Realistic or Modern // Ignite the Spark // open & accepting

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





He hadn't answered her questions, but it was just as well. She wasn't sure she could handle hearing it if anyone from The Spark had left this life. The news of death never came easily to Sola. There was silence for awhile as Kais stood and came to sit closer to her, resting on the edge of her bed. He didn't say anything for a little while, until finally he asked a question of his own.





"What happened?"


Those were just two words, but the weight they carried was impossible. How was she supposed to explain in black and white what had transpired this evening? Would he even understand? Sola rested her mug on the windowsill as flashes of the night came back, causing her to shiver...the inhumane wails of the woman as she lay in her own blood, the look on the boy's face when he saw his brother's corpse, the feel of his body crashing on them after she killed him, the slippery coating of blood splattering against her skin. What would she have done if she found her own brother dead in the clearing? How would she have reacted if she saw his corpse lying just a few feet away from his murderers?


She wasn't sure how to explain her grief to him. Kais wasn't affected by death in the same way that she was. He had never been. He somehow was able to detach himself from it, to view it pragmatically. Something that needed to be done. Sola herself had told Veda something similar to that sentiment: that they were just doing what they had to do, that it couldn't be helped. None of that made it any better. All she could think of were those three words. Henry, get up! They stretched through time, from the forest clearing to her room, ringing in her ears as though she had just heard them. She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. Without realizing, tears had begun to run down her face again.


"I killed someone's brother. His name was Henry," she whispered, before covering her face with her hands. It was all she could manage to get out. She didn't want to cry in front of Kais, but she did nothing to try and stop the tears. They came silently, softly...watery representatives of what she had done. Henry was dead and no matter what, for the rest of her life, that would be her fault. That clearing was now a family grave.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais watched the tears build in her eyes before she even tried to answer his question; he watched as she pulled her knees up to her chest, shivering, and began to cry when the memory of whatever had happened came back to her. When she finally did speak, it was hushed in a broken tone. It didn't really explain anything but it was a step forward; if she knew that the man she killed was someone's brother, knew that he had a name, she must have seen his sibling come for him after shooting him. That, and killing someone's brother when the only family she had in the world was a brother likely made her think of Shasta. He could understand that seeing someone that she had just killed was, in fact, a person with relationships just like she was could be a harrowing experience; the fact that it wouldn't have affected him the same way didn't prevent him from having empathy when it

did affect her.


Tears spilled freely down her face, as if just saying those two sentences had broken the dam that held them in place. Supposedly crying was supposed to be good for easing emotional pain. Supposedly it made people feel better. Having heard those things didn't change the fact that Kais wanted her to not be crying. More precisely, he wanted her not to want to cry. But having heard, at least in the most brief possible form, exactly what was troubling her Kais was forced to admit that he couldn't exactly fix it. He couldn't go back and save her from that. He couldn't keep her out of the battle, as much as he wanted to, and he couldn't change the past and prevent those looters from ever stumbling across Sola's station. If he had been blessed with future sight, he would have turned Bane on them and shot both looters down before Sola ever had to deal with them. But he couldn't, and now he needed to address the current problem.


He moved slowly, first putting his cup down on the floor where he wouldn't spill it, then moving across the bed so that he was sitting beside her, instead of facing her. As he moved, he pulled his heavy canvas over shirt off and draped it over Sola's shoulders. The shivering was decidedly not from being cold, but being warm and wrapped up gave a sense of security to most people so Kais did it anyway. He leaned back beside her, careful to keep his boots off her bed, and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently against his chest.


There were no words--at least none he could think of--to help, so he said nothing at all. It was doubtful that there was anything anyone could say that would make this better for her. All he could think to do was be there for her; time would eventually dull the pain but for now it was sharp and terrible. He had never bothered to think in terms of "good" or "bad", so the death didn't bother him, much. But Sola was a good person--and she had just seen herself through someone else's eyes; someone's eyes on the other side, someone who thought she was the enemy, and it had painted her as a monster. He could have told her she wasn't a monster, that she was still the same person she had been before, but it wouldn't have helped the pain. She probably wouldn't have believed it if he had said it, so he kept it to himself and just held her in silence patiently waiting to see if she wanted to share more.

 

[whitefoxkiller]

Ava Sebastian

​

Ava watched Shasta go for a moment, looking after him. She felt satisfied, but a little frightened. She hadn’t told him that the map she have him was the way she had gotten out of the city. However, she believed she could navigate her way back in; Ava was a quick study. She picked up her backpack and walked the opposite way, trying to find where she had come from in the darkness.


She had a few panicked moments, but Ava got back to the landfill with little trouble and from there she only had to wait a few moments until a train came. She’d lined herself up right by the track so that when it slowed down enough for her to jump on, she would be right where the ladder on the back would be. The ride was more difficult on the way in. Ava hadn’t realized how fatigued she was until she had to hold herself up on the train. From the train, it was much easier to remember her route to the truck that should be waiting. She easily avoided guards whose loud plastic-sounding armor clicked when they walked. She was extremely relieved to find the truck still waiting for her, driver still sitting in the front seat. Amazing how unquestioning Rafael's people are she thought. Rafael was a drug dealer, but he was also the Director of Transportation. Most drugs were legal in the Diamond District, but not all. Ava assumed his Tranquil employees were used to getting illogical orders.


She climbed into the AC cavity and knocked on the roof to signal him to drive, which he did. As soon as Ava reached the Diamond District communication network her handheld received a message from Eve Salem. She almost laughed out loud. If only Eve knew where Ava had been all night. In the cramped AC cavity Ava managed to type a response out.

Eve,


Lovely to hear from you again! Name an hour and I’ll be there.


Ava Sebastian


Minister of Propaganda
​

Soon the truck stopped and Ava climbed out, knocking on the side of the truck once she’d escaped. She hurried inside the fake shop she’d come to earlier that day. Inside the shop waited the ever-loyal Lilai. Ava gave her a big smile and she gave Ava a change of clothes. Once Ava had changed out of her beat-up and muddy coat and jumper, her and Lilai went back to Ava’s house. Lilai asked no questions, and Ava didn’t offer up any info, though she was sure under Lilai's professionalism she was burning with curiosity.


After telling Lilai to wake her up early for a meeting with Eve Salem, she practically fell into bed and fell asleep. It was the first time in approximately a month that she didn’t need a sleeping aid.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Sola felt Kais moving closer, her eyes drifting up slightly as he draped his canvas shirt across her shoulders. She allowed herself to be pulled against his chest, relaxing against him. Though he had no words to placate her, his actions spoke enough. Sola didn't know what words she wanted to hear, but she knew that she felt less isolated with Kais' arm wrapped around her.


