Lasrever

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP

roleplayerguild.com/topics/169969-wel…

OOC is up! Slightly earlier than expected, but I guess I decided to be productive today.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP (Always Accepting)

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𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎

To cut a long story short, this is a slice-of-life RP set in a fictional town in ~2013 Scotland. Having spent a long while taking part in heavier plot-based RPs, and not seeing any pure slice-of-life roleplays in the Advanced section, I thought I'd try my own hand at putting together a more relaxed setting. If you're looking for an epic world-shattering plot it's not likely to happen here, but if you're hoping for a relaxed RP with a heavy focus on character interaction, development, and relationships, then you've come to the right place.

Of course, specific events will be happening, and there should always be something going on for you to deal with - generally these events and the time between them will operate on a timer, and each one will provide you with a decent amount of time to interact with people and sort stuff out. I'm not going to force people together though, so players will have to take a certain amount of initiative when it comes to seeking out interaction.

For now, the story starts in late September; uni's just started again, the winter cold's just starting to set in, and the local harvest festival's soon scheduled to begin.

So, with that out of the way:

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𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒯𝑜𝓌𝓃

Drumvar is the type of place that most would call a hidden gem - a large-ish town halfway up the West Coast of Scotland, it often finds itself overlooked in the face of Glasgow's bustle and activity or Edinburgh's historical charm. However, for those that take the time to look, it quickly becomes clear that the town has an appeal all its own, drawing in people from all walks of life with an array of diverse - if perhaps slightly unrefined - attractions.

The community is a fairly mixed bag thanks to the town's rich cultural and historical heritage, though the majority of the population tend to be on the younger side thanks to the large student population. Once you get further away from the college and university, however, there's a fair bit of variety when it comes to who you might run into. Like anywhere else, there are richer and poorer areas, though most of them are fairly safe to wander around regardless. Violent crime rates are fairly low, although drug-related offences have been increasing over recent years.

As for entertainment, the town has a semi-decent nightlife, and a fair variety of pubs and clubs on offer. In the daytime, the local cinema occasionally has something decent to offer, and sports clubs range from tennis to rugby to soccer. On the three days a year when it isn't cloudy or freezing, the beach is always available, and the beachfront is littered with restaurants, arcades, and stalls deigned to sell cheap tat to the occasional visitor.

If you head a little further inland, the ruins of Drumvar Castle draw many people's interest, the hills are an attractive and intimidating prospect for many a hiker, and the moors provide as much peace and quiet as anyone could ever need. The concert hall is a little too small for any major artists to bother visiting, but an occasional performance by a local band or school choir often manage to fill it up to an extent.

Many of the town's residents find themselves attending the local college or university, both institutions with an impressive historical pedigree and an impressive variety of courses available - one of the main factors that can attract new faces to the town. How the rest of the town feels about that tends to vary somewhat.

At the end of the day, whether you're a history enthusiast eager to explore the ruins of a once-intimidating tower, a student pursuing their education at the local university, a businessman looking to make a fresh start, or just someone searching for a quiet life by the seaside, Drumvar provides something for whatever path you're looking to follow.

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𝐿𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈

Drumvar University

Drumvar University is located not too far from the town centre, making getting to the campus fairly convenient for just about anyone. It's pretty much within walking distance of just about anywhere important, and for those who live on the outskirts of town or don't have access to a car, public transport provides convenient access for just about anyone. It's not blocked off at all - pretty much anyone can walk through the outside portions of the campus, although they'll get some pretty strange looks if they actually try to get in anywhere.

With several new buildings constructed in 2008, the new-and-improved campus is a striking mixture of past and present architecture, home to a diverse and well-established variety of subjects and backed up by an impressive historical pedigree. The contrast between different sections of the facility is striking, with the main building and courtyard dating back centuries, refurbished more than a few times since their initial construction. The stone exteriors of the older buildings are grand to the point of being genuinely imposing, and while the interiors are a little less overdone some remnants of their grand heritage still remain - whether they be sparkling chandeliers, winding staircases, or the dozens of statues that dot the corridors.

When it comes to the actual classrooms, though, they've thankfully kept with the times. Individual desks fold down for each student in front of slightly cushioned seats, packed slightly too close to be completely comfortable - so everyone can experience the untold joy of listening to their professors drone on in a lecture as a team. Or rather because they needed enough seats to fit the larger classes, and packing them in more tightly was the cheapest solution at the time.

As for the wider campus, after the remodelling a whole host of new facilities are on offer, from a three-story gym (open to the public) with the latest equipment for everything and anything you want to train for, a cafe for those too lazy to walk anywhere else for their lunch, and a huge library with enough books and study-space to last a lifetime. Add to that the polished modern look of the newly-refurbished courtyards, and the park only five minutes walk away, and Drumvar University has a campus with something to offer for just about everyone.

Drumvar Castle

Located on a hilltop not far outside of the city, you'll be facing a fair climb if you want to visit the ruins of Drumvar Castle for a day-trip. Gravel paths and convenient stairs have been installed in the hillside, but at the end of the day you'd still better be willing to put yourself through a little bit of exercise. There's more than one reason to visit the castle, though it's not been involved in many events of particular historical importance.

It's relatively intact, for one, and efforts have been made to maintain it as well as possible - although climbing to the top of the tower is still a little precarious, especially with the steps being worn down by centuries of people making the journey up and down. Once you're up on the ramparts, the view's impressive, and you can usually see all the way to the coast.

Of course, there's several billboards dotted around detailing what each part of the castle was for - the main hall, the courtyard, the cells - as well as providing some background on previous owners and other historical information deemed important. Most of it's fairly surface-level, written with the assumption that anyone who really cares will spend time doing further research on their own.

As far as locals visiting the castle, one of the main reasons for doing so is privacy. Not many people tend to visit throughout the year, and it's a good place to go if you're looking for quiet or just somewhere to get away from it all. Which isn't to say no-one comes by at all; people do need to maintain and clean up the place, although they'll tend to leave you alone so long as you're being harmless.

Beachfront/Harbour

One of the main tourist attractions of the town, the beachfront is lined with just about every kind of gift shop, cafe, and overpriced ice-cream shop you could imagine. There's a sort of cheap and cheerful atmosphere to the whole place that makes it difficult not to find some kind of joy in the brightly-painted storefronts and boats that pass by manned with crews for just about any imaginable purpose. It's not large enough for any ferries or cruise ships to stop by, of course, but a decent number of people find work there; whether through fishing, providing sailing lessons, or running one of the local boat tours.

Most of the shops tend to sell overpriced tat and souvenirs, although you'll find the occasional local craft shop selling higher-quality and handmade items if you're looking for a gift. Most people who've been around for a while know where the good ones are, but the town gets enough visitors that most shop-owners manage to scrape by one way or another.

When it comes to food, though, everyone comes to the beachfront. Most of the city's best restaurants are around here, and if you can tolerate the place being a little busy then the food you'll receive ranges from 'pretty good' to 'absolutely delicious'. For the places that sell seafood, most of it's so fresh you can actually see it being brought in from the harbour, and intense competition has forced the standard to be fairly high. None of it's particularly posh, though; hearty portions and simple-but-delicious dishes are the usual order of the day.

The beach itself is fairly rocky, with one or two long stretches of sand breaking up the expansive sections of seaweed-covered stone. That's not to say that the whole place isn't accessible, though; provided you've got decent footwear, it's safe enough to go wandering between the rock-pools and looking for crabs, limpets or whatever else you see fit. As long as you're confident in your ability not to go tumbling, most of the beach is pretty simple to wander around. Swimming is technically an option, but with the freezing temperatures of the Scottish surf, most people wouldn't recommend it at any time but the height of summer.

Venus Nightclub

Providing bright lights, pounding music, and an exciting (if slightly shady) atmosphere, Venus is the slightly unpolished jewel of Drumvar's nightlife. Generally popular with the student population, along with anyone young, irresponsible, and in possession of a halfway-passable ID, there's never a weekend going by where the place isn't full to the brim with people that aren't going to remember half of their night by the time they wake up the next morning. It's wild, otherworldly, and a whole lot of fun once you get a few drinks in.

Of course, it's not totally uncontrolled; there's still some security present, and if you act out too badly they won't hesitate to ban you from the premises. After all, business is booming, and one badly-behaved patron isn't worth all the trouble to keep around. For that reason, while there'll always be plenty of questionable decisions on display, people rarely push it too far and generally have the sense to take things outside if they're really looking for a fight. The local police tend to pay more attention to the area on busy nights though, just in case.

And while it may not be too popular with those that love peace and quiet, the club's popularity means there's no questioning that the place is here to stay.

The Bull's Head Pub

The more laid-back of the two popular hangouts in Drumvar, the Bull's Head Pub has been around for as long as anyone can remember. Visited by a fair base of regulars, there's generally always one or two people present, but even on the busier days it never reaches the chaotic and crowded levels of Venus. Steady but not overwhelming would be the best way to describe it, with the crowds increasing whenever there's an important sporting event on or as people come in looking for a drink after work.

It's fairly old-fashioned as far as decoration goes, and you could go as far as saying some aspects are a little shabby, but at the end of the day that doesn't seem to discourage most people. The atmosphere's pretty friendly, and it's generally the type of place you'd go if you wanted to meet an old friend and catch up, or just hang out with some acquaintances to play some pool and chat for a few hours.

There'll occasionally be a more informal community event on at the pub, though they don't seem to operate on much of a schedule beyond 'whenever the owner feels like'.

Glasvar Park

Popular with dog-walkers and families alike, Glasvar Park is a welcoming sight during the day, with impressive greenery surrounding a variety of winding forest paths that snake around the outskirts of the park. Towards the centre of the park, the forest thins, to be replaced by a large and open grassy field often occupied by people playing with their dogs, kicking a ball around, or just lying down to watch the world go by. Benches are located at fairly regular intervals on the park's main paths, so there's usually somewhere to sit down.

The popular areas of the park are generally kept clean and free of litter, although as you get further in you're likely to come across the occasional half-empty bottle or discarded wrapper. Still, the scenery tends to make up for it, and you're pretty likely to come across the occasional squirrel or other small animal if you decide to go for a walk. Although if you head up during the summer on a day where the wind is low, the midges will be an absolute nightmare as they do their damnedest to eat you alive.

And while the park may be a tempting place to visit during the day, heading through at night is an ill-advised venture if the local gossip is anything to go by. If you're particularly keen on being stabbed for stumbling across something you shouldn't then of course feel free, but the general advice is to steer clear. When it's totally necessary to cut through, then it's better to just stay on the brightly-lit paths and not go too far off the beaten track.

Century Shopping Centre

While not the largest mall most people will ever have been to, the Century shopping centre boasts a variety of clothing stores, internationally-recognised chains, and something for just about whatever you need. For those with expensive taste, there's certainly one or two designer brands available, their stores squeezed in-between the larger and generally more accessible retailers. Pretty much all the clothing retailers in the town can be found here, so everyone has to stop by at one point or another unless they feel like making the journey to a bigger city.

That's not to say clothing's the only thing on offer; several of the larger shops have their own built-in cafes,
and there's always the opportunity to stop by the food court to satisfy your appetite. As well as that, the local supermarket can be found pretty much right next to the mall, meaning pretty much everything can be found in one easily-accessed location. Open practically every single day, the high-profile chains that occupy the mall can at times be far more convenient than many of the locally run stores.

