Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Sept 2, 2007 19:16:41 GMT
Had Shawn actually been using the comment as suggestive, Iris most likely would have blown past him in annoyance. She enjoyed attention from attractive men (which had been seriously lacking for a while) now was not a time she would have enjoyed it. Since his comments were nothing of the sort, though, she wasn’t ready to shove him out of her way. “I guess we will,” she managed to respond. “I’m sure you’ll give me a real run for my money.”
If she could calm down a bit before actually getting into the conference room, she thought she might be able to make it through the meeting; if she didn’t, then attempting to slip out was a very real possibility of things she might try and she couldn’t see Alan appreciating anything of the sort, especially since she was sort of involved.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Sept 4, 2007 18:22:12 GMT
She saw Sherwood scribble some things down on a sheet of paper before shoving it into his pocket and starting for the conference room. She didn’t know and she didn’t care what it was. It could be anything from a grocery list to the name and number of a new contact to a reminder to take his car in for a tune up. With the way things were going, it could have been anything for all she cared. She just wanted to get the meeting over with and try to get buried in work for the day so that maybe she could find something else to occupy her mind.
Right then, anything that could possibly make her smile would be welcome, simply because she couldn’t imagine herself doing that right then. There was too much going through her mind and weighing on her for smiling to be something she was considering doing. “We better start for the conference room.”
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Alan
Human
Editor-In-Chief: LA Sun
You don't tug on Superman's cape
Posts: 45
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Post by Alan on Sept 5, 2007 19:48:03 GMT
Around him, Alan was pleased to note that everyone was gathering up the needed supplies before heading towards the conference room. Normally he was either the first one in or the last – as much as a hands on boss he was, Alan knew that to just enter the room with the rest of the workers could unconsciously send out the wrong message. The devil was in the details after all.
He stepped back slightly, watching the floor and the people on it. Boyd was already making himself at home, he couldn’t help but notice. Chatting away to his fellow reporters and photographers despite not knowing them at all. The young man would hopefully be a good investment, proof that Alan’s gut was still working. As he waited for everyone else to enter the conference room, he mentally tried to work out which of the other editors were in yet and who was supposed to be.
Continued in: The Conference Room with: Nick, Shawn and Iris
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Dec 18, 2007 20:36:35 GMT
POST SKIP
Tapping the surface of her desk lightly with her finger, Iris studied the images on her computer screen and thought about how creepy the offices seemed once most people left. She knew the boss was still in his office and there were a few others scattered about, but she was far too used to being there when things were bustling, which meant that when things were quiet, it seemed weird and rather unnatural. Even so, she was in no mood to spend the whole night in her apartment, so she had gone home quickly once she had gotten off in order to see to it that Casper was taken care of, called Poppy to let her know that she was going to be at the offices just in case she was needed and went back to work.
It wasn’t that she was needed there, but it was better than the apartment. Or the club, which, once she thought about it said one of two things about her: she was a sad, socially deprived individual or she liked her job a little too much which could lead back to the first point. Either way, working late was better than the hustle and bustle of the club scene and with no desire to go to dinner by herself or sit around her apartment all night, she figured that spending a little extra time at the offices, going through the numerous memory cards that she had in order to see what exactly was on them. Maybe once she was done with that project she would be ready to go find herself something to eat.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jan 9, 2008 20:53:48 GMT
Attaching a little piece of tape to one of the memory cards' clear plastic case, Iris labeled it carefully, putting the memory card back inside and shutting it before taking the next. She had been putting this off for a long while, but now that she didn't have anything else that she needed to be doing, Iris decided it was time for her to get to it. She liked to keep the shots she took, even after they were no longer needed, just because not only was it nice to have a record, there was always the chance that she might have something that could be used at a later time.
Stifling a yawn, she began going through the next memory card, knowing that it was going to take most of the night to finish this little project of hers.
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Alan
Human
Editor-In-Chief: LA Sun
You don't tug on Superman's cape
Posts: 45
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Post by Alan on Feb 25, 2008 15:51:21 GMT
Continued from: Editor-In-Chief’s Office
The news floor was quiet, the sort of quiet that was typical of the evening, when most of his team had gone home to either rest or had shrugged off the cares of the day, of work and were out enjoying themselves somewhere. Alan couldn’t fault them for that, for having a life that didn’t wholly revolve around the paper. There were days when he regretted his choices, regretted what it had cost him and what he was now left with; the paper and a handful of faded memories.
Most of the time he accepted his choices and thanked any power there was in the world that at least he and his wife had spent most of their life together happy. That didn’t mean he wanted those working on the paper to lose sight of the personal either, a faint frown on his face as he took in the woman still diligently working away.
