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308.4375 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The aftermath of early spring rainstorms brought the smell of damp earth and sun-kissed conifer leaves down on a warm wind, ruffling the long, loose hair of two figures making their way through the emerald blur of the forest around the facility. The smaller of them, red and quiet, led his taller companion across a soft expanse of moss, weaving them between the tallest trees.\n\nOwen had some idea of where he was going, though he kept telling himself that he could just go a little but farther, because it couldn't hurt. He, truthfully, was waiting for his eloquently-worded speech to come back to him; with every step through the brush, perhaps, another point would come back to him from the buzzing creeping up through his head.\n\nNone such luck.\n\nHe wiped the palm of his free hand on a faded patch of his pants, humming low in his throat. It was too warm to be bundled up in all his worldly comforts—a familiar green hoodie was reinforced with his old denim vest, lined up and down with stitches of red thread and faded logos, printed claws, painted bones.\n\nOne glance back at his beloved's face brought him a little peace, even if they were probably a little bewildered at his silence since insisting they come with him. His pace slowed a little, and he squeezed Uriel's gloved hand; the bronze-haired boy could never help but smile at them when he did that, every time. *You can do this. You've been talking, and you've been thinking, and you can do this.*"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel had little idea of what compelled the boy (*Their* Boy, they like to think in their sugary sweet head) to drag them all the way to the middle of the forest. Nonetheless, they let themselves be dragged around by their wrist, their lack of resistance betrayed by the small quirk of a smile on their face and a fond gleam in their eyes. \n\nTimes like this, they felt like a supporting character in a fairy tale— they were a princess being whisked away by a knight, or a fairy watching with amusement as they walked amongst the forest growth. \n\nAt this point, they were used to being dragged to random places with little explanation by Owen. However, one thing remained constant; whatever the journey was for was always worth the wait, and so Uriel stared at the back of the boy in front of them with adoring eyes."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"I-I should probably tell you what we're out here for, shouldn't I,\" Owen started, coming to what senses he had left when Uriel looked at him like that. Butterflies flapped in his stomach, sending ripples of warmth to his every extremity; their effect on him, one of many, pushed against his ribs and nibbled at the tips of his fingers, melting into syrup. He faced them, looking fixedly at their hands.\n\n\"I, I've been thinking um, a lot, and—well, you remember how when you —no, ah, hang on, I had it...\"\n\nStepping a little closer, the boy laced their fingers together, letting his thoughts again become dreamy and fluid. Despite how his bothersome tongue prevented him from saying much clearly, he wanted to tell them everything about everything. Even through their glove, he could feel their heartbeat—slower than his, and quieter, like an echo tucked behind his own. Their sweet glimmer of life.\n\n\"There's, um. A proper introduction I'd like to make,\" He tried again after a moment, smoother the second time. \"I don't... Really know how to explain it. You, you bring me out of my shell, yeah? Er—you're kind to me, to p-parts of me that I'm not very kind to, and, and it's making me want to be kinder to what's been scaring me for-for a long time now.\"\n\nAs if on cue, a ripple of reddish-orange light ran through his fingers; against their palm, Owen gently trembled. The sticking power of his therapist's wisdom and his own determination were tested a thousand times a minute, it seemed—his first memory of that shade of glowing red was one of fear, the first of many of the same. Supplanting that legacy was something he could only be crazy enough to attempt, something only his beloved Uriel could inspire him to be crazy enough to succeed in. Just this once, the river of trapped firelight beneath his speckled skin didn't disperse.\n\n\"I'll only ask you t-to trust me, like you always do.\"\n\nCallused fingertips tugged nervously at the end of their glove.\n\n\"May I? P-please?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"...Ah.\" \n\nLips parted, grey eyes wide. Uriel's white eyelashes fluttered open at the startlingly intimate request, their pallid face growing warmer. \n\nWordlessly, they shake their head yes, the air sucked from their lungs from the oh-so-sweet earnest expression on Owen's face. Talking here seemed an impossibility— they were too busy staring at the swirl of golden fire around Owen's fingertips. \n\n*Trust him, like they always do.* \n\nAs if he even had to ask. \n\n\"I... I would like to meet it.\" They uttered, their words only privy to the nervous boy in front of them and the mystical, large forest enveloping the pair. \n\n\"It is you, after all.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen savoured every moment with Uriel that he could take to order his thoughts, as slowly as he needed. Every word out of his mouth sounded strange, painfully uncoordinated, backwards; from his own eyes, warm in his skull, he felt a tiring but sharp gaze, unrelaxed and ever-present. But, what radiated from theirs was only patience. They understood. *Whatever this meant to him, they would understand.*\n\n\"And-and, it's *You...*\"\n\nHe trailed off, methodically loosening each fingertip, breathing deep and slow the scents of dryer sheets and old wood. Uriel's glove slid off to his pocket, and the sun shone through their pale skin, glinting silently off of an array of tiny silver scars. Every nerve ending that recognized their cool skin wanted for more of it, always, to hold safe and precious from any who had dealt them those little slices and knots of pain.\n\nA silly thought, from the troublesome heart of only the most hopeless of romantics, but Owen supposed that it meant enough to warrant the big deal he made of it. The heat rushed in his ears, behind his scarlet face, and through the skin over his hands; he was screwed, deeply and helplessly.\n\n\"*Ach..* How do I say that it wants to hold you without s-sounding insane, heh?\" His palms, hot like the stones circling a bonfire, encase their hand, pressing it flat. \"Since the first time you held my hand, *Cariad*. I... I thought, then, that I might understand this—thing—as something gentle, I, this-this part of me wanted to. It wanted to hold you. I didn't know that it could—that it w—that—\"\n\nHis brief ability of mostly-complete sentences evaporated from his tongue once again, leaving him with that one sentiment repeating over and over. \n*In.*\nHis skin buzzed.\n*Out.*\n_ _\n\nThat translucent red, glinting orange and gold in the light, spilled from between his fingers like a heavy mist, the hot breath of a gentle beast. Owen's power, mute and obscured, soft and fluid and tentative like it had never been, kissed every knuckle, ran along each line in their palm. It was as though he had never touched them, or anyone, before in his life—the sensation was so odd and so necessary that part of him ached like he was still anticipating it, still holding his breath. \n\nHe had hands, and suddenly he had never had hands, and he had no idea what to do with either of his hands or not-hands or any of him at all, save for staring with the widest eyes."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Insane? Do not worry about such a thing. We'll be mad together, if that's the case— for you make me turn to a bumbling fool.\" \n\nOwen stuttered and tripped over his words, and yet Uriel knew exactly what the boy meant. The feeling of something inside you that only caused strife and anguish wherever it went— it was a feeling familiar to both Owen and Uriel. They did not need his words to understand the joy of knowing yourself to be capable of something good. \n\nIt being because of them, however, was a fact that still made their head swim. \n\n...And, their internal monologue about raging beasts in the hearts of children who couldn't know any better stuttered to a halt as something warm spilled upon their palm. The glittering gold fire licked the tips of their fingers, warmth spilling down their hand as it followed the natural calluses of their hand. It paused to inspect every barely-visible scar that faded silver with time, old wounds serving as a riverbed for the molten red-gold shield. \n\nUriel sharply inhaled, hazy grey eyes looking up at Owen with impossibly pink cheeks. Their eyes flitted between the shield tracing their skin and the other's sparkling eyes, words failing to form any sense of coherency besides the stutter of a lovestruck fool. \n\n\n\"I, um,\" They shudder. \"D-does it like me?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"*You're so cute...*\"\n\nThe worried bow of Owen's lips stretched wide into his lopsided smile, a giggle like sparks crackling up from his chest, bright and warm.\n\n\"It loves you, *Fy annwylyd,*\" He whispered, his voice creaking ever so gently. \"It—it sings every time you t-touch me.\"\n\nHis fingers moved to curl around theirs, bringing their enveloped hand up to his face. The glinting gold in the molten-red-faced boy's eyes matched the ether flowing over their skin as he rubbed a circle in it with his thumb, watching the fiery haunt of his distant nightmares twirl and fold over itself in what must only have been joy. It did indeed sing, low like the rumble of the floor under his old amplifier, melodies of clumsy, strong fingers over the rhythm of his quickening heartbeat. \n\nPressing Uriel's hand to his cheek, their adoring fool slid their sleeve back, rough fingertips tracing the soft, *So soft* Underside of their wrist up their arm. More of the humming, searching stuff followed, tiny arteries under his freckled skin lighting up like their every breath fanned the furnace wound throughout him. Once it was allowed, that oft-obscured piece of him delighted in being awake—it was bolder than he would ever be, turning his own flesh raw pink (he was close to inventing a new shade of the colour), revelling in this new form.\n\nLittle ridges like the melted edges of broken obsidian formed over the back of their hand, flakes of armour padded by liquid sunlight. In those moments, they were in his blood, wound into his soul, captive audience to every song of which they were the muse.\n\n\"Every time you kiss me,\" He murmured. \"Every time you look at me like that.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "I respond after my game dev presentation\n\nThey never thought their skin to be beautiful— it was too pale to be something worth admiring, a color that was almost translucent in the setting sun. However, clearly they were wrong; the golden fire that cascaded down their skin seemed to have a different opinion, tracing every groove with the enthusiasm of an explorer. A shaky, emotion-filled breath shuddered, and helpless, hazy grey eyes swam with adoration. \n\nIt was hard to think in this state; Uriel would have liked to imagine themselves as a cerebral person able to contain the muted feelings they had, but the tides of the fiery river working its way down their skin had consumed their emotions whole. They were helplessly drowning in a sea of bliss, with no desire to swim to the shore of clarity. \n\nA cool thumb brushed against a cheek laden with acne scars, reveling in the feeling of their palm pressed against their beloved's face. \n\nAnd— Uriel shakes, doe eyes wide open, lips silently parted about to say words they were unable to find. Their other hand slowly makes its way to their wrist, and the liquid fire curls around their finger. \n\nUriel brings the hand back to their face, examining the liquid fire up close while still thumbing the skin of Owen's cheek. *It's golden,* A soft voice in their head murmurs. *His heart is golden.*\n\nAnd, with little occupying Uriel's mind save for the yearning for Owen's golden soul, they lick the essence of Owen's soul off of their finger.\n\n\"U-um...\" \n\nA silence falls upon them, face turning even brighter at their brazen action. \n\n\"S-so you'll always be with me...\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Uriel's presence still had that effect on Owen; the effect of warm molasses dripping through his brain, over his tensed muscles, filling his mouth with sweetness. Here, when he felt them practically under his skin, this effect was tenfold—his eyes, lidded heavy and hazy with the same gold running between his fingers, followed their movements slowly yet fixedly. He wondered, somewhere behind that smitten gaze, what they saw.\n\nThe boy hummed softly when they stroked his cheek, his melted shell following suit. He wondered if it could crawl any further—if he could reach, with this odd sense, around their chest to feel their lungs expand, their shoulders stretch, their voice rumble. That familiar hunger had been creeping back, increasingly lacking in shame, heavy in his stomach, swirling in his head, and sharp in the palms of his hands.\n\nHe followed the path of their arm to his cheek over and over, in case they might see dancing in his eyes the image of their fingertips reaching into his chest and sinking deep into his heart.\n\n\"H-hhuh?\"\n\nA bewildered, shuddered sound escapes him when the smallest piece vanishes behind their lips. Owen could still feel it, almost, before it dissipated somewhere in their throat—the fiery stuff was quickly losing feeling, separated from his body, but he was still aware of the warmth around the little satellite curling around their tongue. He might have felt their voice rumble, from a place he couldn't fathom, but his head was suddenly too hot and dense and perplexed to be sure.\n\n\"Is-is that, is it...\"\n\n*Safe? Painful? Precedented?* Uriel had never cared much for any of those things, in the time that he'd known them. The bronze-maned boy's heart pounded beneath his chest, his face turning a shade of red so miserably hot that it seemed to glow from beneath.\n_ _\n\n*How intimate*, he managed to think through the rush, *To be consumed*—all his faceless fear and pain in this tender, molten form offered up to them, accepted so completely. Owen wondered if the rushing in his head might deafen him, if he would sob for days afterward.\n\nCallused fingertips trembled gently as they traced the slope of Uriel's throat, smooth and pale as milk. Loose strands of spun-silk were swept aside, his heels just barely lifted from the moss.\n\n\"Keep... Keep it safe, cyw,\" He murmured, breath curling into the soft hollow somewhere below their ear, softly nuzzling their cheek. Without thinking, his lips brushed their neck, gliding down the path that piece of him must have taken. The motion was the final stanza of a poem, he thought, a prayer for safety, sealing his offering with a kiss, with three, with five.\n\n*Fuck.* His chest heaved. *Have I ever kissed them there before?*"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Owen's love was something Uriel still had trouble accepting. Nevertheless, they took it with little pushback, save for the tiny gasps of air as the redhead snatched the breath out of Uriel's lungs. \n\nThey're light, and yet— they feel like they're burned into Uriel's skin, lingering there far after Owen pulls away. \n\nUriel's head swims. If their face wasn't already bright red, it would've been even more flushed. \n\n\"M-my love,\" They breathe into the crook of Owen's neck. \"If I could only ask one thing of you... It would be to never leave my side.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Heaving a sigh and leaning into his beloved, Owen mused that this would be a lovely place to turn to stone.\n\nIn a fairytale sort of a way, a doomed romantic rhyme, where the sun's rays froze the two of them in time forever; in an eon, someone would find them, standing in the moss under the gentle sun, still twined together like cats' tails. They might muse about how tender their faces looked, with nothing visible but their eyes fluttered shut and noses buried in shoulders, hidden smiles pressed into once-warm skin.\n\nA sorrowful thing, though, he decided, for something so gentle as their breath on his neck and their request buzzing in his ear to be turned to cold dew. \n\nStrong, heavy hands move from pinning theirs to his cheek to slide down their sides, gentle as whispers and just as weighted. As his pinky fingers traced their waistband and his palms crumpled together over the small of their back, he nearly forgot what they had asked him.\n\n\"If you'd let me grant you such a thing, *Cariad*, it's my command,\" He whispered, the tip of his nose rubbing against the soft down of their neck.\n\nThe flames had retreated, satisfied, sinking back through his cheek and his palm, but when he extended his fingers to encompass Uriel's back, it felt like they might keep going forever until every inch was pressed into his chest. In the back of his mind was the image of their hand, complete with every line, fingerprint, tiny scar. He knew it like another part of him, a map tucked between his ribs of someplace he'd gone to conquer a grand, impossible fear.\n\nHis voice broke when he murmured his *\"Thank you,\"* And felt quite certain it would have dissolved completely if he said it any louder.\n\nOwen hummed, and the rumbling in his chest might have sounded to them like the sigh of a great sleeping beast."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Lemme finish funeral lunch\n\n...Had to take care of very drunk mom. Whoops"
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Patpat\nAll fine and dandy"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "To be held so firmly by another... What more could someone desire, besides the persistent hands of a lover tethering them to this plane? \n\nUriel dreamed about such a thing with their whole soul. They closed their eyes and felt his hands on their hips, tracing their figure and holding onto their back— surely it was the figments of a dream, and yet it persisted even as they opened snowy eyelashes against Owen's cheek. \n\nThis was the foolish teenage love Uriel had hungrily read about in their fairy tales— but instead of watching as a narrator in the clouds, they were the character who's heartstrings were so deftly tugged on by the bassist. \n\nWhat could they do? It was a walking dream, and yet the dream weaver was completely helpless to Owen's charms. \n\n\"W-we should...\" They gasped, another wave of bright red consuming their cheeks. \"Y-you should think before you speak... Unless you're intending those phrases to toy with my heart...\" \n\nUriel barely pulls away, arms falling to their side and holding Owen's hand in front of them. \"Such sweet words... How gluttonous of me, to eat them with such fervor.\" They sheepishly mumbled, burying their chin into their poncho."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "It wasn't that Owen *Couldn't* Stifle that little whine when Uriel pulled away from him, but he did feel strongly about it. The air now between them was an ache, and the insistent hammering in the boy's chest threatened to shake his posture, his composure long left in shambles. The hand they gripped squeezed with a desperation.\n\n\"*Please...*\"\n\nHis voice slid like butter, practically dripping at the edges as nearly all the warmth in the boy's body melted toward his chest and his face, pooling in his stomach and his hands. He thought of their cool skin, hidden behind their collar, and his head swam—what was he to do with such a longing, now that he knew he didn't have to quell it?\n\n\"Indulge, *Please*,\" He pressed, stepping into them again, pressing their joined hands between their chests, their knuckles against his heartbeat, fit to push him away if they so desired. The weight of that strong, callused palm travelled from there up to their collarbone, fingers splayed over the curve of their neck into their shoulder. Despite their layers, he felt warmth, and thought he might faint.\n\n\"Could, could I be devoted.. To you as well?\" \n\nHis fingers moved their collar aside to reveal their face; the pads of his fingers slip across that smooth, cool skin along their neck, and in that moment he was hopelessly, *Blissfully* Obsessed with it. With them, with the way they fit together. Owen's knees shook, but he leaned up despite it. One hand cradled their face, the other gathering a weak fistful of their poncho, drawing them ever nearer.\n\n\"For you, Uriel. All for you. I want, I *Want* You to...\"\n\nTheir foreheads pressed together, noses brushing softly. His lips lit on their cheek after he trailed off, the unspoken end of that sentence blooming a wreath of roses with petals of liquified flame deep in his gut.\n\n_ _\n\"As much f-fervour as you like,\" He murmured. *What possessed him to* Say *That??* What *Was* He, letting those thoughts slip from him, brash and ravenous, putty in their hands, yet gripping them for dear life?\n\nA shaky, molten breath, and he crushed his lips against theirs, another weak sound loose in the back of his throat. He kissed Uriel like he wanted them to forget the meaning of gluttony entirely; or, as close to that as his young, clumsy, overexcited form could allow."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel could accept this as a good end to their story. Here was about the time the credits would start rolling; a velvet curtain would slowly close in on the stage, the actors of everyone involved in their life stepping out in front and taking a bow. Owen would get the most applause, they think— he'd raise his arms as he came out last, earning uproarious support and perhaps even a standing ovation. \n\nIt wouldn't be beyond Owen, they thought. After all, if he was going to receive a standing ovation, Uriel would make sure they were the first to rise from their seat. \n\n...Ah, but. The curtain *Didn't* Close. Owen was still kissing them, his nose poking against their cheek and warm lips pressed against their own. He was still here, and they were still kissing, and there *Was* No curtain slowly marking the end of Uriel, Owen, and the world as it was.\n\nAnd so, Uriel kissed him back, and their soul— which they'd finally came to accept might have been an actor this whole time, if only because there was no way a staring role like Owen could fall in love with a narrator— sighed sweetly, for there was no music playing them out, and they could melt into his embrace for as long as they would like."
}
] | 307 | 4,935 |
379.733333 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley stumbled their way up to the roof, a warm coat wrapped around their frigid frame, their little brass pocket watch digging into their side, boots neatly laced up (in part to help stabilize their ankle. It'd been growing stiff in the cold again). They fidgeted, and stopped fidgeting, with their septum ring, one of the ones Ares got him for Christmas - a little silver one with tiny rhinestones. It was undoubtedly his favourite of the little collection. Their blue hair was capped under a dark red beanie, letting blue bangs poke out around their forehead and ears somewhat cartoonishly. \n\nThey took a seat on the roof, letting the cold night air billow over them, a blanket resting over his shoulders as he looked out at the familiar landscape, trees, the glowing lights of Isakstad just beyond. In the time they'd been here, it'd almost become like home, in a way - if home pried itself off the Canadian coastline and the sun baked French city he was born in. He had no real memories of Lille. Only the warmth of the sun.\n\nAnd, really, such a comforting feeling had driven Fin along throughout their life - seeking out people and places that reminded them of that very intrinsic sense of warmth. Ares, he reflected, was a lot like that (though, credit must surely be also allotted to their dearest friends, for they provided a similar blend of the same). \n\nThey leaned back and looked up at the stars, letting the static roll off their fingers and into the air, letting out a somewhat content sigh. Sure, Ares had been a bit strange lately - but he was Ares. He was always doing some half baked harebrained tomfuckery that made Fin want to put his head into his hands and leave it there for a week.\n\nThey pulled open their phone, and scrolled back through their dms with him, finding a particular one that made him smile, and went to the chat he had with Serg, Owen, and Moru (poor Moru). \n\n\n\nAres had asked to meet up with them, and, well - they didn't mind, you know, it was all good - but damn. It was cold up here. \n\nHe sat back, and waited on the boy he'd been waiting for for almost a year."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ The wind greeted Ares with familiar stings against his cheeks and scarred knuckles. With a bulky black coat pulled over his shoulders, layered on top of a hoodie, the night wasn't nearly as invasive as others found it. The sky was clear, crisp with winter, and hanging above the world in a vast and endless void. Pinhole stars splattered across the sky like white paint across ink. The wind brushed up Ares' hair, swirling it around his face in a chaotic mess. \n\n As he threw himself over one ledge after the other, making steady progress in his ascent up towards the designated spot the two had marked out. Once close enough, he hesitated. This was it. One last wall to scale, and Finley would be there waiting for him under the moonlight. Ares stood still, quiet with the rustling tree leaves; his heart in his throat. Was he really going to do this? Were all those months of effort and undeniable joy going to fall out of his hands like black ash? \n\n The words Danica told him echoed in his brain. *Go for it.*\n\n One quick swallow of his pride, and up the boy went. He lifted himself effortlessly over the wall, and jumped onto the raised ground on the other side. There was the one he had been looking for. Finley, perched on the rooftop, waiting with the stars. The sight of them made both Ares and the universe itself hold their breath. They looked wonderful, as always. Winter blue hair, framed around his face in delicate strands. A side profile that stared out at the horizon with the same beauty of a greek statue, carved from stone. Finley was *Art*— he was something to be cherished. More than cherished. For a second, Ares just stood. Admiring them in their entirety. \n\n \"Didn't keep you waiting long, did I?\" Finally breaking the silence, a deep voice echoed out against the quiet song of early morning birds. It was softer, though. A tone very few had heard. \n_ _\n\n_ _ _ _ Shoving his hands in his pockets, Ares walked over to the other and sat directly beside them. He let his feet dangle off the edge, leaning his forearms down on his knees. Ares couldn't take his eyes off Finley. All the boy could hope was that they didn't notice the red in his cheeks beneath the darkened sky. *Did they know why he asked them to meet him up here? Surely not, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary?* Ares felt his brow tighten. *Chill out, Ares, chill out.*"
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"Of course not,\" Fin said. A smile pulled on their very words, watching Ares as he approached. Their heart always seemed to climb into their throat whenever he came around - it had been like that for months. Every time he came around, Fin held onto it.\n\nAres sat down beside him, and he nudged him gently with an elbow, myrrh and mirth sparkling up their eyes. Ares was, and always had, *Horrifically* Nice to look at - an even set to the jaw, hair all a mess, the little devilish smile that that seemed to adorn his (somewhat harebrained) behaviours. His little mannerisms - the way he kicked his feet off the ledge, the way he shuffled his hands in his pockets - they were all familiar to Fin at this point, mixed together with a loud, joyful laugh, a sparkling eye. The way he went through his life, Fin supposed, was what originally drew them to Ares. He went through it all like a bright burst of colour.\n\nA firecracker of a boy, really - they'd always heard that about him. But, goodness, why was he only seen for the destruction, and not the beauty with which he shone?\n\n\"I'm glad you're here,\" He said, shrugging a little off one shoulder. And weren't they? They couldn't imagine a life without him, and had finally told him as much. The evenings of kindness and closeness were among the greatest milestones of Fin's life. It brought the kind of security they hadn't had in a long, long time - for so long, the place Finley felt safest was at the setting end of a burning fire. He knew, though, that there was always a set of arms he could curl up in, and sleep. \n\nAnd, despite the hammering of their heart in their throat, they had, somewhat, accepted that that might be all. \n\nThe little interactions between them, though - Fin had these. They had these, and they'd always have these, no matter what, even as the little voice in the back of their head shook and stammered that he'd be left behind again, that, surely, Ares would find someone else, and run off. \n\n*This is worth trying for*\n\nThey believed that, and always would believe it.\n\nHe looked up at the stars, again, if just to refrain from staring directly at Ares's face (as he did, that night Ares passed out in their arms from exhaustion) (as he did, that night they went to the dance together, and sat side by side, and talked about nothing and everything at once).\n\n\"You doin' okay?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ Ares laughed, a short sweet sort of sound that bled nicely into his next words. \"Yeah, I'm okay.\" He looked over at them, the same sharp eyes as the day they met, yet softer now. \"Are you? You always complain about how cold it is up here at night.\" He laughed once more, and moved closer to them. Leaning into their shoulder, Ares was joking like he always did. He never seemed to grow tired of lighthearted teases about Finley's poor heat regulation. \n\n The first time the two had been up here flashed into Ares' mind. The way they had laughed, and told stories of their lives before this institution. They were the same people, yet different. So much had changed. Feelings came flooding through Ares' chest. A tidal wave of emotions battering against the walls of his ribs like an untamed sea, it all made his heart beat into his throat and ring in his ears. \n\n The boy sitting beside Finley, at his core, wasn't much different. He held the same fire in his eyes, the same confident posture and cackling laughter. Yet, that small sliver Finley had seen all those months ago was now Ares in his entirety. Ares was a storyteller, a loyal boy that would do anything for those he cared about. These were things that had only peaked through in pieces, small hints of what Ares was underneath the abrasive and aggressive mocking laughter he held so close for the first few months at Newtons Cradle. \n_ _\n\n_ _ _ _ Finley was different too, the two had grown with each other and something about that made Ares smile. Finley used to hate Ares' guts, ramble on and on about how annoying the boy was. How much of a pain he was directly in their ass. They would bicker and tease, insult each other with the *Nicest* Of nicknames, never a dull moment between the two of them. Now, the sparks that ignited between them were of a different kind. Ares never would've guess that at this time he would be sitting next to them, his heart in his hands, ready to make perhaps the most impulsive decision of his life. \n\n This didn't bother Ares however. When did he ever truly think things through? He knew one thing for sure and that this is what he wanted. \n\n Silence for a second, Ares didn't know what to say. His teeth sunk into the skin on the inside of his mouth, the boy didn't know how to lead up to what he had planned. Finley was ethereal as always, staring deep into the stars decorating the horizon. He couldn't even begin to appreciate them and all they had done. The boy's face flushed with heat, and he quickly turned to look away. \n\n For all his confidence, Ares had no clue how to act around Finley."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"I'm freezing,\" Fin replied, (that was all to explain the red in his face, surely - no other reasons), and leaned, likewise, into Ares's shoulder on their own merit - he was, as they'd learned, incredibly warm and kind. The same fire that pushed people away in droves kept Finley warm, a gentle hand clasping theirs and soothing away the worry that furrowed out from the knots in their mind. Understanding had arisen from months of banter and bickering - disclosure of sone, but not all, truths they held between them.\n\nFin waited for a moment, before they added, \"Not enough to leave, though.\"\n\nTheir voice was soft, somewhat lacking the usual spark to their tone that presented itself to newer acquantinces and strangers. He rubbed his hands together, little static sparks jumping off a thumb into the air. It was an unfortunate side effect of their powers - a bit of a common one, really, but one that did not generate the heat meant to keep their poor hands warm, as cold and boney as they seemed to be.\n\nThey finally directed their gaze over to Ares, and, there, another little burst of feeling in their chest - the same ones that had bubbled over a year ago, when it hit them all at once that their feelings regarding the explosive boy were not entirely annoyance, and then to camraderie, and then, to something else, a dip into a sweet, giddy feeling, like getting off a rollar coaster and the spinning of the head afterwards. With the horrific things they'd experienced, it had cemented one thing - Fin didn't want to lose Ares. They couldn't even imagine it - though, a couple of times, they believed they might have come close. \n\n*Please, don't do that to me again.*\n\nAres, they'd long acknowledged, naturally appeared handsome - he had high, bold features, bright eyes, a set jaw, a fire to his words that had once crawled under Fin's skin and they now found endearing. They folded their freezing hands in their lap, the smile once again returning (it always seemed to, with him).\n\n\"I like being up here with you,\" They said. They glanced away, just long enough to look at the stars - and then back at his face, practically openly staring at this point. He cleared his throat, pink burning into his cheeks quickly with realisation. \n\n\"It's kind of like our spot,\" They said, quickly, shuffling off the butterflies turning over in his guts."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ Ares smiled, \"Of course you are.\" His words held little snickers of laughter, small sounds that lightened his tone in a way no one had heard. \n\n The cold never bothered Ares. He naturally ran hot, some thought due to his powers, but really he just didn't feel cold in the way many did. Sliding his arms out of his jacket, he threw it over Finley's shoulders. As always, the bulky coat engulfed them with one swoop, and rested over them like a hug. Ares always loved seeing Finley in his jacket, for reasons he could never really place. \n\n \"There, now you *Definitely* Cant leave.\" The lighthearted laugh in his voice never really left. Finley had a habit of keeping his mood light, something about them was contagiously happy. \n\n \"I like being up here with you too.\" Ares decided he was done looking away. Finley was the best thing on earth. The stars didn't begin to compare, the moon not nearly as bright. Why would he look anywhere but into their eyes. \"Yeah, it is our spot. Thats a cute thought.\" He nudged them. \n\n Ares' eyes fell down to Finley's hands, which they had been rubbing together in an attempt to regain warmth. The boy chuckled lightly at this, and took this as an opportunity to try something. Focusing his energy, Ares let his palms pool with heat. The same heat that would charge up before an explosion. However, this time, Ares held his hands in the charging state, making them warm to the touch. \n\n With this, Ares reached over and gestured for their hands. Once they raised them, he placed their fingers between his own. The heat of his palms made the cold of the night seem like a distant memory. \n\n \"Better?\" A smile. The softest smile Ares had felt himself give in a while. The two were close now, leaning into one another while Ares held the others hands between his palms. His heart nearly stopped, his breath caught in his throat at the realization. Yet, he didn't move."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Fin's face burned into a bright red, thanking Ares for warming up their hands, before the words died on his tongue. Their faces were barely a few inches apart, the coat snugly tucked over their shoulders adding onto the warmth. Fin's eyes widened, but, their smile remained - the butterflies all staring up at them at once, they squeezed Ares's hands in their own.\n\n\"Yeah,\" They said - their voice had dropped in volume, a little bubble created between them - a space where both of them could rest, where they could put down the guard that had kept them both safe for so long in their own respective lives. They fought battles in their own unique, tragic ways, but here, here they could exist, without the eyes (and ears) of everything else. Finley always took these moments into their heart and held them there. What would they do without him?\n\nMany, many long months of connection had lead them here. Fin was grateful for all of it.\n\nAnd, though they didn't know what to say, they looked at his face, and how close they were, and couldn't help it - they smiled, and tentatively freed a hand to reach up, and push back some of his messy hair from his eyes. Their voice was soft, gentle. Everything about this was.\n\n\"You've got hair in your eyes, *Mon cher.*\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ Ares quickly pressed one of his hands to his forehead and swept his messy bangs out of his face with a swiftness that spoke a little to embarrassment. He smiled, a dorky smile of sorts, and gave a little scoff of laughter. \n\n \"I haven't cut my hair in a while.\" He responded before pausing, and thinking about the name Finley had called him. Suddenly, an explosion in Ares' chest. A sudden warmth of recognition and then a flustered swarm of butterflies. Ares wasn't completely out of the know, and the instant understanding made his breath stop in his chest. After a few blinks, and a small sigh of relief, he looked at Finley with a teasing look. \n\n \"Is that so, *Mi cariño*?\" He laughed at the name. Yet didn't let go of Finley's hands. \n\n Maybe Finley would know what that meant. Maybe they wouldn't, either way, something about being able to call them that made Ares feel a sense of pride. He had such a wonderful person sitting directly across from him, and to be able to be this close to him was a blessing in of itself. \n\n His plan flashed in his brain, the words Danica had said echoed loudly in his mind. His cheeks were red at this rate, but with the night and his darker complexion he hoped it wasn't as noticeable as the pink of Finley's face. Which, Ares absolutely had noticed."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "The pink only worsened, truthfully – they hadn't realized Ares learned what they meant, and, even, had one of his own on the tip of his tongue. Finley had no idea what he meant, but the connotation was most assuredly there, and the hand that pushed back Ares's hair went to cover their mouth, the pink only growing more distinct, circumventing to their ears. \n\n\"You-... Oh. You caught onto that one, then?\" They asked, a little tilt of embarrassment tugging on their tone, lightening only at the notice, at once, that Ares *Also* Was, in fact, blushing. \n\n\"What does that mean?\" They asked, teensy tiny laugh in their voice. Not out of malice or anything negative, no, just a sweet, easy banter, accompanied by the way Fin brushed his thumb over the back of Ares's hand.\n\n\n\n\"I, um, I like it. It sounds nice.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ Ares hadn't been expecting them to *Ask what it meant.* He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a few stutters followed by a flustered laugh. Ares hid his eyes for a second in embarrassment. He then let his hand fall down to cover his mouth while he considered what he was going to say. This was the *First time in his entire life,* That he had been so undeniably in love. \n\n \"It means... *Uhm,*\" He paused, \"Darling— *My darling* In Spanish.\" Ares felt the need to specify he had said *'mi cariño,'* And not just *'cariño.'* \n\n \"I thought that would be a good response to being called 'my dear,' in French.\" He gave a laughing sort of tease. \n\n These two were idiots, in the best way possible. They sat, their shoulders pressed against each other under the deep night sky. Their hands interlocked as they embarrassed the other with stupidly cute pet names. Who would've guessed any of this would happen? How could Ares have prepared to fall in love with him? Ares had always been told he would get a *'nice girl,'* Eventually, yet now that thought made him shiver with disgust. Maybe it always had. \n\n Ares was more comfortable holding the hands of Finley. Their fingers fit so nicely in his own and there wasn't anyone else he would rather be with at this moment. \n\n He felt his heartbeat quicken, being with him like this. It was all so... Nice. So simple. Ares never wanted this to go away."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"Oh!\" Fins face melted into a dorky smile, looking away in something like flustered warmth. They looked back up at him and gave his hand another nervous squeeze. \n\n\"It's a good response,\" He said, nodding, the same little laugh in their voice. \"I like it.\" \n\nThey liked all of this. Fin had gone through an exceptionally shitty guy to get to Ares, but, they'd do it all again, if this was where they'd end up. All of it was worth it, if it meant getting here - *Ares* Was worth doing it all again. \n\n\"I like, um. I like a lot of things about this, actually,\" They admitted, a little stammer on their words. They barely could glance up at Ares again, the pink turning into red. It was the closest they'd ever come to admitting their crush out loud - it was, naturally, nerve wrecking."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ The night continued to march onwards. The sky moved above the two in tandem with the wind that rustled nearby trees. Ares stared at Finley, his dark eyes meeting the familiar electric blue. The same eyes he had looked at so many times, the same eyes that had seen both smiles and tears. Ares sighed.\n\n \"I like this too.\" He responded after a moment, his voice was soft.\n\n The boy opened his mouth like he was going to say something else. He was almost frozen, his hands didn't move. The expression on his face flickered between thoughts, he definitely wasn't subtle. God, waiting was agony. Why was he so nervous?\n\n \"Man, fuck it!\" Ares exclaimed in a lighthearted display of frustration, followed by a laugh. \n\n He raised his hands from Finley's, and placed both of them on their cheeks. The warmth from his palms still present. Their cheeks were cold, but soft. Their jaw fit against his fingers like a puzzle reunited with a missing piece. Without a moment more of hesitation, Ares leaned forward and kissed their forehead. The height difference made this easy for him. To feel their skin against his lips; he had to refrain from kissing them twice, three times. A feeling of warmth blossomed in his chest, he felt everything click into place. This was right— this is what Ares wanted more than anything. The boy slowly pulled away, he was smiling.\n\n \"I love you, Fin. I really, really, love you.\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "ERHHWYDYWHSHHWVWHEHSHDHSH\n\nIf you listened, very closely, you could hear Finley's entire heart exploding in their chest. They gasped, quietly, looking up at Ares through their bright blue hair. Their expression melted away the inital surprise, a joyful little laugh bubbling out of his mouth. His heart, it seemed, was pooling at his feet. They hardly even noticed it, but, emotion pricked at their eyes. \n\nTheir pulse ran away in their throat. For all their time pining, Fin had never thought to consider the possibility of Ares liking them *Back*, if things worked out, any of it. Sure, they'd had inklings of it - but, what had stopped them, if not nerves, and the idea that it might not? Over time, they had tried to push down the feeling, but it hadn't ever worked - and, it seemed, didn't have to.\n\n*I really, really, love you.*\n\nHow lucky had he gotten? A stroke of good will had come somewhere Fin's way, surely, to get this lucky. Vulnerability sat between them, undisturbed, like a tranquil pond in the forest. Fin had never trusted anyone this much in his life - wherever Victor was, may he rot.\n\n\"I love you, too,\" They said. Their voice wobbled with emotions, another little laugh coming out as he reached up and clasped Ares's face in their hands. \"I have. I have for - God, how long? I don't even - I don't even know. I just, I couldn't tell you, I wanted to—\"\n\nThey paused, only for a second, the feeling of warmth still lingering against their forehead where his lips had been.\n\n\"Can I kiss you?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "_ _ _ _ Ares felt his nerves shake, adrenaline shot through his veins with every passing second. *He could not believe he just did that.* That he just *Said* That. Ares couldn't drop the smile permanent on his lips, his breath was shaken and a part of his mind wasn't entirely sure any of this was real. \n\n His shoulders dropped as Finley started talking more and more about how he had always loved him, but couldn't tell him, among other things. Ares laughed, and kept his hands on Finley's cheeks. \n\n \"I can't believe it took me this long to notice, my god. Im so stupid sometimes.\" The boy spoke through a laugh. The euphoria that painted his mind was undeniable. The sky seemed brighter, a weight had been removed from his back. Ares couldn't recall a time where he was as happy as he was here. \n\n With the next words Fin had said, Ares paused. The smile didn't drop, for Finley's reassurance, but Ares could not believe that Finley truly felt the same. Ares had been waiting for ages, always thinking something was wrong with him. He never liked girls, not a single part of him. As gorgeous as some people where, he couldn't love them like he was expected to. Yet here, with Finley, he could love like he wanted to. \n\n For all his bitterness and anger at being sent to this facility, a part of him wouldn't have changed it for the world. Ares couldn't imagine his life without Finley in it. \n\n \"Yes—\" He sighed, a sound of relief. \"You can, as many times as you would like.\" Ares laughed softly."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Well, goodness, Fin thought. He couldn't say anything else to that, could they? \n\nThey swallowed hard, to shake the nerves out (if such a thing was even possible, and finally, *Finally* Leaned in and kissed Ares, gently, if a bit tentative. Like some part of them still couldn't believe they were here, now. \n\nThey'd never had anything like this. Every kiss they'd had before had been hurried, rushed, tucked away in the private life of a boy who didn't want him, and a clumsy, awkward one from a girl they didn't want. But this? This *Fit.* They fit, the two of them – and Fin couldn't be more grateful. \n\n*Oh, I love you. I do.*"
}
] | 356 | 5,696 |
155.509434 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*The air is cool outside. Not particularly warm or cold, but the space between two seasons. The transition period where both jackets and t-shirts can be worn comfortably. It is just past midday, with the sun starting its slow descent in the sky. The wind brings with it a cool breeze that brushes past the long grass of the courtyard. Nature blossoms around everyone as the sounds of birdsong fill the space. It is calming in the same way that a garden is. Two people walk into the courtyard. One stands tall, confident, the other is slouched. Even though Pythia is normally taller than Penelope, his slouched posture causes him to be a few inches shorter than his friend. She had bribed him with a promise of grabbing food if he would come with her, and after a few dozen minutes of convincing, Pythia finally relented enough to follow.*\n_ _\n\n*He wore a fairly simple outfit, consisting of tight fitting jeans, a t-shirt atleast 4 sizes too large, and a baggy jacket that hung off of his frame. His entire ensemble is made up of shades of black and grey, which makes his pale skin and silvery white hair and eyes stand out even more. His shirt is decorated with symbols of roses, with large and sharp looking thorns. The petals are darker shades of crimson and white. He walks with one hand wrapped around Penelope's arm, the other hand holding a small walking stick. It gently sways back and forth along the ground infront of the pair as Pythia keeps his eyes closed. Even if he did open them, all he would see was shadow... But... In this moment that was better than sight. The shadows could be comforting, and he prefered them to the overstimulation that sometimes accompanied proper sight. Having Penelope close also helped. It is obvious from the awkward way that he hugs her arm that he is not exactly comfortable with contact just yet... But he still prefered it to walking alone. His breathing was beginning to calm, at the start of their walk he had been close to hyperventilating... But it was slowly calming down.*"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Penelope rarely changes her outfit, as if she has like 20 duplicates of the same pink puffy jacket, thin black shirt under that, and a blue pair of jeans.*\n*She's walking alongside Pythia, being his friend and secondary walking aid for the moment. As they walk into the courtyard, they can hear the grass crunching underneath their feet*\n\"Okay Pythia, we're in the courtyard now, do you think you're calm enough to try to do something on your own?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Only a couple of people dot the courtyard— one of who sits on a park bench, idly knitting a scarf while occasionally stealing glimpses of the Swedish scenery. The weaver is fairly androgynous, with long, while hair tied into a braid hanging off their shoulders, and exhausted grey eyes dotted with too-large eye bags consumed with analyzing their handiwork.\n\nTheir gloved hands momentarily pause upon hearing the sounds of two footsteps and an unfamiliar voice, and a small frown briefly graces Uriel's face. They'd like to think they knew everyone at the cradle, a self-appointed welcome wagon to both make sure new arrivals were comfortable in this strange, new environment... And, secretly, assess their abilities. \n\nTheir deep violent poncho sways in the wind as their shoulders turn to face the new people— not approaching, not yet, but ready to gauge if another person's company would be appreciated.\n\nA blonde girl, and another figure hugging her arm like a lifeline. That gave them pause— white hair, silvery eyes, just like their own. *Hopefully not like their own...* They silently hope, and yet their wandering eyes stay transfixed on the duo."
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Pythia opened his eyes and looked around as he heard the other people in the courtyard. Of course he couldnt see anything, and he didnt feel like activating his ability just yet. To everyone on the outside he would appear completely blind. His eyes are unfocused on anything, yet point in the general direction of sound. He looks towards things without truly seeing anything.* \"D... Depends\" *He says, holding tightly to her as they pause. He keeps his walking stick moving infront of him even as they stand still.* \"W... What did you have in mind?\" *He asks. His long white hair falls infront of his eyes and tickles his nose*"
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "Danny was still in her baby blue jacket and jeans, albeit her white undershirt had a few new stains on it after having made a couple calzones for herself and Yari. The sauce stains barely peaked above the top zipper of her jacket, although Danny didn't seem to mind too much. Fresh hot plates were always best eaten in the cold in Danny's opinion. The heat of the meal made the cold of the day melt. For Danny that was its own experience.\n\nSir Kodiak had been returned to his pocket to ride in. The little bear knight's head poking out with his llitte helm looking out on the path ahead of them. Danny smiling down at her own plate.\n\"Looks good eh?\"\nShe asked her new friend. At least she thought Yari was her new friend. Maybe not, Danny was at least more comfortable."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She seemed to be enjoying the food, her face lit up with pure childlike joy. She nodded her head quickly and then looked up from her plate, more sauce stains on her than on Danny, especially around her mouth and in her clothes. \"Yeyeye!\" She happily exclaimed through a nearly full mouth of food. She would look aeay from Daniella and out into the courtyard. \"Hey, look, new people!\" She noticed Uriel as well, and she felt empty for a fraction of a second before her mind resumed its usual course. She had made more for herself because the process of making it added with the fact that she hadn't actually eaten for quite a while. \n\nShe would begin to walk over to them calmly while eating her plate, her willingess to meet as many new people and see cool powers overtaking any shyness she may have (which was generally very little, and could be easily subdued)."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Want me to go next or naw\n\n*Yarimiel is here, too... Along with someone else I don't recognize.* \n\nThey deftly pocket their current knitting project into a tiny, quaint clutch, before approaching to timidly hover near the forming group of people. A strong desire to get to know the budding group of new arrivals fueled their every step, only hindered by...\n\n*Yarimiel.* This was technically the first time they've met her in person. Hopefully, their presence didn't make her uncomfortable at best, or outright hostile at worse. After her intranet message, the sane, rational part of their brain reasoned she'd have no desire to attack them. Ah, but— that was the rational part of their brain, and logic didn't possess the same commanding presence it did for most others, rationality being thrown to the wind in the midst of a waking dream. To them, past experiences and commandments etched in stone were paramount, and Uriel stifled any escaping signs of nervousness by plastering on a small, caring, smile towards the new arrivals, turning their back on the approaching Yari and other, older girl.\n\n\"Hello. I don't seem to recognize any of you. How long have you been at the Cradle?\" Uriel says to Pythia and Penelope, their polite smile only accentuated their smooth, thickly accented voice. The slight tremor of their nervous hands are masked by a calm fold of one hand on top of the other."
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Pythia jumps slightly at the new voice, and his eyes flick towards Uriel. He reaches forward with his walking stick, gently poking their shoes as a way of confirming their location. Pythia retreats behind Penelope slightly, but not completely.* \"I... I arrived a... A few d... Days ago\" *He stutters, fumbling over his words. He has a light accent, almost Danish but distant. His face flushes the lightest pink color as Uriel sees him concentrate, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow.*\n\n*He winces visibly, a light headache piercing his mind as he loses concentration on his powers. He keeps his eyes shut tight, waiting for the pain to subside before trying again.*"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "[I'll wait for someone else to respond so it's not just people watching awkwardly lol]\n\n\"Oh dear— are you alright?\" They instinctively reach out to stabilize him, a surprisingly sturdy hand on his shoulder before pulling away once again. \n\n\"You're new, then. Ah, I feel rude— I haven't even asked for both of your names. \" Uriel makes sure to stay extra still as the stick pokes them in the foot, making sure the other's awareness of the space around them stays up-to-date. \n\nUriel looks over at the girl next to the boy, a silent question on their face. \n\n\"Should we... Maybe sit down? For your sake.\""
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*He flinches a bit as Uriel touches him, and this just redoubles his efforts to see again.*\n\n*Finally, the light floods in and Uriel sees that Pythia focuses on them directly. He meets their eyes, looking them up and down quickly before then watching a point near them for a moment.* \"M... My name is Pythia.. A... And t... That would be n... Nice\" *He says softly, with enough confidence that he can hold his ability until they sit down. He flicks his eyes across Uriel's body again, like he is trying to memorize how they look.*"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "[we could have an order *Guideline*]"
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "For the moment, Danny ate off the plate she brought out, gentle steam off the fresh calzones. Eyes looked in thee direction of the nearby people as Yari exclaimed the new people that had made their way out here. Perhaps there was no more flying monster to scare such people off. Danny knew no one besides Yari and looked down to her smaller friend. She kept thinking friend. She would then second guess herself on that label.\n\nIt was hard to know for Danny. She grew up very isolated. Beyond small interactions outside, she looked to Yari for some guidance and perspectove on the situation. Yari would know more about these people than Danny right?\n\"Anyone you are friends with?\"\nDanny asked Yari with some curiousity."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Hm. Not really. Saw this guy in my dream... ... ...The other two I haven't seen before.\" She pointed to Uriel about the dream thing. She remembered it so clearly. She remembered it from both a third and first person perspecive. She stared at Uriel for a good three seconds, fork pointed at him, before addressing the others. \"I haven't met any of them in person.\" She stated blankly. Although she did feel curious about the two new people. *Pythia and...*\n\"And you? Who are you?\" She pointed to Penelope with her fork, staring her down just like she did Uriel, but with a kinder gaze."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She had been akwardly standing around, being Pythia's shield for a while before she followed him to sitting with the others, mainly having him do this for now, as she had never met the other people as well.*\n*Once the was addressed, she snaps back into the present and stops fidgeting, a little embarrassed as she realizes she hadn't contributed at all yet*\n\"O-Oh, S-Sorry, my name is Penelope!\" *She responded with a little bounce. She's certainly odd in another way, different than Pythia*"
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "Yari was the first among the two with food on them and in them to talk to the group. Inner Danny screamed while she put on an uncomfortable smile to the three there before them. The wire moved at her arm, the little plush hopping up her Jacket like an expert rock climber. It would stand finally on top of Danny's tall head. At her height, the plush would look fairly triumphant.\n\n\"Hello Princess Penelope! Hello everyone!\"\nThe little black bear yelled forth to them all in Danny's stead.\n\"I am Sir Kodiak, Knight to Queen Daniella! It is a pleasure to meet you all!\"\nThe tiny plush gave an emphatic bow in his little plush knight armor. No more than palm sized, he made a big display anyway.\n\n\"Uh yes, please don't mind him\"\nDanny spoke sheepishly, her hands fidgeting in a bit of embarassment from all these people while trying to maintain some cool."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Princess Penelope? Queen Daniella?\" Uriel looks back and forth between the girls the... Sentient plush bear is gesturing to, keeping mental note of their names. \n\nIt was strange, yes, but so was everything else at the Cradle... And Uriel wasn't one to judge others on bringing inanimate objects to life. After all, they did the same thing— maybe only in their dreams, yes, but it was similar to the fairytales they'd bring to life under the cloak of night. \n\n\"My, how rude of me! I didn't know I was talking to royalty.\" A genuine smile at the bear's charade, and Uriel gives a small bow to both of the girls. \n\nPlaying pretend? How fun!\n\n\"Sir Knight, my name is Uriel. It's a pleasure to make you— and the rest of your company's— acquaintance.\" A small, breathy laugh at their contribution to the shared fantasy, and they sit back down onto the bench. \n\n\"Why don't you two join us? We're just getting to know each other, is all.\" Their gaze slides over Danny and Yari both, unflinching despite Yari's remark. *Saw this* ***Guy*** *In my dream,* She had said, but the insinuation about their powers seemed to have gone unnoticed by everyone else. \n\n\"Ah, don't worry— Pythia, right? The bear is here to protect you, it seems. How kind of Sir Knight.\""
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Pythia walks over to the bench, folding up his cane and attatching it to a belt loop. He sits down, looking over at the others with a soft smile. The bear was a lovely suprise and he gasped as it came to life. He watched the bear as it moved. It was so animated that its shadow moved a fair bit ahead of it, and he watched its exaggerated and comical performance. He sat back on the bench as he tried to keep his abilities activated.*"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Penelope goes to sit right next to Pythia, noticing the signs that he can't keep up his sight, and I make sure to let him know what side I'm on before his vision is taken from him*\n\"Oh, I didn't know I was royalty! I feel honored to be protected by you, sir Knight!\""
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Darkness cascades over Pythia's vision and he closes his eyes. When he does open his eyes, he looks blind again. He looked in the direction of Uriel as they interacted with the bear.* \"A... A v... Very k... Kind knight\" *He says with a smile. He tries to look in the direction of the bear but ends up looking a few feet to the bear's right. He stays close to Penelope, especially as other people approach... But he does everything he can to keep his breathing under control. Having so many people getting this close when he was unable to see is... A bit anxiety inducing*"
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "There was a sudden tugging at Danny'd hair at the name Uriel. The little bear squealing in some kind of delight. An excited but hushed voice to Danny.\n\"Like the reteller of old! Do you think its the same person?!\"\n\nThe bear was certainly excited by the name for some reason. Danny's hand reached up to her head to try and ease the bear from tugging at her strands golden brown wire-like hair.\n\"No, I don't think so, he died a really long time ago. They are definitely not them.\"\nLikely a strange conversation between the two for everyone else when Danny spoke of Uriel Cutler, one of the major translators and retellers of the story of Arthur and his Knights.\n\nKodiak nonetheless was all too excitable and pleased.\n\"Ah yes, I, Sir Kodiak, Knight of Queen Daniella will save all those in need! I can slay dragons!\"\nThe little stuffy took off his side a little plush velcro blade giving a little show of random swordsmanship.\n\"Kodiak pleaese!...\",\nDanny suddly spoke harshly to the bear, noticing that Pythia was not able to truely see.\n\n\"I am sorry about him, he's very excitable.\"\nDanny apologized, and the chastized plush's eyes up turned a little, making him look sad.\n\"I am uh.. Daniella, like he said, I am new here. It is uh... A, uh, pleasure to meet you.\"\nA calm mature response compared to the quirky bear.\n\"It isn't much left but I will share what's left of my calzone, if you'd like?\"\nPlate in her hand with the food on it, it was half eaten but she felt rude to not ask."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Oh, right, my name. I'm Yari. Yarimiel.\" She answered through another mouthful of food, covering it and keeping amy noise low, but at the very least it was obvious that her mouth was full. \"Damn these are good-\" She injected into the conversation. She then saw how Pythia looked a bit panicky, so she opted to take a couple of small steps back to keep her distance, but to the rest, it was obvious that Yarimiel was basically scanning them with her own vision, as well as Uriel, both interchangeably depending on who spoke, but she seemed to be interested in the two of them. As she looked both of them up and down and tried to note any minute details, her eyes felt odd to those who *Could* See them, especially since they were ad wide open as possible, yet one of them seemed invapable of doing so completely. \n\nShe swallowed her food. \"Not to be rude, but can you see or not? Is this a power thing that's goin' on? I'm only curious, is all.\" She spoke softly in order to not alert Pythia too much, despite her wishes to not have to regulate her volume."
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*He blushes slightly, not realizing that people had been so focused on him. He thought that Danny and Uriel had been drawing more attention than him... But he guessed that it was a bit weird... The way his gaze kept flicking between present and future. He tried concentrating again so he could see who was talking to him*\n\n*He was already in darkness so when the powers failed he just closed his eyes to help with the light headach* \"M... My... P... Powers let me see... Futures. Possibilities. Most o... Of the time there a... Are so many possibilities that they um... O... Overlap. There a... Are dozens... Hundreds.. S... So many that if im close to someone t... They blind me. I can collapse those p... Possibilities into one or two of the most likely paths but... It t... Takes concentration and i cant hold it f... For long\" *He says quietly, stuttering a bit less... But it is pretty obvious to everyone else that he has memorized and practiced this little speech many times infront of a mirror. He stays very close to penelope. When his eyes do open they look around blindly, always looking towards sounds without looking at them*"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "At Danny's comment, Uriel's breath momentarily quickens before returning to normal at the bear's follow up comment. \n\n\"Ah, I was almost worried there— for a second, I thought you had heard of me before.\" They let out a nervous laugh. Nervous, because gossip about them came in two varieties; small town gossip about their powers, stories told in the dark about a white haired child-turned-boogeyman who ate dreams when they slept and peered into your mind with too-bright eyes.\n\nAnd the second variety, a topic that paled in comparison so drastically it almost seemed silly to discuss the two in the same breath: discussions about their love life. \n\n\"Oh my— telling the future? That's sure an interesting ability, there.\" Uriel's hand holds their cheek as they idly ponder what such an ability could be used for. The small, selfish part of their brain that would ask for their fortune is immediately extinguished after seeing Pythia's nervousness. Perhaps... Later. \n\nStill, they let out a small sigh of relief at the information. *Not their own power, then...* \n\n\"Would you prefer if we... Took a step back? You seem to be a bit overwhelmed, if I'm going to be honest, and if our presence is making you blind, well... I can see why that might be intimidating.\" Their voice is slow, taking just a bit too long to respond, but the empathy in their voice is tangible despite their off-kilter pace."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Penelope does hold her arm around Pythia, letting him know that she's still here and of course it's protecting him*\n\"I could've done the speech for you, Pythia... But yes, his powers blind him if he's too close to someone. I wish there was another way to help him other than just backing off, but there is not.\"\n*She gently rubs Pythia's back and holds one of his hands with her left, although this is only a friendship now, and Penelope doesn't exactly want to catch feelings, a seed gets planted in everyone else's mind that maybe there's more to them than they seem*\n\n\"And that's entirely up to Pythia to decide, but I doubt he would want to be away from me.\""
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "If only Danny's abilities could overcome such walls, she'd offer to switch senses temporarily. Perhaps she could?\n\"Not to be strange, but if its something physically stopping you from seeing, I can try and let you see Pythia..., if temporarily.\"\nDanny offered a bit sheepishly. Although she didn't know his condition perfectly, she wouldn't mind temporarily not seeing.\n\nIf it wasn't a complete visual impairment, she could probably take such burden, otherwise it'd be cruel trick that only blinded Danny and leaving Pythia with a strange sense of his eyes.\n\"You don't have to obiviously, it might not work but I'd like to help...\"\nDanny was caring, her hand reaching up to grab her little plush bear and hold him in her hand as she asked awkwardly. She wasn't a doctor, but maybe it'd work?"
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Oh wow, that's a cool ability! Kind of a... Never mind.\" She would shut herself up before she said something so harsh it was hurtful. She'd already backed up since she kind of assumed their closeness made them anxious, but didn't think it had to do with a power thing, since having personal space is a pretty common thing.\n\n\"Oh, wait shit you can do that?\" She spoke to Daniella. \"That's sick! Albeit limited, but still cool!\" She didn't need to open up about her own abilities, as it had zero relevance to the conversation, plus Penelope or Pythia wouldn't gain much from seeing it. She then noted how the two held hands after looking back to the new duo, her eyes briefly darting to the event, but quickly looking away again, making momentary eye contact with Penelope before looking away again. She couldn't say or do much to contribute to the conversation, and she couldn't exactly take a blind person to the forest as an introduction or do much with them.\n\nShe could only listen in and speak up when asked a question or when something she could *Actually remark on* Came up so a lot of times she didn't have much to say."
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Well, that is rather stunning. Pythia hadnt ever thought about an option like that... It would be nice to not have to focus to see things... But would it even work? His powers are internal, affecting the things that he sees. If someone else were to \"Borrow\" His senses, would they borrow his ability with them? Were the two linked that closely? It is a question that he couldnt answer... So he tried focusing again to gague Danny's sincerity.*\n\n*His eyes came back into focus, flicking between Yari, Danny, Uriel, and finally Penelope. Being able to see them all looking at him was... More intimidating than he had expected, so his eyes quickly shot to the floor. Even though he could see, sometimes it was better to be blinded...* \"W... Well... Y... You dont have t... To back up U... Uriel. I... Im um a... Already being affected by P... Penelope's futures, and different people overlapping doesnt make me any more blind. B... But um... G... Give me s... Some space a... Atleast\" *He said, the last comment coming in a much quieter voice, and Uriel could tell that it is likely not related at all to his blindness. When Penelope takes his hand it causes his face to flush. Different emotions cross his face, and he is an open book to all around them. There is confusion, as this gesture was a bit more intimate than anything else she had done... And the embarassment that follows that... But it is obvious that he finds comfort in the gesture.*\n\n\"I... I have n... No clue i... If that w... Would work. I... Effect what I... I see, so... If.. If you can s... See what I see would that m... Mean that y... You could see f... Futures aswell? A... And if we c... Could trade s... Sight, would I... I see what you see?\" *He says, obviously having no clue what the best course of action is to take.*\n\n*His gaze lingered a bit on Yari, as she seemed to confuse him a bit. There was... Something about her that was strange. In his futures, her shadow sometimes was... Wrong... It didnt appear fully human. It was never her most dominant shadow, the shadow that foretold her most likely future... But it was there. His shadows are only shilouettes, meaning that he could only see the outline... But something about them was wrong in a way he had never seen before... ... And it caused a cold sweat to drip down his back.*"
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "\"No, we'd just be able to use one another's senses. So if your eyes are simply strained. You'd see, but I don't know about powers. It isn't like I even knew there were other people with them.\"\nDaniella had backed away quite quickly at the quiet order given.\n\"Sorry, sorry!\"\n\nShe apologized nervously. Always apologizing, it was easiest.\n\"I don't fully know though. Your body would just be trying to mimic my body and mine yours...\"\nA strange little ability it was.\n\"It's okay, we don't have to. I just wanted to help a little.\"\nShe didn't have an ulterior motives, Danny just wanted to help in some way. Pythis lived this way constantly.\n\"I can't trade minds, just physical sensations. Maybe it'd make it super easy to focus?\"\nMaybe I didn't think it through, she thought. Powers were a whole other ball game."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel took mental note of Danny's abilities— the word *Interesting* Came to mind, floating to the top of the hazy, thick fog that coated their brain. It takes them a while for Yari's words to register, but they take a couple of steps back to give the increasingly-stuttering Pythia some room, far after everyone else has already moved.\n\n\"Ah, so that's your ability... How does that tie into the bear— I mean, Sir Knight?\" They ask her, soft syllables rolling off their tongue. \n\n\"I suppose it couldn't hurt trying that on Pythia, but... He sees overwhelmed, to say the least.\" Overwhelmed was an understatement, Uriel thought to themselves. He could hardly get a legible word out. \n\nTheir eyes flickered to the pairs interlocked hands, eyes widening. It could only mean one thing... *Friends, then!* They smile to themselves. \n\nIt was nice Pythia had already made a friend. It seemed like he sorely needed company he was comfortable around."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Penelope, being the closest to Pythia and literally holding his hand, seems a little proud of Pythia telling people to back off on his own, even if it's not related to his powers.\nHearing that it's more like sharing the senses, I get the feeling that it's gonna just make Daniella partially blind rather than give Pythia sight*\n\"He seems overwhelmed because he is pretty overwhelmed. He's still the new kid, y'know? And may I add, the connecting senses thing, I have a feeling it may not work how you expect it to, but I'm not going to stop you two from doing it. I'm just giving a fair warning.\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Considering what I've hears and what I can imagine, it's a 50/50 for me. It either works or doesn't work. While that is indeed the statistic default, if I had more knowledge on both of these things and yadda yadda, I'd be more sure on one of the two. Try it if you want, but I doubt you'd get meaningful results, like Pen said.\" She had finished her calzone, and her hand would suddenly warp and extend around the plate and fork, crushing both into the smallest possible ball of plastic and styrofoam, leaving almost no gaps until she released the grip, her hand around the artificial material ball still looking like a bunch of organic, intertwining ropes, but all black and with no shine to them, simply appearing pure black. \n\n\"Hmm... Where's the nearest trash can...\" She muttered to herself and began to look around."
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Pythia blushes deeply at Penelope's words. His pale face and silvery white hair and eyes causes the blush to be even more obvious on his face. It was clear that she cared alot... But he couldnt shake the feeling that she was babying him a bit... But... Having someone help stand up for him was nice... Everyone was still looking at him though, and their eyes... Even though they were caring, still made him feel wierd. His powers were starting to fade, and he would have to drop them to do this test... But he looked over at Yari with his last few seconds of sight. He watched her shadow move before she did, and it is obvious that he is... A bit alarmed. Right before she crushed up the plate, all her other shadows seemed to warp even more than usual... As if the anticipation of her ability was enough to cause her other shadows to extremify. As her hand started to warp, he closed his eyes and shut off his powers, not wanting to see what Yari could do.*\n\n\"I... I w... Want to t... Try it\" *He says softly, reaching out his hand that isnt holding Penelope's hand. It is a clear invitation for Danny to try her magic. Though... As he holds his hand out, it does shake softly*"
},
{
"author": "evilflowersorg",
"message": "Danny would set her plate to an empty bench, at least for the moment. Waste not, want not and all that.\n\"Alright, no worries. I don't have any clippers. Yari, would you cut the wire after we are done? I'd rather not rip it out.\"\n\nDanny really didn't want to rip her own flesh open for it. Yari could make such creatures and showed a feat of strength. Yari could help separate Danny and Pythia.\n\"I've only ever done this from time to time. So I am sorry if this doesn't work. I've never tried it in this way.\"\n\nDanny took Kodiak, and pet his helmeted head. The wire coming from Danny's forearm, popped out the back of the armor of the bear, leaving a small cut with a little stuffing hanging out. The little bear would slump, any life in it leaving its body. Danny making sure however he'd be tucked in her pocket nice snd safe.\n\"I'll see you later Kodiak.\"\n\nShe mumbled to her little stuffed bear. Now Danny went to Pythia's hand and grabbed it gently and slowly. Just in case anything went wrong, like Danny herself, she'd have the wire go to the outside of Pythia's forearm. If they did have to rip apart, it at least wouldn't be a severe injury.\n\"Alright, deep breath and calm.\"\n\nWith that, she'd plug into his arm, Danny steadying herself as she would take in his physical situation. His nervousness, his hand shaking became hers. She felt strange, her vision going. Pythia would be able to feel Danny, less nervous that Pythia but a stomach knot nonetheless. Her own broad tall body, still standing would be what he felt, cold to the Swedish air, her stomach also full of food she had eaten. He may even taste the calzone on Danny's tongue."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "[i'll reply after raven]"
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "*Pythia stiffened as he felt the... String? No... The wire... Plug into his arm. There was a moment of intense vertigo, as he still felt himself sitting down, but felt danny standing up at the same time... And she felt tall! It was a wonder how much difference a handfull of inches could make. The physical sensations came first. He felt her body, how she held herself, where she felt her balance. He felt the wind on her skin and could even taste the calzone on her tongue... And then he felt something more. He opened his eyes into blackness, somehow more complete than usual. He couldnt see anything but... He could. He could sense things, knew instinctively where things were. If he held a ball he could throw it at Yari or Uriel... But he couldnt take any other information from the scene. If he hadnt seen them before he would have no clue what they looked like... But he could tell that they were there. It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt! He dug around in a pocket, pulling out a small metal rod with rubber tips. It is a spinning pen, and he looks down at it. To everyone else his eyes focus on it, following it... And then he starts spinning it. He usually does this with the aid of future sight, so he is more sloppy than usual... But he can spin it... And not only that, he is able to toss the spinning rod in the air and catch it securely. He stared down at the rod in wonder* \n_ _\n\"O... Okay so... I... I cant s... See. Im still b... Blind but... Its l... Like i *Know* W... Where things are somehow!\" *He says, the awe obvious in his tone*\n\n_ _\n*Meanwhile, Danny felt many things. First, her vision became darkness... But strangely it wasnt complete. It wasnt like she closed her eyes or was in a dark room... No. She couldnt \"See\" Anything. Even if she put her hand an inch from her eyes... But she could see things moving. Shapes in the darkness, each only a shade lighter or darker than those around it. It is so subtle for a moment she would imagine it was her eyes playing tricks on her...*\n_ _\n*Physically Pythia had a few other sensations to note. First, he was really hungry. He hid it very well but he hadnt eaten in awhile, and Penelope had bribed him out of his room with food... So needless to say he was hungry. Secondly, his heart was* ***Hammering*** *In his chest, beating faster than a hummingbirds wings and stonger than a jackhammer. The sound was a constant pulsing in the back of his ears... One he was shocked the others couldnt hear normally. Part of that was the excitement of the experiment... But most of it was the anxiety of so many people focusing on him. Their eyes felt like daggers on his skin... His isolation made him hyperaware of when people were looking at him.*\n_ _\n*If danny could feel emotions, then his are very mixed. A constant storm of crashing thoughts that he tries to keep control over. He pushes his curiosity and wonder to the front, but it is obvious that he is using those emotions to distract himself from the... Other emotions. They are harder to feel at first, but once Danny would notice them, they were ever present in the back of her mind. They whispered horrible lies in a voice barely too quiet to hear... But one didnt need to hear their words to understand their tone. It was hostile, a dagger prepared to dig into Pythia's mind. He kept it at bay with distractions. He didnt challenge the voice but instead drowned it out. It was effective... As long as there was something to distract him*"
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Looks like it worked. Tell me when to cut it.\" She watched with her usual flat face, watching Pythia's actions closely, and making sure that both of them are satisfied with the results. Despite her words, she indeed felt a great sense of curiosity at the ordeal, but considering Pythia's behavior and this sudden new thing, she preferred to stay quiet, both for herself and the others. She noted how Pythia just straight up didn't like to look at her but, again, chose to not ask, but if Pythia 'saw' her, he'd note that her eyes had narrowed for a few seconds before she blinked and her expression returned to normal again."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "I'm good, bit busy >_m"
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "We either void the scene"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "We'd have to backtrack to. The beginning of the rp ."
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "Do we want to end the scene entirely? Start over? Or continue from a previous point"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "We can start over the rp with a slightly different premise? Like, now that Dani isn't here, it's a bit weird to just have everyone meeting in the middle o nowhere"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "That would absoloutly be something she'd do, actually!\n\nLike, she's really a people person, that's something she'd 100% do"
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "Would she organzie it in Pythia's dorm, in her own dorm, or in a common space"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "She'd do it in her own dorm"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Perhaps there are things there to help Pythia have subjects to talk about, like a couple of board games, so it's not just a conversation at gunpoint"
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "Alright! I can make a thread. I think you should do the starter since it is your room\n\nAnd yea that would help"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "I'm glad I could be of assistance"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "Remind me who we're using again?\n\nOther than pythia/penelope, ofc"
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "I imagine Uriel still being hawk's character"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Mhm \nThen again it might be funny to bring gabe"
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "I dont know why Yari would go, but Uriel could have heard about another silver eyed, white haired boy\n\nThat could be funny lol"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Oh yeah uri would stake that out \nThey come from a family where there's a lot of paranormal albinos so\n\nThey'd be a lil suspect of Pythia"
},
{
"author": "raventiel",
"message": "We could do a ping in to see if anyone else wants to join?"
}
] | 140 | 8,242 |
151.136364 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Well, that's cool.\n\nTaking a swig from a bottle of beer, Margarita laid her phone on her outstretched belly, putting the beer down for a moment as well. Since nobody was looking, Margarita took the liberty to put her powers to use and stretched herself out between two sturdy tree branches to resemble a hammock. She tied her arms on one end and her legs on the other, her arms elongated way more than her legs so that she could do things with them like, well, grab her beer, chat with Margo, etc.. The light swaying motion was quite relaxing; sure, anyone else who'd seen this would be worried, but for Margarita? This objectively had to be one of the best uses of her newfound abilties.\n\nThe relaxed elastic tensed up when she heard a set of footsteps trodding along the green grass and dirt of the forest, and in response, she stretched out her neck towards the noise to see whatever it was. Her neck effortlessly elongated as she moved her head forward, swaying left and right to avoid trees.\n\nAnd it was Margo.\n\n\"Oh, uh, ciao!\" She greeted, her neck at least twelve metres away from the rest of her body. \"Here for the drinks, right? Cool, uh, come with me then; there's s few bottles in the ice box over there, so... Yeah, help yourself.\" She smiled warmly, odd for someone whose body was twisted, bent, and stretched in ways unimaginable, even to parahumans like herself."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "[12:30am... Sweden.]\n\n◆ \"Fuck, why am I still up?\"\n\n□ Seemingly, Margo had dun fucked up. *Bad.* Whether it was the deep-fried burrito she ate half an hour before she fell asleep, or the cup of black tea she'd had at eight PM in a bid to stay awake, she'd doomed herself to a night of tossing and turning, sleep always just out of grasp, ripping all of her mental clarity away from her the next day. Now she was paying the price, and she was up *Late* By her standards, so when the offer for, of all things, a drinking party landed on her doorstep, she took it up without a second thought. Chucking on some tan corduroy pants alongside the Spongebob Evangelion shirt she had on, she decided to also chuck her jacket on before dipping out and into the brisk May air.\n\n▪︎ It took her about fifteen minutes to get out to the site, but once she got there she witnessed a rather *Odd* Sight.\n\n◆ \"What the fuck?\" Admittedly, despite talking before, Margo had actually never met Margarita in the flesh, so seeing her stretched out like bubblegum in a hot car was rather surprising. Of course, though, she didn't gawk long, and quickly took a seat on the damp soil. \"Gotta admit, that took me off-guard. Anyways, man... What's up?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"I know, I know, I look weird, but I mean... Hey, it's why my intranet username is ' stretch'; I'm, in every sense of the word, elastic.\" She replied, quickly trapping Margo by looping around her, her neck loosely tied around her new acquaintance *Twice*. \"It's pretty neat though, so uh.. Yeah.\"\n\n\"Yeah a lot of people have told me that; I mean... They're right to say that, though; I've a what, a twelve or thirteen-metre neck? And my body's hanging onto two trees like a hammock back there, so no offence taken.\"\n\nEven she knew she was weird.\n\n\"Aaaanyways, all is well so far; I hope your day's been going fine too?\" She asked in return. Margo would spot her hammock body in the corner of her eye, but who would notice? Her neck was wrapped around a person.\n\n\"I'm Margarita, by the way, but do call me 'stretch'. And I'd shake hands, but uh... Would you mind if it's a bit delayed?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Guess so.\" Margo waved it aside, deciding it would be better for her mental if she didn't overthink the elastic human sitting about ten feet from her. \"It is weird. But... It's kinda sick. I dunno.\"\n\n□ Jumping slughtly as the other gal's rubbery neck wrapped itself around her, the primal section of her brain fired into fight or flight mode. After all, she barely knew Margarita, so there wasn't any real trust, and only a fool let any random schmuck around their neck. Lifting up the tubular neck, she quickly worked it off, and dropped it to the ground hastily. With that out of the way she dusted her neck off, and looked back down at the disembodied head on the ground.\n\n▪︎ Weird.\n\n◆ \"Don't do that again, if you would.\" Margo spoke, clearly a bit weirded out by the whole snaking around her neck thing. \"Anyways I can't sleep. That's why I'm here. Also, don't bother with shaking hands, no need for formalities here, man.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Oh.\"\n\nThen her noodle neck was thrown into the ground, and it took quite a bit of effort to prevent her limp, elongated neck from dropping onto the ground completely, along the same sensation as suddenly jerking one's arm up after letting it rest ona desk. Slightly rude, but to Margo's defence, Margarita forgot about the concept of personal space.\n\n\"Aaanyways, erm- oh, uh, yeah, noted. My bad. Sorry.\" She hastily replied. Margo's reaction in mind, Margarita decided to cease her hammock party trick for now and let the rest of her body slowly drop down to the ground feet first, eventually returning to its normal proportions (except her neck of course) and leaning against a tree, beer bottle in hand.\n\n\"Oh, okay.\" No handshakes too. Bumpy start, but it's workable. Guranteed? No. Impossible? No. \"Anyways, uh... Beer bottles are over there by the campfire, so... Other than this whole rubbernecking uh, thing, how's your day?\" She asked, still with the same 12-metre neck she had as before. Maybe the quiet night and odd company would help. *Maybe*."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ Rather than say anything, though, Margo simply listened.\n\n□ Well, listened and observed. Paying attention to how the other gal reacted to being somewhat manhandled, her head dropped to the ground because Margo still didn't feel totally safe at Newton's Cradle and it showed in the way she refused to let anyone too close to her. Adjusting slightly, she bent her knees upwards, leaning forward and letting the tension of her skin and the muscle underneath act as a hinge to keep her from folding to the point of damage.\n\n▪︎ A bit weird of a stance, but...\n\n◆ \"Beer's by the campfire? Alright. Lemme just...\" Groaning, she rose to her feet, strolling to the campfire and quickly grabbing a bottle. Managing to pop the top off easily, she took a seat again, pretty much exactly where she'd been before. \"It'd be better if I could sleep. I drank some tea around eight, and... It's keeping me up something fierce. You...?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Yeah, it's one of the mediocre ones. Oh, and the bottle opener is there too.\" Margo still feeling uncomfortable around her whole 'elasticity' party trick, Margarita decided to cut the shit out and let her body walk towards the campfire, her neck slowly retract with each step until it parked itself a metre or two beside Margo. Her neck still wasn't quite completely retracted, but it was definitely shorter by 3/4ths. The remaining length of her neck she kept wrapped around her body, her head landing comfortably on her laps.\n\n\"I don't know, I've got a fucked-up sleep schedule.\" She remarked, taking a swig out of her half-emptied bottle. \"I sleep at... What, one or two in the morning? Still pretty early for me, so I just... Yeah, chill here or at home.\"\n\n\"Also,\" She unwrapped her neck from her body and moved her head closer to Margo, observing one of her eyes. \"Is your eye just like that or is it your power? Still pretty neat-looking though.\"\n\nEither way, Margarita was too used to the whole rubber body thing she didn't even realize she was stretching too close to Margo again."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Isn't all beer kinda dogshit?\" Margo remarked, taking a sip of the so-described bottle of said dogshit as if she hadn't just slandered it. \"Like... My older sister gave me a beer on my fifteen birthday, and I spit that shit out so fast. But, hey... You're offering, and you got a fake, so. Thanks.\"\n\n□ Sipping her drink, she found it to be almost as bad as her first experience with the stuff, the bottle hanging loosely in her bandaged grasp. However, any distaste she felt for it was quashed by the fact that it was way past her regular bedtime, and maybe a few drinks would be all she'd need to get to bed proper, so she leaned the small of her back against a fallen log with a hum. Silent, she listened to the other gal talk, backing up slightly once Margarita's face was more or less directly in her staring into her eyes. Quickly looking away, her fingers curled around her beer bottle, eyes averted towards the ground as her body crawled with the discomfort that seemed to follow any eye contact she made.\n\n▪︎ However, she didn't think much of it. She'd been this way for as long as she could remember, it was probably just a natural thing, nothing to worry about.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, it's... My power. My left eye was actually fully covered in cataracts when I was born, but once my powers developed the fog kinda just... Dissipated.\" She blinked, her lips tightening slightly in thought. \"Also, if two in the morning is fucked for you, then just imagine me. I usually go to bed at nine thirty, so being up now, at midnight, just... Feels awful. But, I tried, and my body hates me, so I'm gonna poison the fucker back to teach it a lesson. Whatever. Anyways, how the hell'd you find out about that... Stretching thing you've got going on?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Oh, this?\" She mentioned at her stretched out neck. \"I got it two weeks before I landed my ass here in Newton's. I got in a knife fight and well... I tried jabbing my knife at the opponent but I opened my eyes and poof, there was my arm, five metres long. Some more testing showed that my entire body is elastic, so that's pog. Things went... Not necessarily downhill since then, but I'm here. Could be better, but this is fine. I do miss my parents though; wondering how they're doing.\"\n\n\"Speaking of parents,\" She turned her attention back to Margo, her head moving towards her until her face was once again a bit too close to hers. Her neck unwrapped itself from her body as it became taut as the extended appendage was pulled towards Margo by her disembodied head. \"Why'd you beat up your dad? I'm sure you could've done things differently than... You know... Almost killing your own parent? *Mio Dio*...\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Still tastes like a wheat silo's asshole.\" She coughed as another mouthful went down the hatch. \"Fuck, that's rough...\"\n\n□ Perhaps it was rude to insult free liquor, but it was late, she was tired, and thus she was a bit predisposed towards crankiness. Unfortunately, that meant Margarita was in the crossfire as her own person war played out in her head, the beer bottle swaying lightly as her hand hung off of her knee by the wrist. Then again, part of this whole night being one of annoyance was the fact that, well, this other chick was really letting her powers show, in low-key yet proud ways, and for someone whose powers had always marked her as different or *Weird* It was almost offensive. Almost.\n\n▪︎ Instead, she just exhaled through her nostrils, slow and steady, letting her emotions seep out that way.\n\n◆ \"Shit, your powers just... Developed? Mid-brawl? Awkward timing, sounds like.\" She plainly spoke. \"Also, the fact that he's still living means he's still going to be the Antichrist of our household. He's an abusive controlling manipulative rich fuckface, and i've half a mind to finish the job once I'm out of here; prick fucking deserves it.\" She grumbled, frowning and looking off into the midnight pitch of the woods. \"And I'm sure the Italian is gonna lecture me about family. My family is dysfunctional and that's that; leave it the fuck alone.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Well, you're free to put the bottle down to go back to the cradle and get something to mix it with. I suggest lime soda.\" She commented, digging dirt out of the space underneath her fingernails.\n\n\"Yup, and *Sí*, exactly how you said it. Very awkward for everyone involved and I got caught by the *Policia* The same day. Didn't even get to deliver that day's third shipment of cocaine.\" She threw a speck of dirt into the fire and drank another sip, the bottle nearing emptiness at a fast rate.\n\n\"I know. I *Am* Gonna lecture you, kid, because,\" She drank the last few drops of beer and set the bottle near the other unopened ones, lengths of arm slowly flowing out of her jacket sleeve past Margo's knees. Both of them could hear the rubbery creaking of her muscles extending and her bones deforming much more clearly now.\n\n\"Because while yes, your *Papa* Is against you and you're against your *Papa*, you still have to leave him a bit of respect because whether you like it or not, he's still your parent no matter what and he put in a straight half of the effort to bring you here. Without him, I wouldn't even be talking to you right here. Dysfunctionalism sucks, I know. I've seen it. But you're still obligated to respect your father evem if nne of you even have a crumb of love to share.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Fuck that.\" Margo retorted, the pulsing of a specific vein in her forehead the first warning sign that she was starting to grow angry. \"I came all this way, I'm not goin' back, man. No sense. I'd be better off just loading a few into my coat and goin' back.\"\n\n□ Still somewhat domestic, this façade of level-headedness began to shift as Margarita continued to talk. So, she had been arrested for cocaine smuggling. It was something her older sister Holly had done, and now she was rotting in a prison in upstate New York; something, something, the law always prevails. Hands beginning to tense up, she couldn't help but scoff at multiple things that the other gal had said. After all, how *Dare* She lecture about family when she'd had a healthy one? She had no *Idea* The hell that a dysfunctional family put one through, so who was she to talk?\n\n▪︎ Safe to say, she was pissed.\n\n◆ \"All he did was stealth my mom while fucking her. I wasn't planned, my father just doesn't know how to not be a sex offender.\" Margo coldly replied, her jaw clenched and her body beginning to limber up on its own. \"You don't know a goddamn *Thing* About dysfunctional families, the strain it puts on everyone, trauma from day one. You know *Nothing,* You coke mule, and you're looking for a punch in the mouth talkin' like that.\"\n\n• \"And if you think I'm nothing but bark, I just received word earlier that my father is permanently blind from the beating I gave him. Good riddance; he gave up his right to sight the moment he laid it on stocks instead of two by fours.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Alright, alright, enjoy the beer as it is then.\" She could hear the difference in tone, but that sounded more like they were annoyed at the suggestion of walking than... The *Entire* Situation as a whole.\n\nThat sentence didn't even register. \"What, you think I had a perfect family?\" Margarita's body began to tense up as well, retracting every single stretched appendage she had as she felt her blood began to heat up. \"Do you think my parents had time for me when they were out there working day and night for whatever the hell the minimum wage was? Do you think I liked all my cousins? Did you really think I didn't have an asshole aunt with entitled little shits for children? What kind of fucking utopia are you living in? You think you're the only one in this *Entire world* With the daddy issues?\"\n\n\"I'm a coke mule, *Si*, but I worked for it you lazy fucker. I *Worked* While you sat in your what I presume to be a fancy American home for *Dio* Knows how long while I walked, fought, dodged, and made my way though an entire town with nothing but my own two feet or a bike.\"\n\n\"Oh we're talking achievements then? So let's see: he's blind? What, in one eye? That's it? Fuck, wow, I'm impressed.\" She ironically responded, even letting out a short chuckle, placing her hand on Margo's for a second, her tone switching immediately to a more serious and ominous tone. \"No I'm just kidding; I've beaten shits above my age and sent them home crying to their *Madri* And sent them to dentists, orthopaedic doctors, and whatever else the fuck they have. *You* On the other hand,\" She interrupted herself for a second. \"Are nothing but bark to me.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Now you're putting words in my mouth.\" Margo retorted, clearly annoyed. \"I just said you don't know a goddamn thing about dysfunctional families. You clearly don't.\"\n\n□ Her accent peeked through stronger than usual, her voice sinking into a growl as it did so. The topic of family was a touchy one, and given how the other girl was pushing it she was almost certain that she was looking for a fight of some sort. Maybe she was already drunk and hiding it well, but couldn't resist the urge to fight. Whatever the case Margo's body limbered up around her as her own rage built up, and it was all released at once as Margarita put her hand over hers. At this point Margo quickly pulled her hand back, also smacking the back of it as she did so.\n\n▪︎ At this point, a brawl was inevitable.\n\n◆ \"Outright, you fuck.\" She snarled. \"He's totally blind. And that's nothing. Oh, you rode around on a bike with an unmarked package in your bag. So dangerous. You're fucking delusional, you know that? Thinking you know a thing about my home life, or what struggle means. Your parents actually gave a shit about you. As a matter of fact...\"\n\n\"Fuck you!\" Frustrations, sleep deprivation, and family trauma all boiled over in one yell as, without warning, Margo swung her beer bottle directly at Margarita's head, aiming to smash it off of her skull. Regardless of if it worked or not, she'd drop the remainder that hung out in her hand and stance up, somewhere between a boxing stance and a Muay Thai stance. It was *On.*\n\n[I think that means the bottle breaks, unless you roll better and manage to defend?]"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Delusional? Margo, listen to whatever you just said: you blinded your own fa-\n\n*Crack*\n\nMargarita was abruptly cut off by the bottle, landing squarely on her head. She yelled out in shock and pain as she felt the bottle smash on her head, leaving a few cuts on her scalp that let blood trickle out of her hazelnut hair and slowly make their way down her face. \n\nStanding up, Margarita touched the throbbing pain on her head and saw a generous amount stick to the three fingers she rubbed on her forehead. Her powers *Did* Save her, as her body accepted the blow to a degree that the damage wasn't too bad. Still, rubber can be cut, and a hit like that was bound to make an injury regardless.\n\nJust like that, Margarita fell silent, rubbing away the rest of the blood on her face. She no longer looked like the Margarita everyone in Newton knew; no, this was the *Old* Margarita, the one that fought and clawed her way out of poverty, one whose hands were stained with white powder and dorty money, one whose damaged knuckles could tell endless stories about the faces that they met.\n\nWith a deadpan expression and stoic resolve, Margarita knew that this fire in front of her was blazing, and she had to put it out. Putting some distance between her and the adversary, she quietly mouthed a prayer to God asking for nothing but strength and resolve.\n\nShe thought she could leave her old life behind, but she regrettably had to understand that she couldn't leave it behind.\n\nAnd so Margarita threw a punch from three metres away, her arm elongating at a rapid speed until it hopefully landed on Margo's face. That blow had to hurt, it just had to; That punch was both a combination of her raw strength and her arm elongating, doubling if not a little less the power of her punch. If not, well, she could restrain Margo with it, but she still had to see.\n\n*Margarita has used bonus* `Aggressive`*, +3 Damage*"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ A bolt from the black...\n\n□ Only having about ten minutes or prior experience with Margarita's elasticity, there existed many gaps in her knowledge. How long did it take for her arms to stretch out far beyond their natural range? What was the loss ratio of force in comparison to reach? So many what-ifs bounced around her skull that she only had a moment to process the fist before it made contact, a jet of blood squirting out of her nose as the all too familiar crack told her that her nose was broken. It stung, it burned, and the sheer swiftness of the punch stunned her for just a moment. Of course, though, she had no time to worry about it; she could always set it back in place after she was done beating the other girl's ass.\n\n▪︎ Speaking of which...\n\n• She put her head down, raised her fists to block as if she were in a boxing match, and hopped forward. Time to close the gap."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Hah!\"\n\nMargarita let out a short laugh of triumph as she watched Margo get knocked back, the punch landing square on her nose.\n\nWhat's worrying is that Margarita...\n\nMargarita liked it. She reveled in the feeling of watching blood spray out of her adversary's nose. She grinned as she watched Margo gat up while her arm quickly returned to herself, reeling its entire elongated self back to herself in more or less half a second.\n\nThen the stubborn Margo stood back up, readying herself while moving forward to close the distance she made.\n\nWith a gargantuan effort, Margarita almost yelled as she threw her left arm to the left a few degrees away from the bleeding bag of shit, and as it stretched forward, audibly strained as she curveballed her arm back towards Margo. It was the same punch with a little twist added to it. She needed to put this dog down fast before it could get back at her.\n\n*Margarita has used bonus* `Aggressive`*, +3 Damage*"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "♠︎ Margo stances up, and her Defensive bonus activates, effectively nullifying the +3 from Aggressive...\n\nRolling for Toughness.\n\n◇ Fooled once, but not fooled again.\n\n□ Hopping forward, she was attempting to close the gap between herself and the Italian, but her plans suddenly found themselves challenged as a fist whipped *Past* Her head. Well aware that it was a misdirection, she figured she had about three seconds before the punch came back, and so she had to think, and she had to think *Fast.* A plan forming in her head she hopped forward again, and just as she figured the punch was about to land she ducked.\n\n▪︎ It didn't entirely work; she got clocked in the shoulder rather hard. But, as soon as she knelt down she rocketed back up, aiming an angled uppercut directly at the girl's stomach coming in from the right."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": ">wait is that a success?"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "You rolled 3. Since the roll is Force, and not a power, it's not a success"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "So, i get to write margarita successfully dodging?"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "Jeez, so what's a success with a skill? A 4?"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "You still have too roll better than 0."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "And also, better than zero? So, what, it's a guaranteed dodge?"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "The above roll is 3d6 and uhhh, is that a fail in blocking?"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Well you failed at rolling 3d6 because you rolled 1d6\n\nThe command is /roll rpg-dice:3d6"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "Weird. The bot is literally making this way more difficult"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "THERE WE GO GOOD LORD\n\nIs that good enough for defense"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "You got 1 success against Margo's 1 success"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "For four damage, right?"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Margo isn't using a power on account of not having one. So."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "Yeah, that's her big disadvantage: no real combat powers"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "So the health now is Margo = 4, Margarita = 14"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Margo picked a fistfight with a literally tough skinned career criminal there was no way that would go WELL"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Well shit.\n\nMargarita's punch *Did* Land albeit on the wrong place, but just after she reeled in her arm like a fishing line, Margo still managed to come close and gut Margarita in the stomach.\n\nA shoulder punch wouldn't finish the job anyways.\n\nBut she knew herself. She relaxed her body for just a second and let her body absorb the punch. Yes, it landed with its entire force, but it landed not on a solid ribcage and delicate organs, but a squishy, hyperelastic body that seemed to be boneless; it hurt, it pushed Margarita's body inwards, but other than that, there wasn't any *Real* Damage at all. Helm, her body quickly returned to shape just after.\n\nRebounding, Margarita attempted to wrap her left arm around Margo's neck and pulled it with her right arm as hard as she can, effectively using her own arm as a rope to choke Margo with, almost exactly like a noose made of rope. If this went well for Margarita, then God help this Brooklyn kid."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "You're looking for this number\n\nMargo does not block properly, takes 4 damage, and is out of the fight"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "What the fuck do you mean\n\nMy brother in Christ, a 6 and a 5 is not a tie, you ain't telling me that I keep on getting the low roll\n\nI roll a 6, a 1, and another 1\n\nNot that 1 at the end that's the exact same\n\nThen what's the damn point of the number in the []?"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "A 6, a 4, and a 5 count for exactly the same. The number 1 at the end is your actual result. I have no control over what the bot decides to output."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "Man. This place's combat system makes no sense imo"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "I'm fucking trying."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "Yeah, and it's bouncing off me because it makes no sense\n\n◇ Whoops.\n\n□ As her fist collided with the other girl's side, it felt as if she were striking ballistics gel. Grumbling, visions of extreme violence flashed through her head, thoughts too graphic for her to even detail to anyone, but soon enough it didn't matter. She was wrapped up, an arm around her neck, and the pressure grew with every second. Struggling back against it, she at least managed to work her fingers in-between the rope, but...\n\n▪︎ Needless to say, though, this would being a grudge-former, and there'd be hell to pay eventually.\n\n[Not rolling for anything else.]"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Margarita kept the choke up, waiting until the other person was knocked out before she left the person in the hands of the forest to come to their own senses, injured, beaten up, helpless.\n\nWas this who she really was?\n\nCan she not change anymore?\n\nShe could, right? Right?\n\nOnce Margarita felt Margo's resistance to her arm subside __substantially__, she let go, refusing to slip back into the old ways. No. She was better than that. She was better than old Margarita. She *Should* Be a better person.\n\n\"Get up.\" She emotionlessly called out after having waited for Margo to catch her breath and energy. \"Don't be a bitch about it; grab my hand and get the fuck up.\"\n\nAn arm was held out towards the defeated bag of sh-\n\nAn arm was held out towards the defeated Margo. She only stood there, waiting.\n\n[not rolling as well.]"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Fuck you...\" She sputtered, hocking a loogie in the other gal's direction. \"Chew on my cock for all I care, you filthy cheater. Get the... *Fuck* Out of my sight.\"\n\n□ Refusing the help with an utterly immense amount of defiant hatred, Margo laid there on her back, slumped over, her nose still very much broken and her neck likely bruised with strangulation burns. In the moment, there was nothing going through her brain except for violence. Horrific, brutal violence filled her every thought, only held back by the fact that she had no gun, no blade, and no other way to turn the other girl into nothing but a pile of flesh and bones at the bottom of the river.\n\n▪︎ Needless to say, she wasn't going anywhere."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Well fuck you too you bag of shit, but get up.\"\n\n\"And for the record, I'm not a cocksucker like you.\"\n\nAgainst both of their wills, Margarita forced the tired assailant to sit up, and once she *Did* Sit up, she wrapped the woman up by the torso more than enough times with both of her tired arms and began the long journey of hauling a kicking, screaming, biting, mess of a person back to Newton's cradle.\n\nThe fire still burnt, but it was close to becoming nothing but ashes, charcoal, and embers. One beer bottle had its contents splilled on the ground, the other was broken, and one remained in room temperature. Blood littered the ground, while marks of a body being dragged was present if one looked closely.\n\nWhat a fucking shitshow of a night. It was cathartic, but Margo didn't really deserve this beating; she just had to be put down before she herself was put down."
}
] | 161.5 | 6,650 |
247.769231 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio stood outside on the campus roads, her boot tapping repeatedly on to gravel. Trees gently busied themselves with swaying it's branches lightly in the wind. Valio stares at her phone, cracked, and now held in a tight grip. She brushed her hair out of her remaining eye and pocketed her phone. She folded her arms and let out a heavy breath through her nose. She drummed her fingers on her bicep in a way to quell her anxiety.\n\nAnnika has no halo, the halo controls them. But, how can Valio trust Annika's word? The smaller girl looked worse for wear when Valio saw her. Sunken eyes and shaking hands, begging for help? But, who is she to trust a sudden stranger. Too much seemed to be happening at once. \n\nThe air seemed to rise in temperature around her and the slight blanket of static seemed to grow heavy. Her one eye flickered across the ground before looking upward. Uriel should be arriving but, if not Valio would hunt them down herself.\n\nWhat part of urgent did they not understand? Or are they just slow."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel hadn't necessarily taken their sweet time— not intentionally, at least— but their movements followed the same slow and sluggish pace as they always did. They were never one for rushing, and so they arrived when they were ready; not too late, but not exactly on time. \n\nIt wasn't hard to spot Valio. Uriel knew she was around 200 cm, but that information didn't necessarily register until they saw the towering figure at the foot of the road, her long hair making her silhouette larger than it already was. \n\nIf Uriel was one to fear others, they would most certainly be a bit unnerved at the imposing presence. \n\nUriel gave a small, polite wave to (presumably) Valio, and stepped closer to greet her properly. As they do, the hair on the back of their head stands up, the electric current in the air rippling down their skin. \n\n*Electricity, then?* \n\nA small smile— Val's capabilities were something that had been bothering Uriel for quite a long time, and finally having an answer to that question brought them no source of small joy.\n\n\"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Valio— well, this time with me awake. I do recall you brought me back to my dorm when I fell asleep, apparently.\" \n\nA polite, airy laugh, and Uriel extends a hand towards her.\n\n\"I suppose I should introduce myself, if not for formalities sake— my name is Uriel Melancon, in the flesh. I apologize for the lateness.\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio stilled her pacing mind for a moment when she caught the sight of Uriel's lanky figure. It would seem like Uriel would get blown away in the wind by the slightest breeze. They needed the precious time or there would be nothing to talk about at all. \n\nValio was a huge woman her hulking figure able to be spotted everywhere. Her hair blew lightly in the gentle breeze while her scrutinizing gaze narrowed at the being in front of her. \n\nValio watched them wave and step closer to her. Her frown deepened and the static air around her grew heavier.\nValio nodded at the figure as they spoke, it was only simple pleasantries after all. \n\nValio unfolded her arms and took their hand, her large palm engulfing their own. Her hands seemingly calloused and hard. She shook their head with surprising gentleness before letting their hand go and leaving her hands at her sides. \n\n\"Valio Adjuk. No need to apologize.\" She stakes simply her heavy molasses-like voice dripping from her cords yet rough like the gravel below her. \n\n\"You know we need to talk about the Angel situation. Also there's been a bit of an update concerning Annika.\" \nHer tone taking on a slight urgent tone."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel nodded. There had to be a reason Valio had called them out of the blue, and Uriel was under no impression that it was just to chat. \n\n\"I have... Also learned a fair bit of information. I did tell you about my detention, no? It seemed as if the whole ordeal had some use, after all.\" \n\nThey shake their head, frowning ever so slightly. \n\n\"Ah, though— I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll tell you what I learned, after you do so. It's only fair, considering I went first last time. Although, could you— lighten up on the static, if not just a little? My poncho is made of wool, and the shocks are just a bit uncomfortable when against my skin.\" \n\nUriel tugs at the collar of their poncho, an apologetic smile blooming on their face. The crackles of static against their marble-like skin were barely audible, but experience ears could easily pick up on the small sounds."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio always has a reason to talk to others. She used her company to reassure others not just for the simple pleasures of chat. This needed to be said. \n\n\"Yes, something with Oliver.\"\n\nValio's brow furrowed as she looked at the sheepish fellow in front of her. The static seemed to lighten up a bit for Uriel but Valio put on a slight smile. \n\n\"I have no idea what you're talking about.\" \n\nHer voice completely serious and empty of Jests. \n\n\"But, at the topic at hand. Annika has no halo. It was destroyed. Annika had met me earlier and told me that the halo sort of controls them.\"\n\nHer voice growing urgent once more. Her arms gold and she worries her glove between her fingers. Her eye staring at Uriel, looking straight through them unforgivingly wide and calculating. It seems she already knows everything about them. The worrying of leather fabric stops for a moment\n\n\"Annika is in my dorm, Uriel. That's why I've been so busy.\"\n\nValio's eye narrows once more. Looking for a response."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel was never an expressive person— in fact, they were often considered the opposite. Whatever emotions Uriel usually held were often shrouded behind a thick, misty veil, never truly making their way onto their face. It was part of what made Uriel so comfortable dealing with tough situations— there was nothing to pull at, no information for others to gleam from their expression. Just a pair of tired eyes and their distant stare.\n\nHowever, when Valio mentions living with Annika, Uriel visibly *Jumps*, their usually pallid expression completely shattering. \n\n\"That— you're *Living with her?*\" Uriel's French accent grows stronger alongside their visible panic. \n\n\"Oliver told me that the angels are a group of vigilantes, and that they kill people who possess evil 'auras' with no mercy — most of the time politicians or executives, but sometimes just random people, people who did nothing wrong.\"\n\nUriel's eyes widen, and they begin to fiddle with their braid, gloved hands running through stray coils of hair. \n\nFor someone who advised Uriel to take such caution, Valio had acted rather recklessly, especially with mind control in the fray. It would only take one moment of Valio being distracted for Annika to slip a halo onto her— one small moment, and Valio could go from Uriel's most in-the-know ally to one of their strongest enemies."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio had been itching and worrying to tell somebody, anybody what affected the cradle the most. How was Valio supposed to turn away a *Child*? That would make her a hypocrite doing exactly what happened in her youth. \n\nValio's frown deepens at Uriel's accent shining through their speech. Static heavily barrels onto the both of them as Valio again worries fabric between her fingers. Her skin felt molten against the underarmour fabric of her long sleeved shirt. \n\n\"I'm not living with her, she had asked me to help and I currently do not know where else to put her.\" \nHer voice turning into a slight angry tone. Uriel was sounding like he was accusing her of a vile crime against humanity. None of which she had done.\n\n\"Yes I know this. But, her halo was shattered Uriel. *The halo's control the angels*. She sinned herself, what sin she committed I don't know. She has no halo. Uriel.\"\n\nValio's fist clenched in her folded arms as she repeated what she had said only just a few moments prior. \n\n\"Forgive me if I sound like a lunatic but you can't suddenly become an angel again.\"\n\nHer voice lowers dangerously at Uriel."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel took a deep breath, trying to compose themselves of the panic they had felt only moments prior. \n\nThere were such things as productive emotions and unproductive ones. As Uriel breathes in, they attempt to sort out which is which: fear and frustration being thrown out in favor of concern and contemplation. They breathe out, and begin to talk.\n\n\"I'm... Just worried about you. You've put yourself in a very vulnerable position, is all. I wouldn't want you or anyone else to be hurt.\" \n\nWhatever lingering, unhelpful emotions Uriel had seemed to dissolve as they talked from the heart. Of course, there was only one thing important here, and it was the safety of everyone involved. There was no need to focus on what-ifs or possibilities that hadn't come to fruition.\n\n\"I can tell you what sin it was— *Murder*. They've all killed people before, and if she was an angel until just recently... \" \n\nUriel looks up at Valio with concerned eyes, their dark irises making their stare all the more expressive.\n\n\"You're living with a murderer, Val. Please... Exercise caution.\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio's sighed. The static lighting dramatically as she seemingly wiped her face with her large hand. Uriel speaks and Valio instantly furrows her brow again. \n\n\"Uriel I know I have. I am capable of thought. You don't have to act like everyone is a child in need of help Uriel. They can think for themselves. You don't have to act like a mother when you're still just a child.\"\n\nValio Continuously watches Uriel put themselves in a sort of martyr position they are not ready for. Thinking they can burden themselves with *Something* Because they feel like they have to. Hurting themselves in the process. Valio inhales and then exhales letting out a heavy breath.\n\n\"Uriel the other angels have killed and are still angels. Stop grouping them together. Annika is clearly suffering.\"\n\nValio's eye is cold to Uriel. Not faltering under Uriel's pitiful stare.\n\n\"Uriel, everyone here is a criminal. There are others here that have probably done murder. You're just singling her out. I am exercising cation Uriel. *I am twenty years old. I am not stupid*\"\n\nValio unclenches her fist. Uriel really needs to be told what it's like to be human."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Can you fault me for being worried, after knowing how many people have died at their hands? After seeing their mangled bodies in visions, the blood-soaked faces of the angels?\" \n\nThe visions in Oliver's head were... Awful, to put it lightly. To put it *Truthfully*, they were nauseating, vile things, images that haunted Uriel's mind in the absence of light. Nauseating, vile, *Abundant* Images, one of many such dreams that Uriel carried the burden of silent witness. \n\n\"This is a continuation of a murder case that's been spanning years— if I can't feel worried at that, when can I?\"\n\nA small, defeated laugh. Uriel had trouble believing the whole thing was real— it seemed like a dream. Angels turned into crazed vigilantes? Who could believe such a thing happened in real life? \n\nYet, here it was. And Uriel had found themselves dead center in the eye of the storm.\n\n\"The next step to figuring things out would be to go to the angel's residency. But... If mind control is in the mix, we need to bring other people into this. It shouldn't be just us two— in fact, we're the two people most vulnerable to mind control. It *Can't* Be just us.\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "\"No I can't. But, I can care for myself. Uriel.\"\n\nValio knows what she put herself into. If anything goes wrong then she knows what to do. There must've been vile and disgusting images the person in front of her has seen to make them react this way. She can't fault them for it. \n\n\"Uriel you're a child who has probably seen horrible things. I'm sorry, you have a right to be worried. But, worry about the others and not me.\"\n\n\"But, why are we the ones in the most danger? Nevermind.\"\n\nValio took her right hand and put it on uriel's left shoulder gently. Something stable in this whirlwind of emotions she hopes. They and Valio have something ahead of them and they don't need to be overwhelmed so early. They're in something that involves heaven itself! This is going to be a hurricane that is completely and utterly destructive.\n\n\"Yes. How about we figure out who we tell about them, after your scheduled movie marathon. You deserve a bit of rest after everything you've been through. Because it looks like you've put too much on your shoulders.\"\n\nShe rests her other hand on Uriel's right shoulder just before taking them both off. There's a moment of silence before Valio picks up Uriel into her arms and starts walking. Her face completely stone as she did so.\n\n\"I'm bringing you to the movie binge.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "A gentle hand on Valio's shoulder, and Uriel attempts to wiggle out of her grasp. \n\n\"I'm not a child, Valio. I'm eighteen, only two years younger than you are— and if you can ask to not be mothered, I think I can ask for that as well.\" A calm, gentle voice. Words that could have been spoken venomously laid plain and bare at Valio's feet. \n\nValio and Uriel had been 'partners' in the loosest sense with this angel business, and yet here she was, picking them up like a baby kitten. \n\n\"You're telling me to not put so much on my shoulders, and here you are, with me on your shoulders, telling me to worry for everyone except you.\"\n\nThey twist in such a way as to free themselves from Valio's arms, landing with two feet on the ground. No longer being carried by Valio, but walking side-by-side. \n\n\"You're just as human as the rest of us, Valio. You're prone to breaking, just like I am.\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio went silent. Her one eye a little downcast. \n\n\"I am being quite the hypocrite arnt I?\"\n\nValio just walks in front of Uriel not bothering to look back upon them. What a complete and utter hypocrite she was but, she was used to it. \n\n\"It is one less person to worry about is it not?\"\n\nHer long strides putting her in front of Uriel. She just shuffles alone, in front of everyone a wall of sorts. She has her head held up high without a single regret other than not speaking of this any sooner. \n\n\"I know, Uriel.\" \n\nShe seems to leave it at that. Almost leaving Uriel behind."
}
] | 259 | 3,221 |
128.04 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "It appeared to be a cloudy day for Vance when he arrived at driving school in Isakstad. He did great learning how to do a U-turn on the road and understanding the rules. This is when he arrived back on campus removing his beanie hat to let his pointed ears breath. Under the sunlight his dark locks shined when he ran his fingers through them. Tussling a bit to let them be free and unflatten from the hat. He's 6'4 ft tall and towers over most student. Vance held his tuffel bag over his shoulder as he comes walking through the kids. When reached underneath the shade from the building, he removes his shades before putting them away in its own case in his coat pocket.\n\nWith his heighten vision, he is beginning to recognize some familiar faces."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Upon the familiar faces about the campus is Taffy; a short, thin, pale figure with dark blue hair trailing loosely down his back. He is dressed in a tie dyed tank top and a skirt. She's sitting on the ground off in a corner, playing her electric ukulele. The song being played is *You Will Be Okay* (from Helluva Boss, yes.) and their voice can be heard quietly over top singing along.\n\nWhen it sees Vance, it stops playing, and simply watches him for a moment, almost as if distracted by his existence.\n\n*Holy shit. Tall person. Eugh.*"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "He's a healthy young man who stood among with a complexion of a foreign prince from some foreign land. It would be almost as if seeing someone straight from a fantasy novel based in a modern era. Vance could hear a ukulele playing in the background with a murmuring song whispering almost out from his view. He recognized that the music was from Helluva Boss but doesn't question it. Thanks to his developed ability, his eyesight improved so much to a point where he spots a blue haired Taffy. Fuck! And he wished that he hadn't glance to their direction with a placid expression. His deep blue eyes seem to glitter under the light when he lock eyes onto Taffy. Without making a face, he turns away to continue on with his business."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "With a sigh, Taffy goes back to playing aer ukulele, avoiding looking at Vance again.\n\n*What the fuck is everyone's problem?*\n\nThey begin plucking at the strings, changing the song to something else.\n\n\"Okay, I wanna tell you guys a story about a band called Nirvana. You probably know this story already, but whatever.\"\n\nXyr voice, this time, seems slightly more angry than for the last song, where xyr voice had been soft and caring."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Annoying. Utterly fucking annoying. Vance can feel the angst and getting an idea that they're pissed. Nothing special from Taffy Weeeiner. He could hear an angry Xyr Taffy getting cheesy with their start of their 'story' that sound boiled and stingy. In a way he kind of want to hear what this unstable asshole is going to say. It is remarkable how much of fuss they're able to stir when they hurdle up a tantrum. Right now Vance is trying to be a decent student trying to get by without getting detention. He's doing well... So well that he manage to stay clean at this place. And hopefully Taffy doesn't do anything else to piss him off."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"They were a good band, man, a really good band. Had this awesome third album, lost them a lot of fans though.\"\n\nZe seems to be ignoring Vance at this point. Honestly, ze almost seems completely focused on the ukulele in zir hands.\n\n\"Had this great song on it called *Tourettes* That went; ba da ba na na na na num na na na na num- Doesn't really work over these chords. Anyway, I've totally lost my train of thought.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance's ears felt like they're going to bleed out hearing them trying to talk-sing and playing the ukulele. Fuck this guy. He continues onward by thrusting the door open with some gentle grace. At this point his mind begins to put up blockades to muffle them. There was swaddled \"Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Blagh!\" Coming from Taffy in the background. Vance had the opportunity to not engaged with the stick bug and he's taking that option to move own with his business.\n\nThree hours later Vance in the kitchen studying for his next exam by the window. He was drawn in by his work focusing on his math work while ignoring other students coming in and out of the room. A simple hi and hellos before drawing to later and good-byes. He placed a hand behind his head when he felt a headache creeping up from the back of his neck."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Hi!\"\n\nFrom behind Vance, Taffy's voice can be heard. It's surprisingly soft, compared to the anger from earlier. They simply stand there, with a slushie in their hand, leaning against the doorframe.\n\n\"You seriously need to learn to appreciate music, dude,\" They say, smiling slightly, with a lighthearted tone in their voice."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I was late for class,\" Vance said with a neutral expression. \"There wasn't much time to spare then.\" His tone was smooth like velvet when he replied gently to the teetering teenager. This was somewhat true that he was getting late for one of his classes. He had missed one of them by accident when he slept in. The scratches of his pencil bounced from the walls of the quiet kitchen while he was finishing through half his questions. He held his emotions under check to focus more on his work than the unpredictable presence behind him.\n\nVance doesn't like Taffy.\n\nIf anything he is going to try to be a decent person trying to do their homework before the next session later tonight. There's no point getting pissed off at a worthless crybaby over their spilt milk. \n\n\"Did you come here to tell me that?\" Vance asked, now flipping to the next page of his text book. \"Or is there something else that you have on your mind?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"I came here for a snack.\"\n\nThis is true. Taffy came to the kitchen for a snack, saw Vance, and couldn't help themself saying something to him.\n\n\"I was hungry and decided to grab something from the kitchen because the cafeteria is overwhelming for me. Need any help with any of your work? Of course, you're probably smart enough to do it yourself, but you know. Might as well offer.\"\n\nHis hair has been tied back into a low ponytail and his eyebags have been covered in concealer. She still looks tired, but at least she looks somewhat alive."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"It's fine I am almost done with my homework,\" Vance said, being as polite as possible. \"Thank you for the kind offer... Especially how exhausted you look, you seem like a generally nice person.\"\n\nBullshit. Vance knows how capable Taffy is when they decide to be a massive dick. There's nothing to change his mind about how he feels and thinks about them. There's still so much that he doesn't know about this person yet. \n\nVance finally turns towards Taffy with a warm smile. \"Well, I think you should get something to eat while you're here.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "The moment that Vance looks at Taffy, they stare directly into his eyes for a moment, almost as if fixated on them.\n\n\"That's kind of rude, you know. Lying to me. If you want me to leave, just say so,\" They say plainly, as a small, sad smile appears on their face. They look genuinely upset as they stand up and walk over to the refrigerator, opening it and having a look inside. \"That's another little thing about me, you know. Knowing when people are lying to me. It really makes you realise just how often people do that.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"It's a normal behavior for people to lie,\" Vance began, closing his text book. \"They do it for reasons. Sometimes they do it to not want to hurt your feelings, to save someone's life or to prevent them from doing anything foolish. Lies come in many forms... Taffy.\" His tone remained calm and sweet but there was a sternness hinted at in his tone. \"Thing is... I don't like people... I like being alone because that's just my nature. I'm trying to be nice despite my discomforts.\"\n\n*This was true on his behalf.*\n\n\"You're here to get a snack and I know you won't be here for long,\" Vance said, now finishing the last of his answers. \"It's kind of pointless to tell others to leave when you're in a public kitchen doing your homework. And it's not very logical to chase anyone out because I don't like people. Just gotta deal with it.\"\n\nHe's being a bit blunt at this point rubbing the truth into Taffy's face."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Not my problem,\" They say, taking an apple from the fridge and biting into it while closing the door. \"To be honest, you're one of the only people here I give no actual shits about. I've tried showing concern for people, complimenting people, offering to help people, and nobody's interested. You, however, are so incredibly uninterested that I might as well be talking to a wall. That's on fire. With spikes.\"\n\nA small chuckle escapes his mouth as he says this.\n\n\"The point is simple. I really just can't be bothered with you.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Oh... The feelings mutual...\" Vance said, his tone still honeyed and sickly sweet. The corners of his mouth turn upward into a charming smile. His starry blue eyes twinkled under the light when he partially closed them. Unlike a large majority of the students, Vance is only half human with a darkness in him. Something felt unnatural the way he moved when he begins collecting his belongings into his backpack. He was very precise and gentle how he store the items with no sign of eagerness. When he is done, Vance stood up like a dark tower rising over Taffy with his shadow stretching over them. Slinging his backpack on, Vance could not help himself but smirk at the puny person. \"I hope you'll get over whatever issues you're dealing with,\" He said with a sleek Italian accent. \"Maybe once you make peace with yourself, you might be less annoying, tootsie roll.\" Vance turns his well-built back to them as he look over his shoulder with a cheeky grin. \"Ciao piccola donnola.\" With a wave he gave a sassing wink before he leaves Taffy alone in the kitchen."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Right as Vance leaves, a loud thud is heard from behind him.\n\nTaffy has collapsed to the floor, seemingly having been knocked out.\n\nBefore Vance can react, a plate smashes itself against the wall. A shard flies up right next to Vance's face. It floats there, seemingly held in place by some invisible force."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"...........\" Vance looked calm when he moved away from a floating shard as he scoops Taffy's body up. Slinging their body over their shoulder before slamming the door behind himself. This youngman has his hand clasp over Taffy's throat. \"If you fucking dare hurt me I will not hesitate to break your voice box.\" He squeezes it tightly."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Nothing happens. Taffy's body is cold as ice, almost as if they're dead. Their breath is slow and dry. A pulse would be barely noticeable, if at all. The room feels quiet in this state. The shard of broken plate doesn't move. Taffy doesn't move."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance isn't afraid by the fact that he's carrying a possible corpse on his shoulder. There was a fierceness in his eyes that he is not afraid to hurt them in any way unimaginable. He is seething silently with his hand gripping tightly on Taffy's throat. Seeing a floating shard doesn't phase him one bit. The hell he had in another life in Sicily made him develop a steely composure. You know what. Fuck it! Vance bolts towards the kitchen window using Taffy's body for a meat shield when he burst through the glass. Shard twinkled in the sunlight as they both come soaring through the air. He received a few cuts on his way out from the glass but it didn't bother him. Dealing with a possibly pissed off phantom Taffy was in fact something he doesn't want to fight. Well, he got their vessel and its enough to use for now. The only option he has now is going straight towards Pernilla about this. He'll get in trouble for this chaos... And he'll take responsibility for his own actions."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "As Vance runs, the back of his shirt is suddenly tugged on, before a rock seemingly appears out of nowhere in front of him. Right as he's about to run over it, there is also a strong tug on his shoes, tripping him (at least slightly, feel free to choose how bad he trips). A large swarm of glass shards start flying towards him."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "He does trip using Taffy's body to break his fall before rolling over to use them to block most of the glass swords. Some of which got embedded into his legs, slicing into the sides of his frame that Taffy's vessel couldn't protect. He grit his teeth in pain when he felt a sharp slice cut an artery on the side of his neck. A lot of blood squirt out that splattered across the grass. This is fucking serious now. Vance held the wound with his free hand as he scrambled up. He's going to book it by using his ability to move faster than a regular person. Vance made a dash through the doorway with a quick zip before leaping off from the walls to save pace. With his sharp eyes he'll keep watch for anything unusual trying to hurt or stop him. There was a trail of blood being left behind when he is trying to make it to the office. He removed his hand from his cut to send Pernilla a text message while using his other arm to hold onto Taffy. Right now he's telling her what happen and asking for an ambulance."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Any glass still in the air falls to the ground, before seemingly sweeping itself to the side and out of the way of passers-by. Taffy's limp body seems frail and weak in this state, and yet the corners of his lips are almost... Slightly curled upwards. The blood coming from her wounds contrasts strongly against her pale skin. Her breathing seems to have almost come to a complete stop at this point, and the air around the two of them feels even colder than before."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "After sending Pernilla a text message he is beginning to feel dizzy from losing so much blood already. Without hesitation he burst through her office door to throw Taffy inside. \"Take care of this little shit and tell em to leave me the fuck alone!\" He is clutching the side of the neck with red liquid spilling out from between his fingers. \"You got my message and go take care of all this!\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Silently, and weakly, Taffy comes back into a conscious state. However, he makes no conscious movements, imitating his phantom-like state. Out the corner of his eye, he watches Pernilla for a moment, before dropping down into unconsciousness.\n\nHer vision and her mind both go black."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "From here they would both be dealt with after they receive medical attention."