Many of the local business owners aren't particularly fond of the mall, finding that a lot of people opt for the convenience of having everything in one place over the more personal touch of a family-run store. Generally speaking though, a vast majority of the residents appreciate it being there.

Charlie's Cafe

A casual restaurant for those not wanting to break the bank on a meal, Charlie's is the type of place you can stop by if you're wanting a meal fast. The food isn't really anything to write home about, but it's warm, greasy, and comes in large enough portions to defeat even the most hardened stomachs, which in most people's books is enough to get a recommendation. They tend to hire part-timers, and it's the kind of place where most people would find a first job.

It's nice enough to sit in; the atmosphere is fairly comfy and the room brightly-lit enough to feel spacious enough even when it's full, while the staff tend to be friendly but not overbearing, though the owner himself can be a little too boisterous for some folk's taste. It may not be high cuisine, but with the speedy service and convenience that make it a favourite of anyone that has to work a long day, Charlie's Cafe is a staple of the community.

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𝐼𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒮𝓉𝓊𝒻𝒻

Character Sheet Code

[indent]
[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Name:[/h3][/color]
[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Age:[/h3][/color]

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Appearance:[/h3][/color] Image & description here, no irl faceclaims please.

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Family:[/h3][/color] List any and all family members here (pets can be included if you want)
[list][*] 1
[*] 2
[*] 3... continue as needed, you get the idea.
[/list]

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Occupation:[/h3][/color] Are they a student, a bartender, working at the harbour, or even just unemployed and looking for a job?

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Personality:[/h3][/color] A couple of paragraphs describing who your character is - what do they like and dislike, how do they react to others, what little quirks help them stand out - all that good stuff.

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]History:[/h3][/color] Did they grow up in Drumvar or somewhere else? A few paragraphs detailing where they came from, what brought them here, what they've been doing with themselves since arriving, etc.

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Other:[/h3][/color] Any important or interesting information you couldn't find a place for in the other sections can be stuck in here. If there's nothing, then feel free to leave it blank.

[/indent]

Character Sheet appearance

Name:

Name McName

Age:

600

Appearance:

Image & description here, no irl faceclaims please.

Family:

List any and all family members here (pets can be included if you want)

• 1
• 2
• 3... continue as needed, you get the idea.

Occupation:

Are they a student, a bartender, working at the harbour, or even just unemployed and looking for a job?

Personality:

A couple of paragraphs describing who your character is - what do they like and dislike, how do they react to others, what little quirks help them stand out - all that good stuff.

History:

Did they grow up in Drumvar or somewhere else? A few paragraphs detailing where they came from, what brought them here, what they've been doing with themselves since arriving, etc.

Other:

Any important or interesting information you couldn't find a place for in the other sections can be stuck in here. If there's nothing, then feel free to leave it blank.

You're free to change things around with the sheets for aesthetics and whatnot, but try and keep to the overall structure.

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Rules

These are pretty much the same rules as you usually see, but it's better to be safe than sorry. You'll be warned if you're pushing it.

• No metagaming. If your character doesn't know something, don't have them behave as if they do.
• No one-liners, please. I don't want/expect every post to break the scrollbar, but try and have at least a few paragraphs and some decent detail for people to react to.
• In the same vein, if you're having a character interaction, collaborate on a single post instead of having a whole page of back-and-forth, it's a lot more practical and better for my sanity.
• Feel free to have romance with other characters, but if you're going full-on smut (or anything above pg-13) keep that to PMs or a separate document and don't post it in the RP proper.
• Try and post fairly regularly. At least one post every week would be ideal, but I'm happy to give people some leeway - just keep the GMs updated if you're busy with other stuff or disappearing for a long while.
• Lastly, just don't be a dick to people. If there's something seriously bugging you, tell me and/or a co-gm and we'll do our best to sort it out.

Discord link will be PM'd to accepted players once I've got it properly set up.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP (Always Accepting)

Character Roster

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Kayla Johnston | Fraser Zorić | Thomas Argyll

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Ivonne Anderson | Dana St. Martin | Annest Williams

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Important NPCs

Will be added as and when they become relevant.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP (Always Accepting)

So, that's the OOC posted! Slightly earlier than expected, but I didn't have much else to do today. As always, feel free to PM me or Snag with any questions/ideas you may have, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP

I can confirm that I dragged Snag into Co-GMing.

Going to stick my own character sheet in here for posterity whilst I get to working on all the place descriptions and whatnot.

Kayla Johnston

Name:

Kayla Johnston

Age:

23

Appearance:

Fairly slim and standing at a decent 5'5", Kayla isn't too far from average in stature. She's always got her head held high, usually accompanied by a slight smile or full-on friendly grin. Between the short bright-blonde hair, the piercings, and most strikingly the intricate tattoo on the side of her neck, she tends to stand out in most crowds - though definitely not all of them. Despite this, she doesn't go out of her way to attract attention, and if anything tries to avoid it - preferring to dress in muted colours and plain old jeans, t-shirts and worn-down trainers rather than anything particularly fancy.

It's obvious that she tries to take good care of herself, though; she's rarely dishevelled and almost always well put together. Even when she's working and dressed a little more smartly, though, she's always pretty relaxed. In general, she gives the impression of someone that wants to look good, but doesn't really care whether anyone's paying attention.

Family:

• Callum Johnston | Father | Accountant | 54
• Isla Johnston | Mother | Social Worker | 51
• Max | British Shorthair | 4

Occupation:

Bartender at the Bull's Head and aspiring journalist - by which I mean she runs a blog and takes it way too seriously.

Personality:

Easygoing, self-confident, and a little detached, Kayla's good at getting people talking, but never seems to genuinely care. She does mean well most of the time, but tends to over-analyse and jump to conclusions instead of letting people speak for themselves, along with an irritating tendency to eavesdrop and stick her nose in where it isn't wanted. This passion for information doesn't go both ways, either; any personal questions sent her way will be quickly deflected. There's a certain focus on control in her attitude that becomes evident the more you talk to her, but it's understandable - the girl's been through more than most.

When she's working, of course, she'll always make an effort to get along with her customers, and carries that attitude with her most of the time as she jokes and flirts her way through life - though she never really expects anyone to take her teasing seriously, and is quick to shut down those that get the wrong idea. Once she actually cares, though, she's a lot more easily flustered than you'd expect. In fact, despite her image, the girl's a lot more straight-laced, caring, and generally sensible than she lets on. Not that she won't pout at you if you ever bring that up.

At the core, she's a drifter with no specific goal in life; one of those people who just rolls with the punches and takes things as they come. Even when things are going wrong, it's tough to stress her out; like she says with annoying regularity, "things could always be a whole lot worse."

History:

Born and raised in Glasgow, Kayla's early life was fairly unremarkable. Her father was an accountant, well-meaning if slightly strict, while her mother, a social worker, was much the same. They generally did a pretty good job on the whole parenting business, if never seeming to take more than token levels of interest in most things she did. It was perhaps this lack of interest that kept them from noticing the way she fell in with the wrong crowd at the beginning of secondary school - at least, until she started coming home at 3AM, stealing money to pay for any number of drugs, and attending school just enough to avoid anyone causing an issue.

Of course they worried once they caught on, but they had no clue how to deal with it. Argument after argument didn't change a thing, instead just driving her away more often than not. But hey; who cared, right? She was having fun. It was her life, and she wasn't hurting anyone. Sure, she'd heard the horror stories about addiction, all that fun stuff, but she was young, strong, and felt invincible - and that could never happen to her, right? She'd try anything once. Then again. And again.

By eighteen, she'd developed a cocaine habit, and didn't know how to stop. She's not proud of that time in her life, and prefers not to remember the lengths she'd go to to fund her addiction.

At twenty-one, with support from her parents, she was checked into a private rehab facility. It would be a hell of an understatement to say the process was difficult, but six months later she was released - clean and planning to stay that way. Hoping to distance herself from her old life, she moved to Drumvar only a few months later, offered the bar-tending job by the owner, a family friend who'd heard all about everything she'd been through. Even now, the guy tends to be pretty protective of her in an almost fatherly way.

With the help of her job, her blog, a newly-developed love of the outdoors and the pet cat she adopted three months after moving in, she's managed to keep things turned around so far. And looking at how things stand, she's always been able to keep a pretty positive attitude going. After all, she knows as well as anyone - things could really be a whole lot worse.

Other:

• While she runs her blog anonymously, she's secretly really proud of it, and will never admit it's not going to change the world no matter how convincing your argument is to the contrary.
• Despite having an average singing voice, she absolutely loves karaoke - and swears she makes up for it with enthusiasm.
• Understandably, she doesn't drink and definitely doesn't do drugs - bringing up the idea will get you a hard, hard, 'no'. Trying to pressure her after that is one of the few ways to get her seriously angry.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP

@MissCapnCrunch Looks good to me, nothing there that should need changing!

Thanks to everyone that's shown interest so far! I'm aiming to get the OOC up sometime within the next few days, so I'll post the link here as soon as that's put together. If anyone's got any urgent questions they need answered before that, or details they want to check out, then feel free to PM me so we can figure stuff out.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP

@MissCapnCrunch Anything's fine really, so long as it's not a photograph.

Welcome to Drumvar: A Slice of Life RP

𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓓𝓻𝓾𝓶𝓿𝓪𝓻

What this is

To cut a long story short, this is a slice-of-life RP set in a fictional town in ~2013 Scotland. Having spent a long while taking part in heavier plot-based RPs, and not seeing any pure slice-of-life roleplays in the Advanced section, I thought I'd try my own hand at putting together a more relaxed setting. If you're looking for an epic world-shattering plot it's not likely to happen here, but if you're hoping for a relaxed RP with a heavy focus on character interaction, development, and relationships, then you've come to the right place.

So, with that out of the way:

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𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒯𝑜𝓌𝓃

Drumvar is the type of place that most would call a hidden gem - a large-ish town halfway up the West Coast of Scotland, it often finds itself overlooked in the face of Glasgow's bustle and activity or Edinburgh's historical charm. However, for those that take the time to look, it quickly becomes clear that the town has an appeal all its own, drawing in people from all walks of life with an array of diverse - if perhaps slightly unrefined - attractions.

The community is a fairly mixed bag thanks to the town's rich cultural and historical heritage, though the majority of the population tend to be on the younger side thanks to the large student population. Once you get further away from the college and university, however, there's a fair bit of variety when it comes to who you might run into. Like anywhere else, there are richer and poorer areas, though most of them are fairly safe to wander around regardless. Violent crime rates are fairly low, although drug-related offences have been increasing over recent years.

As for entertainment, the town has a semi-decent nightlife, and a fair variety of pubs and clubs on offer. In the daytime, the local cinema occasionally has something decent to offer, and sports clubs range from tennis to rugby to soccer. On the three days a year when it isn't cloudy or freezing, the beach is always available, and the beachfront is littered with restaurants, arcades, and stalls deigned to sell cheap tat to the occasional visitor.

If you head a little further inland, the ruins of Drumvar Castle draw many people's interest, the hills are an attractive and intimidating prospect for many a hiker, and the moors provide as much peace and quiet as anyone could ever need. The concert hall is a little too small for any major artists to bother visiting, but an occasional performance by a local band or school choir often manage to fill it up to an extent.

