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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Sept 13, 2013 23:25:01 GMT 9.5
Karyn woke up to the sound of thunder. With her eyes still closed and her head still resting comfortably on her pillow, she let out a deep breath. She knew exactly what was going to happen in a matter of seconds, but she was way too tired, both physically and psychologically, and so she allowed herself to stay in bed till the emergency alarm went off. By now the guests staying over at the NY Sanctuary were already used to it. It was almost like an alarm clock. Everyone just took it as a reminder that another long and exhausting day was about to start. They had just moved into a new building, an old mansion that looked more like a gothic cathedral than anything else. She had been there for almost a month now and she still got chills at the sight of it. She knew it was a perfect disguise, but it looked way too… dead, as if the air had been sucked out of it by evil forces. She could still remember the day she had received the letter and the key from Helen Magnus. She had been sitting down at her desk, trying to figure out where to send yet another very special being that had called in for help. Apparently Magnus had decided that Karyn, after running the small NY Sanctuary office for three years, was more than ready to take over a whole building. She still wasn’t sure, but it was not like she could say no to Helen Magnus.
She was short in staff. Actually, short would be an understatement. Helen had sent a few people from the other offices to help, but she needed her own staff, she needed her own team. How was she supposed to find one, though? If only Henry had been free… that would have made things a lot easier. But no, she was doing this on her own. She sat up and sighed, running a hand through her long hair before opening her eyes and facing the darkness that peaked through the window. 5 AM wake up call. It was time to get up… and to buy some curtains.
She went directly to her laptop and turned off the alarm, giving everyone else another 5 minutes to fight their desire to stay in bed. They surely deserved another 5 hours of sleep, but those 5 minutes was all she could spare at the moment. As she opened her e-mail account to check if there was anything urgent to deal with before her morning tea and shower, she saw a new message from Helen. Apparently there was going to be a conference somewhere in NY… a conference filled with people who knew a lot about computers and networks and all the crazy devices that Henry called ‘his babies’. She raised an eyebrow as she saw the winking smiley that stood beneath the link she had just clicked on. Apparently today was the day… today was the day she was going to find herself a Henry.
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Sept 14, 2013 7:11:16 GMT 9.5
(OOC: I’m very sorry but since I’m used to RP-ing in the first person, I will do so here! If it annoys anyone, please, let me know!)
The first thing I feel when I wake up is extreme pain in my nose. I open my eyes to realize that I rolled over in bed, right into the wall. I swear loudly, as if it’ll take the pain away. I thank my lucky stars that my nose isn’t bleeding and then I roll over to the other side of the bed. I groan when I notice that the big red numbers in my bedside clock aren’t present. Another power outage. These are the worse for a techie like me. A quick glance at my cellphone reveals that it’s 5am. Not an ideal time to get up but since I’m awake, I swing my legs over the bed and walk to my bedroom window. I love the view of Central Park from my Upper East Side studio apartment. Sure, my regular salary isn’t much but when you do some hacking on the side, I’ve discovered that the pay cheque can easily be six figures. I watch as the black sky is illuminated by what seems to be a hundred bolts of lightning and I sigh heavily. I truly hope the power returns soon as I have a high end client that asked for a somewhat risky hack and it needs to be done before eight am or I miss out on a ninety thousand dollar payday.
Surely enough, everything’s done in time and I head into work but not before stopping for my daily Starbucks. For those who don’t know, I work for an internet security company, oh the irony, right? I spend my day designing security codes for various companies and banks that need some of the best and by that I mean, I can break into them at any time but no one else can. I’ve been there for a mere two hours when I hear someone scream my name:
“Charlotte!” UGH, I hate that name!
“Yes, sir?” I ask turning around to face my boss.
“Charlotte, I need you to attend a conference for us. It’s right here in NYC so you won’t have to travel. We’ll pay for your admittance and anything else you need to attend it.”
“I don’t do crowds.”
“I don’t care Tremblay, you’re the only employee free to go this weekend, you’re going and it’s final, stop by my office on your way home tonight to pick up your ticket and information packet.” He says as he walks away. I immediately feel my airway constrict. I hate crowds so much and this will require me to socialize with people in my profession. I put my head between my knees and take deep breaths. I can do this, right? It’s only a weekend! Still, I’m pissed that he has me doing this when I made it clear when I applied for the transfer that I was NOT to be asked to attend social engagements. I place a hand over the USB drive for my computer and immediately, I feel my gift kicking in. My vision disappears and all I see is darkness, then I begin to see lines of code as my mind becomes one with the technology. I start mentally navigating through out systems until I get to my boss’s virtual calendar. I flip through the various dates and see that the weekend of the conference he is whisking his mistress away to Aspen for a weekend. Having gotten the information I wanted, I disconnect with the system.
