[Private Roleplay] ~ Eternal Eden

bunnyshadow • 10 April 2016 at 10:30 PM

@takatheeducatedkid

~~~

"Completely understandable." Fang said with a smile. "But I'll have you know that you don't have any idea even remotely close to what I am capable of doing." He continued. The man allowed Creed to walk several feet in front of them, not because he felt as if the other was unsafe, but because with his impaired vision, he wouldn't be able to tell a rock from a pile of dirt.

"Who is this Arlo?" Fang questioned. He had noticed that when the fight first began, Creed had seemed different, almost like a different person. His words had been a lot more defensive and uptight, but now the man seemed a lot more calm, holding himself with an aristocratic attitude almost. Fang assumed that Creed must have been affected with some bipolar disorder.

asi • 10 April 2016 at 11:05 PM

"Ah, no," he denied it without a second's thought. Having not even a single clue where 'around here' was, it would certainly be strange to claim he lived here. But where, then? He couldn't call a place home if he hadn't lived there in six years...
His frown deepened once more, and his pace stalled a moment while Shimon sank deep into thought. "I don't live anywhere in particular. I've been travelling for a long time," he answered her truthfully, feet starting up again. "My name's Shimon."
After answering her questions, more or less to the best of his ability, he looked curiously down at his new companion. Apart from having ascertained her to be young, small, and a girl, the rest of her remained a mystery to him. Although he was sure what little light there was in the night caught upon the white of his face- indeed, he could observe it on his hands now- and the shine of his hair, the same was not true for the girl. The darkness seemed to cling to her like a curtain, in the same manner as her clothes. She was wearing her hood up, too, so he wouldn't see her face unless she turned his way- and then, he only noticed the flashes of her eyes.
He assumed she just had darker skin, and didn't look any further.
"And...?" Glancing to her, Shimon didn't finish his question, but simply left it open to her interpretation. He liked things that way, when others were free to offer whatever took their fancy. Although he was interested, there was nothing special that he felt the need to know. Even the distance of the city didn't concern him at all, unless it was somehow so great as to drain all his supplies before they could make it. But of course he wasn't worrying about that now.

takaedakumi • 11 April 2016 at 3:45 PM

@bunnyshadow

~~~

"Oh, I'm sure. I only just met you, after all." Creed replied, though he felt confident that he knew a lot about Vladan already--not that he wouldn't be cautious around the man.

Creed's grin faded at the mention of Arlo, and he put his hands in his pockets with a serious expression as they continued on. "Arlo is... well, he's kind of like the bane of my existence, but also part of it." He looked back at Vladan for a second before focusing on the road ahead again. "When I'm not in control, he is. We're pretty different, though. Arlo is more of the peace-loving type, but I like things hardcore."

*That's one word for it...* Arlo commented.

"I used to think it was completely random, but I get this feeling that, whatever it was you did back there, you put me in charge again. That's why I don't care what Arlo says--I like you, man. You're pretty cool." Creed said, giving his new traveling companion a pat on the shoulder.

bunnyshadow • 11 April 2016 at 4:12 PM

@takatheeducatedkid

~~~

Fang flinched at the sudden weight Creed put on his shoulder. He reached up and grabbed the other man's wrist. "I'd normally get mildly irritated, but you're lucky to be blessed with features as handsome as yours." Fang stated with a sideways grin. "I'm sure that in time, I can grow to like you too, and possibly more if you wish." He added, twisting up Creed's words in a way that they weren't supposed to be.

Fang made to glance into Creed's eyes for a reaction of some sort, hoping to also peer into his mind as well. Overall, the man was simply just curious as to how Creed's brain worked, considering how he had a split personality named Arlo inside his head. His words were aimed to catch Creed off guard, hopefully long enough so that Fang could manage to get a lengthy examination of Creed's thought process.

The man smiled slyly, almost as if to exaggerate the implications of his statements even further.

takaedakumi • 11 April 2016 at 4:38 PM

@bunnyshadow

~~~

Vladan's reaction was completely unexpected for Creed, and for a quick moment, his cheeks became a pinkish hue. "Err, that's not exactly what I meant." he said, pulling his wrist forcefully away.

*Creed, what did you just get us into?* Arlo asked, voice dripping with unease.

"You can stop staring at me with that creepy grin now." Creed added loudly in an irritated tone. He grasped the handle of one of his knives, just in case Vladan was about to try something.

*Oh wow, a taste of your own medicine, huh? You don't seem to have a problem grinning at people like that.* Arlo said, starting to enjoy Creed's discomfort somewhat.

"Is that right?" Creed said in reply to Arlo's comment, looking away from Vladan and off into the darkness. "Maybe you'd like to take a backseat to something new and different." he said mischievously in a low voice.

