Fantasy Nightingale [closed]

[cranboggles]

[Warning for dark themes, vioence, and gore]


Rumors have been cropping up all over the place lately. In some stories they're a cult, in some they're a violent all-girl gang, in some they are alien abductors beaming up girls to experiment on, and in others still they are angels, old testament style with wrath and mercy in equal measures.


They are known as Brood, a mysterious band of girls and young women who are (allegedly) responsible for a sudden spike of violent criminal activities. Nobody knows how many there are, who their leader is, or why they do the things they do. But as it so happens you've just been approached by one of their scouts and for one reason or another you allowed her to deliver you blindfolded into their base of operations, the Nest.


You are one of a handful of new recruits, all girls who have left or been cast out of their old lives, forced to fend for themselves all alone, until now. Whatever your past, the other Broodlings give you promise of a better future.


Maybe this promise appeals to you, maybe you simply know you don't have any better options, or maybe what you really want is to expose these mythical outlaws to the public, take down their organization from the inside out.


Go through your initiation rites, make friends and allies you can count on, rise up the ranks, uncover the mysteries, and then... Well, that's up to you.


Welcome to the Brood.


((game begins once there are a minimum of four players))

 

[cranboggles]

((bumping the thread for last minute signups. rp is set to begin in 24 hours [May 29th Noon EST]. once we've begun, i will no longer be accepting character submissions))

 

[cranboggles]

Day 0


Objectives: None (consider this a freeby warmup)


-----


The blindfold finally comes off. You expect to have to adjust your eyes to the light, but the fluorescents overhead are dimmed and no sunlight comes through the high windows. You know, because it's night. It was night when that girl first approached you and though the blindfold somewhat skewed your perception, you know you weren't walking anywhere near long enough for the sun to rise.


You're standing in what at first looks like a vacated warehouse. No, wait, you recognize this building, or the kind of building at least. It's one of those abandoned tenements that the city never got around to tearing down. It's cleaner than you might've thought, though no scrubbing can get rid of the smell of old wood. It's in much better repair than it rightfully should be, but it still has the shaky trademarks of that good old 17th century architecture.


Funny place for a secret hideout, if it can even be called that, but you suppose no one would think to come poking around here, so that's a definite upside for the purpose. It's big certainly. Huge. All lofty rafters and dark corners. All that aside, it does have a rustic sort of charm to it.


You look to either side of you and see that you are standing in a line of other girls. More “recruits” no doubt, based on what little your self-proclaimed guide told you. She's gone now, replaced by another unfamiliar face standing in front of the lineup with an appraising look. This one looks only about thirteen, but she carries herself in a way that seems almost comically adult paired with her slight frame. She has a neat black pixiecut and a pair of baggy overalls. To each her own, you guess.


“Everyone here? Yeah? Good. Sorry about all the secrecy, but it's kind of how we do things here. Plus it's a ton of fun. The blindfolds were totally my idea. And hey, if you didn't want to play along you could've just said no. It's important to us that you get a choice. If it ever becomes too much for you, just say the word and you'll be plucked up and dropped back in your old life.”


Your old life. That's a threat if you ever heard one.


“Of course, if you do leave, you'll be sworn to total secrecy,” she continues cheerfully. “The Brood values its privacy. The Brood values trust. And if you violate that trust, we'll have to send the Carrions after you. Trust me, you don't want that, I don't want that. Odds are, it won't come to that.”


In one hand she holds up a handheld whiteboard which reads, “Days since an incident: 72” in dry erase marker, with a little smiley face drawn beside it. In the other is what appears to be a set of notecards which she glances at intermittently through her little introduction.


“Now, introductions: My name's Goose. Welcome to the Nest. We call this part of initiation the shallows, because you're not in deep yet. I know this all probably seems real scary to you, but it'll get better, I promise.


“The Nest is home, a home to anyone who needs one, either temporarily or on a long term basis. Lots of girls pass through here, but it takes something special to to stay. You gotta feel real love for this place and the people in it. You gotta be willing to do whatever it takes to help the family. We look out for each other here, we protect each other. As long as you stick with the Brood, you've got nothing to fear. And once you pass initiation, you'll never be without friends and family again.”


The recruits exchange glances. This girl sounds a little nutty, to put it delicately, but the things she's promising- a home, a family, a life full of love and no fear- that sounds pretty great, if it can be believed.


“Okay,” she giggles, pocketing her notes. “Now that I've given you the whole speech, I'll let you explore a little. I know all of this is a lot to take in. Trust me, I was in this same position, like, a year ago. I think? Must've been at least a year. Time flies, you know?


“Oh yeah, and one more thing. You guys are so lucky! You're the last batch of fledglings so you get to jump right into initiation tomorrow morning. For now, rooms are, you know, around.” She gestures vaguely behind her and as if on cue, the overhead lights flicker a bit more lively to illuminate the way. “If anyone needs anything I'll be right here, or somewhere near, probably. I'll tell you what's what. Just gimme a yell. Play nice!”