“Great,” I whisper to myself as my vision begins to return. I sit silently at my desk and do my work for the rest of the day.
Fast forward a few hours and I find myself in the hotel where the conference takes place. It’s a whole weekend shindig. Tonight there’s a small meet n greet kind of event where everyone dresses nicely and goes for cocktails to meet each other. As if having to be social wasn’t enough. I take one last look at myself in the mirror. The brand new BOSS Black suit that I probably paid too much for fits like a glove and makes me feel good about myself or maybe it’s the 5inch Louboutin heels. I push a strand of blonde hair out of my eyes and walk out the door, Prada clutch in hand. I check in, collect my name tag and sit down at the bar, praying no one will talk to me. I order a sparkling water and then I sit in silence. After a half hour, I’ve decided that I’ve been here long enough. Surely enough and with just my luck, I walk right into someone, knocking me to the floor.
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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Sept 14, 2013 8:50:00 GMT 9.5
Karyn found herself smiling at the computer that stood in front of her. What could have been the start of yet another long and chaotic day had just turned out to be the beginning of quite a lovely morning. After sending an e-mail back to Magnus thanking her and letting her know their progress in NYC, she finally got up from her chair and stretched her arms. Sometimes the unexpected didn’t lead to headaches but to possible solutions of future ones. What else could she truly ask for? Right, that question shouldn’t even have crossed her mind as she now stood, after quite a long and warm shower, in front of her closet, looking for something proper to wear. She was still moving her things from her apartment so there wasn’t much to choose from. Suddenly she regretted owning so many pairs of jeans. What was she supposed to wear to the damn conference? As an answer to her prayers, there was a knock at the door. Apparently Helen had sent her a package. Inside what turned out to be a travelling bag, she found not only the registration papers for the conference, but also two new dresses and a black suit that was supposed to go with a classic purple blouse. Over the carefully folded clothes there was yet another note from Helen Magnus – You have to look the part! She raised an eyebrow for a moment and then reached out for the registration papers. Only then did she realize why Helen had written such a note. Apparently her boss had made her a reservation for the conference as if she were the CEO of a multinational company that sold medication and was looking for technological assistance. How fitting, thought Karyn as she put the papers back in and grabbed a blue dress that stood on the top of the other clothes. She put it on and went to check her reflection in the mirror. It seemed more like a second skin than a piece of clothing, but she had to admit it made her look…fine. “Oh Helen, let’s hope you never put me up for a fundraiser… am afraid you will send me an empty bag then. That would send quite a message.” She commented to her own reflection, before grabbing her bag and heading to the main office. She still had a few things to figure out before leaving for the conference.
She found herself checking in at the hotel where the conference was being held quite late in the evening. Apparently the real thing was starting in the morning, and today the guests were just supposed to mingle and talk amongst themselves. “How wonderful…” Mumbled Karyn under her breath before putting her best smile on as she decided to take a leap of faith and walk into the room where the bar was, vaguely searching the space for familiar faces to avoid and curious faces to make acquaintance. She was not even half way across when someone ran into her. “Bloody…” She started to say as she tried to keep herself steady. Not only had another being ran into her, that same human being was also emanating some pretty intense I-am-so-not-at-home-here waves. That makes two of us, she thought to herself as she looked down, extending a hand to the woman that was now on the floor. “Are you all right?”
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Sept 14, 2013 9:17:02 GMT 9.5
“Are you alright?” said an incredibly soft British accent. I looked up to see a blonde woman standing over me, her hand out to help me up.“Yeah, I’m fine,” I take her hand and pretty much let her pull me to my feet. She seems as uncomfortable to be here as I am.
“I’m Karyn Guinness.” She shakes my hand, pretty much not giving me an option to present myself.
“Charlotte Tremblay, Charlie.” She gives me a warm smile. “M’gonna go.” I point to the door behind her, more than ready to leave.
“Please, join me for a drink? A glass of wine?” I glance at the door hoping for a quick.