*Uh, no--no thanks.* Arlo said, instantly regretting his previous jab at Creed. *Let's ditch this creep already.*

bunnyshadow • 11 April 2016 at 5:25 PM

@takatheeducatedkid

~~~

"Intriguing..." Fang muttered, brushing away Creed's words without a second thought. It really was an interesting relationship that Creed and Arlo had, even though the man had only managed to scrape the surface of his mind, their back and forth banter certainly wasn't something that was normal. "I was just joking." He added with a chuckle. Fang decided to keep to himself about his mind reading abilities as of now.

The man knew that Creed was aware that he had some sort of power over other people's minds, but perhaps not to this extent. Fang moved up so that he was only a foot or two away from Creed. He moved closer, before whispering in Creed's ear, breathing onto the other man's neck. "However, I'm always open to try out new things if your curiosity is ever piqued."

Fang pulled away before letting out a deep chortle. He adjusted his grip on the rifle, toying with the weapon in a way guns should not be played with. "The city shouldn't be far off." Fang said suddenly, changing the subject. "We should be able to get there by dawn."

takaedakumi • 11 April 2016 at 5:43 PM

@bunnyshadow

~~~

Creed visibly relaxed a little as the other admitted he was joking, though it took him a few extra moments to bring his hand away from his blade handle. Soon after he'd let go though, he renewed his grip on the knife as Vladan came uncomfortably close and whispered in his ear. "I'll uh, keep that in mind." Creed said, speeding up a bit to bring more distance between them.

He glanced backward to see that the man was heedlessly fiddling with his firearm.

*Maybe he'll accidentally shoot himself...* Arlo said in a grimly sarcastic manner.

"Aren't you getting nasty. Perhaps you aren't so hopeless as I thought." Creed murmured so as not to let Vlad hear him. He grinned at the thought of a violent Arlo--perhaps they would even be hard to tell apart.

The urge to play with dangerous weapons was contagious, so Creed began tossing one of his knives up and down in his hand as he walked, though his experience with the blade was too great for him to really injure himself with it. "So what's your plan?" he asked, "Your big goal in life?"

bunnyshadow • 11 April 2016 at 6:08 PM

@takatheeducatedkid

~~~

"I plan on living forever." Fang said matter of factly. "Immortality is within reach..." He mumbled to himself. "Eden." The man suddenly stated. "I'm supposed to meet a long time friend there." He muttered. "Once we're together, the world will be in our hands." A loud click echoed in the night air as Fang accidentally flipped the safety. He turned it once again, hoping that he had pushed it in the correct direction, and that it was off. He wondered silently to himself if Eden was even a real and existing place.

All Fang had ever heard were rumors and whispers in the dark, but never anything set in stone of the location of this place where he could supposedly eternally rest. But a promise was a promise, and Fang wasn't the type of man to swear on something he couldn't keep. "And you?" He questioned back without hesitation.

takaedakumi • 11 April 2016 at 6:20 PM

@bunnyshadow

~~~

"Seems like our goals are one and the same." Creed said, not really surprised by it. Everyone was after Eden these days, after all. What hope was there if not for the promise of immortality? "I like to think Eden will solve the long lasting problem of Arlo and I being trapped in one place."

*You and I both.* Arlo mumbled.

"Promises are overrated though, stupid things always happen to get in the way." Creed added as he put away his weapon once again. He didn't mean any disrespect by the comment, but he honestly thought of them as excuses for needless stress and dedication that could be placed elsewhere.

