Realistic or Modern 𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍 - In Character (MAIN)

[orpheus.]

"Hello?"

At first glance, it was dark, murky, and odd. It felt smooth but heavy. Sinking into it, she felt her whole body lighten strangely. Her first thought was to reject it, but she fought past that notion for what felt like an eon. Then, it accepted her.

You shouldn’t be here
Not like this

GO BACK, LISE...

Lisa felt herself frown and she tried to listen to its voice…to his voice. Then something caught onto her. The opening slammed shut above her head and the lightness cut to a struggle. Her lungs filled with fire. The colors that were iridescent turned into a nightmarish blue. It was like she was shoved into a coffin prematurely. It smelled of a sickly sweet rot, permeating every sense she had. She could taste its hideous nature. It wanted her, it wanted to pervert her.

A golden soul
How pretty, how fairest you are

Give unto me your troubles
And I will give you everything you desire

Let me be the footsteps in the sand
And I will smite in your name

O Gold-winged child,
I can give every piece of it back to you

All you need to do is
Be My Reflection

There was a twisted truth in the rusty voice that laced the thoughts she “heard”. That was the trick. This thing she now dwelled in couldn’t lie to her. Deception was a quality that humans created to control. And this lesser thing was anything but benevolent, but it was nowhere near human. She’d tried the other path already. It failed her, with reason. This would have to do.

She reached out and, as she did, she saw her hand reaching back.

When she touched it, the dream shattered.

Lisa sat up, the hospital tones settling in only after everything blaring in sterilized blankness. She looked to see her mother and siblings cast around the room, in their own sort of slumber. The television broadcasted the date and time while someone chattered on about the world's woes.

A week. She’d been in it for a week. Lisa coughed and then got up off the hospital bed, her numb toes tingling from the sudden surge of blood. Dragging her I.V. cart with her she entered the bathroom, standing before the mirror in the dark for quite some time. From what little light entered the small space, she could see her face contorting into strange shapes of pain and agony. When she reached for the light switch, her face tipped low into a grim smile that dispersed when the switch was turned on. The sound of the mirror splitting was just enough to wake her mother, who ran to the door when she heard her daughter scream bloody murder.

3 Months later…

Act One : A Pathway Higher​

 

[demenscous]

• pray
• strike

• 
  
  mood :

  hungover
  
  

  location :

  lisa’s place

  outfit :

  mentions :

  none
  
  

  interactions :

  none

  angelica dempsey

  ;; pray

  three alarm rings. a pounding head. soft heart beats. a yawn escapes from her blushed lips as she woke from angel’s slumber, the warmth of the rising sun embracing her cheeks. she instinctually extended her arms for a stretch, a second yawn erupting from her larynx and exiting through her mouth. the tarot spread was still lying on the table from the night before and an empty bottle of wine lay lifelessly beside it.
  
  as each foot hit the floor, she felt deadweight, like an anchor had been lowered, holding her down. she hesitantly pushed herself up to stand. angel hated the feeling of a hangover. too much wine, not to mention the oreos that will brought. sweets and drinking did not mix well. angel could feel her stomach twisting in knots with every step she took.
  
  
  everyone was still asleep, so she took the liberty to make herself a cup of coffee before everyone swarmed the kitchen. she poured the unsweetened, dark amber liquid in a small cup, picking up small, white, cubes of sugar and watched them splash into the substance and dissolving before stirring. as she sipped, the caffeine coursed through her veins. she let a slight purr of relief slip from her lips as she closed her deep, forest green eyes, completely serendipitous.
  
  as she finished her coffee, she sauntered to where the group all lay in slumber. it was like they were kids again. everyone passed out in the living room after having a fun, peaceful evening with one another. it was refreshing. the group hadn’t really gotten together, since uncle beau died. it was like he was the glue holding them together. when he died, a piece of everyone died with him.
  
