princess
Lemons
mickilennial
vietmyke
Pen Name
Kaithe Dame
High Moon
Snowdrops
Charley
SilverPawAHAHA! I like how all three flashback ideas with Kim is: Kim has a heartfelt conversation with someone. [Someone] says something insensitive.
Oh, and of course everyone has to die at some point in the flashback. Wow... How do they keep coming back to life?
Edit: The guys get conscripted into a beefcake calender to help with recruitment.→ Kim's turns into a mug shot.
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*Stares at the image Blackwell provided* …
…
…..
………..Huh? What? Sorry. I was enraptured by the model’s abdomen.
What? We need a face for the banner? … Oh fine.
@Blackwell: That actually could be Kimberly if he had shorter hair. If you have picture of the guy’s face, I might use him.
@Anyone who cares: As of now, I found two potential guys who can be the supermodel version of Kim. So I guess take the body Blackwell showed us and attach it to one of these models’ faces (Pretend they have messy black hair and dark brown eyes):
Patrick Petitjean
Christian Göran:
I might just have everyone vote on which model to choose. Or! I will take other suggestions.
So far, I think I will go with this model:
Mmm… look at that chest hair.
Edit: @Rockette: We can collab if you'd like. Unless you'd rather have someone more talkative.
…
…..
………..Huh? What? Sorry. I was enraptured by the model’s abdomen.
What? We need a face for the banner? … Oh fine.
@Blackwell: That actually could be Kimberly if he had shorter hair. If you have picture of the guy’s face, I might use him.
@Anyone who cares: As of now, I found two potential guys who can be the supermodel version of Kim. So I guess take the body Blackwell showed us and attach it to one of these models’ faces (Pretend they have messy black hair and dark brown eyes):
Patrick Petitjean
*The picture that made me pick Patrick Petitjean as a candidate.
Christian Göran:
I might just have everyone vote on which model to choose. Or! I will take other suggestions.
So far, I think I will go with this model:
Edit: @Rockette: We can collab if you'd like. Unless you'd rather have someone more talkative.
I have returned from chaos! It seems I’ve missed some things on the OOC.
Well, first thing’s first, here’s Kimberly’s attributes:
Commando: 15
Ravager: 2
Sentinel: 8
Synergist: 2
Medic: 8
@Rockette: Awesome banners!
I tried finding a picture for Kim, but nothing really fit my image of him. I guess I could find a supermodel version of him. That or we can just use Cousin Itt from the Addams family. It’s close enough XD
@Prisk: From how much of the fight I actually participated in, it’s hard to say. From what I can tell, it looks good. As a slow writer, however, I’ll probably struggle with keeping up with the fight and it’ll feel like Kim was just standing around in the middle of the battle doing absolutely nothing… kind of like the characters you don’t use in your fighting party in JRPGs.
Ah yes, this is in the future, but I'll most likely not have access to the internet around August 15~18.
Edit: That and it's officially hurricane/typhoon season where I am. Blackouts may happen.
Well, first thing’s first, here’s Kimberly’s attributes:
Commando: 15
Ravager: 2
Sentinel: 8
Synergist: 2
Medic: 8
@Rockette: Awesome banners!
I tried finding a picture for Kim, but nothing really fit my image of him. I guess I could find a supermodel version of him. That or we can just use Cousin Itt from the Addams family. It’s close enough XD
@Prisk: From how much of the fight I actually participated in, it’s hard to say. From what I can tell, it looks good. As a slow writer, however, I’ll probably struggle with keeping up with the fight and it’ll feel like Kim was just standing around in the middle of the battle doing absolutely nothing… kind of like the characters you don’t use in your fighting party in JRPGs.
Ah yes, this is in the future, but I'll most likely not have access to the internet around August 15~18.
Edit: That and it's officially hurricane/typhoon season where I am. Blackouts may happen.
“Carry me? I’m not your daughter, Kim.”
No. No she definitely was not his daughter. Had she been, Kimberly’s doting parent skill would have activated and he would have carried Olivia the entire way. Even before that, Kimberly would not have allowed his daughter to join a military force of any kind. He’d have a full-scale tantrum at the mere mention of it. He would cry, whine, flail his arms around, and stomp his feet to the ground. It would not be pretty, but he wouldn’t care. He would do the most pathetic things if it meant he could keep Samuela out of harm’s way. He wouldn’t ---couldn’t--- risk loosing her too.
Olivia continued, “save your strength for whatever horrible things we’re going to encounter… over there, if there’s anything left at all.”
He nodded silently. Olivia was a full-grown woman and a soldier: she knew her body more than anyone else. It might have been rude to even make the offer.
“I got to hand it to you, Kim.” Kimberly heard his roommate say, “you sly dog.” He was sure whatever his hallucination was going to say next wouldn’t be good. “Why don’t you just grab Vi’s ass instead of doing it the round about way, huh? I’m sure she’d love a direct man.”
Kimberly sighed deeply and for the first time since that morning, actually turned to look directly as his imaginary acquaintance’s face. Kimberly glared at the tall black haired, dark eyed, man ---Ghost--- in casual wear. The man looked surprised that Kimberly had stopped ignoring him, for a moment, then smiled in a mischievous, Roy-ish kind of way. Really?
“What? As in, Vi loves it when men grabs her ass?... Uh… Sure! Yeah! Totally. Go for it! Let’s make Ron jealous!”
You know that’s not what I mean.
“Really? With the s**t that goes on in your head, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
That s**t is you.
“Okay fine. Yeah, I’m the one who wants to grab Vi’s ass. Have you seen it? Oh, what am I saying, of course you have! You see everyone’s ass when you’re pretending to guard them from behind.”
I---…
“Shhh!” Ghost placed his fingers over Kimberly’s lips, “let me dream.” He stood next to Kimberly. He grabbed the farthest shoulder he could reach and extended his free hand out in front of them. He wiped the invisible window, bringing forth a miniature-sized image of the group, excluding Kimberly. “Imagine… recall… look back on it, Kim. Just… observe their asses…. Catch every detail. The shape, the size, how they move…” When Ghost caught Kimberly giving him a dirty look, he quickly forced Kimberly to look at the image again, “look at them damn it! This is a very serious matter! What do you see?”
Considering how you zoomed in the image onto their hindquarters, I will have to say I see their butts.
“Yes! Their glorious… beautiful buttocks. When you look at them… what do you feel? Preferably something that involves the nether regions.”
They make me feel like we are well trained? Everyone looks in shape. No one is walking weird… well, I was worried about Thael and Royce though. I think they might have overdone it last night. Oh… and then there was Fred at one point, but I think it passed. Man, now I feel like a jerk for singling out Olive. She’s a soldier and our leader and I go out and ask if she wants to be carried? Yeah, way to go Kimberly. That should show everyone how competent she is! Damn it! I hope I didn’t embarrass her… Holy s**t! Did I almost sexually harass Olive in front of Aaron!? Wow, I’m officially a jerk… And why are you crying about this?
Ghost sniffed as he made every attempt to hold his tears back, “I… just realized… I’m going to be sexually frustrated as long as you’re around…” He grabbed both of Kimberly’s shoulders, “why Kim!? What the f**k is wrong with you!?”
What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you!?
“What’s wrong with me? Are you really asking that question!?”
Uh… yes?
“Fine! I’ll tell you what’s wrong!” Ghost gestured Kimberly’s attention to the spirits hovering around them, “you see these guys? They’re called spirits. Most of them are animal spirits. You know. Animals? At one point in time they were alive. There might be some animals astral projecting, but I can’t tell the difference. It doesn’t matter. What matters is what they do. And what do living things do? They f**k each other. The males’ peni---…”
OKAY! Okay, I get it. I don’t need that lesson from you.
