Stanifly

Ex Nihilo

CHERYL LUSBY

The question he directed towards Piper was unexpected, to say the least. Judging by the twitch of feathers she felt against her neck, Piper was just as surprised as she was.

'What's it to you, human?' Ah. He'd opened up a shared telepath signal. How polite. Sometimes, she wondered if he'd ever conversed telepathically with other people without her knowledge. Probably did at some point, though she had no way of knowing unless she asked. Considering that he still hung around and hadn't stabbed her in the back yet, she never did. He was his own dragon just as she was her own person, and she could mind her own business.

She was certain now that Jack wasn't from around here. Most common folk wouldn't dare approach Piper, much less talk to him. She'd heard of dragon mages; foolish wizards who thought they were powerful enough to make contact with dragons and learn some of their magic. They were few and far in between, however. His strange attire aside, this man didn't look like a mage. Too scruffy. Too out of place. He didn't belong and they both knew it. Whether it was intentional or not, associating with her was just making him stick out more.

Giving a noncommittal hum to his comment, she downed the last few drops of her sour, waiting to see if he would acknowledge Piper's question. It'd be rude to talk over him, after all.

Ex Nihilo

CHERYL LUSBY

& PIPER

'Someone's staring at us.'

'Someone's always staring at us, Piper.' Cheryl gave the tail around her neck an idle flick. 'Do you mind? I was trying to have a moment.' Piper didn't respond. Used to his odd conversational habits, Cheryl went back to nursing her glass.

Getting drunk senseless seemed to be an appropriate response to the situation. Then again, she needed her mind clear for later. Elena had been responsible for Mum's death, yes, but her final words...

'They were going to kill me!'

She hadn't really listened to whatever babble Elena was spouting to save herself. Strangling was hard work, after all. It was only after she was cold on the ground did those words register and Cheryl admitted that maybe killing Elena right off the bat wasn't the best move. She wasn't even sure how Elena had killed Mum. Poison, probably. She'd looked like she was sleeping when Cheryl had barged into her room.

'He's coming over now. He seems...interested.'

Cheryl hummed, indulging. On her shoulder, Piper kept his gaze fixed onto the strange man with the shiny wrist thingy. He cocked his head when the man peered at him, then bared his canine teeth.

When the man settled next to Cheryl, she paid him no mind. Despite Piper's comment, she was neither concerned, nor interested. If the guy came looking for trouble, she was plenty capable of delivering a fresh knuckle sandwich. However, the glint of something shiny caught her attention. Not moving her head, her eyes darted to the side.

What was that? Something was strapped around his wrist. Gold, mostly, with a round black disc on top of his wrist tucked behind glass. What seemed like two little sticks moved around inside. A magical accessory? A charm? Not to mention his strange clothes. Of all the articles on his figure, his pants had to be what baffled Cheryl the most. Black, but of a material she had never seen.

When he started speaking to the bartender, her gaze flicked back to her drink. Almost lazily, she leaned her cheek against her knuckles - her middle ones. It was a thing of habit, borne out of accidentally leaning her face into blood-soaked steel knuckles far too many times. She watched the exchange between the stranger and the bartender. Unbothered by her blatant show of interest, her gaze lingered on the coin the stranger had placed onto the table. Silver, but it wasn't right. There were carvings on the thing. She watched the bartender walk away.

The interaction over, she took another swig of her drink.

A stranger from far-off lands, perhaps? Past the borders of Nihilo? Wherever he came from, he stuck out like a damn twisted thumb. He looked like he could be a mage. Weird mage attire. Weird artifact thing attached to his wrist. She wondered if it was actually magical.

'You alright there, ma'am?'

She turned, leaning on one elbow to face him. Piper was already staring at him, she noted with amusement.

'I've had better days, stranger.' She gestured over to the bartender, smirking. 'That was a little mean.'

Ex Nihilo

CHERYL LUSBY

Please hurry back home. Your mother's condition is worsening. I fear she may not make it.

Elena

What a load of dragon meat.