The desolate expanse behind her ribs was still there, begging for her attention. She closed her eyes, fearing that if she opened them she would find herself back in the forest. In the back of her mind, she thought of Shasta making his way back home. A spike of fear stabbed through her as she wondered about his safety.


Suddenly feeling a wave of tiredness, she realized she didn't have it in her to really think about anything...at least not tonight. Turning her body slightly more towards him to situate herself, she sighed and rested a hand against his chest. Exhaustion overcame her. As she settled against Kais, she could hear his heart beating steadily. She focused on that instead of the emotions that coiled tightly in her stomach, instead of the echoing noise of the voices from the clearing, instead of her anxiety about whether her own brother would be coming home. His heart beat was the last thing she heard as she began to drift off to sleep.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais allowed for as much room as she needed to get comfortable; when she finally settled against his chest he wrapped both arms securely around her, pulling the thick shirt closed across her shoulders. Eventually her tears died away and her breathing evened out, becoming slow and regular as she relaxed more fully against his chest. It took a moment for him to realize she had fallen asleep there but he took the realization in stride. He reached up to brush hair from her face and tears from her cheeks. At least sleep would give her some peace, however temporary that might be. Perhaps in the morning her demons would seem more like a bad dream and less like reality. He could only hope that she wouldn't dream unpleasant dreams--he'd had enough of that the previous night to know it rarely made for a restful sleep.

With a sigh, Kais leaned his head back against the wall behind him and tried to guess at the time. It must have been past two in the morning. Past three? It was impossible to tell without a clock. With a start he realized Shasta hadn't returned, yet. Of course, he hadn't heard word of the scouts returning from Tranquility yet, either, and they should have arrived together. In all likelihood one would wait for the other and it was probably too early to worry, still. Then again, he hadn't brought the radio with him to Sola's room so there was little chance of anyone contacting him to say that the scouts had returned. Shasta might think to look for him here, but the others likely would not. So he kept the uneasy hope that Shasta would come to tell them he was safe if he did return. When he returned. It wasn't as if Kais could very well go looking for him just now, anyway; he was too afraid that any movement would wake Sola and since sleep was the only way she was going to get any peace tonight he wanted to prevent that at all costs.


Sleep came slowly while Kais waited. In spite of his worry and his plan to stay awake and wait for Shasta, his eyelids began to droop. Before long he had nodded off, still sitting up with his boots and nearly all of his weapons still on.

 

[Zoola]

Eve Salem


Eve's Apartment | | Diamond Sector


Eve's tablet lit up once more with a message; this time, it was a reply from Ava Sebastian. It was nightfall by the time she received the response, and she was already back at home in her apartment. Eve frowned slightly as she skimmed Ava's brief message. While Eve by no means expected others to be nearly as meticulous as she was, she did appreciate a certain amount of punctuality - especially with people that held positions of power. It was her belief that the people in those positions earn their status as a result of their own merit. That was one of the reasons why Eve had her misgivings about the minister of propaganda. If she had to guess as to why it took her so long to reply, Eve would have guessed she was out enjoying herself at some extravagant soirée. Still, she stifled her contempt and responded cordially, as she usually did, and sent out her response.


"If 9 A.M. is convenient, I'll expect you then. I look forward to seeing you.





Eve"





With that, Eve finished her business for the night, putting away her tablet and the stacks of paper that were strewn messily all about her desk. It wasn't unusual for her to spend a night staying up late to finish last-minute business, and that night was one of those nights. She let her hair out of the tight updo it was in, breathing a sigh of relief as she finally turned in for the night.

 

[Ashmorne]

S H A S T A || F E I V E L


spark alpha


3:55 a.m.





It had been a tiring journey back to The Ruins. They had returned at a relatively fast pace, with no new recruits on this journey. It happened. The datapad was burning in Shasta's pocket, and he was eager to get back and start planning ahead for the future. He would be seeing Ava again in two days, and he wanted to bring answers with him.


When they got into the city limits, Shasta parted ways with the others. He thanked them for their service to The Spark before heading back to The Oak. Shasta knew that it was late but he wanted to find Solara or Kais. Sola wasn't a sound sleeper anyway, so there was at least a chance that she was awake. He wanted to check in either way. He knew that there was worry when he had left, so it was important to let them know when he got back. This was a trait that Solara had yet to master.


Shasta slowly cut his way through the city. The Oak was closer to the edge of The Ruins, so he didn't run into anyone on his way there. As he climbed up the hotel stairs, he pulled out his key ring. At some point, he would need to find Kais and get a full report on how the evening had gone. He moved up to the third floor, standing outside of his sister's room. There was no where else she could really be right now, and he knew that she was often awake at these unwholesome hours anyway. Sometimes Sola would just be getting to bed as Shasta was rising for the morning. This was mostly due to schedule differences, with strategy planning happening during the day and deliveries made at night.


He tapped lightly on her door and waited a moment before knocking a second time. No answer. Shasta shifted on his feet, getting out the key to her room. If she was sleeping, he would leave knowing that she was safe in her home. It would be strange for Sola not to be in her room at this time of night. Slowly, he unlocked the door and peered in.


There was Sola, curled up against Kais.


They were both sitting sort of up in her bed, but Sola was fast asleep with what Shasta recognized as Kais's canvas shirt draped around her. Kais's arms were encircling her, holding her as she slept. Shasta blinked, his mouth opening for a moment. He couldn't quite register what he was seeing. Of all the things that he expected to find, this was not one of them. His mind drew a blank as he stood in the doorway for a split second, caught completely off guard for the second time in two days.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais was a light sleeper at the best of times. And so, when he was sleeping, awkwardly propped up in a sitting position with a handgun digging into his hip and an ammo belt into his back, he was wont to be woken by the smallest disturbance. As such, when there came a light tap on the door, Kais stirred, careful not to move and disturb Sola. For a moment he wasn’t certain that he had heard anything at all, but a second knock came to the door—the time more distinct. His eyes fixed on the door, but he didn’t move to answer it; either it was Shasta and he could let himself in, or it was someone less important and—seeing as they had knocked gently so as not to wake anyone—he wasn’t going to to wake Sola for anything that didn’t warrant screaming and pounding on the door. Instead he waited.

Sure enough, after another moment had passed, he heard the sound of the locking mechanism clicking open; his hand moved unconsciously for the gun on his hip, but he didn’t draw it—it was most likely Shasta. But it never hurt to be prepared.