“The point is, these spirits know what sex is. Unlike humans, however, animals tend to do it in specific seasons. All the same species get into heat around the same time. Now that they’re dead, there’s no body to distinguish them. To them, their host’s allies are their own kind. So…” Ghost suddenly teleported in front of Aaron, “every time Ron drools over Vi.” He appeared next to Thael, then Royce, “every time these two love birds F**K OR EVEN TEASE EACH OTHER!” Finally he pointed accusingly at Fredrick, “AND EVERY TIME RICK GETS A HARD ON JUST THINKING ABOUT JARED.” By the time Ghost returned to his original position, he was yelling at Kimberly, “THESE SPIRITS START TO GET F**KING ROWDY, BECAUSE THEY THINK IT’S MATING SEASON. AND FOR SOME WEIRD ASS REASON, THEIR PSEUDO-HORNINESS COMPLETELY BYPASSES WHATEVER PART OF THE BRAIN IT IS THAT SENDS THE MESSAGE TO YOUR DICK. AND SINCE YOU WON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, IT JUST GOES TO ME! I’M LEFT WITH A CROWD OF ANIMAL SPIRITS IN PSEUDO-HEAT WHILE YOU’RE COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO IT ALL!” Ghost burst into tears and dropped down to his knees, “why Kim? WHY!?” He grabbed Kimberly’s hips and looked directly at his crotch, whispering to it, “why won’t you work?”
Kimberly shoved his roommate away. Please don’t talk to my crotch. The ghost simply collapsed to the ground, crying.
The sound of Fredrick’s voice brought Kimberly back to the real world. “F**k that noise, Kim. She’s just being a f**king bum. Come on, climb this tree with me. We can talk and bond as men or some bullshit like that. Make friendship bracelets out of flowers like a couple gay little hippies.”
Ghost’s head shot up, “yes! That’s cool! You know what hippies believe in? Free love. Hey, I’m not picky! You can totally do Rick!”
Kimberly frowned at Ghost as Fredrick dragged him to the tree.
While Kimberly struggled to climb the tree, he could hear Ghost complaining in the background. When Kimberly had the chance to glance over, he saw Ghost yelling at Aaron’s face, “kiss her, you fool! I can’t take any more of this! Just get it over with!” With how he yelled, Kimberly wondered if the hallucination owed part of its personality to Fredrick.
Right when the two situated themselves to a branch of their own, Fredrick’s snapped in half. Kimberly reached his hand towards his friend, but failed to grab him in time. He winced as he saw Fredrick land to the ground. Luckily the little man did not seriously injure himself and quickly returned to the tree: this time taking a seat in Kimberly’s lap.
“Hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable. If it does, f**king deal with it. You’re shockingly comfortable despite all the armor and I need to talk to you.”
Kimberly shook his head, ignoring Ghost’s wolf whistle.
“Alright. So, I guess, hey, hi, how’s it going, Kim? Everything’s going good up there? You’ve been taking your meds and seeing your therapist?”
Kimberly smiled inwardly. Almost everyone in this group worried about everyone else. “Yes. Mom.”
“This isn't a fucking joke, okay man!… I get enough bullshit from the others, please tell me you’re not getting lazy about taking care of yourself! I swear by all that is holy, unholy and everything in between that if you aren’t taking care of yourself I will uproot this tree and use it to REALLY fucking bond you with nature!”
Ghost hovered passed the two and grinned at the thought, “Kinky.”
Kimberly was ready to roll his eyes, when Fredrick’s expression told him he had done something wrong. “What?"
“Huh…? What?”
“Holy hyperchrist Kim, you aren’t taking your meds aren’t you?”
“Yes… I… have been.”
“I call bullshit.”
“I have… They just… don’t work some times… The meds.”
“What?”
“I take them… but I can still see ‘him’… He won’t go away…”
Ghost crossed his arms together, “oh? So now it’s my fault that the meds don’t work?”
That’s not what I said.
“I can read between the lines.”
Well, if you are willing to take the blame, I won’t stop you.
“I’m...sorry. Shit man, I shouldn’t yell at you. You have enough on your mind, you don’t need me being the giant dicknarbler I am and spewing vocal shit from my throat at you.”
Kim smiled reassuring, at least tried to, but he was sure it looked horrific. He appreciated Fredrick’s concern and knew that he yelled at his friends, because he cared. “Worrywart…”
“Hell fucking yeah I'm a worry wart. You're my friend. Fucking forgive me if I occasionally show concern! Look, it's just, you've...been through a lot. I mean, for one…look, we...we really never talked about...about fucking Nancy, have we?”
Nancy.
A woman with latte colored braided hair works intently on a metallic contraption. She is so focused that she doesn’t notice anything else. She smudges oil on to her face. Only a firm tap on her shoulder pulls her away from her work. Her turquoise widen in surprise, then softens. Her smile disappears when she notices her reflection on the mirror presented to her. She blushes. She laughs as she tries to put some oil on him for laughing.
His wife.
“Do you have to go?”
“This is my chance to prove myself… If I do this… no one will remember me as the deserter’s daughter. They won’t think I’m a spy or a coward who will run at the slightest hint of danger.”
She smiles, “the fact that they even want me… is a huge improvement. I want to take it to the next step.”
“If this works out… maybe…” Samuela coos in her arms, “we can finally be together…”
“It’ll only be for a year.”
Was dead.
According to the reports, Nancy died during a xenomorph attack. One of them had managed to sneak into one of the most secured military facilities and only killed Nancy before disappearing into thin air. Nathaniel, Kimberly’s first cousin once removed, was the first to find her body. Despite what anyone said, Kimberly did not believe them: she couldn’t have died. When the body was finally presented to him, he did not cry. He did not even feel particularly sad. Instead, a void the size of a pinhole punched its way through his heart. Though he did not cry at the sight of his wife’s body, or with Nathaniel when he begged for forgiveness, or at Nancy’s funeral, it was the small and subtle things that made the pinhole void grow larger. Such as the extra toothbrush, her favorite mug, not having to buy the disgusting snack that only she loved, Nancy’s voice mail, her unfinished gadgets, and her empty room. All of it.
It took months for him to finally crack. When Kimberly went back home, Samuela started to cry for no particular reason. His daughter would not stop crying no matter what he did. She stopped crying the second Kimberly gave her something with her mother’s scent on it. Then it hit him: “They” took someone away from him again. His parents. Samuel. Now Nancy. The world always had to take someone away from Kimberly. And he could never prevent it from happening. Everyone he cared for was going to leave him behind. It was a miracle that he hadn’t lost his grandparents and friends yet.
“Sorry, I...I fucking know I’m being tactless right now. Look, it’s just...fuck, how do I say this? Sorry, sorry, you know me. I’m always shoving my foot through my own ass out my throat and into my mouth, and trust me when I say it tastes like shit. It’s just…Kim, I...we all remember losing Sam. The one that I’m five thousand percent sure you named your daughter after. Look...back then, I...I wasn’t so close to anyone. You remember. I was just that fucking angry asshole with the scars that made a few people cry by yelling at them too much. The one that was always shrieking to get his way and generally being terrible. So when Sam died, I...I felt alone. I felt like I had nothing left in the world and I made a mistake. A mistake that left just one more scar and that didn’t fix anything.””
A mistake.
Kimberly’s head began to hurt. Disjointed images flashed through his mind.
Red all over the place. It seeps through the dress. The blond hair. It keeps flowing out of the body. Can’t stop it. The screams, the destruction, the pain, the light: they all start to fade away into the distance. Someone calls someone’s name. That person comes closer---…
“Just...promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay? If you’re hurting inside, talk to me. You’re my friend, my good friend. It’s my fucking job to be there for you, and nothing, I swear fucking nothing, is going to stop me from doing my god damned job.”
“What… what kind of…mistake…?” Kimberly didn’t realize he has asked the question out loud until Fredrick responded with, “a fucking bad one.”
The smaller man stared straight at the giant, “promise me.”
Kim hesitated before nodding slightly, “I promise.”
Satisfied with the answer, Fredrick changed the subject, “you know I wasn’t fucking lying when I said you were comfortable. I could seriously fucking nap right now. How in the name of shrieking Satan is all your armor comfortable?”
“I don’t know.”
“Of fucking course you freaking don’t.”