}
] | 121 | 3,201 |
106 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "It was 10:00 p.M for Vance who completely most of his classes and finished his janitorial part time job. He was sitting on a cold bench near a light glowing eerily on a lamppost. A few bats fluttered near it attempting to snatch up the moths into their hungry mouths. Vance was alone in the garden smoking a cigarette lost in thought."
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "And Violetta found herself in a similar boat.\nShe sat down pensively on another nearby bench, it felt so much nicer out at night than day to her.\nMuch colder, much more... Atmospheric, in such a way she couldnt quite explain.\n\nShe's writing in a diary by the looks of it, and she's in her pyjamas. Or at least they look like pyjamas.\nGood for her"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance doesn't judge her for coming out in what appeared to be simple PJ's. Not going to judge. He doesn't bother her while she scribbled in her diary like a typical girl that he seen back in private school in Sicily. A grey stream of smoke swiggled from his cigarette that snaked its way up towards the light of the lamp post. He was a tall 6'7 ft. Tall young man dressed in dark grey jeans and a simple black hoodie and white silk scarf. He was an illusive student keeping to himself and staying away from most other kids at school. The company of the strange girl didn't bother him one bit."
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "Violetta would occasionally steal a few glances to him, a look over then a look away back to her book. He was about 1'4 taller than her, but this more intrigued her than anything.\nSmoking on premises seemed pretty against the rules, she realised as the tall man smoked.\nShe wanted to say something- well, more *Ask* Something, the questioning of the allowance of a smoke.\n\n*Because she could really use a vape right about now </3*\n\n\"Uh.. Excuse me but is that.. Allowed?\" She half mumbled in questioning to Vance, referring pretty obviously to the cigarette."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Absolutely not.\" He gave her a straight forward reply. \"I do need it now given by the shitty job I have here... Yes, I need it or they'll be dealing with another problem.\" Vance wasn't disgruntled when she poked at him about his cigarette. His eyes are partially closed, almost in slits while he is enjoying a drag from his danger stick."
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "\"..Oh.\" Sadge.\nShe lets out a half sigh of annoyance. She'll live, it was hardly something she ever really NEEDED of sorts, just a nice little sweet release.\n\"Man.. You'd think it'd be allowed if you're the legal age for it. Shame.\" She closed the book with a satisfyingly clean clap.\n\n\"You're not a student?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Eh... They took me in they'll have to deal with it,\" Vance says, a little firmness in his tone. \"Don't be mistaken, I am a student... Just one who has a job on this property.\" He takes another drag of his cigarette before letting it stream from his mouth, now open his eyes to see the girl properly. Its almost look like he has a catty look with no ill intention behind them. \"So, what brings you out here late at night? It must be difficult to write in your diary, lass.\""
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "Soz was busy!! Ahem\nShe fiddled with the bookmark of the book, nodding with an understanding \n\"Ahh\" When he explained the job part.\nThere was always something very therapeutic about watching other people smoke, or just anything on fire. Yeah sure, bad for your health, but the way the smoke wafted was something she could hardly take her eyes off.\n\nShe's snapped out of her mesmerised stare by the question, however.\n\"It's not a diary. It looks like one, sure, but its just notes on everyone i meet. Not in a creepy way, I'm just figuring out the best ways to Not Seem Weird to anyone\" Sounds like way too much effort."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"That is kinda creepy,\" Vance said, giving her a weird look. None the less raised an eyebrow at the girl. \"It sounds like a lot of work... Trying not to be weird when other people are the ones being strange?\" Vance couldn't help but sigh at this with streams of grey smoke escaped his mouth. \"Do they try not to be weird with you?\" He seems to muttered the last sentence before turning his gaze away to stare out at the field. \"If you feel like breaking yourself in for others sake, go right on ahead... I ain't stopping ya.\""
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "Violetta frowned lightly at the other's comment, burrowing the book into the tote bag sat beside her with a quiet huff.\n\"It's not really trying not to be weird. Everyone is just so... Different i suppose, so I adjust myself to it, the notes help- sometimes.\" She tried her best to explain herself, though it likely just made her seem more confusing than anything else. Not that it was Violetta's problem.\n\n\"I dont think I'm breaking myself in... It helps with confusing people\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Everyone is different... That's just how it is..\" Vance said, flickering the ashes from his cigarette. The grey hot powder disappears into the breeze. \"Just don't forget to be yourself when you find the right friends who understands you. Maybe then you might not need your book once knowing them well enough.\""
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "\"I uh.. Suppose you're right.\" Violetta half sighed, watching the smoke start up then fade with vague interest.\n\"I don't know, people are just easier when you feel like you know what to do in every situation, at least vaguely\"\n\nLittle does Violetta know she could probably just. Find this out via talking to said person more than once, but oh well.\n\"Whatever. People are weird in the end\" Lightheartedly, Violetta shrugged at her own comment, or just out of habit.\nPeople were in fact, weird."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Have you gave it a thought that maybe you should... I don't know? Just talk to the same person until you feel that you get them?\" Vance flickered away the ashes from his cigarette. He fell silent pondering on what he said before shrugging it off. \"You don't seem to be a bad person so I guess you'll start making friends in no time.\" He put his cigarette out before flicking it into the trash. \"Name's Vance... And please don't ever mention me on the intranet... I prefer to go unnoticed.\""
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "\"That's rather horrifying, in it's own right.\" She notes, frowning lightly.\n\nShe didn't respond to the second comment, but nodded at the introduction.\n\"Vance is a nice name.. I'm Violetta, I assume going unnoticed is difficult though, being so tall?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "He rubs the back of his neck when his pointed ear flicks. \"Nah, I may be a big guy but I know how to get to places without being noticed.\" And he leans back in his seat with his arm resting on the backrest. \"Not a lot of people is aware that I exist? Just a casual hi and hello before going off on our own merry way. Its always been like that since I arrived here.\""
},
{
"author": "theodejaneiro",
"message": "\"I see... Sounds useful, in a hiding from the authorities sort of way\" Violetta tilted her head, not really questioning his antisocial nature much further.\n\n\"Sounds a little bit upsetting, but I suppose if you like it that way, then it's different\"\nMuch to think about. Flying under the radar was pretty much her entire childhood, from the day she was born.\nAnd to be honest, she was sorta over it.\n\nBut other's were different, she had to remember that."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Eh... I'm not in a hurry to be making friends any time soon..\" Vance said, a slight bitterness in his tone. There was one point in time when he thought that he had a companion turned out to be false. He's not great at making friends in the begin with. That was somewhat his fault on his part thinking that he could somehow help the other even when they're being stubborn and sketchy. It doesn't matter now.\n\n\"I'm more focused on more important things that matters more is school, work and getting much credit as I can get.\"\n\nThis was true on his part that he wants to be the most skilled to make up for his other weaknesses. He isn't the most strongest parahuman in this school, but he can rely on his other abilities.\n\n\"It might sound boring but what else can you do around here in Newton Cradel?\" It grew apparent that he is ready to leave the moment he receive his chance to bid his fair well to the stranger.\n\n=========================="
}
] | 105 | 1,802 |
310.242424 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "```[West Courtyard, 7:15pm...]```\n\n◆ \"Finally...\"\n\n□ Saying that today had been a busy day would have been an understatement. Waking up early was normal for her, sure, but what wasn't normal was stepping out the moment curfew ended, heading an hour and a half out of town to nearby Karlstad for a day on the lake, then coming back by bus and processing her catch. But, that was how her day had gone, and now she was stepping out of a cab in the late afternoon, opening the trunk up and also fishing out her rod and large cooler full of today's catch.\n\n▪︎ And as it turned out, today's catch was a good one. \n\n□ Of course, though, the catch wasn't going to process itself. A fish hauled out of water wasn't going to do her a solid and flay its own flesh off in clean-cut chunks, so she knew she'd have to get her hands *Dirty,* Much as the feeling of fish guts and blood on her skin felt weird to her. Leaving the cooler near the empty flour bucket she'd claimed as her own outdoors perch, she busied herself with grabbing the essentials from the kitchen: a garbage bag for the guts and bones, a firm yet flexible fillet knife for cutting purposes, a facecloth to occasionally wipe her hands, the like. Stepping back outside she also took a moment to grab a nearby garden hose, ostensibly left out by Graham or some other groundskeeper, and she dragged it over to her bucket and cooler.\n\n• Now, she was ready to begin the bloodiest part of her day: the processing. Oh, how her hands would be stinking for a week after all this was said and done..."
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "It's been difficult for Caspar \"Cas\" Dolorosa to find a footing in Newton's Cradle so far. Being so far away from his family, the only people who've been consistently *There* For him, has been affecting him, though he'd never willingly show it.\n\nThere's a slight change in the air... A noticeable drop in temperature as Caspar wanders around the outdoors. He recognizes the smell of fish before he notices the fish-gutting woman. Curiosity overtakes the boy, and as he seeks out the source of the piscatory odour.\n\nUpon noticing the woman, Cas would walk over to her, hands in pockets. Though the smell bothers him, he doesn't seem all that disturbed by the gutting of the fish. It reminds him of fishing trips back in Canada.\n\"Yo! Nice fish you've caught there! Is it fishing season?\" He asks, his hands deep in his thick coat's pockets."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ A frigid change in the air, and then...\n\n■ \"Oh, hey. Yup, the fishing's good up at Vänern right now, spent the whole day up there from around nine in the morning to four thirty this afternoon. Lots of stuff biting; had to replace my hooks a few times, actually.\" Margo chuckled, nonchalantly slicing the head off of one of the pike she'd caught with the kind of confidence and motion that only came with years of experience breaking down her catches. \"There was one, though, man... Not sure what it was, but I was reeling it in, and it was fighting like fucking hell, and *Right* At the coast it managed to snap my hook off and swim away! Fuckin' pissed me off so bad I had to go for a walk to calm down.\"\n\n◆ \"Anyways...\" Margo settled down after a few moments, slicing the tail off as well. \"It's fishing season up on Vänern right now, and I guess we're allowed to go up there if we make it back before curfew. Pretty slick if you ask me, honestly.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"Damn... It's always the big fish that end up getting away...\" Replies Cas, shaking his head with mutual understanding. He crouches down where he stands, assuming the \"Slav squat\" Position in leu of any convenient box to sit on. \"Still, sounds like there's plenty more where that one came from! I'm totally gonna go try catch something later.\" He watches Margo's fish-gutting technique, silently marvelling at her mastery of the fillet knife.\n\n\"Not gonna like, it *Is* Pretty slick. They give us a weird amount of freedom for a super-juvie, though.\" Cas contemplates their current situation. He supposes that it would be hard for someone to get pretty far away from NC. Isakstad and the surrounds don't seem *That* Connected to the outside world... And besides, a runaway parahuman would probably end up diverting a lot of attention their way anyway."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Can say that again.\" Margo grumbled, shaking her head. \"Then again, they're the ones with the strength to break free. Unfortunately, just about everything in that lake seems to be big compared to what I'm used to... Good thing I work out, otherwise this fucker in particular probably would've ripped my rod right out my hands.\"\n\n□ Chuckling, she thought back to earlier in the day. It had been about an hour into her trip to the lake, and the nibbles had been fine. The bite that had led to her hauling in this massive pike, however, had come suddenly, and with such force that it nearly ripped her from her camping chair. What a fight it had been to get it out of the water... She sighed at the thought, sliced the belly out of the pike a few inches at a time, and looked up at the icy lad who'd apparently decided to keep her company while she broke down today's catch.\n\n▪︎ Admittedly, it felt nice to be talking shop with someone who seemingly fished as well.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, I've kinda... Stopped questioning it, I guess. I ask Ms. Karlsson stuff about our freedoms sometimes, but otherwise it seems like as long as we're back by ten pm then they don't give a shit what we get up to.\" She shrugged, slim fingers curling themselves around the now-planked body as she began to feel around for where to cut off the back fillet. \"The pike are huge here, man. Fuck... Back home, my father had a lake house in Maine, and there were pike in that particular lake that I used to fish up. They were *Never* This big... Anyways, erm, I'm planning on going up again in a week or two. You're free to come along, there's a bus that goes to Karlstad from downtown, it's pretty affordable and it drops you off pretty much right on Vänern's shores. It's great.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "Cas whistles. \"Damn, really? That big?\" The idea of a fish that could put up a challenge to someone like Marco is certainly impressive. The idea of *Catching* Said pike is exciting, however... \"Just means you can get some payback when you catch it again.\" \"Heh, wonder if the fish here are like... Supernatural or something. Wouldn't be too weird considering... All of us are here.\"\nCas was enjoying talking Fishing with Margo. It's clear that he thrives in this sort of social setting, just having casual conversation with someone else. While the air is still chilly, it feels slightly warmer.\n\nCas becomes visibly more animated when Margo mentions Maine. \"Yoooo! You're from Maine? Maine's like... One of the parts of America I've been the most! Even lived there a year. Kept to the coastline mostly though... Stayed in Augusta with a relative.\" He snaps back to the present. \"Uhhhh... Yea, I'd totally be down for fishing. Haven't fished in some time though.\" It occurs to Cas that he hasn't even told the fish-gutting woman his name. \"Oh right, name's Cas, by the way.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Doubt it.\" Margo clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and shook her head lightly. \"Parahumans on their own are extremely rare, and I don't think our powers' existence is able to corrupt the land we live on. Otherwise, the earth would be a far scarier, weirder place... As if it ain't already.\"\n\n□ The whole time she talked, she had been running the blade of her fillet knife up one end of the pike's body, trying to get a good feel for this particular fish and where the best spot would be to cut. Of course, though, she never looked *At* The fish; this lad was chatting, she could at least look up at him. Once he'd finished talking and she fired something off she began to slice into the flesh, stabilizing the still-slippery scales with her rough thumb as the fillet knife slid through the flesh with very little effort.\n\n▪︎ Clearly she'd made sure to sharpen it the night before.\n\n◆ \"I'm from Scotland originally, but I grew up in Brooklyn.\" Margo casually spoke as the knife ripped fully through the white flesh of the fish in her lap, sliding out and leaving a lovely fillet in her lap. Flipping it over, she could be seen quickly slamming her right eye shut, and after a moment one of the small eyes in the outer ring of her left eye began to glow a faint purple. \"Good thing about my powers: easier to see pinbones in ultraviolet. Anyways, nice, man. We had our lake house out on some really isolated lake in the woods. Father wanted his privacy and all that bullshit. Fishing was fine, at least, but the Belgrade Lakes outside of Augusta were always better.\"\n\n• \"Also, Cas...? Gotcha.\" She nodded, plucking a pin bone out. \"Margo. Nice to meet ya.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "Cas catches the hint in Margo's voice: She *Probably* Doesn't like her father much. That's something that the two of them can agree on, anyway. He doesn't mention anything, only nodding in understanding when she mentions his need for privacy.\n\nCas generates a little snowball in his hands, and begins tossing it between them. \"I dunno about *Corrupt* But I'm pretty sure my powers fuck up local weather patterns at least a little.\" He chuckles. \"I mean, I haven't seen or heard anything that says there *Aren't* Animals like us...\" He muses on the topic a little bit, before continuing: \"Stranger things have happened.\"\n\n\"Scotland, huh?...I *Did* Kinda hear that... Haven't been to Scotland, though I *Did* Live pretty close for a couple months. Well... As close as Orkney, anyway.\" He stops fidgeting with the snowball to scratch his head in thought. \"Can't remember the circumstance behind that trip though... I was like, four at the time."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Maybe.\" Margo absentmindedly spoke, setting the first fillet aside into an ice bucket to keep it fresh while she kept on working after making sure she'd plucked all the pinbones out. \"Also, I knew I felt a change in the wind. Fuck. It's, like, a solid ten degrees colder now. Actually a good thing, if I'm being honest; keeps the fish from going bad while I process 'em.\"\n\n□ Speaking, she set her knife into her lap and began to feel up the fish's spine, the tip of her tongue barely poking out of the right corner of her lips as she focused. She knew from experience that these particular fish were absolutely riddled with pin bones, to the point where it was questionable to even put the effort in to clean them up, but she *Had* Caught them and she refused to just leave them on the shore for the wildlife to pick at.\n\n▪︎ Thankfully, she'd learned from the best, so as she felt up the fish's backbone she quickly had a good idea on where exactly to cut.\n\n◆ \"Oh, in my voice? I still kinda have the accent, yeah.\" She spoke, making the first of several cuts into the fish's side. It was less of a final cut and more of a preparatory slash, lining up where she'd be slicing to get the next fillet. \"Nice, though. Nice... I spent the first four years of my life or so in Glasgow, until the family house burnt down, after which my father decided to move us to New York of all places. Fuckin' stupid decision, but I was four at the time, so I couldn't exactly protest. Where'd you come from? I know you said something about spending time in Maine, but I spent time there as well, and you don't read as a Maine native to me, so...\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "Cas chuckles. \"Sorry 'bout that! Can't really turn off the cold.\" \"I can turn it *Up* Just fine, though. Or... Down... You know what I mean.\" He tosses the snow ball against a nearby tree, scattering snow and spooking a nearby bird or two. He shakes the cold off of his bare fingers and sticks them back in his heavy winter jacket. \"I'm basically an icebox, so if ya need me to chill those fish I totally could.\"\n\nWhen Margo mentions NYC, Caspar visibly recoils slightly. \"Ouch... New York? I feel your pain. New York fucking *Sucks.* Just... In general.\" He says, an unusual amount of spite in his voice. For Cas, New York conjures unwholesome images of rats, shitty hotel rooms and childhood bullying. \"Though, I will say, the food was good... But so is Québécois food.\" He leaves that statement hanging, as if it's meaning were wholly evident.\n\nCas pauses, thinking about the technicalities of Margo's question. He seems zoned out for a little \"Hmm... Well I was born in Canada. Saskatchewan, actually (Kinda makes us country neighbours.) But I dunno if that counts as being *From* There, y'know? Family travelled a lot so I dunno if I'm really from anywhere specifically? I don't even think my family owned, like, a non-moving house until three years ago.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"I'd say you already are.\" Margo plainly replied, beginning to run her knife deeper through the fish's side, her expression twisting into one of focus rather than banter. \"I have that cooler full of ice, but it only does so much, and I still have a bunch of fish to cut. I'm gonna be here all fucking night, I fear.\"\n\n□ Well, not all night. If push came to shove she knew full well that she'd have no objections to simply wrapping the rest of the fish up and dropping them in a chest freezer, mostly to keep them fresh overnight while she got her beauty sleep on the couch. Of course, though, that was looking towards the near future, and not the real present, and the real present had Cas' entire body recoiling at the thought of being from New York City. A reasonable response, she figured, the blade of the knife gliding through the pike's side like it was open air.\n\n▪︎ As it turned out, Margo was oddly skilled with a knife for someone who couldn't heat a can of chicken noodle soup without burning it.\n\n◆ \"Can say that again.\" Margo chuckled. \"New York ain't perfect, but the food's crazy good. I still miss those pop-up carts a month after getting here... Anyways, isn't Québécois food kinda just poutine? I've been to Montreal exactly once and that's all I remember eating. Anyways, gotcha... Gotcha.\" She nodded, finally freeing the fillet and flipping it over in her hands so she could begin to pluck all the stray pinbones out. \"So, your father was in the army? Or was it business? Because I can hardly imagine that you and your family would've been moving so much if there wasn't something constantly uprooting yous.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"So many tiny bones too... You're gonna be gutting fish in your dreams, I swear.\" Cas chuckles.\n\n\"Yea it's basically just poutine, pickled beets and Quiaude.\" Cas replies flippantly. \"It's pretty good, but I'm still not a huge fan of Quebec. It's a pretty nice place, but there's this... Weird, pro-French xenophobic bullshit undercurrent there that I hear *Way* Too much of.\" \n\nCas gives Margo's questions a bit of thought \"Oh it was... I think it was mostly my Dad's job shit? My dad did a lot of investing and we were often dragged around for, like, meetings and stuff.\" \nNot that Cas can remember his dad *Actually* Having any sort of work obligations... Often, it felt like Mr. Dolorosa just... Had money. \n\"...Though he and my mom often just... Took us places. We went on a lot of vacations basically every year.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"That's why I'm thankful for my eye being the way it is.\" Margo looked up at Caspar, managing to make eye contact for a whole second and a half before her skin began to crawl like conveyor belts. \"Turns out fish bones flouresce under my ultraviolet sight, so it's really easy to spot 'em out. Also helps that I'm, erm... Handling the pike first. Trout and salmon aren't nearly as bony, so I'm getting this shit out of the way first.\"\n\n□ It was an annoyance, sure, to have to deal with such bony fillets up front, but Margo also felt as if tackling the most annoying parts first was the only real way to handle things. After all, once she got through this pike and the other two she'd been able to keep it'd be smooth sailing, and the concept of being able to break down some salmon and trout in a fraction of the time it was taking her to break the pike down was alluring.\n\n▪︎ Of course, though, she'd first need to actually trudge through this initial slog... Boring.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, I've heard that, man.\" Margo calmly spoke as she plucked pinbones out of a fillet with needlenose pliers. \"At least, vaguely. Haven't really *Done* Any research into it, though, so... I dunno for sure. I generally don't consider Quebec politics to be interesting, so I don't keep up to date. Anyways, fair. My father used to do the same thing, actually...\" Her brow gnarled itself into a fierce knot, and her jaw clenched. \"No chance you've got smokes on you, huh? Anytime I talk about my father I can feel every blood vessel in my head and neck about to explode and I could really use something to calm down.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"No shit? That's a pretty cool, like, niche power benefit there.\" Cas stands back up and stretches. It seems he was getting cramped from slav squatting. His knees audibly click as he straightens up. He briefly considers calling Quebec a \"Localised national issue\" And attributing the obscurity of his misgivings of the province to that, but decides against it.\n\nCas starts rummaging in his jacket pockets. The sounds of clinking plastic and rustling matches can be heard as he searches the contents of his massive jacket. Despite the fact that Cas doesn't look or sound much like a smoker, he is able to produces a single slightly battered cigarette and a box of matches from his pocket.\n\"Here ya go! One cancer stick.\" He says, handing over the item in question. \n\n\"Damn. Two shit investor dads? That's gotta be, like, a statistical anomaly. Probably best not to give either the mental time-of-day honestly. Lettin' them live rent-free in our heads is bad for the blood pressure\" He says wryly."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"I know, right? And that's only one thing it does.\" Margo spoke as she looked the fillet over once more, chucking it into the icebox once she was satisfied that it was deboned. \"Like... It does a lot of crazy shit, man.\"\n\n□ And that was the truth of the matter. While, at the absolute most, a regular human might have been able to see a touch of ultraviolet or infrared, Margo could see far beyond that. It was a skill she'd honed since it first awakened, and by this point it was second nature to slam her right eye shut to let her left eye do its thing. Just as she was about to slice into the fish that sat in her lap she heard the familiar sound of matches rattling around in their box, and upon looking up she noticed Cas' hand outstretched with a cigarette in hand.\n\n▪︎ Her eyes lit up. It was the first cigarette she'd seen in *Weeks.*\n\n◆ \"Fuck, man, you're a saviour.\" Margo spoke incredulously, reaching out and nabbing the cigarette with the hand that wasn't fully covered in fish blood and guts. Also taking the matches, she quickly struck one and lit the stick up, tossing the burnt match into the gut bucket that was sitting at her feet. \"A real goddamn saviour. I haven't had access to cigar-anythings since I got here. Christ... Anyways, yeah, man, we're in the same boat. All over the place, shit investor dads, fishing, lake houses in Maine... If I didn't know any better I'd be asking if your mom slept with my father. He's an unfaithful cocksucker, it'd fit. And that's all I'm saying on the subject, fuck 'em.\"\n\n• \"Anyways, you old enough to buy? Or do you have a fake?\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"Daaamn! That's some Bya- I mean that's some Naruto shit. It's fuckin' cool\" Cas quickly skips past his little Freudian slip. \"Pretty damn iconic look too.\"\n\n\"Amen to that, sister\" He says, pocketing his matches once again. \"Unless your dad looks like a somehow more homeless Steve Jobs I doubt it.\" Cas stops to form a thought. \"Yea there are some, like, goddamn *Specific* Parallels between us, right? Kinda... Both weird and cool, I guess?\" Cas leans up against the same tree he tossed the snowball at earlier before resuming his ramble. \"Call me a little self-centred, but it's nice to meet someone who knows The Struggle™️, y'know?\"\n\n\"As for my age...\" Cas pauses for a moment, before answering Margo's query. \"...I'm old enough to buy in *Liechtenstein*...\" Pausing again Cas lets his statement hang there a second, before letting out a warm chuckle. \"Nah I'm not old enough to *Legally* Buy here. I got it from my Uber drive from the airport. Driver dude traded me for some snacks I had.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Oh, yeah. It kinda does look like a sharingan, but... Instead of genjutsu and shit it's just infrared sight and whatnot.\" Margo spoke as she began to slice into the final side of the pike, also puffing the cigarette betwixt her lips with enthusiasm and a clear expression of joy at finally having nicotine on hand again. \"Genjutsu's more Uri's thing. I'm damn near certain they could actually do that to someone, but... I don't think they *Would.*\"\n\n□ Shrugging, she continued to slice through the pike's side, experienced strokes making their way through the white flesh with very little effort. This was going to be the next couple of hours for her at least, a lap full of fish blood and scales, hands covered in guts, a cigarette from her lips... Good thing she didn't mind. \"Oh, no. Think less homeless Steve Jobs and more Jacques Schnee with brown hair dye in his shampoo. He really has that look, and he's just as fucked. Anyways, I getcha. It's nice to just... Meet someone who understands the struggle of having a shitty investor dad, huh? Not self-centered, it's solidarity.\"\n\n◆ \"Anyways, goddammit.\" Her lips curled into a frown for a moment. \"I was going to ask you to let me know when you go for smokes so I could wire you some cash for some, but guess that's scuppered. Fuck.\" She finished cutting the final side of fish off of the main body, tossing the now-skeletal remains into the gut bucket. \"I know that Margarita chick has a fake because she doesn't keep her fucking mouth shut, but I'd rather rip her tongue out of her mouth than willingly ask her for a favour, so it's no dice there.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "Cas... Did not expect Marco start talking Naruto lore. It clearly throws him for a loop a little. \"Y-yea... You've got more of a Byakugan thing going on I guess?\" Cas makes a mental note to look into this \"Uri\" Person. They sound... Mildly terrifying. \"All the vision and super-sight and shit? No 360 degree though.\n\nCas thumps his chest twice with his hand, before flashing a 'peace' sign with the same hand, a sign of solidarity. He's pretty happy to have met someone with a seemingly parallel life to his, one who *Gets* Him. As for Margo's comment about her Dad's appearance, he nods in agreement. He recognizes the last name \"Schnee\" And assumes it's a RWBY character. Caspar never *Did* Get around to watching that show...\n\nCas puts his mind to Margo's tobacco problem. \"Hmm... You could totally *Get* A fake ID for yourself. Would solve your problem. Though I feel like that might be more effort then it's worth...\" He puts more mental effort to the problem of No Cigarettes, really wracking his brain over the issue. \"...One option would be to grow your own tobacco. Set up some sorta grow-bed in the woods maybe? No fuckin' idea if we've got the right climate here, though. Or we could find someone here with, like, plant powers or some shit...?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Oh, yeah, it's definitely like a byakugan now that you say it.\" Margo let out an amused chuckle. \"I kinda just jumped to sharingan because I've heard that one a lot more even though, in all honesty, the only thing my eye lacks is the whole three hundred sixty degree sight. Otherwise, man, it's... Ultraviolet, infrared, x-ray, and zoom. My right eye actually zooms too, believe it or not, it's just that it's *All* It does. Also, surprised? Kinda read that off of you. I grew up watching a lot of anime; don't watch it as much now, but I must have watched Naruto end to end a solid three times growing up, which, erm... With the filler it's a *Lot.*\"\n\n□ A lot was an understatement, but she wasn't here to ramble about how Naruto was more than half filler. She wasn't really around to gab about the anime she'd watched as a kid, either, since by now she hadn't really caught up on any of them in a long time. Instead, she was here to fillet her catch, and it was finally time to move onto the second pike she'd caught. Blessedly smaller, she could tell as the fillet knife made its way through the scaled and then skin of the fish that this one wasn't going to be such a hassle.\n\n▪︎ Lighter, smaller, less likely to flop out of her grasp... She didn't even have to cut the head off this time!\n\n◆ \"Man, I've got, like... Plague thumbs in a garden. I can't keep a damn thing alive for the life of me, so I doubt I'd be able to grow my own tobacco crop. That and tobacco's far better suited to warm climates, which is why all the quality cigars are out of the Caribbean and Mesoamerica.\" She spoke as she began to lay down some preparatory slashes down the fish's back. \"Also don't know anyone who could fuck around with plants and make them grow like that, so... Hm. I dunno. I really don't. Guess I've gotta savour this one.\"\n\n• And like a chimney, she let out a puff of smoke right on time."
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"Shit you've got like *All* The cool vision powers! \" Cas chuckles, partly with embarrassment and partly out of genuinely finding his own inadvertent reaction funny. \"I'll admit I was a little surprised. Always have gotten a little disorientated when people discuss anime and shit I am... Invested in.\" Cas puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs. \"It's... Kinda my \"Old shame\", y'know?\"\n\nCas is forced to admit to himself that he can't think of a way to deal with the nicotine problem. \"Welp. Guess you've just gotta... I dunno... Maybe you could barter with some other weird Uber drivers for cigs but other then that I'm out of ideas.\" \"I'll keep at the problem, though.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Hah, guess so.\" Margo chuckled, faint tufts of smoke puffing out as she did so. \"Anyways, man, I get that. I couldn't tell you a damn thing about any of the anime out now, but shit like Naruto? Bleach? InuYasha? Even shit like Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop? I grew up with those. Oh, and Samurai Champloo!... And Space Dandy. Really anything Shinichirō Watanabe worked on, honestly. Love that man's work.\"\n\n□ If Caspar were even a bit familiar with Japanese, he'd have caught on to how she pronounced the man's name, fluidly and with barely a moment of hesitance. Of course, though, she didn't really have room to when she was gutting fish and cutting the fillets off of them *And* Balancing conversation, so maybe it was a moot point. Whatever. Now in the groove, she began to slice the back fillet off, years of practice showing itself in how she handled the knife. Humming, her face twisted into a frown for the briefest of moments, before resuming its normally stoic, calm appearance.\n\n▪︎ No sense in crying over no cigarettes; she'd survived a whole month without them, she could go back to it.\n\n◆ \"I'll survive, man. I went cold turkey when they arrested me and shipped me here, so fuck, I think I'll live, huh?\" She joked. \"Speaking of which, how'd you get sent here? Freeze some guy's cock off?\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "One can almost see Cas mentally checking off the anime in his head. \"Yea... Pretty much the same with me. *Think* I've seen all of those, but it's been *Ages* Since I watched 'em. I mainly grew up with DBZ and Naruto. Oh, and that Dinosaur King anime a friend pirated for me.\" Cas has heard enough Japanese media to recognize adept Japanese pronounciation. \"Yo... Nice Japanese by the way.\"\n\nCas chuckles at the suggestion that he froze a man's cock off. \"I wish\" Cas replies. \"There's a bit of a story there, actually. I was visiting my extended family, and a couple of my cousins were being dicks. I got heated, so I locked myself in their bathroom to cool down and... Cooled down. I... Kinda-maybe froze the door lock shut...\" Cas chuckles again. This time, his chuckle is tinged with embarrassment. \"Froze the plumbing and the windows, too. Took them, like, four hours to cut me out the room.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"There's one I never got into.\" Margo commented. \"Dragonball never really interested me all that much. I dunno. Also, thanks, I actually took a real interest in the language when I was a kid and pestered my parents into hiring a Japanese tutor. Worked out, I think... I'm actually considering trying to move to Japan once I'm out of here. Maybe go there, go to university, become a herpetologist, find a pretty Japanese wife, settle down... Wouldn't that be nice, huh?\"\n\n□ Pangs of loneliness showed in the way her words twisted while leaving her mouth. She was definitely a lonely soul, but she didn't want to dwell on it, so she let the topic more or less slide by without much in the way of second thoughts, instead focusing on starting to slice into the side of the pike in her lap. Blood dripped onto the olive tarp-like material of her waders, another stain she'd need to wash out alongside the scales, and maybe it was this awareness that had led her to being a bit less cautious about making a mess.\n\n▪︎ After all, what was the point in trying to stay clean when her clothes were already coated in scales?\n\n◆ \"Christ.\" Margo snorted. \"You froze yourself in the bathroom because of your cousins? And even froze the pipes and shit under your feet? Jesus, man, that's cold. That's – oh, for fuck sakes that's a pun.\" She let out a defeated sort of laugh, nasally and somewhat gated. \"But anyways, man, that sounds like it was probably pretty damn awkward once you got out. I've got my story too, but it's kinda violent, honestly, and it involves my father. Fuck it, I tried to murder him with my bare hands and nearly succeeded. If those joggers hadn't came around he'd have died and I'd be in Erie County right now, but he lived so here I am.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"Y'know what that *Does* Sound pretty idyllic, not gonna lie. Settling down somewhere actually static and all... Though...\" Cas bites his lip as he thinks. He privately wonders if he'll ever get used to staying in one place. A part of him fears that he's already taken on that personality trait from his parents. \"...Ehh it'll probably be fucking fantastic. Better than living in hotels forever!\"\n\nCas isn't quite sure how to react to the emotional whiplash of going from lame cold pun to attempted fratricide. It's honestly quite interesting to see his face go from amusement to concern and several other places in the emotional spectrum. \"That's... Moderately fucked up. Not that the dude doesn't sound like he *Deserved it,* Or anything. Honestly, fuck him.\"\nCas thinks for a moment, before continuing: \"I mean *Attempted murder* Probably ain't even the worst thing someone's been brought here for. On the bright side, this place is pretty cushy for a juvie all things considered. And you got to meet me and all the other weirdos here! That's gotta count for *Something* Right?\" Cas whips his hands out his pockets and performs a double finger-gun gesture. Little snowflakes shoot out of his fingers as he does it."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, I think it'd be nice, but also the Japanese are horribly xenophobic. It's, like, a founding part of their culture; centuries of isolation does that to an island nation, I guess.\" Margo finished slicing off another side of fish, now operating more or less autonomously now that she was in the swing of things. \"But man, look at me. Do whatever the hell you want to do, life's all about what you make it, and if that's taking the family fortune and never spending more than a week in the same city then go for it. I'm just a sucker for the idea of settling down with a steady job and a lovely wife and being domestic and boring.\"\n\n□ Maybe it *Was* Boring, but deep down she knew it was what she wanted for her future. She wanted a wife, a family, a steady life drumming and working as a herpetologist or something along those lines, and while it wasn't exactly exciting it seemed like the kind of life she could get behind. Routines, schedules, work, order... Whatever. Noting the rapidly shifting look in Cas' face, she let out a faint utterance when she realized that maybe, just maybe, it was a bit too sudden to go from joking about an accidental pun to talking openly about her attempted murder charge.\n\n▪︎ Maybe she *Shouldn't* Have been tossing it around so much.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, man, I think you get it. He deserved every last blow I laid into him, y'know?\" Margo flipped the fish over in her lap and began to slice it again. \"And also I think you're right. Some people must have been in here on much worse charges... But then again, how do governments decide which parahuman crimes get sent here and which ones get covered up and sent to maximum security?\" She hummed. \"Anyways, I... I guess I'm glad I wound up here instead of Erie. At least here I can go up to Vänern and fish from sun up to sun down, so that counts for something. Plus, shit, I meet people like you all the time, so that's slick.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"Yea... That checks out, honestly.\" Cas muses. At this point he's just chillin' cross-legged on the floor. \"Didn't really notice it last time I was there but... Yeaaaa...\" Cas readjusts his sitting position as the readjusts his conversation topic. \"As for the family fortune... I legit don't know if there is one? Like, I dunno dude my parents haven't moved from Liechtenstein in *Awhile...* I'm kinda wondering if something bad money-wise has happened with them.\" Not that it affects Cas right now. It'd still kinda suck if he doesn't end up getting investor's son money at some point, but it is what it is. \"...Ehh, it's probably fine. Not like I can benefit from travel money right now anyway!\"\n\nCas is totally fine with shifting the topic of conversation away from dad issues, again. The implication that Cas might've been sent to maximum security wasn't one that Cas had considered, and now he's a little terrified of the thought. He quickly shrugs it off though. \"Yea! See, there's alw-... Usually some sort of upside to most things. You get to hang out with a *Bunch* Of weirdos! It's like a sitcom but marginally more parental issues.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Hey, maybe they like it enough there to finally plant their roots, man.\" Margo spoke, running her knife through what felt like the billionth pike side and flipping it over to start plucking the bones out. By now, though, she'd been at it for a while, and the side effects of overuse were beginning to show in the very corners of her eye, capillaries reddening by the second. \"I've heard Liechtenstein's a beautiful fuckin' place, so I wouldn't blame 'em. But, yeah, Japan is definitely a place I want to at least visit, you know? The culture, the religious sites... The food. *The women.* I don't fetishize, but I've always had a thing for Japanese chicks. That a little fucked up to admit? Hope not.\"\n \n□ Chuckling, she picked up her pliers and began to pluck pinbones again, dropping them into the same bucket as all of the other carcasses and guts and whatnot she'd split away from the good delicious meat. Cleaning up the day's catch was a tedious job, but someone had to do it, and she was the only one who could have been expected to. So, she sliced, plucked, and skinned her way through things, occasionally looking up at Cas as the pair exchanged stories and jokes and whatnot. Something about it felt lovely, and in all honesty the snowy lad had already formed a great impression on her.\n\n▪︎ She just hoped she'd done the same in return.\n\n◆ \"I dunno, some sitcoms are riddled with parental issues when you break down the female characters.\" Margo remarked. \"It's kinda fucked, actually, how many sitcom females are written as being riddled with daddy issues and unfaithfulness. Anyways, you wanna hear how I learned to gut fish? I promise it's... More interesting than it might seem.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "Cas shrugs, unaware of the broader implications of her preference for Japanese women. \"I dunno? Is's probably fine? I think?\" He is getting a bit concerned over Margo's tired-looking eyes, though he's hesitant to interrupt her flow and bring it up. \nIt's been nice to just have a conversation with someone like Margo. There's something calming about watching someone perform a task while they talk. It reminds Cas of watching Azerbaijani wilderness cooking videos late at night, specific as that sounds. Having these long, rambling conversations with someone who was such a good conversationalist was oddly enriching. Cas admires and respects Margo's innate 'coolness' and honestly, two traits he values greatly. Well... Maybe honestly a *Little* Less...\n\n\"Hey, I said *Marg*Inally worse, didn't I?\" Says Cas, emphasizing the word in a way that sounds like he just realised he made a pun. \"*Ehem*, sorry. Yea it's pretty fucked up, honestly. Kinda makes sense though, considering most TV writers are, like, Boomer age white dudes with a used car dealership side-hustle.\" Cas gives the thumbs-up to Margo's suggestion, though he can't help thinking it might have something to do with Margo. \"Fire away. I wanna hear all the juicy fish-guttin' details.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Eh, hopefully.\" She shrugged, chucking yet another pike carcass into the bucket and flopping the final (and smallest) one down in her lap. \"Then again, I know it isn't fetish-y, and that's what matters. I love all women!... And they don't love me in return!\"\n\n□ Was it a self-deprecating joke? Or simply admitting that she had as much game as Chris-Chan? Whichever one it was, she was certainly sure of her statement, that girls never felt the same about her, and though she was chuckling it was clear that it wasn't from a place of innocent amusement. Whatever it was, she laid her knife into the fish again, humming softly as the blade glided through its white flesh without any hesitation. The magic of a whetstone-sharpened knife was truly a thing to behold, and from a young age she'd been privy to this fact of life.\n\n▪︎ And, if she *Ever* Managed to learn to cook for herself, God knows she'd have the sharpest knives around.\n\n◆ \"Hah, yeah. Fuckin' old guys with bald spots, guts, and circle beards. They're always the ones who you can just *Tell* Are behind the camera being sexist dickbags and generally weird as hell. Anyways.\" Margo briefly paused, collecting her words in her mouth and parsing them out with the tip of her tongue. \"So, remember how you said you spent time on the Orkney Islands? Well, my grandma lived up there, and she was tough. Like, rip a bear's throat out with her bare hands tough. She worked her whole damn life on fishing boats *And* In the fish processing plants, and she learned a lot of shit there. She was the one who taught me everything I know about fishing, from how to spool a reel and tie a hook to breaking down anything and everything that comes out of the ocean. She's... I loved her dearly, man. She taught me so much in the scant time I managed to spend with her before she went up to Heaven or whatever afterlife is out there. I just hope she's looking down at me now and smiling; God knows I'm cutting these fish up exactly how she taught me to.\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "While Cas does chuckle at Margo's self-deprecating humour, he makes it clear he disagrees with the central joke. \"Awww c'mon, there's gotta be like a handful of women that would love ya! I mean you're, like... Pretty attractive?\" Cas gesticulates encouragingly at Margo. For what it's worth it seems to be Cas's genuine opinion. \"At the *Very least* You're at, like, the the upper threshold of \"Above-average\", yknow?\"\n\n\"Oh damn. Your grandma seems fuckin' cool.\" Cas replies, his voice filled with respect. \"People who, like, work with fish on an industrial scale are pretty hardcore dudes. It's honestly pretty inspiring how you're kinda carrying her legacy? Through fish? Pretty awesome all around.\"\nCas scratches the back of his head in thought \"Never was good at prepping fish myself. Always ended up accidentally stabbing myself. Or my sister...\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"All due respect, don't comment on how attractive I am.\" Visibly stiff, her jaw clenched lightly as her skin crawled. \"I know you mean well, but man... I don't like being complimented by guys. Never have.\"\n\n□ Falling silent afterwards, she kept on cutting up her catch, running the knife through flesh and plucking pinbones out with a needlenose plier. It was one of the skills she was most proud of, being a walking death sentence for all manner of aquatic creatures, and even in her stiff discomfort she worked as naturally as she breathed. After a few good moments she exhaled another puff of smoke and frowned at how little tobacco was left; more filter than filler, she knew she'd be spitting the butt out soon enough.\n\n▪︎ But, now that she'd had a taste again after a month of freedom she was hooked once more.\n\n◆ \"But, yeah. She was hardcore as fuck, in every sense of the word. I guess she was also a boxer once? I'd believe it. She could put a hole in a concrete divider.\" She snorted. \"I can teach you how to cut fish up if you want. The techniques are kind of the same for all fish, you just gotta know where the spines are, and how to get the pinbones out. Anyways, huh. Sounds like a skill issue to me, but knifework isn't exactly a born talent. God knows I was dogshit with a knife for a long time...\""
},
{
"author": "cyber0783",
"message": "\"Won't happen again\" Cas gives a thumbs up, and that's the end of the issue on his end. He knows when he has to shut up.\n\n\"Honestly the idea of a boxer-fisherwoman grandma is pretty badass, not gonna lie.\" Cas himself doesn't really have many elder relatives, and the ones he has are fairly distant. While he does feel a little sad, he supposes he's fairly fortunate in that regard. He's never really had to go through the death of a close relative... Yet... \"...Anyway, yea I'm down to learn how to do some actual fish prep. Could probably tie that in to that fishing trip thing you mentioned earlier.\" Cas privately reminds himself that he has basically no extra clothes at the moment besides his thick jackets... He's probably gonna have to go buy more before he can do anything fishing related. One can almost see his forehead wrinkle as he does the mental calculations he's doing in his head as he plans this out."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ Well, at least it ended off naturally.\n\n■ \"Yeah, man, she was pretty badass. Like I said, I'm sure she could have fought a bear and won.\" Margo mused as she plucked pinbones out. Moreso than usual, she missed her dead grandmother, even if she only had the chance to spend a few short weeks with her up in the Orkney Islands. \"Old Scottish women are an entirely different breed, honestly, and I'm hoping my Scottish roots mean that when I'm seventy or so I'll be a badass grandma too. If I even make it that long...\" She trailed off, fully aware that making it to seventy was *No* Guarantee. \"Anyways, yeah, man, I guess that could work. I guess it could...\"\n\n• A yawn, and her eye switched off. Overuse was taking its toll; she'd have to finish off her catch without. Good thing she had good company to talk to."
}
] | 303 | 10,238 |
132.052632 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "He's just outside the facility, with his violin case. He waited until Nishi wasn't there to grab it- he didn't want to have to answer questions about it. Ares is right. It's too emotionally charged, and he needs to get rid of it. \n\nHe lets a door slam shut behind him, not bothering, standing in the grass. \n\nHe opens the case with baited breath. A wave of nausea floods over him as he stares at the dreaded thing. It's followed him everywhere. He can't *Fucking escape-*\n\nHe picks up the bow first, taking a deep breath...\n\nAnd snaps it over his knee. That felt- good. It felt *Right.* It wasn't so hard. In his excitement from that, he grabs the violin by the neck like he's trying to strangle it, raising it over his head and-\n\nHe pauses. \n\n*I can't.*\n\n*I can't do it.*\n\nHe feels his eyes filling with tears, he feels frozen, violin raised. He tries to blink back the feelings, but it doesn't work. He feels... He feels stuck. So he stands in that position for a few moments, unthinking, unmoving. \n\nWhy did he think he could do this? How could he think he could escape from this?"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Maxwell is just passing by.\n\nHe's *Almost* Accustomed to the strange people at Newton's Cradle. Accustomed enough, at least, that when he sees a boy with long, green hair in the middle of the yard, the first thing he notices is not the flowing, brightly colored hair, but rather the violin raised above his head.\n\nBut not accustomed enough that the next thing he notices, as he walks up to investigate, isn't the hair.\n\nOnly by the time he's a few feet away does Maxwell notice the tears in this person's eyes. Without so much as a word, he grabs the neck of the violin and carefully guides it down from the raised position.\n\n\"Hey, man. Is everything okay?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "He didn't notice Maxwell at first, but when he reaches for the violin, he does. \n\nOh great. Another person taller than him. \n*And not by much either.*\nWhy his mind goes there, he doesn't know. Escapism, maybe. \n\nHe lets the violin be guided down. \n\n\"I-\" \nHe quickly wipes at his eyes. God, how *Embarrassing.* \n\"I'm fine. I just- was going to dispose of uhm. This.\" He motions to the instrument."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"I'll t—\"\n\nMaxwell doesn't get to finish his thought before he notices the bow, snapped in half like a twig on the ground.\n\n\"Oh.\"\n\nSo this wasn't the \"I don't need it anymore\" Kind of disposal, then.\n\n\"Is something wrong with it?\"\n\nHe already had a gut feeling that the answer was no. Something told him that people don't generally react to a violin being broken by smashing it. But he asked anyway.\n\nMaybe, if it still worked, he could take it."
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "\"Uh-\" He pauses, having to think about how to answer this. \n\n\"Kind of. It uhm- doesn't play how it used to. So.\" Is it true? He's unsure. He hasn't touched it in over a year, other than to shove it out of sight. It's as good an excuse as anything, though. \n\n\"I was just... Taking it out.\" Not technically a lie. An odd thing to say, though. Moru is at a loss here. He's not about to dive into the story with this random stranger. \n\nThe violin itself doesn't look cheap. Used and a bit old, yes, but decently high quality."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Hm.\" Maxwell gently takes it out of Moru's hands and plucks at the strings for a bit.\n\n\"It's just out of tune.\" From a long period of deliberate neglect, but Maxwell doesn't know that. \"Should be an easy fix. I could probably take care of it, but...\"\n\nHe gestures awkwardly at the bow, broken in half on the ground.\n\n\"...I'm guessing you don't really want the violin either?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "He tries not to cringe too hard at the noise. But he does cringe a little. *God I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I*\n\n\"Yeah uhm... Yeah. You don't have to like, fix it. It's fine. I don't want it anyways. So.\" He wants to grab it back, but doesn't make a move to. It'd be suspicious. He doesn't want it to keep, he wants it to dispose. \n\nMaybe he could ask Fin for a match."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Maxwell isn't the most conscientious person. But he can tell something's up with Moru's weird facial expression at the plucking of the strings. And his reactions. And the broken bow, and the fact that he had been raising the violin over his head.\n\nBut Maxwell doesn't know how to broach the subject. How do you casually mention \"I think you're feeling really bad about this right now\"? You don't.\n\nMaxwell looks at the violin, then at Moru. Then at the violin again. What a terribly pretty thing to just break.\n\nHe could probably start playing again. \n\n\"Nothing's wrong with it. If you don't want it, I'll be happy to take it.\" Well, apart from the fact that something is very clearly wrong with Moru's reaction to it, but that doesn't detract from a perfectly good violin.\n\n\"Would you mind if I just kept it?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "He is going to pretend like he doesn't know Max is onto him. \n\n\"Uhm.. Well. I- I don't know. I mean. I've had it for a long time and... It's sort of difficult to.. I don't know.\" But he doesn't reach for the violin, he can't reach for it. He doesn't want to touch it.\n\n\"I mean... No offense either and not to sound, like, you know... Rude. I don't really know how I feel about giving it away for free. It's... Definitely not worth much anymore, but still.\" That is a lie and he knows it. He could sell it for a lot. He just never wanted to."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Maxwell shrugs. \"If that's all it is, I'll pay for it.\" He knows that's not the only reason Moru doesn't want to let it go, but he's willing to believe that being paid for it would be persuasive enough. \"I *Was* Wondering why you were throwing away a perfectly good violin, but... I get not wanting to just give it away without getting anything for it.\"\n\nHe pauses briefly.\n\n\"I think, if it were me, I'd be worried that I would be tempted to try to get it back later if I just gave it away for free. So I get it.\" He reaches into his pockets and produces a few bills. It's not much for a violin, but it's far from nothing. \"Is this enough?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "*Say no. Just say no. Just decline.* \nBut he doesn't. He can't. \n\nHis throat feels really dry. \n\n\"I... Okay.\" \nThat is *The opposite of no*. But... Maxwell offered money. Mamoru could use money. Plus, if he gets money for the violin, he'd definitely be getting something out of it. It's not enough for the years of pain but..\n\nHe takes the money.\n\n\"Yeah. Deal. It's.. Fine. It's worthless to me anyways.\" \nThe money feels dirty. He feels dirty. Ares gave him perfectly good advice and Moru turned his back on it."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Maxwell is concerned, still. He looks at Moru for a few moments. He rests the violin on the bench, then bends down to pick up the broken bow. He would have liked the bow too, but he got there too late. Just a little bit too late.\n\nDoesn't matter. He takes a deep breath, and sighs heavily.\n\n\"Look. I gotta ask. If you don't wanna answer, it's fine, you don't have to, but I gotta ask. I can tell something's wrong. What's up?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "\"...\" He considers it. Considers what to say in response. How much is safe to say? How much wouldn't destroy him?\n\n\"It's.. Complicated. I've had that thing for about... Seven years? Maybe? Or... Five? I can't remember- I've had a few different ones uh.. I've been playing since I was, like, six. But I hate it. And I need it gone. It's like a skeleton in my closet, you know? It's always there- I can *Feel* It, even if I can't see it.\" \nHe shrugs, like it's no big deal. \n\nIt is but... Hey. Pretending is cool."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"...I'm guessing you didn't ask your mommy and daddy for a violin when you were six.\" Maxwell frowns sympathetically. \"That sucks. I'm sorry.\"\n\nMaxwell feels the tiniest twinge of guilt over having manipulated Moru into parting with the thing instead of smashing it. Smashing it probably would have been good for the poor man. But it would still have been a waste of a violin, all things considered.\n\n\"You still gonna play? Or is this your way of putting it all behind you?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "He looks at Maxwell sharply at that first comment, before convincing himself Max didn't mean anything by it, sighing and looking away again. \"Yeah. You could say that. And honestly? I think I'd rather break my own arm than play violin again.\"\n\n\"Who are you anyways?\" That sounded rude. \"I mean, like, what's your name?\" There we go."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Maxwell nods quietly. \"It's, uh... Max. Nice to meet you.\" \n\nHe feels awkward. Especially with Moru having glared at him.\n\n\"I'm not sure it came out right just now, so. Like.\" He clears his throat to correct himself. \"I'm guessing your parents made you play? Mine did the same thing. It sucks. I'm really sorry you had to put up with that.\" It still doesn't feel quite right saying that. But it feels slightly better than not.\n\n\"Maybe I'm getting too personal. Sorry. How about you? What's your name?\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "\"Yeah.. I'm uh.. Moru.\"\nOh *That's* Max. Uh oh. Moru still feels bad about participating in a bit of mockery about Max when he first got here. \n\nHe glances away again. \n\"...Something like that, yeah. I mean, I liked it when I was little, but it got old fast. But you can't just put down the one thing you're good at, so...\" He does not want to vent right now. Especially since Max looks.. He's unsure how old Max looks, but he looks younger than Moru.\n\n\"It's fine. It's whatever. I'm okay. I'm... Glad to be rid of it. Do whatever you want with it.\" \n\nThis is just a tad bit awkward!!"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Yeah. I get it.\" Max doesn't really want to be vented *At* Either. He'd put up with it, God knows Moru would need it, but frankly it's not at the top of his list of priorities.\n\nHe decides it's probably best to leave, and grabs the violin. \"Sorry about the trouble and nice meeting you and all that. I'll get this thing out of your sight.\""
},
{
"author": "Mamoru [Moru] Koyama",
"message": "\"Yeah. I get it.\" Max doesn't really want to be vented *At* Either. He'd put up with it, God knows Moru would need it, but frank...\n\n \"...Yeah.\" He nods. \n\"It's- fine. You didn't do anything wrong. Thanks, actually, for buying it off of me. I got something out of it. Uhm.. Yeah. I'll probably see you online later.\"\n\nHe fidgets with his fingers after pocketing the cash. Oough he doesn't feel too good."
}
] | 124 | 2,509 |
193.272727 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "As the night falls on the courtyard, Jack enters the area with the intent of relaxing and checking the intranet on his cellphone as he would usually do.\nThis time however, it was slightly different than other times. As he waits for something interesting to happen, he starts thinking about his situation a bit more. Thinking that nothing will happen anytime soon, he begins reminiscing the past, where he used to chill with friends before he got caught, he can only wonder how they might be doing thus far ever since he was gone? Were they worried? Relaxed perhaps? The thought was intensifying as he took a seat on a nearby bench and continued to stare at the cellphone with a dull expression as he continues to lose himself and sink deeper into his thoughts."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "Yarimiel had still been awake from the previous night with Vance, and was simply walking around, taking in the scenery, as she had gone outside concerningly few times before coming here. Once she turned in an angle that Jack could see her face from, the answer was given as to what her face was like under all of the hair, she was as pale as a corpse, not even nearly, *Just as*, porcelain white skin, pale, purplish lips and large, eyes that definitely had color but lacked something to them. \n\nShe would stretch her arm out, but the arm had gone mostly a solid pure black with a white top, sporting only solid highlights and shadows, with a notable outline even over the top as her fingers became much longer and thinner, with the girl sporting an innocent-looking. She had plucked a flower from one of the trees and her hand returned to normal, the pink flower rested in her hand now, and she examined it curiously, her smile still present, and even her eyes' bottom eyelids went up as she did so, an uncommonality with her, since usually her eyes stay static whenever she smiles. She had a pure white hoodie on, along with the same gray sweatpants on, and instead of socks, had a pair of black foam slide sandals on. If Jack looked up at the girl, he'd not how it was sometimes hard to focus on her, not due to any uncanny look or deterrent, but he would simply find it hard to keep a stable gaze on her for longer than a few seconds before she subconsciously flickered away from his short-term memory."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "As Yarimiel entered the courtyard and made her presence known, Jack immediatly began inspecting her appearance without the need of actually looking with his own eyes towards her direction and simply continued staring at his cellphone, yet, even with such an ability, he was for some reason unable to properly focus on said person, constantly switching from his previous thoughts to the stranger that had just appeared, back and forth and so on.\n\nRegardless of this odd effect that he had never felt before, he still managed to vaguely inspect her, and due to the vague inspection, he found only a few noticeable anomalies such as how pale she was, but it is exactly because of his sudden slight confusion as to why he cannot properly focus on her that made him pay no mind to such aspects. Feeling like it *Might* Be a good idea, Jack thought on starting a conversation with the odd looking stranger in the middle of the night.\n\n\"Hello there.\" He managed to say towards Yarimiel after looking up from his cellphone, which he keeps hold of."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "The girl looked up as she saw someone stand up at the edge of her vision, and immediately made eye contact with the boy as he came over, even if he didn't bother to look at her directly, a simple habit. Once he had come over, she flicked the flower away and immediately ignored it. \"Hello?\" The smile on her face had reduced a bit but still showed teeth as her head tilted to the side a bit, but her eyes had gone blank, the right one half-closed while the other one opened up a bit more, revealing their true size, and in the center of the huge black irises lay pinpoint white dots that had their own iridescence but emitted no notable glow onto their surroundings. Her hand was still raised, but now it was held near her chest. She examined his face, and as Jack examined her, he could now focus on her far easier, able to keep her in his mind without issue. If he could get a good look at her face, not only would he note the massive dark circles around her eyes, but also the subcutaneous vasculation, but it wasn't blue or red, it was instead a deep black, easily notable against her pale, ghoulish skin, also visible on her eyelids and even on her neck if he bothered to take a closer look. All in all, she didn't quite look human, but definitely had very human traits, she was comparable to a living porcelain doll, due to her overall physicality, except her hands, which were blocky and large, having the proportions of a male hand rather than a female's, having thick, bony fingers and large knuckles as if chiseled to crush."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Upon further inspection, Jack took a couple of seconds to realize who he was actually interacting with. His confusion wasalmost gone as he somehow began having better focus at the stranger, only for it to return in the form of slight concern for her appearance. It wasn't entirely clear if Jack was talking to a human or something else, as he has never actually seen such thing before. Regardless, he keeps an overall relaxed expression, along with a small smile on his face, and since he was here, he decided to continue and see what comes out of this interaction.\n\n\"Sorry to interrupt what you were doing.. I just wanted to talk with someone after I arrived to this place.\" He spoke with honesty, even if he was slightly accustomed to being alone, he had his limits as well.\n\n\"I am Jack, as I said before I pretty much just recently got here, sort of.. However, leaving that aside for a moment, it is nice to meet you.\" He says as he stretches his arm for a handshake."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She kept staring at him, but after a few moments looked back at his eyes directly. \"I wasn't doing much anyway, but alright.\" She paused when he spoke again, and answered quickly, \"Yes, I had arrived here recently too, I'd say about two days ago, I'm still getting used to the place because it's so darn big, but so far the one person I met was nice.\" Her head returned to normal orientation soon enough, and she looked down at his hand, pausing for about a second and looking to the side a bit before saying \"*Ah, verdad*, nice to meet you, too.\" She had thought out loud in Spanish briefly before returning to English. After that, she shook his hand, but she had a rather weak grip as well as her hand being surprisingly cold even at the dead of night."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "\"Oh, that's actually quite nice.\" Jack said as the handshake was over and he returned from looking at the handshake towards her again. Due to the surprisingly cold hand of Yarimiel, he thought that it is possible for her to not br human, but for the sake of not annoying anyone he simply shrugged the thought off, as it is also possible for other people to be just as surprising as she was for him.\n\nAnd back on the conversation, Jack was once again slightly surprised by the spanish words that Yarimiel had thought out loud. \"Oh, wait a second, *Tu tambien sabes* Spanish?\" Jack spoke and intentionally mixed the sentence with Spanish, and at the same time, he thought that the idea of having a comrade that can speak Spanish was quite interesting to him, if not, exciting as well."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She nodded to his response. Kept it simple. She noticed how he seemed to be a bit lost in thought, not for too long, but it was something she definitely picked up on over her life, looking all strange and acting all weird as she does by default.\n\"*Sí*, yeah. From *Puerto Rico*.\" Her spanish was quick and omitted certain letters and was overall spoken like a slightly lazier yet faster form of it. \"*¿Y tú de donde tu eres, aqui de Europa o de las Américas?*\" It was fluent, just like her english."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "\"Indeed, *Vengo desde america del sur. Honestamente es una sorpresa encontrar en este lugar a alguien que tambien pueda hablar Español.*\" Jack replied mostly in spanish, which seemed to be as fluent as his english was. Along with that he had a smile on his face from meeting someone who was able to fluently speak in spanish just like he can.\nThat being said, Jack was more than up to get to know this person better, mostly and possibly solely because she speaks Spanish."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"¿De donde del sur? Y si, exacto, igual de sorpresa para mi, como estoy por, eh, no se como decir *Sweden*, peeo yeah, no lo esperaba aqui. Pero si eso es el caso, me imagino que este es el único lugar de este tipo en el mundo, rehabilitación de niños empoderados.\" She looked around out of curiosity, but stayed in the same spot to signify that the conversation was still going and that she was still listening. She spotted a cat in the distance against some backlight, but didn't make an effort to get to it, she just stared at it, and the cat stared back, and they remained like this for a few more seconds before she looked away and it did too, walking away quickly after. She was also absorbed into it once she looked back, and kept the small smile on her face, although, after realization, it would be a bit hard to believe that someone this pale could live comfortably in such a place."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "\"Verdad? Es ligeramente inquietante como logran detectarnos y transportarnos desde tan lejos, bueno, casi todos. Conozco a algunas personas que seguramente podrian evadir su 'captura', pero supongo que en la mayoria de los casos es lo mismo para cualquier persona naturalmente poderosa o sigilosa.\" Jack would state as he maintained his eyes on Yarimiel, however, due to one of his powers he was also capable of seeing what she was previously staring at, which was the cat, without the need of looking towards that direction with his eyes. Regardless, he decided to not talk about so as to not reveal his power.\n\n\"Ah, casi me olvido. Mas especificamente, vengo de Argentina.\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"No me da problema a mi, me dió escape de mi vida en la isla. Prefiero estar aqui.\" She then asked him the question that gave her the most curiosity about him as, frankly, Jack looked pretty unremarkable. \"So, what's your power? I feel like yours is pretty interesting, you just give me that vibe.\" Her gaze had not wavered from him after the event with that cat, yet her face remained blank. \"What even got you here? I assume you get here like you do with prison, but instead of crime it's like, uhh, like, making your powers obvious. Like I did, when I nearly attacked my parents but ran away instead in the dead of night.\" She formed a small smile at the end and waited for his answer."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack, who has been trying to hide his powers up until now pretty much decided to give up hiding it, he felt like it would not be a big deal anyways considering there are so many other people with different and possibly surprising shenanigans. Shrugging the thought off, he speaks once again. \"Well, it is hard to put into words what I can do but let me give it a try..\" He says as he pauses for a bit to grab something within his jacket, it was a small writing notebook. He flipped some pages before stopping to read one in particular. \"I have a 360 point of view, basically vision all around me.. I can also temporarily make no sound whatsoever with what I do, and lastly..\" He flips the page once again before looking back at her. \"I am capable of communicating with others with telepathy and the other way around.\" He finishes speaking as he puts the notebook back into one of the pockets from within the jacket he was wearing."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She listened closely, and found joy in the answer \"How useful! Mine aren't that useful outside of, well, hurting people, really. I could explain most of them but one of them I can show you.\" She then takes a couple of steps back, and her limbs all lengthen to severe proportions inside of the baggy clothes, which now snugly fit the lanky, enlarged form of the girl. She now looked like something directly out of a horror game or nightmare, twice as tall as a man and with thin, long, skeletal limbs and a horrifying, disfigured face with disembodied eyes, an enlarged mouth and way too many teeth. The creature that the girl trasformed into then put its hands together and would transform back into Yarimiel. \"I don't really know the full extent of my other two abilities but from what they look like, they appear to be a terror-inducing scream thing and a thing that makes you less able to focus on me.\" She shrugged. \"I haven't really seen my powers in action that many times, they only came out when I was angry, but recently I'd learned to control them and now I can transform whenever I feel like it and regularly practice it in my daily life, the other two are very situational, and I can rarely use them without having to enter a scenario where I'd have to fight or flee, or have to hurt or terrify someone.\"\n\n[i know you know but there]"
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack continued to listen to the conversation with a small smile on his face, up to the point where Yarimiel became a thing out of a horror movie. His eyes slightly widened, but despite this he continued to pay attention to what she had to say after showing off her magic capabilities.\nAfter that, Jack took a deep breath and exhaled before before speaking up again, with his expression back to normal and seemingly more interested than before.\n\"First of all: jesus christ, that.. Was awesome, holy..\" He would say with a dumb smile on his face. Most likely, due to how nervous he became at that moment due to the sudden transformation.\n\"Okay, okay. I won't lie, that was sick as hell, you really caught me off guard.\" He says as he calms down, and goes back to his usual expression, his small smile and relaxed expression.\n\"And.. I see. I guess it was because of that the reason as to why I couldn't concentrate very well on your presence earlier.. If I do say so myself, your powers are far more interesting than mine, hell, you even got a good way to defend yourself!\" He would praise with honesty her abilities. After all, Jack does get quite impressed when he meets people with 'powerful' abilities. \n\n\"Oh, right, I forgot to ask something a bit earlier. What's your name?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She found more joy in how her power was perceived, with it being awe instead of fear, to which a genuine smile shines through, the cold, mostly unemotive mask melting away as this occurs. Then her eyes began to well up, notably becoming shinier just before she sniffles and wipes them off with her sleeve, giving herself a few seconds to recover before she calms down again. She spoke once she was better, and apologized under her breath. \"I'm, uh, Yarimiel, and you are?\" She kept wiping her face a few more times and making sure it was clean and didn't have tears or snot all over it from just that, and she had reason to, as her face had gone notably red, completely replacing the blue undertones with a pinkish color, looking more like a peach."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack maintained his smile a bit after saying what he had to say, however, his expression began to turn into a slight concern and worry due to how she began acting. He wonders if he perhaps said something wrong as that seems to be the only reason behind her current expression.\n\"Ah, I believe I did state my name before, but it can be indeed easy to forget in such an interesting conversation. I'm Jack, nice to meet you Yari. Also.. Did something happen? Have I perhaps said something I shouldn't have?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"No, no. I'm fine.\" She wiped her eyes, the emotional shock of the moment, constantly getting ignored and put off easily, never getting recognition for her own accomplishments, always trying to appease her parents and everyone else without success, without any sign of acknowledgement, so muchtime wasted only to get yelled at for laughing too loud, to get yelled at for just being in the way, among many other worse things, and then the complete switch-up, having people appreciate and call your greatest insecurity a good thing, it was a shock to her psyche, as she was quite frankly used to all the bad comments. \"But it *Is* Nice to meet you, Jack.\""
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack.. Could only smile back after a few seconds. He smiled because he realized, on further inspection, that she was previously smiling. He assumed that perhaps she was shocked due to the usual reaction of other people at her power, and perhaps, appearance even.\n\n\"Mhm!\" He spoke as he paused a bit to think, because for a moment his mind was completely blank.\n\n\"Oh, by the way Yari, do you have other friends 'round here? I am having some difficulty socializing so, perhaps you could introduce me to one of your friends in the future?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Friends? Huh, lemme see...\" She didn't have to think much, and so far the only person she's spoken to that she wasnxt obligated to speak to was Vance, so sheh guessed he counted. \"This guy named Vance, got stanbed twice in a short time, he should be at the hospital right now...\" She remembered how he also expressed awe, and how she felt sympathy for him. She felt calmer now that she remembered about her short talk with Vance, although she remembered few details from the beginning, as she still has jetlag from going a third of the way around the world and getting used to this new sleep schedule has her feeling unusual at best, like she didn't belong here at all."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack's face expressed no surprise at the revelation of such information, but his smile did fade, while also expressing some concern for her friend. \"Stabbed twice, in a short amount of time..? Sounds dangerous..\" Jack spoke, although his major concern at the time of hearing Yari's comment was, who could possibly be that aggressive to do that? His focus was now on prioritizing who was the most likely to harm others, just so he can avoid interacting with them or, at the very least, avoid causing their wrath. Maybe he could warn newcomers too about who to avoid, should he meet them before they approach dangerous people? There was some stuff to think about, and he can't wait to go all the way to know all that there is to know about this place.. To an extent.\n\n\"Do you perhaps know the name of the person who harmed your friend? How he looked like?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Yeah, I found him like that like, an hour ago?\" She looked away for a second to think. \"Yeah, he was like, bleedin' out an' stuff.\" She didn't have many thoughts on the situation, except that she wanted to harm anyone that hurt Vance. \"No, I don't.\" She would like to, though.\n\n\"I have a question about this place, though. Does everyone get here like this is some sort of mental institution or prison, or do people just apply to be here? If the former, then how'd *You* Get here?\""
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "\"Hm.. I-..\" Jack suddenly stopped talking after being asked the following question, more specifically, about the latter one. Come to think of it, how was it even possible for him to even end up here? Jack does not remember applying for any other school, he was fine in the one he was, and his parents don't seem to be the type to randomly decide on sending him to another country for whatever reason, and so many other reasons that create a conflict as to why he could be here, the most problematic one being.. *How* Did the people in charge of getting him here knew that he had abilities? His powers are simply too hard to notice at first sight, and he never had that many friends, nor used his powers in public or on anyone he did not previously trust before he attained his abilities, let alone use them in a seriously harmful way. He was simply well hidden, but the possibilities were still endless. Only one would be the most plausible as he took into consideration the many potential reasons as to why is he here.\n\n\"I might.. Have been betrayed.\" Jack spoke after a pause, his tone of voice showed his uncertainty about the possibility while looking towards somewhere else but Yarimiel. With a completely different face, one that expressed confusion and concern. \"I.. Never really thought about that too much. Or at least, I believe I might have been avoiding the subject. It is the kind of thing you would only truly think about when you can't sleep at 3 AM.\" Jack spoke as he looked back at Yari. He really didn't want to believe that one of his friends had actually done such thing, but he finds it difficult to find any other reason that is more likely to have happened than the one he previously mentioned. He only hopes he is quite incorrect about everything, and that, at the very least, he only caused a mistake while using one of his powers that gave away his magic capabilities to a complete stranger."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She watched him think, examining his face closely, hey eyes dragging over every detail of his or anything else she noticed as he thought about it. She had no words for him, perferring to not interrupt his thought process, but the conclusion he arrived to out loud intrigued her greatly, her eyes widening a bit, her face taking in an expression of mild concern. \"I mean, yeah, it *Is* Three in the morning.\" She then analyzed the situation and a short, vague conclusion of her own was generated, \"Maybe they were scared of your ability, or they were possibly *Baited* Into ratting you out, are you sure that your friends are that loyal to you that they wouldn't reveal your true capabilities, be it out of fear or some sort of heavy-handed coersion?\" She raises an eyebrow, but it was mostly notable because one of them came down from under the mat of curls and frizz covering most of her forehead. \"I mean, unless you think that one of them might possibly betray you, then the latter option would be plausible.\""
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Despite Jack's current concern and confusion at the current situation, he couldn't help but burst into a short laughter that died down quite quickly before he regained his composure, now smiling from the joke, although the thought still remained to him as he listened to what else she had to say. \"Yeah, you are right. Good one.\" He simply said while smiling, before beginning to analyze with seriousness what she said afterwards.\n\n\"Actually.. I can't exactly explain this to you without making sure no one is listening too. Would you mind if I show you now that ability of mine I talked to you about before?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She laughs too, but its a more muted laugh than Jack's, she found solace in their shortly shared joy, like she could open up a bit more. She tilts her head sideways at the question, and replies with \"Alright, sure.\" She then waited for him to use it, bracing herself mentally and phsysically in case the sudden intrusion gives her a physical reaction. She didn't carr about protecting her mind, since she figured that she couldn't do it well anyway."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack was smiling with excitement due to the fact that it had been a while since he was able to use this again. \"Alright, just try to clear out your mind, you probably don't want me knowing your deepest secrets now.\" He chuckles a bit moments before he tapped the front of her head.\n\n\"**Now, you should think your words and they should reach to me, just like I am doing now.**\" Jack spoke to her via telepathy, and you could tell due to the fact that he was not moving his mouth anymore. He was simply looking at Yari to see if she was capable of pulling it off on the first try."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She looked at him with a blank expression the whole time, and nodded as she then heard hus voice echoing around inside her head, to which she made a face of surprise. \"Oh wow! That's cool!\" She said out loud, but then said \"Oh, right.\" She then tried to focus her words into a full sentence, and then projected it into the forefront of her mind. \"**Can you... Hear this...**\" She seemed to be even more concentrated on Jack than before, her eyebrows going down a bit, her expression looking more neutral and aware instead of blank and thoughtless. Her mental voice was weak, but it was enough to get the message across, she'd get a handle of it as she kept going."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "\"**Nice, nice!**\" Jack spoke with a smile on his face. \"**Not everyone tends to get the hang of this that quick, let alone empty their mind to avoid me knowing some stuff. From now on I can actually start detailing to you about this.**\" He said as he began thinking back on the previous subject\n\n\"**Going back to it.. Ah, yes. Well, I wouldn't need to worry about them being threatened to be harmed, they are awfully strong and sneaky, and I suspect that is how they evaded their capture.. However, it *Could* Be possible they were coerced.. The thing is, it is strange that I wasn't able to notice something odd if that were the case.**\" Upon communicating those words via telepathy, he let out a slight sigh. \"**It seems to be a complicated situation as to how I got here, at least for me. It's not that I mind much though, we will eventually get out of here at some point, or so I hope. Besides, I have a strong feeling my other comrades will be fine, so for now I should be optimistic about my current situation, it has always been like that.**\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"**I'm using- most of my entire- willpower. I- don't care- what you find.**\" While he thought to himself, the whispers of yari's mostly supressed subconscious creeped through, and she only stared at him blankly with a smile, and considering thos face, it was pretty evident just how much of her focus was dedicated to supressing her own mind from yelling into his, since that's how she figured it worked for him, considering her introduction to this power of his.\n\n\"**Yeah, they're probably fine, as for you, I have little to no idea, you seem to be okay so far, but what your future holds is somrthing yet to be seen... Why the hell did I get so cryptic, now I'm hung-**\" Just as she was going to complain about her unending hunger, her mind began to race again and it turned from a calm voice to the chatter of an entire building condensed into one person. She then looked around, and they silenced for a bit, before she went \"**What was I doing again? Oh right, ye- wait no, I wasn't doing anything I was just listening to him talk abo-**\" The cacophany continues."
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "\"**Oh, oh sheesh. Hold on, since the personal chatter is over it may be better to go back to speaking normally.**\" He says, concerned mostly about Yari who looked like she was going to lose focus, although for him it was rather a curious thing what he heard the moment she began to actually lose control of it. Immediately after sending that last message to Yarimiel via telepathy, he cuts off the connection, the two no longer being able to actually hear each other's thoughts.\n\n\"Don't worry, I don't think there is anything else of me to know anyways, so we can go back to speaking like usual, it's easier for both of us this way.\" He calmly spoke with a smile. Truly, using this power was something Jack missed doing long ago, hopefully he gets to do it more often with other people too. \n\n\"By the way, you don't need to answer this question but.. Why did you wanted to escape from your usual life? Was it like.. Something inconvenient happened to you over there? Perhaps people were afraid of your power?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She remains silent the entire time, simply staring at him again, no longer having to wrangle her consciousness into submission. She had nothing to say, and didn't necessarily care to comment this time. Although, when barraged with questions, she seemed to snap out of whatever daze she was in, the white points in her eyes visubly sparkling and shimmering a slight bit, almost like a star in the sky, before that stopped and she actually focused onto Jack. \"No problem. I will. I wanted to escape because... My parents were, uh, let's just say they were garbage parents and human beings and I wish nothing more than to flay them alive about half of the time, and naturally, yes,people had more severe reactions than yours. Yours was mild compared to what most others have done in reaction to this power. I said it with the last guy, they only see the 'what if' in my power, the possibilities, especially the harmful ones, like ''what if she lost control,' shit like that.\""
},
{
"author": "awarkey",
"message": "Jack felt awe for her, mainly due to the fact that he has a slight understanding for people who are treated as freaks, after all, there was a time where Jack had also been treated as such, but he could only consider that to be fair given who they are now, who they became. \"Hm, yeah, I do get what you mean. I believe the rest of us are also treated similarly, given the nature of our capabilities.\" He says, while also thinking that there wasn't a doubt most people would react as such. It isn't an everyday thing to see a normal human turn into a monster-like tall creature with horrifying traits that seem to be out of a horror movie.\n\n\"Well.. And what will you do after you get out of here? At some point we will earn our freedom, so assuming they would just transport you back to Puerto Rico once you become more stable, what would you end up doing when you go back to where you were?\""
}
] | 171 | 6,378 |
214.866667 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "*Sch!K!*\n\n*Sch!K!*\n\nThe shovel which Malus held was scooping up wet soil from the forest floor where he stood near a 4 foot deep hole. It made occasional clangs from striking stone and pebbles when he dug further. \n\nResting beside a growing hill of dirt was a large form wrapped in old sheets. It was died up by cheap twine to keep it neatly held together. It appeared to be in the shape of some sort of creature bound by cloth.\n\nA thin veil of pale fog clouded the woods that have been dampened by last night's rain. It drizzled off and on throughout the day, making the humidity spike in the area. This particular place had rock mounds and make-shift crosses that all had wildflowers placed there. \n\nMalus wore a yellow raincoat with its hood covering over his \"Grave Crew\" Hat, which compliments his white mask. The top sides of his jeans are smeared in mud with pieces of leaf and grass sticking to it. He continued to dig until he felt that it's good enough for the new corpse.\n\nHe embedded the shovel inside the dirt pile before he kicked the wrapped body rolling into the pit.\n\nThump!\n\nThen grabbing hold of his shovel once more, the masked kid begins shifting the dirt over the dead deer that is inside the deep hole. At least a creature of these woods is able to get a proper burial."
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "I'll get to this I promise, just dealing with a lot"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "It's ok, thanks for letting me know."
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "Sam wandered into the woods, having decided that his one class for today was quite a lot of work, and that he really needed a break. He had figured a hike might be the solution, keyword there being *Had.* That was before he saw some stranger burying a deer ahead of him. That was probably a pretty strong sign to run. The next one would probably be that the stranger seemed to know what they were doing. Perhaps Sam had just watched too many movies, but he could think of quite a few murders that started or ended that way. Maybe, if he stayed quite and ran now, Sam could make sure that *He* Wasn't the next body to go into a hole. However, Sam would make a classic mistake found in many variable-budget horror movies, deciding that the next action should be further investigation. Surely, the stranger must be friendly... Right? They certainly wouldn't allow outsiders to get those close to campus, given the security threat that such an event would pose. Forcing down the last bit of both reason and doubt that he said, he would approach the unknown individual, glancing between them and the burial. \n\n\"What... Exactly are you doing?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The voice paused his actions for a second as Malus slowly glanced over toward the stranger standing alone. The question itself felt kind of stale to what he was doing was obvious; giving a dead animal a proper burial. \n\nThe pale Kodama-looking mask stood out the most from beneath the yellow hood of his raincoat. A small fog puffed from the dark hole where the mouth of the veil. \n\nHe implanted the spade of the shovel into the dirt pile as he begins to do signing with his hands as if to say,*\"Please give me one moment.\"* \n\nThen he fished out the small black board and white chalk to write a sign for the other to read in a perfectly neat, readable message. *\"Burying a dead creature. What are you doing here at the burial site?\"*\n\nThere was a nasty, visible scar slashed across his throat where it appeared to have been operated on before. A clear sign that this kid is a mute by a simple look at the old injury.\n\nAll around the short boy stood signs of makeshift crosses, burial rock mounds and some headstones that he had made in art class. It appeared that Malus is some sort of keeper with the bold letters on his hat saying,**\"Grave Crew\"** On its front panel.\n\nMalus was patiently waiting for the other's reply while he stood there with his gloved hands resting on his hips. These were his grounds which made him feel more responsible for this section of the woods."
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "Sam stared at the kid as if he were trying to judge whether to run away in terror or go on a rant about why this was a terrible idea. He eventually settled on some hybrid of the two.\n\n\"Wha- why- how-\nWhy are you burying a deer in the middle of the woods? That seems really unwise. First off, why are you even handling dead deer? Is this a sacrifice of some sort? Are you a serial killer or something?\" \n\nIt seems like Sam's mind is jumping to the worst possible conclusions as he backs up out of shovel range, looking concerned and perhaps a bit afraid. ~~If you ask this narrator, this is all a bit scary, but this narrator also just got handed a sign saying to stick to the script.~~\n\nSam would continue rattle of questions, obviously still caught off guard by the sight.\n\n\"Why would you even bury a deer? We have animals that eat the remnants, no intervention required. Also, that's a lot of handling a deer corpse. This is how we're all going to get CWD. I feel like I should tell someone about this before something bad happens.\"\n\nSam would start to turn to leave, disturbed by seeing a random kid burying a dead deer, mildly concerned for the health and well-being of both of them, and having decided maybe these woods just aren't the best places for walks if stuff like this is going to happen."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The sputter of so many questions overwhelmed Malus until he starts getting annoyed. He couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes. With his speaking disability, Malus can't answer all of them. This person seem to be a new kid from the intranet. Usually he glance at the text but he doesn't bother texting. The place is so vanilla and boring.\n\nMalus begins to write on the black board, deciding to be be more forward with this kid. *\"Would you shut up? I'm just burying an animal to prevent disease from spreading, If you feel like telling someone, be my guess.\"* Malus sassily twirl his hand for him to go.\n\nHe was waiting for them to answer, now looking a bit annoyed. After feeling like the kid finish reading, he begins writing again. *\"Well, I want to get back to work. You think I'm weird anyways by the way how you acted.\"*"
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "Sam seems a bit taken aback, but he would decided to stay, more curious than anything at this point. \n\"Sorry, I'm a bit jumpy from all the caffeine, I've had over a gram at this point. I don't think you're *That* Weird, it was just a bit of a shock at first.\"\n\nHe looked into the hole, his curiosity getting the better of him. He stepped slightly closer, until he nearly fell into the hole, stumbling as he regained his footing. \n\n\"I think we got off on the wrong foo-\nSam would slip again, this time much slower to regain his footing. \n\n\"I'm Sam, who are you?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Finding this Sam person to be an oddity with the sudden change of attitude, Malus stated at him judging my. His hands begin to move swiftly as he neatly writes on the black board again.\n\n*\"Malus, former grave keeper's assistant.\"* The message displayed after he turned it for the other to read. Well, waited after the creature nearly fell into the hole.\n\nIt was apparent that he was waiting to see what else this punk is about to do. Waiting for them to read the board before wiping it clean with the side of his hand. Then returning to write a new message on the board. *\"Its just a dead creature that a kid recently killed. Oliver usually pick up messes after what the students or outsiders made. I'm doing this out of habit from my old job. I don't like finding things like this making it stink in the woods near the school grounds.\"\"*"
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "Sam would seem to be significantly more relaxed now. Even if that was just an alibi, if the stranger really wanted to kill Sam, he probably would have done it by now. Unless he's one of those killers that goes on trying to form some weird relationship with their victim first, or tells them their big evil plan. Yikes. He was still clearly on edge, suspicious of how a random kid gets this job, and who Oliver was. And what does former mean? Does that mean former assistant to the existing gravekeeper, as in he was fired, or assistant to the former gravekeeper, as in something happened to them. \n\nClearly on edge, and feeling out of great options, Sam would just sorta surrender, holding up his hands to show he was unarmed. Hopefully, that wasn't an invitation for this creepy guy to kill him"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "There was a hollowed sigh from Malus.\n\nThere's probably no way to concern the kid that he's not some serial killer or whatever in these woods. All he did was pick up his shovel and started shoveling the dirt over onto the dead animal. \n\nIt was a rather big dirt pile that started to get smaller by each passing moment until it's all gone. Malus was a persistent kid, not bothering to take a break until he was finished. It didn't take him that long to get the hole covered completely. Now he just sling the shovel onto his shoulder where he walks by a large, twisted oak tree where he sits down on a fallen long. Setting the shovel down next to him, it leaned against the rough bark of the tree. \n\nMalus sets his work gloves aside on the log, he begins rummaging through his backpack to pull out a water bottle. He pushed the mask upward to reveal his lower face, appearing quite young and showing disfigurement. Malus takes a sip of his water to help ease the itch in his scarred throat.\n\nWith Sam appearing like a skittish prey animal, it was reminding Malus of how much he needed vitality. Draining some life from him would help relieve some of the hunger but he restrained himself from doing anything rash. There was a contemplating look from Malus, staring off at Sam before returning his attention to the water bottle.\n\nHe takes more sips of it before screwing the cap right now on and then putting the object back into the bag. \n\nZIP!\n\nThe backpack is now zipped closed where it sat next to him back the shovel. The young kid takes out his notepad and pen to start writing a message again. He sort of forgot about lowering his mask while he wrote in neat letters on the paper.\n\n*\"Do you often hang out on the Intranet? You're new, so I assume you might be the Mist guy? There's a lot of similar names in Newton Cradle, so I am unsure.\"*"
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "Sam was still considering whether or not he should stay or run for his life. Unless Malus really was settling in for the long game before killing him, he was problem fine, but still, something about the whole situation left him creeped out and uneasy. He was still pretty sure it wasn't exactly normal to just be burying animals in the woods, but then again, nothing here was normal. Doubt aside, there was another problem. Even if malus *Is* A serial killer and Sam needed to run, he had gotten himself lost and didn't have a clue where to go. Furthermore, it was getting late, and he was losing light. Sam figured that unless he wanted to start a forest fire to keep the path visible, he should consider heading back soon. But that meant either getting help from the stranger or wandering around until something else happened, which could be hours at least. He thought for a moment when malus asked the question, trying to make a final decision as to whether or not he should trust the kid. Eventually, he would decide in favor, but it would still be painfully obvious how uneasy he was. \n\n\"I spend a bit of time there, I guess. I am mist though. I'm having a bit of a hard time keeping track of some of the new people myself, think we got a new one today?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "He decided to switch the notepad for his cellphone to have the A.I read his text message. Sometimes he kinda wished that people knew sign language. \n\n*\"What's wrong? Is this not adventurous enough for you to keep from boredom?\"* Somehow the bot on his phone sounded a lot more sarcastic than it should. The way it pronounced it sort of made him a little taken back by it. \n\nEven if Malus was a serial killer it wouldn't be a normal kind of hunt that would make it difficult for the authorities to investigate. Sam sure looks like a nice juicy steak full of vitality that he wants so bad. He had enough composure to win against his temptations. Talking to the person helps plenty to cause him to gradually lose his appetite. \n\n*\"You really have to be more careful when talking on the intranet. Especially when you want to plan on escaping, it's monitored by the feds.\"* The robot read out his text in a more normal tone now. *\"I don't bother using it but it's a good place to see what's going on in the chat.\"*\n\nMalus slings the backpack on before grabbing the shovel in his left hand, using his free one to hold and text on the phone. *\"It is getting late. You're a newbie so we don't want the teachers to get worried. There's a shortcut that leads to the main path that would take you back to the school.\"*\n\nHe simply walked past Sam by several feet before pausing in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting the new kid to follow. *\"There's going to be nocturnal kids from Cradle who are much scarier than me. I'm just a small fry compared to them. So please follow unless you want to engage in their mischief.\"* \n\nMalus begins walking ahead."
},
{
"author": "sane_colors",
"message": "This I'm getting to shortly\n\nSam stayed put for a moment, seriously considering staying to see what this nocturnal mischief was all about. Sure, even malus scared him, and he still didn't have a good enough grip on his ability to effectively defend himself from the more experienced residents, but hey, maybe it would be fun. Maybe, malus is exaggerating the threat and it's really just going to be a giant party. And sure, he was new, but teachers? Worried? This place was a prison, he couldn't imagine the teachers gave much of a damn about some barely human like him. Besides, if these kids were such a threat, surely the teachers wouldn't risk their safety for him. To Sam, this mischief actually sounded... Pretty good, perhaps it would be an escape from the monotonous prison-like life of this place, at least for a few hours. With that, another moment passed. Then another. It would become apparent that if Sam hadn't already made the decision to stay, then he was at least deeply considering it."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Malus doesn't mind read or can see into Sam's inner monologuing. He's leaving Sam behind heading back to the school not wanting to be out here to deal with other mischief. If he truly needed vitality he would have just drained Sam's life. Right now he's not too sure what to feel about him. A part him just automatically don't like him as much. It's a feeling that he can't help for now until next time they meet again. Malus's lantern grew fainter with him as he leaves Sam alone in the darkness."
}
] | 218 | 3,223 |
138.5625 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "The time was a crisp 9:25pm. Ares was currently stretching out his arms and legs, taking the time to thoroughly give himself a break. The boy had spent more than an hour in the training room, relentlessly beating the shit out of the school provided punching bag— but there was something unfulfilling about it. \n\nAres had been suffering from an *Itch* Over the past couple months; an itch to punch something that could punch back. A proper fight. With the fact Ares was basically a superhero, powers and all, it was greatly unfortunate that he hadn't squashed any *Bad guys* Aside from that angel that one time. \n\nNow, Owen wasn't any type of genuine opponent, but he could be a *Friendly opponent.* Which is exactly what Ares thought when he texted the ginger, and offered a lovely way to spend an evening. \n\nA *Brotherly brawl.* Ares promised to go easy, even though he wouldn't."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen had... Some idea what had gotten into Ares when he got the invitation to come down to the training area to, in no uncertain terms, whale on each other for fun. He was more excited than he thought he'd be—perhaps just the happy flutters from being recognized as a worthy opponent—but Owen was certain that when his friend said he was going easy on him, he was in *Fact* Full of shit. \n\nSo, better make sure his hair stayed tied. Probably also best to put a shirt on. *What does one even* Wear *When the walking personification of Halloween night wants to fight you??* He experimentally spread his shield over his shoulders as he fiddled with everything that probably didn't matter, satisfied at last when his long, flowing, vibrant red liability passed the shake test.\n\nHe wasn't *Against* A friendly brawl. Every rock that had ever felt his footsteps knew he had something to prove, and all the trees around the Cradle knew he might certainly be capable...\n\nSomehow, Owen managed to make it down the stairs before the anxiety meds wore off, with a reassuring enough burn in his muscles. \n\n\"***OI!!!***\"\n\nA new challenger approaches. He desperately looks like he needs something to do with his hands."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "As Owen walked into the room Ares gave a loud drawn out 'AAAYYYYEEE' sound. He extended his hand out for Owen to grab, so he could pull him into one of those half hugs that Ares did all the time. \n\n\"Congratulations for making it here alive.\" He teased. \n\n\"Are you prepared or do wanna stretch a little first, grandpa?\" \nWith a snicker, the taller boy cracked each of his knuckles. A satisfying pop ringing out for each finger."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Hitting Ares' chest with an *\"Oof\"*, Owen squeezed his hand with a threatening (he hoped) flare of heat rushing from his palm. \n\n\"Looking to fix that, butt?\" His nervous grin made him look far too excited. \n\n\"Who are you calling grandpa? You just can't *Wait* To tear into me,\" He teased, waggling his eyebrows while giving his back a good stretch. Under the layer of padding that kept him warm all winter coiled some impressive muscle that he used to race himself up trees. Not as practiced as Ares', but worthy. He hoped. \"I'm blushing, really. Is this the least convoluted excuse you had to dramatically blast my shirt off?\"\n\nOkay, he had to stop there. He didn't want to deserve a firework to the face *Too* Much. *Should he have worn earplugs?*"
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares barked his usual hyena-like cackle at Owen's attempted flirting. This was going to be *Fun*\n\nThe idea of Ares dramatically burning off his friend's shirt made him snicker. \n\"Oh, you say that like I know you haven't been dreaming of it.\" \nThe boy teased with an eye roll. What a lovely way to start a fight. \n\n\"Cmon then,\" Ares cocked his head towards the wide open area in the training room. The basement gave them plently of space. \n\nHe positioned himself a decent distance away from Owen, and stared at the one across from him. A wild energy was burning behind his eyes, and a looseness to his limbs. \n\nThey waited to see who had the guts to strike first."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "A moment of focus brought that familiar singing to the underside of his flesh; it rooted in his guts, his ballad of unbreakability. He felt it in every step he took after Ares. \n\nOwen took much the same approach to a fighting stance as he did one for singing; low, powerful, drawn around his hands. He was smaller, but flexible, and could guard places he couldn't see. The redhead's pulse rushed in his ears, his irises flashing a low but fiercely burning red. Ought he brace for impact, or be crazy enough to rush into this madman's comfort zone of doom?"
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "B2 Finesse for Initiative"
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Ares was loading his opening blow just a moment too long for Owen. First order of business: knock some of the wind out of him? He might have an upper hand there, if he could hit him in the stomach like a bag of rocks, lay into him with something that would linger. That, and it was a shorter trip to his stomach than his face. \n\nThe next best thing to a bag of rocks that Owen had at his disposal was a fist encased in crystallized fury. With a spark of lunacy in his wide eyes, he aimed it swiftly at Ares' guts."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "*-3 Damage to Ares.*\n\nAres felt the blow clean in his stomach, it made him scoff with a forced exhale. The hardness of the others shield making it hurt all the more. \n\n\"Going,\" Breath, \"Right for it then,\" The taller boy spoke through gritted teeth. \n\nIn seconds, Ares punched back, aiming vaguely around Owen's chest and attempting to avoid his face. Something to knock him a few steps back.\n\n*-3 damage to Owen.*\n\nAres' right hook punch landed against Owen's shoulder, knocking him a few paces back. \n\n\"You got a kick in you.\" Ares said, still reeling from the pain in his gut, proud of his friend for making the first blow."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen had barely a split-second to register the grunt denoting his success before taking a rocket to the shoulder, disturbingly close to the old break in his collarbone. *A weakness he should have taken better care to guard...* He loosed an undignified grunt. The raggedness added to his voice was clearly no indication of a lack of power. He had been dealt many a nasty blow by good old gravity, but this was something else—the last time someone had swung at him proper, neither party had much power to speak of.\n\n\"Wouldya like one of those next?\" He wheezed, circling his bad shoulder. No sickening crunching. \n\nHe aimed another strike, launched at the cluster of nerves around Ares' right shoulder, partly in retribution for the hit he had just taken. The heat around his fists was getting higher, but Owen was yet unaware—he only increased the size of the force field a little, which would at the very least leave a nastier bruise."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "B2 oh noe don't hurt me"
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen strikes mostly true, launching his left hand upward and making contact with unprotected bone—he slipped a bit off target, but that still hurt Ares much more than it did Owen's knuckles, blunted but harsh without the give of skin."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares felt Owen strike back, which made Ares grunt suddenly. *Ouch!! Damn!!*\n\nAfter a quick stumble, he regained his balance. Quickly moving about five quick steps back, creating distance, the taller boy smirked. \n\n\"You've definitely gotten better at this, but isn't it unfair you've basically got brass knuckles on?\" Ares snickered, despite the lingering pain in his shoulder and stomach.\n\"I'm punching you with my bare hands, like a man.\"\n\nDespite his taunting, Ares could respect how much that fucking *Hurt.* \n\nAs he stood, he felt a heat pool in his palms, but this time it was a different kind of heat.\n\nG1 oooohhh hotbox this mf\n\nNothing came out of Ares' hands, despite the fact he really wanted to create some kind of distraction. Perhaps it was due to the fact he had not detonated any explosion prior to his attempt to summon smoke, he wasn't sure. \n\nAres stretched out his neck, and readied to take another attack."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"*You* Said you wanted to train your powers today too,\" Owen retorted, face burning. Ares sure hit like he was made of rocks, but their footing was clearly uneven. This was a superhero battle, wasn't it?\n\nOwen willed the crystalline red over his arm to bloom, with a visceral crackling sound, into a more sizeable shield, moving to rush it at Ares' chest; more of a taunt than a proper attack.\n\n\"Have at thee!\"\n\nG2 pretty please work\n\n*Thump*. Ares is hit by a decent wall of force, but nothing intended to injure. Owen is less built for offence, and it shows against the hits Ares is typically bracing to take."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares once again took a hit dead in the centre of his chest. *Alright, now that one hurt more than the last two.*\n\nClearly, whatever aversion Ares had to using his powers, was going to have to be overcome. Owen had the upper hand, and Ares was losing. \n\nOnce again, moving back from the attack, Ares created a solid distance between the two. He then, felt proper heat pool into his palms. Staring at a spot on the floor, right in front of Owen, Ares steadied his breath. He wouldn't hit him, or at least, he would try.\n\nG4 Inferno, Trained + 2 Owen bond points because pretty pls i dont wanna hit him ^^\n\nAres pulled his arm back, and sparks began to pool in his hand. They swirled together, and without hesitation, he threw the white hot ball forward with an unmatched force. Ares prayed that baseball gave him an upperhand in proper aim. \n\nIt landed directly in front of Owen, maybe closer to his feet than Ares initially wanted, and exploded on impact. It created a loud cracking sound, and would definitely knock Owen off balance. As well as, maybe, singe the toes of his shoes."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "B1 Finesse SKEDADDLE"
}
] | 150.5 | 2,217 |
271.090909 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Gabriel Darius Trahan [Link to Patreon] enjoyed his routines. \n\nIt was the one thing that grounded him, despite his time spent in Nowhere, Sweden. Wake up early, do his daily affirmations, eat his regularly scheduled protein smoothies, and hit the gym before doing work and falling asleep. Like clockwork, he'd muse to himself. An actor must follow their stage directions, lest the production be affected. \n\nThe show must go on, and despite how *Little* He wanted to get out of bed, Gabe was at the gym. \n\n*Maybe after this, I'll bother Matti or Audrey. Maybe Hatzume or Esme? It depends who's around.* He thought to himself, entering the sterile-smelling gym and performing some stretches absentmindedly. \n\nDespite his psychopathic behavior of *Working out without music*, he missed the residents of the Cradle dearly. Gabe had his routine, and yet... Something still felt missing. A hole in his stomach that only grew wider with each passing day spent waking up to an empty room and the sound of silence. \n\nHe pulled at the strap of his grey tank-top and fiddled with the hem of his black shorts, the sudden intrusive thought making Gabriel take his nervous energy out on the offending pieces of clothing. \n\n*Channel that into your workout*, a voice that sounded suspiciously like his dad barked, and he reached for a dumbbell."
},
{
"author": "ewkaiju",
"message": "Guts didn't normally follow routines. Not unless they were on a job, but that was less of a routine and more of a plan. The life of a thief was one that remains spontaneous, even if you get caught, and those habits never really leave. Not like they wanted them to, of course. One of these habits was wandering. Guts needed a layout of where they are. The best way is to wander around — it looks natural and raises no suspicions, plus they can take their time and enjoy the sights! A real win for them.\n\nThey frequently wander the facility they had been put into not long ago. It was kind of daunting to them, and quite honestly, this place kind of scared them, so it was less of a method to map the place and more of a coping mechanism. It was better than pacing their room, which they had been doing more than they'd like to admit, despite the nice stack of books next to their bed that were meant to keep them company. Guts just didn't feel like reading, and they *Really* Couldn't sit still. So they decided to wander. They walk aimlessly through halls, steps surprisingly quiet as they peek into rooms and take some time in others. In the back of their mind, they wondered where others spend most of their time, half-expecting to run into someone, but not seeing anyone until they found the gym.\n\nGuts peeks into the room, hair falling into their face as they scanned the area, not even noticing Gabe at first. Absentmindedly, they walked into the space, only noticing Gabe after they trip on a mat, a quick yelp of surprise leaving them before they look around to make sure no one was there, only to see Gabe. Where did he come from? Did they *Seriously* Just miss him in their glance over? This was embarrassing, but at least they didn't fall on their ass. Ugh.\n\n\"Sorry, I tripped,\" They gestured at the mat, laughing it off nervously, \"I was just looking around!\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "I am writing. Soon.\n\n*Oh, a new person—* The absentminded thought is interrupted by the sound of said new person falling square on their face, and their sheepish excuse. \n\n*A newbie. I don't think I've seen this person around here, before... Might explain why they're acting like an idiot.* \n\n Still, Gabe smiles, placing his dumbbells on the ground and reaching for Guts' wrist, pulling the other up in one swift motion. \n\n\"Don't worry, I gotcha.\" He winks. \"You're lucky it's not right after dinner. Most people come in before then to work off all the guilty calories that haunt 'em. Lot more people would've seen that.\" \n\nIt seems Gabe was taking his break now— it was for the best, considering the muscles screaming at him. He probably should have stopped long before, but the temptation of *Just one more rep* Possessed a silver tongue, and Gabe never refused the call of more work to be done. \n\nHe plops down on a bench, and takes a swig of his plastic water bottle, droplets of water dribbling down his neck and mixing with his sweat. Half of the bottle disappears before Gabe pulls away with a satisfied sigh, the water feeling almost like ichor after the workout. \n\n\"You're new.\" He states, setting the bottle by his foot. \"If you were looking for a workout, you would've come with better shoes and clothes, so... That means you're new, yeah?\" Gabe runs a hand through his hair, pushing back the wave of kinky curls from his forehead. \n\nHis preppy, theater kid side was less evident in the gym, where the parts of himself fueled by vanity and future goals reigned supreme. Still, even here, Gabriel was not *Stupid*, despite looking more like a jock than the honor student self he usually presented."
},
{
"author": "ewkaiju",
"message": "Guts is pulled to their feet and they blink at Gabe, kind of weirdly stunned. It was kind of shocking how little they knew about interacting with people. Is this normal? They had no idea. They shuffled a little awkwardly, another curveball thrown at them when Gabe winked at them. *Is this normal????* \n\n\"I always thought the best time to work out was early morning! It's nicer when its colder!\" Guts half-frowns, genuinely taking time to consider the logistics of the best time to work out. Working out right after eating made sense, but it also didn't? Why do people feel guilty after eating? All questions that would never be answered. They already embarrassed themself enough for the day, especially in front of someone they hadn't even introduced themself to yet. \n\nThey consider sitting down next to Gabe on the bench, but instead decided to take a few steps of adjustment and plop down on the mat in front of him. This guy was the real deal — he actually knows how to work out. Guts would go on runs and do some simple stuff with their dad, but never lifting weights. It seemed intimidating, even with an arm that didn't do as much work. The thief was lost in thought, so much so that they almost lost Gabe's words in the brain fog. \n\nGuts tries to seem just as chill as this new person, but is too energetic, and it shows. Truly a shining moment for them. \n\n\"Uh, yeah, yes! I'm new. It's barely been a week. I just haven't really gotten a clear layout of the place in- you know-\" They have their hands, trying to get their point across in the worst way possible, \"I dunno. I like having the layout in here.\" Guts points at their forehead.\n\n\"I don't really actually work out,\" They laugh again."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I mean, it's *Probably* Better to work out in the morning. But I have energy to burn, and... Well, if I did everything I was supposed to, I wouldn't be here, now would I?\" Gabe laughed a little at his own self deprecating joke (a rarity for him, truly, but perhaps the late night was starting to encroach its way into his brain?) \n\nDamn. This guy was new. Like, *Really new.* A tinge of sympathy tainted Gabriel's face, and familiar older sibling instincts began to stir from where they slumbered. \n\nHonestly, with how everyone at the Cradle was, it seemed like every other day someone needed Gabe to impart his wisdom... \n\n... Although, the warm feeling in his chest quickly contradicted any mock annoyance his internal monologue had. \n\n\"Barely been a week? Man, I feel sorry for you. You got a lot back home, or do you think being here is some sort of extended vacation like everyone else here?\" He swings his legs, facing the other person square on. \n\nHis eyes drifted towards the other's metal arm— *Woah, siiiick...*, said the barest sliver of still-child within Gabe, the part of him that stashed comic books under his bed and broke his collarbone attempting to do a flip on his cousin's trampoline. \n\nAt least working out was easier for the other, he mused. You could concentrate all of your work on one arm. \n\n\"Yeah. I can tell, newbie.\" The other person's arm, on the other hand, looked more like a noodle than anything else. \n\n\"Stand up. I'm *Enlisting you.*\" A wolffish grin accompanied an excited twinkle in Gabe's eye as *Something interesting to do* Crossed his path."
