Ebria
Established Nation
Drew Stone I
Toccoa, 28th of June 2022
Toccoa, 28th of June 2022
Auburn Avenue in Central Toccoa was the main drag in the huge 9 million city that was pretty much the economic and cultural heart of Natal, even if it was situated in its periphery on the eastern coast, along the Thaumantic seaboard. Downtown Toccoa was a mosaic of business skyscrapers, fancy hotels and exorbitant apartments in high rises, crisscrossed by boulevards, which even if they had two or three lanes per direction, they still felt puny compared to the buildings on their side. There were three rings that surrounded the central point of Toccoa, the inner central business district with its downtown, the mid rim with its 10 to 4 storey high apartments and the sprawling suburb. Within each of one was the world famous Toccoa tree canopy, which made the city feel like it was situated in a huge forest, built in such a way to disrupt nature as little as possible. The town hall estimated that up to 45% of the city's surface was covered by trees. A few miles away from the city was Stone Mountain, a huge granite monolith which was carved with the face of Andrew Lewis Bowman, the Director General of the Engell South Westernesse Company during the time of the responsible government referendum in 1848, who then became the first president of the Commonwealth of Natal. On the tip of is, the lookout was world famous as you could see the city of Toccoa, as a huge forest, as the trees covered the suburbs, but then you could see the skyline rising up. Magnolias, dogwood, pines, cedars and huge oaks could be seen everywhere. For its huge, nearly 9 million population, Toccoa was peculiar that because of its tree canopy, it was described as bird watcher paradise, especially around the huge Piedmont Park.
Drew went out of the police precinct, a building made out of red bricks, showing of the legacy of Engell architecture, unto the busy sidewalk along Auburn Avenue, just as he received a text message from Karah Goodwin, a high school colleague of his, who later became one of his best friends as both of them navigated through the efforts and the dramas of college, her acing in Law School at the Sunbelt University here in Toccoa, while Drew barely managed to get through the police academy in Camp Hill, before managing to get a transfer into Toccoa, and the much richer eastern coast. We arrived and are waiting for y'all, said the text. I'm coming!!! Adelaide got caught by something and she'll come a bit later, he texted back. FFS, I ordered her food! I'm calling her! Karah texted back.
"Jesus, I'm here, calm down," said Drew as he nearly power walked along Auburn Avenue, stopping at Mary Mac's Tea Room, a restaurant that became an institution around, for it offered the best southern cuisine. It remained cheap as it still wasn't discovered by tourists but considering it's location, it was only a matter of time. Mary Mac's was pretty much a hole in the wall to get quick food, and around it there were tables to eat it if you don't take it to go. At the table sat Karah Goodwin, a Himyari-Natalian woman in her very late 20s, with long straight hair. She always said she likes it like this, but everyone in her circle of friends knew it was because she wanted to integrate as easy as possible in the law firm she was working in. Her girlfriend, Yolanda Dávalos, who had Josefino ancestry, always told her to keep it natural, but even if Karah wasn't ever called out for it, she always felt societal pressure towards it. Yolanda was a very agitated woman in her early 30s, much more artistic than her partner and sometimes when you looked at both of them, you wondered who was truly more mature. Drew sat down greeting both with a nod.
"Howdy!" Yolanda said with a monotonous voice, as she was looking on her laptop, which was standing on the table, clearly to the annoyance of other customers who were . "Everything okay?" asked Drew looking at Karah, who was also absorbed by the screen. There was an awkward silence, with Yolanda murmuring something, and Karah barely acknowledging him. Drew's phone buzzed as he received a text: Just managed to escape, I'm coming now. It was from Adelaide. "Adelaide's coming now," he said trying to get the attention of the other two. That's also when the woman at the counter called them to get their food. Karah ordered three po'boys, while Yolanda had a cheese steak sandwich, for what she called a more Federal taste, referring to the Federation of Westernesse.