  especially lisa. the past few months, she’s been… different. angel could feel a shift in energy. a subtle, yet noticeable shift. she was a little less laughter. a little less.. her. the thought had nagged at her for weeks. especially after the mini comatose episode she went through. she was asleep for a week. though, seemingly, she was a bit normal last night. grief affects people in different ways, so she was sure it was just that. grief.
  

  coded by reveriee.
• 
  
  mood :

  sleepy, in his feelings
  
  

  location :

  his parent’s house

  outfit :

  mentions :

  oleander
  
  

  interactions :

  orpheus.

  alexander ruiz

  ;; strike

  elongated fingers intertwined with long black ropes of hair, as two soft heartbeats lay together in a room of somber. alex lay awake next to the man he had been with off and on for years. his comfort, his safe place. oleander gave him a sense of purpose. there wasn’t much else he could really do right, but he could love. he was softer than felt when it came to him, and he liked it that way. the way the two melted into each other, it was everything alex could ever want.
  
  a small sigh came from his lips as he hoisted himself up out of bed. his parents had left their home on vacation for the weekend before alex would be gone with the group to new orleans for lisa’s birthday. thankfully, he could walk out in his boxers and continue on about his day. he walked out to the kitchen, before his stomach started growling and wrenching in hunger. he winced at hearing the growl, a small chuckle now as he was aware of how hungry he was. he hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon, and maybe oleander would see this as a nice gesture.
  
  he grabbed a frying pan from the cabinet, spritzing it with canola oil before heating the burner to a medium-high heat. he cracked four eggs, two for him and two for the man that lay in his bed. through the sounds of sizzling from the eggs, his thoughts began to release into his mind.
  
  i just don’t understand why he’s even with me. i mean, we’re not together, but why did he come here? i couldn’t even remember his favorite color. i’ll be complacent anything else. i’m content with everything else, not like it ever worked out in my favor anyway. but i don’t want to be complacent with him. i don’t want to be without him.
  
  the thoughts made him sigh, and forgetting for a moment that he had eggs on the burner. shit.
  
  

  coded by reveriee.

 

[orpheus.]

SKYWARD

I'm scared of waiting for tomorrow, it never comes without a price

still -transient- thoughts

just say it

if I let you in, what would you take?

jericho

— sleep token

mood: dazed and conflicted
location: Kitchen-- The Ruiz's
interactions: Alex - demenscous

scroll

The sun fell through the slats of the blinders that Mr & Mrs Ruiz hadn't bothered to change after all this time. As he lay there, Leander wondered if they were having a good time on their vacation. It wouldn't have mattered if they were there or not. Leander had been with their son for the majority of highschool and his college years. He absentmindedly wondered if his Teen Titans coffee mug was still in the cabinet, collecting a new layer of dust longing to be cleaned off like his relationship with Alex. Xandy? It was too soon to gauge if he'd sunken that deep in Leander's skin again. Last night was...electric. Leander could still feel lips and fingerprints everywhere on his skin. His skin was tender like new flesh and a part of his mind was eager to be worshipped again. At least his pants were still on.

Leander staggered out of bed, stretching decently as he retrieved his henley shirt and slid it over his muscle tank. Bare feet to the carpet-covered area of the hardwood floor, he quickly slid into the bathroom and retrieved a towel from the stack of clean laundry he was sure Alex had no part in arranging. It was a shame how well Leander knew this house and the people who resided in it. A dab of toothpaste here, a quick scrub there, and his mouth was fresh enough to be kissed in public. Kissed? He quickly banished the thought, taking his bottle-cap necklace out of his pocket and clasping the chain around his neck. Was Alex wearing his? Lisa had gotten into making cool jewelry out of some rubbish one year. Her uncle and mom had taught her how when she was a tyke and she gave the members of the group one for each of their birthdays that year. He seldom took his off, save to shower or when he was wearing too many layers of clothes.

He picked up his phone as he walked down the hallways and into the kitchen, grinning when he found that Alex was already making the eggs he wanted before he sent out the good morning text. It was weird, almost telepathic in a way how well they meshed together. "Hey Xan-Bear." he said sheepishly. That was as far as Alex was gonna get to him and his heart...for now.