Kimberly’s ears caught something in the wind. Something that sounded like a pack of giant creatures running in the distance. A stampede? A stampede of what? There were barely any wild life left in world to form a stampede. If a group of animals traveled together out here, it was more likely that it was either humans or---…
Fredrick was saying something, but before he could finish whatever it was, Kimberly quickly grabbed him and jumped as fast as he could to the top of the tree. When he reached the top, he looked for the source of the sounds, but saw nothing. At least, not with his human eyes. A few attempts of scouting later, the spirits of eagles took over Kimberly’s eyes to let him see farther into the distance. It was these eagle’s eyes that got visual confirmation of their enemies. Without a moment to loose, Kimberly jumped down from the tree, hardly acknowledging Fredrick’s cries. Once he let his little friend down. He only said one word, “xenomorphs."
-----Before Battle 1-----
In the short time that Olivia verified his claims and gave out her orders, Kimberly prepared for battle by doing some quick stretches and last minute check up on his armor. He opened a specific compartment in his armor to check if his “offerings” where there. He simply closed it once he was sure he didn’t accidently leave it at the Academy. An embarrassing and possibly fatal mistake if it had been true.
The noise got louder. The enemies were close.
Kimberly quickly pulled all his hair back into a ponytail, revealing his not often seen face, only for it to be hidden under a helmet.
The spirits, completely forgotten what they had done to Ghost not too long ago, were in a different state of mind. The promise of battle excited the carnivores; the hunters; the predators inside of him. The other spirits, namely the hunter’s prey got nervous. Kimberly could feel them wanting to run, but he had little choice in the matter. He went into stance. Ready to sprint into action. As he could feel his senses being heightened with the assistance of the spirits, his ears became especially sensitive. He could hear virtually everything. His ears told him what his eyes could not see: his friends' hearts beat rapidly, each muscle stretch, and every joint in the body bend. These were sounds Kimberly needed to continue hearing. As for the ruckus the xenomorph raptor pack made.
Well… they needed to be silenced.
-----After Battle 1-----
When the battle ended, Kimberly found himself staring straight down at one of the xenomorphs at his feet. Their enemies were either dead or almost dead and the creature underneath his gaze had little time left in this world. Kimberly could see and hear the life slowly draining away from it. They had won. Their enemies were defeated. Yet the giant was suddenly overwhelmed with dread. A fear he was much too familiar with.
The color red decorates the scenery. Blood seeps through the dress, the blond hair, and pavement.
A feline bites into the neck of its victim.
It’s hard to breath. It’s hard to sense anything… all of it just fades.
The bones crush under the pressure of a giant snake.
They all struggle till the end. They all wail. They want to live. They didn’t want to die.
The blond hair is not bloody anymore: it spreads out on the bed in a dark room lit only by the moonlight.
She stares at him. The light leaves her eyes. The sound of her heart beating much too slowly. She continues to smile at him, as if to reassure him that there was nothing to be afraid of. This transition was only temporary. The pain, the sadness, everything bad, would end once they crossed that point of no return.
“We’re going to a happier place.”
Without much thought, Kimberly suddenly began beating on the dying xenomorph. He knew it was completely unnecessary. The thing was good as dead, but if it was going to die regardless, it felt cruel to prolong its suffering. He checked every xenomorph and any creature that still made a “sound” were promptly pommeled into complete silence.
Kimberly heard Ghost laugh and compliment Kimberly’s kindness, mockingly.
---- I’m ----.
No ----- not.
“--- you’re ---.”
“You only do this to make yourself feel better. Not for these things’ sake.”
I know.
-----The Boat-----
Kimberly was wasting his time staring aimlessly at what the window had to offer, when Olivia asked whether or not someone was going to make dinner. Suddenly remembering something, Kimberly walked over to his backpack. The search did not take long. Soon he fished out the lunch his grandparents packed and distributed (or at least attempted to hand out) to everyone at the main gate before the party’s departure. Kimberly had completely forgotten its existence during the exciting hiking trip. He carefully opened the box and stared at it contents: a jumbled mess. My favorite. Serves him right for carelessly stuffing it in a backpack that was just as carelessly manhandled in the short time span it traveled with him. Kimberly picked at Unknown Content A and threw it in his mouth. At least it was eatable.
No. No she definitely was not his daughter. Had she been, Kimberly’s doting parent skill would have activated and he would have carried Olivia the entire way. Even before that, Kimberly would not have allowed his daughter to join a military force of any kind. He’d have a full-scale tantrum at the mere mention of it. He would cry, whine, flail his arms around, and stomp his feet to the ground. It would not be pretty, but he wouldn’t care. He would do the most pathetic things if it meant he could keep Samuela out of harm’s way. He wouldn’t ---couldn’t--- risk loosing her too.
Olivia continued, “save your strength for whatever horrible things we’re going to encounter… over there, if there’s anything left at all.”
He nodded silently. Olivia was a full-grown woman and a soldier: she knew her body more than anyone else. It might have been rude to even make the offer.
“I got to hand it to you, Kim.” Kimberly heard his roommate say, “you sly dog.” He was sure whatever his hallucination was going to say next wouldn’t be good. “Why don’t you just grab Vi’s ass instead of doing it the round about way, huh? I’m sure she’d love a direct man.”
Kimberly sighed deeply and for the first time since that morning, actually turned to look directly as his imaginary acquaintance’s face. Kimberly glared at the tall black haired, dark eyed, man ---Ghost--- in casual wear. The man looked surprised that Kimberly had stopped ignoring him, for a moment, then smiled in a mischievous, Roy-ish kind of way. Really?
“What? As in, Vi loves it when men grabs her ass?... Uh… Sure! Yeah! Totally. Go for it! Let’s make Ron jealous!”
You know that’s not what I mean.
“Really? With the s**t that goes on in your head, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
That s**t is you.
“Okay fine. Yeah, I’m the one who wants to grab Vi’s ass. Have you seen it? Oh, what am I saying, of course you have! You see everyone’s ass when you’re pretending to guard them from behind.”
I---…
“Shhh!” Ghost placed his fingers over Kimberly’s lips, “let me dream.” He stood next to Kimberly. He grabbed the farthest shoulder he could reach and extended his free hand out in front of them. He wiped the invisible window, bringing forth a miniature-sized image of the group, excluding Kimberly. “Imagine… recall… look back on it, Kim. Just… observe their asses…. Catch every detail. The shape, the size, how they move…” When Ghost caught Kimberly giving him a dirty look, he quickly forced Kimberly to look at the image again, “look at them damn it! This is a very serious matter! What do you see?”
Considering how you zoomed in the image onto their hindquarters, I will have to say I see their butts.
“Yes! Their glorious… beautiful buttocks. When you look at them… what do you feel? Preferably something that involves the nether regions.”
They make me feel like we are well trained? Everyone looks in shape. No one is walking weird… well, I was worried about Thael and Royce though. I think they might have overdone it last night. Oh… and then there was Fred at one point, but I think it passed. Man, now I feel like a jerk for singling out Olive. She’s a soldier and our leader and I go out and ask if she wants to be carried? Yeah, way to go Kimberly. That should show everyone how competent she is! Damn it! I hope I didn’t embarrass her… Holy s**t! Did I almost sexually harass Olive in front of Aaron!? Wow, I’m officially a jerk… And why are you crying about this?
Ghost sniffed as he made every attempt to hold his tears back, “I… just realized… I’m going to be sexually frustrated as long as you’re around…” He grabbed both of Kimberly’s shoulders, “why Kim!? What the f**k is wrong with you!?”
What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you!?
“What’s wrong with me? Are you really asking that question!?”
Uh… yes?
“Fine! I’ll tell you what’s wrong!” Ghost gestured Kimberly’s attention to the spirits hovering around them, “you see these guys? They’re called spirits. Most of them are animal spirits. You know. Animals? At one point in time they were alive. There might be some animals astral projecting, but I can’t tell the difference. It doesn’t matter. What matters is what they do. And what do living things do? They f**k each other. The males’ peni---…”
OKAY! Okay, I get it. I don’t need that lesson from you.