It was, in fact, Shasta. Kais grip on Venom relaxed immediately, and he returned his hand to where it had been before, holding Sola. He smiled up at Shasta immediately, relieved to see his friend alive and, evidently, all in one piece. The meeting had been successful then, surely. Or, perhaps nothing had happened at all. Perhaps no one had shown up to the rendezvous. In spite of the time and the fact that Sola was fast asleep, Kais found himself burning with curiosity, wondering what had happened with Shasta that night. In all his wondering he nearly forgot that he also needed to tell Shasta that they were now four Sparks less than they had been the last time they had spoken.


He did forget that he was in Shasta’s sister’s room, laying on her bed, holding her while she slept in the middle of the night. That is, until he registered the look of blatant surprise on Shasta’s face. Before that moment, Kais hadn’t really thought about what him kissing Sola had meant for them—or what it would mean to Shasta, or what he would even say to Shasta. If he had paused to think, he surely would have planned to discuss it with Sola before an awkward situation like this arose.


A slew of possibilities flew through his brain. Was it really that weird for Shasta to walk in on them at this moment? It wasn't as if they were in a state of undress--Sola had a trying night, and Kais was trying to help. That was perfectly natural. Of course Shasta didn't know anything that had transpired since he left, and Kais couldn't very well lie and tell him that everything was completely normal. Or wasn't it? The more he tried to decide what to say--or if to say anything--the more confused and indecisive he became. And all the while he and Shasta stared at each other across the room, both looking shocked for different reasons.


Kais could honestly have said he had never felt pressure to just say something at any point before in his life. Until now. As his mind screamed at him to say anything at all, words failed him once again, and Shasta was still standing there looking shocked. How long had he been standing there, now, anyway? To Kais it felt like much too long--every second seemed like a full minute, though in fact, very few seconds had actually passed.


Finally, the impulse to say something--anything at all--got the better of him. For the first time in his life, Kais said opened his mouth to speak without knowing at all what he was going to say.


"Shasta--! I -- " I what? 'I'm glad you're not dead'? 'I'm not sleeping with your sister, though it might look like that at first glance'? 'I mean, I was sleeping with her--but not like that. And I may have kissed her this morning and we were going to tell you, but things were busy...'?


Thankfully, Kais was spared the need to decide which of these things he was actually going to say, when Shasta turned heel and walked back out of the room, shutting the door behind him.


Kais gaped at the closed door for a long time, not entirely sure what had just happened. Eventually the shock faded into confusion. He was, in fact, awake, wasn't he? Shasta had actually just come into the room and then left without saying anything? Or was that a dream? And why would he leave without saying anything? Why wouldn't he at least let Kais finish? Not that Kais objected to not being able to finish a sentence when he still had no idea how he was going to finish it but it was baffling nonetheless. He blinked at the closed door, trying his very best to fathom why Shasta had left and turning up no answers at all.

 

[Ashmorne]

S H A S T A || F E I V E L


spark alpha





Shasta had left before Kais could even finish what he was saying. It was all he could do to avoid the urge to throw Kais out of Sola's room. That was his sister. He walked to his own room, entirely spent on that day. Couldn't they go 24 hours before the universe sprung another surprise on him? First was Sola's disappearance into Tranquility, then her quiet return, followed by the datapad, and topped off by his meeting with Ava. Now he had come back to find his little sister, who had never once introduced any sort of romantic interest to the family before, in bed with his best friend. What the actual fuck? Perhaps it was the lack of sleep making it hard for him to think clearly, but he was angry.


Questions rolled around unpleasantly in Shasta's head, accented by a protectiveness and slight sense of betrayal that was rising within him. Why wouldn't they have told him? His mind cut to earlier, when he had found them alone in Kais' house. What had been going on there? Was this the reason they hadn't found him as soon as Sola got home from her individual delivery? Every question just served to further irritate and stress him out. He couldn't think about this now. He was too tired for this shit, much too tired. They would handle this in the morning.


Shasta forced the analytical side of himself to quiet down as he entered his suite and shut the door behind him. Over the next thirty minutes, he mechanically went through the process of changing out of his combat gear and getting ready for bed. He fell asleep almost forcefully, exhaustion making his body heavy. If the universe was going to shock him at every turn, the very least it could do to return the favor was give him a few hours of good sleep in the process.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Several minutes passed in that way; Kais staring, bemused, at the closed door but remaining stock still for fear of waking Sola. Some time later, however, it became blatantly obvious to him that there was no way he was going to get a halfway decent night's sleep in that position. He still couldn't quite figure out how Sola had managed to fall asleep with her head resting against his ammunition belt. It was probably neither comfortable, nor safe. He might have gone on being uncomfortable for quite a while longer if he had not managed to convince himself that Sola would also be more comfortable laying on a pillow.


As carefully as he could, Kais shifted Sola's weight and moving out from underneath her until her head rested on the pillows instead of him. He scarcely breathed as he waited to see if she would awaken, but she hardly stirred. He let out a sigh of relief, before he set about disarming himself, setting all the uncomfortable and dangerous bits in a pile beside the bed. His tea, long since cooled, sat on the floor some feet away; he moved it to the windowsill next to Sola's cup, debating whether or not he ought to sleep in the chair again. Before he could make up his mind one way or the other, Sola reached out a caught his arm with both of hers, effectively pulling him back onto the bed. She mumbled something unintelligible--the only word he could discern was his name--before she settled down again. Kais looked at her sideways, wondering if he had woken her up after all, but she appeared to still be fast asleep. The shirt had slipped from her shoulders when she moved, though, and Kais reached for her blanket with his free hand, pulling it up to cover both of them. Once he was comfortably placed in a bed, sleep came quickly to Kais; his body remembered the previous sleepless night and the two exceptionally long days since he had slept in a bed.

Time || 8:45am

​

Sometime during the night they had shifted, though Kais had no recollection of having done so. When he woke, Sola was no longer wrapped around his arm, but was laying with her head on his shoulder and one hand on his chest and he had wrapped one arm around her. His over shirt lay discarded somewhere in the bed. Sun was streaming in through the window, but Sola's face was mostly in the shadow thrown by his own body.


Kais lay still, though relaxed. Sola was usually a light sleeper and he didn't want to be the cause of cutting her sleep short. Overall he felt well-rested, though an uneasiness swept over him as he recalled Shasta's visit the night before. Shasta was usually a well-composed man, never impulsive or rash. The only thing Kais could possibly imagine would cause the reaction he had witnessed last night was particularly strong emotion--if Shasta had left to prevent himself from doing something he would regret then his abrupt departure made more sense. Of course, this conclusion only made Kais more uneasy. Any sort of strong emotion associated with finding your sister asleep in your best friend's arms was not going to be a positive one.