Leander thought about it and sent out another text, asking if they could all meet at his shop later on that day. Lisa would appreciate the prep work going into her birthday celebration and it gave Leander the proper excuse to have Alex chauffeur him around in his own Challenger Hellcat. Leander smirked to himself as he pressed his chest to the middle of Alex's back, wrapping his arms around the man's waist. As much as he loved this, it came at the price of not going anywhere. Sure, he'd landed himself back in Nowhere's Place, but he had plans. He was already making plans to open an additional shop elsewhere. And that would mean the start of traveling, maintaining clientele, being a big shot in the world...doing what his parents wouldn't do for him and themselves. And, as time made clear over and over again, Alex was far too comfy just being a couch potato joker. Just thinking about asking him to be his backbone made Leander agitated.

Shaking off thoughts of the future, he squeezed harder without thinking about it and pressed his lips to Alex's spine. "You wanna come to work with me today?" he asked, sounding just as smushed against skin as you'd imagine.

© reveriee

 

[RascalRoadkill]

Oliver, meanwhile, awakens feeling perfectly fuckin' fine.

Physically, at least. It's not an exaggeration or a lie. There's no headache or fatigue besides what'd naturally occur from staying up late; really, it'd take way more than that to cause her a hangover. Her lightweight friends might have an issue, but that ain't really her problem.

Brain-wise? Oh, well, there's the real problem. She likes everyone else an' all, but Ollie-the-second and Alex were the second-most fun people in their little gang to hang around for a good time, and neither had been present. Still, that isn't the true source of her mulling disappointment over the way it'd been setup; that what had been this close to being a solo hangout became a whole group-thing. Jesus, why'd Lisa have to be so fucking nice? Damn!

Yeah, fine, it's a bit selfish. But it's not like Oliver had sat brooding in the corner or anything! She'd been just about as friendly as someone with Oliver's demeanor could muster being. It's just that… y'know. Wasn't really what she'd meant to… organize. Wasn't really what she wanted, but it's not like she was opposed. Drove Stevie here an' everything.

There'd been an ulterior motive- it'd been to gauge the little shift in personality her… friend-crush-whoever had been undergoing. Oliver wouldn't be surprised if it were just the color of grief, but she's become prone to noticing details. Her theory was just that it's exhaustion catching up with her- that's what she'd guessed as the reason behind the brief hospital stay that had made Oliver the most agitated shithead she'd ever been.

The best way to see the extent of it, Oliver thought, would just be to fly solo for a night. Nobody distracting her, and Oliver knows their own dynamic best, so… yeah. Yeah. An' if it were something immediately concerning, Oliver would've just been able to ask then and there. She'd tell Ollie. She usually did.

That, and there's- the matter of Oliver not really being herself either. Oliver remembers the… well, she'd wanted to kiss her, but did she try? She can't fuckin' remember. Why? Can't. Fuckin'. Remember. Of all the things in the goddamn world to be uncertain of! An' it's not like she can shoot a text and just ask. Hey, did we suck face or not? I forgot. So, maybe, if it were just them- Oliver could intuit what she'd done based on what's changed between them, and what hasn't. Fuuuuck.

Oliver wakes from the carpeted floor of the living room- I don't remember deciding to be down here- and sits up after she blinks the blurriness from her eyes. She peers down- slept in her clothes, it looks like. Oliver rolls her neck, feels and hears quite the terrible crack noise as the joint pops, and grimaces. Well. That's probably fine. Probably.

She finally notices her, and peers up at Angel from her place on the floor. Oliver eyes the coffee in particular. Damn. She could use some of that. "Aw, for me? Real benevolent of ya. Y' shouldn't have," she jokes, and reaches up like it's really for her.

demenscous

 

[tieflinq]

Unlike everyone else, Stevie didn't really drink the night before. She'd already been smoking when the texts had started popping up - and what has been smoked cannot be unsmoked, so she politely avoided the wine to avoid whiting out and ruining a perfectly good rug. Instead, pleasantly faded and full of free snacks, Stevie'd helped herself to a couple of blankets and nestled into the couch, letting the sounds of her friends talking and laughing wash over her until she inevitably indulged in her favourite hobby of falling asleep in the middle of social gatherings.