Many of the town's residents find themselves attending the local college or university, both institutions with an impressive historical pedigree and an impressive variety of courses available - one of the main factors that can attract new faces to the town. How the rest of the town feels about that tends to vary somewhat.

At the end of the day, whether you're a history enthusiast eager to explore the ruins of a once-intimidating tower, a student pursuing their education at the local university, a businessman looking to make a fresh start, or just someone searching for a quiet life by the seaside, Drumvar provides something for whatever path you're looking to follow.

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𝐿𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 (descriptions pending)

Drumvar University

Drumvar Castle

Beachfront/Harbour

Venus Nightclub

The Bull's Head Pub

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Character Sheet Code

[indent]
[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Name:[/h3][/color] Name here
[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Age:[/h3][/color] Age here

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Appearance:[/h3][/color] Image & description here, no irl faceclaims please.

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Family:[/h3][/color] List any and all family members here (pets can be included if you want)
[list][*] 1
[*] 2
[*] 3... continue as needed, you get the idea.
[/list]

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Occupation:[/h3][/color] Are they a student, a bartender, working at the harbour, or even just unemployed and looking for a job?

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Personality:[/h3][/color] A couple of paragraphs describing who your character is - what do they like and dislike, how do they react to others, what little quirks help them stand out - all that good stuff.

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]History:[/h3][/color] Did they grow up in Drumvar or somewhere else? A few paragraphs detailing where they came from, what brought them here, what they've been doing with themselves since arriving, etc.

[color=yourcolorhere][h3]Other:[/h3][/color] Any important or interesting information you couldn't find a place for in the other sections can be stuck in here. If there's nothing, then feel free to leave it blank.

[/indent]

Rules

Basically the same rules as you usually see, but it's better safe than sorry.

• No metagaming. If your character doesn't know something, don't have them behave as if they do.
• No one-liners, please. I don't want or expect every post to break the scrollbar, but try and have at least a few paragraphs and some decent detail for people to react to.
• In the same vein, if you're having a character interaction, try and collaborate on a single post instead of having a whole page of back-and-forth, it's a lot more practical and better for my sanity.
• Feel free to have romance with other characters, but if you're going full-on smut (or anything above pg-13) keep that to PMs or a separate document and don't post it in the RP proper.
• Try and post fairly regularly. One post every week would be ideal, but I'm happy to give people some leeway - just keep me updated if you're busy with other stuff or disappearing for a long while!
• Lastly, just don't be a dick to people. If there's something seriously bugging you, tell me and/or a co-gm and we'll do our best to sort it out.

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

Zoe Fletcher

Thursday, Oct. 8

Ernie & Zoe: Insinuations and Initiated Investigations

Here

Solo Post: Built for This

Zoe

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𝕋𝕙𝕦𝕣𝕤: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟠, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 ℤ𝕖𝕣𝕠 / / ~𝟙𝟛𝟛𝟘

---

Ground Zero. There was a time when Zoe would have enjoyed being here.

To tell the truth, her enthusiasm for just about everything had disappeared lately. Because she knew she'd end up doing something that couldn't be fixed, sooner or later - and she knew that the Stigma had too much of a hold for her to fight back against. She'd almost died in their first fight. Part of her thought it would have been better that way.

Someone was going to die, weren't they? They'd die, and she'd kill them. It was only dumb luck that she hadn't managed it so far. She'd known it since La Plata, not that she'd try repeating that incident again. Tempting as it was, she wasn't stupid enough to think it'd work.

Dreamcatcher really was a sadistic motherfucker, huh. No way out, no matter how desperately she might have wanted it. And even if she was willing to throw herself into the line of fire while they thought, she wasn't willing to lie down and die while her teammates risked their lives. Lose-lose situation. At least if she went down fighting, she could make sure it meant something, but she couldn't be sure it'd happen soon enough. Maybe they'd shoot her once she finished one of them off, but that was too little too late.

For now, she had to keep the urges to a minimum where she could. She'd been running back and forth for a while, her victims taken care of quickly and painfully. Sitting down like this and giving things some thought wasn't good for her, really. It made what she was doing so much more real.

Her eyes fixed on the nearest target. The boy was a few years younger than the aberration, and she walked over slowly, placing her hand on his throat and slowly melting it away. And it felt good - of course it did, it always had. She met his eyes, blue locking with desperate, staring brown. She smiled, feeling the boy's pain wash over her, but it didn't cast aside her doubts. Didn't change the disgust she felt as the flesh began to drop off, falling to the ground in viscous, bloody, chunks.

Just a kid, really.

Remind you of anyone?

Zoe's eyes widened, her hand tearing away from his flesh as she stumbled back, letting the body fall to the ground with a wet thud. She wasn't on her feet anymore, a frustrated yell escaping her throat.

And it trailed off into sobs as something in her finally crumbled. Of course it reminded her, of course she remembered how she'd ended up here. How she'd torn and broken and hurt. The images were clear as day when she tried to think about them, the confirmation of just how pathetic and terrible a creature she was.

Why did it still have to feel so good?

The want had faded as the boy's life did. But that didn't make her feel any less twisted for what she'd experienced while it happened, that disgustingly irresistible euphoria. For being so weak she couldn't resist its pull, not now, not then. Not yesterday, either. It wasn't the same as her resolve, really - she didn't despise her willingness to kill, considering the circumstances of the world. What sickened her was her inability to stop.

She placed her hand on her side, underneath her vest. It was as difficult as it had been before, but she wouldn't go so far this time. She just... needed this sometimes. Needed to feel something of what she'd inflicted so many times on so many people, of what she'd do again and again as it was needed.

Especially since her new life made her sins so much worse on reflection.

"I have to do this. Just-- tell me you understand. Please."

"I knew what'd happen, but..." A pause. "I'm scared, Zoe."

"I'll make it quick."

It was such a simple movement, pulling the trigger. What came after, though... that was anything but. Always.

It stung as the surface of her skin bubbled and melted away, as she drew away a hand thinly coated in blackened sludge. The wound was large, the size and shape of her hand but not much deeper than a scrape - she knew better than to try and take on her Stigma through anything major. This gesture was more symbolic defiance than anything, deliberately painful but no more than that. And perhaps it helped with her guilt, if only by the tiniest of margins.

Pulling the fabric down roughly to cover it, she winced. The blood was unlikely to soak through the fabric before she made it back to her room. There. It'd be simple enough to maintain throughout the week without risking much reduction in effectiveness. A reminder. That memory, that loss - that was what she feared, what she had to fight against seeing again.

It hurt. It hurt, because she was in control. Not that thing. Me.

She wouldn't be able to stand for a while yet, black smoke rising as she melted the blood away - she'd have to bring bandages next time. She couldn't really pretend to be okay once she managed to stand either, but she could at least hide enough that her classmates wouldn't care to look any deeper. Functioning; that was all she could really hope to be right now.

"I don't think you're built for all this, you know."

"You say that like anyone is."

Zoe & Siena: Nobody Needs to Know

Nobody Needs to Know

Zoe | Siena

---

𝕋𝕙𝕦𝕣𝕤: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟠, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕦𝕤 / / ~𝟙𝟡𝟘𝟘

---

_{Collab with... @Lasrever @Papitan}

Having returned from Ground Zero, Zoe found herself exhausted. Sprinting around the place was always tiring, and the stinging pain that accompanied almost every breath certainly hadn't made things any less tiring to carry out. She was thankful her survival kit came with first-aid supplies, not that she could do anything fatal to herself anyway. The wound didn't hurt her resolve - the opposite, in fact. It was deserved, all of it. And it reminded her she needed to focus, at the very least.

Her conversation with Ernie had sparked something in her, a determination to get to the bottom of as much as she possibly could. A noble goal, but one with a pretty severe limitation - Zoe had the academic skills of a potato. Beyond helping one or two of her people through a few textbooks, it had never been a priority. Research wasn't worth the effort it'd take - and on the subject of subnaturals, she hadn't wanted to humanise them by knowing too much.

So she figured it was a better plan to ask someone who knew how to do this shit. Specifically, she'd been looking around for... there! Breaking into a jog, Zoe called out before reaching the other girl. "Hey, Siena. You got time to help me out?"

It had been an eventful day, and though she'd spent some time trying to grow accustomed to the new air she evidently gave off, Siena still found herself more uncomfortable back at USARILN East than she had been in D.C. At least in the latter, Siena knew the general consensus was that everyone hated her presence. Taking a walk hadn't cleared things up at all, though she'd at least had some progress in battling her unease around Hazel. Sort of.

Hearing a familiar voice was a relief--at least she knew her peers weren't likely to be eyeing her from across the street with unknown thoughts in their head. The brunette painted on her usual expression before turning to the redhead that had made her approach. Comfort.

Don't you want to ask? Yes, she did, but it wasn't imperative.

"Yeah, of course." She probably should have asked what Zoe needed help with first, but it wasn't as if Siena had plans. The Arbiter let the pause take her, and the smile grew the faintest bit of mischief to cover for the flash of hesitation. "Er...assuming I didn't just agree to helping you steal a cow or something."

"Not until step three." Zoe returned the smile with no small amount of relief, glad to hear the other girl's agreement. She hadn't really had a backup plan here, and wasting time wasn't on the agenda right now. Her expression growing serious, she looked at Siena with surprising intensity. "But seriously, you're smart, right? I mean, when it comes to... school stuff? You know, research and all that." And Zoe's distaste for academia was written across her expression.

"I kinda need your help looking some stuff up. It's not really my strong suit." And that was putting it lightly.

There were a few things that were hard not to make a priority in that instant. The relief, the sudden intensity--the smile faded, the faint upturn of the lips little more than a faded gesture that wasn't really there. Considering the events of their first "class", Siena had made the assumption that most of her peers shared the same distaste for research that Zoe was showing at that moment.

"I do have some advantages on that front." The answer came without hesitation despite the moment that the brunette had taken to consider the situation at hand. Even if she wasn't an information gatherer like the subnatural that the two had met in the coffeehouse, she knew the strength of being able to cross any language barrier--just like she knew the strength of a credit card number when it came to unlocking previously sealed vaults of information. "What'd you need me to look into? I'm sure I can find something."

One way or another. Siena made sure to leave out the rest of that thought.

"The Amigos, first of all, but that's probably not a surprise. How they work, what they work for, who they might take jobs from." Zoe frowned as she thought back to her morning conversation. "How they're identified, too. Apparently there's a way they do it. Something to do with mouths."

Zoe noticeably lowered her voice as she continued, glancing over her shoulder. "And I need you to find... I don't know. Accounts. People talking about what it's like to be a sub. Wisford and DC were the same people, and that was before we got any spotlight. We're special, and we're being targeted. I want to know how, and I want to know why." She was aware she might've sounded like a paranoid nutjob, but it was better than leaving her questions unanswered.

Mentally, Siena made a checklist of the requests. Information on the Amigos, accounts on being a subnatural--Wisford and DC were the same people?--the thought compartmentalized itself to be mulled on later. She had looked into the events of DC, but they had been harrowing even for a team focused on the rescue. The same people. Red flags raised in the back of the brunette's mind, but she nodded once to acknowledge that she understood.

"Accounts and information shouldn't be too difficult," Siena started, brow furrowing slightly in focus as she considered something. There were ways, she knew, outside of using the Amigos directly, but her skin went clammy at the thought. A strained attempt at a smile crossed Siena's face, but she was certain it was cold and unnerving at best. "As far as information on our Brazilian friends goes, I somehow doubt administration will be very generous on direct communication with a convenient source." The words were stilted, and Siena knew it, put too much effort into keeping the rest of her thoughts in check. "Kind of a shame, but I'll...figure something out."