“Iris,” Alan said quietly, moving to stand next to her and rest his hand on her shoulder. “Go home. Get some rest.”
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Mar 2, 2008 18:28:44 GMT
She wasn’t entirely sure what stories the particular photos that were showing on her computer screen had been for. She knew that a couple of them had been used- she remembered that- but she couldn’t remember exactly what the stories they had accompanied them had been. Sometimes, it was easy to tell. Others, like now, it was far harder to remember. It always came to her eventually, but it always bothered her when she couldn’t recall the exact details, no matter how long ago the story had been run. It was, she knew, very likely that she wasn’t remembering simply because she was tired, though she didn’t actually feel the need to go home and get any rest. Her mind, though, had apparently decided- for the moment at any rate- that it was time for it to get a little rest whether Iris herself wanted to get some or not.
At the hand on her shoulder and her boss’s voice at her side, Iris looked away from the computer screen and up at the editor-in-chief. “I went home earlier and walked my dog, but when I got back, I just couldn’t seem to convince myself to stay. It’s just too quiet there tonight.”
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Alan
Human
Editor-In-Chief: LA Sun
You don't tug on Superman's cape
Posts: 45
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Post by Alan on Mar 3, 2008 0:13:15 GMT
If it had been one of his other photographers, Alan might have raised a disbelieving eyebrow about the claim that she had been home already once tonight but he trusted Iris. More than that, the admission that the place had been too quiet somehow rang true to him and he’d long ago learnt that the gut while a bad organ to place all of your trust in, was a good place to start. If you felt something was off, you followed the story, you followed your gut and you got evidence. And if you believed someone was telling the truth, then you followed the feeling again.
“Your sister out tonight then?” Alan inquired quietly, glancing at the monitor of her computer and the images spread out across it. “Ah, the Mandarin story, good shots for that one.” He prided himself in knowing what went with what, and although it had taken a moment for him to place the photos on her screen within the article they were connected to, it had come, proof that he hadn’t completely lost his touch. Alan liked to remind himself of that now and then.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Mar 9, 2008 0:25:41 GMT
Iris believed in trusting your gut instincts. True, it was a bad thing to place all of your trust in, but she had always believed that it was best to listen to it anyway, simply because there was always the chance that those instincts could tell a person something they otherwise might not have realized. It had certainly worked for her at points in the past, but it had failed her, too.
At her boss’s question, Iris nodded. “Working late at the library.” If Poppy had been at home tonight, Iris very likely would have stayed at home or perhaps asked if she wanted to go get dinner somewhere if neither of them had felt like staying at home. As it was, though, Iris was in no mood to attempt filling the silence of her apartment with the sounds of the television or radio. Even with Casper there, the apartment could seem awfully large and isolated on nights like this.
Clearly, her boss had a far better memory than she did, but as soon as he mentioned what story the pictures had gone with, the details came flooding back to her, almost as if someone had opened a dam in her mind. She quickly and neatly labeled the memory card, putting the case to the side. “With the apartment being too quiet and not really feeling like going out on my own, I thought tonight seemed to be a good one to go through everything and catch up on my organization.” She tried not to let it get too far behind, but when she was kept busy, there really was little time to deal with such things. Not that she was complaining, of course. Being kept busy in her line of work was a very good thing.
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Alan
Human
Editor-In-Chief: LA Sun
You don't tug on Superman's cape
Posts: 45
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Post by Alan on Mar 30, 2008 18:26:05 GMT
He nodded almost absently, part of him storing away the reply and adding it to the growing picture he had of the younger Marcus sibling. On top of knowing the people who worked for him, Alan also liked to know a little bit about family or any connected people. He was a strong believer in blood telling and although he had already known that Iris was a hard worker it was good to see that it ran in the family and helped prove that she would remain that way.
Finding someone to rely on to come into work on time was becoming more and more hard in recent years and Alan counted himself truly blessed that he had a number of such dedicated people on his staff, Iris among them. He didn’t even want to think about how many of that always tiny pool of employees on the Sun could truly be counted and depending upon in some of the more important ways than just remembering to arrive every morning for work. “Good, good. Keeping on top of things is important just don’t let it run too much of your life okay?”
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Apr 13, 2008 22:09:00 GMT
Like everyone, Poppy could be a hard worker when she wanted to, though, true enough, there were people who were always hard workers. While both of the Marcus sisters liked to have their free time and do with it what they would, they sometimes chose to fill it with work. Iris sometimes thought that she might do that a little more often than was necessarily good for her, but she did know how to relax and just have some fun. It was just a matter of finding a reason to and sometimes, one of those was just impossible to find.