 

[WaffleReaper]

Amelia thought to herself with a long hard look at the roof"This maybe a crazy place but, if I join I'll never be without family. That's all I ever wanted... I'll give it a try, maybe the others will enjoy my cooking since I did it all the time with my mom... Mom, could've saved her, but I was to young... Now a group of people that called a bunch of girls they kidnapped fledglings, and are offering me the thing I dreamed about, I don't know if I can trust them... I can probably trust the other kidnapped girls here... that's what I'll do starting with the blue-haired girl"


Amelia said, well forced herself really, to talk with the blue haired girl with a smile, she said "Hey, can you believe Goose, she must be insane to just causally mention that SHE was the one who thought of the blindfolds..." Amelia shows displeasure on her face as she whispers to "The blue haired girl" "So, Do you believe this? I'm not sure about this... The people here are just... Weird, but hey, I got a bad story to tell to." Amelia stares at the floor then looks back up with a smile.


"Although this maybe crazy, I am looking forward to getting to know you and the other Fledgelings. I have had friends before but most of them... left me." Amelia frowns as she remembers the thing she's been trying to forget for weeks... she thought to herself as she stared at the ground "Rose... I can't believe my only friend is gone" Amelia looked back up and said with curiosity "What's your opinion?" although Amelia is still showing sadness.


(@Yoruko Katsumi)

 

[The Hollowed]

Tyler was looking around with his white eyepatch on and heard the girl and thought "really I get to join a group that's like family it'll be great to have a big family and meet new people.... But I don't think they would like it if I told them I was a boy I don't know what they'll do to me they could beat me like at what happens at school or worse I don't know what to do!" Tyler started figitting around and then listens to the rest the girl thought and thought "she thought of the blind folds well I'll give her an A for that" and showed an agreeing face for wanting to keep the privacy of the brood and looks around


"Hmm this might be fun I'll like to meet new people to" he said and giggled a little. And looked around and saw a black haired girl and said "hi my names Taylor" he said with a smile and thought "I guess I'm going with Taylor now"


@RiahB

 

[RiahB]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_05/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.22ed55e92af6a08814b18a9a3a0b9a6f.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="54396" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_05/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.22ed55e92af6a08814b18a9a3a0b9a6f.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


SLIMM


Slimm had no idea what the hell she just got herself into. When she had been abducted, she was sure it was one of them, ready to shoot her up with coke and open her like a spring festival. Boy, did se struggle. She put a hell of a fight into getting away from whoever the hell they were, but she lost and she was pissed. The wave of relief that hit her square in the face was crippling when she saw it was The Ad, her ticket out of this shit.


The kid was talking about recruits and initiation like it was some college club. "Drink the blood of our predecessors to truly become part of our group." Hell, She'd drink the blood of a thousand frat boys and house girls to get out of her pickle. She looks around when the kid said to and wandered a bit. Her eyes were everywhere, sweeping everyone, adrenaline pumping through he like gasoline through an engine. She wasn't sure there was anything she wouldn't do if anyone came at her threateningly. She tugged on the hem of her shirt as she took in the old abandoned building, in better shape than half the shit she's lived in. Hell, Candice lived in a box once.


"Hi, my name's Taylor!"


Slimm looked over, a kid with two different colored eyes was speakjng to her. Trippy. Her eyes were completely different. Slimm wondered idly if it was a disease and also if it was contagious. Besides your average malnourished street kid, she didn't look diseased.


"Slimm." she said.


@Aqua (Sorry, didn't see your tag.)
​

 

[Yoruko Katsumi]

Kathryn watched Goose intently as she promised wonderful things. Friends? Family? A real home too... It had been a long time since she had other people to rely on. Her eyes widened in joy at the thought of friends. However that might take some getting used to as she tends to view others as her prey for survival. She cupped her pouch attached to her side and felt her belongings to make sure everything was there with a mental checklist. Let's see... My knife: check, coins: check, pick set: check, rations: check. Kat had let a quite sigh release from her lips. The blind fold thing really made her nervous, but these other girls seemed harmless enough to her. After the one called Goose released us to do our own thing for the night, the girl next to her tried to engage in conversation. I might as well humor her.. She thought thinking of what to say. "Well in my opinion, I am glad to be here" She said with a smile. " You seem like a nice girl. What are you doing in a place like this? My name is Kathryn, but please call me Kat for short." She looked at the Blonde and smiled kindly although she didn't really mean anything she just said. Kat stretched her gloved hand out towards the girl for a handshake.


@WaffleReaper

 

[WaffleReaper]

Amelia smiled brightly and said "Well glad to meet you Kat". She then shook Kathryn's hand and said with the same smile and happiness "I was just another lost girl who was given an opportunity of a life time". After Amelia finished she looked at the roof and said with a blank face "Although, things have gone much worse for me than most can imagine..." She looks back at Kathryn and said "sorry about that, I am sure things have been hard on you too".


Amelia thought to herself with a smile and happy mood "I'm Already making friends! This is great, Kat looks nice just like everyone else! seems like Goose wasn't lying about the family thing... Well although I am glad about that what's with the kidnapping? It probably doesn't matter" Amelia convinced herself with a smile. She then continued her conversation with Kathryn.