},
{
"author": "ewkaiju",
"message": "Guts laughs along, unfortunately relating to the joke. They knew it would be rude to ask, but they did wonder how Gabe got here. They. Wondered if Gabe was thinking the same thing about them. It was silly, but they really didn't know what to do here. They'd never really tried to make friends before (mostly because their dad discouraged it, but also because they never had time to), and the idea of meeting someone mid-workout was kind of intimidating. Gabe could probably beat them up if he wanted to. Not that Guts thought he wanted to beat them up, something about the way he looked at them said otherwise. \n\n\"Back home?\" Guts blinks, almost forgetting that, yeah, it's normal for people to live in one place their whole life. They tilt their head to the side, making a split-second decision: to lie outright or lie by omission.\n\n\"Not really, no, A lot happed before... Well, before I got sent here, but before that I just traveled a lot!\" They laugh, starting to relax a little before continuing. \"I came here from a jail so... Definitely an improvement, but not a vacation!\" Another laugh, trying to cover up the potential severity of their words. It didn't really register to them how concerning coming here from jail sounds, really. Part of the perks of never really talking to people.\n\n\"Wait, enlisting? For working out?\" Surprise crossed their face, and they shook their head, \"I don't wanna slow you down or anything, but if you insist! Just know I haven't a clue on where to start!\" They shift, moving to stand."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Gabe half-tuned the other person out as they began to drone on about their personal life. It seemed like a lot of family baggage that Gabe didn't particularly want to unpack, and it didn't have anything else to do with the other's admittedly cool-looking metal arm. \n\n\"Jail, hmm. I'll have to ask you about it sometime— seems kinda interesting. Don't know how someone so tiny could survive it, though.\" While he didn't care about the other, not *Really*, it still seemed like an interesting topic. He hummed to himself, mentally toiling over the tiny person in an orange jumpsuit and a comical ball and chain. It was a bit funny, actually... \n\n\"Well, if you wanna start out, you have to *Stretch*, or else you'll tear a muscle.\" Gabriel stretches his back out, a series of satisfying *Pops* Coming from the muscle. \n\n\"We can start with arms— well, *Arm*, I guess. Legs come after.\" Another tuck of a curl behind his ear, and Gabe positions himself in a basic arm stretch, before moving on to touching his toes and other leg stretches. \n\n\"You following me? Tell me what ya wanna work out, too— cardio ain't the same as muscles, you know.\""
},
{
"author": "ewkaiju",
"message": "Guts either does not notice or does not care that Gabe had tuned them out. If anything, they just seemed to like talking, smiling as they did so. Yeah, they're new alright, and they were ready to make some friends. They clearly weren't sure what to do here, fully ready to follow whatever instructions this new person was going to give to them. \n\nPart of them regretted bringing up jail, but at the same time, they thought everyone here had did something to end up here. Clearly this assumption was not correct. Internally, Guts choked up at the idea of even talking about jail beyond its initial mention. They really shouldn't have brought it up. So much for sleeping later! \n\n\"I'm not *That* Small,\" They protest, raising an eyebrow at Gabe, holding themselves back from crossing their arms like a pouting child. They weren't totally sure how they should be feeling about this. They enjoyed being asked about themself, but they felt... Not ignored, but something similar. This new person seems dismissive, and Guts didn't deal well with the feeling that brings. The last thing they needed was to feel ignored.\n\nThe pops make Guts's eye widen, and they immediately try to replicate the stretch, not quite getting the same amount of pops but still feeling them, and they sigh before falling out of that stretch and into the arm one. It was pretty relaxing, honestly, and they hummed, looking over to Gabe again.\n\n\"Yeah, I think I got it!\" They grin, letting their arms fall. \"I don't know what to work out, I never really do this!\" They laugh, trying to ease their own nerves now."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "SORRY I can reply at Wednesday"
},
{
"author": "ewkaiju",
"message": "No worries! Just wanted 2 check in"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Gabe smiled. This person didn't seem that bad, actually. \n\n\"Don't over exert yourself— it's just like this, yeah? Let's do some together.\" After a small, impulsive ruffling of Guts' hair, Gabe grabs two weights from the rack, and works out with Guts into the night, giving the other advice and tips with a smile whenever needed. \n\nIt was a good way to spend the day, he thought. It was relaxing, and... Surprisingly a good break to his routine. \n\nWho knew maybe working out was better with people?\n\n———"
}
] | 342 | 2,982 |
409.454545 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley had learned a lot. They'd been in Newton's Cradle for three years, and had balanced a lot more out, compared to where they'd gotten there. No more charges of felony arson, at least, had been added to their record. And he'd grown comfortable, as one could be in the paranormal and wild landscape of the Cradle. At least now they could read Swedish. \n\nDeep breaths, he told himself. The rec room had become something of a safe space for them - a quiet place towards the back of the campus where they could enjoy their own pace. No one could disturb them here. Not the paranormal, not the bones, none of it.\n\nHe stretched out his arms, taking a deep breath to lift onto their toes. A pirouette here, a plie there - old, familiar routines that he found comfort in, in the deepest part of their bones. \n\nThe light spinning of classical music softly curled into the air, Fin's boney hand clutching the barre with every wobble of their weak ankle. An old injury tweaked their muscle and ligaments with each faulty step - short huffs of frustration burst through their nostrils. They muttered curses in French just under their breath. \n\nFin took a few steps and started a spin, and started into a leap. They hadn't done one in years. But they had to. They had to do this. They *Could*. Stupid Victor, he didn't know what he was talking about-\n\n*\"Fuck!\"*\n\nFin crashed into the hardwood, wincing, rolling onto their back and clutching their bad ankle, a slew of French curses spewing from their lips. Tears welled up in their eyes and they harshly blinked them away. \n\n\"Fucking, fucking *Shit,* Goddamn it—\""
},
{
"author": "midas.chr",
"message": "Anthony was always learning. Always. \nThere was always something to pick up on, to dissect. Whether you'd been in Newton's Cradle for three years, or for three days, you could always gain more information. He, obviously, fell on the latter end of things, being present for such a short amount of time.\nWhat he had in knowledge he lacked in regulation. There was still so much to break down. Split open.\nObserve.\n\nToday, he'd slipped into new territory. He'd only visited the Rec(reational Activities) Room twice before, when creating his ever-expansive map of the campus. He'd stepped in for a few minutes to memorize the layout, then made his way back out to face the rest of it all. Wouldn't have thought he'd end up back here. \nHis dorm was definitely an apt place to spend his time, yes, but he figured he ought to capitalize off of the freedom that the Cradle provided. No small station. No cramped, sterile four walls. \nIt did wonders for the sanity, truly.\n\nHe had plenty to do. He could write. Walk around. Draw. Write some more. \nToday, he figured he'd indulge himself a little. He'd practice his violin.\nHe was always a stellar violinist, but never properly adapted the courage to try and stand out amongst school recitals or performances. Not to mention that when he had been moved to the station, he'd lost any kind of time to hone his skill.\nHis instrument had sat in its case. Collecting dust.\n\nLucky for him, it functioned a lot like riding a bike. You never forgot how to do it.\nAs he rosined his bow, he noticed how slow his cogs were turning. \nNo thoughts to override him. He was comfortably in the 'zone,' as it was colloquially known. This was nice.\nHe had his music positioned on a makeshift stand in front of him, but wasn't likely to put it to much use. He had Tchaikovsky's *Swan Lake, Op. 20* Committed to memory like it was nothing.\n\nHe began to play. Quietly, not pushing the strings to their full volume. Their full potential.\nHe wasn't far into the song before he heard the clatter of someone hitting the hardwood. Muffled swears to follow it.\nHis song halted, and his thoughts picked up speed.\n*Are they okay?*\n*I hope they're okay.*\n*What were they doing? If they're hurt, I'll have to alert staff.*\n\nHe delicately set his violin, bow, and music to the side of the chair he'd been sitting at. Beginning to investigate. \nWhat he saw was a person on their back, in obvious pain, and his brow loosened with concern in tow.\n\n**\"Are you alright?\"** He asked the question clearly, approaching them hestitantly. He didn't want to make anything worse.\nA pause.\n**\"I heard you fall.\"**\n\nHe radiated genuine care. Empathy. As was typical.\n**\"Do you need help to get up?**\n\nHe offered a pale hand out to them. Not demanding them to take it. \nOffering them. Entirely their call.\nTheir choice."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Fin looked up at the figure, strange, and new - a violin set off to one side. Their brows furrowed. They reached out, and took the hand - pale, and cold, similar to their own. He stood up, trying not to grip the hand too hard as he winced to get to his feet. The bad ankle wobbled and shook under their weight, but they grit their teeth, jaw set hard. \n\n*\"Merci,\"* They said. They brushed some bright blue hair from their eyes. \"Thank you. I appreciate it.\"\n\nThey dusted themself off, glancing down at their ankle, just in case. It didn't *Seem* Outwardly hurt - not more than usual, anyway - and sat content in his pointe shoes, left alone. Fin grit their teeth again - it looked so easy. So normal. And here they were, splatting on the floor in front of strangers like a little kid. \n\n\"You must be new,\" They said. They tried to gear the conversation - and their thoughts, in tow - away from the red-hot annoyance under their skin. \"I'm Finley. Nice to meet you.\"\n\nThey certainly didn't recognise the figure.\n\nHis eyes flickered to the violin off to the side and pressed two fingers to their temple. They had no inclination to pick up their own instrument, not anymore. But the figure had been kind enough to stop and help them up, so, at the very least, he could have a decent conversation. Especially if they were new.\n\n\"What's your name, then?\""
},
{
"author": "midas.chr",
"message": "He hoisted this new character up with all the strength he had. He'd noticed his ankle, the apparent cause of the problem, and wasn't about to set that aside. He kept a small fraction of his attention on the appendage; careful to watch in case of a collapse. Making sure to remain prepared for such a thing.\n\nThe French lilt in their voice caught his attention too, a brief thought coming to the surface about how many places Newton's Cradle pulled from. All over the world, it seemed. Intriguing. \nHe nodded in the direction of their pointe shoes, acknowledging them. **\"That's impressive.\"** He said, meaning it with everything he had.\n**\"Ballet is a very gorgeous art form.\"**\nHe paused for a moment, contemplating.\n**\"It takes dedication.\"**\n\nHis mind snapped back out of its own world and back to the conversation at hand. He really had to stop doing that.\nHe saw that he obviously didn't want to discuss his fall, so he wouldn't push it. He'd just remain... Cautious.\nHe gave a quick nod at the comment about his fresh introduction to the place: how new he happened to be.\n**\"Finley.\"** Finley. Finley. Finley Something. \n*Finley. Remember that. Finley the Ballet Boy. Yes.*\n\n**\"How's it go...\"** He muttered. He didn't leave a gap in the conversation before saying;\n**\"Um.. Ravi de te...\"** He paused, getting the words out slowly.\n**\"...Ravi de te rencontrer également?\"** He said the phrase with very little certainty, but he said the phrase nonetheless.\nHe nodded at his eventual success.\n**\"Nice to meet you too.\"** Speaking the translation; just in case he happened to be wrong.\n\nHe was thankful for Finley's willingness to chat. \nAnthony had found himself ACTUALLY wanting to talk ever since his first interaction. Curiosity drives you to do crazy things.\nOr maybe it was just the Cradle. Bringing something out of him.\n\nThen the rehearsed phrase slipped his lips; just as it had before. As it always did.\n**\"My name is Anthony Solace.\"**\nHe had to cut himself before he ritualistically said 'And yours?'. Bad habit.\n\n His eyes drifted about, but he was still entirely focused.\n**\"Do you dance here frequently?\"**"
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Fin, despite their weak ankle (which they on hobbled to sit down on a chair, lowering themself gently), gave a little smile to Anthony's uncertain French. Not many people (besides Uriel, who was as good as family to Fin) spoke French at the Cradle. It was nice. \n\n\"Finley Carlisle,\" He said, a more formal introduction, holding out a hand, lightly dusted with chalk from setting up the barre. \"All my friends call me Fin, though, so, I guess either's fine. Dancing? Um. I don't, um, actually. But I love - *Loved* Dancing. I did it for like, ten years.\"\n\nAny murmurings about how they'd come to quit had fallen silent, along with their shaky posture.\n\nHe reached down for the plastic water bottle down at their side, unscrewing the cap without bothering to look at the Swedish label. Fin still couldn't read the language very well - they could understand it, a bit, from living here for so long.\n\n\"It's a nice studio,\" They admitted, glancing up at the place around sips of water. \"I like the uh, the mirrors, and that sort of thing. They keep it up well. Wouldn't really expect it out of a place like this but, y'know, guess they gotta keep us from going insane somehow.\"\n\nHe sat back in his seat and glanced back over at Anthony. The new kid seemed polite enough - a little stiff, sure, but, nothing too bad. Analytical, maybe, or intelligent. The Cradle had a tendency to draw all sorts of people - Fin had learned that fairly early on. \n\n\"How'd you get here?\"\n\nA fairly forward question, but, they were sure they weren't the first to ask Anthony that - nor would they be the last."
},
{
"author": "midas.chr",
"message": "*Finley Carlisle.* \nThat's more like it. That was a full name, a name to CHEW on. That was a name he could really tie to something.\n\nWhen they held out their hand, he gave it a quick, but firm shake, with unprecedented strength. \nIt wasn't like he was hurting him. It was more like you just... Wouldn't EXPECT someone like him to have any kind of physical prowess, even for a handshake. \nHe proved that sentiment wrong as fast as he could.\n\nAt the proposition of a nickname, he smiled a little. \nAnthony didn't *Have* Friends, to put it lightly. Social ineptitude did that to you.\nHe hadn't called anyone anything less than 'Sir,' 'Ma'am,' or other formal titles in the past whoever-knows-how-long. This was nice.\nHe wasn't even sure if he was ready.\n**\"Yes. Fin.\"** \n\nHe nodded along to their comments, listening closely and blinking in time. Engaging: silently.\n\nHe noticed the tense change and simply filed it away for later use.\nInformation was stored that way.\n**\"That's what I mean.\"** He offered, innocently. **\"Dedication.\"**\n\nHe continued to nod and follow along, as if he were reading them like a book. \nMaybe he was trying to.\n\nHe laughed at the prospect of 'going insane.' \n*It's entirely plausible.*\n*I hate it.* \n\nHe made his way over to sit down properly, taking a seat next to him. Already growing closer.\n\nWhen Fin glanced at him, their eyes met. \nHe studied them.\nHe seemed.. Easygoing. Friendly, even. He clearly had a past to uncover, too.\nEveryone did. Not everyone was so vocal. \nHe watched him.\n\nThen came the million-dollar question. \n*How'd you get here, Anthony?*\n*Oh, god.*\n\nHe went from pale to a slightly flushed pink in a second. \n**\"Well, uh—\"**\nHe fought with himself on how much he should say, the eye contact severing as he was magnetized to the floor.\n\n**\"I worked with a local police station.\"**\nBold start.\n**\"I didn't do anything super important,\"** He said, lying. **\"But it was ability-related.\"**\nHe sighed deeply. \n**\"It messed with me, I guess.\"** Hesitation. An unfamiliar beast. \nOne that devoured him quickly when it got the rare chance.\n\n**\"It messed with me.\"** He said, more concretely, nodding strongly as he spoke.\nHe turned back to face Fin. \n**\"I'm here so that doesn't get worse.\"**\n\n*I'm here so I don't completely lose it.*\n*I'm here so I don't act on the things my brain tells me.*\n*I'm here so I don't become a public danger.* \nThe list carried on within his brain, and all he could do was smile gently."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Fin nodded, slowly, taking the words in. They didn't expect a full story from Anthony - nobody at the Cradle told theirs very often, hell, not even the Deans themselves. So you took what little you were offered and built from there. Fin was sure the only people who *Knew* Him - really, and entirely - were Ares and Owen. \n\nBut that was okay. It just meant he, and the little bit he knew about Anthony so far, could work with that.\n\n\"That's fair,\" They finally said. \"I'm here because I set a school on fire.\"\n\nOnly a bit of a lie. Like, ten percent. Maybe.\n\nThey stretched out in their seat, taking another sip of water, holding up their free hand. Jumping arcs of static leapt from their fingertips, the buzzing sound low in the air. Fin let them trail off before dropping their hand back to their lap.\n\n\"I'm like a fuckin' Jolteon Pokémon, really – you like Pokémon Go, by any shot? There's some great Psychic types over in town.\" \n\nHe started untying his pointe shoes in exchange for a pair of clean socks and some sturdy platform boots.\n\n\"Hope you don't mind – the shoes are just uncomfortable.\""
},
{
"author": "midas.chr",
"message": "It was good that Fin wasn't expecting a full story, because he wasn't going to get one. \nAnthony preferred to keep to himself, always, without *Fail.*\nThe fact that he'd opened up this much, this QUICKLY, was astronomical. \nHe was unsure whether to consider this a prideful growth or something to be ashamed of. Falling back. Losing his edge.\nI mean, his parents always WANTED him to be more sociable. The station wanted him to be less of a freak.\nThis was a good thing, from all perspectives. \nMaybe... Except his own.\n\nBeing so frank and open felt alien. Like it wasn't correct. \nThere was something nice about opening up, sure, but was it HIM? Would ANTHONY speak to a stranger so openly? \nHe didn't know.\n\nHe was quickly pulled from his train of thoughts by the quick nature of Fin's response, the bright and blazing form that their comment took.\nNo pun intended.\nIt was when they said this that he was reminded of how many of his peers were criminals of some sort. Causing some kind of incident. \nAs someone who worked with law enforcement, you'd think he'd look down on such a thing. \nHe didn't. \n\nHe'd caused his own fair share of problems. Hell, he spent his days understanding the psyches of people far worse, and even found himself holding out hope for THEM. *Sympathy* Alongside the empathy.\nThere was no reason to treat the people of Newton's cradle any differently.\n\n**\"I see.\"** He spoke softly, taking it in. Questions bit at his heels as he tried to outrun them — and succeeded for the time being — not saying anything more. \nThen they used their *Ability.* So... CASUALLY! Like it was nothing! \nHe was struck by a pang of envy. Short, but present.\n*I want to be able to show off, too.*\n*I want something people can see. Have their OWN questions about.*\n*I want something that isn't what I have. Anything.*\n\nThen he spoke about Pokémon, of all things, and he had to smile at that. Something so normal amongst people that were anything but.\n**\"I've uh..\"** He cleared his throat. **\"I've never played.\"**\nBig, interested eyes tracked Fin's. **\"You should tell me about it sometime.\"** The classic tactic to keep someone talking. It slipped out before he realized.\n\nWhen they started to slip off their shoes, he gave a small nod. Quietly saying: *Not a problem.*\n**\"Is your ankle okay?\"** A VERY blunt inquiry, one he could hide no longer.\n**\"You don't have to answer that,\"** He added, even though it was clear what he wanted. **\"I'm just worried that being on pointe isn't helping very much.\"** \nMaking a MUCH longer string of thoughts that concise was a skill. There was so much more he could say. That he WANTED to say.\n\nHe left it there, anyway.\nFor now."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Fin looked up at the idea that someone, did not, in fact, play Pokemon. His brows furrowed, and he pulled out his phone, rapidly flickering to an app, as they began to explain (tangentically) the game and how it worked (in somewhat lacking detail). \n\n\"My favorite's the electric types - duh - but my boyfriend likes the fighting types. He's like, convinced the red team is cool.\"\n\nTheir rambling was interrupted - gratefully so, Fin, put your shoes on - by Anthony's question, and they startled. They passed their phone to their side and resumed tying their laces, starting, oddly enough, with their wobbly ankle.\n\n\"It's not great,\" They replied. They almost laughed. The damn thing might not ever recover. \"Dancing really isn't - it's not the best idea, but, my friend Danica and I, we've been kind of getting back into it. Nobody else here does a ton of ballet that I like.\"\nHe made a slight face after he finished, putting something together behind his eyes. He let out a little sigh, and kept tying his shoes."
},
{
"author": "midas.chr",
"message": "He listened to each and every word intently and with purpose. It wasn't incredibly specific, no, but it did the job. Anthony could fill in the blanks. He always liked to fill in the blanks.\nAbsorbing all the words about Gyms, Typology, Evolution.. His mind wandered along the edges of the syllables like a pet following its owner. He was owned by the promise of knowledge. No matter how seemingly trivial.\n\nWhen Fin mentions their boyfriend, he's snapped from one logical trance into another. \n*He has a partner.*\n*Has to be here, doesn't it?*\n*I wonder who.*\n*I wonder if I know them already.*\n*I wonder if I can meet them soon.*\n*I wonder if—*\n\nThen he responded to the question he practically didn't even realize he'd asked. His train of thought changed courses once more.\nHe took note of the name (*Danica.*) for later usage, and looked over Fin as he spoke. Analyzing. Formulating what to say.\n\n**\"Well,\"** He started, cautiously. **\"I'm definitely not a dancer myself.\"**\nHis eyes wandered away. Thoughtful. **\"So I can't say I relate.\"**\nSnapping back. **\"But I appreciate the craft. I think it's magical.\"**\n\nHe paused as he battled with himself on what to follow that with.\n**\"...If you enjoy it, don't stop.\"** He shook his head a little, getting himself back on track. **\"Once your ankle heals, of course.\"**\n\nHe was beyond intrigued. \nHe hadn't forgotten what Finley was here for. Or his interest in the video game. He was itching to scribble down everything he could, and soon.\n\nBut for now, he'd just enjoy the conversation.\nLook at him. *Enjoying* A conversation."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"Thank you,\" Said Finley, quietly. They flexed their sore ankle. *I don't know if it will ever get better*, said the pessimist in the back of their mind. But everything else had. He met Ares. He met Owen. They had a band. That had to count for something. \n\n\"I'm in a band now, though,\" He said, lightening their tone. \"I'm a drummer in a punk rock band. We're called Hysteria - I think we're pretty sick.\"\n\nUnconsciously, Fin started tapping out little beats on their leg, a song he'd been practicing.\n\n\"It's nice to have something to do, you know?\""
}
] | 376 | 4,504 |
115.029412 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "I promise the title is a joke-\n\nTiffany is ready and rearing to go. Decked out in leggings and a sports bra, she's absolutely *Going* At one of the punching bags. Not too hard- she's holding back of course- grinning like a madman.\n\nThe gym is good quality, and maybe she'll find people that are a match for her abilities. Maybe she won't have to hold back as much.\n\nHer wild hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she has those knuckle wrap things people wear when doing this I don't know what they're called but she absolutely does. \n\nShe kicks the bag with a bit more force, ducking out of the way as it swings back at her. \n\nNow, she waits! For the person that agreed to spar her! Woo!"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*And the girl who walks in to grant her wish of sparing with someone is... Not at all what Tiff is. Probably the opposite.\n\nShe's small, scrawny, has soft pink hair that's short and goes just below her chin, and generally she seems pretty soft. Her schoolgirl jacket is also pink, over a blue undershirt.\nShe, all in all, is the opposite of Tiff. But, with all of that, she walks in confidently and ready to get her ass beat*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "...Penelope is a bit... *Smaller* Than Tiff expected. She frowns slightly. Is this really a good idea...? This kid looks like 13, 14. 15 *Maximum.*\n\nShe tilts her head a bit because *Wow* This is a turn of events. \n\nShe is *Almost a foot taller than Penelope.* That's another thing that stands out. She's 6'2 and Penelope is... Uh. Tiny. To say the least.\n\nShe inhales, sighing slowly out her mouth. *Great.*\n\n\"..Okay. Yeah. No. You're like 12. Okay.\" She has to think about this. She's not going to just beat up a child.\n\n\"..You know what. Change of plans. You're here, I'm here, I'm not going to decimate you. I'm gonna help you. Yeah. That's it.\""
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Aaaaand great. This is going great already. She doesn't skip a beat with getting offended and being upset, gasping loudly as she literally looks up to Tiffany*\n\"Wha- Excuse you! I'm 14, thank you very much! And what could you possibly be able to help me with?\"\n\n*She sounds upset, to say the very least. But, she's a tiny girl, what do you expect? Her **Liking** That you're underestimating her?*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "Tiff snickers. \"*Pfff-* Right. Yeah. 14. Cool. Okay.\" \n\nIf this was anyone else, Penelope would have a point. Unfortunately, it's the ox lady. Yeah she's being a jerk but considering the differences... Underestimate is a strong word. \n\nPenelope's offense is funny to her. \n\n\"Look, I'm just saying, you're kinda... Y'know.\" She gestures to Penelope's form. \"You don't exactly strike me as a strong individual. I, on the other hand, am. Incredibly strong even, maybe able to pull the heaviest things outta anyone here. I'd even bet on that!\" It's genetics and hard work. But mostly genetics. \n\n\"Basically I'm saying that youre a twig, and probably have the force of one too. And if you're game enough, we can fix that.\" She crosses her arms with a cocky grin."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She sees this all as a challenge to prove herself to this brash, dickhead of a human ox. She squints at you, already thinking of ways to just shut her mouth about her being weak, but she does respond still*\n\"Well excuse me for not being able to build muscle easily, but that's pretty much unnecessary for me. You wanted to spar, you being a bull woman is basically your ability, and so it's fair for me to use mine. Do I need to prove that I won't need any kinda strength training with you?\""
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "Yeah that's an accurate descriptor of Tiffany. \"Geez, calm *Down* Freshie, it's not like I set your house on fire.\" She doesn't see that analogy as odd. In her mind that is a perfectly normal thing to say.\n\n\"If you *Insist* On sparring, I'll spar ya, but don't be surprised if you get your s[]t rocked.\" She snickers again. \n\n\"Hey! I'll even give ya first move.\" She widens her stance a bit.\n\n\n\"Cmon! Show me what you got, kid.\""
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Suddenly, Tiff could feel that she couldn't move her legs. Or, at least, her feet.\nAnd Penelope is just standing there with her hands in her jacket pockets with a smug ass look on her face, just outside of your range*\n\n\"You may have strength, to be fair, but I've got range, speed, and tactics.\""
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "\"Oh yeah?\" She barks out a laugh. She can't move her feet, but she's not panicking. \n\n\"Cause that's gonna win this for you? Please! As soon as I close the distance- which *Will* Happen, you're done for!\" She looks down at her legs, trying to see if there's something physically rooting her in place. \n\nThis is very funny to her."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*There's about 50 vines on each leg, coming from the ground right beneath her and rendering her legs practically unusable. For now at least, because I forgot to roll to see if it actually worked, so let's just say that the roll is gonna be for if the vines I made can be broken with just brute force*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "It's a bit of a struggle. She can't get on the losing side this early though. With a grunt and substantial effort, she rips most of the vines away to free herself from the grapple. \n\nShe grins down at Penelope. \"See?\" She's approaching. She's not attacking yet, but she's getting closer to Penelope, a confident stride."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*The utter shock that came over her face is unmatched, as she fully expected that grapple to work. But it didn't. And now she's starting to very quickly back away as she then uses a vine to sock Tiff right in the stomach*\n\n*It connects, thankfully, and it's got enough force behind it to break through the pure muscle this girl is...\n\nAlthough it doesn't do much...*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She grins, only grimacing a bit. She takes damage, but it's ignorable. What's a fifth of her energy to her, I mean really? Still good to go. In fact.. She gets a little too excited in that moment, leaning and going for a strike back to Penelope's stomach [5 damage (4+1-0)]\n\nThen she frowns. \"S[]t- you good? Did I overdo it?\" She didn't mean to go that hard that fast. I mean to be fair she has powdered someone's nose before. Of course, that's meant *Literally.*"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She gets knocked back, quite a bit and unsurprisingly so, but she gets back up really quickly with the help of her vines, before using her vines to grab her ankle to trip her up, and **Hopefully** Make her unable to attack next turn, [Trip successful] as her abilities let her heal off 1 point of damage to her in this turn.*\n\"*Cough* Yea, i'm fine! I'm good!\""
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "Tiffany laughs. She wasn't expecting that. She's glad that this little thing bounces back! \n\nShe plays the trip off like nothing- er. Tries to. She stumbles, having to put too much focus in keeping upright to try and attack. She's kept where she is, and Penelope has a perfect opening to attack again. \n\n\"Good thing! Let's keep this goin'!\""
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Penelope smiles as she watches Tiffany fall, buying time for herself to wind up a punch and clock her with an uppercut as the time wasted lets her heal off another point of health, getting her up to 12 as the immediate bruising from the hit fades quickly*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She blinks as Penelope cutely attempts an uppercut. There's a second where it connects that *Maybe* It did something. That pause... Maybe it *Did* Something. \n\nIt knocks her back half a step. \n\n\"Heh.\" She snickers, then closes the distance again, matching with a (gentle, by her standards) uppercut of her own. [1 + 3 - 0 = **4 damage**]\n\n\"That was good! Try it again! Assuming you're not givin' up, that is. Cmonnn hit me like you *Mean* It. You're not gonna seriously hurt me.\""
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She'd look at Tiff with that \"Oh no.\" Look after that hit basically did nothing to the bull woman, before getting hit with another punch, specifically an uppercut that sends her into the air and 10 feet back.\n\nShe'd pant heavily, still on the ground but she uses a vine behind tiff and hits her in the back of the neck*\n\n[3 damage, Penelope heals 1, just assume that for the rest of the fight that every one of her turns, she heals off 1 point]\n[Tiff 9/15 Penelope 9/15]"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She can't help it. Sending someone flying always makes her grin. But then the grin falls as she reminds herself this isn't some thug, this is a freshman. Oops.\n\nBut it's fine, because Penelope strikes back. \n\nHer eyes go wide as she hears something behind her, going to turn but not being fast enough. The vine thumps into her neck. The specific area is- *Unfortunate.* Her vision goes spotty. \n\nIt's not just because of the vine. Her blood pressure's rising. Her heart is pumping. Sure this is a kid, but... Tiff's getting into it! How much more can the kid do? Tiff wants to know. \n\nShe rubs the back of her neck, spluttering for a second because *Ow.* She's lucky she's still standing. \n\nShe laughs. *Laughs.* And then is charging for Penelope, going for a kick to the side. The look in her eyes is more wild. \n\nHer vision isn't spotty, but her thoughts are. She can't grasp the words.\n\nShe's not doing an unarmed strike this time. \nShe's using her power."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She notices that she's readying something big... And knowing that she will not be able to take it at all. If she fucks up this next manuver, she's going to get some... REALLY bad injuries.*\n\n*As she tries to pull off some move, grunting as some vibes come from the ground and grab her ankles, the vines slip and completely lose their grip, leaving me completely vulnerable on the ground with not enough time to try again*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She's almost lost herself. I'm so sorry Penelope. You didn't deserve this.\n\nShe's seeing victory, her opponent is wide open. The kick didn't go as smoothly as she wanted, but one more should do it. One more kick. Not full force- *Never* Full force. She doesn't want to *Break* Anyone just... Incapacitate. Yeah.\n\nThe kick deals **4 damage.** [4+1-1]"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Tiff would see the pure unfiltered fear as she tried desperately to crawl away, but without the time to do so.*\n*Penelope would yell out in pain as the kick lifts her off the ground and makes her roll a bit, hitting the ground HARD with an \"Umph!...\"*\n\"Yep...\" *She'd slowly reach down to her ribcage and would feel around a bit, before wincing in pain* \"Definitely a broken rib...\"\n\n*She'd groan deeply and would slowly get up, on her last legs at this point. She's shaking, but not standing down.\nShe'd throw another attack out, a bundle of vines punching her in the chest, as this is all she can do right now...*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "\"What'd you say?\" She didn't catch it. Too bad she didn't. She may know to stop. But she doesn't. And Penelope isn't telling her to. She just keeps going. And so does Tiff. This is a recipe for disaster. \n\nTiff, once again, doesn't try to dodge, and takes the vine hit. [**2 damage.**] She snickers. \"Hey! You're starting to lose steam!\" She's approaching again, breathing more heavy than before. \n\nShe goes for another stomach punch, remembering not to power this one up. Holding back. Right. Plus, it's more fun if maybe Penelope thinks she has a chance. As if she's not against someone whose won several fights. \n\nPoor kid."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She recoils big-time and hits a wall, leaning back on it, as her entire body starts to shake. Sore, tired, and broken, she's TRUELY on her last stand.\nShe quickly, and I mean really quickly, tries to think of something to tip the scales just a bit towards her favor (not spending her turn, however...)*\n\n*And she gets an idea. Really quickly, she pulls up a wall of vines, a big, thick and solid wall of vines that have thorns... Growing out of every. Single. Part.\nUse finnese to try to climb it, it will take only one turn, but will scratch the hell out of her and will force her to take damage. How much depends on the power roll and if she rolls well on finesse\nBut, use force, you won't take damage, but the wall is thick. 2 turns gone trying to rip through unless it's a perfect success score, in this case, 3 successes at once*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "The thorns dig into her skin. She grimaces. It *Hurts.* But she's this close. *This* Close. She scales the wall easily, dropping to the other side, wiping her hands on her torso. Ew. Uh. That's blood. Oh well she'll fix it later. \n\nShe huffs a bit. She needs a moment to regain her breath. So she'll bluff. \n\n\"Hey. Give it another hit. Unless, of course, you're giving up? Cmon, hit me!\""
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She... Huffs deeply and wraps her arm in vines and thorns, just barely able to bring herself to reel back to hit Tiff with a bigger punch, one charged with her chlorokinetic powers*\n\n*She puts in the last of her remaining strength into the punch, but her own plants haven't been losing their strength, as she heals again, 4 HP. If her body doesn't fall her, she will keep standing after another hit from tiff*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "That *Bites.* She can't help but grin. \"Y... You did it. That was a good one. ...Unfortunately.\" She remembers to keep it at just her normal level. No need to ramp it up. She doesn't have the energy. \n\nTime for a wonderful Tiffany punch. \n\nWho says brute force doesn't get the job done? Even if she'll be down in another hit. It'll work. She's not used to being against someone with powers. Maybe she should have planned better."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*The hit connects... She shouts out in pain from the hit... It looks like she's down as she starts falling over...\n\nBut then, something inside her... \"No... This is the first fight I've ever gotten in here... I refuse... I won't lose this.\"\n\nSeveral vines shoot from the ground and hold her upright, forcing her to be up and moving for just one... More... Hit...*\n\n*She winds up a fist, one last time before she is down for the count, and her vines help her just enough to clock Tiff with one last uppercut. No power roll, just force.*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "\"Hey... Kid... You win some.. You lose some. You think I won everything?\" She's knocked back up a step by the clocking, but grabs onto Penelope's fist. She moves it away. \n\n*Cmon. Finish her. You're so close.* Finish her.\n\nWith a grin, she goes for one last kick. \nShe's so close. This was hard. Difficult. A *Challenge.* She *Loves* That.\n\nUh. Broken. A little."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*There's a soul shattering **CRUNCH** As she's hit one last time, breaking more ribs/bones in the area that was hit... And her vision slowly goes dark.\nHer vines start slowly putting her down onto a non-broken part of her. And her bones aren't the only thing broken, as tears start streaming down the child's face...*\n\n\"I was... *Sob* S-So close... Why... Can I never win..?\"\n\n*The world goes dark for Penelope... And she loses conciseness. But the shame persists. The shame that she was so close to winning this David vs Goliath, but she couldn't, even with the help of her abilities...*\n\n*She won't forget this. You can tell just from the distressed expression she's wearing through her unconsciousness*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "Oh no. The crunch. Tiff is brought back to reality. She's out of breath, but she panics. \n\n\"No. Nonono- *S[]t-*\" This wasn't supposed to.. She was *Supposed* To go easy. To help her train not to- *Break* Her. She knows she doesn't have the strength to hoist her up so she resolves to collapse on the ground next to Penelope. \n\nShe checks her pulse... \"Oh thank *God-*\" \n\nTime to send a panicked message."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "Nar:*The vines around her seemed to have free will after she's down for the count, probably to make sure that after she's unable to fight, she doesn't suffer any more damage. Or something like that as they literally fish her phone out of her pocket and getting Tiffany's attention to, y'know, do something, like call the school nurse or doctor, which are already saved in her phone*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "\"I got it I got it..\" Tiff mutters, carefully putting Penelope's phone back in her (P's) pocket. \n\nShe decides to call an ambulance with her own. Apparently that's free outside of America??? Wild. \n\n[is this a good end?]"
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "[yep. Penelope 0, Tiffany 1.]"
}
] | 105 | 3,911 |
293.9 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "c1nderz",
"message": "Barric already was uncomfortable. This was the first time in years he would be seen without jeans and boots. But it wasn't just his physical appearance that made him uncomfortable, it was just the general vibe of the gym. He wasn't sure what here made him feel like this, but it did and he was just *Uncomfortable*. Ever since the graveyard incident, he had spent most of his time going in between his dorm room, the town, and the building he had placed the cow in. Malus and he were still speaking normally. Nothing had changed, surprisingly, which he suspected the boy thought would happen. But it was just something he had to remind himself he had to get used to. Everyone did weird things here. Malus just happened to play with the line of death and life like a yoyo. \n\nBarric shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. The black tennis shoes squeaked against the tile floor of the gym. He had shoved his hands into his pockets of the sweatpants he usually wore to bed and tried to sink away from the center of the room where the sparring area was. He was okay with the idea of sparring with people on some level. Just not on this level. Fighting anyone wasn't his forte. Fighting Malus? Was just not something he wanted to happen ever. Barric wasn't scared of anyone at Newton's, and he definitely wasn't afraid of Malus. Unfortunately, in a physical fight between the two, it was obvious Barric would end out on top. And that's what he was afraid of. Hurting Malus was at the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do, but here he was. \n\nBarric bit his lip, taking a few steps behind Malus, getting closer before speaking. \"Do you actually want to do this? I don't want to accidentally hurt you or anything.\" He murmured, barely loud enough for Malus to hear him. Barric brought his hands up, beginning to crack his fingers, trying to distract his mind."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "He wasn't all that new being in the gym for combat training. So he was most likely not all that surprised that the coach/trainer would pit him against Barric. He had no choice but to dress in a black hoodie, jeans, gloves and sneakers. \n\nHe shrugs his shoulders to respond to his friend with an unsure gesture. *\"It's part of power training and self-defense... We're not no-normal... Students... So... We... Have... To..\"* Malus coughed in the crook of his elbow, turning away from Barric. His voice strained and felt a bad itch that stung the inside of his throat. When he regained his composure, he hand signed an apology for the abrupt coughing.\n\nThen he heard his name being called by the coach/trainer who looked tired and annoyed. \"Okay, you're all covered up like I asked? We don't want you draining Barric's life until he is knocked out, the school is going to be on my ass. This may not be fair on your part but you can't be feeding on people. Luckily this is mostly just a training session, I'll show you both the techniques of moves that you need to practice.\"\n\nMalus bashfully rubs the back of his neck, now recalling that he hasn't told Barric about his ability to sap health from living creatures. \n\n\"Barric, you can't physically make skin contact with Malus. This is why he is all clothed to prevent draining your health. It wouldn't be a fair fight on his part but it's best to handicap him for this training.\" Then the instructor begins explaining to them about wrestling techniques before calling it a break.\n\nThe two boys are left alone to have a short talk while the coach guy is marking down his sheets on his billboard.\n\n\"Sorry...\" Malus whispered, turning his light gray eyes to the floor. \"Forgot... To tell... Well... Kind of... Didn't want to talk about it... But... I didn't want to scare you..\" He was talking about his ability draining life."
},
{
"author": "c1nderz",
"message": "Barric honestly barely paid attention to the coach or teacher or whatever the fuck he is. It was honestly hard for him to want to pay attention to any adult besides his parents so the coach's instructions seemed to just fly over his head into the abyss. As the coach walked away he tuned back into everything being said. His head turned towards Malus listening to what he was saying. Barric gave a little nod to Malus letting the younger kid know he was listening to him. \n\n\"It's fine. Some secrets are best kept as secrets.\" There was a strange twinkle in his eyes, as if he was making a joke or hinting at something. But Barric sidestepped around Malus, keeping his face out of view, stepping towards the mat. His arm leaned against the wall as he took off shoes and socks, tucking the socks into the tennis shoes. The mat sat in the middle of the room innocently as Barric nervously approached it. \n\nWith the way he walked towards it, it seemed as if the boy was nervous the mat would jump at him. But as he took a few steps towards it and eventually onto it, he seemed to be slightly more confident. But still absolutely terrified. He peered up at Malus, waiting for the boy to decide what to do. \"Uhm, do we just punch each other now..?\" Barric asked hesitantly. He really didn't want to punch Malus. He didn't even wanna tackle him.\n\nThis was going to go horribly, Barric could already tell. He swallowed a lump in his throat, peering back up at the kid waiting for his answer."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The young kid didn't get what Barric is indicating, the twinkle in his eye looked like a positive thing. This is as much Malus can tell by the expression. Then he watched Barric approach the large mat like a cat is about to jump back from the toaster going off.\n\nHe tilted his head curiously at Barric, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. Unlike the others, he walked there casually. \"The teacher wants us to use wrestling techniques for our training... I guess you... Were not paying... Attention?\" \n\nHe slipped his mask on in case the kid would accidentally brush against his face in this training match. \"I've... Done this a lot back in my highschool... Wrestling isn't much my thing... Get ready...\""
},
{
"author": "c1nderz",
"message": "B2 Finesse initiative\n\nBarric shook his head. \"No I really wasn't.\" He muttered chuckling awkwardly. He realizes he definitely should've cause maybe the coach mentioned a technique that wouldn't hurt Malus. But the coach had already ran off and he didn't want to seem like an idiot going back to ask him to repeat what he had explained to him already. That would probably just annoy the guy.\n\nThe farmer watched as Malus slipped his mask on. That'd hurt to punch is all Barric could really think in the moment. So they had to actually fight here. Barric tossed a look over his shoulder, chewing on his lip. He could go easy on Malus. Give him a better chance of beating him. Yeah, that's what he was going to do. Barric looked back at Malus. He seemed somewhat ready. Does he just start? God, why was he questioning everything? \n\nBarric hunched slightly, keeping himself lower than usual, attempting to make it obvious what move he was going to go for. He planted his feet, steadying himself before letting out a breath. He waited for a moment, letting Malus prepare before he set off. Barric moved forward quickly, attempting to slam his body into Malus' to knock the kid back a little without fully hurting him."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "**We flip a coin: Scythe pick Tails but the coin landed on heads**\n\nIt hurts... A bit.\n\nMalus felt the air partially getting knocked out of him by a farmer kid full of bulk and muscle. His light weight carried him far back, nearly stumbling as he regained his footing.\n\nTo be honest on his part, Malus was never that awesome of a fighter against other parahumans. He was so used to fighting other regular people that he usually had some advantage. A few kids noticed this and they decided to go watch them from the side lines.\n\nAfter being hit hard by the bull, this is when he started to really feel the pain. At this point it's really not wrestling if Barric is going to just use brute force. The farmer kid didn't really pay any attention which made Malus feel some dread. \n\nEven more so when he felt his hunger spiked right after getting hurt. Inside he felt the need to consume so badly. Barric is starting to look more like prey than a person in front of Malus. He shakes his head to shrug off the temptation along with the pain.\n\nThis is when he is going to try to perform the Single Leg Take-Down technique that he learned."
},
{
"author": "c1nderz",
"message": "Barric took a step back, leaving his legs unguarded. He paused not too far from Malus, trying to see if the kid was okay. Barric chewed on his lip, debating voicing his concern for Malus, but chose not to. He'd call a timeout if he was actually hurt, right? Yeah, he would Barric convince him. As the thoughts were about to end, Malus tore him from them by grabbing onto him and slamming him into the ground. He almost screamed in surprise but cut himself off mid way, creating some sort of weird choking noise. \n\nBarric tore himself away from Malus, taking a few steps back, planning his next move. He just had to get Malus down. Then he could figure out a plan from there. His eyes darted back and forth like an animal trying to find a weak point on Malus that he could exploit without hurting the kid too much. His throat and head were off the table. Barric didn't want to actually hurt him. He could go for the arms? Maybe grab ahold of them and slam him? \n\nBarric took a few steps back, still debating before making his decision. He charged at Malus, grabbing ahold of the kid's arm and tried to flip him onto his stomach. Barric could keep him down from there.\n\nB4 Grab the weird child\n\nBarric grunts as Malus grabs his arm and twists it behind his back. He stumbles a bit before Malus pins him down. His arm still twisted behind his back. Barric's brain goes into panic mode without warning. His breathing is loud and he all he can hear is his heartbeat in his ears. The only warning Malus receives is a small grunt and a few pops in Barric's bones as his tail attempts to form.\n\nHis tail shoots out of his tailbone. The stringer curls into the rest of the tail, making room for its full length. The stringer dives directly towards Malus' stomach, trying to sting it."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Oh shit! Time to Try Roll Out of WAY!\n\nPassive ability: Vitality Drain. G1\n\nNow he's starting to panic when he recognizes the Rice Krispy's sound effect that Barric is making with his body. \n\nThe farm kid is transforming!?\n\nThe Snap! Crack! And Pop music played in the gym room's air.\n\nHe is now panicking as he attempts to move out of the way of the attack. Hearing the scorpion tail whip out and its stinger glistening under the light. Just as he was going to roll out of the way, he felt it pierced right under the collar bone.\n\nA few spits of blood burst out from the fist sized stinger.\n\nMalus let out a pained grunt as he wheezed out,\"Clean the blood off or you'll die!\" His throat burned from his shouting out, which was heard by the students in the room.\n\nHe's feeling the venom already taking its course as he just fell flat on his back. \n\nYep. This is where he is going to die. His mom dancing over his grave about him dying from a scorpion sting."
},
{
"author": "c1nderz",
"message": "The tail instinctively swung around, throwing the blood about and wiping it off against the mat. As soon as Malus was rolled off of him, he got up. His tail swung around, readying itself for another attack before noticing Malus' current state. Well shit. This was going to be a fun situation to explain to the staff. His eyes darted around to the group that had surrounded the mat, debating what to do. He could just take Malus to the infirmity? Hesitantly, Barric scooped Malus into his arms, picking the kid up from the ground. \"Hey you're fine. Just a little bit of paralyzation.\" That was probably a bad way to put it. But it was the most comforting Barric could be in the moment.\n\nHe moved past a few people, turning around to use his back to push the gym door open. \"You'll be fine.\" He kept repeating, trying his best to assure the younger kid. Barric honestly wasn't sure how long his paralyzation lasted. It was a tossup for now on how long they had before Malus could move anything below his neck. WELP good job, Barric, you kinda fucked up here. The walk to the infirmity was going to definitely going to be an awkward one. Should he retract his tail? He looked back, trying not to make it obvious what he was looking at. He knew animals freaked Malus out a lot. Animal parts seem to also fuel the fear. \n\nHe slowed his walking, retracting the tail but not fully stopping. He realized now he had left his shoes in the gym, so this was going to make this entire event even more fun. He sighed, realizing that he kind of just left without an explanation with the kid in his arms."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The coach takes things under control from here making sure the students don't touch the blood on the mat. From here Mal is going to get medical help, probably an anti venom if they have any, few stitches and an oxygen mask to help him breath during his recovery."
}
] | 306.5 | 2,939 |
235 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "The training room was silent. It was late, and Elya had waited for a time where no one else would be there. The person she was soon to meet seemed to be worried about being made fun of or teased, and generally seemed unnerved by the thought of others, so Elya decided an empty room would be the best.\n\nPulling her hair into a ponytail, Elya took a deep breath. Rarely did she practice with others, let alone teach others, so a part of her wasn't entirely sure why she had offered in the first place. She was sure it was night delirium mixed with the desire to find at least one person in the hell hole known as Newton's Cradle that she could at least sympathize with slightly. Emerson seemed like a good enough shot. \n\nElya slid her tense hands into her gloves. They weren't full boxing gloves, and instead a smaller, fingerless type of boxing glove. Less protection but they wouldn't be doing anything heavy anyways. Pulling the strap with her teeth, she felt the gloves tighten around her wrist. A second pair rested on a small bench beside her. \n\nThe other would be here shortly."
},
{
"author": "moonflies",
"message": "Emerson was glad that Elya agreed, and even more had suggested, that the training between the two of them was to happen at night. She had never gone to the training facility before so she followed the instructions she had made Elya give very specifically until she was at a door. After a silent deep breath, she walked in.\n\nEm was all long limbs and big clothes. Choppy hair had been pulled into a small ponytail and her bangs, which weren't long enough to be pulled back into the ponytail, were pushed back with a simple headband. She seemed to be trying to melt into the massive Green Day shirt she wore— it had to be at least a 3XL in men's.\n\nWhen she approached Elya closer, she was surprised to see how short she was in comparison. The mental image Em had conjured up painted her as at least 6'2. She didn't bother to hide her blatant staring until her own discomfort got the better of her.\n\n\"Elya. I didn't know what to bring.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Ah, hello. No problem, I have everything you'll need.\" She gestured down at the gloves on the bench beside her. \"Start with those.\"\n\nRight off the bat, Elya realized that Emerson was significantly taller than her. Wonderful, what joy. All the girl could hope was that Em was not the type to make shallow jabs and stupid jokes about it. Elya wasn't even that short— but she had heard more than enough in her time. Aside from Emersons height, Elya noted how nice she looked. The choppy hair and oversized shirt suited her sharp features well, although Elya expected her to look more intimidating. \n\nUnlike Emerson, Elya was wearing a form fitting shirt. A sleek compression shirt of types, with no sleeves that showed off her rather defined arms. She was not bulky by any means, but the muscles from her years of practice definitely showed. Between her black shirt and black leggings and black athletic shoes, Elya was far from the striking image of colour. She liked it that way. \n\n\"We can start with stance, and then you can punch all you want.\" She smirked. A rather subtle gesture, barely noticeable, but there if Emerson paid attention."
},
{
"author": "moonflies",
"message": "Em picked up the gloves and turned them over in her hands, inspecting them as closely as she could without directly putting them in her face. She slipped them on and cradled her hands close to herself so she could easily tighten the straps without the glove shifting. Once again, she inspected them then looked up at Elya as if to wait for her approval. She had no clue what she was doing and didn't want to embarrass herself further.\n\n\"I know how to throw a punch— a normal one. I know about the follow-through and everything. I got good at fighting.\" Her arms hung limp at her sides. She didn't know what the stance was, but felt like she had to defend herself a little bit. She wasn't totally stupid and resented the idea that Elya could've thought of her that way.\n\nThe smirk was noticed but ignored. Em didn't know what it was for, especially because it was small. She just wanted to get on with this— her heart was still racing from the event that had happened hours earlier."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Elya nodded once Emerson had put on the gloves. She didn't feel as though she was a teacher of any kind, simply someone who could help minimize how much her knuckles would sting if she so chose to let all her anger loose on either a person or the punching bag. \n\n\"Of course, but knowing a little more about how to make it hurt less is useful.\" Elya made her way over to the punching bag. She gestured for Emerson to follow. \n\nElya decided she would not do a physical demonstration first, not yet anyways. Instead, she decided to focus on stance, just like she said she would. She also decided she would not mention why she was amused in the slightest. \n\nElya then moved her feet apart with her right foot farther back and diagonal to her left, raised her heels ever so slightly, and unlocked her knees. This gave her a sturdy stance that she could move through. \n\n\"Im sure you know enough about stance as is, so do what's comfortable or copy what I've done. For me, this keeps me balanced and strong yet allows me to move quickly.\" \n\nNext, Elya raised her arms up, her forearms facing outwards towards the punching bag.\n\n\"This blocks your face, you should always return to a stance where your face is blocked.\" Her voice was calm and still, knowledgeable yet not condescending. \"It also keeps your hands levelled for punching.\"\n\n\"Are you right or left handed?\""
},
{
"author": "moonflies",
"message": "Emerson followed the movements Elya was making and tried to ignore the rising humiliation. Elya was here to help her, not mock her. She was trying to address five other thoughts while also trying to focus on everything Elya was saying. Excuse her if she missed any critical information.\n\nEmerson had to make L shapes with her hands to answer the simple question, but it wasn't her fault and was directionally challenged. \"Right handed.\" While the Em answered questions and Elya taught, Em found herself repeatedly making the blocking motions she had been shown.\n\n\"How is it supposed to keep your hands level for punching if your fists are up here but the person I need to hit is in front of me? It's easier to just-\" She made a variety of different punching motions and one that looked like she was pulling someone's hair. After her brief demonstration, her arms didn't cover her face— instead, she had them splayed out as if ready for another hit."
}
] | 226.5 | 1,410 |
112 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "paragonoflife",
"message": "*Connor pulled a barbell off of the rack and began placing weights on it. While his gravity manipulation could easily prevent him from ever needing to develop a personal strength, he found it a good idea to actually give himself some level of physical strength training in case something happened.*\n\n*He began by bench pressing about 150 just to get himself back into the swing of things, having not done any major exercise in quite some time.*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "Tiffany enters the training area. Normally it's pretty empty in here, actually. And it's *Never* Ares, which is unfortunate. One day, Tiff will get that spar. She *Will* Get it. It is not a question of if, it is a question of *When.* \n\nSomeone is here, though. And in the lifting spot. Time to go say hi.\n\nConner is approached. \n\n\"Hey! You warmin' up?\""
},
{
"author": "paragonoflife",
"message": "\"God-\" *Connor jumped slightly at Tiff's entry and nearly dropped the barbell on himself, quickly lowering its gravity so as to lessen the blow. The barbell still hit him with a relatively significant amount of force, causing him to wince in pain but not actually receive a major injury from it, more than perhaps a bruise later.* \"Yeah.\" *He said, now moving the barbell off and sitting up.* \"I haven't done this in longer than I'd like. I've been busy.\""
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She hisses through her teeth. \"Ooooh.. You okay bro? Didn't mean to uh- Yeah.\" \n\nShe grabs the barbell from him as he lifts it, lifting it with one arm. She places it back where it's supposed to go. \"You hurt? That could be pretty bad.\" \n\nEven *Tiff* Could get injured from a stunt like that. Yikes. \"This is why you gotta look for a spotter if you can. Unless you, y'know, know you can absolutely handle it.\""
},
{
"author": "paragonoflife",
"message": "\"Fine. I'm fine.\" *Connor exhaled smoothly.* \"It's nothing I can't handle. I've... Had worse.\" *He stood up fully, understanding that if he hadn't gotten his power off in time there was no way he'd be anywhere near capable of standing. He let the power go and the barbell sank ever-so-slightly further into the bench as it went from only a dozen or so pounds back to its full weight.*\n\n*Connor lifted his coat up to reveal the interlocked chains wrapping around his torso; and underneath them the cloth wrappings that prevented chafing, which were worn and ripped.* \"Need to replace these again anyway.\""
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "\"Cool, cool.\" She nods, believing Connor. She has no reason not to. I mean, *She'd* Be fine if that happens. Tiff doesn't really know how it works for other people, though.\n\n\"Ooooh, smart! That'll keep your skin from getting all rubbed up. Say... You don't look scrawny. I've been lookin' for a sparring partner for a bit now, but things have been kinda tough so no one's wanted to. No pressure, *But*, if you *Wanted to...*\" She grins, one side of her mouth going up further than the other. It's a toothy grin."
},
{
"author": "paragonoflife",
"message": "*Connor squinted at Tiff, sizing her up a bit.* \"Yeah. Sure.\" *He grabbed his bottle of water and walked a few feet away, stretching and taking a drink to make sure he was hydrated.* \n\n\"So, like... Powers? Or do you just wanna go at it?\" *He asked, eyes darting around the room and making a note of some of the different objects that might be good to use as projectiles if it came down to it. Things that wouldn't kill on hit, anyway.*"
}
] | 107 | 784 |
115.736842 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "The training area kind of scares Nicholas. Some part of her still clings to normality - the idea that she could suppress instead of control - but she knows better at this point. And so now she's here. Her eyes search her surroundings, but she's halfway into her thoughts and not really registering anything. \n\nSilently, for the tenth time today, she wonders how she ended up here. This was a facility for delinquents, yeah? She wasn't a delinquent. She had gotten into a single fight. Maybe her third or fourth one ever. She didn't even technically leave any damage. And now she was in some weird alternative school in Sweden. Cool.\n\nShe says nothing as she wanders. Just looks at the training area, observing, lost in thought."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "- *Ding!* \n\nFennel has explored most of Newton's Cradle by this point. It seems like quite a sprawling building, but once you're inside, it's really not as big as the intimidating outside implies. Still, there was one place Fennel had avoided - the basement. They'd been told the basics of it, that there was some kind of gym down there and you'd have to use the elevator, but that was it.\n\nThey hadn't seen the need until now, but they were bored, so they decided to check it out.\n\nThe elevator comes to a stop on the basement floor, and the heavy metal doors slide open. Fennel steps out and looks around.\n\nThe place is huge. Incredibly so. Not many indoor spaces can claim this kind of size, particularly not underground. It's a little hard to believe, in fact, but Fennel is quick to wrap their mind around that kind of thing.\n\nIt's mostly empty - apparently people aren't too stoked about running around doing hard work just after dinner - but there's one person there, wandering aimlessly.\n\nFennel decides to yell to them. \"Hey! You looking for some'n?\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "Nick is startled out of her thoughts - she jumps, turns, tries not to yelp, fails, and then takes a breath, trying to compose herself. \"Oh - uh - hi. Uh - no, I'm not.\" Another deep breath. \"Just looking around.\" Her voice sounds much more composed the second time around. \"Exploring, y'know.\" \n\nShe takes quick inventory of the other person - a bit shorter than her, curly hair, green eyes. Standing an awkward distance away. Nicholas walks towards them a bit, so the gap isn't so large. \n\nShould she say hi? She should say hi. \"Hi. I'm Nick,\" She says, trying to recover how awkward and embarrassing the beginning of that conversation was."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Fennel, unfazed by Nick's discomfort, approaches them in return. They wind up standing close enough for Fennel to offer Nick a hand to shake. \"Fennel,\" They respond. \"Nice to meet you, Nick.\"\n\n\"And, well, same, really. Just looking around. Figured it'd kill some time, y'know. But I don't think I'd ever really need to use this place - do you?\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "She takes their hand, shakes it lightly - Nick's hands are soft, small for her size. \"I don't think so, no. Not much to *Train* That requires gymnasium equipment.\" She puts air quotes around *Train*. \n\nNow that she's recovered from her startle, her voice is much more even, but she still talks at a pace faster than most non-startled people. She settles a false eye contact on Fennel's nose. There. That's better. Normal conversation."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"*Train,*\" Fennel repeats, mimicking the air quotes. \"What do you think people *Train* In here? Flying, maybe?\" Fennel could tell Nick was more than a little uncomfortable, but couldn't really think far enough to realize that *Conversation* Was the reason for that.\n\n\"I figure that might be why this place is so big.\" They looked up. \"What is that, four stories?\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "\"Flying, running. Augmenter class shit,\" She guesses, following Fennel's gaze upward. \"There's gotta be more stuff up there.\" She counts the floors quietly for a second. \"Three stories, I think.\"\n\n\"So, if you don't fly, what *Do* You do?\" Nick asks. She's tired of small talk. And she hasn't really talked to anyone about having powers yet, so..."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Yeah, or you could see how far you can throw a fireball, I guess.\" Fennel's power works on people. They have difficulty making it make sense to use a training room. Still, it seems like a good facility, for those who would need it. \"But I'm not sure there's more stuff up there, Nick, it's empty space. Not easy to store something.\"\n\n\"Me?\" Fennel pauses at the question. It's kind of personal to them, but they figure since they're in a place where having powers is the norm, they may just have to get used to saying. \n\n\"I fuck with people's heads.\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "Finally, someone she could understand. \"Same,\" She says. \"Illusions and shit. Or like... Hallucinations, I guess. Depending on who you ask. Kinda the same thing.\"\n\nShe's silent for a second, and then: \"I think hallucinations have a degree of unreality to them I can't replicate.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Mmm...\" Fennel thinks for a moment. \"No, hallucinations and illusions are different. Everyone can see an illusion. It's a magic trick, or a funky pattern, or something like that. It's a real thing that tricks the eye into seeing something that's wrong. But a hallucination is made up whole-cloth. Only the person who's hallucinating will see the hallucination.\"\n\nThey pause. \"So I make people hallucinate, and... You make illusions appear?\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "\"I guess.\" She shrugs, smiles. \"We're kinda similar, then. Like... Our powers are in the same power family, I guess.\" She kicks a boot a against the gym floor lightly. She doesn't seem distracted, just occupying herself. She couldn't get distracted if she tried - this was the first interesting conversation she had had in weeks. \n\n\"And... Yeah. Seeing things, feeling things... Y'know.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The phrase *Power family* Strikes a chord with Fennel, and before they can realize it's happening, they're spilling things they thought they'd never say.\n\n\"Power family... I used to have something like that.\" They cast a glance at the elevator, hoping to be alone. \"They found me when I was lost and alone, and they let me come with them, even though I didn't have any powers back then. They were weird, but... Nice. They were nice. I feel like they 'got me' in a way no one's ever really done before or since.\"\n\nFennel sighs. \"I miss them.\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "Nicholas looks back at Fennel from her absent floor-kicking, her eyes catching their's for just a second. She nods. \"I think we're all a bit weird. Comes with the powers, yeah?\" She fidgets with her hands as she speaks - it's clear that this girl is basically completely unable to stand still. \n\n\"And being misunderstood comes with being weird, so... It's kinda a chain reaction, I s'pose.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Fennel let out a brief chuckle. \"Yeah. I talked about one of them, Ronne, on that intranet chat thing once, and they freaked out. I guess even when everyone's a misfit, there are still misfits.\" They absent-mindedly fiddle with their earrings while they talk, watching Nicholas restlessly fidget.\n\n\"I had people back then. But then they just... Vanished, one day. Don't know why.\"\n\n...\n\n\"Have you ever had anyone like that?\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "She thinks for a second, running a thumb over picked-at cuticles. \"...Sort of?\" She says, finally. \"I mean, I didn't even know I was parahuman until a month ago.\" \n\n\"Never really been one for friends.\" That wasn't necessarily true, but that was easier than explaining the whole concept to someone she had just met. She didn't really know why she was talking to Fennel this much. Probably had something to do with the trauma of the past few weeks and Fennel's similarities to herself. The first person who maybe kind of understood what was going on."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Fennel picked at Nicholas' state of mind for a brief moment, getting just enough information to know what they'd need to know and changing nothing otherwise. They placed a hand on their hip. \"Honey, you're in a foreign country, you don't know anyone, and you have to live here. You're gonna need to make some friends. The loneliness is gonna crush ya sooner rather than later if you just keep saying you aren't one for friends, ya know.\"\n\nFennel knows well enough what it's like to not have anyone."
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "Nick is vaguely aware of a weird feeling in her chest, and blinks rapidly to push it aside. More important things right now. \"I'm finding friends,\" She says, defensively. Realizing her tone, she stops and takes a deep breath before she continues. \"Sorry. What I mean is that I'm... A bit busy figuring out what the hell this new situation is. Y'know? Then it can be friend time.\" She begins to pick at a cuticle, stops.\n\n\"Priorities and all that.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Right,\" Fennel mumbles, \"I didn't ask you how long you've even been here, did I? My mistake. Just make sure you make some friends before you start feeling like you should've already found some, that's a self-affirming loop you don't wanna end up in.\"\n\nThey take a step back and look around. The training area itself is cavernous, but they do manage to find a little storage area where they assume a bunch of training equipment and such would be kept. They point at it. \"I'm gonna go check out what they have in that storage closet over there. Thanks for the chat!\""
},
{
"author": "bluepaintedroses",
"message": "Nicholas nods, thinking about what Fennel just said. \"Yeah. I'll see you around,\" She says. \"Place is a lot smaller than I thought at first anyways.\" She smiles, and begins to head towards the far end of the room, exploring the things even though she can already see them."
}
] | 106 | 2,199 |
132.5 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She's in leggings and a sports bra, stretching, prepping. It's good to be ready for a spar. It's calmer than an actual brawl, and it's when making mistakes truly is just a learning experience. She's well aware of that. Losing a spar is what it is, no big deal. \n\nNow, she just waits for Ryuu to get here. \nHe will soon, hopefully.\nShe does have to give it something close to her best, though- Guts will be watching."
},
{
"author": "nookiepookie",
"message": "Ryuu wasn't really prepared or anything for a fight, like how Tiffany is this big gym nerd. Ryuu didn't really do anything, he is good in fighting just he didn't went on to improve it besides now. He yawns as he walks towards the training room.\n\n\"Now now.\" He is wearing sport shorts, yellow ones and a black shirt. He walks in as he smirks, he isn't sure how this fight will go. He is strong but Tiffany also seems strong. He crackled his knuckles for a second as he took a place on the training room.*\n\n\"So are we gonna start this soon?\" *He giggled, he wants to improve, losing is fine for this time, Tiffany trains and Ryuu doesn't so he won't be to ashamed if he loses.* \"Cmon, come at me bull and take off your shoes, I don't want shoe fight.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Meanwhile, Uriel is busy idling on the sidelines. They're sitting on their knees, humming a childlike tune as they work on their current knitting project— a pair of gloves, for who-knows. They've let their hair down, the thick white curly waves almost reaching the floor. \n\n*This multi-tasking is probably alright*, they thought. *I'll hear if someone screams in pain.*"
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "She's used to punch spars. She's not used to de-shoeing. Sure, it's not entirely what you're *Supposed* To do. There are shoes specifically for wrestling but she doesn't have them.\n\nTiffany is very visibly muscular. \n\n..She supposes that there's not much use fighting the shoe thing, though. What's the point? No big deal. So she takes them off. Easy enough.\n\n\"Alright, ready? Three, two- *Go!*\" And she rushes forward, preparing for a punch to Ryuu's gut. It's a lot more gentle than what she can do- it wouldn't hurt too much if it did land (which it doesn't). Plus, she *Warned* Him. So it makes sense that he's able to dodge it..."
},
{
"author": "nookiepookie",
"message": "Ryuu wasn't sure what Uriel was gonna do, he looked at Uriel. \"Amigo! The fight is here, not the knitting.\" Ryuu sighs before taking a stance as he giggled again, but more softly and kinda serious. \"Uriel, once I turn mad, you should get me out this fight and stop knitting.\"\n\nHe sure can get mad in fights, crazy even. Just fuck him up a lot and you will notice it. He saw the tall bull rush forward at him, he kept his stance as he moves quickly enough to her right side, but not far from her. \"Good move.\"\n\n*He turned his head back to Tiffany with his body. As he launches his fist towards her jaw, hoping it would have a good impact on her face.* \"Take this!\""
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "There's a thump- his hand did not connect with her jaw. She shielded her face with her arms, and grins. Ha! It hit, but she toughed it out. \n\n\"Yeah, sure. Yeah nice you turn rabid. Me too!\" \nShe's not used to fighting someone taller than her. It's a *Thrill.*\n\"Ha!\" She points her elbow forward as she goes for another rush brute force attack."
},
{
"author": "nookiepookie",
"message": "That was a smart move, though it's logical blocking it with your arms. Of course that doesn't hurt, he giggles, ryuu is crazy when fighting. Especially after a few good hits. He can really turn wild, the more pain the more crazy \"Smart move.\"\n\n\"Of course!\" He wasn't really thinking at the moment just looking at Uriel who is still knitting, what a supervisor. Ryuu then feels the hit as he smirks.* \"Wowie! You got me!\" *He laughed taking a few steps back before trying to hit her on her gut with his left fist* \"Woops!\"\n\n1 damage taken.\n\n15-1= 14."
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "His reaction is odd, but she doesn't think too hard about it. Or think at all, really. She doesn't tend to do that too much. \nShe thinks he has a good fighting spirit! He doesn't get upset when hit! That bodes well, indeed. \n\n\"I did indeed, BAHA!\" She really does laugh like that. Full belly laugh. Loud, booming, very herself. She snaps back into action, but not soon enough to dodge the hit to the gut. \n\"That tickled little guy!\" \n\nShe decides to give him a harsh shove versus a full on attack."
}
] | 131 | 1,060 |
129.529412 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "It's 9pm. The basement's as brightly lit as ever, though. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling, suspended three stories above the floor, never let the night creep in.\n\nIt's mostly empty. Everyone's doing power training, but most of them are doing it on a field trip. There is one exception, though; for reasons not entirely clear to her, Heavenly Whitcraft was not permitted to join the others on the field trip.\n\nInstead she was told to go to the cavernously empty basement, and meet someone there.\n\nThat someone is already standing there when Heavenly arrives, or at least someone is: A 5'8'' Latino man, in a suit and tie, with his fairly long hair tied into a ponytail. He looks bored, and a little annoyed, but he's there."
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "Heavenly was excited. Today was the first time since she'd arrived at the Cradle that she was being given an opportunity to use her powers, and she couldn't wipe the slight grin that was stuck on her coral pink lips off of her face. It wasn't as though she'd been expressly forbidden from using them, of course - she simply couldn't do so without another person present, and for whatever reason, Heavenly wasn't making connections at the facility as quickly as she'd have liked.\n\nThat was why she was unbothered by the fact that she hadn't been permitted to accompany the rest of the kids on their little field trip. It was better this way, she thought; after all, Heavenly enjoyed being the center of attention, so she was happy to see that there was only one person waiting for her as she finally found her way down to the basement.\n\nThe signature echo of Heavenly's bright, lemon yellow heels bounced off the walls as she walked over to the man, clad in skinny jeans and a white halter top that looked entirely unsuitable for any sort of training. Even without the extra boost offered by her shoes, she was taller than the man, she noted. \"Hi,\" She greeted him, with a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. \"I'm Heavenly. I assume you'll be the one helping me with this whole training thing?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "He sighs. \"Yep. I am.\" The *Unfortunately* Is implied. \"Apparently no one else could find the time. Too busy on their little field trip, so I get to go to the basement with the girl who isn't allowed to come. Lovely.\"\n\nHe looks at Heavenly. \"Sorry, I'm being rude. Please, don't mind. Name's Ray. Normally, you'd be working with Graham or Daisy for this sort of thing, but I'm told there's some sort of special circumstance with you. Graham gave me a script, so it'll be almost like you're being taught by someone who's actually qualified.\"\n\nRay turns his back to Heavenly, walks a few paces, and retrieves a punching dummy.\n\n\"Your file didn't say anything about physical disability or anything, so I'm gonna ask you to do physical tasks. But first off. Close your eyes, please.\""
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "Meeting Ray's response with pursed lips and a raised brow, Heavenly nodded along slowly as he spoke. She didn't like being thought of as a nuisance - it wasn't like she'd asked them to sequester her away at this place. She'd have chosen somewhere far nicer, with far fewer weirdos. Alas, though, here she was, with a man who seemed just about as happy to be there as she was.\n\n\"There's only so much physicality these heels will allow,\" The girl finally replied, grimacing slightly. She hadn't come down here to do cardio. \"But fine.\" Heavenly let her eyes fall shut, and crossed her arms impatiently."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Right.\" Ray pauses, and it sounds like he's fiddling with some papers. \"Everyone can feel their powers as part of them. For some people, it's line another limb, and for others, it's less material.\" His intonation makes it sound like he's reading aloud from a page. Because he probably is.\n\n\"There's a punching dummy in front of you. I'd like you to try focusing your powers, no matter how they feel to you, into your hands. And then punching it.\""
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "Heavenly couldn't help but wrinkle her face in confusion. Her abilities had nothing to do with her hands. With her eyes shut, there was nothing at all that she could do. \"You're aware that my *Powers* Don't really work like that?\" She let the question hang in the air for a moment before shaking her head and sighing. Whatever.\n\nSummoning what little strength she could muster, Heavenly focused her thoughts on her hands. Her palms were cool and soft, and she could picture her manicured, purple fingernails perfectly; she imagined her powers, recalled how they made her feel, and hoped that was enough to accomplish whatever it was that Ray was trying to get her to do. After a few seconds, she balled her left hand into a fist, reached back, and threw her best attempt at a punch in the dummy's direction."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "You succeed. Feel free to write out what happens."
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "To Heavenly's surprise, it seemed to work.\n\nHer eyes snapped open - flashing a bright, fiery pink - and the dummy flew backward, slamming to the basement floor with a definitive *Thunk*. Slightly taken aback by her own success, Heavenly took a moment to process what had happened before giggling and turning happily to face Ray. \"I did it! Whatever *It* Was - I felt *Something*. Thank god I didn't screw up my nails.\" She quickly glanced down, splaying her fingers to make sure."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Woah. Sure did. Your eyes went pink, too.\" Ray looked almost shocked. \"But, uh, yeah. What just happened is that you tried to use your powers for something you can't use them for. It doesn't *Do* Anything, for most people it doesn't even tire them out, but it's still using your powers. It's like stretching before a workout, but supernatural.\" \n\nHe shrugs, grabs the dummy, and puts it back where he found it.\n\n\"The next thing that's supposed to happen is, uh... Close your eyes again, and extend your hand for me.\""
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "\"Hm. Interesting.\" It was an intriguing idea, that her powers were always *There*, whether she was using them or not. Always active, just under the surface. It made her feel... Powerful. It was certainly something she'd be practicing more on her own time, once they were done here.\n\nMore assured this time, Heavenly closed her eyes once more and held out her hand without a fuss."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "After a few moments, Heavenly felt something touching her outstretched hand. Or, rather, someone.\n\n\"I hope you don't mind,\" Ray's voice sounded, \"But physical touch does help. It's not because I particularly wanna be touching you. The important part is for you to be able to feel where I am.\" He sighed. \"I'd like you to focus your powers again, like you did before, but this time, into me. And once you feel like it's working, I'd like you to open your eyes and use your powers on me.\""
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "Though she instinctively pulled away from Ray's initial touch, Heavenly composed herself quickly, allowing her hand to remain in contact with his. \"If you say so, I guess.\" Just as before, Heavenly focused on her abilities, imagining it flowing from her body to his like the water of a river - powerful, and constant. She began to feel the same *Something* She'd felt moments before with the dummy, and decided she was as ready as she'd ever be. Heavenly's eyelids fluttered open, her irises bright, fluorescent pink, and she locked her gaze with Ray's. Immediately, she felt a shift as they stared at one another, and she began to sap the man's strength."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Heavenly leeches at Ray's strength, and feels herself becoming stronger in turn, but only for a brief moment before Ray turns into dust in front of her."
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "A smile bloomed across Heavenly's face, just as a warm feeling spread throughout her body; she felt herself becoming stronger with every passing second, and it was...*Exhilarating*. To be able to steal away someone's vitality and empower herself made the teenager feel as though she were invincible. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced - every time seemed to make her feel better than the last.\n\nRelishing that feeling, though, Heavenly was completely unprepared for what happened next: her tutor crumbled into a pile of dust right before her very eyes. She screamed immediately, jumping backward and nearly falling as her hands flew to cover her mouth. Her wide eyes, no longer pink, stared at the spot where Ray had just been standing in utter horror.\n\nHoly fuck. She'd killed her teacher."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Suddenly, as Heavenly stood in shock, a roaring laughter erupted from the other side of the room. \"I'm fine,\" Ray's voice announced, \"I'm fine! You're not the only one here with powers, you know. Just wanted to see the look on your face.\" Ray is grinning ear-to-ear, seemingly completely unfazed by being vaporized. \"You did good. Any questions? 'Cause if not, we're all done for the day.\""
},
{
"author": "hazythirdeye",
"message": "Heavenly whipped around at the sound of Ray's voice, holding her hand to her chest like a scandalized Christian. \"Holy *Shit*!\" She exclaimed, only now beginning to calm down. \"Jesus! I seriously thought I killed you - I still barely know how all this superpower shit works, you know.\" Heavenly was not used to being flustered, nor laughed at - and she didn't like it one bit.\n\nThe prissy young girl stood up straight, towering several inches above Ray, and frowned, attempting to regain her cool, collected composure. \"Anyway, thank you, but I think I'm good. This has been... Interesting.\" Stretching out the last word, she then turned on her heel and stalked out of the basement, the sound of her short, clipped steps filling the empty space as she walked away. Hopefully, she'd have more opportunities to practice in the coming weeks, preferably with more... Pliable partners, who wouldn't scare the shit out of her in the process."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Right.\" Ray sighed. \"Honestly, the feeling of having your powers used on me kinda sucked. But better me than your classmates. Don't cause trouble, yadda yadda, have a nice evening. You can go. I have to tidy up in here.\""
}
] | 126 | 2,202 |
213.5 | 1776-07-04 | GuildPublicThread | [
{
"author": "moonflies",
"message": "Caoimhe was a regular to the gym. Well, not really. Regular to working out was more accurate. It had taken her only a few days to work up enough confidence to enter the gym so when she finally stepped foot inside, she had made sure to wear her most favorite workout clothing— black spandex, a tie dye tank top, and her favorite hair ribbon kept her hair secure in a messy bun. She was confident.\n\nHer warmup on bench didn't last too long, adding more and more weight until finally— she gnawed at her lip and took in her surroundings. There were only a few other people on this level and the biggest happened to be a towering girl with horns protruding from the side of her head. Caoimhe waited for her to be done with her set before approaching her and tapping her on the shoulder.\n\n\"Excuse me? Would you mind spotting me over there?\" She had to look up to make eye contact with this girl, and she pointed over to a bench that had three plates; a total of 315 pounds."
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "[tiff] Tiff is *Also* A regular! But like, really. It's one of her most frequently visited locations. Sure, her ability gives her natural buffs, but it's still hard work. She's still buffing up on her own. \n\nIt's not all just handed to her.\n\nShe is in her normal workout gear- sports bra and leggings- and is doing some stretches. It's *Always* Important to stretch! If you overwork your muscles you'll be out of commission! Ragh!\n\nShe rolls her shoulders a few times, when her shoulder is tapped. \n\n\"Hm?\"\nHer expression is a bit intense, but not in that she looks angry. No. She just looks. Intense. She feels emotions very strongly, and right now it looks like she is in a positive mood! Woo! Her irises are bigger than what is natural, but it's not enough to be really offputting.\n\n\"Oh, yeah, sure dude! No issue.\" She is more than happy to help out, especially with something like this that she's good at. \n\nTiff always forgets to get spotters. A bad habit, really. But she's very confident in her abilities. \n\n\"315, eh? Yeah, got you.\" Easy!"
},
{
"author": "moonflies",
"message": "Caoimhe wasn't at all frightened by the look of intensity Tiff wore— unless someone was actively being hostile toward her, she tended to think the best of people. She gave her a dazzling grin. As she walked back toward the bench she had claimed, she spoke. \"Thank you, really. I've done more than this before but I always get so nervous. It's easy to get hurt. Pulled a muscle back home chopping wood once.\"\n\nIf there was one thing she could do, it was talk to relieve any awkward silences. If she wasn't talking, she was humming. At the moment, she found herself humming along the song that had come up on her playlist. Music always got the blood pumping.\n\nShe lowered herself onto the bench and got ready to push the bar. \"Just let me know when you're all set up and ready— I'm ready when you are.\" Once again she flashed a grin at Tiff. Talking and smiling. Her two best talents."
},
{
"author": "sapphic_spidy",
"message": "\"Ah, yeah, that's true! I forget sometimes, that people get hurt like that. *I* Don't, not like, anymore. Cause I learnt some real good stretches 'n techniques 'n stuff.\"\nThey both like to talk, it's just... Tiff doesn't always offer *Quality* Conversation. She is just loud and likes filling space. It is how she is.\n\nShe gets in position for The Spotting (spidy knows nothing about any of this), nodding. \n\n\"Alright! All ready!\" She returns the grin- a large toothy smile. It's earnest.\n\n\"You chopped wood? That's pretty cool. I mostly just did sports 'n stuff. I think chopping wood would be *Fun*, though. But I don't think anyone here would, like, trust me with an axe.\""
}
] | 211 | 854 |
200.5 | 2021-11-05 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "There is a café in the woods. It's not visited often - mostly by elderly locals and the few enthusiasts who take walks or horseback rides through the woods - but it still never seems to close.\n\nIt's a homely sort of space, with wooden floors and walls and furniture, tables draped in red-and-white plaid tablecloth, and a fireplace crackling quietly by the counter. In a seating area situated in an alcove, a somewhat significant library of old, dusty books can be found, along with a rustic-looking, perhaps handmade, piano.\n\nThe space looks lived-in - because it is, to an extent. The owner's home is connected to the space directly, though it's cordoned off.\n\nA young girl of relatively average height is cleaning up after a few recently departed customers. She has earbuds in, but takes one of them out when she notices the door opening. \"*Välkommen,*\" She says in a typical customer service voice. *Jaden är upptagen just nu, men hon kommer snart tillbaka. Vill ni ha något att dricka?*\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Moving through the woods on her exploration had lead her to an area where she can smell a strong scent of coffee. A familiar smell that she recognize from the gas station at the reservation. Her steps slowed down when she creeped behind the bushes to peer out at the building. Her glowing round eyes blinked. At first, she wanted to turn heel and leave, but something inside her nagged to go in and get a drink. She has some change in her pocket that she had not spent yet. If she wants to improve her social skills, this would be good time to start. Evan will not always be here for her when she needed someone to 'deal' with someone. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, she walks up ahead after mustering some courage. She wore unusual hide downcoat with a hood rimmed with wolf fur, leather gloves, jeans and tribal jewelry. The girl had a wooden mask with small antlers that covered her face. Rai pushed open the door."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Leaves moved and crunched beneath heavy boots as Valio stalked through this forest engorged with beautiful foliage. She looks through the trees finding light peaking through; she smiles looking back onto the path she had taken. She followed this to take the angel girl here it wasn't really a fond memory but she's glad the girl is okay. She'd been wanting to check on the girl but she'd put it off many a times due to not wanting to bother what the woman whom owned the cafè was doing. \n\nValio is quite happy to finally bring herself to actually come back to the cafè. She pulls her fingers through her hair as she closes onto the cafè. It was such a lovely place it looked so inviting which it was truly. There was a beast horned figure already at the door... It wasn't her business to know so she had had waited for the girl to enter.\n\nOnce the strange girl had entered the cafè Valio laid her hand upon the door and gently pushed it open, a gentle smile washing over her features as she saw the employee. \"Ah... Rooibos *Behaga*?\" She asked."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The girl nods and heads off behind the counter without a word. There's a bit of yelling coming from the back, but it's not really audible. If Valio knew anything more than the most cursory Swedish phrases, she might be able to pick out something about speaking English.\n\nA woman emerges from the back rooms, taller than the girl, (but not by much,) with fiery ginger hair going down to her shoulders and a calm smile on her lips. She looks at Valio with recognition in her eyes, and Valio would recognize her too - as the proprietor.\n\n\"Oh, it's you,\" She says warmly, \"And you brought a friend! Are you here to see Annika or do you only want tea?\" She's got an accent, but her speech is clear enough to understand anyway. She seems to have a different outlook on that night than Valio does, certainly.\n\nJust before Valio can answer, she turns to Rai as well. \"And do you want anything?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai flinches when the fiery ginger turn to her suddenly. \"I-I-I w-would like c-c-coffe please...\" She says, her voice quacking. It was difficult to tell by her soft androgynous voice if she is male or female. It sound hollow and clear. Her feet worked on its own when they stepped away from the group to give herself some space. The wooden mask is shaking with a slight rattling noise."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio watches the owner of the cafè emerge she keeps that smile on her features as she steps forward slightly to greet the woman. She's a kind woman but Valio is quite the worrisome woman, she'd wondered if the woman wouldn't like her but she pushed that thought away. Why would the owner have a Cafè is she didn't like others? Such a silly thought. \n\n\"Yes it's me ma'am sorry for the abrupt visit.\" She speaks returning the warm nature the fire haired woman emits. \"A friend?\" Valio looks down to the figure just backing up a little. \"Oh yes indeed. I'll be paying for them if you don't mind.\" Valio turns back to the owner. \"I wouldn't mind seeing Annika if she wants to see me. I wouldn't just leave, that'd be rude would it not?\" She breaths in the last part of her sentence with a light short laugh. Yes she adores this place who was she to make such rude assumptions."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The owner nods and smiles as she begins brewing a pot of coffee. \"I'll go ask in a minute, if she's awake. She's been sleeping a lot.\" She pokes her head out back to grab the kettle, pouring a cup. \"That's a good thing, actually. I think she's getting better.\" She places the cup on the counter and leaves a teabag in it, then walks out past the cordoned-off area.\n\nIt takes her a few minutes to come back, accompanied by a still-frail Annika wrapped in a warm blanket. Still, Annika looks less frazzled now - her shiny blond hair having been cleaned up and combed, her face looking calmer, even the halo above her head seeming slightly less cracked, though perhaps that is only imagination. \n\nThat only lasts about a split-second, until she notices Rai, at which point she hides behind the proprietor. The two whisper for a moment, before Annika shyly grabs the proprietor's hand and walks further in.\n\nThe proprietor smiles at Rai. \"I'm sorry, but would it be possible for you to...\" She gestured vaguely at her face. \"I think Annika would like that more.\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio smiles at the woman as she brews the coffee. She listens in on the woman speaking nodding along as the woman gets the kettle. \"That's nice to hear. It's also a joy to know she's getting better thank you for letting me know.\" She speaks watching the cup brew with the tea she had asked for. \n\nVal takes the minutes to look at her tea before looking at the other whom she is accompanied by. \"Sorry about that. What's your name?\" Valio asked before the owner had come back with Annika in tow. She does indeed look better now which made Valio incredibly relieved to see. At least she isn't in so much pain now that had hurt to see. Her halo looks... Different but the look was short lived. \n\nValio looks at the more tribal looking figure beside them. As the owner talks to the figure she talks to them as well.\n\"It's your choice.\" She tells the masked stranger."
}
] | 204 | 1,604 |
151.142857 | 2021-11-22 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "There's an elegant, rustic sort of cross-stitch at the entrance to the little café in the woods. It evokes a time long-gone, the comfortable feeling of visiting a grandparent. A poem is stitched upon it in red thread, welcoming visitors:\n\n*Welcome, welcome, don't be shy\nYou're safe here, no need to cry,\nSip a coffee, read a tome,\nGo on and make yourself at home.*\n\nThe air smells like freshly baked bread, old books, wood. The space is soft, in a way, with wooden walls and floors, red-and-white plaid pattern tablecloths, cushioned chairs that look like antiques.\n\nIt's homely. It's what the angel girl, Annika, calls home, for the time being."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan was just going to check out the café, and see if it was any good as a spot to relax. At least, that's what she would've told anyone that asked. She'd learned that the girl they'd found in an abandoned building had been moved here temporarily, and as one of the students who'd discovered her, she still felt some responsibility towards her, and wanted to at least make sure that she was doing alright.\n\nShe smiled at the poem displayed by the entrance, and stepped inside. It was homey. Warm in a way that her dorm room wasn't, at least, not yet. She missed the bustle and noise of the city she'd grown up in, but the atmosphere here was nice. Much better than the abandoned factory building at least.\n\n\"Hello!\" She called out, probably louder than necessary given the size of the building. \"Anybody home?!\" She shivered slightly as she started to warm back up from the cold walk here."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "A blond girl pops her head around the corner, looking quite miffed. \"Yes, the counter's over h-\"\n\nBefore she can quite manage to articulate a proper response, she finds herself interrupted by the angel girl rushing at Morgan with a knife in her hand and murderous intent in her eyes. The girl at the counter cusses loudly in Swedish and runs at the angel girl.\n\n\"*ANNIKA!*\"\n\nBefore the angel girl can hurt anyone, she's being firmly held back. She seems to calm down somewhat.\n\n\"I'm terribly sorry about this, she... She's very bad with strangers,\" The girl at the counter explains. \"I'm Anja. I work here. And this is Annika. She's staying with my mom right now.\" There's a look on Anja's face that says not to ask too many questions.\n\n\"I can get you a free coffee as an apology, if you'd like.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan yelps in a very unheroic manner as Annika sprints into view with a knife. She leans back against the doorframe and takes a deep breath, still feeling the adrenaline rush. \"No, it's- it's fine. Just took me by supri- AH!\" Morgan tried to close the door behind her, but as soon as she touched the door handle, there was a sound like a firecracker, and orange sparks flashed in the air briefly as a huge amount of built up static electricity discharged into the door. \"Sorry sorry sorry! Shit! Should've realized that would happen. It builds up when I get spooked.\"\n\n\"It's uh... Nice to meet you Anja. I'm Morgan.\" She realized that this was the first time she'd heard Annika's name. She waved tentatively at the angel. \"Nice to see you again.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Anja looks utterly unfazed. \"I'm living under the same roof as a girl with a halo. I've seen it all.\"\n\nShe scoffs a little at the revelation that Morgan and Annika know each other. Somehow, she's not surprised.\n\nAnnika, for her part, is a lot more reserved. After having calmed down, (and given up the knife,) she's allowed to go free again. She's wearing a neat white dress, and she looks neat compared to when Morgan last saw her. It almost looks like a different person.\n\nShe waves back a bit awkwardly.\n\nAnja interjects. \"Do you want the coffee or not?\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Oh hell yes please. It's freezing out there.\" Morgan stepped up to the counter. \"I feel sorry for anyone who tries to rob the place. Just walking into some place and suddenly you get a facefull of knife from a girl with a halo like, damn.\" \n\nShe's smiling again now that the adrenaline spike has faded. \"You're looking a lot better Annika.\" Morgan, not being able to think of a tactful way of addressing the situation, decided to just pretend it hadn't happened. \"It's probably nice having a stable food supply now.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Anja vanishes to brew coffee, leaving Annika and Morgan alone together. It's hardly a comfortable scenario. Twice would-be assailant and her victim, from both perspectives. Yet they both seem not to mind.\n\nAnnika is hardly an outgoing sort of person, still. She has a hidey sort of attitude, and it's clear that she's not well, both from her emotional expressions and her damaged halo, but at least she isn't coughing, and she's been cleaned up some.\n\nShe looks around the room. They're alone, she confirms, as she slowly traipses over to Morgan.\n\n\"Family. I need to go back to family.\" Her voice is just above a whisper, but it's crystal clear. Brimming with purpose. \"Help.\" It's not a request, at least not by tone. More of a command than anything. Her obviously fragile state makes her difficult to respect, but in better times for her, the force alone would have been compelling.\n\n\"Quick.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan pauses for a moment, and glances back at where Anja vanished. It wasn't really the best idea. Annika was difficult to relate to, so it was hard to gauge what she wanted Morgan to do, and why. Then again, Morgan knew her better than Anja, small difference though it was.\n\nWorst case scenario, there was something bad going on here. Best case scenario, Annika was homesick and this would be a funny thing to try to explain to the academy later. \"What do you need from me?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"I need to go home.\"\n\nThere's more to it than that. That much is obvious. There's the reason why, there's where home *Is,* There's why she's telling Morgan. Morgan knows that, and Annika knows those questions are going unanswered. She's unstable, traumatized, and bad at English, but she's hardly stupid.\n\n\"Home.\"\n\nShe sounds insistent. Very insistent. Not scared, but... Upset. Like she thinks she's not being listened to, or something like that.\n\nShe gently drags Morgan to the table furthest from the counter, in a bookshelf-filled alcove at the back of the café. Her voice takes on a bit more force, and she taps the table with her finger. \"Home. To family.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan lets herself be led, but she was almost expecting to be taken out the door, to some other place. Not to a space further into the café. Morgan takes a deep breath and nods. She understands the angel's desire all too well. The only reason she's staying at Newton's Cradle voluntarily is because her brother asked her to. If Annika didn't have something like that to tie her down, Morgan would gladly help her get home. \"I know. I understand. I want to help.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Annika is silent for a moment. Then another, then another. The gears are clearly turning in her skull. \"Don't know how I get there.\" As she says it, she looks dejected, hopeless. Her halo hangs limply, slightly closer to the ground than before. She wanted so badly to believe there was hope for her to find her way home, but...\n\nJust then, Anja arrives at the table, with a cup of hot coffee for Morgan and a chocolate chip cookie for the dejected Annika. She quickly leaves again.\n\nAnnika looks up at Morgan, tears in her eyes. \"Can't find my family alone.\" An ear-splitting sound, like something snapping, rings through the café, and another crack marks its presence on her halo.\n\nShe takes as big a bite of the cookie as she can manage, mostly for comfort, and mumbles to herself in Swedish to calm herself down."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan mumbles a word of thanks to Anja, but her attention is focuses firmly on the angel. She leans across the table and tries her best to wipe Annika's tears. \"Hey, it's, it's gonna be alright. I'll help you figure it out. I won't be the only one either.\" Morgan winces, both from the volume of the halo cracking again, and out of sympathy. Surely that can't be good.\n\n\"I don't... I don't know how- how to help you find your family, but you gotta keep trying. You can't give up. I understand how you feel, I really do.\" Morgan pulled back slightly, still leaning across part of the table. \"You're not alone. I promise.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Annika stands up and heads over to Morgan's side of the table.\n\n\"Thank you,\" She whispers. \"I... I'm tired.\" She rubs the new crack in her halo. It feels funny. \"Help later.\"\n\nShe wanders off into a cordoned-off area of the building, still nibbling at her cookie. She doesn't seem like she wants to talk anymore."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan stays for a while, letting the coffee warm her up, and thinking. There wasn't much she could do but be there for Annika. Then again, sometimes that's all that was needed. That's what her brother had needed, so she'd support the angel while she could. Hopefully Annika realized that others would too.\n\nGiving her thanks to Anja one last time as she left, Morgan returned to Newton's Cradle. Maybe she couldn't help Annika back to her home, but maybe she could help make the café feel a bit more livable. This was a project she'd be working on for a while...\n\n=============================="
}
] | 157 | 2,116 |
116.166667 | 2022-01-07 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Vizhkir had taken the day to go out and explore the town outside of his prison. The Russian boy hummed to himself as he walked around the street, peering into shops and taking in the sights. He found a nice alley to act as a wind break and so he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Taking a drag he looked out and into the town once again. It was pretty here. So much diffrent from the camoflauge and greys of military bases. Each building felt unique where as his prior homes were always built the same. Either concrete or a hanger style metal building. He wondered why his father had kept him away from this..."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Wearing a black hood over his head with the lower white hood covering half his lower face, it semble a beak of a raven with a lighter lower part. His ocean blue eyes stood out from the shadow that case over his face. He minded his own business not bothering to pay attention to what other people say, think or feel. Its none of his concern. The reason what brought him into town was the map out area to gain familiarity in his location. If he's going to be stuck in prison school, it would be a good idea to get use to being here. Now that he had time to look at the different buildings and colors did not phase him one bit. It was just another building. He was playing Blue Stahli - Ultranumb accoustics. It sound a lot better he thought, listening to the female sing it."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "A familiar figure made it's way across Vizhkir's vision. Vance? Vince? Mince? No. It was Vance. He looked strange, as always, but not that aware of his surroundings, at least to Vizhkir. Taking a drag of his cigarette he decided to follow the other boy, curious to see where he was going."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance continued walking with his hands kept warm inside his pockets, he turn his gaze up at the clouded sky with a squint. He was beginning to feel paranoid with the strange people within the area who seem to be eyeballing him. What were their intentions? Trying to ignore them, he wanders to a store where he bought himself a pack of cigarettes before walking out with a ring of the bell from the door. He still didn't notice Vizi stalking him while he continued his exploration."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Viz stayed back a bit, watching and listening. He took deep pulls of his cigarette, allowing his eyes to explore other areas besides the backside of the boy he had met less than 72 hours ago. The town was beautiful, and he basked in the strange and he found himself breathless at serval points. There were several flocks of people nearby, and while they gave Vance strange looks they also gave Vizhkir a strange look due to the Russian flag patch on his right sleeve. Infact, a man in particular took special interest in this patch."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance, still minding his business, still walked ahead listening to music playing from his phone. He would have stood out more exposing more of his features such as his dark skin, black hair and a deep set of blue eyes. He seriously look like he didn't belong here. One of his main concerns was facing racism like he did back at school in Italy. Unaware of Vizi following him far back, he was already about to turn the corner."
}
] | 109.5 | 697 |
85 | 2022-01-09 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Vizhkir continued to follow, lagging back a few people lengths. He himself began to hum lowly to the tune of California gurls. He looked around, watching his surroundings vigiallintly. His black hair bounced slightly with each of his long strides. \n\nThe man who had taken interest in the patch had also been following the two, watching Vizhkir with eagle eyes."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "This is when Vance turn a corner into the alley to explore, still unaware of Vizi and the other stalker."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Vizhkir had followed him into the alley and not long behind them was the other man. \n\nA shout in Russian caught Vizhkir's ear, and wheeling around he saw the man. His sixth sense began to ping like crazy. This man was up to no good. \n\nVizhkir responded in his native tounge, and from his calm responses and the man's angry shouting he discovered that the man was a Ukrainian national, one who had fought agasint the Russian Federation in the 2014 invasion, and he was pissed to see someone wearing a Russian flag proudly."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "His pointed ear under his beanie twitched when he heard an angry shout of a Russian man call out to the other. Glancing over his shoulder, Vance could recognize this Vizi person getting yelled at by an older man who looked pissed and very Russian like the other. He quickly steps out of view around the corner, glancing around with paranoia to make sure no one is watching him. When there are no sign of anyone in his area, he'll turn to peer around the corner."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "A punch was thrown shortly after a very heated shouting match in Russian. The Ukrainian's first met the jaw of the Russian boy who stumbled back a few feet before launching his own punch which had a more visible effect on his target when he ate it to the gut and double over."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Oh, this is not good. His eyes close half shut while he debated further until he decided to pick up metal L shape pipe from the ground. While the Ulkranian is preoccupied, he'll sneak quietly out of view before hitting the older male in the back of the head with the pipe. He's not going to fight fair."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "A dull thud marks the man hitting the ground and groaning in pain. However his spirit was not broken. With Vizhkir occupied telling Vance to leave and that it was between the two men the Ukrainian had gotten up. \n\n\nA solid right hook caught Vance in the head before a kick was sent to the back of Vizhkir's knee causing the Russian to drop to it."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "It knocked his head back a bit from a hit which cause flecks of blood fling from the side of his head. His hand held onto the throbbing spot where he got punched. Standing there feeling the pent up rage building up, he shakes off the slight dizziness before sprang out moving more quicker. \"You... Motherfucker...\" His voice deepen in a low growl as his hand grip tighter on the pipe. He smashes the man on the side of the knee as hard as he could, not caring one bit if he breaks it. Then he zips back moving quickly with a leap back to avoid getting punched again."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Sadly it did not break the man's knee, however it did hurt the man significantly and caused him to drop to his good knee. \n\nVizhkir rose to his feet, a deep growl growing in his throat. He stood behind the man and put him in a chokehold, his thighs and stomach absorbing the subsequent hits from the man's elbow. \n\nIt looked as if Vizhkir was set to snap the man's neck, a fury like no other in his eye and he tightned the hold, leading to more erratic and heavy elbow hits."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "An elf with no mercy, Vance thwacked the other knee hard as he could with the metal pipe. Yes, it was the other good knee he's going to fuck up. And of course, he gives a few good swings for good measure. \"You!\" Thonk! \"Good!\" Thonk! \"Fucking!\" Thonk! \"Asshole!"
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "The stuggles of the man slowly faded, as did the animalistic snarls as he slowly lost consciousness. While both knees would hurt him when he woke he wasnt too horbily banged up. Vizhkir dropped him before delivering a nasty kick to the side. \n\n\"We should scramble\" Viz said simply with slow, heavy breaths"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "As Vizi is saying this, Vance was already dragging the man's body to the side before burying him in a bunch of garbage bags. \"On it..\" He dusts his hands free from dirt before he begins to bail from the area. Fuck! His head is hurting a lot. Right now he is unaware that blood had streamed down over his left eye; causing him to see red. Of course, he bagged the medium sized pipe into his backpack."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Vizhkir disappeared into the shadows, making a wide and erratic trek back to the school. Anyone who may have followed his would have been lost within the 2 hour span it took him to RTB \n\nCombat Results: Vizhkir has heavy bruising and a cut on his jaw, Vance has a gash on his head and the Ukrainian is brusied and probobly has a cracked rib"
}
] | 81 | 1,105 |
121.461538 | 2022-01-10 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The door creaked open when she first step out from her room before locking it behind her. Nervously glancing down each end of the hall, she walked to the left feeling both her legs shaking. *\"Bravery, bravery, bravery\"* She said quietly to herself. They wore a wooden mask with tribal markings addorn with semi-precious stones. The small antlers stood above the round glowing eyes of her masked face. Rai wore a dark blue wintercoat rimmed with wolf fur on the hood. There are rib like bone sewn on near the hem of her front jacket that appeared to be buttons. The only thing modern would be her woolen light brown sweater, jeans and sneakers. The poor thing is trying to adjust to civilization but it always made her face different challenges. When she nearly bumped into a student, she bows her heard to them apologetically. \"S-Sorry..\" She says softly. As she moves around them, her hip knocks down the janitorial cart that went tumbling down the stairs. Rai spun in shock, covering the sides of her face uncertain what to do. In a panic, she ran back and forth in short knee jerking bursts before hurrying away to round the corner."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel isn't even able to respond before Rai barrels into them, knocking all of their books in hand. The novels scatter around the floor, jumping out at Rai with headlines like \"*Coping with Narcolepsy*\", \"*Alice in Wonderland*\", and \"*The Meaning of Dreams: The Subconscious, and What It's Trying to Tell You.\"*\n\nUriel groans a bit, fiddling for a book just barely out of reach. As they make eye contract with the... Weird, most—likely—powered girl, their face remains completely neutral despite the oddities. \n\n\"Oh, you were... Running, right?\" They look down at Rai. \"I disturbed your goal by being in the way, and for which I apologize.\" \n\nThey reach a hand towards Rai."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel was still panicking when she quickly gathered the books like a raven plucking berries from the ground. When Uriel reached their hand out towards her, there was no thought at the moment when she grabbed their hand. Without thinking, she pulls them up and starts running ahead leading them away from the angry voices. She was carrying their books in one arm while her other free hand held the other person's hand. The girl spirited Uriel away from the scene by a masked girl who kept running."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"You're... Moving... Me?\" Uriel says sleepily, and yawning with the hand not being tugged on. \n\n\"Oh... This is a kidnapping, right?\" They sigh loudly, but keep matching the same pace anyway.\n\n\"If you're doing this because you need something, or you're being forced to... We can talk this out.\" The words would have had any sort of authoritarian role if they weren't delivered in Uriel's usual deadpan tone."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel swung them around a large tree where she stopped running. The poor thing was rattled by the commotion she caused minutes earlier. She was panting, nearly close to tears when she realized how much trouble she's going to be later. Then she heard a voice that caught her attention. \"Gah!\" And now she just realized she dragged this person along without thinking. Raizel bowed her head apologetically. \"I-I am so sorry! I... I didn't mean to..\" She cut off short when she realized that she goofed up again. Her voice sound hollowed with her mask on when she speaks. \"Y-you can go now... I..I wasn't thinking... I-I didn't mean to drag you with me.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Once Uriel realizes they're safe, they let out a deep sigh of relief.\n\n \"No, no, it's not your fault! Now that I know I'm safe... I'll guess I'll ask why you were in such a panicked state, then.\"\n\nUriel hunches over, attempting to regain their breath after the run. \n\n\"You kind of took me away from something important... But so long as I can do something important here, it's worth it.\"\n\nThey sit down on their calves in a rather elegant manner."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Her shoulders squared whenthey mentioned her panic state as she turns her gaze at the ground, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. \"I-I knocked down... Th-the janitor's wagon th-thingy down the stairs...\" Then she waved her hands like a shield to protect herself. \"I-It was by accident I-I swear!\" And as soon as they sits down in an elegant manner, she could not help but be reminded of the elegant deer she killed few days ago. \"Wh-what are you doing?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I'm going to sit here, and stay until you're done talking about whatever other events in your life are making you that nervous about an accident.\" Uriel said, in their normal breathy tone. \n\n\"I think such anxieties might weigh on your mind and permeate into your dream subconscious. And I'd like to prevent you from any bad dreams.\"\n\nUriel smiled, letting out a polite laugh. \"There's no need to feel like a burden by talking. I need to understand people better, and so maybe stumbling upon you was fate.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "She couldn't help but stare at him before sitting down with a plop with her legs folded with. \"Is your power like a dream c-catcher or something?\" Her shoulders are still quivering while she tried to stay \"Normal\" Much as possible. \"I-I don't know people much.\" Her glowing pale eyes half closed, almost representing a crescent moon. \"Trying to learn...\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel thinks about the description. \"A little off, but... Essentially, yes.\"\n\nThey put a reassuring hand on Rai's shoulder. \n\n\"I don't know people, either.\"\n\nTheir eyes unfocus as they begin to think back. \n\n\"I see... Their deepest nightmares and their ultimate dreams, but they're still unpredictable and confusing to me. It's hard to understand why they do the things they do.\" Uriel sighs, and looks back at Rai. \n\n\"So... If you ever need a study buddy, I'll try my best to compare notes.\" \nUriel smiles, a genuine one."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I-I'm... Not so great with a-academics..\" When Uriel placed their hand on her shoulder, they would feel a chill. \"Oh... I-I heard stories ab-about dreams being m-messages or th-they sometimes h-help predict the future.\" Rai bit her lower lip behind her mask, not understanding why this person is being so kind and presenting themselves as a beta. \"I-I'm Raizel... Th-that's what they c-call me an-anyways..\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"From Newton's Cradle, I suppose?\" They ask patiently, their voice lowering to a hum. \n\n\"That would mean you're powered as well— what sent you to this place?\" \n\nWhen Raizel mentions her name, they extend their arms to shake hands. \n\n\"Charmed. I'm Uriel.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"White people dressed in weird clothes were in-invading my-my home... F-for their museum and m-money... T-tried scaring them away,\" She said, sounding slightly annoyed. Rai was still trying to grow accustomed speaking english more, so it might take awhile for her to use other words in her vocabulary.\"S-Said its a f-forgotten village... S-so they wanted to study and cl-claim it.\" When he raised his hand to her, she takes his hand to look at his frail fingies. \"Oh-w-wow, you have such smooth hands... Do you ever w-work?\""
}
] | 108 | 1,579 |
107.809524 | 2022-01-11 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel simply lets the girl touch their hands, offering no forms of resistance. \n\n\"No, not often. I do write, occasionally, but my powers are often detrimental to any attempts at self defense. I tried learning some a while ago, but it did not go well.\" They sigh, slightly embarrassed about the memory. \n\n\"Overall, my abilities... Are not very useful. What are yours, if I might ask?\" Uriel asks, using their one free hand to tighten their braid."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I guess you're more of a sleepy sage type? I-I mean... You can gather in-information from others? H-Heard that dead people can visit dreams to warn others or j-just wanted to see them?\" Rai was astounded that this person's hands are so delicate and dainty. \"U-uh... I c-can turn partial m-monster f-from native legends..\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Maybe so, but I feel as if the only reason a power like mine could be used is for purposes of manipulation. Showing people their greatest desires, their worst nightmares... All illusions designed to harm.\" Uriel looks over at Rai, and smiles. \n\n\"You, however, you can protect people with your powers... It's a very honorable ability.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I-I don't know...\" Rai responded quietly. \"Lived alone for as long as I-I could remember... No family or friends wh-where I came from.\" She unleashed his frail hand as she turns her gaze back down to the ground. \"I... Don't like a lot of humans all th-that much...\" Her voice sound more hollow behind her mask."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Well... Unfortunately, you're going to run into a lot more. But, if it helps, I can consider you a friend.\" Uriel smiles. \n\n\"You're just a kid, right? You must enjoy some things. How do you feel about ice cream?\" They tap their chin, deep in thought. \n\n\"Ah, but — your mask. How do you... Eat with that thing on, if I may ask?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "She curls up where she sits, arms circling her legs as it only made her look much smaller. \"J-just a kid..?\" Rai never thought of herself such as one since she grew up mostly isolated. \"I-It's okay... I guess... I'm not like you... I l-lived in the wild with no parents.\" She buried her masked face behind her knees with a shuffling sound. \"I-I lift my mask up to eat..\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"A child is still a child, even without parents around. It must've been difficult growing up all alone in the forest. No good memories... No good dreams. Taken to a place like this... Is nothing less than uncomfortable.\"\n\nUriel sighs. From their pocket, they take out a chocolate bar.\n\n\"I usually eat this chocolate to stay awake. But I know something about children, despite not having any siblings, or much of a family at all— that kids love eating chocolate. Feel free to keep it to eat later, if you'd rather not expose your face.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "How old is this guy? Raizel still didn't quite understand why they is treating her like a baby even though she is mature enough to live independently in the woods. When they takes out a chocolate bar, she can't help but try to understand where they're getting at. They're like an old withered soul trapped inside a young person's body. Then this occurred to her when she remembered a family in the reservation. Two mothers trading food because one was tired of moose meat and the other is sick of eating salmon. So both families could try eat something different that night. She digs inside her backpack for something that she picked up. Something that she heard about from Evan during their hangouts. \"Trade?\" And she gave them the energy drink."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Peaceful. Calm. Unshakeable. \nAll adjectives used to define Uriel, and all adjectives thrown out the window once they spot the energy drink in Raizel's hand. \n\n\"You're— you're giving me this?\" They sputter, taking it gingerly and reading the label. \n\n\"I've only heard about these. They say I'm not allowed to take them, as it could have adverse affects relating to my powers... Something about \"Dreaming while awake\". But...\" \n\nUriel stares longingly at it. \"I might make my own conclusion... You know, for science... And not because I want it, or anything.\" They lick the corner of their lip, and open the can with a *Pop*. \n\nWithout waiting, they down it in one gulp."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Mhm?\" She nods, watching him contently as he takes the forbidden drink. Like Eve had present Adam the forbidden fruit of good and evil, now Uriel has a powerful Monster drink held in their hand. \"You m-mean sleep walking? W-Well... I think its okay to d-drink it?\" Rai rubs the back of her neck. Then she notices him licking the corner of their lip before downing the drink. Was this a mistake?"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"We have about ten minutes before the caffeine is digested, and reaches my bloodstream.\" Uriel crunches the can, looking both ways for onlookers before he deposits it into their pocket. \n\n\"Even as a child, I've always had my caffeine intake moderated, and stuck to a strict threshold. After all, too little and I'd be asleep constantly. But, I've never seen what the reverse had in store.\" \n\nThey stare at the can in their pocket. \n\n\"With that logic, this was most likely a bad idea, especially in front of a stranger.\" Uriel knits their eyebrows close together. \"Oh. That seems like a really, really ill-advised idea, doesn't it?\" \n\nThey laugh sheepishly at themselves. \n\n\"No changing it now, I suppose. You seemed like you know a lot about town, considering how quickly you managed to navigate. Would you mind showing me around? I just got to the facility, and I'm afraid I'm a little lost in a town like this...\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Umm... Is it a bad idea wh-when you're doing an experiment with th-the drink?\" Raizel asked, now rising onto her feet. There was a strange tingle in her legs from sitting for too long that felt weird. \"I-I never went to town y-yet... H-have been trying... Just... Scared going alone..\" And now she wondered if Uriel is going to be alright after consuming the monster drink. What's going to happen to him now? \"Uh... I don't think the people there would see me as o-one of them..\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"If you don't want to go, that's alright. But it would be best to know your surroundings, and being with someone will make it easier to stay safe... And so long as you're covered, I think you'll be fine. The townspeople have seen their share of oddities, considering how many people from the facility stop by.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Uriel... I d-don't think I'll be ready to go... Not just yet... Well... I-I could... I-if maybe you take me there? N-Not when you're highly c-caffinated,\" She said, dusting the dirt and twigs from her jeans. \"I-It's difficult... Its not like the re-reservation where I-I am familiar w-with.\" Rai begins to stutter more. \"It-It's a town...\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Hm, that's a fair point— an already stressful scenario could turn worse if your guide passes out on you.\" \n\nUriel suddenly stands up straighter, and squints at Rai. \"Do you see that as well, or are there... Trees around you?\" They poke at a shimmering veil of clouds emitting from Rai's head. In the almost-painting like surface, they see a deep dark forest. A wolf howls, and Uriel covers their ears at the volume. \n\n\"You're— you're seeing this stuff too, right?\" Sweat beads down Uriel's forehead."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Huh? There's tres everywhere... We're at the edge of the woods?\" Raizel was beginnign to feel a little worried when beadlets are rolling down their forehead. \"Nothing at all? A-all I see is you getting sweaty... Uh... Do you need to see someone?\" With Rai, she is an embodiment of cold. A totem creature of winter. She is close to dragging this person to an adult to get help if they start acting more weird."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I do need to see someone— I need to test things out.\" \n\nUriel spins around, looking at the people sitting around on the outskirts of the area. Two people are sitting on a picnic bench, holding hands. Pouring out of one of their heads is a beautiful, pink dream— the sound of doves flapping their wings and wedding bells cement the charming dream. \n\nThe other one, well— Uriel looks away, a faint red on their cheeks.\n\n\"Please tell me you don't see *That one*, or else I'll have to cover your eyes.\" Thankfully to Uriel, the dreams leaking into their vision don't seem to be visible by anyone else."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai turn her glowing round eyes curiously at the couple sitting alone on a picnic bench like a couple of lovesick puppies. \"No? It looks like they decided to be mates?\" She gestured to their direction. \"Eh..?\" And she can see Uriel's face becoming red as a beet. \"Did you see something bad? What's the word? Oh! One of them is horny?\" The blunt freaking word she heard some teens at the highschool near the reservation mention it before."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel squeezes their eyes shut. \"So, it's just a me thing... Wow, this is exhausting.\"\n\nThey look out at a crowd of people, and their vision swims. So much *Color*, melding and mixing with each other, all with a symphony of sound blaring out, all pulling and clawing at Uriel's presence. They feel the *Tug* And immediately claw at their temple. \n\nThe tapestry of the people's dreams and thoughts and emotions claw at their brain, and it's painful."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Uh... H-hey... I think you need some space, come with me.\" And she begins to lead them away from the people as she brings them further into the forest. Raizel made sure to steer clear from a bunch of punks so Uriel could mellow out without being overwhelmed. \"When I get tired of people, I sometimes find a place where I could b-be alone with my own thoughts.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"B-but, there's *Things* In the forest, and I can't exactly defend myself. I bet they can smell the weakness in me... Or something.\" Uriel is reminded of how eerily similar this is to their meeting, with Rai leading them somewhere.\n\n\"It... It is beautiful, though.\" Uriel remarks, gazing at the trees as they get dragged."