“The point is, these spirits know what sex is. Unlike humans, however, animals tend to do it in specific seasons. All the same species get into heat around the same time. Now that they’re dead, there’s no body to distinguish them. To them, their host’s allies are their own kind. So…” Ghost suddenly teleported in front of Aaron, “every time Ron drools over Vi.” He appeared next to Thael, then Royce, “every time these two love birds F**K OR EVEN TEASE EACH OTHER!” Finally he pointed accusingly at Fredrick, “AND EVERY TIME RICK GETS A HARD ON JUST THINKING ABOUT JARED.” By the time Ghost returned to his original position, he was yelling at Kimberly, “THESE SPIRITS START TO GET F**KING ROWDY, BECAUSE THEY THINK IT’S MATING SEASON. AND FOR SOME WEIRD ASS REASON, THEIR PSEUDO-HORNINESS COMPLETELY BYPASSES WHATEVER PART OF THE BRAIN IT IS THAT SENDS THE MESSAGE TO YOUR DICK. AND SINCE YOU WON’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, IT JUST GOES TO ME! I’M LEFT WITH A CROWD OF ANIMAL SPIRITS IN PSEUDO-HEAT WHILE YOU’RE COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO IT ALL!” Ghost burst into tears and dropped down to his knees, “why Kim? WHY!?” He grabbed Kimberly’s hips and looked directly at his crotch, whispering to it, “why won’t you work?”
Kimberly shoved his roommate away. Please don’t talk to my crotch. The ghost simply collapsed to the ground, crying.
The sound of Fredrick’s voice brought Kimberly back to the real world. “F**k that noise, Kim. She’s just being a f**king bum. Come on, climb this tree with me. We can talk and bond as men or some bullshit like that. Make friendship bracelets out of flowers like a couple gay little hippies.”
Ghost’s head shot up, “yes! That’s cool! You know what hippies believe in? Free love. Hey, I’m not picky! You can totally do Rick!”
Kimberly frowned at Ghost as Fredrick dragged him to the tree.
While Kimberly struggled to climb the tree, he could hear Ghost complaining in the background. When Kimberly had the chance to glance over, he saw Ghost yelling at Aaron’s face, “kiss her, you fool! I can’t take any more of this! Just get it over with!” With how he yelled, Kimberly wondered if the hallucination owed part of its personality to Fredrick.
Right when the two situated themselves to a branch of their own, Fredrick’s snapped in half. Kimberly reached his hand towards his friend, but failed to grab him in time. He winced as he saw Fredrick land to the ground. Luckily the little man did not seriously injure himself and quickly returned to the tree: this time taking a seat in Kimberly’s lap.
“Hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable. If it does, f**king deal with it. You’re shockingly comfortable despite all the armor and I need to talk to you.”
Kimberly shook his head, ignoring Ghost’s wolf whistle.
“Alright. So, I guess, hey, hi, how’s it going, Kim? Everything’s going good up there? You’ve been taking your meds and seeing your therapist?”
Kimberly smiled inwardly. Almost everyone in this group worried about everyone else. “Yes. Mom.”
“This isn't a fucking joke, okay man!… I get enough bullshit from the others, please tell me you’re not getting lazy about taking care of yourself! I swear by all that is holy, unholy and everything in between that if you aren’t taking care of yourself I will uproot this tree and use it to REALLY fucking bond you with nature!”
Ghost hovered passed the two and grinned at the thought, “Kinky.”
Kimberly was ready to roll his eyes, when Fredrick’s expression told him he had done something wrong. “What?"
“Huh…? What?”
“Holy hyperchrist Kim, you aren’t taking your meds aren’t you?”
“Yes… I… have been.”
“I call bullshit.”
“I have… They just… don’t work some times… The meds.”
“What?”
“I take them… but I can still see ‘him’… He won’t go away…”
Ghost crossed his arms together, “oh? So now it’s my fault that the meds don’t work?”
That’s not what I said.
“I can read between the lines.”
Well, if you are willing to take the blame, I won’t stop you.
“I’m...sorry. Shit man, I shouldn’t yell at you. You have enough on your mind, you don’t need me being the giant dicknarbler I am and spewing vocal shit from my throat at you.”
Kim smiled reassuring, at least tried to, but he was sure it looked horrific. He appreciated Fredrick’s concern and knew that he yelled at his friends, because he cared. “Worrywart…”
“Hell fucking yeah I'm a worry wart. You're my friend. Fucking forgive me if I occasionally show concern! Look, it's just, you've...been through a lot. I mean, for one…look, we...we really never talked about...about fucking Nancy, have we?”
Nancy.
A woman with latte colored braided hair works intently on a metallic contraption. She is so focused that she doesn’t notice anything else. She smudges oil on to her face. Only a firm tap on her shoulder pulls her away from her work. Her turquoise widen in surprise, then softens. Her smile disappears when she notices her reflection on the mirror presented to her. She blushes. She laughs as she tries to put some oil on him for laughing.
His wife.
“Do you have to go?”
“This is my chance to prove myself… If I do this… no one will remember me as the deserter’s daughter. They won’t think I’m a spy or a coward who will run at the slightest hint of danger.”
She smiles, “the fact that they even want me… is a huge improvement. I want to take it to the next step.”
“If this works out… maybe…” Samuela coos in her arms, “we can finally be together…”
“It’ll only be for a year.”
Was dead.
According to the reports, Nancy died during a xenomorph attack. One of them had managed to sneak into one of the most secured military facilities and only killed Nancy before disappearing into thin air. Nathaniel, Kimberly’s first cousin once removed, was the first to find her body. Despite what anyone said, Kimberly did not believe them: she couldn’t have died. When the body was finally presented to him, he did not cry. He did not even feel particularly sad. Instead, a void the size of a pinhole punched its way through his heart. Though he did not cry at the sight of his wife’s body, or with Nathaniel when he begged for forgiveness, or at Nancy’s funeral, it was the small and subtle things that made the pinhole void grow larger. Such as the extra toothbrush, her favorite mug, not having to buy the disgusting snack that only she loved, Nancy’s voice mail, her unfinished gadgets, and her empty room. All of it.
It took months for him to finally crack. When Kimberly went back home, Samuela started to cry for no particular reason. His daughter would not stop crying no matter what he did. She stopped crying the second Kimberly gave her something with her mother’s scent on it. Then it hit him: “They” took someone away from him again. His parents. Samuel. Now Nancy. The world always had to take someone away from Kimberly. And he could never prevent it from happening. Everyone he cared for was going to leave him behind. It was a miracle that he hadn’t lost his grandparents and friends yet.
“Sorry, I...I fucking know I’m being tactless right now. Look, it’s just...fuck, how do I say this? Sorry, sorry, you know me. I’m always shoving my foot through my own ass out my throat and into my mouth, and trust me when I say it tastes like shit. It’s just…Kim, I...we all remember losing Sam. The one that I’m five thousand percent sure you named your daughter after. Look...back then, I...I wasn’t so close to anyone. You remember. I was just that fucking angry asshole with the scars that made a few people cry by yelling at them too much. The one that was always shrieking to get his way and generally being terrible. So when Sam died, I...I felt alone. I felt like I had nothing left in the world and I made a mistake. A mistake that left just one more scar and that didn’t fix anything.””
A mistake.
Kimberly’s head began to hurt. Disjointed images flashed through his mind.
Red all over the place. It seeps through the dress. The blond hair. It keeps flowing out of the body. Can’t stop it. The screams, the destruction, the pain, the light: they all start to fade away into the distance. Someone calls someone’s name. That person comes closer---…
“Just...promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay? If you’re hurting inside, talk to me. You’re my friend, my good friend. It’s my fucking job to be there for you, and nothing, I swear fucking nothing, is going to stop me from doing my god damned job.”
“What… what kind of…mistake…?” Kimberly didn’t realize he has asked the question out loud until Fredrick responded with, “a fucking bad one.”
The smaller man stared straight at the giant, “promise me.”
Kim hesitated before nodding slightly, “I promise.”
Satisfied with the answer, Fredrick changed the subject, “you know I wasn’t fucking lying when I said you were comfortable. I could seriously fucking nap right now. How in the name of shrieking Satan is all your armor comfortable?”
“I don’t know.”
“Of fucking course you freaking don’t.”