She say's with a smile and big open eyes "Well sad or not, our pasts won't really effect us now. We are going to have a wonderful time here with our new family." Amelia then realizes how overjoyed she is and lowered her smile by as much as she can before continued "Well I think we should start to meet the other girls so we know who our new family members are. It's been a nice talk but, I really think we should talk with the other girls here so talk to you soon." Amelia then looks for someone else to talk to with a smile on her face.

 

[Yoruko Katsumi]

That girl is a bit on the strange side. Kat thought to herself as she looked around the large building. "I wonder what is in store for us tomorrow with these initiation things.." She whispered trailing off studying the layout and placement of the windows. Not bad at all. This is way better than the slums I was living in. She looked at the other fledgling girls. I might as well begin to converse with them too. Kat walked over to the closest one. she had long black hair and piercing green eyes. "Hello" She said in the happiest tone she could manage with a smile. "My name is Kathryn Roland. But call me Kat for short. It's a pleasure to meet you fellow fledgling." Kat stretched her gloved hand towards the other girl. "What's your name?" She asked with a wide grin and smiling eyes.


@Arion

 

[WaffleReaper]

As Amelia walked toward Tyler she kept her smile and said "Hi, my name's Amelia L. Wan... der. Never mind about that. How do you think the other girls feel about this" Amelia continues to be unaware that Tyler is a boy. "I think we can all agree Goose acted a little to crazy with the blindfolds but, if you don't It really doesn't matter to me, I've been through a really tough time and I would love to get to know the other girls around here.


Amelia raises her hand for a handshake when it seemed she had the letters JP inscribed on it. After asking with a smile "What's your name?" she then thought to herself with her eyes staring at the floor "I hope she didn't see the JP on my hand. That would be a horrible conversation about getting kidnapped and getting forced into getting this tattoo so her kidnappers knew she was one of the Jack Pots or high ransoms. That would be an awful scenario, but really, I'd be more comfortable talking about my dead parents than that. Those marauders even wanted me to cook for them. Of course half of them died from overdose and I was finally let go after a year but still, they are some of the worst people I can think of."


Realizing her attention was stolen she turned back to Tyler and said with a forced smile "Well come on, we're gonna do some sort of trial to see if we're getting in so let's get to know each other" Amelia then stood there eager to make another friend to forget some of the awful things that have happened to her. She then said "Your staring at the JP aren't you." She sighs and then continues with a frown "I was kidnapped and forced to take this tattoo by my kidnappers so if your wondering it means Jack Pot. These people marked the people they kidnapped kids for ransom and put a tattoo on us to tell who is high and low for ransoms. It's pretty simple, L is for low, M for medium, O for outstanding, and JP for Jack Pot." She sighed with relief and smiled even brighter than before she asked "Well, are you going to tell me something about yourself?" With her hand still up


(@Aqua)

 

[adrian_]

Aliss would look over at the other girl, almost staring at her. "Guh... Uh... Fuck... Hello. Wait, I'm Alisson." She'd Shake her hand. "Who are you, Wait Oh hell you told me that... Errr. How was that game last night. Fuck..." Aliss had shifted over to being a Smartass before but this time she hadn't known what she was actually doing. "That was a weird entrance right? Heh..." "Stop being an idiot..." Aliss thought to herself.

 

[Yoruko Katsumi]

Kat laughed at the girls antics. She must be more nervous than I am. "It's alright. Stranger things have happened to me. Pleasure to meet ya Alisson. Call me Kat for now." She grinned at the girl hoping she calmed down a little. "I look forward to getting to know you better my fellow fledgling." She released the girls hand from her own and glanced around the room once more. "It sure is amazing how well kept this place is. Way better than the slums. What do you think Alisson?" Kat asked sincerely curious for once. This girl's antics had both amused and intrigued her.


@Arion

 

[StoneWolf18]

As the blindfold fell away, Dysis closed her eyes for a moment. The lights, though dim were extremely bright compared to the curtain of darkness that had been drawn over her eyes. Her mind felt slightly muddled from the abduction of sorts. Opening her eyes once more, Dysis let her gaze wander the room. The towering walls dotted with lightless windows informing her that it was night. The night. That night. Dizziness swamped her, she was still contemplating whether this was actually happening. Steadying herself, Dysis continued to study her surroundings. Though at first is seem like an ancient warehouse, but she soon confirmed that her location was in an old tenement, there were various scattered ‘round the city that the government were to lazy to tear down. To her surprise, it was cleaner than one might’ve thought, though the musk of aged, decaying wood hung in the air like a thick fog. Although it was clearly around the 17th century construction, the place was in a great state of repair.


Dysis almost let a chuckle escape her lips. An abandoned place of residence used as a confidential hideout. Yet, there was little chance that someone would be exploring this place anytime soon. Well, someone sane anyway. Another upside is the size. The building was absolutely massive. Perfect for housing a guild of sorts. Aside from all of that, it was giving off sort of a calming feel. Quite relaxing in an old, rustic way.