bunnyshadow • 11 April 2016 at 7:03 PM

@takatheeducatedkid

~~~

Fang remained silent through Creed's additional comment, though he was mildly annoyed by that statement, the man couldn't help but agree. He decided to remain silent after their short exchange, and he treaded onwards quietly. Fang contemplated on Creed's words. They were both heading for the same place, and he wondered how much easier it would be now that he had someone besides him with the same goal--and probably willing to give up just as much as he was willing to.

Yes... Fang agreed with himself. He just might do...

An unlikely ally, but one that Fang could almost guarantee will pull their own weight. Creed seemed self sufficient and strong. From what Fang knew so far of the other man, he was willing to kill for his goal as well. Exactly the type of person Vladan needed by his side.

"We'll see." He muttered under his breath.

taffy789 • 11 April 2016 at 10:21 PM

When the man- Shimon- probed her with that “and?”, Ismene admittedly panicked.
Not giving out personal information, especially her name, had been one of those deeply ingrained rules she’d learned from years of travelling with her father. The logic behind staying anonymous was simple: when people asked who you were, they probably were looking for somebody who looked like you.
Now, while her father had been a natural at blending into crowds, Ismene and her distinctive appearance had always been quite the liability. Her father knew this, for he would often fret about it and never ceased preaching about how is was essential that she forget her own name and played dumb when it came to any mention of a man named Oscar Helius. How many times had she repeated those rehearsed lines, “Huh? A merchant named Oscar? I’ve never heard of him!” or “Helius? I’ve lived around here all my life but I’ve never heard that name!” or the ever desperate, “Yeah, that guy, I saw him in a camp near here the other day, he tried to sell me a dented cooking pan!” …and etcetera. Given her stark, identifiable visage, these lies didn’t deter anyone smarter than a sack of rocks for long, if they even worked to begin with. Despite every near obsessive precaution her father took, nothing ever dissuaded the inevitable.
Ismene sighed as these recollections gathered in her head, hanging over her thoughts in huge, grey clouds of disappointment and mild exasperation. She let the brooding fog roll over her once before, with a shake of her head, she dispersed the clouds and cleared her mind. Forget the past; she had the road ahead to focus on- quite literally. A renewed forward-searching mindset inspired Ismene to drop all past conditioning and tell Shimon, confidently, “And me? My name is Ismene.”
She doubted Shimon was anyone who would recognize her. He didn’t seem like a disgruntled customer or a fuming loan shark, so she assumed letting her first name slip would cause no harm. Emboldened, she even added, “And my mule’s name is Ariel” because for once her father wasn’t present to fervently protest against her choice of name.
Turning her head back to the road ahead, she saw a glitter of light flashing against the blackness and couldn’t help but grin. Her destination was a firefly in the distance, and although the ancient, crumbling towers of jutting metal and blazing rust weren’t yet visible, she knew they and the many camps surrounding the outskirts of the city were certainly there.

asi • 12 April 2016 at 3:27 AM

Shimon simply nodded. It was nice to have something to call the girl- Ismene. Unimportant to him, but nice. He wasn't sure entirely how he felt about referring to the mule as, 'Ariel'... But light in the distance was in sight now. Using that name probably wouldn't ever be necessary. Of course, he found this thought to be a small comfort.
For a long while, they walked in silence.
The tension in his muscles grew more pronounced with every step that brought the city closer. It wasn't the city itself that bothered him. Shimon had been in search of one- not a town, but a real, sprawling city- for quite some time now. What had started as a mere passing, curious thought had, somewhere along his wandering way, taken root in his mind. Eventually he'd surrendered to the idea, to the timeless, perhaps immortal notion that endured to this very day. That somehow, no matter how dilapidated, how dirty and void of all the nice things associated with country: clear(er) air, wide open spaces, and a faraway, nostalgic sense of homeliness... What it lacked, he had come to believe, it might make up for in hope. In opportunities. What was it they had used to say, in the olden days, about that one great city? They'd called it the City of Dreams. Shimon wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he was tired of the same. A dream, that sounded nice.
But apparently, he hadn't had one occupied- or neighbored, as the case may be- by a swarming multitude of humans in mind. He didn't like crowds. If possible, he even preferred to bypass them entirely, unless he was desperate for vital supplies. But then he never had much to barter with anyway. He hadn't made any good memories that way.
They approached the outskirts, just as the sky began to grow a faint tinge lighter in the east. Though still colored a dark, domineering blue, for now, the change was just enough to see. Shimon saw the broken metal metropolis of old cutting at the horizon, all harsh lines and shining, dying brilliance, and took this in without one iota of change in expression. He also saw the camps.
That's when he drew further into himself, heavier of brow and stiffer of limb. This, this had not been his plan.
It occurred to him then that these camps were certainly the most perilous stretch of their (short-lived but still significant in his mind, in its scarcity) journey. Although he'd been the one to offer his services, he thought it poor etiquette to simply retract them as it suited. And the girl's- Ismene's people were evidently somewhere within. What if she was accosted before she found them? He'd never be able to rest easy with a thought like that gnawing his conscience.
Although he scowled meanly all the while, he spoke not a word but accompanied her, walking into the camp at Ismene's side. (And his face looked always like that, regardless).

bunnyshadow • 12 April 2016 at 6:28 AM

Form-

Name: Isale Serdtse

Gender: Female

Age: 20

Appearance: Isale has long, wavy black hair that flows down to her lower back. She has dark bangs that are side-swept across her face, effectively covering her eyes for the most part, though she pushes it back often, more-so out of habit then for actual sight. Her hair is naturally dark, though it is intertwined with deep red strands here and there. A few inches before her hair ends at her waist, the tips are bleached a bright pearly white. During the day, the sunlight reflects crimson colors. Noticeably taller than average, with light skin and long legs. Isale is considered skinny, but not overly slender, though with her tiny waist, she looks more frail than she actually is. Her eyes are an unnaturally pale blue, bordering almost pure white. She has thin, arched brows that frame her large cat-like eyes.

