difference a few hours could make. The night before, she had found herself tangled up with a woman who would never admit that it had occurred. At least not publicly. And now… now she was being brought in for further interrogation in relation to Greer’s disappearance. How fun. As the three investigators looked at each other, she just sat there. Waiting. She could let them come to her. “Alright, let’s get this started.” Agent Brown finally spoke. And so it began.

“Were you aware that Greer Morrison had submitted a video at the end of last year?” Juli heard the words and yet she remained stoic, cold, bored frankly. Her eyes focused straight ahead onto the world in front of her. “No I was not. I’ve never been the rah-rah team spirit type.” She answered simply. She was ice. Cold. Completely detached from the moment that was occurring. It was simple enough to detach herself from her emotions. Especially when the truth would exonerate her. “That’s it? Nothing more to say?” The question was added in, and the blonde woman’s eyes locked directly onto who had let it slip. “I don’t have much to comment. I seem to be playing catch up far more than you all seem to, and if you think you are investigating a serious lead by asking me these questions, then ask me questions relevant to those you need information on. But if you are to ask me things about myself or ask me for speculation, then I will offer you my sincerest apologies, but I won’t dignify a wild goose chase. Or a vvitch hunt. So next question please.”

“Had you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?” Now this was new. Not entirely unexpected, to be completely fair, but she had definitely not been in the loop on that one. “Nothing seriously no. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he was juicing, you know the hoops these schools make athletes go through. We’re all the best there is, are we not? And our athletes are under pressure to continue making themselves stronger and better than their typical physical gifts make them capable of. If they were as good talent wise as Clayton Kershaw or Bryce Young or Lebron James, they’d be at elite athletic schools. Of course some players are going to be trying to make themselves the best they can be in that way. Do I blame them? No. They can do whatever they want as long as it doesn’t effect me. But apparently according to all of you, it is now.” She stared at the interrogators, remaining as cold and distant as ever. Before she quickly pulled an item out of her pocket and brought it to her lips. “Uh… there’s no vaping in this building, Ms. Hastings-Villiers.” The nicer agent, Choi, added in. “What are you going to do? Arrest me for vaping?” She asked, a small smirk crossing her face as she scanned their faces for reactions. And she locked eyes with the woman in the back, in the corner. Agent Murray. Perhaps a kindred spirit of some sort. She could use that. The two male agents glanced at each other, unease flooding them, at least as it appeared. Before Brown spoke again.

“So uh… had Greer brought up breaking up with him ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?” A long exhale of vapor escaped the blonde’s lips as she smiled. And then she spoke again. “We didn’t have that type of confidant relationship if I’m completely honest with you. She didn’t come to me for advice or for input on what she was going to do. Though of course… she was sleeping with multiple people on campus aside from him. Probably behind his back. Maybe they were experimenting. Maybe he liked knowing he wasn’t enough for her. But that’s just a thought and I couldn’t assert that as fact. Now I’m sure if you were to try and pursue the jealous lover angle in court his lawyers would argue it. Probably bring up the idea that he most certainly knew something was wrong but that he went along with it for his love for her. Maybe…. Or maybe he was just a fool in love and knew nothing. But no. She never told me anything about that. Perhaps you should look closer at those she was actually sleeping with, rather than just those who may have had attractions to her but never acted upon them. Like I said earlier. We didn’t have that type of relationship.”

Brown seemed almost relieved by the last line in her answer as he immediately spoke up as she finished. “Glad you chose to mention your type of relationship because some other students have brought up your relationship with Greer. Why do you think they thought it was relevant? And would you care to expand upon that relationship?” And the smile was back on Juliette’s face. Cold and hard, certainly, but still a smile. This game was playing right into her hands. “Oh good, we’re going off innuendo and rumor for this case, I’m so glad to hear that’s what the FBI is basing this investigation upon. My relationship with Greer was that I was the heir apparent. I was going to be her as soon as she graduated. Now, obviously, there are some people on campus who would rather I wasn’t that woman, that I wasn’t like them in some of the same ways and that they would be a more fitting person to take the step and become the next most popular and most influential person on campus. The truth is though, I’m a queer woman who is extremely similar to Greer. But I was far from one of her enemies. I admired her. I watched her, I studied her, and I tried to model some aspects of how I interacted with other members of campus off of her. Of course that got me many enemies, just like that got Greer many enemies on campus. So if you want names, I’ll give you names of people who despised that poor girl, people who I wouldn’t be shocked if they did anything illegal or those who I wouldn’t be shocked if it turned out this wasn’t the first disappearance they were linked to. But if one of you two fine young gentlemen were to disappear I’m sure both of you would be much more quick to point the finger at the enemies of whoever was missing rather than to her.” And as soon as the word had left her lips, her eyes had locked on the woman in the back. Agent Murray. “Consider me Greer’s Agent Murray. I knew what I was paying attention to. But it’s not a crime for me to be attentive. If I was working for you like she is, I’m sure you would view it as an asset.” She added on, their eyes locked on each other. A silent battle of wills. A connection of kindred spirits. Of course, where would the fun be in letting the men win and have all their fun. 

The silence hung there. Heavy, oppressing, pregnant with the tension that was existing in every form around them. And then… Brown couldn’t take it anymore. Not only did he speak but it almost seemed like a yell. Like he was trying to cleave the very tension in twain with his words. “Do you have any reason to believe Greer wanted to leave Ogden College?” And then the silence returned. Juliette settled back into her chair, legs crossed, easily, right over the left as she continued to stare a hole through the woman on the other side of the room. “No. I didn’t have that type of relationship with her for her to tell me something like that.  And I can’t comprehend why she would want to do that. She had everything on that campus.” She answered, completely honestly, her gaze never breaking from Agent Murray.

