Haze

The Sinners

Sorry to report this guys, but me and Ash will be pretty unavailable for the whole weekend as we're on an expedition starting today. At the very least I'm concrete in the knowledge that I cannot post until Monday (which is the day I /will/ post), but I'm unsure if Ash can post or not.

I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday. Stay safe and don't have any wild parties xD

The Sinners

It took Harry quite a few moments to properly comprehend the being that had just waltzed into their living room. On a normal day a creeping tide of shock and fear would have rolled through his blood vessels, but for some reason this occasion proved to be quite different. Still in the recovery stage of his "little trip", Harry felt only a mild sense of confusion as the being appeared. His eyes widened slightly as he recognised the substance that the creature was made of; the same substance that had carried the concussive force of the explosion. He glanced at Sam's hand only to see the wound had closed and the substance was no longer leaking from his body.

Gluttony shakily forced himself to his feet again. Resting a hand on the wall, he tried to slip into his mental zone. Come on, damnit... Get a fucking grip.. Slowly he felt the residue of his strange hallucinations slink away from his mind. Harry took a deep breath and took a step back, leaning against the wall as he felt his eyes properly focus. Now he could feel a coherent link between what he was seeing and what he thought about it. Mental systems were now back online.

His line of sight sweeped across the living room. He watched with concentrated interest as Angel threw his dice at the being, only for it to swat it aside. The monster was clearly capable of changing its form to fulfill a purpose... Harry's attention refocused to look at the dice which had fallen on the floor, raising an eyebrow as he noted it was emitting a faint black glow. Whatever the substance had been, it seemed that it had infected the entire house. He felt the hairs on his arm grow cold as a black shield materialised on his right arm. Without question Harry raised it just below his neck bent his knees, ready to charge. Hesitation stopped him as Sam stepped forward, holding an identical shield with a knife in the other hand. That's good, he thought, let Sam deal with the thing.

Harry cast his eye around, remembering that Sloth was not in the living room with them. Did she know that this monster appeared? With that thought Harry quickly spotted Envy, already on the task of getting to Sloth. The young man was waiting for an opportunity to get into the computer room where their master slept. But as long as that monster was there, there was no way of getting to Sloth at the moment. Gluttony repositioned himself nearer to Sam, watching as the fight ensued for a chance to step in and help. He worried that the knife wouldn't do much to something that could change its form at will, but there was something else that concerned him. The alien body moved in such a precise way, almost as if it was trying to conserve its energy. Swatting the dice away seemed like it was a casual flick, almost akin to how a normal person would brush a subject away. Harry furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about that; the being seemed strangely human. Surely if they'd all been affected by the explosion in such a way... Maybe it was possible for a human to change to that form?

The Sinners

The Sinners made their way back to the base, voices hushed by thoughts of dread at what would have happened had the explosion been worse. As they filed through the door and stood in the living room, Harry still felt the strange sense of disorientation that had been building up since the explosion. The things he felt seemed alien and new, and the more he tried to work his head around it the heavier the disorientation seemed to get.

At one point or another Harry was aware that the hand on his shoulder was Emmy. As they all stood in the living room to hear Sloth's debriefing, Gluttony's sense of hunger grew more powerful. He felt an intense need to know; in his mind it felt like the Sinners around him were merely beehives of activity that only he could sense. He glanced at Emmy, his hand tentatively drifting towards her right shoulder.

One touch, that's all I need.

It was after a few moments of looking at the movement of his hand that he took a sharp intake of breath and drew back, as if the attempt was something toxic to him. What was he thinking? Since when did he touch anyone, least of all Emmy, in such a casual, purposeless way? He stared at the barely visible veins beneath his hand, branching from his fingers and across his wrist.

Harry's focused gaze broke when Sam stumbled back into the living room. The fighter was breathing heavily, a look of complete craze in his eyes. For a brief moment, Harry wasn't sure whether he was excited, or something was terribly wrong. "Guys, you need to fucking see this!" Gluttony watched as Pride raised a knife to the air, driving it down hard into his hand. Gluttony could almost feel his right leg breaking from the effort of suppressing his instinct to dash forward and restrain Sam. He barely stopped himself on the last minute revelation that Sam would probably destroy him in seconds if it came down to a fist fight.

