Zoey Boey

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Dareen Kahina

outskirts of the village

Dareen reflexively put a hand up to her hair as Jandar groaned as soon as he saw it. Then she sneered, as if she needed this guys approval for her hair. Long hair could get grabbed in a fight. If someone grabbed her by the hood, it would just slip off. If someone tried to grab her by her regular hair, they probably could with enough effort but by then she would have already stabbed them in the throat because they would essentially have to wrap their meaty paws around her scalp. Not gonna happen. Faeril and Fatima's long luscious locks could get yanked around hard enough that Dareen's neck hurt just thinking about it. Frowning at Jandar, she glanced over at Mikhail.

"Hmm," She hummed, not exactly convinced. Suddenly, Fatima appeared and began scanning her. Dareen instinctively felt defensive, but she couldn't help but be a little amused as this Queen analyzed her up and down. Once again she put a hand up to her hair as Fatima said it looked fine, and she even had a cute idea for it. Once again, she retrated the hand and tried to look impassive. Fatima brought up Dareen's frame, and the mercenary couldn't help but agree. Dareen was far more athletically built than either of the other two women in the group. Hell, she could probably beat Mikhail in an arm wrestling contest. But after a moment, Fatima brought something up that the Pruulish woman hadn't really considered. Dareen had assumed Fatima wasn't involved in this discussion about going into town because she wanted to stay out of town. Dareen looked very intrigued by this option of not having to dress up.

Fatima looked back at her, and, to be honest, it had been a really long time since someone had complemented Dareen on her appearence. A genuine complement, not some brainless, lecherous slur. It was unexpected, and the Pruulish woman wasn't sure how to react. Especially coming from someone as beautiful and elegant as Fatima. A Queen, no less. Perhaps it was just talk, as those of the upper class tended to do, but even so. Surpressing her blush, Daree nodded and glanced around.

"Well- yeah, I mean, if you want to go I don't see why not. I could come with you, or stay. I mean," She sighed briefly, "I suppose I could dress up if it would help us blend in. I mean, shit-" Cutting herself off once again, she summoned a hood and a scarf. Wrapping the hood around her head and the scarf around her mouth and nose, Dareen crossed her arms infront of her chest and furrowed her eyebrows. This combined with the hood and a little forward leaning of her head, Dareen's face was covered and her eyes were cast in shadow.

"If I stand in the corner and look pissed off, I can probably just pass as a man. Or at least no one will bother asking." She stood still for a moment to gauge the others reaction. Shrugging, she pulled the cover off her face.

"Normally I would be saying how I could just go in there as me, but the literal moment I stepped into the last town I was accosted." She laughed. Fortunately her face was still disguised so the others couldn't see the discomfort on her face as she remembered Xandar choking her and tossing her around like a ragdoll. Throwing her arms up into the air, Dareen made a helpless gesture.

"I don't know. I'm rambling. I'll go with whatever. Really." She rolled her shoulders and then took the hood off again, balling it up in her hands and rolling it around between them.

The Gauntlet

sounds pretty cool! i am interested

any chance of PC death? you mentioned Dark Souls, will there be a respawn mechanic of some kind?

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

Annabelle Lafeyette

Annabelle frowned. "Well, it may be none of my business, but I still think kids should go to school. My mom's a teacher and she didn't mention anything about a holiday." She said, leaning her weight onto one leg. Doug began to walk around idly behind her, sniffing the grass.

"I don't know why you're parents are letting you run around by yourself on a school day, but..." She didn't want to kick up a fuss, but this was really bugging her. Were these kids throwing away their future? Or was it just them playing hooky? Maybe this wasn't a big deal after all. Kids played hooky, right? Personally, Annie never skipped school like these kids were doing. Maybe she was just being a nerd. Wait a minute. Was she seriously worried about being judged by these kids? She was the adult here!

