Realistic or Modern BEING HUMAN - CHAPTER II: SLOW DECAY

[koala]

Elena "Rose" Benoit
Date: Sunday, August 8th
Location: Home
Interactions: Arryn MagicPenguin

After sitting back down, the mood in the apartment was drastically different from when Arryn first arrived. Elena glanced between her plate of food, to her friend, and then back again as she thought of ways to switch topics. A few seconds of debate passed before she actually came to a decision.

"Oh, yes!" She began, her tone contrasting the dreary atmosphere. "Did you bring your flute? We said we'd get together and possibly work on something if you remember."

"Oh yeah," he mused. "We did say that." His meal finished, he reached into one of his pockets and pulled a small metalic object out with holes cut up and down its length.

"Got it here," he said. "What should we play?"

Elena took both their empty plates and sat them in the sink, motioning that she'd return briefly. Minutes passed before the female reemerged from her bedroom with a thin booklet in hand. "I wasn't sure if you could read music or not, so I got this book from the store."

She handed the book to Arryn and wandered over to the small piano that sat in the corner of her living room. Her dainty fingers propped up the wooden cover and she wiggled them over a few keys for practice. "For now, how about you play some of the tunes you know and I'll jump in?"

"Hmmm..." He thumbed through the book quickly. There were all kinds of odd symbols drawn and lots of explanations about musical theory. Arryn knew basically none of it. Old Hogan had taught him the basics of how to play the instrument before he passed, but for the most part, the blacksmith just played by reproducing as best he could all the popular tunes he'd heard in Aetherian pubs growing up.

At Rose's request, Arryn thought for a moment of all the little tunes he knew from his time in taverns back on Aether. He thought for a time about which he should play before settling on "The Wind that Shakes the Willow;" it was a popular one among young women. He brought the flute to his lips and played the first few notes. It took him a few tries, but eventually he remembered the whole thing and was able to play it from start to finish without too many grievous errors.

"It has lyrics, too," Arryn said when he finished playing it the first time. "It's basically a sappy love song. The maidens all loved it."

"Really now?" Elena responded as she hummed the melody, having already memorized it. "Would you care to sing it while I play the piano?"

"I'll give it a try," he responded, a little embarrassed. He was not particularly proud of his singing voice.

As she strummed the tune, he began:

My love is gone, carried away. By the wind that shakes the willow,
And all the land is beaten hard. By the wind that shakes the willow.
But I will hold her close to me, In heart and dearest memory.
And with her strength to steel my soul, Her love to warm my heart-strings.
And I will stand where we once sang, Though cold wind shakes the willow.
And I will stand where we once sang, Though cold wind shakes the willow.

Dear lass of mine who now is free to the wind that shakes the willow.
Let grace and beauty fill your wings with the wind that shakes the willow.
Fore I will hold you close to me, in heart and dearest memory.
And with your strength to steel my soul, your love to warm my heart-strings.
And I will stand where we once sang, Though cold wind shakes the willow.
And I will stand where we once sang, Though cold wind shakes the willow.

Be laid to rest until my own day by the wind that shakes the willow.
Lift up my hands, carried away by the wind that shakes the willow.
Fore I had held you close to me, In heart and dearest memory.
And with your strength to steel my soul, your love to warm my heart-strings.
And I will stand where we once sang, Though cold wind shakes the willow.
And I will stand where we once sang, Though cold wind shakes the willow.

When he finished, he took a deep exhale. "I hope I didn't butcher it too badly," he said, smiling. Though he had been somewhat depressed when they started, he had to admit, he felt a great deal better now.

Elena let the last few tones dissipate into nothingness before she lifted her hands off the piano keys. She turned towards Arryn with a small smile, nodding in approval. "You did great! I didn't know you could sing. The more you know, huh?"

"I didn't know I could either," he said honestly.

Before they could start up another song, Arryn was startled when he heard a sudden skittering noise behind him, the loud sound of claws on the hard kitchen floor. He turned to look and, to his amusement, found Winston the cat swatting at a little toy mouse. With a predatory yowl, he swatted it, then chased it, then swatted it again. His fun came to an end when he swatted it and the mouse went straight underneath the fridge. Winston ran up and stuck his nose underneath, tried to claw beneath it, but to no avail.

"Uh oh," Arryn said with a laugh. "The Prime Minister lost his toy. Looks like he needs a quick hand. This should only take a second..."

Arryn stood from where he sat next to the piano and approached the fridge before kneeling down. He placed his right hand in the middle, underneath the massive kitchen appliance. With a grunt of minor effort, he lifted the heavy thing as if it were light as a feather. With his other hand, he carefully felt around underneath it until he found the offending toy mouse. He handed it back to the cat, who swatted at it again, pushing it out of Arryn's hand and back in the direction of the living room without giving him so much as a second look. "Well, so much for gratitude," he mumbled before taking his seat again.

From her seat at the piano, Elena watched with wide eyes as Arryn so easily lifted the refrigerator with ease. Her mouth was slightly agape and she probably would've stared all night if her hands hadn't came down heavily on the musical keys, causing her to jump back to reality.

"What the hell."

Arryn saw her awestruck look. "You mentioned earlier that you healed faster than you should after what happened last week? Well, something similar is happening to me, it seems. Ever since then, I've been oddly stronger than I should be. Here on Earth, at least. It's like I've gotten my strength from Aether back, but not my larger body." Rose's healing and Arryn's returned strength must be related somehow, though hell if Arryn knew how. It all went back to Covent Garden one way or another. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about it, or just plain worried.

"I see... that's actually amazing. I mean... I knew you were serious when you said you were strong but seeing it up close is..." Elena took a deep breath to keep herself calm. It wouldn't do either of them any good if she geeked out all of a sudden, so she decided to return to the music topic.

"Anyways, I'm thinking about getting back into my gigs pretty soon. Do you want to, maybe, play with me sometime? We can do a simple duet and one or both of us can add vocals."

Arryn was flattered. He'd heard her sing and play before. He was no where near her level. "If...you think I won't hold you back, then I'd love to," he responded uncharacteristically bashfully.

Elena clapped her hands, rosy lips curved upwards as she turned her body towards him. "Of course not! It'd be an honor to perform with you."

Arryn smiled. He wasn't sure how this would turn out, but he knew one thing: seeing Rose happy and smiling like that made him feel like he could do anything, even sing in front of a crowd of total strangers.

Written with MagicPenguin

Elena's Night Activity: Complete​

 

[shadowz1995]

The night was as alive as it was dead. The city was buzzing with talk about what had happened, why it happened, questions about the police and their activities, and so on and so forth but nothing concrete. It seemed like this night was going to go down as an empty venture.

At least, it was.

Williams was turning the corner when he picked up some hushed voices down a dark alley. Naturally, that could be anything but he couldn't pass up the chance at some dark dealings. Maybe they knew something about what was going on.

His step slowed and his breathing came to a near halt as he approached the bend. Muted footfalls stopped just before the alleyway's entrance.

" -hen I want to. Be grateful I decided to not leave you here all night. Listen kid. We have a small hustle at some broad’s house first thing in the morning. Show up. Get the money. If she doesn’t have what she owes, we break some shit and come back a few days later.”

A voice full of attitude, as gravelly as his own, and whose dialect resembles that of a mafioso. Seb's lip curled into a smirk as he recognized the voice of an old coworker of his.

Seb waited until they were done with their information drop before announcing his presence to them, "Still the mafioso scum I remember, I see."

The pseudo immortal stepped forward into the alley with his arms stuffed into his leather jacket.

Avery was just about to make his way out, receiving one seriously pissed off glare towards his back. Both men were distracted for just a moment, as a voice called out to them. The Capo immeditely reached for his coat pocket. Avery took a quick step backwards to ready himself. By now the Capo already had his weapon drawn.

Once the face of the intruder was revealed, the usually stern drug runner cracked a grin too big for his own face. "You son of a bitch!" His graggled voice laughed. Tony dropped his defensive position and slid the firearm away. Instead, he opened arms to embrace the near immortal. "Still not dead yet, huh?" Another ugly laugh.

"Well, we both know that it's fairly difficult to actually kill me. Death just doesn't seem to stick." He replied with a deep chuckle before returning the tight embrace.

After a moment, Seb pulled back and took a good look at the man, "How have you been, Tony? How's business? Hopefully still successful in the modern age?"

Avery had to take some time to let this all process. It was strange watching Tony be expressive and friendly. He had seen it before, certaintly. It was just off-putting with how much anger Tony directly at him. To see Tony openly embracing someone likes this, well, it almost made him look human.

"Business is booming! As usual." Tony took this time for another look around. Can never be too careful, especially with all the recent political noise. "People are freaking out with the whole Covenant Garden mess. Makes for desperate clients, the best kind." Tony gave yet another grumbling chuckle. "I was just giving Jr. here the rundown for our next job." In which the Capo gave Avery a dismissive gesture. Avery's response was nothing more than to politely greet Tony's apparent friend. "Evening."

Seb gave a polite nod in the kid's direction as opposed to a verbal greeting. "The whole Convenant Garden mess is actually why I'm back in London. I'm searching for answers, Tony. We both know that storm wasn't normal. I think we got some real heavy hitters hiding in the crowd here in London. Have your people heard anything? Anything to go on?"

Seb's eyes flicked over to Avery to gauge his reaction. Tony was someone with abilities and so was Seb but if the kid didn't know anything he would have to watch his tongue.

Avery's fox-like look never waivered. A continual observation was made despite the looks, even so to match the stranger in his glance. If there was anything you could give a younger guy like him credit for, it was an increcible poker face. Perhaps that's because Avery was also trying to figure out what he could about the stranger. He was a friend of Tony's and investigating the city. Just how much trust did he have in the family? More importantly, is he one with powers?

Tony's positive look had gone as quickly as it came. He grumbled some nonsensical curses to himself before getting anywhere coherent. "We don't know all the details, pal. Which as you can imagine has the boss scouring anywhere he can." Tony took one last look, ensuring nobody was nearby.

He spoke low, keeping his voice barely audible just for Seb. And just to be sure, he wanted to code his words just slightly. "Watch your head, okay? We know there's guys taking strangers away. You don't want to be such a stranger in public, got it? The kid takes after his father in a lot of ways, and you know me. Even we keep low." Tony was sure to avoid any mention of powers or abnormality.

"Mmm." He grumbled with another cautious gaze to Avery. He matched Tony's octave to share what he had learned in his travels, "The way I hear it, strangers are going missing all over. Not just here. And I think, not sure, but I think dogs are being used to do it." Dogs meaning the law. There was no proof, naturally, but if the people behind the disappearances really were as powerful as Sebastion thought they were, it was a stone's toss away to assume that they had the police in their pocket. Just to be safe, it was better to act as if the law was in their pocket.

Avery by now had redirected his focus towards keeping his eyes and ears out for other noises. The two were going to whisper what they can to each other. Avery figured he might as well keep useful and watch.

"Any idea how far out?" There was a hint of worry in Tony's tone, something he's not even used to expressing. 'All over' could mean anything. "I doubt you'd know of Italy has goons like that lurking." Tony resigned. His worry for just what obvious.

"I've been all over the world and I've heard the whispers and seen the signs. It's safe to assume nowhere is free of their reach."

The Capo was first to break the hushed tone. "I think Jr. and I should get moving." He said aloud, stuffing his hands into his pockest whislt pushing up once on his heels. "I don't want to babysit too long. Keep in touch pal. Friends need to stick together, and let me know if you find anything new."

Williams nodded gravely and stepped aside to let the duo pass, "I will. Stay safe, Tony."

Seb then gave a pointed look to Avery as they passed, "You as well, kid. Your family is going to need you in the future."

(Sebastion's night activity done)

 

[WillfulWren]

Silver Ferae - Streets
Co-Written with: MagicPenguin ​

Ten designs complete, the ex-ShapeShifter frowned as she carefully ripped the pages out of her sketchbook, leaving them in a neat (or neat, considering her usual standards, at least) stack on the counter, the unicorn on top. Saying a quick goodbye to Jim and waving at Roland. She crossed the street, making her way to the park, gritting her teeth at the constant noise of the birds everywhere, in the streets, in the trees, on the rooftops. She got to the park gate and the noise got overwhelming, some little old biddy on a bench throwing birdseed to the hungry masses.

No way Silver was going near that cacophony. Back home, it would have been no problem to get rid of them - one swipe of mountain lion claws would have them fleeing for the skies, and catch her a tasty snack too, but here all she could do was glare at them, a low growl rumbling in her throat causing a young mother to yank her child out of the way as Silver turned around. The park was her shortcut, but there was definitely a longer way she could go... Right? Picking a street that looked to go roughly in the direction she wanted, Silver set off.

Only to wind up back at the tattoo parlour twenty minutes later.

Muttering a word she had picked up from Jim, she chose another street, only to spend ten minutes trying to figure out the way and having to retrace her steps to the park. Sitting on a bus stop bench and trying to think through the problem in that roundabout, childlike way she processed every issue she was faced with, she finally remembered her reluctant caretaker and decided to pay the deli a visit.

Unfortunately, the sign said closed, but one of Tannur's co-workers spotted her through the window as she was cleaning up and opened the door to inform the albino that he'd left ages ago. The woman also patted her on the head, which might have gotten her hand bitten off if she was on Aether, but as it was, Silver put up with the indignity by glaring at the young woman as she locked up.

Well, last time she had gotten lost - when she'd ran out into the rain before the disaster at Convent Garden - the stupid Hero had helped her. Or rather, she'd humng around with him for a while, and he helped her not die, and then Tannur had helped her more, but if her stupid half-elf wasn't around... Then talking to Roland couldn't really hurt. And so, it was back to Jim's Tattoo Parlour.

Not willing to be roped back into working, Silver didn't even try to go inside, just lying (or sitting, rather) in wait for the prince to leave so she could ambush him.
Some indeterminate amount of time later, the door to the parlour swung open and her tired-looking red-headed co-worker walked out alongside Jim.

"Gotta say, Ron, I don't think that bathroom has ever been cleaner," she could hear Jim saying. "If this tattoo artist thing doesn't work out for ya, I'd be more than happy to take you on as a janitor," the bald man mocked.

"Very funny," Roland replied. He looked up at the moon in the clouds and sighed resignedly. "Now I don't even have time to do any research or go food shopping."

"Well, maybe next time you'll think twice about coming in late, dipshit," Jim responded unsympathetically as he locked the parlour door behind him. "Research, you said? What are you, a student?"

Roland hesitated before answering. "No," he replied finally. "Just something I've been looking into in my free time. I don't suppose you know anything about a big city just appearing out of no where sometime in the ancient past? Myths or legends about anything like that?"

"What, like Atlantis or El Dorado or something? Kind of a weird fucking hobby, looking into shit like that, don't you think?"

The Hero shrugged. "Maybe. Everyone has a strange interest or two, don't they?" He smiled knowingly. "Like, for example, taking in random strays off the street to work in your parlour solely out of the goodness in your heart?"

Jim snorted. "Well, my advice is, if you wanna indulge your weird hobbies tomorrow, you make sure you get to work on time, ya lazy sod." The man unlocked the door to his bright red, roofless car, parked right in front of his parlour, and hopped in. "Take care, kid." And off he zoomed.

With another tired sigh, Roland turned and started walking down the street in the other direction, completely unaware of the silver-haired shifter watching him from a distance. As soon as Jim wasn't in sight, she set off after him. He was going in the opposite direction to her home (how inconsiderate of him, to live in a different direction to her), and she jogged to keep up, yelling
"Hey! Idiot Hero!"
Perhaps not the best way to ask her for help, but no one had ever dared to accuse her of having good manners.

Roland tensed, stopped, and turned. When he saw Silver his head tilted upward slightly and all he said was, "Gods be good, why?"

It was unclear whether he was asking Silver why she was here or asking the heavens why him, of all people?

Well, that wasn't a great reaction, and she pouted, glaring at him. "Well, that's friendly. You're almost as bad as the stupid, evil birds." She muttered, focusing her glare at an innocent pigeon pecking for crumbs nearby. She tried to kick it, but it flew up and she ended up stumbling and almost falling over, just saving herself by grabbing on to him to steady herself. Speaking in the manner of a spy passing along top-secret information, voice low enough to not be heard by a passerby.
"The birds have gained complete control of the park and I... I can't get home. And my stupid pet half-elf has abandoned me... And, so I need you to show me the way home!"

Except for the one flaw in her genius plan to make him help her: she'd never shown him where she lived.


"Why don't you just go around the park," he asked.
"I tried!" Silver snapped. "Twice! Everything's all... Stupid. I can't find my way around it."

"I see," he replied. "Yes, that is quite a conundrum you have there." He shrugged. "Welp. Good luck with that. Later!"

He turned and kept on walking as he had been before she approached him.

Red eyes widened, Silver reaching out to grab him by the arm, as if attempting to drag him back. "No, wait!"
If anyone had ever managed to teach her anything at all about manners, it was that saying please meant she got anything she asked for. So, she took a deep breath and said, in a small voice:
"Please help me..."
His green eyes rolled in his head as he wrenched his arm free. "What do you expect me to do? I don't know where you live. I can't talk to the birds, so I can't parley with them for you, either. Besides, you've killed more people than ten other hardened warriors combined. How can you be afraid of a few pigeons? I get paid to put up with you during the day, but I'm off the clock now. You're on your own this time."

He left her and started down the street again.
Another genius plan failed, her shoulders slumped, but she still followed him, not even considering turning back. "I'm not scared of them, I just don't like them! Some stupid old lady is feeding them and there's so many and they're so loud and confusing..." Frowning, she tilted her head to the side, thinking through his reason - which was clearly stupid - why she shouldn't dislike the pigeons. "Anyway, you've killed people too! Probably more than I have, with your stupid fancy sword!"
What a hypocrite the stupid hero was.
Roland didn't respond. He just kept on walking. He turned a corner at the end of the block, going out of her sight.

Ignoring his lack of response, the albino casually followed him, keeping up a steady stream of chatter, with topics ranging from how much she missed Aether, to what types of sweets were her favourite, how scary Jim could be, art...
All to be ignored. Not that she cared, really. Even as they got further and further away from Jim's tattoo parlour, and completely into unknown territory.
She was well and truly lost.

Silver Ferae / Night Activity: COMPLETE​

 

[Avari]

​

The High Street was packed with shoppers, even as the sun began to slowly vanish beneath the skyline, changing the sky from bright cheery blue to a mix of comfortable oranges and purples, which in turn began to slowly morph to black. The lights from the city made it impossible to see the stars - but the moon shone brightly high above. It was still uncomfortably stuffy, and the disappearance of the sun had done nothing to cool the temperature, as the concrete that had been absorbing heat all day began to pump it into the air.

Lisa walked slightly behind Hannah Miller, with her hands buried in the pockets of her black hoodie as the girl led her to their destination. Lunch between the two women had been somewhat awkward for a myriad of reasons - It had taken Lisa a little gentle prodding and a few carefully phrased questions to discover that Hannah’s memories of the previous weeks adventures had been completely removed, which was probably for the best in the greater scheme of things. She was unsure how Hannah - peppy and kind as she was - would have reacted to the knowledge that Lisa was from a completely different universe and wasn’t even Human to begin with.

Also the whole evil queen thing.

The poor girl’s mind was clearly addled. Naturally she didn’t recognize Lisa’s new form for a few moments - her blue eyes filled with bafflement when an apparent stranger sat herself across from her in the cafe they had decided to meet at and Lisa had worried for a moment if she would be forced to reintroduce herself to Hannah all over again; only for Hannah to gasp loudly a moment later and promptly pull Lisa into a awkward over the table hug.

“I’m so sorry!” the girl had gushed. “I didn’t recognize you - did you...did you dye your hair?”