So he had two uncomfortable topics to broach with Shasta first thing in the morning. The topic of himself and Sola, and the story of what had happened while Shasta was away. Neither were particularly pleasing prospects. For the moment, though, he simply laid in Sola's bed, content to feel her warmth against him as he waited for her to wake.

 

[Bhlow]

Rosemarie (Rose) Hayward

Rosemarie thanked the man who passed the Saline solution, and together with the doctor they treated the man. The fact that he was on the brink of conciousness was worrying, she knew that if she applied the solution it would burn and cause him extreme pain on the raw wound, and it would either cause him to go unconscious; which would mean a higher risk of losing him or it would jerk him awake. Thankfully it did the latter, as she poured the solution over his wounds, froth started forming around it as is started to disinfect them and she glanced at the doctor. "You have to take the bullet out - I've only ever done it in theory not practice". When they were finally finished operating, on the man and removing the bullet, he fell into a deep sleep, with a steady breath that soothed her.


The doctor, nurse and her moved around the injured, tending to the lesser wounds next, as the outside settled into darkness she broke away from her job. "I'll be right back" she muttered, employing one of the already treated patients to fill in for her on bandaging. In a few moments, she rushed up stairs, guilt gnawing at her that she had left Ophelia alone, but the girl seemed to have busied herself amongst the Doctor's things upstairs. "I'm sorry that took so long Ophelia, let's go get you back to your room". At that she extended her hand, surprised when Ophelia flinched back. It was then that she realised that her hands were bloody, along with her clothes, and something broke within her. Any emotions that she managed to repress, the usual disgust at blood and it's mere sight burst out and she ran to the toilet in the Doctor's room, throwing up into the sink, quaking in revulsion. She closed her eyes as the thoughts of the wounds, open festering flesh re-surfaced in her mind and she forced them out of her head again, rinsing her mouth and the sink before she began washing her hands free from the blood.


She pondered the situation as she walked back with Ophelia once she was cleaned up to the best of her abilities. With the patch active she had never felt feelings of horror at blood, she had been effective and efficient in her work, while now with her wobbly legs she knew she couldn't go back to the infirmary. Once they reached Ryder's room, Rose couldn't be there to comfort Ophelia over the fact that Ryder still wasn't back from his mission, instead she removed the gun at her waist - after realising that she had forgotten to give it back to the doctor and curled up on the mattress petrified in her bloody clothes. She fell into sleep, after torturing herself with her own thoughts and dreamt of blood, herself drowning in it, people asking her to help them but all she could do was scrub the blood off her hands, hoping that it would make them go away.


The next morning Rose woke up, scrambling up when she heard breathing near her ear, to find Ryder on the other side of the mattress and she stared at him in shock. Out of all the things she could imagine, waking up with someone else in the same sleeping space as her was not something that had ever ran through her mind.


Mentioned: @Cruor Flumine


Directed to: @ambiguities

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Dreams had almost evaded Solara as she slept. She remembered darkness, for the most part...an utter absence of dreams. At some point, she recalled reaching out for something before settling back into deep slumber. It was then that dreams found her once again.


It started off innocent enough. She was in the woods, walking somewhere. Her hair was shorter, tied into a braid...she was younger, maybe 15 or 16. The sky was a murky clay red and shot through with veins of grey for some reason, the sun a drop of blood in the sky. It didn't scare her. Heavy charcoal vines of bramble surrounded her, but all she cared about was walking forward. She pushed her way out of the thicket to find herself in a clearing.


The forest subsided into a grassy meadow. At the center, stood her parents and Shasta. Her father was dressed in his combat gear; her mother was wearing the pearl pendant necklace. Everyone looked so happy to see her! They waved at her, calling her name and beckoning her to join them. A joy coursed through her, and she ran towards them.


She kept running, running, running. They were always just out of her reach. Her parents kept gesturing for her to run faster because it seemed like they had to leave soon. Yes, that was it. They had to go somewhere. She tried to stop them, yelling for them to wait for her...just wait one more second and she would be there. But they waved once more and turned to go, leaving her behind. Soon it was just she and Shasta left. Desperation caused sweat to bead against her forehead. They couldn't be gone!


Suddenly, there was the sound of bullets cutting through the air. Blood was dripping from Shasta's neck as he toppled forward into the grass. He reached his arm out to her as red dampened the earth around him, barely rasping out...


"You did this."


"No!"


Sola jolted awake, sitting upright in her bed with her hands reaching into the air in front of her. It was just a dream, just a dream. Sunlight was filtering through her window, illuminating her room, her bed, Kais lying next to her. Kais lying next to her?


With a start, the memories of the previous evening came back to Solara in sharp bits and pieces. Breathing hard, she pressed her hands to her chest. Her heart thudded rapidly beneath them. Only a second had passed but it had felt like an eternity.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Sola woke with very little warning. Suddenly she was sitting upright, reaching out for something that wasn't there. Kais pushed himself into a sitting position just behind her as she tried to calm herself down; surprise and shock were evident on his face. She looked how he had felt the morning before. It didn't take critical thinking to know she'd had a nightmare. About what she had seen last night or something else entirely, he wondered.


Kais hesitated a moment before putting his hand on her far shoulder so that his arm was across her back. He couldn't make the dreams go away. He couldn't prevent her from having them in the future. He couldn't take away what she had already experienced. It made him feel helpless and subsequently annoyed with himself. What good was he, if he couldn't make anything better for her?


"Are you alright?" He didn't ask if she'd had a nightmare. Obviously she had--people having pleasant dreams didn't suddenly awaken and sit bolt upright, looking as if they had seen a ghost. Why ask a question if he already knew the answer to it? In retrospect, 'are you alright?' was probably a stupid question as well. She hadn't been alright last night and--judging from the few seconds that she had been awake--she wasn't this morning.


There was really only one question that mattered. It was possibly--likely, even--that she wouldn't know the answer. But he needed to know, so he asked anyway.


"Is there anything I can do?"





Later he would tell her about Shasta. She needed to know that he had come home safely and, furthermore, that he had seen them together and walked away without a word--without allowing Kais to speak a word. It boded ill, but at least he was home. Hopefully Kais would be able to head him off and explain things before he intercepted Sola for interrogation. She had enough trouble on her plate for the moment.