Now, Dysis noticed that she was in line with other females of various ages. She assumed them to be others recruited for the guild, well based upon what their slightly egotistical guide had staid. A look a relief washed over her face, hopping it wasn’t too noticeable, as she saw that the previous guide had been replaced with someone unfamiliar. Dysis was glad that she didn’t have to bear the torture of the mindless banter that she had supplied. Catching the appraising look what she assumed to be a young girl of about thirteen, she returned the favor. This kid killing someone? Ha, more like wetting their pants at the glimpse of a pristine blade, or tears at the sight of bloodshed. As her gaze was leaving her, Dysis flashed a humorous, ‘nice try kid’ look. Adding to the humor was her choice of clothing. The washed out, baggy overalls almost made that previous chuckle escape her grasp.


After she processed the words she had said, at quite a reasonable pace. How could blindfolding someone be fun? For all she knew, it could be as if she were a lamb led to the slaughter. And being dropped into her previous life after what it took to get here? After thinking it over once more, she assumed it to be a threat. Dysis narrowed her eyes at the child yet stayed silent. For all she knew, this little lady could have her ass on the floor in a matter of seconds. Then when she continued to drone on and on about secrecy and being 'taken care of' if you done, she grew bored. Quickly scanning the whiteboard she presented led Dysis to wonder what incident had happened, yet it wasn't her business so she let the thought slip out of her mind.


When she mentioned her name was goose, Dysis couldn't help it any longer. This was all too much. A snort escaped her nose as she attempted to keep the laughter in. In old English, Goose was a minor cuss word. As in calling someone a 'jackass' now. But, though fear was mentioned, now that she thought about it, she wasn't scared. Dysis answered with a roll of her eyes, this kid was starting to annoy her. Speaking as if she were a child. Then, friends and family were mentioned. Her mind went straight to her younger brother. Gritting her teeth, the memories of that day still fresh though it had happened so long ago. She then slowly moved her hands into the pocket of her ebony hoodie. Not wanted people to ask about the prosthetic, it would just worsen the blow. She said that they protect one another, yet how could she protect them if she let her brother die? Dysis bit her tongue, the Metallic, coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as did the pain. She focused her gaze upon the floor, she couldn't break down in front of them. Not now.


Finally, Goose was done speaking. Dysis was relieved yet kept her gaze fixed upon the cement floor. She needed to calm herself down. Taking deep breaths she heard the others stir around her. Yet she stayed fixed in place, hopping no one came to say hello.


(Remember that this is detailed, not casual. More needs to be posted, in my opinion anyway.)

 

[cranboggles]

The atmosphere of nervous conversation is cut into slightly by some strange sounds coming from the floor above. These old buildings aren't exactly soundproof after all. It sounds like scratching, maybe some kind of animal. Maybe someone upstairs has a pet. Or there's a rat infestation. Let's focus on that first idea.


While everyone's been making their introductions, Goose has been off to the side, apparently content to let the new recruits do their own thing. But as the noise gets louder she appears suddenly uneasy. She hooks a hand around her back and itches at her neck and shoulders.


“Oookay, bedtime kids!” she says, totally resolute in the statement despite being the youngest in the room. “We've got rooms down the halls to the left and the right. Open rooms are open. Locked doors are off-limits, unless you can pick the lock. If you can do that go nuts. Uh, yeah, you guys can figure stuff out, right? Right!”


Without waiting for reply, the flighty girl heads off down another hall neither to the right or left, but straight down the middle. Aside from those three hallways, there's also a heavy wooden door behind you. She's left you to your own devices, but it is late. In fact, it's just about midnight. Tonight is almost tomorrow, and who knows what tomorrow will bring.


The right and left wings are pretty much identical in design, rooms on either side all the way down. It's not exactly a palace. Some of the rooms are missing doors, some have doors but they're full of holes, and part of the right hallway is blocked by debris that appears to have collapsed down from the ceiling. The lights are too dim to explore much right now, but there are lots of windows, so it should be better once the sun rises.


---


Almost all of the former apartments, should you choose to enter them, are interconnected, with only one or two main rooms to each. All over, doors, walls, and windows alike are taken down like someone was renovating and gave up partway through. You think to move quietly, so as not to wake those who are already settled in for the night, but it's not entirely necessary. Only the much younger girls are asleep, the others either too excited, too nervous, or too nocturnal to sleep. They sit cross-legged, whispering amongst themselves, playing cards, braiding something- flowers?- into their hair. The little ones sleep like the dead, piled together in an awkward mess of mattresses, blankets, pillows, next to none confined to an actual bedframe. It's kind of cute, if you're into that sort of thing, like a litter of kittens. Other than that, the scene is pretty normal, domestic even.


There are plenty of rooms, but it seems most of the girls here prefer close quarters. You wouldn't be wrong to assume it makes them feel safer. Safe from what though? Whatever's upstairs, or whatever's outside waiting for them in the world they came from. There's space set aside for you and the others in a few of the ramshackle dwellings, as if they knew you all were coming. They probably did. Despite the appearance of this place, there seems to be some sense of order involved.