Kimberly’s ears caught something in the wind. Something that sounded like a pack of giant creatures running in the distance. A stampede? A stampede of what? There were barely any wild life left in world to form a stampede. If a group of animals traveled together out here, it was more likely that it was either humans or---…
Fredrick was saying something, but before he could finish whatever it was, Kimberly quickly grabbed him and jumped as fast as he could to the top of the tree. When he reached the top, he looked for the source of the sounds, but saw nothing. At least, not with his human eyes. A few attempts of scouting later, the spirits of eagles took over Kimberly’s eyes to let him see farther into the distance. It was these eagle’s eyes that got visual confirmation of their enemies. Without a moment to loose, Kimberly jumped down from the tree, hardly acknowledging Fredrick’s cries. Once he let his little friend down. He only said one word, “xenomorphs."
-----Before Battle 1-----
In the short time that Olivia verified his claims and gave out her orders, Kimberly prepared for battle by doing some quick stretches and last minute check up on his armor. He opened a specific compartment in his armor to check if his “offerings” where there. He simply closed it once he was sure he didn’t accidently leave it at the Academy. An embarrassing and possibly fatal mistake if it had been true.
The noise got louder. The enemies were close.
Kimberly quickly pulled all his hair back into a ponytail, revealing his not often seen face, only for it to be hidden under a helmet.
The spirits, completely forgotten what they had done to Ghost not too long ago, were in a different state of mind. The promise of battle excited the carnivores; the hunters; the predators inside of him. The other spirits, namely the hunter’s prey got nervous. Kimberly could feel them wanting to run, but he had little choice in the matter. He went into stance. Ready to sprint into action. As he could feel his senses being heightened with the assistance of the spirits, his ears became especially sensitive. He could hear virtually everything. His ears told him what his eyes could not see: his friends' hearts beat rapidly, each muscle stretch, and every joint in the body bend. These were sounds Kimberly needed to continue hearing. As for the ruckus the xenomorph raptor pack made.
Well… they needed to be silenced.
-----After Battle 1-----
When the battle ended, Kimberly found himself staring straight down at one of the xenomorphs at his feet. Their enemies were either dead or almost dead and the creature underneath his gaze had little time left in this world. Kimberly could see and hear the life slowly draining away from it. They had won. Their enemies were defeated. Yet the giant was suddenly overwhelmed with dread. A fear he was much too familiar with.
The color red decorates the scenery. Blood seeps through the dress, the blond hair, and pavement.
A feline bites into the neck of its victim.
It’s hard to breath. It’s hard to sense anything… all of it just fades.
The bones crush under the pressure of a giant snake.
They all struggle till the end. They all wail. They want to live. They didn’t want to die.
The blond hair is not bloody anymore: it spreads out on the bed in a dark room lit only by the moonlight.
She stares at him. The light leaves her eyes. The sound of her heart beating much too slowly. She continues to smile at him, as if to reassure him that there was nothing to be afraid of. This transition was only temporary. The pain, the sadness, everything bad, would end once they crossed that point of no return.
“We’re going to a happier place.”
Without much thought, Kimberly suddenly began beating on the dying xenomorph. He knew it was completely unnecessary. The thing was good as dead, but if it was going to die regardless, it felt cruel to prolong its suffering. He checked every xenomorph and any creature that still made a “sound” were promptly pommeled into complete silence.
Kimberly heard Ghost laugh and compliment Kimberly’s kindness, mockingly.
---- I’m ----.
No ----- not.
“--- you’re ---.”
“You only do this to make yourself feel better. Not for these things’ sake.”
I know.
-----The Boat-----
Kimberly was wasting his time staring aimlessly at what the window had to offer, when Olivia asked whether or not someone was going to make dinner. Suddenly remembering something, Kimberly walked over to his backpack. The search did not take long. Soon he fished out the lunch his grandparents packed and distributed (or at least attempted to hand out) to everyone at the main gate before the party’s departure. Kimberly had completely forgotten its existence during the exciting hiking trip. He carefully opened the box and stared at it contents: a jumbled mess. My favorite. Serves him right for carelessly stuffing it in a backpack that was just as carelessly manhandled in the short time span it traveled with him. Kimberly picked at Unknown Content A and threw it in his mouth. At least it was eatable.
#Pullingmyhairout
Okay, some things came up which requires my undivided attention. Prisk, I will have Kim on autopilot for battle. I will post once things settle down.
Okay, some things came up which requires my undivided attention. Prisk, I will have Kim on autopilot for battle. I will post once things settle down.
Just to be sure I don’t mess anything up:
Roy is with Kat, but hasn’t attacked just yet.
Kat put up an ice water shield around herself and Roy.
Aaron is being silly by leaving Roy to protect Kay and attacking: Raptor Gamma and Epsilon.
I plan to have Kim distract three or four Raptors (Lambda; Omicron; Sigma; and/or Omega) so that the rear group isn’t overwhelmed. He was going to focus on dodging and attacking one enemy at a time. But now that Aaron is surrounded, I’m thinking I’ll have Kim throw an enemy at one of the other enemies surrounding Aaaron so he has a chance to run… OR! Possibly the other characters will get to help Aaaron in time.
I plan to have Kim distract three or four Raptors (Lambda; Omicron; Sigma; and/or Omega) so that the rear group isn’t overwhelmed. He was going to focus on dodging and attacking one enemy at a time. But now that Aaron is surrounded, I’m thinking I’ll have Kim throw an enemy at one of the other enemies surrounding Aaaron so he has a chance to run… OR! Possibly the other characters will get to help Aaaron in time.
Prisk said @Everyone, I've updated the map. The world has a name: Atlas. Not very original, but it's something. Your character can say "Atlas" or "Earth," it doesn't matter. Each continent now has a name. The continent that the characters are currently in—Cetra—has all of its 'regions' named as well. I will update the map as we progress through the story, and maybe write some Codex entries for each continent.
Yay! It looks wonderful Prisk! Can't wait to read about them.
@Adorabadass: No worries. I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot to do this week too :P Responded to PM.
Okay so: unnamed planet, unnamed continents, and unnamed countries (though based on some of the IC posts we will need a "US", "Germany", and "Asia"). Nautilus is a independent city-state. And just forget everything from the old version. Gotcha.
Is Oakridge and Helston (actually any of the cities except Nautilus) in the same country?
Is Oakridge and Helston (actually any of the cities except Nautilus) in the same country?
@Prisk: Ooo! I can do hash tags! Let’s see...
#iamthisclosetopunchingmyprofessor
Actually I have a question. If you don’t mind. Does this "Pandora" (or whatever the planet's name is in this version) still have the continents Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omega? The cities have names instead of numbers now, so I wondered if the continents have different names too. Then again, from what I can tell from the map, there’s not even five continents anymore.
Also, does the concept of the World State exist in this version (I know there's a "central government", but is it the World State)? Or is there a new governing system? Do countries still exist and do they have their own government? Or perhaps individual cities (technically) govern themselves? At this point in time, I'm imaging that the "central government" is like the High king... or UN.
Ah, and yes. If we do get into combat soon, I think Kimberly will hear them coming (the passive sound spirit ability: enhanced hearing) unless they make an effort to hide the noise they make.
@Adorabadass: Did you still want to do a collab post?
#iamthisclosetopunchingmyprofessor
Actually I have a question. If you don’t mind. Does this "Pandora" (or whatever the planet's name is in this version) still have the continents Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omega? The cities have names instead of numbers now, so I wondered if the continents have different names too. Then again, from what I can tell from the map, there’s not even five continents anymore.
Also, does the concept of the World State exist in this version (I know there's a "central government", but is it the World State)? Or is there a new governing system? Do countries still exist and do they have their own government? Or perhaps individual cities (technically) govern themselves? At this point in time, I'm imaging that the "central government" is like the High king... or UN.
Ah, and yes. If we do get into combat soon, I think Kimberly will hear them coming (the passive sound spirit ability: enhanced hearing) unless they make an effort to hide the noise they make.
@Adorabadass: Did you still want to do a collab post?
-----After the Group’s Departure from the Main Gate-----
The Appleberry’s continued to wave at their grandchildren until the group vanished from their view. Once gone, their arms lowered themselves down. “And there they go,” Clair announced to no one in particular as her wife whispered a prayer. The old couple stood there, watching nothing for a moment longer until they turned to each other at the same time. They smiled at each other. They were both ready to go. As they walked towards the school building, Clair and Michaela’s hand automatically searched for each other and stayed glued together for the whole walk.