“okay, I guess, just water for me though.” I reply way too late after she asked. I follow her to the bar and I let her order. What the Hell could a woman like that want from me? My name tag clearly states that I’m employed and I have no interest in working anywhere else. She begins to talk to me about her work. She is a fascinating woman, enough so that the time flies and the evening comes to an end. We make plans to meet for coffee the next day, which I was more than happy to accept as it allows me “miss” a few talks I was supposed to attend. I quickly nod and practically run to my room to get away from all these people.
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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Sept 14, 2013 10:50:57 GMT 9.5
"I want you." Said Karyn, her hair still wet from the shower she had just taken. While she used her right hand to handle the mouse as she went through the information she had just gotten from her sources about Charlie, her left one found itself carefully wrapped around a mug of tea that she had been able to brew right there in her room. She came across a photo of Charlie in what seemed to be a scholar publication of some kind. She did not seem to enjoy being around people that much, and she seemed to feel quite uncomfortable when it came to dealing with social situations, but what Karyn needed was someone who spoke the same language as Henry, someone who was utterly in sync with technology. And guess what? Charlie was just that. "Oh, I really want you." She said as she leaned back against her chair, a smile taking over her face. "Now... how am I going to get you?" She asked out loud before taking a sip of her tea as she left her mind to wander about the possibilities. It took her about ten minutes to make a resolution. She put her mug down by her computer and got up from the chair. She quickly sorted through her two possible outfits and decided to go with the black suit. After making sure that her hair looked half-normal, she grabbed her purse, a few files and left her room. As soon as she reached the cafe where they were supposed to meet, Karyn called Henry and told him what she had learned about Charlie. He seemed to agree that she was beyond perfect for the job and asked Karyn to have Charlie call him after she accepted the job. Now she only needed to get Charlie to agree on joining them. As she sat and waited, she allowed her thoughts to consider the reasons why she had joined the Sanctuary herself. What could be more exciting than her job? Perhaps a real life.
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Sept 14, 2013 22:43:33 GMT 9.5
I wake up the next morning immediately regretting my decision to meet with this Karyn person for coffee. First, it would require me to leave this room and second, it was pouring rain outside. I take my time in the hot shower, being a goof and dancing a little under the water. I walk out of the shower, wrap myself in a towel and look into my suitcase for an outfit. I decide on something utterly casual, a clear way of showing her that this might be coffee but I have no intentions of leaving my job…or my side jobs. I look out the long window of the room and see that the clouds are even darker and that rain is now practically a wall.
“Perfect.” I sigh to myself. When I turn around, my eyes fall on the clock. “Shit!” I’m going to be late! I quickly dry myself off, slip on my clothes and I’m out the door. When I prepare to talk out of the hotel, the doorman hands me an umbrella.
“You’ll need it.” He nods. I open it and walk out the door.
The umbrella is practically useless. By the time I get to the Starbucks, I’m soaked to the bones, even if I only had to walk (okay, run) two blocks. I order a coffee and then I spot her sitting at a table in the corner. I look at her for two seconds and then decide that I don’t want to meet her. As I turn to leave, she looks up at me and waves…too late to back out now. I smile briefly at her and sit down across from her.
“Look, before you say anything, I just want to make it clear that I have job, a great job and I don’t intend on leaving it…if that’s what you wanted to talk about.” I pretty much whisper that last part.
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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Sept 16, 2013 13:18:50 GMT 9.5
Karyn couldn’t help but smile at Charlie’s statement. No, she didn’t find it particularly funny, but she had been expecting it. Not too long ago that had been her, sitting on a chair across from Helen Magnus. “You know, I too had a job once… I too had a job that made my life easier to bear with, that kept things clean and simple…” She started, wrapping both hands around her mug, allowing a wave of warmth and comfort to wash over her. “I understand how hard it is to even consider the possibility of dropping everything that is known to you… Trust me, I really do, but you know what I found out?” She asked as her eyes met Charlie’s. “I found out that getting dirty at times can be fun. Yes, it is challenging and it drives me insane, but it truly makes me feel alive.” She sighed deeply, her eyes now dropping to the liquid that filled her cup. “I can’t really put it into words.” She confessed, “And I can’t, and won’t, ask you for you to quit your job, but…” She reached out for one of Charlie’s hands. “I need you to feel this.” And that was it. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing the feelings that words could not describe to travel from her palm to the hand of the person standing in front of her. If that didn’t work, she would probably just have Henry call her. If you can’t conquer one through raw emotion, you can perhaps try with their biggest passion.
