“ hm, what’s the going rate for integrity these days ? i don’t think i’ve got that much more cash, ” they make a reach for their wallet, of course they’d make good on an offer. was a little bump and mess worth any more ? “ what you thinkin’ ? ”
madden watched her reach for the wallet with mild curiosity, like she hadn’t actually expected rocio to take the negotiation that seriously. “wow,” she said dryly, “you’re really committed to this.” madden's arms folding loosely as she considered her for a moment. “but if we’re setting a market value for my silence,” she continued, tone light, “i’m starting to think integrity might be priceless.”
gage leaned his forearms against the chain-link beside the cage, watching the machine spit another ball across the plate before it smacked harmlessly into the net behind nico. "that so?" he said, voice easy. "could've fooled me." he pushed off the fence and stepped a little closer, arms folding across his chest as he watched the next swing. "where's home, then?" he asked. "and what did you play, if it wasn't baseball?"
nico reset his grip on the bat just as the machine whirred again, the next ball shooting across the plate. he swung a second too late, the crack of the bat echoing off the cage as the ball slipped past into the net behind him. he exhaled through his nose before glancing over at gage. “yeah?” he said, tone easy. “that’s just beginner’s luck. give it another five swings and you’ll see the truth.”
he stepped back from the plate a moment, rolling one shoulder as he rested the bat against it. “home’s montevideo, uruguay.” his gaze looked back toward the machine as it loaded the next ball. “and i played, well play, basketball.” a small shrug followed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. then he looked back over at gage, grin returning faintly. “which, clearly, doesn’t translate that well to baseball.”
"and you think i have?" perrie asked, letting out a sheepish laugh as she held onto the bat. this was so far from the two things she would say she knew really well - skating & acting. "children are doing better than us, you know."
nico glanced over at the row of kids in the next cage, one of them cracking a clean hit that sent the ball flying into the net. “yeah… i guess not,” he said, pushing a hand back through his hair before looking back at her and the way she held the bat. “but hey,” he added with a faint grin, lifting his hands slightly in surrender, “you're doing your best!”
his shoulders lifted in an easy shrug as another ball machine whirred to life. “all i know is i've got a better chance learning how to stay on my feet on ice than figuring this thing out. it's too bad there isn't a skating rink here," he played, knowing all-too-well the ridiculousness of an outdoor skating rink in the summer heat of texas would not go over well.
❝ wait, so playing baseball isn’t common in uruguay? that’s interesting. fútbol i’m guessing, or has it always been basketball? ❞ he asked his teammate curiously.
“baseball?” a quiet laugh slipped from nico as he shook his head, glancing over at his teammate. “nah. not really.” he rested his forearms against the back of the bench, shrugging slightly. “back home it’s fútbol. everywhere. every street, every empty lot, every kid with a ball thinks they’re going to be the next big star.” the corner of his mouth lifted, like he was living in a memory. “you grow up kicking a ball before you can even spell your own name.” his shoulders rose in another small shrug. “basketball came later for me. mostly because i was tall.” he tapped the side of his temple with a finger. “coach saw me one day and said i’d be wasting it if i didn’t try.”
WHO: Madden Clark (@gutpxnchs)
Where: Apex Sports Group Offices
"Madden! Sorry to push our meeting back, I had a fire to put out...what's going on?" In order to be one of the most competitive and vibrant sports agencies in the region, let alone across the country, Mack had to stay on his Ps and Qs. The leverage he had was his name, experience, and the network that evolved as his career and successes as a pro athlete. Now, he was offering up the lessons he learned as a young buck, hoping to at least drop some seeds of wisdom to those who were represented by him and his team. People were entrusting a portion of their livelihoods to him, and it wasn't something he took lightly. "You ready for your opening weekend? Ave's got her jersey ready to go."
madden leaned back in the chair across from his desk, one ankle hooked over the opposite knee like she’d been waiting a while but wasn’t about to make a thing of it. “hey, fires happen,” she said easily, giving a small shrug. “i figured if it was urgent you’d tell me.” at the mention of opening weekend, the corner of her mouth lifted just a little, “i’m ready,” she said, nodding once. “been ready for a while, honestly.” the start of her second season with the stars meant the team chemistry was stronger. “tell ave i’ll make sure the jersey gets some good luck,” she added, unsure exactly how she was planning on doing that. “but that’s not really why i asked to meet,” madden continued, tone still calm but a little more focused now. “i wanted to talk about what this season could look like if things go the way we’re expecting.”
"oh my god, you weren't talking to me," madden chuckled nervously now realizing that she had mistaken his conversation for one with herself. "everything okay?"
potential sexual partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all
potential romantic partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all
⸻
HABITS
drinking alcohol: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
smoking: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
other narcotics: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
medicinal drugs: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
indulgent food: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
splurge spending: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
gambling: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess
MY MUSE KNOWS HOW TO…
bake a cake from scratch | ride a horse | drive stick | speak a second language | dance | catch a fish | play an instrument | throw a punch | build a deck | ice skate | unclog a drain | program a computer | change a flat tire | fire a gun | sew | juggle | play poker | paint | fly a kite | sculpt | write poetry | change a diaper | sing | shoot a bow and arrow | ride a bike | swim | sail a boat | do a back flip | play chess | give CPR | pitch a tent | flirt | stitch a wound | read palms | use chopsticks | write in cursive | use an electric drill | braid hair | make a campfire | make a mixed drink | do sudoku puzzles | wrap a gift | give a good massage | jump-start a car | roll their tongue | do magic tricks | do yoga | tie a tie | skip a rock | shuffle a deck of cards | read Morse code | pick a lock
• potential sexual partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all.