“I fancied a change,” Lisa replied smugly as she gently pulled herself out of Hannah’s grip and ran a hand through her blonde hair. “It rather suits me - don’t you think?”

“It does!" Hannah nodded, before frowning again. "And were your eyes always-"

“Absolutely.” Lisa replied smartly as she had sat herself down, deciding it was simply best to play along and hope for the best. She knew she looked completely different to her initial human form but it seemed Hannah’s amnesia had left her a tad foggy over the details from the last few weeks. She helped herself to the pot of tea the waitress has placed on the table for them to share and began to drop white sugar cubes into her cup one by one.

“Oh right...sorry. The doctor said I might have had a concussion. It’s just...kind of hard to... remember stuff right now. Last month is just a total mess.”

The yellow-eyed reincarnation of an ancient evil nodded as she lovingly dropped several more sugar cubes into her cup of tea, and began stirring it frantically with a spoon.

“And my cafe...” Hannah continued, politely pretending not to notice Lisa’s somewhat liberal method of brewing tea.

Lisa paused her stirring at that. Millers had been her place of work for most of the previous month. She had quite enjoyed it honestly. It had been a charming little place.

“Is the damage bad?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“It’s pretty awful apparently. I’m not even allowed near it to get any of my things - and until the Police say what the exact cause was, insurance won’t pay so I’ve got nothing..I uh...I can’t pay you any severance..”

Lisa made a unpleasant face.

The girl shifted on her seat. “...but if you want a job - I’m going back to the bar I used to work at. I could...put in a word for you, if you like? I was actually heading down there right now...”

"Well I guess that'll have to do..." Lisa sighed dramatically as she glugged down her sugary tea and then wiped her mouth with the hem of her loose hoodie.

"Oh, how generous of you!" Hannah chuckled, as she threw down a few pound coins onto one of the unused plates.

---
​

And so half an hour later, the pair had battled the early evening rush hour (doubly so since the underground was completely out of use) as Hannah led Lisa up alleyways, across busy intersections and over several bridges. Until finally, she stopped in front of a non-descript iron door that was the only thing of note in a dark and rather dingy corner of the city.

Lisa glanced around, wondering if her amnesiac colleague had led her to the wrong place entirely.

“I know it doesn’t look like much,” Hannah sighed, sensing her concern. “But Porter’s Bar is actually one of the most exclusive places in London.”

“It must be if no one can even find it.” Lisa replied, eyeing the Iron door that looked more like something you’d find in a prison. Or a brothel.

She found herself suddenly wondering why she knew what a brothel door looked like.

“As I said. It’s very... exclusive. Now...um. Please follow my lead and just...not say anything, alright?”

“Why would I not say anything?”

“Well...You can come across as a little..y’know.” She left the end of her sentence hanging as Lisa shot her a scathing look.

“No, I don’t “y’know”

“...Bitchy?”

“That’s just part of my indefinable charm.”

Hannah snorted as she reached toward brown stained doorbell on the right hand side of the door.

HANNAH MILLER​

 

[Pilgrim59]

Scarlet Sommerfeld
Arryn's Apartment
August 5th, 2018 (Evening)

Interacted: Arryn Bennett & Lil' Hogan ( MagicPenguin )
Mentioned: N/A
​

Hyde & Seek

Written with: MagicPenguin
​

Once upon a time, the Red Queen of Edelweiss had reigned supreme with an iron fist, feasting upon humans relentlessly. To those that dared to gaze upon her scarlet eyes, they could see the evil flames of the Crimson Order still burning strong. Nothing stood in her path but lifeless corpses and crimson ligaments that painted the background red. Til this day, she could still feel the incendiary sensation upon her cold skin, a courtesy of the Allied firebombs. Dresden in flames, a dreadful sight to behold for some, and an opportune time for the kindreds to feast. A good opening for a play, Scarlet deemed it, as the shower spray let loose the cold streams of water that descended upon the contemplating vampire. Even as an Abnormal, she could not escape the grasp of humanity's ultimate weapon and demise - the mind. Everyone possesses some kind of weakness, be it physical or mental. In the end, the vampire found herself a victim of her own ward. Some truths were best to left in the darkness, away from the judging eyes and ears of the wicked society, Scarlet thought. Yet she, herself, had discerned her own hypocrisy regarding the truth of Arryn's origins. She exhaled her breath heavily, before raising her voice.

"Another day, another promise. Dare... and the world yields." she said to herself, before turning off the spring.

The apartment was a barren realm of silence under the reign of the ruthless vampire that oversaw the death of countless microorganisms. Even the neighboring denizens of critters and rodents dared not trot the forbidden realm at the behest of Scarlet's malevolent persecutions. Or at least that was how the vampire thought of herself. Her conjured imaginations and creative illustrations resulted from her prolonged tradition of living in solitude. It was benefitting Scarlet, as her roleplay mindset casted aside her hunger for blood. A necessary distraction, and an entertaining pastime. Emerging from the bathroom, Scarlet drenched hair quickly found itself basking in the warm breeze of her hair dryer. The fate of her work apparels and lingeries were seen on the far side of the living room, hanging from the metal racks. Having previous living experiences among a diversity of personnels, Scarlet did not mind living with a man. She was quite progressive in her ideals and thoughts, a trait that she had picked up while travelling abroad. While she was open to most with her friendly visage and demeanor, her personal scrutiny did not stray far from her own social skills. While the apartment was quite sufficient for most parts, Scarlet had the tendency to do her own laundry by hands - refusing to rely on technologies to do her bidding. As such, most of her clothes were spotless and had an everlasting aroma of her earnest works, as well as her choice of detergents.

The long day was etched in her mind. For most part, Scarlet was spared from cleaning up the operations room. Bloody trays and beds became a toxic narcotic to her, similar to a nicotine rehab being exposed to a second-hand smoker. The relapse that the vampire suffered taught her much, and with it comes the knowledge that she seeks when controlling her powers and yearnings. Of all the places she could've picked for her job, Scarlet decided on a local hospital out of careful speculations. While it teased her vampiric desires almost everyday, the hospital was an ideal place in the case of emergencies. A contingency plan, in case she stumbles upon a fight, while avoiding feeding directly on human beings. A pacifist vampire in a world full of savory appetizers and desires, an ironic chapter of Scarlet's tumultuous life, of which had taught her humility and restraints.

She paced herself towards the kitchen and put on her apron. For starters, Scarlet had conjured up a multitude of potatoes and asparagus from her grocery bags. Her dinner was composed of vegetables, befitting that of a reformed vampire, whose taste for meat only furthers her appetite for human flesh. Steamed vegetables were her painkillers, specifically potatoes - a treat for her abnormal tastes. In some cases, it was mainly strong drinks for some vampires, but for Scarlet, it was the simple and affordable starchy crop. Breaking from her thoughts, she made another helping for Arryn, and wrapped it, before setting her sights on the other things that she had bought. Her hands cast the baking sheets in a neat and well-positioned manner upon the tray, as she mixed the ingredients in an exact order of operation. It became a second nature for the girl when it comes to baking. Her actions were woven into the fabrics of her memories, acting on its own without much thought. Before long, Scarlet had finished mixing the dough and chocolate chips, prompting her to transfer the raw products into the oven. She turned over to Hogan, of whom was wagging his tail merrily at the scent of her cookies and dark chocolate concoction. Scarlet withdrew a treat from the plastic bags and guided her canine companion towards the living room. All in a day's expense had went to her personal groceries and Hogan's treats. A sense of accomplishment clouded the vampire's mind, accompanied by her fondness for the little pup. Scarlet was gradually moving on from her past, as her new activities had occupied much of her time.

"Here you go! Fufufu. I would love to indulge you with my cookies and hot chocolate. But those things shouldn't even be near you. Fufufu. Komm schon, mein Freund (come on, my friend)." Scarlet said with a cheerful tone, as she petted Hogan while he consumed her treat.

Although secretive and subtle in her ways, Scarlet can't help but give in to her thoughts upon her selection of a book. Withdrawing a hard-cover text from her shelf, Scarlet's nonchalant expression concealed her inner thrills. Closing the door behind her, Scarlet made her way across the living and settled within the comforts of the couch. The vampire dwelled in silence, contemplating the legions of words that formed the pages upon her tender hands, while Hogan resided upon her lap. As her dominant hand turned the pages, the other would fondle the pup's soft fur. Where many would settle for a cigarette or a drink after a day at work, Scarlet had chosen to drown herself in the comforts of the printed pages. Her lax demeanor contrasted with her sharp green eyes, like a patient fisherman awaiting her line to be bitten.

The clinging set of keys echoed in the apartment's hallway, as the prudent metal rod navigated its way through the aged crevice of the locks. Scarlet's attentive ears caught her roommate's approach, but her eyes continued to study the pages. Upon his arrival at home, the immaculate tiles that stretched before Arryn, accompanied by a buttery aroma welcomed the jaded warrior home after a long day at work. Hogan lept from Scarlet's lap and made his way towards the hall to greet his master's homecoming. Like an actress upon a stage, Scarlet followed the pup towards Arryn promptly, putting on her welcoming personality.

"Welcome home! Would you like something to eat? A bath? Or ... cookies and some hot chocolate?" Scarlet greeted Arryn merrily, as she cast aside her book.

Arryn looked wide eyed at the way everything in the apartment seemed to positively...sparkle. He thought he'd done a good job of tidying up before Scarlet arrived earlier, but the shiny countertops and the scent of cleaning supplies hanging in the air quickly disabused him of that notion.

"You cleaned the whole apartment," he asked, awestruck. "And cooked dinner?" He sniffed the air and caught the scent of the cookies baking in the oven. "And made cookies to boot? Where did you find the time for all of this," he asked, plainly impressed.

"Thoughts breed acts. Acts breed habits. And habits... breed lifestyle. Fufufu! What kind of a roommate would I be, if I don't contribute in the slightest?" Scarlet giggled at Arryn's complimenting words.

"That's very nice of you," he said. He was about to say more, when a yawn took him out of no where before he could suppress it. No wonder; he stayed longer than he expected to at Rose's. It had to be nearly eleven o'clock by now. "Well, I do appreciate the thought,..." he said when it passed, "...and I don't want you to think me ungrateful, but I actually already ate at a friend's today after work."

"Only ungrateful if you disregard my hard work! Fufufu! I made some cookies, would you like to have some?" she claimed cheerfully.

Not wanting to be rude, Arryn smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Scarlet. Thank you."

Scarlet's book caught Arryn's eye, as the prior circled around the room to fetch her cookies and hot chocolate. On the cover read 'The Werewolf of Paris', an old novel from the 1930s, of which had sparked a peculiar sense of interest in the man, albeit a startling one. The vampire crept on him from behind like a lion stalking its prey. Her glowing green eyes eyed the man sharply, as she quickly wiped her mischievous grin upon Arryn turning of his head.

"Cookie's inbound! Choo! Choo! Courtesy of Mama Sommerfeld! Fufufu!" she exclaimed gleefully, setting the tray upon the living room's coffee table.

Her bright smile smuggled her daggered intents, as she had specifically chosen the book to fish out Arryn's reactions. Ecstatic sensation resided within the vampire's state of mind, as every fiber within her body was eager to let loose her sealed persona. Her body resembled that of an unruly prison in the guise of a placid forest. Despite her dark yearnings, Scarlet puts up a cheerful facade, and was composed in her ways. Scarlet slipped a brief, but vigilant glance at Arryn:

(Just as planned. Now. Unravel your true colors! Unshackle the chains that binds your secrets. Your delectable fears, and guilts. Hmmm. I can almost taste it... Fufufu. How wonderful.)

Arryn eyed the book curiously as he took a cookie from Scarlet's tray. "That's an interesting looking story," he said. "Do you read a lot Scarlet? My old roommate liked to read as well." He pointed to a shelf in the corner of the living room, lined with books.

"Oh yes... quite. I'm a sucker for written words..." she replied.

"Those over there were all collected by him before he...left." Arryn's voice seemed to grow a little melancholy toward the end. He privately wondered what Daniel would've thought about a story like 'The Werewolf of Paris'; it seemed like the sort of thing he would've added to his collection whatever his thoughts. Well, Arryn supposed he'd never know now.

"I'm... I'm sorry... " she continued, raising her sympathetic brows to fit, while she pondered upon her contrasting thoughts.

What was the climax of Scarlet's sensations was quickly dispelled by Arryn's casual reaction. Initially bewildered, the vampire directed her gaze towards the shelf in the corner of the room, while complex trains of thoughts ran her by. She clenched her teeth beneath the blanket of her sealed lips.

(Ehhh? What is with this guy? Why does he not seem surprised? Is he playing along? It is probably a defense. One would expect something like this, given the knowledge. Question is... does he know?)

Before she could finish her thought, she felt the gloomy tone of his words upon the mentioning of his old roommate. A certain feeling of familiarity had struck her, as she too have went through the same ordeal. Holding her hands onto her chest, as if her heart was punctured by a sharp object, Scarlet was beset by the the pain that the two had shared, albeit at a differently time and place. There was no difference between Scarlet and Arryn when it comes to their humane sentiments. While the pages of their histories are different, they were both in some ways human in the end, or so Scarlet thought.

Apparently oblivious to his roommate's attempts to ply him for information, Arryn took a bite of the cookie in his hand and his eyes widened. "Oh! These are delicious, Scarlet. Thank you so much!"

"Oh you are quite welcome! Fufufu! Please. Have as much as you'd like!" she insisted.

Not one to refuse a kind offer, Arryn obliged and happily took another from her plate. Between Rose's cooking and Scarlet's, he reflected contentedly, he was going to get fat if he wasn't careful. Despite Arryn's fortuitous words regarding his old roommate that threw Scarlet's indirect attempts off course, the vampire has yet to abandon her concerns. She loved a challenge, and would press on with her words.

"You know... I love to indulge myself in horror fictions of late. Especially werewolves. Did your old roommate, being an evident avid reader as I, happens to like the same thing?" Scarlet asked, slipping her bait quietly beneath her inquisitive curiosity.

"Ah..." The hairs on the back of Arryn's neck stood erect at that question. She couldn't possibly know about Daniel. The choice of book, the questions she was asking about werewolves...it all had to be a coincidence, right? It had to be. There was just no way she could know. Arryn carefully considered how he should answer, hoping he could do so without giving too much away. He raised the cup on the table to his lips to give himself a little more time to think of a non-weird answer.

"... Perhaps ... You, yourself,... are a werewolf?" Scarlet said with a straight face, with her glaring gaze peering deep into the windows of his eyes.

Arryn nearly spit out his drink; instead of flying out of his mouth, though, it ended up going down the wrong tube, leaving him sputtering and coughing for air.

"Just kidding! Fufufu! Oh dear! Let me fetch the napkins!" Scarlet said, as she waltzed over to the kitchen.

Trying to regain his breath, he opened his mouth to say something and was mercifully interrupted by the sound of Hogan barking in the front hallway accompanied by scratches at the door. Scarlet handed Arryn some napkins, just in time for him to notify the prior of an oncoming situation.

"Oh," he said, a little too eagerly. "Looks like Hogan has to do his business outside. I'll take him for a little walk," he said, inwardly thankful to the pup for saving him from the strange turn this conversation had taken. He grabbed Hogan's leash and attached it to his collar before hustling out the door and down the front steps probably just a little bit faster than was strictly necessary.

"Be careful, alright? Wouldn't want to be preyed on by the wolf-man. Fufufu!" Scarlet said jokingly.

Scarlet handed Arryn some napkins, as she see the man and Hogan off. She eyed the door, even after Arryn's departure, while sipping lightly on her mug. She eventually turn away, with a coy smile.

"How cute." she said softly under her breath.

Arryn and the puppy were gone for about ten minutes. When they got back, Arryn was as polite as before--if a little fidgety for some reason--but insistent that he was very tired and had work in the morning, and he was going straight to bed. He thanked Scarlet profusely for her wonderful cooking, wished her a good night, and retreated to his room as fast as he was decently able, shutting the door firmly behind him. Scarlet waved him off, as she played around with Hogan. She eyed Arryn's door, as if a rifle fixed on a target. Her placid, yet eerie green eyes narrowed, as she thought to herself.

(Perhaps that was a stretch? No matter. His demeanor confirms my suspicions. Intriguing. Hm, perhaps I should get some rest too. This body can only handle so much without me sinking my teeth into someone's neck. How feeble.)

Before long, Scarlet found herself chuckling at Hogan. She composed herself, and cleaned up what was left of her cookies and turned off the living room's light.

"Good night, Hogan." she waved at the pup, as she made her way into her room. The puppy was already nearly asleep on his little bed in the corner of the living room.

While Scarlet remained quiet for the rest of the night, her mind was doing most of the talking to herself. A set of plans stretched across the imaginary space between her and the ceiling, as she pondered upon what she would do next to unravel the secrets that Arryn harbored. A few things were certain. Arryn did not bear the scent of a werewolf, accompanied by her findings and his intermittent receptions. Scarlet concluded that his previous roommate was indeed a werewolf. In his ordinary attitudes and overall friendly gestures towards Scarlet, the vampire had found no reason to classify him as a threat, at least for the time being. Her pale white hands reached out for the blank space, as she smiled gingerly.

"There's a fine line between the truth and overthinking, Scar. Stay the course and dwell in the comforts of your friendly acquaintance." Scarlet mumbled to herself, as she draws a fictional 'check' mark in the air, before turning over her blanket.

[Scarlet's Night Activity Completed]​

 

[Larry]

Ludwig von Löwenburg
Location: Kilburn Library, Sunday, 5th August.
Time of day: Evening time.
Mood: Drowsy.
Mentions: peachuu .​

For Ludwig, to learn about the way in which people ruled over and administrated large tracts of territory always amazed him. Now, say what you want about monarchy, or say that it's just another word for autocracy, but emperors and kings and the like were always the most interesting personages in bygone ages for the young Englishman. As he reads about Charlemagne through Einhard's own account of the Carolingian emperor, it was interesting to note that the system that operated under Charlemagne was not feudalism but something different entirely, something of a contrast to the way in which governance evolved throughout the Middle Ages. It was more so after his death that feudalism became ingrained as the reigning system due to the nature of his titles being split firstly down to his son, Louis the Pious, and then therefore down to his sons, the most prominent being Charles the Bald of West Francia and Louis the German of East Francia, from whom the Kingdoms of France and Germany would eventually be formed from their respective realms. It was always an enjoyable time for the young lad to ponder these various historical nexuses and how they lead into to our understanding of ourselves and how we relate to others, whether in friendship or in hate, like the English and the French from not too long ago.

Putting down the book, the young man stretched himself, restraining himself from groaning due to how comfortable the position he was in. Setting himself to get ready to leave, the young man was about to lift himself from the chair when he heard a large THUD! sound from right below him near the leg of the table. Gazing down at the source of the commotion, Ludwig was amazed to find it was a doll that collided with the leg of the table and quite the odd looking as well.

Bending down on to one knee so as to pick up the object, Ludwig ended up slipping back into the comfortable position once again so as to analyse the strange toy now held within his hands. I didn't notice any children up here when I was reading, Ludwig recollected so as to remember hearing such noise from this section of the library, nor would anyone I assume in this part of the building be so childish to lug such a plaything around with them at their age. Needless to say, the young man decided that it would be best if he were to leave the toy down to the reception and maybe Mary or one of the other librarians might be able to keep it on hand should its rightful owner return to retrieve it. Descending down the stairs in a relaxed fashion, Ludwig turns to the familiar civil servant with an earnest grin upon his face.

"Hello Mary, how are things with you today?" the young man leads with, placing the doll down onto the desk in front of the librarian, "I found this doll after it had collided with my desk as I was reading my book. How it ended hitting the leg of the table I do not know but do you think there would be any chance of you being able to hold onto it should its owner come back for it?"