Chery's lips pulled back into a snarl. In two quick movements, she crumpled the letter and tossed it onto the street. She didn't pause as she strode down the cobblestone path. The townfolk milled around her, giving her a wide berth as she passed. She ignored them.

The afternoon had been an entire roll of cow dung thrown in her face. First, she'd had to bury her own mother. Then, she was forced to snap the caretaker's neck. Well, not forced per se, but she'd be lying if she said it hadn't felt good. And that it was perfectly justified. Seriously, admitting to murdering the person she'd just gotten in the ground in front of a renowned bounty hunter who happened to be the murdered's daughter? A phenomenally stupid move. It was so stupid Cheryl wasn't sure if Elena's brain had decided to take a walk during the burial or just given up entirely after her misdeed. Either way, she was certainly braindead now.

The splash of orange in the sky faded to a dull grey as the sun set. Night fell and the moons, having hidden behind the sun's glory all day, shone against a canvas of stars.

She dragged a calloused hand over her face. Everything was a mess. She was a mess. A very tired mess. She'd left her last job unfinished in her haste to get here and it hadn't mattered; Mum was already dead when she'd arrived. Probably had been for days. Bloody Elena. Cheryl's fingers itched to hit somebody.

A soft churr broke through her thoughts. Cheryl didn't glance down at the bundle of white feathers curled around her neck, but she sighed.

'I'm fine, Piper,' she said. 'Just...there's a lot on my mind right now.'

Not to mention the number of eyeballs pointed in their direction. She hadn't been in Sonarlis in what, eight years? Almost a decade. Maybe it was a decade. Time seemed to blur these days. To her, it was just one target after the other. Even so, it seemed news of her arrival had spread quickly. Everybody's body language practically screamed wariness and distrust, with maybe a little bit of fear included. Not to mention the disgust she could see in some of their eyes. She knew, without a doubt, that that last emotion was entirely reserved for the pipio pygmy on her shoulders.

Let them stare. As long as they didn't bother her, she couldn't care less what they thought.

'M-Miss Hunter?'

Of course, it would happen just as she thought that. The world seemed out to get her today. She looked down at the kid who'd stepped up to her. Her gaze flicked to the side, where a group of older boys were trying and failing to suppress their snickers. A dare, then. Her gaze returned to the kid.

When she didn't say anything, the kid continued, 'Is-is it true that you, um, y-you steal breaths from people?'

'Why, you wanna see it happen, kid?' Raising her arm, fingers splayed, she bared her teeth. 'Want me to show you?'

The kid was a stammering mess now, nothing but a melting, sweaty bunch of 'um's and 'uh's. She flicked her fingers and he flinched.

'Scram.'

He did. Piper gave a little snort of laughter.

'Shush, you. We've got more important things to handle than a snotty kid.' It was starting - the whispers of the common folk. Though she couldn't hear what they were saying, it was an easy guess. What a vile piece of work she was, scaring a child, using magic, owning a dragon, yadda yadda. All talk and no action since none of them would actually dare throw her out the village. That would be an amusing sight to see.

'Focus.' God, she was all over the place. It was official: she needed a drink before she could sort any of this out. She glanced around, then grinned at the sight of a squat little tavern. 'Blackgale Inn,' its wooden sight read, swinging back and forth in the slight wind.

'Perfect.'

Chatter and music drifted out from the doors and once she pushed past them, a familiar ranky smell greeted her. Her grin widened. It was this kind of bar that ended up being a funhouse by the time she left. Not today, however. She had a mission and an unfinished job. The sooner she got to the bottom of this, the sooner she could return to her target and lob his head off.

'Or suffocate him,' she thought with reluctance as she sat down at the bar. It had become a cool trademark of hers - Breath Stealer and all that jazz - but watching them squirm and then die without her even touching them had gotten old real fast. Snapping Elena's neck with her bare hands was a fresh breath of air. Cheryl's lips quirked at the irony of it.

'It's become quiet,' hummed Piper in her mind. So she'd noticed; it was hard not to when the din in the tavern practically vanished the second she had stepped in.