That was okay, though. Iris enjoyed her job, so putting in extra hours at the office was really no big deal to her. It would have been completely different had her job been tedious or had she not liked the people she worked with- and for- but her job was enjoyable and everyone- even Sherwood, who could be annoying- had their good qualities.
“I would say that I won’t, but I wouldn’t want to lie to you. Sometimes, it’s hard not to let it.” She didn’t think she needed to tell him that- he likely knew it from personal experience.
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Alan
Human
Editor-In-Chief: LA Sun
You don't tug on Superman's cape
Posts: 45
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Post by Alan on Apr 16, 2008 14:09:36 GMT
He had never been one to waste away his life wondering about the possibilities that hadn’t happened, the roads that that not been taken and the cards that he hadn’t been dealt but even Alan occasionally spared a second or two of thought to wonder what it was like for life as a sibling. Being an only child and then slipping into a life that had been more solitary than anything else, even when he had been married and with a daughter. Alan had simply never had the kind of bond that it appeared Iris and Poppy had and although there was truth in the saying you never miss what you never had, it was to close family like those two that his traitorous thoughts would sometimes swing.
“I know, this job will eat you up if you let it.” It had been to try not to let the job eat her alive that Alan had first brought up the subject of her sister, feeling instinctively that it was with the younger sibling that would be the key to keeping some part of Iris apart from her work. In all his years he had seen too many good reporters and photographers be burnt alive by the work, to become so lost they couldn’t find their way out and in his heart of hearts, Alan knew that he could count his own name among the lost. It was just a way of finding the perfect balance, to use all your skills without loosing yourself.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Apr 28, 2008 15:36:51 GMT
There had been a point where Iris had almost felt like she didn’t have a family at all. Her parents had wanted to shelter her and Poppy, but Iris had rebelled in her way. She had never claimed not to have family, but sometimes it really hadn’t felt like she did. She was the ‘problem child’, wanting to experience life outside the umbrella of over protectiveness that her parents had put up over her and Poppy. Ever since they developed their sisterly bond, though, Iris had felt that things had become the way they should be.
“I imagine it will, but sometimes it really is hard not to let it.” Sometimes, it was so tempting to just let the job swallow her whole, but then she would think about Poppy and rethink her position. She wasn’t sure if her sister would even notice if she let the job consume her, but just in case, she fought to make sure that it didn’t.
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Alan
Human
Editor-In-Chief: LA Sun
You don't tug on Superman's cape
Posts: 45
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Post by Alan on Jun 26, 2008 15:49:15 GMT
Alan might not have actually known Poppy, or even claim to have spent any time in her company aside from a couple of minutes of polite, near scripted conversion on the weather and life in LA in general at some of the black gown events the paper had hosted, but even so, from what little he had seen and from what little he had heard of the younger sister, Alan would place a decent amount of money on her trying to drag Iris back out of the job if it ever came down to it. And by nature, Alan was not a betting man. It was an internal observation, one of many that came to the editor whenever he spoke to any of ‘his’ people.
“Why not take some photos of a subject you want, purely because you want to, not for a job?” Alan offered softly, feeling unusually generous at the moment in trying to solve the problem of reminding Iris of the optional things to do outside of her work. Normally he followed the thought that each man – or woman as in this case – had to find their own balance, just as only they could find their own purpose. That didn’t mean that he couldn’t give them all a nudge now and then. Alan highly doubted that the thought of taking some photos for pleasure hadn’t occurred to Iris at some point, but the ball rolling had to be started somehow.
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Iris
Human
Photographer: LA Sun
Posts: 126
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Post by Iris on Jul 25, 2008 21:32:20 GMT
Iris didn’t doubt that Poppy would do all she could to at very least talk her into taking a break if it seemed like the job was consuming her. The elder Marcus sister tried to make sure that no such thing happened, but sometimes it was extremely tempting. It would be so easy to let the job take over. To think about nothing but the job and what she needed to do for it. When she started to think that way, she reminded herself of what she could lose if she gave into that temptation and it faded. She had no desires to grow apart from her sister, so she made herself keep her priorities in the order they were currently in rather than rearranging them so that work was the driving force in her life.
“I do occasionally,” Iris told him, “but I suppose it’s getting about time that I tried doing it again. It’s been a few months since I went out and took photos just to do it.” The problem was finding the time, really, and she didn’t manage as often as she really probably should.
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