A convenient source? "If you mean the straggler, they already promised me the information they get from him. How much they'll actually give me, I don't know." Zoe didn't miss the cold in her classmate's expression any more than she missed the implications of the final statement. It didn't seem like the eagerness that haunted her own thoughts, but it was dangerous nonetheless - not that Zoe was about to discourage it. "Would've asked for myself, but even if he hadn't passed out from the damage... well, it's tough to keep a teleporter down for a proper interrogation."

And make no mistake, that had been the plan; Zoe had no intention of pretending otherwise. Besides, the sadistic smile that accompanied yesterday's memories spoke for itself.

"How much will be accurate from their extractions is always a concern too. People tend to say anything to get out of an unpleasant situation," Siena replied without missing a beat. Instinctively, she ran her thumb over the screen of her phone, mind conjuring at least four different sources that would have eliminated that problem of lying. Five others that could have prevented teleportation--and that was assuming that the Amigo in question could have outrun her own sources for long. Grey eyes caught the sadistic smile, did not falter at the sight, and instead drew a modicum of comfort from it. She understood that much better when it wasn't masked behind probing words and questions. "But I digress. If I can't use a direct method, then I'll have to get creative."

Creative, she thought, if she didn't want to have to resort to asking for favors from her father. There weren't many doors that couldn't be opened with money, as she was reminded countless times before. Money and whatever connections that might have come with it.

"I assume that I should do my best to keep this between us, given the subject matter." The idea of them being targeted was, after all, unnerving at best, and terrifying at worst. For a moment, Siena imagined what might happen if that information became common knowledge among the rest of their peers. Most results were not pleasant to imagine.

"That's probably for the best, yeah. Just see what we can find and then..." Zoe shrugged. "Try to figure this shit out from there." It wasn't much, compared to what she'd already decided to hide - if everything she knew came out when it all boiled over, she'd be more than ready to push through. Still, there was one more thing that could affect all this. But even with all they'd said, she had to know that Siena shared her priorities.

"Siena." Zoe locked eyes with the arbiter, "I'm gonna ask you a question, and I need you to give me an honest answer, alright?"

An honest answer. Thoughts of the last time honest answers had been a necessity came to mind at that, but Siena didn't let it show. It probably wasn't a good idea to tell anyone that she and honesty weren't exactly on the best of terms. Trying her hardest not to break eye contact despite the discomfort that settled in at the concept, Siena gave a carefully measured nod.

"Ask away."

"If you... knew something. Something that'd stop people from hurting right now, but might make things a hell of a lot worse in the long run. And say, as far as you knew, you were the only one with that info." She looked at the other girl calmly - whatever she was looking for with this, it certainly wasn't advice. Her answer had been decided already. "What would you do with that?"

A pause was the most hesitation that Siena could give at that moment, grey eyes averting briefly to consider her answer. There were plenty of variables that would have changed her course of action, the least of which being what the information actually was. What names she had taken, what she put away as not her, things that she decided to adopt as part of her--everything had its own impact in the answer.

But she'd agreed to an honest one, so she tried her best.

"Keep my discretion," Siena started, the words carefully selected, her thumb pressing against the screen of her phone for comfort or courage. "I can't say that I wouldn't be tempted, of course, but if divulging the information could make things that much worse, then the risk wouldn't be worth it. For me, at least." Siena took a breath to give herself a moment to stop and consider the rest of her answer. "But this is coming from someone who has the means to separate emotional logic from rational logic if it's necessary. Whether it's possible for everyone is...dubious, at best."

Her gaze fell back to the redhead in question, a calm look that didn't hide the unspoken question. Nobody asked something like that for no reason.

Zoe was silent for a long moment, thinking over the answer. Separating emotion from logic... it was almost the opposite of how her own thoughts ran. It had been her emotions that kept her mouth shut - that protective instinct that had driven her to do so much. To push so many things so far. The fire that kept her fighting even when that meant her own blood had to be shed. Similar, but oh-so-different.

Still, the means didn't matter - the end result of their mindsets was the same this time. Maybe this was dangerous to admit to hiding, really. But Zoe couldn't get to the bottom of all this alone, and with that in mind it was a risk worth taking. The gaze she turned on Siena was desperate, but oddly trusting; the redhead's borderline suicidal loyalty perhaps giving her the final push she needed to make the decision.

Like ripping off a band-aid, right? All at once.

"Angel's alive. Andrew told me." Zoe spoke sincerely. "'In pieces, but alive.' They wanted something with her - they've got a goal here, one way or another." And as she finally said it to her classmate, her eyes widened in realisation. "It's not the first time one of us has disappeared without a trace either, right? Same thing happened with Aaron before Wisford. Something's fucked about all this, and I'm-- shit, I'm not smart enough to figure it out."

"But you can't tell the others. You know as well as I do they'd be planning some dumbass rescue mission before you could say 'suicide'. Hurts like a bitch, but..." She grimaced. "Seventeen's a whole lot more than one. I'm not letting anyone get themselves killed for her. Until we have more info, it's a lost cause. They'd probably hate me for keeping it shut, but it's the only way to protect them."

Alive.

It was harder than Siena wanted to admit to keep the immediate surge of emotion from coming to the surface. A mixed storm that she let brew out of sight, as always, and the brunette took a breath, shut her eyes to process the information for a moment, and wished that she had an EO's help to separate her head and her heart. One second of silence, but it felt like longer. A rescue mission into unknown territory, likely against orders. If they weren't shot first, they'd be ripped to shreds during.

"Nobody needs to know. I can think of more than one that would try to mount a rescue without so much as waiting for approval from higher authorities." She kept her tone even, each word in the phrase painstakingly measured to prevent the betrayal of any storm that threatened to surge forward. Opening her eyes again, Siena did her best to emulate what she felt back at the island, after they had managed to heal the worst of the injuries. Not there, and yet entirely so--ah, it wasn't so easy without help. "If she was alive when they took her, clearly they need her alive for something. That's as good a lead as any."

Siena realized that was a poor offer of comfort, released a sigh with a shake of her head. There wasn't much more that could be done in that regard.

"I'll do what I can to figure out more. Safely, of course." And here, she allowed hesitation to take her, conflict flickering across her features for a brief moment, before returning to a controlled mask. "And if you need updates on her status, I may be able to tell you whether she's alive or dead. It's not much, but...it's something."

"I'll ask if I need the confirmation." But Zoe didn't plan on that kind of self-indulgence. No, she had work to do, things to throw herself in to, a mind to try and keep hold of. She didn't really deserve the comfort of certainty - and more than that, she couldn't afford to rely on Siena more than she already was. Of course she needed the help - Wednesday's events had, if nothing else, made her weakness clear. Her complete and utter helplessness against the power of her own mind.

Finally, she was realising that maybe she couldn't do this alone. If she was going to keep chasing the end, then she could at least try to bring some kind of truth to light before she got there. That was the least she owed them.

"Just keep me updated with what you find, Siena. And for what it's worth..." Zoe didn't bother trying to force a smile, turning an exhausted expression towards the arbiter. Exhausted, but at the same time relieved. "I'm glad I was able to trust you with this."

Saturday, Oct. 10

Zoe & Marcus: Half-truths and Almost-apologies

Here

Sunday, Oct. 11

Zoe & Allison: Giving Up the Ghost

Giving up the Ghost

Zoe | Allison

𝕊𝕦𝕟: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟙𝟙, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹: ℝ𝕠𝕠𝕞 𝟛𝟘𝟙 / / ~𝟙𝟠𝟘𝟘

_{Collab with... @Lasrever @VarionusNW}

Zoe still wasn't certain about what she was doing here. She doubted Allison would be in a good way right now - and Zoe knew her presence would never be described as comforting, least of all by someone who'd seen her snap again and again. Really, it didn't seem like it'd help much of anything for her to show up at the other girl's door. But here she was anyway. As for her motivation, well... the more she thought about it, the more obvious it seemed that she was driven here by guilt. Not for her loss of control at the estate; there was no point in apologizing for something she wasn't strong enough to stop. But rather, for her silence on Angel's survival.

After all, if the other girl was suffering, it was at least partly - oh, who was she kidding, it was mostly her fault. But she had to make sure Allison was accepting Angel's death, whether it was complete or not by this point. People died, after all. That was the truth of things. Even if it wasn't quite so true this time, it would hurt less in the long run for the girl to believe that than it would for her to bury herself in denial. Because whether Zoe liked it or not, there was every chance they wouldn't get the singer back.

Forcing herself to at least try and look friendly, she knocked on the door. "You there? Thought I'd check in, see how you're doing."

For a few moments, Zoe's knock was left unanswered. The room was silent, aside from the occasional tweet from Pav. A quick poke to Zoe's shoulder, though, revealed that the girl's efforts weren't in vain. Allison stood behind Zoe, a towel hanging from her neck, and her face framed by clumping strands of damp hair. She looked absolutely exhausted, though her face lacked the grim expression that had held it after the events of only a few days prior, instead wielding a smile. It wasn't particularly bright, but the fact that it was there at all was remarkable.

"Hey Zoe, here to see me?" Allison moved past Zoe to get the door open, ushering the other girl into the room. "Come on in." It wasn't a complete mess; the bed was made, and only a few of Allison's clothes were on the floor. On the desk sat Pav's birdcage aside two small notebooks, and the phone that Allison refused to keep with her though it was now intentional. "So, what's up?" Allison asked after closing the door behind Zoe and sitting on the bed.

Zoe jumped slightly at being poked, spinning around before realising it was just Allison. Smiling, at least, so that wasn't too bad-- but seeing the girl face-to-face, the guilt seemed a whole lot worse all of a sudden. Not that she'd mention that, instead forcing herself to return the smile as she walked through the door.

"Just figured I'd see how you were getting on after everything. Y'know, if you needed to talk to someone about it." Though Zoe wouldn't call herself the first choice for this kind of thing, it seemed right not to just leave Allison to herself the whole time. Taking a seat on the edge of the desk next to the birdcage, Zoe looked around the room. Didn't seem like Allison had given up on keeping things together, at least, which was more than Zoe could say for herself. "Figured someone ought to check in and make sure you're coping, I guess."

Allison knew Zoe meant well, why wouldn't she mean well? But her words were a sickly sludge that had seeped under her door. Zoe was fine, even with all that she had done, Allison liked Zoe. Those words, though, they were not welcome. Allison wasn't coping, not because she didn't want to accept reality, but because the reality in front of her didn't require "coping." All Zoe's words did were reveal that Zoe had already resigned Angel to death, just like everyone else. Suffice to say, Allison's mood was instantly soured.

"Zoe, I still don't believe that Angel is dead." Her hands had balled themselves into fists, which pressed deep into the mattress' surface, as if attempting to hide the emotions that so clearly showed on Allison's face. She wasn't exactly good at hiding when she was mad. Sadness, she could swallow. But anger? That one stabbed through the flesh and sought other people, no matter if you want it to stay hidden. "I refuse to believe it, until I see a body, I refuse to believe that she's dead." Though, even sadness was hard to hide when rage had poked its holes.