}
] | 98 | 2,264 |
73 | 2022-01-13 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Is th-that all?\" Raizel doesn't really get it from her own perspective that left her confused. \"I-Its okay trying to understand others... But isn't th-that tiring? Wh-why would a stranger want to know m-more about you? Wh-whats the purpose? She asked, tilting her head questioningly. \"And yes, something of the sort... You need to relax and g-go to your happy place. St-stop focusing on so many things. It-It's your moment.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "The caffeine had started to wear off. While, of course, it usually stayed in the bloodstream for 6 hours in a normal human, the caffeine's battle with Uriel's innate melatonin overdrive seemed to be waning in intensity. \n\nThey looked up at the sky— feeling the hot wind gently toy with loose strands of their hair and the moss under their hands. \n\nThey gently close their eyes, a small smile on their face. \n\n\"It's my moment, hm?\" \n\nUriel leans back, and drifts into unconscious."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "========================================"
}
] | 107 | 219 |
143.5 | 2022-04-01 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "Deleted User",
"message": "Frankie was standing on the curb next to a certain cross-street, knuckles turning white from holding onto the steel pole of the sign from excitement, fear, who knows? She had a simple duffel bag slung across her bag, and, well, she looked ridiculously small next to the sign. Waving at every car that went past her like a weirdo, she fumbled with her newly given smartphone, still getting used to the lack of buttons and simplicity."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Someone was oblivious, and stupid, and *New in town,* And Mél seemed to have been the first to notice. Finally, someone else with only half a brain! Of course, since this person seemed lost and had only managed to send a blurry photo of a nearby street, Mél figured it would probably be a good idea to actually go say hello in person.\n\nSo she did.\n\nIt took three minutes or so, but she made her way out there, running only *Some* Of the way and slowing to a light jog as the intersection entered view. Sure enough, someone was standing there, fumbling with something and looking lost. That would be the new kid. Mél waved excitedly as she got close enough to really see.\n\n\"Heeeeeeeey! Hey! Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!!\"\n\nCertainly there was no shortage of enthusiasm."
},
{
"author": "Deleted User",
"message": "The enthusiastic shout made Frankie perk up, and she waved both arms like a wacky inflatable tube man as a greeting when she noticed the other girl quickly approaching. \n\n\"H-haaaaa*Aaa*...\" Air got stuck in her throat, and she flushed with color, suddenly feeling like, maybe, could she just board onto a plane again and never leave her room? Like, ever?\n\nBut it was too late for that sort of thoughts. As Mél would come closer, Frankie's bottom lip was slightly bleeding from nervous chewing, but she seemed to be happy to find someone to take her someplace. And possibly not be a murderer or kidnapper."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mél was hardly a kidnapper - and only ever *Dabbled* In murder, though you wouldn't guess it by looks. With her flowy blond hair, ironic Garfield t-shirt and denim skirt, she didn't exactly *Look* Intimidating or threatening in any way. Unless social interaction was considered threatening, in which case she would be an apex predator.\n\n\"You're the new kid, right? It's really weird that they let you walk around out here, they dropped me off at the door - should I carry your stuff? I can totally carry your stuff!\" Mél talked at the speed of a hurricane, blazing through the streets and leaving only Frankie behind. Apparently the fact that her new friend was utterly petrified had escaped her notice.\n\n\"Oh, right! I forgot to ask! What's your name?\""
}
] | 151 | 574 |
171.666667 | 2022-04-07 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "Deleted User",
"message": "Frankie's curiosity grew steadily, wondering what Mél could do, and if it was similar to her powers. Not wanting to be left behind again, the younger girl did her best jogging pace, a smile of excitement starting on her lips. \n\n\"H-Hey! What even is this place like? I wanna know if I gotta be polite or not to everyone,\" A teasing tone accompanying her words. \n\nFrankie wasn't gonna be polite either way, but, well, it was better to ask just toseem polite, right? \n\n\"How long have you been here?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mél watched the excited little smile on Frankie's lips and knew things were going well. Making an upheaval this big exciting rather than frightening wasn't something she thought she'd accomplish, but it was a nice surprise when she did. \n\n\"The place is, like, super weird. I have no idea what it's supposed to be. It's sorta like a boarding school and a prison and also summer camp or something? I don't even know, but, like. It's chill! Everyone's really nice and stuff! Or not, but-\"\n\nMél realized she was rambling, and quickly shut up. She had been keeping more thoughts about Newton's Cradle under lock and key than she knew.\n\nShe did a short bit of mental math in her head as they ran. The gears in her brain practically creaked. \"Like, four months,\" She chirped, and in that instant, something caught her eye - the distinctive concrete monstrosity that was Newton's Cradle. She pointed. \"Look, the big ugly concrete thing there, that's it! It's nicer on the inside, I promise!\""
},
{
"author": "Deleted User",
"message": "The girl playfully pouted and nodded along as Mél talked, and actually groaned at her first impression of her new home. \"This looks worse than my middle school! Talk about taking the prison thing too seriously. Or... Were you being serious about that part?\" \n\nStopping in her tracks, she looked up at the tall structure that posed in front of them. \"Yucko,\" And gave her first impression of the actual building and facility a 0/10. Giving a pronounced thumbs down sign and a raspberry to accompany it. \"I bet you say that to everyone to make sure they don't run away before they even get inside!\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Well, um... I think technically it's a prison?\" Mél slowed down and scratched her head a little. \"It doesn't really feel like a prison. They let you go out and do whatever. There isn't even a curfew or anything. But they also, like, arrested me and sent me here, so... Dunno.\"\n\n*Okay,* She thought to herself, in what might have been the first coherent thought in a while, *Stop. No more scaring the new kid.* She checked her phone. They wanted to make sure Frankie was doing okay.\n\nShe looked at Frankie, then at the phone. Yeah, Frankie was fine.\n\nShe laughed. \"Yeah, bet! Most people get dropped off at the door, so, like, not my problem anyway. I just came out 'cause I wanted to say hi.\" \n\nBefore they knew it, they were at the gate. \"C'mon, you wanna go in and see your room? I bet you're tired.\""
},
{
"author": "Deleted User",
"message": "Frankie was staring at Mél with eyes the size of saucers, and perked up at the mention of her being arrested. \"They technically arrested me too, er.. Because of my power I guess? It scared a lot of people.\"\n\nLooking around, a sly look creeped onto the girl's face, and she clapped her hands together in delight. \"If we're almost in, can I show you Gravy and Corn? Oh man, I just realized I didn't tell you about them this entire walk!\" \n\nRoom. Oh right! Privacy. \"But doing it inside might be better,\" She added. \"Corn is a spectacle to behold. Gravy is just Gravy though!\" A toothy grin."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Oh, huh. Wonder why you didn't get dropped off at the door, then. Weird!\"\n\nMél shrugged it off and opened the gate. She had a million cooler things to worry about, like showing her new friend all the cool things and places there were to see at Newton's Cradle. Maybe even introduce her to some of the cool *People* Too.\n\n\"Gravy and Corn? We're in the courtyard now, c'mon, you can tell, or show, or- I'm sure it's gonna be fine, they let us use our powers in here.\" As if to show off - because she was showing off - she pulled a spoon out from behind her back and let Frankie watch as it grew to a comical size. \"Only a spoonful,\" She joked, then shoved it behind her back again. \"C'mon, I wanna see! What's Gravy and Corn?\"\n\nMél could tell that they were gonna be friends."
}
] | 173.5 | 1,030 |
403 | 2022-04-15 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Thank you!\" \n\nJune gave another smile when Mel agreed to let them sit. They placed their drink on the opposite side of the table, and pulled out a chair. Their awkwardly long legs bumped the top of the table as they attempted to situate themselves. It didn't take long for them to figure out how to go about fitting in the chair. \n\nTaking a small bite of the mystery pastry, June's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. The texture was fluffy and sweet, and the taste danced through warm sugary flavours. They would definitely order this again. They placed their hand over their mouth as they finished chewing, and let their soft smile remain on their lips. \n\n\"Mel... That's such a nice name!\" \n\nJune tilted their head to the side as they spoke and their tone softened ever so slightly. It was less loud and direct, and more natural. Suited better for casual conversation. \n\n\"Ah yeah, June is my chosen name actually! I'm non binary, and my birth name didn't fit me. So i'm June now!\" June took the first sip of their drink after concluding their sentence. The bitter coffee coated their mouth and warmed their stomach. They far preferred energy drinks, but coffee was nice on early mornings such as these. \n\nJune felt oddly comfortable here in the small shop. Maybe it was the soft classical music swaying softly over the speakers, or the sweet food they had ordered, but they found themselves free of stress. Even if they hadn't talked much, June could tell Mel made good company. Conversation seemed natural, and June didn't have to reach for a response. A pleasant change of pace. \n\n\"So, how has Newtons Cradle been treating you?\" June knew the topic would come up eventually, might as well keep the small talk going. They rested their head on their solid hand, making sure to look present in the conversation."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "As June sat down, their body language and voice softened, going from an intense, exaggerated, in-your-face kind of cheeriness to a more natural, measured tone, something with which Mel could more comfortably keep a conversation going. Mel, with her focus on the conversation, managed to keep herself from audibly breathing a sigh of relief, but she *Was* Relieved. The tension was lifting off her shoulders, and someone perceptive to that sort of thing might notice.\n\n\"Thanks!\" Mel responded brightly to the compliment. She wasn't sure if she agreed, but that didn't matter. She wasn't the type to reject a compliment. \n\nShe also didn't know what nonbinary meant, but people seemed to not like it when she asked, so she'd learned not to ask in the first place and just ignore it. \"June's a really nice name too. It fits you!\" Obviously. They chose it. But it was a really good choice! June was a lovely name. \"Nonbinary means you wanna be called 'they', right? Finny tells me to say 'them' and they're nonbinary too.\"\n\nShe decided not to wait for a response. She'd just assume it was a yes. Not that it mattered. \"It's, um... Netwon's Cradle is pretty nice so far. Most people are pretty cool. I, um...\" She considered talking about the conspiracy stuff to June - or what she understood of it. She wasn't *At* Newton's Cradle, though. \"Finny says it's probably gonna get bad at some point. Like, there's a reason they want us there. But right now it's pretty cool, I guess.\"\n\nIt was difficult to be enthusiastic about it after having talked to Finley as much as she had. Still, she wasn't complaining too much. Newton's Cradle really was very nice, and everyone she'd met bar maybe one or two people had been very nice to her."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "June let their head rest on their hand, occasionally lifting their drink to their lips to take a sip. They jingled slightly with the movement of their hands, a soft sound but noticeable nonetheless. Their eyes remained excited, but now sitting down their body language was a lot more toned down. Despite this, June's overall demeanour of being eccentric and buzzing with limitless energy remained. \n\n\"Of course.\" June said in response. \n\nGiving a small smile at Mel accepting their compliment, June's eyebrows raised slightly in pleasant surprise at the words being returned. \"Thank you!\" They smiled to the point of their eyes closing slightly, a hint of dimples teasing their cheeks. \n\n\"Im glad it's going well! Its going pretty good for me too.\" June tapped their foot lightly on the ground, lifting the heavy platform slightly was no issue. They found couldn't sit still for very long, but conversation was going well. No need to leave anytime soon. They weren't given time to respond to the nonbinary comment, but they assumed Mel knew the answer was yes.\n\nTheir eyes lit up with the mention of Finley. They knew the same people? \"Oh Finny! Ive met them once before! They were laying on the floor of the study room. Clearly they don't sleep very often.\" They gave a playful giggle, meaning no harm with their words. They took another bite of their pastry, hoping the flaky sweet wouldn't smudge the faint lipgloss they had applied earlier.\n\n\"Maybe it'll get bad. But its pretty great so far I think!\" June wasn't necessarily lying, but they could feel the itch of the many cons of being here pestering their brain."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mel laughed. \"Yeah, that sounds like Finny. They're really smart but also kinda... Like that, yeah.\" Mel didn't have any better words for it. Finley was Finley. Loveable, smart, stupid Finley. Brain running all the time and being absolutely sure there's something awful going on, but never finding out what. Typical Finny. They're just like that.\n\nMel took another bite of her sandwich. Took another sip of her coffee. She wasn't tired anymore. Slowly, she was getting used to June, their inaudible rhythms and patterns and melodies beginning to fit together in Mel's head and create something cohesive she could hum along with. It wasn't always a fast process, but with June, it helped that they were so attention-grabbing. It made it easier for Mel to not distract herself with other things.\n\nSometimes, Mel thought of people like music. Her parents had drilled music into her from a very young age, to the point where it almost became another language, and she still had an intuitive understanding of it. June flowed like ragtime: cheery, upbeat, and slightly off-beat, but nonetheless very intuitive. It made sense. It worked. None of this, of course, Mel know intellectually; it was a feeling in her gut, like the automatic recognition of a spoken word without having to think about it.\n\n\"Mhm.\" Mel nodded in agreement. \"I like Finny, but I hope they're wrong. I like it here! I don't want it to get bad.\" She got an education, new friends, a safe space to work with her powers... Everything she'd struggled with at home had been handed to her on a silver platter. Of course she was happy. She was sitting in a coffee shop *In Sweden* Chatting with a delightful stranger *In English.* Her parents were probably seething.\n\nShe finished her sandwich, finally, in the space between words, and tried to find a way to keep the conversation going. When she did get a good idea, she audibly exclaimed her surprise: \"Oh!\" In a happy, upbeat voice, like it was something obvious she'd just remembered to mention. \n\n\"I haven't been around town a lot, I just wandered in here to get a coffee. Do you know any, like, cool spots?\""
}
] | 394 | 1,612 |
653.333333 | 2022-04-17 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Yeah, i've been up to the roof at Newtons Cradle as well. I agree, its sort of underwhelming.\" They laughed.\n\nJune thought for a second as they watched Mel light up with excitement. A sign of approval that stretched far past her words. They were both excited to explore, how wonderful June thought. \n\nThey took a sip of their drink and turned over all the ideas in their head. Where would be a good place, and even more so where could they take their new friend. The roof at Newtons Cradle was definitely an option, but it didn't seem impressive enough. Just then, June slammed their drink down and clapped their hands together. Their eyes practically brimming with glitter and sparkles. They had an idea.\n\n\"Yknow the Industrial District? Why don't we climb a building out there? Im sure the views are a lot better.\" June's tone was chipper and pleasant as always, pitching a little in spots when they got particularly excited. They looked at Mel, scanning for the same level of excitement they felt. \n\nJune still had a decent amount of coffee left, but they didn't want to wait. Especially if Mel agreed to their plan. They cupped the drink into their hand, the remainder of the coffee continued to warm into their palm. They raised the brim to their lips and tilted their head back, with a solid swing the entire rest of the drink was finished. June clearly did this often.\n\n\"Although,\" They paused, and raised their finger. \"Ive only been to the district once before. So I cant say I know it well.\" Leaning back down into a shrug, June's expression was playful and lighthearted. Despite not knowing the town very well they still wanted to explore, and with someone as intriguing as Mel, it was bound to be fun.\n_ _\n\nThey stood up, their chair moving backwards slightly with the movement. Their wrists jingled with the few bracelets they had layered. To June, this was a rather casual outfit, but to anyone else they still looked like a lost birthday clown.\n\n\"Does that sound good?\" They smiled in Mels direction."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mel laughed and nodded and smiled along to June's ephemeral rhythm. The two bounced off each other perfectly, back and forth, back and forth, prompt and response. Theirs was a quick dance, and though it required a certain finesse, they danced it like they had been training their whole lives to do so.\n\nMel wasn't tired, she realized. She'd walked into the coffee shop sleepy and undercaffeinated, and before the coffee really even had a chance to hit, she had been accosted by an excitable, extroverted stranger who seemed very much in a different mood to Mel herself. The interaction would be *Exhausting* Under normal circumstances, even if Mel would never show that outwardly, but this time, it wasn't. She was sure she'd be exhausted later, though.\n\n\"Ooh, the- Oh, the place with all the huge concrete factories!\" Mel had seen a few of them before, spewing smoke from the giant smokestacks and concrete blocks that marked the town's skyline. It was not a particularly welcoming part of town, but if there was ever a building worth climbing, the tallest factories known to Mel would certainly be it, and those were right there. Her eyes brightened with jittery excitement as she crumpled up her cup and sandwich wrapper and stood up.\n\n\"Yeah!\" She announced, \"Sounds great! C'mon, let's *GO!*\"\n\n...\n\nThe bus driver didn't notice them. Phew. Paying bus fare is for chumps.\n\n...\n\n\"That one?\" Mel asked. \"That one,\" Mel and June chorused, and their grins widened.\n\n...\n\n\"C'mon, June, up here! Get a move on, we're almost there!\"\n\n...\n\nThe factory roof was above everything. It was above Newton's Cradle. It was above the city. It was above even the other factories, only their smokestacks rising further than the roof Mel and June had made their way to. It made for one hell of a view, sitting there among the HVAC units and years of dirt, taking in the gentle spring breeze. It made for a nice place to relax after having gone through all the trouble of actually getting there.\n\nMel was smiling from ear to ear, still panting a little from exhaustion. She was tough, but that didn't mean she couldn't need a breath once in a while. Still, she seemed happy. She was having a good day. She *Was* Happy. Wasn't that a rare feeling? Happy? Was Mel usually happy?\n\n...Didn't matter. In that moment, Mel was happy, sitting next to someone who had been a stranger when she woke up that morning, but already now was a friend. Happy. Tired, but happy.\n\n\"...This was worth it.\" She leaned a little closer to June without really thinking about it. For a brief moment, the wind quieted, and much of her hair pointed down directly at the concrete, Mel leaning too much for her torso to get in the way. \"This is cool.\"\n\nMel paused and looked at June. They were tall, lanky, and somehow elegant. They dressed like a clown and carried it like a king. Did Mel want to be like June? In some ways. In a lot of ways. But June was their own person, who knew who they were, and Mel... Wasn't that, yet. Mel was wearing a thrift store shirt she bought 'cause she thought it was funny, a pair of sweatpants 'cause they're easy to wear, and a pair of normal shoes. She had a style, but it felt superficial in a way. Fake. Like her.\n\nShe looked at June again. June was real. The Mel June had seen was... Not real, but not as fake as it could have been. She softened a little bit. Her smile became real again. It was okay.\n\n\"You're cool,\" She continued. \"Friends?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "June felt a rush of excitement and pure bliss shoot through their body as they realized Mel was more than ready to go along with their harebrained plan. June knew there was a moment of solidarity between the two, a budding friendship that fluttered in their chest and warmed it far past their skin. \n\nWhile they crumbled up their cup and small pastry wrapper and disposed of them accordingly, June bounced after Mel on the way out of the shop. Now the two were standing the height difference was obvious and a little jarring, but June couldn't care less for such contrasts. They already knew they would like Mel however she was. Pausing their thoughts for a moment, June wondered if such a mindset was brash and irresponsible to think so soon. Their younger sister would've surely told them so, yet they realized they weren't bothered at all. In typical June fashion, hesitation was no where to be found. Might as well jump in feet first and have some fun, right? \n\n\"Great!\" June giggled slightly, clearly equally excited as the short blonde that walked along next to them. \n\n...\n\n\"Yes, yes I'm coming!\" \n\nJune called after Mel, who had found her way in front of them. Strong arms and muscles carried June over and up things with ease, but Mel definitely had pure speed on them. June couldn't help but smile softly at the sight of Mel calling back at them with a laugh, the pure bliss Mel seemed to carry herself with seeped far past any real words June could use to describe it. All they knew was their growing fondness for the other and the soft hum of happiness that sat steady in their mind. \n\n...\n\n_ _\n\nNow sitting at the top of an industrial factory, June let the crisp spring air fill their lungs to the brim. They couldn't deny the adrenaline that buzzed in their chest; moments such as these made June feel truly alive. Seeing the town stretch out far past the horizon made them realize how high up the two were. A moment of unmatched euphoria made their stomach sink in the best way possible. \n\nJune realized now as they sat beside Mel, that this was the most connected they had felt to someone in a while. The two had only met today, but the concept of being strangers faded so quickly. Foolish of June to be so hopeful, but they couldn't stop themselves. Mel was just as bright as her hair and sparkling eyes and June could feel it radiating off of her in perfect bursts. The urge to get to know the other more was undeniable, it pestered their brain in an impatience they couldn't act on. June knew developing friendships took time and work, and despite their unfiltered excitement, they were willing to put in such efforts. \n\n\"Definitely was. Its so nice up here.\" Junes voice was softer than usual, a fond smile pulled on their features. A side of June that was a lot less common, but definitely looked nice on them. Although the excitable side of their personality wasn't a lie, it could be tiring at times to always be loud.\n\nJune met Mels eyes, the afternoon sun danced against her features in soft rays, illuminating her golden hair. They titled their head in a smile in response to the sudden eye contact.\n\n\"You're *Also* Cool.\" June laughed, a small giggle that closed their eyes and made dimples tease their cheeks. \"Friends.\" Their laugh fell back down into a resting smile, a content one."
}
] | 712 | 1,960 |
280.875 | 2022-05-12 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "★ [Coffee Date!]\n\n◇ Of all the things Margo had expected of life at the Cradle, a date was not one of them, yet...\n\n□ Here she was, on a relatively uneventful Thursday afternoon, standing outside of a coffee shop and buzzing with a mixture of intense excitement and nervousness. Not only was she going to be picking up her snake today, she had a date first! A genuine, god-honest coffee house date, off the back of a proposal by someone else from the Cradle. It made sense, yeah, that she'd be most likely to find someone *Within* The gates and chain link fences, but at the same time she'd been totally caught off-guard by the whole date proposition.\n\n▪︎ But, here she was, walking in, her heart beating out of her chest and an unopened text from her reptile breeder buddy sitting on her phone.\n\n◇ Of course, since it was a date she'd dressed a mite nicer. Alongside the relatively standard bootleg Garfield shirt she'd plucked out, she also had on some seasonally appropriate capri cargo pants, a pair of beat-up red high-top Converse, and a meme fishing hat with her hair pulled into a ponytail through the back. Hopefully it wouldn't be too off-putting; fashion wasn't her strongest suit."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Esme, as it turned out, just really liked women. \n\nShe sat at a small, round table, ankles crossed under her chair, just like she'd been taught. A fluttery feeling struggled in her chest - not the sort that she was used to. Flirting came easy to Esmeralda - just a part of socializing, of business, the socialite ghost of her mother with a hand against her back, a warning to sit up straight. Her silver rings clacked together against her fingers, her hair down and loose against her back. She'd made sure to take extra care of her curls last night, at least.\n\nFor about the third time in five minutes, she went through a disposed routine - she ran her hands over her arms, trying to loosen any gemstones that might be encroaching on her skin, soothing down the anxiety that threatened to burst from her hands in the form of studded spikes, and checked her phone. Her knee-length, white dress swished around her legs, her black leather jacket on the back of the chair to back up any chill, silver earrings dangling from her ears and a matching necklace resting on her collarbones. She did hope she hadn't overdressed.\n\nBeing stood up *Would* Be awfully embarrassing, wouldn't it?\n\nAt least she could go visit Valio, she thought, and just as she did, the front door opened, and Margo stepped through. Esme smiled.\n\"Margo!\" She called. \"Over here.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Oh, I-I.\" An awkward chuckle. \"Coming.\"\n\n□ Of course, though, when she said coming she didn't exactly mean *Immediately.* For a few nervous moments she looked up at the large billboard above the counter, hoping that there would be at least one or two tea options amongst all the coffee on the menu. Though she'd agreed to this date enthusiastically, she knew from the start that she'd be suffering through it a little bit, mostly because she did *Not* Like coffee. Whatever. Strolling over, anxious steps carried her to the round table, and with about as much grace as a newborn foal gorged on fermented apples she flopped down into the seat.\n\n▪︎ And now she had to face down an unfortunate fact: for someone who loved women, she had scant experience with them in a romantic context.\n\n◆ \"Hope you weren't waiting too long. I was really considering whether to, erm... Pick my snake up first.\" Awkward, but genuine. Sadie still very much held much of her brain in a vice grip. \"Smells nice in here. Is that you?\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Esme rested her head on her chin, winking. \"I suppose it can be, if you'd like. I tried a new perfume this morning - something my brother bought me for a birthday, I think.\"\n\nIt had been her last birthday before she ended up at the Cradle, but she didn't want to tell Margo that. Nor about how she'd opened it at the dining room table with her family all around her, her eyes lighting up as she threw her arms around Alejandro and thanked him, how her father had promised her next year she'd have a true place in the family business, all this that and the other. And how she was so afraid she wouldn't get that, now.\n\n\"Your snake?\" She asked, instead, tilting her head. \"Oh! You must be the reptile girl. Tell me all about them, since they seem to make you so happy, it must be worth hearing about.\"\n\nAnd for her credit, she did look enthused - she nodded along, encouraging Margo to talk, to keep telling her story."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Coffee must be in as a perfume scent, then.\" She dryly joked. \"Or, er... Coffee with lemon? I dunno.\"\n\n□ Trying her absolutely damndest to get the words out of her mouth in one consistent sentence instead of several messy chunks of bloodied linguistic flesh, she adjusted how she was sitting and looked back over at Esme. To the other girl looking back, she'd likely notice a lot of the oddities of Margo's face: the patches of vitiligo that pockmarked her skin with white, her nose still crooked and under a DIY splint, her left eye and its strange yet beautiful circles and multiple irises. \n\n▪︎ But, these defects were what made her stand out, and so she didn't think about them too much.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, Sadie... My pet hognose. I went to a breeder's place like two weeks ago and I was handling one of his ball pythons and I fell in love with him, but thankfully the guy – Elias – breeds a bunch of different reptiles. I'm buying this little guy...\" Margo's voiced trailed off as she unlocked her phone and opened up her gallery, fishing out a picture of the snake she was about to take ownership of. In it he can be seen with his head atop her finger. \"After i'm done here. He's an arctic western hognose, and... I love him already.\" She cooed, in her own awkward, stilted way. \"That was about as much as I could handle him, by the way, and even then it was less handling and more just... Leaving my finger there until he decided it wasn't a threat or a meal. Isn't he just the fuckin' cutest thing, man?\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"Oh! Yes, I suppose that's it too,\" She said, a laugh in her voice. \"I thought you meant my perfume. I love the scent of coffee. There's a particular kind of Cuban coffee I love, but I've only had it when I went to Florida.\"\n\nShe sighed, and looked back up at Margo. While her companion was indeed a bit bizarre to look at, Esme didn't mind much. Margo was interesting - it's what had caught Esmes eye to her in the first place. Her parents had never let her out on too many casual dates, much less with girls. Going out with friends was one thing - a date, entirely another. \n\nShe was beginning to enjoy the freedom in the prison.\n\n\"How cute,\" She told Margo, leaning over the table to look at the screen. She'd always wanted pets. They had cats at home, but never much else. \"What's the little guys name, if I can ask? He's terribly sweet.\"\n\nAs soon as she asked, a bell rang for her to collect her coffee. She pardoned herself and quickly stood up, heading over to pick it up."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, let's... Just say that.\"\n\n□ Most of her wanted to continue to elaborate, maybe build it into an even better, harder-hitting compliment, but what was the *Point?* Like a joke, once it was explained it lost all of its oomph, so rather than continue to dig the hole deeper Margo simply fell quiet and let Esme talk, occasionally looking at her face yet never her eyes. It was just another of her weird quirks, in that her skin tried to separate from the rest of her body any time she made eye contact. Watching as the other gal got up, she figured she should at least order something herself.\n\n▪︎ Then again, what was she going to order...?\n\n◆ \"His name's Sadie. That was Hatzume's suggestion, and I honestly like it a lot.\" Margo plainly spoke, with just a hint of nerves peeking through. \"He's timid but he's also the cutest thing. Very smooth, very sweet. Anyways...\" Standing up, she got in line, and after a few minutes she placed an order. Strolling back over, she sat down again, brushing a wayward strand of hair out of her face. \"Sorry, had to go order something. Hard to find something on the menu when you don't like coffee... What's that in your cup?\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"A lavender latte,\" Esme replied, wrapping her warm hands around the cup. \"With oatmilk - dairy's terrible for you, you know.\"\n\nShe held the too-hot drink in her hands as she listened to Margo talk about Sadie. What a cute name for such a little guy - she wondered how you even took care of reptiles. She had no idea how they worked, even as creatures. Cold-blooded sorts and all of that. Cats were easy. You just pet them once in a while, and asked your maintenance people to change their litter boxes once every few days. \n\n\"You don't like coffee? I can get you a tea. They've got a lovely hot peppermint one that is just like candy canes in a cup. Come along.\"\n\nShe stood up, pushing her chair in, and extended a hand to Margo."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, it's... Weird that we even drink cow milk. You don't see that shit out in the wilderness, we just apparently had ancestors who looked at cows and thought *Huh, I'm sure they're hiding something good in those udders.*\" Margo chuckled, affecting her voice to sound decidedly antique or weary while recounting one of the many weird tales from the past. \"Like, who the fuck thought of that? Anyways, lavender latter... Nice.\"\n\n□ Nodding, Margo pocketed her phone again, clicking the screen off in the same motion. So far, so good... At least, she hoped it was going fine so far. On her end it had a been a heady mix of nervousness and butterflies, her generally accented butch voice dripping with character and also the aforementioned nervous pit in her stomach, but what was it like on Esme's end? What was going on in that head of hers? Soon enough she had an idea, and she shook her head.\n\n◆ \"No, it's... Fine. I already just ordered something.\" Margo spoke, trying her best to gently turn the offer down. As it turned out, generally being upfront and honest was only a blessing for so long. \"It's... Some sort of maple matcha latte. Here's hoping it's good, I've been drinking almost nothing but rooibos tea since Amelie bought me a giant fuckoff bag as a gift. Whatever, it's good for the ol' estrogen factories.\" She dryly chuckled. \"Anyways, uh... Hm. Nice rings. I had this one back home, it was a gift from my mom, and I, er... Lost it somewheres.\"\n\n• And that was the awkwardness kicking in. Esme was quite attractive, and seemed to be interested in the nonsense coming out of her mouth, so the smooth, collected front could only last so long before the cracks began to show."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Esme burst into giggles at Margo's in-depth ideas about the acquisitions of cow milk, shaking her head with a hand over her mouth. She could hear the disapproving voice in the back of her head, something telling her to mind her manners, but she shook her head to shake it off like the gems on her skin. A ruby clattered to the floor alongside it.\n\n\"Oh! Rings. Yes - it's tradition for all the family in my family to wear a good deal of them. Most of mine are from my mother.\"\nShe splayed her hands in front of Margo for her to look at. Some were simple bands, some were studded with gemstones, some were almost cartoony in how they looked. \n\"Ironic, isn't it? The girl with the gemstone powers wears the most rings. But I can't bring myself to take them off.\"\n\nMaple matcha - that was a new one. She communicated about as much to Margo, sipping her latte as she spoke. \n\"You'll have to recommend that for me. I'll try it when I can!\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Tradition...\" The words unfurled like a carpet, as if she was getting a taste of how the word felt in her mouth. \"Gotcha. Anyways, I guess that growing gems out of your skin makes the whole ring thing less expensive... I think.\"\n\n□ Once again, her voice began to stall, nervousness and interest in a temperamental equilibrium and constantly butting heads. By now Margo had picked out the main spot on Esme's face to focus on, somewhere that she could feign eye contact without actually going through with it. In the moment, though, she nodded as Esme spoke, clasping her comparatively bare hands together, a few haphazard bands of gauze on her arms the only real decoration she had aside from her tattoos.\n\n▪︎ But then again, most of her tattoos were on her left arm, and not only was it large, it was *Bright.*\n\n◆ \"Probably just force of habit. Kinda like the bandages on my hands and arms... I've been in a lot of fights and accidents, so.\" She chuckled for effect. \"I've had to bandage myself a lot. Anyways, I've never even had it, but it doesn't seem that bad, man. It's a matcha latte, which I love, and then there's maple syrup. If anything it might be a bit *Too* Sweet, come to think of it... Good thing I have a sweet tooth.\"\n\n• \"Speaking of which...\" She moved her hand towards where her candy pocket would have usually been, only to be met with air. \"Fuck. Forgot that all my candy's in my camo jacket, rip. I was gonna offer you a sweet, but... Guess that dashes that plan.\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"That's alright,\" Esme said, \"We can stop by the candy shop. My treat, really. I don't mind at all - and I love the chocolate here. It reminds me of Switzerland, somewhat. I only went once, but I'd like to go back. Perhaps after graduation - I'm already here, anyway. You know?\"\n\nShe shrugged, looking at Margo's nearly excessive amount of bandages. \n\"I have faith in you,\" She said. \"You seem like the type to handle yourself - strong, and powerful, and beautiful, all at once.\"\nWas that a wink? It was.\n\nEsme tucked a curl behind her ear. \"At least - I think so, anyway. I love your tattoos, by the way, can I touch it?\"\nShe leaned over the table, a hand hovering just above her arm."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"I mean, if you want to, we can.\" Margo shrugged. \"But I seriously have way too much candy already, I don't need more. My future dentist here is weeping as we speak. Anyways... Yeah, man, I get it. I feel that way about Scotland; born there, but I have almost no memories of it. We moved to America when I was three, so... I'd love to get back and see the old country.\"\n\n□ A twinge of sadness laced her voice towards the end, as her sight turned towards her homeland and the Scottish life she'd been deprived of. It was out of her control, sure, but eventually she'd be able to go back, and that was enough to keep her going. \"Oh, I can handle myself. At least, now, but you keep on laying on the compliments like that and I'm not sure how long that'll last.\" Margo joked, though it was with her cheek pushed into her balled fist. Esme would be able to see something though, and that something was the distinct pinkish flush of a blush dusted across her face. \"God... Y'know, I've never actually been on a date with another chick. This all just feels so... Funky. It's weird. Nice weird.\"\n\n◆ \"Anyways, uh... Sure. It doesn't *Feel* All that different from regular skin, let me just...\" Pulling on some bandages, she quickly opened up most of her left forearm, the skin atop it soft but still a touch tough, hinting at a past that Margo would have rather left to the wayside. \"There. Go ahead, man... All yours.\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"Whoever did this did a beautiful job,\" Esme said, her voice touched with genuinity. \"Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to have a tattoo. I have never even really considered it beyond that - how did you even know what to get? I can't imagine it's easy, deciding what you want for the rest of your life on your body.\"\n\nHer fingers trailed over the art with a feather-light touch, jolting a bit as she laughed at Margo's comment.\n\"A chick? Compliments? That is a new one. You're quite amusing, Margo Killjoy. I like you.\"\n\nShe let her middle finger drag up to Margo's elbow before popping off, her nails just barely scratching her skin. Esme had just gotten them done last week - pretty, perfect French tips to match her jewels. If she knew how to make Margo squirm, she wouldn't say it wasn't in part on purpose - it was just fun to watch, really.\n\n\"What do you do for fun?\" She asked."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, Carlisle at 81st Avenue Tattooing back in New York did that huge half-sleeve. I honestly just... Think that Japanese-style tattoos are super sick, so it was easy to commit to it through the nine or so hours it took between two sessions.\" Margo spoke fondly, though also with a shiver. The hands of another woman on her skin was unexpectedly nice, and it took some effort to maintain her composure. \"Then there's the stuff *Under* My left hand, the symbol behind my ear, an old stick and poke on my knee from last summer... I just want to look fucking awesome when I'm dead, and tattoos are the one thing they can't really take off your body, so.\"\n\n□ Tempted as she was to let herself sink into aimless chattering about tattoos and her relative inexperience with women, she instead fell quiet for a good few moments as Esme ran her middle finger up Margo's arm to the elbow. Fingers of her free hand loosely curled around the handle of her latte, and her body found itself wracked with the kind of shivers she'd never really experienced much before. If this was what it actually felt like to be in the hands of a chick, then boy, she was certain of her lesbian identity now.\n\n▪︎ Of course, though, she tried her best to keep this all under wraps. She already had a gut feeling that Esme was being very deliberate with her actions.\n\n◆ \"Hah, thanks.\" She looked up at the menu again, trying her best to obscure her flushed cheeks from the other gal out of a sense of shyness. \"Uh... I mostly just read, listen to vinyl, watch brainless reality television to mock it, and tend to my reptiles. I also do a lot of meditative stuff, and I work out. I'm also looking into getting my fishing license here so I can out for pike or some shit. You?\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Esme nodded along with all of explainations - and Margo may have been right about her assumptions, as well, but who could really tell? It was still amusing, and Margo was nice to look at, so no one in the situation, it seemed, would be complaining in the near future.\n\nShe drew her hand back to fold it in front of her, spinning a ring around her finger. \n\n\"Meditation is a new one to me,\" She said, \"But I thought about doing it. I've heard it's quite good for your mental health, your emotional well-being, all of that. And we want to be as well-rounded as possible to get out of here, no?\"\n\nAlways the goal.\n\n\"I'm not much of a reader, but I do play music. Fishing though? I forgot that some people can just... Do that. I never lived near a lake. I've visited many though, in a lake house my father owns, in upstate New York. Maybe you've heard of it?\""
}
] | 260 | 4,494 |
219.75 | 2022-05-14 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"Don't worry,\" Esme said, \"I don't mind hearing about other experiences from other people. I think we'd get along, in that sense.\"\n\nShe sat back, sighing as she pulled on another sip of her coffee, listening to how Margo talked about her father, her family, her childhood. She nodded along. At the very least, Esme could relate. Being an heir to the Baltimore family fortune had provided plenty of experiences like the ones Margo had been describing growing up. But the notes of hatred she couldn't relate to - she loved her family, and missed them. She reached across the table and patted Margo on the hand, gently. \n\n\"It's alright if you don't want to talk about things. I've been told I chatter on enough for many people at a time.\"\n\n\"We had a lake house too,\" She said. \"My brothers were often the ones to go fishing, though, I must say. I was often left at home with my mother and aunts. Not that I'm complaining though! They were lovely. Taught me everything I know about everything.\"\n\nAnd there, that dazzling smile again. If she focused, she could feel the gemstones threatening to encroach under her skin again, and bit back the urge to claw at her arm like an animal. Scratching was impolite, she'd always been taught, which had culminated in something of a personal hell when her quirks had begun to emerge.\n\n\"One time, my brother caught a profoundly large fish many times larger than any of our heads. My mother was completely taken aback. It turned out to be some sort of anamoly, I think.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Alright, I guess.\" Margo quietly grumbled, taking a sip of her drink. \"Cool, though. Just... Give me a moment. Gotta use the washroom.\"\n\n▪︎ ***\"STUPID FUCK!\"***\n\n□ If Esme were listening at that particular moment, about twenty seven seconds after Margo excused herself, she'd hear a furious yell and the unmistakable sound of someone punching a stall door. Behind those swinging doors of the women's bathroom, Margo had lost her cool almost immediately upon stepping in, and in a fit of fury she began to lay into the door, heavy punch after heavy punch leaving dents and defects in the sandy-coloured stall door. She felt bad about leaving her date in silence without even really acknowledging what she said, but...\n\n• In that moment, she felt the arteries in her neck beginning to tense up, and that was the clearest sign her body gave her that she was about to fly off the handle.\n\n▪︎ And, so there she stood, five minutes later, looking at herself in the mirror. What she saw looking back? A young woman with anger issues, and eyes that burned like hot coals and molten steel. Hopefully Esme would understand if she had any idea that her stepping away wasn't just for the bathroom."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Esme shrank back in her seat at the sudden, ah, screaming. As the punching continued, she stood up, quietly but quickly collected all of her things, and pulled a ten out of her wallet. She walked up to the counter and dropped it in the tip jar.\n\nAfterwards, she swung her purse over her shoulder, pushed in her chair, and left the shop, muscles flexed as tight as bowstrings to avoid gemstones shedding off her skin as she walked. \n\nHopefully Valio was still at work."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Hey, sorry about tha- oh. Fuck.\"\n\n□ *Maybe* Slipping into a fit of rage and nearly breaking the hinges off of a stall door wasn't the wisest thing to do on a date. But, it had happened, Esme had slipped away, and now Margo was on the receiving end of a lot of weird stares from behind the counter. Rather than awkwardly scurry out, though, she simply picked up her latte, and moved to another seat, this one by the window.\n\n▪︎ Sure, her date had just been ruined in spectacular fashion, but... Who said she had to dwell on it. Surely one of the web comics she followed had been updated today; she decided to settle in for now."
}
] | 215 | 879 |
105.578947 | 2022-05-21 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Was it a bit late to be wandering the city alone? Probably. Not that that stopped Morgan. She'd felt the need to get out and walk around away from the campus for a while, so she'd stopped drawing, thrown on actual clothes instead of pajamas, and then set out for the city. Shortly afterwards, she'd felt the need for caffeine. Recently acquired coffee in hand, she meandered along the streets, not really going anywhere in particular.\n\nHer phone buzzed, and she checked it. It was a text from one of her friends back home. She smiled faintly and started typing out a reply, not really looking where she was going."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "On the side of the road, leaning against a building, is Taffy. Their hair has been separated into two braids, and they're wearing a light blue sun dress. In his hand is a cup of boba. It seems to be about two thirds full.\n\nTaffy's frightfully frail body is prominently shown. At this point, she seems to be almost skin and bone. However, aer eyebags have been covered up with concealer, and ae seems almost tranquil in this state.\n\nAfter a moment, he decides to move onwards along the street. His sneakers make hardly any noticeable sound on the busy pavement. She pulls out her phone as she's walking, preparing to send some messages into the NC group chat, when suddenly...\n\n***Smack***"
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Ow!\" Morgan stumbles back a step as she walks directly into someone she didn't see coming, smacking her lowered head against them. She manages to keep her phone in hand, but isn't as lucky with her coffee. It's knocked to the side, and out of her hand, landing in the street and splashing over the pavement. \n\nShe stares disappointedly at her lost beverage, touching her forehead where it smacked into the other person. She looks back at whoever she just ran into. \"Shit. Sorry, my bad. You okay?\" She's relieved to find she's alright herself. Not the worst bump she's had by far. Then again, she hadn't been going very fast, this time."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy looks almost stunned as they look at Morgan. He stands there for a moment, half-spilt boba in hand, before smiling softly.\n\n\"It's no problem. Are you alright?\" She asks, tilting her head slightly to the side as she adjusts her glasses back into place. His voice is kind and soft. \"I should have been watching where I was going. Sorry.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Hah. Yeah, me too. Look down for two seconds and manage to run into someone.\" She rubbed the spot on her head again. The stinging was already fading. \"I'm okay, just a bit startled.\" She looked Taffy up and down. They looked... Somewhat familiar. No one she'd ever spoken to, but someone she'd probably seen before in passing. \"You go to Newton's Cradle, right?\" She held out her now free hand. \"I'm Morgan. Nice to run into you.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Despite seeming slightly taken aback by the question, Taffy nods and shakes the hand being held out to him.\n\n\"Taffy. Taffy Weaver. Can't say I'm too surprised that you've seen me about. People tend to complain about me a decent amount, I suppose.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan laughed. \"No, no! It's just, you also have blue hair.\" She tapped her own, shorter, slightly lighter hair, not that she needed to draw attention to the fact that it was indeed, also blue. \"It's not the most common thing in the world, so it's pretty identifying, even if I haven't gotten to talk to you before. So, what're you up to? Getting some late caffeine like me?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Boba, actually,\" He says, chuckling lightly. \"Also, blue hair is awesome. More people should have it.\"\n\nThey bring their boba up and take a sip, before smiling at Morgan again. They seem exhausted, but don't seem bothered by it in the slightest. Xyr dress seems like it's been bought recently, and xyr sneakers are slightly muddied."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Ah,\" Morgan inclined her head respectfully. \"Good choice.\" She smiled. \"Yeah, it's pretty sweet. My brother dyes his hair blue too cause he insists it makes him look cool. Whereas with me, it actually looks cool.\" She pokes herself in the chest with her thumb to emphasize the point. She glances again forlornly at her lost coffee. \"I kinda wanna go get a replacement for my drink now. Wanna come with?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "An excited glint in aer eye, Taffy smiles, nodding slightly.\n\n\"I would love that. You seem cool enough to hang out with for a bit,\" She says. \"I could do with a distraction, anyhow.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Sweet!\" Morgan started walking towards the nearest café she knew of. Hopefully it would still be open. Unable to restrain her curiosity, she asked, \"Distraction from what, if you don't mind me asking? Are you working on a project or something? Or has it just been a long day?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy begins walking with Morgan, sipping their boba every new and then.\n\nUpon hearing the question, she sighs, looking down at the phone sticking out from her pocket. It seems as if whatever's bothering him is related to it in some way.\n\n\"Just... Not too trusted around Newton's, I suppose. Acted out about a week ago and nobody wants to listen to me now. It's kind of a bummer, but you know, I'm trying to earning their trust back.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Acted out? What'd you do, start a fire in the cafeteria?\" She was joking around to try and lighten Taffy's mood. She didn't want to push into what seemed to be a sore subject, not unless they wanted to. Still, she could offer her own experience at least. \"Aside from that there's not much you can do that you can't recover from eventually. I mean, I slept through half of my classes my second month here, and I'm still alright. Most of the staff don't care about us I think, 'specially Oliver. Mr. Rask, whatever. He's an asshole.\" \n\nAfter a moment's thought, she said, \"Graham Cantor is okay though. I get the vibe that he actually gives a shit how we're all doing. He was polite enough not to give me hell just cause I was having trouble sleeping. Made an effort to actually help, so he's got my vote of confidence at least.\" Morgan shrugged. \"The kids are all cool, the one's I know at least. Give it time, you'll find a place eventually. If not, you can always just leave.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "*You can always just leave.*\n\nAlmost as if stunned, Taffy stops in his tracks. His grip on his boba loosens slightly, before the drink drops from his hands onto the pavement.\n\n\"Leave...\" Ze says, as if in a daze. \"Leave...\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "It takes a second for Morgan to realize Taffy has stopped, only turning back when she hears the cup hit the floor. \"Hey what're you... Umm... You good? Taffy?\" Morgan goes up to them hesitantly, concerned about the weird behavior her new companion was displaying. \"Hey, I was just joking around, I didn't mean to upset you. Sorry.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Seemingly panicked, Taffy reaches out and puts their hand onto Morgan's shoulder. They seem frightened, as if they've realised something dreadful.\n\n\"Why the fuck am I out here?\" He asks, directly his eyes to meet Morgan's. \"You're exactly right, Morgan. I need to leave. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.\"\n\nIt grabs its hair in frustration. For a moment, it just stands there, before hurriedly pulling the bands from its braids.\n\n\"I'm not meant to be here. I've been-\"\n\nTheir voice cuts off."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"Woah there, slow down.\" She grabs at one of Taffy's wrists. \"Just, calm down a second. You don't have to go anywhere, relax.\" She holds Taffy's eye contact as best she can. \"Breathe with me, alright?\" She slows her own breathing down, exaggerating the rise and fall of her chest slightly. Her own heart was still racing. She'd only dealt with this kind of thing once or twice before. She still wasn't certain how to handle it, but this had worked for her brother, so she'd start with this."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy looks Morgan dead in the eyes, fear clearly showing on hir face. Ze grabs Morgan's hand, squeezing it slightly.\n\n\"Please tell me you're not going to be like those assholes,\" They say, a hint of anger leaking through. \"They called me crazy and stupid the last time this happened. I can't have that happen again.\"\n\nA small tear appears in the corner of her eye. Frightened. Lost."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan let out a nervous sort of laugh. \"You're making me worried man. Um, no, why would I call you... Nevermind. Not important. Don't worry, I only bully people I don't like. And my friends, but I don't mean it with them.\" She squeezes Taffy's hand back. \"I'm kidding, I'm not gonna call you anything. 'Cept maybe a nerd, I call lots of people nerds. Myself included.\" She's just sort of rambling nervously at this point, more for her own sake than Taffy's."
}
] | 95 | 2,006 |
148.181818 | 2022-05-22 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy smiles slightly at this. They look down for a moment, before taking a deep breath.\n\n\"You promise you won't think I'm crazy?\" He asks, a small sigh escaping his mouth. \"People don't tend to like what I have to say. It's real shit.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan rolled her eyes. \"I won't think you're crazy unless you actually do or say something crazy. Like tell me you've got supernatural powers or something... That- that was a joke, I'm sorry I just keep talking, you're making me kinda nervous here. You feeling better?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "His smile growing slightly, Taffy takes another deep breath and brushes himself down.\n\n\"Newton's Cradle is a fucking scam,\" They say plainly, looking at Morgan again. \"They're not... They're hiding something from us and I just... Whatever it is, it's not good. I started acting out, trying to tell people this, about a week ago. I only have very vague memories since then, and the next thing I knew I was standing here talking to you. It's almost as if they've... Fucked with me, somehow. I don't know. I'm sure I sound insane.\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan raised an eyebrow. \"Um... I don't know how to tell you this, but that does kind of sound insane. Like, not totally impossible, given what we're capable of, but farfetched for sure.\" She scoffed. \"I can believe they're hiding something from us for sure. It's a government run facility controlled by adults who generally could give a flying fuck about us all, but...\" She shrugged. \n\n\"As far as I can tell it's not like they're doing anything malevolent. There's supposed to be a curfew in place, and yet here we are, off campus after dark, and no one gives a shit. I could get a taxi, go to an airport, and be back in the states tomorrow, and I doubt they'd do more than put out a missing person notification next week when they realize I'm gone.\"\n\nMorgan let out a sigh. \"I've seen some weird shit here, but nothing that looks like anyone at Newton's Cradle actually wishes us harm. If anything I'd be worried about negligence.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "A small 'huff' escapes from Taffy's lips. For a moment, he simply stands there, staring off into space.\n\n\"Do you really think it's possible to leave, though? Run. Change your identity. Avoid recapture. The other kids keep telling me it's impossible, but-\"\n\nXe freezes in place."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "Morgan shrugged. \"I don't see why not.\" She looked around. \"No one's here. Who'd stop you? The only reason I don't go back home myself is-\" She paused. \"Taffy? Hey, we don't have to talk about this if it's a problem for you. We can just go get some more coffee and talk about something stupid if you want.\" She gently poked them in the shoulder."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"I'm going to leave the facility. I don't care what I have to do,\" He says, voice shaking slightly. \"I've had a killer migraine all week, been struggling to remember things, been acting like... Not me, and it all started when I said I was going to leave. Don't you think that's a bit weird?\""
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"I mean, maybe? My second month here, I had a few weeks where I could barely sleep, but I was still adjusting, I was worried about leaving my brother by himself, and about being on my own. Newton's Cradle went out of their way to let me take classes at night so I could have a closer sleep schedule to people back home. I'm sure they don't want people to leave, but only cause it's an inconvenience for them.\" Morgan paused and looked directly at Taffy. She stopped fidgeting, stopped joking. It was the most serious she'd been the whole night.\n\n\"If you really don't feel comfortable here, then stop thinking about leaving, and leave. Go. Get a bus going out of town, or take a bike and go. It's Europe, it's not like it's that far to another city.\" Morgan blinked, and broke eye contact. \"That's what I'd do if I wanted to go home. I'm choosing to stay here cause I think that it'll be good for me and my brother right now. If I thought otherwise, I wouldn't be here. But, Newton's Cradle isn't for everyone. You need to do what's right for you. Full stop. Anything else is just... Less. For what it's worth, I hope you stay. I think there are some good people here, and I think for most of us, we'll walk away with a better understanding of our powers and place in the world.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"That's exactly it. Our 'place in the world'. I hate that parahumans are considered dangerous even before they do anything wrong. Even the ones who genuinely mean no harm. You act out one time and you get sent to a 'correctional facility'. I hate that name. 'Correctional facility'. It feels like a big fucking red flag to me. I didn't choose to be parahuman, and neither did anybody else.\"\n\nAfter saying all this, ae goes silent again, aer hand curling up into a fist. Then, in a sudden panic, they place their hand onto Morgan's shoulder.\n\nA sudden wince of pain flashes through their face.\n\nThen a second, seemingly worse.\n\nThen a smile.\n\n\"Don't worry, Morgan! There's no need to leave Newton's. I'm sure I'll find some friends soon enough. Come on, let's go get that coffee, okay?\"\n\nThe look in his eyes as he says this seems completely different. It's almost as if any emotion or meaning previously there has simply... Vanished."
},
{
"author": "codenamequill",
"message": "\"I mean, sure we didn't choose to be parahumans, but a lot of us could fuck shit up if we were left unchecked. I disagree with the way they go about it, but I can kind of get where they're coming from, wanting to keep tabs on us. I got caught cause I knocked out a whole block's power back in my city. As far as Newton's Cradle is concerned, I'm a walking high voltage sign.\"\n\nMorgan let out a tired sigh. \"You know, I think I'm gonna pass,\" Morgan said. She felt... Uncomfortable with the whole situation. She'd tried to help what she had originally assumed was a panic attack, but this... This was out of her depth. Moreover, it was more strange than she was willing to deal with, and after the angel that tried to stab her twice, that was saying something. Better to just dip. \"I've had enough of a break, I need to get back to work. But I'll see you around Taffy.\" Without waiting for a response, she started back towards the campus. \"I hope you feel better soon.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "With a sigh, Taffy groans, reaching into their pocket and pulling out their phone. This was a tiresome performance and, frankly, she's glad she doesn't have to do anything else and can just head back. Sure, coffee may have been nice, but the act was starting to slip and he's well aware of that fact.\n\nThey reach down and pick their hair bands up from earlier. They also grab the now empty cup of boba and throw it into a nearby bin. '*What a waste*,' xe thinks to xemself, frowning slightly.\n\nAfter a moment of silence, the young twig of a person turns and starts to also make their way back to Newton's Cradle. They make sure to keep a safe enough distance from Morgan, as to not draw attention to themself as they go along their not-so-merry way."
}
] | 125 | 1,630 |
339.333333 | 2022-05-28 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "It was a splendid day in Isakstad's little park. Winter had melted away, revealing tentative flowers and green leaves around the city. The sun was sticking around longer now, heating up the ground and drawing all sorts of creatures out of their hiding places; birds, little red squirrels, grumpy old people, and a particular stray calico cautiously peering out from behind a bush. \n\nThis little cat, whose ribs showed beneath her dishevelled fur and whose eyes glittered curiously regardless, was looking suspiciously at the boy crouched a few feet away from her making soft kissy sounds and attempting to feed her blueberries.\n\nHe had come there nearly every day lately after he'd discovered her there, carefully tiptoeing around her territory and doing his best to draw her out. She liked the blueberries, but didn't trust him one bit. He seemed to have named her \"Alaw\" Regardless. Bless his doomed, persistent heart. \n\n\"Here, love, come on...\"\n\nOwen sighed softly. One wrong noise would scare her off- if he was playing the long game, he'd do well not to take steps backward. Quiet clothes, a black *Uriah Heep Return to Fantasy* Shirt and ..Lightly repaired cargo shorts were deliberate choices, rustling (hopefully) lightly enough to not spook his fearful potential friend.\n\nTunnel vision had effectively taken hold. The circus could have paraded behind him, and only the little calico would have noticed..."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ And while a certain maned metalhead was attempting to gain the trust of a stray, Margo was out and about.\n\n□ Why, though, was she out? Well, she had her reasons. Maybe it was the warm sun with its paired chilly breeze, or perhaps it was restlessness. She *Had* Been in her room from sun up to sun down almost every day over the past week and a bit, watching over Sadie as he shed his first skin onto the sandy substrate beneath his belly, so it made sense that she might have been restless. Whatever it was, she was downtown now, dressed in a pretty normal white halter neck top and vertical striped corduroy trousers, it's beige and slate strips running parallel and contrasting off of each other.\n\n▪︎ That, and she had a lollipop in her mouth. She also had a few in her back pocket, alongside a fresh pack of Marlboro Ultra Lights acquired through finally accepting that holding grudges was not doing her any favours.\n\n● Strolling into the park, she had her hands in her back pockets and the stick of her lollipop dangling out from gated teeth. It was a nice place, sure, but someone caught her attention: Owen. Or, at least someone who bore a striking physical resemblance. Noticing that he was knelt down, she was understandably a touch confused. Strolling over one languid step at a time, she stopped about eight paces away and grunted to announce her presence. Maybe he didn't want her around; after all, there was a stray cat a bit away from him, and something told her that he was trying to befriend it. Hm."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "It took the cat startling and around three and a half confused and dejected seconds for Owen to turn his head to the new presence. The little calico didn't seem like she was going to run off, but he had spent enough time crouched a metre away from her to know when she was certainly *Thinking* About it.\n\nA startled blink, and a lopsided grin. Owen didn't really know Margo. He had seen her in passing (usually passed out), but Uriel had nothing but lovely things to say about her, and her recurring presence on the Cradle's intranet channel had worked its way into his internal routine. And so she got a genuine (if a little bewildered) smile out of him.\n\nThe boy mouthed a quick *\"Hi!!\"* Before quickly snapping back to the cat. The cat saw Margo but did Margo see the cat? She must've. His sight switched rapidly just to make sure- *Cat-Margo-bush?!-oh, cat-Margo.* A belated internal voice reminded him it was probably rude to ignore the person staring at you. \n\n\"There's a- there's a *Cat*,\" He half-whispered, punctuated by a quick gust of muted laughter. \"She's a little spooked- ah- she seems to like blueberries,\" He explained, pointing at the bag of fresh blueberries he had acquired around an hour before. He looked a little sheepish. The calico looked a little wary.\n\n\"You ..Wanna try? Feeding her, I mean. *Eh, you could have a blueberry too if you wanted..*\"\n\nHis voice was barely above a breathy creak at the back of his throat, but his meaning was clear enough. Maybe the poor creature was scared of men? He'd met dogs like that. He hoped not. Owen was more of a dog person, but he liked cats plenty- they were usually picky in his experience, but that was respectable.\n\n*Come on, kitty, I just want to scratch you behind the ears and make sure you eat today...*"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Hey.\" Margo coolly replied, the quiet yet distinct sound of a Chupa Chups knocking against the inside of her pearly whites (disclaimer: they're about as white as an Olympic White Stratocaster that's spent forty years in smoky bars). \"I see her, yeah. She must be a recent stray; feral cats usually don't get this close from what I know. She's beautiful, though...\"\n\n□ Trailing off, Margo's voice beforehand was equal parts gated and casual, somewhat quiet and packing the same sort of heavily accented butch drawl she always had. Sucking on the lollipop in her mouth, she made eye contact with the skittish calico, its eyes cautiously peering up at hers for a moment before turning back to the blueberries in Owen's hands. Admittedly, she wasn't entirely certain cats *Could* Eat blueberries, but Owen seemed rather confident about this avenue of gaining her trust, so she didn't feel it appropriate to butt in with her own thoughts.\n\n▪︎ After all, her animal expertise mostly pertained to reptiles, and rodents due to childhood spent with siblings who had pet rodents of various sorts; cats were a bit out of her knowledge.\n\n◆ \"Fuck it, sure.\" Margo spoke, gently kneeling down and plucking a couple of blueberries from Owen's palm. Guiding one into the pinched end of her index finger and thumb, she looked *Away* From the cat, all the while attempting to look less threatening. Admittedly, she *Looked* Intimidating most of the time, and with her upper half mostly out on display her chiseled yet lean physique really stood out. \"Psst... Hey, kitty. Here. I know you're a hungry momma, come grab a berry...\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen swallowed silently as Margo took him up on his offer of blueberries. *He had asked her if she wanted to, so it would be within the realm of possibility that she would take him up on it, right?* In his brain, apparently not. \n\nCarefully shifting so that he was now sitting on the grass, he watched as she stretched her arm out toward the calico and attempted to coax her out. He couldn't help but notice her muscles- in the most objective, not-creepy way possible, Owen thought they were *Impressive.* His own were coming along nicely, but that was just from climbing trees and such. These were built on purpose, and petting cats seemed almost beneath them- no, scratch that. Strong muscles were perfect for scratching cats behind the ears. \n\nHe shook himself out of his train of thought to pop a blueberry in his mouth. There were plenty, after all. Alaw tentatively poked her face a little farther out of the bush, a low branch rustling as she tiptoed a few steps forward. *Easy does it...*\n\n\"Named her 'Alaw,' means something like 'Melody,'\" Owen murmured to lightly disturb the sudden quiet. He didn't much like silence, and always seemed to need a noise of some sort to keep him grounded. \"She's, ah, got a similar sort of pattern as you, eh?\"\n\nShoot, was that an overstep? It was true, Margo's vitiligo and Alaw's calico coat did bear some resemblance, but it didn't occur to him until after he said it that it might be rude. Another blueberry, skewered by a nervous canine tooth. \n\n\"Oh!\"\n\nThe little cat (barely more than a kitten, oh dear) twitched her nose and made her decision. Ever so slowly and carefully, the hungry but still notably graceful creature gingerly approached the duo holding their breaths in the dappled sunlight."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Alaw...? I see.\" Margo spoke, stilling her body the best she could. She knew from experience that unfamiliar animals tended to flee at even the slightest unexpected movement, and this little calico was no different. \"That's a Welsh name if memory serves right... Also, huh. Never thought about it like that, man...\"\n\n□ Breathily talking, it was clear she was trying her best to be quiet, to avoid scaring off their furry acquaintance who still held herself nervously a few feet away. She could understand it. As she thought about it, if she were approached by two much taller creatures speaking an unintelligible language she'd have been rigid with nervousness as well. Maybe applying human logic to the mind of a feline wasn't exactly right, but... Whatever, she grumbled internally.\n\n▪︎ Then, Owen's surprised utterance snapped her out of her thoughts.\n\n◆ \"Hey, that's it...\" Eyes widening a touch, she looked away to avoid possibly scaring the cat off. \"Be careful, though... Just because we've got food doesn't mean she's going to just let us touch her. But... I'm sure you know that, huh?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Mmm-hm.\"\n\nSitting stock-still as Alaw puttered around them, Owen followed her every movement with wide brown eyes. They drooped slightly at the corners, always making his expressions a little mopey, but paired with his thrilled grin he looked more like an excited puppy. \n\nMargo seemed to be having a little more luck than him- the boy with the blueberries watched her body language, and mimicked it the best he could. His hands were always doing something off on their own, and his legs were gods-knew-where. Sometimes stepping into someone else's shapes were a strange comfort in short increments.\n\nA barely held-back squeal sounded from him when the little cat tapped her nose against the tip of Margo's finger, just once, cautiously nipping at the little blue offering. Her tail flicked nervously as she thought something through, deciding to take it. \n\n\"Yeaahhh!! Blueberries!\"\n\n*Success!!* She had previously accepted them from a little ways away and then scampered off, but this was progress. Whatever would she do next..\n\n\"Wonder if she's had much luck hunting.. Looks pretty young,\" Owen mused. Though Alaw wasn't starving, she looked hungry. \"Little thing doesn't look like she's been properly spoiled, like your scaly fellows.\"\n\nHe took another blueberry out of the bag and carefully held it out. *Please, pretty please...*"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ And, yeah, she was having luck with Alaw.\n\n□ Maybe it was her years of experience winning the trust of her beloved pet reptiles, or maybe it was just a natural gift. Whatever it was, once the slender feline began to nip at the blueberry she popped it out a touch, with movements that could barely even be seen. Once the berry had been taken and the calico had moved on to Owen's hand she rolled another one onto position at the tips of her fingers, ready to be snapped up by the timid yet hungry kitty a few feet away.\n\n▪︎ What a beautiful cat.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, man... She looks like she hasn't had much luck.\" Margo replied, eyeing the cat down softly. \"But then again, who knows how the pickings are around here for stray cats...? Back home there were TNR – trap, neuter, return, for reference – groups that'd take care of colonies of strays, but I don't think that's a thing here.\" She spoke, calm and as soft as she could get her forceful, heavily accented voice to go. \"Also, my kids aren't *Spoiled,* At least not food-wise... Overfeeding's akin to torture for a pet. But, they're spoiled otherwise, given the fact that I willingly pluck spiders off the wall for Cosmo to snack on, and I plan on eventually feeding Sadie eggs once he's big enough. Snakes apparently like eggs; can't blame them.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Ah! Snakes like eggs like cats like blueberries, then,\" Owen giggled, the sparks in his eyes showing in his tone. Alaw's whiskers brushed lightly against his hand, making his feet tap excitedly in the grass. No loud and sudden movements, of course, but happy twitches at these new developments.\n\n\"They're lucky to have you- if you run short on warm, flat rocks, you know where to find me.\"\n\nHe was half-joking; it would be a strange thing to say in complete seriousness, but he had to admit that he would gladly be of service to her cold-blooded sons if they would have him.\n\n\"Miss my dog every day. Any animal who would accept my affection is getting smothered in it, as you can see from my efforts here!\"\n\nHe had placed some more blueberries near the scraggly apple of his eye, and was watching with delight as she puttered around them. She stepped over one of his legs, which were spread out in a V shape. It was a strange place to relax like that, a few feet off the path, but he seemed to have gotten comfortable enough.\n\n\"Also, er. Love your accent. All we need's an Irishman and we'll have a proper 'Fuck the English' club, ah?\"\n\nDid that make as much sense out loud as it did in his head? His feet tapped a little faster. *Damn nerves. Bloody tongue doing what it wants.* Ooooh, cat yawned! Maybe life is good after all."
}
] | 317 | 3,054 |
354.2 | 2022-05-29 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"I guess so, but unlike cats snakes actively seek out eggs in the wild. After all, man, it's a free meal, eggs can't fight back.\" No shit, Margo. Of course eggs are free meals for snakes. Looking down at Alaw, she couldn't help but smile at the little gal as she puttered around the pair, nervously calculating whether the blueberries gently held out were worth the risk. Obviously, it seemed to be so, since the calico had brushed up against Owen's hand. \"Hey, look at that... She's actually grabbing one from your hand. She's beautiful, isn't she? Also... Honestly, I think Cosmo would love you. Sadie's still kind of nervous about being handled, unfortunately, so...\"\n\n□ Trailing off, she fixed her gaze back on the slim cat, her eyes peering back nervously for a few moments before looking back at Owen, who'd clearly been working to gain her trust more. It wasn't painful for her to see the cat showing more familiarity with the lad; she knew, after all, that animals often weren't initially trusting of humans from her own experiences raising and befriending reptiles. Unlike a reptile, though, it seemed to be easier to gauge how a cat was feeling, and she could tell the cat was a little wary, still.\n\n▪︎ Oh well. She had every right to be skittish.\n\n◆ \"Heh, guess so, huh?\" Margo chuckled. \"Though at this point it's more of a toss-up between Glaswegian and Brooklynite. It's distinct, though, and it's something my whole family has going on. My father... I hate to say anything about the fucker, but he once threw a glass bottle at Margaret Thatcher in the 80s. Might be the only thing I agree with him on...\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Hah! Broken clock's hit one of his two minutes, hasn't it.\"\n\n*Yes! Joke landed! A blueberry, for congratulations,* Squeaked the ever-nervous voice in Owen's head. Eugh, this one was squishy. A momentary sour expression curled his features, before the tickle of the tip of a nervous tail against his leg brought back his previously goofy expression. \n\nSaid leg had the oddest markings, he thought. He remembered back when they were bigger, when the Lichtenberg figures had snaked all the way around his limbs, when his skin felt like it had been sliced off by a lightsaber with all the ease of peeling a potato with a razor blade. Now, all that remained were fainter red trails that only he could tell the difference in texture in; they wound down to the tops of his feet and then the nasty twisted patches on the pads of his feet where Zeus' fury had left him. He wondered if the little cat ignoring them thought anything of them, or if she just thought the marks were part of his weird pink coat.\n\nIdly, still, he traced a trail with his finger. *How bizarre,* He thought, for no reason in particular. Ooh, this next blueberry was perfect.\n\n\"Must be weird for her, eh? All the big scary furless things with the freaky *Meow*S want to do is feed her blueberries,\" He mused, half zoned-out. \"Imagine, what if all those angels wanted was to ensure we had enough donuts and scratches behind the ears instead of, uh, *Cleansing*.\"\n\nThat thought made him snort. The mental image, though probably *Literally* Blasphemous, was a little funny despite it all."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ Rather than saying anything, Margo simply hummed in agreement.\n\n□ She didn't want to talk about her father. She wasn't even sure *Why* She mentioned one of his many boasts, something he claimed he'd done when he was a young bricklayer working in some Scottish border town months after graduating from trade school. She didn't give a shit about his past, and as far as she was concerned he shouldn't have had a future after the mauling she'd gave him. Out of the blue, though, she felt a breeze blowing her hair about lightly, and the sensation of her slightly greasy hair brushing against her neck snapped her out of the fuming pit she'd dropped into.\n\n▪︎ She needed something to soothe her nerves; she dropped the blueberry and fished out her pack of smokes, alongside a black Bic lighter she'd bought and drawn rough glyphs all over with White-Out.\n\n◆ \"I. I've been researching those angels, actually.\" Margo calmly replied as she fished a cigarette out and lit it betwixt her lips. \"And I don't know what to make of them anymore. Obviously those halos are the source of their magic and of their murderous rampages, but... Where the hell are the halos coming from? And how did that Annika girl break hers? It's only a natural assumption that she's...\" She paused for a moment, dragging and puffing out a thin wispy cloud of smoke. \"Managed to break hers, because she's missing and they're all looking for her pretty hard.\"\n\n• \"Anyways, yeah, it's gotta be weird to be Alaw right now. God knows I'd be freaked out in her situation, too, if I was going about my shit and two giants started offering me berries. I'd probably croak on the spot.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Mm? Research? How would you even go about researching something like that..\" A squint, to give off the impression that he was thinking about it. A habit, probably not necessary here- his blank thinking face had given the opposite impression many times before, but he got the feeling it wasn't really needed with Margo.\n\n\"Free berries are free berries though, hah.\"\n\nA long, dark reddish lock spilled out from its place tucked behind Owen's ear. It dangled in front of his face, brushing the grass a little ways from Alaw. He had meant to sit up and straighten his back- it really did sort of ache from being hunched over- but instead, he held his breath and watched the breeze gently nudge it.\n\nThe cat watched too, stock-still save for her flicking tail. Owen risked a small smile toward her, careful to avoid looking her in the eyes. Hers were green, he noticed- sharp green eyes, stalking the big bad coil of loose copper.\n\n\"What're you gonna do with that, poppet?\"\n\nHis voice was a whisper, his excitement given away by freckled fingers fiddling away in the grass. Maybe what he was hoping for was some cartoony pipe dream, but what was the worst that could come from hoping? Something cute happening? He was already flat on his rear, he figured.\n\nA tiny claw swiped at could-be-a-squirrel, and Owen let himself giggle a little."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Newspaper archives, little-known investigative blogs, so on and so forth.\" Margo shrugged, the combination of the lollipop *And* The cigarette proving to be a very strange mix of flavours and aesthetics. Childhood sweet tooth and adolescent self-destruction. What a clash. \"Sure, the archives cost money, but I've got more than I know what to do with, and my Swedish is pretty decent at this point so I can at least *Understand* What's written. Turns out if you dig enough there's multiple articles that all seem to share the modus operandi of the Angels. Or, at least what we can *Infer* As such.\"\n\n□ Speaking quietly and with a distinctly speculative drawl, it was clear she wasn't entirely sure if those reports and blog posts she'd read about vicious murders and hearsay of angels in the midst could reasonable be connected to those lunatics in the industrial park. However, there was at least enough evidence that she had a few connected together, in a journal stuffed deep into the crevices of her couch, and she was almost certain that they'd strike again. Looking over at Alaw, she watched as the emerald-eyed beauty curiously looked up at Owen and his copper hair.\n\n▪︎ Now that the cat seemed a little less interested in her, she stood back up and dropped the berry to the ground.\n\n◆ \"How long have you been at this?' She asked after a few moments of watching her roommate's totally-not-boyfriend try his best to gain the cat's trust."
}
] | 369 | 1,771 |
423 | 2022-05-30 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Um.\"\n\nThe tips of the poorly-postured boy's ears turned a little pink as it hit him how long he *Had* Been at this.\n\n\"This is, ah, week two I think. Saw her first on my way to get some stuff for cooking I think, and she damn near killed me! Almost tripped into the road, but, I didn't, and now I'm obsessed with befriending her.\"\n\nAlaw doubled back after a particularly powerful strike, now fully invested in tackling this terrible red river. Owen felt that his heart might explode. He ripped a few more blades of grass from between his legs, idly tearing them up into little shreds of green. The smells of blueberries and chlorophyll mingled on his fingertips, fresh and clean.\n\nTilting his head just a little toward Margo, Owen breathed a slightly uneasy sigh. This interaction was going well, if he were any reliable judge of that, but he still didn't quite know how to keep a steady flow going. A small cough, muffled not to be rude- he figured his (slightly intimidating) companion was already aware of what cigarettes smelled like. Not much use drawing attention to it.\n\n\"What're *You* Doing out in town today? Doubt you're still tailing me- I solemnly swear, this is the most interesting thing I've been up to lately,\" He rambled.\n\nTruthfully, he had thought her detective shtick strange at first, but after observing a little more of Margo, he supposed she had a good point. Honestly, it made him feel he himself should be a little more careful- for someone who claimed time and time again to have learned his lesson, Owen sure did let a lot of bizarre and concerning things slide. It came with the setting, he reasoned- when it was all weird, none of it really was."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Two weeks...? It shows, man. I think she only really approached me because she was starving, and now she doesn't give a fuck about me. Kinda like every girl I've tried my luck with, huh?\" Self-depreciation wasn't her general shtick, but romance had never been her strongest suits, and every shot she'd ever shot had been blocked. No wonder, then, she was pessimistic about it all. \"Anyways, can't say I blame you for trying. Maybe she'll eventually follow you back to the Cradle and we'll have her hunting mice or whatever on the grounds... Cheaper than paying for pest control, that's for sure.\"\n\n□ Why was she even commenting about the cost of it? She was naught but a prisoner at the Cradle, someone who'd attempted patricide and was now under the watchful eye of the Swedish authorities for the final years of her teenage life. Part of her still felt a twinge of regret, but it wasn't born from what she'd did. Rather, it was knowing that her final years of raising hell without worrying about lasting criminal records and multi-year stints in jail were out of reach. Bitterness temporarily laced her face, but a puff of smoke wiped it away.\n\n▪︎ No sense in it, she figured. At least she could go fishing and get drunk; things could have been worse.\n\n◆ \"Stretching my legs and getting some sun.\" She casually replied, stuffing one hand into her pocket and plucking the cigarette out from betwixt her lips with the other. \"I've been cooped up the past week watching Sadie shed to make sure I left enough rough surfaces – reptiles need those, as it turns out, since shedding skin isn't easy – and now that he's no longer a bag of dead skin I wanted to get the fuck out of my room. It's been nothing but metaphorically watching paint dry and reading up about either Proto-Indo-European or old Swedish newspaper clippings, and I'm just so fucking *Tired* Of it right now.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"That.. Sounds fascinating,\nI'm sure, but a lot to absorb in one sitting. Your perseverance is *Incredible*, though.\"\n\nIt really was- in order to focus on something like that for so *Long*, Owen would need to have one of his obsessions- *Hmmm.* **Hmmmmmmm.** Best not to prod. People generally didn't appreciate it when he suggested they might be like him, but still..\n\n\"I'm like that with music sometimes- holed up in my room for ages, getting this one little piece *Just right*, whether I wanted to go outside or not,\" He babbled, hoping he was making the right connection. \"I'd stay up all night by accident, plunking away, wondering why my head hurt- then I'd step out for some water and it would stop immediately,\" He chattered on. \n\n\"My dog got me out of that, actually- he'd need walks, and food, and scratches behind the ears, and I couldn't ignore his well-being like my own.\" He paused, wondering if this ramble was going anywhere close to what Margo was previously talking about. \"Glad you've got your pets here, is all. The animals, they seem to know their way around human stir-craziness,\" He concluded. \n\nAlaw puttered around a blueberry she'd forgotten in the grass. A hundred problems she could've had in that moment, and all she was concerned with was blueberries and making sure Owen knew his place (that was, a foot away from her).\n\nShe was doing what Lemmy did back home- getting him out of his room, concerned with something that frolicked in sunlight and chased birds with reckless abandon. It felt right, even if little. *Because* It was little. A happy hum, rumbling deep in his chest."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"You're talking to the person who spent two years trying to learn Ithkuil. If you think PIE is a lot to digest, Ithkuil's like trying to inhale an Amtrak.\" She scoffed, recalling hundreds of nights with the eponymous Ithkuil text by one John Quijada. \"Sure, I got the absolute basics down, but... Man. That language ties your entire mouth and throat into a crow's nest. Fuck. Anyways... Yeah, that's how I get with stuff like languages or reptiles. I could spend *Days* Doing nothing but reading up about them, almost like the damn texts are dripping heroin into my veins. It's *Weird.*\"\n\n□ Admittedly, Owen's thoughts weren't far off. She herself had been questioning how obsessive and dedicated she found herself towards certain topics: music, herpetology, linguistics, tea. Fishing. Those were all things that drove her up the wall with fascination and demanded nearly all of her waking attention, and in the wake of several good conversations with autistic people around the prison's grounds she'd begun to question if maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as neurotypical as she thought.\n\n▪︎ Maybe it'd help to mention this to someone she knew for certain was autistic. How did she know? Trade secrets of the teenage gumshoe.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, I feel that, man.\" She spoke, the soft clacking of her lollipop ringing out as she spoke and jostled it about the inside of her mouth. \"It's how I am with my boys back at the dorm. They get me out of my obsessive funks, either because they need to be fed, or they want to explore the room, or their enclosures simply need to be cleaned. It helps, honestly. Pets tend to do that...\" She trailed off, clearly mulling something in her throat. The cigarette's end met her lips, and she dragged for a moment too long. \"Is... Being obsessive with a few specific interests an autistic trait? I've... Been thinking about that since I got here. I've never been to an actual psychiatrist, but the evidence seems to line up. So... Is it a thing?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Yup.\" Owen blurted that out faster than he'd intended, but that was fine this time because it was true. \"I mean, people can like things really intensely, but the way you described yours? Yeah. Uh. I think you're onto something, butt.\"\n\nHe punctuated that thought with a quiet geyser of nervous giggles.\n\n\"In the kindest of ways, you're as dense as me. Hell, that's another box ticked!\"\n\nSeriously. It should be in the DSM-5.\n\n\"Really, though. It can vary a little person to person, but- I can name every track in order off of every Iron Maiden album from the self-titled to *Fear of the Dark*. I was once so into whale sharks that I'm reasonably certain they were literally the only things I talked about for a solid two months. I pouted at my *Mothers' wedding* That people weren't as interested as I wanted them to be in my *UFO* Shirt.\" An incredulous snort. \n\n\"If any of that sounds a little familiar- like, long-lasting, intense, all-consuming interests that last for months, years on end, that still make you happy long after a reasonable person would have lost interest.. Damn, I still get giddy whenever I see a shark. It's how I'm- and possibly you're- wired. People, mostly teachers, have given me shit for it but I think it's lovely, actually.\"\n\nOwen avoided 'proper names' for his traits on purpose. Pathologizing them made him feel alien, other, but just speaking like they were things he felt, or things he did? That felt nice. That didn't weird people out, including him, and besides- what would Margo be more likely to understand, a barrage of scientific-sounding terms or what those words actually *Meant*? \n\nWatching with a lighter smile as Alaw wandered over to Margo's feet, Owen absentmindedly tore up some more grass."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Shit.\" Was all she could really cough out. \"It's not just the power of suggestion...? Well, that's something to think about, I guess.\"\n\n□ And think about it she would. Not in the moment, though, as Owen had sprung into his own explanation of his experiences with the disorder, neural pathways crossed in such a way that whale sharks and heavy metal completely consumed his life for years at a time. Something about it all seemed familiar, though to a lesser degree; sure, she definitely had those deep, all-consuming interests, and even after years things like linguistics and the weirdly vast history of jazz still brought joy. She felt as if complex loud noises, such as the kinds experienced in crowds, nearly burst her head like a grape.\n\n▪︎ However, at the end of the day it was an integral part of her psyche and identity on the line, and like anyone facing such uncertainty down part of her wanted to believe it was just a fluke.\n\n◆ \"But, seriously, you were upset about that at your mom's wedding? Can't say I blame you. I was only two or three for my parents' wedding, but apparently I did nothing but fume in silence. Weird.\" She shrugged, cautiously kneeling down as she felt Alaw brush against her foot. She knew from experience that wild animals, save for frequent city dwellers like raccoons and rats, tended to be terrified of humans, and she hoped her slow, graceful kneel wouldn't scare the cat away. \"But then again, I've always been pretty good with social stuff, and... There's also the fact that I don't feel the same need to eat the same things day in and day out. I've been doing some reading, and it all seems fifty-fifty; I have those crazy deep interests, but then I also break the mold by having a diverse palate. I can't stand eye contact, but I can socialize otherwise just fine. I'm a creature of routine, but then... Fuck.\"\n\n• \"I don't know anymore. Really don't.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The boy in the grass closed his eyes and straightened his back, thinking for a moment. \n\n\"All of us are different,\" He began, \"And we all fall in different places on different spectrums. I've seen autism described as a mixing board- some sliders are turned all the way up, some are in the middle, some are barely on at all. I've got my comfort foods as well, but as Uriel can confirm, I'm a garbage disposal!\" \n\nHe recalled their look of polite horror as they watched him hoover up a king's ransom of ..Everything after a particularly intense day of power training- when Owen was hungry, he was *Hungry*.\n\n\"I can hear my phone charging and need to be listening to music 24/7 to be able to cope with the background noise-\" He tapped his ear, which contained a well-hidden earbud- \"But I've been able to hold this conversation, and I can understand.. Most jokes. Agreed on the eye contact, though. It's icky as hell. Don't get the fuss about it.\"\n\nAn unexpectedly wry smile, as he tilted his head toward her and leaned back on his hands. The little cat, giving as few flying fucks as ever, sidled past Margo, a flick of her tail brushing against her arm.\n\n\"What else.\" He watched Alaw, rather than her face. \"Do you.. Make funny noises? Tap, bounce, rock, fiddle, repeat tasty words... Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but, you know, it could.\"\n\nOwen was as clear in his tone as he could be that it was all just suggestion, all 'could-be's and not 'definitely-are's. This was delicate, he understood, but lighthearted enough; the doom-and-gloom surrounding the subject was probably exactly why no one had spoken to Margo about it much before.\n\nA soft scratching noise, as Alaw dropped to the grass and started ferociously itching at her head. Owen couldn't help but murmur a quiet coo. It wasn't every day that one as lowly as he got to witness a cat doing her cat things."
}
] | 432 | 2,961 |
296.571429 | 2022-05-31 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Like a mixing board...? Yeah, that's familiar.\" Margo spoke, recalling days spent at the after-school jazz club she'd cut her teeth at. \"That's familiar...\"\n\n□ Nodding, she suddenly did something *Weird.* Popping her lollipop out of her mouth, she fished out its accompanying wrapper and wrapped the half-eaten sucker up. Dropping it back in her back pocket, a whisper of a smile graced her face as the cat's tail brushed against her hand. This whole conversation, despite how calm and aloof she seemed on the outside, was threatening to rip her apart from the inside out, like a parasite burrowing out of her chest. Being truthful was *Painful,* The words continually getting caught in her throat as if they had rose thorns, bleeding her dry and feeding her stomach a steady supply of blood.\n\n▪︎ But, Uri had told her to be a bit more honest with herself and others, so...\n\n◆ \"I used to chew on the necklines of my shirts when I was younger. Don't really do it anymore.\" She casually spoke, or at least as casually as she could manage. \"No funny noises, but I occasionally notice myself rocking, so... I don't know. I really don't. I can feel my organs move around sometimes, though, and... Fuck, man, that's weird.\" She fell silent, fixing her smoke back betwixt her lips. Between her previous conversation with Violetta and this one with Owen, she had more than enough food for thought.\n\n▪︎ As a matter of fact, she had a whole fucking *Buffet,* And she knew she'd be picking through it for a while."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Not all that weird,\" Owen assured her. \"You'd be pleasantly surprised.\"\n\nIf he was being honest with himself, Owen was pleasantly surprised. Though he liked to think he knew himself pretty well, he still felt relatively alone in his experiences- he could explain this aspect of himself all he wanted to before, but knew deep down that no one really understood. There were kindred spirits in the strangest places, here. \n\n\"Rocking *Is* Nice. So is gnawing on things. And knowing a lot about really obscure subjects. *And* Wanting to ram a chair leg through every fluorescent light. *Well, maybe not that..*\"\n\nIt had taken him a long time to come to terms with those things. Talking about it still felt a little uneasy, like he was speaking about some taboo; a voice that wasn't his still whispered *'mustn't mention it'*, even if he thought it was bull. \n\n\"I.. Thought I was an alien, when I was a kid. My mams always assured me otherwise, but no one else really backed them up. It sucks, not knowing what planet you're supposed to be from.. But, maybe, we're not as alone as it would seem?\"\n\nAnother blueberry, to force himself to take a breather. He.. Hadn't told anyone that. Not in a long time. Here, though, it felt relevant, for reasons he was sure she understood as well. Besides- Margo was probably *Mighty* Uneasy. He felt odd after knowing these things for certain his whole life- he couldn't imagine what this was doing to her, who was so uncharacteristically uncertain.\n\nAlaw, who was pointedly oblivious to their inner turmoils, had deduced where the blueberries were coming from. The bag rustled as she shoved her entire head into it, only the tips of a couple whiskers peeking out the top. She really knew how to lighten the mood- Owen wondered if he ought to be taking notes."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Nah, it's fuckin' weird being able to feel my organs jiggling around when I work out. Always thought I was just schizo or some shit, but...\" A sigh followed. \"I dunno anymore.\"\n\n□ And that was the truth. Before showing up to the Cradle, she'd simply passed off the various peculiarities in her psyche as nothing more than that: peculiarities. Now, though, between taking care of her reptiles and researching about languages or bonsai trees or whatever she had a lot more time to think, and as it turned out, thinking was the mortal enemy of her previously-solid view on herself. Puffing her cigarette, her face had sank into a dejected, uncertain frown, the cherried end glowing brightly and reflecting off of her distinctive silver eyes.\n\n▪︎ Those eyes happened to also be following Alaw as she dipped her head into the bag of berries and plucked a few out.\n\n◆ \"You thought you were an alien...? I see. Probably the different wiring, if I had to guess.\" Uncertainty laced her voice, dripping off in large drops. \"Then again, sometimes I... Notice my leg bouncing. I stop it when I see it, but it always feels wrong. What the fuck is wrong with me, man?'"
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"You'd guess about right.\"\n\nA heavy sigh seemed to weigh him down, ever so slightly as he listened. *How on Earth would he chip into this deep a level of disgust?*\n\n\"It's alright if your leg bounces. Mine bounce. So do my hands, sometimes,\" He started, trying to wrangle his out-of-order thoughts into something deliberate, something smart enough to be listened to. \"If your, um, theory is right, then you *Need* To- just a quirk of the wiring, really.\"\n\nAs if to prove his point, Owen's own feet started to tap together in the grass, loosening the nervous coils building up in his legs.\n\n\"Dogs shake themselves out, yeah? Cats flick their tails, uh, people dance? It builds up, and it's too much, and so it just.. Vents.\"\n\n*Another hole-in-twenty in the game of spoken language! Those were words that* Definitely *Made sense.*\n\n...Sometimes Owen wished he didn't understand sarcasm, because all he seemed to do with it was be mean to himself. Eugh.\n\n*\"...Sbratast fân,\"* Owen murmured, daring to lightly drag a finger along a soft, unsuspecting shoulder blade. Luckily for him, the calico face-first in the blueberries didn't seem to notice. Her fur looked like it needed a good wash..\n\nA nervous hum rumbled in his throat, a long and drawn-out chord set to whatever tone would detangle the knots in his stomach. \n\n\"You've gotten a lot of shit for it, haven't you?\"\n\nIf only he could say *\"I understand\"* Hard enough for Margo to actually feel it."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ For once, she had nothing to say back initially.\n\n□ Instead, spurred on by the realization that her entire view of herself was being shattered into pieces one word at a time, she fell silent. Contemplative, even, her jaw firmly cleaned around the butt of the cancer stick that was most of the way done. Unbeknownst to Owen, it was her own way of trying to stop herself from breaking down in public and sinking to her knees, a fleeting attempt at control that slowly wavered as the words filtered in.\n\n▪︎ Needless to say, she was steadily becoming more and more of a mess.\n\n◆ \"...I haven't, actually. Nobody's noticed, or cared enough to make a big deal out of it.\" It was the truth, quietly uttered as her hands shot into her pockets and she sniffled lightly. \"I'm gonna get going. Just remembered I have to pick up some fruit for the dorm. Bowl's empty...\"\n\n▪︎ A white lie, surely, but she knew if she stood around talking any longer she'd sink to her knees and go near-catatonic state. She refused to let herself be seen in such disarray, not by the public, not by Owen, not even by her goddamn roommate. Her suffering was meant to be bottled, and anything else was tantamount to a death sentence."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen didn't know exactly what he'd said, but *Something* Had been itching behind her cool demeanour. Something was wrong, and it ate at the heating skin on his face, and Owen wondered if he'd accidentally dipped too far. *What had he said, again?*\n\n...Poor kid. Owen's issues with the way he was wired came mostly from other people, but Margo's were from *Herself*. That was rough, and it was tricky. And all he could really do was listen to someone who didn't want to talk.\n\n\"Oh! Al-alright,\" He stammered, not wanting to leave things on such an odd note. Once again, the voice that yelled at him to *'say something!'* Was a little louder than the one that asked, *'but what?!'*.\n\n\"Lo-lovely chat...\"\n\nTwo concerned faces watched her leave; one feline, tinged with purple, and one boy, lips flattened into an uneasy line and deep brown eyes scanning for any last hints before she vanished from their sights."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ And that final bit met open air.\n\n□ Margo, however was now out of earshot, with her hands in her pockets and her pace quickening by the second. She could feel the familiar tug of emotional turmoil pulling at her eyes, her throat, her chest, knots building up and tears beginning to well. Clutching down, she spat the cigarette out and lit another, shaky hands nearly dropping her lighter down a sewer drain. Now, it was a race against time, and against her ability to keep her composure under check, and she had to get back to the Cradle *Quick.*\n\n▪︎ That, and she had to hope Uri wasn't there. As much as she trusted them, she still couldn't accept being seen sobbing her eyes out by *Anyone.* Not sober, at least, and the vodka she'd had was now all gone."
}
] | 282 | 2,076 |
343.75 | 2022-08-03 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "The early morning hung above the group in a heavy and uncertain presence. The anxiety and stress that had run rapid through the intranet mere hours prior had everyone riled up, except the four kids who had taken it upon themselves to play hero and find Valio. \n\nAres who had gathered this small group, stood a decent ways away from the front door he had told everyone to meet him at. His dark eyes scanned for cameras and made sure to avoid them best he could. As he stood, one by one he was joined by the others. Yarimiel came first. Then Finley, and finally Danica. It didn't take long for Ares to shoot into action. \n\n\"Alright, listen up, all of you.\" He addressed all three of them, yet didnt speak in an angry or loud tone. It seemed he was trying to stay on the low.\n\n\"Im not going to say much, since, well...\" Ares tilted his head towards the facility with a scowl. \"I don't trust *Them,* But I have a few ideas on where we can start. Id also appreciate any ideas *You* Three have.\" The boy was taller than all of them, standing with his arms crossed in the morning dark. Ready and prepared for what lay ahead.\n\n\"I dont know how far they went, but its been hours so I'm going to say *Far*. My first idea was of course the tower. Yknow, the one that took Margo and Mattias? But... That doesn't seem likely. I know Annika is an angel, but if she was hiding inside the facility and no longer has a halo, I doubt she'd wanna walk right back into HQ. Valio too.\" \n\nHis hands moved when he spoke, and he spoke with purpose. Ares' voice was confident and sure, he had a plan. Not given nearly enough credit for his problem solving skills, Ares was dealing with all of this rather well. Or at least, was fantastic at making it *Appear* As such. \n_ _\n\n\"My next idea, is that they are hiding in or out of town in some building or hotel. Who knows, maybe they got on a train and left, but I think searching the city is our best shot right now.\"\n\nWith a nod, Ares surveyed the group in front of him. He had faith in their ability to find Valio and Ares was not going to stop until they did. A small robot buzzed at his feet, awaiting any direction. Haoran had sent it, and Ares knew he was looking at him straight through its mechanical eyes. \n\n\"I doubt we will find her tonight, but we gotta start somewhere. Anything to say before we head on our way?\"\n\nIts a starter and ares has a lot to say lmao"
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Navy stretched into Indigo across the sky as Finleys feet crunched under the various things under their feet, eyes darting from side to side. Their stomach turned over and over, breath shaking in their throat. \n\nThey approached the group with trembling hands. Finley didn't know Yari, or Danica, or even who they were, but they knew Ares, and that was enough.\n\n\"I hope we can find her,\" They said. They held their hands behind their back, and wringed them together - if nobody could see it, it didn't matter. \n\n\"She's strong. She's okay.\"\n\n*Right? Right? Please tell me I'm right.*"
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She was angry, but she didn't even care why. Over the years she had gotten far better at directing her anger towards specific things. She does not care about any troubles that had happened prior. Her only focus was on finding Valio. That is all she needed, fueled not by sustenance, but bye her sheer unending rage. She said the following as quietly as possible, enough for the other three and *Only* Them to hear. \"Alright. I can lay low, I'm good at hiding in crowds, and I can bypass walls or doors by using my shadow warp thing. I can search up any of those places in the area, search around inside, and get out once I'm done, but if it's too large I'm simply going to ask at the front desk, because if they're staying at some sort of motel, hotel, wtahever the fuck, they're sure to have *Paid* For that stay, otherwise they would have gone in unnoticed, which I highly doubt considering Valio, uh, in general.\" For once, she wasn't acting like some horror child or murder hobo, her more analytical side coming out. \"I can't say that my methods would be foolproof or work one-hundred percent of the time, but I think that's good enough.\"\n\nShe went quiet, thinking. Her eyes darted away before looking back at them, at Ares.\n\n\"We run if we bump into these angel guys, correct?\" She wanted to make sure. While an adult was most likely stronger than her, she wouldn't go down without a fight, that much was blatantly obvious. Her tone had a certain power to it, she wasn't speaking in the high, immature tone anymore, she was actually tapping into her far deeper voice profiles to communicate her point across and to make sure that the others were *Listening* To her, constantly looking betweem them all to make sure of that."
