raisetheearth | Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

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]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Summer nods at the sensible line of reasoning. The rest, though... "There are new originals, don't forget. And some of them are either more or less willing to trust us, now that some of our more dangerous elements are gone." Like Jasmine's doppelganger! Or Raye's! Those two were dangerous indeed. "I can introduce you to people. Make recommendations. But... even beyond my personal bias, I think you'll find a lot of people will be willing to talk to you. You're less crazy than me most days, which is worth something. It's not about whether they like you already or not. Make them like you. That's the whole idea."

She pauses, considering. "I don't want to push you, Rose. But I think you'd benefit from making some friends. Among the rest of us, among the proper Numbered, hell, bother Factor's secretary. But even I don't want to hear me talk all the time. I'm sure you don't, either."

Rose actually sort of wrings her hands at all that. The prospect of just going up and talking to people, of trying to be the one to reach out... For as much bravado as she's had, as much as she'd been wiling to antagonize people?

Something about that terrifies her. Which also makes her feel stupid, and not what she perceives in her mind as something Summer would want to put up with. Yet, she's offering advice. She does care, and Rose knows that. It makes her feel a bit better, but...

"I might have to take you up on introducing me or those recommendations, but... I don't know what I'm supposed to make them like, sometimes." She half mutters, not fully meeting Summer's gaze. Her voice is a lot softer than normal, though one wouldn't call it 'gentle.' She'd punch them if they did. She swallows, and continues all the same. "That... probably sounds pretty damned weak, coming from me, huh? You're not wrong about the rest of that, but..."

She shakes her head. "Even with her stupid issues, Lily could still talk to people. Still connect to people. It came too damned easy for her..."

Seeing Rose's reaction, Summer mentally takes half a step back. She's pushing too hard, and even she can recognize it. Gently, she sets a hand on Rose's, to ease her tension if nothing else. "I don't think it's weakness. Look at her relationships. She talked to people and half of them ended up being terrible dates, shallow friends, people that didn't stick around. If it's harder for you to make those connections, make them strong, so you can depend on them. Quality over quantity, right?" It makes sense in her head. Winter and Lily forged their bond to what it is through effort and will; it's basically unbreakable. That's the kind of thing she wants to help Rose find. Except without the whole love of her life thing, since that's her job, dammit.

"If you want me to help, I'll do it. I've got favors to call in, people I have influence with. I can get your foot in the door. But don't do it because I'm pushing you. Do it because you want to. I'll be the best damn partner in the universe, and nobody will ever trouble you, if that's what you want. Just make a choice you can be comfortable with. All right?"

Summer Adamas is not someone one typically considers to be soft or gentle in any way. Even Rose sometimes can forget that, so it's with a little surprise that she's looking at her and blinking. Before her cheeks flush a bit, and she has a moment of looking a whole lot like her original in mannerisms as much as appearance as she reaches up and brushes hair back in order to uselessly try and hide that blush.

"More that I could depend on would be... good," she murmurs, looking back to the only person she truly believes she can depend on. "No, it's... something that I want for myself. Even if it's with you, being basically stuck in a hole, while everyone else gets to live some sort of life..."

She shakes her head. "That's not much of a life, is it? I want... I want us to have a life worth living. No matter how different or even similar it might be to theirs."

That blush makes Rose look particularly delicious to Summer, but now isn't the time for that. "It isn't. I want to be my own person. I want us to be our own people, whatever the cost might be. We're alive. Just like them. That means we can cut out our own place in the world."

Summer knows Rose depends on her, in a very real way, and she wants to make sure that trust is repaid. "I want you to be someone you can be proud of, with a good life. We'll reach out for something, together. And we'll find people we can trust."

There's a pregnant pause for a moment. "We're not the same as them. I mean, between the two of us, we could write a book. But we're not built like that. We hit things, we clear a path, and at the end of the day, we let things go. We'll have a different way to go about it, but we'll get there, Rose. We'll make that life for ourselves." She smirks, adding, "Whether that's in our fairly nice little hole, or not."

Rose feels a lot of things towards Lily a lot of times, in spite of how few times they've crossed paths directly. This might not be the first time she's expressed her concerns, or made them obvious, but... something about Summer's words hit her now in a way they haven't. Perhaps its because Rose has sort of exposed herself so much here. She can't really say.

She doesn't feel things the same way that Lily does - she's more likely prone to insult someone as a knee jerk reaction, or to wish ill will upon them. Even with Summer, she knows there's a difference in how she approaches things than Lily does with Winter. Lily... is more prone to putting her foot down. Saying what she wants. Doing what she needs to achieve that.

Too long, Rose has just kind of gone with the flow.

Finally, she's able to smirk a bit herself, and nods.

"...it's the same for me. I don't want to be Lily, I just... want to be able to say I'm not living in that shadow. Coming out here, I realize I kinda still have been letting myself do just that..."

She shakes her head, feeling a bit of bravado and confidence return. "So. Let's do just that."

She grins and takes Summer by the hand, motioning towards the dance floor. "Wanna dance? Cameras will probably take notice of us then. It'd be kinda funny to see what our others do about that, honestly."

Summer can't say she hasn't been worried about Rose, like this. So to see the smirk back on her face makes her feel better, and it's like a weight is lifted from her shoulders. Everything is... going to be fine. "Mm! Let's step out from behind them. We'll stand in our own light. You don't have to be her. Just... be yourself. Be who you want to be."

When she feels herself being tugged toward the dance floor, she laughs, a pure and honest sound. "Oh, that would be fun. Are we talking dancing, like Titanic? Or... dancing? Because I'm up for either." And the cameras will eat up both, though Winter will probably have something to say about the latter.

"Who I want to be, huh..."

She feels like she's stumbled over this any number of times. Anytime she sees something about Lily. Anytime she sees either her or Winter in the press. It's hard not to feel that, when she doesn't have anywhere near the same level of success in some parts of the world. Yet... she does have something important, at least.

Hearing Summer laugh is enough to make her actually light up, though. Rose grips her hand a little tighter, pulling her a little closer.

"I say we just do what we feel like and let them pick up the pieces."

Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

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