Shit. Zoe had come in prepared for the task of hiding the truth, of comforting her classmate while keeping her mouth shut about what she knew. She'd been prepared for that, but all things considered, she really should have expected denial. She'd dealt with other people's grief before, and she had some experience of her own - though she preferred to try and bury that deep. Denial was a normal part of the process, but knowing that didn't change the fact that the redhead was the world's shittiest liar.

So she stood up abruptly, turning away from Allison in an attempt to hide her suddenly guilty expression.

"Allison..." Stalling for time as she tried to think of something to distract from that subject. "We left before they could search the whole island. If there was a body, they wouldn't have given it to us anyway." Oh, great job. Really comforting there. Maybe she'd take up grief counselling once the whole psychopath thing ran its course.

Some part of Allison laughed at the response. She had thought through that line of logic enough times to run circles around it.

"No one saw a body, and I know of no one who saw Angel after the Amigos arrived. Then, the Amigos made a beeline for the boat. What group of mercenaries comes in, maybe leaves one or two of the possible targets dead, and then leaves? They would have lost more than they gained. Then, there's also the fact that they were trying very hard to keep us away from their escape. Giant walls coated in steam, living trees, AND a fucking flood? Bit overkill for a simple hit and run, Zoe. They were using that kind of fire power to ESCAPE. They were there to steal something, or someone in this case. Why Angel? Who would want Angel captive? I don't know that, but it can't be good." Allison leaned forward now, nearly hugging her knees. She sighed.

"I'm not crazy, or failing to cope or anything, alright? I went into this with the 'hope for the best, prepare for the worst' attitude, but at this point I'm just left with a whole bunch of worst-case scenarios. It's either she's dead, or she'll be the captive of some group we can't do anything about for the foreseeable future. Maybe you're right. Maybe it would be better to move on, but if I've learned anything about myself, Zoe, it's that I'm really good at bad ideas. So, I think I'll hold on to this one. Denial is part of the grieving process, so if I'm wrong, just pretend I'm grieving." Allison fell silent for a few moments. She felt hollow. Zoe didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of that. Zoe was just trying to console Allison during a hard time. Of course, Zoe had no idea that Allison had been through the process enough times that it was second nature, but this also wasn't really the same thing since Angel probably wasn't dead.

"I'm sorry, Zoe," Allison got up and darted over to the redhead, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Thanks for checking up on me, at least. You're a good friend."

Zoe stood silent throughout the rant, tense as she listened to a tirade that was completely wasted on her - it wasn't as though she needed to be convinced either way about Angel's fate. She didn't have many retorts either, the knowledge that Allison was actually right kind of shutting down her will to think of any acidic remarks. But she gritted her teeth, baring it until it finally came to an end. Hell, she could even try to make it better, tell her that they did know what was happening, that they had someone to ask where they'd taken the singer... but she stayed quiet.

By the time Allison's arms wrapped around her, Zoe felt like an even worse person than usual, and any attempt at hiding the guilt on her face had completely failed. The 'good friend' comment didn't exactly help either. Considering what she'd done to herself the whole 'hug' thing also had the bonus of hurting like a bitch, leaving her to pull away from it with a hiss of pain.

Glancing down at the shorter girl, she started to speak abruptly. "She's--" But she stopped just as quickly, thinking better of it. "Sorry."

"Oh, um," Allison attempted to fill the dead air, but came up short. She'd only made things worse. Zoe had come to check on Allison, and now she was probably going to leave the one in need of consoling. There had to be something Allison could say to right the situation... but then the phone rang out from the desk.

Allison shied back, seemingly a mix of afraid and ashamed of the noise. Why now?

"You gonna get that?" Zoe glanced uncomfortably at the phone, and then to Allison's visibly freaked-out behaviour. Probably not wanting to answer, then. Giving the girl a concerned look, she continued. "Want me to get it or something?"

"No!" Allison exclaimed, probably too forcefully, and jerked forward to grab the device off the desk. The number on the blinding display was clear. Twelve calls each day, once every hour from eight in the morning to eight at night, save for the last 24 hours. It was as if he was playing some sick game, giving her the false sense that it was over. She would have to accept the call eventually. She couldn't keep running. But no, now was not the time. Zoe didn't need to be dragged into that world. The girl had enough troubles of her own to deal with. Allison denied the call, plunging the room into silence once more.

"Sorry," Allison sighed, tossing the phone onto the bed behind her. "I thought the calls were over."

"Calls?" As in several. More than one. Which meant it was a persistent problem, and no longer something Zoe found herself willing to leave alone. Especially if it was freaking Allison out that badly - all things considered, the girl didn't need that. Protective anger shone through her expression, but she spoke calmly. "...give me the phone. I won't tell 'em you're here, if that's what you're worried about."

"No!" Allison exclaimed suddenly, though she shrunk after realizing how loud it was. "Sorry Zoe, I just can't let you do that." She swallowed, taking a moment to gather herself, "I'm sorry, I think I overreacted. They called me a few times yesterday, and I've been too afraid to pick up," she lied through her teeth. "I thought they stopped, but the phone caught me off guard." She stopped, but realized she hadn't mentioned who was calling. "It's my mother's number."

Zoe frowned. Her parents? That remark was enough to dissuade the redhead - she knew just how bad that could be. "I get that. Think I'd be s--" No. Didn't want to admit to that, to her fears, to her weaknesses. No point going into specifics. "Freaked out if my parents called too. Ran away a while back, so they've not got my number, but... yeah." It hadn't occurred to her that they probably knew she was alive now - if they'd even recognised her on the TV. "I'll stay out of your business, just remember I'm around if you need the help."

"Thanks, Zoe." Allison sighed. "Alright, I should probably call back. No use ignoring them if they're going to keep calling. Thanks for checking on me, Zoe. I'll see you later, alright?" Allison picked up the phone, and moved towards the door to open it.

Zoe nodded. Part of her still wanted to speak up, about this, about Angel... but she kept her mouth shut as she stood to leave the room. No point overstaying her welcome, anyway - although she wondered how thankful the girl would be if she knew what was being held back. Forcing a grin, she raised a hand in goodbye. "Good luck with that, then. See you."

And with that she walked away, expression becoming guilty as her smile faded. A good friend, huh?

Wonder when she'll figure out how wrong that is.

Solo Post: Drowning

Zoe

---

𝕊𝕦𝕟: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟙𝟙, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹: ℝ𝕠𝕠𝕞 𝟚𝟘𝟙 / / ~𝟚𝟛𝟝𝟝

---

How long's it been since I slept? Too long, right? There's gotta be some kind of health thing I'm ignoring here. Zoe frowned, leaning back in her chair and glancing at her phone. Midnight, just about. But she didn't feel like sleeping just yet; there was too much left to do.

Kinda wonder how long it's gonna take. Drives me crazy. Literally. Figure some day I'll wake up and I'll just be gone. That thing'll be in charge. Did this count as talking to herself? Did it matter? It wasn't as though she hadn't gone crazy by now, at least a little - frankly, 'sits around arguing with herself' wasn't that much of an addition to the laundry-list of offences she'd managed to stack up. Hell, she wasn't even sure why she kept staring at these notes; there were a lot of people smarter than her around here. But then, I can't let 'em near this, can I?

Her head hurt. But hey, better than being around the others. It was strange - Ground Zero being there definitely helped, made things so much more muted, but she didn't even feel like she could trust that anymore. Paranoia, or something close to it, left her horrified at the idea of what she'd do regardless. She'd thought she could fix it before, and look how that turned out. The moment things went wrong, she'd freaked. As soon as the water covered her head, she'd been out of control. Although that was just because...

They made her weak, didn't they? Powerless.

I'm not scared. I...

Phobia

"Can't stop causing trouble for a day, can you?"

Zoe flinched as the door closed behind her, dumping a scabby old rucksack onto the floor. She didn't bother answering - talking never did much but make things worse, and she knew she'd end up running her mouth. Never helped. 'No fucking swearing', that was the rule. She'd tensed up, an instinctive reaction whenever she heard that tone. Gritting her teeth.

It was only midday, but she was home already. Fighting again, as usual, a fresh bruise already shining on her cheek. Another suspension, and they were considering expulsion this time. Hell, the only reason she hadn't been tossed out by now was that she'd already been kicked from everywhere else. Also for fighting. The teachers didn't understand it - if you found one of the ones that spoke to her, they'd tell you she was a sharp kid once you got her talking.

A real shame, they said.

Real fucking shame. Footsteps were approaching, and she flinched, glancing over to her bag. Nothing in there to help.

Her family got plenty of sympathy. Pillars of the community, always looking to help out their fellow man. Smiling and friendly and polite, speaking with the fake smiles and honeyed words that always charmed the average guy on the street. And she was the menace that went around beating up their kids, smashing shit up, and generally ruining it.

Words never changed a thing - she'd tried words. She'd told, told the truth, desperate for someone to give a damn and make it all stop. And they'd called her a liar. She knew no-one would believe her. Because the lie was so much more comforting to them.

"Bathroom. Now."

Of course, she used to fight back, but it only made things worse. So she walked. The direction was a new one. A break from the routine, but today was a bad day - it was usually just words when things were normal. Wouldn't be this time, not when she'd screwed up this badly. The door creaked open, and she walked in. Head down, staring at the floor as she approached. Why, she couldn't be sure. Fear, maybe. That, or the hope that if she looked sorry enough she'd get away with a lighter punishment.

A hand grasped her bicep, pulling her roughly towards the basin.

She only realised what was happening a second before her head was plunged underwater, colliding painfully with the porcelain. Helpless. She didn't know how long it lasted as she struggled against the weight of the hands that held her down, all she knew was that she couldn't breathe--

The pressure disappeared just as things started to go black, leaving her face stained with tears as she coughed and spluttered and felt herself vomiting water onto the tiles. Her throat stung, and her lungs burned. Staring desperately forward, as though she were somewhere else, as arms wrapped around her in a gesture that was a cruel imitation of comfort. "--love you, you know."

She sniffed. "I know."

Zoe hated that word. 'Love'. If this was what love was, she wanted nothing to do with it. As they left, she forced herself shakily to her feet, seeing her own tear-stained face in the mirror. And something in her snapped. She was done. I can't do this.

The next time she left the house, she knew she'd never go back. All she had to do was make sure they wouldn't follow her. A distraction. Her hand drifted down to the lighter in her pocket, kept more for convenience than anything. It wasn't enough to do much on its own...

But she knew where they kept the gasoline.

Just keep on running away.

She'd thought she was over it, over that creeping terror, but she wasn't. She was still desperate for control, just fighting her own mind now instead of the people she was meant to trust. Christ, she didn't know how to solve that. Hell, she didn't know how to explain how many things she was terrified of losing - terrified of losing people, losing control, losing power. Absolutely terrified.

But she hadn't spoken about any of it. Because for better or worse, they believed she was strong. It was the only thing she really had left, strength. Power. Certainty and confidence. And that was a part of her, because she'd broken free of all that. It had moulded her, of course, there was nothing she could do about that, but it didn't own her anymore. Even if she saw parts of it in how she fought, how she lashed out...

It could be ignored. No-one had to know about it, about any of it, about anything. She preferred to bury it, even as she shattered, because that was still so much better than pity. Pity meant she was weak, meant she couldn't do things on her own, that she couldn't be relied on. And if she couldn't be relied on, then she wasn't worth anything at all.