"You kids really should be in school," She said, puffing up. "It's not good to skip. It, well, it might become a habit. The more you skip, the less you learn, and the less you learn...the less you earn!" She managed after a moment, somehow proud of her lame rhyme. She put a hand on her hip and tried to look- wise? Mentorly? Cool? Yeesh. This whole thing was feeling awkward. It was hard to try and reach out to random kids on the street while holding a dog leash in one hand. Still, she'd rather look stupid than say nothing to these children skipping out on the most important part of their childhoods. Right?

Star Wars: Empire of Glass

N E D

---

"Stop the elevator please, Private Dasiv," NED ordered camly. She had already done so by the time he finished his sentence.

"So, what are you doing again?" A young man asked skeptically.

"If we open the elevator doors to a firing squad, we are all going to be killed very badly, Private Klosu. I am taking preventative measures." Not quite convinced, Klosu leaned back. Nodding at Private Dasiv, NED jumped out through the whole he had created in the roof of the elevator. Pulling himself up, the ceiling now his floor, the closed elevator doors were before him. Getting out his scanner, he detected there was no one directly on the other side. Not particularly helpful, though. They could be standing farther back, or even behind particularly heavy cover that the scanning rays can't get through. It would be best to go through with breaching procedures. Thus, NED procured a breaching charge from his large satchel and attached it to the doors.

Landing in the elevator with a thud, his metallic head swivelled left and right at the 9 people in the elevators with him. "Cover your ears, Scarlet Moons." Some of them did, and he detonated the satchel charge. Not a moment later he activated a thermal grenade and threw it through the hole, bouncing it off the elevator shaft behind them and sending it ricocheting into the room above them. It detonated. Silence.

"There's no one there," Klosu observed.

NED shushed the private with a raised finger. There wasn't anyone there. Instead, the sing song sounds of a chirping bird could be heard. NED grabbed onto the hole in the ceiling and raised only his head. It was true- no Imperial fighting squad was waiting for them on the otherside. Instead, there seemed to be some kind of arboretum. Vibrant greens, pinks and blues filled the incredibly large room before them. It was a greenhouse of grand proportions, made even more impressive by the station being in space.

Pulling himself up, he stepped inside, glancing around with his scanner. No one. "Bring up the elevator, Private Dasiv," He beckoned his squad mates up. The elevator rose, the doors slid open, and nine Scarlet Moons spilled quickly into the arboretum. Most of them glanced around, awestruck.

"Stars! What the Hell is this place?"

"Some kinda garden?"

"Sure does smell nice."

"Which way to the bridge?" Private Dasiv asked, stepping up next to NED.

NED paused a moment, considering. "That way," He pointed. The large domed ceiling had support structures and rafters. There were four main support beams along the dome that vanished into the ground. NED was pointing to the northern one. They acted as a sort of compass.

"Stay together, Scarlet Moons," NED said, slowly making his way foward. "There may yet be an ambush lying in weight." His life form scanners would be useless here. Birds, insects, even large plants, would create a blip on the short ranged radar. So he hooked the device on his belt and held his DLT-19 in both hands, leading the way. His squad nodded and formed up. Unfortunately, their path options were limited. There was no outside circular path, the thick plants and trees blocked line of sight. There was even an artificial hill in the distance, and atop sat another greenhouse structure. Redundant, NED thought.

There were a few moments of tense quiet. Birds chirping. Insects buzzing. Anxious breathing and muffled footsteps.

Private Kluso held up his dark red hand. "You guys hear that?" He whipsered harshly.

They all paused. No one else did. "Sounded like...somethin' moving. On our three o'clock." He gestured his blaster towards a wall of thick branches. They all backed away and pointed their guns where Kluso had indicated the noise. Everyone froze as the sound of something large moving through the shrubbery made itself apparent. Kluso's yellow eyes widened as he caught sight of a large creature. As long as five men at least, low to the ground and with four stubby legs. Overshadowed. In the distance, barely visible.

"...Mother of Moons..." He exclaimed quietly in disbelief.

"What do you see, Private Kluso?" NED had stalked up beside the observant soldier.

"Th-there's somethin' huge back there, Lieutenant," He reported nervously.