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Sept 16, 2013 21:11:23 GMT 9.5
I listened as she explained what she wanted from me. A job. I really didn’t want anything to change in my life. I liked this life and this job.
“I can’t really put it into words.” She confessed, “And I can’t, and won’t, ask you for you to quit your job, but…” She reached out for my hand. “I need you to feel this.” I took a deep breath and put my palm on hers. She took a deep breath and looked at me. I waited but nothing yet.
“Well?” I asked…and then it hit me. I gasped as raw feelings began to wash over me. Joy, ecstasy, pain…but deep down, I felt it: passion. It was the main emotion I was feeling. I pulled my hand away from hers and the returned to reality. I immediately felt light headed. I pushed my chair far back and put my head between my knees.
“Are you okay?” She asked. I put up a finger, taking my time as I took deep breaths. I sat up again and looked at her.
“I'm fine, just fine.” I replied “what the Hell was that?”
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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Sept 16, 2013 23:33:25 GMT 9.5
“That was the reason why I did not want to leave the security of my old job.” Karyn replied. “I feel too much. I feel for you and for me and for all the people in this room.” Her hands wrapped themselves around each other, over the table. “I feel for you, for me and for the lady having black coffee two tables behind you. Loss, fear, want, need, desire, longing…” She carried on as she looked over Charlie’s shoulder, meeting the back of the woman that was crying inside, screaming at the top of her lungs inside her own head. She knew that feeling like the palm of her hand and she felt it as if it too travelled through her veins, reaching her heart and making it skip that beat that kept things going smoothly. “That, what you have just gone through, is every second of my existence, a wave of raw and crude emotions that hits me harder than a slap from someone whose hatred has been cooking for thousands of years. That, what you have just experienced, is just the beginning of a journey I want you to start with me.” She had gone for it. All in. Even though Charlie’s body language was more like that of a person who wanted to run away from her, Karyn had a feeling that it would be all right. There was something special about the woman that stood in front of her. She couldn’t be sure of what it was exactly, but something told her that she would learn it, sooner or later. This was all a matter of trust. And time.
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Sept 17, 2013 7:02:48 GMT 9.5
She explained her gift to me and I was amazed. I wasn’t alone! Someone else had a special gift. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t really want her job but I wanted to spend more time with her, near her. I feel hesitant to accept her job on the spot but I decide to show her my biggest secret, pretty much just to see her reaction.
“I need to show you something.” I said to her, “Do you have a cellphone on you? Preferably a smart phone with your emails linked to it and all.” She gave me a weird look before pulling out her iPhone. I could see that she was hesitant to give it to me. “I won’t break it.” She sighs before putting it in my open palm. I placed my thumb over the charger opening.
“Hope you’re not too squeamish.” I laugh. She raises an eyebrow at me. I take a deep breath, close my eyes and let the connection happens. When I open my eyes again, they roll back in my head and my vision goes black. I hear Mrs. Guinness gasp as she sees my eyes go black. I concentrate on what I am doing again and I see the coding from the phone appear before my eyes. I quickly manage my way past her password and into her personal stuff: emails from various persons, photos, music, text messages, including some, um, interesting photos from someone who’s nick name is “sweetheart” in her phone. Having gotten enough info to prove myself, I start working my way out of the phone. An Incoming email makes me jump as I wasn’t expecting it. I shake it off and then log out. My vision returns and I see the blurry shape of Karyn looking at me. I blink a few times and let her come into focus.
“This is what I can do.” I tell her, “Your taste in music is far from what I’d call ‘recent’, you have a new email from some Helen Magnus and your sweetheart is very beautiful but I would delete those personal photos she sent you this morning from your phone…just in case.” She opens her mouth to say something but I cut her off by telling her her phone’s password.