Clair’s hand instantly missed Michaela’s warmth once the two had to let go of one another to greet Dr. Perth at her office. They shook hands with their grandson’s doctor. “It’s good to see you again Dr. Appleberry, Mrs. Appleberry.”
“Thank you. It’s good to see you too, Athene.”
Dr. Perth glanced to the man standing next to her. “This is my colleague, Dr. Haziq Ramirez. He’s part of the science team researching the nature of spirits---…” Before Dr. Perth finished introducing the young scientist, Dr. Ramirez practically jumped his way over to Clair and shook her hands feverishly, eyes twinkling in admiration. Dr. Perth sighed, “he’s one of your fans.”
“It. Is. An. Honor. To meet you Dr. Edrik. I-I love your work. Your theory on Eternal Etro and spirits is phenomenal. I especially thought the concept of Yggdrasil is---…”
“Haziq. Calm down. Dr. APPLEBERRY is not here to listen to your ramblings.”
“Oh. Um. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” The young scientist laughed awkwardly before finally greeting Michaela. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He turned to Samuela, and in the most high pitched baby talk tone he could muster, greeted the infant, “hi there little princess. Hi! I’m Haziq! Ha-Zi-Q.” Samuela returned the greeting with a blank stare, either dumbfounded or unimpressed with his mastery of baby talk. Regardless, it was not nearly as exaggerated or as high pitched as Olivia’s baby talk was. “Aww… aren’t you just adorable! What’s your name sweetie pie?”
While her associate continued to fondle over the child, Dr. Perth sat down with Clair and passed her a tablet computer. “Here’s the medical records on Kimberly.” Clair took the tablet without hesitation, and after putting on her reading glasses, proceeded to read through the records full of medical mumbo jumbo as if she was casually reading the morning newspaper. Out of habit, Dr. Perth was ready to explain the medical results in layman’s terms, but quickly remembered that the man---… woman in front of her studied in the science field even before she was born. Clair worked as a botanist now, but Dr. Perth knew she could have mastered any field of science or medicine. She simply notified Clair that information considering Kimberly’s spirits was at the end of the document and left the old woman to her reading. While she waited for Clair to finish, Dr. Perth’s attention moved back to her colleague. “Haziq, stop harassing the poor girl.”
“I am not harassing her. I’m entertaining her.”
“I doubt it’s working if she’s giving you the thousand-yard stare.”
“No she’s not. See look! She’s smiling at me.”
Dr. Perth leaned in to get a better look at the girl. Then noticed something. “She’s not looking look you.”
“I think she’s a little too young to be having flashbacks of the good old days, Athene.”
“Observe, you sorry excuse for a scientist.”
“What are you talking about? I have astute observational powers,” Dr. Ramirez began then suddenly stopped.
“What? Did you finally realize you don’t have such powers?” Silence. “Haziq?” Dr. Perth looked up at Dr. Ramirez and then followed his line of vision. There, they saw Michaela and Samuela looking at the same direction, moving their eyes, and occasionally their heads, in unison when the invisible something moved. Taking some time to get to the conclusion, Dr. Ramirez finally asked, “you two can see spirits, can’t you?”
Michaela looked away from the invisible object and faced the scientists, but only smiled wearily, not affirming or denying the claim disguised as a question. But that was enough for Dr. Ramirez. The scientist suddenly gasped and screamed, “you’re Lady X!”
It took a moment for Dr. Perth to process what Dr. Ramirez said, “wait, what?”
“Lady X, you know, the test subject from---…”
“Haziq!”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Participant. The participant in one of Dr. Edrik’s earlier case studies! Wow, I was wondering what happened to Lady X! Who knew she actually married him!” His eyes sparkled again, “wait, wait! That means almost every generation of this family has at least one person with some degree of heightened spiritual senses!”
“Haziq.”
“No, really. I mean, there’s Mrs. Appleberry, First Lieutenant Faye, and then there’s Samuela. That. Is. Amazing! I wonder if it’s hereditary. Is that even possible? Then again, I guess anything could be possible. We know too little about the spirits. Mrs. Appleberry, was your daughter---…” Dr. Ramirez slowly fell silent when he pronounced the word daughter. Quickly regretting that he even started the conversation. “Ah shi---… fuc---… damn it! Excuse my language.”
Clair calling for Dr. Perth’s attention made both of the doctors jump from where they sat or stood. Dr. Ramirez looked like he was preparing himself to get punched, but no such thing happened. Clair pointed at the tablet, “you mentioned that you think this ‘Ghost’ is either a product of psychological distress, a spirit associated condition, or a combination of both. Can you tell me why?”
While Dr. Perth moved closer to Clair to explain her hypothesis, Dr. Ramirez turned back to Michaela. Watching the young scientist facing down with puppy dog eyes, reminded Michaela of the time when her grandson and his friends accidently destroyed an entire cabinet full of china in her coffee shop. How they coiled in fear, huddling close to one another, faces down, waiting for the punishment they were sure they would receive. Michaela chuckled to herself, before placing her free hand on top of the young man’s hand. He looked up, surprised at first, but then he relaxed. “I apologize for my insensitivity.”
“I accept your apology, but… sweetheart? Just to make this clear, it’s not a taboo to talk about my daughter. She may be dead, but mentioning her is not contagious.” The man nodded. “As for my time during the… studies… Well, we don’t talk about it, because it just reminds me how much of a pompous jackass Clair used to be and apparently it reminds her how much of a dull-witted shrew I was when I was younger.” Dr. Ramirez wasn’t quite sure if the old woman was telling a joke or not. “It was a match made in heaven,” Michaela grinned. “Speaking of matches. Have you heard about the time I beat him in a boxing match?” Now, he knew she was just pulling his leg.
“Why did you tell Dr. Ramirez about the boxing match?”
“Why not?”
“I personally like to pretend that never happened.”
The two laughed and continued to joke around as they walked their way to the Academy’s main entrance. When they got close to their destination, the Appleberry’s noticed a familiar face walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. The red headed man, who was much too young to be wearing a Major general’s uniform, also noticed the couple, but made a deliberate attempt to ignore them. Clair and Michaela exchanged looks and nodded to one another. Their eyes narrowed on to their target.
The Major general knew he should have turned away and find another route, but he knew they would have chased him down regardless and he didn’t have time to waste. The redhead straightened his back up and continued to walk down the hallway. First, the soldier simply tried to walk to one side of the hallway. As expected, the old couple moved towards that direction, blocking him from passing through. Next, he tried moving to the other side and, once again, the couple blocked his path. From the third trial on, the Major general attempted more elaborate methods to dodge the encounter with the old ladies, ranging from various basketball moves to throwing his wallet and wrist watch at the feeble elders. It was a cheap shot and he wasn’t proud of it, but it was better than ramming them down. Not even he was willing to stoop that low just yet. It didn’t matter either way, though. The Appleberry’s deflected each attempt. In the end, they had him right where they wanted him to be: in front of them.
The two opposing forces stood in the middle of the corridor. Silently, the Appleberry’s returned the soldier’s belongings. “I believe you dropped this, sir.” The redhead sighed in defeat and accepted his personal items. “What do you want?”
“Oh nothing,” Clair smiled innocently. “I just dropped my bag here.” Slowly, Clair raised her handbag then dropped it to the ground. The two forces stood there in silence, before the Major general broke the silence with a sigh and was ready to pick up the bag before Clair stopped him. “Oh, no good sir. Please. I can do it myself. No need to trouble yourself.” The redhead groaned in frustration, “damn it, I don’t have time to---…”
“Oh! Ooooooh!” Clair cried as she turned her handbag inside out, letting its entire contents to drop onto the floor. “Oh noooo! How clumsy of me! Oh, oh!” Clair shook the bag for extra measure. “Look at this! Such a mess! The tragedy! Love! Help me! I can’t do this on my own!”
“Oh, you silly, silly person. You are so clumsy. Let me help you.” With that, Michaela practically shoved Samuela into the soldier’s arms. The redhead’s face paled. He held the baby as if she was something between a ticking bomb and a priceless fragile porcelain doll. Michaela started to help Clair pick up her belongs, “be sure not to drop her.”