“Were you aware of Greer planning to travel to Portugal this summer?” Juli’s eyes may have stayed solid and locked, but her voice didn’t, a trill of laughter was immediately sent out and she couldn’t help the grin on her face. “You’re going to hate me for this Agent Brown. But no. Because I didn’t have that type of relationship with her.” And as at long last she started to turn her head to look at the Lead Investigator, it happened. Murray looked down at her notepad before Juli could break eye contact. Juli had won. And she immediately snapped onto Brown. “Maybe next time you would like to find better questions that couldn’t be answered by the same answer three times. Being unprepared is a terrible look for you.” And then, finally, the last voice joined the fray. Quiet and unassuming, from the back of the room.

“Is there anything you know that you’re not sharing?” Juli’s smile finally fully broke the surface as she turned her head, looking over at Murray with a sense of self-satisfaction and an absolute certainty that she had somehow wound up in control. And she took the moment before answering to do a very simple action. She uncrossed her legs, eyes glued to Murray's face, left them there for only a second, and then crossed them again, but the other way this time. “Well there are a few things. Of course some of them are quite obvious. Like how Brown’s family despises the fact he’s such a pitfall about work and his work-life balance is non existent, so every previous relationship he’s ever had has failed because he’ll only ever truly be married to his work. Hell, his spouse must feel like his mistress with the way he stays focused on his work so often. And so he fuels all the anger and frustration he has in his personal life into this work, which is why he won’t admit it but he’s enjoying getting to bully all these young college students who he is certain must be involved, though at this point he’s brought in pretty much anyone who’s ever been in contact with the poor girl because he won’t ever admit it to either of you but he’s completely lost and he knows his position is extremely weak.” Eyes and head snapped away from Murray onto Choi. “Choi wants to come across like everyone’s friend, he’s been doing the “good cop, bad cop” game with Brown for longer than he’d care to admit and yet it doesn’t fulfill him. He thinks people will open up to him if he’s nice but he also harbors resentment to Brown for the fact he knows he makes him a less effective agent. The fact that both of you look at Brown, a man who’s tried to model himself to become the ideal G-man. The ideal cop, and yet you both know, as minorities within this field that it harbors quite a bit of the resentment, the hidden underbelly, the shady dealings that the entire world now knows of from your law enforcement officers that you two are standing here and being forced to try and do your best when you despise the fact that you both would think that if push came to shove, Brown would not only sell the two of you out but he might actually have a smile on his face while he did it.That he is the epitome of the American policeman, the epitome of the police officer who has all the answers and refuses to let sleeping dogs lie, he’s who we talk about when we say All Cops Are Bastards and that both of you know that your families and your communities don’t trust you anymore because of your associations with this organization.” Back to Murray, send the knife deep and fucking twist it. “And you Murray. Working for an organization who’s founder hated and hunted MLK to such an extent while you know Brown would do the same thing. How many times have you been made to feel unwelcome here? How many times have you been told that you were not one of them? We both know you don’t fit with them. And that you really, truly, completely, are aware of the fact that you can’t fix the system from within it so why even try? So both of you, are just as guilty as that bastard cop is.” And with that, she finally sat back. Her eyes scanned the two faces she could muster an ounce of empathy and care towards. Brown wasn’t even worth her time. “Is there anything else?” She asked as she started to collect her things.

“No. You’re free to go.” Choi stated quietly, the final word nearly being cut off by the door slamming behind Juli as she walked out.

[charfletchh]

ic task 4: interrogations

Charlie was hungover.

Not the kind of hangover that gave you a mild headache and a good story, but the kind that made you shiver and your heart beat out of your chest, the kind that had you locating the nearest trash can every time you enter the room, the kind that made your whole body simultaneously limp and wired. No better day to be interrogated, she guessed.

She walked into the administration office that had been co-opted for interrogations looking more like a victim than a suspect- hair unwashed and bedraggled, last night's eyeliner halfway down her face. Likely not the way her father would like her to present herself. If she'd told him what was going on at Ogden, he might have flown out here with some other fancy lawyer and taken her to Nordstrom for a sensible pantsuit. But she hadn't told him what was going on at Ogden. She didn't think he cared much what she did in school anymore- She didn't think having a felon for a daughter could embarrass her father much more than she already had.

"Good morning," she grumbled to the surprisingly hot cops (damn, maybe she should have showered this morning). "Let's get this over with."

One of them pushed a cup of coffee her way. She didn't touch it. "Charlotte, I'm Agent Choi, and these are my coworkers Agents Murray and Brown. Thanks for joining us here today- we just have some questions for you." She nodded, mouth suddenly so dry she wasn't sure she trusted herself to respond.

"Charlie, right? That's what your friends call you?" She nodded again, mute. "And you were friends with Greer? Could you elaborate on that relationship?"

She coughed hoarsely. "Greer and I were friends. Good friends, I guess. We went out together a lot, that kind of thing."

She knew she hadn't given the right answer when Agent Murray in the back pursed her lips. "Charlie," Agent Brown interjected, "several other students have brought up your... relationship with Greer. Why do you think they thought that was relevant?"

It was a testament to her narcissism that her first impulse was to ask what people had said. "I mean, everyone knew we were friends. We were all over each other's Insta, it wasn't a secret." She paused. "Sometimes we fought- not like, physically fought or anything," she stumbled over her words to clarify. "Just in the way you fight with people you love. Over stupid shit. Maybe some people thought we were mad at each other, but we never really were." Right?