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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Sept 19, 2013 0:08:55 GMT 9.5
“Now that’s something you don’t see every day!” Karyn exclaimed enthusiastically before clearing her throat. She went for a much lower tone as her surroundings reminded her of the unfamiliarity of the room they both found themselves at. “I am glad you decided to keep this gift to yourself instead of trying to conquer the world with it.” She started. “Not that you wouldn’t be capable of doing so, and I am actually quite sure that the world would find itself in much better hands, but I believe it would be way to embarrassing to those that call themselves almighty for having an oval office.” She smiled at that thought for a moment. It would be interesting to see the world’s population, the oh so perfectly normal population dealing with the parts they played behind the curtain… the word monster and its definition would surely have to be revisited and its meaning rewritten. “Anyway, I shall delete the photos as you suggested, but I think that first I should probably talk to you about that new e-mail I received… you know, the one from Helen Magnus.” She said as she reached for her iPhone and opened her e-mail account. The message was quite simple – Did you find her? Ah, apparently Magnus had sent her on a quest for a specific abnormal. She would have been shocked a few years ago, but nowadays not much surprised her. She had gotten used to Magnus and her writing between the tiny lines of her Victorian handwriting. “Helen Magnus is… the mother of the Sanctuary network.” She started. “There are quite a few around the world, so no, you are definitely not alone.” She smiled. “We used to have just one tiny office in NYC, but Helen thought that opening a Sanctuary here would make things easier because… well, because this is NYC.” She shrugged before looking directly into Charlie’s eyes. “And we want you to join us.”
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Sept 20, 2013 6:02:32 GMT 9.5
She seemed excited to see what I showed her. I almost felt bad for finding those private photos but I truly wanted to prove to her that I could. I listened calmly as she explained who Helen Magnus was, the Sanctuary and how it works.
“We want you to join us.” She said. I let the words sink in and began to think about it. As much as I was dying to say yes, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave the comfort of my current job and most of all, if I wanted to stop hacking “on the side”.
“Look, Mrs. Guinness, I know this offer is amazing but I’m hesitant to accept. If I do…and I do mean, IF, I have some conditions that are quite important to me. There are things I don’t want to see change and I don’t know, I like my life right now, I like my job and the side stuff I do too. I also wouldn’t want to accept or deny a job offer without visiting your…Sanctuary, you called it?” I stopped to take a breath. “Oh gosh, would I have to move out of my apartment?”
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Post by KARYN GUINNESS on Oct 24, 2013 6:50:09 GMT 9.5
"Nothing has ever to change if you truly find yourself not wanting it to." Charlie’s uncertainty was very familiar to Karyn. Not only had she met it across the eyes of those she had already recruited for the NYC Sanctuary, she had also felt it running through her own veins. It hadn’t been easy. Change never is, or so they say. To be honest, after finally learning how to control her gift, Karyn had come to understand that life is indeed much easier than we think. Human beings seem to fear simplicity though, as it is a concept they were taught they would probably never face, unless when it came to fiction or theory, of course. Oh, how we fear the unknown, how we fear the abnormal! “It would be a pleasure to give you a tour of our Sanctuary, even if you choose not to join.” Karyn said, a warm smile taking over her face. “I am not going to lie to you, I really need help and I think you are the perfect person for the spot, but I am not going to make you do anything, I am not going to try to convince you to drop your own beliefs… the idea might have crossed my mind for a stupid and unreasonable second, but I know better than to ask you to change for someone or something other than yourself.” She explained. “I just want you to see with your own eyes what we do, who we are, what we can do, together.” She continued. “We are special people, Charlie. We are different, and we shouldn’t be afraid of it. We were given these gifts for a reason, and we should be proud of them, of ourselves. That’s where true richness resides… in being unique.”
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Post by CHARLIE TREMBLAY on Oct 25, 2013 11:18:14 GMT 9.5
“Okay,” Charlie replied, “a tour of your place, I mean.” She quickly added when Karyn looked a little too happy. “As for your job offer, I’d like some time to consider it. I’m not saying I’ll take it but give me, maybe a week? To think about it?” Karyn smiled at her and nodded. “Just to tell you now, if I do take this job, I’m going to keep my apartment in New York and I will keep doing what I do on the side.” She raised an eyebrow. “It’s nothing illegal…well…” Charlie just looked up at her and smiled. Karyn did nothing but smile again.
“I’m going back to my hotel now but it was nice to meet you.” Charlie stood and put a hand out.
“I’ll be in touch to organize a tour.” They shook hands and Charlie took off. It was still pouring rain outside so she hurried back to the hotel. The weekend still had a ton of activities planned but all Charlie wanted to do was sit in bed and watch TV or read a book. She showered, changed into the plush hotel robe and sat in bed, ready to watch “The Notebook” when her phone rang. It was a text from Karyn.
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