These girls here are all fledglings too, uninitiated to the ways of the Brood, but they seem somehow more adjusted to the strangeness of it all. They welcome you with soft nods and easy expressions, girls with polite dispositions, ones with wild hair and scraped up knees, ones with scars and split lips, ones with heavy makeup and painted nails, one with sloppy homemade piercing jobs. There doesn't seem to be any norm or criteria. But logically there has to be some sort of pattern, a common denominator, or else how do the scout know who to approach?


The rooms are all stripped of the features and fixtures that would've made them habitable when this place was still in use for the public. Of all the things there are to worry over, the thing that strikes you the most abruptly is the panicked thought that the bathrooms and kitchens have all probably been stripped too. Where does everyone shower? Is there even any running water? There's electricity, sure, but even that you don't know where it's from? Maybe you should've asked Goose. Would she even know though? She seems kind of... off. Plus, while she's by no means the youngest girl in the Brood, as you're starting to realize, she's still just a kid. You're all just kids here. How do a bunch of kids even put together something like this, whatever this is exactly.


There must be some sort of leader somewhere. An adult maybe. Is that idea comforting or frightening? Hard to say. For now, you've just gotta have faith that everything will make sense to you in time. Either way, sleep may be hard to come by tonight.

 

[WaffleReaper]

Disappointed she wasn't able to catch that girl's name, Amelia went to sleep without question. As she was lying there she thought "What could be so scary that Goose would make us go to sleep?" Amelia then then completely opens her eyes and holds back a yell as she realized "That could be a HUMAN being tortured! What if that's what we will be doing in the morning. In Goose's twisted eyes she was keeping us from a spoiler. This is crazy! I will NOT torture someone, especially not in the ways I was."


Amelia became paranoid, she had also started to think about her brother's misdeeds. "I can't believe that he ACTUALLY put a bomb in our parents car. That evil, greedy, MONEY-GRABBER. I could've saved them. I was just to young and that I would be a "Tattletale" from that. If I was braver, they'd still be alive... I can't think like that. If I beat myself up we might lose all the sane people in this place. I hope the others have realized this might not be the best of places."


Amelia smiles and tries to sleep as she thinks "However, I already said I would try this place out for a bit. It's probably just a cat. So let's just get to sleep and see what this place has to offer. Yet again... What if we managed to steal my half of the money my parents wanted me to have? That would easily get us a new place to live. Maybe even another place for the street-rats. It doesn't matter, none of us can even hope to get in there. Electrical fences, security guards, even a TANK guards that place. So it's best to get to sleep and see what else this madhouse has to offer." Amelia then get's to sleep and hopes for the best.

 

[RiahB]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.1015094eb9c1bbb353bb8b3cf0b913c7.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="54830" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.1015094eb9c1bbb353bb8b3cf0b913c7.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Slimm

​

Slimm looked at Goose as she spoke, nodded to the girl that spoke to her and the other girl that spoke to her and walked down the hall, taking a left. She tried the first door. Locked. Second-locked. She walked abou three doors down after that without checking the knobs and then opened the door at the end of the hall. It wasn't too shabby. Afterall, she slept on mattresses for years now andones a lot less comfortable. She sat after shutting the door behind her and looked around the sparse room, the peeling wall paper and scratched wooden floors. She pushed her hair back from her face and watched the door despite turning the lock as she shut it. It was a house full of girls but...


Slimm laid back, staring at the ceiling and listening hard for the sounds they had heard in the main room. She waited for the deep rumble of a man's voice or the bang of violence. It was sure to come. It had to. The mattress was comfortable, which was surprising, and it was covered with a quilt and a sleevless pillow. She wondered who else had laid their head on that pillow. Did they fail? Switch rooms? Die?


If they died, was it an overdose? Suicide? Murder? An accident in initiation?


Would Slimm die for this? Was this something she would give her life for?


But... She didn't have much of a life d she wouldn't without this...


She didn't feel her eyes slide shut and she didn't remember drifting asleep.

 

[Yoruko Katsumi]

After turning from the odd girl to listen to Goose again, Kathryn stayed back a moment watching the other girls go down the hallway with the doors. She gave a slight chuckle as one tried to open a few of the locked doors. Those won't take but a moment for me to undue. Kat thought to herself bragging as the girls went there separate ways among the horde of other fledglings.


Kat decided to make her way over to the first locked door when she was one of the last ones in the room. She knelt down in front of the door as she withdrew her lock picks elegantly from her pocket on her glove and proceeded with her work. The door knob made one of her most favorite sounds as the tumblers fell skillfully into place. Click. "Almost to easy" She whispered to herself smiling. She slowly opened the door and saw a long, dark corridor. She heard a scratching sound coming from up ahead. "Nope." Kat quickly closed the door, not wanting to bother with what ever was on the other side. "It's too dark to do any real exploring anyway" she said to herself as she turned and headed to the next locked door to repeat the process over one more time.