Personality: She smiles often, though it always seems as if her happiness is devoid of warmth. Isale hides behind a mask of elegance and haunting beauty, though she is cold and cunning. Prefers speed and agility over brute strength, though when faced with an option, she would rather flee than fight. Isale craves solitariness and tries her best not to mingle with anybody unless completely necessary, believing now that ever since the radiation has affected her, that she is much more superior than anybody else. Though she is usually emotionless, she is fazed greatly by other's feelings and/or comments directed towards her. Isale is scornful towards those that feel sorrow, which is hypocritical because she has bouts of sadness often.

History: Isale lived with her family for the first part of her life in a small camp nearby one of the cities affected by the radiation. However, she decided to leave her family to journey to this so-called Eden. Her only excuse for leaving her mother and father behind was her sister, which she constantly claims is a good enough replacement for when she's gone, since Isale had always felt like her sister was the favored child anyhow.

Power/Weapon(s): Cold energy[ice] manipulation, she can manipulate extremely cold energy capable of freezing anything it comes into contact with and has shard manipulation as well. This energy can be composed of an extremely cold gas such as air or frigid winds. Ability to freeze anything to atomic levels making it fragile to the touch, and cellular disintegration by causing frostbites that are unusually hard to repair, and probably fatal. She is well versed in wielding knives, but only throwing daggers and the likes. Always has 2 karambit[curved dagger] knives on her.

Weakness(es): Most of Isale's powers require skin to skin contact, which is difficult for her unless her enemy is unconscious, or has already been knocked unconscious by her. The rest need some sort of source of her cold energy, which means her surroundings has to have a certain degree of chilliness. However, she can not summon anything from thin air, but she can take apart objects and transmute it into ice in some way shape or form. Isale is completely useless in hand-to-hand combat, which proves it difficult for her to actually do something if she wasn't to be armed with her knives. Isale's skin is always freezing cold to the touch, the cold leaves her unaffected, but the heat bothers her greatly which often results in a great deal of uneasiness.

Other: 3:30 AM -- Should be doing homework, dear lord.

sakura-ironoyume • 12 April 2016 at 6:52 PM

@bunnyshadow Is this still open for signups?

taffy789 • 12 April 2016 at 7:41 PM

Ismene allowed herself to breathe easier as she and Shimon entered one of the camps surrounding the city. Walking alone in the dark while being escorted by a much stronger, scarier stranger? That made her uncomfortable. Crowds and bright oil lamps and trading and chattering people, though? Those she could deal with, and she felt more at home when bartering with a fellow merchant than she ever did huddling on the side of a lonely road, wondering if she was going to get shot or not.
If her escort’s mood dimmed any as they entered the populated area, Ismene did not noticed, for her quick eyes were preoccupied with darting about the busy, bustling area.
They’d entered what was commonly known as a “suburb”- a sort of hub for trading and convening that grew naturally around the larger cities. Considering most of the huge cities became highly radioactive the further one travelled into them, the suburbs provided a nice “safe zone” where scavengers could trade treasures with merchants without either risking radioactive exposure. It was a nice set-up, further blessed by the innumerable large house native to the suburbs that provided no deficiency in inns or trading posts. In the past, Ismene assumed, the suburb areas must’ve been an especially bounteous, prosperous region that attracted human activity to them like flies to mule dung. She could only imagine the natural plenty that must’ve existed in the suburbs- the pure rivers that must’ve ran through it and all the food that must’ve been grown there- and her mental image of that lovely organic sanctuary ran a sharp contrast to her reality of crumbling infrastructure looming above and brown grass spreading below.
The first camp they’d walked into was particularly dirty, but Ismene immediately noticed the broken stalls lining the street and the haggling customers to her right and recognized the camp as a merchant’s haven. Clutching her mule’s reins tighter to her body, Ismene strode down the main street of the camp, feeling more confined by the surrounding, ghostly shells of houses than she did by the small crowd that she pushed past. She stuck near the street stalls, glancing over the wares as she passed them but never stopping for a moment. There were places she needed to go, after all… And sometime during her trip through the buzzing market Ismene became aware of Shimon’s presence still trudging faithfully behind.
After deliberating the merits of letting him tag along, Ismene decided that, knowing where she was headed, she rather preferred the company, however strange and frightening that company was. So she did the polite thing and didn’t mention how he should get going soon. Walking onwards in silence, Ismene kept determinedly focused on her destination… until a specific stall caught her attention.
“Ma’am?” Ismene spoke up, jolting to a halt in front the stall. An older woman, about forty and thus much older than many could hope to ever live, looked up from a book and her eyes widened as they caught a glance at Ismene’s face. She put her book down. “Yes?”
Ismene motioned towards the small, almost pitiful stack of books pressed near the end of the woman’s stall, and asked with an air of poorly reserved hope, “Do you have any plays? As in, books with plays in them.”
“Plays? You mean, Shakespeare?” the woman scrunched up her nose, “Those are well sought for and hard to come by. You’ll have better luck somewhere else, at a special market for books.”
“Not Shakespeare exactly,” Ismene frowned, “but if you don’t have any plays, it’s fine.” She forced a smile on her face, said a “thank you for your time” that came out as too wistful, and finally started pushing through the merchant’s camp once again.

dada_dragon • 13 April 2016 at 3:28 PM

Indigo hauled her pack through the busy suburb. She had grabbed several additional books. They were heavy, but worth the effort. There were very few un-raided libraries outside of the irradiated zones, which made her ability to enter said areas very valuable...

She found a shaded area, mostly void of debris, and got to work. Grabbing a couple of discarded boards and chunks of cement, she made a makeshift table, laying out a good selection of her scavenged wares.

Sitting back, she pulled her canteen out of her bag, taking a swig of the slightly sour water within it. Taking inventory of her supplies, she made a mental note of what she most needed...

Water... food... tarp, preferably with less holes... a new lighter... shoes... soap would be nice, but she could make do with what she had... and medicine.

@bunnyshadow
@asi
@taffy789
@takatheeducatedkid
Are you all happy now? lol.

bunnyshadow • 13 April 2016 at 4:54 PM

@dada_dragon @taffy789 @asi
@takatheeducatedkid @poe