The pit in her stomach only grew as the police across the table from her stayed stoic. She wasn't used to this, not being able to turn a room to her side with just a smile and a joke, and she didn't have a lot of experience feeling like she was under attack. Only with Greer. "Right. Let's switch gears, Miss Fletcher," Agent Murray spoke up. "As I'm sure you're aware, the videos submitted for Ogden College's 250th anniversary were leaked in advance. Can you talk about the video you submitted? Give us some context?" Charlie wasn't sure if there really was disdain dripping from her words, or if she was projecting.

"Context? They're boobs. Do you need a visual aid?" She shot back, smarting from the humiliation of knowing all these strangers had seen her half-naked. "I did something stupid, and now a lot of weirdos can see it on the Internet whenever they want. It really fucking sucks, and no one cared. That's the context." Her patience was waning.

If she caught it right, it looked like a kind of warning glance passed between her questioners. "Okay, we can move on. Did you know Greer submitted a video?"

"No," she answered flatly.

"Were you aware of Greer traveling to Portugal this summer?"

"No," she answered flatly again.

“Had Greer brought up breaking up with The Naive Newcomer ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?” 

"I'm sure you can guess, but the answer is no."

"Did you have any reason to believe Greer would want to leave Ogden College?"

"Let me tell you all something about Greer. Anyone who says they had special insight into her special mind is lying. She did a lot of shit that she didn't tell anyone about. I wouldn't have been surprised if she went off to Portugal, I wouldn't have been surprised if her time capsule video was her dancing with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, I wouldn't have been surprised if she and her boyfriend broke up fifty times and got back together a day later," she spat out. "She was my friend and I hardly knew her. I told her everything, and she didn't tell me shit. Happy?" She stood to leave.

"Charlotte, sit down," Agent Brown stood as she did, using a tone of voice that reminded her of her mother. That just made it worse. "We're not finished."

"Really? I am. This is so fucking stupid, I've already said everything I know." She thought she might be about to cry and she wasn't sure why.

"Just one more question, Charlie," Agent Choi raised his hands in the kind of gesture they teach you to calm rabid dogs. "Is there anything you know that you're not sharing?"

"No," she lied, and walked out of the silent room to the hallway, where she promptly threw up.

[jessehart]

INTERROGATIONS CONT.

Francesca Milano, his father's attorney, met Jesse at his door two minutes before the pigs did. He'd been woefully unprepared— if woefully meant that only ten minutes before, he'd been snorting some of the hydrocodone he'd bought off one of his lax buds who was recovering from shoulder surgery— and frankly, annoyed that she'd had the gall to show up at all. He hadn't called her, not since the first time. Not since it became clear to him that she was nothing but a plant, a way to feed information Jesse wasn't giving him back to Donovan Hart himself.

She spoke in a hushed voice, words rushing together like she was racing some invisible clock counting down his inevitable demise, and only she had the ability to save him from himself. If only she could get the words out fast enough.

A goddamned hero she was.

From what he gathered, before the police so rudely interrupted the pow-wow between student and Dono's side piece— uh, lawyer. Sorry, he meant lawyer— his father had thrown his weight (read: wallet) around and promised selfless donations in exchange for information regarding anything that might "hurt the Hart brand".

Extramarital affairs and abuse notwithstanding, apparently.

Being called in for a third time probably should have alarmed Jesse. Or surprised him. Either way, he took his seat in silence and felt absolutely nothing. No fear, no surprise, no anger, just... nothing. His head felt heavy and threatened to lull as Francesa took the seat beside him, sitting tall and stoic with her hands folded on the table and her perfume permeated the room like it was a whole entity unto itself.

A team of suits crowded the other side of the room, facial expressions ranging from good cop to week-long constipation, and Jesse snorted a small laugh to himself at the display before he felt a nudge under the table. For fuck's sake, did no one have a sense of humor anymore?

Breaking away from the pack, one of the cops— Agent Choi, according to the name tag— pulled a seat out from the other side of the table, spinning it around and sliding into it backward. Jesse snorted again because really? What an obvious move, dude. He saw it for exactly what it was: a ploy to appear friendly, like a peer rather than a persecutor.

"Thanks for coming in to talk with us today, Jesse. I'm Agent Choi, this is my partner," they gestured to Week Long Constipation, "Agent Brown. And this," they nodded towards the woman lingering in the back, "is Agent Murray. We've just got a few follow-up questions to ask you regarding the disappearance of Greer Morrison. Cool with you if we just get right into it, then?"

Jesse, who had been told not to say a word, only blinked in response.

Agent Choi blinked back expectantly for a long moment before his eyes drifted towards Francesca and back again, dimming a little when they realized Jesse was setting the standard for the rest of the interview. Agent Murray scribbled something in her notebook before her hawk eyes were back on him.

Nodding to himself, Agent Choi's smile widened, growing even warmer and more inviting. Amateur. "I'm gonna take that as a yes." Settling their arms on the back of the chair and leaning forward, they began. "I'm sure you're aware now that some of the time capsule videos were leaked to the school. Can you talk about your time capsule video? Give us some context for the clip that was leaked?"

Was it just him or had Agent Choi's voice changed? It was deeper somehow, slower, like someone had put a filter over the room. Distracted as he was by the sound, it took him a moment to process the question. They'd already gone over the fact that he and Greer had had a, in their words, sexual relationship. His time capsule video seemed pretty cut and dry to him. He shrugged, smirked in that way he knew pissed people off and said, "Nah."

He could feel Francesca stiffen at his side, clearly unimpressed with his attitude. But fuck her, he hadn't asked her to be here in the first place.

Agent Choi's smile seemed to freeze on his face, as if it took every bit of concentration to keep it in place. Agent Brown scowled in his quiet, broody way, and Agent Murray scratched some more notes in her little notebook. "You know, these things are usually pretty painless if you work with us. We're just trying to find your friend."