"Oh, don't worry about it Lou," Mary replied, cheerfully taking the plaything and placing it in an empty space beneath the desk, "I'll have a little sign put up for it should the owner look for it. How's the study going along? You're in second-year aren't you at the moment? Remember, you have a another week and a bit to return that book on the Treaty of Verdun or otherwise you'll have to pay a fine."

"Thank you Mary, that helps and yes, you're dead right, second year it is but once you've gotten past the first one, it's not too bad. Don't you worry, I have about eighty-four pages left to read so I'll have it into you within the next few days."

With a nod, Ludwig went back up the stairs to finish off the chapter he was on. As he ascended the well-trodden and familiar stairs, reaching the top he came to realise that his acquaintance, if you could call her that, seemed to have left the premises or gone into another section of the library. Though as he returned to his table, he was happy to find that none of his personal effects such as the bag or the book he had brought with him hadn't been stolen. Knowing full well that it was just his pessimism at work, he still felt slightly distrustful of the people around him though a library would be the oddest place for a thief to find himself unless they were somewhat from the universe of Fahrenheit 451. Nestling himself into the seat, Ludwig that the library was going to close not too far from now so he would need to get the chapter finished as quickly as he could.

A book and silence, the young man thought, are there two better companions?

[Ludwig's Evening Activity: Complete.]​

 

[Avari]

​

After descending down several sets of steep stone stairs flanked by featureless brick wall, and the only light source being a few positively ancient looking fluorescent bulbs that buzzed and flickered - making the descent feel oddly ominous before Lisa heard the sound of distant pulsing bass. The noise was emanating rhythmically from the walls like a heartbeat.

The pair finally reached the bottom of the stairs, and were greeted with yet another foreboding iron door. This one however had a guard. He was an absolute giant of a man - all meat and muscle, squeezed into a suit. The tip of a tattoo peaked over his collar. He watched the pair approach with heavy set eyes and a suspicious expression on his meaty face.

And when he looked at Hannah, he burst into a smile and threw his arms - which were as thick as tree trunks - wide in greeting.

“Well, well! If it ain’t Lil’ Milly!” His voice was even deeper than Lisa had been expecting. It was positively troll like.

“Hello Bullet...” Hannah sighed, but she hugged him all the same. Her head barely reaching his chest. Lisa rose an eyebrow, slightly concerned that her only ticket to an easy job was about to be crushed in front of her by this cave troll - but the man was gentle, and gave her a loving pat on the head before letting her go.

“Is the boss man in?” She asked, flattening down her hair.

“Course. Y’know he don’t ever leave...” The man made Bullet seemed to notice Lisa awkwardly standing at the bottom of the stairs. “-and who dis?”

“This is Lisa. She worked for me at my cafe-”

“Yeah. We ‘eard about tha’ mess. Feared the worst for ya - you lookin to come back then?”

“Temporarily.” Hannah replied, sounding sour. Bullet nodded gruffly, and waved at Lisa to approach.

“You get a free pass tonight, yellow-eyes. Don’t go makin’ trouble.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it if everyone here as big as you.” Lisa responded, offering him a guarded smile. Bullet grinned back. Lisa noticed several of his front teeth were encased in silver.

“A’right. In ya go ladies. Good luck with the boss man.”

Bullet unlocked the door for them and pulled it open.

The sight that greeted the two women was not one would expect to see at the bottom of a grungy corridor.

--​

NEW LOCATION
INFERNO
A members only bar with a exclusive clientele, the INFERNO is a small nightclub hidden beneath London that does not advertise its own existence. Owned and ran by a man called Mark Porter, INFERNO only allows the most influential and unique to enter, with a highly demanding set of prerequisites for membership to guarantee a high standard of customers. Those who gain entry to INFERNO - either through exclusive invitation by the management or via recommendation from another member, can expect some of the finest drinks in the city - as well as no shortage of interesting company. Depending on the night, INFERNO switches between the loud bass one might expect from a nightclub, to the smooth tones of jazz that allow for easier conversation. Those that are foolish enough to cause trouble, deal with the terrifyingly large security guards.



"You...used to work here?" Lisa shouted at Hannah incredulously as the girl led her forwards - weaving through several crowds of onlookers all in fancy looking suits and dresses. They rose their drinks to them as they passed. Hannah waved back sheepishly causing them all to cheer. A few made eyes at Lisa, who winked back - but Hannah simply grabbed onto her arm and dragged her onward before she could stop and ask any questions.

"Well yeah. Look - just stay close to me alright??" Hannah shouted back as they approached one of the counters at the far side of the room. Luminous purple and pink lighting giving it a welcoming, if slightly seductive vibe.

A man stood behind the bar, idly cleaning a empty glass in what appeared to be a brief moment away from any orders. Handsome, with chiseled features. He was wearing a shirt that perhaps a little too tight and had immaculately styled pink hair. He exuded a strong presence - the sense of a man completely in comfort with his surroundings. He glanced over as they approached, and a sly smile spread across his face.

"Ah...Milly. I was wondering when you would be back darling."

"Hello Mark...." Hannah sighed as she approached and stopped opposite him across the counter. Lisa was beginning to feel like a third wheel with the whole exercise, and was still looking around, rather baffled by the whole place. One of the men on the other side of the bar seemed to be trying to get her attention, but she pointedly ignored him,

"...been a while."

Mark shrugged dramatically. "That's only because you never invited me to see your cute little cafe."

Hannah winched, and the man nodded sadly. "I am sorry about Millers darling. Truly. Bullet was beside himself with worry when that whole nasty business turned up on the news."

"Thanks." Hannah replied stiffly, and Mark's attention suddenly shifted to Lisa. His oddly dark eyes met her own yellow, and she refused to be the one to blink first. It felt oddly like she was being sized up as a meal.

"...and who is this...stranger you have brought with you, darling? You know how I feel about strangers."

"And you know how I feel about creepy men living in basements, Hannah."

"This is Lisa," Hannah said loudly, pulling Lisa a little closer as Mark bared a rather impressive set of oddly sharp teeth.

"I was...uh. Kinda hoping you might be willing to give me my old job back and help my friend out here. She-"

The dark expression on Mark's face instantly vanished, and he clapped his hands together. "Oh of course darling! I'd be so happy to have your happy little face around here again!"

"..and Lisa?"

Mark turned her attention back to the yellow eyed girl and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Her attitude could use some work darling...but there's no denying she's rather...pleasing to the eye. I see the way some of my guests stare at her so. Quite impressive. And I do need another bar tender...You ever worked in a bar before?”

“Wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“How do you make a Negroni?”

“Campai, Sweet vermouth and Gin.”

“Black Russian?”

“Vodka, coffee liqueur and cola.”

“Domino stack?”

“Pretty sure you just made that one up.”

Mark laughed and clapped his hands together again, seemingly enjoying himself immensely, and even Hannah seemed to allow herself to relax a tad.

“Very good darling. I suppose I can give you a trial shift....shall we say tomorrow night?"

"I'm busy tomorrow nig-" Lisa began, only for Hannah to elbow her in the ribs as hard as she could, causing Lisa to wince.

"...tomorrow night is fine."

Mark's rather serpentine smile widened.


NEW NPC
MARK PORTER
UPDATED - Realistic/Modern - BEING HUMAN | NPC GUIDE
NEW - Realistic/Modern - BEING HUMAN | LOCATION GUIDE​

END OF LISA'S NIGHT

​

 

[peachuu]

Quinn Aiko Rundquist
mentions: Larry | location: outside public library | purpose: dinner with Ludwig​

Aiko hadn’t even paid attention to her surroundings at the time, considering her head delve deep into a particular book concerning the lives of a few individuals from the Renaissance. Aiko did have an inner love for the arts, which is why this period of history certainly interested her. The materials were important as it seemed fortold within the passages of art, but then goes on to describe how artistry was replacing these precious materials like gold-leaf and lapis lazuli as a marker of value in society. There’s the development of a visual language that it describes as starting to outline the first indications of the concept of individuality and personal style. Mind you all of this was from the excerpt itself. She struggled slightly to wrap her head around the book’s concepts, when she noticed the shuffling of the individual at question in the first place. The nerd seemed to have just arrived back from some place and sat back down comfortably in his seat, leaving no trace of Adira—the doll for that matter.

“Ah bollucks, where’d the lil thing go?” She groaned slightly in annoyance—not too loud, but enough for that anyone a few inches away would hear the agitation in her tone. She huffed downstairs, thinking the nerd had bloody discarded the thing as a toy a little lass had dropped when she left here. Then again, with the way 21 year old dressed, how short she was, and even sometimes acted—she could really pass as a child. She shook those silly thoughts out of her head, and proceeded back downstairs to harass the old woman of a librarian.

“Oh! Well if it isn’t the mischievous lass with her walking black chaos” The librarian emerged from the back room with Curiosity hidden in her hands. “You are lucky i love the little rascal, and tolerate you.”

“Oh bollucks... I completely forgot about the thing!” Quinn rested her arms on the front desk, noticing her things were hidden well behind it. “Hi uh, so did any perhaps leave a doll here? Yah know.. My doll? And goodness what would I do without you?” She gave a lopsided grin again, with her free had resting on her hip.

“Well, maybe you should have been more considerate of your things instead of walking off aimlessly for me to watch them! Point is, the doll is here safe and sound, though a gentleman dropped it off not too long ago.”

“How long ago was this? I uh.. lost track of time.”

“Maybe.. 15 minutes ago since you came .”

Quinn flashed a very...forced smile, and grumbled amongst herself. “The nerd couldn’t have just bloody checked the fucking isles—“

“Language!” The librarian hushed her witching her small scolding and her grin grew even cheekier. She outstretched her hand, asking for her things as at that point her tolerance was already low. The librarian hid the cat back in the bag, and handed it over with the doll inside. She slugged everything over her shoulders, and hastily left to go back upstairs and have a few.. words with that idiot. As her tiny feet carried her all the way back up the stairs, she questioned the idiocy in that boys actions. That doll was her life— she owed a lot towards the thing regardless of how creepy it was. She growled upon arriving after seeing the boy had left.

“Great... Now we go back down. Again.” Curiosity mewed silently in the back, and Aiko hushed her, reaching over her shoulder to calmly pet the poor thing. It must be hungry by now—and so was she. Nonetheless, she quickly heightened her pace to see if the nerd had not gotten off too far. She steamed her pace back down the stairs and out the library, the sun had already started to set—much of the sky had turned a mixed pallets of pinks, yellows, and blues. She rushes out fo the library, and sees the lad a few feet away, calling out to him.

Ludwig was content to have finished the chapter but now the young Englishman found himself rather peckish. Who knew that sitting and thinking could generate an appetite? Before he could even contemplate the variety of food that he was to consume, Ludwig heard someone call out his name with rather large hint of exasperation and annoyance in their voice. Turning around to face the oncoming female, the lad was surprised to find that it was his college acquaintance calling out to him. Puzzled, knowing the time of day and the area, Ludwig didn't want to stand around like a fool all night and thereby crossed his arms in a manner blending irritation and inquisitiveness into one posture.

"Miss Quinn," the young man began, promptly looking down on the rather diminutive female below him, "What can I help you with at such a time of day?"

“God is the only one who can help me right now!” She took off the rather heaving yellow backpack and pulled out her doll; Curiosity peeped out to admire the giant before them. “Do you know how expensive this thing is?! It’s an absolute antique! And you didn’t even bother to bloody try and look for a fucking person nearby?“ She growled, waving the thing in his face like it was some bone for a dog. However, this “dog” was superbly taller than her, and to be frank, made her less intimidating within every second.

"I know we may not be the closest of individuals, for God's sake I only found out your name from somebody mentioning your name in class and pointing in your direction," Ludwig admitted, needing to get that particular act of espionage of his chest should he talk to her at some point, "But needless to say I had no idea it was your doll and as a rebuttal to your idea that I search for an owner in the area we were in, I though about it, deemed that there were no children present that I could see or hear so I gave it to Mary for safe keeping. Would you rather I have taken it myself and left a number to the reception desk so they could pick it up from me personally?"

“No! That’s even worse! Again—Look the point is, this shit isn’t something you treat like a ragged piece of trash found in Westminster. At least YOU gave it to Mary, although Mary can sometimes kiss my ass—” Quinn was interrupted by her stomach yelling in all its glory for food. She had an unhealthy habit of not eating for practically all day if she was allowed, and even then she hated to because she felt it was a distraction.

Ludwig did his best to conceal the imminent smirk that was eating away at his rather stoic expression, the faint outlines forming near the edge of his lip. Composing himself, the young man looked down at Quinn and her plaything companion and said, "Well what would you know, I'm quite hungry myself. It's precisely one of two reasons I was leaving the library, the other being it was closing soon..." Ludwig wasn't really one for social occasions, even with family members, so the thought of going out with another person was nearly anathema to consider. But considering they were part of the same course and he doesn't quite know her favourite period of history, it would be interesting information to glean. "So how about it? Don't worry, it won't be for too long and we can part ways shortly afterwards but I have some questions I'd like you to answer, if you'd oblige me?"

Quinn pouted angrily, still quite upset about the fact that her doll wasn’t properly cared for. However, her stomach needed to feed on the oils and vitamins of whatever she gave it. She huffed, shifting her gaze to the ground of the sidewalk and started placing her doll within the box she had on her shoulder still. She then carefully lugged back on her backpack with Curiosity placed comfortably inside. “Just a few questions?” She grumbled. The boy nodded in reply and she complied.

“Fine.”


NIGHT ACTIVITY COMPLETE

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Juniper Arc
Streets - Junipers apartment

Juniper sighed as she walked alongside her bike, having finished her route twenty minutes ago she had nothing to do but wait until Morgana finished as well. Before, this wouldn't have been a problem, any free time that she had was put into finding Lucrezia and the others. Now however, she had no goal that she could work towards, nothing immediate that required her attention. It was maddening in it's own way, all of this newfound freedom to do as she pleased and she couldn't think of any way to use it. "Maybe I should try contacting Tannur. No, all that would accomplish is making me wait even more than I already am." She stopped alongside a group of people, two men and three women, as they all waited for the stream of cars to halt.

"Did you hear about what happened at Covent Garden?" The dark skinned man asked the group while staring down at his phone. Juniper perked her ears at the mention of Covent Garden, curious to what information the public was being fed. "Yeah, I heard that most of the buildings were completely destroyed. Think it had anything to do with the storm?" The group began to walk across the road as Juniper followed them from a distance. The man shook his head, "No way all of that was because of a storm. Have you've seen some of the pictures online? Storms can't do that to buildings." Online? What was this man talking about, what is this 'online'? She would have to ask Morgana about it, she seemed more familiar with this world than her. Perhaps they could use this 'online' to communicate with each other. "Does it really matter? Until the police give an official report we won't know for sure. You're getting all worked up over nothing dude." The group rounded a corner as she debated on following them further, before shaking her head and continuing straight. From what it sounded like, their involvement in the destruction was still unknown. Hopefully it would stay that way.

The door to Junipers apartment clicked open as she entered, the darkness of the unlit room greeted her before being shoved back at the flick of a switch. She narrowed her eyes, still unused to the sudden change as she pushed forward. Her stomach gave another groan as she collapsed onto her bedding, burying her face into dark blue sheets with a deep sigh. She remained there, motionless for a few minutes before an itching sensation on her back caused her to groan and get up from her cool resting place. Throwing her shirt onto her growing pile of used clothing she entered her bathroom and opened her cupboard. Reaching in, she pulled out a small roll of bandages and placed them on the edges of her sink. Unwrapping the cloth from around her back she discarded it in the now full waste bin which was full of her discarded bandages. Turning around, she grimaced at the pink flesh of the scar that ran across her back. Given time it would fade, it wasn't deep enough to warrant removal, but gods damn did it sting. Sighing once again, she repeated the process of washing and replacing her bandages for what seemed like the tenth time this week. At this rate she would run out of bandages well before the scar healed.

After that was finished she prepared herself for her routinely workout. Her new body lacked any of the muscle and stamina that her old body had, something she was very distressed about. If she wasn't in peak physical condition, how could she ever be of any use to her queen. "My queen..." Like always Juniper's thoughts drifted to Lucrezia. This whole new body was still not sitting right with her. Does she still have all of old Lucrezia's memories? Is she the same Lucrezia from before, and had she done something like this before? Her personality certainly seemed to change, if their brief interaction with each other was anything to go by. "Uggh, my head hurts thinking about this shit. I pledged my loyalty to her no matter what, why the hell is this any different." Despite her words, Juniper couldn't shake the nagging feeling in the back of her head.

Juniper's Night Activity: Complete

 

[IG42]

Clair Drayden

The long summer's day had finally drawn to a close and the sweltering sun had all but vanished below the horizon when Clair and her group began to pack up. "Alright guys great work today!" While obviously tired but pleased with herself she stood out by being the only person not pasted with sweat. "Let's get everything cleared away." Most of the local people had trickled home by now and the rough sleepers were mostly avoiding the police still buzzing around the accident areas so there was little point in staying longer.


Slumped against the wall of a local retailer, Ezra watched from the shadows as a pair of police bikes drove by, their flashing blue lights momentarily illuminating Ezra in an eerily blue glow before returning him to the darkness of the evening. Curiosity had gotten the better of him now that his 'daily schedule' had been freed up and he could not help but visit the site of London's most recent 'fuck up'. Terrorist attack, childish prank, gas explosion or government conspiracy the only truth that could be surmised from this whole ordeal was that for the umpteenth time this century, London had drawn attention to itself for all the wrong reasons.

Normally Ezra would not have given the drama another thought due to how little it personally affected him, however this time was different. This time he couldn't just ignore the spectacle that covered every single news station and dripped off the tongue of everyones conversation, this time he had to see it for himself. Perhaps it was something instinctual that had drawn him to the scene of the crime, a sort of uncontrolable urge to stick his nose into something that had nothing to do with him or perhaps it was a subconcious decision based on the earlier conversation he had heard on the bus that had influenced his choice of 'adventure' tonight. Regardless of what had brought him here tonight, Ezra now found himself skirting around Covent Gardens, his eyes fixated upon a group of charity workers begining to pack away their things.

"Bless the young lass" came the voice of an older man, Ezra half turning around to see a man sitting along the curb. In one hand was a bottle of water, its contents two thirds of the way full and in his other a sandwhich; the contents of which Ezra could not see from where he stood. "Thank god there are people out there like her... helping people like us. The police have done nothing but push us away from our spots without giving us an explanation to what happened" he continued though by now Ezra had already turned his attention back to the group packing away, his stomach rumbling ever so slightly as he eyed a free meal.

Knowing that his current attire would give him away, Ezra quickly undid his jacket; placing it along the ground and behind some discarded cardboard packaging so that the rough sleepers didnt nick it and began to make himself 'look the part'. Hair disheveled and a few tears in his shirt courtesy of his nails, Ezra soon stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the street lamp above him; a subtle limp in his step as he began to approach the group.

Ezra feigned ignorance as he began to cross the road; his head swivelling from side to side as he appeared to take in every minute detail of the Covent Garden Disaster that his eyes were privy to. He didn't want to head straight for Clair and her fellow helpers, doing so would have made it obvious that he was there for them and that would have only made it harder for him to milk the situation for all he could. From past experience, Ezra knew that scams like the one he was plotting always worked best when the target approached him; when it seemed like it was their idea to initiate the contact with their goodwill gesture as opposed to Ezra approaching them and appearing to be needy. Thankfully enough the young woman appeared to be the former as she called out to him.

Looking up from her work Clair spotted him coming. She wasn't terribly surprised that people would be coming out of the woodwork at the last moment, some of the more self-reliant types waited until the last moment before trying to get help. "Hello there! How's it going?" She greeted him brightly while giving him a once over noting that he was travelling very lightly, from what she understood from her own interactions with the homeless they tended to carry what little they had with them wherever they went to keep their things from being stolen or more gallingly taken away by overzealous street cleaners. "Down on your luck?" She asked with a sympathetic smile.