~~~

Isale fanned herself with her hand as she made her way through the makeshift market. The air was warm, and she was beginning to sweat through what little clothes she had on. The woman tended to wear thin articles of clothing like shorts or a cropped top as to work with how sensitive her body was to the heat. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail with an old black rubber-band, before continuing on her way. Her stomach felt light and Isale honestly couldn't really remember the last time she had managed to eat a full meal. The woman wasn't a hunter, and was too terrified by most of the animals out in the wild to even attempt to kill them.

She hated to admit it, but her abilities were completely useless at a time like this. Well. Not completely useless, but not as useful then if she could summon food instead of frost. However, the one thing the woman would never run out of was cold, fresh water as long as she waited long enough for her ice to melt. There have been a few times when she had stopped by in previous cities to exchange for weapons and whatnot, and Isale had set up makeshift stalls that provided what many sought after--clean water.

With a heavy sigh, Isale sat down on a rock near a nearby stall. She had virtually no supplies, other than an abundance of weapons that Isale kept hidden in the multitude of pockets of her coat. The woman draped the coat over her shoulders as she stared into the small crowd of people inhabiting the merchants' camp. "My life is in ruins!" She exclaimed quietly to herself. Isale knew she was probably being way more over-dramatic then she should have been, but the woman was hungry, and lonely, and was beginning to feel sad too.

The shade felt nice against her bare arms and she glanced over to see a woman around her age setting up a stall. Isale considered whether it was worth it to venture over and ask if the woman would like to share the area, but she was never fond of interactions with others, and wasn't planning on changing that now anyway. Though she pushed aside that idea, she continued watching the woman curiously with her piercing pale blue eyes.

Most of the supplies that the merchant(?) was laying out were books, and Isale stared judgmentally at the volumes placed in front of the working woman.

dada_dragon • 13 April 2016 at 5:14 PM

Indigo kept close watch on her goods. Other than the books, she'd managed to scavange some clothing, tools, one gun, some metal scrap, a length of rope, and a half-dozen light bulbs, for those who were lucky enough to have solar panels to power them.

She hadn't bothered grabbing any of the food... With her resistance to the radiation, it didn't kill her, but it sure made her ill... To anyone else, it was essentially poison.

@bunnyshadow
@asi
@taffy789
@takatheeducatedkid

taffy789 • 13 April 2016 at 5:51 PM

Ismene approached the end of the trading post, no other stall catching her eye until she spotted another pile of books sitting out for sell.
She approached this stall and the woman running it, less hopeful this time when she asked, "Excuse me? Do you have any books with plays in them?"

@dada_dragon
(short post is short)

asi • 13 April 2016 at 6:34 PM

Shimon was not having fun.
Everyone seemed to walk with their heads down, bowed to their feet as they scurried on by, or tilted to their clique as they exchanged light words, or down on the wares they examined and weighed up in their hands. For Shimon, who stood at least three inches above most... Of the fully grown men, the view consisted only varying shades of dark and light brown, with just a few splashes of black and blond thrown in.
That is, until they glanced over, got a solid eyeful of chest where they expected face, and followed it up. It was like, a field of sunflowers, turning their faces up to the sun... Except it didn't look so peaceable. The effect felt more comparable to that of a shark in the ocean. Shimon's height was a jagged fin that cut up through the water, and sent everything alive around cowering in fear- or posturing aggressively and extravagantly at the threat. In regards to the flow of traffic, the crowd parted around him like he was Moses and they the red sea.
For Shimon this was miserable, and he wasn't helping by his mode of showing it. With every menacing flex of muscles directed his way, his scowl gained levels, eyebrows drawing down to a sharp collision over the bridge of his nose, creases growing bold on his forehead. Of course, they couldn't intimidate him; he knew that even if their sinew bulged in ways unlike his own, chances were they couldn't hold a candle to his strength. He'd neither met nor even heard tell of anyone who could, and though there was a first time for everything, he didn't fear it.
He just did not appreciate the attention.
Then one passerby wasn't paying any, and knocked into Shimon's side. "Oi, watch where you're-" the guy shouted before he even looked to see who he'd hit.
Next thing he knew, the negligent man was being hauled up by the collar of his coat with the biggest hand he'd ever seen, and a visage was being thrust up right in his space scarier than any expression he'd ever witnessed before.
The poor rude fellow almost had a heart attack.
Shimon was struggling. He was angry, and wanted nothing more than to reduce this pest he had caught to a bruised and bloodied pulp. But he couldn't fight this niggling feeling he was forgetting something, that buzzed around the edge of the red haze that was taking his mind... The strange thing seemed to have wings, and slowly the mist cleared.
Oh yeah. Ismene. Where was Ismene?
After a moment's more deliberation, he tossed his annoyance aside, turning away as it crashed into three other men who had been watching the spectacle- Shimon didn't care, he was busy pushing his way through the throng, head swiveling from side to side as he looked for the companion he had lost.