"How large?"

"Ten, fifteen meters long? Low to the ground. Some kinda predator," He shout-whispered. The other soldiers exchanged worried looks.

"How many legs?" NED inquired.

"I dunno. Four, I guess."

"Did it have a long tail?"

"Maybe?"

Rustle, rustle. Everyone went quiet. The distant sound of crackling could be heard. More steps back. ZAP! A spark of electricity ignited. One of the soldiers was almost hit by a stray bolt of what looked like lightning. It scarred the ground black and the soldier danced away. Everyone began to fire blindly into the shrubbery. Red lasers lit up the trees and then went dark as they collided against the dirt, a tree, or a rock.

"What in the blazes was that!?" Someone called out.

"One of the apex predators on Ord Thorden. A Swamp Dragon, villagers call it. It generates electricity out of it's mouth and then attempts to direct it toward its prey, incapacitating them and making for an easy kill. We warded it off with a hail of blaster fire. For now. It will most likely strike again now that it nows our appoximate strength and numbers." NED reported factually.

"Why the hell are they keeping a monster onboard this damn ship?" Dasiv shouted.

"...I don't know," NED replied.

"Well, how do we stop it!?"

"Everyone, please remain calm. Stay close together. If you see it, shoot it many times. If it grabs one of you, everyone else chase after it. If I do not return in three minutes, continue onto the bridge without me. While I am gone, Private Dasiv is in charge." NED turned and stalked off into the artificial jungle.

"What in the blazes?" Dasiv exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Said Kluso. "I should be the one in charge."

"Not that, laserbrain. I'm talkin' about why the hell the Lieutenant is going to wrestle that damn thing by himself!"

"We should just leave while he's gone."

"No way," Dasiv shook her head. "If you do, I'll shoot you myself. Besides, three minutes isn't that long. Just cool it. I'm sure NED knows what he's doing."

"Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep," NED cooed, walking into the jungle.

"Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,"

Rustle, rustle. NED paused, his head rotating behind him.

"Cheep, cheep-" CRUNCH! The thing wrapped it's powerful jaws around his leg and began to drag him to the ground. NED held firm, digging his heavy heels into the dirt. NED was most likely far heavier and far more steady than it anticipated. It readjusted his grip and tried to drag him down. It succeeded, and NED fell onto his back with a thud.

"Cheep, cheep, cheep," He continued, unphased. The thing realised it wasn't tasting any blood. It pulled. Nothing. NED was not panicking or flailing, or screaming. Or bleeding! NED smelled like rust and oil. After a moment it detatched, beginning to charge up it's electricity again. NED knew that the Swamp Dragon could only discharge electricity so often. When it realised that it's prey wasn't of flesh and blood, it would give up for a while. The taste of metal was capable of killing one's appetite.

"Cheep, cheep, cheep," NED cooed, pulling himself up to one knee. He pat the creature on it's snout. It growled, disappointed. NED had done this a few times before. It was something Nathaniel had taught him to do. This method was easier than fulling the thing full of holes. Rarely did a Swamp Dragon ever venture out of it's territory, and the stringy humanoids in the Scarlet Moons or in a village weren't nearly enough to fill it's high voltage belly. Plus, humanoids had a tendency to shoot lasers everywhere when bitten. NED ran his mettalic fingers under the jaw of the creature and began to scratch it.

"Cheep, cheep, cheep," NED said. "I am sorry the imperials have trapped you on this station," NED apologised. Then, he bopped the thing hard on the nose. It growled and bit at him. This time, NED jumped away, the jaws snapping at thin air. It hissed, following him slowly as he backed away.