 

[whitefoxkiller]

Ava Sebastian

​

Ava woke up at 8:30 to an alarm set by Lilai. She sighed in relif that her assistant was so competent. As she sat up she became aware to the pain deeply seated in her muscles. She picked up her handheld which had a message from Eve expecting Ava at her office at nine. Ava quickly went to the bathroom to rinse her face and came back into the room to put on the outfit Lilai had left out for her before she left last night. It was professional enough but it was white, which surprised her. Ava always wore color. White symbolizes innocence and purity and that wasn’t how she wanted to seem to the people in the Diamond District. She wanted to appear experienced and fun. Lilai knew this. Ava mused on this while she quickly dressed and put her hair up into the turban-hat

Spoiler

Ava skipped breakfast and headed right out the door. She hoped she wouldn’t be late. Thankfully, the transportation in the Diamond District was very quick. She arrived at Eve’s office at 9:04. She approached Eve’s secretary with a large smile.


“Ava Sebastian,” They lady greeted her with fake warmth, “Please have a seat,” she urged her. Ava obliged while the secretary told Eve over the comm that she’d arrived. While she waited, she glanced around the room. It was decorated in pale colors and Ava wondered if Eve had overseen decoration. Ava could think of at least ten calming improvements that she’d made to her office space. Ava’s office was also a lot more stylish.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Something about hearing the voice of another human caused a feeling of relief to flood Sola, anchoring her to reality. Letting out a sigh of relief, she let her body relax slightly against Kais. She rested her head against his shoulder and rubbed a hand over her face as she worked out how to respond to his questions.


"I'm okay. It was just...a nightmare," Sola touched a hand to her forehead as an ache bloomed in her head. "My head is killing me. I'm going to make some coffee. That may help,"


She had to distract herself from the unresolved emotions she felt after what had happened last night. She couldn't bring herself to think about the clearing right now, dream version or otherwise. Glancing across her room, she noticed Kais' overshirt on the floor. A certain gratitude wiggled its way through her stress as she recalled the way Kais had calmly comforted her the night prior, reminding her that she was not alone. A little bit broken, a little worse for the wear...but not alone.


Sola lifted her head slightly to kiss Kais on the cheek, wrapping her arms around him in a loose hug. It had been nearly 24 hours since they uncovered this new side to their relationship, and it was the one good event that had happened. It felt natural to be sitting there next to him. Despite the uneasiness that churned in Sola's stomach from her dream, she was thankful for his presence.





"All you can really do is be there for me, which you always are. So thank you,"


With those words, Sola moved out of the bed and stood up. She stretched her arms above her head with a sigh before walking to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee.





"It was the worst dream, Kais...but it started off so well. My parents were there. And Shasta was-" Sola stopped abruptly, remembering with shock that Shasta had left the Ruins. Had he come back? Was there word from him? He had to be back by now. It was already morning! Sola couldn't think about the possibility of him not returning. She turned around to look at Kais.





"Oh, my god. Shasta. How could I have forgotten? Is he back? I have to go check or ask someone," Sola was already back at her dresser, rummaging through a drawer as she searched for a sweatshirt to throw on before going to look for Shasta...or news of him.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Warmth spread through him as she kissed his cheek. It eased some of the concern that was already building in his chest. When she hugged him he returned it, pleased to have her there with him and pleased to be wanted in return. The little bubble of happiness that had been settled in his stomach all day the day before began to re-inflate. Even the knowledge that he would soon have to face Shasta and tell him that four of their Sparks had died the night before didn't touch the happy feeling. There was concern, still, but as Sola continued to talk, climbing out of bed to begin making coffee, that faded. She was still herself, if a bit shaken. She may have experienced something terrible last night and she may never find the words to explain it to him, but she was still the same Sola he had known for her whole life.


He watched her as she moved across to the kitchen, leaning back on one arm and stretching his legs out in front of him--the picture of contentment. A small smile quirked at his lips as he watched her, all thoughts of Shasta and whatever arguments they were soon to have driven from his mind for a time. When she stopped abruptly, realizing mid-sentence that she hadn't seen her brother yet, his thoughts were brought just as abruptly back to the present.


"He's back--!" Kais said, sitting forward and stretching out one hand, as if to stop her in her hurry to go looking for Shasta. "You slept through it; he came here last night."





And then he left before I could explain why I was in your bed. Kais dropped his outstretched hand. He hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say. There wasn't much to describe, but he did the best he could think to.


"He, ah... saw us... together. He looked understandably surprised, then turned and left before I could get more than a word out," Kais ran his fingers through his tangled hair; it had come undone some time during the night, and was now quite a mess. A brief search through her bed turned up his shirt and his hair tie. He put his feet on the floor and set about the process of putting his small arsenal back in place. "He's probably angry with me... I'll go talk to him first thing. I need to tell him about the looters, anyway."

 

[RZA]

Veda Creed | Location: Her studio in Grand Oak


"You can’t wash away that kind of stain darling."


Death mocked her. Four bodies laid side by side below her. The air was thick as molasses and she hung rigid over the deceased looters who tried to infiltrate Spark territory. Their faces were clean of blood and each corpse was unsullied, dressed in funeral attire.


Tears welled in her eyes but they didn’t fall and the salty droplets burned her eyes. Her vision swam in the salty water and she felt blind, unable to see anything but the outlines of the masses beneath her. Veda sank two inches, and her stomach protested. Twice more it happened before her vision returned and with it, the horror of the clearing. And then she fell with a lurching sensation behind her navel. Veda landed in the blood and gore and she screamed; trying to get away from the blood, from the death, from her guilty conscious.


Veda woke from the dream slowly, unsure which was the true reality. She stirred, the blanket effectively swaddling her. The warmth was comforting. Peeling her eyes open, she saw weak sunlight filtering through her window and she rolled over parched, with her head pounding and her stomach growling. With a glance at the alarm clock on her bedside table, she read the time to be a few minutes shy of eight-thirty. Closing her eyes once more, Veda decided to start this day off right. Shoving all the dark thoughts into the back of her mind she got out of bed, went to the bathroom and got herself ready for the day.


She glanced in the mirror briefly, trying not to catch her own eyes. Her hair was wavier than normal and her usually faint freckles stood out against her peach colored skin. Veda flicked off the light and walked to her dresser, intent on getting dressed and finding a bite to eat. She opened all her drawers and most of them were empty, but there were two sets of denim pants, a pair of nightwear pants, and a pair of black long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts. Veda slipped on the pants, quite surprised at how well they fit.


When she was finished, she researched the drawers to find something for her feet. The last thing she was about to do was put on bloody sneakers. Her decision to go barefoot was just about made when she slipped her hand underneath the jeans and found a pair of canvas flip-flops. She grinned, and the act felt foreign on her face; like she didn’t have the right to smile.


Pushing the thought away, she remembered the room key Sola had left for her. Veda walked over to the desk and picked up the room key - her room key- and slipped it in her pocket. Sola! Had she slept nightmare free? Had Veda slept through her screams? Either way, she wanted to find out.