Kathryn made short work of the second door and was soon inside a fairly decent room. She smiled and closed the door behind her. There was a nice mattress on the floor with a pillow and a sheet. An actual mattress? This place is definitely better than the slums. She thought to herself looking around the rest of the room. In another corner there was what appeared to be a sink and a metal bucket. Kat fell on the bed the way a young child would jump into fresh sheet of snow for a snow angel. "I think I'm going to like it here" she whispered to the ceiling of the room.


Kat sat up, not wanting to drift into sleep until she checked to make sure everything was in her bag properly. It got a bit jumbled in the rough transition to where ever this place was. She dumped her pouch out in front of her and laid everything out on the mattress neatly. "Okay." I have about a pound of dried meat left, half a canteen of water, coin purse, and.. My knife. She thought to herself as she picked up one of the small beef strips and chewed on it, packing away the water and other strips into there propper compartments. Next, coins.She thought as she carefully checked the bag and frowned to realize a few were missing. Kat sighed at the development but shrugged it off. "It's to be expected something would go missing." Laughing at herself she tucked away the coin purse back in her pouch, deeper than usual. She sat there staring at the knife on the bed. Slowly, she reached out to pick it up and clenched the hilt tightly. I will get that evil bastard one day mom.. Kat thought to herself fighting back tears. I'm finely in a place where i can avenge you. Kat smiled tucking the knife under her pillow and resting her head on top of it. Her eyes began to feel heavy as she drifted off to sleep happy.

 

[cranboggles]

Day 1


You're woken by the chatter of some of the other girls, the remnants of last night's dreams still lingering in your mind. You grasp at the shadows, but are only able to pluck out a few fleeting memories. You recall waking momentarily, or was that a dream too?


Whether the images bouncing around in your still sleep-hazy mind are waking thoughts or the stuff of dreams, you seem to remember a shadow passing over you as you lay still. As it hovered, you found you were barely breathing. You remember the sound of wings beating against a hard surface, like a bird stuck in a cage, struggling to get out. Or fighting to get in. A nightmare, and yet you don't recall feeling afraid. Dreams are like that sometimes.


Thankfully you don't have time to dwell on these thoughts long however. A younger girl with dirty blonde braids bounces excitedly from bed to bed, shaking some of the others awake. She leaves you alone for the most part, presumably because she doesn't know you, but her hyperactivity wakes you nonetheless.


“Name day! Name day! Everybody up!” she squeals. Slowly the huddled mass of fledglings come alive, some with eagerness to match her own as her words dawn on them, some with the more commonplace grunts and groans of the early morning as they too shake off the ghosts of the night before.


At least it's not too early. The light coming through the window is strong and bright. If the girl hadn't woken you, you probably would've got up on your own anyway. You take a moment to peak out the window, blinking against the light. The view is about the same as the kind you'd have anywhere in the east end of the city. While it's good- or not, depending on your point of view- to know you haven't been abducted into a place totally unfamiliar, this also does little to help you get your bearings. There's no landmark or distinct feature of the urban landscape on the other side of the glass that might help you pinpoint your location. You could probably get a better picture if you had a higher vantage point. Well, it probably doesn't matter anyway.


Now then, what's going on?


Objectives:

• talk to the more experienced fledglings
  
• attend “name day”
  
• explore all of the first floor before nightfall
  

 

[RiahB]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.ca651df13acbe6385f368d59b3d7ed54.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="55670" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.ca651df13acbe6385f368d59b3d7ed54.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> SLIMM

Slimm groans, rubbing her eyes and resisting the urge to roll over and tuck her head under the pillow. She stared at the ceiling, recalling her odd dream from the night before. Her sigh came out heavy and she was grateful the dream wasn't as disturbing as they usually were. She sat up, rubbing her finger hard over her gritty teeth, wondering if they had toothbrushes around here somewhere. Or a shower. A shower would be nice. Slimm thought back, trying to remember the last time she had running water that wasn't in the sink of a gas station.

She walked out of the room, and stopped a nearby fledging on her way somewhere.


"Hi," she said. "I was wondering if you could point me to the way of the bathroom?" she didn't bother with a name, thinking it was pointless information when she just wanted to take a pee. Slimm looked a mess with wrinkled clothes and wild, uncombed hair, but oddly enough, she had the persona of an old woman. Someone with a lot of trials.
​

 

[cranboggles]

@RiahB


The unknown fledgling is bony and dark-hued, rumpled from sleep but attentive upon hearing your voice. She seems to recognize without explanation that you are new here, a look of patient understanding in her hazel eyes. She looks about your age, but is shorter than you by a few inches and almost worryingly gaunt. The last remnants of blonde dye are fading from her hair.


Wordlessly the girl points you down the hall, where a few of the interconnected rooms on the left side of the corridor appear to have been fashioned into something like a communal bathing area. Water runs down from showerheads and loosed pipes jutting out from the wall running into a sort of aqueduct and pouring from there into tubs, basins, buckets, anything that can hold it. It has the same collage-like atmosphere as the bedrooms, everything built together with whatever could be scavenged, though whoever built this setup clearly had some great expertise even if the materials were a bit lacking.