So maybe it was better that she kept it to herself. No-one needed to know the bad parts, needed to know that part of her wasn't much more than a scared little girl. That could be kept between her and her stigma.

Just you and me, huh? She stared up at the ceiling, smiling sadly. Sounds like some real shitty company.

Monday, Oct. 12

Zoe & Chris: Naked Anger

Naked Anger

Zoe | Chris

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𝕄𝕠𝕟: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟙𝟚, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔾𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 ℤ𝕖𝕣𝕠 / / ~𝟚𝟘𝟘𝟘

---

_{Collab with... @Lasrever @Dragonmancer}

"Hey guys, protip: don't go to GZ right now. Peace. End transmission."

The transmission had caught Zoe's attention, but she wasn't worried enough to bother heading away from Ground Zero; or, for that matter, to reply. The roaring didn't really scare her much - though it might have been a little too close for comfort, because she'd heard it before the transmission. She really doubted anyone here would manage to kick her ass, dragon or otherwise.

Still, with how long the noise persisted, she eventually gave in to her curiosity. Besides, it wasn't certain that everyone would take the warning, and whatever the hell was going on didn't seem like a good situation. So if that was Chris, which she was about ninety-percent sure on, then she had to try and head this shit off. Judging by the beach party, this wasn't the first time he'd attacked a teammate; and if there was anyone that knew about that kind of thing, it was her.

Not that she was dumb enough to try anything while the roaring carried on. But she'd stayed close enough to keep track, and as soon as the noise finally stopped she made her way towards where it had been. She didn't say anything as she approached at first, stepping over someone's charred remains with a grimace before her gaze finally landed on Chris.

The rampage had finally ended with Chris's draconic form collpasing in exhaustion. The anger and primordial rage had been vented out, and he was too exhausted to continue. This form of break allowed Chris to regain his sanity. The lethargic grunts of the blinded beast collapsed with it, and soon the body began to fall apart and rot away to nothing. Black ooze that was once its crimson blood leaked from the breaking body, and a pool of it gathered below the beast. That tar-like substance bubbled and soon took shape as it slowly took shape, Chris's pale and naked body slowly growed and materialized out of the liquid. First his skeleton that seemed to try to crawl away on the ground in a sluggish and helpless matter, before blood and organs followed suit, flesh filling the gaps in his body. Once whole, Chris remained laying on the ground amidst the burned debris, charred corpses and half-eaten bodies of the ground zero residence. He had curled into a fetal position in silence, and hadn't even discovered Zoe's presence. He wasn't in any physical pain any longer, but the grief he held crippled him. What would have Angelique said if she saw this? Attacking Brent like that for stupid reasons, then going on a rampage. He was overcome with guilt and remorse. He could now only remind himself of how stupid he was, how helpless he was. Inner words that lacked comfort and plagued his emotions.

Knowing there was someone else there, Zoe continued trying to ignore the bodies - chances were she'd find herself enjoying the sight, a feeling that had started to frighten her more than she'd care to admit - in favour of focusing on the classmate on the ground. Who'd apparently decided to curl into a ball and cry or some shit, which wasn't something she really felt like dealing with.

That, and as she approached she realised he was completely naked. Didn't really bother her either way, and normally wouldn't be of that much concern. Not like it'd be anything she hadn't seen before, and Zoe had bigger things to worry about than a little nudity. But considering the situation...

"I know people can be into some weird shit and all, but there have got to be better ways to get your rocks off." Okay, so she didn't have much room to talk on enjoying the whole murder thing a little too much, but at least she kept her clothes on while she did it.

Having been drained of energy and rage, Chris's animosity could only be expressed in merely a bitter tone, sharing no patience for her humor. "The last thing I need right now is a horrible joke." The arbiter said, not bothering to change his position or turn to face Zoe. Everything was cold, yet the burning of regret and anguish had filled his lungs. Any sense of remorse or grief he felt was both strong, yet he had become so far exhausted that he couldn't express it beyond his bitter and emotionless-like tone. Was Zoe here to bother him to? Antagonize him? So far he isn't exactly happy that Zoe had bothered to come talk to him, especially in such a vulnerable state.

"Who said I was joking? You're the one wandering around dead people in his birthday suit." Zoe didn't look threatened by Chris's anger as she reached him, more like she couldn't be bothered dealing with it. Fact was, she wasn't looking to pick a fight for once - honestly, she didn't even have the energy to bother. Her expression certainly wasn't pitying though, and her tone was stern as she looked down at him.

"Get up. I know where to find a store in here. We're getting you some clothes first," she extended a hand for him to pull himself up, "and then you're telling me what the fuck this is all about. Unless you'd rather run back to your room bare-assed." While her tone wasn't particularly hostile, there was something in her expression that made it clear the plan was more of an order than a request.

He was certainly offended of her accusation, and had he not been drained, he would have been far more tempted to burn her face off. She did however offer help, as crude as it was. Since his pride was shattered, he could only take her hand albeit reluctantly. He was a bit flustered that he was naked, but at this point he had been used to it and he knew not to draw a scene to it. Lacking clothes was perhaps one of the few things that wasn't his fault in this situation, and that excuse gave him some internal comfort.

---

Kind of funny that she'd ended up in there again. Zoe had remembered visiting the store from before they left for Wisford - and it wasn't too difficult to find clothes that'd fit Chris in Hot Topic. If she'd been in a better mood, she'd probably have tossed something ridiculous at him for the entertainment value, but as it was she'd decided to let the guy pick things out for himself. Wasn't worth the hassle to do anything else.

Once that was over with, she'd brought him outside, taking a seat on the ground. "So... what was all that about?"

After picking out a simple attire of black pants and a warm winter hoodie, Chris followed Zoe and waited for her to take a seat, up until this point he had been mostly silent.

"You have an X right? Do you get that feeling too? That...seething rage like some kind urge to.." He paused. "When I transform, I don't just take the shape of a monster..That's the best way I can put it I suppose....Sometimes it's bad enough where I have a desire to eat well..people like back there. It was an urge that I was getting better control over, but...sometimes I like certain assholes play with my emotions too much..I guess." Since he had some time to regain energy, his once emotionless tone now sounded more defeated. It was as if he was left for dead and had accepted his fate.

Zoe listened, nodding. Oh, she knew all about wanting to hurt, about the depths that kind of urge could go to. It wasn't as though she'd been hurting the others for kicks. Which was why, all things considered, Chris's explanation didn't fly with her. Didn't help that she wasn't exactly well-disposed towards the guy in the first place.

"If you think that's bad, trust me when I say you don't want the details about my head." The blood and the horror and the rush that accompanied them - it wouldn't help Chris to know. "And I want you to remember that because I'm about to call you a whiny son of a bitch." In the interest of safety and making sure he stuck around to listen, Zoe tapped him on the shoulder, black lines appearing on her skin. He wouldn't feel anything - at most, a slight itch as she kept her power to the minimum. The threat was clear, although she didn't seem particularly hostile.

"Don't get me wrong, I get it. Not rage, exactly, but wanting to hurt, to kill. Constantly, in my case." Zoe frowned. "But it doesn't sound like you're trying to do much about it." This was, by her standards, a gentle approach to the topic.

Chris felt the danger alright, the mere presence of such a potential force so close felt intimidating to him, triggering instincts that had become dormant. There was that fear, primal fear, tied with self preservation. Much like what he felt when Siena unleashed terror upon his mind, though in a much smaller dosage, and set on a physical target. Being in his human state, and that the threat wasn't immediate, he was able to suppress that instinct well enough, but that didn't stop him feeling it. Fight or flight was trying to seep in, and the primal beast within him seemed to only know how to fight. Just like that incident before, the fear induced only translated into a berserking rage. Had he not have been released of such primal emotions prior, he would have acted much more violently, despite how stupid it would be.

Nevertheless, his control allowed to him to keep those intents tucked away to keep his composure. He continued to speak, and aside from being slightly cautious, he wasn't phased by her power. "To say I'm not trying doesn't quite cut it. Its not as simple as want, I think its more appropriate to call my...episodes..instincts. Something inherit with who I am, at least in that form. Right now? Those urges are easily suppressed. When I'm not a monster, I can handle those urges for the most part...With the exception of one instance I'll admit. When I'm a monster? Those urges aren't just some mere desire, they become much harder to ignore, as if my very core is trying to take control over my mind, my decision making. I don't feel like the same person in that state, I am conscience, I have my memories....But the state of mind...my personality, its different.....I'm not sure how else to describe it....When I'm put into danger, when I feel like I'm about to die, or some...negative emotion comes over me; jealousy, fear, anger"..." He glanced at her touch with narrowed eyes. "I can't take it in that state, I lose control. Its as if my brain receded from a sapient being into a primitive animal...Again...I...can't explain it well, but... " There was a pause. "This kind of...instinct, fluctuates. For some time it felt as though it was receding and I had almost none of that monstrous state of mind. Though recently it has been getting worse, certain people have been getting on my nerves as of late...and after what happened to Angelique I...I haven't been taking it well, I suppose." There was a sigh of exhausted relief, talking like this only made him miss Angelique, he felt she was the only one who deserved to listen, anyway. She wouldn't give him pity, just understanding. He couldn't fault Zoe, despite her somewhat...aggressive approach on the matter. He couldn't let her in, he wanted Angelique to know, not her.

Even in the sliver of his emotions that wanted someone to hear him scream from the dark pit he laid in, there was that fear that he'd just lose them too. Just like the rest, it always happens. "I've been trying to deal with it. I tried to get used to it in Ground Zero but that proved to be a disaster. I'm considering to just abandong my form until I'm confident in controlling it...I figured that I could at least go to Ground Zero to train that in privacy, but.." There was a reluctant pause. "Well the grounds are open to all the students, I shouldn't have expected otherwise."

"See, there you go again. 'People were getting on my nerves'. How about you confront them. I don't mean throwing your toys outta the pram like a baby, try and actually work out your issues. If you're not gonna try and control yourself when you're all lizardy, then talk to whoever you're pissed at and try to work something out. Try and make sure you don't have a reason to go for them." She frowned at him, her irritation more than clear. "Grow some balls and take some fucking responsibility. Don't sit there simmering in 'woe-is-me' bullshit."

An edge of something dangerous crept into her tone as she continued.

"And don't you dare talk like you know what I'm going through. It's not as simple as 'want' for me either, so don't imply that again. First and last warning."

Chris at first didn’t respond, only giving a silent glare to Zoe. He definitely could not find to appreciate her tone, and that urge to attack only increased by that conversation. ”You were the one to compare it to want first. I won’t deny that I can’t read your mind Zoe, but you don’t know what I’m going through entirely either. Don’t preach advice to me like I’m sort of child.” He had pushed himself away from her to stand up.
There was that same, angry force trying coherse him into burning Zoe in the same he tried to do to Marcus. An emotional drive that he still managed to suppress, though if she tried to do anything to him, those flames could come out as a reflex. All he did was just give a silent glare, and while he was trying to supress his inner demons, he was also still remaining cautious of her. It was clear Zoe also had a short fuse, there was that very real possibility that she could kill him, but if that became the case he wanted to make sure his flames could get her too.

”This isn’t helping either of us, unless if you can calm yourself down I’m certain this won’t bold well.”