"Cheep, cheep," NED taunted. Soon, he was out of the jungle and back onto the pavement. "Cheep cheep," The beast snapped at him again, and NED leaped further back. The creature was intent on chasing the invader away. This was a contest of pride, now, not one of hunger. NED was walking backwards up the artificial hill, his feet moving with precision up a staircase as he kept his eyes on the beast infront of him. He rounded a corner of the staircase. His back was against a sliding glass panel, now. They were unlocked, but he spotted a panel that could potentially lock them. He slid the door open and stepped cautiously inside. The beast followed, jaws crackling with energy. He took a few steps inside, and then, much to the beasts surprise, leaped! Leaping over Swamp Dragon, he dashed out of the door. The Swamp Dragon, being large, low, and with short stubby legs, began to turn after him. It hit its nose on the side of the greenhouse. Opportunity seized, he pressed the button to lock the greenhouse door from the outside. It could not be unlocked without the proper passcode. Some high ranking gardener must have left the greenhouse unlocked before leaving in a hurry.

Having spotted another door on the opposite end of the greenhouse, NED quickly rushed over to that side and checked to see if the door was locked. It was, fortuntately. The Swamp Dragon was now trapped inside. With no arms or legs, the only way to generate enough force to even begin to crack the glass was to ram it's snout full speed into the window. Have you ever tried to headbutt your way through a wall? NED hasn't either, but it can be assumed to be quite the unpleasant experience.

Satisfied with his work, NED tromped his way through the jungle and reunited with the rest of the Scarlet Moons.

"So?" Dasiv asked.

"The Swamp Dragon has been isolated within the greenhouse." NED reported cheerily.

Dasiv blinked, and one recruit handed fifty credits to another. With that, the way to the bridge was clear.

"Why didn't you just shoot the damn thing?" Kluso asked as they ascended the brief steps up to the final hallway before their destination.

"Swamp Dragons have a tendency to violently explode when they are killed with plasma fire." NED responded.

Kluso barked out a laugh. "Oh, great. Cool. And that thing is just in the glass box, now?" He asked.

NED paused and turned around, making sure the door behind them was relocked after Dasiv spliced it open. "Potentially."

Now, it was time to take the bridge itself. The going was about to get tough.

DEAD ISLAND 💀🌴

well since this RP seems to be kapoot i am just letting everyone know that i am officially dropping out. it was a fun time, thanks for having me along

Star Wars: Empire of Glass

will be getting a post up today for sure!

Heroes Reborn: Prime Earth (Superhero/Urban Fantasy: OPEN)

Theo and Starfire!

January 18th, 8:02 PM
The Scar

A Collab with Ms. Morningstar

Theo took Starfire around the general grounds. It truly was a vast estate. They must've owned at least fifty acres of land. He showed her the greenhouse behind the Manor, and took her inside to give her a quick rundown of everything they grew. "So, what do you think?" He asked. He was calmed by the smell of the herbs, it was earthy and beautiful within the greenhouse. And devastatingly warm, but he had gotten used to that.

Starfire spun around, taking in the space around them, the smells and bright green colors. ”It is wonderful here, Theo.” This place had a lot of care put into it, this green house. It was a house full of green- the name was correct.

Her spinning came to a stop and she looked at Theo.”I am Starfire, by the way. It is good to meet you, Theo.” She said, getting herself properly introduced to Clio’s favorite cousin.

“A pleasure, Starfire.” Theo nodded, just as aristocratic as he had been trained to be. “There are many places on this estate, but this is more often than not my favorite.” Taking it in a final time, he sighed. “Now, why don’t we travel somewhere a bit more...invigorating? That, or I could show you where you’ll be staying during your time here.” However short that was.

Starfire smiled at Theo’s greeting. She could see why he was Clio’s favorite. He was collected and welcoming. ”Invigorating? What is invigorating?” She asked cheerily.

“Something that makes you feel strong, rejuvenated without resting. We have this special place, called the Breakdown...the family goes there for fun.” Theo was amused by her cheerful behavior, but said nothing of it. “We have been for many years now.”

Starfire nodded slowly. ”Clio mentioned it earlier. This does sound like fun. Is it far from here?” She asked another question, not wanting to leave Clio alone for a very long time.

“Not at all,” Taking some dirt from a pot, he sprinkled it on the floor. “In fact, if you follow this path, it’ll take you straight there. The third path of the main straight, to be precise.” He drew some lines in the soil with the tip of his shoe.