},
{
"author": "mochiizzco",
"message": "Last to arrive, Danica stood balanced on her feet, a focused expression pitching her brow. She held a lit cigarette between her fingers, the faint burning glow an orange accent she hadn't seen in a while. She'd butt it down before they left, but for now old habits were returning with flair. The tobacco filled her lungs with a drag. There was little she'd done to prepare, but she was as prepared as she'd ever be. A thin running bag and jacket clung to her confident figure. \n\nShe didn't know Yari, didn't know Fin, but she did know Ares, and he seemed different. He seemed sure. If this made anything clear it was that he thrived when given a motive. People truly needed to give him more credit. Fin seemed anxious, but Yari seemed almost manic. \n\nDani listened while they all spoke, blowing smoke into the sky and nodding along. \n\n\"Nope.\" Nothing to say. \n\nListening to Yari gave her ideas. Her little invisibility trick had been one she was practicing. She nodded while each spoke, clearly listening despite being quiet. \n\n\"We should be keeping in touch. No getting lost.\"\n\nShe dropped her cigarette to the ground and patted it out beneath her foot. \n\n\"Let's get going before it gets too bright.\""
}
] | 331.5 | 1,375 |
162.727273 | 2021-10-19 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The lightbulbs in the offices at Newton's Cradle are blindingly bright - or at least it seems that way in the dark of night.\n\nIt's 2 AM. A bad hour for almost anyone to be awake. On a couch in the office waiting room lies the angel-girl Valio and co. Had found squatting in an abandoned factory, half-asleep. She can't quite relax enough to sleep for any real length of time, what with the frequent coughing and occasional furballs.\n\nSitting next to her on the couch is a tall, lanky, gray man, and standing in front of her with a worried expression is a short, stocky woman - John and Joan, the deans, woken up by the night supervisor to deal with the situation. Neither of them looks happy by any stretch of the imagination. They both turn to Valio, who had carried the poor girl all the way from Industrin.\n\n\"You say you found her in an abandoned factory?\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio stands in the middle of the room tense and stiff. It had been an to say the least strange night, leaving the woman weary and tired. She sighed heavily running her fingers through her hair. Well she never slept well anyway. \n\nShe watched as the poor girl whom she had carried from the industrial sector, wheeze and cough up god knows what for at least an hour. She was worried for the girl and for anybody who went over to the sector she had came from. She'd glady help this girl again but it was all just too confusing. An angel? Injured and alone coughing up pale grey furballs? Strange to say the least.\n\n\"Yes. She was in a room filled with cardboard boxes, trembling and holding a knife.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"A knife...\" Joan mumbles. John looks as though he's figuring something out as they speak. It doesn't take long before he seems to realize. Their faces turn even more sour than before. They turn to the girl, and Joan shakes her a bit, whispering with her for a few moments.\n\n\"Did she say anything about belonging to a group of some kind? A clan, something like that?\"\n\nThey look like they already know and are just trying to confirm everything.\n\n\"And did she mention any names?\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio widened her eye watching Joan shake the girl. She'd want to interfere but that wouldn't be for the best. The tall girl watched them look perturbed before looking at her. She felt quite confused at it all. \n\n\"No she had said nothing about a clan or anything belonging to that area.\" \n\nValio looked at the girl once more watching her heave with pain.\n\n\"No names she did mention Evil quite a lot though.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Joan is silent for a long, long time, or what feels like it. She strokes the girl's wings, and briefly the cracks in her halo. The girl winces at being touched, in something like discomfort.\n\n\"She can't stay here,\" Joan finally replies. \"She'll hurt someone. Or worse.\"\n\nJohn and Joan see something in the girl that Valio can't. Something dangerous, more so than the feral girl with the knife Valio had found in that factory. Something that could pose a threat... Somehow. It's not actually clear just by looking at and listening to John and Joan what they're worried about, but their concern is palpable in the air.\n\nThe angel-girl stirs. \"T-then...\" She stammers out a thought she can't finish. She's clearly weak, made worse by the inability to rest.\n\nJoan doesn't react."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio uncomfortably shifted while silence permeated the air. Valio watching the girl with increasing worry as she winced from the touch of the woman. She barely knew what was going on and it weighed on her heavily. She's better than this. \n\n\"Then what will we do with her? She'll clearly die on her own or maybe she's something else entirely.\" Valio softly reasons, looking sternly at the angelic girl. \n\nValio's brow furrows feeling as though there's something the three of them know that she doesn't. What if this girl is something entirely different from what they know. The air felt heavy and Valio crossed her arms looking at the two elders before once again looking at the fragile looking girl.\n\nShe perks at the angel speaking something hoarse but falling back into the the couch as if burdened by herself. She's hurt heavily what will they even do when she's like this.\n\nValio sighs tapping her fingers on her arm. \"What will we need to do?\" She questions."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Joan looks pensively at the floor for a few moments. \n\n\"...She'd suffer a lot. But no, I don't think she'd die. She's a fighter.\"\n\nShe rested a gentle hand on the angel-girl's forehead and smiled. The angel-girl calmed down a little and closed her eyes again.\n\n\"She needs rest. Medical attention. We'll need to find somewhere for her to stay, and fast.\"\n\nJohn looks slightly *Wrong* As Joan says the last few words. Upset in a disgusted sort of way. Joan looks at him, offended. \"She's a teenage girl, John, she doesn't- *John!*\"\n\nJohn doesn't even say anything.\n\nJoan sighs. \"Sorry you had to see that, dear.\" She doesn't elaborate."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio frowned heavily at the woman's words but hearing that she was a fighter was some reassurance. \n\n\"I understand.\"\n\nShe cracked her fingers while watching this the woman gently care for the girl. The room became easier to bear the air of when the girl finally succumbed to rest. Valio listened to the woman speak when something the man- John looked odd to her. He looked disgusted, but the girl on the couch was so young it seems what the older woman has something to say about it. \n\nThe outburst of them left Valio confused as her eyes flitted between the two. Must be some sort of telepathy thing going on between then that one eyed woman wasn't even going to begin to question. It left everything heavier than it was.\n\n\"I understand ma'am no questions asked. Do you think we'll be able to get that medical treatment now or?\" She asks leaving what had occured behind her."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Joan shakes her head, dismayed. \"We can't take her to the hospital. She has a halo. It would raise too many questions.\"\n\nJoan doesn't know what to do, but that's difficult to admit. She knows she should be better than this, but she doesn't know how. She turns to the angel-girl, then to Valio.\n\n\"I think there's one place we could take her. It's...\"\n\nJoan frowns. John's face contorts in ungodly emotion again. \"I hate to use her like this. It's been a long time since we were on speaking terms.\" *But it's worth it for the sake of another person, **John,*** Is almost implied at the end as Joan glares at him.\n\n\"There's a woman who lives out in the forest. Lindgren. We're not on good terms, but she'll be willing to take care of her, as long as she doesn't know we're the ones asking.\"\n\nJoan turns to Valio and sighs a resigned sort of sigh. \"If I give you the address, can you take her to Lindgren's place?\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio nods at the woman's woe concerning a hospital. It'll only make sense that it'll wreck havoc upon the public. So where else? The tall woman looks to the floor wondering what they would be able to do.\n\nValio perks at Joan turning towards her maybe she does have something in mind to help the girl. They might have to leave the girl behind but at least they could help. \n\nValio frowns slightly at the woman's words knowing this must mean that, they aren't currently on good terms with whomever, or whatever they're speaking of. The man's frown only serves to pull that to certainty. Valio listens in to what the woman had to say, they clearly have bad memories between them. \n\n\"Alright ma'am no mention of you.\"\n\n\nValio nods to the woman. \"I will.\" She'll keep her word."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "John and Joan carefully lift the angel-girl from the couch and hand her over to Valio. The angel-girl blinks groggily, looking up at Valio.\n\n\"*Lövstigen* 2,\" Joan says to Valio. \"L-O-V-S-T-I-G-E-N.\"\n\nShe gives the angel-girl a last concerned look. \n\n\"She said her name is Annika. Be safe, you two.\""
}
] | 179 | 1,790 |
190.545455 | 2021-11-15 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Circ — 05/11/2021\nThe owner nods and smiles as she begins brewing a pot of coffee. \"I'll go ask in a minute, if she's awake. She's been sleeping a lot.\" She pokes her head out back to grab the kettle, pouring a cup. \"That's a good thing, actually. I think she's getting better.\" She places the cup on the counter and leaves a teabag in it, then walks out past the cordoned-off area.\n\nIt takes her a few minutes to come back, accompanied by a still-frail Annika wrapped in a warm blanket. Still, Annika looks less frazzled now - her shiny blond hair having been cleaned up and combed, her face looking calmer, even the halo above her head seeming slightly less cracked, though perhaps that is only imagination. \n\nThat only lasts about a split-second, until she notices Rai, at which point she hides behind the proprietor. The two whisper for a moment, before Annika shyly grabs the proprietor's hand and walks further in.\n\nThe proprietor smiles at Rai. \"I'm sorry, but would it be possible for you to...\" She gestured vaguely at her face. \"I think Annika would like that more.\"\n\n\n\nCEO of Buff womf — 06/11/2021\nValio smiles at the woman as she brews the coffee. She listens in on the woman speaking nodding along as the woman gets the kettle. \"That's nice to hear. It's also a joy to know she's getting better thank you for letting me know.\" She speaks watching the cup brew with the tea she had asked for. \n\nVal takes the minutes to look at her tea before looking at the other whom she is accompanied by. \"Sorry about that. What's your name?\" Valio asked before the owner had come back with Annika in tow. She does indeed look better now which made Valio incredibly relieved to see. At least she isn't in so much pain now that had hurt to see. Her halo looks... Different but the look was short lived. \n\nValio looks at the more tribal looking figure beside them. As the owner talks to the figure she talks to them as well.\n\"It's your choice.\" She tells the masked stranger."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "As soon as the proprietor gestured to her mask, Rai couldn't help but get shaken up by the idea of removing her mask. Her leather gloved hands grab the sides as if to keep it on while shaking her head 'no' nervously. She quietly removes herself from her seat to sit at the far back pulling her hood over her head. Her masked face turned to the window with her back facing them."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The owner nods understandingly, and Annika does too. Rai's reaction seems to have actually calmed Annika down a little.\n\nThey both sit down at a table, and the owner gestures to the chairs on the other side. There's an air of comfort about Annika, in spite of her frazzled state - a sense that she feels at least somewhat at home in this environment, even if it is only a temporary home. She loosens the blanket wrapped around her a slight bit. She doesn't quite seem like she can get herself to smile just yet, even though she thinks she ought to.\n\n\"Hello.\" Her voice is almost a whisper, but it's clear and distinct - not to mention she hasn't coughed yet."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio watches Rai turn away with a confused yet understanding look, she turns back to the owner. If it makes the stranger most comfortable to keep the mask on who is she to argue. \n\nVal walks over to the table Annika and the woman have sat at and moves a chair out to sit on the other side. Seeing the girl in a homely place has given Valio comfort in this meet-up. She looks at Annika with a gentle stare, it's fine if she doesn't smile if she's at least the bare minimum of the word okay then valio's heart is at rest. \n\nValio quirks her eyebrow up at the girl saying hello. She speaks gently. \"Hey Annika.\" Oh thank the Lord she hasn't coughed yet."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Sitting alone in the shadowed corner, Rai minded her own business unsure of how to properly interact with people. If her mask spooks them, maybe its best to stay away for now. It was a strange environment to step into after living outside for so long. The attire within the building felt eerie and surreal from her perspective that made her shrink in her seat. All she wanted is a nice cup of coffee to enjoy before escaping back into the woods. Perhaps she could kill something to bring food back for Evan? The thought of him being skinny showed signs that he won't make it in the winter. She rest the side of her head on her gloved hand, staring out the window distracting herself with other thoughts."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio looks over to her right, finding the girl not there, then she looks around only to find her sitting in a shrouded corner. She taps her fingers on the table she's sitting at before looking at the owner. \n\n\"May I bring her the coffee she ordered? Then I can ask you what I owe.\" She asks, looking at the owner with a soft stare. \n\n\nIf the stranger does not know then they do not need to enter. They are allowed to take as much time as they need but the being needs to know that there are others here willing to care. \n\n\nShe hopes that will help. Somewhat."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The owner smiles at Valio's request, but she doesn't immediately respond. She and Annika exchange a few quiet whispers. Annika clears her throat a few times throughout. When they finally seem to have come to an agreement, Annika stands up, and the owner smiles. \"It's alright, dear.\" She intones sweetly. \"I'll get the coffee.\"\n\nBefore Valio can object, they're behind the counter, pouring a cup of coffee. The girl who was out front when Valio and Rai first entered pops her head out from the back and converses briefly with the owner, then brings Valio her tea. She looks a few years younger than Valio, up close.\n\n\"Sorry about them,\" She says. \"Annika's still getting used to people not wanting to kill her, and Jaden is... Jaden. She's always trying to save everyone.\" It seems to hold up, as Annika and the owner, apparently Jaden, walk over to Rai, hand in hand. They could almost be mistaken for mother and child, were it not for the halo above Annika's head.\n\nAt Rai's table, Annika gives a slow nod. \"We have your coffee,\" Jaden quickly intercedes. \"You can come sit with us, if you like.\" She continues. There's a warmth in her voice, genuine caring for someone who seems to be having a hard time - much like Annika, really. \"It's okay,\" Annika confirms softly, \"Y-you can come.\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "The woman blanks at the owner she watches the woman, confused about the ordeal. The woman stands leaving a confused woman to herself. \n\nShe couldn't have objected even if she tried, that'd just would have been rude. She taps on the table once more. Did she offend? Gods she hopes not. While in her thoughts she gets brought out of them when the girl brings the tea she had asked for. \n\n\"Oh no worries it was just sudden.\" She says trying to reassure the girl. \"Ah... I understand it's what she does and I best leave her to it.\" She laughs bringing her drink up to her lips. She looks over to the owner as they walk to Rai; they look almost familial how nice, she thinks."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai's daydream and thoughts soon died as soon as she heard a voice dragging back into reality. She couldn't help but jumped when there are two people standing near her. Nervously, she nods and her masks rattles when her round eyes narrows into crescent shapes. \"O-Oh... Y-you both don't mind..?\" Her voice sound hollow, almost distant but soft as powdered snow. It takes her a moment, then decides to move closer to the group. Rai stayed little ways for space to prevent bringing a chill near the others."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "With Rai within earshot - even if not sitting at the same table - Annika sits back down with Valio, and Jaden and the other girl head around back to do the dishes.\n\nThe silence is thick at first. Uncomfortable, almost sticky in its sensation. Like a heavy blanket wrapped around everything, almost making it hard to breathe. It holds a perverse sort of power, or it feels that way.\n\nThen Annika starts mumbling something. It's impossible to make out, but she seems intent on saying it. She breaks into a fit of raspy, hollow coughs, clears her throat, and speaks up.\n\n\"Thank you for not hurting me,\" She says. Her tone is flat, emotionless. No descending tone of a serious sentence, nor the rising tone of a question or being unsure. It sounds as though each sentence cuts off a little early, before her pitch shifts at all, so she simply stops mid-vowel like pausing a movie.\n\n\"What do you-\" She coughs again, seemingly from stress. \"What do you want?\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio watches the girl leave and the other two return. The other is within earshot but at least they feel they can get closer. \n\nA Valio feels the silence weigh heavy on the three. It's enough to make somebody insane. Hopefully this blanket of silence doesn't stay for long. Val looks out a window in the meantime, she perks at the girl- Annika saying something in a whisper before, coughing and speaking in a sort of rasp. \n\n\"I wouldn't even think of hurting you...\" Valio speaks to the girl. But, it seems she wasn't looking for that answer; so, Valio decides to stare at the tea in her hands. \n\n\"Oh?\" Valio stills. \"Nothing. I just felt like I needed to see if you were getting better. Sorry.\""
}
] | 151 | 2,096 |
121 | 2021-11-17 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Annika shakes her head in response to Rai's question. \"Not very familiar. She... Took me here, um... We haven't talked since that.\" Her speech is measured, deliberate, typical of someone who is struggling to formulate sentences as she speaks them.\n\nShe turns to Valio, with a thoughtful, yet troubled expression on her face. She mumbles something to herself, her pale cheeks taking on a slight shade of pink. She realizes there's something she never managed to know, something she really ought to. \n\nShe coughs a bit. Her voice is liquid, a slurred mumbling, barely intelligible, but it gets the point across, simply on account of her slow delivery. \n\n\"What's your name?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Th-thanks..\" Rai said, almost quietly. Then she raises her tone a couple notches for them to hear. \"Hmm... U-um... Its... A mask I-I carved... I-its a native th-thing..\" And she now understood that they're still familiarizing with each others."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio settles. \n\"Yeah, not well. But, it's good to start somewhere.\" She tacks on. She looks at Annika for a split second to catch her Annika's expression, Valio continues to smile. \n\nHer brow furrows then shoots up possible behind her eyepatch when the question is delivered. She laughs her embarrassment clear. \n\n\"I'm sorry! It's Valio. Valio adjuk.\"\nShe speaks smiling while saying it. \n\"You can call me Val if you want.\" \n\nThen the girl hears Rai speak. She's interested. \"Oh? You carved it? That's incredibly nice. I understand you not wanting to take it off. Not saying you have to but, it's nice to know.\""
}
] | 148 | 363 |
123.914286 | 2022-01-16 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The men's locker room smelled of sweat, men's soap, deodorant and shampoo filled it along with steam from the shower area. In one of the stalls Rai removed her mask to wash the exterior, deep in thought while she is thinking about the weird girls who dropped in last night at the garden. Before she speaks, she slip the mask on and turn her head to the direction of the wall. \"H-Hey... Is ginger and Uriel here...?\" She asked, sounding a bit nervous."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Hm? Oh, uh, yeah, in a minute,\" Owen replied to the familiar voice. He finished shaking out his hair from having it tied up all day, and quickly swiped it back over his face. \nNearly stumbling into a wall, he somehow pulled his shirt over his head and made it into the next room without breaking his nose."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel is sitting in the men's locker room, fidgeting slightly. They look past the lockers, breathing a sigh of relief when they see Owen. \n\n\"...Remind me why we decided to meet in the men's locker room when the majority of us are not men?\" Uriel sighs, looking around nervously."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Probably the only person who might know Rai is female would be Uriel. \"Its rude to assume someone's gender... Don't you go by they and them pronouns?\" Raizel lightly chided him. \"Well, its after P.E s-so I figure maybe its a good time to talk?\" A lot of the other guys already went in before them to shower before leaving, its just them left inside the locker room for now."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen idly scratched at the edge of his scar, up on the side of his neck. Even as a dude, locker rooms unsettled him. \"So... I guess we've all been thinking about the whatever-that-was, eh? Any idea what we're gonna do?\" One of his heels is bouncing softly; he doesn't really notice."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I don't believe this is something that can be done by force. Truthfully, I doubt how much we can do from this point on.\" \n\nUriel takes out their water bottle, and takes a drink of their caffeinated tea. \n\n\"I'll try and snoop in the sister's dreams, just to make sure they're telling the truth. I dislike using my powers in morally dubious circumstances, but...\" \n\nThey sigh. \n\n\"I don't think I'll be able to contact the missing girl via dreams, but I'll try to do so anyway. She's too far away, and without a concrete location, it would be difficult.\" \n\nA pause. Uriel is clearly annoyed at themselves— their eyebrows knit, and their grip around the bottles tightens. \n\n\"Either way, hopefully I could gather intel from people working at the facility about her location and how she's being treated. It shouldn't be too hard to whisper the slightest hint of her name into an higher up's subconscious, and analyze the dream for clues.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I-I don't know... I get th-this feeling that Annika could be hiding from them? You-You know how it goes... You're close to someone b-but sometimes you can't handle their fl-flaws anymore... Th-they already proven themselves c-capable enough killing and mutilating animals... A-and they don't really think ahead or r-reconsider their actions that will have e-effect on others..\" Rai starts washing her hair with a herbal, floral scented shampoo that leaked out from her stall. Then a bone rattling noise could be heard in her general area. \"I-I was thinking about... M-maybe we should go visit the missing girl... So... You can help t-talk to her? I-I don't think you've met her yet...\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"I haven't met her, no,\" Owen said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. \"I don't know her whole story, but from what I gather, she was a little worse for wear, yeah?\" He fiddled with his fingers, thinking carefully. \"Think we should tell her about her sisters turning up?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel nodded. \n\n\"It's a little odd how secretive Admin was being in the ah... \" \n\nThey tap their phone.\n\n\"Thing. If nothing was truly going on, then they'd be able to talk to their sister easily, correct?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I d-don't want to get in-into this... W-we don't know any of them...\" Rai said, now rinsing the water from her coffee highlighted hair. \"I-I just feel like w-we should talk to Annika f-first s-so we know what we-were dealing with.\" Her mask fell from her face after the rinse before dropping to the floor with a woody clunk. \"....!?\" And she goes to reach for it but her foot knocked it sliding into the other stall. It is faced up with two hollowed dark eyes that are now glowing, staring up at the ceiling."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel's eyes flutter close, and they go on their hands and knees and crawl in the other stall, looking for the mask. \n\n\"I'll close my eyes— I don't want to take away the choice to show your face or not from you.\" Uriel says, fully entering the other stall and opening their eyes once they're facing the opposite direction."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Oh, that's a cool mask\", Owen murmured, mostly to himself. His nerves had been frayed lately, and making noise seemed to be helping. \n\n\"An-anyway, how are we going to go about this? Feels a little strange to just barge in and tell her about her sisters showing up, seems like it's gonna be a big deal for her,\" \n\nEver restless, his fingers found a few strands of hair that had spilled over his shoulder, idly braiding and un-braiding them. His eyes couldn't seem to find a suitable place to rest lately, either."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Th-then do you have any other i-ideas?\" Rai asked, her voice sounding much softer without her mask on. She was gonna crawl out to get it until Uriel was the one to go into the other stall to get it. \"Uh... Uhhh..\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel returns from the stall, their clothes considerably more dirty from crawling around on the ground. With still-shut eyes, they wordlessly hand over the mask to Rai."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen sighed. \"No, I really don't,\" He admitted, thinking as he went. \"Maybe it would just be better to blurt it out, get it over with.\" He snorted. \"The facility's not going to help us anyway, looks like, so...\" Trailing off, he made a low humming noise in his throat, the wheels in his head turning in uncomfortable patterns."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"We w-will do what we can? M-maybe other students who kn-knows her better m-might need to know?\" There was a sound of rattling from her mask when peers out from behind the shower curtain. \"I-I am unsure what else to do... Maybe they might?\" As she reaches out towards the mask, taking a step forward, she freaking steps on a bar of soap. The poor girl collided into Uriel with a surprised yelp. Good news, she's in her primitive under clothes of primitive hide."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel, relatively tall but fatally weak, falls back on their ass against the wall of the stall they just crawled out of. \n\n\"Ow...\" They groan, rubbing their bruised tailbone and shakily standing up. \n\n\"Unfortunately, it's quite obvious how... Weak I am.\" Uriel sighs. \"I don't believe I'll be any use in combat, so I'd rather not do anything rash.\" \n\nThey grab their left elbow and tuck it to the side of their chest nervously, looking at Owen nervously. \n\n\"Ah— um, speaking of combat, you and everyone else, save Rai of course, just found out about my powers... It would mean a lot to me if you'd keep quiet about what they were, if you don't mind.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Yeah, of course, Uriel,\" Owen swore sincerely. \"I'm not entirely clear on what they are, so what's there to spill anyhow!\" He chuckled lightly, and then his expression shifted back to seriousness. \"I won't press you. Or blab about it.\" A short not for punctuation, and then he turned to offer Rai his hand. Was only polite."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai was quick enough to shove the mask onto her face before landing onto Uriel for cushioning. They hit they knee against the wet tile that caused them sit up, holding it in annoyance and pain. They wore a tribal bikini she'd used when going out in swims which had the native laces, markings and it covered her form decently. She had some old scars of wild animal bites, scratches and a few bullet wounds that marked her athletic form. Around her waste is a strap of weaved clothe made of fine cedar to cover her lower half like a skirt. \"O-Ouchie-chi!\" She was of course, squinting her eyes at the bruise forming on her knee. This girl, obviously, she is a girl has shorter hair and toned muscles out of the three. When she seen Owen's hand, she takes it and gets some help up while pulling Uriel along to get them back onto their feet."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel's eyes lit up in surprise at Owen's remark. \n\n*He... Wasn't paying attention when I was talking about going into personnel's dreams, was he?* \n\nUriel couldn't help but laugh a little at that. It seemed like something Uriel themselves would do, and ultimately endeared the yet-unfamiliar character of Owen to Uriel. \n\nUriel looks over at Rai's outfit, just noticing how... Little there was. \n\n\"Don't you get cold, Rai? Speaking of, it was so cold outside the family, especially for Sweden. You might want to get some rest soon, to make sure you don't get sick.\" \n\nSomething about Uriel's sleeping abilities made their core temperature drop ever so slightly, as if to mimic how the body usually gets colder during sleep. They're bundled in a long scarf and earmuffs, with their usual poncho wrapped around protectively."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen couldn't help but notice that both of these people were really cold. They were plenty friendly, but literally really cold. Maybe he was just unreasonably warm?\n\n\"I, ah, might be able to help with the chill- even before my power manifested, I was told a lot that I was a walking furnace, heh,\" He chucked softly to himself. \n\nTaking a deep breath in, he focused his attention on his core, nudging his power ever so slightly. Upon exhaling, he drew it out to his skin; not enough to bring out his shield completely, but faint streaks of red and gold faintly flickered across his arms and face. He shook the excess energy out of his hands, and for a few moments the air warmed ever so slightly. \n\n\"Uhm. Trying to get a little better at that.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai's glowing eyes on her mask turned into upside down crescents when Uriel and Owen noted about the cold. \"I'm s-sorry, that would be me..\" She said, grabbing a towel from the hanger. \"I'm s-sort of a totem monster... F-from Canada... Being with people is weird.\" And of course, no shame in dressing in front of others since she doesn't understand social standards all too well yet. The only thing she is shy about is her face that she keeps hidden behind a mask."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel shuffled over towards Owen, and rubs their own eyes as a wave of sleepiness hits them. \n\n\"So... Comfy.\" Uriel yawns. \"What a useful power.\" They take out their bottle of caffeinated tea, and inch it towards Owen's leg until the metal touches. *Hopefully, that'll keep it warmer for longer...*\n\n\"Raizel, I've told you this before— wear your abilities with pride. There's no need to hide what you can use to protect others.\" They smile.\n\nUriel clears their throat. \n\n\"I think we should help them. Johanna, or her sister. Whatever the situation is... We should see it through, and try to resolve it.\" \n\nThey sigh, and pull the neck of their poncho closer to their chin. \n\n\"I'd like to do something good with this ability of mine... Although, considering what happened with Vance, I'm not too hopeful.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel puts on a white long sleeved shirt and simple jeans before adjusting the belt to keep them up. With her figure, it would be easy to mistake her to be a male at a glance. The entire time she had her back turned to them, nonchalantly slipping on her classic hide jacket that was dyed in natural blue color. The bone necklace rattled when she puts it on, listening to them. \"V-Vance is cranky... And prideful, o-of course it wouldn't w-work.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I—it wasn't intentional! I got.. Sucked into one of his dreams, and he... Did not respond well to me seeing that part of his life.\" \n\nUriel sighed. \n\n\"I can't blame him, although I'm less than enthused to finally meet him in person. He called me a pervert, and gave me a pretty bad nosebleed.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"You walk through dreams, right-\" Owen snapped his fingers when the thought came back to him. \"That sounds really rough, mate, don't beat yourself up about it.\" \n\nHe tilted his head toward their water bottle, and grinned lopsidedly. \"I can heat that a little more if you want, the little things, I'm getting good at!\" He waggled his fingers for emphasis, letting soft flares of his half-awake shield dance through his fingertips for emphasis. When he wasn't scared of it, his power could be really cool."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Oh... Unintentional breach of p-privacy?\" Rai said, now curious about Owen's heating abilities. \"Well... I-I think you're kind and patient enough to handle the girl's issues through their dreams... People isn't m-my strong suit.\" And she turns to Uriel, raising her hand up. \"Or I can chill that bottle water.\" Two options. Cold or hot water?"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"It's tea, so I'd prefer it hot. And... Oh, I was going to keep my abilities secret, wasn't I?\" \n\nUriel sighs, but doesn't appear too annoyed by the ordeal. \n\n\"I'm a bad liar, anyway, and if we're really going to do this mission than it would be inevitable. Thank you for the warm tea, Owen— it seems only fair I repay you in kind with my ability in turn. What would you like to dream about tonight?\" Uriel states unblinking at Owen, their focus completely and intensely on the boy. \n\n\"Anything you'd like. Don't be shy— I'd like to make you happy.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Would it be like the couple outside you seen?\" Rai asked curiously."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel looks physically nauseous. They squint their eyes, and noticeably scoot away from Owen.\n\n\"Please don't mention that. T-that's, uh, no.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen lifted his shield from his arm, careful not to charge it too quickly. It made a soft *Clink* When he gingerly took the water bottle. His focus was broken when Uriel spoke next, however- his eyes widened a little, and a rather undignified sound escaped his throat.\n\n\"R-really?\" Wow. What on earth was he going to ask for? His uncovered hand was getting a little warmer than comfort, signalling that he might accidentally burn Uriel's tongue if he kept going. \n\n\"Well,\" He mused, handing back the tea, \"I haven't had a particularly pleasant dream in a while; hm. If you insist, maybe one of those dreams where you can breathe underwater?\" An old memory came back to him, and he smiled again. \"I remember an old dream I had, when I was maybe 8? A whale shark scooped me up and sped me through this beautiful underwater garden. It felt like flying.\" He zoned out for a moment, and snapped back. \n\n\"Yeah. That feeling. That's a good feeling.\" He hoped that was a clear enough answer- it wasn't every day one was offered a kindness like *This*.\n\n\"Can I even ask that of you?!\" I don't want to make you exert yourself when you're supposed to be resting!\" He spluttered, his train of thought derailed by his (admittedly delayed) common sense."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel smiles, and gives a breathy little laugh. \n\n\"Of course I can fulfill a request like that. Environments are easy— people, on the other hand, not so. There's no need to worry about my own health, either; it's either being dragged into someone else's dream, or giving someone a good one. I'm always tired— at this point, I've gotten used to it.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai gave Uriel a strange look before shrugging. \"Uriel knows bad stuff?\" They tilt their head to the side questioningly before dropping it when Owen starts to speak. The girl wandered off now wanting to find some sort of distraction from the other two and the crazy bitch situation. During the chattering from Owen talking about flying sharks, Rai's mouth morphed into a maw full of sharp teeth. Clicking her jaws before widening her mouth to chomp down on the side of the locker door. It was stressful. Two girls killing animals, Annika being associated with them, the facility being sketchy, the oppression having to try live like a \"Normal\" Person by their standards. It was a lot for a teen to take. She hadn't mauled on anything to relieve herself from it all."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen's eyes followed Rai as she ran off; he would have said something, but she was gone a moment before he could say anything. All he could hope was that they'd be okay. He thought for a moment, and turned back to Uriel. \n\n\"I'm, uh, awake at odd hours sometimes... I usually go for a walk or make some hot chocolate when I feel like it- if you're- if you find me in the kitchen in the wee hours, I'd be happy to share some with you.\" His eyes scrambled to find an inconspicuous place to rest, but he made them pick one of Uriel's eyebrows. That's fine. This social interaction was going swimmingly."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"That sounds wonderful— I haven't had that drink since my mother made it for me as a child, and I'd love to taste it again. I, as well, often sleep odd hours, so I most certainly will see you again... But, another day, where the activities of the day weigh less heavily on my weak body.\" Uriel smiles, and exchanges their Intranet handle with Owen.\n\n\"It was a pleasure meeting you, Owen. I do hope to learn more about you in the future.\" \n\nUriel smiles, a yawn punctuating their sentence. \n\n\"Sweet dreams.\" They say, almost coy, disappearing into the darkness of the corridor. \n\n—\n\nThat night, Owen closes his eyes, slightly nervous as to what his dreams will hold. As he eventually settles his nerves and drifts off to sleep, color blooms underneath his eyelids, and he's somewhere else. \n\nBeautiful pink coral reefs. Blue, almost green waves break against the side of a pink sand beach. An orange sun beats down onto the scene, basking everything in an almost popsicle-colored glow. \n\nAs the beach is consumed by the rising tide, Owen finds himself on the back of a whale— no, not *A* Whale, *The* Whale, the very same one from his childhood dream all these years ago. It almost winked at him, as if greeting an old friend. \n\nHe's brought down into an underwater court, where sea creatures and mermaids of all kinds greet him with a smile. They dance and make merry with Owen the whole day, showing him the various areas of the kingdom and treating him to the finest cuisine Atlantis has to offer. \n\nWhen night falls, he finds himself on a sandbank, gazing out on the pitch black surface of the ocean and the equally dark, clear sky. \n\nAs Owen finds himself drifting off to sleep, the constellations in the sky seem to reach their arms out and gesture for him to follow. \n\nOwen's conscious realizes the end of the dream is nigh. It attempts to cling onto the loose strings of the tapestry Uriel has weaved, almost pleading for more, to no avail.\n\nThe dream starts to crumble around Owen. As everything dissolved, Owen sees one last flash of white hair tied in a braid, hears one last airy laugh, and everything dissolves. \n\n—"
}
] | 107 | 4,337 |
193.142857 | 2022-02-25 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel always wore her tribal mask with no doubt of ever removing it in public. At P.E she just wore shorts and a loose T-shirt with her handmade overcoat over her athletic form. The wolf fur rimmed her hood, making it appear like a mane. They had to do warm-ups before taking up 3 laps around the gym before being instructed. Today it look like they're going to be doing the boring partner workout routine to keep everyone fit. Man of the students didn't want to be her partner due to being freezing cold. And she kinda stood out with her tribal mask and primitive overcoat. Raizel looked around to try find anyone familiar but it look like they're either already partnered up or they'd skipped class."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Vizhkir stood alone as well. His white tank top held closely to his skin and his shorts were particularly short. Some sort of Russian wordage was spralled along the bottom of the left short leg. His arms were crossed over his chest and a rather unpleasant look on his face. He looked as if he had been in a fight recently, with a fresh scar running along the right side of his jaw, a black eye and a nasty looking bruise on his right arm though he didn't look in pain. \n\nPersonally he hated partnered workouts. Gym time was his time to clear his mind, and rarely did he ever meet another who could keep up with him. He found himself dragging his partner to the finish, sometimes literally, and would then be subject to people poking fun at him. It wasnt uncommon for Viz to be called a try hard during PE, after all this was one of his elements. He may not be the fastest but he has the stamina. He might not be the smartest but he can brute force his way through. \n\nAnd so here he was, everyone had avoided him because of his status as \"The tryhard\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel look just about to give up when it appeared that she was the odd duck. Then there he was, the other odd duck several feet away happen to be a tall thug of a man standing alone. There was a jolt of thoughts sputtering in her mind when she takes in his complexion. Why is he wearing a tight tank top!? Why is he all bruised up!? His shorts are too short! This person look like he could beat the shit out of her if she even dared to piss him off. Taking in a couple of breaths to calm down, Raizel clapped the sides of her mask to snap her out of her jitters. And then shakes her head which made a bone rattling sound as she pressed her eyes shut. When she open them again, she find herself feeling some sort of weak confidence. Each step weighed with fearful meaning when she approached the other. The first thing the person would notice is her cold presence that loomed into his general area. \"H-Hey... D-do you need a partner..?\" She asked, her voice sounding hollow with an echo from her mask. \"I-I'm Rai...\""
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "A slight chill caught Vizhkir, the small hairs on his body standing on end to fortify him from this chill. He looked around before his eyes landed on the girl. He turned his whole body to face her, and if she though he looked intimidating then his glance would make her feel unwelcome on this world. \n\nHer attire interested him, it was certainly unique. Her mask seemed to draw the most of his attention. After a moment of debate he nodded, \"Da.\" He said, his voice coming out with a thick Eastern Eroupean accent. \"I am Vizhkir\" He said, flashing a small smirk."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "This person didn't look much of a teenager from Rai's point of view. His age made her wonder how old he really is. For all she knows, this Vizhkir person could have came straight from the worse prisons in Russia. *'Dear God, please don't kill me,'* Rai thought nervously, feeling a bead of sweat slide down her temple. \"H-hi... Uh... Um... W-w-well... Let's see what the teacher h-h-has to say,\" She stuttered, internally screaming at herself. When the instructor informed them that they're going to do Band Jump exorcise. After seeing what they're going to do had indeed made her very uncomfortable. Viz ends up being the leaping froggert while she held onto the band. \"I-Isn't this kind of awkward?\" Her glowing pale eyes squints as she tilts her head when she rubs the back of her neck."
},
{
"author": "m18_hellcat_gmc",
"message": "Vizhkir simply nodded and turned to the teacher. When he found out what they were doing and who was doing what he was a bit shocked. Turning back to his partner he nodded once more. \"Yes... It seems an error has been made\" He said. \"Would you like to switch? I can take any flak the instructor gives us\" He offered. It was as if he could almost smell her fear. A mixture of her stance and constant fidgeting made him think that she fear him. Either that or she was jittery."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I-I mean... I-it could be worse?\" Raizel said, providing him a shrug before nervously rubbing her forearm. \"A-And okay...\" And so this is where it begins with the Band Jump exorcise. Rai would be the one doing the leaps while Vizhkir held onto the straps. The poor thing had to do 12 quick reps. Then the partners need to switch up to resistance band chest press, lunge and finally the full body rotation and external rotation. The last exorcise Rai was bored as hell, embarrassed and awkward with the whole event.\n\nSince the Full Body rotation and external rotation has a method... They have to stand side by side, each partner holding one end of a resistance band in your outside hand. Adjust your stance so there is light tension in the band.\n\nHold the band with your hand across your waist and your elbow bent 90 degrees. In unison, both rotate outside arms outward, keeping elbow bent and glued to your side throughout.\n\nRai's eyes are half closed and yawns, not finding this all amusing as she pulls on the band. While the teacher was distracted instructing the other kids, this is when she decide to see how far the band can stretch until it snaps. It was so sudden that she gave a strong pull to see how Viz is going to react. If this turns into a tug of war, she's going to accept this challenge."
}
] | 193 | 1,352 |
345.2 | 2022-03-05 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "It was a strange hour to be wandering. A crappy one, if it weren't a Friday night, but no one had anywhere to be tomorrow; and so it was just a little odd. \n\nOwen was, for reasons that were honestly beyond him, antsy. His guts spiked restlessly in his half-asleep body, and so he was up seeking whatever simple, tried-and-true comforts would lull him to where he wanted to be. Tonight, he decided, was old movies, and what are those without popcorn?\n\nHe had gone into town a few months ago and picked some up, forgetting about it until now- the night was cool, his teeth were bored, and absolutely *No one* Was around. \n\nWhich was a jolly mood indeed! \n\nSauntering down through the dark hallways of the Cradle, Owen let himself enjoy this strange hour. In one hand, a bag of microwave popcorn, the instructions all in Swedish, and in the other, the slightly annoying glow of a cell phone flashlight. And in the surprisingly good acoustics, the singing voice of a fellow with his headphones turned waayyy up who thought himself totally alone. \n\n\"*...And we will find you acting on your best behaviour, turn your back on mother naaature, everEYbody waants to ruule the wOOORLD...*\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel does not sleep often. \n\nWell, that's partly a lie. Uriel is *Asleep* Often, but not really— most of their time is spent being pulled into other people's nightmares and dreams, which used almost as much energy as being awake. Unfortunately for Uriel, sleep was never truly a resting moment, not like it was for everyone else. \n\nWhich is why, when the tug of unconsciousness pulled Uriel into a dreamless slumber, they accepted it with open arms. It was... *Bliss*, being utterly, truly, perfectly asleep. \n\nUntil it happened. \n\n*\"...EverEYbody waants to ruule the wOOORLD...\"*\n\nUriel refused to accept the fact this is how they woke up. As they slowly rose out of bed, hoping to *God* That whatever human was making that wretched (and off-key) noise would stop (to no avail), they begged whatever higher being that was watching to usher them back into nothingness. \n\nNo answer. \n\nAnd so, Uriel arose. \n\nPerhaps it was not made to be. \n\nThere was only one thing to do, now— with the same demeanor a solider would have before storming the trenched did Uriel don while opening their bedroom door and trekking into the shared kitchen. \n\nUriel payed no heed to their current appearance— hair out of its usual ponytail, falling on their shoulders like silk, wearing a set of light blue pajamas with little sheep designs. \n\nInstead, they marched right on outside... And saw Owen. Instantly, all of the anger and frustration boiled out of Uriel, and they simply stared at the scene.\n\n\"Oh.\" The man did not turn around. \n\nJudging by the lack of a reaction, Owen's music was drowning out every other noise— perhaps too loud to be safe, but not Uriel's place to judge. \n\n*Interesting. I wonder what songs he'll sing.*\n\nUriel walked into the dark room and sat like stone on the couch, head craned to look at Owen's performance."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "There was something compelling about the darkened common room, lit by a single stove light that cast a sleepy spotlight onto the kid in the half-zipped hoodie and soft-looking pyjama pants. His hair spilled down his back in a messier manner than usual- that one stubborn lock in the back that refused to cooperate on a *Good* Day was practically a backup dancer at this point. \n\nStill totally unaware of any insomniac in the room other than himself, Owen carried on with the show. He trailed off to put the popcorn in the microwave, and then resumed just as loudly (but this time, more on-key). \n\n\"*...There's a room where the LIGHT won't fIND YOU-*\" \n\n\n\n\"*Holding hands while the wORLD COMES TUMBLIN' DOOWN*\"\n\n\n\n\"*When they dO I'll be right besiide-* YOU?!\"\n\nThe funky dance froze in horror. His eyes, sleepy pools of cocoa, widened as that last lyric squeaked out of his throat in a manner most undignified. In a desperate attempt to compensate, he clamped his mouth shut- it didn't work. \n\n\"YyOUUuh, Uriel!!\"\n\nA hysterical giggle bubbled up through his chest at his predicament- locking eyes with his stone-still audience, he suppressed a peal of laughter-\n\n-and another-\n\n-and then all hope was lost. The dam broke, the volcano erupted, the crackling sound of nervous laughter bouncing off the meticulously dusted corners. \n\nWhen he felt he might be collecting himself, Owen dared again to make eye contact with Uriel. Bad idea. Eye contact always made it funnier. \n\n\"EEeEveningUriel-\", he managed to wheeze out, plotting his eulogy in his head, a dignified send-off for a tragic death by embarrassment. Know what? Why not here, hunched over at a funny angle, gripping a bowl white-knuckle tight, giggling like a schoolgirl? A fitting end for a fool such as he. Goodbye, cruelest of worlds."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel had been watching for a couple or so minutes before Owen finally spotted them, the man collapsing in on himself in laughter. As Owen doubled over himself, Uriel slowly stood up, approaching and placing a (uncharacteristically) bare hand on the small of the boy's back, patting him ever-so-slightly. \n\n\"If it makes you feel better, I've only been here for the past three minutes.\" They say, punctuating the sentence with a yawn. A smile quirks up on the dream-weaver's usually pallid face. \n\n\"Might I ask why you're not only awake, but belting strange music at...\" Uriel squints, looking at the nearest clock, \"4:13 AM?\" \n\n\"...And, is that popcorn?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Ohhh, shite, it is 4:13 AM, isn't it,\" The thoroughly dishevelled boy wheezed, hanging his head in mock shame. The hand on his back surprised him a little, but he didn't complain. \"Well, uh, first it was homework, and then I passed out in a weird place, and then I must have woken up from an awfully strange dream with this weird thing in my neck-\" He pointed- \"And now I'm, uh, goin' ta watch a movie or something.\" \n\nOwen looked up at the misty-haired company he had found himself in; the smile on their face seemed genuine, he thought, and so he loosened up a little. The groggy feeling around Uriel crept into the corners of his eyes, and coaxed a lopsided smile out of the corners of his mouth. \n\n\"Yeah, popcorn- movie means popcorn, 's how it goes,\" He explained, straightening his spine one vertebrae at a time. Man, why was everyone here taller than him? That didn't seem fair. \n\nThe microwave beeped; he talked while he dumped the mouth-watering contents of the bag into the bowl he had found. \n\n\"Why are *You* Here?\" Whoops, that was blunt. Did it sound mean? He hoped that his slightly dazed tone didn't lace his questions with malice. \"Aren't you the sleepy bloke? What's the matter?\" That sounded off too. Oh well, he was doing his best. The hour really was ridiculous."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I...\" Uriel paused, their speech slowing to a stop as they considered their next words. \"Slept too long.\" \n\nA lie, one that surprised themself. Of course, the real reason was Owen's singing, but something about the smile on the boy's face made Uriel hesitant to tell the truth. \n\nUriel didn't often see that kind of smile— and *Definitely* Not directed towards them. They felt a small part of their brain snapshot that smile, and tuck that pleasant memory away for a time in need. \n\nThe memory felt warm and fuzzy inside of their heart. It made them kind of sleepy. \n\n\"Regardless...\" Uriel slowly, delicately, grabs a piece of popcorn, before chewing it with the same sloth-like speed. \n\n\"I'd like to stay with you tonight. You make me happy... And this popcorn thing tastes delicious, as well.\" The words are delivered with the same monotone speech, but as they say the second sentence, the tone almost becomes soft and sweeter. \n\nUriel turns towards the couch, posture straight as a pin, and looks expectedly at Owen with half-lidded eyes. They pat the spot next to them."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"You.. I, you do?\" Owen's voice quivered ever so slightly. *I make them happy?* Whoa. That was definitely going straight to his head when he figured out how to process it. In the meantime, his crooked grin dug deeper into his cheeks, which bloomed a shade pinker than they were previously. If he weren't holding onto that bowl of popcorn for dear life, he might have crushed Uriel's ribs. He certainly wanted to. \n\n\"Of course you can- I- fuck it, sure.\" Nice. Sentence: Executed. \"It's, it's kinda cold down here,\" He started, still hovering a little next to the couch. \"I have blankets. And a Netflix password that most definitely is not mine.\" Another small crackle from his chest. Nerves and excitement were the same sensation, weren't they? Sounded the same in the middle of the night, anyhow. His heart beat hard in his chest. Man, he needed to get out more. \n\nShoving a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth, he shifted his weight onto his back leg, and slipped his headphones down to rest around his neck. \n\nHis sleepy eyes glittered. \"We *Do* Have all night.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Whatever inner turmoil was going on inside of Owen's head was undetectable to Uriel. \n\n\"I mean— of course?\" Uriel tilted their head ever-so-slightly. \"Isn't that what being a friend means?\" \n\nOwen's reaction confused them. They'd thought this to already be established, but... Perhaps not. Uriel wasn't too well-versed in the criteria for friendship, or the specific boxes that needed to be checked off in order to classify people appropriately. \n\nA brief shot of anxiety pulsed through Uriel, a feeling unfamiliar to them. Did they make a mistake...? They wouldn't want an erroneous label to harm their kinship with Owen. \n\n\"You're right, though, it is pretty cold— although, I'm always at sleeping body temperature, so it's always cold to me.\" Uriel grabs the end of the blanket, and burritos themselves the best they can while saving the other half for Owen. \n\n\"Now, you wanted to watch a movie? I only watched a couple of those, and on rare occasions... But most of those were in black-and-white, and things my mom liked.\" They looked at Owen, a curious expression on their face. \n\n\"Although, considering how I didn't recognize your music taste, I'm positive whatever you put on will be something new and interesting.\" They laugh to themselves, a breathy, airy thing."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Now they were both a little confused- that was a comfort in itself, actually, proof that sometimes people other than him have trouble making sense of things. Something occurred to him when he saw the concern on Uriel's face, and he made a decision: the almighty *\"Screw it, I'm rolling with this.\"* It had been a while since friends had happened to him- *Dammit, Owen, stop thinking so hard. It's 4 AM, you're not supposed to be doing that.*\n\n\"Yeah! Y-yeah, I suppose it does,\" He beamed. \"You're downright lovely.\" That last part came out quicker, like it was breathed straight from his head to his mouth rather than tumbled through the usual filters. \n\nCurling an arm around the popcorn bowl and grabbing the other half of the blanket, he nudged them forward on their journey towards his dorm. It wasn't *Too* Much of a mess when he left it. \n\n\"Eh? Well, good thing I'm practically a radiator!\" It was indeed quite some luck. The rush of pleasant emotion brought a wave of heat to Owen's skin, which no doubt aided the blanket in its duty. \n\n\"Hm? Really.. Well, it's not a terribly strange thing- I've been teased for having the music taste of an old man!\" An amused snort. \"No movies, though? What did you do for fun back home?\"\n\nHe found himself further intrigued by his dreamy company as they padded softly through the halls. What better opportunity to learn more about them?"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "As Uriel walked with Owen, they took particular note of the words the boy used. *This is how friends talk to each other, then?* It was an unfamiliar feeling, the emotional intimacy Owen was pouring into them, but it wasn't unwelcome. It was thrilling, almost— having someone be honest and open with you, not having to doubt the sentiment behind every word... \n\nUriel snaps back to reality when Owen poses the question, blinking a few times to re-align themselves. \n\n\"Oh, well, not often. I grew up in a small town deep in the forests of France... Well, the outskirts of that town, in a small cottage with just my mom. It was about as 'off-the-grid' you can get before being in a commune, honestly. A lot of books, a lot of quiet life alone. This whole... Thing,\" Uriel gestures around Newton's Cradle, \"Has been quite the culture shock. I think I saw more people on the first day than I did in my life before that.\" \n\nThey hums to themselves amusedly. \n\n\"But, I've come to the staunch realization that most people grew up... Differently. Everyone is much more experienced in the skills that are actually important in this new environment, and it's left me feeling a bit.. Lost, I suppose.\" \n\nUriel turns towards Owen, and looks intently into his eyes. \n\n\"I'm... Very grateful for you. For this adventure you've taken me on.\" *That sounds like what a friend would say to another friend.*\n\nUriel listens intently at Owen's tale, eyebrows knitted in thought. \n\n\"You say you don't people all that well, but you seem to be doing a fine enough job as is. I think, perhaps... You're being a bit too harsh on yourself.\" \n\nAs Uriel examines the room, they hesitantly approach the posters and various musical equipment, brushing a hand lightly across the surface. \n\n\"This... Is rock music, no?\" They turn over to Owen, eyes lit with an unexpected fire. \"You can play music, then? Like the guitar? You can *Do that?*\" \n\nAs Uriel takes notice of the room, they're struck with the sudden realization of how *Homey* The place is. It's nothing compared to their side of the room, with the only ornaments being a stack of books and a single, slowly wilting plant. It seems like a room a teen boy would inhabit, something *Normal* And filled with being. \n\nOwen *Teems* With life and personality and feeling, and it's utterly fascinating to witness. Uriel feels a sudden spark of shame as they notice their own clinical curiosity at life outside of their own, but attempts to push those feelings to the back of their mind. \n\nA twang of jealousy fills Uriel, as they're struck with the sudden feeling of emptiness— not of emotion, but of experience. Seeing all that Owen is displayed across these walls only helps Uriel realize all that they've missed for most of their life— no family reunions, no close friendships, nothing but the story of an estranged teenager and her lone child, who never had anything else but each other. \n\n\"Your life seems... Well, lively— it's wonderful to hear about. And your room is rather well-decorated.\" They keep close to Owen, the warmth radiating off of the boy making up for Uriel's lack of mittens or scarves."
}
] | 303.5 | 3,452 |
336.888889 | 2022-03-06 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"You think so?\" Owen's face flushed a little as he split a half-popped kernel between his canines. \"Maybe I needed to be flung out of my hometown for a while,\" He mused. He *Had* Been talking to more people lately. \n\n\"YES!! Yes, it's.. It's everything to me!\" A layer of grogginess lifted from his head. \"I'm okay at normal guitar, but my bass, it's my one true love,\" He gushed, swiping a finger along the swooping shape along the headstock. The simple touch hinted at a deep well of admiration and childlike wonder. \"I was raised on this music, and playing it feels like.. Solar flares, electricity, my fingers sorta hurting but it's totally worth it!!\" \n\nOwen blurted a whole stream of enthusiasm, one that had evidently been bubbling for ages. Conversations could lull sometimes, but never when you were talking to Owen about rock 'n roll. \"I'd want to show you, but it is tragically four in the morning,\" He sheepishly realized. \n\n\"Aw, hah, thank you! I shoved as many posters as I could into my boxes before I left- I'll bet there's probably more shoved away somewhere or other- *Fuck*, this stuff's good,\" He rambled, pausing for half a breath and some more popcorn. \n\nUriel's leaning toward him didn't go unnoticed; he craved the casual closeness, and some feral piece of him wanted to bounce off the ceiling and then squeeze his sleepy friend so hard his ribs cracked. Later, surely. \n\n\"Don't get many compliments on my interior decorating,\" He mused. \"I.. It feels good to ramble about simple stuff that makes me happy, since all this paranormal prison business. You can gush to me about what makes you happy, too,\" He started, unsure of where exactly he was going with this. He trailed around the room, his hands moving in odd patterns as he spoke. \"Or not happy. Talking, in general! Great fun.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Ah... Then, maybe you could show me your music another day? I'd love to hear you perform something, even if this prison can hardly be considered a proper venue. \" Uriel mused to themselves. The image of Owen in the center of a stage, hair almost fiery red in the spotlight, music blaring from any speaker available made the dream-weaver intrigued. \n\n\"You want me to gush about what makes me happy?\" Uriel put a hand to their chin, deep in thought. They sit down on Owen's bed, watching the boy pace excitedly in amusement. \n\n*Hmm.* That's a question Uriel had never thought about, and never cared to answered. It was a hard thing to think about, especially with the added pressure of appeasing Owen. \n\n\"I suppose... I enjoy making other people happy. I've spent much of my life accidentally making people upset due to my abilities, that I'd like the chance to repent and use them for something good.\" \n\nUriel trails off slightly, now hyper-aware of the odd subject they've brought up. \n\n\"Well, that and knitting. I guess I could knit you a scarf, if you were ever cold... Which I doubt would ever happen.\" They laugh at that. \n\n\"What movie were you thinking of putting on? I'm excited to see what subject would interest you, and at the prospect of associating a good memory with this prison.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The wandering boy grinned and shrugged at the idea of playing for people; the idea did tingle with intrigue in his head, and he tossed it around a little. Had to start somewhere, right? He rested his hands in his hoodie's pockets as Uriel continued. \n\n\"From what I know, it's hardly your fault.\" Owen tilted his head, wondering how Uriel had reached that understanding of things. \"Repent? Man, you've.. You've gotten a lot of crap for it, haven't you.\" Seemingly just remembering that he was very tired, he finished pacing and sat himself down on his bed next to Uriel. \"That dream with the shark, for what it's worth, was lovely.\"\n\n\"I run hot, yeah, but I'm cool with that- hell, you're sitting on the king of all weighted blankets!\" He poked the layers beneath them for emphasis. Closer inspection would reveal a strange heaviness to said layers, which no doubt made an impressive pocketful of heat. \"I've seen you wear your work, it looks like being draped in clouds,\" He added. \n\n\"Ah! Damn near forgot!\" Leaning over to his desk to grab his laptop (and narrowly missing kicking Uriel in the face), he turned something over in his head. Leaning against the wall and flipping it open, he ventured: \"Making other folks happy is nice, but what about you, what do you dream about?\" A pause, as the strange feel of the hour coaxed a riskier thought from his groggy head. \"Being here's given me a lot of time alone with myself.. Thinking in circles. That can't be good for me. But thinking in other people's circles all the time, that sounds exhausting, mate.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "When Owen mentions the dream with the shark, Uriel blushes, and buries their chin deep inside of their poncho. \n\n\"Ah, that... I'm happy I did something nice.\" Uriel furrows their eyebrows, deep in thought. \"But... Usually it doesn't happen like that. The stronger a memory is, the more powerful a dream about that feeling becomes, and the more likely I get pulled in.\" They continue, trailing off. \n\n\"Usually, people dream about regret. Most people don't take kindly to others seeing their sorrow. They get... Defensive, and angry. \"\n\nUriel continues, scooching closer to Owen in order to see the screen better. \"I don't think I've ever dreamed, honestly. I've watched people dream, yes, but I've never had a good night's sleep where I could contemplate my own memories. What I know of dreaming is entirely dependent on watching other people's dreams, and inferring the rest.\"\n\nWith that, Uriel's voice turns quiet, almost melodic. \n\n\"Seeing how other people think... What keeps them up at night, what angers them... It's hard, but if I can prove my worth, then perhaps I can be useful to others. Truthfully, I still don't understand other people, but if I learn, then maybe I'll be a positive force.\"\n\nUriel pauses for a second. \n\n*Why did I say that? I promised I'd never tell that to other people, besides the only dream I had. I... Shouldn't have said that.*\n\nThey coughed, and looked intently at the Netflix screen. \n\n\"Ah, but... Movie.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen commanded his half-thawed brain to listen carefully. More of that deep rumbling sound from his throat sufficed for responses he was a little too sluggish to formulate. \"Sounds like an interesting way of knowing people,\" He murmured. It really was. \n\n\"I get that bit about having to prove yourself.. My power's sort of hereditary. Except it isn't? Seventh sons of seventh sons, all healers- except for me. I can't heal jack. Hell, I was toasted the night my power manifested, and I got sent here for destroying stuff with it. *Asleep*. You're huddled next to quite possibly the crappiest healer in history!\" He chuckled darkly, the humour masking the feelings reined back within the thought. \n\nNoticing that Uriel was straining to see the screen, he moved closer; their shoulders now softly smushed together. \"We're supposed to help, so the stories go. All I've been up to is flunking maths, falling out of trees, and getting tangled up in stabby angel business.\" Another curt snort. And then, a peal of crackling laughter, like a piece of firewood falling and spitting out sparks.\n\nThe movie he'd started, *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*, was an old comfort, still dutifully serving its purpose in his heart. \"I used to stay up late and watch this when I was sick as a kid,\" He reminisced, sounding a bit more chipper. \"When my stomach hurt and I couldn't get comfortable, this bloody masterpiece would make me cackle so hard I'd be too tired to finish it.\" Sinking a little, he dared to rest his cheek lightly on Uriel's shoulder. \"The old method's holding steady, eh?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel is cool to the touch compared to the naturally warm Owen, and they lean into the sudden contact. \n\n\"You're a protector— in my eyes, it's better than being a healer. They heal injuries *After* They occur, but you prevent those injuries from happening in the first place. Perhaps they should be jealous of you.\" There's a small twinkle in Uriel's eyes, and they let out a quiet laugh. \n\n\"I'm rather happy with the Owen sitting next to me right now. And its not like you have to worry about math here, right?\"\n\nUriel turns their eyes towards the movie, and listens intently. As one of the characters makes a joke, their face goes blank as they process the punchline. \n\nOne second, two seconds... \n\nTwo and a half seconds after the joke is said, Uriel begins to laugh— not a pretty laugh either, an earthly chuckle that resonates deep within their chest as they fold in on themselves. \n\n\"I don't think I've ever laughed like that. The old method is proving itself, it seems.\" They look at Owen, and smile."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The ants that were eating at Owen's guts were just about gone by now, soothed by the connection they had evidently been craving. Uriel's laughter felt like sweet molasses dripping through his brain, which drew back memories of drifting off to sleep on the couch back home to the smell of cookies baking. He really was exhausted, but few dreams he'd had lately were made of sweeter stuff. \n\n\"Th-thank you. I, I needed to hear that from someone who isn't worried about me quite so much,\" Owen admitted. His mothers loved him, and had assured him of a million different things, but they looked at him sometimes as though he were on Death Row. \"It's been rough, but. Your presence is a welcome one.\"\n\nShifting a little like a dog waking up from a nap and rousing only just enough to stretch his legs and loose a heavy sigh, the melting boy grinned back without turning his head. \"You, my friend, need *Far* More low-brow comedy in your life than you've been given. Personal quest of mine now, actually.\"\n\nUriel's cool temperature was soothing against his usual heatwave of a resting place. The movie flickered along, the Knights of the Round Table faced off against demanding knights and deceptive bunnies, and Owen yawned softly."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel smiles, a sleepy, half lidded expression on their face. They felt as if they were swimming in the deep blue ocean— in completely new territory, with nothing but their own strength keeping them afloat, but seeing a beautiful sea ecosystem right under their feet. Almost like the dream they gave Owen ages ago.\n\n\"You'll show me more of these videos? Unfortunately, you've made a very appealing promise that I'll most certainly hold against you in the future.\" \n\nThey were nervous, yes. But they were utterly entranced by this new world, these new feelings of camaraderie. Uriel desired to sink into the depth of interpersonal relationships, and immerse themselves fully into what it means to have a connection with someone. \n\nOf course, they cared about their mother— she was a wonderful and strong woman, who braved getting exiled by the rest of the Melançon family for their own sake. But it was... Different. The gradual peeling back of layers, as they learned more and more about the boy lying against them— that thrill of being trusted was always implicit with their family, and not something to be earned. The satisfaction of earning trust was... Wonderful. \n\n\"You're starting to fall asleep. Is this... A sleepover, then?\" They ask, blinking up at Owen. \"That's... I've never done a sleepover with a friend before.\" They yawn as well, the act almost infectious. \"I'm a bit excited.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Uriel's question jolted Owen a bit- they had a point. He was dozing off finally, but there was also the small issue of having *An entire other person in his room.* A nervous current quivered up through his chest, which he tried to diffuse with a low hum. All the chords he could try would just reveal the same thing: a sleepover with Uriel sounded bloody wonderful. \n\nIt hit him again how much he craved closeness like this, and how going without it for so long had affected him. A pang of fear flicked itself around his head annoyingly, worrying if the same thing would happen here as it had back home, that this gentle, tentative thing would slip through his fingers and leave him to realize all too late, but he banished it as hard as he could. Owen was a stubborn person, one who could take a hit. All the hits. *Stop with the doomsday prep, you nervous fool, you'll ruin it faster*. \n\nAnd it wasn't just any nameless buoy to be floating with- this is *Uriel*, who is so sweet and relaxed and who leans in and is leaned upon without rigidly sticking to some made-up rule about closeness that no one will ever properly explain. Maybe his bar was a little bit low. But it seemed that neither of them had much prior knowledge about friends, so. He decided that he looked forward to inventing some. \n\n\"Yeah,\" He murmured softly. \"This can be a sleepover.\" His voice may have been weighted down by impending sleep, but his fingers danced wildly. \"It's been a long time for me.. If you wanna stay, you'd be welcome to,\" He managed to string together. Enough overthinking for one night. It was way past 5 now anyhow- the sun would be making its grand reappearance soon, so why the hell not? Flipping his laptop closed at the credits, he pulled the blanket closer around his shoulders and wondered if his neck would hurt later if he just conked out right there."
}
] | 343 | 3,032 |
246.222222 | 2022-03-09 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel looked up from their phone, eyebrows knitted in thought. \n\n\"People,\" They sigh, turning their phone off and sliding it into their pocket. Intra was... Confusing, for lack of a better word. \n\n\"How many other people have noticed odd things happening, do you think?\" They slide their legs in a slightly more relaxed position, making sure to take their shoes off before entering Owen's place.\n\nIt was the same, homey place. Owen lowered the music when they stepped in, so while the background hum of metal wasn't too noticeable, it still drew a good bit of attention towards itself."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen sits back on the carpet, leaning against his bed. His bass was still plugged in, strewn across his lap, and he idly plucked notes here and there along with the music while he listened. \n\n\"Yeah. I'm getting tired of it too, but they can have their fun. We don't *Have* To react to everything they say- beauty of the Internet.\"\n\nHe flopped his head back, resting it on a blanket pile. \"I've been here for a while, seen things go down from up here,\" He recalled. \"There was the kid they were talking about, and another one, both got glowing stab wounds after exploring some old building I think- they didn't say where they came from, but I think we've seen the causes.. I don't know much beyond that, I was a bit of a shut-in for my first months here.\" \n\nGrabbing his phone, he changed the playlist to something more pleasant; lilting guitar harmonies danced through the air and through his coiled nerves. His fingers resumed softly plucking the old song."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel nodded, agreeing with Owen with a slight sigh. \n\n\"You're right about the Internet. Perhaps I was lucky, just now interacting with it, instead of from a young age. I shudder to think of younger kids talking to such... Characters.\" \n\nThey shift uncomfortably, still a bit on edge. Online, they felt like the same kid who'd offer to stand still if their bullies wanted to take a shot, so the kids could 'get it out of their system'— small, alone, desperate to please, unable to properly understand other people's feelings besides a deep sense of guilt. \n\nUriel shakes their head, clearing the head of those memories. *Not now. I'll... Be more intuitive, this time.*\n\n\"You were there for the second time with the angels, as well. With all of the weird happenings going on, and the distrust towards the deans, I was thinking of... Going on the offensive, when it comes to gathering information.\"\n\nUriel tucks a strand of their hair behind their ear, a bit nervous. They're soothed by the sweet strings of Owen's guitar, and idly begin to hum along. Their voice is smooth, and a bit uncharacteristically low, but it's not unpleasant."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen let the the sweet sounds carry on just a little longer; this was the first time he'd heard something even close to Uriel's singing voice, and wanted to savour this little pocket of harmony. In his mind, he tucked their dulcet tones away somewhere safe. \n\n*\"..Find myself aside a stream of empty thought\nLike a leaf that's fallen to the ground \nAnd carried by the flow of water to my dreams\nWoken only by your sound...\"*\n\nGentler, and more controlled than his early morning jam session the week before. He's loved this song for ages; the dulcet tones rush freely from a calmer place in him.\n\nHesitantly jarring himself from the flow of sound he was riding, Owen returned to the pressing matter at hand. \n\n\"What do you mean, 'going on the offensive?' Are you going to put yourself in danger? Your power, it's *Incredible*, but.. How far a reach is too far?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"I don't know the reach of my powers, but...\" Uriel toys with the ends of their poncho, fiddling with the ends of the thick fabric. \n\n\"All I know is, we've been... Reactive. Waiting for information to trickle down towards us, but not making any active efforts to seek out the secrets behind this place. Normally, I'd be alright with that, but after what happened with the angels...\" \n\nUriel shuffles, drawing their arms closer towards their body. Their long eyelashes flit nervously as they look down in concern, white eyebrows knitted together in anxiety. \n\n\"I can't justify sitting and doing nothing anymore. Even if it means I might be in danger. Do you know of... Anyone else who might be thinking similarly? Perhaps we can... Pool information, of sorts.\"\n\nThey look over at Owen, tired grey eyes unusually expressive with concern."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Yeah. Can't argue much with that.. I would say it's none of our concern, but a couple too many glowing knives have been brandished at us to *Not* Be concerned,\" Owen reasoned, snorting a little at the end. His chest rose and fell heavily; eyes briefly fluttering shut, he tried to coax anything else useful out of his memory. He could feel Uriel's eyes on him, compelling him to dig harder. \n\n\"There's Finley and Valio.. I don't know them all too well, but both of them have witnessed and interacted with the angels. Raizel too, her and Valio have seen more of this other angel from what I've pieced together.\" Lifting his head from the bed and stacking his vertebrae up one by one, he ran his nails across his scalp. \"Rai seems to like us- maybe she would tell us more of what she saw?\" \n\nThe faint smell of metal from his strings rubbed past his face on his fingers. Humming idly and massaging the mild aches from his knuckles, he glanced back up at Uriel, his own eyes restlessly hopping from detail to detail along with his mind."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Yeah— it seems like Raizel is definitely the right play here. Meeting Valio in person does... Not seem like a a good idea. And maybe Rai's sense of smell could tell us information none of us could glean otherwise?\" \n\nUriel stands up, beginning to pace around the slightly-warmer than average room. Now that the window was closed, Uriel was almost at *Normal temperature.* How shocking. \n\n\"I might... Do some test runs, and try to idly observe the dreams of some of the low-level staff. I'll make sure to stay hidden and cover my tracks, so hopefully I won't be spotted.\" \n\nThey take their gloves off, overheating just a bit at the rise in temperature— or maybe, just a bit nervous at the prospect. \n\n\"It's a little wondrous why I was allowed here, anyway. I'm essentially a walking information breach— and let's hope I don't remind them of that fact. I don't know what would be worse— being sent god knows where and never seeing the sun again, or being forced to spy on my fellow inmates.\" They laugh, a bit nervous. Their pacing has sped up, enough for their gait to seem almost stilted and awkward."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "As Uriel paced, Owen picked himself up off the carpet and started to go through the motions of unplugging his bass, turning off his amp, coiling the cord and whatnot, gently resting his axe on its stand. Actually, pacing sounded wonderful right now- this conversation spiked jittery feelings through his body, and he ached to move and let them out. \n\nJoining Uriel's loop from the other side of the room, he listened closely to their worries. He hadn't seen them so worked up before- he was honoured, in a way, to be considered close enough to see them in such a state. Not quite knowing how to respond, he hummed here and there to show he was paying attention. \n\n\"Whoa, whoa, Uriel, no one's being carted away. Worst case scenario, you can say it happened by accident- most of us are here because we can't control our powers all that well.. Anyway.\" He hardened his hands and touched his thumbs to each of his fingers all in order, over and over. *Clinkclinkclinkclink.* The sound was nice to him. \n\n\"I can't assure you of much, but..\" His brow shifted as he picked his words. \"You're a kind soul. One that's evidently gotten a lot of shit for things that might not have been your fault. I understand being scared of your powers, I do, and it's totally nerve-wracking and it feels like a limb betraying you, but- but, I guess I'm saying, you're not alone, you're not bad, you're doing your best, and it's good enough, *Admirable* Even.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel's eyes widen at Owen's words—the strings of sentences wrap around their chest, tugging at their heartstrings. It was... Odd, hearing someone besides their mother say such kind things. They freeze, turning to face the pacing Owen. \n\n\"I... You're right. I *Shouldn't* Worry.\" They pause, taking a deep breath. \n\nUriel was... Tired. They were tired of this oppressive weight bearing down on their shoulders, this constant feeling of guilt for their own abilities. It drained their energy, the vivid thoughts clawing at their head— unrelenting, unstoppable, *Constant.*\n\nThey felt weak. It was time to come clean, and if Owen feared them for it... So be it.\n\n\"I'm... It has to do with my family, I suppose. My extended one, I mean— not my mother, at least.\" A defeated, pensive look resides in Uriel's eyes, and they take a seat on Owen's bed with an oddly formal posture. \n\n\"My dream-weaving is hereditary, and therefore all of my blood-related cousins on my mom's side have the same abilities. A large amount of them go into the same profession, due to the high pay and relative ease of employment.\" At this, Uriel tenses up, turning their head away from Owen much in the same manner a child would refuse to look at their mother after doing something bad. \n\n\"They're torturers. Interrogators, technically, but the former is a bit more accurate in my eyes. They dive into people's dreams and.. And, you can gleam the rest. Dredging up memories, painful or not, for information. I promised myself I'd never be like them.\" \n\nThey let out a small, sad laugh. \"And here I am, doing the same thing.\""
}
] | 247 | 2,216 |
388 | 2022-03-10 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen's heart dropped into his stomach when he saw Uriel's face twist like it did. He knew what to do with the four strings on his instrument, but his nerves were far too many threads to make sense of at once. He stopped pacing, his legs somehow making their way to his bed where Uriel was poised so tensely. \n\n\"..\"\nThe small sound escaped before he forgot the ability. A warm, solid hand tentatively rested itself on Uriel's shoulder, before sliding across and crushing them to Owen's chest. It would be noticed by the both of them that the boy's heart beat much harder than the average person's- not faster, but it pounded against his chest with a fervour that sometimes shook his frame, practically leaping out at the world from its cage of bones. Now, it seemed intent on ramming everything it couldn't say directly into Uriel. A deep sigh, rattled by the softest of tremors.\n\n\"This has been gnawing at you, hasn't it,\" He breathed, pressing his cheek into their hair one more time before remembering himself and gingerly unhanding them. \"I don't know what I could say to ease it, save for that I would very much like to,\" He continued, looking down at his hands, which felt like they could burn a hole through his sheets. \"For what it's worth, it sounds like you have genuinely noble intentions- you and your mother. You've said it a hundred times, that you're trying to help, that you're not out to hurt anyone-\" His breath faltered. \n\n\"Everyone fucks up, and they do it over and over and over again, but it doesn't make them bad people. You're trying to help, and your head ran away with you. I do that thrice a week and you don't seem to think any less of me.\"\n\n\"Just, what I'm getting at is, you're kind to me; try to extend that kindness to yourself. I assure you, there's room.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel forgets about the breath lodged in their throat, opting to instead take a tenacious step forward. Owen was warm— both in temperature, and in spirit. Not the all-consuming, scorching fire of an incinerator, but the calm, steady warmth of the hearth. \n\n*Of course* Owen was the hearth. Everything about Owen brought the sensation of being at home; from his earnest, boyish energy, to the way concern bloomed across his face towards *Uriel*, of all people. It made the following action easy. It felt almost natural, grabbing the underside of Owen's wrist and pulling the boy in closer, aiming to wrapping their arms around him. \n\n\"You didn't have to stop so quickly.\" They mutter softly, leaning against Owen for a good couple of seconds. They'd never done something so brash in their life, but the confirmation of *Owen caring about them* Despite their potential risks made Uriel feel something, something nice and warm. \n\n*Is this what it's like... To have a friend care for you?* They brush strands of Owen's hair aside and smile up at them. *I wish I knew sooner.*\n\n\"You're right, and— I should listen to you more, shouldn't I?\" Uriel pauses, letting out a small laugh. \"Only if you promise to listen to me when you're feeling down, alright?\" \n\nA pause. They take a deep breath, exhaling in tune with the thumping of Owen's heart. A contented sigh escapes their lips. Uriel's never felt so warm, leaning against Owen like this. \n\n\"Could you... Watch over me, while I'm looking for intel in the staff's dreams? I'm a bit worried, in case something goes wrong, or...\" They trail off, not wanting to sour the mood. \"Not tonight, I mean— another night. But, when the time comes... I think I can depend on you to protect me.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "When he was pulled back in, the last of Owen's resolve melted away along with his bones. It all felt surreal, being held again like this. His arms lifted and fit themselves around Uriel's torso once again, his cheek resting in the soft down at the base of their neck. They're a different kind of warm than him; hands resting in pockets on misty mornings, a soft blanket draped over one's shoulders by caring hands. For how light and airy they often felt, they were a solid, real presence here. \n\n\"Oh, you won't have much to listen to, that was all my allotted eloquent speech for the next few months,\" He murmured, his chest spasming with a chuckle that never quite made it out of his mouth. \"Come back in six to eight business weeks for another round of sage, uh, talking.. At you.\" Hah, proved his own point. A sigh, like the kind old dogs make when they rest their head in one's lap and close their eyes. \"..Yeah. Yes, I'll listen to you. There's probably some sense that needs to be knocked into me as well.\"\n\nLacing his fingers together across their back, he listened some more. \"I, sure I could,\" He blurted. \"Not sure what I could do in Dreamland, but if I can... If I can help, of course I will.\" No one's asked him to protect them before- at the mention, a river of heat rushed across his back and down his arms, gone in an instant but seemingly showing its approval of the idea. \"What would I be looking for, signs of distress? A signal of some kind? Your power fascinates me but hell if I know how it works,\" He rambled, thoughts bouncing around his skull at warp speed. His foot tapped out a jumpy, slightly disorganized rhythm- it was doubtful that he noticed it."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel thinks to themselves at Owen's question. They'd never actually *Seen* What they do in the middle of dream-weaving. They fall asleep, yes, but is that all there is to it? \n\n\"I don't know what happens when I do it— I've never had someone watch while I do my work,\" They begin, a bit embarrassed admitting Owen would be their first. \n\n\"I've seen my mom work, however. When things are going poorly, either by dueling another oneiromancer in dream-weaving, or by having issues locating the dream needed, she tends to mutter and sweat in her sleep. It seems from the outside she's just having a nightmare, so nothing too out of the ordinary should happen.\" They pause, letting out a quiet laugh. \"Try not to disturb me, though— awakening suddenly might only make my situation worse.\" \n\nUriel grew a bit bashful at hearing how their power fascinated Owen. Not scared, not wary, but *Fascinated*. It was... A small thing to hold close, yes, but Uriel still sealed away those words deep inside their heart. \n\n\"What should I try and gather information about? Where the angel girl is being held captive, perhaps? Or about what happens to the... Less co-operative powered children? Of course, if I'm forgetting anything of interest, please do tell me so.\" \n\nThey already planned out the exact strings they'd need to pull— *Work, guilt, fear* — in order to hopefully spur memories of whatever dark underbelly this facility was hiding. The quiet itch to use their abilities again, to trapeze around the world of the unconscious, almost made their hands twitch with energy. \n\n*Is this how my... Other side of the family felt?* A sober thought rang through their head, and their hastily-gained excitement died."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The air in the room around Uriel kept shifting strangely, and Owen tried to make proper sense of it. Things tended to sink into his head slower than he would like, and even *Planning* To do something as risky as this made him feel out of his depth. Running his hands up his neck and allowing the back of his head some cooler air, he tried to carefully process one thing at a time. \n\n\"I feel like... I honestly don't know,\" He admitted, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. \"The angels haven't been back, and from how Raizel was talking it sounds like their sister, though hidden, is safe.. What we know a great deal less about is this place.\" He thought aloud in an unsure murmur, watching the stars dance behind his eyelids from the steady pressure. \n\n\"This still feels so- *Hmmmm*.\" A chord rumbled from his chest. \"I trust you with what you're planning, I do, but we can't go rushing in too fast.\" He dragged his palms down his cheeks, spreading the pressure downward. \"Don't go too deep,\" He concluded the thought, deceptively sleepy doe eyes flickering with concern. \n\nPlacing his hands firmly on their shoulders, he examined their face carefully. \"This is important, but. You've got some serious conflicts about it. It's not worth the, the..\" He gnawed on his cheek, unsure of his wording. \"It's not worth the hurt it'll cause you. For your own bloody self, Uriel, pull yourself out at the foggiest warning from your gut.\" His accent drawled the vowels of their name in a musical sort of way, loading it with feeling. His newly invigorated instinct to *Protect* Was trying to stick its crimson, crystalline hands where it could not follow its subject, an adamantine will pushing against the frustratingly dense shell of the mortal it served."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Owen's hands were hard as he gripped their shoulders, the jagged crystalline edges pushing softly into Uriel's poncho. It wasn't exactly hard to see the promises in their gaze— *Anger for anything that comes to harm you, fear of you getting hurt*— all these emotions felt on Uriel's behalf, pouring out in every syllable sounded out, every tense exhale.\n\nThey take off their right glove, and slip their bare hand on top of Owen's. They weren't warm. No, they were *Hot*, the crystallized hands teetering on the edge of uncomfortable. Still, Uriel applied pressure, hoping the tiny gesture of '\"I'm alright\" Meant something.\n\n\"I promise. I want to do this, in case it ends up helping in some way.\" Uriel pauses, brushing their thumb across the top of the boy's hardened skin. \n\n\"I don't think I could live with myself if I simply did nothing. Even if... Even if the worst ends up happening, I don't want to— I *Need* To do this.\" \n\nUriel felt a small pang of guilt at seeing the worry in Owen's eyes, but quickly dismissed the feeling. *He's worried because he wants to be,* Their inner monologue — which sounded suspiciously like their mom— chided. *Not because he has to.* \n\nA small squeeze of the hand. \"I'll be fine.\" They say, their usual sing-songy tone of voice replaced with something firmer, more self assured. \"I'll promise, if that will aid your troubled mind.\""
}
] | 397.5 | 2,328 |
89.977778 | 2022-03-11 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "At Uriel's touch, he realized that his hands were still crystalline, and flooded with golden orange rivers of heat. A spike of guilt and fear ran through him; it happened *Again*, his shield had leapt through his skin without his say, gripping too tightly, fixing to burn whatever it thought was distressing him so. He could have hurt them, he could have burned them or cut them or toasted their poncho- the rush subsided a little, though, with their reassurance. He could hear his moms' voices in the back of his mind; *\"..You're dreaming up catastrophes, love, slow down...\"*\n\nGingerly removing his hands from Uriel's shoulders, he realized that the glassy barriers were too hot to safely reabsorb. \"Sorry, I, I catastrophize,\" He squeaked, looking down at his fingers. He took a deep breath; on the exhale he shook his hands vigorously, releasing the heat he'd amassed into the air. Now merely a duller red, his stubborn shield cracked and melted as it dissolved and sank through his skin. \"Eugh. Still feels weird when I pay too much attention to it.\"\n\nThe window was still closed, trapping both heat and anxiety in the little room. Was the sun really still up? Striding over and lifting it a few centimetres, he breathed crisp air into his chest, and let the chill wind scrape his knuckles. \n\n\"Okay. Yeah. I've got your back- you know I do.\" He meant it. \"As Mom always says- 'bad ideas become less bad when you're not doing them alone!' Of course, Mama always snorted at that in disapproval, but she never *Disagreed*, so..\" A signature crackling laugh, like a fire pit spitting out sparks into the smoky chill."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "They slip their gloves back on, opening up the window with a *Creak* After they've done so. \n\n\"I'm sure if anyone can prove the saying correct, it will be you.\" A little twinkle of amusement in their eye, shining brightly as they stood in the door frame. \n\n\"Sweet dreams,\" They said, the barest whisper of irony present in their voice. The door closed, and Owen was left in silence. \n\nUriel smiled as they walked back to their dorm. If they were going to do this, they were confident in the fact they wouldn't be alone. Owen would be at their side, and that was all Uriel needed."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "After discussing matters with Stan at the kitchen Sunday morning, Rai already was prepared having her usual items and a couple of large potato sacks, flashlights and snacks of course. They plan on taking the bus to make a stop at the closest farm as they survey the area to get a better idea of the place. Today, she is going to leave her mask in her room to wear just a black hoodie over her head with a scarf to hide half her lower face. Nervous as she is, Rai felt that it would help trying to blend in with people better this way. She'll use the money that she saved up for their bus tickets."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "Stan took his usual stuff - a baseball bat and a few batteries and a small towel - and helped carry the rest with her. He also wolfed down as much food as possible before he left his room, making now effort to be stealthy until he met up with Rai.\n\n\"Thanks for covering the tickets, feel ready?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Ready as-as I ever be!\" She looks determine with her embers sparkling with enthusiasm. \"How many are we going to nab? Five? Seven? Ten maybe i-if we can help it?\" This was exciting on her part as she is already making it to the woods. For awhile she was visiting the place scoping out the area to get some familiarity. It proved to be much helpful finding the short cuts to get out quicker away from the property."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"10 and a rooster, and not one less! Now, lets get closer!\"\n\nHe pulls her by the wrist, towards adventure!\nThe village comes into sight in the distance"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The duo got their bus tickets after paying for it when it was their turn in the line-up. Raizel was nervous but braved it through staying close by Stan's side. When the got on the bus, she would take a seat in the middle where she felt comfortable. Along the way she would feel a bit carsick but slept it off to recover. Her head was resting against the cold glass window until the bus hit a bump, causing her to flop aside with her now resting against Stan's shoulder. It would be a long ride for them and by the time they come near the closest farm it would be getting dark already."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "Stan had spent the ride fiddling with the sacks, he had way too much energy.\nActually, sitting next to him for a long time Rai got the feeling that he radiated a little bit of warmth.\n\n\"Hey, wake up, we're here. Lay down the plan.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Okay, I'll tell you what I got once we're off the bus,\" She said, rubbing her eye with the back of her head. She grabbed the weird string/wire thingy that rang the bell for the bus to pull over for them. Now that Stan and Raizel are on the side of the road, she tells him that they're going to go in when its much darker so they won't get spotted as easily. They will have to worry about dogs which is most likely. She'll handle them while he go in to grab the chickens and placing them inside a sack. Once they get the chickens, they're going to run into the woods where they'll move deeper in. From there Rai is going to transform into a monster to gain more ground to run back to the school. Of course, she does mention he could ride on her back since she can get that big."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"Yeah, that'd be cool!\"\nHe listened intently to the plan, though not as much as he did once she mentioned giving him a ride.\nHe then started looking for dogs the moment they got off the bus"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "After rolling to see how many dogs there are, it appears that Stan had spotted 4 large dogs hanging out on the front porch. The first one he sees is sleeping, the second burying its face into its dog dish eating, the third is chewing on a bone, the fourth is drinking water. Raizel was already sizing and viewing the area stealthily to get more familiar of the place before going in. Right now, she'll return to Stan reporting to him that they have to get past the garden to go into the woods. There's a chicken coop holding large amounts of birds near the barn."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"Let's distract the dogs by throwing something onto the other side of the garden, then rush through, alright?\"\n\nHe found a round-ish rock and got in position to bat it into the garden.\nThis guy brought a baseball bat everywhere, for some reason\nAiming at the far off fence, so it would rattle enough to draw all the dogs over there he looked at Rai expectantly."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "The dog's perk their ears to go investigate the noise. All of them. Yes. The die said they all are drawn by the sudden noise in the darkness that brought them away to see what it is. On cue, Raizel moved quickly on her feet crouched over, moving almost like an animal in the darkness with her hood covering her head. She sniffed the air to find a hint of a chicken smell coming from near the barn. When she gets there, there is a padlock keeping the door closed. Glancing around, she turns her hands into claws to go slash it off."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "Stan just hands her his bat\n\"Have fun.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I am not going to kill the chickens yo-you ferret!\" She whispered to him. Then realizes what he meant. \"Ugh... Fine... You go collect the ch-chickies!\" And she'll hurry off to distract the dogs to have them occupied enough for Stan to collect."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "He goes into the shed and knocks out one chicken after another with a well placed bonk.\nHalfway through one hit isnt placed as well, and the other chickens start protesting...\nRai hears chaos and shenanigans in the distance"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel is wondering what the fuck is going on inside the chicken coop, now hearing the birds fussing. She looks over her shoulder to hear the farmer swing open his door. \"{Swedish speaking out}!\" He spat out his tooth pick and grabs his pitch fork.\" The dogs were being distracted by her shenanigans. But this is getting too serious. Her heart begins pounding in her chest. She will draw the farmer away by blowing her death whistle. **REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!** A cry of death chilled the air which drove the dogs to panic. \"{Speaks Swedish!?\" Rai hurried off into the darkness to take cover behind the large haystack. \"{More upset Swedish sounds}\" The farmer said, sicking his dogs out. A few stayed back as the braver ones race out."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"Those darn monsters, nabbin our dogs...\"\nStan chuckles. He was the only one in the room laughing at what was barey a joke. He was having fun.\nAfter finally finding the rooster and filling the sacks he books it, using the window Rai provided\nAt least he hoped that horrible sound was the monster girl person thing called Rai"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel was panicking wondering what the hell Stan did because chickens are suppose to be so easy to steal at night. They're birds roosting up in the air! They would complain a bit but accepts being sacked! She did it before at the farm at the reservation bunch of times! The sound of angry welsh and dogs yoddling behind her had only caused her to hurry off into the dark. She'll go run off into the woods to hide until the Welsh farmer and his dogs left back to their house. When she finally finds Stan she let out a strained,\"What did you do!?\""
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "He holds up the sack\n\"Sacked em. One of them didn't like being sacked. Good work all around, you're good at this - but what was *That noise*?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"That was my death whistle,\" Rai said, sounding concern. \"You seriously don't know how to handle animals!\" She face palmed. \"Are they okay?\""
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "He looks in the sack\n\"Yup. A bit dizzy but all seem alive and well.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Poor things... You could have just grab em and s-stuff them in the bag..\" Rai gave them a sad look. \"Okay, we should get back before we get into more trouble.\" Raizel would take on a size large serpentine creature with north american tribal designs on her body. Her eyes glowed white, almost like headlights."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"Cool. Can I get on?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "She nods her head for him to climb on."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "He climbs on and scritches the beasts neck\n\"Are you like an animal now or some magic shit?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "That was something Raizel couldn't answer because this is a question that isn't sure of. Her pointed ear twitched when she felt Stan scritch her long neck. The end of her tail wagged in a hyped wiggle. Then she gave a sudden bolt through the trees running on fours as her form snaked through the trees with ease. Making large leaps over obstacles, it would feel like she is flying from her hasty strides. They'll make it little over halways where her form begins to wane. She lowers her neck for Stan to slide off it before she transforms back. \"I need a break that was a long r-run.\""
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"I got you, hold still, alright?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "I'll have u roll 1d100 xD("
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "As he touches her neck again he lets out a long, exhausted sigh as she feels suddenly reinvigorated, as if she took a two hour nap"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"You're weird,\" She commented, already feeling energized. \"What's your ab-ability again?\" Raizel is already walking ahead as she gains some idea where they are now."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"I can redirect, uh, energy? It's really inconsistent and complicated, i just do it by gut instinct. Like, if i touch a battery and you i can shock you, if I touch a cold and a boiling cup of water i can even them out, stuff like that?\nAlso how am i weird, that's rich coming from you!\"\n\nHe gave her a hearty laugh"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Oh... Th-that's interesting... I-it sounds usual against b-bullies at school,\" Rai said, looking at him confused as he laughed. \"Y-You know we're going to need a place to h-hide these birds for now, r-right? I-I think the school n-needs a sm-small pen so st-students can learn to care for-for something other than themselves. A-And chickens makes g-good therapy animals.\" They keep on walking for a long time in the dark with Rai using her flashlight to light the way."
},
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "\"Sounds good... Did you usually take your prey along or did you... Ynow..\"\nHe traces his finger along his neck"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Sometimes both or one way or another,\" Rai said nonchalantly. \"I h-had a few pet chickens before that I stolen. Th-they gave eggs as long as I fed them.\" They're getting much closer towards the school. And she starts dialing on her cellphone.\n\nAs it appears, they have an accomplish.\n\n\"We have someone to split half the birds in their hiding spots,\" Raizel told Stan. \"Let's go.\" And they continued to walk and sneak the birds in through a window with Rai hauling them up so Stan can just take the regular entrance, where the front desk is watching the exit. Then they proceed to go down the hallway. \"Shhh... Its this way.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Abruptly ending quite possibly the most bizarre phone call of his life, Owen scrambled to roll his carpet aside, and nervously opened his door a crack to look into the hall. *Bloody hell, what've I gotten myself into...*"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"H-Heeeeeeeeeyyy...\" Raizel let out a warm welcome as she tug Stan inside Owen's room, opening it wide now that she sees a crack of hope with her friend's eyeball looking at them. \"Stan meet Owen, O-owen meet Stan. Here-Here's the loot!\" She hands Owen a sack of chickens before closing and locking the door behind them."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Spluttering and rushing to carefully set down the sack of chickens (*Sack of chickens?!*), Owen quickly threw his door open again. \n\n\"OI! WAIT A MINUTE! I don't know what to- WHERE IN THE FRESH GREEN HELL DID YOU GET THESE CHICKENS??\"\n\nHis voice cracked comically, his eyes wide with confusion. He'd really done it this time."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel wasn't wearing her mask but had her black hood on and half her face covered by a scarf. He could see her ember eyes rolled as she shrugs nonchalantly at his question. \"W-Well, you know...?\" She begins, now cooking up a story. \"Th-these poor babies we-were held hostage being forced to produce so many eggs... Then die after w-when they lay no more..\" Raizel slip her hands into the sack to pull out a bird who tilt its head at him with those sparkling, round chickens eyes at him. \"Look at her... Th-this sweet thing... Would you w-want us to bring em b-back?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Breathing a ragged sigh, Owen looked down at the chicken. Absurd as the situation was, there was something undeniably compelling about her sweet chicken eyes. The conflict in his own was vivid against the smudged circles under his eyes. \n\n\"I won't lie to you, I would live, kill and die for this bird,\" He admitted defeatedly, closing the door with his hip and gingerly taking the hen from Raizel. \"Welp. To late to put 'em back now.\" Walking over to his bed, he sat down and continued to stare in awe at the criminally adorable hen in his hands. \n\n\"Mae hi wedi cachi arna i.\" Cursing in his mother tongue just felt right in this situation. Raizel seemed to have a few gaps in her understanding of modern chicken farming, but it was impossible to really tell. \"Bring what you have, that box you mentioned, maybe something to feed them- I'll make sure they don't get out.\" \n\nA pause as the wheels turned in his head; he again considered the chicken. \n\n\"Your name's Méabh.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel nods as she hurried off to go grab the makeshift box she had made with paper shredding inside it for Owen to have his birds inside it. There was even a lid to keep them inside that would help them stay in. She'll shove it into the room which is kind of large and it was held together by strong staples and ducktape. Then off she went to go get scraps from the kitchen before filling a water bowl for them. \"Okay, chickens are easy an-animals to take care of,\" Raizel said, shutting the door behind her. \"So... Which one are you going to keep?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Relaxed at the knowledge that Raizel had a plan other than *\"Dump the chickens and scramble\"*, Owen was warming up to his new roommates. \n\n\"I don't want Méabh to be lonely when I'm out, so..\" He opened the sack and let the confused chickens inside get a look around. They didn't seem too dishevelled, but none too pleased either. He selected another, just for good measure. \n\n\"You're.. You're Buttercup.\" Buttercup pecked at his hand indignantly. Owen was smitten. Shifting onto the floor with his new friends, he shielded his arms and scooped them into his lap. \n\n\"I'll get acquainted with my girls here, and then we'll get them a nice, *Temporary* Pen set up, and then this will all be just lush and lovely and ohmygoodness she's preening lookather.\" Beautiful."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"I can go build a makeshift fence... Building some stuff isn't that tough if you know what you want.\" Raizel was completely putting her 100% into this. \"You need to study chickens some more before we plan out where we can put the rest of these c-critters.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Nodding sagely, Owen squeezed Méabh and Buttercup again, put them in the box and stood up. \"I will research until my eyes burn. And I'll help you with the fence and all that- another pair of hands is the least I can lend you for these feathery treasures,\" He swooned, flinching a little at another peck at his ankle. \n\n\"Keep me updated! I-I want to help. Best of luck with your noble endeavour, Rai!\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel couldn't help but give a genuine, happy smile watching Owen getting all gushy over the sweet birds. She's not going to tell him that Stan batted them on the heads to knock them unconscious. \"O-Oh gosh, thanks! W'we'll think of something later, it is late.\" And then she turns to stand. \"What are you up to n-now?\" She was rubbing her eyes looking tired after a long day. \"I-I think I'll catch up with you l-later... I'm going to be going to bed now.\" With that, Raizel return to her bedroom to gain a well earn rest."
}
] | 77 | 4,049 |
318.047619 | 2022-03-12 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "asapheon",
"message": "Stan just shrugged\n\"Since you two got this figured out I'll... Do the fence maybe? Honestly that little bit of magic got me a bit hungry so I'm gonna stop by the kitchen first...\"\n\nHe very much had the sense of being the only normal person around here, but didn't mind it much. Still, one question lingered in his mind:\n\n\"Sooooo...\"\n\nNow, how to phrase this to smoothly transition into the question...\n\n \"Owen, uh, what superpower do you have?\""
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "A rather large woman is standing at a kitchen counter looking rather distraught at the large pot in front of her. In the pot is hot chocolate which Valio has made too much of. Valio is currently hunched over the pot so she stands straight, moving her hands from the stove to smooth out her tank top and move her hair back over her shoulder. Her brow furrows as she moves to open a cabinet or two looking for mugs. Once she'd found them she pulled out six mugs, she took two and filled them up with an alarming amount of marshmellows she bought at a convenience store. She hopes she did this right. \n\nShe takes one of the mugs which is filled with marshmellows and a ladle, which was in the pot, and pours it into the mug filling it with the warm drink. She sets the mug off to her side and once again stares at the pot. 'why did she make so much'.\n\n\"Tiaavuluk.\" She hisses. \"You don't need to feed the whole place.\" She mutters to herself. The dorm kitchen is rather homely looking with moonlight filtering through a window into the kitchen. Rays of shaded sun illuminating Val's back slightly. She looks like she's about to commit a crime. As if she hasn't already.\n\nThere's an arched doorway to the kitchen that allows anybody to enter. And hopefully those she has beckoned for do come, she would hate for this to have gone to waste but she worries it already has. She drums her gloved fingers on the stovetop and turns to the doorway out to the dorm hall. They should be coming about now."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Light fingers rapped against the side of the wall as a signal of entry, a head of semi shaggy white-blond hair poking around the corner. The figure stepped past the doorway on soft steps, calling a greeting in French. \n\n\"Ah - have I found the right place?\" Finley asked. \n\nA few colorful mugs dotted the countertop, apart from the giant lady stirring a pot. She hovered over the kitchen with a masterful presence tinged with anxiety. \n\n\"You must be Sprite, correct?\" Their voice was somehow soft, perhaps more than expected. Finley didn't approach her directly, instead choosing to hover by the entrance. \n\nA long winter's coat clung to their body, thick, gray, and almost woolen in appearance, a pair of clunky white platform Docs hitting against the floor. They looked windblown, maybe having just come inside, a battered copy of some classic novel dangling between in their fingers, cheeks ruddy from the wind. \n\n\"I'm Finley.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The next entry wasn't so quiet.\n\nSomething flew past just outside the door to the kitchen, briefly pulling at Finley's coat. Then again, then again. Finally, though, it stopped!\n\nAbout ten feet from the door. *Oh, well,* Mel thought, *Close enough.*\n\nShe walked the short distance, then burst through the door, completely ignoring the fact that Finley was still *Standing in the doorway.* Those kinds of details weren't her problem.\n\n\"*Me voilà!*\" She announced, arms outstretched, to the nearly empty room. \"Here I am! Hello! Sprite, right?\" She didn't leave time for an answer. \"Yeah! Sprite! I'm taking this spot...\" She walks through the room, counting up good places to sit, eventually landing on the middle of the nicest-looking couch. \"Here!\"\n\nHot chocolate. She *Couldn't wait.* Was it really worth the trip? No, but it was a social thing-\n\nShe was almost lost in thought when she turned her head toward Sprite - and, consequently, toward the doorway. \"Oh, hey Finley! Did you just get here?\" \n\nShe didn't wink, but with the look on her face, she might as well have."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The muffled sound of sturdy boots betraying soft footsteps preceded the next arrival. Owen had passed the doorway a couple of times, flip-flopping nervously; evidently, though, he had made his choice firmly enough, squaring his shoulders and striding into the kitchen. \n\nHe looked like he had just woken up from an impromptu nap, his dishevelled hair spilling over his shoulders and half-tied back into a ponytail over the ruddy cascade. One of his earbuds was tucked into the collar of his hoodie, the other blasting hopeful confidence into his over-thinker skull. A hand patted a pocket in his cargo pants one last time to make sure that he didn't forget his key card, yielding a short breath of relief. \n\n\"Evening,\" He blurted, evidently a little tired of himself. \"Valio! And Finley, and, ah, I've never seen you. \" Looking at the unfamiliar blonde practically bouncing in her seat, he nervously grinned, one corner of his mouth always tugging higher than the other. He seems to have forgotten that one usually introduced themselves first in situations like these. \n\n\"Smells incredible,\" He yawned, finding a seat on the couch and anxiously relaxing himself against an armrest. Might as well."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares had been procrastinating on actually getting up and heading down to the kitchen, but once he finally got out of bed his normal air of confidence restored itself. He would definitely be showing up a couple minutes late, *Fashionably* Late as he liked to say. \n\nThe boy made his way down to the place they had agreed to meet. A loose back hoodie was pulled over his chest and rolled up at the sleeves. He didn't bother to get shoes and was looking rather casual in sweatpants and socks. The only thing setting apart his otherwise disheveled demeanour was the silver necklace hanging around his collar bone, and rings adorning his fingers. If someone looked close enough, his palms were decorated with rough callouses from his many nights spent slaving over his guitar. His hair was messy as usual and his undercut overgrown. He never took his piercings out either, so along side his other jewelry those sat pretty along his ears. \n\nAres found himself standing underneath the arched entrance, he scanned the room with his deep brown eyes. Four people stood in the kitchen, all in respective spots. Ares quickly realized he had no clue who was who. The only one in the room who struck a sense of recognition in him was the very large woman standing over the hot chocolate pot. Ares new Valio was 6'8, and everyone else looked too short. Must be her. The rest were lost on the boy. No matter to him, he'd just have to figure it out as he went. The atmosphere was rather calm, whatever was there was very quickly going to be ruined. Ares boomed into the room with a shockwave of undeniable confidence, his feet striking the ground with purposeful movements. Brushing right past the blonde kid hovering by the entrance without acknowledgement. \n\n\"Sup fuckers.\" He turned his attention to one of them. \"You must be Val.\"\n_ _\n\nHis tone was loud and echoed through the otherwise quiet kitchen, it wasn't malicious and more lighthearted. Making his way over to Valio, Ares stood on the other side of the counter, separating himself. He leaned over in curiosity to stare at the giant pot of hot chocolate and mugs lining the counter in front of him. A smug smile pulled on Ares' tan features. He was incredibly self assured and it was very obvious to anyone who had the *Pleasure* Of meeting him."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio watched with one eye as four entered the room each with a different sort of... Flair. At the end where a rather loud boy came in which caused her head to snap to him as he entered. As he walked through the kitchen acting like he owned the place she stifled a laugh. 'It seems like he's playing favorites' she thought as he planted him on the other side of the counter. While each of them entered she filled each of the she had set out.\n\nShe greeted eat of the arrives with a smile and a wave. Saying their names as a greeting. She turned back to the stove again. And, so.\n\nShe lifted one of the mugs which had an unholy amount of marshmellows in it to the boy with a soft grin. \"Yes I am Valio.\" She says with a light chuckle \"And you must be?\" She asks him as she gives him his mug before giving the rest theirs as well and returning to the pot. Her hair slides over her right shoulder like molten magma as she once more turns to Ares. \n\nHer features were relaxed even though she was slightly worried they wouldn't like it. Though her features betrayed nothing. It's hard to figure her out when she only has one eye. At least she now has the pleasure to say she has met everyone. But, she might just make good friends with Ares just yet, he seems like quite the fellow."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley, who had been more or less shuffled out of the way, bristled like an angry cat. They shot a glare to Ares, ducking out of the entryway to perch on a chair.\n\nThey bit the side of their fingers as they watched the pair interact, glancing half-long at Mel and Owen, the rich smell of chocolate hovering in the air. They looked down at their feet, clacking their boots together against themselves. \n\nAt once, their social battery seemed to curl inward on itself, a sense of awkwardness stifling their lips and their words. Unease pricked their stomach. Socializing had never been Finley's strong suit, so they started leafing through their book again to find where they left off.\n\nNadias voice chirped in the back of their head - *\"Fin, get outta your own way, and make some friends!*\n\nHa."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mel watched the procession of people entering the room one after another, and... Didn't recognize any of them. That was fine, right? She was supposed to be making friends.\n\nFriends! That's right! Someone had asked for her name, and... Finley was still standing in the door looking kind of stunned. Still half-bouncing in place, she left her stuff in her spot on the couch and got up to socialize.\n\nA mix of revulsion and excitement greeted her stomach immediately. A churning mixture, an odd pressure. An unpleasant feeling, for all of three seconds, and then it's gone, the same old dull nothingness washing over Mel that she's always known.\n\n\"I'm Mél!\" She chirps in Owen's direction, making sure to be just loud enough to catch his attention. She's learned that volume pretty well. \"Nice to meet you! You too, Vally!\"\n\nNext on the list, snap Finley out of stupor. She walks up in front of Finley, not trying to pull attention to herself, just being there. \"Hey Fin. Fiiiiiiiin. Finny. Finleeeeey. Leyleeeeey. C'mon, come sit down! Chat! Reading a book at a party? Boooooring. At least talk to me?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Relaxing a little at Mél's easy meshing with her surroundings, Owen laughed a little at her pestering of Finley. Not loud enough to be audible, but an amused chuff from his chest that let himself know he had nothing to fear here. Mostly. The lad who had just waltzed in gave off a sharper energy; not necessarily bad, but *Striking*, like the jarringly sour smell of one of those energy drinks his cousins liked. He hit his senses with a spike of intrigue, and definitely a little annoyance. \n\nAnd a green shot of jealousy, if he was honest with himself. It was beyond him, the thought of thundering in and talking to people like it was nothing, the old frustrations stirring in his gut with the usual nerves. The hot chocolate, though, reminded him that he's wanted here too, socially inept as he was- he felt a gulp of it spill down into his stomach and warm his chest, half-melted marshmallow coating his teeth. \n\n\"Thank you, Valio, stuff's perfect,\" He murmured, sinking deeper into the couch. He certainly felt how he looked- which was the general vibe of someone who had lost a hard battle to a weighted blanket. A sweet, drifting melody danced in through his one earbud, perhaps encouraging him to give things a little effort.\n\nNot just yet, though. Observation time. Maybe he'd loosen up enough to talk more if he watched how the rest of them conversed a little better- yes, that was a plan. Good plan. Not an excuse. Good, sensible approach to the unfamiliar social situation."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares looked across the room once again. The lad sitting down with the red hair must be Owen, he recognized it from a blurry picture Valio had sent once. The next people to catch his interest were the two blondes conversing together. Immediately the voices rang through his head, connecting all the little dots. Maybe figuring out who was who would be easier than he thought. The androgynous looking figure must be Finley, and the other said her name was Mel. Ares couldn't help but let his eyes rest on them for a second, before turning them back to Valio. A cup with soft puffs of steam emanating from it was slid in his direction, marshmallows floated on top of the liquid.\n\n\"Ah *Gracias.*\" The boy said as he tucked the warmed mug into his palm. \"*Pleasure* To finally meet you Val, My name is Ares.\" \n\nHis voice was smooth and had an underlying Puerto Rican accent, but it was clear english was a familiar language. The way he spoke was sturdy and sure. The introduction of Ares' name was loud enough that anyone in the room could hear, he wasn't necessarily *Trying* To be loud, it was just natural to him. Raising the cup to his lips, he took a sip. The hot chocolate was comforting and delicious. Despite never really enjoying hot chocolate, Ares had to admit this was *Wonderful.* The smile remained present on his features. He leaned on the counter for a second more before straightening his posture and turning to face the rest of the group. He wanted to meet the other figures floating around the room. Social interaction has *Always* Been his strong suit, even if not everyone could deal with his almost arrogant mannerisms. \n\n\"The hot chocolate is perfect. You know how to make a good batch.\" Ares chimed as he tiled his head back towards Val. He took another sip, his septum piercing clinking slightly against the rim of the mug."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio let herself relax for a moment though she couldn't deny she was indeed nervous. She was turned around and now currently leaning against the a counter which was next to the shove. She lightly drummed the fingers of her left hand on the counter while flickering her eye to each one who showed up. She rolled her shoulders before taking a cup for her own and took a drink of the hot chocolate she made. Its taste more faded due to how burned away her nerves were. Also, She had been at the gym earlier this night so she hoped they didn't notice her twitching fingers. 'if course they wouldn't this is their first meeting' she reassured herself. \n\nValio despite the worry looked comfortable. Her cheeks dimpling with her smile but unable to be notices due to her scarred features. She nods at the boy introducing himself to her with a grateful smile. Ares seems to be quite adept at socializing when the only socializing she got was from prison, and well you can see how well she turned out. Her fingers twitch as she recalls prison, she should put that on a Back burner. She snorted at Owen saying he was thankful. And, well to Melodie? She threw the girl off a roof. She raises her brow into her direction before she started pestering Finley.\n\nShe seemed to space off looking at the window to the kitchen before registering what Area had said to her.\n\"I appreciate that you think I did well with the hot chocolate.\" \nHer voice was soft and deep rumbling her throat. It had a tinge of a European twang to it that caused it to roll deeper. \"I could only hope it was to your standards, ares.\" She spoke jokingly. She looks to Finley with an expectant eye. \"Care to properly tell me about those theory's you have, itty bitty?\" She says the nickname with a soft affection, she is rather soft spoken. The joke name wasn't meant to be taken seriously."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley startled from their book, glancing between the group. They'd previously considered ducking out of the entire affair until Valio spoke to them. The book rested on the table, their thumb settled between the fraying pages. \n\n\"Oh,\" Finley said, glancing between everyone. Their eyes lingered on Ares for a particular moment before they cleared their throat and looked away. \"I forgot you're interested in those as well.\"\n\nThey shuffled in their chair, glancing at the stove. \"I don't mind telling you, but may I have some hot chocolate in the meantime? My theories mostly involve the involvement of the European Union with the school and the hospitals in the area. There's no way the Swedish government doesn't know we're here. We're all from vastly different countries. So what's in it for them to have us here? We are hardly a case worth asylum - unless they had another purpose for us in mind.\"\n\nThey paused a moment to gage the reaction of their listeners, before glancing down at their book.\n\n\"I don't know about you, but I want to know what they'll do with us.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "As if on cue, Finley's mention of hot chocolate has Mel rushing to grab some. And spilling a fair bit on herself. She just pretends she didn't. It's not like *It won't wash off.* Ah, well. Future problem for future Mel.\n\nEverything tends to be a future problem for future Mel.\n\nShe its down at her chosen spot, gesturing for everyone else to sit somewhere around her while Finley lectures them all on their conspiracy theories. Truth be told, Mel is interested. A growing sense of dread is beginning to develop with the whole thing - *What they'll do to us. Another purpose.* Why was she taken to Sweden to begin with? Why here?\n\nShe sipped the chocolate. Delightfully sweet, a little bitter but with plenty of milk to mellow it out, leaving the earthy, floral subtleties of the chocolate to blossom in between the sweetness and the heat. It was good hot chocolate. Worth the trip.\n\nGranted, Finley was too.\n\nShe turned her eyes to the two people she didn't know yet. A brash young man with a fierce personality that reminded her of herself, and a calmer one, less socially adept, that made her feel strangely envious of his approach to the environment. She really wanted to just sink into the couch, but something in her hind brain said no.\n\nStill paying a little attention to Finley, she turned the rest of it to Ares. \"Hey, nosering! Didn't catch your name!\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Perking up a little at Finley's concerns, Owen sipped some more hot chocolate and leaned forward. He was probably staring, but that didn't properly occur to him. His deep brown eyes flashed with hints of amber and intrigue at the mention of something that he himself had been wondering quietly. \n\n\"I've been puzzling over that too,\" He dared, his voice much clearer this time. \"In particular- why the secrecy? Evidently the knowledge of people like us is known enough to *Somebody* For a place like this to even exist, but outside of my family, I've never heard a word.\" Wow, he'd been holding back more than he thought. This seems as good a setting as any to release some of his own questions. \"It's not just if we're being used for something, but.. Who's using us? Who's got the power to keep us from the world?\"\n\nA splintering jet of nerves spiked through his torso, ricocheting through his limbs; one of his legs began to tap along with the rhythm of the song currently bringing him some semblance of calm. His piece nervously spoken, Owen leaned back into the couch; alright, talking successful, connection perhaps underway? A few grains of un integrated chocolate swished around his tongue, and his eyes darted around quickly. Something perplexing on Valio's face.. No, nothing. Overthinking it. \n\nTime to listen again. Owen did actually want to know what \"Nosering\"'s name was."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares leaned against the counter while Finley rambled on about theories. The boy never really cared for such suspicions, but Fin had a way of making it sound interesting. Ares continued to slowly sip his drink. Appreciating the deep rich flavour of the chocolate.\n\n\"Thats cool.\" Ares chimed in between thoughts, finally acknowledging Finley.\n\nThe voice of Owen made Ares' head turn towards him. *So he talks? About time.* Ares wasn't much of a listener, *He* Much preferred to be the one talking. However, he decided to just sit back on this one. This was definitely worth getting out of bed for. Pulled back into conversation, the one who introduced herself as Mel prompted Ares for his name again. The same smug smirk present on his features, Ares cocked his head to the side in interest.\n\n\"Nose ring? Thats a new one.\" He let a chuckle slip out from under his breath. \"My name is Ares.\"\n\nWhen he introduced himself, it was very obvious he had quite the ego. Simply the way he talked was enough giveaway of the boys own self righteous thoughts. Beneath a strong brow, his gaze remained on Mel and Finley. He noticed Mel carried herself with a similar confidence as him, but it seemed softer. Perhaps the two of them would get along. \n\n\"And you're Mel, the one Val over here threw off the roof, yeah?\" Ares nodded back to Valio when he mentioned her name, before returning to look at Mel. The warmth of the mug seeped into his sore calloused fingers as he spoke."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio placed her mug down before taking another mug and taking out jumbo sized marshmellows then pushing them down into the cup. Valio got to about 7 into the cup before she filled it with hot chocolate and walked over to give it to Finley. She taps the rim of the mug while giving it to him, then raises a brow before returning to the counter she was leaning onto. She moves her left hand upward to brush some of her thick hair from her only remaining eye and picks up her mug with her right taking another drink of it. \n\n\"The Swedish government does know this exists. I'm quite sure the jail I was at contacted the government before it passed on to the cradle.\" She spoke aloud letting Finley know.\n\"They didn't know how to deal with me but at least they made a point to try. Took them years to finally admit they couldn't handle it.\" She spoke in a much quieter tone, while in an idle motion stirring the hot liquid contained in her mug with her finger. She hums taking the finger out and just letting it sit on the side of her mug the residue liquid dripping slowly down her mug. \n\n\"There is secrecy because there are people who want to use us. Kill us maybe. But, who's to say we arnt being used here?\" The muscles of her finger pull back and tap her mug. She frowns looking between Ares and Melodie. \n\"Did I not say I was sorry? If not I'm sorry Melodie.\" She says that a worried note dancing into her tone. She shifts leaning more into the counter looking away from the group."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley thanked her, taking the mug with the corners of their mouth turned up in gratitude. They took the drink back to their seat.\n\nAres. The name caught them off guard for a moment. \n\"Greek God of War,\" They said. \"It fits you well, doesn't it? You're terribly arrogant.\"\nThe words weren't entirely harsh. They took a sip of their drink, thinking on it for a moment.\n\"This is wonderful, Val. Thank you so much for making it.\"\n\nThen, they registered her words regarding their theory. Warming their frigid fingers on the mug, they continued.\n \"I'm nearly sure we'll be used here. There's no way. You don't loop all of us into one place, in a country rather far from where most of us are from - and just assume nothing will come of us. We're here for a reason, but I dread learning what it is.\"\n\nTheir voice fell on the last phrase, eyes landing on the marshmallows plopped on top of the rich cocoa. They took a sip, letting the bittersweet taste roll over their lips. \n\n\"Forgive me if I'm boring you ‐\" Fin cast a glance at Ares and Melodie \"-But I just want to know why we're here. I can't stand the not knowing. And this whole thing with Annika - it doesn't sit well with me. There's no way they haven't done something with those three. I didn't see the Swedish government before I came here - surely not as much as you did, Sprites.\"\n\nFinley relaxed against their chair, looking up at Valio, and Owen, with trepidation in their gaze. \n\"You understand what I mean, don't you? You've seen it. There has to be more here. I want to find out what it is - I can't stand the not knowing.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mélodie is listening in rapt attention. Finley is certainly not boring her. Every moment seems to bring more questions than it does answers - why are they all here? What does the government want from them? What's going with on with Annika - whoever Annika is?\n\nShe needed to ask some of the questions herself. She needed answers. Or, more accurately, she *Wanted* Those things. She had a limit to how much she could care, one significantly lower than Finley's, or, she suspected, anyone else's in the room.\n\nShe nodded as Finley finished their spiel. \"I, uh... I guess there's probably something going on. We should try to find out what...\"\n\nShe took a break from bouncing excitedly and took a sip from her drink. The bitter notes really made themselves known. \n\nLooking around the room, she took a very rudimentary sort of headcount. There was her. She could hide things. There was Valio. She could hit things. There was Finley. They could think up theories, probably. There was Ares and the other one. She didn't really know them, but she figured more hands wouldn't hurt.\n\n\"Let's work together! I'm sure we could figure it out so much faster that way!\" Sort of. \"I can grab stuff we need. Evidence, that stuff. Anything. It's safe with me. They won't get close. 'Ley knows more about all this than the rest of us, so they're the brains. Valio can, uh, throw people, I guess? Doesn't matter! We're gonna figure out what's going on here. Who's in?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen couldn't help but grin a little into his mug. Strange company there, that was for sure, mildly unsettling in places, but he got a sense that he would be seeing a lot more of them after this, which made him happy. And maybe they would actually uncover some of the secrets of this place; his first few months had been spent idling, sleeping his nerves away in isolation. But now, he had found people sniffing the same trail that he found himself on, so why not join them? Can't stay holed up forever. \n\nValio was strangely nice to him, which was comforting even though she scared him just a little bit shitless; Mél had this magnetic current around her, one that drew his attention and compelled him to follow her rapidly zipping thought process; Finley, though a little difficult for him to read (then again, wasn't that everyone to him?), seemed twice as articulate as he was, sparks practically flashing from their eyes as they spoke; and Ares, the striking boy he couldn't quite make heads or tails of, equal parts annoyance and intrigue. \n\n\"I'm- I'm in, if you'll have me,\" He responded, finding the courage to perhaps insert himself where he wanted to be. \"I've seen too much at this point to just go about the next handful of years *(years)* Of my life with my head in the sand. Also, uh, maybe it'll get me out of my room a bit more.\" A nervous chuckle as the ether in the hand holding his mug jarred itself awake, passing through his skin and hardening into a glove of living red crystal. It made a pleasant *Clink*. \n\n\"Also, could I, uhm, have another couple marshmallows?\" Couldn't hurt to ask."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Oh yeah *God of War, Arrogant Blah Blah.*\" Ares mocked. \"Its a cool name, zip it Finny.\" His tone in person, despite still being bastard-like, was a lot more obviously lighthearted. Over the intranet those words would've sounded hostile. \n\nAres let his deep auburn eyes bounce between people as conversation continued. He couldn't deny his intrigue on the subject, even if he had never thought about it before. Even with their *Annoyingly stupid* Face, Something about Fin drew Ares' in. The boy wanted to know more about them, but the urge to dip his feet into the water was tantalizing. The thought left his mind almost as quickly as it came. *Whatever.* He took a sip of his drink and let his gaze fall into his cup for a moment, watching the puffy marshmallows swirl in an almost empty mug. He almost forgot about the dull sting in his finger tips. \n\nHis expression remained content yet confident, letting his back lean into the counter top. He tapped his foot slightly in unrest, but he definitely wasn't bored. The hum of Finley's words was quite nice to listen to. Their voice was soft yet sure, maybe they were *Boring* But they had some interesting thoughts. Ares' eyes raised from his glass and up to Mel. His eyes lit up, while a smirk pulled wider on his face. He raised his mug to his lips, tilted his head back and chugged the last bit. He slammed the cup onto the counter with a satisfying clink. \n_ _\n\n\"Hell yeah i'm in! Sounds like a shit ton of fun.\" \n\nHe chimed in. This group seemed like a good time. No harm in sticking around right? Its not like Ares had anything better to do. He looked to the rest of the group for their responses. It seemed everyone was pretty much on board. Ares' eyes scanned from Valio to Owen. Owen was... *Interesting.* Valio seemed to get along with Ares well, and could tolerate his behaviour. Mel was intriguing and Fin was increasingly interesting. This group was a riot, and Ares was always down to jump into anything head first. Plus, he got hot chocolate out of it. Consequences later."
}
] | 332 | 6,679 |
230.533333 | 2022-03-13 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio brought her eyes back from only the gods know where to the small yet loud part she'd invited. None of them were bad by any means but they certainly were a character. Valio knows they'd all stand out. Ares with his loud booming voice that seemed to penetrate when the thickest of walls, but genuinely seemed good of heart despite the sass. Finley whom she didn't get along with at first along with Melodie she hasn't talked to them much but she at least hopes she can get alone with them despite... Valio throwing Melodie off a roof. And, Owen the poor boy was seemingly in his own world and she doesn't blame him for it, a kind boy gods help the person that decides to hurt him. \n\nShe flicks her eye over to Owen listening to the question she almost missed. She gets up from her comfortable spot while grabbing a few marshmellows to give them to Owen. Before, going back to the spot she vacated she watches Ares lean his head back to chug the drink he'd been given. \n\"I'm glad you made that choice. You want some more hot chocolate? Or are you fine.\"\nShe asks the boisterous boy who's every step seems to jingle and bound with pride and confidence. He was bright as well as the others beaming with hopes and goals to achieve. She wished she could say the same. \n\nHer head tilted slightly to her right then snapped back up rejoining her into the present. This group was certainly going to be. Interesting. She genuinely hopes everything goes right but knowing how the dean's work somewhat there's bound to be something. But, at least she has fine company. They're enjoying themselves and thus that soothes her nervously bustling nerves. She can enjoy this, for now she has nice company."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Out at the tree line Raizel was examining a good spot where she is going to start building the makeshift chicken coop. She wore her leather jacket over her hoodie, simple jeans, boots and fingerless gloves. What stood out about her is her unusual mask and primitive jewelry. Rai would take out twine that she nabbed from Graham's class room before tying a border for the size of the yard. Then the girl begins to collect branches before setting them on a pile."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares had been doing a good amount of nothing pretty much all week after the small meet up with the group. A dull sting pulsed through his finger tips, he hadn't set down his guitar in hours. He definitely needed a distraction. The boy figured he might as well explore the woods around the facility instead. The crisp air filled his lungs, it was rather refreshing. \n\nThe grass crunched beneath Ares' confident strides. He leaned back as he walked, his hands stationary in the pockets of his sweatpants. He looked a tad more put together, with a chunky grey jacket slid over a comfortable black hoodie. Deep auburn eyes scanned the tree line and surrounding forestry. It didn't take long for *Someone* To catch his attention. Curiosity tugged in his mind, he had never seen this person before. Ares paused, stopping dead in his tracks about six feet away from the stranger. He cocked his head to the side in intrigue and let a smirk pull on his tan features.\n\n\"Oi. Whatcha doin?\" Ares' booming voice disturbed the serene of the *Almost* Empty woods. The masked face and small figure of the stranger stationed in front of him was definitely an element of interest. Bothering this random person far outweighed shredding the skin of his fingers on the unforgiving strings of his guitar."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel just dropped a heavy tree aside with a startled, girlish yelped when a voice suddenly burst behind her. She spun on her heel to turn and see a rather tall male with hunks of muscle. The dastardly expression on his cheeky face spelled mischief. Rai would find herself rattle her mask a bit as she quivered slightly. The first thing Ares would be greeted is by the freezing chill that surrounds Rai that felt close to winter itself. \"I-I-I... Uhh..\" Is all she said, feeling a single bead of sweat sliding down her temple. Her glowing orbs on her mask narrowed into upside crescent moons. \"N-Nothing... M-much..\" Rai stammered nervously as she shrugs her shoulders. Behind her the tree rolled down knocking over the pile of branches and stinks that gets scattered down a small hill. \"Just marking my t-territory.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares felt the temperature drop, a small shiver shot up his spine. He was far more adapted to heat, and despised the cold. Removing his hands from his pockets, he straightened out his jacket in an attempt to block out the chill. The boy figured it was just the wind.\n\nTaking a couple steps in the other person's direction, Ares' sharp curious gaze remained stationary on them. Under a furrowed brow, he almost looked angry if it wasn't for the lingering smirk. \n\n\"*Marking your territory?*\" Ares scoffed. \"Doesn't this dirt belong to the god awful facility.\" \n\nMockery weaved its way through Ares' already condescending punctuation. Something kept it from bordering malice, but he wasn't exactly a pair of open arms. Ares could feel the unease in the stranger. This was of no surprise to him, if anything it was more surprising when someone *Wasn't* Intimidated by the tall boy. \n\nBy this point, Ares' was far closer to the stranger now. Surveying the miscellaneous sticks scattered about in between the blades of grass that met the tree line. As well as the person itself, Ares was curious what the deal with the mask was."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"T-to be put b-bluntly, I am doing s-something on th-their grounds,\" Raizel said, taking a step aside to get some space from the other. \"And t-to be fair... They took me away f-from my home and c-can't expect me to act the way they want me to,\" She said, walking around Ares to go gather the sticks to go make a pile again. Raizel is always nervous near new people until she learn to cope with them. \"I'm m-making something a-and they can't stop me.\" Her tone sounds quite determine when she takes out her large bone knife from her coat as she begins to trim the branches off the tree. \"This p-place is boring... The sc-school is use to destruction from students... I'm doing something the op-opposite of that... I wanna build something interesting... N-new.\" She chucks the branches aside as she cuts them off from the stump. \"C-Can't fit in with the others so why not d-do my own thing?\" After she trims the tree, Rai would place it aside before working on another one."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares tapped his foot lightly against the grass as he watched the thin figure scurry around the small clearing with the same *\"Confidence\"* As a barn mouse. The way the stranger spoke felt like sand paper gritting against his ears. A part of him wondered if they always spoke with such uncertainty, or were just incredibly upset by Ares' intimidating presence. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek before speaking again.\n\n\"Sounds boring. Who are you anyways? Do you always speak like that?\"\n\nAres didn't seem to have a filter, nor did he slow on the questions. He asked and said what he wanted, despite any ideals or comforts of the people around him. A Puerto Rican accent fell obviously between syllables but his english was recognizable. Ares' relaxed posture remained, contrasting the fidgety nervous figure in front of him. His sharp eyes ran from their feet up to their face, the item of attention was the full face mask. He rolled his eyes and wandered closer to the stranger.\n\nHe leaned down to meet his face closer to the shorter figure, and flicked the forehead of the mask with his finger. The hard material rang through his hand and he wondered what the purpose of such a freakish thing was. A curious smirk fell on his lips, and he straightened back upwards, returning to his usual tall frame. \n\n\"Whats with the mask?\" Nothing about his tone was genuine."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Uh... Wh-who am I? Canadian.\" She scurries about working while the tall, foreboding figure stood there watching her. \"Er... Y-yeah? I-I-I'm working on it, okay!\" Raizel sounded flustered as she glance over her shoulder at him while cutting the branches off the stump. Then her attention turns back to her work, not realizing the person stepping closer behind her. \"I-It's not easy t-talking!\" Raizel was sawing the branches off until she felt something hit her forehead. \"Gah!?\" It made a hollowed echo from the flick that slightly made her head swing back slightly. The tree trunk fell to the ground before rolling away. \"H-Hey! Wh-what g-gives?!\" She held the sides of her mask to adjust it place. \"W-Would you a-ask a N-North American Indian why th-they wear a mask?\" Rai squints at him suspiciously. \"Got it from my dead mom.\" She waddles around him now looking confused wondering where she put the tree that she dropped. \"Hnnn... Where it go now?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares cackled. It was a booming sound that echoed across the grass and seeped into the thick wood of the surrounding trees. He made no attempt to hide the amusement he got from seeing a reaction in someone else. It was *Fun.* After flicking the mask, he took a step back from the person who still had not given him a name. Leaning back on his heels slightly, he took a closer look at what the sticks were for. After a few seconds he decided he didn't care.\n\n\"Woah chill.\" Ares put his hands up all dramatic, as if to plead his innocence, before laughing once again. \"Nah I mean like, why do you wear it.\"\n\nAres let out a yawn, he stretched his arms up high and felt his chest pull tight. The echoing breath reverberated through his ribs while he let his heavy hands fall back into his pocket. Running his tongue over his teeth in unrest, Ares felt boredom seep its way back into his brain. He *Despised* Boredom and every unappealing aspect that followed alongside it. He couldn't help but feel this interaction was achieving the opposite of what he wanted. Although, Ares could admit it was hilarious seeing them get all worked up over a small flick."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel was reaching out for the log before pausing for a second, then leaves it as she turns to him. \"I feel comfortable going out with it on... I-its one of the things I have left,\" Rai said, putting away her bone knife in its sheath. \"C-Came from a forgotten village that is now cl-claimed by stupid outsiders. They put a lot of my things in museums.\" Rai scoffed at that part. \"Then Mutant Cradel happened.\" Then she glances at Ares. \"S-So what clan are you from?\" From her point of view, Ares didn't look Puerto Rican at all, just another fellow native from another territory. There was a strong, immense curiosity from Rai when she looks at him hopefully."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares tilted his head to look at the person again. Despite the boredom weighing heavy on his brain, he couldn't help but watch the way she moved around the wood. It was unsure, quite the contrast to the attitude that surrounded Ares. He had nothing better to do, so might as well observe and bother someone. How unfortunate for Rai, she was target number one. \n\nHer words fell upon deaf ears, Ares definitely wasn't paying attention. Only tuning back in when something he deemed interesting sparked. The knife she held drew his mind in. The way it dug into the wood with strong steady slices captivated him for a moment. Ares had an innate curiosity for knives, having a switchblade himself, he watched the blade move across the bark before being returned to the sheath. \n\n\"Clan?\" Ares let a laugh fall out from under his breath. \"Im not from any clan, i'm from Puerto Rico. What kind of damn question-\" He trailed off. The same persistent smirk shaping each of his confident words.\n\nHe let his eyes meet the gaze of the other person. On top of unease, he could feel the curiosity practically radiating off of her. Why did she care where he was from? *How annoying,* His brain pestered."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Puuerto... Rico? Where is that? I never heard of the place before?\" Raizel asked, tilting her head as she gave him a glance. \"So... Your native t-type is Puerto Rico...?\" Rai is trying to make sense of it now. \"D-Did the residential school ruined your linage?\" Then her tone suddenly softens. \"Oh... You poor thing..\" Raizel now felt incredibly bad for him. \"L-Look, I c-could try help you get in touch with y-your native roots. L-Let's go kill something.\" Rai was serious on the last part."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares let his mouth fall slightly ajar in genuine shock with the words that were coming out of this persons mouth. He blinked a couple times in her direction. *Were they dumb? Stupid even?* His mind could only spew insults. He leaned back and let out another laugh, it was a laugh of mockery. Far from genuine humour. \n\n\"*Poor thing? What?* Im not native.\" Ares scoffed \"And what? You don't know where Puerto Rico is? Did you fail elementary school or somethin? Its in the Caribbean Islands. Yknow near Mexico? Dumbass-\" Ares rolled his eyes a little before turning around on his heels to wander around the little clearing. \n\nHe stopped for a minute, and tilted his head back to look at them. Weirdo. What was their deal? A part of the boy's brain tugged at him to return to his dorm. Another part wanted to see where this would go."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel looked just as shocked as Ares. \"Wh-What?! You're not!? How!?\" This was a first time hearing that there are other types of people out there. From her perspective there was four colors like on the medicine real representing types of people? That's what she heard from someone in the village? Unless that's all a lie!!!? \"B-Barely? Y-you're asking this from s-someone who isn't like other students here, okay!\" Raizel could feel her face spike red hot with embarrassment underneath her mask. \"Aaaaagh! There's so many countries and people!\" This is a moment of realization that she has so much to learn still. She couldn't help herself from covering her eyes behind her gloved hands."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares watched the behaviour shift in the other person. He felt the franticness in her tone. *What was she on?* Ares rocked back in forth on his heels slightly as the other spoke. In one ear out the other. The dull throb of pain remained pulsing through his fingers as they rested comfortably in his pockets. Unlike the meet up last week, this interaction didn't make him forget about his callouses at all. Quite the opposite of what he was aiming to achieve. Ares' gaze, the same eyes that could practically shoot daggers at anyone who looked his way, continued to survey the strange character. Curiosity tugging in his mind. Their behaviours were interesting.\n\n\"What on earth are you talking about.\" He laughed. \"God this is boring,\" The boy sighed. Stretching his arms above him once more, before pulling them down to crack his knuckles.\n\nAres turned around on his heels, and with a salute began walking in the direction in which he came. The same confident strides carrying him across the empty clearing. Far away from some of the stranger inhabitants of this facility. Without even learning the others name, Ares was off. Back doing his own thing.\n\n\"Good luck with what you're building.\" He called back in their direction, a laugh leaving his chest as he trailed off back towards the dorm buildings. Ares would definitely be thinking about this for a while to come. Something about her behaviour seemed familiar? Although, Ares knew he would never forget a face like that. No one else in the school wore a mask like that."