In contrast to Chris, Zoe was barely registering the other sub as a threat. More of a minor irritation than anything, really. "I'd win if we fought, but that's not what I came here for. We both know I'd win, so I won't start if you don't. Trust me, you'd know if you really pissed me off." Truth be told, she didn't want a fight because she was scared of how far she'd go if she started - not that she'd tell him that.

Instead, Zoe grimaced. Always ended up this way, didn't it? Honestly, she didn't mean to provoke people so much, but it seemed to happen whether she planned on it or not. "I'm not angry at you, I just think you're pathetic. I'm talking to you like a child because you're acting like one." She shrugged, looking at him with a frown. "Hell, if you've got a good reason for all this, I'll even admit to being wrong here. So tell me; why were they 'getting on your nerves'?"

Chris was silent at first. He tried to calm himself down with a sigh, and forced himself to continue so that this little conversation could be over with. The sooner it ended, the better. "What I had done to Marcus was inexcusable. I've already come to terms with that. What started as a brawl to teach that shit not to fuck with me ended up with me burning his leg. I let him beat the shit out of me after that. I can't expect him to forgive me for that. The message got across at least, I suppose. As for today, well, my reasons were far more trivial. Fortunately it wasn't Marcus that pissed me off this time, I think he knows not to fuck with me too much anymore. An excuse for that? There is none, I fucked up and let my idiocy and power control me again. The only thing I can do now is look forward and solve that appetite for destruction and vengeance. Maybe I'll apologize to him later, but it won't make a difference anyway. Not that I care anyhow, making acquaintences with anyone is futile, especially here."

The arbiter had lowered his defenses, and crossed his arms with a scowl. "Are you satisfied? Is there anything more you want to preach to me like the 'pathetic child' I am?"

The explanation didn't satisfy Zoe one bit. Still going with the 'woe is me' bullshit, and more than that the pettiness of it bothered her. It was so childish. And maybe that was why she couldn't stand it, because it reminded her of the part of herself she hated the most. The part that was so terrified of being a victim it forced her to lash out just to pretend she was in control. The part that hurt Marcus, that nearly killed Kusari, and that she couldn't destroy no matter how hard she tried.

And that comparison was enough to twist her irritation into something genuinely hateful.

"Fine. I tried, but screw it. I don't know what you think's happening here but you're not intimidating, you're not mature, you're not some put-upon martyr. What you are is an overgrown baby; a spineless little bitch who can't control his temper-tantrums." Zoe shook her head, her lip curling in disgust as she cut off her power and walked away, pausing only for a second to spit one last venomous remark over her shoulder. "Go strip off in another graveyard or something - you're not worth wasting my fucking time."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Chris retorted in a cold and almost sarcastic tone, his scowl never left his face. He let himself open up, only for his explanations to be rejected. Not that it mattered, no one could compare to Angelique's compassion anyway, no matter how much he longed to have a conversation like that. It was a comfort he could never have again, and he had to accept that along with Angel's death as a whole. Though he came to despise Zoe a bit more, he was more confused if anything. Why bother going out of her to talk to him if this was how he was going to be treated. Was she suffering as well, from that same bitterness? That disconnect you have once you've lost everything. It didn't matter, she had her own problems to sort out it seemed, and Chris had no reason to care. There was a sense of triumph of how that conversation went, partially because he refrained himself from burning her head off, and partially because he avoided both her pity and kindness. He couldn't afford to care for anyone else now. He was convinced of the doomed fate both he and his fellow subnaturals carried, and right now Siena was perhaps the only thing he could try to keep. Once Zoe was out of sight, Chris went his own seperate way. He could no longer transform for the day, but he still decided to continue training to practice his base form.

Zoe & Callan: Empty Encouragement

Here

Tuesday, Oct. 13

Zoe & Ernie: Baking and Blaming

Here

Wednesday, Oct. 14

Zoe & Margot: Answers

Zoe

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𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟙𝟜, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔹𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹: ℝ𝕠𝕠𝕞 𝟚𝟘𝟙 / / ~𝟘𝟙𝟘𝟘

---

_{Collab with... @Lasrever @January}

Zoe had kept herself busy since returning to the Institute, to what was probably an unhealthy degree. Whether it was working herself to the bone in Ground Zero, running around the track until she puked, or falling asleep at her desk as she tried to puzzle out everything that had been happening, she certainly hadn't given herself much time to rest. Between all her work and everything else she'd been trying to cope with, she was completely and utterly exhausted.

But she had a goal to try and achieve while she was still here. If nothing else, she prided herself on her effectiveness, and she didn't forget things easily. Margot had promised her she'd be told what was happening, and Zoe found herself holding out for that as she sat in her room, scribbling page after page of theories and notes. She probably had more information than anyone else in the unit did as far as all this was concerned, when you got down to it.

Which was why her inability to make any real progress was getting so mind-numbingly frustrating - Zoe wanted to be making progress one way or another, if only so she could tell herself she was doing something. Waiting around for answers didn't sit well with her, but Margot had said she'd give her the information and for better or worse Zoe still figured she could believe that. All she could really do was wait.

It took until the late evening of October 13th before an unknown number called Zoe's USARILN-issued phone, the caller ID marked only as "Restricted" while the phone buzzed stubbornly at one in the morning.

Zoe woke up with a start as her phone went off, her head shooting up from the desk like she'd been hit with an electric shock. Who the fuck calls this early? Managing to hold herself back from a torrent of swearing that'd probably wake everyone in the dorms, she took a moment to glance at the caller ID. 'Restricted'... she had a pretty good guess what this might be about, so she picked up, trying not to sound too pissed about the rude awakening as she mumbled a half-asleep greeting.

"Zoe here. What's up?"

"We found your friend. Or at least we've got a pretty good guess where she is. Thank Freddy for that." Margot's rough voice skipped the formalities, announcing the information before inhaling slowly. The faint sound of paper and rolled tobacco leaves sizzling on the other end revealed the woman hadn't given up the vice that ruined her voice at all. A slow exhale and she continued. "I've got business to deal with, so I can't help or anything, but I don't think Zhang's going to sit by for long. We found out two days ago. By now she's probably got a team lined up to deal with this. Your friend should be back soon--if not alive, you'll at least have her body."

"Thanks." Zoe couldn't hold back a sigh of relief at the news. Of course there was some worry there - the very real possibility that Angel wouldn't come back alive wasn't ever going to sit well with her - but at least she'd know how this ended either way. And beneath that, she was relived that all the lies and violence that she'd tormented herself over hadn't been for nothing. By the chance that she'd achieved something by falling so far, that maybe for once she'd have managed to protect someone.

Still, that wasn't Zoe's only concern, and she didn't hang up quite yet. "Did you find out why they took her?"

"Zhang's not the only one who likes collecting abnormalities. At least she provides. The Amigos...they're after something dumber. Always the way with these sorts. Teleporter boy didn't know much, but he caught the phrase 'Unravel the dreams from their vessels. Call down Utopia beyond the sky.' " Another long drag on the cigarette and the woman sighed. "That's not an Amigo thing. That's a Fracture thing. And these underground nutjobs might be as bad as the Cradle, if not worse. Long story short, we don't know exactly why they took her, but there's no way in hell Fracture's idea of paradise is anything good, which is more than enough reason to take her back, especially if Fracture's reaching out to enlist even the Amigos."

...the fuck does that mean? Zoe frowned, silent for a long while. 'Fracture', huh? So that's who was at the root of all this - although the idea that they could be worse than Cat's Cradle didn't exactly fill her with hope. Add that to the idea that they were doing all this for some bullshit 'paradise', and it was a perfect recipe to piss Zoe off.

"Wisford and D.C. were the same guys, if you need to know."

Fracture.

"So they failed twice, then decided to send someone else after us instead. Unless--" She frowned. Did all this really start in Wisford, or... her conversation with Siena sprung to mind. Angel wasn't the first one to disappear. It had taken talking the whole thing through for Zoe to even remember that, but it was still important. "The kid that went missing first. Aaron - mouthy little prick - you never told us where he went. He get taken too? And what do you mean 'abnormalities'?"

”Not sure about any previous issues, though I did hear about the D.C. incident. As far as things sourcing back to one place goes, you’ll be surprised how often it tends to happen. But that’s not what I called you for. Besides letting you know, I thought I’d tell you Zhang’s not likely going to send any of you guys out again, especially if their goal is to capture more. So before the separate strike team gets sent out you should find her at the bar or call her personal phone. If you feel like making it personal that is.”

"Good to know. I'll deal with it in the morning." Zoe thought it over. Of course she preferred to keep the others out of the line of fire too, but that didn't mean she wanted to stay out of all this completely. There had to be some kind of middle ground here, and talking to the Director seemed like a plan either way. This type of thing was better discussed face-to-face. "Thanks, Margot." With that, Zoe hung up, figuring Margot would call her back if there was anything else important to say. For now, she'd get some sleep, but once she woke up...

Looks like I've got a bar to visit.

Zoe & Zhang: Making it Personal

Zoe

---

𝕎𝕖𝕕: 𝕆𝕔𝕥. 𝟙𝟜, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕣 / / ~𝟙𝟝𝟘𝟘

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_{Collab with... @Lasrever @January}

October had long lost the holiday fervor of All Hallow's Eve, better known as Halloween to most. In a world saturated with monsters, people no longer needed to dress up as one. All they needed was a functioning monitor and some connection to the internet for all their news and even that sometimes failed when an attack here and there would damage the undersea cables that encapsulated the infinite space of the digital world. Surprisingly, people did their best to avoid speaking of monsters and mayhem on Halloween, the tradition smoothing its way into more genteel practices where children and young teenagers would dress up as heroes or fairies who could smite away the terrors of the world. Others held on to the classic monsters of Halloween, but for the most part people let the day come and go without much notice. On the third floor of the dining hall, however, the bartender had decorated his corner with the customary orange and black laurels of dangling paper leaves that defined old-fashioned Halloween, propping even a small scarecrow up beside the liquor cabinet in an attempt to mimic the festivities of better days.

The Director had returned only the day before, wrapping up her business in Washington and leaving the rest to the contractors when news of the incident on her private island reached her. There was little to be done about what had already happened, but she was solemn as she sipped her Last Word cocktail, staring into nothing while the gray-haired bartender cleaned the glasses nearby, keen eyes ready to refill her drink the moment she finished.

True to her word, Zoe had made her way to the bar almost as soon as she felt ready, cutting short her time at Ground Zero as much as she felt comfortable doing. She definitely had no plans on drinking - the last two incidents had been enough to put her off that idea for a while - but if there was a hope of tracking down Zhang then she was going to take it. There wasn't any time to waste on this, so she didn't bother taking time to talk to her classmates. She wasn't sure how much she was willing to tell them yet anyway, and this'd probably change the circumstances anyway.

There hadn't been much time to decide exactly what she'd ask, but she'd decided to figure it out once she had the details. She gave the Halloween decorations a curious glance as she approached the bar, taking a seat next to the director. Cautiously, of course; didn't want to risk making a wrong move and getting herself tased or something. Without bothering to make an order, she spoke. "I'm guessing you know what I'm here about."

"No, actually. But I've found that my bar visits tend to coincide with others', your group in particular. Happenstance, maybe." She sipped at the pale yellow drink in her coupe glass, finally turning to face Zoe. "Go on, then."

Zoe paused, surprised. So Zhang didn't know what Margot had told her? Either that, or she hadn't made the connection between it and her appearance here. Strange either way. "I know you figured out where Angel is." She didn't mention how, on the off chance that Margot had been breaking some kind of rule by telling her. "If you're sending a team, I want to go with them."

