Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

[ceofactor]

Even for Benjamin Factor, arranging this charity event had been something of a challenge. Just as he held great influence in Gateway City, Thunder Corp's influence in Locke was great as well. But with time and money, all things were indeed possible in this case, and the Memorial Dance Hall was playing host to the night's events. It was a glamorous affair: politicians, captains of business, dignitaries, and celebrities had been invited. For whatever controversy that existed, the world legitimately wanted to heal the wounds left by the invasion, and that meant there were a lot of people who wanted to use events like this to either advance that cause, or to make themselves look good.

But they weren't the only sorts of individuals who had recieved an invitation.

Benjamin Factor had also made it so the Numbered would be invited to his little party. Arrivals through the teleporter would be greeted by drivers at the community center, and the same courtesy was extended to anyone who might live in Locke. The only stipulation? Was that anyone who came make an effort to make themselves presentable. If that was a problem, or anyone arrived without knowing, they had clothes on hand for people to change into.

Indeed, it seemed that the Numbered would be well provided for tonight. That being said, their presence would get people to talk, given the presence of news crews making live coverage. Nevertheless... "getting people to talk" seemed to be exactly what Benjamin Factor wanted to happen.

[Event Links: Event Speakers | NPC Interaction | General Mingle]

Comments

[abundantlove]

Molly catches sight of Nathan, and instantly feels the urge to reach out to him. She doesn't know if he's a Numbered; he could be someone's son, being forced to come along to this. But he's standing off on his own, with a blank expression, and Molly... well, she doesn't want anyone to be alone or anxious.

So, she approaches him with a smile on her face.

"Hello! My name is Molly! Molly Anderson! What's yours...?"

[solvethepuzzle]

Not being alone does little to alleviate Nathan's anxiety when he does not know the other party. But then, there are not many other ways to get to know people. The girl's approach does not surprise him; he sees her coming. While her face is unfamiliar, he recognizes her name and voice when she introduces herself. He may not reply to everything on the network, but he pays attention.

Most people would probably adopt a smile at this point whether it is genuine or not. Nathan is not most people. His expression remains the same. "Hello, Molly. I am Nathan."

No statement that he recognizes her. Some of them are not open about their Numbered status and Molly may be one of them. He'd rather not make assumptions.

[abundantlove]

He was certainly reserved, but that didn't deter Molly. That was perfectly fine for her. Still, she wanted to get to know more people, so she continued further.

"It's nice to meet you, Nathan! This is a pretty big party!" she said. "It's sort of intimidating!"

[solvethepuzzle]

Reserved indeed. It was a good thing that Molly had some idea of how to do casual conversation because Nathan certainly didn't.

He could not exactly disagree with her assessment. There was a fairly significant part of him that would rather not be here for that very reason. But here he was nonetheless.

"It is." No problem with saying it. "This isn't the type of thing you are used to frequenting."

If she were, Nathan would think she would have had something more appropriate than a school uniform to wear to a high-class party.

[abundantlove]

... Okay, wow. This guy had seen right through her, hadn't he? She laughed nervously, twirling a bit of her hair.

"You're right," she admitted. "This is all really new to me. But I want to try and do new things... meet new people."

[solvethepuzzle]

He was good at that kind of thing, and it had served him well in the past. Though in this case, he considered his observation to be so simple that anyone could have made it. School uniform at a fancy party? Nathan was the furthest thing from fashion-conscious, but even he could see how that failed to fit in here.

"How have you been finding it so far?"

[abundantlove]

"... To be honest, it's kind of exhausting," Molly replied honestly. "I haven't made a lot of friends before, so a lot of this is new to me..."

[solvethepuzzle]

He nods in understanding, unconsciously reaching up to curl his fingers into his hair. It is such an automatic thing that he sometimes does so without realizing it.

"Yes, it takes a lot of energy. I would offer you advice, but I am not good at such things."

[abundantlove]

Molly continued to smile, despite herself. "That's okay... it's nice to know I'm not alone. That other people know what it's like. Maybe we can help each other get through it?"