Without turning around, she raised her hand, waving nonchalantly to the gawking patrons.

'I know I'm nice to look at but there's nothing happening here. Why don't you all go back to whatever you were doing before?' At this point, Piper got up, clambering around her so that he sat on one shoulder, peering at the crowd behind her. The couple other patrons sitting at the bar shifted several inches away. Cheryl raised her eyes to the heavens as she felt the tension in the tavern spike. Nevertheless, she continued, putting her hand down. 'I'm sure it's more exciting than staring at my back.'

A couple beats of silence. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, the chatter resumed, as did the music.

Piper shifted his paws on her shoulder, as if kneading her for a brief moment. 'So curious. There are so many of them, yet only one of me. Still they are afraid.'

'Don't take all the credit, pal. I'm scary, aren't I? Hey!' The last word was a bark aimed at the bartender. The old man stiffened in response, clutching the wash cloth in his hand like a lifeline.

'Whatever you want, it's on the house-' he started, but clammed up when Cheryl waved a dismissive hand at him.

'If you're trying to say that I'm so poor that I can't afford a drink, just stop.'

'That's not-'

'Exactly. So get me a sour-' She reached into one of her belt pouches, pulled out a silver coin, and slapped it on the countertop. '-and take the money. You're running a business, man. Act like it.' The old man nodded, wide-eyed. He took the money with trembling hands, then set about making her drink.

Cheryl leaned her elbows on the countertop, the hair on her right side falling forward as she dipped her head and closed her eyes.

Mum was dead.

She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, she hadn't seen her in years. On the other...all those years away had been to help Mum.

No, that wasn't right. Their financial situation had stabilised years ago. The fear of Mum asking Cheryl how that had happened and finding out what her daughter had been up to all these years was what had kept Cheryl away after that.

'Well, now she'll never know. Good job, Cheryl.' She opened her eyes, frowning. 'Wait.'

The money. Their savings. For mana's sake, she'd come straight here after snapping Elena's neck and hadn't thought to check the crime scene itself. She slumped further on the counter, groaning. Piper readjusted his hold on her shoulder, wrapping a tail around the front of her neck.

'Sorry to, uh, interrupt, but your sour, Miss Hunter.' Her cheek pressed against the countertop, she watched the stained glass slide close to her face. The dark blue liquid fizzled, bubbles popping at the surface.

'Yeah, thanks. And Lusby's fine.'

Well, she'd come here to sort out her mind. She had a plan. Or at least, the next step of a developing plan. So, the way she saw it, it would be waste of energy to execute it right away. Better to drink and wait for the next next step of the plan to pop in her brain.

So she raised her head, took a deep swig of her sour, gasped for air, then slammed the glass down.

'Here's to you, Mum,' she murmured.

Ex Nihilo

Cheryl Lusby

tuff gurl

Image credit: Lesly Oh

Appearance | Standing at 1.6 metres, Cheryl's default expression is one of intense disinterest. Her auburn hair curls around her neck in a bobcut, with a side bang that has an irritating tendency to fall into her left eye. Nowadays, it's held back by two simple bobby pins. Steel-knuckled fingerless gloves adorn her hands and a utility belt tucked under her jacket holds her meagre possessions - a knife, money, and her mana shards. The front pockets on her utility jacket are where she keeps odds and ends. Heels? Nah. She's lovin' her steel-toed combat boots.
Age | 23
Gender | Female
Orientation | Heterosexual
Occupation | Bounty hunter

Personality

how she be

Practical. Either someone's of use to her or they're dead weight and she'll drop them. That's not a rule she abides by strictly, though. She's interested in the unusual and empathises with the weak. This leads her into trouble more often than not. Cheryl does have sense, however - if it's obvious that helping someone out will give her more than she can handle, she'll walk away.

She's quite short-tempered. When annoyed, she'll threaten to punch the offender in the teeth. When pissed off, she'll just punch them in the teeth. Talking with her fists is her favourite type of conversation.