“Why don’t we race?” He asked, considering her. He wanted to know exactly why Clio had invited her into their home. The glowing eyes indicated metahuman or alien lineage. There had to be something special about her.

Starfire took in the information, staring down at the floor as Theo constructed his makeshift map. At the suggestion of a race, she raised her eyebrows. ”A race? Yes, I will race you. You do not want me to go easy on you, do you?” It was hard to tell if she was being genuine or pert. It had been a while since she had raced somebody in a friendly context.

Theo grinned. “Not at all. In fact, if you’re so confident, then perhaps I should have a head start?” He asked, and before she could respond he was rushing out the door of the greenhouse toward the third path.

Starfire gasped in mock offense as he took off running. Beginning to sprint out the door she followed him out. As the two ran, Starfire thought about Clio’s powers. Theo could probably do similar things, so Star had to act quickly. Looking down at her feet pounding the path she began focusing on her heels. There was a small pop, and Starfire’s step was a little larger. The next step, it popped again, a little louder. The next step, it turned Starfire’s run into a series of jumps. This process quickly had the alien taking large, bounding steps. On the 20th pop, she took off into the air, and the pops continued as she was a foot above the ground. At this point she was moving at around 25 miles per hour. Not looking back to see what kind of tricks Theo was doing, she concentrated on her own movement, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth in concentration. Pop! Pop! Pop! The sounds grew louder as green discs formed beneath Star’s feet. It looked like she was jumping on invisible trampolines. Soon she was ten feet in the air and taking one legged leap after one legged leap. Following the path beneath her, it wasn’t long until she saw what she believed to be the Breakdown in the distance.

Hopefully she was winning! Clio’s family could do magical things. Perhaps they could turn into shadows and move silently amongst the darkness. Theo could already be there! She didn’t want to go too fast, or she could overshoot. Maintaining her speed for a brief moment, she gauged it in her head and did a front roll in the air after her final jump. Her body glowed green as she flipped down, back to Earth. At the last moment, she thought of the lawn. They would be upset at her if she burned their finely kept grass! She splayed herself out flat and energy emitted from her palms and soles, bouncing her and keeping her in the air. The energy around her dissipated as she purposefully ground her own momentum to a halt. Finally flameless, colliding with the ground with a grunt, she semi-gracefully tumbled to a stop at the outskirts of the Breakdown.. Slowly getting to her feet she wiped the plant matter off of her form and whirled around, looking for Theo.

Theo had been watching the woman as he ran leisurely behind her. After she had gotten out of eyesight, he had sped up exponentially. It was about four minutes after she had arrived that he found himself at the Breakdown. Panting, he wiped the sweat from his brow and walked over to Starfire. “Amazing.” He muttered, nearly reaching out to inspect her. He prevented himself from doing so, and cleared his throat instead.

“Good job.” He said at last, shrugging in defeat.

Starfire smiled giddily. ”Thank you. Did you go easy on me? Clio can create places to run out of thin air, somewhat like I can.” She asked genuinely. Perhaps he meant a regular foot race, and she cheated. He didn’t seem too upset, though.

“Not at all, just quite slow, it seems.” Theo said with a chuckle, before turning his attention to the Breakdown. It used to be a factory warehouse, but now it was just a building on the outskirts of their estate that they used for training. It stretched taller than the manor, and while it looked dilapidated, it was actually quite nice on the inside. They had spent many years patching it up and creating a perfect space for Delphine training. It was easy enough to access, even from the outside, as there was another gate to it just beyond. .

Stepping inside with Starfire, they were greeted by enthusiastic children and adults alike, all busy showing off their powers. Challenges were taken on the top floor, which was currently vacant as far as Theo knew. It looked like the average gym. With weights, benches for lifting and even some electrical cardio equipment. The second floor was what he wanted to show Starfire most. That was the magical skills training room.

“Family, this is Starfire. Starfire, these are the Delphine members who care enough about their abilities to train.” He laughed, as if this were a joke, not a jab.