At least the toilets aren't part of this industrial patchwork. Every room, if not every other, is equipped with a tiny lockable bathroom for personal use. The sinks have been uprooted, their dry pipes exposed above the cracked tile floors. You learn from some of the others making use of the bathing rooms that it's all designed this way so as to conserve as much water as possible. No one knows exactly where the water comes from, it seems, but they know it's not technically theirs to use. The unknown leader must be directing the flow from some other building's pipeworks.


The curtains all around the bathing rooms are drawn, offering a measure of privacy from the outside world although not from each other.


"The water in here," says another, her red hair looking like blood plastered heavy and dark to her neck with damp. "Only gets turned on once in the morning and once late at night. When I first got here I used to come in right before they shut it off so I could be alone, but it was cold by then and I had to wash up fast before it shut off. Eventually I just sucked it up and washed with everyone else. There's no room to be embarrassed."


She raises out of the tub to get her head directly under the spray and tosses you a sweet-smelling bar of soap. It's good stuff for a place that doesn't even have its own water. It smells like lavender.


"Also, I wouldn't come around here at night. That's when the girls from upstairs come down to wash." You don't understand why that would be a problem, and your confusion must be obvious because the redhead explains. "Oh right, you had Goose as your guide, right? She's a total flake. I was brought in by Screech a couple weeks ago. She's a hardass but at least she was thorough. It's part of the whole initiation thing. We're not supposed to look at any of the girls who've already been 'blooded', whatever that means. Other than the guides of course. I think it's like a sorority. I always wanted to be in one of those, only not wanting to go to college sort of put the kibosh on that plan."


She shrugs with a smile and sets about drying herself off as a few younger girls team up to try and bully their way under the stream. The floor is slippery with water and soap beneath your feet.

 

[WaffleReaper]

Waking up with her long hair braided, Amelia thought with surprise "Did one of the other fledglings braid my hair? This is such a weird place..." She then got up and decided to explore the floor she was on. With a smile she thought "Can't wait to see what this place has to offer. After this year, I would be willing to go anywhere but back." When Amelia thought she was away from other people, she grabbed her knife she hid that was strapped on her leg and said sadly "Rose..."


Then as Amelia was staring at the knife with a R inscribed on it, a girl walked towards her and said "What's that?" As the girl starred at the dagger. Amelia quickly hid her knife and pulled out her flute and said with panic "Just my flute." After the fledgling was done laughing she said "Play it." Amelia then turned so she could hide her dagger and got to playing the flute.


After finishing the song and realizing the girl liked it, Amelia smiled as she was asked "What else do you do, or is this the place where you plan on learning skills?" Replying quickly with a smile, Amelia said "Well, I cook, I was taught very well in math, and I have been known to deal with kidnappers by overdose." Realizing the last thing she said was probably not a good thing she lost her smile as she was waiting for the fledgling to say something like "What? Are you insane?" or say something like "Okay, bye." Or maybe even just laugh. Amelia was just standing there until she said with quick thinking "Well, I am going to see the name day. I hope I haven't bothered you." Then Amelia walked to the biggest area she found to see where the name day was until she realized, the girl followed her. The fledgling then said "You know, the Name Day thing is that way" As she pointed Amelia in the right direction. Quickly thanking the girl, Amelia then walked to the right place.

 

[cranboggles]

@WaffleReaper


You follow the girl's instructions and soon enough find yourself among a group of other fledglings heading off to be named. The girls amble in disorganized little clusters towards the front lobby where you first came in. It's the biggest open area, and therefor the closest thing you all have to common area on this floor. There's an unnerving quiet in the air as you join the others, cut into by the occasional murmur or nervous giggle.


The fledgling who helped you, a dark-haired girl with glasses and a smile much in need of braces, but charming nonetheless, trots ahead to join a few others ahead of you. They pay her little mind but she seems content to blabber about everything and nothing as they shrug off her attentions.


You come out into the lobby. Some of the other fledglings are already gathered here, waiting for something. Whoever isn't here must be on their way. But on their way to what exactly, you can't say. You vaguely recognize some of the recruits who shared a room with you the night before, but as far as you can tell you're the first of the newbies crew you met last night to arrive. Are you fashionably early, or are they fashionably late? Someone's being fashionable at any rate, but it's sure not Goose, who you notice lingering on the lefthand side still wearing those frumpy overalls. There's no accounting for taste it seems.


In the light of day, this room is actually pretty pleasant. The natural light more than makes up for what the electricity lacks and more than that it's warm. Cat-basking-on-the-patio kind of warm. Goose seems to be taking advantage of that fact, half-dozing where she stands. Every few seconds she jerks back into awareness and looks fairly perturbed about it. Now that you're looking, you notice she actually looks plain exhausted. Looks like she had an even weirder night than you. A more eventful one at least.