takaedakumi • 13 April 2016 at 8:01 PM

@bunnyshadow

~~~

Creed led the way along the path silently, only glancing backward once in a while to make sure Vladan wasn't planning to stab him from behind, or worse. He grinned at the sight of the market in the distance--so many people, what a feast of emotions and possibilities for fighting when someone looked at him funny! He couldn't help but feel inexplicably joyous at the thought. He rather liked the dilapidated city's appearance as well, for some reason it just felt homey to him.

"We've arrived." Creed said with a condescending chuckle as they moved into the mass of bartering people. However, soon after they melded into the crowds, Creed felt strangely lightheaded--an all too familiar occurrence. He halted his walking and let out a sigh before mumbling under his breath, "D*mn it, Arlo, must you always ruin the fun?"

Arlo said nothing but glanced at Vladan to see if he suspected anything, though he quickly decided that whether Creed's companion was onto him didn't matter--this urban jungle was the perfect place to lose the freak. Arlo bolted forward, pushing deeper into the crowd to find some manner of cover to conceal himself.

*Typical Arlo.* Creed mumbled.

He rushed past a towering giant of a man, accidentally pushing another guy into him, but Arlo had no time to pay attention to the aftermath of the unfortunate event, and only heard a lot of loud crashing noises behind him, clearly made by the larger man losing his temper.

*Smooth, real smooth.* Creed commented as Arlo continued on.

"It's essentially your fault," Arlo said, not thinking too hard about it, "not that you would really care."

poe • 13 April 2016 at 8:50 PM

Jules wished he could say he'd lost track of time, but it was all too easy for him to skim through his memory of the past eight days. For four of them, he'd rode a horse. He opted to release the tired animal in hopes of being harder to track.

Now, four days later, he was entering camps full of merchants. It was so soon after escaping, he wasn't sure he should be here, but he hadn't found water recently. A purifier didn't help much with nothing to purify, so seeing the flickering lights that could only be survivors camped together gave him hope.

Jules kept his wits about him as he meandered through the suburban sprawl of merchant stalls. His busy mind took in every detail of his surroundings. At times, it was overwhelming. He was grateful for having learned to cope with the massive amounts of information his brain processed at an uncanny speed. He remembered when it used to seem dizzying so many years ago. He couldn't recall living without it. Streams upon streams ran through his mind as he walked, one being a hope of water, another a faint hope of finding musical instruments.

If he hadn't come from the government, the stall of books may have drawn his attention... But right next to it, he saw what was likely the saddest stand in the whole market with a contrasting figure sitting shaded. She was beautiful, but it was a passing thought, like a majority of his thoughts. His insatiable curiosity got the best of him, and he walked over to her.

"You're looking a little dour." Jules remarked with a small smile, his deep amber gaze unfazed by anything.

((I think I've caught a cold and it's making my head feel weird so sorry if this post is like wut. lol))

dada_dragon • 13 April 2016 at 9:38 PM

Indigo looked up.

"I might have some plays... Hamlet, if you're interested... Maybe some others mixed in with the English literature over there." She said, pointing to a stack of books on the end of the 'table'. "If what you're looking for isn't there, I can go looking for it, but it costs double and half of that is up front."

"If you have nothing valuable to trade, don't waste my time." She added. "I don't do charity and I don't do discounts."

@taffy789

bunnyshadow • 13 April 2016 at 10:36 PM

@takatheeducatedkid @poe

~~~

It took a split second for Fang to realize what was happening. There were people everywhere, but the man simply didn't care about the population. What he did care about was the fact that Creed was making a great escape with his pack that he had just worked so, so hard for! Fang was never one to think things through, and it certainly wasn't time for him to do so now. He pulled his gun off his back and into an aiming position, struggling not to lose Creed through the crowd. Honestly, Fang didn't really care about how many people were around. What he did care about was the fact that he killed for that pack, and he was willing to do so again. He shoved people aside as he chased after the other man.

Luckily, Creed wasn't very hard to tell about from the crowd due to his silver hair that Fang had grown accustom to seeing through their long walk towards the city. Fang was fortunate to have a makeshift path from the part in the crowd that had unconsciously made way for a large man standing in the center of the dirt walkway.