Starfire thought the building looked more dilapidated than she expected, but once the sound of chatter, the clattering of metal equipment and the overall better state of the inside of the building came to her attention, the place felt very welcoming.

”Hello, Family. This is Theo.” She said, gesturing to the man beside her with a small, wry smile. Exercising was a very different activity where she came from, but the alien could see the resemblance.

Theo eyed her with a brow quirked. Had she just...introduced…him? He ignored that, taking her around to all the equipment. Once that was done, he took her to the next floor and grinned. There were at least twenty family members here training. They lifted weights not with their bodies, but with their shadows. Kids arm wrestled with tendrils of void. A few practiced giving slaves menial tasks. Some practiced throwing daggers and other weaponry. Others still were pouring over cauldrons, referencing spellbooks and checking herb labels. It was everything Delphine, all in one room.

“Any thoughts?” He asked, turning to look at her.

Starfire was enjoying the sights and sounds when she realized that some people were not here voluntarily. The zombies sent a chill down her spine as he thought of Shaun’s roommate Pete, naked in the shower, hungry for flesh. Perhaps it was best to keep these thoughts concealed for now, though Starfire wasn’t exactly the best at hiding her internal thoughts. She did a quick scan for Maeve, the woman Clio and Star had met outside the theater. Not finding her, she turned back to Theo. ”It is very busy in here. The shadow powers are amazing to behold, I have never seen anything like it.” She said genuinely, avoiding the topic of zombies.

Theo noticed her gaze lingering on the slaves, but said nothing. Instead, he took the compliment with grace. “Thank you, Starfire. Your abilities are just as impeccable.”

Starfire smiled. ”Thank you, Theo. I am not very good at controlling them, but maybe one day I will be.” She turned back to the room and looked over a nearby child working on improving himself. He reminded her of himself. It is amazing that he has come so far in such a short amount of time. Human lifespans are so much shorter than hers, and yet they have learned so much in such a brief amount of time.

”They are already so skilled in their abilities. You must be proud.” She said, not looking at Theo.

“I am, very much so. Seeing them bloom before me only strengthens my pride in them. It allows me to truthfully say that there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.” He smiled, watching the same child Starfire was. “Fanmi se tout bagay.” He mumbled.

She glanced back at him briefly, as his words turned into another language. After a moment’s pause she spoke up. ”Do members of your family fight often? Clio mentioned challenges, but I did not think they would be so violent. The muscle power broke her arm.” She said, instinctively reaching for her own arm where Clio was injured.

Theo sighed. He personally wasn’t a fan of the challenges, though he had partaken in his fair share. “It’s the way of our family. No one can be equal. It keeps people in line.”

Starfire tilted her head to the side and pondered this. ”Yes, I suppose it would do that.” Perhaps if her family had something like this, things would not have gone so poorly. It was hard to know. Starfire stayed silent, watching a young woman attempt to out wrestle a tendril of pure shadow.

Theo had been expecting some form of resistance. He scratched his arm, sighing. “Well, why don’t we complete our tour? There’s so much to show you.”

Bogeys! - Air Combat Drama [OPEN]

Jamie Teale

---

Jamie listened in curiously over the radio as Scott explained what he saw. "Vanished?" she murmered under her breath. That's impossible. Still, no reason to engage in a debate with what he saw over the comms. It would be a distraction and a waste of time. Plus, it's not like she could say anything one way or the other. It would make sense, though. She should have been able to see them fly away, at least. But as soon as the bird went kersplat, it was like they were gone. But if Scott couldn't see them either, then maybe they really had disappeared. Like some kind of cloaking tech? Jamie was suspicious to say the least, she would have see it to really believe it. But there was no reason not to take Scott at his word for it. Either way, they were gone, Jamie could tell that much.

Jamie could also tell that Lancer's crazy ass plan worked out. The tension released, and she pouded the window above her with her fist victoriously as Lancer's daredevil stunt allowed him to light up that scumbag and send him falling to the ground below, his precious Vlakky jet shattering into a billion pieces.