 

[RiahB]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.0ae8f7cef9f05d124f83595268a43a36.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="55867" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2015_06/Beautiful_girl_wallpaper.jpg.0ae8f7cef9f05d124f83595268a43a36.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> SLIMM

Slimm caught the soap against her chest and looked down at it, then back up to the blood haired female. She sniffed the soap, listening to the girl and watching landly the other girls wrestle for the water. Shrugging, she shed her clothes.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, folding her clothes and laying them to the side. Scars riddled her dirty flesh, the skin raised and warped on her back. She walked over to a bucket of water and dipped the soap inside. Slimm wet her skin and scrubbed the soap across her body, not looking at the female. She felt awkward in her naked state but pretended otherwise. She didn;t understand why she would be nervous since the last few years of her life consisted of her being naked.

Slimm stood and rinsed up before putting her clothes on her wet body, hair dripping down her face. Se pulled it up into a wet messy bun atop her head and mostly just listened to the other female talk.

"I'm Slimm," she said, introducing herself. "Any idea where we go next? What do we usually do?"
​

 

[WaffleReaper]

Amelia began thinking while starring at the floor "This is such a weird place. First I get sent to bed before meeting the other fledglings, then I get a hellish nightmare, and finally we get to a name day thing where no one is told anything about it." Then Amelia sighs and continues starring at the floor as she though "Well even though I was kidnapped, at least I got a tooth brush, which is kind of odd. Especially since I was held prisoner. Anyways let's focus on what is happening. Goose is acting strange, maybe she's tired from all the scratching keeping her awake. That is probably it." Amelia then realized she was thinking like a detective when she continued with a long hard look "Yet again, there might be spies here, since Goose did after all tell us that right as we came here. That means some people are here to tear this place down. These spies are risking their lives since this place seems to have a small squad for killing the disloyal. To the spies, it's kill or be killed. Maybe there is a way of finding out who is most likely a spy. Someone who is to clean could be a spy, someone who has snooped on higher ranked people like Goose might be looking for information on tearing the place down. If there is someone dangerous, clean, educated, stays up at night, and snoops, we might have found a spy. Luckily for me, I fit only half the bill since I don't snoop, and I sleep quite well. This means for me I won't be suspected but, if I am awake at night and away from a bed as something like a murder happens, I will be suspected quickly. If I have gotten the score for spy probability right, we have plenty of people who fit half since many of the fledglings are dangerous and nocturnal." Stopping herself Amelia looked at Goose again.


She thought with curiosity "Is Goose a loyal or disloyal? I am thinking to hard about this. Let's think of something else." Looking at the floor again Amelia thought "What about the test? The thing we will be doing here is unexplained so far, so what is it? Well the scratching is in a different area so we can assume that isn't what we're doing. But what would be a good test? Well maybe they have a small fake house where we break in with picking a lock or maybe a window, maybe each pack of fledglings work as a team to get in, then we steal something without getting caught by Goose who would be in the house." Sighing again with a frown, Amelia continued with "If Goose could read my mind, I would get a name like the over thinker, supposing we are getting a new name today." Stopping herself Amelia saw some more fledglings walk in.


Thinking intently on what is happening Amelia eventually stopped thinking about this all together, she instead looked at the girl who just sat next to her. This girl had even worse teeth than the other one Amelia met, so she tried to look at the ground. Continuing to think of the possibilities, Amelia thought "Maybe we will go through trials like one of the people in our team is randomly selected as a spy and we get small clues to look for. After that we show how each of us would get past a locked door with few items. Then show how we would get past a guard. Then we show how we would brake in a safe for an item so we can return it to Goose. If this isn't how this group does this we either need to up the system to do this, or they already perfected the system. Anyways this thing is almost ready so I should just wait." Amelia took her eyes off the floor and waited as she looked at Goose.

 

[cranboggles]

@RiahB


The redhead gives a one-shouldered shrug as she redresses. "A while. Two weeks I think. It's kinda hard to keep track of time. Screech said these things go in cycles. Every night for a month or so the Scouts go out. Sometimes they come back alone, sometimes not. Once the initiation is over it's like a whole nother year before it starts all over again. Guess if they did it too often people would start to get suspicious. Not that they aren't already." She laughs.


"Plus it would get stupid crowded in here. From what I've heard, only about half the girls who come in here decide to stick around through the whole initiation deal. Guess they couldn't handle it, or maybe they just worked out whatever it is they were running away from." She smiles, nostalgic, and maybe just a touch sad. "Must be nice."


"Names don't matter much, especially not right now. Today's the first day of initiation, the name day. I can't say I'm not nervous but..." She shakes her head, as if banishing the doubts from her mind in a single sweep. "I hope I get something cool for a name. The one who picks 'em out, some people say she's psychic. They say the name she gives you decides who you're gonna be to the Brood, or something. I don't know if I believe all that, but there's definitely something freaky going on with the girls from upstairs. That's the main reason I'm sticking around. I hope I get to be freaky too." She smirks.


"When you're done here, you should go on over to the lobby. Just follow everyone else. I'm heading out. See ya' later, hopefully." She leaves, off to name day.