Harry took a hesitant step forward. The moment his foot touched the ground he felt the sensation vibrate through his brain. It hit him in waves which gradually increased in strength; torrents upon torrents of unrelenting force that penetrated the very foundations of his senses. A bead of sweat sliced its way down his left temple; he could almost feel his pupils constricting like a vice was being pulled within his eyes. He grimaced, trying to keep a straight face as this battle raged inside him. Harry was clearly suffering somehow, the remainder of Sam's words being registered in his brain as unintelligible droning sounds.

For a single moment Harry was intensely aware of where he was, like a calm in the storm of senses and thoughts which had gone violently wrong. Emmy had left him for some reason, which was probably a good thing considering what he was going through right now. But what he picked up on particularly was the memory of the black liquid pooling around the wound on Sam's hand.

Memory.

Just like that, Harry lost his sense of awareness. He felt a blunt pound as his back slammed into the wall for support. His fingers clutched at his shoulders as if a cold wind was blowing around him. One moment he was there, in the living room of the Sinners, and the next moment he was outside, smoking a cigarette with an intense frustration welling up inside him. He could feel the nicotine in his veins struggling to deal with the surge of anger and disappointment, concepts of being the strongest fighting with concepts of cowardice. Harry felt the bones in his knuckles breaking as he slammed his fist into a wall, only to see the same black liquid coat the injuries to leave behind flawless skin and bone.

Harry crumpled to the floor, gasping for air. A strange smile cracked across his lips as his pupils stretched to their normal size. What the hell was he feeling? It like how he had imagined being high on ecstasy, but far better. This was perfection. He didn't know what had happened there, but what was sure was that for that brief moment, Harry had accessed his insatiable desire; the knowledge behind another human being. He looked at his pale, trembling hands; they were his now, but in that moment, they were Sam's as well. He squinted as he looked at the fighter, his attention clearly focused on something else rather than Harry. The hunger drifted away slightly, still gnawing inside him but finally releasing its hold on Harry's senses. He rubbed his hands exhaustively over his face, trying to restore circulation. The ground felt normal... So did the wall behind him. Everything was back to normal. At least, normal enough.

He blinked several times, trying to clear his blurred vision. Was what happened a hallucination? It certainly felt like it. Harry tried to regain an image of composure as he drew his knees back and rested his arms on them. Weird things were beginning to happen; he needed to be alert and ready for any more hallucinations or freaky occurrences happening around Sam. What was worse was the fact he couldn't get his mind to relax to a state where he could focus. "Dear lord..." he muttered, hiding his face behind his arms. "What the hell is going on..?"

The Sinners

Hmm... I think I might wait for Chezka's post (considering Ash made a point of interaction between his and her character) since Emmy is currently attached to Gluttony. Of course, if Chezka can't put up a post soon for any reason, I'll naturally dive in myself.

Anyway, I believe that's me done for the day. Goodnight guys!

The Sinners

There's already one set up. I believe Ash will invite you to it soon.

The Sinners

Hey, good to see the Roleplayer Guild is back up. I really should look into why it went down in the first place, as in what sort of updates were implemented and stuff.

Also good to see we have a system already set up for collaboration posts. I'm technically on Skype 24/7, though to be honest, I think I'll hold back on that method for a while. I typically like to keep Haze and myself separated most of the time.

Edit: Nevermind, it seems my borders have been breached by Ash anyway. I'll be on Skype if I'm needed. xD

The Sinners

Actually, that raises a good question. Sam is technically capable of telling what his new found power is by the fact his scars and stuff have disappeared. But what do we do with the guys who have psychic powers, like Gluttony and Lust?

The Sinners

Wow, I kinda surprised myself with the length of that post. Didn't know I still had it in me. This is certainly going to be interesting.