"I've seen better days..." murmured Ezra in response as he stepped under the light once more, revealing his frail looking self to the woman. Standing before Clair was a man roughly 5ft 8 in height and visibly on the thinner side. Both shoulders were slumped and his body was slightly hunched forward as he walked; the limp potentially hinting towards a past injury. "though... I can't really say that I've ever been up on my luck either..." he added, chuckling softly at his own witty response before the laugh itself deteriorated into a coughing fit and Ezra was forced to steady himself, using a nearby metal railing to support his weight. in truth, this was part of the act; a ploy to nurture a bit more sympathy from the young woman.

"I doubt ill ever be up on my luck..." he continued, his right arm still holding the rail. "you think you've hit rock bottom then suddenly this happens..." he gestured with his left hand towards the destruction "whatever little I owned went up in flames... and whatever managed to survive I cant even bloomin take since the coppers won't let us in.." he continued to lie, his voice rising in pitch as he tried to appear emotional.

Nodding along calmly as he ranted Clair glanced down at the leg he had been limping on, she was pretty sure he was playing up the injury along with the cough but decided it wasn't worth the trouble to call him out on it. "That does sound pretty rough but at least you got out alright." Thinking that he might have something interesting to say about what had happened she tried to gently probe for some information. "Must have been pretty scary being in the middle of everything, want to talk about it?"

"Do I look alright to you?" replied Ezra, his eyes hidden behind strands of hair but fully focused upon Clair as she questioned him. "Of course it was scary being in the middle of it -obviously you foolish girl- you couldn't even begin to imagine the chaos and destruction that the fires caused... the confusion as everyone panicked and ran for their lives..." of course, the description he had given was rather generic for any major incident and something that could have been deduced from what little news was leaked to the public.

Deciding to up the ante, Ezra began to tremble, his voice strained. "It still haunts me... seeing the bright orange blaze and listening to the storm cackle in the background..." Ezra turned his body slightly so that his back was against the metal railing and quickly fell to the ground, his knees bent and legs drawn inwards with both hands stretched outward in front of his face and shaking in mock fear. "... I doubt you'd ever come close to understanding the sight we saw that night... a raging inferno that destroyed everything, the thunder like explosions that roared through the skies shaking us to our core as we fled the burning building only to be blinded by the flashing of light as the lightning danced across the heavens above..." Ezra tilted his head up towards Clair who now towered over him. "... but you know what scares me the most..?" he asked rhetorically, clasping her left leg with his right hand and slightly digging his nails into her.

"Surviving all of that chaos only to discover that your status in life remains unchanged, that even though you cheated death, your life amounts to nothing more than trash on the street". Ezra the self proclaimed actor pulling out all the strings as he continued to nurture this farce. "I doubt you'd even the fraction of knowledge in regards to how harsh the streets are..."

Crouching down next to him she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey it's okay, it's over now right?" While he wasn't any more informative than anyone else she had come across he also didn't seem to have the level of confusion about the incident that others had.

"You're right I don't really know what it's like to be out here but I still want to help if I can." Helping him up she gently led him over to where she had been packing up. "We've been handing out some food today to people who've been struggling if you need any." She felt he was definitely hamming it up a lot by now though she supposed he at least deserved something for the impassioned display and was concerned that he could still draw a crowd even at this late hour if she risked calling him out.

As soon as he felt her hand upon his shoulder he knew that he had her. Hook, line and sinker. It didn't matter what the reason behind her good will was as long as he was the one to profit from it. The only thing that could break this now was for him to slip up somehow, to smile uncharacteristically for the 'role he played', though thankfully the advantage of experience had helped him to remain in character, the temptation to smirk non-existent. "Th.. that'd be great... I could really do with a warm meal..." his voice still raspy and strained.

Helped up to his feet and brought over to where they had been packing up, Ezra eyed the open boxes and packages that her companions had been filling up as they cleared their work station. Looking for anything and everything that he could potentially need, though considering that the majority of what was left had been packed away it was hard to really gauge just how much loot was up for the taking.

"Wh.. what do you have..?"

"Well we've still got some bottled water left if you need to stock up, I know the flooding messed with the supply for a lot of people." She said pulling out a cluster still packed in their plastic. "There's also prepacked sandwiches, got a few different types so take whichever you'd like."


Ezra eyed the variety of sandwiches that Clair had mentioned, the flavours clearly marked on their packaging. with different colored stickers indicating what the flavor was. On display were your typical sandwiches such as the Chicken Tikka, Tuna Mayo, BLT among others. They were all the flavours you'd normally find in one of yout local Tesco or Sainsbury's as part of the £3 meal deal though from what he could tell they seemed to be home made? or perhaps from a different supplier than the ones you find at the grocers.

A sigh almost escaped his lips as he found nothing else beyond the water and sandwiches, his hopes of a free warm meal dashed. He could have spent £3 of his own money and gotten more for the effort, namely a packet of crisp on top of the food and drink... this couldn't be all could it?.

Bold and not so much bothered by what her reaction would be, Ezra prodded Clair further. "D..do you perhaps have anything else?... A warm curry? " he suggested, eyeing the other sealed up boxes.

Clair frowned a little at the response. "Sorry, we were doing some other stuff earlier but most of that got cleared out and the fryers were taken away a little while ago but we'll have people back out tomorrow if you still need anything." Looking around she saw a few people unplugging a tea urn. "I can offer you a warm drink at least if you like."

'Tsk' was Ezra's response, a quick click of the tongue as he listened to this 'good samaritan' make excuses. She probably wasn't even here on her own voalition anyway, most likely a student coerced into doing charity work by one of the local schools... it would explain why she didn't seem inclined to go the 'extra mile' to help him out. If anything, she probably thought to simply offer the man whatever left overs they had so that he would leave them alone. Well.. that wasnt enough to get rid of Ezra.. no sirey.

"T.. tomorrow..?" gasped Ezra, his disappointment legit as he had no intention of making the journey all the way back here for a simple meal. Her suggestion of a warm tea was also unwelcomed, he never liked tea.

Seeing as how the potential rewards were no longer as appealing he had first thought, Ezra instead sought to see just how far this samaritans charity would go. "P..perhaps you'd be able to.. to buy me a warm meal?" he suggested, it was all or nothing now. "... I know.. a good place.." he added.

Taken aback momentarily by the request Clair quickly tried to laugh it off. "Are you trying to ask me out?" She said jokingly. "Sorry but I can't really do that." Taking a look around she couldn't see anyone watching them too closely and decided there would be no harm in giving him a little something else. Pulling out her purse she quickly slipped out a twenty-pound note and pressed it into his hand. "Here you enjoy that place without me."

Ezra's almost bit his tongue in shock; not expecting her to respond in such a manner all of a sudden, though truthfully the thought hadn't even cross his mind. He was a professional after all, he would never dare mix business with pleasure, even if she did have a few qualities that would have otherwise caught his notice. His attention however was instead drawn towards her hands, one of which held her purse whilst the other quickly pulled out a Twenty pound note; her actions too quick for Ezra to get a proper look at the rest of her purses contents. Before he could even ask for more, she had already placed the twenty into his hand. Twenty pounds was better then nothing, it would pay for dinner and still leave him with pocket change for the journey home... it could have been a fifty though...

"Th..thank you.." he replied, pocketing the money. "I'll...I'll..put it to..." as he continued to speak, the raspiness and tone in which he had earlier spoke in beginning to shift into one far more suited to a man his age and in good health. "...good use". By now he had raised his head ever so slightly and at a slight angle that one of his hazel eyes had appeared behind the strands of loose hair that had earlier hidden them from sight and below that a smirk of satisfaction.

"Sweetheart, Your charity is well recieved and appreciated" he began, standing fully now and dispelling any notion that he had a bad back. "Am I mistaken in assuming that the food and drink that you so charitably offered are still up for grabs?" he asked rhetorically as he twirled around and grabbed a packet of chicken tikka with one of his hands. Within moments of getting the twenty pound note, Ezra's personality had changed, he no longer needed to keep up the farce. Without so much as a second thought, Ezra had extended an index finger from his free hand and slid it across the package of the sandwich, the cellophane wrapping easily cut in two just from the sharpness of his nails. Taking a bite, Ezra turned his back towards Clair and began walking away.

"I enjoyed our little shin-dig, perhaps I will come back tomorrow" he shouted, raising a free hand to give her a wave goodbye.

Watching his manner change Clair wasn't so much annoyed by the hustle but more amused by his overacting and when she thought about it his obvious delight at getting to make off with a little cash and a sandwich was rather cute to watch. "I'm sure everyone would be happy to watch such a skilled performer if you did." She called out to his back.

Turning away from the amusing but ultimately inconsequential encounter she got back to the cleanup with a smile on her face.

Clair night complete (Not if Phayne wanted this to count as Ezra's too or not)

 

[RI.a]

VICTORIA CAIN
written with: doneanddusted | location: neal's yard cafe -> bar​

“Are you done for the day too, Vic?” The bespectacled red-head asked. Getting the attention of a young brunette girl that was currently clearing a table.

“Yeap!” She chirped, turning towards him with a smile as she nodded. She could feel her ponytail bouncing slightly at the back of her head. The cafe was getting quiet again. It was nearly dinner time after all. Lulls like these were common in a coffee shop. But more so after the incident just about a mile away from where they were. Victoria brought the dirty dishes to the sink and started scrubbing them with a damp sponge.

“Hey— err…” Fred, the ginger called out again, “Rach and I are going to grab a drink, do you want to come along?” A frown appeared on the brunette’s face and before she could reply, Fred interrupted. “Just one drink. We all need it. After last week. I promise we’ll leave straight after.”

Victoria sighed and hummed in thought. It was quite tiring keeping a smile the past week as if nothing happened. The whole cafe was gloomy and all their customers talked about was the incident and theories about what happened. It was definitely scary, they felt the shake and could hear the screams from the cafe. Before her thoughts could run any wilder, she nodded. “Count me in.”

The party of three entered the bar, the smell of beer hitting them like a brick. It wasn’t a surprise that they would find it pungent since they’ve been working around coffee all day long. Both of Victoria’s colleagues got straight to the bar, waiting for their turn to get the bartender’s attention, while the brunette was a step behind them pondering over what to drink with a small forced smile on her lips.

“What would you like, Vic?”

Victoria’s smile fell, she thought she had more time to decide. “Err— just a ginger beer please?” She blurted out without thinking. It even sounded more like a question. Maybe she needed more than one drink tonight.

Next to her sat a rather youthful-looking woman with short brown hair. She sipped her beer and looked over at the newcomers; she knew her surroundings well enough to know who just came and who’d been here for a while. Victoria reached out to grab her drink, but the glass seemed to completely missed her hand and the drink fell on the table. Its contents spilled out right unto her and the lady. "Oh my god!" She screamed, the cold beverage quickly soaked their clothes and leaving a wet stain. She quickly grabbed a few napkins from the bar and dabbed on the stranger's clothes. Wiping up as much as she could.

"I am so sorry!" Thankfully, the napkins seemed to be absorbing the beer faster than her clothes. Victoria continued apologising and grabbing new napkins to dab away in a hurried frenzy.

The woman stared at Victoria as she did so; despite smiling, she looked incredibly uncomfortable with all the touching. She gently pushed Victoria’s hand away. “It’s okay,” the woman laughed, taking off her leather coat to reveal a jacket. She folded the coat neatly and placed it on her lap.

“Tired?” The woman asked, a gentle smile on her face.

The brunette nervously brought her hands back to herself. A nervous laugh coming from her before apologising again. Her coat looked expensive and thankfully the woman didn't scream about it being ruined. Victoria can only imagine how much she would ask for compensation. "More so than I realise," She replied her question. Her hands returned to dabbing her own coat dry, though by now it didn't do much to help. She scrunched up the napkins in her hands and placed it on the counter.

She felt awful for her mistake and Victoria felt the need to make it up to this kind stranger. "I'm really sorry about that. I can't offer much but if you'd like, please drop by Neal's Coffee," She paused, rummaging her bag for the shop's namecard. She held out the small card towards her before continuing, "Drop by anytime, and whatever you order will be on me."

She gave the stranger a smile, "Oh! My name is Victoria. I guess it wouldn't be correct to say nice to meet you under these circumstances, huh?"

The woman took the card and glanced at it before looking up to address Victoria. “I suppose it wouldn’t,” she said with a laugh. “I’m Summer. I work over at Reader’s Retreat- that makes both of us coffee shop workers, eh?”

Summer laughed again. “What brings you to this bar?” she asked.

Relief washed over Victoria when Summer had accepted her offer. She began to relax almost instantaneously. Her colleagues decided to search for seats elsewhere, letting her know before they did. Both girls started conversing about how they ended their day at the bar, and even about work to their favourite type of scone and the most fabulous latte art they've tried. Victoria didn't even realise that she had more than one drink with her new friend, much less the time that passed. Not until she fished out her phone from her purse. The bright smartphone screen flashed angrily at her with the time nearing midnight. Her heart sank and a look of horror overcame her. 53 missed calls, 80+ unread messages from Mom. "Uh oh..."
Victoria's night activity: completed

 

[IG42]

Tannur

Once the predictably cryptic seer girl was gone Tannur tried to simply go back to what he was doing but her parting shot regarding his 'pet lion' which could only be referring to Silver nagged at him, fortunately the incident had occurred just before the end of his shift so he was able to quickly extricate himself and left for the night.

Walking down the street he fought the urge to hurry home but found himself picking up the pace unconsciously. "I'm not rushing, I'm not going to validate what that dammed brat said." He muttered to himself but it was all lies, he had been considering sticking around a bit longer to clean up for some overtime pay but had left instead. In defiance of his worries Tannur ducked into a nearby mini-market to grab some food for the evening and snaffled some sweets while he was at it finding a slight catharsis in actually being able to steal something for a change after finally getting the an idea for how those blasted camera things worked.

Reaching the cramped apartment he shared with Silver Tannur let himself in. "Silver? Are you here? I got chocolate." Hearing no reply he felt his worry increase. "It's fine, she's just not back yet." Unsurprisingly given her chaotic nature and her off the wall boss Silver's working hours ended up being rather flexible. After squirrelling away a portion of the food in his new stash behind one of the drawers in a beaten up dresser he had managed to salvage he grabbed a can of booze and sat down on the sofa bed that rarely saw use as a bed due to Silver's tendency to climb in with him no matter how often he pushed her off.

Tannur gave it an hour and then another before he admitted to himself that Silver was not just running late. "Agh hell. Where's she gone now?" 'With a friend' that girl had said, reluctantly he decided he might as well try the only friend of theirs he was in contact with and called Morgana expecting to be nagged about not babysitting Silver diligently enough, thankfully his phone had dried off after it's soaking and seemed to still work. "Heyyy there Morgana! I was just wondering if you might have possibly seen Silver anywhere?"

There was a long sigh on the other end of the phone. "This is twice now, Tannur. You've called me on two occasions and both have involved Silver."

A moment of silence passed and Tannur could hear the faint sound of Morgana's breathing as she was deep in thought, only speaking to excuse herself as she manoeuvred through wherever she was.

"But no, I haven't seen her. Have you tried calling her workplace?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose he sat back. "As much as I'd love to hover around her all day to make sure she doesn't get distracted by random rubbish being blown around on the wind I can't and the weird place she works has been closed for hours" Smirking a little his tone changed. "Is there something else you would rather I be calling you about?"

Morgana laughed out loud as if she'd never heard anything more absurd, but there was something about the way her voice rose a pitch that insinuated otherwise. "When I see your name appear, I genuinely pray to Meyneth that it's Silver calling to tell me you've fallen into your grave."

Smiling at Morgana's banter he pushed back. "A grave? I'm more of a vanish into the annals of legend guy. Keep people guessing about what's real and story and inspire a series of imitators."

Another sigh escaped the female's lips, however, as she returned to the topic at hand. "I finished work early, so I can help look around until I meet with Juniper later. I doubt she'll have gone far from the parlor or your deli with her sense of direction though. Text me when you've found her and I'll do the same?"

"I'm thinking it might be best if I stayed here in case she shows up here. This weird kid came up to me at work and it turns out she's one of those people who has visions, told me I was going to get beaten up and to hide in the stockroom overnight. I thought she was messing me about at first but she gave a pretty good description of how Rai and Silver looked before we got here." He paused to take a long pull of his drink. "Last thing she said before she left was that one day my 'pet lion' would be missing but that she'd be fine and with a friend, that's why I tried you first."

"I see..." Morgana replied, her tone obviously showing she was deep in thought. "That's interesting. Perhaps there are those that are abnormal on Earth. Recently, I have be-" The female suddenly cut off, sounding almost distressed. "I have to go for now, Tannur. Let me know when you've found Silver."

Suspicious of the abrupt change in tone Tannur tried to catch her before she hung up, not that he had any idea of why people said that. "Wait is something happening over there? Morgana?" Looking at the phone he saw that she was already gone. "Damn." Setting it aside he sat back and finished his drink. "Well best check the usual places at least." Leaving the flat he went out and spent a fruitless couple of hours looking around the streets between and around his and Silver's workplaces and their flat before returning home.

"Pointless as I thought, here's hoping she hasn't already been back and wandered off again." He said to himself as he sat down again. Without any contact for Silver's boss or her insufferable coworker he didn't really have any other options for finding her and considering there weren't any more magical storms around she wasn't likely to die of exposure this time around if she was out all night and not 'with a friend' which he hoped meant someone friendly towards Silver and not some strange friend of that seer girl. Realising that there was little he could do to find his so called pet that night he decided the best thing to do would be to stick around in case she came home and inquire with her boss and if necessary The Hero when they were at their shop in the morning.

Resolved to follow his chosen course of action or rather inaction he made himself as simple dinner and put his feet up to wait.

Tannur night complete
koala WillfulWren

 

[WillfulWren]

Marcus Felis - Home
Co-Written With: MagicPenguin ​

After a long day cleaning out small animal cages and being clambered over by dogs, Marcus liked to take a shower when he got home from work. His mismatched eyes were closed as water poured down. Of all the things on Earth, hot water was probably his favourite, and the most mystifying. It was just...there, at the turn of a tap! Made even more impressive for having no magic.

As well as feeling nice and cleaning the sweat and dirt off his skin, the shower also provided a good space to think on the events of the day. Today had been weird, though not exactly in a bad way. Weird things had happened. Like how he had moved to pet a nervous poodle and suddenly had been able to feel all of her fear, making his hands shake for minutes afterwards. Or how he had taken a deep breath and tried to think calm thoughts and the dog had calmed down.

Okay, maybe he didn't want to think about that.
There was too much he didn't want to think about, nowadays. Everything was going wrong, apparently, and there was nothing he could do to help.

With a sigh, he shut off the water, wrapping a towel around his midsection and using another to dry his hair. It was getting long - long enough that it would seem scrape his shoulders, but he didn't want to go to a barber's to get it cut. It would take money that he wasn't sure they had. He could always cut it himself, but it was messy enough as it was. Giving the black locks a tug , he shrugged. It didn't really matter to him what he looked like - hence why he didn't care that the black shirt he pulled on had a hole in the side. He put some jeans on and went to his room, practically collapsing on the bed with another sigh, blindly grabbing for the battered paperback by his bedside. He had picked it up on a whim from a charity shop. It was an omnibus edition - two books in one, of the works of a man called Jack London.

He had finished the first story in the book, about a half wolf - half dog who became tame, and had just found his place in the second story when there was a knock on the door. He set the book aside once again, getting up to open the door.