Money is a good way to get Cheryl to do something. To her, life has become a cycle of one job after the other and it's a cycle she's grown comfortable with. To live is another day is to take someone's head off in exchange for money.

Traits

how she flex

Affinity | Air
Magic | Air manipulation. She needs mana for this and the only thing she can do with this ability is to steal the breath out of people, suffocating them. Mana is expensive so she usually reserves this for the killing blow with her targets.
Strengths
| Melee. She's good with her fists and better with a knife. Despite having never been formally trained, her time in the underground was spent watching other mobsters fight amongst themselves and she's been in enough fights that she can handle herself. Wily and slippery, her strength lies in her nimbleness, flexibility, and the swing of her knife.
| Reconnaissance | Her growing reputation as Breath Stealer made infiltrating underground operations a lot more difficult. A new tactic that she's been cultivating over the past couple years is to study her target's patterns and close in where they're most vulnerable.
| Lock-picking. She picked up the ability at some point or other and has found it extremely useful since. Uses her hairclip to do it. Heavy-duty locks and up are her limit though.
Failings
| Murderous. Her best go-to solution to a problem is to kill it dead.
| Arrogant. Her reputation as the Witch Hunter has more than stroked her ego. In the face of a challenge, she'll never back away and is always convinced that she's got the teeth to chew whatever she's bitten off. Once she's got the upper hand, she'll almost always grow complacent. This complacency has almost ended in her death in a few situations.
| Physical strength. This is not to say that she's not strong, but a hand-to-hand with someone bigger than her without a knife means that her best bet is to run away. Unfortunately, that's not a bet she's ever willing to take.
| Unrefined. Cheryl's definitely good at her job, but assassinating and fighting are two different things. While capable of handling herself in a fight, she has almost no chance with a trained or skilled fighter.

History

how she grow

Born in the dark, gritty parts of Sonarlis, Cheryl and her mum were left with an abundance of debt when Cheryl's father died before he could even lay his eyes on their firstborn. As it was, Cheryl's thoughts regarding her late father summed up to a simple, 'Good riddance.'

Cheryl spent most of her childhood on the streets, stealing what she could to put food on the table while her mother worked as a tavern waitress to pay off her husband's debts. Gambling buddies weren't quite so friendly once they were owed something. For a while, they walked on eggshells and Cheryl thought that things weren't so bad, considering her livelihood.

Then she stole from the boss of a crime syndicate.

He caught her, of course, but was impressed by her guts and quick fingers. For the payment of allowing her to leave with her hands intact and, after some bargaining on her part, 3% of the profits, he put her to use as a dragon stealer. The job was fairly simple - travel to dragon habitats and steal their eggs. Dragon trading on the black market's a profitable career and even with her meagre allowance, she eventually managed to pay off the family debt. Even then, life wouldn't give her a break it seemed. Her mother fell ill from the stress, both physically and emotionally (she never quite got over her husband's death). At this point, she was 12 and had been stealing dragon eggs for two years.

Taking initiative in her own hands, she took a risk. On another errand to steal a dragon egg - one of those pygmy types again - she let herself be discovered by the dragons. These pygmies, however, were living closely with Siyat dragons. An intelligent breed with long memories, they captured her, then pondered on how best to deal with the insolent human child. She made a deal - she'd let them know the leader behind the dragon trade and they'd help her kill him. In turn, their eggs would stop being stolen.

This was, of course, a lie. There were humans aplenty across the world that stole dragon eggs. Killing the crime boss would hardly change anything. However, as intelligent as the Siyat dragons were, this particular group did not dabble into human affairs. Unaware of the numerous other dragon traders who would continue stealing their eggs, they agreed to her deal. They sent her back with a spell that could steal a person's breath. So she managed to get her boss alone to herself and suffocated him to death. The use of magic scared everyone to death and that day, she ran from the hideout with the boss' head in her hand.