Jesse traced shapes on the table with his fingers and said nothing.

"Were you aware that Greer Morrison had submitted a video at the end of last year?” 

Jesse's jaw tightened, a flicker of annoyance building in his chest. It was almost jarring to feel it after the honey-hued nothing he'd felt since he'd snorted those pills. They were ruining his high and for what? Dumb ass questions that had nothing to do with anything? "No," he said, his voice coming out sharper than he intended it to. "What does that even have to do with anything? You gonna find her inside an mp4? 'We're just trying to find your friend'," he mocked, "more like you're just sticking your thumbs up your asses because you have absolutely nothing."

At some point, Francesca had tried to cut in, cut him off before he could do something stupid, but he only spoke over her, his irritation growing at the sight of Agent Murray scribbling on her notepad like it was her secret diary. "Yeah, write your fucking notes," he muttered with disdain.

"Jesse," Francesca hissed in a low, admonishing voice meant only for him.

Agent Brown moved forward, posturing like his presence alone might cow Jesse, but Agent Choi only chuckled goodnaturedly. "It's alright," he said to Francesca. "It's a trying time for everyone." Turning back to Jesse, their unending patience persevered. "Okay, let's switch gears, shall we? Have you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?” 

This was interesting. Jesse looked up from the invisible patterns he'd been tracing on the table, narrowing his eyes on Good Cop. "No fucking way, Kallberg was juicing?" He let out a loud laugh. "No, I didn't hear anything about that. I would've had his ass thrown off the lax team if I had. Those anger issues make a lot more sense now."

"Anger issues?"

Jesse smirked, leaning back in his chair saying nothing else on the matter.

It was clear that the friendly facade was beginning to crack, frustration throwing through Choi's shiny veneer. Jesse was frustrated, too. This whole thing was a buzz killer, and every mention of Greer only further incensed him. She was no longer a sore subject, but an open, festering wound. A black-fucking-hole that preyed on his insecurities, left them to compound on each other until he was spinning out.

Readjusting in his seat, Choi pressed on valiantly. “Had Greer brought up breaking up with him ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?” 

Jesse's jaw clenched, his mind shuffling through all their moments, snapshots in time where she'd been draped over him, his hands fisted in her hair, her teeth grazing his skin, a stolen kiss right under Kit's nose, their arguments, her hand reaching for—

"We didn't exactly talk about her boyfriend when we were together. But I think fucking me while she was dating him probably speaks for itself, yeah?"

Francesca shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her hands fisted tightly in her lap even as she showed none of her annoyance on her face. Good. He hoped she had the worst fucking time. He hoped she called up his dickless father after this and told him everything, told him just how badly he'd fucked everything up. It was just the way it was, right? That's just what Jesse did. The one thing they could both agree he did well.

Agent Murray's pencil made scratching noises against the paper and the sound of a clock ticking seemed to reverberate inside Jesse's skull. He cut a sharp glance in her direction, opening his mouth to say something he probably shouldn't when he was interrupted.

“Do you have any reason to believe Greer would want to leave Ogden College?” 

Jesse's eyes— his whole head, actually— felt so heavy. Every time he blinked, it became harder and harder to open his eyes. He was tired. He was so tired in so many ways for so many reasons. But the questions kept going and visions of Greer continued to play in his mind like an overhead projector he couldn't shut off. He was so fucking mad at her. But more than that, he just missed her. He missed her so much sometimes that it made him sick. And wherever she was, she probably wasn't thinking about him at all. "I'd sure as fuck like to leave," he sneered, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "Maybe she was trying to escape incompetent, useless assholes."

Choi smirked, but there was very little of the friendly jest he'd begun this interview with in the gesture. "Maybe," he agreed tightly.

Agent Brown seemed to consider that an opportunity, shifting forward until he was nearly nose to nose with Jesse. "Some other students have brought up your relationship with Greer. Why do you think they thought it was relevant?"

The question, and the sneering, condescending way he asked it, was like the shattering of a dam and Jesse exploded. "I don't know!" he shouted, voice seeming to echo off the walls of the small room. For a moment, an unsettling silence befell them, ballooning in the room until he could barely breathe. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, a little raw like he'd dragged it over gravel. "I've already told you what my relationship with Greer was like." He said the word relationship like a curse. "Sounds like something you should ask them since they seemed to have so much to say about it."

But Agent Brown only smiled like Jesse had somehow played right into his hand. "Why don't you elaborate on what that relationship was?"

"Jesus fucking Christ," Jesse seethed, teeth clenching together so tightly he was sure they'd crack under the pressure. "I already told you assholes the last time. Do you want specifics? You wanna get your rocks off, huh? Want me to tell you how she liked it? Want a fucking demonstration? We fucked! I'm sure Pornhub can help you figure out the rest. It's free."

Agent Brown sucked his teeth, clear mistrust written in the lines of his face. But Jesse didn't care. In some ways, he was almost begging them to ruin him, to finally let that guillotine that'd been hanging over his head for months drop. He was so. fucking. tired.

"Were you aware of Greer planning to travel to Portugal this summer?"

"No," was all he said, though he stared the other man down in open challenge.

Sensing the tension, maybe, Choi repositioned themselves as the one asking questions, wordlessly trading off with Agent Constipation. "Listen, Jesse," Choi started in a tone that was probably meant to be reasonable, but felt condescending. "I understand that this is a difficult time for you. I remember the stress of finals week, and I didn't have a missing friend to contend with. We're just trying to help put the pieces together, and the only way we can do that is by getting every detail we can. What may seem like a senseless question to you could be the one missing piece that finally gives us the whole picture. So how about we help each other, okay? Is there anything you know that you’re not sharing?"