The inane chatter spilled into the room and filled Marcus's ears nearly as soon as he opened the door to see who was knocking. Standing there was Prince Roland, his face lacking any expression whatsoever as he endured the neverending hail of words assailing him from the silver-haired girl standing at his side, blabbing directly in his ear no more than a few inches away from him. The only thing that betrayed the prince's agitation was the throbbing vein in his forehead; for all the emotion he showed otherwise, he might as well have been made of stone. Marcus's sun-kissed skin paled as he saw who accompanied the prince, mismatched eyes wide. Silver - of course - was oblivious to the panic she had caused him, not even pausing her chatter.

"-I wish I could talk to dogs instead of pigeons, they're probably nicer, and wow this place is small, why'd you choose to live somewhere so dumb and can we eat soon, 'cause I haven't eaten since breakfast because I didn't have any money to buy lunch because Tannur has my money, and Jim wouldn't let me go see Tannur and then he was gone and who's this guy he looks kind of funny and Jim's so mean, I could use that tattoo gun if I had a chance, you think Jim would be mad tomorrow if I--" The words came out of her at an alarming pace, like bullets out of a machine gun.

"Marcus," Roland said flatly, his fury barely held in check beneath the surface, his ice cold words penetrating Silver's stream of words. "It followed me home. I couldn't stop it." He grabbed the still-talking girl by the arms between her elbows and her shoulders in both hands and all but shoved her at her poor brother. "It won't. Stop. Talking. Take it from me, before I break its freaking neck."

That shocked him out of just staring numbly as he nodded. "O-okay, umm... Okay. Isn't threatening to break her neck a little too far?" The black-haired boy grimaced, carefully angling his body so he was between the two, though even though even he couldn't quite tell who he was trying to protect.

The dark look Roland gave him in return seemed to say that, if anything, the prince did not think that was far enough.

"Hey, wow, your eyes are weird! I mean, people say that about me all the time, but at least mine are both the same colour. Not like yours... I saw a dog with eyes like that once. He was like, a sheepdog-" Silver stopped abruptly, something seeming to occur to her.

"I don't know where I am."

Marcus dragged a hand down his face, muttering under his breath - "How can someone not have grown up at all in twelve years?" - before looking at Roland. "Can I talk to you? Away from her?"

"Nothing would please me more than to be away from her," he replied. "You!" he shouted at Silver, pointing as if she were a dog to whom he was trying to give commands. "You stay," he said, pointing at the floor of Marcus's room. He then moved to the kitchen, beckoning Marcus to follow him.

Silver didn't even seem to hear him - or if she did, she gave no indication of it, too busy poking around Marcus's room to even really pay attention. Meanwhile, Marcus closed the door behind them, following Roland out to the kitchen. "So... She followed you, and you just let her?"

"There wasn't much I could do to stop her," he replied. "Short of killing her. That would be a bad idea for many reasons, chiefly the truce I told you about after last week." Roland began rooting through cabinets, pulling out a big pot and several cooking utensils. " Besides, " he went on, "You haven't properly seen her in years, right?" He filled the big pot with water and set it on the stove to boil before turning to look at Marcus again. "I'm sure the two of you have lots of catching up to do."

"Well... Yeah - but..." Marcus's tongue seemed to have turned to lead. He had wanted to be reunited with his sister for over a decade, and now... Now the thought of speaking to her was terrifying. Along with the niggling thought in the back of his mind that she didn't remember him. The way she had looked at him back on Aether when they met at Blackrock, and her questions now made that obvious enough and how could he talk to her if she didn't know who he was? He took several deep breaths trying to steady himself.
"Do you need any help with dinner?" He tried - and then there was a loud crash from his room. A loud crash that sounded suspiciously like a piece of furniture falling over.

Despite the crash, Roland's face softened somewhat as he looked at Marcus.

"There's no need to be nervous, boy," he said reassuringly. "Blood recognizes blood. It might take time, but she will listen to you if you speak from the heart." His eyes abruptly narrowed and his voice hardened once more. "Now go control your idiot sister before she destroys the apartment and the landlord makes us pay for the damages. After evicting us...or having us arrested." He paused a moment, contemplating, as if he could not decide which would be worse. Eventually he just shrugged and, paying no more mind to Marcus, Roland turned and pulled a package of spaghetti out of a drawer and dumped its contents into the pot of water.

"Right...Blood recognises blood..." Marcus repeated, heading back to his room, where the wardrobe was lying on its side, Silver sitting on the bench she had created by tipping it over, idly humming to herself. Just great. With a sigh, he managed to talk her into moving to the bed, where she sat firing random and useless questions at him as he moved the wardrobe into place.
It was going to be a long night.

Marcus Felis / Night Activity: COMPLETE
​

 

[The_Omega_Effect]

Nikolai Vissarionovich
Location: Work -> Apartment
Interactions: None

Although he began to grow a tolerance of sorts, he always did dislike jobs like this. He really wanted to cut his interaction with other people to a bare minimum, with him working best on his own. That was the case without even considering his werewolf curse. Nikolai was not fully aware of all of the ways in which the curse passed on. All he knew was that him touching bodily fluids of any other person would lead to their infection which was not something he wanted. Despite all of these annoyances, he still endured them as he needed as much money as he could get. All he had to do was repeat the procedures he was taught over and over again, with him simply referring to the manager in a situation where he didn't know what to do.

The next full moon was in 3 weeks or so and Nikolai had to make preparations for it. The location he went to was quite a simple one really. Although it didn't matter much to him, he had to make sure that he visited the same place every time. This would allow him to better deceive those around him as if the location varied greatly, then one could come to the conclusion that what was being done on the full moon had a stronger connection to Nikolai rather than the place he was going. And diverting attention from himself was an important thing he had to do if he was to remain hidden. He questioned the point of it at times however. The point of holding like this really. Humans make mistakes and it felt like it was only a matter of time until he slipped up and was discovered. What would be done to him if he was found out? Death? Experimentation? The only other way out didn't appeal to him too much. The only way forward was to attempt to learn more about the wolf form in order to see how it could be controlled. This time, Nikolai was going to take a few things along with him in order to experiment. The shop was almost closing and he was daydreaming once again, brought back to reality by his manager who informed him of his next task which was to mop up spilled coffee.

On his way back home, Nik always had to decide whether he wanted to take the bus or simply walk. The bus saved 30 minutes of time but sometimes he was too impatient to wait for it, with him using the trip on foot as an excuse to listen to more music as he was lost in thought as usual. His mind wandered to his degree and whether it was worth it to study for it at all. So far, it was little more than a waste of the massive amounts of time he put into it as he couldn't find a single job in the area with it. Would it really change much though? Something told him that his life would be no different at the state it is now and that was the worst part. Was there any escape from this? It really didn't seem like it.

As he walked past an alleyway, Niko say something in the corner of his eye that prompted him to stop immediately. He made no other movement with his body other than his eye shifting to what he saw. It was a rather ghostly wolf with white fur in the distance, looking at him. Nikolai stared at its red eyes as they stared back at him, peering into his soul. He looked on for a few more seconds, with him questioning whether this was real or not as that line was far too blurry at this point to be sure. After he blinked however, the creature was gone. Was it even a creature? Whatever it was, Nikolai decided to get home as quickly as possible in order to prevent any more of what could possibly be hallucinations. Was it his wolf side trying to send him cryptic messages? Was it some other werewolf type creature who could transform without the full moon? The possibilities were far too many for him to go over. He got home with Ash nowhere to be found. That did not matter to him as all Nik wanted at that point was some rest. He quickly went into his room, sitting once again in front of his computer, confused as to what his next move should be as always.​

 

[MagicPenguin]

Roland Fairchild
Home

Roland picked at his food absently in the kitchen as he observed Marcus and his little sister talking and interacting with one another. The boy, as always, was a nervous mess, despite whatever Roland tried to tell him to loosen him up. He stared at her wide-eyed half the time as if she were Meyneth's second coming and only responded with one word answers the other half. Not that it mattered. Silver had not shut up for a single second since she found him outside Jim's on the way home; it made no difference whether she was talking to him, Marcus, or a brick wall, she just kept right on going like that rabbit in the battery commercial Roland saw once.

In truth, Roland was not entirely sure what to make of the silver-haired shape shifter. Part of what he told Marcus earlier was true: there was not much he could have done to stop Silver from following him back. That was only part of it, though. He had not actually tried very hard to stop her, no matter how annoyed she made him. Ever since Covent Garden, where she'd helped him to fight against Staxos, he'd felt an odd sort of pity for the girl. She was still his enemy, still the hench-woman of his most hated foe, a girl who, for all her youth, had killed one of his best friends and probably many more besides and then laughed about it afterward; however, it wasn't like she delighted in being wicked and evil just to be wicked and evil like some of Lucrezia's other henchmen--such as Lucien--that he'd faced over the years. It was more like she just didn't understand that the things she did were bad. She had no sense of the value of another person's life and so she felt nothing when she killed or hurt someone; it was like a game to her, or just another animal killed on the hunt. She had no comprehension of right and wrong beyond what a particularly selfish five year old might possess. On top of that, she'd never been taught to read nor write nor do arithmetic of any kind by Lucrezia or anyone else. It seemed to Roland that her crimes were not borne of malevolent ill will, per se, but rather of simple ignorance, naivete, and poor upbringing. The Mad Queen had seen fit to use Silver as a weapon to kill or maim her enemies as it suited her, taking advantage of and reinforcing her underdeveloped conscience, but she had not bothered to teach the girl the basic necessities she would need to live a normal life in any society--why bother, after all, for a pitiful wretch she must have seen as nothing but a tool to achieve her own "necessary" ends? In a very real sense, Silver was as much a victim of Lucrezia's as the man Silver herself murdered at Blackrock. She was not a girl stuck in a burning building or a woman about to get hit by a car, but she was a victim of a different sort--a victim of simple, vicious cruelty and neglect--and Roland, against all rationality, felt deep down that he had a duty to try and save her somehow. Maybe he was not so different from Jim after all, taking in strays to try and help them along. Problem was, he also still hated her for what she'd done, and he had no idea how to help someone like this even if he did not; she resisted all attempts to correct her or teach her anything to the degree that it was utterly pointless to try.

And then there was Marcus. He was the other reason he had not tried very hard to stop Silver from following him home. Roland meant what he said when he told Marcus that helping his sister at Blackrock was an act of treason, but since then he'd thought more than once about his own sister back on Aether and what he himself might have done in Marcus's position. Duty to one's country against duty to one's family; an impossible choice, and one that he was not sure he could have made in the same situation. For all Marcus's outward nervousness, Roland respected the bravery it took him to make that decision, even if it was ultimately the wrong one. It did not excuse the act, of course--not even close--but perhaps Roland just thought Marcus at least deserved a small chance to bond with the sister he'd lost all those years ago, whatever her allegiances. And on top of that, if anyone could get through to the girl, maybe help her see the error of her ways and find a way to teach her the skills she'd need to live a decent life, it had to be her brother. It was worth a try. Roland idly moved his fork to his mouth to take another bite as he observed the shifting duo, but to his surprise, looked down to find his plate empty. He must have been hungrier than he realized.

Dinner finished, the three Aetherians dumped their sauce covered plates into the sink next to the big, now-empty pot. "I suppose," Roland said flatly, to Silver, "it would be too much to hope that you might repay us the kindness of having you here and feeding you by cleaning the dishes?" He emphasized his question by pulling a pair of gloves, some dish soap and a sponge out for her to see.

Silver gave him a blank look. "It's your house, so you wash up." She said bluntly, as if that was an obvious statement to be making.

Roland rubbed his hand down across his face in exasperation. Ungrateful brat. Then he just sighed, resigned. "Yeah, didn't think so," he muttered glumly. She'd probably just break them all anyway. He moved to put the gloves on and begin cleaning them himself, but before he did Marcus spoke up.

Watching Roland start to wash up, Marcus frowned. "Hey, wait a sec! I'm gonna try something!" He got up and ran to his room, scrambling around to find the bag of chocolates that had somehow survived his sister ransacking his room.

"Scar-" He started, then grimaced. He had a bite on his arm telling him exactly why using that name was an awful idea. "Silver, would you do the washing up if I gave you this?" He held up the bag of sweets, and Silver immediately changed her response.

Roland's eyes near popped out of his skull when the petulant girl stepped up to him long enough to all but rip the gloves and sponge out of his hands. He watched in wonder as she actually began to do as he had asked her. And not just do it, he thought wildly; she was actually doing a decent job of it, making sure not to miss any spots, careful not to drop or break anything in the process. Marcus had worked a miracle! Light be praised, it was a bloody fucking miracle!

Roland sidestepped his way over to Marcus's side. "I can't believe that actually worked," he told the lad low enough Silver wouldn't hear with a chuckle and a soft, playful elbow to the ribs. "You're a genius, Marcus!"

As the two continued to watch her wash, Roland reflected that it made a certain amount of sense that a tactic like this would work. Silver was basically a wild animal in the body of a person, and how did one train animals to do anything but with treats and positive reinforcement? It occurred to him that the question he was asking himself earlier, namely how to help her when she resisted all attempts to be taught anything at all, had seemingly been answered thanks to his young friend.

When she was finished, Marcus handed her the chocolates without protest. "Well done, Silver," Roland said with an exaggerated amount of awe and praise in his voice, as he might sound for a hound who had just learned to sit, lay, and roll over on command. "Just how did you get so good at that," he asked with faux wonder plastered all over his face.

She was busy ripping the plastic bag open - with her teeth - and devouring the sweets inside, but she gave Roland a few seconds of her attention.

"It's because..." Dramatically trailing off, just to give him a cocky grin: "I'm good at everything, idiot!"

He returned her smile with an amused grin of his own. "Yes, I can see that," he said mockingly, though he suspected the mockery would have gone right over her simple little head even had she not been completely focused on mauling the bag of chocolates like a rabid squirrel. "I just hope you don't end up getting a tummy ache," he finished, again mockingly. The treats were gone faster than it was probably healthy to ingest them.

Full after the meal and exhausted after a long day, Roland was eager to get to bed. He turned the lights out in the kitchen and beckoned the shifting siblings into the hallway, where he tried to sort out the sleeping arrangements for the three of them. No matter where the girl slept, she nor the person she slept with would be comfortable. The rooms they rented were cheap, but so small it probably should have been--indeed, might have been, for all Roland knew about London laws--criminal.

"Silver, if you must stay here instead of returning home, you will sleep with your brother in his room," he declared with his royal voice of command.

"I told you earlier - I don't know how to get home," the silver haired girl muttered, sulking now that the chocolate was gone.

Roland plowed through her objection. "I will not allow you to make us late for work tomorrow, do you understand? I'll drag you out of bed by your hair if that's what it takes, so see that you don't sleep in.

At the threat, one of her hands went to her hair, pulling a tangle out.

"Marcus, do your best to get her to sleep without her breaking anything else," he said a little more gently--just a little.

Marcus spoke up for his sister, saying - "She didn't actually break anything earlier... She just pushed the wardrobe over and she hasn't even tried to break anything since... But of course, I'll make sure nothing gets smashed."

Satisfied that his orders were understood, he nodded firmly. "Very good, then. Good night to both of you." With a yawn, he retreated back to his own room. Removing his clothes, he plopped himself down on the soft mattress on the floor, the only thing in his sparse, closet-sized room besides a few bags full of cheap clothes and other essentials. He lay awake for some time before he finally drifted off, thinking about Silver and those chocolates, making plans about how to use this newfound weakness of hers to his advantage. If training her like an animal was the only way to get anywhere with the girl, then by the Light, that's just what Roland was going to do.

Roland's night activity: Complete

Written with WillfulWren ; Mentioned: Avari

 

[LoneSniper87]

Ana

It was maybe only five minutes after Arryn had left that Ana had came into the home, disheveled, and mildly angry. "Have I told you how much I hate people? Because I hate people. Not you, I love you, you're an amazing person for helping us all through this, but everyone else? Hate them." She spouted upon seeing Elena, closing the door gently despite her tone of anger. She sits down with a heavy huff, and closes her eyes.


The blonde had popped her head from the kitchen, eyebrow quirked slightly as she examined Ana's face. Elena held a wet dish in one hand and a drying towel in the other before she stood properly and offered a small, sympathetic smile.


"What happened?" Asked the glasses-clad female as she set the dried dish in the cupboard and pulled out a container from the oven--leftovers from her dinner with Arryn. "I made sure to save some dinner for you. There's still some dessert left in the fridge as well."


Ana breathed out another heavy breath, and looked to the voice, reopening her eyes. "I... Thanks." She said to her. "People can just be so... Inconsiderate... This one guy, office type, kept snapping at me over the littlest of things. And didn't even bother to apologize! Maybe I should have let coffee spill on him. This other chick, wouldn't even acknowledge me!" She ranted, getting up and grabbing a plate, as well as some food. "I don't get what justifies that kind of behavior in this age." She said, much more subdued.


As Ana vented, Elena simply sat across from her flatmate with a fresh cup of hot tea. The blonde would nod and smile every now and then to assure the other that she was in fact listening, even though her eyes were glued to a new book she'd snagged off the shelves. "Yeah, those people are... pieces of work. People feel obligated to treat employees like the lower class and all we can do is suck it up."


She sat back down, setting her plate on the coffee table. "Well stepping on the smaller folk only makes for a revolt. Haven't they learned this stuff? It's like, royalty 101." She said, digging a fork in and taking a bite. "The first guy didn't even thank me after I stopped a coffee from spilling on him. Hell I don't even think he noticed."


Elena was shaking her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she finished up the last of her tea. The blonde had been in the customer service business for a while now so she was more or less immune to such behavior. Ana still had much to get used to unfortunately.


"Workers aren't people to customers. You get used to it after a while." Elena said as she washed and dried her cermaic mug before placing it lightly in the cupboard. "I'm going to head to bed early tonight. Don't forget to clean up after yourself!"


She sighed, trusting her friend on that much. "Yeah, i guess." She said, setting her plate down. "But just because it's commonplace doesn't make it right. Night Rose." She said, finishing her meal in quiet after. She would clean her plate and dry it, putting it with the others. She quickly showers, changing into more comfortable clothes before sleeping practically the second her head hits the pillow.


(Ana night actividad done)

Written with koala

 

[Avari]

WEATHER: SUNNY| HOT!
UPCOMING EVENTS: NEWS CONFERENCE TONIGHT
NEXT FULL MOON: 28TH AUGUST

Another boiling day in London. Traffic is horrific today, as most of the Underground remains closed due to flooding.
The Chief of Police has announced an official news conference regarding Covent Garden. This is the first conference since the disaster, and the news media is almost frothing at the mouth as they continue to demand answers. The Public are gossiping about what the conference could possibly be about....

Daytime ends 15th Jan at the latest.
​

 

[WillfulWren]

Silver Ferae - Roland and Marcus's home / Work
Co-Written With: MagicPenguin
​

It had taken Silver a long time to fall asleep last night, as she had been far too busy wandering around the house. Marcus had informed her - repeatedly - that she couldn't go in most of the rooms, because they belonged to other people, and he too hadn't gotten much sleep, as he had spent his night trying to stop her from going where she shouldn't. She had ended up getting less than five hours sleep, but no one could possibly guess that from her demeanour. She was full of energy, waiting impatiently for other people to start moving around so she could leave. Marcus was practically dead to the world, dark shadows ringing his eyes like a raccoon,. It took almost five minutes for her to get him to wake him up enough to give her directions to Roland's room. But when she did:

Wearing a shirt and pants borrowed from Marcus, she entered Roland's room without even knocking, pouting as she discovered that he, too was asleep. He had been happy to make threats last night about what would happen if she was the one to oversleep, and here he was, sleeping! It was a little too early for them to be getting ready for work, but that didn't matter to her. Sitting on the side of his bed just to grab a lock of red hair...
And pull it. Hard.