Anyway, I left a little point of interaction at the very end, just in case somebody wants to take possession of that "hand" on Gluttony's shoulder. It works whether it belongs to somebody or not. ^.^

The Sinners

[ Two and Half Hours Pre-Corruption ]

Gluttony made himself at home on one of the couches in the living room. Sloth's orders still vibrated around his head with a surprising intensity; it was one of those occasions when Gluttony decided to slow down his thought processes and analyse everything he could. The mission was simple; leave in two and a half hours, assist the Damned with a raid on some warehouse, and then leave knowing they'd gained a powerful ally. The young man carelessly slung his legs over the opposite arm rest, lying back on the couch. Closing his eyes, he pretended to sleep, retreating to a far off place deep within his mind, saturated with all his secrets and memories. It was the best place to think, and thinking was what Gluttony was best at. Or so he told himself.

He wondered about the Damned; a notorious gang with impressive manpower, the one element that the Sinners appeared to lack. They technically had everything else in terms of weaponry, technology and certain connections in the police network that the authorities hadn't caught onto yet. It was an odd coincidence that for such advantages, only seven Sinners were here to exploit them. Allying with the Damned would give the Sinners a comfortable kick-start up the criminal ladder, so he supposed that it was okay for them to be so few in number. "Power is sweetest in the hands of the few," he thought. But what price would he have to pay for such power? His mind wandered to the uncomfortable topic of the planned fight. Whilst Gluttony was a decent shot and not altogether a coward, he was still concerned for how much he had to gain. He didn't particularly care about imprisonment, since his power within the North family was high enough to bribe a judge within a court case or, in the worst case scenario, hire a lawyer good enough to de-buckle the prosecution. No, imprisonment wasn't an issue. Death, however, was. There was no amount of money that Gluttony could throw at Death's gatekeeper. Perhaps Sloth could... Reconsider? Albeit the fact that Gluttony was a steady source of income for the Sinners, he had to admit that not all the money he stole from his family was going to the gang. Some of it went into his personal account, safe for when disaster struck. "Is this a disaster?"

He dropped his pretence, dull brown eyes gazing at the tie which rested on his chest.Such formal wear for a barbaric gang fight. He almost managed a small chuckle as he recalled some of the weapons the other Sinner's used; Wrath with his knife, Sloth with her nightstick, Pride with his hands and practically anything else he decided to use. Gluttony's eyes wandered upwards to stare at the hand he held in the air, fingers arranged to resemble a gun. He had a good weapon of his own to use. It was a shame he couldn't share it with the others, though. To be honest, he somewhat expected them to have the common sense not to 'bring a knife to a gunfight'. He sighed exhaustively as his hand dropped to cover his now closed eyes, aware of the fact he would have to put in some more work at the fight itself to deal with anybody who had a gun. It simply wouldn't do to let a Sinner die before his own aspirations were complete.

He opened an eye slightly, catching glances at the occasional Sinner passing by his idle form. Lust, Envy, Pride, Greed... Gluttony briefly considered delving deeper into his mind on what to think of them before he thought better of it; he'd make up his mind after the fight.

[ Two and a Half Hours Later: Corruption ]

Gluttony checked how much ammo he had in his magazine. Lucky 7, plus one in the barrel for security. He raised the M1911 handgun up to eye level, clicking his tongue in satisfaction as he checked the iron sight. Spinning the gun loosely in his hand, Gluttony surveyed the other Sinners around him; men and women ready for battle, a look of complete and utter confidence in eyes barely old enough to hit 23 years. He marvelled at such bravery, his grip tightening on the pistol as he held it ready.

The sound of footsteps became clearer and clearer until one of them stopped completely as Sloth struck the first enemy down. "Alright boys and girls, eat 'em up," she said, quickly joining the fray. Cocking his gun, Gluttony sighed in frustration as he raised his arm and swiftly destroyed a young man's shoulder with a speeding bullet. "This is just disgusting," he thought as he quickly ducked behind cover, taking another shot at an unseen gunman about to fire at Envy. Gluttony could feel his frustration welling up inside him. Bloodthirst was good, yes, but logic was fundamental for survival. The sheer lack of it he saw offended him, driving him into a righteous anger. Never mind the Sinners, even the other gangs were fighting without grace. He popped his head above a large crate he crouched behind, ducking just in time for a bullet to whiz above where his ear would have been. Gluttony pinched his ear as if to check that it was indeed still there. Looking up at the dark ceiling for a brief moment, Gluttony took a deep breath. "Fuck this," he proclaimed as he vaulted over the crate and shot two men dead.