"Sorry about that," Kara said as she gave Drew his sandwich. "We're a bit stressed because we would like to move together and prices are utterly crazy at the moment. We were just looking at apartments or houses," she continued. "Hm... where did you look at?" Drew asked. "Well, first I looked at something nice, like Ansley Park first, but honestly, paying 1.5k in rest for a studio apartment which would feel like smothering us is too much. Then I looked at Cabbagetown and Old Sixth Ward, but those are even worse," said Yolanda, still not making eye contact with Drew. "Have you tried the suburbs?" he asked, and that's when both raised their heads, Karah outright looking utterly gobsmacked. "Do you hear yourself?" she asked. And that was enough to kill the subject for him, as he was used to Karah being jokingly abusive from time to time, but it was an inside joke of theirs that they did it in private, and weirdly, now that Yolanda was around and Adelaide, his partner detective was about to arrive, it just made him blush, so he returned to his po'boy. Yolanda clicked some more, the only thing which was possible to hear, besides the other customers in the awkward silence that was just fell, and then just murmured something to Karah, Drew only managing to catch something about the motorway.
"You're from the rural seabord, right? No offence..." said Yolanda finally acknowledging Drew and starting to munch on her sandwich. "Eeeeh, none taken until you said 'no offence', but yeah. Around Toccoa, a small town called Willacoochee," he said smiling. He was a very close friend of Karah, knowing each other since forever, so when Karah introduced Yolanda about a year ago as her girlfriend, she told him to to his best to befriend her as she felt she might be the one. "What do you think of White Oak? There are some houses that you can get for about 700 dollars a month here, and they seem decent," Yolanda said. Drew thought a bit. "White Oak is weird. Not diverse like at all. It's one of thse sleepy town that still feel like a setting for a 70s sitcom, where the white man goes to work, the white wife starts doing chores around the house then taking the white kids to and from school or from football practice and stuff like that," he said. "So it's white, rich and boring..." Karah concluded. "Pretty much, to be honest, if its 700 dollars a month if my be in some bad place in the town, because like you said it's rich, but then there's also the issue of the environment... an interracial gay couple sticks there like a sore thumb..." he said with a concerned face, unsure if this would annoy Karah. At least he was honest and told them what to expect, not really torches and forks, because it's not the 1920s, but interactions would be weird and awkward. The two were more disappointed than anything. So he started feeling bad. He went round the laptop and looked at the map, and told them to look more towards the Adamsville and Westbriar areas, which were quite decent price wise, even if it meant that they might get stuck in the traffic on the I10.
"Howdy! Sorry I'm late!" Adelaide said as she managed to arrive, interrupting a scene where Karah was starting to get annoyed at Drew for proposing that she should take the metro than use a car on the I10. "Hey girl, didn't know exactly what to get you so I just got a po'boy for you too!" said Karah turning towards her and offering her the sandwich. "Thanks a lot, Karah!" Adelaide responded as she sat down. Drew was quite surprised by the chemistry the two had. Adelaide looked as your typical southern belle, in her late 30s, with curly blonde hair and a skin that Karah was making fun of because was paler than milk, yet she was an extremely good detective whom in the few instances they met up for lunch like this, quickly befriended Drew's friends.
"We have an issue," said Adelaide looking at Drew. "The commemoration of the Banning of Slavery is approaching, and the Liberation March is set to be bigger than ever this time, with many even from nearby cities wanting to come to Toccoa," she said. The mentioning of the Ban of Slavery Day, get the attention of Karah and Yolanda too. "Yeah, but it's become a thing since forever! The Liberation March always is this huge celebration for the end of slavery back two hundred years ago," said Drew. "Yeah, normally it is, but some idiots decided to do a counter march..." she said with an annoyed tone. This shocked both Karah and Yolanda. "What do you mean... a counter march? They want to march to enact it again?!" said Karah angrily, nearly shouting. Adelaide shook her head. "It's a right wing movement that says that slavery has not been a thing for so long that it doesn't affect people nowadays, and they feel that there are governmental programs that in their words positively discriminate the Himyaro-Natalians..." Adelaide said. "What the fuck?" murmured Drew, but he was outright covered by Karah's nearly shouted "What the actual fuck?!". "But yeah, it seems that the townhall has not given them the right to march but has offered them the Millennium Plaza to demonstrate there. They expect less than 50 people, but still, they called all hands on deck for any situation, so that means even us, as detectives to be on guard," Adelaide continued.