The soldier glared at her, “then don’t give her to me!”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry dear, I’m having trouble hearing you.”
“You’re lying and you know it.”
The two old women laughed.
“I hate you both.”
Samuela giggled.
The Major general shifted the baby into one arm to point at her with his free hand, “and you are just as bad as them.” Mistaking the pointed finger as an offering, Samuela tried to bite it. The soldier quickly pulled his finger away from her mouth, “no. Don’t do that. You don’t know where my hands have been.” The Appleberry’s snickered. “Shut up you wicked witches. I’m trying to be mad here. What did I say about meeting me in public!?”
“Sorry, good sir, what did you say?”
The Major general sighed deeply and simply gave up. The Appleberry’s took their time picking up the scattered contents of the bag. A time, which the soldier spent scrutinizing the baby in his arm. The redhead’s rough gaze eventually softened up. He caressed Samuela’s checks and smiled back when she smiled at him. His eyes glistened when he recognized whose eyes Samuela had. It was the eyes of someone who’d never come back. Someone who would never smile like this ever again.
The Applberry’s wished they could have let the soldier stay longer with the baby, but world around them did not care. From the main entrance, another familiar figure appeared, wondering what was taking the redhead so long. The old man in an expensive dark colored suit walked towards the small group, then halted when he saw Clair. In a span of a few seconds, the old man’s expression changed from surprised recognition, to disgust, to hate, and to indifference. “Nathaniel. What are you doing here? Did you get what I asked for?”
Although his back was facing the old man, the redhead, Nathaniel, recognized his father’s voice and turned stiff. He did not dare turn to face him, however. Not with the baby in his arms. Nathaniel held Samuela close to his chest.
“Are these… people bothering you?”
“No, sir.”
“Then stop wasting your time on them,” he gave Clair a particularly dirty look, “they’re not worth it.”
“Mr. Edrik?” The man turned to another person who came running from the school’s entrance, “we’re about to begin.” Mr. Edrik nodded to the person and faced his son once again only to say, “hurry up,” and then he left.
Nathaniel stood still until was absolutely sure his father left. Once the front doors closed, the soldier returned Samuela to her grandparents and walked right passed them without a word. Without ever looking directly at any of their faces.
Once outside, the Appleberry’s finally figured out what all the commotion was about. Surrounded by camera lenses, flashes, and reporters, was Mr. Edrik. As the Appleberry’s slithered their way past the crowd, they could hear one of the reports talking about how the Edrik family, one of the most wealthiest and influential families, had made another significant donation to Oakridge Military Academy. The reporter claimed that William Victor Edrik stated that he had made the donation because he believed in supporting the young troops, but Clair knew that was a lie. William, and the Edrik family in general, never donated to charity: they made investments. The Edrik’s did this only to gain more power. They did this, to make sure Nathaniel would never have to fight in the frontline. It was difficult to deny the possibility that his family’s money bought him his rank at that age. Despite the fact that he was talented enough to have eventually earn that title on his own. But they didn’t care. They never did care: to the Edrik’s, they were the most important people on the entire planet. To loose an Edrik was a tragedy. That’s what they taught their children since birth. That’s what Clair used to believe a long time ago.
“Let’s go, Love.”
----- Departure -----
As usual, Kimberly was in the rear of the group when Olivia announced that she was tired and required rest. Worried that perhaps Olivia was not feeling well, Kimberly broke away from his usual spot and headed towards her. “Are… you feeling all right... Olive?” Kimberly’s hand reached up to touch Olivia’s forehead, but retreated at the last moment. There was no point in trying to check if she had a fever when he was mostly covered in battle armor. “I… can carry you if… you feel sick.” Kimberly was quite serious. In fact, he could carry anyone and everyone ---with some help from the spirits--- if need be. It would not be a comfortable ride ---not with him covered in hard metal and people being stacked on top of each other--- but it was not impossible. And anything that was not impossible was a potential choice.
The Appleberry’s continued to wave at their grandchildren until the group vanished from their view. Once gone, their arms lowered themselves down. “And there they go,” Clair announced to no one in particular as her wife whispered a prayer. The old couple stood there, watching nothing for a moment longer until they turned to each other at the same time. They smiled at each other. They were both ready to go. As they walked towards the school building, Clair and Michaela’s hand automatically searched for each other and stayed glued together for the whole walk.
Clair’s hand instantly missed Michaela’s warmth once the two had to let go of one another to greet Dr. Perth at her office. They shook hands with their grandson’s doctor. “It’s good to see you again Dr. Appleberry, Mrs. Appleberry.”
“Thank you. It’s good to see you too, Athene.”
Dr. Perth glanced to the man standing next to her. “This is my colleague, Dr. Haziq Ramirez. He’s part of the science team researching the nature of spirits---…” Before Dr. Perth finished introducing the young scientist, Dr. Ramirez practically jumped his way over to Clair and shook her hands feverishly, eyes twinkling in admiration. Dr. Perth sighed, “he’s one of your fans.”
“It. Is. An. Honor. To meet you Dr. Edrik. I-I love your work. Your theory on Eternal Etro and spirits is phenomenal. I especially thought the concept of Yggdrasil is---…”
“Haziq. Calm down. Dr. APPLEBERRY is not here to listen to your ramblings.”
“Oh. Um. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” The young scientist laughed awkwardly before finally greeting Michaela. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He turned to Samuela, and in the most high pitched baby talk tone he could muster, greeted the infant, “hi there little princess. Hi! I’m Haziq! Ha-Zi-Q.” Samuela returned the greeting with a blank stare, either dumbfounded or unimpressed with his mastery of baby talk. Regardless, it was not nearly as exaggerated or as high pitched as Olivia’s baby talk was. “Aww… aren’t you just adorable! What’s your name sweetie pie?”
While her associate continued to fondle over the child, Dr. Perth sat down with Clair and passed her a tablet computer. “Here’s the medical records on Kimberly.” Clair took the tablet without hesitation, and after putting on her reading glasses, proceeded to read through the records full of medical mumbo jumbo as if she was casually reading the morning newspaper. Out of habit, Dr. Perth was ready to explain the medical results in layman’s terms, but quickly remembered that the man---… woman in front of her studied in the science field even before she was born. Clair worked as a botanist now, but Dr. Perth knew she could have mastered any field of science or medicine. She simply notified Clair that information considering Kimberly’s spirits was at the end of the document and left the old woman to her reading. While she waited for Clair to finish, Dr. Perth’s attention moved back to her colleague. “Haziq, stop harassing the poor girl.”
“I am not harassing her. I’m entertaining her.”
“I doubt it’s working if she’s giving you the thousand-yard stare.”
“No she’s not. See look! She’s smiling at me.”
Dr. Perth leaned in to get a better look at the girl. Then noticed something. “She’s not looking look you.”
“I think she’s a little too young to be having flashbacks of the good old days, Athene.”
“Observe, you sorry excuse for a scientist.”
“What are you talking about? I have astute observational powers,” Dr. Ramirez began then suddenly stopped.
“What? Did you finally realize you don’t have such powers?” Silence. “Haziq?” Dr. Perth looked up at Dr. Ramirez and then followed his line of vision. There, they saw Michaela and Samuela looking at the same direction, moving their eyes, and occasionally their heads, in unison when the invisible something moved. Taking some time to get to the conclusion, Dr. Ramirez finally asked, “you two can see spirits, can’t you?”
Michaela looked away from the invisible object and faced the scientists, but only smiled wearily, not affirming or denying the claim disguised as a question. But that was enough for Dr. Ramirez. The scientist suddenly gasped and screamed, “you’re Lady X!”
It took a moment for Dr. Perth to process what Dr. Ramirez said, “wait, what?”
“Lady X, you know, the test subject from---…”
“Haziq!”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Participant. The participant in one of Dr. Edrik’s earlier case studies! Wow, I was wondering what happened to Lady X! Who knew she actually married him!” His eyes sparkled again, “wait, wait! That means almost every generation of this family has at least one person with some degree of heightened spiritual senses!”
“Haziq.”