Before she left her room Veda took a few deep breaths to find herself emotionally, but it was hard. Thinking of what she felt seemed like a useless idea, and the task of thinking was a job of itself. She couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Something happened between her first waking moments and now, and she couldn’t put her finger on. It was a gradual realization, but something ruffled in her gut. She shook her head clear, debating on taking two more of those white tablets. In the end her stomach won out, and she flicked off her studio lights, making her way out the door.


She left her new home, a hint of something drastic concealed in the back of her mind. Veda walked to the door to her left. Softly, she tapped on the door three times. Hoping Sola was as hungry as she was and that her psyche was free of fear.

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





Upon hearing that Shasta was indeed back in The Ruins and presumably safe, Sola froze in the middle of her search for a clean sweatshirt. A sigh of relief escaped her lips and she closed her eyes as a sense of comfort filled her. Her brother was back, alive and safe in The Ruins. She knew that he knew how to handle himself, but when dealing with trips to Tranquility...there was always that possibility of not returning, even without the agenda of meeting a strange potential ally.


Sola's relief was quickly followed up by another emotion as she registered the rest of what Kais was saying. Shasta had come looking for them...and had seen her curled up in Kais' arms. Guilt and dread filled her as she thought about what might've been going through her brother's mind to find them like that. Why had he left without saying anything? Was he truly that angry? Did he think that they had intentionally kept this from him?


Sola had wanted to speak with him before he found out on his own. Hell, she had wanted to speak with Kais before so they could figure out together what exactly this new thing between them was...and then they could have communicated that to Shasta. All of that was out the window now. He was aware, and there was no erasing that knowledge.





"Damn it. I've never so much even as introduced someone I'd been seeing to Shasta. This is entirely new territory. And we gave him no warning. Instead, he sees you in my bed. With me also in that bed. Oh my goodness, he's going to be so pissed. He's got to know that nothing happened. At least, what he's probably thinking didn't happen. Damn it," Sola stopped, a blush spreading across her face at what she'd implied. She blinked and added on, more softly. "I mean, it's not like you and I have even discussed what exactly this is between us,"


She would have continued her verbal processing as Kais got ready, when a there was a light tapping at the door.


Veda. In the revelations of that morning, Sola had forgotten that she had plans to get breakfast with her new comrade. She hadn't even gotten the chance to change out of her sleeping attire.


"Just one second!" Sola called to the door, before looking back at Kais. "That's probably Veda, the woman from last night. We have plans to get breakfast and go to the Market Square. After everything that happened yesterday, I'm not canceling. I was planning on finding Shasta after to tell him what...what happened at my station last night. Will you be alright to talk to him about...us? I can find you both later today,"


Sola refrained from asking Kais what exactly he was going to say to her brother. There was too much going on in this day, and it was still before breakfast.

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

Kais watched her reaction out of the corner of his eye as he pulled his boots on. It was predictable and very much similar to his; first relief, then surprise, dread, guilt, and mingled together with all of them confusion and uncertainty. He listened to her think aloud, looking up sharply when she commented that they hadn't yet discussed what was even happening between them. It hadn't really occurred to him that there was much to talk about until that moment, but now that he thought about it there really were certain things that ought to be settled before he spoke to Shasta.


From his end things were fairly predictable. He had never so much as let another person so close to him, emotionally, as Sola was--excepting Shasta--let alone been romantically involved with anything,that put together with the fact that Kais didn't do things by halves--in for a penny, in for a pound--made it fairly clear what exactly this meant to him. Until that moment he hadn't considered what it might mean for Sola. While she had never exactly introduced anyone she was involved with to him and Shasta, Kais had the sneaking suspicion more than once that she had intentionally hidden someone she had been involved with from them. Still, this was Sola; she was so open with everything. When she set boundaries it was very clear where they were, and yet, she hadn't said anything.


Since there was some lingering uncertainty, he opened his mouth to ask exactly what this was between them. His question was prevented, however, by a knock on the door. He felt a sharp drop in his stomach as the possibility that it was Shasta came to mind. Thankfully, Sola's next comment provided a more plausible explanation. He rose to his feet, making a face as she revealed her plans for the day. Couldn't things be quiet for a single day, anymore? It wasn't that he begrudged her the freedom to go where she wished with whomever she wanted, but he would have killed for an extra thirty minutes to sort out what the hell was going on before he had to relay that information to her brother. As things stood, Sola was preparing to rush off to support her new friend, leaving Kais to deal with Shasta. Telling a woman's brother that you're romantically involved with his sister is every man's worst nightmare--and it was a nightmare Kais didn't realize he had until precisely that moment. Never mind the fact that Shasta was also his best friend, he was Sola's brother first. In fact, the fact that he was Kais best friend made things that much worse. Telling your best friend that you're romantically involved with his sister was decidedly harder than not knowing him at all. At least if he hadn't known Shasta he could pretend things would still be okay if he disapproved.


But there was no time for all of that, it seemed. Kais took a few steps toward Sola until she was close enough to touch. His expression was troubled for a million different reasons. Sola had somewhere she needed to be; it was her nature to form bonds with people, to make sure everyone was alright. She needed to be with Veda just then, and Kais understood that. But he also understood that he was about to have the most awkward conversation of his life with his best friend in a few minutes, and that it was going to be significantly more awkward if he didn't ask Sola a question right now. The issue was that it was a long question with a long answer and she didn't have time for that. He was faced with the decision of whether or not to ask--to put his needing to know before her needing to go or not. If he didn't ask he was stuck with relaying events to Shasta, with trying to somehow explain that things had happened so quickly that they hadn't even had time to discuss anything. If he didn't ask he wouldn't have any answers for Shasta, which would likely just make Shasta more frustrated with him. But if he did ask, Sola would have to keep Veda waiting. If he did ask, he would have to see that hesitation and uncertainty on her face as she struggled to answer the question promptly and realized she couldn't. If he did ask she would have to wait to do the things she needed to do, to see the people she needed to see.


He didn't ask.


"I'll be fine," he said, sounding more confident than he felt at that moment. He reached out to touch her cheek, brushing his fingers against her skin before hooking his thumb under her chin and stooping to press his lips against hers. The kiss was joined by a wonderful swooping feeling somewhere near his navel and somehow, in spite of everything, he felt a bit more confident.


He pulled back, just enough to look into her eyes but leaving his hand on her cheek. "Don't worry about Shasta; I'll take care of everything."