The bounty for the crime boss head proved enough to get her mum a caretaker and the medicine she needed. After threatening the office into making her a bounty hunter, she spent the next few years of her life travelling for bounties and struggling her way to the top. Life wasn't always easy and it certainly wasn't as smooth as people seemed to think it was - 'She became a bounty hunter at 12? Wow...' - but she survived. That was more than she could say for all her victims.

~~~

Piper

bundle of feathery scales

Appearance: About the size of a small cat. Though he's covered with feathers, hard dragon scales lie beneath. Try messing with him and Cheryl won't lift a finger - those teeth and claws aren't for show.
Species: Pipio pygymy dragon
Age: Three human years - that translates to a middle-aged dragon.
Gender: Male
Occupation: Messenger dragon. Requests strokes as payment.

Personality

how he floof

Though capable of telepathy, Piper's not a great conversationalist. He communicates his moods through the usual coos and chirps of a pipio pygmy and has a habit of stating everyday observations when he feels like it. It's only in times of great stress, imminent danger, or pestering boredom, will Piper make the effort to speak up.

He's usually agreeable to whatever Cheryl asks him to do, which consists of delivering messages or items most of the time. Quiet and obedient is how he is - just the way Cheryl likes it.

Traits

how he ror

Affinity | Air
Magic | Flight. Technically not magic, but it'd be a lie to say that there isn't air magic involved to enhance pipio pygmies' flight, considering their capability to survive in most places.
Strengths
| Melee. What sharp teeth and claws you have, Mr Piper.
| Obedience. He'll follow whatever Cheryl tells him to do to the letter.
Failings
| Lack of independence. Piper knows enough to survive on his own, but he won't quite know what to do with his life without someone there to tell him.
| smol boi. Sharp teeth and claws are great and all, but once someone bigger than him overpowers him, he's done for.

Entertain Me! [Status: Open]

👀

You seem like a bundle of fun.

_{also what if there were dragons in that risky dating plot}

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

K I M B E V E R I D G E

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Location | Misfits meeting place
Interacting with | Emi @NeoAC, Nate @spooner
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In retrospect, maybe Kim should be a little more concerned about the whole RV-stealing thing. Then again, if she got a little more concerned for every questionable decision her friends made, she probably wouldn't be sane enough for this road trip. Besides, what was Sami's dad going to do? Hunt them down? She doubted he was that crazy.

For a clunky-looking piece of junk, the RV wasn't too terrible inside. Manoeuvring past the passenger seat, the sofas, a kitchenette, a sulky Jules scribbling in the booth, and a fridge, she finally reached the bunk beds. She lugged her suitcase, her messenger bag set atop it, to the head of the bottom bunk. Taking a step back, she rested a hand on her hip, her other hand holding her frappe. Should she unpack? Or leave her stuff for now? She glanced over to the end of the RV. Tucked in a corner was the queen bed, a closet standing on its other side. Rust ate into the edges of the washer beside it. She hoped it still worked.

Nate came in then, and she stepped aside as he dumped his stuff on the top bunk. When he retreated to the kitchenette, settling on the small table there, she opted to turn her suitcase on its back and shove it under the bed. She could worry about it on the road.

As she hung her messenger bag at the foot of her bed, the sound of another person entering the RV turned her head and she smiled when she saw Emi. It disappeared as soon as Emi broke down and dashed into the toilet. Kim took a step forward, but Nate was already going after her. She hesitated, then turned away. There wasn't any point in crowding Emi in the midst of a breakdown. Instead, she busied herself with putting away her frappe and Umbra's orange soda into the - thankfully already cool - fridge. Something moved in the corner of her eye. She looked down.

Wedged in the small space between the kitchenette counter and the fridge, a lizard tail twitched back at her.

Then it hit her. The next few weeks, the rest of this road trip: this was how it was going to be. Just the seven of them, crammed into a single RV. Yes, they'd be seeing the sights and living the life, but they were essentially living together in a moving house. Spending this much time together would show sides of themselves that they kept tight to their hearts. Kim loved her friends, but she treasured the distance she'd retained the same - maybe even more. Talking, without saying anything at all, was easy.