By the end of the initial bloodbath Gluttony had a murderous look in his eyes, his tie loosened by the motions of battle. Holding his gun limply by his side, a drop of sweat hanging off the side of his head, he quietly swore under his breath as he made his way back to the other Sinners. They were more or less okay, either shaken by the violence or enthralled by the energies it had instilled upon them. Gluttony, on the other hand, was merely irritated.

"Come on, lets get inside and check out what's going on." Gluttony reluctantly followed his boss, grumbling about something to do with children and knives. His steps were slow and measured, as if he was unsure where he was. They came out into another section of the warehouse which appeared darker than the first. "I don't understand, what is supposed to be here-"

BOOM.

Gluttony could feel the ground shake beneath him. He focused his eyes just as he saw his fellow Sinners being enveloped by a black gas. He watched as Sloth recoiled from the gas, the strange substance working its way into her mouth and skin. He watched as Envy was carried away by the force of the explosion, the gas clutching at his helpless body as he slammed into a wall. He watched as the malevolent cloud approached him.

3 seconds.

Now alert, Gluttony immediately focused on the nature of the cloud. It was thick and bulgy, clearly some kind of compressed gaseous substance which had escaped into the air.

2 seconds.

He instinctively took a step backward, his body flexing to get him out of there as fast as possible. But the explosion was too quick. Still his mind worked faster; was it some kind of nerve-agent? It had to be that, why else would Sloth writhe like her soul was being ripped out of her?

1 second.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Gluttony raised his gun just as the cloud touched his lips. The dark gas swallowed the muzzle flash as if it was a tasty treat, working its way over his tongue. Overcome by the bitter taste, Gluttony fought as hard as possible to stay away. He knew he had merely hundredths of a second before it began to work on his body's innermost mechanisms. The last thing he felt was his brain being consumed by an immense heat, almost as if a volcanic eruption was destroying him from the inside out.

0.

[ Present, After Corruption ]

Harold felt a small hand shaking him by the front of his shirt. "Gluttony, wake up. Come on, wake up!" Gluttony inhaled sharply as Sloth pounded the air out of his lungs, quickly leaving him to wake the other Sinners. Something had happened. He raised himself up uneasily, feeling strangely detached from the sensations his body was giving him. It was like he was there, shivering and sweating in cold terror at the same time as being somewhere else, somewhere distant and dark from which he felt nothing. He looked at his shaking hand, feeling his numb fingers as if this was his first time feeling such a thing. "Sl-Sloth, what the hell happened?" He looked at his leader with desperate eyes, unaware of how pitiful he must have looked. "I don't know," she said, crouching down. "Envy, hurry up. We need to get the fuck out of here. NOW!"

Lifting himself up, Gluttony stretched out his arms to regain his sense of balance. Everything felt wrong, as if his entire understanding of the world had shifted a few decimal points to the right. The solid concrete underneath him felt as if it had the density and texture of wood; the dusty air he breathed travelled down his lungs with a chill that could have only come from another point in his life. Worse of all, when he looked at the Sinners lying on the floor, he no longer felt the safe and distant detachment he held towards them. Instead, he felt the urge to learn, to extract, to exploit, to harvest... To consume.

Shaking his head, Gluttony quickly followed the others back to their base. At one point or another he felt a hand on his shoulder, unsure who it belonged to. Regardless it felt like any other thing lost in the wind. For the first time in his life, Harold North was truly unsure of what would happen next.

The Sinners

I think we're good. Shame that I might not be there right when the IC starts though; its midnight over here, so I'll be heading to bed. Night guys!