"How about you suck my ass?"

Francesca stood immediately, her chair screeching across the floor as she did so. "Alright, that's enough. Jesse, stop talking. This interview is over." Her hand settled on the back of Jesse's neck and squeezed. "Let's go."

Her phone was already in her hand before they'd even made it fully into the hallway and Jesse barked out a harsh laugh. "Yeah, call my dad," he taunted as he continued walking past. "And be sure to tell him just how fucking useless you are."

[idaclarke]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TASK 002 : FAMILY HOME

down a dirt path off of a gravel one you'll find the clarke's home. a large white all-american style home that has seen better ways. rotting wood, peeling paint, overused barn in the background. the porch is littered with mismatched chairs and the clothing hangs on a line. fans litter the bedrooms and you wake each morning to the caw of the rooster. a fat old man who bullies the other chickens for their share of the feed. a short walk past the fields reveals a lake and an abandoned boat. if you squint into the woods you might see a shadow of something.

[snxwflxwers]

ic task 004: Interrogations

Jiwon wasn't surprised she'd been called for a follow up interview. She was, after all, Greer's cousin, and they had a very public rivalry that she had severely downplayed to the police. She knew she wasn't believable. In fact, Jiwon was surprised they hadn't called her out sooner. Her steps as she walked in were of a martyr, simply resigned to what was soon to happen. No point in delaying it.

The officer's unkind eyes didn't quite fit his fakely sympathetic smile, but then again, Jiwon's blank expression wasn't right either. It was uncanny scene, with her lawyer sitting right beside her, analyzing the situation. "It's finals week." Jiwon said, simply. "Let's make it quick, shall we?" The officer nodded.

“Can you talk about your time capsule video? Give us some context for the clip that was leaked?”

Jiwon's eyes were piercingly cold. She had a lot to say about the damn video, and she would. She just had to measure her words to come across the right way. "Well, first of all, I find it ridiculous that the police is asking me that. I've nothing to hide. I'll send you the full video, if you want. I'll submit it as evidence, or whatever." She arched an eyebrow and stole a glance at her lawyer. Being cooperative was good. It'd make her look less guilty. "I would like to know, though, why we're being interrogated about a privacy leak." The detective's eyes mirrorred hers. He didn't trust her, and she didn't trust him either.  

"Were you aware that Greer Morrison had submitted a video at the end of last year?”

Jiwon shrugged. "I'm sure we all imagined it. She might have mentioned it, even." Another glance at her lawyer. They'd talked about the possibility of this question being asked. Jiwon's answer came off as rehearsed, fake, but it was inconspicuous enough to fly under the radar. Or at least, she hoped so. "But if you're asking me if I knew she'd fly off the handle lke that, I didn't." That was true. She was as in the dark as everyone else.  

“Had you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?”

She shook her head. "No. I know very little about him." She could see the office was gearing up to ask a question, but she answered it before he could have a chance. "Yes, I know him being Greer's boyfriend should mean he's close to the family. We didn't have anything in common, so we barely talked, if ever." The detective was running low on patience, she could tell. The lawyer's presence was not helping his opinion of her, but it didn't really matter. Her statement being airtight was.  

“Had Greer brought up breaking up with him ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?”

Jiwon shook her head again. "You're asking the wrong person. She wouldn't have told me about it, even if she was considering it." She shrugged. It was nice to have a break to tell the full truth. She had a feeling, though, that the detective didn't even believe that. 

“Do you have any reason to believe THE GOLDEN GIRL would want to leave Ogden College?”

The lawyer clearly considered intervening, but Jiwon answered before he could. "No." She said, simply. "She was adventurous. Maybe she just got bored." The officer seemed to buy that one, but there was o way to be sure.

"Were you aware of Greer planning to travel to Portugal this summer?"

Once again, she shook her head to say no. "I guess I knew she liked the idea of going to Portugal, but I don't know why she wouldn't just get her parents money to go." She shrugged, and the officer once again seemed ready to ask another question. "If I had known, I'd have said so during he first interviews. She's my cousin. I'd do anything to bring her back." That one was an obvious lie, but one that'd look good in a court room.

"Were you at the party on June 4th in the Hamptons that Greer is pictured attending on Riley Vanderford’s social media?"

She shook her head again. "I barely know Riley, and Greer rarely invited me to her stuff." Her lawyer watched attentively. Although he'd said more than once that she wasn't there, not even her parents fully believed her. No one was home that day to verify her alibi, though there was security camera outside her house to prove she hadn't left. She had, in fact, been tucked away in her studio, hands busy with melting metal.

"Is there anything you know that you’re not sharing?"

"No." Her voice was strong and confident, a subtle threat that she'd make a scene if they didn't let her go. "Can I go now? I have to study." The detective answered that she could, and in seconds, she had gotten her backpack and was stepping away with her lawyer. "Tell my parents that it went as expected." She said to him, still walking. "I have a feeling there's something off, so it's better to be prepared."

In normal circunstances, she'd never work with her parents to keep herself out of trouble, but there was more at stake here. She was genuinely terrified, even if her face only ever expressed boredom and neutrality.

[morrisxn02]

-– task 001: initial sit downs

september, 2022.

When the police knocked on the door labeled 205C, they were met with a jagged and weak figure. The Edward Morrison that roamed the halls of Ogden that September was a ghost of the man everyone knew. A slender, feeble creature that only had one thing in his mind. Greer. The NYPD had already interrogated him but since this was a cross-jurisdiction case, he had been oriented by the Morrisons' attorney that he might need to talk to the New Hampshire police once again. He did not want to waste much time, so he just let them into the compulsively organized lair that was his bedroom, clean and cataloged like a hospital. "You can have the chairs if you wish." He told the officer. His answers had been practically pre-scripted; pre-approved by the family attorney, albeit sincere. So he knew that would not take long. But it would be just as confusing as hurtful as the first time. (...) In retrospect, to honestly answer the policewoman’s question he would have to admit that he might not know Greer at all. But then again, who the hell did?