Without so much as a snort, Roland was awake. Quick as an uncoiling viper, his hand shot up to grab the one pulling at his hair and press it firmly to his own head so that her fist was forced flat against his head. Her bent fingers were pressed so that there was great pressure on her knuckles, causing a great deal of discomfort. At the same time, he put his other hand underneath her wrist and pushed up, hard, so she was forced to either let go or have her fingers bent backwards at a very painful angle while the palm of her hand was forced upward.

Almost immediately, she let go with a pained yelp, trying to back away, only to be grabbed by the collar of her shirt and pushed face down on the bed. He then jumped on top of her with his knee in the small of her back and his arm around her neck in a vicious headlock from behind.

"Thought to kill me in my sleep, did you," he snarled in her ear. "I should have known that truce would mean nothing to Shadowspawn scum like you. What did you do to Marcus?! I swear, if you hurt your own brother, I'll rip out your treacherous intestines and feed them to you, truce or no truce, do you hear me, girl? What did you do to him?! SPEAK!"

Squirming around in a useless attempt to get him to move, she did try to throw him off - to no avail. He was bigger and heavier than her, and after a few seconds struggling she gave up and went limp.

"I didn't try to kill you!" Silver protested, "I was just trying to wake you up!"

"A likely story," he replied. He looked around his room as he spoke, as if he had forgotten where he was and was only just now remembering. Then he blinked and looked back down at her.

"I'm going to get off of you now, but be warned: in this position, it would be really easy to break your neck if you chose to do anything...foolish. Just a quick flick of my hands, that's all it would take. You'll get up. Slowly. No sudden moves, understood? You are going to walk in front of me and we're going to go to Marcus's room. If you're telling the truth and he's alright, I'll release you."

Slowly, the pressure of his knee in her back disappeared. He kept his hands in an iron grip on her wrists behind her back so she could not use them, but, as he promised, she was able to rise and walk. When they made it to his room, Roland saw Marcus sound asleep on his bed and sighed heavily. He released Silver and stepped back quickly in case she tried to retaliate, but otherwise, the tension seemed to go out of him at the sight of his friend alive and well. She sat down on Marcus's bed, glaring at him.

"The last time I was awoken like that," Roland grumbled, "it was during a night raid on our camp in the Deluge Wetlands and an orc assassin managed his way into my tent to try and kill me before I woke. You ought to be careful about waking people up like that, girl, especially former enemies. I might have snapped your neck."

Roland's cheeks reddened a little and he added, in a lower voice, "Sorry. My bad."

He looked down then, and his red cheeks got redder when he realized he was in nothing but his boxers, almost crimson enough to match the dragons on his arms. When he spoke, though, he gave no sign of being anxious at his state of undress. "I'm going to shower now," he declared regally. "You will be ready to leave in twenty minutes." With that, he walked into the bathroom with all the stately dignity a prince in his underpants could possibly muster.

She didn't say anything - it seemed like she might have been sulking. But twenty minutes later, she seemed to have forgotten all about the incident, sitting in the kitchen with Marcus taking bites of a slice of toast in between asking her brother questions. Marcus looked absolutely exhausted, but was - surprisingly keeping up with her chatter. Unlike last night, he had stopped replying with one word answers and seemed more relaxed, talking more in the span of a few minutes with her than it seemed like he had in the past year.

"We made toast." Marcus said in way of greeting to the prince.

"So you did," he replied brightly. He grabbed a slice and began to butter it, looking out of the corner of his eye at the clock on the stove. "Jeez. You woke me up nearly an hour early, Silver. Are you always up at this time? How can you possibly be late all the time if you are?"

The silver-haired shapeshifter glared at him, then turned her back. "I'm not talking to you."

"She said when I woke up that she's mad at you, but she won't tell me why..." Marcus said quietly.

Roland grimaced. "It was entirely my fault," he admitted. "There was a little mix-up this morning before you woke," he answered sheepishly. "I made a mistake. I did apologize for it, though! And it isn't as if you didn't deserve it at least a little bit, pulling my hair like that while I was asleep," he said to Silver pointedly. "Next time, maybe you'll think twice before you act like a savage in someone else's home. Especially someone who fed you and gave you a place to sleep against his better judgment."




On the way to the tattoo parlour, Roland's question about how Silver could possibly be late to work when she woke up so early was answered for him when he had to stop her from running off at least ten separate times before they got to their destination. One time she tried chasing after a shiny soda can rolling down a hill and another she ran after some children playing with a hose in the hot summer day to join their game in the cool water. At one point, she began to climb a tree in attempt to reach a pigeon's nest who'd called her hair and eyes weird. She was going to teach that stupid bird a lesson, but before she got to it, the dumb hero grabbed her leg and pulled her back down. She started shouting words she'd learned from Jim at the bird instead, which caused the red-headed jerk to look at her sideways with one eyebrow raised as if she were talking to herself like a crazy person. Couldn't he tell how mean this pigeon was? What was his problem?! If he was always this grumpy in the morning, she felt bad that Marcus had to put up with him. Marcus could come live with her and Tannur instead. They didn't have much space, but they had a sofa bed (that was meant to be hers) free!

All told, when they finally got to work, they were more or less right on time despite how early they left, and Roland looked as tired as if he'd already worked a full shift just trying to shepherd her along the way without her getting herself completely lost. Jim was already there when they walked in, scowling at everything and nothing as usual. "I must be dreaming," he exclaimed incredulously. "Both my useless apprentices have managed to get to work on time for once in their fucking lives." If that won them any points in his book, though, he certainly didn't show it. Wearing that angry scowl the entire time, tomato-face wasted no time putting them both to work, Roland helping Jim to get the work station ready for a customer who'd be there any minute and Silver sitting at the front counter to draw designs and talk to any customers that came in while Jim and Roland were working. The two of them spoke in hushed voices while they got ready, Roland making animated hand gestures and pointing at Silver at one point and Jim looking over at her uncertainly from the corner of his eye.

Eventually, Jim exploded. "You're a fucking moron if you think that'll work. And you're even stupider to ask me for the money to try it! Does this look like a god damned Chocolate Factory to you? Do I look like Willy fucking Wonka?" Roland didn't flinch, though, only met the man's hard gaze calmly with one of his own and spoke softly again. In the end, Silver heard Jim say, "Fine. Fucking fine. Not like she does anything useful anyway. Might as well try it. But if this doesn't work, I'm docking YOUR pay! You got that, dipshit?" Roland just smiled and nodded as Jim pulled out a 20 pound note and shoved it into his hand.
Silver had no idea what they were arguing about. Probably something stupid, but she did wonder if there were actually any chocolate factories in London she could make Tannur bring her to.

Speaking of... She was almost missing the stupid half-elf. She was also really missing her own clothes, idly picking at a loose thread in the oversize shirt.

Silver Ferae / Day Activity: COMPLETE​

 

[Larry]

Ludwig von Löwenburg
Location: Bedroom, Sunday, 6th August.
Time of day: Morning time.
Mood: Tired.
Mentions: peachuu .​

Ludwig could feel it, snaking its way through the blinds and between the fibres of the covers weaving around his body in a quilted embrace, that most despicable and familiar of sensations; heat. So it seems another bloody warm day is upon us, the young man lamented, stripping himself of the oft-wrapped-in duvet and proceeding to dress in an attire quite similar to the he had worn to the library. He was never much for spicing things up in any aspect of his life, clothes being the simplest one to receive his lack of attention. On any given "school" day, the young lad would rush through his breakfast, peeling the skin and throwing it in the bin before dashing out the door with the banana being dissected as he went along for any undesirable bits. The lecture began at around eleven O'clock but Ludwig made it a tradition to arrive an hour early every time should he able to help it. To him there was nothing more uncourteous than to interrupt a lecture for being a few seconds late or given some people, a few minutes.

Having entered the campus coming off Marylebone Road, it continued the young as to the sheer amount of glass that went into the construction of the building. In his opinion, all the place needed was for somebody to show a tad bit more skin than you should and voila, you have the guts of a pornographic video for those passing by on the street. Shaking his head for the frivolity of his thoughts, the young man wiggled and wagged his way through the stampede of students going to and fro between going to lectures, meeting up with friends or wandering because they have nothing better to to. The latter and first-mentioned items strictly applied to Ludwig but he didn't mind. Mentioning "friends", the young man's mind cast back to the evening prior where he ended up having something akin to dinner at a chippers with Quinn. Ludwig, the ever-inquisitive, barraged the lady with a variety of questions as regards to her favourite period in history amongst other things.

Despite the fact he didn't plan on interacting with her again bar the usual, customary "hello" one receives as an acquaintance of his but her answers to his questions. She said that her favourite period of history was the Renaissance, as her father apparently loved the era himself, especially the astoundingly beautiful pieces of art that burst forth during that period in time. Far away from Italy was the home of her favourite person in history to read about, the infamous Sun Tzu, the military strategist & philosopher who devised the influential treatise on warfare, suitably named the Art of War. The young lad's interest in world history very rarely strayed from the European sphere but he was knowledgeable enough to know the rudimentary about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the Era of Warring States in China and Japan respectively. As for the reason for her loving history, that seemed to stem from her father and ever since being introduced to it at a young age, the lady hasn't been able to break from its grip. But the one question that she seemed to skirt endlessly while they conversed and after the fifth attempt at prying some titbit of knowledge from her, Ludwig relented and left the woman to her privacy. A bit of an odd character, the young man thought to himself upon entering the empty lecture, but then again I'm hardly the yardstick to judge normalcy by am I?

Plopping himself onto his favoured seat, smack-bang in the middle of the row of seats, the young man took out Einhard's biography for a short time as the other early birds flocked into the room one after the other. It wasn't until the clock struck 'quarter-to' when people would find themselves wander in. If Ludwig recalled, he believed that the lecture this morning was going to be on the early roots of the 'crusade' as it pertained to the loss of territory by the Byzantine Empire to Seljuk Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071; the fervour of the crusading ideology would also its roots in the activities of Pope Gregory VII, who had to deal with the Investiture Crisis and thus the full reality of the Crusades wouldn't be actualised up until the announcement of the movement by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1096. An interesting period in history, though some have tried to describe it as being an early forerunner of European imperialism or colonialism though many in the field of study have lambasted these claims. I really love this course, the young man smirked as the once little inklings of undergraduates became a swarm as the lecturer set up his notes for the lecture.

Another day at the office for Ludwig.

[Ludwig's Day Activity: Complete.]​

 

[Shotgunpenguin]

Juniper Arc
Streets of London

"Hey Juniper, you feeling alright?" Juniper's head snapped up at the mention of her name, looking around until she found the source of the voice. It was another worker who's name she couldn't remember, offering a friendly smile as he secured his parcels in a bag at his side. She racked her brain, trying to remember what his name was as she stared at him with lidded eyes. "I am fine," she drew a blank at the mans name, opting instead to deflect from it "No problems at all." The man seemed unsure of her answer, but ultimately dropped it as he mounted his bike. "Alright well, good luck on your route." She was grateful that he had left when he did as her stomach let out a growl of hunger.

It has been three days since she had last eaten anything, and it was starting to take it's toll on the woman. After her exercise last night she went to bed like normal, but when she woke up her entire body felt heavy and sore. Just getting out of bed and getting to work had nearly drained her of all of her energy, the nightmare of her delivery route looming over her as she tried to delay starting it as much as possible. Unfortunately, she could delay no longer, and with a drawn out groan of displeasure she secured her bag and departed for her first delivery.

Her first delivery was a small box addressed to a Jonathan Laven. She walked walked alongside her bike as she approached the door, wiping sweat off of her brow as she knocked three times on the knocker. When there was no response she knocked again, growing impatient as the hot sun beated down on her back. Finally the door was opened as a rather heavyset man in a dirty white shirt glared at Juniper. "What the hell do you want?!" She was taken aback by the man's hostile attitude, as well as the foul odor that came from his mouth when he spoke. "I have a package addressed to a Jonathan Laven that needs a signature. Is he in?" The man glared at her before turning back and screaming, "Jonathan you little shit, you have a package!" before turning and retreating into the house.

The sound of a door slamming closed was followed by footsteps as a rather young looking man approached Juniper. "Hi, sorry about my dad. He's just a huge asshole!" The boy yelled the last part, turning his head back indoors before turning back to her. "Are you Jonathan Laven?" She asked, rather unimpressed at the sons outburst towards his father. "Yeah, that's me." With a nod Juniper pulled out the artifact attached to her hip, a small thing apparently made of glass and a material called plastic. "Sign here to confirm the delivery." She handed the device off to the boy as he dragged his finger across the glass, what appeared to be ink appearing behind where he had drug. It still amazed her how these humans were able to produce artifacts like this, and according to her boss these things were relatively simple compared to other artifacts.

Jonathan handed the artifact back to her as she reached into the bag on her side and produced his package. "Ahh thanks, this is going to be great." He took the package out of her hands and turned, slamming the door on her face with his heel. Sighing, Juniper turned around and walked with her bike until she reached the street. One delivery down and she already wanted to throw the rest of the packages in the nearest river.

Stopping to catch her breath she leaned her bike against the front of a building and took the bottle of water off of the cage on her bike. Popping open the cap she she greedily guzzled down it's contents, the cold water was a blessing for the dehydrated woman as she forced herself to stop before she drained it completely. She only had a few more deliveries left on her route, after which she planned on trying to find some food and then crawling under the coldest spot in her room until nightfall. A commotion a small way ahead of her caused her to look towards an alley between two buildings. It sounded like a confrontation, a man and a woman from the voices. "I really should just finish my route." Juniper stood there for a few seconds before deciding to check it out. It was probably just a pair of lovers or something like that.

It turned out to be quite the opposite.

The alleyway was dark and damp, despite the summer heat. Several large metal skips filled with rubbish were squeezed inside the two buildings, leaving only a small amount of room for any pedestrians that could squeeze through the gap. The noise was coming from behind one of the skips from two people - an older man with a receding hairline and scruffy clothing covered in stains and patchwork repair jobs was cowering under a pile of cardboard boxes and empty beer bottles that was probably his sad excuse for a home. He was curled up as if in pain - and judging by the look of the second person, a woman who was towering over him - she had just kicked him square in the chest.

"You want to try grabbing me again, you lecherous old piece of shit?" She snarled angrily.

The old man shirked even further into his nest of rotting garbage, his hands held up weakly in the air to defend himself from another inevitable kick. He stank of booze and something else far more unpleasant.

"Fuck calm down love," He mumbled. "I was just tryin' to be friendly - ow!"

The girl's foot swung again, this time hitting him in the arm with a painful sounding thud. The momentum of the kick caused the girl to swing around slightly, and Juniper caught sight of her face for the first time. Her pretty face was scrunched up in anger, and a familiar pair of yellow eyes were glaring down at the man.

"If you ever touch me again - or anyone for that matter - I will personally tear your--"

"Lucrezia? What are you doing to this man?!" Juniper leaned her bike against the alley wall and rushed over to her queen, unsure of what to do in this situation.

The girl jumped backwards as if she had been shocked, and glared over at whoever had dared interrupt her. Then her eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh hello. I'm Teaching him a lesson. Obviously. And that's not my name." She answered, before turning her attention back to the man, who was now in a rather pathetic state. Judging by her expression, she seemed to be contemplating on whether to squeeze another kick in for good measure, then shrugged and stepped back. It seemed Juniper's interruption had taken the wind out of her proverbial sails. Instead, she gave the man the finger and turned her attention to Juniper.

"...You're one of that lot, aren't you?" She asked conversationally as she hooked Juniper's arm around her own and started to guide her away.

"That's exciting. We should do lunch! Say...now? I could murder some ramen. Have you tried that yet? It's like a soup you can eat."

"W-what, lunch? But I'm still on sh-" Her stomach interrupted her, giving an approving growl at the thought of food. "O-okay, maybe just real quick. Oh wait, I can't leave my bike behind! I'm dead if I lose this one!" Slipping out of her queens hold she quickly made her way back to where she left her bike, passing the huddled up man as she did. She spared him a brief look before shaking her head and moving on. Walking alongside her bike she looked to her queen and then back to her bike "If you would like I can ride us to wherever this 'ramen' is, my que-"

"Oh no no no. It's just Lisa. Drop the Queen bullshit. I WILL kick you." Lisa interrupted, looking rather annoyed. Then she eyed Juniper's bike up and down.

"I guess a ride wouldn't hurt though..."

Junipers Day Activity: Complete
Written with: Avari

 

[koala]

Morgana | Megan Nikravesh
Date: Monday, August 9th
Location: Home
Mentions: Lisa
Past Interaction: Juniper

The sound of running water from the shower helped take Morgana's mind of the growing pain behind her eyes, but it wasn't enough to really ease anything. She stood at the bathroom counter, hands resting on either side of the rusting white marble sink. Her amber eyes stared back at her as she blinked slowly, took a deep breath, and repeated the same two actions over and over again. She didn't feel like herself. Correction: she hadn't felt like herself in a while--since the Covent Garden incident to be exact.


Flashback Start

Ten minutes or so had passed as Morgana sat outside a cafe, idly watching people walk by and sipping on a strong cup of black coffee and thinking about what she saw earlier. She was talking on the phone with Tannur and maneuvering her way through crowds of people before something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. It disappeared when she turned to look, but the outline was frighteningly familiar. It was as if her Aether self were standing there, sword in hand and everything.

Instead of pondering on a delusion for too long, Morgana thought about her meeting with Juniper and ignored the uneasy feeling in her stomach. The evening sun had begun to set over the city skyline and the young woman could tell the passerbyers were in a rush to make it home. She'd checked the small wristwatch she'd come to fancy, a gift from her boss Garrett, and noted it was nearing the agreed time.

As if on cue, the woman heard a familiar voice from behind that prompted her to turn and wave.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet up with me Morgana." Juniper gave a slight nod to the other woman as she approached.

"Of course," the brunette replied as she returned the nod, her amber eyes uncharacteristically nervous and on high alert as she glanced from side to side. "I have some things to talk about too so this meeting is perfect."

Juniper took the seat opposite of the woman, looking around as to check that no one was looking at the pair. "Alright, let me get the obvious question out of the way," she leaned in closer to the woman, "is Lucrezia alright?"

A deep sigh left Morgana. She was expecting the question, yet it was still difficult to answer. "I don't think she's even Lucrezia," she began, finger rubbing against the warm coffee mug in her hands. "It would be better to think of her as Lisa, a new being that bares resemblance to our queen or maybe a reborn Lucrezia.

"The intelligence is there," Morgana continued after taking a sip, "but she's obviously different. Playful and erratic, it's extremely difficult to predict what her next move is. It's as if she's in her own world and doesn't seem to care who or what follows her."

Juniper couldn't stop the frown forming on her face as Morgana explained the situation. She had held onto a hope that the Luucrezia she knew would return in time, and that this was just a side effect of her resurrection. "What does that mean for us? All of her memories are still intact." she paused for a second before adding, "Right?"

Morgana made eye contact with her comrade before lowering them slightly, a sort of gloominess engulfing her. "I'm unsure... I think she's slowly regaining them. Whenever I ask her serious or important questions, however, she waves them off so I really can't say much about Lisa. For now, I think it's best to watch and wait for her next move. If she really is Lucrezia, then we can at least believe she knows what she's doing."

"Oh." Juniper leaned back in her seat, her hands balled into fists as she closed her eyes. "That's unfortunate." Taking a deep breath, she unclenched her fists and opened her eyes. "Enough about that, you said that you had other things to talk about."

Flashback End


The day before had really taken a toll on her. During the entire conversation with Juniper, Morgana had thought of bringing up the topic of her weakening mental state, but it never happened. When she got home that night, she'd even considered telling Lisa, but that never happened either. The entire night was spent debating on whether or not to tell her roommate even.