Teale: "Fuck yeah! Great splash, Angel-3! Over!"

Grinning, her smile faded a little as she turned the nose of her plane toward Felix and Zarkev's duel. Wouldn't it be great if no more Angel's had to fall? One was enough, she thought. Felix looked to be doing well, but the guy he was dueling wasn't messing around. Either way, Jamie circled her jet around the outskirts of the duel, preparing to leap in at any moment. Particularly if Felix's plane got hit one more time, she would have to jump in and make this Zarkev guy disengage for sure. But there was a chance Carter could blow him out of the sky in the next few moments, so she waited, anxiously, to see what would happen.

Blood's Jewels (High Casual Fantasy Revolution)

Dareen Kahina

outskirts of the village

Dareen sighed, covering her eyes with the palm of her hand, crossing her other arm across herself. "Demure and docile. That's me, no doubt about it." She said sarcastically. Obviously the Pruul was in no position to deny this plan, even if she wanted too. Though while she was trying to assign some kind of hierarchy to the group it was seemingly difficult to do so. So she would just go along with it for now- besides, it wouldn't be that bad. "All right, Jandar. We could be...land owners or something. Pretty sure people just get money from owning land, right? At some point the money just starts appearing in rich people's laps."

Looking over at Denvar, and Bellinar, Dareen shook her head. "Woah hold on a minute, call the whole thing off. If the dress is out of date, I can't do it. Can't you tell I am a...fashion...queen?" She trailed off, failing to find the right word. She gestured down at her dark brown tunic under a vest, with straps and holsters for travelling supplies and weapons dangling off every which way. She chuckled without smiling. Vanishing her weapons into thin air she threw up her arms and shrugged.

"Well, if I'm doing this, I guess I need the dress. I've never put one on before so, you know, I might fuck it up. And am I hiding my tattoos somehow or are we just hoping no one asks? I heard someting about make up?" As she spoke, Dareen pre-emptively began to prepare to change clothes. For the first time since she's been with the group the woman removed the scarf and hood around her neck and head, revealing her short black hair underneath. It was very

tightly braided

in a diagonal circle around her head, and were it at it's full length would come down to her chin, at most.

"Oh, yeah, also, not exactly the long flowing locks kind of person. Hope that's not an issue." She pointed jeeringly at her head, balling up her head apparel and holding it up a little. "Should I keep the hood on? What would be more suspicious, my hair or a hood?" Shrugging with pseudo-exasperation, Dareen was trying to co-operate but it was clear that she was out of her depth when it came to this kind of thing. Faeril was right in the way that she had seen women like this before, but it was a whole other thing to actually pretend to be one. Maybe Dareen was worried there some kind of secret password that would immediately out her as a fake. And being discovered as a fake rich woman would probably be one of the most humiliating experiences in her life, had she not already had all her secrets laid bare infront of Faeril a week or so ago. But no one said she needed to have a new number two spot already. Darkness forbid she actually have to fight someone in a dress.

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

Annabelle Lafeyette

Andy! That's it. What a relief- the conflict was resolved! Hooray, cheers all around, everbody go home. Annie shook her head and then waved to the kid heading over. Looked like she was just hanging out with children today. That was fine- kids were cool, though they could be a little problematic sometimes that was just part of the process of becoming an adult. Hell, Annie was still kind of a kid herself. Only two years of legal adulthood and she felt just like she did in high school, except now she had to figure out what the hell to do with herself instead of just being told.

"Hey there. I'm just walking my dog." Annie greeted neighborly. "Andy over here was just petting him." Doug was perfectly content to get petted forever. After a moment she furrowed her eyebrows. Thinking about high school made her realise something.

"Hey, shouldn't you two be in school? It's not a holiday, is it?" Annie asked, pointing a little at the two kids. One of her moms was a teacher, so she would know, right? Were these two skipping? Annebelle was uncomfortable with the idea of kids not going to school; it made her nervous.