“When did you last speak to Greer?”

“July 3rd.” His answer doesn’t take a heartbeat. He had texted her again the following day, but there was no reply on her side – something awfully unusual when it came to their chat. They wouldn’t take too long to reply to each other because they were each other’s emergency contact, and it was a sort of unspoken rule between the two that a text ignored for too long should prompt some preoccupation. “About 11 pm.” He unlocked his phone and handed it to the police officer. He knew cops in Manhattan already had that information, but he knew nothing about how jurisdictions worked, so he figured he would just rephrase the answers he had given the NYPD when they interrogated his family. He had nothing to be afraid of, anyway.

“When did you last actually see Greer?”

“The day before. July 2nd. I was driving down to our beach house that day to spend the 4th with a couple of friends. I asked her if she wanted to tag along, and she said no.” He refrained from elaborating because he had already told that story a thousand times, and then replayed it in his head another thousand just to find a loophole, something he could’ve done differently.

“How well did you know Greer?”

Dumbfounded, he says nothing for a second. Sure, this must be a procedural question like all the other ones, but it seems redundant and absurd and it’s almost offensive. “I like to think I know her very well.” He responds on autopilot, though when he stops to think about it, he notices how vague that answer really is. “I mean, we grew up together, we have a lot of the same friends, we are fairly close…” The blandness of his answer reflects his own relationship with Greer. They worked well together, like two birds of the same feather. But their siblinghood was very… complicated to say the least. Yes, they enjoy each other’s company, have their own inside jokes, and even talk about the people they go out with, but there is so much he hides from her. So much he hides from everyone. And he knows Greer is very much like him. There is so much she hides from everyone. Especially from him. So, although he loves and cares for her, and she might even feel the same, he never trusted her. It could even be said that their relationship sometimes borders sort of a transaction. A favor for a favor. A lie for a lie. A secret for a secret. Greer has been a cobweb of favors and lies and secrets since she was born. And to honestly answer the policewoman’s question he would have to admit that he might not know Greer at all. But then again, who the hell did?

“What was your relationship with Greer like?”

Well, that was an easier question. One he had a prompted answer for. “We are close. We hang out with somewhat similar crowds and just generally hang out with each other. We get along.”

“Have you heard or seen anything about where she was this summer?”

“Not at all. As I said, we were supposed to spend the 4th together but she just– disappeared.” He had a hard time talking about it still. No matter how objective and pragmatic he was, talking about your missing sister probably gives everyone, even the most rational person alive, a hard time.    

The officer thanks him as she gets up, trying to sound understanding, almost as if her pity would do him any good. He thanks her in return, again on autopilot – though he cannot wait to be alone again – and closes the door after she walks out. Yet again he finds himself wondering if there was something else he could have said. Something that could have helped her. Or himself. Because, at this point, everyone was a suspect, and he was well aware.

[defavorise]

IC TASK #002  — INTERROGATIONS, CONT. @ogdencollegerp​

If there was anyway to get Sloane to do anything, it was to have her skip math class and piss off her mother. Fortunately by the time the authorities were knocking on her door, she was able to do both.

During the first round of interrogations there was a lawyer present. If the Morrisons were anything they were always prepared for a potential legal crisis. Although, Sloane was sure they expected her to be the one being questioned about as opposed to the perfect daughter. There were already a few missed calls and unlistened to voicemails sitting in her inbox before noon. She was sure Sebastian was updating their parents with every little detail after one of Greer’s old boy toys was taken off campus. What else would a snitch do?

She’s led into a room, the same room she sat in a few months prior. It was strange to think about just had much time had passed. If you asked Sloane life was still as if Greer hadn’t disappeared at all. Actually it was somehow worse.

“Good afternoon, Sloane.” One of the officers offers her a small smile and gestures for her to sit down. She doesn’t say anything as she plops down into the chair, kicking her feet up onto the table. 

“Do you mind—.”

“We understand this is a difficult time for you.” The one who originally greeted her interrupts the other man. “I’m agent Choi. These are my colleagues agent Murray and agent Brown. Do you know why we asked you to come in today?”

“No. Can you explain it to me?”

“Your sister— Ah.”

“I can tell you guys get a lot done down here. Definitely seems like a good use of our tax money.”

His eyebrow twitches. An obvious sign of irritation. This gave her a good excuse to miss class but that didn’t mean Sloane had any incentive to make it easy on the people investigating her sister’s disappearance. If they did their research they should know that. 

“Let’s just get into the questions.”

“Can’t wait.” She responds.

“Can you talk about your time capsule video? Give us some context for the clip that was leaked?”

It wasn’t what she expected to be brought up. “I was pulling shit out of my ass. I thought it would be funny to take a jab at Greer and I stand by what I said. It is pretty tacky. Don’t you think? A little Scooby Doo.”

Agent Choi ignores Sloane’s question as he scribbles down some notes. 

"Were you aware that Greer had submitted a video at the end of last year?”

The blonde shrugs. “Does it matter if I did? Would it actually bring you one step closer to finding her?” Choi stares at her expectantly and Sloane lets out a sigh. “No. How would I know that? I don’t even know Greer’s snapchat. If there was some inner circle she shared this news with, I don’t make the cut.”

“Some other students have brought up your relationship with Greer. Why do you think they thought it was relevant?”