'So I just have to keep doing it then.' Giving herself a mental shake, she pulled her gaze away from the lizard tail. She'd have to ask Sami if he had any pesticide later, though she doubted it. Nobody here minded lizards. Probably. It faintly occurred to her that maybe she should check for bed bugs.

The last bits of Nate's attempt at consoling Emi registered and Kim looked up as Emi emerged from the toilet. A small smile tugged on her lips. Taking the caramel mocha off the table, Kim walked over to the two, then handed it to Emi.

'Here,' she said, 'Though you'll probably need something stronger than that to listen to Nate's singing.'

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

K I M B E V E R I D G E

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Location | Misfits meeting place
Interacting with | Emi @NeoAC, Val @Dirty Pretty Lies, Nate @spooner, Sami @BrutalBx
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Huh. They'd actually gotten an explanation. Granted, the details were a little skimmed over - okay, a lot - but it was better than the usual spiel of nothing. Jules didn't seem to think so, though. Kim watched as he stomped away in a fit of anger.

She sat down by the picnic table, sucking idly on her straw. It was probably a good time to start moving her stuff into the RV, but it was also probably, in all likelihood, their last time here together. The waves she'd surfed (or tried to) with Val, the silence she'd shared with Sami, the walks with Jules, the games with Emi and Nate - they'd all happened here. Of course they'd been to plenty of other places together, but this was theirs. This was the sanctuary they shared when they needed a home away from home. It was the place where they had first gathered as a motley crew of misfits. And now? They were the Misfits. (To be honest, Kim wasn't sure why the capitalisation meant that others held a little more regard for their label. High school politics was weird.)

'You know, all drama aside,' she said, to no one in particular, 'I'm really gonna miss this place.'

A minute later saw Jules coming back, mollified but still upset, and Kim drummed her fingers on the wooden tabletop as he stormed into the RV.

She stood up, sauntering towards her belongings. 'Guess it's time to hit the road. I call dibs on the bottom bunk bed!' She glanced at Val on the way, smirking. 'Might wanna change soon, Val.'

Daily Dose of Emotion

I've been eyeing this RP for a while but I haven't made a decision yet since it's not the usual stuff I go for. What happens if a character is pro-liquid emotion? How would they fit into the rebellion plot? Would they even be part of the rebellion?

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

K I M  B E V E R I D G E

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Location | Misfits meeting place
Interacting with | Emi @NeoAC, Val @Dirty Pretty Lies, Sami @BrutalBx
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She didn't have to wait long, it seemed. Almost as soon Sami finished speaking, the others came trickling in, one after the other. She nodded back at Jules, the corner of her lips quirking up at the nickname. Then came Nate, then Emi, then Val - emerging from the water like the soaking hot mess she was - and their little group was complete. Kim winked back at Val's air kiss, then watched with mild amusement at the banter between Emi and Val.

Setting down her messenger bag on top of her suitcase, Kim shook out her hair, then adjusted her denim jacket. The weather was perfect for a swim. A twinge of regret passed through her as she stared at the waves. Maybe she should take a page out of Val's book and come earlier - like dawn earlier - next time. Then she glanced over at Val and changed her mind. It was probably for the best that she wouldn't drip all over Sami's RV's flooring on her first time inside it.

Enough self-reflection. Her frappe was waiting. Walking over to the picnic table, Kim swiped her drink and as soon as the bittersweet slush hit her tastebuds, she closed her eyes. Coffee - the best kind of drug there was. Maybe she should've just straight-up gotten an espresso or an all-black coffee instead of a frappe. This was what she asked for, though, and it was just as good, so could she really complain?

'I don't know about your wedding plans, but I'm pretty much in love with this frappe.' She took another sip, then gestured the drink at Emi. 'Thanks Emi.'

Jules started to join in with a quip about Las Vegas, but at his sudden outburst, Kim twisted around, still drinking. Then she paused, pulling the drink away from her mouth.