Others may call him a maniac, but Fang named himself as a bold, inventive genius. The man got down on one knee, placing his eye in the scope of his rifle. He glanced at the cross-hairs, swiftly moving it across the heads of the crowd in an attempt to find Creed.

"There you are...." Fang muttered with a grin. He pulled the trigger several times, sending various bullets whistling through the air and into the throng of civilians in an attempt to shoot Creed down.

--

At this point in time, Isale had noticed a short figure approaching the stall. She considered once again whether she should venture over and take a closer look at the multitude of items on the table, but there didn't seem to be any food, so she pushed the idea aside.

Isale was knocked out of her revelations when a masculine voice intruded her isolated thoughts. She turned to look over her shoulder, wondering silently if this man had encountered the wrong person, or meant to strike up a conversation with someone else. Sadly, the woman noticed she was the only one close enough to have a conversation directed at her. Slightly uncomfortable by the new presence, she pulled her coat tightly around her body.

"Uh..." Isale trailed off, not knowing how to reply to his words. "I'm just kind of hungry." She mumbled, unsure as to how to interact with this strange new man and his minuscule grin.

[Edit] The woman visibly flinched when she heard the sharp bang, followed shortly by two others--gunshots. Isale darted up to her feet, struggling to look over the crowd to see where the noise was coming from. There was a cry of pain, and judging from that, at least one person had been hurt by the flurry of bullets. She crushed her curiosity, and took several steps backwards, the woman wanted nothing to do with any of this fighting.

takaedakumi • 13 April 2016 at 11:10 PM

@bunnyshadow

~~~

"Holy--this guy is absolutely insane!" Arlo exhaled, ducking lower into the crowd. He realized suddenly that his hair was sticking out like a sore thumb, so after pulling his black scarf over his head like a hood, he weaved his way like a snake through the people and shifted quickly through a window-like opening in the crumbling remains of a building. Breathing heavily, he leaned up against the side and slid down slowly. "This... was a bad idea." he said in a low voice.

*You're telling me?* Creed replied in a snarky manner.

"Hey, this wouldn't have happened if you didn't want to get a boyfriend!" Arlo said, pulling out his knives in case anyone came inside the nearly-ruined hideout. He could hear the muffled commotion outside, and judging by the still continuous gunshots, Vladan remained quite unhappy about the ordeal.

*You know,* Creed started in a matter-of-fact tone, choosing to ignore Arlo's comment, *if you didn't steal his bag, maybe he wouldn't care so much.*

"Steal his...?" Arlo questioned, but before he finished, he realized the grave mistake he'd made.

*You mean you didn't know?!* Creed replied, seriously taken aback by Arlo's lack of intuition.

Arlo felt a little silly for having overlooked the fact, but in all honesty, he hadn't had much time to mull the whole plan over before it all happened. "Hey--it's not stealing if he stole it first, anyhow!" he retorted.

taffy789 • 13 April 2016 at 11:44 PM

"That's understandable." Ismene replied, the mention of "Hamlet" making her heart swell. That had certainly been a play read to her during her childhood. It had to have been- her family had owned a pig with the same name, all those years ago. Her mother had named Hamlet, of course, because her mother had been amazing at choosing names- a tradition Ismene felt proud to continue.
She moved towards the English literature books before asking for Hamlet's price. Leafing through the pile, she grinned and picked up a tattered, thin, and slightly charred copy of "The Tempest".
"Ariel," she muttered joyfully while reaching back to pat her mule on the head.
She flipped through the pages of the book with care, her eyes scanning over the familiar story with an ease similar to conversing with an old friend. She caught sight of a certain name- Caliban- and frowned. Oh no, poor, old Caliban. A deep remorse washed over Ismene when she recalled handing the reins of her second mule over to the butcher. She hadn't wanted to do that, she really hadn't- but what other choice had she had? She needed that mule’s weight in jewels… She needed all the money she could get, actually.
… Which mean that she probably shouldn’t be spending what wealth she had on books.
Swallowing down a sense of bitter responsbility, Ismene set "The Tempest" back down.
Turning back to the scavenger, she said, “I won’t buy anything this moment after all.” Oh, how it hurt to say those words-! Keeping a pleasant face, Ismene reminded herself of her task at hand by directing a question towards Indigo, “Are you from around here? If so, do you know anything about the “Quarantined”? The gang based around this area?” She asked this, hoping Indigo wouldn’t try to change the subject or just provide directions to their base; Ismene already knew where she was trying to go. What she needed to know, though, was what she should expect when she walked into that shady gated community serving as the Quarantined’s headquarters…
Then, as if merely thinking about the gang spurred violence, a flurry of gunshots cracked like lightning bolts behind Ismene. Crying out in fear, Ismene flinched and clung tighter to her mule’s reins. Frightened by the noise, Ariel reared up on her hind legs, and though Ismene tried her best to calm the animal, the mule panicked, bucking forward and crashing into Indigo’s stall. The scavanger’s wares scattered all about while Ismene tried to settle her mule, sending worried glances in the direction the shots had come from as she shushed and patted Ariel’s matted hide.

dada_dragon • 14 April 2016 at 1:30 AM

Indigo shook her head. Ordinarily, she'd have told the girl to move along, but her words were concerning.

"I'm not from around here and I avoid the gangs as much as I can. I suggest you do too." She said, taking another drink from her canteen. "I don't care if you're trying to join or fight them. Don't."

"With all the mutation happening these days, the gangs are hiring the most dangerous ones. If you're a mutant yourself, you should be even more cautious. I dunno about these 'Quarantine' thugs, but from what I've heard, a couple of gangs up North are forcing mutants into joining them... Threatening their families, wild beatings... It's not a position you want to be in."

@taffy789

asi • 14 April 2016 at 4:07 AM

That was when Shimon heard the gunshots and froze. They were coming from right behind him. Slowly he turned.
On either side of the gap cleared through the street- one that had first been terrorized by an extremely intimidating man with a worse expression, and then riddled with bullets- hands fell to belts, many of the traders and scavengers even going so far as to pull their guns out to their sides and press a finger to the safety, but none moved to act.
The assailant had plainly used their weapon with precision, skill and a target in mind, and no one present was keen to get involved and get shot before whatever passed for authority here made a show- if it would at all. But to the masses, inaction seemed easily the safest option, hence the tense but static atmosphere.
Except when he turned, Shimon didn't see any of this.
All he saw was a little dark-featured twerp smiling psychotically and squinting down the most ridiculous-looking gun.
It set Shimon off on sight.
The red haze roaring in his ears now, he had crossed the distance, knocked the rifle- annoyingly sticking out in his direction- away, and shoved the shooter by the collarbone back so hard he smashed into the stall behind him. The artillery's rattle was satisfying; the next impact fifty-times more so.
The shop's wares were a bunch of books, so luckily he wasn't doing too much damage to the merchandise, though admittedly some papers did fall loose and flap around, flying scattered in the wake of the collision. As long as he controlled himself and nothing too disastrous happened after this... He wouldn't have to spend the next five nights paying in reparations.
Shimon loomed over his victim with his frankly impressive height (although the guy was actually tall and only a bit shorter, he had been manhandled into the book rack and the blond didn't have to note this inconvenient fact), and his hands shaking from the effort he needed to restrain himself from more.
"The heck do you think you're doing?!" he growled from the back of his throat, a sound so low it reverberated around the entire camp. "Don't play in the middle of the street!"

bunnyshadow • 14 April 2016 at 4:36 AM

@asi