She was genuinely surprised to hear that and it must have showed on her face. “Did the two of you have a strained relationship?”

“Okay all because I don’t like my sister doesn’t mean I wanted her to disappear. Well— I wouldn’t have made her disappear like a fucking Martin Scorsese film. I hated her, she hated me, and that’s all there is to it.” Usually, Sloane would feel uncomfortable talking about her dynamic with Greer. After she went missing it felt harder to confront. Harder to justify. It didn’t help when every other person she would speak to about it would guilt trip her for not caring enough like there was a proper way to grieve in the first place. Did she feel grief over Greer though? Not after the stunt with the time capsule she didn’t. 

“Were you aware of Greer planning to travel to Portugal this summer?“

“I had my theories. Bali was my first guess though. She always liked the beach.” She shrugs. “It’s funny. I’m sure people said we weren’t close but I knew her. The real her, or some version that was close enough to that at least. I just...I had a feeling she was drinking margaritas somewhere and laughing about how fucking stupid we all were. Good to know I was pretty much right. Hooray.”

It was obvious Choi wasn’t sure how to segue from that, the uncertainty showing as he was processing her response. Whether it was helpful or not Sloane didn’t really care. Brown steps to keep the conversation from lulling.

“Had you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?”

“Until this whole mess, I didn’t even know his name. I knew of him. He was Greer’s boyfriend. Or one of them.”

“So your sister had multiple entanglements with different men?”

“So?” Sloane gives Brown an accusatory glare, as if she was daring him to go on and dig himself into a deeper hole. 

“Had Greer brought up breaking up with him ever? Or anything of the sort, like she did in her video? We’re only trying to get the full picture here Sloane. Maybe him, or one of them, helped her or threatened her—.”

She scoffs. “None of the guys she dated were that smart. We can move on from this. I don’t know shit about this.”

Choi takes the chance to take lead again with the questions. Given her explanation that her and Greer were not particularly close meant she was more than likely telling the truth. “Were you at the party on June 4th in the Hamptons that Greer is pictured attending on Riley Vanderford’s social media?”

“Yeah but I showed up late and I was already drunk. I always avoid her circle at those things anyway. I can only watch them jerk her off so many times. I’m there for the free alcohol and the drugs.” The three look at her as if she said something worth being looked at. “I’m twenty one in a month. Get a fucking grip.” 

“All right. Let’s circle back...Do you have any reason to believe Greer would want to leave Ogden College? It sounds like it given your “theory”.”

“For the attention.” Sloane states it as if it’s obvious. “All of this is for attention. The princess wasn’t happy sitting on her golden throne so she decided to make it everyone else’s problem. We don’t exactly come from a pro-therapy family. I’m sure you could tell if you’ve spoken to my brother already.” 

It appeared that they finally realized they weren’t going to get very far with Sloane that day. “Thank you again for coming in. I have one last question for you” Choi nods. “Is there anything you know that you’re not sharing?“

“Oh yeah.” She brings her feet down back onto the floor and leans in closer to the man, as if she was going to share a secret with him. “I have Greer locked in a storage room. She isn’t actually in Portugal. See, I’m a film major so it was a little movie magic and—.”

“Have a nice day Sloane. Agent Brown will escort you out.” 

[ogdencollegerp]

JANUARY 1ST, 2023

Once dark had settled on the campus - real, true dark, thanks to the power still being out - it was clear the students of Ogden College just couldn’t stay put anymore. It had been hours. Their phones were dead (or nearly dead), and they hadn’t heard anything. They had limited supplies, no heat, and no idea what was going on through the snow that had blanketed the resort - and was still falling, albeit finally slower. 

At some point, the undergraduate student president, Penelope Klein, stepped up, gathering as many people as she could in the living room of Chalet C, to take things into her own hands - since clearly no one else would. Standing on the highest table she could, the elevated surface giving her plenty of advantage to holler over everyone who was still in the chalet in their rumpled formalwear, their high heels and suit jackets long since discarded. Waiting for the raucous din to settle down, Penny quickly got to work telling people what the new plan was, and sending them out for various tasks - going to other chalets for supplies, checking the breakers in the basement, going through their food and provisions (which yes, includes alcohol so they can keep partying - it is their break), looking for faculty, or staff, or someone who could help...And Penny, as the president, would of course head out to look for Dean Zuko, hopefully getting an answer about what was going on. 

OOC: For plot reasons, all characters have to be stuck at Chalet C for the duration of the storm !!! Feel free to do threads/starters that take place during the after party or the storm, and continue any previous threads (pre-event, the first week of break, during the gala) but please do NOT write anything taking place AFTER their tasks Penelope gave them.....Stay tuned for a submit with details on their errand, and who they have to set off with !!! And make sure your muses watch out - you never know what twists might come as they try to accomplish their tasks.

[ironlvngs]

𝐈𝐂 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐈𝐕 

— interrogations, part 2. 

     the last time that link was in this position, he had mentioned only one student by name — just for fun, for a little prank to piss him off, thinking it would come to nothing. not long ago, that same student was arrested, with link left wondering how much influence he had over that. did it matter, what he had told the cops ? or did it have nothing to do with it ? however, this time, he went in with full intentions to really throw a couple names under the bus. 

   they took a seat as instructed and was introduced to a new face they hadn’t seen before — agent murray. agent brown had been with them before, in the last interrogation. link declined their offer for a cup of coffee, and put on their best face — something told them they would need it. 