“No, really. I mean, there’s Mrs. Appleberry, First Lieutenant Faye, and then there’s Samuela. That. Is. Amazing! I wonder if it’s hereditary. Is that even possible? Then again, I guess anything could be possible. We know too little about the spirits. Mrs. Appleberry, was your daughter---…” Dr. Ramirez slowly fell silent when he pronounced the word daughter. Quickly regretting that he even started the conversation. “Ah shi---… fuc---… damn it! Excuse my language.”
Clair calling for Dr. Perth’s attention made both of the doctors jump from where they sat or stood. Dr. Ramirez looked like he was preparing himself to get punched, but no such thing happened. Clair pointed at the tablet, “you mentioned that you think this ‘Ghost’ is either a product of psychological distress, a spirit associated condition, or a combination of both. Can you tell me why?”
While Dr. Perth moved closer to Clair to explain her hypothesis, Dr. Ramirez turned back to Michaela. Watching the young scientist facing down with puppy dog eyes, reminded Michaela of the time when her grandson and his friends accidently destroyed an entire cabinet full of china in her coffee shop. How they coiled in fear, huddling close to one another, faces down, waiting for the punishment they were sure they would receive. Michaela chuckled to herself, before placing her free hand on top of the young man’s hand. He looked up, surprised at first, but then he relaxed. “I apologize for my insensitivity.”
“I accept your apology, but… sweetheart? Just to make this clear, it’s not a taboo to talk about my daughter. She may be dead, but mentioning her is not contagious.” The man nodded. “As for my time during the… studies… Well, we don’t talk about it, because it just reminds me how much of a pompous jackass Clair used to be and apparently it reminds her how much of a dull-witted shrew I was when I was younger.” Dr. Ramirez wasn’t quite sure if the old woman was telling a joke or not. “It was a match made in heaven,” Michaela grinned. “Speaking of matches. Have you heard about the time I beat him in a boxing match?” Now, he knew she was just pulling his leg.
“Why did you tell Dr. Ramirez about the boxing match?”
“Why not?”
“I personally like to pretend that never happened.”
The two laughed and continued to joke around as they walked their way to the Academy’s main entrance. When they got close to their destination, the Appleberry’s noticed a familiar face walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. The red headed man, who was much too young to be wearing a Major general’s uniform, also noticed the couple, but made a deliberate attempt to ignore them. Clair and Michaela exchanged looks and nodded to one another. Their eyes narrowed on to their target.
The Major general knew he should have turned away and find another route, but he knew they would have chased him down regardless and he didn’t have time to waste. The redhead straightened his back up and continued to walk down the hallway. First, the soldier simply tried to walk to one side of the hallway. As expected, the old couple moved towards that direction, blocking him from passing through. Next, he tried moving to the other side and, once again, the couple blocked his path. From the third trial on, the Major general attempted more elaborate methods to dodge the encounter with the old ladies, ranging from various basketball moves to throwing his wallet and wrist watch at the feeble elders. It was a cheap shot and he wasn’t proud of it, but it was better than ramming them down. Not even he was willing to stoop that low just yet. It didn’t matter either way, though. The Appleberry’s deflected each attempt. In the end, they had him right where they wanted him to be: in front of them.
The two opposing forces stood in the middle of the corridor. Silently, the Appleberry’s returned the soldier’s belongings. “I believe you dropped this, sir.” The redhead sighed in defeat and accepted his personal items. “What do you want?”
“Oh nothing,” Clair smiled innocently. “I just dropped my bag here.” Slowly, Clair raised her handbag then dropped it to the ground. The two forces stood there in silence, before the Major general broke the silence with a sigh and was ready to pick up the bag before Clair stopped him. “Oh, no good sir. Please. I can do it myself. No need to trouble yourself.” The redhead groaned in frustration, “damn it, I don’t have time to---…”
“Oh! Ooooooh!” Clair cried as she turned her handbag inside out, letting its entire contents to drop onto the floor. “Oh noooo! How clumsy of me! Oh, oh!” Clair shook the bag for extra measure. “Look at this! Such a mess! The tragedy! Love! Help me! I can’t do this on my own!”
“Oh, you silly, silly person. You are so clumsy. Let me help you.” With that, Michaela practically shoved Samuela into the soldier’s arms. The redhead’s face paled. He held the baby as if she was something between a ticking bomb and a priceless fragile porcelain doll. Michaela started to help Clair pick up her belongs, “be sure not to drop her.”
The soldier glared at her, “then don’t give her to me!”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry dear, I’m having trouble hearing you.”
“You’re lying and you know it.”
The two old women laughed.
“I hate you both.”
Samuela giggled.
The Major general shifted the baby into one arm to point at her with his free hand, “and you are just as bad as them.” Mistaking the pointed finger as an offering, Samuela tried to bite it. The soldier quickly pulled his finger away from her mouth, “no. Don’t do that. You don’t know where my hands have been.” The Appleberry’s snickered. “Shut up you wicked witches. I’m trying to be mad here. What did I say about meeting me in public!?”
“Sorry, good sir, what did you say?”
The Major general sighed deeply and simply gave up. The Appleberry’s took their time picking up the scattered contents of the bag. A time, which the soldier spent scrutinizing the baby in his arm. The redhead’s rough gaze eventually softened up. He caressed Samuela’s checks and smiled back when she smiled at him. His eyes glistened when he recognized whose eyes Samuela had. It was the eyes of someone who’d never come back. Someone who would never smile like this ever again.
The Applberry’s wished they could have let the soldier stay longer with the baby, but world around them did not care. From the main entrance, another familiar figure appeared, wondering what was taking the redhead so long. The old man in an expensive dark colored suit walked towards the small group, then halted when he saw Clair. In a span of a few seconds, the old man’s expression changed from surprised recognition, to disgust, to hate, and to indifference. “Nathaniel. What are you doing here? Did you get what I asked for?”
Although his back was facing the old man, the redhead, Nathaniel, recognized his father’s voice and turned stiff. He did not dare turn to face him, however. Not with the baby in his arms. Nathaniel held Samuela close to his chest.
“Are these… people bothering you?”
“No, sir.”
“Then stop wasting your time on them,” he gave Clair a particularly dirty look, “they’re not worth it.”
“Mr. Edrik?” The man turned to another person who came running from the school’s entrance, “we’re about to begin.” Mr. Edrik nodded to the person and faced his son once again only to say, “hurry up,” and then he left.
Nathaniel stood still until was absolutely sure his father left. Once the front doors closed, the soldier returned Samuela to her grandparents and walked right passed them without a word. Without ever looking directly at any of their faces.
Once outside, the Appleberry’s finally figured out what all the commotion was about. Surrounded by camera lenses, flashes, and reporters, was Mr. Edrik. As the Appleberry’s slithered their way past the crowd, they could hear one of the reports talking about how the Edrik family, one of the most wealthiest and influential families, had made another significant donation to Oakridge Military Academy. The reporter claimed that William Victor Edrik stated that he had made the donation because he believed in supporting the young troops, but Clair knew that was a lie. William, and the Edrik family in general, never donated to charity: they made investments. The Edrik’s did this only to gain more power. They did this, to make sure Nathaniel would never have to fight in the frontline. It was difficult to deny the possibility that his family’s money bought him his rank at that age. Despite the fact that he was talented enough to have eventually earn that title on his own. But they didn’t care. They never did care: to the Edrik’s, they were the most important people on the entire planet. To loose an Edrik was a tragedy. That’s what they taught their children since birth. That’s what Clair used to believe a long time ago.
“Let’s go, Love.”
----- Departure -----
As usual, Kimberly was in the rear of the group when Olivia announced that she was tired and required rest. Worried that perhaps Olivia was not feeling well, Kimberly broke away from his usual spot and headed towards her. “Are… you feeling all right... Olive?” Kimberly’s hand reached up to touch Olivia’s forehead, but retreated at the last moment. There was no point in trying to check if she had a fever when he was mostly covered in battle armor. “I… can carry you if… you feel sick.” Kimberly was quite serious. In fact, he could carry anyone and everyone ---with some help from the spirits--- if need be. It would not be a comfortable ride ---not with him covered in hard metal and people being stacked on top of each other--- but it was not impossible. And anything that was not impossible was a potential choice.
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