While Karah and Yolanda went on a chorus of expletives against them, Drew was annoyed, because he knew that clearly there would be more. It started to become a thing in many Natalian circles that slavery was a done and dusted thing and many are going far to "correct" what they see as a negative narrative being thrown upon the nation, presenting Natal as an evil place in the 18th and early 19th century, something which those nationalists hate.
Drew went out of the police precinct, a building made out of red bricks, showing of the legacy of Engell architecture, unto the busy sidewalk along Auburn Avenue, just as he received a text message from Karah Goodwin, a high school colleague of his, who later became one of his best friends as both of them navigated through the efforts and the dramas of college, her acing in Law School at the Sunbelt University here in Toccoa, while Drew barely managed to get through the police academy in Camp Hill, before managing to get a transfer into Toccoa, and the much richer eastern coast. We arrived and are waiting for y'all, said the text. I'm coming!!! Adelaide got caught by something and she'll come a bit later, he texted back. FFS, I ordered her food! I'm calling her! Karah texted back.
"Jesus, I'm here, calm down," said Drew as he nearly power walked along Auburn Avenue, stopping at Mary Mac's Tea Room, a restaurant that became an institution around, for it offered the best southern cuisine. It remained cheap as it still wasn't discovered by tourists but considering it's location, it was only a matter of time. Mary Mac's was pretty much a hole in the wall to get quick food, and around it there were tables to eat it if you don't take it to go. At the table sat Karah Goodwin, a Himyari-Natalian woman in her very late 20s, with long straight hair. She always said she likes it like this, but everyone in her circle of friends knew it was because she wanted to integrate as easy as possible in the law firm she was working in. Her girlfriend, Yolanda Dávalos, who had Josefino ancestry, always told her to keep it natural, but even if Karah wasn't ever called out for it, she always felt societal pressure towards it. Yolanda was a very agitated woman in her early 30s, much more artistic than her partner and sometimes when you looked at both of them, you wondered who was truly more mature. Drew sat down greeting both with a nod.
"Howdy!" Yolanda said with a monotonous voice, as she was looking on her laptop, which was standing on the table, clearly to the annoyance of other customers who were . "Everything okay?" asked Drew looking at Karah, who was also absorbed by the screen. There was an awkward silence, with Yolanda murmuring something, and Karah barely acknowledging him. Drew's phone buzzed as he received a text: Just managed to escape, I'm coming now. It was from Adelaide. "Adelaide's coming now," he said trying to get the attention of the other two. That's also when the woman at the counter called them to get their food. Karah ordered three po'boys, while Yolanda had a cheese steak sandwich, for what she called a more Federal taste, referring to the Federation of Westernesse.
"Sorry about that," Kara said as she gave Drew his sandwich. "We're a bit stressed because we would like to move together and prices are utterly crazy at the moment. We were just looking at apartments or houses," she continued. "Hm... where did you look at?" Drew asked. "Well, first I looked at something nice, like Ansley Park first, but honestly, paying 1.5k in rest for a studio apartment which would feel like smothering us is too much. Then I looked at Cabbagetown and Old Sixth Ward, but those are even worse," said Yolanda, still not making eye contact with Drew. "Have you tried the suburbs?" he asked, and that's when both raised their heads, Karah outright looking utterly gobsmacked. "Do you hear yourself?" she asked. And that was enough to kill the subject for him, as he was used to Karah being jokingly abusive from time to time, but it was an inside joke of theirs that they did it in private, and weirdly, now that Yolanda was around and Adelaide, his partner detective was about to arrive, it just made him blush, so he returned to his po'boy. Yolanda clicked some more, the only thing which was possible to hear, besides the other customers in the awkward silence that was just fell, and then just murmured something to Karah, Drew only managing to catch something about the motorway.