Sighing, Morgana shut her eyes for a few seconds. Upon opening them, she jumped slightly, swearing she saw the same woman from yesterday. Of course, it was no ordinary woman since it was herself, but the figure was there--the white-haired, gray-eyed appearance that she bore on Aether, clad in bloodied armor while wearing a sinister smile. That was her, right?

"Shit..." Morgana grumbled as she blinked a few times, wondering if she really should talk to someone about her visions. After a few minutes, the woman finished brushing her teeth and hopped into the shower. "But first, work."

Morgana's Day Activity: COMPLETEWritten with Shotgunpenguin

 

[MagicPenguin]

Arryn Bennett
Home -> Bus -> Outside Bennett & Sons' Forge
6:08 AM

"Yes, sir," Arryn, sitting on his bed and fresh from his shower, said in a hoarse voice into his phone. "I think it's a nasty cold. I'm really sorry, but I won't be able to make it to the site today." For good measure, he forced out a cough or two. The man on the other end said something before Arryn responded again. "I understand, sir. Chicken soup and lots of bedrest. Thank you, sir. I'll see you tomorrow, sir." Before his boss could say anything else, Arryn pressed the little red phone icon to cut off the call. "Haaaah," he breathed heavily, all signs of any illness vanished. He felt bad about calling out today when he knew the company needed all the hands it could get, but since his strength had come back, there was something he'd been meaning to do that was more important than working in a construction yard. Today, he promised himself, he was going to finally, finally get back at an anvil with a smith's hammer in his hands so he could resume his true life's calling.

Hastily, Arryn dressed himself in a light t-shirt and jeans. When he reached his hand into his sock drawer, his fingers fell on the shape of a hard, small object beneath the fabric of his clothing and he froze. He hadn't thought about it in days, but just to make sure the thing was alright, Arryn dug underneath all of the socks and picked out the object he'd hidden underneath, a tiny black ring, its surface covered in runes, with a blood red gem set into it that seemed to almost glow with an otherworldly light. Looking at it, as always, gave the former blacksmith an eerie sort of feeling, as if the thing was steeped in the malice and malevolence of the bastard whose death had produced it. The ring was a souvenir of sorts from the night Covent Garden had been destroyed. When he and Raijin the Oni defeated Lucien the Dark Angel, their opponent left no corpse, nor any sign that he had ever existed at all. Except for this ring. Curious, Arryn had kept it with the intention of studying its properties. Perhaps if he could figure out how it worked, he reasoned, it could be used to restore more of his or of someone else's Aetherian abilities. Maybe it could even be used to store mana, as the medallions that Staxos and Lucien carried had done for them. If there was even a chance it could be used to restore magical powers for even just a small time, it would be too great an opportunity to pass up. No matter how evil the thing felt or how uneasy it made Arryn to hold it.

Shaking himself out of his frozen reverie, Arryn replaced the tiny ring back into the drawer he'd hidden it in, buried beneath all of his clean socks. He fully intended to study it more closely, but that was something for another day. Today, he had more pressing concerns. If he was successful, he'd even have just about the perfect workshop in which to test and observe the little thing more closely. If today's gambit was successful. If.

His work boots on, his phone and wallet snugly in his pocket, and his trusty sledge hammer securely fastened to his hip, it was time to venture back into the apartment's common area. Arryn took a deep breath to prepare himself, then opened his room's door slowly, just enough to peek outside warily to see if his new roommate was up and about yet. Part of him hoped he could sneak out before she was awake. After the way Scarlet had grilled him the night before--and after how close she'd come to nailing the truth--he was not exactly eager to speak with her again right away. It was not that he was scared of her. Not really. After all, there was no way that she could actually know anything, was there? All the werewolf questions and the book and the comments...they had to be a coincidence. The way her eyes seemed to bore into him, as well, as if all the secrets he desperately needed to keep under wraps were as clear and obvious to her as an ugly stain on his shirt. It all had to just be in his head; nothing else made any sense. So there was no reason to be wary of her--and he definitely wasn't!--but all the same, he would have preferred to slip out before she woke if he could.

The only thing to greet him this early in the morning, luckily, was a wide-awake puppy, barking excitedly and loudly, bouncing up and down on his hind legs to get his big human friend's attention. Satisfied Scarlet was not yet up and about, he tip-toed out of his bedroom and over to the pup. "Shhh! Hogan, it's too early to be making all that noise! C'mon, I'll take you for a quick walk." If anything, the word "walk" only made the excitable little creature even more volatile. The sound of his paws clacking on the hardwood floor as he ran to the front door and back into the living room and back to the front door again before he started chasing his own tail in excited little circles might have been heard all the way down the block, as loud as they sounded to Arryn. Hogan was definitely a morning puppy. "Alright, alright," Arryn said soothingly. He grabbed the leash from a peg on the wall in the hallway and gingerly attached it to the pup's collar. He guided the little guy down the empty corridor to the front door and made to open it.

A frigid sensation flowed throughout Arryn's body just as his hand touched the doorknob, as if every fiber that were the constructs of his physique were grasped by the winter's embrace. A tranquil, yet disturbing voice caught the man off-guard, as he was jumped by a figure that stood directly behind him. Thoughts ran by his mind, as if his roommate had just emerged out of the Aether. The cherry wood foundations were rendered useless as Arryn was disturbed by the fact that the woman just happens to creep up on him without even hinting her approach before it was too late. The girl greeted Arryn with her nonchalant (yet somehow still piercing) eyes, and disheveled morning hair.

"Guten Morgen, Arryn (Good Morning, Arryn)! Leaving so soon? Fufufu." Scarlet threw her foreign words at the man, as she tucked her hands beneath the folds of her white nightgown.

"S-scarlet!" he said, nearly jumping out of his skin. The hallway had been empty! He'd been sure of it! "How are you? Did you sleep well?" She hadn't made a sound coming up behind him. How did she do that? Had the woman been hiding in a closet?

Scarlet smiled slightly, as she tilted her head to a certain extent and studied Arryn's work apparel - particularly his sledgehammer. "I sure did! You sure are a diligent person, aren't ya?"

"Oh, well, you know. The rent's not going to pay itself. Ha ha...ha." Hogan sniffed at his feet impatiently and pulled at the leash in his hands, eager to run down the stairs and out for his walk.

"Actually... I'm kind of running a little later than I'd like." He wasn't really, of course, but she'd rattled him quite thoroughly and he was suddenly very eager to be gone, even moreso than before. "I hate to ask you this so early after you've only just woken up, but do you think you could walk Hogan this morning in my place? You'd be doing me a huge favor."

The girl raised her brow, as if perplexed to be given such a responsibility. But as she stretch a smile across her face, Arryn could catch a glimpse of her zeal, regarding the time that she'd spend with Hogan.

"Of course! I'll be more than happy to take Hogan! I'll do my best! Fufufu." Scarlet chuckled.

"Great," he said, relieved. He handed the leash over to her and looked sternly down at his canine companion. "Now you behave, Hogan. None of your usual nonsense, you hear?"

To Scarlet, he turned and said, "Be careful with this one, Scarlet. He looks cute, but he's actually a mischievous little monster. He has a bad habit of running away if you give him the chance. He thinks it's a game. Take your eyes off of him for one second, and you'll spend the rest of your morning chasing him halfway across London." Arryn knew that from personal experience, much to his regret.

Hogan cocked his head at Arryn and Scarlet both innocently, sitting calmly by the door and scratching at it with his front paw.

"Duly noted. I'm sure Hogan won't give me much trouble. Won't ... you, Hogan??" Scarlet smiled, but this time with a spark of fire within her eyes towards the pup. She was quite excited to be given charge of Hogan, given their friendly encounters from the day before.

"Thanks again," Arryn said, genuinely grateful, though not so much for Hogan as for the fact that he could now leave sooner to get to what he really needed to do. "His food is in a big bag beside the fridge, in case you need it. I already gave him breakfast and I should be back in time to feed him dinner later today, but just in case."

Arryn tried not to seem too hasty or too uneasy as he left the pup in Scarlet's care and retreated down the stairs. Though he was sure it was just in his head, the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he felt those knowing, piercing eyes of hers pinned squarely on his back, digging out every secret he'd ever tried to keep, all the way up until the front door closed mercifully behind him.

Out the door and on his way at last, Arryn made his way to the bus stop just on time to catch the one that was going where he needed (or so he hoped). Arryn was lucky enough to get a seat, but most passengers were standing and the vehicle was so full with those who usually used the underground that the bus driver had to start skipping stops and turning passengers away. Arryn ignored the glares directed at him, with the big hammer attached to his hip taking up a fair amount of space, and listened to some of the low mumbling among his fellow passengers. The light chatter was all speculation about what the big news conference that night would reveal about Covent Garden. That alone would have been enough to make Arryn worry on any normal day, even if he had not already had a dozen other things on his mind to make him anxious.

Even with Scarlet and her searching eyes out of his mind now, he still had butterflies in his stomach, mostly because of what he was about to try and do this morning. In an attempt to take his mind off of them, he fished a rolled up book out from his back pocket, the manual on musical theory that Rose had given him the night before. The two had agreed to meet up again that night--and just about every night after until their performance on Friday night--so that they could rehearse the song that they were going to play. The thought of playing with her in front of total strangers with his crude level of skill made him a little nervous, but he was determined not to embarrass her. That was why he'd brought the manual. He figured he could read a few pages here and there whenever he had a little free time and eventually maybe he'd know a tenth of what he needed to not to humiliate himself in front of her on Friday night. Or humiliate her in front of her fans. The butterflies in his stomach suddenly seemed to flutter even harder, for some reason.

A relatively uneventful twenty minute ride later and Arryn was at his stop. A ten minute walk later and he found himself staring at his destinstion: Bennett and Sons' Forge. The old brick building was relatively small; one tiny portion of it was an office, but the much larger section was a workshop of sorts with black smoke billowing out a chimney up top and its huge metal shutter door standing open. The big, muscular figures of the forge's master and his apprentices could be seen inside, going about their tasks. Arryn had come here once before, a few days after he first arrived on Earth and had left with the bitter taste of disappointment lingering heavy in his mouth.

On Aether, he had trained as a blacksmith under one of the greatest dwarven masters alive since the age of ten. For sixteen years he worked nearly every day from dusk to dawn honing his physical strength and his skill at the craft. Before he got involved with Roland and the war against the Shadow, it had been his dream to one day own a quiet little forge of his own and spend the rest of his life doing what he loved, working metal and creating great works of unparalleled craftsmanship. So dear to him was the profession, so central was it to his very identity, that he'd even been given the last name Blacksmith, one he came to bear with pride. Naturally, then, when he got to Earth, his first thought was to find employment at a forge and John Bennett's was the one he applied to apprentice at.

Unfortunately, though Arryn still had all the knowledge of the craft he'd learned on Aether, his body was much smaller and much, much weaker than the one he possessed at home. Where swinging a hammer for hours at a time was second nature to him there, as easy and natural as breathing, his comparatively puny Earth body could hardly lift a smith's hammer, let alone swing it repeatedly for any extended period of time. Bennett had rightfully laughed him out of the forge after seeing his pathetic demonstration of his much diminished skills. In a fit of despair, unable to perform the craft he'd spent his entire life learning, he threw away his last name and took instead the name of the man whose forge he now stood in front of.

Arryn figured he'd never be able to work as a smith again, at least not until he returned to Aether and regained his true strength. He resigned himself to it and took a simple construction job. Now, though, after Covent Garden, things were different. His body was still small, but for whatever reason, his strength had returned to him and, with it, so had hope. He did not know if it would be enough, but he owed it to himself to try and impress John Bennett and his apprentices one more time. Arryn was determined to make a place for himself here, come hell or high water.

Swallowing his doubts and hardening his resolve, Arryn walked into the open workshop with a hard, determined look on his face.

Arryn's Daytime Activity: In Progress

Written in collaboration with Pilgrim59 Mentioned: koala

 

[Avari]

Bird song.

The sound of trickling water.

A gentle breeze in the air that softly ruffled the cherry blossoms that extended as far as the eye could see.

Two women sat at a white table. One was elven and dressed in dark robes, everything about her was immaculate - not a hair out of place nor a single blemish across her perfect white skin. A onyx crown was threaded intricately into her hair. Yellow eyes with cat like slits for pupils. The other looked younger, scruffier. Her eyes were yellow, but more human. Her hair a silvery grey rather than black. She could feel her elder's eyes watching her since Roland had been sent back to the physical plane - but Lisa had been kept behind for a moment. She didn't much like it. She felt naked.

"How does it feel?" Lucrezia asked, taking a sip from her cup. "...Having a body of your own?"

"It's difficult to put into words..." Lisa replied, her gaze fixed to the table. "It's so...overwhelming. Color. Smell. Being able to form my own thoughts. My own feelings. It's equally terrifying and so...amazing."

The Shadow Queen tilted her head in acknowledgement, but a small furrow appeared on her brow. There were certain...risks involved in portioning off a small piece of your own soul and putting it in another body. Not least that it would start to get illusions of grandeur and try to think for itself - but it was the best solution right now.

"Remember this is a temporary state. You'll be limited in terms of power and access to my memories, but enough to deal with any...mishaps." She told her other self. "You would do well not to get too attached to that body...I'll need it back at some point. I have great plans."

Lisa shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "...and who am I to get in the way of such grand plans?"

The irony of that statement was not lost on Lucrezia.

"Don't get cheeky, little sister. I gave you form for a purpose. One you have already agreed to fulfill. I need to scour this ridiculous world for signs of Odania, so I will not be able to oversee my little pet project in London to the extent I will like. I entrust you to watch over them in my absence. And I am willing to grant you a little...independence in exchange for your cooperation...and your obedience."

...and what if that's not enough for me? Lisa thought, but did not say. She had tried her counterpart's patience enough for now. If she were to push her luck, she was certain Lucrezia would destroy her and make a less risky plan.

It was as simple as that.

-----​

​

Lisa and Juniper sat on a bench overlooking the Thames, each with a 30 pence pot of instant Ramen noodles in one hand and a small plastic fork in the other. Lisa had propped herself up on the metal arm rest of the bench, and had spread her bear legs across the seats. She was munching on her cheap lunch with a contemplative expression on her face as she watched the general hustle and bustle of city life that went on around them.

"So.." Lisa began between two rather large mouthfuls of food. "What's your deal then?"

"Huh?" Juniper swallowed down her noodles, relishing in the taste as she looked at her queen "My deal? I'm afraid that I don't know what you are referring to my que-" She quickly bit down, stopping the word from coming out of her mouth. She was fairly certain that her threat of kicking her was in jest, but she didn't want to take any chances. "Do you mean what do I do?"

Lisa rose her brow. "No. I mean how did a Human end up running around after Lucrezia?"

Juniper seemed surprised at her queens question. Did she not remember their conversation from when she was only a few days new to her castle. "Oh, um. I guess that I should probably start from the beginning then so it would make sense."

She placed her nearly empty pot on the ground before sighing "I was born in a small village a ways away from any of the major cities-

"What was it called?" Lisa interrupted, looking curious.

Juniper paused, thinking for a moment before answering "I can't remember. It was razed to the ground when I was three. I apologize for that."

"Why, did you start the fire?"

"N-no, for not remembering the name. How would I burn a village to the ground when I was a child?"

Lisa shrugged as she dug back into her noodles. "Well you never know. Lucrezia collected weirdos like stamps. Also don't apologize for something that's not your fault, it irks me. Anywho - go on."

Juniper nodded and spoke again "My father perished while out hunting and my mother worked as a sort of tailor. I lived like that for three years before..." Juniper paused, taking a deep breath before continuing "before the village was raided by brigands. They stole everything of value, took the women and children prisoner and burned the town to the ground."

"Sensing a theme here."

"They took us all to their camp and kept us in two separate groups,, women and children." Juniper continued as if Lisa hadn't said anything. "That's when the camps leader approached our group, her name was Summer. She came up to each of us individually, inspecting us as if she were looking for something. Then she got to me."

Juniper leaned back on the bench, watching the river flow "She stared at me for the longest time before saying that she found her. I learned later that Summer had a daughter, but lost her to illness after two years. She was hurt after it's death, and ordered her camp to bring any children that they came across to her. Turns out, aside from my eye color and height, I was an almost exact match for her daughter. They took me away from the other kids and women, I was scared that they were going to do something to me. me. But all they did was take me into Summer's tent and kept watch over me. After that Summer came into the tent herself and explained what would happen."

"...She sounds like a perfectly sane woman."

"I was getting "adopted" by her and the tribe. Of course being three I was too scared to argue so I just nodded. She told me that the other prisoners would be ransomed off to major cities. Never saw my real mother again." She shook closed her eyes and shook her head at the memory. "From that point on I was raised by her and the tribe. Of course being a tribe of literal bandits it wasn't a comforting place to be. Summer was obsessed with strength, the strongest of the tribe led until they were either killed or bested in combat. As such, I was expected to try and best her when I got older by some strange logic. I was seven when they started training me to do so."

Lisa nodded, as she scooped a few dregs of noodle onto her fork.

"It was brutal, they pulled no punches during training." Juniper threw her hands out towards the river "Who the hell punches a seven year old in the stomach just because she didn't parry correctly! Anyway, after I was old enough, I was expected to earn my keep. They started to take me along on raids, small ones at first, but as time went on I was taken on more and more dangerous raids. Got my first scar from a crossbow bolt in the side during one of them, Summer was disappointed that I let the guy take the shot. And then we got dragged into the war between Lucrezia and the Church of Light."

She picked up her pot from the ground, looking for a trash can to throw it in before shrugging when when she couldn't find one. "The Church of Light was desperate for troops, enough to contract the camp for mercenary work. The sum was too much for Summer to decline, and so we were suddenly soldiers in a war that didn't matter to us. Our first mission was to scout out an area alongside Vinestead to investigate reports of your troops around the area. We didn't find troops, but we found something much worse. You." She turned her head to Lisa who was making a face and added

"I mean Lucrezia, the past you." It still felt strange to refer to her as someone else, considering that they are the same person.

"Summer got greedy, both for money and for power. She foolishly believed that she could kill you and be known as the strongest in the world if she did. She had us charge you head on, hoping we would overwhelm you with numbers."

"Humans are such optimistic creatures," Lisa sighed.

"...It was a bloodbath, none of us could even get close to you before we were slaughtered. By some miracle I survived, bruised and battered but alive. And when I saw you, the person who had destroyed my entire camp without a problem, I pledged my allegiance to Lucrezia right then and there. After that, you took me to your castle and called me into a room. Said that I would be an example for humans to look at. A simple human, who was shown mercy by the queen, had worked her way up the chain in command to become a general in her army." She leaned sighed and turned to her queen "...And that's that."

Lisa eyed the girl for a moment but didn't reply. The girl was a pitiable creature really, it seemed she had gone her entire life being a prisoner of someone or other- and now she was away from them, she was just sort of... Lost. Lisa turned her attention back to the the view over the Thames, the summer sun sparkling over the water. She watched one of the large tourism boats paddle merrily by, a hundred or so people gazing about from the top deck as a guide with a megaphone pointed out landmarks of interest.

"You sound like you think highly of her." She said eventually.

"I did. She was the one who would change the world with her strength. Someone like me, who's life could never amount to anything close to that--"

"Oh give it a rest, Miss Stockholm Syndrome." Lisa sighed as she began to make quite the show of trying to dig out the very last few noodles from the bottom of her pot.

"Ugh why do they make the forks so short - Look. You don't know me, and I barely know you. No reason to listen to me on anything: but basing your entire measure of self-worth on how strong others are is kind of a shallow way to lead your life. You'll be pushed about by others forever."

Lisa gave up on using her fork and threw it on the floor, instead drinking out of the cup directly, gulping down the broth.

Juniper couldn't help but feel insulted by her words. She felt herself glare at the woman as she spoke "I think my life is something for me to decide. If I want to dedicate it to someone else then I shall do so." A slight buzzing in her pocket caught her attention as she pulled out her phone. "Oh no!"