• potential romantic partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all.
⸻
HABITS
• drinking alcohol: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
• smoking: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
• other narcotics: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
• medicinal drugs: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
• indulgent food: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
• splurge spending: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
• gambling: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.
⸻
MY MUSE KNOWS HOW TO…
bake a cake from scratch | ride a horse | drive stick | speak a second language | dance | catch a fish | play an instrument | throw a punch | build a deck | ice skate | unclog a drain | program a computer | change a flat tire | fire a gun | sew | juggle | play poker | paint | fly a kite | sculpt | write poetry | change a diaper | sing | shoot a bow and arrow | ride a bike | swim | sail a boat | do a back flip | play chess | give CPR | pitch a tent | flirt | stitch a wound | read palms | use chopsticks | write in cursive | use an electric drill | braid hair | make a campfire | make a mixed drink | do sudoku puzzles | wrap a gift | give a good massage | jump-start a car | roll their tongue | do magic tricks | do yoga | tie a tie | skip a rock | shuffle a deck of cards | read Morse code | pick a lock
nico salvatierra was born and raised in montevideo, uruguay, the youngest son in a family that spent evenings together along the coast. basketball wasn’t the sport most kids gravitated toward there, soccer dominated nearly every street. but nico had always been taller than the others, often towering over his classmates by the time he was fifteen. it began as casual pickup games on outdoor courts slowly turned serious when local coaches started noticing the quiet teenager with relentless defense and an instinct for reading the game.
by sixteen he was competing in youth leagues across the region, eventually attracting the attention of international scouts. a scholarship opportunity at the university of kentucky brought him to the usa, where he spent four years playing college basketball. he was known for his composure, defensive intensity, and quiet confidence.
at twenty-four, he entered the nba draft, being picked in a late round and signed with the stallions, initially as a depth player fighting for minutes off the bench. by his second year, however, nico had secured a starting role as a small forward, quickly becoming a fan favorite for his physical drives and clutch defensive stops.
now twenty-seven, nico is entering his third season in dallas, firmly established as one of the stallions’ most dependable players. nico remains reserved by nature. he’s known around the city for keeping a low profile, rarely seen at loud parties or events, more often spotted late at night in empty gyms or wandering quiet streets after games.
though dallas has become a second home, montevideo has never truly left him. he still drinks maté whenever he can get his hands on it, still calls his family after big games, and still feels the pull of the ocean he grew up beside.
" how can you not love punch the monkey though? he has literally captured everybody's hearts. i mean have you not seen the tiktok of him being bullied and then the zoo keeper giving him a stuffed monkey that he ends up carrying by his side all the time? do you hate monkeys is that it? because we should totally fly to japan and take him home with us, or visit him. all i know is i want to protect punch with all my freaking dang heart dammit! "
madden blinked at her for a second, clearly caught somewhere between confusion and amusement. “okay, first of all,” she said slowly, one hand lifting like she needed a moment to process, “that is an aggressively emotional pitch for a monkey.” her mouth turning upright into a smile. “second, i don’t hate monkeys,” she added, shaking her head lightly. “i just didn’t realize we were planning an international rescue mission today.”
open to anybody (0/5) @championstarters
location: the bullpen ( the bugout )
aydin completely missed the target after throwing the dart. "okay listen, i'm a bit rusty." that was a lie, he never really played darts, but a man can dream to have many many talents. "how have you been?" he asked, they've been playing only for a little bit, taking turns asking each other questions as they play darts, a good excuse to catch up.
madden watched the dart sail well past where it was supposed to go, her head tilting slightly as it thudded harmlessly into the board. “rusty, huh?” she said, stepping forward to pull her own dart from the board before tossing it with a practiced flick of her wrist. it landed closer to the center.
she glanced back at him, shrugging one shoulder. “i’ve been good,” she answered, casual but sincere. “busy. season’s not even started yet but it already feels like a lot.” her eyes flicked to the board again before settling back on him. “how about you? besides secretly training for a darts career.”
madden’s brow lifted slightly as she looked over at rocio, “twenty-five?” she echoed, like she was genuinely considering the offer. "hmm," she thought. “that’s a pretty low price for my integrity.”
the corner of her mouth lifts almost immediately as soon as she hears her voice, eyes kept on milo, watching how he almost drops the bat in a triumph after what seemed like the world’s slowest, but the cutest grounder. “ that confidence can be fooling, ” she jokes, now turning her body slightly to face the blonde. “ a few minutes ago he declared he’s retiring from baseball forever, ” as her mind traces back to the dramatics of her son, clearly a trait he got from here, there’s a soft laugh escaping her lips. “ apparently we’re back in the league now, so thank you for the validation. i’m sure he will appreciate it, ”
madden watched milo’s small victory with quiet approval, the dramatic little celebration earning a faint smile she didn’t bother hiding. she remembered what is was like when she was just a kid, dreaming of the big time. “ah, the classic comeback story,” she said lightly. “retirement to professional return in under ten minutes. impressive turnaround. just think, somewhere out here there’s a grown man striking out against a pitching machine.” then she glanced back to zoya, the hint of a grin still there. “so, how have you been zoya?"