"You're from the rural seabord, right? No offence..." said Yolanda finally acknowledging Drew and starting to munch on her sandwich. "Eeeeh, none taken until you said 'no offence', but yeah. Around Toccoa, a small town called Willacoochee," he said smiling. He was a very close friend of Karah, knowing each other since forever, so when Karah introduced Yolanda about a year ago as her girlfriend, she told him to to his best to befriend her as she felt she might be the one. "What do you think of White Oak? There are some houses that you can get for about 700 dollars a month here, and they seem decent," Yolanda said. Drew thought a bit. "White Oak is weird. Not diverse like at all. It's one of thse sleepy town that still feel like a setting for a 70s sitcom, where the white man goes to work, the white wife starts doing chores around the house then taking the white kids to and from school or from football practice and stuff like that," he said. "So it's white, rich and boring..." Karah concluded. "Pretty much, to be honest, if its 700 dollars a month if my be in some bad place in the town, because like you said it's rich, but then there's also the issue of the environment... an interracial gay couple sticks there like a sore thumb..." he said with a concerned face, unsure if this would annoy Karah. At least he was honest and told them what to expect, not really torches and forks, because it's not the 1920s, but interactions would be weird and awkward. The two were more disappointed than anything. So he started feeling bad. He went round the laptop and looked at the map, and told them to look more towards the Adamsville and Westbriar areas, which were quite decent price wise, even if it meant that they might get stuck in the traffic on the I10.
"Howdy! Sorry I'm late!" Adelaide said as she managed to arrive, interrupting a scene where Karah was starting to get annoyed at Drew for proposing that she should take the metro than use a car on the I10. "Hey girl, didn't know exactly what to get you so I just got a po'boy for you too!" said Karah turning towards her and offering her the sandwich. "Thanks a lot, Karah!" Adelaide responded as she sat down. Drew was quite surprised by the chemistry the two had. Adelaide looked as your typical southern belle, in her late 30s, with curly blonde hair and a skin that Karah was making fun of because was paler than milk, yet she was an extremely good detective whom in the few instances they met up for lunch like this, quickly befriended Drew's friends.
"We have an issue," said Adelaide looking at Drew. "The commemoration of the Banning of Slavery is approaching, and the Liberation March is set to be bigger than ever this time, with many even from nearby cities wanting to come to Toccoa," she said. The mentioning of the Ban of Slavery Day, get the attention of Karah and Yolanda too. "Yeah, but it's become a thing since forever! The Liberation March always is this huge celebration for the end of slavery back two hundred years ago," said Drew. "Yeah, normally it is, but some idiots decided to do a counter march..." she said with an annoyed tone. This shocked both Karah and Yolanda. "What do you mean... a counter march? They want to march to enact it again?!" said Karah angrily, nearly shouting. Adelaide shook her head. "It's a right wing movement that says that slavery has not been a thing for so long that it doesn't affect people nowadays, and they feel that there are governmental programs that in their words positively discriminate the Himyaro-Natalians..." Adelaide said. "What the fuck?" murmured Drew, but he was outright covered by Karah's nearly shouted "What the actual fuck?!". "But yeah, it seems that the townhall has not given them the right to march but has offered them the Millennium Plaza to demonstrate there. They expect less than 50 people, but still, they called all hands on deck for any situation, so that means even us, as detectives to be on guard," Adelaide continued.
While Karah and Yolanda went on a chorus of expletives against them, Drew was annoyed, because he knew that clearly there would be more. It started to become a thing in many Natalian circles that slavery was a done and dusted thing and many are going far to "correct" what they see as a negative narrative being thrown upon the nation, presenting Natal as an evil place in the 18th and early 19th century, something which those nationalists hate.