It wasn't that surprising a sight. With Sami's temper and tendency to respond to certain problems with violence, they'd all seen him hurt at one point or another. As Jules whirled away in a hurricane of aggressive concern and returned with ice, Kim only raised an eyebrow at Sami.

She didn't say anything. What could she say? Questions like 'Are you okay?' or 'What happened?' were fruitless when it came to Sami - she already knew the answer would be some variation of, 'I'm fine, don't worry about it.' The guy clammed up tighter than a pickle jar when it came to his own problems.

Even so, expecting this particular band of friends not to worry was ridiculous, especially after all this time. She went back to drinking her frappe, but her reproving gaze lingered on him, awaiting his response. At the very least, they deserved an explanation about the fact that the vehicle was maybe probably almost definitely stolen.

Who knew? Maybe hell felt like freezing over today.

REBOOT COMING SOON. INVITE ONLY.

K I M B E V E R I D G E

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Location | Misfits meeting place
Time | 11:50 AM
Interacting with | Sami @BrutalBx
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'This here the place?'

Kim glanced out the taxi window. With the sun climbing up to its throne at the sky's peak, the chatter of people milling around Santa Monica Pier was a soft murmur through the glass pane. Distant screams from Playland Arcade joined in, a sporadic accompaniment to the background noise.

'Yeah.' She handed over the cash for the fare. 'Thanks for the ride.'

Stepping out of the taxi, the noise of the pier hit her full on. She sighed, then slipped her hand into the pocket of her denim jacket, turning up the volume of her MP3. Snug in her ears were her earpieces and the strums of a ukulele drowned out the incomprehensible conversations of the people around her. Stepping round to the boot of the taxi, she retrieved her four-wheeled suitcase, then watched as the taxi drove off.

This wasn't quite where she was supposed to be, but Kim had wanted the opportunity to walk off what had happened this morning. Figured her mum would bring up her self-improvement shtick right before she left. Things had been going so well too! Her parents had been willing to let her go on this road trip - her mum wouldn't stop throwing in advice on what to bring and what to wear, and her dad kept warning her about dangers on the road. There hadn't been a single mention about her grades or school or the impending future that Kim wasn't at all thinking about.

Then Kim had stood by the door, said her goodbyes, and her mum did that sad smiling thing that she always did when she was about to say something that made Kim want to run into the woods, climb a tree, and never come back down.

'When you're out there experiencing what life has to offer, I hope you'll give some thought on what you're going to do in the coming months. You could've done better, but...well. We can't change what's passed. But you can do better, Kimberly. We know you can.'

Well, they knew wrong then. Kim heaved out a breath, pausing where she'd been walking on the pavement. She hadn't reacted with an outburst or anything, but leaving for a road trip that would last who knew how long after a tart, 'Okay mum.' wasn't exactly a good feeling.

'Are you tired of me yet?
I'm a little sick right now, but I swear,
When I'm ready I will fly us out of here.'

'Okay, yeah, no,' muttered Kim. No pathetic fallacy here right now, even if it was the music version. She took out her MP3 and switched to a 45-minute synthwave mix. Bless Odysseus - she wouldn't know where else to get her ideal chill music fix. Then she released her suitcase handle and clapped both hands to her cheeks.

Game face on. She wasn't here to mope about things she couldn't change. She was here to hang out with her friends who'd been with her through high school and enjoy all the things the road trip would bring. No mum, no dad, just her and the Misfits. 'Once I actually get to the place, anyway,' she thought, grabbing hold of her suitcase and continuing on. Fortunately, it wasn't long before a familiar food truck appeared, the logo of The Great American Fries_TM slapped on its backside in all its orange glory. Not far behind was a majestic RV, with a slightly less majestic Sami bent under its hood, singing as he apparently...worked on its engine? He had a wrench in his hand so Kim assumed he was doing something to the RV. She lugged her suitcase up by the RV's door, taking a moment to disentangle her earpiece - it kept catching on the shoulder strap of her travel sling bag - and lowered the volume of her music.

'Hey,' she said, not at all pleased that she managed to snag some time with Sami by herself. 'Guess I'm a little early, huh?' She looked around, as if the others would start appearing out of thin air. They didn't. 'Any update on when the others are arriving?'