Lisa stretched out her arms. "What is it? Did Silver get stuck up a tree again?"

"No, I'm late on my route!" Looking around she tried to locate a rubbish bin again. "Damn it, I waste- I mean spent too much time here. If I'm late on my deliveries my boss is going to kill me."

"Give it here stupid." Lisa said, holding out her hand as Juniper dashed for her bike, pot of ramen in hand.

"My bike?" she asked, confused at what she meant. "O-oh, the cup." Picking up the pot, she handed it to Lisa before pausing. "Here, take my number so we can get into contact if needed." She handed her phone over to Lisa, tapping her foot as she waited for the woman to get the information. Lisa shrugged and fished out a battered looking handset from her jeans pocket and quickly copied in the number, before tossing Juniper's phone back at her.

"Who do you work for by the way?" she called a moment later at Juniper's retreating back.

"I work for a parcel delivery service! It's called Apollo's Courier service! His name is Lucas!" She shouted, peddling as fast as she could down the the street.

"Nice girl, bit dim." Lisa said to herself, as she inspected the ramen pot Juniper had practically thrown at her before she rushed off, and was pleased to see there were still some noodles left. A pigeon fluttered over, and advanced on the pot she had thrown onto the pavement. It coo'd merrily as it stuck its head inside without hesitation, then withdrew a moment later after finding it completely empty.

"Life's full of disappointments." Lisa told it as she scooped more ramen into her mouth, before fishing her phone back out, flipped it open and began dialing in a number.

The Pigeon coo'd again.

"I know. I'm not sure why I'm even bothering." The yellow eyed girl sighed as she raised the phone to her ear.

Lisa's Daytime activity: Complete
Written with Shotgunpenguin ​

 

[MagicPenguin]

Spoiler: Dream Journal Excerpt

A little girl with cat ears and a tail sits at a table in a restaurant with her arms crossed and a big, sulky pout on her young face. She is served by two waiters. One, a young man in red, and another, a man with long hair dressed in black. The one in red serves the girl the most delicious looking chicken I have ever seen and the waiter in black looks at her anxiously, hoping she will eat it. The long-haired man tells her it is healthy and good for her body and mind, and the red waiter agrees. The little cat-girl just scowls, though, and sticks her tongue out at both of them. She declares petulantly that the chicken is disgusting and she won't eat it no matter what anyone says about how good it is.

The waiter in red pulls from behind his back a piece of cake. The girl perks up at this and demands that the waiter give it to her. He refuses, though, and says, "I will only give you this cake if you eat the chicken first."

She grits her teeth at this and snarls and demands he hand her the cake or else she will kill him. He only points to the chicken, unfazed by her threats. She tries to jump out of her chair and attack him, or snatch the cake from him before he can respond, but he is bigger and faster than her and wise to her tricks. He only laughs at her and insists again that she eat the chicken because it is very good for her.

Next, the cat-girl tries to plead with the long-haired man in black, begging him with tears in her eyes not to make her eat the chicken and to please, please give her the cake. Unlike the man in red, he looks sympathetic and sad for her, but like the man in red, he is ultimately unfazed by her tears and he too insists she eat the chicken first.

With no other options, the cat-girl slumps in her chair, defeated. She slowly begins to pick at the chicken in front of her. She whines and moans the entire time and has a long list of complaints: the chicken is cold, it's too tough and chewy, it's too dry, it has too many bones in it. It takes her months and months to eat the whole thing, crying and complaining the whole time, the two waiters watching her attentively through it all, but bite by slow bite, she finally finishes the chicken and receives her cake.

When all her food is gone, she looks at her waiters and smiles brightly. "You know," she says, "I feel a lot better now. I think maybe that chicken wasn't so bad after all!"

Excerpt from Samantha Fletcher's Dream Journal; Age 7

Samantha Fletcher
Home
2:24 PM

Using her foot to gently kick the door from her house's kitchen to its garage open, Samantha entered while carefully balancing a plate with a sandwich and a glass of milk in either of her hands. She internally blanched at going from the cool air conditioning indoors to the oppressive heat of the outside that permeated the dimly lit garage's interior. There were two cars within, one an average-looking car Papa used to drive to and from work and another antique that almost never left the garage. Sitting on a stool in front of the retro car with its front hood popped in the air was the portly figure of her Papa, his head obscured from her view as it hovered over the engine in the front. He had the day off today, which meant he spent most of his time here in the garage, indulging his hobby. An engineer who enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together to see how all their parts worked, Patrick Fletcher was an avid automobile enthusiast in his free time. Samantha didn't care much about cars herself, but she knew that the one he was poring over now was his favorite possession, an old Delorean like the one in the Back to the Future movies he loved when he was a kid. He'd had it since before Sam was born, she knew, since before he ever came to London from New York with Mama, and he took such pride in it that sometimes he treated it with as much love and care as he did Samantha herself. He had a habit of getting so absorbed in his labor of love that he often lost track of the time and forgot to take care of his own basic needs. So it was today that he had completely forgotten to eat lunch and Sam took it upon herself to make him something and force him to pull his head out of the car long enough to eat it.

"Papa," she called. "It's already past noon and you haven't eaten yet. I made you a sandwich. Take a break and eat it with me."

"Huh? Oh, is it lunchtime already? Thank you, Dear. What would I do without you?" Though he was a tad overweight, he moved as spryly as a man half his size as he rose from the stool and opened the door to the kitchen for himself and Sam to go back inside. Sam set the food on the table while he quickly washed his greasy hands in the bathroom and then the two sat down to talk.

"Have I ever told you," her Papa began, "about the day your mother and I bought that car? It must've been 18 years ago now, but I feel like it was just yesterday. I think she was more excited than I was, and she didn't even like cars most of the time."

Sam smiled and unconsciously clutched at the heart-shaped gem hidden beneath her shirt that was hanging from a thin silver chain around her neck. She liked it when her father talked about Mama; she'd died shortly after Samantha was born, so she never got to really meet her. "I know, Papa. You always tell that story."

"Whenever I work on it, I feel like she's sitting right there at my side, like she never even left." He sighed heavily. "You look more like her every day, you know. Just how did you grow up so fast, darling?"

"Eat your sandwich, Papa," she replied.

"Oh. Yes, right. The sandwich. Thank you, m'dear." He took a big bite and washed it down with a gulp of milk. "So," he said, "you were gone an awful long time yesterday. Longer than usual. Did you make a new friend," he asked hopefully.

She frowned. "No. I was reading in the library and I lost track of time, that's all."

"Oh," he said, seeming a little crestfallen. He was always trying to get Samantha to make more friends, but she'd never been good at that. Ever since she could remember, everyone except for him wanted to avoid her for one reason or another.

"Something really weird happened on the way, though. I saw a woman about to get hit by a car, but she was saved by this guy with big dragon tattoos going up his arms. I was sure she was going to die, but he got there just in time."

"That was lucky," he said. "But what was so weird about it?"

"Well, I saw a viewing that made me sure she was going to get hit. I've never seen a viewing not come true, but when this man saved her it just broke into a million pieces. And the man himself, he had so many images floating around him, it was like nothing I've ever--"

Papa cut her off with a sigh. "Sam, Sam, Sam, what am I going to do with you, kiddo? How many times have I told you, you need to stop dwelling on your viewings so much. Especially after what happened at Covent Garden. If the wrong set of ears were to learn about what you can do...I don't know what would happen. Besides, maybe if you looked people in the eye instead of over their heads, you'd have an easier time making friends. I worry about you being by yourself all the time, you know. A girl needs friends."

Sam's eyes went to the floor. She hated disappointing her father. "I'm sorry. I didn't tell anyone about it except you," she said, choosing to carefully avoid mention of her encounter with Pretty Boy in the deli. "But I'm sure it's important somehow. I know it is. I need to figure out how."

He sighed again, but nodded. "Just promise me when the new school year starts, you'll try and talk to more people, okay? Maybe make a friend or two? If you say what you saw is important, I believe you, of course, and telling you not to look into it would be useless either way, but at the very least try not to let the future distract you from what's just as important in the present."

She nodded. "I'll try." She really would, but he told her the same thing at the start of every school year and, to both her disappointment and his, she could never seem to fit in anywhere no matter what she did. Part of her thought it would be easier not to worry about it, to just stay alone and spare herself the sharp pain of rejection that always seemed to follow her clumsy attempts to make friends. But she'd try again. For Papa.

"And remember what I said about Covent Garden. I don't know what's happened there, but something's not right about it. It's more important now than ever that nobody discovers your gift. I'm serious about this, Samantha. I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to you."

The doorbell rang, interrupting their serious talk. "Oh," her father said, "That must be the spark plug I ordered online for the car. I've been waiting for that to arrive. It's been sounding funny lately and I think that's the culprit. Would you answer that for me, Sam?"

The silver-haired girl bounded to her feet and out to her house's front door, somewhat grateful to be free of Papa's dire warnings about making friends and Covent Garden. She took him seriously, of course, but it wasn't like she usually went around announcing what she could do for anyone who listened, even when there was not a reason to keep it well-hidden.

"Hello," she said as she opened the door to see who was ringing. And nearly let out a yelp when she saw the person standing there.

Juniper looked down, somewhat surprised at the small child who answered the door. "Uhh hi. Is a Mr. Fletcher here? I have a package for him that needs a signature." She held out the small parcel in her left hand, looking past the girl to see if he was there.

Sam hardly heard a word the woman said. She was too busy staring at the sea of images above her head. "Another one?!" she mumbled to herself incredulously. "Three in two days?! Who are these people?"

"Did you say something?" Juniper looked down at the small girl, narrowing her eyes.

Sam picked her jaw up off the floor when she realized she was staring. And after Papa had just been lecturing her about that, too. "Sorry. Um. A package. Right." She turned behind her and yelled back into the kitchen. "Papa! It's the package you were waiting for! The lady needs a signature!"

"Coming," came the call from further inside.

Sam looked back at the woman and her purple eyes were inexorably drawn like magnets back to the pictures above her head. Among other things, she saw a vial of some kind of red liquid, ketchup or wine or...blood, maybe?; A long spear covered in what also looked like blood; a bag of...something...hidden beneath a rickety old floorboard; a horse with a red mane galloping at full speed, this woman sitting on top of it and hugging its neck for dear life with a terrified look on her face. And, as with Pretty Boy and Dragon-Man, so, so many more; more than she could keep up with.

There had to be something that linked all these people with so many images together. Maybe she could find a connection if she asked some questions? She hoped this wouldn't seem too weird, but...it didn't seem like there was any way to do this without it being awkward.

"So, um," she began a bit uncertainly, "is there anything...special...about you? Like...I dunno. Do you know any interesting people or do you have any strange hobbies, or...maybe are you from a different country or something?"

"Special? Why are you asking a person you just met this?" Juniper shuffled her feet as she looked past the little girl, trying not to make eye contact. It was kind of creepy the way she kept staring at her to be honest. Sighing, she answered "Yeah I'm not from here. Came over only recently by myself."

"From where," Samantha asked curiously, sensing she might be on to something there from the way the red-headed woman shifted her eyes anxiously.

The woman was saved from answering her when Papa came up behind her. "Sorry for the wait. Sam, are you pestering this poor girl? Very sorry, ma'am. Where do you need me to sign?" He looked at her face for a moment and his lips pursed in thought. "Have we met before? You seem familiar somehow..."

"No, I don't think we have." Juniper shook her head as she reached down and brought up the artifact, quickly glancing at the child while doing so. Was it normal for children to ask these kind of questions here? "Just sign on here sir." Juniper brought up the artifact, holding it out for the man to take.

As her father signed, Sam tried to press her question again, unaware of or unconcerned with the breach of social etiquette; she'd been afraid of the dragon-man yesterday, but today she was determined to get to the bottom of all these people with dozens of viewings that seemed to show up one after the other.

"So, where did you say you were from again, miss?"

Why did this kid keep asking that question? Juniper tried not to let a frown show on her face as she sighed "It's a place far away, but it's not that important." She turned to the father, still using the artifact "Does she always ask these questions to strangers?"

Sam was a little irritated, being brushed off like that, especially when she felt like she was so close to getting an answer. She was about to ask more, but her father put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"No, not always," he replied. "I must admit, though, even I'm a little curious, because you seem so darned familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I've..." Abruptly his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "I've got it! You were the one in the paper the other day, weren't you!"

Juniper stiffened, her eyes going wide as her mind began to race. Picture, what picture was he talking about. Did someone take her photograph during the incident? Damn it, they erased the peoples memories but pictures could have still remained. "O-oh, and what was the picture of?"

"Oh, well, it was a picture of you and your apartment in a piece about how expensive London has gotten and how hard it's become for low-income citizens to make a living and...uh..." All of a sudden, Papa stopped. "You know what," he said. "It's so hot out today and you've done such a good job getting this package here on time and undamaged. Only to be pestered by my inquisitive little girl here for your trouble."

Upon the mention of the article Juniper relaxed, wiping away a mental sweatdrop as the man continued.

Samantha frowned. "I'm not a little girl," she said sourly. "I'm sixteen."

"Yes, but you'll always be my little girl," he replied with a doting smile. Papa pulled out his wallet and fished a 20 pound note out. "Please, take this. I insist. I'm sure someone in your position could use...er, I mean, I'm sure you'll put it to good use," he said, grabbing Juniper's hand and placing the note into it.

Juniper stared at the the note in her hand, unsure of whether to take it or not. "It's..fine? Thank you" She then did a quick take on the child before looking back at the father "Sixteen? I do not mean to be rude, but isn't she rather..." she let the sentence trail off, unsure of how to phrase it.

Papa winced. The unspoken word hung in the air between the three of them. Small. Samantha's purple eyes narrowed. With how often she seemed to get comments like this over the course of her life, you'd think she'd be used to it by now, but her small size for her age was still a constant source of insecurity for her.

"I'd really like to know what country you come from," she asked sweetly, both because she knew the answer was important somehow and because she wanted to make the woman looking down on her a little more uncomfortable in retaliation for the comment about her age. "You don't have any accent at all, so I never would have guessed you're from far away! I'm thinking about studying abroad, you know? I'm looking for interesting places to choose from."

"Samantha..." her Papa's voice was low and warning, a clear sign of his displeasure. Her innocent smile melted into a frown and she immediately felt ashamed of herself for being so petty.

Juniper rubbed the back of her sweat filled hair as the girl asked the question for a third time. Was it really a bad thing if she told the girl? Worst case scenario the girl searches for information on it and assumed that she had lied. "Alright, I guess I can say. Not really that big of a deal. I'm from Aether, it's a small place compared to this. Honestly, if I didn't have family back there i'd probably forget it even existed." She gave a weak laugh and placed the note in her pocket. Hopefully that would be enough for the girl, even if she was slightly annoying she didn't want to cause any more trouble for the girl with her father.

"Aether..." the purple-eyed girl mused absently, rubbing her chin.

"Never heard of the place myself," said her father. "Anyway, sorry to have taken up so much of your time, miss. Thank you for delivering this in such good shape and sorry about my little girl," he said, going out of his way to add the emphasis on the last two words. To tell her that she'd been acting like a child, Sam knew. She looked down, ashamed of herself again. But the shame couldn't cover completely the curiosity and wonder that were bubbling beneath the surface. Were Dragon-Man and Pretty Boy from Aether too? Did everyone from Aether have lots of viewings? Could they all change fate the way Dragon-Man had? The questions were endless. And on top of them all, though she'd never heard of the place in her life before just now, why did she feel a little flutter of something like nostalgia every time she thought of its name? Aether...

"No really it's fine, no problem at all. Thank you for your service sir," Juniper said. With that, her final delivery for her route was done. Turning around, she couldn't help but think about the pale girl. Her father seemed used to her questions and seemed almost dissapointed that she was asking them. But why the interest of where she was from? Juniper dwelled on the thought for a moment before shrugging and filing it away. Either way, the information would be useless to anyone not from Aether, so letting it slip this one time probably wasn't a big deal.

When Sam and her father had bid the delivery girl farewell and closed the door, Papa had a very stern look on his face and another long lecture about manners and staying safe and below the radar after Covent Garden. She knew he was right and she hated when he was mad at her, but she couldn't bring herself to regret the exchange after what she'd just learned.

Written in collaboration with Shotgunpenguin mentioned: IG42

Samantha's Daytime Activity: Complete

 

[koala]

Elena "Rose" Benoit
Date: Monday, August 0th
Location: Home
Interactions: None

Dream Start

A blanket of dark clouds shrouded city of London as rain fell hard onto the Earth. The sound of crackling thunder echoed throughout the skies like popcorn cooking in a microwave. It was loud and violent enough to shake the ground but not enough to prevent a naive, twenty year old Elena from running through the streets underdressed.

Her blonde hair was shoulder length and dark from the water. It stuck to her forehead, clumping in ways she knew she’d have to cut off versus comb. The woman’s floral shirt, originally a beautiful cream and turquoise, looked displeasing and mossy, while her jeans clung to her reddening skin heavily. She could feel the inner parts of her thigh burning slightly as she ran, but she couldn’t stop. Not until she saw him.

Multiple meters of running and taxi rides later, Elena finally made it to the airport. Her face was both blue from the cold and red from overexertion, but she continued on. Waterlogged trainers squeaked annoyingly as she began looking for him.

Seconds turned into minutes. Name-calling turned into crying. He was still nowhere to be found.

“Elena?” came a deep, soft voice.

Elena whipped around, brown doe eyes flickering between sadness and anger. The tears from earlier had long dried, leaving ugly black streaks of mascara running down her cheeks. She walked towards him until they were merely a foot apart.

“What are you doing here?” He took a step back, expression cold and the concerned tone she thought she heard from seconds ago nonexistent.

“How can you leave like this?” Began the twenty year old, genuinely confused as to what had become of their relationship. They were doing so well until six months ago. It was as if the bus accident he got into changed his personality entirely. The two of them broke it off two days before, but it all didn’t sit right with her.

“Elena,” the dark-haired male said, sighing deeply as he removed his glasses to rub his eyes. “What kind of question is that? I’m going to the United States to study--that’s how I can leave.” He tried to removed his jacket to hand it to her, but she refused and pushed his hands away. The male frowned.

Elena frowned back. “No, I don’t mean that. How can you leave without putting any effort into preserving this relationship?” She could feel tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes, the weeks of stress and fatigue slowly catching up to her.

The male sighed again as he dangled the jacket from his arm. “I fell out of love, okay Rose? We've talked about it already.”

He was repeating the same things he had the night they separated, yet the words were only going in one ear and out the other. She really didn’t know how to respond.

“Did you really?” She asked hesitantly, fingers fiddling at the hem of her shirt.

“Yes.” He answered without wasting a second. “Is that all?” He added, being polite enough to wait for Elena to respond. When she didn’t, he said “Good bye” quietly and made his way towards the gate, leaving her alone in the bustling crowd. She was looking down as he walked away, so she failed to see him stop and turn to look at her one last time.

Dream End


Elena’s eyes fluttered open slowly. They were sticky from sleep and it felt like she had even cried a little. A soft finger made its way to her eyes and she rubbed under them a little, checking to make sure she was alright.

“Strange…” She muttered to herself, trying to recall the last time she actually dreamt about her ex. It’d been so long since they last spoke, and she hadn’t heard of him since Sophia and Felix brought him up months ago. Was it some kind of sign?

“Must be lonely..” Elena chuckled to herself as she slowly got up from her bed and made her way to the bathroom. When the light flickered on, her eyes immediately locked onto the small vase of roses she’d placed on the counter. It was odd to place them in the bathroom, but every other room was decorated enough and she wanted to place them somewhere she could see them every day.

A small smile formed on her lips as her fingers lightly traced a petal. “Or not.”

Elena's Day Activity: COMPLETE