 

[Ashmorne]

S o l a r a || F e i v e l


spark scout





A jumble of different emotions had played across Kais' face as she told him her plans for the day. Guilt roiled in her stomach as she considered what that conversation between him and Shasta would be like. He shouldn't have had to do that alone, but Sola couldn't break her commitment. After the night that Veda had had, the last thing Sola wanted was for her to have an even worse impression of The Ruins. She wanted to suggest that Kais wait to talk to Shasta until she returned, but she knew that would only further serve to complicate the situation and probably piss him off further.


Kais began to move across the room, stopping in front of her. His expression didn't look happy. It was a combination of different things...uncertainty, stress, maybe confusion. With a start, Sola realized that Kais had never been romantically involved with anyone before...at least, as far as she knew. Despite the myriad of other things she was feeling, there was a sense of happy distinction. Kais wasn't the type of person to go into something without thinking, and he wasn't the type of person to only be half-interested. He knew what he wanted and what he didn't want. Clearly he wouldn't have kissed her yesterday if she was someone that he didn't want. She studied his face for a moment, wondering what was going on in his mind.


For a second, it looked like he was about to ask her something. Instead, he simply stated that he would be fine. His voice sounded more assured than his expression, with eased her guilt a little bit. When he kissed her, she let her eyes slip shut as she leaned into it. Their second real kiss, she recognized as her heart beat a little faster. For now, this was all the reassurance that she needed. She met his gaze, allowing her arms to slip lightly over his shoulders, her hands locking loosely behind his neck. Lifting her chin, heart still fluttering, she nodded.





"I'll talk to him later today, too. Thank you for doing this. I'm so sorry I can't be there," a small smile touched her face as she looked up at him. "If you were wondering what my thoughts were...I just want you to know that I'm in this for the long haul. Whatever that may look like. You're stuck with me,"


Sola added the last sentence with a small laugh, kissing him softly one more time before loosening her arms and stepping back. She glanced at him one more time, pausing to point at the door.





"I really need to answer this now. I'm sorry again," she said, making her way to the entryway.


Before answering, Sola took a second to run her hands through her hair. She attempted to at least smooth out her locks through the tangles. She glanced down at her attire...at the cropped shirt and loose pants, the clothes she had obviously slept in. It was too late to change anything now, whoever was on the other side had been waiting long enough.


Opening the door, she saw Veda, just like she'd predicted. Smiling and stepping aside so that Veda could enter, Sola began to speak.





"Hey, Veda. Please come in. I'm so sorry. I slept in a little, so can you give me a minute to change and get ready? Kais is here too. You may remember him from yesterday,"


She wondered if Veda had been able to get a good night's sleep, or if they went through similar experiences. Sola herself was still avoiding thinking about what happened last night. She noticed that the freckles on the other woman's face seemed more prominent than the night before. She also realized that Veda had found the spare clothes in the room, and was happy that they fit her okay. They were in Sola's size, but there wasn't much of a difference between their frames.


It would still be important to make a visit to the Market so that Veda could pick some things that she liked. Going to the Market Square with new recruits was something that Sola greatly enjoyed. She loved helping them find things that fit their personalities for the first time outside of the Patch.


Sola gestured for her to come inside, wondering absently if Veda would later comment on Kais' presence. A twinge of guilt ran through her as she hoped she hadn't just put them an overly awkward situation. Breakfast and coffee would definitely strengthen her ability to make sound decisions.

 

[Zoola]

Eve Salem





"Ms. Salem, Ava Sebastian is here to see you,"


Eve's secretary's voice echoed over the intercom in her typical, artificially bright manner. Eve spared a glance at the clock: 9:04. Eve rose from her seat at the desk, smoothing over her skirt as she did so. "Thank you, Jade. I'll be right out," Eve replied before stepping out of her office to greet Ava Sebastian. Her lips curled into a gentle smile as she welcomed the minister of propaganda, extending her hand out to her.


"Ms. Sebastian, it's good to see you. My office is right this way," she said, gesturing towards the room where she just came from, "And you do look ravishing, if I do say so." The ostentatious outfit was hardly Eve's taste; she preferred a more modest attire. That day, she'd opted for a simple slim, black business suit. Certainly less eye-catching than Ava's get-up, but Eve preferred to remain behind the scenes, anyhow.


"Thank you for meeting with me, Ava. Please, take a seat," she motioned to the seat opposite from hers across her desk, taking a seat herself. "As I said in my message, there was a recent security breech in the Cloud Sector that warranted some revisions," she said, pressing a button on her tablet. Within moments, a video began to play on the screen on a nearby wall: the footage of the incident in Peace Park. After the footage ended, Eve continued, "That was the second of two security violations in the past month. As you can see, this has raised some concern. Security measures are being taken care of as we speak, but that's not the main issue at hand. This outright defiance is proof that the citizens in the outer sectors are losing their devotion to PaxCor. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Sebastian?"

 

[whitefoxkiller]

Ava Sebastian

​

Ava stood up to greet Eve as she came out of her office. She gave her a huge smile and as they walked into Eve’s office Ava quietly said, “Why thank you Ms. Salem,” to everything she’d said and nothing in particular. As she was directed, Ava had a seat and was about to say something in response to Eve’s thanking her for meeting with her but Eve gave her no opening and moved right onto the matter at hand. Not one to fool around with idle chatter Ava thought, Or maybe I used up her idle chatter time with the four extra minutes I took to get here.


Ava took a seat and nodded along with what Eve was saying about the security breach. She was concerned that the security breach was in fact Ava being caught on some cameras, that Eve already knew Ava was a rebel and she had just invited Ava here to torture her nerves for Eve’s sick pleasure or something. Ava was not really relieved when she saw on the camera that the breach was in Peace Park, where Ava’s datapad had been traded off the other night. Ava let her face assumed an expression of concern which could be interpreted as concern for security.


"That was the second of two security violations in the past month. As you can see, this has raised some concern. Security measures are being taken care of as we speak, but that's not the main issue at hand. This outright defiance is proof that the citizens in the outer sectors are losing their devotion to PaxCor. Wouldn't you agree, Ms. Sebastian?" Eve spouted a ton of info at once onto Ava and then asked a very condescending question that Ava didn’t like the sound of. She would not be spoken to this way, like a child.


“Well Eve, with two security violations this month I hardly think you need my opinion to come to that conclusion,” She returned Eve’s jab about devotion with a jab of her own about the lack of security: something Eve was in charge of. Ava couldn’t help being a little bitchy. Eve knew she was trying to rouse Ava and if that wasn’t her intention then she was not as smart as Ava thought she was. All the same, as far as Eve knew, Ava and her were on the same side so she wasn’t sure why she was being so discourteous and uncivil. It just wasn’t how people in the Diamond District operated and Ava wouldn’t play ball if Eve didn’t care enough to.