As such, she wakes hours before anyone else does. Her body, all long, bony limbs, cramps from being crunched up on the couch, and she stifles a groan as she staggers upright and feels every knot of muscle protest against the movement. She's always been eerily flexible - a playground trick that had garnered applause and disgust in equal amount, trotted out time after time on sun-heated climbing frames, sand gritting beneath her nails as she'd contorted herself up like she was being exorcised - so she wastes no time in twisting herself backwards until things start to pop back into place. Again, only a soft huff of exertion escapes from between her tightly clamped lips. You should always let sleeping dogs lie, and the same applies to a room full of hungover friends.

Her phone is barely clinging onto life, old piece of shit that it is, and she swipes the brightness down as she pads around in search of a charger. The list of texts is the same as it always is. Stevie grimaces. Her overdraft is almost maxed. Her newest 'housemate' wants a meeting to discuss boundaries. Ace is offering her an eighth for forty bucks, because she's his 'favourite customer'. She wonders if he's a chaser. Right at the bottom, there's a message from her youngest brother. She stares at it for a beat, swaying, feeling the way the morning air stagnates around her, and then she swipes it away.

She bolts a glass of water too quickly, coughs some of it back up, and then refills it and drinks it as carefully as she can. The thick taste of sleep still clings to the backs of her teeth, but it's not quite so sickly anymore. Cradling a third glass in her hands, taking a detour to reclaim one of her blankets from the couch, Stevie tiptoes around the gently-breathing bodies and lets herself outside. It takes her less than ten minutes to doze off again, swaddled up and slumped over in a sun-puddle like an abandoned Amazon package on the porch.

 

[demenscous]

• pray
• strike

• 
  
  mood :

  hungover
  
  

  location :

  lisa’s place

  outfit :

  mentions :

  tieflinq orpheus.
  
  

  interactions :

  RascalRoadkill

  angelica dempsey

  ;; pray

  her thoughts were interrupted by a hand outstretched to her coffee. as her gaze shifted, she saw ollie, reaching for her coffee. she quickly pulled her coffe the other direction, a teasing tone in her voice. “ollie, you know how much i in fact need this, i am not benevolent at all when it comes to my coffee.” she whispered sternly, but still grinning. with that, she hoisted herself up again to make oliver a cup of coffee. “whatcha want? black, creamer?” she proposed, before looking out of the kitchen window and seeing a lonesome stevie outside. stevie always distanced herself, for some reason. she was the sweetest soul, angel always enjoyed her company.
  
  she finished up ollie’s coffee, just how she wanted it, and returned to the couch she had claimed the night before. she handed ollie her coffee, positioning herself into a criss-cross position before grabbing her own again. she pulled out her phone to see a text from oleander letting them know to meet him at the shop. “hey ollie, you get leander’s text?” she questioned, her brow furrowed a bit. “he wants us to meet at the shop. i assume it’s for lisa’s birthday.” she whispered, so slight so that lisa wouldn’t hear.
  
  “let’s wake everyone up. he wants us there in like two hours. just don’t wake lisa.” she whispered, gesturing towards the door and then towards the group that lie sleeping. she then shot a text back to the group chat.
  

  coded by reveriee.
• 
  
  mood :

  sleepy, in his feelings
  
  

  location :

  his parent’s house

  outfit :

  mentions :

  oleander
  
  

  interactions :

  orpheus.

  alexander ruiz

  ;; strike

  as the smell of eggs filled the kitchen, he noticed footsteps drawing closer to the kitchen. alex glanced up and saw a newly awakened oleander stepping toward him. a soft smile on his lips formed as he plated the eggs that had been prepared. as he felt oleander’s arms mold around his waist, goosebumps formed in his skin as he let out a slight sigh of serenity. he felt his lips press against his back and and the words “do you want to come to work with me today?” he turned around, as a mischievous grin formed onto his lips “yes, on one condition,” he said slyly, before leaning into him “i’m driving, right?” he asked with a laugh, before leading oleander to the table with his helping of eggs. he grabbed condiments, ketchup and hot sauce, offering it to leander in case he wanted any. his were scrambled, and he made oleander’s the way he liked them.
  