}
] | 242 | 3,458 |
370.545455 | 2022-03-14 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "```[unpausing scene from 3/12: the conspiracy club's first meeting]```\n\nFinley, truthfully, despised nicknames, most of the time. They'd worked hard to settle on the name Finley, going through many awkward transitions of names that they currently hid in the back of old journals tucked away in their old room, little jabs from old friends, but nothing that had followed them to NC. Their deadname encroached on their transition to the Cradle, shut down quickly by both they and family, met with hasty apologies and quick corrections for the most part. \n\nBut, Ares, for whatever reason, didn't bother them quite as much. In fact, they almost smiled, quickly burying it behind another sip of hot chocolate. \n\nThe group seemed... On board with what they had to say. They all seemed to want to know more about their theories. It tugged on some place in their chest that wanted friends - and now seemed to be receiving them. Ares, the firework, bursting with light and life, Valio, a stronghold with gentle undertones, Owen, the musician who seemed to keep things going, and Mel, who Finley had, somehow, befriended the longest. A faint smile pulled at the sides of their mouth. \nThey realized then that they might just be able to tell these people what they'd been up to this whole time. Perusing the classrooms when they were empty, squinting a little too long down 'prohibited hallways', letting themself linger in areas they know that was best for them not to be.\n\n\n\"If you're all invested,\" They said, clearing their throat to loosen the chocolate, \"I did have a thing or two planned. I believe there might be microphones in the common areas, and I aim to find out if there is. Do you want to help me?\"\n\nTheir blue eyes glittered with a kind of excitement, their grin barely contained. Newton's Cradle had its secrets, and would continue to, but Finley was a special sort of nosey that pried their way into every sort of mishap or mishandling. It had led to them being here, and, it seemed, would lead to them getting out of here (eventually). \n\n\"I also don't trust a load of what they've said about them giving us job training after graduation. Were any of us even told what we need to graduate? There's no way. There's no way they don't plan on doing something with us - you can't just assemble this many people, teach them, and let them go after you're done - when will we know when they're 'done', anyway?\" \n\nFinley was rambling by this point, standing out of their chair to pace back and forth. If the group hung around long enough, they'd come to recognize how their voice tilted in a brisk, but articulate way whenever they began to talk like this.\n\n\"What qualifies someone with a record as being done with an equally criminal education? Who is setting the rules here? How did they even get the funding to create this in the first place? There's no way even the UN doesn't know we're here, right?\"\n\nThey stopped, making eye contact with Ares, turning pink in the ears as they realized they'd gotten carried away. The pacing stopped.\n\"You know what I mean, don't you?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The tension in the room was palpable. Everyone was deadly quiet when Finley finished talking, trying to take in everything - even Mel, who never ever shuts up. *This is really weird,* Mel thought. *Feels wrong.*\n\nBecause of course it did. Silence was something Mel had barely known for years on end. If no one else was making noise, *She* Was. Right? That was normal. That felt like normal.\n\nSo why wasn't she saying anything?\n\nShe had been ripped from her home, she knew that much. Ripped from a vacation, actually. Sent to a concrete building in a foreign country, apparently for \"Rehabilitation\". And it seemed to be getting sketchier by the minute. But all of that fit comfortably at the back of her mind, somehow. She was just trying to process it anyway. Some of it was showing on her face, too - quiet, distinctly not-Mel-like thought.\n\nAfter a bit of deliberation, she decided to stop trying. Almost immediately, her brain was vacant again, and she was the first to break the silence, just like everyone expected.\n\n\"Uhhhh, not really!\" She joked, pulling out her phone and turning on the camera, \"Could you say all that again?\" The cheeky grin on her face would probably have been miles wide if not constrained by the physical realm. And that was okay with her."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The minuscule yet swift changes in the air spiked more disjointed shots of energy through Owen's body, adding his other leg to his anxious drum solo. He was going faster than the music in his ear now; he skipped a couple of songs discretely, landing on a much more energetic song to match his nerves. There were many thoughts simmering in his head, but none had quite boiled over enough to be said. His brow furrowed absentmindedly as he tried to hurry one along. A part of him was thankful for Mél's oddly-placed humour; the ability to break up the silence with some desperately needed fun was not one he had been blessed with.\n\n\"It's all so much more real when you say it out loud,\" He mused, his soft voice more than enough to bristle the hairs on the backs of necks in the suddenly near-silent kitchen. \"I've always preferred to keep my world small, but.. So much is slipping out of my fingers now and it's bigger that I've wanted to think and- and I wouldn't know where to start making sense of it.\" Nervously tilting his head back to drip the last little mouthful of hot cocoa down his throat, he thought some more about what he'd been trying to banish for the time being. \n\n\"I keep thinking that I'll wake up at home, power-less and safe, but I never do, and..\" His eyes darted to a spot on the floor to avoid the others' as his red-gloved hand *Clinked* On his mug. Quiet was evidently too much for him, little though he spoke, and so he wrapped his little cacophony around himself as a shield to the bouncing echoes in his head. \n\n\"I'm scared,\" He concluded, pressing his mouth into a grim line to avoid saying anything else. *Was that too much at once?* Surely, fear wasn't unheard of here. He was a child, still afraid of the dark, hands gripping the nightlight in the inky hallway, turning to see if the footsteps behind him were eldritch beast or ally; eyes opened impossibly wide, despite what they feared they would see."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Aye, That'd be nice.\" Ares gave Valio a smile, it had undertones of genuineness laced beneath the normal bastard expression. He slid his empty cup over in her direction, the ceramic glided effortlessly across the countertop. Ares then returned his attention to the rest of the group. He could feel things getting *Tense* The more and more Finley talked. Ares let out a laugh at Mel's attempt to keep things light. It was a booming sound, well matched with the rest of his firecracker personality. Something in Ares' mind felt a hint of solidarity with the blonde girl. \n\n\"Yeah Fin, didn't catch a single thing.\" Ares was *Obviously* Joking. The devilish smirk pulled up on his tan features was more than enough to show that. He let himself laugh once more. The atmosphere had already lightened up, that is until Owen started talking again. Ares let his gaze fall on the red head, and felt the nervousness in his tone. Ares leaned on the counter and tiled his head when he spoke.\n_ _\n\n\"Oy *Acho,* No need to be scared. I'll gladly beat up anything that tries to fuck with us.\" Ares pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek while he paused to think of what else he could say. He wasn't a fan of the atmosphere in the room.\n\n\"It's all a bit much don't you think?\" \n\nHe said, looking at no one in particular. A small chuckle ending his sentence. Ares seemed to have a habit of addressing everyone when he spoke. His loud tone was more than enough suited for such a thing. The way his words fell out through a smile showed how unbothered Ares truly was. Unlike Owen or Finley who seemed to be jittery with anxiety, Ares was simply there for the conversation. Leaning back like all of this information was yesterday's news."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio nodded to Ares refilling his cup with the beverage she'd made too much of. She noticed his tone was underlined with a genuine spark she didn't think would come out of the fire-esq boy but, well she usually isn't pleasantly surprised but here she is. It's nice to know that the kid seemed to me nice and not just all macho to make himself seem better than everyone else, only the gods know that she has had enough of that. Overall everyone in the room seemed pleasant but, she couldn't be too sure, time was bound to change somebody. \n\nValio looked at Owen with a furrowed brow while giving Ares his refilled drink. There was a soft heavy rumble in the back of her throat before she spoke, as if mulling over her words before she spoke them.\n \"It's too much at once that you feel like you have to sit still and try not to scream. A small world burst open by a faulty mistake. I- well the most you can really do it have company that you feel safe around. Dare I say I hope you'll be comfortable around us, sooner or later.\"\n She spoke with a soft smile, she hoped she could soothe whatever homesick ache he'd acquired. Or it could be said to anybody in this room if they'd felt the same. \n\"Remember if you need me I'm mostly close.\"\n She said with a tone of joke and underlining worry, speaking to both nobody and everyone.\n\n. \n\nShe took her cup and set it aside intertwining her fingers as she looked at her gloves. She rubbed the leather fabric together idly. \n\"Well find everything out due time I assure you ain't if not? I'll protect you if you feel scared, overwhelmed.\"\n Again assuring the group that she was again there. She was worried, they're just children and they're coming with baggage and fear that they'll never see those they found to be family ever again. She understood that sentiment but only some what, it was all jumbled anyway. Her eye narrowed as she looked at Finley. The kid seemed to not realize what was too much to talk about but, who could know that they were pushing buttons that hit unwanted areas. So much for something soothing.\n\nShe looked at Owen her eye flickering to his cup. \n\"Owen. Want some more hot chocolate?\" \nShe feels like she'll be asking that question a lot, she woes."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley caught Valio's looks and stilled, the expression on her face knocking them down to earth again. They quietly sat down, shrinking back in their chair, fingers landing on the top of their book again. They mumbled an apology, rubbing the sides of their arms. As per usual, they were cold. Anemia seemed to do that to a person, a permanent sense of cold.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" They said, trying for the most apologetic tone they could manage. \"I don't mean to freak anyone out. I apologize. I just, ah...\" They aimed for an explanation of sorts and grappled at straws. \"I suppose it's just of more interest to me than it should be.\"\nThey pulled their feet into the chair, resting their chin on their knees.\n\n*Way to go, Fin.*"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The atmosphere was still awkward. Apparently Mel couldn't really save it.\n\nEveryone seemed quite down about the whole thing. The whole... Well, Finley had basically just told them all they were going to be severely abused, so perhaps it was understandable. Mel couldn't really get herself to feel a lot about it, but she wasn't tone-deaf enough to be too loud. She went to grab more hot chocolate without saying much.\n\nThe mug was warm, and the chocolate felt more bitter than before. Things tended to taste worse, feel worse, in situations like this. It was sort of like a substitute for the emotions Mel was probably supposed to be feeling.\n\nStill, Finley seemed to be feeling quite down, and Mel figured she should probably do something about that, but... She hadn't been able to the first time. She'd noticed Fin looking at the new guy... Ares, his name was. Ares. Maybe he could help! Yeah, seemed like Fin would probably wanna hear something from him.\n\nShe walked up and quickly prodded Ares in the back, before silently gesturing toward the rather distraught-looking Finley, as if to say 'go talk to them'. Everyone was having a rough time, Mel included, and as she sipped her chocolate, she quietly led herself fade back into thinking awful, confusing thoughts about her situation.\n\nIt wasn't like she had anything better to do."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Yes. Please.\" Owen accepted Valio's concerned offer of more hot chocolate, peeling himself off of the couch one limb at a time. His demeanour shifted slightly when Finley apologized for getting carried away; his head swivelled faster than he'd moved all evening, evidently stirred from his funk by something more pressing. \n\n\"Nah- no, you're bloody right to be concerned,\" He blurted, determined not to be misunderstood. \"This place is, it's-\" *A frustrated gesture,* \"It's bizarre, and I'd say you're well within reason to be sniffing out every trail you can find.\" His hand shook ever so slightly as he spooned more hot chocolate into his mug. \"Beats running around like a headless chicken, anyway.\" \n\nA light snort escaped his nose as the edges of his lips curled upward ever so slightly. The room was still a little too quiet and unfamiliar to start laughing at his own jokes."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares graciously took the second cup of hot chocolate. The warmth of the mug pulsed through his seemly always sore fingers once again. He raised the glass to his lips and took a large sip, nearly downing over half of the drink in one go. The boy couldn't deny the satisfyingly rich taste of the chocolate, and how well it was made. \n\nA nudge in the back made Ares set down the cup with a hint of surprise. His eyes turned over his shoulder and followed Mel as she walked, surveying her for any reason behind the gesture. It didn't take long for Ares to connect the dots, and his sharp auburn eyes darted over to Finley. They had pulled their legs up to their chest and rested their chin on their knees, a rather solemn look on their features. The gears started turning in Ares' mind, and he didn't take even a second to consider whether this was a good idea or not.\n\nAres looped two fingers under the handle of his mug, scooping the drink off the countertop and made his way over to where Finley was sitting. He adjusted one of his sleeves on his way up, and a couple of confident strides carried him to the seat right beside them. Ares' confident smile never seemed to falter, back home that was more than annoying to many. With his free hand, Ares pulled out the chair and sat down. He let himself get comfortable, before nudging Finley in the shoulder with his own. The same genuine undertones visible under his bastard demeanour if you looked hard enough.\n\n\"*Why* Does this interest you?\" He took a sip of his drink. \"Seems rather stressful.\" \n\nAres gestured vaguely at the rest of the group with a small tip of his mug, the tense atmosphere hung heavily on everyone other than Mel and Ares. He let his gaze fall expectantly on Finley as he awaited an answer, before swiftly taking another sip. At this rate, Ares would singlehandedly finish the entire pot. He figured Valio would appreciate Ares taking care of the leftovers problem."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio's eye widened slightly but still retaining it's low lidded state. She'd made a mistake how could she have not? Valio sinks back into the counter more looking to the window again. Any input from her would most likely make it worse.\n \"It's alright, Finley. It's just that... We are just meeting.\"\nShe speaks in a soft tone but it will fall upon deaf ears. She shouldn't have looked at them that way. She purses her lips before taking the mug she'd left out and putting it outside the room, Rai, she'd said she wanted some. \n\nShe seconds what they all say it's just that. Forget it. She seems to be nervous once more. They'd just met and it all is just, too heavy for a first meeting. She walks back to her little place on the counter hunching slightly. She folds her arms before looking off somewhere. \n\"You have a right to what you say. Continue.\" \nShe waves her hand in an off gesture beckoning them to continue. She's worrying too much about so little when there are bigger things around her than she'll ever be. \n\nShe looks down at the palm of her gloved hand again starting up to rub the fabric again. This just seems out of her reach but, who's to say she can't grab at it anyway? She bruised her other hand to weave through her thick strands of hair, pushing it back to show more of her eye patch before it once again falls over it like foliage. \n\nIt would be better if she just sat back for this right now. And so she does, she leans into the cabinet behind her with an almost whisper-like sigh."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley's eyes darted from Ares to Valio and back again. Ares was, of course, a subject of interest, and his arrival startled them from their (somewhat) mope. Their face turned a few shades of pink. Rarely did anyone sit so close to them. He did have very nice hair- Ahem.\n\n\"No, no, it's alright. I shouldn't have said anything. I tend to just- I get carried away, I suppose. It's good to reel myself back in sometimes, you know. I apologize, again.\"\n\nThey took another moment to sip their hot chocolate again. \n\n\"The drink is very good by the way,\" They said, turning their gaze back to Valio, something sheepish in their shrug. \"I'm sure we're not on the best footing, but I do appreciate it nonetheless.\" \nA hair tie sits lone on one wrist. Finley took it and started winding up their blond hair in a short little sprig on the back of their head. \n\n\"Owen, isn't it? You were the one who liked the same music as me.\" Finley let an amused smile start to come to life across their face. \"You know, there is a drumset around here somewhere - I haven't played in a few weeks, but it can't be that hard to revisit it. If you want, we could figure out a cover or two. I used to do them a lot.\""
}
] | 347 | 4,076 |
340.384615 | 2022-03-19 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "[Kitchen.]\n\n◇ Even halfway across the world, River found solace in the welcoming embrace of a kitchen.\n\n□ Strolling through the doors of the prison kitchen, she initially wasn't even sure if she was allowed to be here. It wasn't the same one as the kitchen the cooks used to serve their slop to the prison, so it should have been fine to use, but she was a worrywart at heart, so even as she strolled in and felt that comforting sir descend upon her there was an undercurrent of uncertainty. \n\n▪︎ Well, if it wasn't meant to be used then why was it even here?\n\n◇ Setting down her half-empty energy drink on the kitchen table, her stomach rumbled lightly, a gentle yet firm reminder that she was hungry. Now, what to eat...? She hadn't done any groceries, and didn't even know what was stocked in the cupboards and fridge, so she set off inspecting, crawling on counters and poking her head in the fridge. Hopefully she'd be able to whip up something decent."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Was she even allowed to be here *Now*?\n\nWhatever the answer, Margarita strolled to the common room's kitchen at this ungodly hour early in the morning, unsure of what lurks in the shadows of the prison at... More or less 2 in the morning. A guard? Maybe. Not very likely; they had a little to no guards in the entire place and she was pretty sure they wouldn't waste some of it in patrolling the dormitories and public facilities.\n\nWhich were open pretty much 24/7 anyways.\n\nInstead of a guard, or a concerned Madame Pernilla about to lecture her on sleep schedules, the Italian found instead this newer kid, exploring the contents of the cabinets and the refrigerator, most likely in an attempt to cook something up.\n\n\"Oh, uh, *Buongiorno* (`good morning`).\" She exclaimed, slightly surprised that someone was even up. \"Need any help finding something to eat? There are biscuits and stuff on the cupboards above.\" Her obviously southern Italian accent was present, but her English was better than most in her class. In Italy, of course; the one who might've been wondering about Margarita's fate.\n\nWalking up to the cupboards, Stretch's legs... Stretched, for a lack of a better word, until she was at eye level with the top cabinets' upper shelves, shuffling things around until she located and retrieved an already opened box of mini chocolate chip cookies she had hidden beforehand; the best snack to ever be conceived by anyone.\n\nAs her legs shrunk back into their normal length, she popped into her mouth two of the little things.\n\n\"Want some?\" Margarita questioned, chewing quietly, her hand inside the box while the other was (quite literally) wrapped around it."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Eep!\" Not at all expecting company at this hour, she initially thought she'd been caught breaking some sort of curfew so she scurried off the counter and pressed her back to its lip. Instead, she was met with a much taller girl, about her age, and it was only half the relief it should have been. Why? Because the other girl was tall. \"Uh... Sorry. Whoops. Thought you were a guard or something about to whoop me for being out of my room this late, heck... Wait, what are you doing?\"\n\n□ Just as she'd accepted that she wasn't in trouble and instead just in the presence of another prisoner, said prisoner strolled to the fridge and hit the go-go gadget extendolegs, rising up to the highest cabinet and digging out what soon revealed itself to be a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies. Shaking her head, she couldn't quite bring herself to make eye contact wifh the other, instead hiding her dusted cheeks behind an angular gaze at the floor, then hiding it in the fridge.\n\n▪︎ What did she even want to eat at this time of night...?\n\n◆ \"Oh, uh. Nah, I'll be fine! Thanks, though.\" Well, at least the other girl had offered. Digging through the fridge, she found herself frowning lightly at the selection of food, but at the same time she also found herself questioning why she'd expected a perfectly stocked kitchen. Even with this place focused on reformation, it seemed a bit out of budget to hand over the highest quality ingredients to a group who, by large, likely didn't know how to cook. \"Bleh... Anyways, I should be able to find whatever I need! Hopefully. Yeah... Anyhoo, what'cha doin' up this late?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Oh, no, there's very little guards in this place and I'm pretty sure they're all in the guard room... Somewhere in here or the outside patrolling near the walls and gates. Don't worry about them, they're mostly fine. Mostly.\" She shuddered on the inside as she remembered the two incidents of her arm getting tied up tight like shoelaces. She noticed the other's shyness once she was done with her party trick, but quickly paid it no attention; they just probably felt weirded out by her ability.\n\n\"Ya sure? Suit yourself.\" She said, popping three more into her mouth as her shoulders shrugged. As she sat on one of the counters away from the fridge, she watched the other prisoner scavenge the fridge for a while longer, Margarita unable to help it as she let her neck lose its rigidity and elongated it over to the other kid, her closer view allowing her to get a better look. \"Uh... Yeah, you gotta go get groceries by yourself if you want it stocked. Learned it by myself the hard way.\"\n\nLetting her head seemingly float backwards, her noodle neck now looped and bent on itself, not retracting even a single centimetre even as she yielded some more space. \"Uhh... Nothing, really. I couldn't fall asleep for hours now, so I decided I might as well snack on something.\n\nWonder what they thought about her unnecessarily-elongated three or four metre neck?"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, I'm... I'm seeing that.\" She softly chuckled, pulling out some mustard and a single onion. \"Jeez, yeah, it's not great in there, huh? Oh well, I guess. Anyhoo, you said there's no-!\"\n\n□ It had been one thing to see the other girl's legs stretch out like bungee cords. She'd figured in the moment that it was the extent of her powers, legs that could stretch and reform themselves, but once she looked to the side and saw a disembodied head mere inches away from hers the scream that left her throat was natural. Dropping to the ground like a cinder block, she smacked the back of her head against the refrigerator with a surprised yelp, also wincing lightly due to how hard she'd dropped onto her bony butt.\n\n▪︎ Cons of being built like a sheet of paper, she figured.\n\n◆ \"Jeez, dude, gimme a warning before you scare me like that!\" Laughing, she took a few good deep breaths between bubbles of nervous laughter, her distinctly deep voice translating into her laughs like it was nothing. \"You must be made outta, like, frigging clay or something, holy! Gee... Anyways, uh... Hoo. Yeah, I feel that. My sleep schedule's all out of wack since I got sent here, so it's been a lot of sleepless nights.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Reflexively yanking her head back even more, she winced as the other kid went into slight shock and panic and dropped onto the ground, hitting their head too.\n\n\"Fuck me- oh dear- I am so, *So* Sorry!\" She exclaimed as the rest of her body behind her jumped into action and ran towards river to help, her neck slinking back accordingly.\n\nWas she and her powers that creepy?\n\nStill, even though she was... Completely normal at this point, she sat beside the kid and checked the back of their head for any injuries or anything at all.\n\n\"Well... More rubber than clay, but you're close.\" She remarked, offering an outstretched hand to help the other kid get up as she herself stood up, her 5\"11' figure towering over the other. \"Ah, I see, I see. Jet lag, as you've mentioned and all. You'll be fine, just get some good rest.\"\n\n*Note to self: don't rubberneck too close.*"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"No, no, it's fine! It's just...\" She pleaded, rubbing the back of her head and instinctively trying her best to dissuade any worries about her well-being. \"Frig, dude, you scared the daylights out of me! How do you even stretch like that?\"\n\n□ Powers seemed the most obvious explanation, but part of her wanted to hear it from the source, from the gal who'd scared the wits out of her and caused her to collapse to the ground in a panic. Maybe it was juvenile, but she herself was more or less just a kid, so she could be forgiven for it, she hoped. Rising to her feet, she gently rubbed the back of her skull, then patted the seat of her pyjama pants down to make sure she hadn't seriously bruised or fractured anything in the fall. Satisfied with what she felt, she looked back over at the girl, who she now had a full scope of the height of.\n\n▪︎ Yet another tall girl, huh? Her feeble gay heart couldn't handle this right after a certain clown had nearly killed her with kindness and also an intoxicating amount of height. She sure had her type.\n\n◆ \"Oh, yeah... Fair enough. Is that your power? Just... Rubber? Stretchy?\" She'd hum a bit between each phrase, bottom lip subtly jutting out with each noise she made. \"Anyways, whatever it is, that freaked me right out, yeesh! Anyhoo, uh... Yeah. Jet lag is a pain and the Tylenol I've taken isn't enough to subdue it.\" She'd groan, though clearly it was a light-hearted remark. \"Did you have to deal with it as well?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Oh, that? Again, I'm so, so *So* Sorry for that...\"\n\nRetracting her hand to herself, she just took a step back, rubbing the back of her own neck out of slight stress as she watched the kid get up and dust themselves off. She noticed the oversized clothing and wondered: was she eating well?\n\nNow that they were mere metres away from each other, the height difference became even more apparent. She must've seemed like a giant compared to them; they look like they haven't eaten a thing for days and stood at about 160 centimetres! That and she didn't know how to react to them when they blushed just a tad bit as they looked at her tall stature.\n\n\"Oh, uh,\" Snapping back to reality, she looked around for anything to grab. \"Yeah, that's... Pretty much the simple explanation, yeah.\" Stepping to the side and locating the box of cookies, she threw her left arm and elongated way beyond the sleeve of her jacket, ceasing only when her hand made contact with the box. With a firm purchase on it, she let her seemingly boneless arm slink back to herself, her arm returning to its normal length and rigid state in no time, complete with bones and an elbow joint. \"That makes me a human rubber band.\"\n\n\"Jet lag? Where'd you come from for you to... You know, justify taking Tylenol?\" She asked, returning to her cookie galore as the other complained. \"No, I hail from Italy; I didn't move time zones but there was some fatigue, *Sí*.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"No, it's fine! Just... Heck. Anyhoo.\"\n\n□ Now back to her feet and a bit more awake due to the fright she'd just received, she let out a nervous chuckle and stepped back with the stuff she'd found: standard yellow mustard, some sausages, a bottle of green relish dangerously close to its expiration date. Even if all she had to work with for bread was standard American wonder bread she still felt as if she had a shot at a half decent snack with the limited accoutrements in front of her. Nabbing a non-stick pan and some vegetable oil en lieu of canola, she set the pan on medium heat and turned back to the other gal.\n\n▪︎ Of course, though, she'd been listening the whole time.\n\n◆ \"Anyhoo, that's pretty nifty! Seems like it'd be a lot more useful than, well... Seeing auras and having visions and all that junk.\" She sheepishly muttered, almost as if her powers were a point of embarrassment. \"But yeah, I flew in from Newark, New Jersey! Eight hour flight, no WiFi... No complimentary peanuts. It was just melancholic boredom. Hated every moment of it...\" She trailed off, swirling the oil around slightly. \"You're Italian? That's sweet! My dad's from Italy, immigrated when he was nineteen or so, really wishes he could go back but he's kinda rooted by my mom's law practice and his own work running his restaurant. I always kinda feel bad when he drunkenly laments his choice to come to America, but... I dunno. What's it like there?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Uh... Yeah, it's got its uses. A lot, really. Except for the fact that other people can tie you up...\" She remarked as she put down her snack box, grabbing her right arm with the other and twisting up until the entire thing, seemingly devoid of bones or an elbow joint, resembled a wound-up rope just to hammer in the entire point of her powers: inhuman flexibility, pliability, and elasticity.\n\nLetting her hand go, her arm untwisted itself automatically but remained boneless; Margarita meanwhile listening closely to her new acquaintance. \"Eugh, sounds tough. I just got to a five-and-a-half-hour flight from Naples to Stockholm; didn't change even a single time zone. Welcome to Europe, by the way.\" She jokingly mentioned. \"Where you can drive through three countries and still use the same time.\"\n\n\"Oh, that's great to hear; are they doing good? Other than the... You know.\" Meeting a fellow Italian... Well, a distant descendant of an Italian was always welcome, even though that meant that they were completely American. Still, there had to be *Something*.\n\n\"Uhm... It's... It's all... Cold last time I was there; probably slightly warmer now. Lemme check.\" She pulled up her phone and checked to be sure. \"It's... Nine C right now over at Naples with a chance of rain. Otherwise? It's fine. Food's good, life's good, I kinda miss it.\"\n\nWell... She left out quite abit about herself, but after having talked about it with Pernilla? It's probably best she didn't say a word about it and keep her gloves on."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Heh.\" She snickered, almost gremlin-like in tone. \"You've got pretzel-able arms, huh?\"\n\n□ Now, she had no intentions of actually taking the girl's arms and twirling them into knots. She knew that, judging from how thin and bony her arms were, she'd have just made a fool of herself and pissed the other girl off, but it wasn't going to stop her from making off-handed cheeky remarks about it. Keeping one eye on the pan, she wasn't so much looking for a sign of good temp as she was looking for a good *Sound,* But with conversation happening the gentle pop and sizzle of vegetable oil coming up to temp would have got lost.\n\n▪︎ So, she just looked at it; if she saw even a bit or smoke then that'd be a sign she'd let it get too hot.\n\n◆ \"Oh yeah, Dad's doing great. Two-star Michelin restaurant, nice house in the suburbs, him and Mom love each other dearly... Sure, both myself and my brother are hellions, but can you blame us? Well, not me at least. Basil's a heroin addict...\" From the pinnacle to the pit in less than five seconds. It was a bit of a sore point, having seen her brother go from a bright, scrappy kid to a melancholic drugged out poet, and if anything it'd done more to steer her away from drugs than any DARE campaign that had came to her schools back home. \"Yeah... Anyways. Nine degrees Celsius...? What's that in...\" She hummed, digging her phone out and inputting the numbers into a converter.\n\n• \"Gee, that's only like forty eight Fahrenheit! That's cold, yeesh...\" She shivered at the thought. \"But if you ever want a taste of home I could make you some Italian food! Dad runs an Italian-Carribbean fusion restaurant, and I learned to cook from him, so... I could probably make it hit the right notes? Probably.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Haha, yeah, they've been pretzel'd for about... Three times now.\" She chuckled at the thought despite all three times being... Probably the least comfortable she's ever been. \"I mean... To be fair, all three times I've been handcuffed and all three times I just slipped my hands through them, so... Kinda my fault too haha.\"\n\nKnots. Probably her greatest enemy at the moment next to bland food.\n\n\"Oh, your dad runs a two Michelin-star restaurant? That's cool as shit though!\" Then the downsides. Every family's gotta have one huh? \"Hey, cheer up. I'm in here for pedalling coke and for... This.\" She raised her arm and pulled back her shirt sleeve, waving her hand normally. \"I'm sure he's got more of a chance to fix himself up than me... Even if I wanted to go back.\"\n\nSo much for keeping quiet about it.\n\n\"A-anyways, uh,\" She cleared her throat, \"Yeah, it's cold in Naples, but hey, it's winter. Summer is a bit warmer though, so that's something close to an apology for a long winter.\"\n\nAfter... Having done basically nothing for hours now, Margarita raised her hands and did a quiet but strained stretch, all the stiffness and whatnot disappearing as she stretched literally every part of her body from her legs to her to her arms, which she twisted into a spiral a few times. Even her neck seemed to stretch, making her seem seven or even eight inches taller. But despite what might've been a chance to show off, she desperately needed that stretch, and once the last kink on her back was gone, she relaxed, immediately losing the few inches that she seemed to have gained out of nowhere.\n\n\"Sorry, uh, needed to stretch; been sedentary for like half the day now. Anyways, Caribbean-Italian? Shit, gimme your best shot when you've got the time, I'd like to see what kinda meals your dad makes!\" Caribbean-Italian? That's something she hadn't heard of, but it sounded *Really* Good. She could only wonder which one of the two was more dominant."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Oh dear, really?\" She'd lift an eyebrow, empathy seeping through the cracks of her voice. \"That musta hurt, I'm sorry. Anyways...\"\n\n□ She could definitely see how being fashioned from rubber rather than flesh and bone opened the door for some creative methods of disarmament, but she couldn't quite wrap her head around the concept of being endlessly flexible. It all just seemed so *Alien.* The thought left her head, though, as the topic of her druggie brother and what the other gal had done to be sent to Newton's Cradle came up. Flying over the Atlantic, her dad's words echoed in her head – *\"Don't fall in with the wrong crowd, angioletto...\"* He'd pleaded, *\"I don't want you coming back like Basil, alright?\"* – and now here she was, facing down someone who her dad would have deemed the wrong sort to be around.\n\n▪︎ But, it seemed like this girl wasn't all knives and stolen purses, so...?\n\n◆ \"Uh, yeah... He runs one.\" She quietly replied, leaning against the counter and rubbing her arm with her other hand to comfort herself. \"It's like... The highest rated restaurant in all of Newark, I think, since there's no three stars. Sorry if I sound glum, by the way, I'm just... In a funk now.\" She'd grab the handle of the frying pan with her left hand, a curious trait. She'd at least nailed the temperature on the stove; the oil was hot, but not spitting, and she could see that the sausages wouldn't burn. \"But, yeah... Just gimme the word one of these days and if I'm free I'll whip something up, alright?\""
}
] | 348 | 4,425 |
247.25 | 2022-03-20 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Oh, it's fine. I'm almost used to it given it happens when I *Don't* Do what police and guards tell me.\n\nHer mood dropped as soon as her unintentional show off had ended, her bendy arms swinging freely until they ceased as the other's expression... Died, their reply to her question regarding the restaurant shifting into a less... Motivated tone. \"Ah, I see. Best one in Newark huh? Good for him *And* You.\"\n\n\"Lemme guess; you're concerned about the crime thing huh?\" She asked, being obviously up front with the whole thing. \"I know, you're not the first to think like that. Still; I don't know whether I'll go back to it as soon as I'm done here, but rest assured: I don't have any on me right now and I don't plan on doing so while I'm here in Sweden.\" Sitting on the counter once more, she sent one of her rubber limbs to push the cookies towards the boyish gal in a futile attempt to cheer them up.\n\nWhether they took one or not, it's at least comforting for Margarita to know that the mood quickly switched, although it wasn't as bright as before, it was better. \"Oh, uh, yeah, sure; anytime works.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"It's not that.\" She sighed, that all-too-familiar tightness in her throat showing its face again. \"It's just... My brother. It's a sore spot, I guess.\"\n\n□ Gaze fixed on the floor at a roughly 60° angle, her voice hung heavy with sadness, a quick shift from a few minutes prior when she'd been happily chatting about whatever it was that was on the chatting block. It always happened when Basil came up; sure, the pair had fought lots growing up, but at the end of the day they'd always had each other's backs, and having to watch the light flicker from his eyes as the tracks on his arms got worse and he sunk into inconsolability was nearly as painful as the worst she'd personally gone through in her own life.\n\n▪︎ Needless to say, she was a bit down.\n\n◆ \"Oh, uh... Thanks.\" She quietly spoke, accepting the cookie and taking a small bite out of it. \"Just give me a few, I'll be fine... It just hurts, y'know? Watching someone you care about be consumed by addiction. It's a rot and I wish I could cut it out of him...\"\n\n• Maybe it was a bit too deep to be sharing with a virtual stranger, but nothing screamed *I'm fighting my demons right now* Quite like oversharing to someone who could use that information against her."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Ah. Gotcha.\" She quietly answered. She and this Basil seemed to be in the same spot, but she knew who'd be getting on the right path first and easier.\n\n\"Hey, cheer up. He's still got a future ahead of him. He just needs help from you and himself.\" Help that wouldn't even be offered to the rubber band the moment they look at her criminal record. Help others deserved more than a coke trafficker.\n\n\"I'd assume. I never actually saw anyone snort the stuff; I just saw them receive it from me. And hey, take your time, *Amica*, but remember you have a pan with something in it.\"\n\nOne hand, attached to a noodle-like limb, would find itself on the girl's bony back, patting her lightly on the back. It was the least Margarita could do. She might've been the one delivering the stuff, and he may have been the onr consuming them, but she felt oddly sympathetic to him and his sitet, who now found herself in a Juvenile Detention Facility for her powers, away from the safety of her family."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"I guess so.\" She glumly replied, her shoulders sinking lightly. \"It just... Sucks.\"\n\n□ For fear of sounding like a broken record she zipped her lips up tight, turning back to check her sausages. Flipping them with tongs, she noted the browning on the bottom, a bit darker than she'd have wanted it otherwise, and made a note that she'd have to keep a good eye on 'em from here on out. Whilst she was turned around though she felt a hand on her back, and though she initially jumped slightly she found herself easing into the comfort. It was odd, sure, coming from someone who admitted to being some sort of drug dealer, but...\n\n▪︎ Comfort was comfort.\n\n◆ \"Thanks. Uh... How'd you even wind up in that situation? Y'know, dealing coke or whatever you did.\" She inquired, flipping her sausages again."
}
] | 249.5 | 989 |
285.4 | 2022-03-21 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"It does.\" She answered in a quieter voice. \"But it just means it can't get worse, right?\"\n\n\"Want me to cook them instead if you need a break? It's completely alright, really.\"\n\n\"Uh... Easy money.\" She answered, reeling her hand back to herself. \"Two hundred or two-fifty Euros a day; just for taking a package snd dropping it off somewhere for like... Five times a day. Nobody ever suspected a kid of handling a kilogram or two of cocaine anyways, so yeah. I just... I don't know, felt that my parents deserved more money for what they did. Worked their asses off for eight or ten hours a day for barely enough. I just wanted them to have good food, good furniture, a good sofa, good... Everything. It worked, mostly.\"\n\nTo this day, Margarita held on to her reasons and beliefs but that conversation with Mrs Pernilla and a chat with her parents were beginning to sow doubt and some sort of awakening into her."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"No, no, I got them.\" She politely decined the offer, flipping them over again and gently poking one with the tip of her finger. \"Anyways, I guess, but...\"\n\n□ *But it can always get worse,* The pessimist in her lamented, stifled by the light of hope and optimism that shone bright within her. It could have got worse, and it often did because of traffickers like Margarita, whose hands and backs carried life-ruining drugs to those who needed a lift out of their misery rather than a slip and a slide. Attention mostly focused on the ground, she listened to Margarita speak, hands in the pockets of her pyjamas, anything to keep her nervous fidgeting under wraps and out of harm's way.\n\n▪︎ Part of her couldn't wait for these sausages to be done.\n\n◆ \"I mean... I get that, but jeez, dude, those were *Drugs.*\" She didn't want to sound angry, but with a drug addicted sibling close to her heart she couldn't help but harbor some resentment towards drug dealers and their foot soldiers. \"Did you ever think about how those packages were hurting others? Or did the money just... Nullify any guilt?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Alright, alright.\"\n\nNot that she was great at reading emotions, but there was genuine discomfort being felt in the room. It all quickly added up in Margarita's head, and with that, decided to give River the space she needed, loving to the sofa instead, her neck twisted 180° like an owl considering the sofa was facing away from the kitchen and River was in the kitchen.\n\nFun powers.\n\n\"I know.\" She replied, her voice somehow unaffected by her inhumanly twisted neck. \"But... No. I never did. I rarely saw the faces of the recipients, and even then I was reminded every day not to think about it. I've seen crackheads and the like. Hell, I beat some of them to a fine pulp defending myself and my shipment. The money's too good, River, it's just... My parents were at the top of my head. I don't care who buys it, I care that they buy it.\"\n\nAnd that was her honest to God justification. She did it for the money, overpowering morality the moment she heard how much it could bring her and her family for an hour or two or walking every day. And she wasn't ashamed of it. For now."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Then you never saw the people you were enabling.\" In stark contrast to the tired yet genuine warmth that had existed not even ten minutes earlier, there was now distrust, a certain distaste, and maybe even an inkling of anger. \"It's an easy lie to tell yourself, that it's for you, or your family, or your siblings, or whatever. The truth is, though, you're tainting the lives of those you deal to as if it's equal in value to whoever you're doing it for. It's not a victimless crime.\"\n\n□ It was admittedly a rare sight, seeing River in such a negative, almost hostile mood, but as someone who'd watched multiple family members slip into decades of drug abuse and ruined lives she couldn't entertain the idea that maybe, just maybe, drug dealing or drug trafficking could be a morally correct path. There was always a better path, a less harmful path, and those who chose it over peaceful means of bettering one's station in life were no worse than war-mongering politicians.\n\n▪︎ And thankfully, her sausages were done. She began to dress the buns promptly; clearly she wanted out.\n\n◆ \"Maybe you don't care who buys it, but try to have some empathy. Some decency. I'm not a DARE adherent, but...\" She set her meal onto its awaiting plate and began to walk out. \"Think of all the lives you're ruining just to make the lives of your parents better. Would they want that guilt on their heads? Knowing that their kid is ruining lives just to help them afford material luxuries?\"\n\n• With that, she'd step out. Clearly she wanted this to be some sort of rhetorical question, something for the other girl to think on."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"No. Most of the time, no.\" She replied. Any trust or comfort that existed a while ago was gone, the mood now just as cold and bare as the concrete of the outside walls. \"It *Isn't* A lie, it's *The* Truth. The lives of whoever had wanted these had already shattered their lives to bits the moment they were looking for bulk cocaine. Their lives compared to my parents are *Nothing*, and even if I had victims, they were already beaten up long before they saw my face. That money was worth it and I do not think otherwise.\"\n\n\"Sympathy for who? Them? It's only business. I'm a mule, and that's the end of it.\" Watching the other get their food as fast as they possibly could felt... Slightly disheartening, but she had no control over it. \n\n\"Hey, my parents work every fucking day and they get dogshit pay while what, they sit in their fancy villas? Sniffing coke, chain smoke cigars, buy sports cars, and all that? Shit, my parents are more productive than any of the street fucks or the goddamned rich fucking people but get just enough to meet ends. If being honest and working hard isn't cutting it, then maybe it might not be the solution to the problems we have.\"\n\n\nAnd just like that, Margarita found herself alone, her neck twisted to face a non-existent person. Questions began to arise in her mind, but no. She was in the right, and they were wrong. She did her best and she wasn't going to say anything about it otherwise."
}
] | 266 | 1,427 |
212.5 | 2022-03-23 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "In Owen's bedroom, a sleeping figure rests. \n\nRest isn't exactly the best term for it, though— beads of sweat roll down Uriel's forehead, and the occasional gasp and murmur only spur the sleeping dream-weaver to clutch Owen's pillow even tighter. Blankets are tangled between their legs, kicked off long ago when the first shudders of pain began rolling through their body.\n\nThe disturbances go eerily silent, before Uriel *Shoots* Up from Owen's bed,\n\n\"*S'il vous plaît ne*—\" They gasp, panting heavily. Their loose hair, knotted from their tossing and turning, falls over their hanging face. \n\nThe silence stretches across the room, save for the heavy rise and fall of Uriel's chest. Every other part of their body tenses up, freezing in fear."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"*Uriel!*\"\nA panicked voice whispers, the widened eyes of its origin scanning the white-haired figure. The hand that had gripped their shoulder for the past half hour, maybe forty-five minutes shifted in its place, even less inclined now to let go. \n\nOwen had moved from sitting on the carpet across the room, leaning against his dresser to sitting right next to Uriel, compressed between the wall and his friend. The already small room was too big, he was too exposed; the window was still open, a gentle yet ominous breeze cooling the sweat on their brow, the sound of heavy rain having long become part of the permeating silence. A worried squeeze on their shoulder. \n\n\"Uriel, Uriel, what's the matter? What.. What happened? Are you all right? What did you *See*?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Nothing. There's no sign the words actually registered in Uriel's brain, not until— \n\nUriel's arms are around Owen's waist, head craned against their shoulder. In this position, Owen can feel the pounding of their heart against his own, the shaking of Uriel's hands as they grip against his back. \n\n\"I got caught.\" They whisper, shallow inhales tickling the bare skin of Owen's neck. \n\n\"And I got punished for it.\" \n\nIt's almost a croak, the pain pouring out of Uriel's voice making every syllable have to claw their way out of their throat."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The tickle of breath against Owen's neck and the hands around his back made his shot-through nerves crackle. Something soft in his torso, in the spot just below his ribcage where he was squishy and vulnerable, compelled him to wrap his arms closer around Uriel. His shield pushed at his skin from the inside, the ether murmuring insistently. That was odd.\n\n\"How did- what?\"\n\nA dry gulp, and a cheek pressed into tangled silk. \n\n\"What did they do to you? *Who*.. I've never seen you like this,\" He muttered, head racing faster than his mouth could follow. Disjointed, half-formed thoughts spilled out into the noise, his soft and tentative tones little more than a backdrop to the wordless turmoil."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"It— it was my fault. I got cocky, didn't make the checks I should have, and I endangered you because of it.\" \n\nThe shield pulsating under Owen's skin acts like a metronome to the panicking dream-weaver. They take a deep breath, attempting the synchronize their breathing to the ebb and flows of the energy.\n\n\"My haphazardness made him realize I was in there, and he managed to trap me in a lucid dream. I couldn't tell him the real reason I was there, so he...\" \n\nTheir voice died in their throat. There was no way to say this without worrying Owen— and seeing the look of worry in the boy's eyes might actually break what little composure Uriel had left. \n\n\"It wasn't anything like what my extended family does. He couldn't access my mind— his influence ended at his \nOwn, so he resorted to... Physical means.\" \n\nHow would Uriel manage to break the news to Owen? That, because of their mistake, they'd potentially doomed their closest friend at the facility? It takes long, too long for the sentence to escape their lips.\n\n\"I didn't mind that, but he said he'd come for you all.\" \n\nTheir head perks up as they remember, and they turn towards the door. \n\n\"Is it locked?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Y-yes, it's a key card, it's as locked as it can be,\" Owen stammered, following their eyes anyway. \"Come for us? It went that bad?! He, he doesn't know exactly who we are, does he? You said he couldn't get into your head, just drag you through his,\" He rambled, thinking aloud. He'd thought that he was in deep enough shit as it was-\n\nDeep breath. Or, more accurately, a too-shallow inhale and a slow, shuddered exhale. He didn't want to give off the impression that he was angry, or as scared as he really was; despite his best efforts, though, it practically spilled from his pores, the weight of just what in the hell they were *Doing* Hitting him in delayed waves. \n\nOne thing, though, about him. Running wasn't an option, the sweet bull-headed fool he was. It didn't even cross his mind. \n\n\"...\"\nA small sound, and then nothing. Comfort first, and then prying. Owen didn't need to be pressed into their heartbeat to know that Uriel needed a minute. \n\nImpending doom aside, they were safe in his room, warm and dark and quiet."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"He dragged a representation of my physical self into his head and saw my face, but even so... There's only one person here with dream powers. He— Oliver, I should say, the science teacher— isn't stupid enough to have any trouble finding me. He told me to meet in his office tomorrow, and I have no trouble figuring out what will happen if I don't accept.\"\n\nUriel breathes a quiet, defeated laugh. It's small and pathetic, the same laugh a prisoner has when they're approaching the gallows. \n\n\"You should stay away from me. For a while, at least. Until he gets what he wants, or this whole thing blows over. I don't want you to be hurt because of my stupid mistake.\"\n\n\"But...\" Uriel draws themselves closer to Owen's chest— a selfish gesture, one begging for comfort they didn't deserve, not after their mistake. \n\n\"Can I stay with you just for tonight? I can leave through the window to avoid cameras, but I just...\"\n\nSelfish, selfish behavior. They'd tell Owen what happened in detail later in the night, but right now the only thing they desired was a distraction from the hearse slowly approaching. \n\nThey'd lost the right to say *I need company*, not after dragging their friends into their recklessness, but the delicate cracks in their voice conveyed that sentiment well enough."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "*Stay away.. What?!* A shot of fear spiked through Owen's body, shaking his heart and sending catastrophes of loneliness and loss through his head. \n\n\"*Dammit*, Uriel. You're not going anywhere.\" He couldn't let them slip through his fingers, not like this.\n\n\"I've lost enough to *'you're better off without me,'* And *'I don't deserve you,*' and I hate it and I won't hear that, that bullshit coming out of *Your* Mouth.\" \n\nHis voice was desperate now, his pleas bleeding from his lips like an old wound ripped open and spilling its life onto the blankets. Uriel had to be the softest brick wall that he had ever encountered; absorbing all the shock for themselves, solid form in his hands fluttering to the ground in pillow feathers, light enough to make him want to scream. \n\nHis heartbeat picked up, as did his breath, as an unbearably warm pressure built behind his eyes. Keeping the infernal shield inside of his arms and chest was a fight now, and he could feel it pushing harder against his skin, flooding through his muscles and prickling at the little hair follicles along his limbs. It felt a little as though he were being eaten alive."
}
] | 216 | 1,700 |
381.6 | 2022-03-24 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel remained quiet as Owen began to heat up under their skin, grey eyes wide at the emotion in their voice. It was apparent there was *Something* There— a dark secret, a bad experience bubbling to the surface, awoken from its latency. \n\n\"Someone hurt you... In the past.\" Uriel spoke slowly, running their pale thumb over the back of Owen's hand reassuringly. \"I'm sorry you had to go through that.\" \n\nThey had to address the elephant in the room, even if Owen didn't want to talk about it. They had offered the smallest opportunity to talk, and an easy out if Owen wanted to brush the phrase away. \n\nThey hadn't considered how Owen would feel if they isolated themselves, especially in a time of danger like this. In hindsight, it was foolish to assume Owen would sell Uriel out and abandon them in a time of need. \n\nOwen was kind, and loyal, and everything they admired in a person bundled into one tiny teenager. \n\nUriel's thumb traced the ridges of Owen's knuckles, before they tentatively threaded their fingers between his own. *I'm not going anywhere*, the action said. \n\n\"I'll talk about the information I learned, but in the meantime... Do you mind putting on one of those movies you like?\" They shift nervously at the request, a bit embarrassed to ask for the familiar comfort of cheap jokes at a time like this."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Mmm.\" \nA sob crept up his throat, and lodged itself in the soft spot beneath his jaw. The heat pushing against his skin was joined by more pressure behind his eyes, salt water blurring his vision. All the soft places, where he was vulnerable, where nerves swirled and tears welled, reacted to Uriel holding his hand. Their fingers were softer than his, which were roughened and strong from the incessant string-plucking and tree-climbing that they engaged in, and he was almost scared to squeeze back. The familiar feeling of grey eyes tracing his expression tickled his cheek, and Owen was content to let it. \n\n\"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice,\" He murmured, not really making any outstanding moves to get up. \"You haven't seen *Life of Brian*.\" A beat of silence as the sound of the rain spun a strange thread through his brain. \n\n\"It.. It did hurt. It still does. It'll ache for a while longer, I think.\" No sage words about growth or grief or the end to said ache; just the acceptance of the pit in his stomach, as it was in that moment.\n\nLooking down at their hands, Owen noted that his was doing something strange. No ether had spilled from his palm, but there was a light murmuring beneath it, a faint ember ebbing and flowing with his heartbeat. It was the first time he had thought of his power as *Beautiful*, in this strange, subtle form. The piece of him that didn't think, reaching out to touch what it wanted to hold. He.. Didn't know it could do that. \n\nAnother breath of cool, rain-scented air eased the pressure building behind the floodgates, and he once again trusted his arms to do what he wanted them to. Setting up the movie was a blur, as was the first few minutes of it, but that was fine. Owen's head was still going too fast, and sparks still zipped across his chest and through his face, but the deep amber-flecked eyes didn't drip quite so much with fear. \n\n\"So- uhm, what was it that you saw?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "As the movie begins to play, Uriel leans into Owen's side and watches intently. Sometimes, the silence is broken by a small laugh, before Uriel once again cocooned themselves into the covers. \n\n\"The first time, I did not get a lot of information— simply the sight of a glowing knife wound, and the deep feeling of disgust.\" \n\nThey pause. The next dream was more personal, and while Uriel had no sympathy for Oliver, it still felt like a breach of trust.\n\n\"The next time, I tried conjuring up what they thought of the angels. Oliver dreamed of a towering, concrete landscape, where the angels girls cooed with blood-covered mouths. A ways down the road, a trail of blood lead to someone's corpse, the inside of their body gutted.\" \n\nThey shivered upon recalling the memory— the human mind tended to be violent, but it was never a pleasant experience to witness.\n\n\"This time... I attempted to dredge up the memory of his first encounter with them. I saw knife being sharpened on a ring of glowing white, and itself beginning to glow. And then, well...\"\n\nUriel fell silent, the unsaid 'what happened next' exceedingly obvious. They coughed awkwardly, and looked back at the screen. \n\n\"I've been thinking of going to the angel's house and paying them a visit, or looking through other people's dreams for information. At least I ended up getting caught at the tail end of my investigation, though. Any ideas or observations on what I discovered? From what you've told me, you've met them more than I have, so perhaps you could make sense of the more puzzling aspects.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen had remained mostly silent while Uriel recounted the dreams, but he noticeably prickled when they suggested actually seeking the angels out themselves. \n\n\"Paying them a visit?? What would we even..\" He froze up, staring hard into space to try to conjure up a reason not to other than *\"Scary\"*. His eyes darted to the screen and back as he shifted a blanket around his shoulders; he didn't need the extra heat, but the pressure was nice. \n\n\"I've seen as much as them as you have, mate- less, actually, now that you've done some dream-snooping.\" A nervous snort, a half-formed laugh to relieve some of the energy rattling in his insides. \n\n\"It sounds like he's scared of them, or that he's seen them do things to make him scared of them,\" He started. \"That was the point of the dead animals everywhere, wasn't it? They.. They don't trust this place, but they want it to be aware of them, to be scared. But, now, they know that we don't have their sister, so a lot's outdated.. Still. That's a lot of blood.\"\n\nHe had been elbow-deep in the aforementioned corpses, the little mangled bodies draped all over the woods as gruesome warnings. There was a difference, he thought, between gore and suffering- one he could handle, and one he could not. He wondered if the little things torn open on the forest floor suffered much from the 'angels'. \n\n\"They're *Driven*. They're determined, and ruthless. I don't know what their limits are, because something tells me we haven't hit them yet, and it'll hurt if we do.\" A pause, as he carefully considered the thought that occurred to him. \"It almost seems.. Innocent? Childish, maybe? Like they're capable of terrible things, but they don't *Grasp* The terribleness. As though the blood they shed is paint or bug guts on the concrete below the shoe of a toddler who honestly just doesn't know what it means.\"\n\nOwen scowled. He didn't even notice he was scowling, his face broadcasting the wheels turning in his head. \"Does that seem plausible to you?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel pauses. They lean their head against Owen's shoulder, sighing softly as the movie progresses. It was late and Owen must've been tired, but Uriel was relieved at the chance to not delve into the now-unfamiliar dream world once again.\n\n\"I've never told anyone this, but— my abilities have another perk. If someone is particularly distressed, I can get... Well, snippets of what they're thinking about. Their emotions are so *Loud* That it spills into the general consciousness, and I can pick up on said thoughts.\" \n\nUriel's arm is interlocked with Owen's, entwined hands clutching each other under the blankets. They shift to their side, looking equal parts at the movie and Owen's face. \n\n\"When the younger was wielding a knife, I was struck with a phrase: *A maniac sense of justice.* If that applies to their means, then if we let them do what they please, they might hurt someone when enacting their plans. If me getting to the bottom of whether or not the other angel was kidnapped can prevent them from harming themselves or others, then...\"\n\nUriel hums contentedly, thinking over the various conclusions Owen has drawn. \"You're certainly right about that, I think. They're not fully able to gauge the consequences of their actions, and that is dangerous. I'll contact some other kids before I talk to them, at least. But, before that...\" \n\nWith their free hand, they drape the blankets even higher on Owen's shoulders, letting out a breathy hum of amusement.\n\n\"How are you feeling? About all of this, I mean. Whatever I do will be tied to you, and so I'd like to know what's on your mind.\""
}
] | 358 | 1,908 |
318.333333 | 2022-03-25 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Uriel's powers really did fascinate Owen. As hard as they had admitted it was to wield, a small, green part of him wished he could see just under the surface as well. Might've made a few things turn out a bit better. *Manic sense of justice, huh*, he thought. Yeah, that would make anyone do some drastic things. \n\n\"It's hard to say, really,\" He murmured. \"I went from being basically half-asleep to thrown into all this mess in an instant- I'm still processing it bit by bit. Seems I'm either alarmed or totally zoned out!\" He couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. It wasn't a lie- the stronger things hit him slowly, which was both a blessing and a curse. All he could do was go moment by moment, trying to give caution and compassion equal standing in his actions. This moment, though, was a good one, one that he was happy to sink into a little more. \n\nUriel's little gestures of affection made him reel, the pressure and warmth he had been craving since being separated from all that he loved filling his head with stars. The boy floating around through drifting months weighted back down to the earth again, tethered back to his body by the hand in his that *Wasn't letting go*. He had forgotten how he had missed the feeling of separate hands wrapping a blanket about his shoulders, and willed his nerves to take a screenshot or something. He squeezed Uriel's hand a little, as if that could communicate any of that. The rain, he thought, made the warmth cozier. \n\n\"Wait, wait, this is the best scene- had me in *Mad* Hysterics as a kid,\" Owen chirped suddenly. \"I used to try to see if I could keep my laughter in as a kid, but I've come to the conclusion that I would be sent to the gladiator pit in five seconds.\" His shoulders shook with barely suppressed laughter, careful not to shake his friend's head too hard."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel looks back at the screen with Owen's comment... And bursts into laughter, the covers momentarily falling off of their shoulders as they curl in on themselves. \n\n\"I- I can't believe I've lived without seeing these types of movies before—\" Uriel wheezes, literally wheezes, with laughter, wiping small tears from their eyes. It takes them a while to recover from the hysterics of amusement— once Uriel would think they're in the clear, they'd be hit with another joke that'd send them doubling over. It was clear this kid had little experience with true comedy before.\n\n\"I'm happy you're the one to show me this. I like... Having this memory with you.\" They sigh softly, as the sounds of the rain only tap louder against the window sill. \n\nThe outside world might be a torrent of rain ready to sweep them away, but in here, with Owen, they were safe. The toils and troubles of the waking day would rise with the sun, but for now, Uriel could rest. \n\nDespite having slept during their encounter with Oliver, the days events had made them weary. They pulled the covers back over their body as their eyes began to droop lower and lower. The dialogue became incomprehensible as Uriel leaned further on Owen's shoulder, the hum of energy radiating under his skin drowning out the noise around them. \n\n*I hope his arm doesn't hurt too much in the morning.* Uriel thinks to themselves. It's the last thought that floats in their head before the warmth of Owen's body against their cheek overtakes them, and they fall asleep."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen didn't notice the moment that Uriel passed out, but when he *Was* Aware, he made certain not to move. They didn't look like they were struggling quite so much as before; he could only hope they had drifted somewhere more pleasant. *Maybe* His arm would be full of pins and needles by morning, but that was fine. \n\n...Never mind, it wasn't. He shifted ever so slowly, arranging them so that nobody's limbs would be dead by dawn, and sticking one leg out of the covers to let some of his (frankly a little ridiculous) heat out. Better. A brief thought of how this must look on the outside skirted through his head- it was true, it was *Something*- but it was quickly dismissed. 'Too tired and comfortable to care' was a better feeling than shame, he decided. \n\nThe best sleeps, he remembered thinking at some point, were the ones where one didn't remember dozing off.\n\n————-"
}
] | 331 | 955 |
340 | 2022-03-29 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "[Chemistry Lab, roughly 2:30am...]\n\n◆ \"Well, that's... Huh. Now *That* Is forbidden fruit. Fuck...\"\n\n□ Late nights were always an interesting time, and given the lack of structure in Silas' life there were a *Lot* Of those in the present. Late nights spent by the piano, weaving somber yet hopeful melodies through the sterilized halls and walls of Newton's Cradle, or all-nighters on the game with his friends back home, or even just drinking too much ZzzQuil simply for the high. Tonight it was messing around in the lab, and in a moment of quiet thoughts and no immediate experiments in mind he'd begun to research, reading paper after paper, and...\n\n▪︎ Now he had the knowledge of how to make hydrazine, and it was easier than he'd thought it would be. Too easy.\n\n• Forbidden fruit. He needed a distraction before he killed himself on hydrazine fumes."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Two-thirty in the morning on a day filled with classes, and the local human rubber band was still awake. What to do, what to do...\n\nWell, there was nothing to do. Not even on her computer. Not even in the confines of her room. She sighed as she idly stared at a w-tube video playing on her phone, the information being transferred bouncing off of her eyes and ears. Her head laid on the bed atop a pillow, yet the rest of her body sat on her cheap office chair, her feet lying on the desk. A noodle neck connected her body to her displaced head. Seeing Margarita's body stretched out was a common occurrence in her comfortable dormitory, catching some people off guard as her parahumanity was in full view. But for her? It was normal.\n\nAnd an annoying part of life.\n\nAfter having left her neck stretched out for what had to be half an hour according to the video she was watching, Margarita audibly grumbled to herself as she found herself unable to retract her neck, a part of her body she was supposedly in control of all the time. Oh well.\n\nThe only thing left to do at this point was explore the facility *Again*, with all the lights off save for some to keep the facility seem somewhat maintained, plus to allow the night staff (if any) to go about doing their business without having to have one hand clutching onto a rechargeable flashlight.\n\nHolding her head on her left hand like a mythological dullahan would, she walked about the facility, the odd and lower point of view making her wonder what the place like seemed for short people.\n\nLike Silas, who was coincidentally in the chemistry lab, playing delicately with clear liquids contained in bottles, flasks, and test tubes with papers upon papers by the table and a laptop. As expected for a ZZZquil-drinking madman like him.\n.\n\nWith a promising aspect of having *Something* To do and chat with someone, Margarita used her free hand to push open the door, her neck that loosely hung behind her rubbing against the other, stationary door.\n\n\"Good... Early morning. What are *You* Doing this time, making meth? Or not. No really, what are you making?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, good... Uh. When the fuck does it turn from night to morning?\" He chuckled, though it was also rhetorical. \"Like, when does it shift? Obviously evening's the beginning of night, but even then evening in summer and winter are two entirely different things. Different times and all that fuckin' nonsense. Anyways I'm trying to talk myself out of making hydrazine because that shit would kill me without a moment's notice, and I guess you being around helps. Take a seat.\"\n\n□ Gesturing to the table at which he sat, her assertion of his quarters was pretty spot on. Papers stacked high, several test tubes and a flask, a Bunsen burner he'd forgot to switch off – *Late night forgetfulness,* He'd justify it as if questioned – and a cup of tea like the Brit he was at heart. Cleaning his side up a bit, he looked up at Marge, likely his closest friend and confidant at Newton's Cradle, despite her frequent good-spirited headbutting over the chat.\n\n▪︎ Refreshing was what it was, just like...\n\n◆ \"Tea? Got a pot of the black stuff just over yonder if ya need a pick me up.\" He gestured to an old blemished tea kettle, still warm to the touch despite being off the heat for an hour. That little quirk came from being brewed over a goddamn Bunsen of all things, and... \"I brewed it over a Bunsen. Tastes kinda burnt but fuck it, tea is tea. Now, whatcha doin' up, mate? Can't sleep?\""
}
] | 346 | 1,020 |
398 | 2022-03-30 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Uh... Sunrise. Or 12AM everyday- nah, nighttime is longer during winter, I'm pretty sure about it.\" She would've added more to the whole 'nighttime and seasons' thing if it wasn't for the mention of 'hydrazine', which, even to the lack of knowledge to what it is, Margarita still assumed it's still a poison considering what kid of Stories she hears from Silas' mouth. \"Making what- don't tell me you're making poison are you?\"\n\nThankfully, he wasn't, which is a fact that became apparent as he continued onto his sentence.\n\n\"Oh, uh... Yeah, sure, *Grazie*.\" She replied as she took the warm kettle with one hand, her other grabbing a nearby cup as she left her head seemingly levitating over some of the equipment, busy exploring the desktop's apparatus as her hands did their thing. \"This is some Breaking good type shit you got here. What are you making other than tea anyways? And uh, sorry for the neck thing. I left myself stretched out and... Yeah.\"\n\nOnce could get really creative with the names when it comes to her and her abilities. Margarita is honestly surprised she hasn't got mad at almost all of them.\n\nTaking a sip of the slightly burnt tea, she put the cup down just beside the warm kettle and drank it down, her expression something like tasting hard alcohol for the first time. \"Do brits like you like your tea burnt? Sheesh. Not bad though.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"So that's where ya draw the line, huh?\" He looked up at her, his own thoughts dangling off his lips like trails of drool in a particularly boring class. \"I've always thought that days are best divided into three sections: morning, day, and night. Morning is from four AM to noon, day is from noon to eight PM, then night's from there to four AM. Then you have your divisions as well, like... Evening's kinda between day and night, for example. I've put too much fuckin' thought into this.\"\n\n□ He sure had, and that was just one of the many effects of long late nights spent with the soft glow of one twenty hertz monitors and candles across his desk. He had a lot of time to think, to read, to really hone the mind that clutched onto the sciences with a raptor grip, and sometimes that oddly brilliant mind latched onto something as weird as day-night divisions. No matter. \"Fuck no, hydrazine is a common rocket fuel. Apparently it can be synthesized from urea and tert-butyl hypochlorite, and I have both of those on hand. Kinda.\" He'd explain further, sipping his tea with the air of an actual chemistry professor, albeit an unusual, dangerous one.\n\n▪︎ It was fitting; he *Was* Aiming for a career as a chemist, after all.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, it's definitely a set-up, mate.\" He laughed softly, his naturally fuzzy voice mingling with the whirring of the fume hood left on by mistake. \"I was messing around with chlorinations not long before you sauntered in like the fuckin' coked out string bean you are, so.\" He chuckled. \"Y'know. That's why this whole awareness that I could turn a few chemicals I have on hand into a crazy potent crazy toxic fuel by sunrise is so dangerous. Like, fuckin' hell... Anyways, God no, Mum would probably yell at me for burning it, I just didn't feel like walking to the kitchen to brew a pot.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Detention is held in the basement, far below the building, far away from where anyone can hear you scream. A single classroom is carved out here, with space for quite a few more than will be in there this time. Usually, it's used for teaching people about their powers - how to use them, how not to, when not to. (Which is most of the time.) Detention is held here to keep the people assigned to detention inside detention - and it works. No one's managed to sneak out yet.\n\nThe elevator leaves log files.\n\nOliver is in charge of this particular detention. He volunteered for it. Really, he asked for it, and he knows why. There's a pang of something gnawing at his soul, that awful feeling he's come to known as remorse. His dearest would want him to apologize. He hasn't told her yet. He couldn't tell her what he'd done.\n\nHe should. But... Detention. He's responsible for detention. That comes first.\n\nThree little glass bulbs of water, neat, in a row, ready. He always does this when he handles detention. This time, it feels more barbaric than usual, but... It's only a demonstration. It won't hurt.\n\n*Uriel.* With a friend, but... Still *Uriel.* Even more *Uriel.* It would be so easy to torture them, to get everything out and then some, and...\n\nNo, no, no. No.\n\nIt's only detention. Not torture. Just detention. He's just there to make sure they don't get out. Right? Right."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"You don't know anything.\" \n\nIt's the one thing Uriel has said during the elevator ride down. The whole time, they've been eerily still— tired, grey eyes completely glazed over, the only noise coming from them being the barest sound of their breath.\n\n\"Please, just.. Promise me that you'll say as such. I don't want to worry about what'll happen to you.\" They're not looking at Owen as they talk, instead facing the elevator doors with the same expression a man walking to the gallows would have. \n\nThe whole time they've approached the detention site, they've felt their consciousness slowly begin to rise from their body. It was almost like being a machine— their limb movements being controlled via remote control, the part of them *Thinking* Standing up and taking a step back from whatever internal screen that displayed what Uriel was seeing. \n\n*Please don't be Oliver. Please be Graham, please be Graham, please be Graham.*\n\nIt would be one thing if Uriel was alone. They could handle whatever Oliver had planned— any pain they'd receive would leave a mark, and Oliver wasn't stupid enough to leave a record of their own torture. Even if he tried, Uriel was certain they'd be able to take it, even if they weren't able to hit back.\n\nBut *Owen* Was there. Owen, who couldn't step away from his controls and divorce themselves from physical sensations. Owen, who Uriel had shown to be their weakness. Owen, who if anything would happen to him, would haunt Uriel like the nightmares they were so adept at creating. \n\n*Please, please be Graham.*"
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Uriel's voice sounded as underwater as Owen's thoughts on the endless elevator ride down to the underworld. This was a terrible time to have a song stuck in his head; the incessant repetition of \n*\"When the priest comes to read me the last rites/\nTake a look through the bars at the last sights/\nOf a world that has gone very wrong for me\"*\nWas sure to make him lose his mind faster than anything the staff here could cook up. \n\n\"Of course.\" Was all he could manage to squeak in response. He could see Uriel doing it again, preparing to swan dive under the bus because they thought they had to; he mentally resolved to ..Uh... Somehow not let them do that. \n\nThe fidget cube in his pocket clicked incessantly, his stock-still body trying to vent some of its energy out of the one exit. It wasn't working as well as he silently pleaded it would, but it was better than nothing. \n\nHe stood straight as a board, shoulders squared, legs apart, head set dead ahead. Zipped up tight across his chest was his black leather jacket, his armour, merciful pressure keeping him from flying out of his body at every little mechanical shake of the lift. He could feel his shield aching to bloom across his chest, pushing at his skin from the inside, and he busied himself trying to quell the insistent sparks of panic; he only hoped that his front was working. His usually flushed cheeks, unbeknownst to him, were pale and grey as a sheet. \n\n\n*Would they call his moms? Would they mail his ashes back to them after this? He'd told them enough times how much he loved them, right? They knew?*\n\nThe doors opened, and his legs somehow moved him out of the box. Cold, stagnant air brushed the back of his throat, bristling the downy hairs on the back of his neck. Out he went- no use cowering now.\n\n\n*What a stupid reason to be incinerated.*"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "The doors open. \n\nUriel cuts in front of Owen, shielding him with their body. They walk into the room, and notice two things:\n\n1) Oliver — *Of course it was Oliver, why wouldn't it be*— is at the front of the classroom. Something chemistry related is sitting on the table, but whatever use it could have escapes Uriel.\n\n2) The room is completely empty. As Uriel assumed, no one else was there. It was just Uriel, Owen, and Oliver. *Lovely.*\n\nUriel— actual Uriel, not a dream representation of Uriel— looks a bit different from what Oliver saw. Their eyes were sunken in, grey bags making them seem almost lifeless. Their movements were sluggish and deliberate, their face completely pallid and pale. As Uriel's eyes passed over Oliver, their expression remains stone cold. \n\n\"I assume I'm in the right place. My name is Uriel Melancon, and I'm here for detention. I don't believe we've met before, though— you are?\" The tone is stilted and formal, their French accent prominent in their voice. \n\nThey stand in the doorway, perfectly still. Would Oliver remain true on their desire to \"Pretend it didn't happen\"? Uriel didn't know, but could only hope."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Uriel looked worse for wear. Not really surprising. What was at least somewhat surprising was Uriel's insistence on pretending Oliver was a complete stranger.\n\nOliver mulled over the options in his head. He could either let Uriel get away with it and introduce himself, or he could correct Uriel. It would certainly be easier to pretend nothing had ever happened, but...\n\nNo, that wasn't a luxury Oliver was going to get. He looked up from the table, and toward Uriel, then back down again. \n\n\"Come in, both of you.\" Oliver wasn't quite the same in real life as in dreams, either. He looked more human, surprisingly. He couldn't hide all the imperfections, the redness where he had scratched his light stubble, the cuts and scrapes and burns on his hands, the tired look in his eyes.\n\n\"I believe we very much *Have* Met, Uriel, but I don't believe I've met the gentleman behind you.\" He turned to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and began writing his name. \"My name is Oliver Rask, and I'm the one who's gonna be keeping the two of you from leaving today. Or spending the time in dreamland, since that appears to be relevant today.\"\n\n\"Some people, when it's their first time down here, think they can get away with running off, 'cause it's two on one and I can't stop you.\" He picked up one of the round, water-filled robots, and showed it off. \"These,\" He stressed, \"Are what's stopping you. Let me show you.\"\n\nHe put the robot down again, then retrieved a sheet of metal from behind the teacher's desk. \"This is a sheet of stainless steel,\" He explained, balancing it between two of the classroom tables. He put the little robot onto the sheet and gently pressed a button. Its servos whirred to life. \"Cover your ears.\"\n\nWithin seconds, the water level in the robot's glass dome was lowering, and a screech of death was emanating from the sheet of steel. A few more seconds, and there were *Two* Sheets of steel.\n\n\"That's what you're up against if you try to skip detention. I assume we're clear on that?\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen snapped himself back into his head when Oliver spoke. Though he was a good three inches taller, the unfamiliar rumble of his voice in his skull drove in *Hard* That this wasn't a bad dream. Uriel was still trying to convince him it was, though- the barrier they were trying to set between him and Oliver did not go unnoticed. Putting a hand on their shoulder, he squeezed once and stepped out from behind them, snatching it away quicker than he would have wanted. Still, though, for a fraction of a second, a restless digit lingered on their shoulder blade. \n\n*Sorry, Uriel, you can't take all of it. I'm the living shield, right? Have a little faith.*\n\n\"Owen Edris- we, uh, definitely haven't met yet,\" He managed to crank out. Was talking always so *Manual*? It now felt rusty and laborious. He found it funny how though his and Uriel's accents were so different but somehow carried the same notes of tangled nerves. \n\nTaking a seat, he continued to fiddle and click like a man possessed. His composure now relied entirely on the little cube and the leg now bouncing softly yet rapidly, betraying his wildly swirling guts from behind the relatively blank look on his face. \n\nWithout his headphones in, he could hear all the lights in the room buzzing cruelly, the unforgiving din doing no wonders for his already frayed edges. He fought the urge to hum or dig the heels of his palms into his eyes to cut the sensation, but remained quiet and attentive as his executioner gave him the rundown. \n\nAnd then, a mechanical demon clawed a jagged hole in the fabric of space and screamed with its soulless maw of steel and cold hatred. \n\nHis hands pressing into his ears didn't do enough, not nearly, and he swallowed a strangled noise as he squeezed his eyes shut. It painfully ripped through his head, his body, beating into his skull until- oh, it stopped. Digging his nails into his scalp, Owen quickly glanced at Uriel, his only friend in this pit, and snapped back to face the front again.\n\n\"All right, I get it, you didn't have to-\"\n\nImmediate regret. The scream hadn't died down in his body, and the echoing fury fell out of his mouth before he had the chance to quell it. *Stupid, stupid...* Shaking fingers grabbed at strands of red hair before remembering themselves and finding their way back into the cool leather pockets. Back to clicking the cube, faster this time. \n\n\"I'm sorry, I- that-that hurt. Didn't.. Mean to snap,\" He mumbled, much quieter than the panicked sparks that he had spat. Mouth shut in a tight line, he abashedly averted his gaze. Now to not talk for another month. Not a word. Can't be trusted."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel pauses. They didn't expect Oliver to broach the subject so... Casually.\n\n\"...Hm. I guess it slipped my mind, then. You did say you'd pretend nothing happened— I figured I'd offer a simple courtesy of allowing a narrative of your choice.\" \n\nOwen responds, and even from the first syllable that comes out of his mouth, Uriel can tell *He's not alright.* They scoot their desk closer towards Owen's, removing a gloved hand from under the safety of their poncho to brush against Owen's back. \n\nUriel promptly forgets about Oliver as priority number one immediately shifts onto Owen. The... Thing far away at their metaphorical controls flicks a switch, and Uriel's face forms a soft smile. \n\nIt's not genuine, no. But it shows that Uriel still has some semblance of control, still able to change their expressions in a poignant manner. They haven't started panicking, not yet— and neither should Owen. \n\n\"It's only detention, alright? From my understanding, we sit here in complete silence for a couple of hours, and promptly leave after enough time has passed. Just silence. Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing to fear.\" \n\nUriel turns back to the front of the room, the briefest glimpse of a micro-expression as they once again acknowledge the metaphorical elephant in the room. Their eyes bore into Oliver's, and despite the neutral expression they don, it's not hard to figure out what the eye contact means. \n\n*Don't involve him in this.*\n\n\"Now, if I am correct in such understanding of detention, I suppose we can start with the punishment and remain in complete and total silence until we're allowed to leave.\" \n\nOwen was already almost at his limit, and Oliver hadn't even *Started* Whatever he was planning— and of course he was planning something, or else why would he be here?"
}
] | 395 | 3,582 |
351 | 2022-03-31 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver waited for Uriel and Owen to finish comforting each other. Scaring them out of their wits wasn't the goal. Neither was breaking them. He did the demonstration because he always did, because it got people to understand that they'd have to play along. It wasn't about hurting them. It was never about hurting them.\n\nOliver had better things to do than hurt children.\n\nHe sighed. \"I expect you'd rather not talk about personal issues with Mr. Edris in the room, so I won't. That said, Newton's Cradle is still supposed to 'rehabilitate' the two of you, and you *Are* In detention, so I'm going to be talking to you. You're at liberty to not answer any of my questions, or indeed talk to me at all. No, you don't get a lawyer, you're already serving time and this isn't gonna make it any more severe, but I'm still not gonna shut up.\"\n\nHe paced back and forth in the room, collecting his materials from his demonstration. It really just highlighted his comparatively diminutive stature, but he didn't mind that much. Dominance was already firmly established.\n\nWith another sigh, he got to the point. \"Let's get the obvious questions out of the way. Owen, why is Uriel sleeping in your dorm room?\" A simple question, though not necessarily simple to answer. Oliver didn't really care - he sat down and twiddled his thumbs while waiting for an answer. It passed the time."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Ok, that question was simple enough. It had a reasonable explanation. Jarring though the screech was, it had properly shaken the last of Owen awake- the ice had been blasted open, for better or worse. \n\n\"It was an accident, sort of. It felt nice? They fell asleep, no wait, I fell asleep the first time, I forgot it was a rule that you can't-\" \n\nAn exasperated snort. *Come on.*\n\n\"We're not up to anything, uh, nefarious, if that's the issue here. There's just. There's some times I'd rather not be alone? Their, their presence is-\" \n\n*Think hard.*\n\n\"Their presence has a positive effect on me, and I believe the reverse is true, and sometimes when people watch movies late at night wrapped in warm blankets they just *Pass out* And sleep til morning!\"\n\nThere. That should do it. Nothing was technically untrue, but he had thankfully refrained from blurting out *'I missed feeling close to people and I feel close to Uriel finally and also I'm hellishly touch-starved and holy shit was that the best sleep I've had in years, why would I* **Not** *?'*\n\n...His tone probably conveyed that, anyway. A suit of armour welded shut at the seams couldn't stop Owen from spilling his guts, one way or another. \n\nSo now, what did Rask think of him? Frustration, disdain, complete *I-don't-get-paid-enough* Indifference? Something roiled pitifully in his stomach. He focused his mind on the stiff, quick, mechanical movements in his arm and leg, the cooling towers of the reactor. *Keep your head cool.* Leaning back in his chair and spreading his feet farther apart, the again stone-faced boy picked a loose strand of mist-coloured hair to lock his darting eyes onto. Twisted nerves, sure, but an iron will. This wouldn't be the death of him."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "*Let's get the obvious question out of the way*, Oliver had said.\n\nTo Uriel's surprise, said question wasn't \"Which fingers of yours should I break first,\" Or \"Why should I spare your pitiful lives?\". Instead, it was... The fairly mundane, disciplinary response. \n\nIt was something a *Teacher* Would ask, and not the violently unhinged man Uriel saw Oliver as. Their eyebrow quirked upwards in surprise for the briefest of moments. \n\nAs the words tumble out of Owen's mouth, Uriel can't help but focus on the exact *Wrong* Things— words like \"It felt nice\" And \"Their presence has a positive effect on me\".\n\nIt jolts them out of their stupor, and Uriel turns towards Owen to listen with... Something on their face. The mix of *That's one of the kindest things I've ever heard* And *He's going to eat you alive, you fool* Coalesces in a stupefied yet flattered expression. \n\nUriel looks up at Oliver, wincing internally. Something about Owen's earnestness has throughly gutted any attempt to remain aloof and distance themselves from the situation— and a part of Uriel couldn't help but be a bit nervous at having their emotional shield stripped away so easily. \n\n\"Ah, sir, I'm also a narcoleptic, so Owen over here finds it difficult to wake me once I do pass out...\" They offer, a bit weakly as they tack it on to the end of Owen's waterfall of words."
}
] | 326 | 1,053 |
332.5 | 2022-04-01 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Alright, I get it,\" Oliver drawled wearily, \"You have a crush. Not my problem. I'm just supposed to figure out what's been going on.\"\n\nHe twirled around once in the office chair at the front of the room, intended for a teacher to work. At that moment, Oliver was technically a teacher, and technically working, but only technically on both counts. He wasn't paid enough to want to bother unravelling a gay teenager's private life any more than necessary.\n\nFrankly, the rule was slightly ridiculous. He understood why it was there, why it had to be there, but he didn't exactly see a world in which they would succeed in policing that. They had a building full of troubled teenagers, of course some of them would get emotionally attached. It was *Normal.*\n\n\"I hope I'm sufficiently clear when I tell you not to do it again. Rules are rules, and no amount of loving each other or whatever it is you're doing is gonna change them. Find a way to make do without sleepovers. You'll be fine.\"\n\nHe turned his attention away from Owen, then, to focus on the elephant in the room. Uriel. *Uriel.* The fragmented dream-memory of their broken screams came back to him every time. Every time.\n\n\"Uriel.\" There was a pause as Oliver swallowed the discomfort out of his throat. \"I've read your file. Have you in any way been helping Owen sleep, yes or no?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel was absolutely, 100% positive Owen didn't have a crush on *Them* Or even anything remotely comparable of the sort. Rather than argue against someone who had already made up their mind, though, they opted to shut their mouth. \n\n\"...Yes, I have been using my abilities to help Owen sleep.\" Uriel's eyes drift down towards Oliver's throat at their change in body language. Was he... Nervous? Afraid of what Uriel might do? Afraid *For* Owen?\n\n\"No, I don't do anything without permission, and it's only on occasion. I've read up on the rules, and there's nothing about using your powers on other people. If you're worried about me harming Owen, you can rest easy.\"\n\nUriel looked at Oliver, grey eyes boring into his skull. \n\n\"I dislike causing other people to suffer— a sentiment shared by most people, I'd like to think.\" \n\nThe tiniest bit of tension, the slight edge to their voice— they were normally undetectable unless you were looking for it, but Oliver could easily pick up on the sharpness that slipped into their tone."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver could feel the tension between him and Uriel. It was mutual, but he was committed to acting nonchalant while Owen was in the room. He was committed to seeming as though Uriel harming Owen in any way was out of the question - in spite of the fact that Uriel had been harming him, and he had harmed Uriel in retaliation.\n\nHe did not like to think about that, but the vitriolic sarcasm Uriel was trying to convey made him dislike it a little less.\n\n\"That's correct, you wouldn't have broken any rules just by doing that. What I'd like to know is whether, on the night or nights you spent in Owen's room, you had been there because you were helping him sleep.\"\n\nTwisted and awkward as it may have been, particularly given the situation between Oliver and Uriel, Oliver was giving Uriel a chance. If Uriel said yes - if they said that they spent the night in Owen's room after they had helped Owen sleep - Owen would be absolved of responsibility for Uriel having fallen asleep there. Owen would be, for all intents and purposes, off the hook.\n\n*Uriel, on the other hand, would be entirely responsible.*\n\nOliver took a few moments to mull over giving Uriel a hint at that. On one hand, it was Uriel. On the other...\n\n\"Keep in mind that your answer could implicate you.\"\n\nThe deed was done, the trap was set. Now the only thing left would be for Uriel to bite - and then, it would be Oliver and Uriel in a room, alone, where no one could hear them scream.\n\nNot that Oliver planned to make use of that, but... The anger was still there. Just a tad. Enough to have the angry thoughts poke their head in, once in a while. Enough to leave a bad taste in Oliver's mouth."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "The words took an embarrassingly slow time to register in Uriel's head. Once they do, though... Uriel visibly jolts upwards at the realization, and before they can even think—\n\n\"It was me.\" Uriel blurts out. \"Owen didn't have anything to do with me staying over. I'd help him sleep, and end up passing out at his place. He— he doesn't need to be here, so...\" \n\nUriel was all too aware of what would happen to them once Owen left, but they didn't particularly care. So long as Owen was safe, Uriel could rest easy. If he was out of the picture, well— the knot in Uriel's chest that grew every time they saw Owen's nervous face would finally loosen up. \n\nThey'd be able to handle anything thrown at them, so long as they knew their friends wouldn't have to bear the brunt of their mistakes.\n\n*Besides, I did make this mess— it would be rather impolite of me to drag you down, too.*\n\n\"It was my fault, and I take *Sole* And *Full* Responsibility.\" They continue, emphasizing the key words needed in order to absolve Owen from their own sins."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"What?!\"\n\n*Dammit.* Everything that had come out of both Rask and Uriel's mouths in the past five minutes made his blood boil. For one, the sleepover rule was stupid, but that was old news. He wanted to grab and shake Uriel for so gallantly swan diving under the wheel for him- what kind of a helpless, snivelling fool would he *Be* For letting that happen? The stabby angel business was one thing. He would play dumb about that. But *This??* Idiocy.\n\n\"Uriel's used their powers on me exactly *Once*, and that was with my permission, *From another bloody room*. Any time they've stayed with me overnight is because I wanted them there, harmless fun and *Nothing else*. Their presence helping me sleep was merely a coincidence!\"\n\nWhoops. That was probably going to cost him. But he had gotten going, and couldn't stop now- he had been misunderstood, his words fallen out half-formed and boneheaded and backwards and an old, slightly childish anger demanded that he resolve it.\n\n\"Look, it was an honest blunder. We blanked and forgot a rule existed and we won't do it again, of course we won't, but- *Esgob annwyl*, what do you intend to do to them for **That**?\"\n\nOwen's voice was hardly raised above his normal tone, but it shook and cracked horribly on emotional notes. Something beneath the juvenile squeaks, though, held fiercely steady- he was already in the shit, wasn't he? What would Rask do, summon that hellish screech again? In this state, the indignant boy was of half a mind to melt the infernal robots beneath his boot.\n\nAnd, on another layer, a method to his madness- as far as Rask knew, Owen had no clue about anything suspicious. What he'd seen and heard remained locked behind a mask of dishevelled innocence, his continued presence effectively blocking any discussion of what Uriel was *Really* There for. Who was being ridiculous here? Mild-mannered though he was, Owen's stubborn arse sure could keep up a righteous bickering match with a professional educator."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver takes a deep breath in, then lets it out in a measured, controlled, calm *Siiiigh.* And he thought it would be over quickly.\n\nOf *Course* Owen is protecting his crush. That's what teenagers do when they're in love. He could have and should have seen it coming from a mile away. He himself had been there before. He had done that kind of stupid, short-sighted thing for the sake of love before. Why didn't he see it coming sooner? What kind of stupid, angry, short-sighted thing had possessed him since that night?\n\n\"Owen. I need you to calm down. *I'm* Not going to do anything to Uriel for that. If the Deans want to give them more hours in detention, they can, but that's not *My* Decision. I'm not going to do anything, Owen. Okay?\"\n\nWhy, oh why was Oliver doing this? It would be so *Simple* To just sit around for an hour, wait for Owen to leave, and grab Uriel on the way out for a chat. It would be so much *Simpler.* Why was he trying to expedite things?\n\n'Cause it wasn't supposed to be him in detention, that's why.\n\n\"You don't have to cover for Uriel. Uriel, you don't have to cover for Owen either. Both of you can tell the truth or shut the fuck up, honestly. If you're actually honest, we can make the rest of this hour go a little bit faster.\" \n\nHe paused.\n\n\"There's a deck of UNO cards in the desk drawer, and I'm definitely not having any more fun than the two of you right now, so...\""
}
] | 330 | 1,995 |
401.666667 | 2022-04-02 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Owen's outburst comes... Well, not as a surprise. In hindsight, it's exactly what the fiery redhead would say. If Owen was a person who'd be willing to sit and *Watch* As someone lied to sacrifice themselves, they wouldn't be the Owen Uriel knew. \n\nThe sentiment still shocks Uriel anyway, and as Uriel comes to the terms that Owen isn't letting them face this alone, they ever-so-softly sigh. \n\n\"Perhaps... Owen's version of events is... A bit more accurate.\" They concede, fiddling with their poncho's collar as they wince. \n\n\"You're not— you said you wouldn't do anything to me *For that*. Is it safe to assume, then, that you had to specify because you are planning to do something to me...?\" They falter, and the question that had been weighing on their mind bubbles to the surface. \n\nIn fact, while Oliver had been interrogating the duo with feverish intent, he had answered remarkably little about what he was planning to do. The man had expressed intent to potentially contact Uriel's friends, and attempted to force Uriel in a room alone, yes— but he hadn't *Done anything yet*. \n\nIt was a slow burn that ate away at Uriel's nerves the longer they stayed in the room, tired grey eyes shifting from corner to corner in an attempt to scope out whatever Oliver had planned.\n\n\"Or to other people, I should add.\" Uriel nervously glances at Owen, all too aware of how his presence affected the tension in the room. \n\nOwen was the only thing saving them from whatever Oliver had planned— but with Oliver coming to the (incorrect) conclusion of romantic entanglement, he was a bargaining chip, a chink in Uriel's armor. \n\nWith Uriel's outburst at the end of their shared dream, there was little doubt that the only way to get to Uriel was through their friends— and a friend laid in Oliver's clutches, perfectly helpless and human and *Vulnerable*. \n\nThe worst thing, though, was Uriel knew such a strategy would *Work*.\n\n\"You expect honesty from us, but I'd like to see such an effort reciprocated.\"\n\nUriel's chest rises and falls as they take in a deep breath. It's the only thing steeling their haywire nerves, their unnaturally forward question sending a spike of adrenaline into their veins. Despite their inner turmoil, the sentence rings clear. \n\nThey *Needed* To raise the silent question, but dreaded hearing the answer. The plea was both their last hope, and their last words. \n\nThey were kickstarting something potentially dangerous— but it was better than waiting for the vice to tighten its grip."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver was *Tired,* And it was only getting worse. It was getting harder and harder for him to remember the fact that he, too, had been a stupid child at one point, that Uriel was not being unreasonable to interpret his words the way they did, and yet he breathed, and breathed, and didn't explode. He was calm enough. \"I am, in fact, *Currently* Keeping you confined in a classroom in the basement as a punishment. No, I'm not planning to- What are you even *Implying* I'd do to you?\"\n\nHis eye drifted to the two steel plates, formerly one steel plate, leaning on the desk. \"*Right.*\" He had done that. That probably didn't help the whole torture thing.\n\nHe lifted one robot from the desk in front of him, one of two remaining, and showed it off to the two scared teenagers in front of him. \"See this? The thing that made that, yeah, awful screeching noise, I hate it too.\" He then turned it upside down, screwing off the robot itself and leaving only the liquid-filled cap in his right hand, and *Drank the liquid.*\n\n\"It's *Water.* These things just shoot high pressure water, the screech was what *Cutting steel* Sounds like, and if I used them on you for any reason other than self-defense it would be a one-way ticket to prison for me and to the hospital for you. So no, I am not going to do that. I am going to be sitting here for about...\" He checked his watch. \"...40 minutes, and *Inshallah* We can all go about the rest of our day after that. Okay? *Great.*\"\n\nOliver was nothing if not a pragmatist. Human affairs didn't exactly come easily to him, though. He figured that probably showed quite clearly."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel was silent as Oliver carried on his demonstration, watching with half-lidded, tired eyes. They supposed it was something they had in common with the teacher— pure, unbridled exhaustion. \n\nIt would be so easy to take Oliver at his word, and remain in silence for the next 40 minutes. *So, so, easy.* \n\nBut even if Uriel left detention unscathed like Oliver promised, the fear wouldn't subside. The checking behind their shoulder, the spikes of anxiety when seeing his name in Intra... They'd only dissipate once Uriel asked the questions weighing on their mind. \n\n\"Then ... Why are you here? Should I believe it was a coincidence, or...?\"\n\n They trail off. Oliver had told them to meet in his office, and Uriel hadn't, not yet. Of course, Uriel didn't expect Oliver to do anything with Owen in the room, but did the man truly want to sit here in silence and then part ways? \n\nThe more Uriel thought about the teacher's motives, the more their head began to hurt. The what if's and unanswered theories sent sharp, pulsating spikes of pain straight to their temple, and they winced."
}
] | 388 | 1,205 |
384.333333 | 2022-04-05 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Uriel was leaving out a great deal, but Owen wasn't blind to it. The feeling was shared- a nap of some sort sounded heavenly. The rest, the unsaid sentiments left between the lines, didn't go misunderstood. Loosing a gentle sigh, he hoped they knew that. \n\n*\"Boyfriend?-\"*\n\nOf course he thought that. Contesting it would only solidify the assumption- every single goddamn time. Whatever. A defiant coil in his chest propelled him to rest a hand on his friend's shoulder when Rask left the room; this wasn't the first time his genuine (if badly worded) affection was called gay, and it wasn't the first time he had resented that. \n\n\"Well! That could certainly have gone worse,\" He squeaked, squeezing their shoulder before rising from his chair. \"Pardon me for a moment.\"\n\nA calm, precise pilgrimage away from his desk and into the open space at the front of the room. A stretch, like a cat awakening from a leisurely nap curled up in a sunbeam. And then, Owen leaped a solid foot into the air and slammed his feet back onto the ground with enough force to rattle his brain- twenty-five minutes of tamped-down energy-turned-gunpowder shot straight into the floor. \n**BAM.**\n*That* Felt incredible. \n\nShaking out his head, humming like a distressed radiator, and smacking his legs with his hands, the horribly compressed spark boy recalibrated himself. Freshly cracked hands found the desk drawer with the cards, and a loosened frame collapsed back into its chair. His eyes seemed to be properly alert now, thoughts buzzing behind them in less frantic lines. Maybe now, he would be able to mentally unpack the last half hour.\n\n\"Much better! Now.. Uh, UNO? Thoughts? About UNO, or otherwise?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "At Owen's mention of 'boyfriend', Uriel put a hand on their chin, eyebrows furrowed in thought. \n\n\"I noticed that too, but felt it prudent not to say anything. It's a... Bit odd why anyone would think I would be in a relationship, especially since I've never even kissed anyone.\" They laughed, finding the idea of being in a relationship a bit amusing in how absurd it was. \n\nHow silly that would be. Uriel had just barely made friends since coming to the Cradle, only now in their life finding people who could look past their abilities. A relationship? That was a giant leap, a deep drop-off; well, Uriel wasn't even sure they *Could* Be attracted to someone in that way.\n\n\"Besides that, though... It could have gone worse.\" \n\nEven if the worst has yet to come and the elephant in the room hadn't been acknowledged, Oliver didn't seem particularly prone to violence. His answers seemed reasonable, and knowing Oliver was following some sort of internal logic and forethought greatly relieved Uriel.\n\nTheir eyes tracked Owen move, following him up and down as he jumped. The way his hair flowed at the apex of his jump was scenic, the bright auburn locks suspended in air for the briefest of moments. \n\n\"Needed to release some energy, I presume?\" Uriel quirks an eyebrow up, faintly smiling at the very Owen action. \n\n\"I was greatly impressed with your conduct during the whole affair, though. I could only imagine how difficult this ordeal has been for your mental state...\" \n \nUriel shifts in their seat as they pause, trailing off briefly as wonder how to properly express the sentiment that followed. \n\n\"Thanks. For all of this. It... It means a lot to me to have your company. I'm, ah, vaguely aware of UNO's rules, so I might be able to provide a decent match.\"\n\nUriel's tone is sincere and soft, delicate in contrast with the harsh LED lights of the basement room. As Owen strides over, they pull a chair to the opposite side of their desk, and gesture him to sit across."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Pfft. I've kissed a couple people. Disastrous. Might be just my bass and I in the end,\" Owen joked, his tone dry and sarcastic. He unzipped his leather jacket, the shiny black armour stretched across his chest too warm and no longer needed. \n\nHis choice of shirt today was Metallica's *Ride the Lightning*- in retrospect, the electric chair floating in the blue thundercloud was a dark sort of a joke given the circumstances.\n\n\"Ah, yeah. It gets all pent-up, like my limbs are coiled springs or something- I can't sit still usually, but it gets so much worse in classrooms for whatever reason.\" Another stretch; his shoulder popped loudly. \"I think it's being *Told* That I can't move. Makes me need it more.\" A half-hearted snort. \n\n\"I've never had a teacher not tell me to stop it before. That's new.\"\n\nIt was. Years upon years of *\"Take those headphones out\"*, *\"Stop that racket\"*, and *\"You're making that up. Stop being dramatic.\"* Had worn on him, and his hopes for remotely pleasant teachers. Rask was by no means pleasant, but he hadn't cared about Owen's fidgeting, which was *Something*. \n\n\"Of course.\"\n\nHis voice lowered to match Uriel's, sweeter tones buzzing less painfully in his ear canals. He could hear his every move without his headphones; it was a little uncomfortable, but something still on edge told him to remain vigilant.\n\n\"Let's see if I remember how to play this, eh?\""
}
] | 384 | 1,153 |
293.714286 | 2022-04-11 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver had been watching the clock and checking his phone. There really wasn't much else he could do. Somewhere deep down in the pit of his stomach, he wasn't quite feeling well about... Anything. The doubt was stronger than the reasons for it - he found himself doubting everything. Was he wrong to volunteer to handle the detention in the first place? Was he wrong to *Leave?*\n\nThe clock hit zero. Detention was over. He took a deep breath, and pressed down the door handle.\n\nOwen and Uriel seemed tense, still, but less so. They'd been playing UNO. Trying to relax. That was good. That would probably help them not freak out *As* Much. He needed Owen and Uriel to not freak out at being in different rooms. If they did, he'd get nothing done.\n\n\"Owen, you're free to go. Uriel, stay here a moment.\"\n\nHe gauged the expressions on their faces for a moment before continuing. He couldn't do anything to make things better or worse either way.\n\n\"We need to talk.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel looked over at Owen, standing up to shuffle the cards they had just lost with. \n\n\"Don't wait for me, alright? I won't be long, so I can meet up with you for dinner if you'd like.\"\n\nIt's a bold assumption— one that they'd walk out of this room, and another that they'd be in a good enough condition to warrant eating after. Still, Uriel smiled reassuringly at Owen, even if it didn't reach their eyes. \n\nUriel had hope it wouldn't go poorly, but it didn't disqualify the bundle of nerves that were neatly tucked away, the feelings labeled \"Not useful\" And thrown into a drawer somewhere in their head. \n\nIt'll be alright. Even if it wasn't, *It will be alright.*"
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Um, okay.\"\n\nWell. No way to drag anything out; Owen had been as much of a stubborn nuisance as he could, but this next bit was out of his hands. \n\nHe surveyed Rask's face back, in the nerve-wracking space between short, to-the-point sentences. He looked.. Awfully tired. The memory of Uriel quivering and gripping him so tightly after their last encounter with this man flashed behind his eyes, too shaken almost to whisper; his guard remained adamantine, restless though he was. \n\nHe didn't make eye contact all that often. People only tended to notice when he *Did*, because the sudden change struck them as stranger than the usual lacking. There was a look in his eyes, hidden in plain sight, that flickered but burned steadily in their deep reddish pools. It wasn't an intimidation attempt; it was merely a look, information tucked away and then disconnected with a pang of healthy fear. \n\n\"O-One of the lights in the back's been flickering,\" Was all he could really think to say.\n\nStanding and squeezing Uriel's shoulder one last time, Owen strode toward the door in heavy yet hurried steps. Pausing at the door, he drank in the last words he'd get from Uriel until things were (hopefully) resolved.\n\n\"Alright. Soup at 7:30, no later. Get it while it's hot.\" \n\nThe *\"Or else\"* Didn't need to be said. They heard it just fine.\n\n...\n\nA quick nod and he was off, vanished into the hallway, fidget clicking away and fading into a nervous echo."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "As soon as Owen was gone, Oliver closed the door and sighed. It was just him and Uriel now - the worst possible scenario. He decided to distract himself, and climbed onto a table at the back to unscrew the malfunctioning lightbulb while he talked. It helped ease the tension a little, at least for him. He hoped it would do the same for Uriel.\n\n\"We should talk about what happened.\"\n\nHe finished retrieving the lightbulb, and sat on the table. No weapons. No robots. No tools. Nothing. Just Oliver, sitting on a table, alone. It looked a lot less threatening that way. Without his tools, Oliver was just a man. A smart man, granted, but a man. He wouldn't hurt Uriel because he *Couldn't* Hurt Uriel. Maybe that was okay.\n\nMaybe it was good that he couldn't cause any more pain.\n\n\"I, uh. I figure I probably owe you an apology.\" He sighed. \"I honestly thought I was better than that. I should've been better than that. Maybe when I sleep I don't think straight. I don't know.\"\n\nOliver wasn't emotionally vulnerable with very many people. His fiancée, and not really anyone else. Being vulnerable in front of a child felt *Weird.*\n\n\"I hurt you. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "As Oliver closed the door, Uriel fell deathly quiet, eyes not moving from Oliver's gaze. They tracked the older man as he walked around the room, saying nothing. \n\nThe silence was like the sheen surface of a pond— so pristine yet so *Fragile*, completely broken by even the tiniest ripples. Uriel had yet to dare to touch said surface and start the chain of events waiting for them, and so they opted instead to watch. Would Oliver make good on the promise they had made in front of Owen, or was that just a thinly-veiled lie Uriel had desperately grasped onto, feverishly avoiding whatever laid in await?\n\nOliver opens his mouth, and the first trace of emotion flares up on Uriel's ever-pallid face— *Confusion*. Their shoulders slowly crawl upwards as Oliver talks, and they look back at the man with wide eyes. \n\nThey've been confronted about their appearance in other people's dreams before, back when they couldn't control their powers and the whims of the human mind pulled at Uriel constantly.\n\nThey learned one testament during those days, cemented as a corner stone of human behavior: Afraid people became angry people, and angry people hurt things.\n\nThis situation wasn't like when they were younger, tasting the edge of concrete and the biting pang of copper in the schoolyard, arms wrapped around their head to protect from the much older schoolchildren looming over them. That reaction was *Human* And expected, but this time Uriel was worse. This time their intrusion was intentional, and so the response received *Justified*.\n\n\"But—\" Uriel's breath lodges itself in their throat, and they suck in a deep inhale. \n\n\"I did something *Wrong*. I thought— I misunderstood a situation, and did something reprehensible because of my lack of thoroughness.\"\n\n\"It was... Unexpected of a schoolteacher, I suppose, but I can only imagine how terrifying the feeling of being intruded in your own mind is. I— you shouldn't apologize. I shouldn't have— it wasn't your fault.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver nodded. In a twisted sense, Uriel was right - they had done something wrong, something *Reprehensible,* And they did deserve to be punished for it, but that doesn't justify what Oliver did. Oliver tortured them, then threatened to do the same to their innocent friends. Oliver's privacy had been violated, but Oliver hadn't even been hurt.\n\nHe sighed. \"Yeah, it was. You're right, you did something wrong. You *Were* Wrong, but-\" He cut himself off. Rambling wouldn't do him any good. \"Are you familiar with the doctrine of proportional response? It's an idea in foreign policy - when you're attacked by a foreign nation, you can attack them back, and that's allowed, but it has to be proportional to their attack on you. If they shoot down your plane, you get to bomb a few of their bridges and depots. You don't get to carpet bomb their capital city or destroy their entire navy. If you do that, you're going too far, and the international community's gonna condemn you, maybe even go to war to stop you.\"\n\nHe paused.\n\n\"What I did wasn't a proportional response. I wronged you more than you wronged me. I'm sorry.\" What an awful thing to admit to someone, he thought. What an awful thing. But it was true, and it was the right thing to do.\n\n\"I just wanna know why. What did you think you'd find in there? Why'd you even want to find it?\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Yes, but you're not a nation. Nations make decisions based on facts and statistics. People act based on how they feel, and that's just how people *Are*. Expecting any more would be like expecting a fish to fly, and becoming mad at a fish for not flying is a bit foolish.\" They force out a tiny, polite laugh at the comparison, as if to emphasize what a vain effort such an affair would be.\n\nThe more Oliver apologizes, the more tense Uriel seems to get. The deep, pervasive feeling of something being *Off* Shook them to their core. Uriel knew they were supposed to be grateful for the apology; admitting wrongdoing was difficult for a good amount of people, and it was best to encourage that behavior when displayed. \n\nBut the break from tradition was deep, uncharted waters Uriel had never encountered before. The desire for the familiar whispered tantalizingly into their ear, even though it promised known aches. \n\n\"I... Was told someone was in danger, but after that night I discovered I might have been lied to. It's... Complicated, and I can't elaborate.\" \n\nUriel stifles down whatever train of thought was running through their head, instead changing tracks to focus on balancing the information they could and could not say. \n\n\"I lied about my motivations in the dream, and I feel horrible for conducting myself in such a manner. I felt it prudent to leave other parties out of the actions I was executing, but I could have done so without resorting to lying.\""
}
] | 313 | 2,056 |
361.5 | 2022-04-12 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Oliver shook his head. \"Nations aren't machines. The people who make the decisions are still people, and their feelings still influence them. I should know, I used to be one of 'em. I was pretty bad at proportional response back then, too.\" That wasn't funny. He should probably shut up about that. He'd hurt innocent people then, too.\n\nWhat an awful apology this had been. The lack of light from the bulb Oliver had unscrewed was starting to bother him like a fly hovering next to his ear, consistently drawing his attention away from Uriel, from the apology, from everything, really. Just the persistent annoyance of a missing lightbulb. At least it wasn't flashing - that would have been worse.\n\nUriel, for their part, seemed tense too. Differently so, but... Tense. There was more to this than what Oliver was being told, he knew, but he didn't quite know *What,* Or, for that matter, why Uriel was so secretive about it.\n\n\"I remember the dreams you gave me, you know. Mostly because they were bad ones. It's been a long time since a nightmare managed to wake me up, but yours did.\"\n\n*Angels.* It was angels. He thought he was over that. He thought he'd secured everything, he thought he'd done enough to keep people from wandering the industrial quarter at night, he thought he'd done everything he needed to do, but here was some kid he'd barely had contact with rooting through his head to find angels.\n\n\"I don't really love that you've been poking through my thoughts to find this stuff, and don't get me wrong, I'm not letting you do it again, but... Judging by the stuff you were looking through, I'm guessing you had your reasons.\"\n\nWas he really about to *Volunteer* The kind of information Uriel might have been looking for? Yeah. It was the least he could do, and it wasn't like any of it was big and secretive, it was just... Awful. It was awful.\n\n\"I think you still want to know this stuff. Go on, ask. I'll tell you what I know, as long as you don't make a big deal out of it on the intranet or something. And don't give me that shit about 'you can't elaborate', because you can. I'm not going to do anything if you don't want me to. So spill it.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel remembers the dream they gave Oliver, wincing as he mentions the nightmarish nature of the memories. They justified it as necessary to help Annika at the time, but it didn't help the disgusting feeling they had when finally waking up. \n\nMemories of that night came back to them— memories of leaning against the walls of the in-dorm showers, the warm water barely helping them pick apart the feelings that belonged to them vs. The remnants that had clung onto Uriel when they left. \n\nNo, that night was not fun, for neither Oliver nor Uriel. \n\n\"Things happened, things similar to what you dreamed. What happened last time?\"\n\nA glowing knife, a mangled corpse— if it happened then, it might happen again. \n\n\"...Did someone... Die?\" \n\nHushed, tentative words. Uriel was no stranger to death, and they didn't fear such a concept— but it didn't make it any more pleasant to talk about. Especially in the... Grizzly manner seen in Oliver's dreams."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "*Things happened, things similar to what you dreamed.*\n\nWhat he dreamed. People being stabbed. People being killed. So many people. Again and again. He didn't like thinking about it in that moment. In that moment, he was letting himself be emotionally vulnerable, and with that came a vulnerability to emotions which would otherwise not concern him. Fear. Doubt. Anger. Grief.\n\nHe nodded. \"Yeah. Lots of people have died. It's...\" He swallowed the lump in his throat. \"I think something like three people from Newton's Cradle have ever been attacked. One of them died. But a lot more people are attacked than just us.\"\n\nOliver knew the Angels like the back of his hand. He'd dealt with them one too many times not to. He didn't say anything about it. He never said anything about it. People weren't supposed to know this much, and yet here he was, talking about it like his life depended on it.\n\n\"Usually, it's... Well. It's politicians, oil execs, corporate lawyers, those kinds of people. Sometimes, a person, usually from out of town, will just... Disappear out in *Industrin,* And no one ever finds them again. That place is like the Bermuda triangle, only we actually know why people disappear in there.\"\n\nAnd that was that. That was what the angels do. They disappear people they don't like. They kill people. They'd tried to kill Oliver, too, the first time. Back then, they almost lost one of their own, but Oliver made sure she got help, and it had been a truce since then. Sort of. Only sort of.\n\n\"They don't go for you at random. They have some kind of aura thing going on, I think. They attack people they judge as evil. Vigilantes, basically. They're just... Wrong, a lot of the time, is the problem. And you don't get a trial. They just kill you.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"You— you don't have to talk about this if it hurts you. It seems... Painful.\" \n\nSeeing Oliver— an older, more clinical person than Uriel was— become visibly choked up upon recounting whatever happened gave way to a preemptive pause. \n\nWhat were they doing? Was this really their place to ask about? If the angels were involved in a so-called manic sense of justice, then that would mean *All* Of the angels, including Annika, participated in this vigilante justice. \n\n*They were all dangerous, even Annika*. And considering how protective Val was over her... It's safe to say Valio was in danger, too. \n\nUriel would have to meet Valio sooner than they'd expected, if not to warn her of the danger. Although the chance the stoic woman would ignore what they had to say was significant, they had to at least *Try*. \n\n\"But, if you must go on... Have they ever killed one of their own?\" Another question. If they were a banded group of vigilantes, then it would be out of character to attack one of their fellow 'angels', unless their aura changed. \n\nUpon the mention of auras, Uriel perked up a bit. The language used was a bit reminiscent of their abilities, even if Uriel didn't possess those capabilities. Was it the same mechanism, a different way to navigate whatever strings connected people? Not that it was relevant to what was being discussed, but it was intriguing to think about."