 

[Zoola]

Eve Salem





"Of course not," Eve replied, her expression blank as she picked up on the implications behind Ava's retort. It was amusing how easy it was to get a rise out of someone from the subtlest change in tone. She stifled a riposte, remaining civil in her response. "As I said, I've already addressed the issue of security, but that's beside the point. All the security in the world won't make a difference against determination. Their loyalty to PaxCor is waning. What we need is to further subdue them, to realign their loyalties to PaxCor again. That's your area of expertise. Of course, that's the whole point of this meeting," she said.


"I've been reviewing the propaganda that the rest of the population views." In fact, that was what consumed her night and most of her morning: watching the propagandistic films, scrutinizing the posters, advertisements, everything. Some of the subliminal messages she found when viewing everything back to back was a little disconcerting. Whether that was intentional or merely coincidental? She wasn't completely certain. Ava was the last person on earth she'd expect to do such things, but she was also intelligent enough to know what she was doing. But she didn't want to bring it up until she was absolutely certain. "While I suppose there's nothing distinctly wrong with the material, there are certainly areas that can be improved. Perhaps we're sending out the wrong message. Just subtle things here and there, but they make a difference. If you don't mind my input, that is. Either way, it's imperative that we strengthen the propaganda in the outer sectors."

 

[DrakeAlistair]

Kais Wiltchil

Spark Strategist

​

"I just want you to know that I'm in this for the long haul. Whatever that may look like."





Surprise showed on his face for a moment. Then she kissed him again and it faded into something happier. It wasn't quite the answer to the question he hadn't asked, but it was enough for now. It would get him through his talk with Shasta. Things were going to be ugly, for a little while, but if he could explain to Shasta--somehow make him understand that no, they really hadn't thought about this at all, but both of them were committed to making it stay--then just maybe he could smooth things over.


The second kiss was over too soon, and Sola was moving away from him. He steeled himself as she moved toward the door, resisting the impulse that struck him--the impulse to stop her from opening the door and letting someone else into what was, at least temporarily, their sanctuary and theirs alone. She opened the door and he caught a glimpse of the other woman through the open door.


Kais realized too late that someone else was coming in and he was completely unprepared for a social encounter with an unknown person. For a brief moment he looked startled, a deer caught in a torch light. For a brief moment he was the prey instead of the predator, and he hated it. He thought what this must look like to an outsider--she was walking in on him in Sola's room, all of his barriers down, his hair a tangled mess. He was fully dressed but he felt naked and exposed. People did that to him. It was half the reason why most people only ever say professional Kais. Professional Kais could have handled Veda walking in on him with mused hair in Sola's room because professional Kais wouldn't have cared.


He was sorely tempted to retreat behind that cloak--it would take only a few moments, he could be hidden safely behind a lifeless face before she noticed anything. Maybe. But there wasn't any time for that--he needed to see Shasta and Shasta was only a few doors away. There was no time to switch twice before meeting with his friend. The alternative was even more uncomfortable than the thought of the conversation he was about to have with Shasta.


So instead he just stood there, eyes wide, posture tense, looking like he wanted to bolt for the open door as Veda entered the room. Sola was so casual about the whole situation, gesturing vaguely to him as if it wasn't weird that he was in her room at all. As if it wasn't weird that Veda was in her room or that Sola was even talking to someone. A small voice in the back of his mind registered that none of those things were, objectively, actually weird. So why did they feel so wrong to him, suddenly?


People usually said 'hi' or 'hello', or nodded or waved, or did something when they were being introduced to another person. Kais did none of these things. But he did remember to blink, and slowly, inch by inch, he remembered to stop looking like he was about to be shot. He dropped his eyes, very pointedly not looking at Veda, and instead reached up to bundle his hair into a loose bun at the nape of his neck. It was too much of a mess for anything else, and even this was something of a challenge.


Now all that remained was the matter of getting away. Veda was inside and the door was closing behind her; Kais watched, as if in slow motion, as his escape route closed. He couldn't run for it, though, Sola and Veda were still much too close to the exit. Sola was moving back toward her dresser--much too slowly, Kais thought--and Veda followed vaguely, almost uncertainly, after her. Kais moved in the opposite direction, taking an inefficient path that gave him the maximum separation from Veda as he moved toward the door. He congratulated himself silently for having not stared awkwardly at Veda, or run into her, or anything of the sort.


The door was in sight and just barely ajar. He reached and pushed it open again, half-turning to look at them as he continued to move, now walking sideways, for the hall. A number of possible things to say crossed his mind: 'bye', perhaps? 'I'll see you later'? But his mouth went dry at the thought of speaking; his voice would probably have come out as some horrible strangled sound, anyway. It would be less awkward to say nothing at all, surely. So instead, he just ducked sideways out of the room, as if he had totally never intended to say anything and hadn't just turned around for that express purpose. Ri-ight.


It occurred to him after he had already reached the hallway that this--everything he had done from the moment the door opened--was very weird. In trying to not be awkward, he had made things much more awkward.

 

[whitefoxkiller]

Ava Sebastian

​

Ava furrowed her brow quizzically as if she had no idea what Eve was talking about. Eve had noticed the way Ava framed the movies was hinting at anti-PaxCor affiliations. Ava needed desperately to get Eve and Luna to trust her absolutely so this time she’d comply. Ava had a feeling her Pill People friends wouldn’t like the fact that she was actually going to have to make some convincing films and posters and whatnot but if Shasta and his team were as professional and intelligent as they seemed they’d understand.


“Of course I don’t mind your input. I agree we need to strengthen the material we’re putting out into the outer sector,” Ava knew that Eve was aware she was an intelligent lady, so she’d need to probably sort of pin this on someone else, “If you believe that my people have been making small mistakes I’ll have to re-evaluate who's under me and take things more into my hands.” Ava folded her legs and laced her fingers together, “In the meantime I’d like to get a list of all the mistakes you found with my material. I’ll bring them up with my team and we’ll set about righting them or throwing away tainted films completely.”


Ava was aiming for total cooperation with a little bit of contempt, since Eve did insult her ability to do her job. However, Ava saw this issue as an opportunity to get the upperhand. “Eve, while the media my department produces may need some improvements I suggest we seek alternate forms of placation. Propaganda is all fine and well if the subject already agrees with your cause, but tends to turn others away if they are already feeling the pangs of nonconformity. I think if these nonconforms are in fact growing in numbers like you say then we need to take more drastic measures and seek out-of-the-box solutions,” she proposed carefully and with a heavy dose of concern in her voice.