"And who gave you this information?"

"Someone I'd rather not see getting in shit for doing me a favor. Why's it matter?"

"She's 'in shit' no matter what, if I'm guessing the person right. And for a lot more than just telling you classified information. As for your request, the answer is 'no.' There's no reason to send even more of your group to them if they were so adamant on catching just one of you." The Director pulled her phone from the pocket of her suit, checking on something with a grimace.

Zoe winced. Well, at least she'd tried to keep Margot out of trouble. As for the rest, it was the answer she'd expected, but one 'no' wasn't enough to get her to back down. "What's to stop them bailing as soon as your strike team turns up? If they think there's something to gain, they'll stick around and fight. I'm not asking you to put the others in danger, just me." She shrugged. "My powers don't make me easy to capture safely, and I work better alone anyway."

"If you're asking me to send your very successful group against the Amigos, I find that a laughable--" She stopped then, looking away like she had just seen something absurd. It wasn't a scenario she had considered until then, simply because it seemed--by all logic--ridiculous. Sending their untrained powers against mostly mindless creatures was one thing, but against the ruthless organization of the Amigos they were ducks lined up for slaughter. Or so she had thought. She drummed several fingers on the counter top, waiting on something as she stared at her phone without seeing it. "Fine," she answered at last, the acceptance abrupt. "You and the rest will be joining the strike team. I'll let you deliver the news since you seem so eager. Have them remain ready for further instructions."

All of us? Zoe paused. Part of her almost regretted this, knowing the danger that was to come, and a larger part of her was incredibly wary about what Zhang might be up to. It had been easy. Too easy. But she bit her tongue, didn't voice those protests. Didn't want to give the director an excuse to take the order back. She didn't have much choice but to let it go. Deliver the news. Get the others ready.

And if anyone else died this time... it was on her head.

She nodded, standing up and taking a few steps away. "Transmit. We're heading out with a strike team, so be ready. We'll get more instructions later, and..." She grimaced, continuing with a frown. "I'll explain everything once we're together. Over." After a long pause, she looked over to the director, suspicion and frustration mixed in her gaze. "Good enough?"

A cold smile answered her. "Good enough." The woman raised her glass in Zoe's direction, in mock offering of a toast, before downing the last of it. The bartender was there in an instant, another cocktail already shaking in the tumbler. He said nothing to suggest he had heard it all, but he did give the Director a curious glance, her acquiescence too easy even for an old friend to process.

For some reason, the smile unnerved Zoe - this whole interaction had unnerved Zoe. The way Zhang had given in so easily, her suspicious behaviour, the obvious surprise of the bartender... it was strange. And the toast, the smile, all of it felt like she was being mocked. But she had nothing more to say, no protest that wouldn't sound insanely ungrateful. So after a few seconds of searching for the right words, she just scowled, forcing out an insincere "Thank you, Director." before walking away.

It didn't make sense. When she thought about it, she'd succeeded - achieved everything she'd wanted to, made sure she could be there to help her friend, that no-one was left behind. Things had turned out just the way she'd wanted them to.

So why did it feel so much like she'd lost?

Celestial Bonds

Alexei Ilyin-Melikov & Yulia Zykova

---

𝓝𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝟕𝓽𝓱, 𝟏𝟑𝟐𝟕 / / 𝓐𝓾𝓼𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓭 / / 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓪𝓷'𝓼 𝓔𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓮

---

Politics was... tiring.

It had already proven to be a long day for the Margrave. In fact, it had felt like years since he had left the NBR. Every day since the beginning of this 'bond' business had been exhausting, for the uncertainty of it all if nothing else. The Alondeists had of course been trying to twist the situation to their own beliefs, but they were not the only ones in the world with prophecies, predictions, and interpretations. Still, toeing the line with them had been a reality for the NBR since joining with Grenheim, and it was nothing that he ultimately wasn't used to.

Of far more pressing concern however was Boris. He had just been accepted into the Royal Dragoons as a private- like his brothers before him- before the Emperor's order arrived. Alexei had not even been able to oversee the boy's first border patrol, and while he trusted Sergei to take care of himself there was no telling what might happen. Thankfully Nikolay was still years away from his service, but...

"Do you think he's all right? Even with Sergei there he's always had a temper, once his blood's up he might do something stupid."

It was the first Alexei had spoken in awhile, having spent a considerable amount of time adjusting his appearence since Yulia had announced she was ready to attend the dinner. If it were up to him, he wouldn't be fussing about such things, but he had a duty to be presentable as Margrave. He had heard nothing about the others involved in this bond business, and while the rest may be commoners, they might also all be nobles from the south- and southerner's seemed to love their appearances. With a sigh, he removed a 4th coat from the provided wardrobe and began trying it on- black trimmed with red.

Watching Alexei discard the coat, Yulia sighed. There was no need to remind him how little either of them could do from here - and she'd be lying if she were to say she didn't share his worries. Of course she didn't envy his position, knowing as well as anyone just how protective the Margrave was of his family; even she was anxious about having to leave them all behind at the Emperor's behest. Voicing those thoughts, however, would be of no help to either of them.

"Your men can be trusted, Alexei," she smiled reassuringly, "and I doubt their discipline would slip so badly. You know as well as I do that they won't let Boris do anything too regrettable even if he does try." Glancing down at her own finery, Yulia appeared far more content than her master about the approaching dinner - though even she had to admit it was all a little pompous. Her expression was faintly regretful as she continued.

"You're protective, that's all. I think we'd both rather be there for his safety than entertaining a gaggle of conceited southerners in the name of the church of Adondeus." May as well make the most of the opportunity to speak her mind in private, rather than harbouring any resentment that might show when they finally met their peers.

"Mm."

There wasn't much need of any other reply, he'd gotten the reassurance he'd been looking for from her. Instead he focused his attention once more on his attire, adjusting the cuffs on his wrist while looking over himself in the mirror. It was a far fancier sort of outfit than he would wear at his own estate- unless he was entertaining an important guest- but he supposed it was appropriate for an introduction to his new 'peers'. Afterwards he would need to find something less pompous to wear in public for the duration of his stay. Perhaps some sort of military uniform...

"I'm not convinced the Church is wrong about the importance of these new bonds- even if they are misguided in their interpretation. If we're somehow to stop some sort of disaster it's best that we're protecting them by being here."

With a nod that was directed at both Yulia and his own reflection, he finished ajusting the new coat, satisfied. Finally- after a moment of uncertainty- he grabbed his sword as well. The politeness of walking around armed varied in the south, but in the NBR it was expected of every officer in the military to carry his sword- whether meant for combat or dress- to official functions. The Margrave was no exception. If these southerners were offended then so be it, he couldn't imagine the faux pas actually damaging his reputation any.

"I'll still be happy enough when this trip is over with- though I must say escaping the winter for once will be a nice change. We're fortunate that we're not stuck down here in the summer."

"I imagine this should all be far behind us by then, important or otherwise." Yulia chuckled lightly, stepping back to allow Alexei to lead the way. It wouldn't really do for her to be going on ahead, after all. Still, thinking ahead to the dinner, she gave him a look of concern.

"Might I suggest we keep to the traditional introductions once we arrive? I've heard the southerners are fond of their titles, but it might be pertinent not to advertise your importance too soon." There were a lot of unknown factors here, and while Yulia - barbed remarks aside - was far more eager to make their acquaintance than Alexei... she also knew the potential danger that the unfamiliar could pose.

"Anyone of proper status should know you well enough regardless," she glanced at him, "and it's easier for me to greet those who aren't if they don't feel worried about nobility."

"I had no intention of straying that far from tradition, Yulia."

His tone was slightly reproachful- it was not her place to suggest how he act as the office of Margrave, and it wouldn't do to let her tone relax too much so far away away from the north. At his own estate, away from outsiders, familiarity with the servants was fine to an extent. However, from what he'd seen their temporary home had a good many eyes and ears and he would not be tolerating any unseemly rumors or gossip.

Not that it made her wrong of course. Already he wore the signent ring (The Ilyin eagle and Melikov dragon, joining claws and spreading their wings) that identified exactly who he was, a ring familiar to any of the upper nobility in Grenheim. Such rings were common amongst all nobles of the NBR, who as a rule detested long winded introductions and social grandstanding. The ring introduced the wearer. Anybody important enough to recognize it already knew to pay the proper respects to its owner- and anybody else could quickly be identified and avoided.

Finally, with one last look in the mirror Alexei made his way past Yulia and closed the door to his room behind him. With any luck this dinner would be over quickly and he would soon be able to return and rest, alone with his thoughts.

"Well, let's go get this over with then, I can't say I'm not curious to see who we're going to be stuck with here."

"Of course. I apologise." Yulia replied, her expression becoming noticeably subdued as she nodded. He was right, after all; it wouldn't do to forget her place in such an environment, and the reminder would do her good. Especially with the introductions that were doubtless to come. To say she owed him at least that much would have been an understatement of absurd proportions.

So she'd waited in silence as he finished preparing, her smile deliberately distant. At the very least, they weren't deviating from tradition; that was all that she ultimately needed to know. "We can only hope they'll be good company, then." She glanced down the corridor as they exited the room, waiting for him to lead the way. "After you, Margrave."

---

The dinner gathering was... interesting, if nothing else. There were at least two faces Alexei recognized from those present: The general Carridan, and the Marquis d'Agneaux. The latter of which was a particular surprise, given what he could tell of the social standing of most of the rest of the bonded. They were, of course, acquainted in light of their roles within the Empire, but he couldn't say they knew each other very well at all. She would at least be company he could share without lowering lowering himself to the level of the commoners.

A fact he was grateful for.

Still, as introductions began he kept an ear open but chose to eye the food on the table rather than the faces of the other guests. While not unexpected in such a multiethnic empire: The selection was surprisingly diverse if not of the grandest quality available. In particular he, of course, noted dished from the NBR. Particularly Dressed Herring and Shaurma, two noted favorites of the Margrave. Though normally in his own realm he would not hesitate to begin eating, for now he was in the south and would pay respect to their stiff ideas of courtesy.

Speaking of which, it was as the young man- Arden as he called himself- finished speaking that a small silence fell over the table. So far, they had seemed to be moving down in a fairly orderly fashion for introductions. That meant that Alexei and Yulia were next, and it was time to make a decision just how much of the southern idea of courtesy he was willing to give in to. The ring on his leftmost little finger gave all the introduction that was ever needed in the north. Still...

For a moment he locked eyes with his bonded across the table, as if coming to a silent decision with her, before nodding. Not bothering to stand- he called out simply, but firmly:

"Alexei."

"Yulia."

She spoke more gently than the Margrave, but her voice was still heard easily enough. However, out of the two she appeared by far the friendlier, her soft smile appearing genuine if somewhat reserved. Happy enough with her introduction, she served herself a reasonable portion - large enough to appear appreciative, small enough not to appear greedy. Not that she'd start until it seemed polite, of course. As for their company...

Personally, she cared little for their backgrounds or social importance, and it would make little difference to her own judgements on their character. That being said, it was a relief that at least there was someone here Alexei might bother to entertain - the man's fixation with duty would be the death of him. Not that it was her place to speak on such matters, of course.

So Yulia remained silent and smiling politely, waiting for the introductions to continue.