~~~

Fang stared in surprise as his weapon was suddenly knocked out of his hands. He turned to glare down at whoever had the guts to interrupt his little game of cat and mouse, only to find him staring up into the face of the same frowning giant that did him the favor of parting the crowd before all heck broke loose. His smirk was wiped off his face when he was shoved roughly into the nearest stall.

The man's attitude flared efficiently, blooming into several unadulterated hues of anger and irritation. Needless to say, Vladan was more than just fuming at how he had been manhandled, he was absolutely furious. Enraged enough that he found it extremely difficult to even form a sentence for several agonizing seconds until finally...

"Hunting down the man who stole my packs." He said bluntly, through a few gasping breaths in an attempt to regain his composure. "I'm sure..." At this point, he tilted his head to the side, cracking the bones in hie neck rather noisily. "You understand." Fang stated. "It's a bit hard to come by any survival supplies in general, and to have it stolen would incense absolutely anybody!" He exclaimed in a threatening tone, though he was playing victim.

"And so..." Fang attempted to hide a wince from the pain beginning to bloom in his back. "I would like to graciously thank you for assisting in the getaway of the thief." He glanced over to the growing crowd, and a sly smile slipped onto his face. "It does make me wonder, though." Fang said articulately, giving a quick nod to the throng of people lagging into the area. "Honestly, it's as if you were working for the thief. How you just happened to stop by and throw me vehemently into this stall--which I'm sure you would be unwilling to pay for the damages, considering how you're working with the thief that stole my supplies." He motioned towards several men standing nearby, directing his next sentence towards the group.

"I'm sure it is quiet an unlawful act to assist a thief, in addition to destroying a hardworking merchant's belongings." Hoping that his words left the huge man with enough food for though, he sidestepped around swiftly and grabbed his gun from off the floor.

dada_dragon • 14 April 2016 at 4:58 AM

As the shots initially rang out, Indigo pulled the girl from the main crowd. There was no real shelter in sight, but at least they would be outside of the line of fire.

Or so she thought.

When the giant of a man threw the shooter into her stall, scattering papers everywhere, she was simultaneously startled and furious.

She grabbed hold of her lighter, which admittedly had very little fuel in it, preparing to use it at a moment's notice.

@bunnyshadow
@taffy789
@asi