}
] | 361.5 | 1,446 |
236 | 2022-04-15 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "[Downtown...]\n\n◆ \"Thanks.\"\n\n□ Stepping away from the food cart, Silas took a moment to admire the food in his hands. Some local delicacies and standard fare packed together into a neat, orderly Styrofoam tray, he'd never let go of his gripe with the absurd add-on fees through all of the food delivery apps that were available in the Isakstad region. It was this refusal to pay extra that led to him riding down to Isakstad's market district today, tiered skirt and wavy twin-tone hair blowing elegantly in the downhill wind as he sailed down about half an hour prior.\n\n▪︎ And now, he had his food, but where to sit...?\n\n• Afrer about ten minutes of strolling around with his eyes peeled for any sort of quiet spot, he eventually spotted out a quiet little gazebo, attached to some sort of pub. Hoisting himself up over the railing, he hoped nobody saw, and if someone *Did* See they wouldn't call the cops on him. Sure, he was already imprisoned, but... No sense to make things worse, huh?\n\n★ So, he sat down with his back pressed against the railing, lit a cigarette, and began to eat, like some sort of alley cat."
},
{
"author": "yourunpaidparkingticket",
"message": "Craig stumbled across the quiet streets of Isakstad, juggling several grocery bags all the while praying the beanie that concealed his hair would not fall off. He scanned, the streets for a place to rest and drink before his eyes landed on a gazebo not that far away. \n\nStumbling over to the rest area, he placed his bags down and hurriedly fixed his hat. Glancing to his side, he noticed a vaguely familiar person sitting in the gazebo as well. \"Ah, I hope you don't mind me sitting here for a bit.\" He said through a tired but polite smile, sitting down next to him.\n\nHis head buzzed with a chatter of thoughts and emotions, especially since its the first time in a long time he's been outside in a city unsupervised. Normally, his roommate would accompany him outside, but he was busy today and Craig needed to get groceries. \n\nLooking at the scenery, he stretched his limbs slightly, relaxing in his seat. He hadn't noticed his beanie slowly shift as a single strand of bright pinkish blue 'hair' poked out slightly, facing the man sitting beside him."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ Unsurprisingly, someone else had stumbled across him, cigarette hanging from chapstick lips, cloudberry jam staining his cheek.\n\n□ Rather than say anything at first, which would have been rude given his mouthful of food, he simply grunted and waved, the fork in his hand expertly weaving itself between the gaps in his fingers as he did so. At this point he had begun to stop caring about people seeing him, at least out in public; after all, his fake ID never actually remained in his room, so even if he was caught and his room was searched there was no chance his nicotine lifeline would be severed. For now, he simply chewed, slowly, savouring his limpa-cloudberry jam-peanut butter sandwich and humming.\n\n▪︎ Best sandwich he'd had in weeks.\n\n◆ \"Hey.\" With his bite swallowed, he cleared his throat and broke the silence. \"Need a little break from doin' groceries? Good place. Wood's kinda comfy.\""
}
] | 233 | 708 |
258.25 | 2022-04-17 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "yourunpaidparkingticket",
"message": "Craig relaxed into his seat and took in his surroundings. It was pretty, the streets were quiet and the quaint little gazebo was nice and comfortable. \n\n\"Need a little break from doin' groceries? Good place. Wood's kinda comfy.\"\n\nHearing the boy next to him suddenly speak Craig jumped a little. \"O-oh, yeah,\" He stumbled slightly, \"I wanted to go out on my own once in a while so I blindly walked into the streets.\" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.\n\nTaking a closer look at the boy, he tilted his head slightly. His two toned hair and tanned skin looked very familiar to him. Perhaps Craig had passed him by the halls of Newton's cradle, but he couldn't be sure, after all it could be his eyes playing tricks on him. Besides, hadn't talked to anyone much from the institution outside of Haoran and Ms Pernilla. \n\n\"I'm Craig, by the way,\" He introduced himself, hand out for the other boy who looked about the same age as him to shake. \"Um, say, do I perhaps know you from somewhere?\" He said through a light chuckle, head tilted slightly. \n\n\"You just seem oddly familiar,\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Blind wandering? Gotcha.\" He spoke, his voice soft and fuzzy like a faux mink throw. \"I do that sometimes too. It's how ya find the cool shit in a new city; or, well, kinda new. I've been here about a month so it isn't so new, but still.\"\n\n□ How had it already been a month? Time had flown by in a whirlwind of chemistry, depression, and video games, and the passage of time barely even felt real. Taking another bite of his sandwich he looked over at the newcomer, who was waffling on about who he was, and claiming that Silas looked familiar to him. A bit odd, maybe, but he stood out in a crowd, so it seemed reasonable that he might have looked familiar to a virtual stranger.\n\n▪︎ He swallowed his bite of food and cleared his throat.\n\n◆ \"Probably the hair.\" He spoke. \"It's distinctive. Or maybe it's my clothing sense; I do tend to dress up like a lass a lot. I'm Silas, by the way, Silo in that group chat thing we have back home; nice to meet ya, mate.\""
},
{
"author": "yourunpaidparkingticket",
"message": "\"Well, it's the first time I've really gone outside, if I'm being honest.\" He said awkwardly. It was the first time he's gone outside in a populated area, really. The stark change of scenery from the muddy forested paths of the American woods to the grey brick roads of the city, littered with stores and other buildings on every turn was jarring to say the least. Craig was just glad he had found a relatively quiet place to rest. \n\n\"I'm Silas, by the way, Silo in that group chat thing we have back home; nice to meet ya, mate.\"\n\n\"Ah, I figured you were from Newton's Cradle as well,\" He said, perking up in his seat slightly. \"I'm relieved actually,\" He sighed, \"It's not easy going outside considering my looks.\" He said, lifting his beanie slightly to reveal large plant like appendages grow out of his scalp like hair. \n\n\"I was afraid of getting caught,\" He tucked his 'hair' back into his hat, \"It was risky but I was curious and needed groceries anyway.\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"What, did your parents keep you in a fuckin' locked dark room your entire life or something?\" Silas cracked a joke in the lad's direction, albeit a possibly dark one. \"But, for real, what's up with that? How do ya just sit around your dorm all day without goin' shit crazy?\"\n\n□ As someone who had always been more inclined to find something to do each day, the concept of sitting around doing nothing for weeks on end when there was a whole town to explore and loads of woods to traipse through seemed foreign, alien almost. Of course, though, everyone had their own ways of passing the time, so all he could really do was voice his surprise and sink back into his market food feast. Looking up after a few moments of silently chewing and nodding, he noticed the plant-like appendages protruding from the other lad's head, like cowlicks reclaimed by the earth.\n\n▪︎ Intriguing.\n\n◆ \"Just dye the rest of your hair the same colour, mate. That way you can just explain the plant-like parts as being... I don't know, a cultural thing?\" Uncertainty laced his voice like a tablecloth, hanging down past his chin and into the open air. \"But anyways, that's fair. The food at the Cradle's horribly bland, it's why I'm down here too. A sandwich, a break from the prison... Enjoy the weather. Fuckin' nice out, huh?\""
}
] | 249 | 1,033 |
84 | 2022-05-10 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*Its an alright day, a bit cloudy, but its nothing too bad for a walk. And that's exactly what Penelope is doing, taking a walk in her pink jacket, just wanting to get some exercise in. Of course, she isn't jogging, but honestly, that's not really her thing, light exercise is something she does more*"
},
{
"author": ".lucius.",
"message": "He wasn't paying attention, his shoulder slamming into hers as he walked. Looking back with tired eyes and a sort of confused look he just stared at her. No words were said from the boy other then an echoing silence and confusion that twisted and turned into some type of frustration. Not towards her but himself. Sure it was a nice day, but he's new, annoyed with life, and just upset in general. Perfect stances to piss someone off on accident with."
},
{
"author": "motherpuro",
"message": "*She stumbles and catches herself on a street light nearby before she looks back at the boy, a little frustrated that they didn't apologize, but then again, she also wasn't paying a lot of attention to the world around her either*\n\n\"Ah, m-my bad, i wasn't looking where i was going, h-heh...\"\n\n*She adjusts her glasses in the awkward silence and scratches the back of her head*"
}
] | 86 | 252 |
98.111111 | 2022-05-14 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla had a tendency to worry.\n\nWorry about new arrivals finding their footing, worry about familiar faces getting into trouble and getting themselves hurt. She always worried like that. It was a terrible habit. The kids needed their freedom too.\n\nThis time, the object of her worry was a newly arrived youngster by the name of Taffy Weaver. She had asked to meet her in the cafeteria, and she obliged, though only after being told the cafeteria would have food.\n\nAs she entered the cafeteria, Taffy was getting up to leave. She picked up the pace and walked over to them, gesturing for them to sit down. \"... Miss Weaver? I'm really sorry we have to meet at this hour, but now is when I have time. Please, sit down.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Upon hearing Pernilla's voice, Taffy looked over. His face gave off the impression of extreme exhaustion, as well as boredom. Clearly, he wasn't interested in whatever this meeting would turn out to be like.\nWith a reluctant sigh, they sat down, avoiding any eye contact with Pernilla. All they had on them was their phone, which was slipped into their pocket.\n\"Yo.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla didn't look upset. Worried, certainly, but if Taffy cast her even a cursory glance, it was clear that there wasn't going to be any trouble.\n\nFor Pernilla's part, she was just trying to understand what was going on. \"Taffy, dear, you've been telling people - as well as me - that you're not supposed to be here. Is that true, Taffy?\" She gently extended a hand onto the middle of the table. \"You can tell me the truth, dear. It's alright.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy sat back in its seat, hands behind its head, and placed its feet up on the table. She figured it was best to play it cool, despite the worry growing in her gut at the presence of an authority figure.\n\n\"It's whatever. If I tell you it's true, you'll send me home. If I tell you it's false, you'll make me talk about my feelings. Honestly, I'd rather the former, no matter if it's true or not. So yeah,\" Xe sighs, taking one hand down and looking at it nonchalantly. \"The food here is crap, by the way.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla sighed. On most counts, Taffy was right - but on the one that counted, not quite.\n\n\"You don't have to talk about anything with me if you don't want to, dear. I'll get you appointments with a therapist if you need it, but you don't have to talk to them if you don't want to, either.\"\n\nShe shakes her head. She's heard what she needed to hear. \"The food could be better, yes. Margarita is trying, if you've met her. I'm sure you could help with that too, if you'd like.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy groans, stretching their arms out before placing their hands back behind their head. It was obvious how incredibly tired they were, with an undertone of discomfort slipping through.\n\n\"I'd probably just spit in all the food to get out of work,\" He says, with an innocent smile. \"So, is that it? Are we done here? I could do with a nap. I have shit to get done when I wake up.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla sighed. \"I'm going to arrange for you to see a therapist. I'll let the rest of staff know not to believe you. Talk later, I suppose.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"A therapist??\" Taffy suddenly sits upright, slamming one hand on the table. \"Fuck no. Sorry, miss, but therapists are wasting both their own time and mine when they try to help me.\"\n\nWith a disgruntled groan, she leans back, trying to recover her cool composure. \"I'll just bullshit my way through it like I always do. Unless you give me alcohol,\" She chuckles."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"I know,\" Pernilla insisted calmly, \"I know. Therapy is daunting, and it doesn't always seem helpful. I know you maybe don't want it. You're not the first person who's said that, Taffy.\"\n\nShe rested both arms on the table, and leaned in toward Taffy. \"But I'm asking you to go anyway. 1 hour a week. You don't have to talk to the therapist if you don't want to. That's okay. I'm sure the therapist won't mind doing nothing for an hour. I'm going to put it on your schedule, okay? If you don't go, it'll count as skipping class.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"That's fucking stupid. What do you even aim to achieve with it?\" Bug groans, looking away and crossing bugs arms. \"I'm not going to say shit to them. I can promise you that.\"\n\nIt was obvious that Taffy was stressed about the current conversation. Despite their best efforts to hide it, the aura they gave off was very uncomfortable, almost frightened."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla nods. \"That's okay.\"\n\n\"I have to go now, okay? If you have anything you need to talk to me about, you can stop by my office.\"\n\nShe waits for Taffy to acknowledge that she's leaving before she gets up. She can tell she's frightened the poor soul - the best she can do now is give Taffy some space."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy makes no such acknowledgement. In fact, he doesn't seem to be acknowledging anything. Their mind seems to be completely lost, as he stares off into the space ahead of him. The rest of their body is frozen up, not moving at all other than breathing. After a few seconds, the colour in xyr face begins to fade slightly, giving off an almost ghostly impression."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla takes a moment to recognize what's going on, but when she does, she, too, goes a little pale. She gently grabs onto Taffy's hand, feeling for faer temperature. She then immediately begins leafing through Taffy's file with her other hand - this was their power, wasn't it?\n\n... Oh. Yes it was. But she'd wait until Taffy went back to their body."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Suddenly, Taffy's body goes completely limp in the chair, as if ze's been knocked out. Zir temperature is cold and zir breathing is slow.\n\nWhat seems to be a small breeze blows over Taffy's file. Not a second later, a page of the file seemingly rips itself in half, before a piece balls itself up and throws itself across the room."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla doesn't really respond. She knows what's going on. She can tell Taffy is scared, and upset. She can't really do anything about it, though, so the best she can do is remain calm. She slowly, carefully rises from her seat and walks to the other side of the table, taking a seat next to Taffy's limp body and waiting."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "After about five minutes, Taffy's body starts to regain colour, and their eyes reopen to see Pernilla still sitting at the table. There is a moment of silence as he blinks a few times, trying to readjust to his body.\n\n\"I fucking hate this place,\" She groans, standing up and covering her eyes.\n\nMeanwhile, Pernilla's office has been badly trashed. The quilts hanging on the walls have small tears in them. The Quality Street tins and quartz crystals that were previously sitting on the old wooden shelves have been knocked to the ground, scattered all about. The Queen's Wreath is no longer in the windowsill; rather, it is hanging out of the window, barely held up by a string. The previous sense of comfort that the room had has been tarnished, and the furniture has scratches over it. Any snacks previously on the oak table have been knocked off, and there is a noticeable milk stain on the ground along with a smashed teapot."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla, mostly unaware of the carnage which had taken place in her office while Taffy was out, stands up and, if Taffy lets her, places her hands around Taffy.\n\n\"It's gonna be okay.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "With a grunt, Taffy slaps away Pernilla's hands and pulls out their phone, storming their way out of the cafeteria. Right before exiting, they flip the bird in Pernilla's direction for a moment. Upon leaving, the door slams behind them."
}
] | 85 | 1,766 |
181.411765 | 2022-05-16 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares and Finley sat side by side throughout the early morning. The two had been laughing and teasing the other over video games and stolen snacks, a truly eventful mid night meet up. Ares knew that they were breaking an enforced rule, Finley wouldn't let him forget, but he was having a difficult time finding regret for agreeing to let them come to his dorm. Even at such a late hour, Ares had to admit the company was nice.\n\nTheir laughter carried through the silence of the night, far above the disturbances on the floor below. The two had stationed themselves on Ares' bed, sitting comfortably against the otherwise uncomfortable concrete wall. The laptop Ares had placed in front of the two, casted a dull blue light across his dark bedsheets. Ares had switched on a movie, after the two of them played many rounds of various video games. Whenever Ares won he would cheer and laugh, and whenever Finley won Ares claimed it was rigged. The two of them knew such a thing was false, but that didn't stop the dark haired boy from teasing the other. \n\nAres' broken comments and jabs at the idiotic characters in the horror movie they turned on slowly became less and less frequent as Finley's responses became less and less enthusiastic. The dark haired boy wondered if they were getting bored, it wasn't an outlandish thought. The two had been awake for hours, and it was almost half past seven in the morning. \n\nHis dark eyes cast a sharp gaze to his side, where the other sat. His brow softened as he realized, Finley had fallen asleep. Their eyelids were softly closed over light eyes, and their mouth was relaxed as sleepy breaths fell out in small puffs. Their long blonde hair fell in front of their eyes as their body leaned against the wall. They hadn't changed positions, and managed to pass out sitting upwards. Ares let out a soft laugh at this, but quickly realized his confusion. He pursed his lips as his mind swarmed with thoughts.\n\n*\"Ay dito- What the fuck do I do now...\"*\n_ _\n\nAres said sharply under his breath, his otherwise loud voice fell quiet as to not wake Finley. Ares got up, slowly and carefully, and grabbed his laptop on the way. He pressed his finger to the power button, and the room fell silent. Ares paused and kept his gaze on Finley. They looked at ease, comfortable even, in the dark haired boy's presence. *Strange,* Ares thought. He shook his head the moment his mind started wandering, he knew he felt nothing about the situation. \n\nHis laptop was now resting on his desk, placed down haphazardly on top of all of his papers. Ares had to brush a few ink markers out of the way to make room. After he had set down his laptop, he walked back over to his bed. He picked up the controllers the two had used earlier, and put those away too. His bed was now free of everything, except Finley. \n\nWithout much hesitation, Ares reached his rough hands towards Finley's face. He brushed their golden hair out of their eyes, and softly pulled their glasses of their face. His thumbs fell against their cheeks as he pulled his hands away, a slow movement. Ares turned and placed their glasses on his bedside table, carefully folding the temples against the lenses. Ares then placed his hands on Fin's shoulders, he held each side with a solid yet gentle grasp. He moved them out of their sitting position, and down into his bed. Finley adjusted slightly when their position changed, but fell immediately back asleep. Ares let out a teasing sigh, saying *'you asshole,'* With his breath despite knowing they wouldn't hear. Their blonde hair fell softly against Ares' pillow, and their hands curled against their face. Pulling his large heavy blanket over the other, he figured he might as well let them sleep.\n_ _\n\nLetting out a sigh, Ares made his way over to his desk, sat down, pulled out his phone and began mindlessly scrolling through social media. The morning birds chirped in tandem with Finley's slow breathing. The room was otherwise silent. Ares let his head fall back against his chair, confusion pulled on his furrowed brow. He couldn't decide whether this was an inconvenience, or the farthest thing from a big deal. He sighed once more, a sharp heavy breath that reverberated in his chest and made his ribs expand and collapse into his normal resting position. \n\nAres decided to stay awake for the rest of the night, his bed was occupied.\n_ _"
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "With a grunt, Taffy gets up from xyr bed, grabbing the large water bottle xe owns from xyr nightstand. It's a solid litre-size bottle, and it's about two thirds full. Pulling it to her stomach and holding it tightly, she walks over and opens the door, before leaving and closing the door behind her.\n\nTaffy slowly makes his way over to Pernilla's office. A slow knock can be heard on the door."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Taffy had wrecked Pernilla's office earlier, and it still hadn't quite recovered from the carnage, but it was pretty close. The plant was back in the windowsill, the trinkets back on the shelves. A few of the things had been broken, but they would be replaced or repaired soon. Until then, the walls and shelves where they had been would simply have to be slightly more bare than usual.\n\nPernilla answered the door, seeing what she'd expected - Taffy, standing outside her office, holding a water bottle tightly to its stomach.\n\n\"There you are, dear. Come on in.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Without another word, Taffy steps into the room. Ze seems angry, but too weak to act on it, so instead ze just walks over and sits on the first chair ze sees.\n\nAfter a moment of silence, they look up at Pernilla, a scowl on their face.\n\n\"I'm going to leave,\" He says plainly, voice slightly strained."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla takes a seat opposite Taffy, trying to give her some space. The atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable, but, at least to Pernilla, it doesn't seem hostile.\n\nTaffy is a child. A scared, emotionally vulnerable child. Ey're not the first Pernilla's dealt with, and ey won't be the last, but empathy overcomes Pernilla just the same. It's such a tragedy that this keeps happening.\n\n*I'm going to leave.* For a moment, Taffy's statement doesn't quite register for Pernilla, but when it does, it elicits a furrowed brow in response, clearly out of worry.\n\n\"Where will you go?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Don't know,\" They shrug. \"I'm in a prison and I want to get out. Is that so much to understand? Why does nobody fucking understand that?\"\n\nShe's actively avoiding any eye contact with Pernilla. Honestly, at this point, she was just desperate for somebody to listen. With a grunt, he readjusts his sitting position slightly.\n\n\"Nobody even wants to listen. It's fucking stupid.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla doesn't interject until Taffy is done speaking. It's the polite thing to do - as a matter of fact, it's probably the *Right* Thing to do. Taffy is upset, and rightfully so. After all, the whole world is against him. Anyone would be upset and slow to trust. Anyone, if they had lived Taffy's life, would be feeling the way Taffy feels.\n\n\"Well,\" She begins, \"I'm sure your therapist will want to listen. And I'll listen too, if you'd rather talk to me. That's okay too.\"\n\nShe pauses.\n\n\"But if you want to leave, I'm... Well, I'm actually not allowed to stop you. I know you're not really happy being here, and I know Oliver locked you in your room last night, but this isn't really a prison. The doors aren't locked. You can go outside. You can even go out of town if you like - there's a girl on the third floor who's planning a fishing trip to Vänern.\" She smiles a little at that. It's quaint, in a way, that someone is going out of town on a fishing trip. It's nice.\n\n\"If you do leave, just... Be safe, okay? You shouldn't be sleeping rough.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"I'm not coming back unless they drag me back,\" They say firmly, crossing their arms. \"It's either freedom at the risk of danger or it's staying in a prison and just accepting my fate. I'd prefer the former, personally, even if nobody else would.\"\n\nThis is true. Taffy wants nothing more than to just have some freedom, and, at this point, he's just tired of it all. Everything feels cold and enclosed. Even when she goes outside, she doesn't feel any actual joy, because she knows that at the end of the day she has to go back to this place.\n\n\"Besides, the food is shit, and I could seriously do better.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla doesn't interject. How could she? What would she even say? She knows they *Will* Drag Taffy back. She also knows why they have to. But why would she tell Taffy that? How could she?\n\nShe decides to gloss over that.\n\n\"Yes, everyone does tell me the food is quite bad. I'm inclined to agree, though I'm not entirely sure what I can do about it. I'm not the one cooking, and as far as I know, we do have space in the budget for both ingredients and seasonings.\" It was probably more than a little awkward to ignore the heavier parts of the conversation, but... She wanted to engage in a way that Taffy wouldn't be upset over.\n\n\"I'm going to be here if you need someone to talk to. Your room's gonna be here if you need a place to sleep. Like I said, this... This isn't a prison, Taffy. I just want you to be okay, alright? I worry about you.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy's arms snap down, their hands grasping the arms of the chair. They look at Pernilla with a look of absolute disgust.\n\n\"It is *Literally* A prison. That's what this facility is. It's just a fancy prison that likes to make people think it's harmless. This place is sketchy as *Fuck*, and honestly, I'm fully convinced you've been fucking brainwashed or some shit. How long have you worked here for? Do you not realise how bad it is?\" His voice is filled with anger, along with a tinge of regret. \"Stop acting all nice and tell me the truth. That's all I want. The fucking truth.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla sighs and shakes her head. \"I can't tell you the truth. It's a little like a placebo - if you know the truth, it won't work, but if you don't know, it will. There are some things I can tell you, dear, and I've told you already, but you didn't believe me. This *Isn't* A prison. That's the honest truth. But I can't tell you what it is.\"\n\nDifficult conversations were part of the job. Cleaning up the office after it had been wrecked was part of the job. Hopefully, seeing Taffy grow would be part of the job too. That was the part that made the job worth doing. Until then, it would just be uncomfortable.\n\n\"I've been here for more than 10 years. I know what we do here, and I know why we do it, and I think it's good. You can trust me or not - that's your choice. I can't make you do anything you don't want to do. But take care of yourself, okay?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy pauses, staring Pernilla dead in the eyes, before an innocent smile dawns on his face.\n\n\"You're right, ma'am. There is no point fighting it. I'm being rehabilitated, aren't I? It's what I deserve, after all. After what I did.\"\n\nAny shake previously in her voice has dropped, and she looks oddly honest.\n\n\"It could be worse.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Somehow, Taffy's emotions disappearing felt even *Worse,* Even *More* Wrong, than when xe was upset. Pernilla stood up, dragged her chair to the other side of the table, and sat down next to Taffy.\n\n\"Rehabilitated? How would I ever hope to do that, Taffy, dear? You're not a criminal.\" She sighed. \"I know you don't like being here. I know. If it helps, you can think of this like a boarding school. It's closer to the truth than prison is.\"\n\nAnother pause, with Pernilla genuinely unsure how to respond to Taffy's sudden change in mood. \"Would you like to call your father? Would that help?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"I can do that?\" They ask lightly, voice hitching in their throat. They freeze up, and while the question they asked was a hopeful one, they almost sounded angry when they asked it. After a moment, their voice returns to its previous, emotionless state \"I don't deserve that. What do you mean, I'm not a criminal? Do you not know why I'm in here? Isn't that your job? This is my home now. I can't leave.\"\n\nTaffy smiles at Pernilla, leaning back in the seat, hands between his knees. As sweet as this smile is, his eyes look almost faded."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla nods. \"Yes. Go ahead.\"\n\nMr. Weaver knew everything already, after all. Taffy could lie to him as much as she liked, say as many awful things as she liked. It's not like Pernilla could've stopped xem any other time - xer phone hadn't been confiscated.\n\nBefore Taffy could call, though, Pernilla responded to their questioning. \"We told your father, you know. The truth. He agreed that this would be the best thing for you. There are criminals here, but... You're not one of them, Taffy.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Oh, you misunderstand, miss. I don't *Want* To talk to my father,\" They chuckle lightly. \"In fact, I just want to stay here and live peacefully.\n\nWith that statement, ze stands up, before giving a large stretch.\n\n\"I had better apologise to my new friends. I can't believe I was so rude to them.\" Taffy lets out a loud sigh."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla is still quite confused, but elects not to do anything. She nods. \"...Alright.\""
}
] | 132 | 3,084 |
389.5 | 2022-05-20 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Another *Fine* Day it was in deep space. The stars were buzzing, squid traffic was congested as hell, news of the Rat Revolution was blaring on the radio (why were they even called that? They were cockroaches, for crying out loud), and there was *No way* That Owen would be able to mop all the 𝖇𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖌𝖔𝖔𝖕 from the ceiling before the Queen of the Deep arrived.\n\nStill, though, the proud co-owner of the *Magma Wharf Ice Creamery* Put in his best effort to clean up his establishment, despite his business partner being preoccupied with giving marriage advice to the salamander they were supposed to be scooping Raspberry Swirl into a waffle cone for.\n\n\"OI! Uriel! Head out of the clouds, mate, there's a line forming!\"\n\nDid they have no sense of urgency?"
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "The vaguely humanoid blob, only similar to the real life counterpart by a thick head of white, wispy hair, nods before speaking something— not English, not Welsh, not really *Words*— to a dog on its hind legs waiting in line, gesturing impatiently at their watch. \n\nIn the twilight of consciousness, Uriel—actual Uriel — perks their ears, eyebrows furrowing slightly at the smallest tug of a string. It's a familiar and *Important* String; bright red and indistinguishable from the countless others, but emblazoned with writing only they could see.\n\nYes, this string reads *Uriel*, and it seems someone is dreaming of them. \n\n*I shouldn't peek.* They think to themselves, as the string goes taut in their hands. *I... Perhaps I shouldn't be doing this.* The thought crosses their mind as they lay a hand on the rope, venturing alongside it to who-knows-where. *I should really turn back now.* It's an idea almost immediately thrown out the window once they realize where this string leads— directly into a familiar head, one belonging to a certain Owen Edris.\n\nUriel feels their ears grow hot in embarrassment, looking around whatever section of the tapestry they found themselves in to see if anyone could secretly see their supposed sin. \n\nThere's no one. Obviously. Very little people found themselves wandering the collective unconscious, as it were. \n\n*Well... A little peek wouldn't hurt.* Bright-hot guilt for their actions are temporarily overshined by the burning desire to *Learn more*, as their curiosity leads them to step inside and take a look."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen paused his frantic mopping for a moment when he smelled lavender. 𝔊𝔬𝔬𝔭 didn't smell like lavender- *What did it smell like?*- and turned to see that his business partner had duplicated?!\n\n\"Huh?\"\n*Blink.*\n\"Uri! There's two of you! Ha*Haa*, good for you!!\"\n\nThis new, freshly-crashed-in-through-the-window Uriel had slightly less poofy hair and wore a long violet knitted blanket tied around their shoulders as a cape. It was a strange thing to wear to an ice cream joint, but Owen wasn't much a stickler for uniforms- the ridiculous number of spikes sticking out at odd angles on his own outfit was a testament to that. Anyhow, the extra hands were very welcome. *Almost...*\n\nThe odd look that crossed his face momentarily was interrupted by his own head whipping around to face the door at the sound of a clown horn. A nervous-looking squid, skulking along the wall to the back of the line, froze as he yelled,\n\n*\"THAT SQUID OWES ME MONEY!!\"*\n\nAnd it did! The bastard had come in there last week and dashed without paying for its sundae. It was a matter of pride and justice to turn its pockets inside out! This was not a place for delinquents to get away with murder or worse, *Ice cream theft!*\n\nOwen attempted to lunge at the squid, but in his careless neglect of the 𝔤𝔬𝔬𝔭, it had dropped onto his shoes. **\"Bah!\"** He was stuck for sure, his movements sluggish and clipping unpredictability. \n\n\"Uriel! Use the peanut butter, *Get me my money!*\"\n\nSquids hated peanut butter, surely they knew that. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The inky twat knew what it was doing, showing its face here again. \n\nLegs incapacitated, he resumed putting his entire upper body into attacking the ceiling with his mop. If this mess grew sentient *One more time*, he swore under his breath that he would drop a match in it and bolt from the interstellar ice cream industry for good. \n\n.\n\nOver at the front of the line, Uriel 1 was growing frustrated with another dog pointing at the clock. It seemed that it was infuriatingly averse to confronting its traumatic childhood, resulting in intimacy issues in its adulthood. Its ice cream was melting in the scoop.."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "**What did I just walk into.**\n\nUriel was expecting... *Something*, yes, but not this— a chaotic mix of concepts and ideas, people and places and scenery bleeding together haphazardly. Any bashful or embarrassed part of them dies a quick death, replaced with the prevailing sentiment of: *Huh?* \n\n\"Ah, er—\" There's a loud *Thunk* As a can of peanut butter clocks them square on the head, presumably materialized by Owen's head in order to service the plot of this... Story? Uriel hesitated to call it a story— a collage might be more apt, a chaotic, nonsensical collage, but one nonetheless.\n\n\"The squid can't leave. There's a giant gorge in front of it, don't you see?\" Uriel speaks, and their words come to life. The squid's dark and piercing shadow *Literally* Pierced the earth, and the ground between the shadow and the horizon fell into nothingness. The squid was trapped, the path it was once standing on now a perilous cliff.\n\nThey look over to the front of the line, where Dream Uriel stood staunchly. Upon seeing what they looked like to Owen's mind, Actual Uriel's ears grew hot with embarrassment— one of the blob's only noticeable features was its fluffy, almost sheep-like hair. They idly twirled a loose strand of white hair around their finger, a bit bashful while wondering if they *Really* Looked that... \n\nOh well. Someone had to clean up this line, though... \n\n\"A line is just a circle that's not yet bent. Simply twist it a bit, and you'll no longer have any concern about tending to a queue.\" There's a small, barely noticeable tremor in the ground, and the line of animals begin to march in a circle, all perpetually stuck waiting for the person in front of them to take an impossible step forward. \n\nOperating through dream logic might be difficult for some, but it was second nature, twisting words and concepts into whatever they so desired. It was... Well, fun. They missed playing around in places like this.\n\n\"Owen— I mean, ah—\" Uriel looked at Dream Uriel's nametag, eyes squinting at the fine print. \"Boss, I believe? There don't seem to be any more problems. Perhaps try to relax, no?\""
}
] | 415.5 | 1,558 |
413 | 2022-05-21 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Oh! Haha, you're right, why didn't I think of that?\" Owen chirped after a moment of confusion. *Of course!* The gorge was so obvious. That squid would learn its lesson.\n\n\"You're right about a lot of things. Wish I listened better, sometimes.\" \n\nUninhibited by the heavy tongue sitting in his sleeping body, words didn't struggle so much between thought and expression. Besides, Uriel *Was* Right about a lot of things. More levelheaded about them, too.\n\n\"But there's still the thing on the ceiling,\" He moped. \"My arms are getting tired but it isn't going away.\"\n\nHe made another swipe at the shadowy mass clinging to the fluorescent lights. It was an honest attempt, but the air fuzzed the corners of his vision; for reasons he hadn't quite gotten a sense of, his arms couldn't launch the mop at the snickering, dripping lump with much force at all. The corners of his mouth dipped down for a moment, eyes drooping a little at the corners for emphasis. \n\nWith everything else out of the way, it now stuck out even more; the thief was contained, the line was moving along nicely, and there were *Two* Uriels... And the staticky mess, taunting him from just too high up. The edges of the scene warped toward it, the previous chaos morphing into faint background chatter.\n\n\"Come on... Get down here, that's not fair.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Oh, right. That... Blob, thing. \n\nUri approached the quickly-tiring Owen, and gently rested their hand on the mop's handle. There wasn't any force in it, but the upward jabbing of the mop ceased anyway, even if only for a moment.\n\n \"There's no need to resort to such a thing. Just sing it a song, and it'll fall asleep.\" Uriel raises their voice slightly, and begins to half-sing an old, French lullaby. It was something their mom used to sing to them, a little cute tune about a girl eating too many sweets after dinner and falling asleep in her chair. They didn't quite have the confidence to sing it wholeheartedly— their voice trailed off near the end of the tune, and they were a bit too quiet.\n\nNonetheless, the blob stops wriggling, before eventually dropping from the ceiling in a snoring heap at Owen's feet. \n\nAt Owen's words, Uriel froze. It was... A kind sentiment, and the unfiltered, loose nature to which Owen so casually addressed them made it all the more endearing. Perhaps that gentle, honest delivery is what lead them to return in kind.\n\n\"You're much, much smarter than you give yourself credit for. I do wish you had more faith in yourself, Owen.\" \n\nUriel taps the sleeping, gooey mass with the tip of their shoe. It doesn't respond, instead rolling over with a snore. \n\n\"I, um, I suppose I should probably head out now...\" They looked around the scene, double checking to see if there was anything left to help Owen with.\n\n Now that the chaos was addressed, Uriel took a moment to appreciate the scenery Owen's mind was able to conjure. It was... Well, beautiful, once they looked past the mental fog. Saturn's rings were bright and large, cutting across the cosmos like the edge of a knife severing the sky. The ground, too— purple, alien looking grass grew up to their ankles, the sea of violet occasionally interrupted by orange orchid-looking flowers.\n\nThey could appreciate the handiwork, as a professional. \n\n.\n\nWhat would Owen say to them leaving? Most likely something about making sure to clock out before they left, if they were to expect the theme to continue. Still, they hesitated, pausing at the foot of the window they crawled through for a reason they did not know."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Owen's stance as he watched the ||???|| fall to the floor was a little comical. He looked like a kid almost, staring like a hopelessly confused goldfish first at the snoring blob and then at Uriel, whose voice he was intently focused on once they realized it came from them. The mop clattered to the tile.\n\n\"Thhhhank you,\" He breathed out, the lullaby still running through his brain like a stream of cool water over an ingot of melted iron, cracking and melting miserably, hissing in relief. Here, the last trailed-off notes travelled through the air in a strange, twisted manner, as though they were silken strands being twirled around an awestruck finger.\n\n\"Nice always is when that you do...\"\n\nThe grammar was all out of order, but the sentiment could be deciphered. It was always nice when they did that. *This was familiar? When did he feel this?* Questions that didn't quite make sense in this state swirled in his mind, answered by a simple yet bewildering *Oh, all the time.*\n\n\"Whh?\"\n\nThe ice cream parlour had half-melted away, the radio muttering like a child on the brink of sleep and all the patrons having gone home. He knew without knowing, though, that the window was the way out; *Why did they have to go back out? Here's fine. They ought to know that- they had made it fine.*\n\n\"But, stay,\" He oozed, \"All the stars are out.\"\n\nFragments of an old song crackled through on the radio. It didn't have a title here, nor words that made any sense, or even the same tune; no past, present, or future, just strange, vague concepts curling through the air like fragrant smoke. The grass waved along to it, something that felt like a smile, warm and inviting."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Hm?\" \n\nUriel looked back to face Owen again, eyes widening upon seeing the changes in the landscape. Gone were the squid, the gorge, and the circle of impatient animals— all dissolved into a thick mist, encircling the little half-shop and its grassy field. \n\nIt was almost like a snow globe, they thought, the corner of their mouth perking up in amusement at the comparison. A field of grass, a half- dissolved ice cream shop, and an old, tinny radio spewing the faintest fragments of days long past; it really would make a pretty one, a scene forever suspended in a crystal ball. \n\n\"The stars... You're right. It would be a shame to miss them.\" Their soft, fond voice doesn't betray how their heart swells in their chest at the simple request, not at all helped by Owen's unfiltered, albeit garbled, comments. \n\n*Is this what it felt like to be wanted?* Uriel could only muse, their face blooming into a smile. The grass was cool and slightly wet with dew, prickling the spots of exposed skin as Uri laid down on the field. \n\nThe sky was beautiful, really. Their grey eyes shone with light, dark grey reflecting the tapestry of stars twinkling in the night sky above. Those same eyes saw stars blink in and out of existence as different constellations came to life, steadfastly marching across the horizon. \n\n\"These constellations... I don't exactly recognize what they're intended to represent. Sit next, and explain them to me.\" Uriel gestures to the spot next to them, undoing their braid with their free hand. \n\nIt had been bothering them, an uncomfortable knot where they tried to rest on the grassy plain's ground. Their now-free white hair draped itself on their shoulders, the ends curling in the wind like the very mist surrounding the two. \n\nWithout their tell-tale braid, Uriel's nervous mannerisms shifted— instead of their prior picking at loose strands, they'd found themselves subconsciously smoothing and brushing whatever coils found themselves hanging within reach."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The grin that broke out across Owen's face at Uriel's decision to stay a while bled into the scenery- the soil beneath the grass buzzed, the planets shimmered, and the dreamy form of Owen himself flopped happily onto the grass. Landing on his backside, he floated back up- the gravity hadn't entirely gone away, but he floated around a foot away from the grass and stretched out to dig his fingers into it. \n\nWas he above this planet, or floating in space next to it? Which was really was 'up'? Who knew? He didn't! That made him giggle. \n\n\"The constellations? Sure!\"\n\nHe hadn't really thought about them until then- he was preoccupied, stuck in place, but now that he was really looking at the sky, he could see the pictures forming in the twinkling lights. Were they always there? Had he made them up on the spot? These were the questions that ..Didn't really occur to them as the stories glittered in his eyes.\n\n\"That one's a pile of cheeseburgers,\" He began, \"And that one's Ronnie James Dio. I've told you about him! You liked that song about catching rainbows...\"\n\nThe radio in the distance crackled a verse of said song, the notes listened to and loved so much that they were (literally, here) engraved in his skull. It sounded a little strange, being a memory and all, but sweet nonetheless.\n\n\"That's an afanc, and that one's Eddie, oh, and that there's Cliff!\"\n\nOwen ran through the various figures posed heroically in his cosmos, their forms shining like sparks in his eyes. A tree from the campground back home, Lemmy Kilmister, a bottle of root beer. He floated next to Uriel, fingers and toes digging through the dewy grass and coming away imprinted with little orange petals; deep reddish locks floated by his face, flowing over the grass like spilled spicy cocoa.\n\nA pause for breath, as he turned his head back toward Uriel. *Their hair lo*Oks like clouds..\""
}
] | 432 | 2,065 |
429.25 | 2022-05-23 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "A sound, something in Welsh, and Owen seemed to *Pounce* Like a cat attracted to a laser pointer. The warm hands— hands, definitely hands, only forming into fingers upon contacting the back of Uriel's unnaturally solid ear. They lean into the touch, head tilting toward, long, while hair covering their eyes, until—\n\nA sound. Owen freezes, and the mental equivalent of tv static spews from the corners of the dream-land, bearing down on the pair for the briefest of moments. \n\n\"Are you... Alright?\" Uriel's pale hand wraps around Owen's wrist, pulling the hand frozen in their hair out between the both of them. The cool feeling of mist against Owen's fingers remains, though; rather than coming from Uriel's hair, it instead comes from the light, dancing touch of their index against the back of his wrist.\n\nThey pause, waiting for something— the noise to resume again, perhaps— before letting go, their arm falling limply back to their side. \n\nOwen seemed— well, he only solidified when Uriel was looking at him, otherwise fading into the same mist creeping in from the boundaries of the dream— different. Their face turned towards the sky, looking for what might've caused such a change, and their eyes light up in awe. \n\nIt's the same color as it was before, purples and blues bleeding into each other like colors dyed in an ever-moving, whirling pond. The clumps of galaxies and nebulas pulse with color, lighting up in tune with Owen's heartbeat. \n\n\"*It's beautiful, isn't it?*\" \n\nIt's a quiet sentiment. They don't know if it's spoken out loud or intuitively understood, either from nature of the shared dream or the transfixed, breathless expression blooming on Uriel's face. \n\nIt really was beautiful. And it was all Owen."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The centre of the world was his wrist, Owen thought, the one held so gently between the two blurs of shapes and colours and emotions that lay beneath the living sky. And then, the cool touch vanished from his skin and he was as confused as they were.\n\nTheir query, to which he had a thousand answers and none, passed through his head and vanished as he hung in the air like a question himself, floating, feeling. A thought flickered to the slumbering mass curled up on the forgotten tile, ever-present even if asleep. *But asleep..* It and he were wrapped still in a misty lullaby, cool dew resting peacefully on the exhausted mess, in his own palms that were so strangely fearless here.\n\nUriel saw something, in the expanse behind him; it took him a moment to look himself, his body moving through deep space like the lazy waves of sound emanating from a sweet song a world away.\n\nWhat he saw when he turned was.. *Overwhelming.*\n\nHis heartbeat, and all that pulsed within it, laid bare across the sky, colossal and all-surrounding; galaxies and novas and Milky Ways splashed across their lines of sight, overlapping and fading in and out and *Existing* In ways he knew that his leaden tongue couldn't sing in a thousand attempts (but, oh, would he try). \n\nWhat solace, then that Uriel could see it too- what terror, that Uriel could see it too! What a thing to bear witness to, the worlds beneath his ribs, his flesh, his skull spread bare across the heavens. And yet, what a small part, that mortified and exhilarated him so, but a fragment of something that he knew without thinking was so much bigger. \n\nOwen felt so small beneath it, insignificant, devoured by stars. He would have loved to curl away from it, to bury his head in the cool dew and sink desperately shifting fingers into the buzzing earth, but-\n\n...\n\n*It is?*\n*You think?*\n\nA glance at Uriel, transfixed by the madness stretched above them, and a pang of something utterly incomprehensible. *Beautiful..* Beauty, in feeling so small and swallowed up, in the colours that danced when his shaking hand reached back for Uriel's, molten fingers fumbling to tangle themselves into theirs, cool and solid.\n\n*\"Gah, it is,\"* He replied, despite himself. A squeeze: *It scares me, it grips me, it makes me bolder than ever and twice as unsure..*\n\nOwen bit himself back, more than enough slipped through his teeth and his hands for one night. All the stars were out... Aside from it all, what simple, sweet wonder."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "There was something decidedly different about Owen lacing his fingers between theirs, Uriel realized. \n\nIt wasn't the first time they'd held hands with someone— or even the first time they'd held Owen's hand, that one memory of their ice-cold hands clinging onto the nearest bit of *Someone* Bubbling up to the forefront of their mind. No, something was different this time, and they couldn't figure out what or why so. Perhaps the hazy, dream world had something to do with it; the boundaries between \"Uriel\" And \"Everything else\" Blending, bleeding together like the brightest drops of dye to a spool of un-colored, pristine yarn. \n\n*Or, perhaps, it's just that no one's ever reached for your hand first.*\n\nThe thought is loud— too loud, loud and clear enough to warrant a look around to check if the thoughts rattling in Uriel's head hadn't escaped their confines of their mind and spilled into the grand expanse of lawn and stars splayed underneath them. \n\nIt was one thing to have someone accept their hand. It was another thing entirely for a tentative, nervous hand to pull on their pinky in a silent plead, seeking permission before lacing their hands together. It was the difference between being tolerated and being actively sought out, presented with the gift of the warm, shaking hand in theirs. The gift of someone's company, the gift of being *Wanted*, the gift of trust in Uriel with delicate, fragile fingers and a heart full of feelings. \n\n\"Thank you.\" Uriel mutters in soft, low French, but it's understood by Owen regardless; the meaning of the words traveling through their hands against his, racing through their skin and leaping into the lucid parts of Owen's brain.\n\nA head rests on Owen's shoulder, Uriel's neck tilting to lean against the warm, now-solid mass of shoulder sitting next to them. Platitudes of *Thank you* Whispered quietly and softly against his shirt, the repeated phrase spilling out from their lips like the quiet babbling of a brook.\n\nWhat they were thanking Owen for, Uriel didn't— or couldn't— understand. Perhaps it was for everything and anything, with each time the phrase found itself spoken in hushed French thanking the boy sitting by their side for something different."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The part of Owen that thought was at a loss here, and the part that knew things anyway reeled in its revelations. Whispers and earthquakes had switched in significance; the sky's impossible magnitude was nothing against the feeling of Uriel's cheek against his shoulder, the words and all the things that couldn't be words rushing over him in brilliant rivers.\n\n*Couldn't they see what they did to the sky..*\n\nRooted in place once again by the cool hand in his, the boy unsure of his place lit gently on the violet dew. Sinking into the grass, Owen leaned his head closer to Uriel's; his cheek pressed softly into the clouds that still waved lightly around their face. \n\nHe remained quiet as they murmured. Be it because he was confused, or because he wasn't, or that he was still transfixed by the whirling stars, little more than a low hum escaped him; his chest rumbled with the air around him, that odd haze still conflating sound and otherwise into strange lilting waves.\n\nHe was unsure of how long they remained like that; it could have been minutes, hours, days, ages contained in slowing breaths and sluggish blinks and quiet sounds that meant the world. \n\nThe nebulas blinked and breathed with him, with *Them*, dancing behind his eyelids as they peacefully slowed and glazed over."
}
] | 437.5 | 1,717 |
373.785714 | 2022-06-03 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "Yarimiel had awoken from an uneventful sleep, as usual, no dreams or nightmares, nothing haunting her vision or mind, nothing to disturb her sleep, yet one thing remains, the jetlag. Her sleep schedule had not yet accustomed to the time of this place, many hours ahead of her home time, and nearly the reverse of it. She got up from her bed, in a room she easily recognized as her new home, but it all felt so alien. A different place, a different continent, in a facility full of people like her, from all kinds of different cultures and ways of life, and back home was already enough for her subconsciously closed mind. She swept the cover off of herself and sat at the edge of her bed, internally debating whether she should explore the place at night or not, as she had waken now, and she really didn't feel like staring at her phone all the time here. She could meet new people, but what if... Never mind that. She stood up from the bed, and was now monstrously hungry, it was painful, she hadn't eaten for a couple of days at most, and she needed to eat NOW. \n\nShe got out of her room, clutching her stomach, and began to wander the halls, confused, exhausted and hungry, having fallen asleep instead of taking any of the offers she had been given to eat, despite her hunger. She begun to wander the halls and chambers, moving quickly and silently within the darkness, quote literally becoming one with it, until she had encountered lights along the way, she was looking for food, somewhere where she could grab a snack, anything..."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance moved the strap of his duffle bag over his shoulder as he stepped out from his dorm. Ignoring the irritable itching of his healing wounds, he made sure to to not scratch them in fear of tearing his stitches. He proudly wore a black hoodie with feline ears with a leather jacket over it, simple gray jeans and steel toed combat boots. The spider silk scarf on his neck hid the majority of the bandage embracing his neck.\n\nHe had his cell phone in one hand texting to let the teacher know that he had to return back to the hospital again for another shot. It was a little difficult to see the words from a cracked screen with his vision swaying slightly. Then he had to pause in his tracks when he noticed that his battery was starting to die. So he gave up deciding to save the leftover juice to go call the taxi later. \n\nShoving the cracked phone into his jacket pocket, now feeling annoyed with his dizziness, Vance continued walking down the hallway with unsteady steps. It might be a mistake to be pushing himself to get his work and classes done. His view was playing teeter totter swaying left to right, causing nausea to wash over him as he now used his hand to place onto the wall. And that wall became his supportive friend when he used it to help him keep steady.\n\n*Ugh! Oh my god, please fucking with me nausea!'* Vance thought irritably, now feeling annoyed by his nauseated state. \n\nThe comfort of the cat-eared hoodie made him feel somewhat at ease from the woven soft fabric. It was made from cotton and spider silk before being sewn professionally by a very special guardian. The package that was delivered to him was from his nanny who used his mother's address and name, well, code name \"Mum.\" She's a dark spirit who takes on the form of a beautiful middle aged woman who adores him very much. In a way she was almost like a second mom to Vance. The letter she wrote was still kept in his pocket for his moral support. His other gifted home made clothes were kept folded in his duffle bag that he didn't use yet. \n\nJust when he was thinking that he's going to make it down to the front entrance of the school, Vance's legs nearly gave out under him when his knees buckled. Stumbling across the floor with a swaying vision, he tilted to an angle where he ran into the wall with a slam. His body now sliding down where he slump down onto his ass to take a break from his pathetic effort to walk. A blue streak spread across his face as he fought back the urge to gag from the nausea."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "Her bushy, curly hair broke her outline in the darkness, and when she stopped at one of the lights, she heard a low thus, like something slamming into the wall, or someone... It sounded like cloth due to the shuffling and the sudden stop, it probably fell to the ground or stopped moving. She crept ever closer to the sound, and her stomach rumbled, but it wasn't audible enough o give her away. She followed the sound with curiosity, not exactly walking with fear or caution in her stride, walking exactly in the middle of the hallways and chambers she entered with a very slow pace. Once she began to turn the farthest corner, she could see the source of the sound, and found Vance simply laying there, in greater pain than she was, presumably. Now that Vance could get a good look at her, whether it was dark or not, he could feel an odd air around this girl, but he could presumably dismiss it easily. \n\nShe was dressed in plain, long clothes, a large, gray sweater shirt with sleeves longer than her arms, and gray plaid pants with a slight fuzz to them at the touch, the sweater shirt being equally so, and the girl only wore large, rough socks on her feet to boot, which felt normal, except for when he'd get to her face, a porcelain white complexion with blue undertones, almost like a corpse, and with jet black hair, but with closer inspection, it looked more like an extremely dark blue color. Her eyes were uneven, but not in placement, instead, one of them seemed to be permanently half-closed as opposed to the other, and within the eyes were huge dark irises with pinpoint white dots in the middle, examining him, and standing out against the rest of her, illuminated normally, or rather, barely, by the light, the white dots seemed to illuminate on their own, as of not affected by those lights at all. \n \nHer face showed no emotion, but she was reacting in a manner that most people wouldn't, which meant that his quirk has probably kicked in.\n\nFrom Yarimiel's perspective, she saw a shifting, morphing mass, an alien form having fallen against the wall in a struggle, which filled her with intrigue, and she began to walk closer to it, but after blinking once, the illusion seemed to fade away slightly, the form becoming less alien and amorphous and more... Human. Once she got within about ten feet or so, she blinked again and the form looked less amorphous and more static, and after she put the pieces together, she began to blink rapidly until she saw what lay under that unclear, eldritch illusion. An elf-like boy on the ground, which seemed far more likely to be the source of the sound from earlier. Her footsteps were inaudible, the socks muffling what little sound she would've made, either from the light clapping of her feet or from the skin oils making her feet slightly stick and unstick from the cold floors."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "His back resting against the cold brock wall, his shoulders and head slumped over with his arms hanging from the sides. His temples were throbbing from an upcoming headache. \n\n\"Hhhng...\" He slowly opens his starlight blue eyes to see an abstract figure of a porcelain face of a girl? They look like a girl? She had frizzly black hair puffed out much similar to a curly poodle. The mixture of black, white, gray and hues of blue swirl and shift eerily in his vision that deformed the person even more. They look like a gothic abstract art staring at him with one large eye while the other is half closed. \n\nTrying to blink away the disturbed vision, Vance was beginning to feel sick to his stomach seeing so much movement from the shifting colors. He shut his eyes fighting back the urge to upchuck. Then a sour bile rose up at the back of his throat that burned, which made him choke on it for a second before coughing behind the crook of his inner arm.\n\nAfter coughing it worsened his vision that made the abstract art swing from left to right. Shutting his eyes once again, now this time, he uses the palm of his hand to press against the cold brick wall to help lift him. Then his knees slightly bends as he uses it to push him upward until he is towering 6'4 over her. Vance has his back leaning against the wall for support. Once his vision begins to see some normality, he is certain that there is indeed a stone-faced student watching him.\n\n\"What are you looking at...?\" It was easy to see his pointed canines that look intimately sharp, giving him some character to his elven complexion. \"Ughh... I..Don't have time for this...\" When nausea was creeping back, he subconsciously held the side of his aching head. The silver piercings on his ears jingled with the smoky quartz crystal glinting light when he'd started to walk away.\n\nHis pace was slow as he used the wall for support when he moved along the hallway. \"You should... I don't know... Go back to bed or have a night snack... I'll be fine,\" Vance grumbled, his pointed ears lowering. All he needed now was a good rest at the hospital to regain his energy. And the thought of rest sounded good about now."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She remained mostly silent, simply watching him, her hands and fingers curling and flexing slowly and erratically within those large sleeves, the motion visible through whatever managed to stretch the fabric. Her eyes remained on his form, examining him more closely, and after his pained words and grunts, she only said, in a low, soft tone, \"Need help?\" She did not elaborate any further upon this, and simply awaited an answer from the boy. While yes, she had to look up at a rather steep angle even at their distance, she didn't find it intimidating or deterring. She had already forgotten about her hunger, and now only focused on the boy in front of her, who pitifully hobbled away. She thought it was slightly pathetic how he denied any help she could offer earlier, simply because he found her presence annoying. Even when she was looking for a meal, she could spare some time to help out another in need. \"Tell me where I can go to get food and I can take you to a bathroom on the way there or take you wherever you need to go.\" \n \nA simple premise, she helps him in exchange for a free meal. She did not follow him, she only stayed still, her hands and fingers still flexing and closing oddly, as if controlling some inner urges. She gave him a smile after the offer she just made, but her smile was oddly wide, showing too many teeth and too much gum for what looked like a casual smile. It was off-putting, not necessarily in a tense way, more like something you'd rather steer clear of for mental peace."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "His pointed ear flickered and caused his smoky quartz earring to jingle when he heard her from behind. For a moment he paused in his tracks to look over his shoulder with a tired star. When his vision was more clearer, he began to notice something was very odd about the dark haired girl. It felt weird but familiar? A type of darkness that works like water that is added with different ingredients to create a purpose and flavor. \n\nHis eyebrows met together into a frown as he turned on his heel to slightly bend towards the girl's height. The cold steely eyes gaze right into Yari as he examines her features, trying to search for something that he is unsure what he's looking for. \n\nVance wasn't afraid by her gotham joker smile that spread too wide across her porcelain face. Something. Just something about her that felt familiar but from a different category of... A thing that he can't label. \n \nWhat was she?\n\nHis hands slowly reach out towards Yari to cup the side of their cheeks to try take a better look at her facial features. He was searching for something that he didn't quite understand.\n\n\"What are you?\" Vance murmured, his vision now doubling. This is when he realized that he was touching the side of her face.\" Gah! Sorry!\" He straightens before stepping back as he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. \"The cafeteria is on ground level not too far from the dorm. You can just keep walking straight down past the restroom until you come across a large cafeteria. They have a kitchen there where you can find snacks or make yourself a meal there.\"\n\nThen he turns to begin walking away. \"If you're lost there's a map near the entrance where you first walk inside the school.\" And he waves his hand as he continues to move unsteadily away from her. \"I'm ok-ISH, trying to get back to the hospital.\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She stared at the other the entire time, and once her cheek was held, her fingers all curled out under the hoodie, her eyes darting over to look at his arm cupping her cheek. Her skin was smooth, but he could note a prominent cheekbone and a roughness near her eyes. She didn't take note of this, her mind essentially running on fumes at the moment, but when he jumped back in realization, she couldn't help but chuckle in response to his sudden shock. \"You're funny.\" She then tilted her head to that question, her face mostly blank again, \"What am I? Why, I'm a human like you, what else would I be? Although, now that you ask, and looking back at myself, I highly doubt that. But you're good, I don't mind contact. I do react violently to pain, though.\" \nHer smile faded to a mere smirk, and then her face seemed to light up a bit at the mention of the place being not too far from here. She then looks down at the floor and to the right, her mouth no longer forming any kind of smile \"Maybe I could help you on the way to the hospital? Surely, after that, I could go off on my own to grab a snack from the cafeteria, since you look like you could collapse at any moment on the way there yourself.\" She can clearly tell how pained and bothered he was by his own condition, and he didn't really make an effort to hide it at all, hence her consistent offers to help, as she could make use of her abilities to aid in the task. She felt like she could trust this boy with showing him her abilities without judgment or fear. He seemed nice, and she liked him as a person already, also, her complete and utter lack of social skills makes her easily trusting but at times heavily mistrusting, it's very random what she trusts and doesn't trust with."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Well... There's a human who developed their power from stress or its inheritance... Other times... I am not even sure if you can be half monster? Like a legit monster...\" Vance explained, now stopping again to glance at the 5'2 ft girl with a puff of black hair. \"React violently to pain, huh...? Then I would recommend being careful with some students... I already got stabbed twice by two different people..\" Vance sighed, scratching the back of his ear. Those memories of getting shanked remain fresh enough to make him feel numb inside. \n\n\"Uh... Its past your curfew? There's something about a dangerous group of paranormals outside of Newton Cradle, so you can't be out late... It's temporary..\" Vance said, taking a short break to rest. \"I'm nocturnal and I am here to catch up with my classes and work... So I have to get back to the hospital to get my second shot.\"\n\nHe rested his back against the cold wall with his arms folded. \"I'm Vance by the way... If you really want to help, perhaps you could call the taxi for me? It's a little hard to see after losing blood and all... So perhaps you can go eat first while I wait outside by the front entrance?"
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Monster... Yeah, I'd classify myself as one considering the number of times people have called me one. Gross, that sounded unrelentingly edgy. Blegh.\" She stuck her tongue out and made a face of disgust for a brief moment before her face went neutral again. As she listened to him talk, her thick eyebrows suddenly dropped into view from within the mass of hair, only to express mild distress at the fact of him being stabbed twice by two different people. She would then try and get a closer look at him and his wounds, but she couldn't do anything even if she knew where they were. But she could help with that, sure. \"How do I call a taxi, then? I don't know how to do that exactly... Taxis aren't a very common thing from where I'm from, since you need a car to get everywhere yourself, otherwise you'd go broke calling taxis all the damn time if you didn't know someone else with one.\" She then paused for a few seconds, but her deviation from the blank expression clearly showed that she was thinking about her next words. \"I'll call the taxi for you and then I can go eat, or maybe I can wait for you and hat some more, unless you fuckin', I dunno, bleed out before it gets here.\" She then scratched her cheek with one of her hands, which looked thin, but blocky and large, unlike one a girl her size would have. \n\"I'm Yarimiel, call me what you want.\" She gave him a big bright smile, with her eyes going wide, the half-closed one managing to only open a bit wider, never fully though."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Vance fell silent at the response for a minute before processing her conversation before replying. \"A pleasure to meet you Yarimel,\" He said, giving her a knowledgeable nod. \" I would like to tell you that no matter how many times people call you a monster, it doesn't necessarily mean you are one. A real monster is something greater than us parahumans who possess greater power... Like they explain in mythology.\" \n\nVance takes out his cellphone that had a crack on it. \"And about the taxi it's quite simple,,,I have their number on the list that you just press and provide them with the address where they can pick you up and where you need to go.\" Despite his horrendous handicap from his nausea, he was doing his best to not peel over again. \"I won't bleed out, the doctor already sewn me up, it also takes about an hour for the taxi to arrive to get here from downtown.\" \n\nHer unnatural surreal eyes and mouth looked weird when her expression shifted into other works of gothic art. It didn't bother him one bit since he was partially raised by a literal dark spirit. This was an affinity he grew accustomed to after being exposed by his guardian's eldritch forms. \n\"Besides... I would really like to have a smoke while I wait outside... Its for nerves.\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense...\" She looked away for a bit then took the cell phone, unlocking it and taking a second to get to that contact, then called it. \"Good evening...\" She went on about the address and such and then gave him the phone back. \"I'm going to take you outside... You could use the help...\" She then paused and then suddenly, she began to transform, to him, it would either snap him out or he'd see her contort in even wilder forms considering his loopy vision.\n\nTo any normal spectator, she'd grow taller and taller, until she reached about twelve feet in height when estimated visually, her clothes stretched taut, now fitting this gangly large form more than her normal body. The thing, clearly the girl that had stood before him mere seconds ago, would then pick him up and begin to walk through the halls, the monstrous form that Yarimiel had turned into carrying him gently over to the front, without asking if he wanted it or not, it would just take an idiot to miss that he was minutes away from collapsing in exhaustion, and she has actual empathy for most, so she decided to just do this. Her face had shifted the most out of her entire body, the mouth permanently fixed into a long smile, and a set of iridescent white teeth mostly just hanging there, her body now having a sort of outline that made her stand out from the environment, only expressing lighting of full color,, or white, and solid black, with no in-between.\n\nShe knew the way out at least, so she just set him down at the doors of the building onto his feet, only letting go fully once she was sure he could stand upright. \"There we go.\" The thing spoke with a low, grumbly voice, the mouth unmoving as she spoke, but the teeth *Did*. \n\nAfter this, she would then clutch her stomach as it growled again notably, the sheer lack of noise helping to make it audible. As a reaction, she made an odd deep hissing sound and would suddenly rush down the hallway, still in this long gangly form in a feral manner, as if her instincts had taken over completely, her limbs moving so quickly that they were shifting almost like liquid tentacles, her hands barely having time to form correctly."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "He placed his hand inside his jacket pocket to feel the pointed corner of his cigarette box. It was a great relief that he made sure he still has it before returning back to the hospital. As his fingers ruffles through the pocket, he finds what felt like an object shaped as a lighter. \n\nUsually he only smokes to calm his nerves and put a pause button against the overwhelming thoughts. He'd always made sure to try to keep himself healthy even though his endurance kinda sucks. \n\nThere was a spare second for him to debate whether or not Yari would be worth keeping him in his contacts? She seems stable and decent enough to not go shanking him like the other new students. Perhaps maybe later once he gets to know her more? \n\nThen out of the blue he is picked up by a large hand that makes him feel like a doll for a second. Next thing he knew, Vance is looking at a gangly black muppet monster thing. It's largemouth reminded him of the chattering teeth windup mouth toy from a surprise party bag. \n\n'Oh fuck,' Vance thought, now realizing that Yari is another monster girl like Raizel.\n\nHow to react to this left him with a deadpan expression as he accepts his fate being carried outside by a twisted version of a lallaloopsy doll with densers making up most of its face.\n\nAs soon as he is set down outside, he mutters out a \"Thanks\" Before he is set down on his feet. When Yari expressed hunger in her monstrous form, a steamy hiss sound escaped her mouth as she began to shift. Unsure what to do, Vance steps back to give her space as he turns around to dig inside his duffle bag. \n\nHis hand pushing aside his folded clothes, socks and books before finding a bag of snacks he stashed. \"Hey... Don't feel bad but I think you need this..\" As he turned to face Yari he was holding out a bag of ketchup chips, then he waves it at her like \"Come and get it!\" Motion."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "*Just* As she was about to go storming down the hallway, she goes \"Oh. Thankies.\" And gingerly takes the bag from him with a very shaky hand, her body quickly reducing in size over the span of a couple of seconds. Once normal again, she makes a small smile and opens the bag before eating the chips, she didn't really care about the taste right now, she just wanted the food, even if it was like, what, a couple of handfuls of fried spicy garbage? Anyways, after she was done with the chips, she crunches the bag in her hand, rolling it onto a ball in the same hand, and then sticking her tongue out a small bit as a sign of her happiness, despite the complete lack of emotion across all other parts of her face. \"I'm still hungry... Hmm.\" The hum sounded a bit sad at that fact, but even with the chips, she felt her hunger had been somewhat sated."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "\"Of course you're still going to be still hungry? You look like you are starving...\" Vance said, taking out his pack of cigarettes. \"I think you should really go find something in the kitchen. It will be an hour before the taxi arrives.\" Then he got the lighter that used to light the end of his cigarette he has between his lips. The end glowed a faint orange before a stream of pale smoke snake upward into the air. \n\n\"I'll still be sitting here by the time you get back,\" Vance said, now taking a drag from his danger stick. When he inhaled and exhaled the cigarette smoke, there was a relieved sigh as his nerves began to calm down."
}
] | 369 | 5,233 |
269.428571 | 2022-06-04 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"In a sense, always, I just ignore my hunger and forget to eat, but it's all right...\" She then turned around on a heel and began to walk away normally, but as she went deeper through the halls, her hunger began to irritate her again and so she opted for a faster method of travel, as more arms sprouted from under the sweater then extended fully, lifting the sweater shirt up as she began to storm down the hall, carried along by the many branch-like arms that erupted from all over her chest, sides and back, pushing and pulling her along like a super-speed eldritch spider, making her way to the cafeteria quickly and quickly opening the door to the back, grabbing anything that she thought she could eat right now, which currently amounted to a normal without making herself suffer a stomachache or nausea from the food. As she ate, the arms began to disappear, and she calmed down more and more, her expression lightening in intensity until it reached a more calm, less bug-eyed look. \n \nWhen she arrived back to where Vance was about a half-hour later, she had a bit more of a spring on her step, and yawned before sitting down a few feet away from him to avoid all of the smoke. \"I ate, I'm not hungry anymore, although I feel like I just ran a marathon five hours ago, I'm tired again...\" She spoke in a lower, softer tone than before. \"Feeling better now? You look less tense now.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "During that half an hour Vance relaxed where he sat alone ignoring Yari turning into a black stick bug again. The chirping of frogs and crickets chimed in the darkness with their song mixed with the cool breeze. When he slips his fingers into his jacket pocket, he pulls out a half folded envelope that he opened. Carefully he removed the letter from the paper casing to read the letter. As he took a long drag, the end of his cigarette glowed a brighter orange that illuminated his face. Then he let the gray smoke stream from his mouth as he began to read.\n\n*Dear Obscuro Blackmore,\n\nI recently discovered that you were brought to Newton Cradle after exposing yourself in the security cam at the organization. It took me some time to finally find the address to your school and I am sorry for the long wait. I've missed you so much during my departure and the least I could do is try to keep in contact. \n\nObscuro, you are truly a God's gift to me. I wouldn't have known what it's like to have raised a wonderful child, to feel the joy and pain as a parental figure. Being your mum has been the best thing that has happened to me. Even though you're maturing into a youngman, the love I have for you has never changed or deceased. Even today I still care very much about you and your well-being.\n\nI am so sorry for coming too late when you are at the most vulnerable stage of your life. Your powers are going to continue on developing when you begin experiencing the growing pains as you reach towards your 20's. It's not going to be easy but I assure you that you're going to pull through this.\n\nMuch as I want to come back into your life, it would be too dangerous for me to return now that you're at a parahuman facility. Please stay safe and take care of yourself, Obscuro.\n\nYour guardian,\nMum*\n\nHe felt the corners of his mouth turn up after reading the letter that put a smile on his tired face. As he gingerly put the letter back into its envelope, Vance slipped it inside his jacket pocket.\n\nWhen he heard Yari's voice chattering to him and said,*\" Feeling better now? You look less tense.\"*\n\nHe glanced up at the dark sky sprinkled in twinkling stars as he exhaled a stream of gray smoke from his mouth. \"Yah... I'm doing better, I think I needed to rest,\" He said, his tone more chilled. \"I don't think I'll be coming back tomorrow until I get proper rest at the hospital. You can contact me on the intranet if you wanna talk or whatever?\""
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "She saw the letter, but simply did not care to ask about it, thinking it was personal to him. The girl had no more to say, and did not quite care to ask anything about him, not really caring how he got here or why. She just sat with him, taking in the silence and the ambience, the cold night air, low ambient hum and the occasional smell of smoke from the death stick. She did not get bored at the moment, but did indeed listen to Vance's words before asking, \"And how exactly would I contact you? Email? Number? Oh, wait, I don't have service... Nevermind.\" Her head then dipped down, and the mass of dark curls fell over her head, hiding it entirely. \"I guess you're going to the hospital to fix that shanking you received, am I correct?\" Her head turned, but the only way to tell would be her curls shifting a bit to the side."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "During that half an hour Vance relaxed where he sat alone ignoring Yari turning into a black stick bug again. The chirping of frogs and crickets chimed in the darkness with their song mixed with the cool breeze. When he slips his fingers into his jacket pocket, he pulls out a half folded envelope that he opened. Carefully he removed the letter from the paper casing to read the letter. As he took a long drag, the end of his cigarette glowed a brighter orange that illuminated his face. Then he let the gray smoke stream from his mouth as he began to read. \n\n\"They want to make sure it doesn't get infected and heal right...\" Vance said, not minding the quiet ambiance from the chipping bugs and frogs. It was rather nice to sit here watching the world do its own thing without including him in it. \"Got bitten by a rabid dog, meaning I need to get a shot to make sure I don't start frothing.\" \n\nHe flick the ashes that were building up on the tip of the cigarette. \"After all this ridiculous crap, I think I am just a rather unlucky guy.\" The gray ashes are blown away by the cool breeze.\n\nUp far ahead Vance could see the headlights from what looked like a taxi driving down the road. They have a good five or eight minutes before it finally arrives here. This is when he takes out his notepad to scribble something on the paper before ripping it from the book. \"Here, you can contact me from the phone by the office. I'm pretty sure they can let you use it.\" He offers her the note with his phone number on it."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Mm, okay, cool.\" She took the paper and examined it. She then thought about why she trusted him so much right now. They were both alone, he was older, and something bad could happen, no, something bad *Might* Happen, what if she was caught off guard? Her mind flooded with precursive thoughts, asking a hundred what-ifs every moment, until she shut it up. She wanted to remain stable, and he seemed very uncaring but with actual emotions within, but after going on a mental tangent, imagined him as a lukewarm kettle at no risk of heating up. She then waited in silence for the taxi to arrive, and once it got there, she looked up at it, then looked to Vance, making a fist towards him to fist bump before he left."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "There was no reason for Vance to make trouble with Yari as he was just sitting there enjoying his cigarette. He is unaware of what she truly felt and wasn't paying attention to her elusive expressions. \n\nVance was just there existing like a shadow watching the yellow cab pull up by the entrance. \"Looks like I gotta go... Later Yari..\" He felt his legs strained when he stood up on his feet, now towering over her like a tree, he gave Yari a confused look when she made a fist. It took him a second to realize what this gesture meant. \n\"Night and take care,\" Vance said, lightly giving her a fist pump. She would notice how his hands were bigger than hers with knuckles that look like they're made to cut.\nHe gave a tired smile as he waved by before climbing into the back seat of the taxi. \nVance glance back at Yari from the window before turning his attention away, leaving her standing alone by the school's entrance."
},
{
"author": "burningsilence",
"message": "\"Bye bye!\" She just stood there, aggressively waving with a smile until the taxi was fully out of sight, to which her hand and expression dropped a bit, then went completely limp, her face going cold again as she put her hands in her pockets, turning on her heel to go back into the academy. \"Cool... Cool, cool, cool...\"\n\nShe took a phone and wired earbuds out from her pockets and chose a song to listen to, to just dance through the halls like some sort of maniac, as she began to walk back to the dorm, not really giving a shit if anyone saw her on the way there.\n\n——————————————————"
}
] | 202 | 1,886 |
167.6 | 2022-06-09 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Frida is alone.\n\nThe room is dim, rough and unwelcoming. It would be cold, too, but the weather has spared the worst of it, and the cool breeze is only mildly uncomfortable, rather than freezing.\n\nShe retrieves the phone. It's not hers - why did she take it? Was that... Right? There's no lock on it. The lock screen is the default. So is the home screen. It's been wiped clean. There's nothing on it. Brand new.\n\nExcept for one thing. A single contact. A phone number.\n\nShe taps the \"Call\" Button.\n\n...\n\nElsewhere, Mattias' phone rings."
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "Mattias groaned around another headache*— damn mice in the walls—* As they attempted to organize the mess of paper on their desk. They threw three or four pairs of identical sunglasses into a clear plastic tub by their feet, wincing at the *Crack* They made when they hit the floor. Oh well. Their eyes quickly found a new distraction, and they swiped at a piece of trash, knocking it into the garbage can.\n\nTheir lazy ennui broke as their phone— the real one, they'd yet to get another burner— rang. Matti frowned. Only three people should, or rather *Could* Have that phone number. Dr. Jakal, who was unlikely to call. Gabe, who preferred to text. And... Their eyes widened as they scrambled over the mess of their room and grabbed towards the phone. Took a moment to compose themself. \n\n\"Hello. Who's calling?\" They tried to make their voice less rough, flatter, a little higher. Just enough that, if the person on the other end happened to be part of campus security, they wouldn't *Immediately* Place who they were."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The person on the other end was not at all campus security. In fact, the person on the other end had herself been in a brush with campus security quite recently.\n\nThere was a nervous sort of stammering noise from the other end. \n\nThen a pause.\n\n\"Um. Hello?\" The voice was feminine, clearly recognizable. Matti had heard it before. Just once, but it was enough. It made sense, after all-\n\n***\"GIVE ME THE PHONE!\"***\n\nThat was what she'd screamed, back then, before she ran off with it.\n\n\"You, um- Who is this?\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "They sighed with relief, then exhaled again with more mixed feelings. Still, if Frida had the phone, it meant that it hadn't been taken from her. And more importantly, that she was still alive. \n\n\"You can call me Alexandra, or Alex.\" They told her, reveling a small bit at the reference. \"It's not my real name, but it's easier for you to say you don't know who I am if you can be truthful about it. I don't want to be implicated to the staff, or to whoever sent you.\" It was better not to reveal everything they knew right away— plus, there was always a chance Frida was here of her own volition. A small one, but a chance nonetheless. In that case, mentioning the Angels might be a bad idea. \"I was the one who gave you this phone in the woods, and I might be able to help you again depending on what the help is and why you need it. But in exchange, I want information. Firstly— what's your name?\" \n\nQuietly, they pulled out their handbook, flipping to the new section labelled *Frida*."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"O-okay.\" Frida didn't object to the pseudonym. Really, she didn't care. It wasn't important. \"Alex, then.\"\n\nFor her part, she had far less calculated intentions with each step of the conversation. She'd calculated nothing, as a matter of fact. She just sat down somewhere safe enough and called the number. She wasn't working in some grand scheme or anything like that.\n\n\"I- Doesn't the guard already- N-nevermind. My name is Frida.\"\n\nShe curled up a little tighter as a gust of wind swept through the abandoned room. A little audible shiver could be heard on the other end of the phone.\n\n\"Why did you give me this?\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "Matti paused. From the sound of it, Frida wasn't in a room with anyone else. That meant either she was either secure or trusted enough to be left alone, wherever she'd ended up. Then her words caught up with them. \n\n\"I'm not sure why. I don't exactly do interactions well. But you were scared, and I recognized that fear, maybe. I didn't even know if the phone would help— it's yours, now, by the way. I just thought that I was there, and I could do something.\" Despite their hatred of lies, the words felt almost *Too* True. They quickly steered the conversation back in a productive direction. \"It let you contact me, at least. Are you alright? Did you get away safely? Where are you now?\" The last question felt dangerous, but they needed to know. Evidence gathering. If she was back with the Angels... \n\nWell. Evidence."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\\I feel like you misunderstand what happened. She slammed her head into the guard's arm and ran off.\n\n\\She did not get taken."
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "Lemme just do quick\n\nGetting over complete mortification and editing"
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Yeah,\" Frida agreed, \"Yeah.\" This Alex seemed... Strange. Very inquisitive, but at the same time, compassionate. It was a unique combination, but not entirely an unwelcome one. Maybe they weren't too unlike her.\n\n\"Thank you. I'm...\" She hesitated for a moment. \"I got away, yeah. I'm not hurt. Still hiding. I don't know if they're... They might still be...\" She couldn't get herself to finish the thought. She coughed, choking back the tears.\n\n\"It's not... I'm not really safe. But I'm alive.\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "*Not safe, but alive.* If that wasn't a sentiment they could understand, Matti didn't know what was. They could tell *Something* Was wrong with Frida, emotionally or physically (probably both), but they didn't have the time to worry about it. If it wasn't life threatening, it would probably be fine. Still— \n\n\"I can't tell you I know that everything will turn out okay, because that would be lying, technically. But I'll try to help you, which is really the best I can do at this point.\" They made a poor attempt at comfort while the slowly digested the rest of Frida's sentence. She was hiding from someone. Somewhere alone. \n\n\"Do you know where you are? Do you have supplies? Who—\" They cut off, weighing their options. But being behind the screen made them brave, braver than they'd be talking face to face. \"Who are you hiding from?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"I can't say much.\" Frida's voice was breathy, almost raspy in a weird, awful way. She practically had more adrenaline than blood flowing through her veins. It would be no stretch to say she was unhappy. \"Someone might be- They might be listening in on your end. But...\"\n\nFrida wasn't sure how much she would say. Should she trust Alex? They didn't seem prepared to say their real name. They didn't help her much when she was almost taken away, never to return. But they did give her the phone, and as far as she could tell, they were honest with her, and they seemed to care, at least a little.\n\n\"I don't have anything. No supplies. No food, no water, no clothes. I'm hungry. I can't go to a store, they'll find me there. Can't hide my Purpose. I... I'm hiding from *Everyone,* Alex.\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "Fuck. *Fuck.* \n\n\"Okay. Okay.\" Already their eyes were skittering around their room, picking things out. A warm jacket. A shirt that was slightly too small on them, a pair of sweatpants. Was there anyone they could borrow from? Uriel? No, complicated history. Gabe? Matti didn't exactly feel they were at the \"Roping into cult conspiracy\" Level of friendship yet. Plus, Gabe had Things to Do. Things waiting for him. Margo? They *Trusted* Her, trusted her with their life, but they didn't know how she'd react to this. For now, it was better to keep everything to themself. (Plus, all their friends were *Giants*. Matti was probably closer to Frida's size anyway).\n\n*I'm hungry*, Frida had said. Alone, stranded, with no-one she could trust. Hiding from the world in an empty room. It was like looking in a mirror that travelled back in time to pluck Matti from their lowest point. *Fuck*. They could feel the small part of neutrality they had left detaching from their soul and flying out the window. They gathered a blanket, clothes. They didn't have an extra pair of shoes, but grabbed some spare socks they hoped would fit alright. They reached their hands under the bed and hesitated. The food stored there was high calorie, and would last for a long time. The perfect rations. That was, after all, why Matti had them. It felt vulnerable to pull them out into the light. Like scraping the insides of a pumpkin for seeds. The crinkle of the plastic gallon bag mocked them as they took about half of their stash and shoved it into a small spare backpack. They threw in a plastic water bottle, stolen from the cafeteria, and then another, before remembering that Frida was technically still on the phone. \n\n\"That's a good call,\" They praised. \"This line isn't secure. I have some supplies packed for you, I just need to figure out a way to transport them. Are you... Far from where I last saw you?\" They hadn't missed the word 'Purpose' either, capitalized. It felt like the wrong time to pry."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Yeah. I'm... I'm out in *Industrin.* It's the only place where I can avoid people. I can't say where I am, but... You can leave it somewhere and let me know where to find it, if you want.\"\n\nFrida paused.\n\n\"Thanks. You'd be a good sister, I think.\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "\"Okay. I can leave it somewhere hidden. I'll mark it— you remember what I was wearing? It was pretty distinctive. It was night out.\" They pulled a spare pair of glasses from where they'd thrown them in the box, clipping them to the top of the bag. With a quick double take, they also pulled out their portable charger— they'd need to be able to keep in contact with Frida, and they couldn't do that if her phone was dead. \n\nMatti tried very hard not to think about Frida's second comment. They failed. *You'd be a good sister.* The word— *Sister*, warmed some star-core long compressed and cold in the back of their mind. Quiet, and only because Frida could not see, they smiled softly. \"I'll...\" They thought back to the exploit with Margo. With all the things they weren't telling her, telling *Both* Of them, and felt slightly guilty. \"I'll drop it somewhere with blue, if I can find it. Near the outskirts, closest to everywhere else.\" They had no doubt they'd be able to find *Somewhere*. Probably. \"I'll give you more details after I actually make the drop.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Your friend... The other one who was there. I recognized her. I thought she'd help. But she didn't. I... I...\" Frida paused, biting the inside of her cheek, trying to keep the tears from welling up until *After* She'd hung up.\n\n\"You're trying so hard to be a good person. I can tell. It's... Nice. Thank you.\"\n\nBefore she could hear Matti respond, she hung up, clutched the phone to her chest, and wept."
}
] | 144 | 2,514 |
63.833333 | 2022-06-14 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "Matti looked at their phone, finger hovering over the unlabelled saved number. *Frida*. They made a split second decision— after what was probably an angel on the intranet, and the picture they had sent. They needed answers, and they needed them *Soon*. They hit the call button, and let it ring."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Matti wasn't left on hold for long. A weak, breathy voice sounded from the other end. \"Hello?\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "They sighed in relief. A small part of them was worried Frida hadn't gotten the supplies, or that she'd somehow been found in between their calls. \"It's Alex. There was—\" They took a moment to collect themself. \"Someone with a name 'marble wing' wrote a message in a Newton's Cradle open communications network. They posted a picture— some kind of large tower. Others said it looked familiar, and that it was in the industrial district.\" They contemplated sending the picture, but decided to hear Frida's response first. They were still worried about communications being monitored, on both sides."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The response was brief. \"Me.\""
},
{
"author": "hourlys",
"message": "\"That was you?\" It made sense— Valio had even asked. *Who gave an angel a phone?* Still. \"Why? What was the significance of the picture? Are you okay?\" Worry and distrust tempered their soul in equal measures."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Suddenly, there's a loud noise like wind on the other end of the phone, accompanied by a metallic thud shortly thereafter. Frida gets up, and her heavy footsteps echo into the receiver. She's running. \"Don't have a lot of time.\" Her voice is strained. She's panting already, clearly exhausted. \"The other girl. From that night. Tell her to be there. Alone. She'll find it.\"\n\nThere's another metallic thud, and Frida hangs up."
}
] | 60.5 | 383 |
195.333333 | 2022-07-11 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "``—\n\nIt was pretty early in the morning, but Mel was up anyway. The night before had been her 17th birthday, and by all accounts it *Had* Been wonderful, with cake from Owen and a present from her family, but there was one thing missing.\n\nJune.\n\nBut that was okay. Her plans with June were for today - and she did have plans! It was going to be amazing. She had wanted it to be a surprise, and apparently June had a surprise for her too. She couldn't wait.\n\nIn the early hours of morning, the central station was quiet - most commuters at this hour much preferred to go by car, so the road outside was bustling while the buses left empty. That was just fine, though - Mel was waiting for someone to arrive, not leave. \n\nSo she waited. A gumball machine in the corner of her eye tempted her, but she didn't have change for it, so she quietly let it go. And waited.\n\nJune would be there any minute now."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "With a click, June shoved their phone deep into the small pink bag that was swung over their shoulder. They bounced out their door, shoved it closed with their giant platform shoe, and nearly fell over in the process. The excitement that bubbled in their chest felt like a confetti popper ready to burst, they couldn't wait to see her.\n\nIt didn't take long for June to reach the agreed location. Their long legs and fast walking pace carried them quick to destinations. June loved being out and about. \n\nAfter a few moments, June slowed their pace and scanned the crowd with dark eyes. The buzz and hum of conversation carried across the streets as people moved along with their daily lives. June stood out like a vandalized traffic cone covered in stickers. They of course, didn't care. Mel was what they were here for, not the opinions of strangers. \n\nA small blonde figure sitting on a bench caught June's eye, and they lit up with joy. They tried to avoid running over to Mel, but their pace was quick. They weren't exactly the kind of person you'd *Love* To see running at you, especially with their height and muscular frame. If it wasn't for all the hearts and sparkles decorating their clothes, June would be incredibly intimidating. \n\n\"Hello! Hi!\" June called out. The same cherry-picked smile that dusted powdered sugar and glitter around them in lively bursts remained stationary on their features. Their voice was hyper and excitable, a tad *Too* Excited in places. Explainable by the fact it was their best friend's birthday! What was there not to be excited about? \n\n\"Happy Birthday!\" June reached Mel, and pulled her into a hug. The height difference made June lift the other off the ground slightly, but they let go quick enough."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "— paused for mental health reasons —"
}
] | 209 | 586 |
324.666667 | 2022-07-14 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Mel gave June a quick wave before being instantly pulled into a tight hug. She let herself be pulled off the ground a little, pulling June into a reciprocating hug as she hovered an inch or two over the tiles. Her heart soared. \n\n\"Hey!\" She chuckled, waiting for a slightly calmer moment to talk. She loved being embraced, she loved the rush of joy and the gentle flush of warmth in her cheeks, but it made for a lousy time to chat. It was better to just enjoy those moments while they lasted. The smile could still linger after.\n\n\"Thanks, Ju,\" Mel cooed, her tone more than a little affectionate. But there'd be plenty of time for sweet nothings later. \"You had breakfast yet? That little café down the railroad tracks is still open if you wanna grab a bite before-\" She stopped herself. Right, she hadn't even said what they were gonna be doing yet. It was supposed to be a surprise.\n\n\"...Um, before we leave. Sorry, it's supposed to be a surprise and I almost ruined it.\" She looked a bit sheepish. \"You said you had something for me too?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "June giggled at Mels attempted to save the surprise. They hadn't smiled like this in weeks, it was a refreshing feeling. The buzz of excitement that found its way into June's chest hummed and sparkled like glittery stars. They always loved seeing Mel.\n\n\"Yes I do have something for you! Close your eyes holdon-\" June's tone was excited and happy, cheery to a fault and more bouncy than normal. They were happy to share this day with Mel and would hopefully make it worth it. They slung their pink bag over to the front of their body and dug around inside for a moment. \n\n\"Okay open your eyes!\"\n\nThere was a blue box, wrapped in yellow ribbon covered in rainbow stickers and glitter. June pulled it out, and handed it to Mel. \n\n\"Here!\" \n\nWhen and if she unwrapped it, it would reveal many of Mels favourite candies tucked in alongside a smaller box, and a shirt folded neatly the bottom. On top of it all, a card placed in a colourful envelope rested nicely. The small box contained a ring. A simple silver band with a minimalistic star engraved on the front. The shirt underneath, was brightly coloured with a funky design on the front, a perfect addition to Mels wardrobe. June was a tad *Too* Excited, but it was to be expected. They had put a lot of thought into this gift. \n\nJune tapped their foot for a moment. \"Hm, maybe we should find somewhere a bit less, busy?\" They smiled. \"Then you can open it! How does that sound?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Okay!\" Mel rushed to close her eyes and bring her hands to cover them. It looked a little goofy, but that was nothing compared with the excitement of it all! June had a present for her! Oh, it was going to be just wonderful, she could feel it-\n\nShe opened her eyes in, well, the blink of an eye, overflowing with excitement, and took a careful first look at the surprise June had gotten her. A blue box, plastered in cute stickers and with the cutest yellow ribbon wrapped all around... Even as joy welled up merely at the existence of a present, something about it also just seemed to sit badly with her.\n\nIt was easy to stop thinking about that, though, and focus on the part where June had just given her a present. She took it, gently set it down on the bench where she'd been sitting, then practically tackled June into a rib-crushing hug. She didn't say anything. She hoped the hug would be enough to convey her thanks.\n\n\"Yeah!\" Mel nodded. \"We'll have some time. I still have a surprise for you too!\" She rummaged around in a pocket for a moment, then paused. \"Oh, close your eyes!\"\n\nFinally, she retrieved what she was looking for. \"Okay, you can open them now!\"\n\nThere was far less fanfare with Mel's surprise - no big personalized items, no pretty gift wrap, no ribbon and no ring. In her hand, she held two little slips of paper.\n\nTrain tickets. Isakstad -Göteborg, arrival time 9:45.\n\n\"Ta-da!\" She waited breathlessly for a response, neglecting to mention completely *Why* They were going to be spending an hour on a train. That was secondary, apparently. Or self-evident. Or something. Whatever the case, Mel completely forgot to mention, caught up in the excitement.\n\nIt was, after all, the first time in years she'd get to go to an amusement park."
}
] | 326 | 974 |
302.8 | 2022-03-12 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Making starter now...\n\n```Half past noon, 12th March 2022; Cafeteria, Newton's Cradle, Isekstad, Sweden.```\n\nThese past two weeks were eventful. Just joking, it was extremely eventful: She had been arrested by the Italian police for transporting cocaine, sat in a holding cell for a few days, developed superpowers, was sentenced in a special, unmentioned judicial court, shipped off to Sweden, and now found herself in Newton's cradle, probably a good two thousand and four hundred kilometres away from home. She was now a Delinquent Juvenile, serving time for crimes she had committed in plain daylight.\n\nBut so far, she wasn't treated as such. She had her own room and allowed to keep her own things. She was provided with a bed, a desk, and stuff that she wanted or found that she needed. She didn't have a prisoner's uniform; she was allowed to wear any outfit she pleased and the standard wearable item all the others had was only a simple ID card protected by a plastic case and a lanyard attached and wrapped around it.\n\nThere was a concerning lack of prison guards or policemen: there were some, but they seemed like their job was to keep outsiders out, not prisoners in. She had a mostly free internet and was allowed to keep in touch with her parents. She had freedom, and she was slightly suspicious of it.\n\nEven the cafeteria wasn't styled like a prison; it had large windows, natural sunlight coming in and giving her a good view of the outside amenities, the beautiful sky, and the boundary-defining concrete wall. The food was good too, she was allowed to pick what food she wanted, and however much of it she wanted so long as she never left leftovers behind.\n\nHuh, interesting. She could only wonder what this Swedish 'prison' wanted from a drug-running Italian delinquent who had rubber limbs."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ Cafeteria. Food. Cafeteria. Food.\n\n□ A near endless cycle in the *Juvenile delinquent stuck at Newton's Cradle* Life, Silas had grown accustomed to it over the past two weeks. *Or was it three?* He'd let time slip him by after the first couple of days, once his modest and admittedly outdated gaming rig was in place and the fish in his tank were comfortably in their new home. It had been two weeks of a relative cycle: awaken, stretch, hop on Call of Duty, sacrifice his soul for rank, then go grab something to eat, and it'd all happen before twelve noon.\n\n▪︎ What a fuckin' life.\n\n□ Strolling through the tall doors of the Cafeteria, he wondered if they were really tall, or if he was just short. Five five – five squared, as a bully had called him in secondary school – was diminutive for a born male, and maybe the doors *Were* Just normal-sized in comparison. Attempting to shake the doubts out, he jammed his hands into the pockets of his vintage-spec hibiscus corduroy trousers, golden-white paisley button-up unbuttoned for the top two as if he were a rock star of yore. Standing in line for just a few moments, he got his slop, took a seat, and sighed.\n\n• *\"Y'know...\"* He grumbled in his head. *\"I guess this is how they remind us we're in prison.\"*"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"I mean...\" She idly replied, most of her attention still towards the mediocre but acceptable food in front of her, a loving gift from God who refused to abandon her for a reason unknown to her. Still, to think that she was getting three free meals a day for zero cost? Sweet. \"This *Is* A prison, dude. I'm more surprised at the freedom there is for... You know, delinquents.\" She finished, putting another bite of food into her mouth and setting aside the few strands of hair on her right eye aside with one finger.\n\n\"Wha are you here for anyway?\" She questioned, looking slightly down at the other guy due to her slightly taller stature (while sitting, at least), curious as to what kind of crimes people got stuck in here for. The variety of its residents added to her suspicion; there weren't a good amount of Swedes inside the prison for a Swedish facility. \"You and I are in a juvenile detention centre, after all.\"\n\nAs she took another bite of the food, consisting of a serving of swedish meatballs paired with vegerables and mashed potatoes, an opened, 3/4ths full bottle of room-temperature water by its side, she took a look outside and admired the admittsdly beautiful view.\n\nWas this even a prison?"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Huh‽\" Jumping, his face shot red as he realized that, somehow, he'd picked a taken table without realizing it. \"Christ almighty, lass, where the fuck you'd come from? And how'd you read my mind? I was *Just* Thinking about how mid the food is here, but like... If you can read minds then I feel sorry for you! This place is fuckin' *Full* Of barmies, I swear.\"\n\n□ Managing to pivot his surprise into a joke, the irony that he himself looked like a so-called *Barmy* Was not lost on him. He was seated in the middle of a prison cafeteria, with half of his mop dyed, dilute pink corduroy trousers, a garish paisley shirt, and plenty of rings to boot. If anything *He* Looked like a nutcase, or perhaps an art student in the making. Whatever the case, he now had to deal with this much taller gal, who in all honesty gave off a certain vibe that, while indescribable, was felt in the pit of his stomach.\n\n▪︎ Or maybe it was just the lingering embarrassment, freckles on his face showing themselves like they only did when his cheeks flushed Valentine's Day.\n\n◆ \"Oh, uh. Keeping half of Manchester up for a fortnight while figuring my powers out. Turns out a bunch of suburban Mancunians don't like being kept up by a walking ambulance siren.\" An awkward chuckle followed. \"Had to figure 'em out somehow. What about you, mate? What do they got ya in here for?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"What'd you mean where'd I come from? I sat here first, dude, plus you were talking to yourself like some kind of... I don't know, nut?\" She retorted with energy, the situation somehow escalating just by the fact that she was involved.\n\nCompared to his flashy and distinct outfit, she looked much more... Average: Grey jacket, blue and white shirt, red high-tops, black leggings; her outfit consisted of simple stuff that nobody could ever rock and fuck up, albeit it hid her feminine figure for a bit save for her chest. What she lacked in fashion the boy in front of her probably had and doubled.\n\n\"You're here for public disturbance?\"\n\nHuh. Manchester of all places.\n\n\"I'm here for possession and trafficking two kilos' worth of cocaine and illegal posession of a deadly weapon.\" She bluntly explained, eating nonchalantly as if she hadn't just admitted to a serious crime."
}
] | 315 | 1,514 |
328 | 2022-03-13 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Listen.\" A bewildered chuckle flowed from his lips. \"I was so distracted by how mid the food is that I just didn't even notice you here, mate. Fuck... My bad.\"\n\n□ Not the cleanest of first impressions, but did they even matter in a laissez-faire prison like Newton's Cradle? Could this place have even reasonably been called a prison? It was seemingly more for reform rather than punishment, and while Silas recognized that, yes, this was a good thing, it begged the question of what kind of establishment this place technically was. Sure, the food was dog shit, but other than that life was surprisingly normal and peaceful, save for the occasional napalm incident or stabbing somewhere on site.\n\n▪︎ Maybe that'd be his next project... Liquid napalm. \n\n◆ \"Huh...? Wait. Coke? Like, snow? Jesus, mate, that's... That's hard.\" Now *There* Was the reason that something about the plainly-dressed girl across from him was off-putting: she was a coke trafficker. \"How'd you even end up in that spot? Must be a legendary series of left turns, that's for sure.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Food's... Slightly above average. I've been held in an Italian holding cell for a dew days and let me tell you the soup was God-awful I began asking myself why'd I even eat it. The rest... Were meh, I guess.\"\n\nIf this was indeed a prison, then was it an experiment on a new approach of reform? Because the fact that she had internet, a personal room, freedom to go outside, a LOT of amnities, this was something else.\n\n\"Yeah, whatever you call it, I got caught shipping two kilos' worth of the stuff.\" She took another bite, her eyes matching his eye level as she ducked down to take a bite, her food almost decimated at this point. \"The camorra pays be two hundred euros for a days worth, and it's like... Five packages overall. Fifty or forty each package, just by walking around my town? Of course I'd take it, my family's income is stable but lacking.\"\n\nThey had a home to their name, but it was passed down. Their jobs' income mostly went to taxes and bills, food becoming sligly scarce or low quality. Their home's furniture were slightly worn, the bed creaking after fifteen years' worth of service. It was her choice. Not an unfortunate series of events, and she knew damn well she would take that chance again.\n\n\"How'd you even manage to keep a whole city up anyways? You got loudspeakers tied to a scooter or something?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Aye, fair.\"\n\n□ Now, he could have prodded more, but what would the point have been? To make this chick, this coke trafficker, recount her time in Italian prison for smuggling snow from door to door like DoorDash? Rather than inquire he simply dug into the food, a plate of IKEA-standard Swedish meatballs and accoutrements, starting with the broccoli since he'd always liked the raw stuff. Occasionally, though, he looked up, his cheeks bulged with food like a chipmunk, at this Italian girl who was justifying her descent into the sordid world of narcotics and organized crime, and he couldn't help but feel bad.\n\n▪︎ After all, she'd just been attempting to help her family. There was nothing wrong with that, even if the means were admittedly shaky.\n\n\"I mean, shit, good money, but... Was it worth it? Probably, right? Family's everything to you Italians. Anyways...\" A few moments passed as he, with an awkward motion, scooped lingonberry jam and potatoes together and sucked the mixture off the tines of his fork. \"Watch this.\" From this point, all the other girl would see would be a deliberate set of lip motions, and a couple of seconds later the entire room would be engulfed in the sound of his voice, so loud that it sounded as if someone was in the center of the room with a jackhammer.\n\n• What did the voice say?\n\n○ **\"WALKING MEGAPHONE, MOTHERFUCKER! THIS IS HOW I KEPT 'EM UP!\"**"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "As Margarita ate deliberately slowly, putting a just amount of food onto her spoon and enjoying the food as it was intended to be, her acquaintance was the complete opposite. His cheeks bulged like a damn squirrel, hastily scoffing down the food like there was no more time then letting it sit in his mouth. She wanted to genuinely tell him to slow it down, but who was she to stop someone from enjoying food at their own pace?\n\n\"Was it worth it- *Certo* (`of course`)!\" She took only a spoonful of the mashed potato as she intended to leave the best, the meatballs of course, for last. \"I'd do it again and again for years! Eight hours' worth of work in a minimum wage job is... What, sixty-five Euros? Shit I'm getting triple that for handling coke!\"\n\n\"That's what I've been thought, sì.\" Finishing the mashed potato with barely a trace of it left on the plate, her fork stabbed the meatball and brought it near her mouth. \"Family over everything, and I agree to it a lot. I'd give everything and risk everything for *Mia mamma e mio papà* (`my mom and my dad`), and I'd even give beyond that if I need to.\"\n\n\"Eh? Watch what-\n\nHer fork and meatball dropped back onto the cream-coloured melamine plate and leftover lingonberry jam as the voice pierced her ears, the sentence barely audible to her, not because her hands instinctively covered her ears, but because the noise was so goddamned loud she felt like her fucking deardrums exploded, and it hurt like hell.\n\n\"*Gesù Cristo* (`Jesus Christ`) WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR YOU IMBECILE?!\"\n\nAll eyes were at the boy and his acquantance sat in front of him, far more annoyed compared to everyone else within the cafeteria who were spared the mercy of their ears getting shattered."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Hah, a demonstration, that's why!\" Nearly doubled over laughing, he wasn't aware of all the pained, annoyed eyes digging into his back. \"You should've seen your fa-hay-haaace! Like ol' Phineas Gage, christ almighty!...\"\n\n□ Maybe it was rude to be laughing at someone else's pain, but at the same time something in him shifted. Maybe it was *Schadenfreude,* Or just plain latent *Sadism*, but the image of the girl's face contorting into a pure image of shock and pain was temporarily burnt into his mind's eye, as if it were a CRT left on over the family vacation to Cuba. Whatever the case, after a few good moments of laughter he began to gasp for air lightly, and once he found his breath he began to settle down, shoulders still bouncing with stifled chuckles as tears flowed down his cheeks and abs clawed their way out of nothingness.\n\n▪︎ By now, roughly forty five seconds had passed.\n\n◆ \"Hoo... Anyways, fuck, where were we...?\" Snapping fingers punctuated the air, still and tense as, without Silas' knowledge, someone was approaching to confront him. \"Yeah, coke and family. Coke and... Fuck, my dad would call that the same thing. He's Mexican, lots of coke on both ends, lots of family. Anyways, yeah, fuck a nine to five, you might as well just traffick drugs. Already been pinched, the sky's the limits, huh?"
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"You could've just, I don't know, explained it?!\" She stuck her finger in both of her ear canals, making sure her ringing ears were also not bleeding. \"Yeah, and I'd love to see your face too when I poke your eyes with a finger each...\"\n\nShe hated his face, his joy-filled, perfectly punchable face, just... Just one while he was at the peack of his laugh to immediately teach him some manners he wouldn't forget. But no, she held off. As much as she wanted to land a square hit on his cheek, or wrap her arm around his neck and choke him wehre he sat, she wasn't going to be the killjoy she always had been, but thank goodness someone else was going to do the job for her. And at least, if she was going to be in Juvie for quite a bit with a change of getting out scot-free, she might as well keep a clean record...\n\nAbout a minute passed before he could come back to his senses, Margarita looking him at his eyes with a stern, almost-angry look out of sheer annoyance, but she did nothing, only cleaning the handle of her lingonberry jam-dipped fork before eating a portion of the meatball, still surprisingly warm. \"Hmm, I see.\" She replied. \"Coke ruins people, but those making and delivering it? We thrive linke nobody elsw. Coke only really starts ruining you the momeny some of it goes up your nose.\"\n\n\"So... Things aside for now,\" She paused for a moment as she shoved the last part of the meatball in and tidied up her plate, moving all the scraps to one corner of the plate before laying the spoon and fork atop each other and placed diagonally on the plate as manners dictated. \"You've powers too?\"\n\nThings were beginning to make a bit more sense in her mind, but she still needed to know. Was she aand everyone else here for the same reason? For the one thing they all might have in common?"
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Aye, yeah. Coke ruins lives, but what's that saying? Don't smoke your own supp- huh?\"\n\n□ Attention drawn away from the conversation, Silas was now face to face with another prisoner, this one a mite more intimidating than himself but not by much. Tense at first, he felt as if he was about to get walloped in the jaw, but after a few tense moments of stumbled explanation and mentally steeling his nerves for the punch it never actually came to blows. A few more moments and he was free to finally keep on talking, though with the knowledge that if he pulled that shit again he'd be a stain on the floor by the time they were done.\n\n▪︎ A deep sigh followed.\n\n◆ \"Fuck, lass... Guess you weren't the only one pissed off with that.\" He chuckled, his tensed shoulders slowly dropping as the built-up stress melted away in a soft, fuzz-lined laugh. \"Anyways, yeah. I'm a walking megaphone, and thankfully part of that is resistance to loud noises. What's your deal with this whole magic shit?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "She wasn't dealing with his shit, and she's just glad on the inside that he got the message from her and the other kid, saving her some work.\n\n\"I'd say 'pissed off' is an understatement, but you're not getting a second chance from me, mkay? So, where were we...\" She continued, letting the thought of potentially throwing hands on this peaceful Saturday disappear like a dead candle's smoke.\n\n\"So that's your thing, huh?\" Now that the idea that she was *Not* The only kid with something weird going on with her, she felt a bit of solace make a crack at the heavy weight that was on her back with all the uncertainty and confusion of the mess that was her serving time in Sweden of all places. \"Well, I guess it'll be fine when I tell you about my 'magic shit' or whatever they call this,\"\n\nHer right arm was on the table, in full view for both of them, but her left arm was supposedly in her pocket, holding her phone to make sure it wasn't being pickpocketed. Old habits die hard. But in reality, it slowly stretched, any sign of an elbow joint or rigidity of bone suddenly missing as her bendy arm continued to snake out of her jacket sleeve, extending quickly until the back of her hand felt some cloth rub against it, prompting her to begin coiling said stretched arm around his entire calf, taking about three coils of bendy limb to achieve. Her hand tightly squeezed on one of the coils of her arm, that area squishing like it was rubber tubing. She smirked smugly as she kept her now two or three metre rubber arm locked around his leg.\n\n\"Is that right there.\" She calmly replied, her smugness not showing a sign of waning."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, that's my deal. Noise... Huh? What the...?\"\n\n□ Well, this was odd. Flipping between faintly hostile and smug, Silas didn't exactly know what to make of this girl, whose name he still hadn't got. Was she really some hardened criminal? Or just a street urchin who was in the wrong place at and the wrong time? And was this why she was still in survival mode? Most of these questions melted away as he felt the unmistakable touch of a hand on his leg, somewhere below the knee, and though he initially wanted to mask his surprise behind some sort of cheeky remark he couldn't bring himself to.\n\n▪︎ After all, she had her entire arm around his leg! It both felt weird and sort of nice.\n\n◆ \"Oh, so you're elastic, huh? Blimey, that's freaky.\" A skittish chuckle followed. \"Christ... Y'know, it's weird how many of us are here. Everyone's got some sort of power up their ass, and it makes ya wonder how this place is even considered safe. One fuck-up and half of Ikas... Ikash. Fuck! Isakstad. There. Christ. One fuck-up and half the townsfolk are dead, and this is a prison run by anarcho-communists, so... Y'know. It could happen.\""
}
] | 328 | 2,952 |
315.428571 | 2022-03-14 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Hah, yeah, It's like I'm made of *Gomma* (`rubber`), pretty interesting, *Sì* (`yes`)? I found it creepy at first, but it's way too useful to pass up. I got used to it quick, I guess. I don't even know how long I can stretch.\" Raising her left arm, she quickly let go of his leg, her arm uncoiling pretty quickly as her hand rapidly approached the sleeve of her jacket, now visible to him. Her retracting arm slowed down as it got closer, and at the end, her hand quickly settled back on its rightful place; just beyond the jacket sleeve. Her elbow, wrist, and bones seemed to solidify once more now that her arm was normal again.\n\nSo that's why she was here. It wasn't for the delinquency; it was for the fact that she had powers. But this place was still legally a juvenile detention centre was she here for the delinquency? For the powers? For both? How many of them were actual criminals? How many were charged with crimes as a cover-up for being sent here? Either way, she would have to contact her... Contact about her situation. Her doubts were mostly cleared up, and that hidden, lurking tension withing her head was mostly gone.\n\n\"I guess it's because we're all in this one spot instead of all over the world.\" She guessed, playing with her fingers like rubber bands, stretching them out with the other hand and lettting them snap back. Each stretch and retraction she made was ccompanied by a faint, rubbery noise, like a low-pitched thick balloon being rubbed against itself. It's quiet enough to be not unsettling, but loud enough to be audible. For Margarita anyways.\n\n\"Did you really have to bring politics into this, jeez.\" She continued playing with her fingers out of boredom, twisting them, folding them backwards, and so on.\n\nWhat a weird place, but it felt oddly comforting knowing she isn't just a lone kid with powers."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Kinda freaky, honestly, but shit, what's normal nowadays? Us parahumans aren't in the shadows anymore, shit's just been getting weirder year by year.\" He'd sigh, popping another meatball in his mouth. \"I wonder if they get these plates right from IKEA... Tastes similar.\"\n\n□ An odd talking point, sure, but he didn't exactly care. As soon as he was done with his meal he'd probably be heading right back to his cell, likely to read one of the many books he'd brought from the unread sections of his bookshelves back home. Or, he'd hop back onto his computer, aimlessly scroll through Twitter, and then log back off. Whatever the case, he wouldn't be here that much longer, so if he made an odd comment, oh well. He'd live, the girl would live, and the world would coast on towards being eviscerated by the sun like it was nothing.\n\n▪︎ Such was the unobstructable passage of time.\n\n◆ \"Could be. Also, shit, that was a joke about how laissez-faire this place is. It's a prison, yeah, but it's not even a prison in name! I'm sure some bloke with a legal ID and a hat full of community donations could throw a Project X and it'd be fine and dandy. Weird place.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Since two weeks ago when I learned that I'm a human rubber band? Nothing's been normal. Shit I was in Italy a few days ago. Weird, huh?\" She commented, showing it off even more clearly by stretching her wrist out and twisting it like the freak that she was. \"And... I don't know, they had stoves in the back, so this is definitely IKEA made. Frozen IKEA meatballs? Probably. Still good though. For me, at the least.\"\n\nShe knew she was going to be here for long, considering her sentence. But she felt that she might as ell give in to this... Reformation program and give it a shot. She was always welcome back into the Camorra if it failed anyways, and all she had to do was return.\n\n\"It's a juvenile detention centre. It's got better standards than what you'd expect, and this is fine, really. You can stretch out your legs outside; well *I* Can, but still, there's a lot of freedom that I appreciate. I don't know about you, but this is fine.\"\n\n\"Weird place? Hah,\" She let go of her arm, letting it untwist like a top and return to its normal look. \"You're talking to a human rubber band. That's not weird enough?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Hah, yeah. Life moves fast when it comes to this place, mate, up until you're actually here. Then...?\" He looked over at the other girl, his eyebrows intently raised a smidge. \"It comes to a standstill. Like it gets lodged in fucking molasses. Kinda strange. Also, guess so.\"\n\n□ The fork in his hand clinked against the porcelain plate as he chewed his food, vague notes of some unspecified Italian herb peeking out from behind the thin gravy and meaty body of the ball in his mouth. Compared to actual IKEA meatballs, it was nearly indistinguishable from the real stuff, and it was good because he quite enjoyed that stuff from the few times he'd been there. At the very least it was better than Costco, which he'd also been to several times and never been a fan of.\n\n▪︎ It was a bulk store, why were they even serving hotdogs?\n\n◆ \"Nah, it's not weird enough for me, let me rip a piece off like it's cannibal bubblegum.\" Sarcasm soon melted into laughter, his lips curling into a wiry open grin for a moment before zipping shut. \"But, yeah, huh? Shit's nice, mate... Prisons back home are pretty spartan, but here it's so open-ended it's almost an upgrade from living in a shitty situation. Sure, it's prison, but... Free wi-fi. Free food. Free bed. Freedom to go into town.\" He unfurled a finger after each statement, his hand flatly knocking against the table with each other. \"If this is prison then Sweden's goddamned *Heaven.*\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "As he looked at the girl, so did she to him too. \"I feel so too. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know, but... Yesterday felt like a breeze: so much to do, so much to see. I talked with my contact, tried to see how stretchy I am in my room- no, cell, sorry.\"\n\nAll Margarita could do, despite her sense of humour not being the most fun thing about her, was slowly smile and eventually chuckle at the comment. \"That is true; The Italian prison I was held in for a while was hell compared to here. This feels more like home than prison, if anything- you can go out?\" She suddenly asked.\n\nThe word 'Surprise' was an understatement; at hearing the phrase, she suddenly leaned her entire upper body forward and even subconsciously stretched her neck quite near to his face, refusing to believe that *They* Were __allowed__ to go out.\n\n\"If so, man, then... Shit, I might work here after my sentence; this place feels great!\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ Rather than comment further on the fluid nature of the passage of pre-post prison sentence time, he just kept on eating.\n\n□ However, he made sure to nod occasionally, mostly to show that yes, he was listening, and no, he wasn't off-put by this rough cocaine delivery girl from somewhere in Italy, even if her face was unnaturally close to his for a moment.\" Initially his mind considered that perhaps she wasn't even truly Italian, and instead just a kid from Staten Island who'd decided to try and weave a more interesting narrative, but at the same time... She'd already shown herself to be honest, so why doubt her? Whatever the case, he scooped one last bite of mashed potato and lingonberry jam into his mouth and let out a sigh.\n\n▪︎ Mid, but food was food.\n\n◆ \"Yeah, you can go down into Isakstad if you want. Just gotta be back by... Fuck, six am? It's super lax, mate, you could go out and do drugs like a fuckin' ravehead and they'd overlook it if you came back before curfew.\" A chuckle followed. \"Also... Yeah, huh? Might beat being a coke mule and all that. Anyways.\"\n\n• With that, he'd stand up, bring his plate to the dirty dishes tub, and set it down gently. No sense in making even more noise than he'd made earlier."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Six in the morning? Wow, I- are you sure it's not six in the evening?\" Margarita's neck slinked back to her, leaning slightly back without falling off the bench. \"Jeez... I might as well get a night job next year if *That* Really is how lax it is. That is nuts- yeah I'd rather try out a real job while not being a coke mule, to be honest. I just need something high-paying, you know?\"\n\nOut of discomfort, Margarita took the liberty of removing the gloves and stuffing it in her canvas bag; she kept her hands in her jacket anyways. Her hands were in a way, a physical piece of evidence of her rough life. Scars, calluses, and permanent bruises littered the back of her hand.\n\nWhile the kid in front of her went through the whole effort of standing up and walking all the way to the tub, all that Margarita did was set her plate neatly and stretch one arm to the tub, weaving left and wight to avoid the plethora of students still eating on their tables. The only thing Silas would see is a long noodle with a hand on the end with a plate, tapping the miniscule amounts of scraps into the tub. It Silas looked back at the source of the noodle arm, he'd find Margarita winking at him, her arm letting go of the used plate and allowing it to rest quietly, her arm reeling back to her jacket sleeve like a fishing line being pulled back after a catch.\n\nHer powers... As freaky as they are, she liked it."