  “i, just wanna say i’m sorry for forgetting your favorite color last night.” he whispered sheepishly, his smile forming into a small frown.
  
  “it’s important to me that you’re happy and taken care of. i know it doesn’t seem like it most of the time, but i’m just so damn tired of not being able to win.” he said with a sigh, before continuing “it feels like nothing ever goes right, the only thing that’s ever gone right is being with you. well, sort of. my point is, i just don’t want you to think that i won’t try for you.” he said before shaking his head. it was hard. just because he lived with his parents didn’t mean that he didn’t struggle. he still had to contribute in some way to them funding pretty much everything. the constant rises in food costs and gas costs, not to mention alex didn’t have much talent in anything really, and it doesn’t get you very far to being a highschool dropout.
  

  coded by reveriee.

 

[orpheus.]

SKYWARD

I'm scared of waiting for tomorrow, it never comes without a price

still -transient- thoughts

just say it

if I let you in, what would you take?

twenty-six

— paramore

mood: hungry
location: Kitchen--The Ruiz's >>> Outside The Shop
interactions: Alex - demenscous

scroll

Two eggs, fried over hard and seasoned to perfection sat on the plate before Leander. That instantly made up for Alex's inability to remember his favorite color. It wasn't his fault anyway. Leander kept pulling some blurry memory of vaguely telling Alex his favorite color was usually in a sunset. Leander had no qualms about orange, but it was pink Alex was wearing when Leander first saw him, skateboarding away from the school parking lot with a heavy backpack that deceptively looked like it was gonna drag him under with its weight. It was a fickle thing, his feelings about Alex: When he was away from the man, he could think decently enough to know not to go near him.

'Then why did you come over last night?' he interrogated himself while squirting spicy mustard on the side of his eggs and digging in. The taste alone would shut his inner monologue up long enough for him to have a decent conversation with his ex.

"Yes, you get to drive her for the day." Leander sighed, tracing the edge of his plate with his fork. He felt the declaration of affection before Alex even began. It was the same story every time they did this. Leander would give in after being away from him for a while, Alex would say just the right words to hook the poor guy and it'd be so good for the first couple of weeks...only to fizzle into the same arguments and disappointments that always came around. The only difference this time was that this was the longest amount of time that they'd been separated.

"...My point is, I just don’t want you to think that I won’t try for you.” Alex said, literally pouring his heart out to Leander. Leander's brow furrowed for a minute as he thought about the thing he should say over the things he wanted to say. He scooped the remains of his breakfast up on his fork, deposited the food into his mouth, and then swallowed.

"I don't want to make any decisions right now," he said truthfully, looking down at his plate. "I just wanna enjoy what time I can have with you before my head catches up with me. So, let's do that. Just be alone with me. No obligations, no messy aftermath. Just me and you." He stood up and took his plate to the sink, running some water over it as if he could clean away every urge to just repeat the cycle. If his pride wasn't so damn thick, he would.

---

-11:47 am

The risk that Leander put himself through every time he sat in the passenger seat with Alex was always equal to the reward. If his ex was good at anything, it was driving recklessly from point A to point B. Leander's only points of contact to keep from rolling out of his own car were his seatbelt and Alex's hand. When the car came to a stop, Leander's seat lurched. Secretly, being driven around by Alexander was his favorite activity. The guy looked so cool...like he was Dominic Toretto embodied by a human "Big Bird". As if to reward him, Leander grabbed Alex by the scruff of his neck and let his lips take control for a minute.

"Let's wait out here for everyone." he pulled back and said before attacking his prey again, tinted windows be damned.

© reveriee