“can you talk about your time capsule video? give us some context for the clip that was leaked?”

     and now, link was really glad he didn’t say anything that he would have found funny in 50 years... but not so funny, the week after he sent it in. they shrug their shoulders, a small smile beginning to light up their features. “ what can i say ? i maybe said some things that were insensitive... things i shouldn’t have said. about greer, about this school. the truth is, i was just in a vulnerable position. ” the tone of their voice changed, to something more raw and genuine, and the smile that they had put on began to strategically fade — a sad boy, who really just missed their best friend. “ — i guess i had been drinking, and missing greer a little extra. i was mad at ogden for not taking care of one of their best students, and i took it out on the school. that’s all that was. ” 

"were you aware that greer morrison had submitted a video at the end of last year?”

     he could see murray’s eyes narrowing at him at the question — link could tell, they assumed he would have known. because apparently, it was already known that link knew pretty much everything there was to know about greer. but in all honesty, that clip surprised even him — the context of it was even more chilling for link, considering... — he was pulled out of his thoughts, remembering he where he was. “ no, not really. seeing her face again was... it brought up a lot of feelings for me. i just wish she would have reached out to me a bit more, you know ? about her boyfriend. if he really had anything to do with this, i just can’t help but feel like maybe i could have done something to prevent this — greer used to tell me everything. or... so i thought. ” part it was truth, really. but the other part was amping up his own arc in this story. 

“had you ever heard of anything regarding THE NAIVE NEWCOMER using steroids?”

     “ — maybe. i heard rumours, every now and then... but you know, people always talk. especially at ogden. i wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not. why ? is it true ? ” his curiosity wins and he asks, but he didn’t receive an answer. instead, they move on to the next question. 

“had greer brought up breaking up with him ever? or anything of the sort, like she did in her video?”

     and how was he going to play this one ? link had to think fast, because he was beginning to worry that any wrong thing he may say right now could immediately point the fingers to him as a suspect. “ look, i won’t sit here and pretend that greer was the best girlfriend just because she was a close friend of mine. but as far as i knew, she didn’t have any intentions of breaking up with him. so, while not so surprising that she said that... it was never really brought up to me. ”

“do you have any reason to believe THE GOLDEN GIRL would want to leave ogden college?”

     to link ? there were so many reasons — a long fucking list of reasons. it might have more to do with him projecting. though, he couldn’t play this one off easy; he did imply in his video that he thought greer left because she couldn’t stand it here anymore. link lets out a long sigh, more for show than anything. they lean forward, making eye contact with the two agents. “ i’m gonna be honest with you guys here... if i answer this question, i wouldn’t be able to help but make it personal. i’ve always wanted to leave this place, but mostly because it’s tied to some... some family history that i would much rather leave behind. ” appealing to a person’s emotionality was always a winner in link’s books — even if having this conversation made them internally want to gouge their eyes out. “ there are some... some people here that that constantly remind me of the things i had to go through when i was young. and if it wasn’t so hard to do so, i would have left so long ago. but you know, i...— ” he lets out a scoff, leaning back in his chair. “ — i never had money growing up. the only reason i’m here is because of a scholarship. i’m hoping to get out of here as soon as i have a degree and a career to chase after, just to leave these memories behind me. greer was a close friend of mine, and i often shared these personal things with her. we used to talk about how fun it would be to go to other states together ” he looks away with a small, soft smile — feigning reminiscing on some memories with greer. “ so, i projected everything i felt about being here onto her when she was reported missing because.... because that, to me, felt easier than to admit that she might be.... well, i hope you won’t make me say it out loud. ” and just for that extra effect, link sniffles his nose a little, looking down at his feet. “ so to answer your question, i don’t think i can. i would just like to believe that she ran away, rather than any other alternative. ”

“you said some people remind you of home... what do you mean by that?”

    and link was certainly hoping they would ask, so that he could exact a perfect vengeance on booker for the way he made him look, and for taking his camera — he knew it was with him. “ — i shouldn’t say. everyone knows him as the hometown hero, but no one knew him like i did. you probably wouldn’t believe me if i said booker wells wasn’t as pristine as everyone thinks he is, would you ? ” of course that was rhetorical, and totally up to them. but the bait would be easy to catch, after the set-up with the sob story. if only he gets his words right. “ well... whether you believe me or not, it is what it is. you asked, and i’m telling. i think... it started to become increasingly obvious that he began to look down on me and my whole situation with money and my family — which was beyond my control, but i guess that some people can’t look past that. ” link was just hoping at this point, that at least one of them would relate to this. “ — actually, could i be a bit ballsy right now ? i think it may be worth your time to look into him. it might be hard to believe, but he’s really not as innocent as he looks. i hope you’ll trust me on this. ”

“and why haven’t you said anything about him before?”

    link begins to let out a scoff, “ seriously ? it’s terrifying enough doing this now — my not so great past and little to no money going up against beloved town hero ? just... i thought i could trust you both not to think of this as any malicious act. i’d do anything to help greer’s case. ”

"what do you know a student named charlotte fletcher?"

     “ charlie ? not much. we might have had a brief fling a while back but... we don’t know each other that well. it fizzled pretty quickly. ”

"and her relationship with greer?"

     “ — i knew they were friends, but greer never spoke about her much. she wasn’t a topic of conversation for us. so, really, i don’t know much about her. ” link shrugs. it was a bit of a lie, but even if he and charlie weren’t on the nicest terms, he could tell she might be on their list of people to watch. link wasn’t in the business of snitching — or, well, he definitely was... depending on what you did to him. or if snitching would be beneficial to him. and in this case, it wasn’t. 

"how about juliette hastings-villiers? her relationship with greer?"

      though, they couldn’t help themselves here. “ — it was odd. everything that greer did, juli wanted to do the exact same thing. ” link knew that juli had her doubts about link and, well, it would look better for him if he made her look suspicious first. “ — a little creepy, if you ask me. i guess i tried to keep my distance. ”