}
] | 297 | 2,208 |
183.75 | 2022-03-15 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, six in the morning, mate. I know, it's bloody crazy, but... That's life at Newton's Cradle, I guess.\" He shrugged. \"Anyways...\"\n\n□ Now that he was full, he was about ready to leave, but he felt as though it would have been rude to just leave without saying goodbye. After all, he'd more or less intruded on her space without realizing she was there, and then kept on chatting, so maybe it was for the best if he at least said something before he went back to his dorm? Whatever the case he walked back to the table, stopping about two feet away, instinctively dodging the noodle arm that shot past his head.\n\n▪︎ Freaky.\n\n◆ \"Anyways, I'm out. Gonna head back. See ya around, huh?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Yeah me too, I guess. I've got furniture that needs assembling; see ya around then, dude.\" Margarita replied back, her other hand eaving at himwhile her other arm reeled itself in.\n\n\"*Dude*.\"\n\nJust as it seemed like Margarita's period of showing off was done, Her head twisted like an owl's and shot backwards towards the increasingly-distant boy, her body remained sitting on the table, devoid of movement as her neck continued to increase its length like rope being unspooled.\n\n\"Hey, don't think you're leaving just like that,\" She interrupted, wrapping her neck around the just one time to stop him in his tracks. \"What's your name anyways?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◇ And all he initially did was hum in acknowledgement.\n\n□ However, he'd barely taken two steps before, in a gruesome display of power, the gal's head appeared mere inches from his own. Initially spooked, his eyes shot open, but oddly enough something in his surprised, perplexed mind was telling him to kiss this disembodied head, as if it'd defuse any tension that might have still been present in the air since he'd thrown a noise bomb at the ceiling. Of course, though, common sense won out, and he simply stumbled back, letting out an awkward chuckle and rubbing the back of his head, massaging the scalp with fingernails well past their trimming date.\n\n▪︎ Not like they got in the way.\n\n◆ \"Silas.\" Straight to the point. It was the best way to deal with this, he figured, and so he kept it plain. \"Now, uh...? I haven't got your name. Mind handing it over before I get going?\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "Her neck (and in turn, her entire body's physiology) was a perplexing question to most, if not all. After all, her neck was metres long by this point, and even then it was wrapped once around another person. She still breathed and talked normaly despite having a disproportionately long neck, so that was good. But surprisingly, this wasn't the most eye-catching thing to happen right now in the NC cafeteria, so any attention Margarita's little stunt got was gone in a matter of seconds anyways.\n\n\"Hah, don't worry, I'm not a constrictor boa, I won't kill you. Silas, hm? Good to know. I'm Margarita, by the way, nice meeting you!\"\n\nAnd with that, her rubber neck was unwrapped from him, and off he went on his way. Her head remaining floating for a few extra seconds while her neck slowly reeled itself back in.\n\nWhat an experience for her first lunch time at NC."
}
] | 189.5 | 735 |
247.571429 | 2022-03-17 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "[Breakfast!]\n\n◆ \"Well, talk about early plans...\"\n\n□ Yawning, Silas finally slid himself out of bed after roughly an hour of tossing and turning, feeble attempts to fall back into a slumber going unrewarded as his phone buzzed constantly with chatroom messages. Eyes still crusted with sleepiness, he tapped away at the screen, plans forming from the murk as his stomach grumbled with the simple demand that it be fed.\n\n▪︎ And so, he slid out of bed, but now what did he wear...?\n\n◇ Common sense said some slacks, a button-up, a tie, and some platform shoes. Inside, though, he was feeling a dress. So, he did what he did best, popping open the window and sticking his hand out of it to test the waters. To his dismay it was a cold morning, and so the dress idea had to be shelved for today. Slipping into a rather preppy get-up, he fed the fish, watered his plants, and though he hadn't swept his room yet he figured he could just do it later on – the devil was talking, really – so he slipped out of his room and made his way towards one of the commons areas.\n\n• Now, he had to wait."
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "\"Good thing this place is pretty close to the kitchen, hm?\" \n\nUriel yawned. They had passed out while walking— yes, mid-step— out of the laboratory, and woke up to a rather unflattering black eye from the fall. \n\nIt seemed no one had encountered their unconscious body, however— and Uriel couldn't quite decided if that was a good thing or a bad thing. \n\nThey quickly try and tidy up their appearance— rebranding their hair, moving their hair to make the black eye less prominent, and stretching to re-awaken their still-asleep legs. \n\nThey enter the common area, head peaking from the door frame in order to scan for either Silas or Margarita. Upon making eye contact with Silas, their eyes brighten. \n\n\"It's a pleasure seeing you once again.\" They say, taking a seat next to him. In their hands is a single cup of strong smelling green tea and a tiny, albeit a bit stale, croissant."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "`9:53AM, 17th March, 2022, Newton's Cradle, Isakstad, Sweden`\n\nSo maybe skipping dinner last night for the sake of playing videogames wasn't the best idea.\n\nShe had been on her phone for a good few hours now, her mind blanked out from all the social media catching up and mindless youtube videos. Was this really gonna be her life for the next many months, no, years? If it was, then she'd be unsure how to feel.\n\nAnd then hunger kicked it up a notch. So much for staying in bed being lazy. Groaning, she sat up properly, followed a quick stretching routine to get the kinks on her body out (of course, exaggerated considering she *Is* Stretchy), and, now that she was finally reinvigorated with *Some* Energy, she began making herself look presentable.\n\nQuickly putting on a pair of shoes and a jacket on top of her shirt and short shorts, Margarita barely brushed her hair, leaving it slightly for now. Not that it mattered; she looked far worse on a bad day; it'll buff out, surely. But for now, breakfast. She needed it. ASAP. And maybe even two plates of it, aware that the servings were quite small to her taste. Unbeknownst to her, the reason wasn't actually that, it was just that being stretchy took up calories. A LOT of calories.\n\nMargarita, the supposedly 'tough kid' didn't look like one at all, lazily stumbled into the commons room, where two people already where there taking their time chatting.\n\n\"Buongiorno. (`Good morning`)\" She interrupted, sitting in one of the chairs at the far edge of the table. \"Is breakfast still being served? I don't know, it's like... What,\" She picked her phone up and looked at the time. \"Almost ten?\""
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Aye, Uriel! What happened to your eye, mate? Looks like you lost an argument with a doorknob!\"\n\n□ Commenting on the black eye he could immediately see, it was all in jest and good nature. After all, he had no way of knowing what actually caused it, so he figured it best to play it neutral. Rising from the lounge chair, he remembered that by all accounts he was the shorter of the two, at least half a foot below, and for a brief moment that familiar flourish of butterflies tickled his ribs before dissipating. \n\n▪︎ It was good timing, then, that the light flush left his face. Margarita was here, and she was yet another tall person to tower over him.\n\n\"Mornin'.\" Turning to face the newcomer, he stuffed his hands into his back pockets, slouching a tad to accommodate this new hand arrangement. \"Sure hope so. Otherwise we're gonna have to DoorDash some shit in and I don't feel like getting ripped off by, like, five hundred percent. Swear to God those fees are just decided by fate, fuck.\""
},
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Upon hearing the question, Uriel strokes their chin with a gloved hand, deep in thought. The truth was... Well, a bit embarrassing, and they weren't sure the crowd would actually believe them. \n\n\"Hm... Well.\" They pause, considering how to word the very strange event they found themselves in. \n\n\"I was leaving the laboratory, and as I was walking, I fell asleep.\" They take a sip of their green tea. \"Mid-step, that is. It's not uncommon for me, though.\"\n\n\"They are still serving food— but I'm afraid it is a little cold, because of the late time.\" Uriel gestures towards a board-looking woman manning the kitchen, standing around on her phone. They nibble on their croissant, letting out a content hum at the taste."
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"Yeah, he's got a good question; what'd you get yourself into?\" She asked, making herself comfortable in her seat. \"It's not like fights here are common, so surely something must've- ah, I see.\"\n\nWell... Getting knocked out by sleep mid-walk seemed like a joke or a made-up thing, but considering him at the Isakstad library? Seems likely. If he could stumble into her in a pretty wide aisle, then he could fall asleep mid-walk.\n\n\"Well... I don't mind cold food, but honestly? I'd rather get some things doordash'd in too, despite the fucking delivery costs. Get a taste of McDonalds before I go back to having meh food. At least fast food will seem like heavenly stuff now, yeah?\" She concurred, leaning back into her seat."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Mid-step?\" Silas snorted. \"Fuck, I don't envy ya, mate. That must've hurt, but hey, least it's normal, aye?\"\n\n□ Now, what an oddball Uriel was. Falling asleep while walking...? Sounded like narcolepsy, but Silas was no trained doctor so he simply kept his mouth shut, nodding as Margarita spoke. \"You're off your damn rocker paying those prices, mate. Like, how the fuck does a McDouble cost 15 bucks through DoorDash?\" He'd retort to Margie's seemingly accepting opinion towards DoorDash's absurd fees. For someone who'd lived ten minutes at most from the shops in Manchester, the idea of paying so much for what amounted to convenience made absolutely no sense, but he wasn't going to fight it.\n\n▪︎ After all, he wasn't her accountant; if anything, were she to have her old cocaine connections he just might have made her a bit richer.\n\n◆ \"Pfft, who cares if it's cold? Frozen or boiling the food here's kinda garbage, so we might as well just grab it whenever it's convenient.\" Skipping along, he'd be noted as a mite more energetic than usual; whether that was from a good sleep or simply some good news was anyone's guess. \"Anyways, y'all sleep okay?\""
}
] | 237 | 1,733 |
306 | 2022-03-18 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "hawkguyy",
"message": "Uriel breathed a sigh of relief at the acceptance. They were a bit hesitant to reveal the fact that the door of dream-diving went both ways and sometimes were pulled in against their will, and so the fact the group didn't press the subject made things much easier. \n\n\"I do have some money, but I'm a bit cautious to spend what little Swedish currency I have, especially on something like Doordash. It might come in handy in an emergency, after all. But I've always wanted to check out what restaurants dotted the town near us— do either of you recommend any places? \" \n\n\nThey take another sip of their tea. The food was... *Serviceable.* Not bad, but not particularly good either. The best way to deal with the food at Newton's Cradle was to turn off your taste buds and eat for sustenance. \n\n\"But I do see the appeal of Doordash right now. This food isn't particularly enjoyable.\"\n\nThe larger-than-usual bags on Uriel's eyes spoke for themselves on the quality of their sleep. They never had good sleep when forced into other people's dreams— they had spent the whole night running out of sight, attempting to weave a more peaceful resolution to whatever nightmare they had accidentally intruded on. \n\nIn fact, they were *More* Awake when performing their weaving than in the real world. \n\nUriel lets out a yawn, and rubs a sleepy eye shut. \n\n\"My sleep was rather eventful, and so I didn't get the chance to rest.\""
},
{
"author": "lolmanmclmao",
"message": "\"What? Fifteen bucks to have it delivered right here? Shit, I'd pay that than... I don't know, spend how much money for two taxi trips and spend half an hour outside.\" She replied as soon as he finished overreacting to the price. \"But I mean... If you're willing to go to the city to get food, then go on ahead, I guess?\"\n\nTurning her attention (and neck) to Uriel, Margarita shrugged at his question. \"I don't know; all I remember seeing were your... Standard fast food; McDonalds, a pizza place, Swedish food; the standard stuff. Nothing too special to be honest.\"\n\nBack to Silas. \"Food isn't that bad, quit that shit, Jesus fucking Christ. You're gonna eat it everyday for the next few months anyways, so you might as well... You know, get used to it, jeez. Wonder how long you'll last in here complaining about the food again and again.\" She told back, rubbing her eyebrows and stretching her arms up in the air, her limbs extending a third of a metre beyond her jacket's sleeves. \"Uhhh... I dunno, bad sleep, I guess? Slept late and woke up early. Jeez, I think I sleep-stretched again, I wole up with my face and hand on the tiles...\" She let her arms slink back to their regular lengths, but stayed boneless, her unnaturally bendy and flexible arms waving about behind her seat like weighted rubber noodles.\n\nRough night, rought mood. She wished it wasn't this way, but oh well."
},
{
"author": "birch4184",
"message": "◆ \"Yeah, that's just... Pricey as fuck, mate.\" He rubbed the back of his head, reading annoyance in the way Margie was talking. \"Anyways, uh... No recommendations from me. I haven't been into town enough to *Know* What's good and what's dogwater.\"\n\n□ Letting out a yawn, they kept on following behind their companions, hands in his back pockets. He could feel it from how both his friends were talking that neither had been successful in getting a good night's sleep, and he hoped it wouldn't cause any real problems. For now he kept up with his taller friends, stubby legs scurrying in a feeble attempt to not be left behind.\n\n▪︎ Soon enough they were at the breakfast buffet, or whatever it was called.\n\n◆ \"Mate, I'm just saying that I don't like the food. Ain't no need to be pissy about it.\" He dismissively crooned, grabbing a plate and beginning to pick out and slap some options onto it. \"Anyways, you woke up with your face in the tiles? Felt that. Fell out of my bed last night, wasn't particularly fun. Was having a sick ass dream and then *Bam,* Rude awakening. Yeesh.\""
}
] | 313 | 918 |
156.545455 | 2022-03-22 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Dinner at a reasonable time was a thing of the past for the ravenous kid fixated on the pot in front of him. As was just *One* Dinner, some nights. Logic and reason had gone out the window in favour of the little voice in Owen's head that whispered, *'paaaaastaaaaaa'*.\n\nAnd so, in the surprisingly homey kitchen at 9:42pm, Owen was chopping an onion in a trance. To protect his eyes from the accursed juice that made him cry, his face was covered in a visor of red crystal; no expression was visible through it, only the sharp, exaggerated versions of his features. Black shorts, lazily tied red high-tops, and his old *Diamond Head* T-shirt served the rest of him well enough- he was practically a stove himself, after all. \n\nIn his state of focus (and the volume in his headphones), anyone else in the kitchen would be news to him..."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel was sitting on a tall stool watching Owen in awe while enjoying the dying smell of an onion being sliced. Behind her wooden mask, she felt her mouth watering from tasting the air. She was watching him the entire time like a patient predator waiting to come swoop in for the murder. She couldn't help it. Raizel was slightly vibrating where she is sitting as her wooden maw form beneath her mask. Now she's crouched down on the stool like a gargoyle with claws gripping the edge of the seat, tail wrapped around the long legs, her maw dripping with thick saliva. The mask sat idle on top of her forehead."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "It had been a little harder navigating the stores in this country that wasn't his own, but Owen had been determined enough to find the things he was missing. Onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, and all manner or spices- in they went, filling the air with the mouth-watering, savoury aroma of a boy with a hollow leg's last stand against his own stomach. \n\nIt was also the perfect time to be belting Foo Fighters. His, er, *Passionate* Rendition of *My Hero* Had him twirling between the stove and the sink. The cord on his headphones, ever intent on killing his fun, got hopelessly snagged on a handle; headphones rudely flying off of his head, an undignified yelp escaped his mouth. He turned, reaching for them, eyes skipping over the drooling monster perched on a stool, grumbling-\n\nThe drooling monster perched on the stool. \n\nAnother, *Even more* Undignified yelp. \n\n\"EEvening, Raizel!\" \n*Damn, his voice cracked.*"
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Her maw moved with her wooden, pliable lips moving creepily as she speaks. It would be almost like seeing that white wolf talking from Princess Mononoke from a Ghibli Studio Film. Her voice was slightly deeper, rougher with a feminine grumble. \"Evening...\" She was looking down at him with her glowing white eyes with his reflection looking back at him. Her sharp, wooden teeth appeared sharper than thorns and tougher than steel with saliva giving it a glossy complexion. Cold, thick drool drip onto the floor. \"Feed me,\" Raizel's voice grumbled."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Aye! Uh, you feeling alright?\"\n\nAnother voice crack. He was disturbingly okay with a number of things here now- a bit of jumpiness was good, *Healthy* Even, he thought. \n\n\"You can, uh, help if you want to,\" He squeaked, fumbling with a wooden spoon whilst also trying to situate his headphones to rest around his neck comfortably. Headphones almost in pot and spoon almost in hair, he seemed to have figured it out; in an instant, after confirming that the wooden gargoyle was *Not* Here to feast on his terror, he returned to his focused, fixated state of sauce sorcery. Eyeing the herbs and spices in front of him, Owen gingerly selected. The thing of pepper flakes. \n\n\"This bit's *Important.* The ratio has to be just right.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "*\"FeEd Me...\"* Rai said again, her stare was hungrier as ever.\n\nShe watched him contently when Owen squeaked and fumbled about before his focus stays back to his sauce sorcery. Rai's maw clamped with a loud shuck sound before licking her maw with her glowing white tongue. A low, crocodile growl hissed. Rai's pointed ears perks up, tilting her head to watch Owen select the pepper flakes.\n\nRai's stomach growled.\n\nHer long, prehensile tail swooped over to pick out a herb and held it in front of his face."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"That stuff's not going to taste as good on its own, mate,\" Owen chuckled, plucking a bit of basil from her tail and casting it into the pot. He was sure to avoid the mouth, with all its teeth and glowing tongue, with a reigned-in sort of caution. It was normal to be a little wary around that many sharp teeth, but this was Raizel, and he was (reasonably) certain that she wouldn't bite his hand off if he dawdled a little more. \n\n\"Hush, it's almost done,\" He whispered, holding his breath as he added *Not too much salt like last time*. Grabbing a spoon from the cutlery drawer, he stuck it into the pot and scooped some of his creation out and held it up to the drooling maw poised over his shoulder. \n\n\"Think it needs more salt?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "She place the basil herb back where it belong before taking out some other spice. The monster girl paused when her eyes focused on the wooden spoon as it stuck in the pot. Her ear flickered hearing the fine liquid get scooped up into it. Her nose twitched from the delicious aroma as it draws closer. She almost slipped from her chair from nearly dancing in one spot on the stool. Rai clamped her jaw onto the spoon, breaking it from the bite as she savor the taste. A pink flush of color spread across her face as she held her cheek with her claw like hand.\n\nCrunch. Crunch. Crunch.\n\nThe tip of her tail wiggled happily behind her.\n\n\"Mmmm... MoRe SaLt... TeEny BiT.\""
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"ALrighT!\" \nWell, she seemed pleased. A little more salt, then. Making a mental note to discreetly dispose of the spoon handle, he added a pinch more salt and took out another spoon. With an indignant noise, the water on the other element started to boil- \"Shoot,\" He muttered, almost having forgotten about it. Grabbing the nearby box of long, straight noodles, he quickly snapped a handful in half and dropped them in. \n\n\"You can only eyeball this bit,\" He explained. \"Somehow it's always either too much or too little. I.. Take it you'll want a bit more, ah?\"\n\nOwen took a deep breath in through the nose. Savoury heaven."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel nods, staring at he other bubbling pot with focused glowing eyes. It was visible to see her sitting eagerly with such jubilance in her posture when she watches Owen work his sorcery. She used the end of her tail to open a draw to pull out a utensil for Owen to stir the noodles before grabbing a strainer to place aside on the clean counter.\n\nAs Owen huffs the savoury smell, her snout point upward in the air to drag in the beautiful scent of food."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Oh, thanks mate!\" \nThis was all normal and fine. \"Man, that tail's handy,\" Owen murmured. He'd wanted one like it as a kid. Setting the timer for the noodles, he went back to facing the beautiful, spicy red stuff he had willed into existence. \"And now, we wait.\"\n\nHe took this opportunity to get a closer look at Rai's monster form- when it wasn't scaring him shitless or taking bites out of walls, it was *Cool*. Reminded him of something he would see in a comic book or on an album cover back at the shop, menacingly poised to swallow up the onlooker. \n\nAgainst his better judgment, he gently laid a hand on her cheek, just to see."
}
] | 153 | 1,722 |
123.6 | 2022-03-23 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel was distracted at the moment while she watched the stream of pale steam swiggled out from the boiling pot. The bubbling sound made her left ear flicker from the sound. She remain perched on the stool like a perfect statue with her tail coiled around its long legs. When Owen placed a hand on her cheek, he would feel the smooth wooden texture that felt polished and incredibly cold. Rai's eyes blinks and then realized Owen is touching her face again. Then she lean her head to the side to nuzzle into his hand, making sure to not jab him with her antlers."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Oh!\" \nThe small sound bubbled from Owen's mouth before he could tell it not to, his childlike sense of wonder displayed on his face, features made strange by the stove light illuminating them. \n\n\"Your beast form, it's.. It's incredible,\" He murmured, transfixed by the sensation of supernaturally cool wood on his comparatively small, warm hand. Whoa. He ran a thumb across a cheek ridge, staring into a glowing eye. \n\nAnd then the oven timer beeped, knocking him from one trance back to another! The motions of grabbing bowls, straining noodles, and scooping sauce onto everything were second nature to the perpetually hungry half-nocturnal; Raizel got a slightly bigger bowl, but Owen didn't bother with a fork. \n\n\"Done! It's hot, so, go slow.\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Raizel glanced around with a confused look when Owen just darted away towards the oven. There was a lot of questions springing up wondering why he suddenly bolted. Then she remembered about the food cooking on the element. And as soon as she caught sight of the large bowl of pasta, her eyes sparkled gleefully. \"ThAnK YeW!\" And she starts chowing down like a little gremlin with her maw buried into the bowl.\n\nThe way she is sitting on the stool was in a squirrel like posture."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Of course!\"\n\nSome folks grabbed simple and empty late-night snacks, and Owen pitied the fools for what they were missing. \n\n\"Stuff tastes better at odd hours, I swear.\" He felt like he was slobbering as much as Rai- this had to be his best batch yet. He tried (and failed) not to inhale it too fast; his late-night table manners were nearly as monstrous as Raizel's, it seemed! They matched. That made him laugh a little, a warm sound that came in short, crackling bursts. He had missed this kind of casual closeness, and willed the memory into a warm, safe place in his chest, careful not to let it slip by too quickly."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai didn't care who come and goes from the kitchen while she wolfe down the pasta hungrily. She's unaware of Owen's inner feelings and expressions while she was too occupied with her meal. Due to her having a snout, she have to gobble the noodles up like a lizard to have her head tug back a bit. There was a smear of sauce on her wooden lips by the time she finished her bowl of pasta. The next thing she did is licked the remaining grub with her long forked tongue inside the bowl."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"There's more if you want some,\" Owen offered to the creature slurping the remainders from her bowl. He took a swig of water and rose to grab some more for himself, yawning softly. He might actually get to bed on time tonight. \n\n*Man, I don't feel like doing these dishes*, sluggishly grumbled a thought. Welp. At least he had company- pleased with spaghetti and without the looming pressure of carrying a conversation, Rai's presence was nice. He allowed himself to feel comfortable in it for a little while."
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "She nods with a derpy smile as she held out the large bowl for Owen to pour seconds. Rai appreciate Owen a lot for inviting her to the kitchen to cook pasta, even though he did a large majority of work. This was a new thing for her to discover that she enjoys new food that the humans invented. Maybe its not such a bad thing being in Newton Cradle? At least there are some prons and cons about this place. Raizel gobbled down her meal like the first before washing the empty bowl. She wasn't too much of the talkative type due to her stuttering. The monster girl grab a dish towel to use it to wipe her maw with it to clean the sauce off before placing it aside. No one had told her anything about the rules of the kitchen yet."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Talking was effort now. Humming wasn't. A low, sweet tune rumbled in his throat, a fuzzy blanket on the cool night. He considered saying something about using the dish towel as a napkin, but he figured it wasn't too weird. That, and he somehow processed it an entire ten seconds afterward. Eh. \n\n\"Thanks for keeping me company,\" Owen half-yawned, finishing off the last of the dishes. \"You'll teach me something next, ay?\""
},
{
"author": "thescythe3354",
"message": "Rai didn't mind Owen humming while she dried the dishes before putting them away in the cupboards and drawers. After eating a large meal, Rai was beginning to feel tired now. \"MhM...\" She nods sleepily."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "Warm feeling swept into a safe corner, Owen was also dozing off; he had barely noticed when he switched off the stove light, plunging nearly everything into the strangely deep darkness that this place held. This was a good mental place to wind down. In a comfortable haze, he walked up to Rai one more time, lightly wrapping one arm around her opposite shoulder and pressing their cheeks together; it was a sincere expression of affection, one that had felt right since he was too little to get why some found it weird. Here, in the late hours, he was closest to that child again- anxieties and their inhibitions loosened their holds and revealed a sweeter creature. \n\n\"Best get to bed now, Rai.\"\n\n———"
}
] | 118.5 | 1,236 |
416.25 | 2022-03-24 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Finley's eyes darted from Ares to Valio and back again. Ares was, of course, a subject of interest, and his arrival startled them from their (somewhat) mope. Their face turned a few shades of pink. Rarely did anyone sit so close to them. He did have very nice hair- Ahem.\n\n\"No, no, it's alright. I shouldn't have said anything. I tend to just- I get carried away, I suppose. It's good to reel myself back in sometimes, you know. I apologize, again.\"\n\nThey took another moment to sip their hot chocolate again. \n\n\"The drink is very good by the way,\" They said, turning their gaze back to Valio, something sheepish in their shrug. \"I'm sure we're not on the best footing, but I do appreciate it nonetheless.\" \nA hair tie sits lone on one wrist. Finley took it and started winding up their blond hair in a short little sprig on the back of their head. \n\n\"Owen, isn't it? You were the one who liked the same music as me.\" Finley let an amused smile start to come to life across their face. \"You know, there is a drumset around here somewhere - I haven't played in a few weeks, but it can't be that hard to revisit it. If you want, we could figure out a cover or two. I used to do them a lot.\"\n\nMel watched with poorly-disguised glee as Finley seemed to be shocked out of their mopey mood by the arrival of a cute boy. Her genius ploy had worked. She was truly without equal. A genius! Mel didn't know any other words for genius. Genius genius genius. Was genius even a word? Geeeeenius. Heheheheh.\n\nAs Mel rotated the proverbial cow in her mind, the conversation was continuing as smoothly as it ever had, seemingly and annoyingly unfazed by her genius. Genius genius genius. She broke out of her rut and turned her focus to the actual conversation.\n\n*...Shouldn't have said anything. I tend to just - I get carried away...*\n\nNow, Mel wouldn't stand for that. That was her friend saying that! And what's more, they were wrong! \"No, it was important, Finny!\" She insisted, huffing and pouting like she'd just been insulted, \"It's good that you said it! Don't beat yourself up like that!\" She spilled a bit of her hot chocolate on the floor, but she didn't seem to mind.\n\nThe huffy mood didn't last long, though; it dissipated as soon as it had appeared, in favor of idly nodding along to the conversation and sipping her drink. It *Was* Good. Sweet. She liked sweet. As the conversation drifted off to music, she briefly considered mentioning her own experience, but... No. She didn't actually like playing. Maybe she would've, under different circumstances, but she had been forced into it. The joy had all been sucked out already. She kept quiet."
},
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "The strange little interaction wasn't lost on him, but he'd be lying if he said he knew what exactly it *Was*. Mél seemed to, but tracing her movements didn't really help any, so he just sipped his hot chocolate some more and drifted away from whatever string of cues he had failed to register. Until-\n\n\"Yes! And, *YES!!*\" \nOwen's grogginess melted off of his perpetually slouched frame, a proper smile breaking out across his face. \"It's been forever since I played with anyone, but as for practicing, well, my calluses speak for themselves,\" He bubbled, slapping the back of his hand down on the table. His fingertips were indeed built up to hell and back, products of many nights and noise complaints of sweet, sweet *Noise*. \n\nHead catching up to him (was that a strange gesture? It made sense, didn't it?), he pulled his hand back and went to grab more cocoa. No *Way* He was letting Ares chug all of it. Screw him. *Slurp*. \"I can do vocals too, if needed,\" He dared, before he could tell himself not to. *Shush, brain, it's totally related to the conversation.* \"Don't know how well my death growl is coming along, but I can make a nice racket otherwise.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares rolled his eyes as he let his head fall back. Looking at the kitchen upside down for a second, the chair pushed hard into the muscle of his back. He let a low grumble reverberate in his chest. Annoyance creeping its way through his thoughts and to the forefront of his brain. The conversation seemed to carry on, and Fin had ignored his question. Ares figured they just wanted to change the subject, no matter. The hot chocolate in his mug was empty now, and he found himself only existing in the kitchen for the beverage at this point. \n\nLetting himself rest in this position for a few moments, a new conversation topic piqued his interest. Underneath a furrowed brow, his intrigued gaze rose and fell on Owen and Finley as they talked about music. Ares was drawn to music himself, the dull pain throbbing through his finger tips was more than enough proof of his devotion. His head returned to its upright position, Ares stared at Owen's callouses. The rough patches on the other boys hands rivalled his own, and looked like Owen was equally determined to master his instrument.\n\n\"Sick callouses.\" His voice felt slightly disingenuous, any excitement was a stretch. \"I also play guitar, electric specifically.\" \n\nAres pulled his hand out of the loop of his mug, and held up his palm. Showing off the dull wounds decorating his fingers, red and fresh. He held his hand up for a second, before putting it back down on the counter. \"Hurts like a bitch.\"\n\nLooking down into his almost empty mug, he saw Owen also refilling his. Ares blinked, and surveyed whether this asshole was challenging him or not. Ares always safely assumes *Yes* And got up to get another cup, directly after Owen had sat back down. Ares knew he had two whole cups on Owen, securing him safely in the lead. The chocolatey beverage was delicious, and Ares would drink as much as he could. He poured more into his cup, and returned to his chair next to Finley. Taking a quick sip before sitting down."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio Stared at her cup. She wasn't included into the conversation other than them saying they enjoyed the beverage. Valio rolled her shoulders, the muscles flexing and bulging slightly before relaxing. She let out a heavy breath through her nose before settling more into the cabinets behind her. \n\nHer hands folded over her chest as she noticed a now gone cup by the door. Raizel slinking around again, just as she said. She turns back to the group surveying them silently. Ares watching Owen go get a third refill with a slightly furrowed brow, just before Ares did the same. Owen most likely side eyed Ares but them being competitive over a beverage wasn't her business.\n\nHer fingers worried themselves with the leather fabric of her gloves once more. She wouldn't know it was happening if she didn't acknowledge that her fingers were moving. She couldn't feel the fabric, her hands too numb and torn from years of her own faults. Her chest rose and fell as she continues to wear the fabric, she doesn't mean to but she's getting it's an idle habit at this point. \n\nThey're quite the rambunctious group. All having their own ideas that seem like they're very interesting if there wasn't a burning ringing in her ears. She kept silent plugging her left ear with her pinky before her arm going back to it's previous position. \n\nInstruments? They seem to have well taste. That's nice to know."
}
] | 369.5 | 1,665 |
419.5 | 2022-04-09 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "pondfaces",
"message": "\"Mmh?\"\n\nA half-word, mostly-noise rumbled in Owen's throat. It got the message across well enough. It was hardly the time of night for eloquent replies to be bubbling up out of nowhere, if there even was one for him. \n\nGrabbing one last stubborn mugful of cocoa, the dishevelled but now-noticeably peaceful boy shuffled to the couch. Mél's attempt to take up the maximum amount of space possible flew under his sleep-deprived radar, and he sat a little closer than he would have if he had noticed; he liked people like her, who just *Said things*. Ares, arse though he was, was like that too- Finley as well, for that matter. Valio, though quieter than even him at this hour, was a similar comfort, radiating warmth from beneath the roughened exterior. They loosened the pressure merely by being there, a fascinating swirl of ..*Something*, something he was lacking, that he couldn't quite conjure up a word for. Mojo? Ehh. Watch the dinosaurs. \n\nA heavy red head sank deep into the back of the couch, breathing a heavy sigh of contentment. Stressed though he'd been, Owen looked already like he was one with the furniture, as though if one unzipped the old hoodie they would find not a kid but a pile of warm blankets beneath them; what simple, quiet joy.\n\nThe little pieces of human connection that he'd lost and craved over the years was coming back, bit by bit. The first slivers of normalcy in ages, and with quite possibly the strangest people he had ever met- how funny was that?"
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares gave a low teasing grumble, playfully disappointed in Valio's lack of an answer. Guess she wasn't a big fan of small talk. He grabbed his mug after filling it so full it threatened to spill over the brim. The pot was nearly empty at this rate. Leaning down to sip the excess so it wouldn't get all over the floor, he turned his attention back to Fin. Giving a scoff in their direction, Ares' mind was pulled in a different direction. Mel suggesting the idea that they watch a movie.\n\n\"Yo! Sick! I'm so down.\" He called out from across the counter, his voice had a hint of excitement in it. Ares always liked movies. \n\nWith very little care for his *Very* Full mug, he made his way over the couch. With quick fast confident steps he launched himself over the back cushions. Despite nearly landing on Owen, he managed to not spill a drop of his drink. *'Skill at its finest,'* He thought, a cocky smile pulling on his features. He made himself comfortable against the plush fabric of the couch, now shuffled slightly to give more space to the red head beside him. He rested his arms against the back of the couch, spreading himself out greedily. With an empty space to the other side him, Ares tilted his head back to take a sip of his hot chocolate, the same wonderful taste. \n\nAfter turning his attention to the TV in front of them, he realized how surprisingly fun this was. Leaning his head back over his shoulder towards Finley, he nodded. A signal to come and join him on the couch for the movie. Ares knew the view of the TV would be blocked from all the way over there. Or something like that, the boy couldn't exactly put a finger on why he felt the need to invite the other over. Tilting his head to the side, still turned over his shoulder, his gaze fell to Valio as well. \n\n\"Oi, Blondie, Val come join us.\" He raised his hand up with a waving gesture. Ares' voice was confident and sure, like always. Same playful smile."
},
{
"author": "bucke1",
"message": "Valio ignored the grumble to turn off the burner that was under the pot of hot chocolate. She wouldn't want the place the burn down when she just got here so. The pot was nearly empty and she assumed Owen and Ares would fist fight eachother over it. Melodie was suggesting they watch a movie, and not that Valio objected but it seemed Finley wasn't moving. She stared for a second her eye watching as they absently twirled a piece of their fine hair with their finger.\n\n\"Alright.\" Why is she constantly giving dry answers, this isn't how you make friends. She walked over to Finley grabbing them by the back of their shirt and hoisting them over her shoulder. If you're part of the group you might as well participate. \n\nShe walks over to the couch finding there wasn't nearly enough room and decided to pick Owen up as well. Then she settled pulling Finley down to her side. A silent saying to get comfortable, they'll be here for a bit.\n\nWith the three settled onto the couch she let her mind wander, her head filling with images too vivid to speak aloud. The movie was just background noise but, she found a little comfort in this group. Maybe she could stay after all."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "```I apologize for hogging this channel but here's fires content```\n\nThe rain landed softly on the window pane beside Finleys bed, light and chilled in the late-night air. April has been tempermental, swathes of warmer weather snatched up by winters spindly fingers.\n\n\nThey could imagine the last kisses of Persephone, clinging to her husband's hand as her mother tugged her towards spring, flowering trees smitten with the obnoxious turning tables of the wind and the sun.\n\nA blanket lay draped over their legs, something forest green, thin, and utterly useless, borrowed from their sisters room once and never returned. One of their favorite classic pieces spun lazily on the record player across the room, some modern electric Victrola. Finley had discovered they could get it to start with a gentle press of a finger, even if it wasn't plugged in. Overall, it should have been a perfect night. Sleep should have come easy to them.\n\nAnd earlier, it had. \n\nFlickering images of their burning school had shined behind their eyes, the screams of classmates as they clamored out of the building in a panic. The voices of their Newton's Cradle friends warped and folded into the dream, Melodies high scream cresting as smoke came up to their chest. \n\nThey had sat up in bed with a gasp as the world began to crack into a thousand bits of deadly lit. Now, they lay on their back, listening to the music, their breath, and the rain.\n\nThe glow of their phone filled the room as a notification flickered across their lock screen. People chattering on the Intranet board again. Silas, maybe, or Margarita. They were both night owls.\n\nThey rolled over and plucked the cable out of the charging port, blinking at the glow in their face. *3:45*, read the time. They let out a long sigh through their nose. \n\n*I have class tomorrow,* They thought. And then, immediately afterwards, *Or, not.*\n\n *'hello.'*, they typed, receiving a reply a few moments later. A greeting of some sort, from someone or another.\n\n *'i can't sleep.'* \n\nThe phone dropped from their hands, muffling the light once more. They tried to close their eyes"
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "The small sound of guitar strings being plucked echoed against the soft rain outside. Ares was sitting on the edge of his bed, his guitar resting in his lap. The finish was darker than night itself, and adorned with various stickers Ares had stolen over the years. It wasn't attached to any speakers, considering the late hours. For now, Ares was practicing the same riff he had been stuck on for the past few weeks. The cords increasing in speed as he progressed. \n\nHe found himself dedicating hours to his instrument. When he wasn't in his dorm, he was outside. Petty theft, vandalism, trespassing were all on the table for the boy. He clearly acted on his own accord.\n\nSomething pulled himself out of his focus. His phone, resting precariously on the edge of his desk lit up with a dull blue light. Ares slid his fingers off of the strings and tossed his guitar onto his black bedsheets. The soft material cushioned the instrument, preventing damage. He lifted himself off of his bed and walked over to his desk, leaning over his phone. Surveying the notification on his screen, someone was awake. His eyes rose to the time, it *Was* Late. \n\nReaching over, he picked up his cracked phone and held it in his hand. The dull throb of pain pulsed through his fingers. They had been cut and broken many times by his unforgiving strings, making them rough to the touch. Ares didn't care, he thought it made him look cool. Opening the notification and looking at the schools forum. It was Finley. Ares let his head fall back with a sigh before pulling it back forward. Pausing for a moment, an idea popped into his head. Maybe he could turn this this into something fun.\n\nHe started typing, *' cool, wanna do something dumb then blondie?'* The message read loud and clear in Ares' normal bastard personality. The boy let out a small scoff under a smirk, no way they'd take up his offer. His eyes fell on the time once more, It was almost 4am.\n_ _\n\nAres looked over at his guitar. He didn't need sleep anyways. He set his phone down on his desk once more before returning to his bed."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Another notification. Finley picked up their phone again and read it.\n\nSurprise flickered across Finley's face. Ares was a character of which they knew little - they knew his bravado, his ego, his arrogance - but Finley knew they did not know *Him.* But, then, he didn't know *Them* Either. So, then, why was he asking to see them?\n\nA dare, surely. Some sort of challenge, posed by the boy who's very smile *Gleamed* Trouble. Not long ago, they'd all met in Valio's room. Although it had ended with Finley thrown over shoulder (not that they could truly complain), they'd found themself looking at him on and off at the *Dickwad* Across the room. Ares, simply put, sputtered with a sort of energy that Finley didn't quite match. Finley held themself up to be quiet, logical, put together - he seemed to have no such reservation.\n\nAt first, they didn't respond. They thought about tossing their phone to the side, rolling over, and letting the music lull them to sleep. After all, they did have class. But - for all his surface-level misgivings, Ares had a penchant for capturing their interest.\n\nSomething their sister liked to say flickered across their mind, something French. *Etre dans la galere*\n\nThey let their fingers fly across the keys, and hit send without another thought about it. In the gallery there were messes.\n\n*Sounds good. I'm in 1245.*\n\nAres like to pull at their strings. It wouldn't surprise them if he merely wrote their response off, or didn't reply. He had a frightful habit of destructive or loud tendencies, and they were a bit worried the faculty wouldn't take kindly to another rocket endeavor at 4am. Plus, Valio wouldn't be there to strongarm their way out of it if something went wrong.\n\nThey were, in fact, having second thoughts. But the message was sent and the boy was interesting, so Finley sat up in bed, fingers falling towards the floor to deliberately search for their favorite Doc Martens, checking if their coat was still draped over the back of their desk chair. They reached across to their nightstand, pulling out a pair of circular, golden-framed glasses for reading, adjusting them on their nose so they could stop squinting everywhere. \n\n\n\nFrom there, it was only time to wait."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "As he stood in front of his bed, reaching down towards his guitar, he stopped. Another light flashed from behind him. Ares turned his head over his shoulder, confirming the fact he did indeed get a response. *That was fast.*\n\nWith a couple steps back towards his phone he stared at the notification. A dorm number and acceptance. Well that was interesting. Finley had accepted Ares' offer. Looking back over at his guitar, he pursed his lips. It could wait, might as well go bother the insomniac. He shoved his phone in his pocket without a response, and repeated the dorm number in his head multiple times. \n\nAres looked painfully casual. He had a black T-shirt pulled over his broad muscular shoulders and dark grey nearly black sweatpants. He took a moment to put a hoodie on over his T-shirt and rolled up the sleeves. His mind was strangely empty. Maybe it was the slow stop of the rain outside, or the many hours he had spent slaving over his guitar. On his way over to his door he shoved his keycard haphazardly into his pocket. He grabbed his converse that rested messily by the door and pulled them over his feet, nearly falling over in the process. His shoes were black, the same as almost all of his clothes, and had sharpie doodles sprawled across the base. He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up to his normal scruff and opened his door.\n_ _\n\nNow out of his dorm, the cold chill of the hallway permeated his hoodie. It was a familiar chill now, but Ares was still far from adapted to the cold. He longed for the white-hot sandy beaches of Puerto Rico and California everyday he spent in this miserable cold town. At least spring was around the corner, all he could do was hope it was warmer. \n\nAres jumped down the steps of the dorm, making his way down a floor, skipping two to three stairs with every movement. He was quick and took no time to slow down. With a few more doors and long hallways, he was standing in front of Finley's door. Took him a couple tries to solidify *Which* Door was theirs, but when he did he didn't hesitate. \n\n*Knock knock knock.* \n\nThree solid confident knocks rang through the dorm. Ares could hear the sound echo past the wood. He shoved his other hand into his pocket and looked back down the hallway. Surely no one else was awake, except Finley he figured. Finley was weird."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "While Finley often prided themself on having the appearance of a well-kept ~~nerd~~ academic, at nearly 4am, that wasn't the idea. \n\nAn ancient grey hoodie hung loosely over their frame, with gray and black plaid comfy pants dragging around their feet. Their wrists were bare of their favorite watches and bracelets, fine, blond hair shuddering in wisps around just barely above their shoulders. (Privately, they wanted to cut it again.) Their glasses rested on the top of their head, pushing their bangs to curl around their ears.\n\nThe knock at the door startled them from the buzzing quiet they'd settled back into. They slid off their bed, hitting the ground softly, and padded across the room, kicking a lone white sock under the bed. They knew precisely who it was, and made sure to close the closet door on the way over, trapping the laundry they needed to do inside. \n\nTheir eyes doubled back over their room, their humble dwelling space. The entirety of their dresser top was covered by the record player, which marched on in an endless loop, spinning light violin music into the air. The nightstand and desk were both crowned in haphazard piles of books and stacks of notepads, pens paused mid-roll against the faux-wood surface. An annotated copy of Robert Frost sat turned page-down, a small line of textbooks stood guard over the desk. Clustered together, a huddle of burned down colorful candles sat on the windowsil, the lighter tucked somewhere else. \n\nOn the wall, flags and posters crowded the stark white. One for France, the other for Canada (relatively small - they weren't that patriotic). A few band posters - the same sort of music they'd bonded with Owen and Ares over - and, above the bed, a painting of what appeared to be a beautiful countryside landscape. \n\nTheir bed was a bit rumpled from them laying on top of it, but topped with a dark plaid comforter, the previously useless green throw, and a small array of neutral colored and square pillows. \n\nOverall - a solid reflection of Finley, in their near entirety. \n\nThey took a deep breath, and turned the door handle. \n\n\"Ares,\" Said Finley. \"I didn't think you'd come so soon.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares heard a shuffle from inside the room. A confirmation they hadn't passed out yet. The boy rocked back and forth on his heels on the other side of the door, waiting for Finley to show up. Maybe he could've taken the window route, but it would've been an inconvenience to get to the place he wanted to take Finn from there. The hallway would do, for now.\n\nWithin a few seconds, the door was opened and a very tired, casual frame stood in front of him. The often put together academic in a hoodie was quite a sight. Of course Ares knew Finley didn't fall asleep in a collared shirt, although he wouldn't put it past them, but it was still strange to see. \n\nAres stood at a high contrast to Finley. Finley was normally put together, short, blonde, overall good. Ares was a mess, tall and muscular, tan and had dark hair, the two were as different as could be. Perhaps thats why Ares' was so interested in them. Ares knew little about the person standing in the door frame, but that didn't mean he couldn't drag them out at odd hours to join him on his chaotic adventures. It was more fun this way.\n\n\"Yeah mhm.\" Ares gave a smirk, and looked down at Finley. \"Cmon lets go.\" \n\nAres' voice was the same confident bursts, but a tired grumble coated itself over his words. He didn't quiet down, but clearly he hadn't talked in a while. He nodded his head in the direction he came, towards the stairwell. The dark haired boy had a plan, and one he was going to put into action.\n_ _\n\nBefore leaving his post on the other side of the door. Ares took a second to peer over Finley's shoulder and into their room. It was just as neat and put together as they were. Organized and pristine, aesthetic to a fault and looked wonderful to exist in. Ares let out a low grumble, how did they keep up such a perfect room? He could never. Rolling his eyes back to the hallway he took a step in the direction, before tilting it back towards Fin.\n\n\"Or-\" He drew out the syllable with a teasing tone. \"Are ya havin' second thoughts?\" Ares smirked, implying they weren't down for the adventure."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Finley carefully followed his gaze, over their shoulder and back to their room once more. For a moment, self-consciousness prickled in their belly, before Ares jest at their perceived intentions to stay behind, and rolled their eyes, stepping into a pair of weathered, dirty black and white Chucks.\n\nThey stuffed their phone into their hoodie pocket before stepping out and closing - and locking - the door behind them. \n\n\"You sincerely must think I'm some sort of goodie two shoes,\" They said, kneeling to tie their laces. \"I sincerely doubt anyone at this school is.\"\n\nThey stood up, looking at the boy and realizing they came just below his nose. It made them grumble with indignation.\n\n\"Whatever you're doing, Ares, I'm well enough up for it. The question is really if you're having second thoughts about me.\" \n\nThey let something of their own smirk tug on their lips. Ares was fun, in that sense. The two of them never seemed to get along, a repertoire of snide comebacks and quick jabs of half hearted insults built up over days of texting. \n\n\"Do you mind being seen with a *Nerd*, then?\" They said, choosing a word he often landed on when describing them, gesturing down the hall. \n\nIt occured to them they had no idea where Ares was taking them.\n\n\"Lead the way, *Petite bête.\"*\n\nIt occurred to them that they didn't mind."
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares ran his hands through his hair as he turned down the hallway. Breathing in, and out with the rise and fall of his hand. He adjusted his septum piercing quickly, before looking down at Fin. Impatience running circles in his brain.\n\n \"Yeah sure. Whatever ya say.\" Ares was *Really* Convinced. His sarcastic tone made that *Totally* Clear. The boy let out a small laugh.\n\nAs soon as Finley had stood up, Ares was off. Confident strides carrying him through the hallway, he was relatively quick and made no effort to slow. He walked with his hands in his pockets and slouched back. He took no time to make sure Fin was following, if they couldn't keep up it wasn't his problem. Of course, he wasn't purposely trying to leave them behind.\n\n\"I never have second thoughts *Perdedor*.\" He spoke, his voice loud enough to carry behind him. \"As you can see I aint turning back.\" He held his hands out to his side for a moment before returning them to his pockets. Ares spoke with casualties, a Puerto Rican accent audible and laced between his words. \n_ _\n\nHe continued to walk through the halls and up the stairs, skipping two to three steps as he always did. Scaling the stairs in his place was no issue. All Ares could hope is that the night faculty wasn't on duty in this end of the building.\n\n\"Sure. No issue. Im doing charity work tonight.\" He turned his head over his shoulder at the top of the stairs, a cocky smile so wide it almost closed his eyes. A small cackle reverberating in his chest and down the stairs. \n\n\"Were almost there. Hope you're good at climbing.\" \n\nAres didn't know much about the physical attributes of Finley or what they were good at, but by their thin frame he could deduce they definitely didn't work out at the same extent Ares did. \n\nThis would be fun."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "For their shorter stance than Ares, Fin could keep up, quickly matching pace with him. Those long academia strides must be coming in handy, they supposed, even as they looked nothing how they'd usually prefer to be perceived as. \n\nFinley shot up the stairs beside Ares, hands jolting along in their hoodie pocket, a careful grip resting on their phone. If something fell between the slots of the stairwell, they doubt they'd ever hear the end from it from the boy - as they reached the landing, they scoffed.\n\n\"If this is charity work, I want my donations, *Tabernak*.\"\n\nIn their own voice, the vaguest hint of something French pulled on their words. Seemed they both had accents, however light. \"I can climb well enough, thank you.\"\n\nYears of ballet had given Finn a flexible, but sturdy grip - besides, they had to get onto the roof somehow. They loved being up there, going up to snoop around, poking their head into places they shouldn't be. They had a bundle of theories barely restrained by social conventions and instead spilled into their notebooks, erratic, loopy spirals and half-finished diagrams connected by quick arrows. From the moment they'd stepped over the campus threshold, they had their suspicions - however unfounded. And then there had been Annika and her sisters. They saw the angel girl in their dreams, once, ripping into the bloody carcass of a deer with her bare hands. The images had created a nauseating miasma that stilled their sleep schedule for days afterward.\n\nThey blew their hair from their face, settling their glasses back onto their nose to keep them from rustling off. \"You're horrendously fast, you know. Are you in a hurry to get somewhere? Or just scared?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares was remarkably surprised by Finley's ability to keep up, although he'd never say a word about it. Teasing them was a lot more fun.\n\n\"You don't get anything my sincerest apologies.\" He shrugged, the same smile on his face. It wasn't friendly, it meant nothing but trouble. A furrowed brow paired with his many piercings made anyone assume he was a delinquent. Of course they weren't wrong, and Ares leaned very far into the image. But there was a hint of amusement behind his bastard expression.\n\nLeading Finley through back hallways and eventually out a door, the crisp night air surrounded Ares in a burst of unwelcoming cold. The rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared. He shuddered, missing Puerto Rico more than ever. Memories of days spent running through the sun soaked streets with his siblings Safya and Caleb flashed in his mind. The colourful contrast of San Juan stood out against the freezing midnight black of Sweden. He couldn't help but miss his family, even a little. Ares shoved the thought out of his mind as quickly as it came. Now was not the time.\n\n\"Nah, I think you're just slow.\" A laugh left his lungs, a teasing snicker. \n\nHe easily lifted himself up and over ledges, the lack of trouble was visible. Ares had a strong upper body, toned and muscular arms held him steady. If not for the night, his back muscles would be visible, pressed against and under the fabric of his hoodie. Ares took a lot of pride in his physique. \n_ _\n\nThe dark haired boy made his way ever so slightly ahead of Finley, and reached down his hand to help as a joke. Before pulling it back and laughing, continuing to scale the building.\n\nIt didn't take long for the two of them to successfully make it to the roof. A familiar place Ares had spent a lot of time exploring. If Finley paid attention they would see a few graffiti tags sprinkled across and around the area. Some in ink, others in paint, nothing too big and disruptive although thats what Ares was eventually aiming for. \n\nAres slowed his pace now that they were outside. His eyes scanning across the vast sky. A pretty night for anyone else, too bad it was just him and Finley out here. \n\nWhat a waste, Ares sighed."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"I suppose then I must sue for mishandling of funds, then, *Oui?\"*\n\nUnbeknownst to Ares, Finley took this route fairly frequently. They wondered why they hadn't seen him up here before, even just once, in passing, and then shrugged off the thought. For better or worse, they and Ares ran in the same circle now. They assumed they'd see him soon enough. \n\n*Unfortunately.*\n\nBeing in Sweden, in particular, this far out into the grandiose of nowhere, had given Finley a deeper appreciation for the stars. Back home in Vancouver, their mother had often gripped, usually in her bitter, crisp French, that there simply were not enough stars in the sky. She would comb back Finley's hair when they were a child and tell them stories of rural France, where their grandparents lived, where the sky was speckled with a million glowing dots and the air smelled like baking bread, thin, narrow buildings topped with black shingles dotting the streets, vineyards bursting with sweet grapes, ancient châteaus standing high and proud. While it was nothing like Sweden, sometimes, on the rooftop at night, Finley could almost pretend. \n\n\"It reminds me of Canada, almost,\" They said aloud, startling themself from their silence. Clouds coiled from where they'd spoken. They blinked, embarrassed, turning their gaze away from Ares and towards the sky once more. \"I, ah - I'm from there.\"\n\n*Not that you'd care,* They thought. \n\nIt hit them then how little they knew about the night's companion. They glanced over at him once more, to see his gaze fallen on graffitti tags decorating the area. They wondered if he'd left them there.\n\n\"What about you?\" Finley asked. If they were going to be on the roof, may as well not sit in silence. \"Where are you from?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares found a good place, lifted himself up on a concrete ledge and made himself comfortable. The rough surface against his fingers made them sting. He winced a little as he hoisted himself up, but nothing loud. Sitting against the cold material of the roof startled him for only a second. The sky was very visible from the place he sat. His head tilted upwards, only falling down to Finley when they spoke. \n\n\"Canada? *Sick*. Ive never been there.\" \n\nHis tone fell the slightest bit genuine, Ares definitely wasn't faking his intrigue. Conversation was conversation, he thrived in such conditions. \n\nThe sky hung heavy above them. The vast endless sky splattered with stars, going farther than Ares could comprehend. He knew nothing about the constellations or the stories the sky held, he only knew it was tantalizing. The sky held its arms open for him, an endless companion. Ares had fond memories with the sky. The many sunrises he watched fall across Puerto Rican waters, the many fields he ran through under bright blue afternoons decorated with fluffy clouds. How many sunrises he watched paint the buildings of California with Safya and Caleb. \n\nNow here, sitting under the stars with someone he barely knew, he could only feel the same fondness. Ares decided not to mention the nostalgia and familiarity he felt. Not with Finley anyways. The joking insults and back and forth bickering was a lot more fun. \n\n\"Oh, Im Puerto Rican but I lived in California before here.\"\n\nHis tone was sure, confident and loud. It never changed. He seemed unfazed by the past silence, interrupting it no issue. He leaned back slightly against the concrete, nodding slightly at Finley. \n\nA gesture that could only be interpreted as an invitation to join him up on the ledge. \n\n\"Jesus shawty, whatcha scared i'm gonna bite?\" He paused. \"Justified.\" Ares laughed a little, less of a teasing tone ever so slightly audible under the sound. \n\n\"The stars are a lot more clear up here yknow.\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"You don't scare me,\" Finley replied, the same hint of teasing in their own voice. They sat beside him - close, but not too close - a small chuckle leaving their lips. \n\n\"California, huh?\" They asked. They glanced at him from the side, picking at a lose pebble as their legs dangled over the ledge. \"I've heard it's beautiful. Warmer there than here, I'll bet - but we're both from the west coast then. I'm a Vancouverite, but my mom and sister were both born in France.\"\n\nThe information spilled out between them, and Finley bit their tongue. They stayed quiet for another moment, before Ares spoke again. \n\nThey looked up at the stars, expression softening under the moons gentle silvery light. It gave the whole night an ethereal quality to it, like something from a dream, the first hints of dawn barely a breath from life. \n\n\"They are, aren't they?\" Said Finley.\n\nSomething in their tone, even, had been softened by it. Perhaps a reverence for the universe, perhaps an acute awareness of their infinitesimal place within it, perhaps neither, perhaps both. \n\n\"You can pick out Orion from this spot,\" They continued. \"Up there.\"\nA finger pointed up towards a collection of stars, a head craned back, a fluttering of blond hair creeping past boney shoulders.\n\n\"And there - Ursa Major and Minor. Lyra is tucked there as well, if you squint. See?\""
}
] | 440 | 6,712 |
453.875 | 2022-04-10 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Is that so?\" He laughed.\n\nAres was slightly surprised at Finley's lack of hesitation to join him up on the ledge. Although, it didn't last long. The thought left his mind as quickly as it came.\n\n\"Yeah a lot warmer, but hell, Puerto Rico is hotter than California.\" Ares turned his head up to the sky once more, letting Finley respond. \n\n\"Vancouver? France? Damn I bet you're used to the cold then.\" A small laugh left his chest, and he let himself lean farther back on his arms. The cold wind less intrusive the longer he stayed out, despite nipping slightly at his nose. \n\nAres looked at Finley through his peripheral vision. The features of the blonde lit up against the cold blue of the night. The stars danced in their light eyes. Ares turned his attention back to the sky above the two. An itch of a question persisted in his brain, but he felt no need to pay attention to it. \n\nWith Finley's words Ares tilted his head to the side, resting against strong shoulders. He frankly had no clue what they were talking about. \n\n\"Oh?\" Ares leaned slightly to the side, trying to follow Finley's finger up towards the constellations. Ares knew very little about the stars, he never took the time to notice. \n\n\"You mean the giant spoon.\" Ares cackled in response to Fin mentioning Ursa Major. A small smirk pulled on his tan features. Truth is, despite the fact he never cared for the stars before, and even now couldn't bring himself to, there was a certain charm about the vast heavens above he couldn't deny.\n\nAres let out a small short hum, this was totally better than doing nothing in his dorm."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"The giant spoon?\" Finley asked.\n\n A hum of amusement pulled back their usual stoicism to reveal a smile, their voice softened and rounded out as they briefly met Ares's dark eyes. Outside, in the midnight-black of Sweden, his eyes looked even darker, the flickers of light thrown out reminding them of some line from the Aeneid, long ago, about Pallas Athena. \n\n\"We've been studying the stars for thousands of years,\" Explained Finley, voice still quietened. \"And we've never quite been content with it. That's the thing - there's always something more to find out there. I like the vastness of it all. And the constellations all have stories behind them.\"\n\nThey thought about his remark about the cold. It must be some stereotype about Canada, that it was always cold. They'd visited America exactly once, though, Washington, and found it bearable, so who even knew? They thought about California, the pictures slapped onto touristy guidebooks and images idolized online of white sandy beaches and glowing golden celebrities, and shrugged. \n\nSilence sat in the air for a moment.\n\n\"Thank you for inviting me up here. I know we don't talk much, except to argue, but this rather beats laying along in my room.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Yeah the spoon. I dunno.\" He let out an amused scoff. \"Thats what it looks like.\"\n\nAres could admit Finley knew a lot more about the sky than he did. Of course they did. Through the back and forth bickering Ares knew the other was definitely smart. He would never use such a term to describe them, much preferring nerd. For once Ares was actually taking more than a few seconds to look at the deep sky, connecting the pinhole stars with imaginary lines in his head as Finley highlighted them with their finger. The many stories were lost in his brain.\n\n\"Yeah.\" Ares' voice didn't quiet unlike Finley's. His voice remained confident and sure. It echoed across the empty roof and carried along with the wind. \n\n\"It *Does* Seem like it just never ends.\"\n\nAres had almost forgotten about the dull pain throbbing up his fingers and throughout his nerves. He could admit his fingers needed the break, but was making quick progress without. His rough hands stayed pressed against the almost equally rough concrete of the facility roof.\n\nWith Finley's next few words, Ares' furrowed brow raised for less than a moment. It was a surprise, and the dark haired boy wasn't expecting such a thing. \n\n\"Yeah, no problem.\" Ares stretched his arms up above his head, pulling his back tight before pulling them down in front of him. The relief unmatched. \n\n\"I guess not but yknow, teasing you is a lot more fun.\" He nudged Finley in the shoulder with a small laugh, clearly amused by his own words.\n\n\"It really does.\" Ares returned to his previous resting position. \"For me, it was this or tearing my fingers up even more on my guitar.\""
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "\"For you, I'm sure it is,\" Laughed Finley, nudging him back. They caught his eyes again. The darkness seemed to envelope the very spirit of the cosmos themselves, some kind of void contained in so small a place it may have been easy to miss if they hadn't looked twice. \"You're dreadfully prickly at times, you know.\"\n\nThey had only spared another glance towards him when he'd stretched, before turning their head up towards the stars above once more. A cold wind blustered across the roof top, sending them instinctively curling into their coat. Even some things got to them, at times, it would seem. \n\n\"Your guitar?\" They asked. \"You've mentioned it a few times, you and Owen. I play drums - I think I've mentioned that, as well.\"\n\nTheir glance dropped to his hands, the red, angry skin on his fingertips. They raised a brow. That surely wasn't good for his hands, they thought - even though, knowing Ares, any suggestion of slowing down would be brushed aside in the wind. He was frightfully stubborn. For Finley's own effort, they hadn't been able to play the drums often enough lately - they often just got side-tracked and forgot to.\n\n\"You should be kinder on your hands,\" They said. Their voice fell softer again, gesturing to his fingers. \"They're starting to look worse for the wear, *Oui?*\"\n\nThe wind twinkled the stars above their heads, glittering the stars like jewels. They thought of their mother's diamond ring, the one she kept in a box beside her bed. She'd showed it to them once. She'd explained it had been the ring their father meant to propose with, before he'd gone and cheated. \nTranslated from French, she'd said, with a note of satisfaction, \"So I stole that bastard's ring, and his baby in tow.\"\nAnd she'd ruffled Finley's hair, and handed them a pastry.\n\n\"I think I've got some sort of lotion for them, if you'd like. Healing balm.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Ahh am I?\" Ares paused and faked a moment of concern. \"I forgot the part where I was supposed to care.\" \n\nHe laughed, a sound that rocked his chest and made him tilt his head back ever so slightly. His smile was paired with a bastard expression, an ever-furrowed brow, but something about it was tinted with genuine amusement. \n\nAs their eyes met once more, Ares couldn't help but wonder why. Why on earth was Finley looking at him. He gave a half smirk in their direction and turned back forwards. Ares wasn't the biggest fan of eye contact, he didn't care enough to hold it. His gaze, now stationary in front of him, scanned the roof briefly. A tag drawn messily in dark ink caught his eye, he was still proud of that one.\n\n\"Ah yeah, electric guitar specifically.\" Ares pulled himself forward, off of his hands, and surveyed his palm. Lighter than the rest of his tan skin, his hands were rough, his fingers tips even worse. The texture of the concrete had imprinted on his lower hand, tinting it red. The silver rings wrapped securely around his fingers reflected the stars above, and his messy black nail polish was chipping. \"You have mentioned. Drums are sick as fuck.\" \n\nAres tilted his head to the side to look at Fin, a raised eyebrow and the same cocky smirk on his features. \"Why do you care so much blondie.\" He snickered. \"Callouses look cool.\" Pulling his gaze back forward, it almost seemed as if he was avoiding Finley's eyes. \n\n\"Not needed. They'll fix themselves whenever they get around to it.\" He didn't sound concerned.\n\n\"Got any hobbies other than drums?\" Ares questioned, after quickly adjusting his septum piercing."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "The shadows of the starlit sky concealed any semblances of pink that may have prickled upon Finley's freckled face. They cleared their throat, looking up towards the stars again. If they tried, and craned their head, they could almost pick out the Crown constellation, nestled among it's brothers and sisters in the stars. If Ares's eyes reminded them of it, then, none the wiser should anyone be, for they were none inclined to share that.\n\nThey silently cursed themself in French. Now was no time to romanticize. \n\n\"You're my friend,\" They said, giving a one-off-shrug of sorts. They gestured to his hands. \"Not the closest one, but still - I'm serious. I know you say you don't need it, but the lotion is there, if you need it.\"\n\nThey did notice his septum piercing. It looked nice - they always wanted something like it, but gold, maybe double-piercings in their earlobes. Gold and silver, almost. They were a mismatched, but well-fitting pairing. They bit back the inclination to clear their throat again, looking back up at the stars, and then, followed Ares's gaze up to the roof to pick out an inked tag jagged across the concrete in swoopy scrawls of black. It seemed to be his color, that, and silver.\n\nFinley caught his eye again, wholly by accident this time. The pair was dodging, weaving a set of strings around each other, their conversation fluttering and fluctuating by the movement of their eyes, clearing of throats, flexing of hands and muscles, the inequities of human colloquialism focused on avoidance, distraction, and nervous tics. Their interactions grated against each other's in a way that wasn't uncomfortable, but was unspoken, new tenacity plaguing their mannerisms. The newness sat between them like a third, uninvited guest, and the stars bore down their holy eyes in audience. \n\n\"I, ah - I was a dancer.\" Finley flexed their hands into a prim, ballerina like fashion in front of them, their fingers splayed in a pointed, beautiful array usually held in *Tendus* And *Rond de jambs*. A memory of spinning around and around on their pointed feet fluttered through their mind.\n\n\"For ten years. And, ah - violin, as well, and piano. My mother insisted on it, even if she barely scraped the money together for it.\"\n Their voice softened again, looking at the concrete. They thought of their mother, so unlike them in so many ways.\n\n\"I branched out a bit in high school - got into rock, started drumming. Still can't cook though,\" They laughed. Jostling themself from memory, they looked back up at their companion.\n\"What about you? What do you do besides talk smack and play that guitar of yours?\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "\"Yeah okay. I'll keep that in mind.\" \n\nAres felt something flicker in his brain at the word friend. Were they really? Seemed awfully soon. Ares always felt as the kind of person who floated around from person to person, not staying around any longer for a quick joke or laugh. He never stuck around, never set down his roots, constantly on the move. A part of him knew he liked being free, his wrists weightless from the lack of shackles holding him down. The dark haired boy bit the inside of his mouth, and didn't respond. \n\nLeaning farther back on his hands, Ares listened to the blonde ramble in response to his question. He wasn't annoyed, if anything the sound of their voice was pleasantly nice against the whispers of the wind. A conversation heard only by the two of them and the bright spring moon. The trees surrounding the facility shook and waved along with the push of the deep morning air. The very low horizon trickled with shades of lighter blue. Ares wondered if the sun would rise while the two were still awake. \n\n\"Dancing? Interesting. Suits you.\" He watched Finley's hands twist into a display of refined practice, obvious years spent on the art form. Ares' voice kept its usual sure tone, but genuine intrigue pulled at his words. \"Violin too? Wow talk about a show off.\" Ares snickered and laughed, he was obviously teasing. It seemed impossible for him to take something seriously.\n\n\"Aha can't cook? Neither can I.\" His mouth fell into a relaxed smile. \"I mean, I know how to make arepas from my father, but those are easy.\" A short memory of Ares, Safya and Caleb being forced to stay in the kitchen and watch their father make traditional Puerto Rican food jumped out in his mind. The warm tones that danced on the sun soaked kitchen felt comfortable. He couldn't wait to go home after he was done at this stupid place.\n\nFinley's snarky words pulled Ares back into the conversation. His deep auburn eyes raised to meet the other, a tug of amusement on his brow. \n_ _\n\n\"Wowww real nice of you. Is that all you think I do? Im hurt really.\" Ares placed the back of his palm to his forehead in a dramatic display of faux anguish. Before dropping the act and laughing. His hand fell back down into its respective place. \n\n\"I draw occasionally. I also like skateboarding and doing dumb shit. I like piercings, and almost every one I have was done by yours truly.\" \n\nAres' hand rose up to his chest, gesturing at himself with a flourish. Clearly dramatic and playing up his pride in himself. He let out a small laugh and ran his hand through his hair, tucking back the loose strands that the wind jostled out of place.\n\n\"Graffiti and theft are both good pass times as well. *Definitely* A hobby for me.\" Ares seemed very unaffected by his lack of a good moral code. He did what he pleased, and that was that."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "If Ares truthfully asked them about attachments, they might not be able to answer him. Not yet. \n\n\"Thank you,\" They said. \n\nA genuine appreciation wrapped around their words, something hinged on a dangerous beginning of friendship. Friendships hadn't often served them too well - often ending in upheavals, betrayals, the sorts of catty, nasty fights only dancers or performers could get into. But, the people at Newton's Cradle, perhaps because they were all each other had and they were all a little screwed up, seemed less inclined to partake in that sort of thing. Really, if Finley had to guess, they were all more focused on going home than who had what class. \n\nThe wind blew their hair up and around their head, across their face like some sort of fragmenting, crumbling halo around their cheeks and temple, and they had to pluck a few caught pieces out of the hooks of their glasse and set them free to the wind. They looked back down at Ares.\n\n\"Hardly a show off. I never play it anymore - I doubt I'd be any good, really.\"\n\nHis gaze seemed almost magnetic. \n\n\"Arepas, hm? Never had one.\"\n\n*Don't get attached, Finley.*\n\nThey looked back up towards the sky.\n\nHe was most assuredly trouble, this sharp-tongued, crooked-smile boy with the dark eyes and the calloused fingers. If Finley had ever learned anything in their life, it was how trouble seemed to find them. And here it was again, sitting beside them, and they were only smiling at it. Their sister would call them foolish, and they knew it. She'd even be right to do so. They most assuredly knew that. \n\n\"Graffiti, thievery, art, skateboarding, and piercings.\" Fin ticked them off on his fingers, popping out their thumb at the end for emphasis. \"That fits you a bit too well. You remind me of me just before I left public schools in that sense. I ah - I once was kicked out of a chemistry lab for daring a guy to drink a beaker full of something-or-another. Silas could tell me, now, I think. I don't even remember why. I think it was something to do with my gender, if I had to guess.\"\n\nThey glanced at Ares from the corner of their eye. Their gender had turned away more than one friend, or relationship, for that matter. They passed as masculine, most days, and many people didn't quite understand \"The whole pronoun thing\". It was starting to become an asshole meter of sorts, how people reacted to them. \n\nThey waited, pretending they weren't dying to analyze every part of his reaction to them."
}
] | 407 | 3,631 |
533 | 2022-04-11 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Between their conversation birds began to chirp. The waking call of a new dawn echoed across the empty crisp spring morning. \n\nSo far the two had done nothing dumb, instead chose to sit against the concrete roof and talk. Ares didn't seem to have an issue with this, despite his mind protesting and calling this boring. The atmosphere was nice, and this far beat spending it alone in his dorm. \n\nWith a couple words, Ares gasped. \"You've never had an Arepa? *Ay bendito*-\" He leaned back even farther and grumbled, almost teasing Finley with dramatic agony. He shot back upwards with a smile. \"I'll definitely have to make you some eventually, they are my absolute favourite.\"\n\n\"You think it fits me? Makes sense. I mean-\" He gestured down at himself. \"Look at me.\" Then he let out another snicker. It seemed this conversation was amusing to him, considering the frequent laughter.\n\nAres sat beside the other, the awkward moments of the first few meetings lessened the more they talked. The dark haired boy surely had no issues talking to Fin, and felt far from uncomfortable, but he could feel the fidgety attitude in the blonde. Interesting. He shoved the thought out of his mind. The night continued to sing songs of the coming morning, the stars danced across the sky. Ares craned his head upwards to meet the gaze of the moon, his warm breath illuminated ever so slightly by the cold white light. The chill crept up his skin, and made home under his hoodie, but he was starting to get used to it. \n\n\"That sounds funny.\" Ares laughed in response to the chemistry comment. Daring some kid to drink a mystery liquid sounded like a fantastic pass time to the boy. \"Gender? Damn was the motherfucker bein a bitch?\" Ares scoffed. \"I'd beat his ass.\" He let his scowl raise back up into his smirk, almost not truly angry. \n_ _\n\nAres in all reality had no care for what the blonde beside him identified as. He knew how they wanted to be referred, and would use those accordingly. \n\nThat wouldn't stop him from teasing the ever loving hell out of them."
},
{
"author": "frog.ponds",
"message": "Crickets and morning birds rose to life, just barely, the beginnings of indigo pursuing the crisp, jagged edges of the horizon. Something flit through the trees just beyond, and for a moment, Finley fell into the cliché of envy - how a bird could go anywhere, do anything. And yet, maybe then, feel nothing. The age old question, the consideration of freedom or happiness. \n\nThey thought of their new friends. Of Annika. \n\nThe idea of Ares cooking almost made them laugh.\n\"I'll take you up on the offer,\" They said, a laugh finally breaking through their voice. Ares's response to their story, the words, the scoff in his voice, loosened the stiffness of their shoulders, only just. \n*Oh.*\n\nGratitude may not have been the best word, they thought, taking the spare silence to bite at their nail. Validation, maybe, sweeping around their feet. \n\n\"I appreciate that. He ah - yeah, he was a bitch, I won't even lie,\" They chuckled. \"I think I was still working some things out at the time-\"\nA tiny wince.\n\"- And that certainly didn't help. But, I used to sneak up onto the roof at that school, too. I used to try and hit people's cars in the lot with pebbles. Once, I chipped the windshield of the Vice Principal's car. No one ever found out, and I've sworn my sister to secrecy.\"\n\nA laugh dwindled off their words. They rested their chin on their knees as the wind began to blow again. Surely the time was closer to 4:30, or even 5 - who knew how the time had fallen away. Oddly, they hadn't checked their phone the entire time. But they were growing comfortable in their company, content in the cold, and warm in their hoodie, pulling the hood up over their head. They closed their eyes against their knee.\n\nThey still knew so little about them, they realized. They opened their eyes and turned their head towards him, studying him from an upward angle below.\n\n\"I've talked so much. Tell me your best story.\""
},
{
"author": "sharqtooth",
"message": "Ares sat stationary next to Finley, despite the fact he knew he could be anywhere, he had no complaints being *Here.* How strange. \n\n\"You better. I swear to god you'll never forget the first time you eat an arepa its heaven.\" Fondness almost snuck its way under his teasing tone. Ares had very fond memories of cooking with his father and siblings. He couldn't wait to get the right ingredients and try properly on his own. The boy was begging for a taste of home.\n\nAres listened as the other spoke, running his hands through his hair occasionally. He has always had problems with sitting still, but he couldn't deny his intrigue in the trouble Finley got up to. Ares was definitely sizing them up in his find, comparing his own offences and came to the conclusion he was still worse. Wonderful. As he liked it.\n\n\"Definitely sounds like a bitch.\" Ares snickered a little. The insults fell naturally off his tongue, him and Safya used to do this all the time. \n\"Yooo- That sounds like fun what? We should definitely do that sometime.\" A playful troublesome smirk rested nicely on his features. It was worn often and fit him very clearly. \n\nThe sky continued to crawl upwards, conversation making the passing time lost on Ares. \n\n\"My best story? Well damn there is a *Lot* Of good ones.\" He rested his hand on his chin in thought for a brief moment, before snapping them. A sign of an idea. \"I have one! The story of how I got this scar.\" He tiled his head towards Finley, pointing at his ear. He had multiple piercings, but above his helix, an ugly scar was visible. It was a tear in his skin, very well healed over, but a sizeable chunk was missing. The closed wound was jagged, yet small. \n\n\"So one day, my sister, Safya, stayed home from school. Sick or whatever.\" He adjusted his stance, leaning his elbows on his knees as they dangled off the ledge.\n_ _\n\n\"This one dude I had beef with, decided this would be a good time to target me. Since my sister wasn't around. He started talking shit, and obviously I ain't gonna take that right?\" Ares gestured wildly as he spoke, clearly drawing any and all into his story. Right now though, it was just Finley and the moon, but he spoke all the same.\n\n\"I swung first. I punched him square in the jaw. He didn't take this well, and jumped at me. He knocked me down to the concrete, and proceeded to keep hitting me yeah? Well, on the way down, his force ripped my ear piercing *Clean out.*\" Drawing the last syllable on for dramatic effect. \"I managed to kick him in the gut, and then punched him in the face, breaking his nose. I kicked him off me, and managed to win the fight in the end- but I walked home with a blood soaked shirt. My god my mama was *Pissed.*\" He laughed as he spoke of his mother. A tall scary woman, who was incredibly loving but had no tolerance for Ares' delinquent behaviour.\n\n\"I don't fuck with my mama, I think I learned fear that day- my god.\" The dark haired boy laughed, very obviously joking."
}
] | 459 | 1,599 |
151.466667 | 2022-05-24 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla's office, when Taffy is first left there, is empty, but it doesn't take long for the door handle to turn and Pernilla to enter.\n\nShe closes the door behind her, and locks it with her card key. Then, she walks to the window, and locks that as well, before finally turning her attention to Taffy. She mutters something to herself before engaging a final lock, though nothing visibly changes. Her patient smile is not as visible as it had once been.\n\nShe sits down. \"Vance told me what happened, Taffy. But you know he did.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy pushes herself up against the furthest wall, pulling one of her legs up to her chest and sitting her arm on it, before burying her face into the crevice of her elbow. With her other hand, she scratches the lower half of that leg, before fiddling with her shoelaces. He remains silent, yet makes no active efforts to move or attempt to escape from the current situation. He seems physically drained, as if just having completed a marathon. His messy hair hangs down around him; quite unflattering."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Pernilla sighs. \"I understand you used your power.\"\n\nShe looks at Taffy with tired eyes, wondering, almost pleading with xem to help her understand. How did something like this even happen? How did it get to a point where Taffy was attacking people he barely knew?\n\nPernilla knew, of course, or at least had an inkling. Taffy was a troubled kid. Very much so. Taffy was the kind of kid who perhaps *Should* Be at a rehabilitation center - somewhere they could grow in a safe, nurturing environment, as opposed to what they had previously been dealing with.\n\n\"Would you like to talk about it?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"I think you should mind your own fucking business,\" They say, not moving a muscle from their position. Their voice sounds oddly calm, albeit very tired. \"The kid was a dick to me so I fucked him up. Fair's fair.\"\n\nAs ae finishes speaking, ae looks up at Pernilla. The concealer over aer eyebags has been badly smudged, and the expression on aer face is one of exhaustion, anger, and something that seems to simply say 'send me home'."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"As it happens, Taffy,\" Pernilla said sternly, \"I'm responsible for you, and I'm responsible for Vance. This is very much my business.\" Her voice has a calm, tired tone to it as well, though a different one - like a parent trying to keep her children from fighting and failing, time after time after time.\n\nShe stands up and squats on the floor next to Taffy, ending up approximately at eye level. \"You sent him to the hospital. He could've died, Taffy.\" A brief silence. \"I know he provoked you. He told me about that too. But you can't just attack people like that, dear.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Call me dear again. Please. It's funny,\" They say, the corner of their mouth flicking upwards for a moment before sinking back down. \"You have no fucking clue what goes on in my mind. You're not my mother, for fuck's sake. I really don't give a shit about you or any of the other quote 'teachers' in this shithole.\"\n\nHe stares into Pernilla's eyes, a look of pure anger shooting over his eyeline. As weak as his body is in this state, he seems unafraid, and ready to defend himself at any given moment."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"That's right,\" Pernilla acquiesced, \"I don't.\" Taffy was, in many respects, a black box. But xe was a trauma-shaped black box, Pernilla could tell that much, and it wasn't the first time Pernilla had dealt with trauma. \"But I know more than you think.\"\n\nTaffy wasn't particularly fond of her, that much was evident. But she really couldn't change that, and she still had a responsibility to Taffy.\n\n\"I know you're hurt. Even if you don't think you are.\" She drew a short step back from Taffy to give faer some space. \"People don't act the way you do if they're *Okay,* Taffy. I can't tell what's going on in your head, but I can tell something's wrong, and I can't just leave that, Taffy. Especially not when you're attacking people.\"\n\nShe looked down, somewhere between ashamed and sad. \"Newton's Cradle is your legal guardian right now, Taffy. It's our responsibility to make sure you're okay.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "Taffy groans, clearly tired of all ze's hearing. Hir hand rises up and rubs hir eyes, before ze looks up at the ceiling.\n\n\"You realise that none of this would have happened if your precious little Newton's Cradle just left me the fuck alone, right?\"\n\nA small smirk makes its way onto their face as they speak.\n\n\"Taking children from their families for the sake of 'rehab' is fucked up. What you're doing here is fucked up. Your morals are all over the place. I don't give a shit how 'sweet' or 'pure' you act. You're a bad person if you think this kind of thing is okay.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "She can't respond to that in a completely truthful way. Not because she agrees, but because refuting the point would require her to reveal information she isn't at liberty to reveal in the first place.\n\n\"Taffy, I... I'm not sure what to say to that. We didn't take you away. Your father sent you here, Taffy. It was his choice.\"\n\n...\n\nShe'd tell as much of the truth as she was able to tell, she decided. Taffy might clock it as a lie, but... She'd get as close to the truth as possible. She shook her head. \"There's a reason. Young people with powers - people like you, Taffy - need a very specific kind of help and care to manage your powers. If you can't get that help, you can end up hurting a lot of people. A lot more than just Vance. Everyone here is here because of that. Because their parents couldn't give them the help they needed.\"\n\nShe paused.\n\n\"Your father sent you here because he couldn't give you that help. He wants the best for you, Taffy. So do I.\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"My father...\"\n\nHe pauses. The smile previously on his face gains an edge of anger to it, before fading completely.\n\n\"So just because I'm a minor that means my father has full control over my life? Over everything that I do? I can't make friends here because everyone hates me. I'm not going to just sit around for the next two years gaining resentment for everyone around me, including my father. If I stay here, at this rate, it's only going to get worse. I won't stop until people give me the freedom that I deserve. I'm a kid, not a monster.\"\n\nA small glint of light reflects in her eyes. She looks over at Pernilla, dead in the eyes.\n\n\"You're hiding things from me. You know how fucked up this place is, and you're refusing to tell me because you don't think I can handle it. I'm not going to trust a word that leaves your mouth until you're honest with me, you bitch.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "She nods. \"Yes, I am, but what I told you is true. Your file says you can tell if I'm lying, so I'm quite sure that, when I say that what I've told you is as close to the truth as I'm at liberty to disclose, you'll believe me.\"\n\nPernilla stands up. As her expression goes from gentle concern to a far stricter tone, it's as though the light fades from her eyes for that brief moment. She walks over to the window. \"You've committed assault with a deadly weapon, Taffy. You've sent someone to the hospital. If I know Vance right, he wouldn't bat an eye at reporting you to the police. In other words - you won't be going home any time soon. It's here, or it's the police station. I'll do what I can to help you feel more at home here, but you can't attack people, Taffy. No matter what.\"\n\nNot a word of it was a lie - and that fact alone hurts more than anything else."
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"At least at the police station, they would be open with me. At least at the police station, I won't be fucked over every time I leave my room. At least people wouldn't glare at me with hatred or assume everything I say is a lie. All of the kids here are assholes and there's really no point to me even attempting conversations because I already know the moment I start talking that it's going to end in me being fucking roasted over a spitfire. Uriel is the one person who doesn't insult me the moment I speak in the group chat, and even then, I doubt their intentions.\"\n\nTaffy's words are sharp are honest, directly to the point. There is nothing in buds voice to indicate bud might be lying. That being said, though, bud also doesn't seem mad at what they're saying; moreso, bud just sounds tired.\n\n\"Send me to the police station if you want. At least there I know they won't be trying to fucking brainwash me or any stupid and cruel shit like that.\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Uriel is lovely. I'm quite sure they've no ill intentions.\" Pernilla turned back and smiled, leaning a little of her weight on the windowsill. \"I'm not sending you to the police station. Nor am I trying to brainwash you, nor anything of that nature. Maybe you should go get some sleep, and I'll see you in the morning?\""
},
{
"author": "gorbalicious",
"message": "\"Sure, yeah, okay,\" They grunt, standing up. They seem slightly wobbly on their feet. \"I'll just go back to my room and stay there for the next two years because the moment I leave *Somebody* Is going to go, 'hey look, it's that little shit that attacked our lord and saviour, Vance'.\"\n\nHis face is overcome by pure hatred at this point. The sarcasm in his voice is strong and it's clear that he means nothing that he's actually saying.\n\n\"I'll just go back to being the shitty new kid who everyone hates. That will be fun. I can just go join a random online chat and make new friends. Oh, wait, I can't. Scratch that. I'll just go make friends with my pillow instead. That will do. Make everything okay. Tell Vance I said hi when he gets back from the hospital, will you?\""
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"I'll see you in the morning and we'll try to work something out.\""
}
] | 140 | 2,272 |
156.6 | 2021-08-21 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "*Sigh*\n\nVeronica groggily walked through the dorm halls, still quite sleepy, but at least not as much like back at the welcome party where she just sat in the corner of the room after introducing herself. She stretched her limbs as she walked through, until she was pretty much completely awake by the time she reached the common kitchen, and once there, headed straight to go make a cup of coffee to deal a final blow to her sleepiness."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover wasn't far behind Veronica, coincidentally leaving the welcome party around the same time. He still kept a cup of soda from the party and occasionally took a sip from it, trying to save as much of it as possible. Clover was heading through the dorms to be out in his room, planning to stay in for the rest of day and doing his own thing. \n\n\nUnfortunately, Clover's sense of direction was a little off. The boy finding himself lost in the dorms and wandering aimlessly. Eventually coming across the kitchen where he encountered Veronica.\n\nClover still had his blue blanket wrapped around himself concealing his body, with only his hands poking out and holding the cup of soda. The sleeves on his dangling way below his hands, it looked as if he were a praying mantis. The boy didn't say nothing as he stared at Veronica, not sure if he should say hello and introduce himself, taking a sip of his soda in the process."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "Veronica took a first sip into the coffee she just made for herself, while trying to comb her hair with her hands. She just started tying up her hair into her usual pigtailed look when she looks back and realizes Clover was indeed there.\n\nShe took a double glance before reacting to the fact with a rather loud \"OI WHAT IN THE-\" Before something switched in her head and she calmed herself down before she made any more rather unnecessary noise with her surprise at the blanketed guy just staring right at her.\n\n\"Uhh, well... 'yo there\", the girl just finishing up doing her hair greeted. \"Erm... Clover, right?\" Veronica recalled the people who all introduced themselves back there, still wondering to herself if she did indeed remember correctly and hopefully not just blurting out some other person's name to this guy."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover nodded in response to Veronica, affirming that she was correct. He took another sip of his soda, trying to look busy with himself as he slowly came up with a response. \n\n\"And you're Veronica?\" Clover replied, his tone coming off monotone and tired. Though in reality Clover felt fine and quite nervous in talking to Veronica. Seeing as he never socialized much in person. \n\nClover didn't know what to do next, so he let out a small wave to Veronica. His sleeves swaying side to side as he eventually went back to holding his cup with both hands."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "Veronica smiled broadly to Clover, uttering out loudly a \"Yeah! Veronica Ironwood, don't ya forget it!\", finishing up her coffee right after with a gulp.\n\nInside, Veronica really appreciated that someone else remembered of her, especially the person who she wasn't even sure there if she got the name right. On the outside, she just adjusted her outfit so as to look less unkempt.\n\nTurning back to Clover, Veronica finished up tying her pigtails and made sure it even looked right. \"So, what's up- oh, ya just came from the party too, eh?\", she continued talking to him, not minding or rather not really having much care towards Clover's tired and monotone way of speaking and such."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover nodded again to Veronica, making a mental note to remember her. So far Clover was making decent social progress, at least for his standards. He finished his cup of soda in a couple of sips before slowly starting to sit down. Finding that standing up was starting to get uncomfortable.\n\n\"Hm?\" Clover says as if he didn't understand her, \"Oh, yes. Too many people there though. Wanted to go home.\" \n\nClover didn't keep much eye contact with Veronica. The boy looking as if he's seeing right past her. Whenever he did make eye contact though Clover would quickly dart his eyes away. Huddling himself deeper into his blanket."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "Veronica nodded with Clover's reply as she really listened in to what he was saying. \"Oh yeah, pretty much the same too, though for me, it was because I didn't really get much actual sleep coming here, so yeah!\"\n\nShe then sat down across to where Clover was after putting her now-empty coffee cup aside to clean later. \"Well, I apparently just took a rather short nap just now, but I can't really get myself to sleep anymore for now, so yeah, I guess I'm just going to roam the place and stuff...\", she continued.\n\nVeronica looked Clover intensely for a bit there, given him being all up inside a blanket, though when Clover darted his eyes away, she just did a mostly-mental shrug and, well... Shrugged it off."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "\"Roaming is fun, sometimes you see good things to write about. Like a setting sun or a person shopping. I do a lot of roaming in my sleep.\" Clover says closing his eyes (eye really) as if reminiscing. He then sets down his cup besides him and retracts his arms into his blanket. Before coming back out with a small notebook and pencil in hand.\n\nClover then begins to write notes about Veronica, jotting down details such as her being shorter than him and not getting much sleep. He kept the notebook close to himself so that Veronica couldn't see him writing. And it took Clover a moment to realize that he was being rather odd at the moment, so he quickly reached his arms back into his blanket. \n\n\"Soooo, you're new here right?\"\n\nIt seemed like a rather dumb and obvious question to ask, but Clover had no idea what else to go off on at the moment. So he just blurted out whatever he could muster."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Yeah, it is pretty nice to just walk up and about without much thought- wait what\" Veronica looked at Clover not even knowing what she even heard back there. Once again, she just kinda mentally shrugs the thing off, though not working as much as earlier with her still kinda having an \"...Eh?\" Face for quite a bit there.\n\nOnce again, Veronica just stares towards Clover since he's just all bunched up in his blanket. \"Anyways... Hmm, yeah, writing... Pretty neat.\", she continued without noticing him even writing and stuff.\n\n\"New here?\" Veronica's \"...Eh?\" Face returned. \"Well... Yeah, aren't all of us who got pulled up on stage new here?\" Veronica then glanced a bit at her hands, then continued on talking.\n\n\"Hmm... So... *What're ya in here for?*\", Veronica asked the seemingly very cozy lad in a tough-guy-impression voice, then giggling a bit right after. \"Yeah, how'd you end up here, if, well, I could ask ya that...\""
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "\"Yes yes, new here.\" Clover says as he got visibly more nervous as he noticed that Veronica gave him the *'eh'* Face. His face turning a slight shade of red as he tried to get himself through the conversation.\n\nHe gave a sigh of relief when Veronica switched to another topic. \"No no its fine. I uh-\"\n\nClover couldn't find himself to speak. Now having second doubts on whether or not to tell a stranger his past. He wasn't entirely comfortable with anyone knowing about him. But now that he responded, was he obligated to answer the question?\n\n\"Things.\" He replied simply."
}
] | 156 | 1,566 |
177.714286 | 2021-08-22 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Well, yeah, I guess \"Things\" Can wrap up my own case of why I'm here too...\", Veronica rough, cheery tone from earlier turned into a a bit more muted one. \"I, uhh... Well for me, I guess, ofc I'd end up in such a place like this...\"\n\nCaressing her hand, Veronica recalled on the reasons for her being place to here. \"I, well... I beat up a bunch of other kids since they ganged up on me and... And made fun of my brothers...\", Veronica uttered as a tinge of anger made it's way into her expression.\n\n\"Of course I ended up here, I pretty much beat them all up black and blue. Not to mention, well... Turns out we all have powers, and I... I just went and used it on them, I guess...\" Veronica continues, now revealing a polished ball of stone and manipulating it to float and such. She didn't even know why she just up and said all of this to Clover, but it's like she couldn't even stop herself from doing it.\n\n\"So... Yeah, that's pretty much my story, I guess... Yeah, \"Things\" Indeed...\""
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "\"Oh,\" Was all that Clover could reply with. Not really expecting Veronica to dump her whole backstory on him. It was all quite interesting, perhaps a little too interesting. The writer inside Clover suddenly kicked in.\n\nClover found himself instinctively jotting the details of Veronica's story down on his little notebook. Even seeming a bit more energetic than before. Not really aware that it was appropriate at this current time. He was too used to being alone, so he was lacking in experience in reading the room. \n\n\"I find it intriguing,\" Clover then added."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "Veronica snapped herself out of it, whatever that was and calmed herself down once more. \"Intriguing... Ah, yeah, it kinda is in hindsight, just... It was really one heck of an experience with all that and this happening...\"\n\n\"Say...\" Veronica perked right back up into her earlier cheery tone. \"Say, what's your power then? Since... Yeah, we all have superpowers and such, and I was too sleepy back at the party to hear of you telling about it...\" It would be very much a lie if Veronica said she wasn't just utterly interested in the concepts of super powers, growing up on animes and such.\n\n\"I'll go first then, erm...\" Veronica revealed a couple more balls of stone. \"As cliche as it is, I got a power that's pretty much earthbending and stuff like that. Ever since I really awoken to it too, it feels like I can sense with the Earth as if it was part of my body too. Really weird first few days of that, yeah...\""
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover nodded again, jotting down another note of Veronica. His arms then retreated back into his blanket, Clover then tightening the hold around himself to hide his body.\n\nHe waited patiently for Veronica to finish explaining her powers, nodding along the whole thing with interest. Clover found her power really cool, and wondered if she could fly on rocks. \n\nIt was then Clover's turn to explain his abilities. Though Clover had a visible expression of reluctance to it. A hand reaching out of his blanket to scratch his head before he spoke.\n\n\"I sleep a lot.\" Clover explains, \"And can control my dreams really good.\"\n\nAll of it was technically true, as Clover didn't want to explain the last part of his paranormallity. Afraid that Veronica might judge him in some way or form. If she wasn't doing so already.\n\n\"I can also hang myself upside down, and hold my breathe for a bit underwater. \""
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Ah, that's neat!\" Veronica didn't judge, though she did at least kinda expected some kind of super hero-esque power too, though she realized that things like this ain't just going to be always like anime and manga.\n\n\"So... Yeah, I guess that's all I can really think to say for conversation and such...\" Veronica paused \"Didn't really get to go to school and be social until way later than usual myself, though it's not like I can't handle it at all...\" She then stood up and stretched her limbs a bit more. \"So, uhh, what're ya up to now then, Clover?\", she asked the blanketed boy."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover was a bit surprised in that Veronica found sleeping *\"Neat\"*, but it sounded friendly to him. So far the first person he's talked to seemed nice. And if he's lucky, maybe everyone else here too. This was already way better than his old school, and so Clover relaxed a bit. \n\n\"Oh, me? Probably going to go back to my room,\" Clover replied still sitting. \"Though I forgot where my room was. Maybe I'll hide in the corner and sleep there until I remember.\" \n\nIt was an interesting plan for sure, but Clover found it helpful to sleep when he forgot things. Always waking up afterwards with a jogged memory. A strange but effective way of recalling things to him.\n\n*\"Maybe sinking myself underwater again would help...\"* Clover mutters to himself, still audible enough to hear. *\"Last time was pretty fun...\"*"
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Well...\" Veronica says as she kept at stretching again and also cracking her knuckles while at it \"I would indeed just roam around for a bit more too, maybe even find a place I can practice more with my power too...\"\n\nLooking around for a bit as she mentioned that, she turned back towards Clover. \"Huh, that's unfortunate, I didn't really find much trouble myself since I just am kinda good with directions and all that, but... Yeah. I hope I could help ya out there, but I dunno how and stuff...\"\n\nVeronica noted of Clover's muttering in her head, and not really minding too much about it either except the wording of sinking oneself reminded her of drowning or something like so. This time tho, she didn't let that feeling of iffy-ness reach her face and expression."
}
] | 178 | 1,244 |
159 | 2021-08-23 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "\"Hm? Oh, well thats fine. I'll find my way back eventually,\" Clover says with a wave of his arm, slowly inching himself closer to a corner in the room. \"Although that might take a while too...\"\n\nClover situated himself in his new spot as he turned to face Veronica. Taking a moment to realize that she sorta reminded himself of someone from a show he saw. And in the moment, decided to voice his thoughts out loud to her.\n\n\"You know, you remind me of character I saw from a show. I don't quite remember the name, but she could also bend rocks and sense the earth around her. You're also kinda short like her, but you can actually see.\n\nShe was blind.\" Clover stated from the comfort of his blanket."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Hmm, yeah, I wish I could help out with that...\" Veronica replied, a bit bummed on the inside that she couldn't really help him and stuff. She turned towards Clover once more, and snapped herself out again mentally.\n\n\"Oh?\" She uttered as the boy described the character she reminded him of, nodding more and more as it took her a bit to realize.\n\n\"Yes, Toph, bingo\", Veronica interjected right after his describing. \"I... Yeah, I realize I do pretty much have the same kind of abilities as her. Hence why I also said that my power is kinda something cliché-y and referred to it as \"Earthbending\" Too.\"\n\n\"Yeah... Very cliché and superpower-ey, yeah...\", she continued on, repeating herself a little bit as it really just dawned on her how she does seem like a non-blind Toph, even down to her wearing green usually as that's her favorite color.\n\n\"Well... Yeah, but... \"Short\" Too?\" She continues even more, with a dumbfounded expression all through her speaking."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "\"Oh yeah Toph! I liked her character a lot,\" Clover says as it clicked together for him. \"And being related to her isn't all that bad. I mean, cliches exist because they work right?\"\n\nClover understood it to an extent due to him being an aspiring writer. Seeing that most of his own stories often had cliche tropes or writing. He tried to make his own unique spin with each one however, like one short story of where he wrote about a family discovering that their relative is a shape-shifting, only for the twist to be that it was a family of animals. And that the relative was an animal shape shifting to a human.\n\n\"Yes, short. Cause you know, both of you are short.\" Clover explained making hand gestures to make sure his point made across."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"I guess so, yeah!\" Veronica's face lit back up with that statement of \"Cliches are because they work\", a wide smile on her face as she was happy about him saying that. With the mention of her own shortness though, Veronica's left eye twitched as a reaction.\n\nShe let out an \"...Eh?\" With that, an upset look on her face. \"Ya could've not repeated it though\", she added before just breaking back into her smile from earlier."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "\"Oh, my bad. I just wanted to make sure you understood what I said.\" Clover says explaining himself, not fully grasping that Veronica felt offended by being called short. As to him it didn't really mean anything at the moment, being short was just being short to him. \n\nHe scratched underneath his bandages before pulling out his notebook again. Writing down notes but paused every few seconds, trying to make sure he got the details right.\n\n*\"Is short.\"* Clover muttered to himself writing it down, jotting down a close estimate of what he believed to be her height. He put it under the list labeled *'Things that remind me of the blind girl from avatar.'*"
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Ah, yeah, okay then...\" Veronica replied, now honestly not knowing what to talk about anymore. She looked up and about, trying to think of something to talk about more or something of the sort.\n\nStanding still there for a sec, she sensed a slight... Movement? She turned back towards Clover and noticed it *Was* Him.\n\n\"Hm?\" Veronica walked on closer to him \"What ya doin...?\" She asked before she heard his muttering and looked even closer.\n\n\"Oi, wait, yer... Yer writing up stuff-?\", Veronica said as she figured out what he was doing under his covers."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover didn't notice Veronica approaching until last second as she was quite close. He retracted his arms back into his blanket with a defensive posture, Clover looking back with a cautious expression. He wasn't exactly comfortable sharing his notes on other people, knowing that it looked rather weird and stalkerish. \n\n\"Yes,\" Clover replied instinctively, \"I'm writing about..\nStuff. You know, like people stuff. Those kinds of things. Like how flamingos are Grey when born?\"\n\nClover had no idea what he was doing, but it seemed natural to him. And if seemed natural to him, then it must seem natural to others right? Despite his tired and monotone appearance, he was noticeably a bit nervous."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Hmm, aye then...\" Veronica already figured out he was just writing about her, but she just mentally shrugged and decided to just go with it since he's noticeably now nervous about it.\n\nBacking off and going to the counter to take a sip of water, she recalled she was going to go for a walk and such earlier.\n\n\"...Ah, hmm\" Veronica turned back to Clover. \"Well, uhh, I probably talked at ya a tad too much there, just remembered I was gonna walk around the place and probably ask my contact about something too.\"\n\n\"Erm... Ya sure you're fine over here?\" Veronica asked the admittedly-lost lad about his situation."
},
{
"author": "koolevan890",
"message": "Clover nodded along to Veronica, feeling a bit calmer now since the topic was changed. Despite his thoughts of doing fairly okay socially, he felt that it was probably better if he stayed away from people for now. So that he could get used to the new environment and all of that, or maybe stay in his room forever? Either option sounded rather doable with him.\n\n\"Me? Yes yes, I'm fine over here. Being by myself is a normal thing I do all the time.\" Clover says with a thumbs up, but due to his long sleeves was unable to properly the gesture. So he pulls back the sleeve a bit to show his hand.\"You do your own thing, don't need to pay attention to me anymore. In fact I think I'll try and find my own back.\"\n\nThe boy slowly rises and stumbles for a moment before attempting to walk off. But accidentally bumps in a corner on the way out, Clover giving a tiny *'ow'* And stopping to rub his forehead. He finally makes his way out of the room as he mutters that he wants to go home."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "Veronica could only really look on and nod towards Clover as he said his talk and walked out. As someone who ended up being pretty much outcast by other students in her old school, the idea of liking being alone seemed a bit sad for her.\n\nHowever, she shrugged it off once more, as she felt she really did just force herself onto him and talk to him when he wasn't all too into doing that as she just realized now. She let it go and just called out to him.\n\n\"Erm... Good luck on finding your room! Thanks for listening to me and such too!!!\", Veronica said, knowing well the last parts would probably either be already out of earshot from him or wouldn't even be cared enough to hear by him, but yet she did still do it.\n\nAfter that, she went off on her own way to roam around and about the facilities and such."
}
] | 152 | 1,590 |
203.666667 | 2021-08-27 | GuildTextChat | [
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "Light filtered in through the dull gray blinds, to a distinctly welfare-ish office. The desk in the middle of the room was standardized, the same adjustable model everyone else had. There was a bulletin board with a few personal items on one wall, and a few personal effects on the desk as well, but most of them looked like they could've been bought at IKEA. They were, along with the boring oak-brown desk, the blue-accent doorframe and the lonely fake plant in the corner, the only traces of color to be found in the room at all.\n\nThe atmosphere was, perhaps, more reminiscent of a case handler's office at the job center than it was of a teacher's workstation - but a teacher's it was. On a sign outside, emblazoned with the trademark Newton's Cradle blue and accompanying logo, was written \"TEACHER: GRAHAM CANTOR\".\n\nMr. Cantor wasn't quite in yet - he was rushing down the hall, having just finished teaching his last class of the day. He always scheduled things optimistically - including the meeting, apparently. That left one girl alone, sitting in an office, waiting for the person it actually belonged to."
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "Humming and tapping her feet to some action anime's song, Veronica awaited eagerly for said teacher. Being new to this place, it actually took her quite a bit of time before she managed to find her way here. Though now she's been in here for quite a bit, her patience trickling its way into buckling, she started to think she might she arrived in here a tad too early.\n\nBeing a kid her age, not having much to do and such is, well, very boring and such. It doesn't really help that there's pretty much nothing to note about the room to pass the time thinking about, well, except for that very *Lack* Of things to note. \"I guess... Figures, teachers maybe don't have time for much\", she mumbled to herself. With that, her wait continues."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "The young teacher, Mr. Cantor, scrambles into the office and sits down. His hair is a little bit messy, but that's to be expected considering the hurry he seems to be in. He huffs and puffs from exhaustion. \"Sorry,\" He huffs, \"I'm late. I had to finish the last class.\" He rummages nervously through his bag. \"Tina, Tin*E*, Ulrich, Veronica, Vernon- Veronica! There it is.\"\n\nHe pulls up a binder with very few pages in it. It says \"Veronica\" On it in big, bold marker. He opens it up - and it contains her schedule, front and center, along with some other papers. After riffling through it, he finally finds her file.\n\n\"So, this is your... Introductory meeting.\" He clears his throat. \"We're supposed to talk about how to get you started on practicing your abilities, keep you comfortable, all that stuff.\"\n\n\"Before we start, is there anything you want to talk about?\""
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Ah, erm, nothing much, really\", Veronica replied to the seemingly rather tired and rushed teacher. \"I just wanted to ask about my powers and such, since, well... Everything about this power happened way too quick and very recently, so... Yeah, I wanted to learn how to start practicing, yeah...\"\n\nIt really hasn't been that long of a while since Veronica's abilities made itself apparent to her, since it's as if it really just truly awakened with her... Incident. So far, she's been only playing with a few balls of rock she fashioned into balls with her power, but nothing much else, since it was said to not just use said abilities out in the open. A part of it too, is of course, her being excited about having a power in a more superhero/anime character way of being, well... Excited about it."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Ah, right. Your powers.\" Mr. Cantor flips through the pages again, finally landing on her Veronica's Paranormal Report. *TERRAMANCY,* It says, in big bold lettering. He reads it out loud, first muttering, then loudly repeating himself - \"TERRAMANCY! Well - \" He laughs - \"I can see how you might have trouble figuring out how to practice with that down in the basement.\"\n\nHe thinks for a moment. \"You can use the courtyard outside, if you're careful about it. If I remember right, the rule for that is... Between 7 PM and 7 AM. Yeah, at night, basically. Hope you're a night owl! Or an early bird.\" He chuckles to himself. \"Maybe you'll get the earthworm.\"\n\n\"You can also get a bag of soil down in the basement if you need that.\" He clears his throat and flips through the pages again, idly thinking to himself what else he needs to cover. \"Oh, right, your schedule. Is there anything we need to put on there? Take off? Classes you want to attend, that stuff?\""
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Hmm, hmm...\", Veronica mutters as she nods along to the teacher's explanation. \"At night... Okay, thank you Sir!\", she replied towards having her query answered. A part of her wondered about even being allowed to do her stuff outside, but well, the night rule just makes that A-OK then, or so she thought to herself. \"Oh, ah... Where do we ask about for the soil?\", she asked again.\n\nTurning the conversation to her schedule, frankly... She doesn't know what to do with them, especially classes. She came from a regular 'ol school for her age which just has what they need to attend to in front of them, so having to pick and choose for herself was a tad bit hard to tackle for her. Thinking about how she should go about it, she ponders hard for a second before speaking.\n\n\"Erm... Is there, like... An art class?\", she blurted out that very first thing she thought of. She was interested in arts and such, but didn't really get much time to jump into it with her background. \"I, erm... I dunno about how to go about schedules and stuff, so erm...\"\n\n\"*Can I take off Maths classes and stuff?*\", she muttered noticeably."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Oh, the soil, you can ask me. Or Karlsson, she'll definitely have some. Just don't ask Rask, he'll skin you.\" Mr. Cantor laughs. The skinning part definitely wasn't meant to be taken entirely seriously. \"Oh, those are other teachers here. Karlsson is your English teacher, Rask is your science teacher.\"\n\nMr. Cantor scans Veronica's schedule, then scans the larger schedule. \"Yep, there's an art class. You can swap it out for... Math, huh? Yeah, I didn't like that much either, back when I was in school. Doesn't help when *Rask* Is teaching. You gotta admit he knows his stuff, but...\" Mr. Cantor playfully feigns a shudder. \"Karlsson is your art teacher too. If you haven't seen her, brown-gray hair, ponytail, about yea high? Gooootcha.\" \n\nMr. Cantor refrains from finger guns. But it's obvious he wants to.\n\n\"No, you can't take all the math classes off. The government wants you completing your education. We can adjust how much you have, though. Like now, where I put the art class on instead. It's Thursdays at 10. Was there anything else?\""
},
{
"author": "rebeltheartgal",
"message": "\"Ah... Huh...\", Veronica uttered out. She really didn't quite expect a very *Very* Friendly and casual way of just... Doing stuff. The room screamed very on-the-point and most likely super serious, but Sir Cantor is very much the opposite of that. Especially with the rather obvious... Pointing out of Sir Rask, which... She couldn't really help but laugh as Sir Cantor went on about *Him*.\n\nA look of \"Figures\" Appeared of her face with the last bit about her maths classes. Of course you can't take off all math classes, you dum-dum, she thought to herself.\n\n\"Ah, n-nothing, that's it, yeah... Thank you again, Sir!\" Veronica answered meekly, though she lit up with the last bit. She really didn't expect Sir Cantor to be like, well... This, and it's like she just found a favourite teacher and such."
},
{
"author": "radikale",
"message": "\"Alright!\" Mr. Cantor closes the binder. \"That should be it for the day. See you later, alligator!\" He still - just barely - restrains his urge to shoot Veronica finger guns. On her way out the door, though, he stops her: \"Hey - you can call me Graham, by the by.\""
}
] | 215 | 1,833 |
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