((Anastasia Arcadia continued from Bitter Dream))
"If ever you find yourself beginning to hate the world, just put on a smile and tell yourself that smile is how you are going to feel. Forget your troubles and keep on being happy." Anastasia smiled and took hold of her little sister's hand.
"Easy for you to say. You love everyone and everything equally." Amelia-Marie wrenched her hand away and frowned. "You're too trusting and forgiving. The world at large, the universe doesn't care about us. We're insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So why bother hiding how you really fear. Does the superman do what the regular man wants him to? No. So why should I, being the superman?"
Ana laughed. "Okay Ams, fact check. One: I don't see you being a flying brick. Two: Isn't our own insignificance a great excuse to make as many people happy as we can? And three: I'm not always so happy-go-lucky as I seem. I was a lot like you during middle school too. More so than you'd believe. Trust me, it doesn't do you any good to be so negative. Talking from experience here: Don't worry, be happy. 'Cause every little thing, is gonna be alright."
Her little sister gave her a look that asked how they were even related to each other. "You are so lame. You and Dad. Why do you two keep making stupidly outdated references? No one outside our family gets them. Seriously. I had to spend 20 minutes explaining to Sam what the hell a Charizard was. Why do you even like all that old stuff?"
"Nostalgia? I guess. It's just... me. I like things that most people no longer care for. You'll get that way when you grow up." Anastasia patted her sister on the head.
"I'd rather die in a fire. Look I'm over it already. Friendship crisis averted. I'll talk to Cynthia tomorrow okay?"
"Okay."
"What must they be thinking of me right now? Do I even recognize myself?" Anastasia Arcadia stood at the door to the casino. They had trekked through the night and cold and come here. Honestly she wasn't sure why. She hadn't plan to come here. It was more her feet went where they wanted to. Given some time to calm herself, she was a little better. But not by much.
For one thing, she still had issues with Bellamy. And she sure as hell wasn't going to forgive his attacker, his name a curse. Funny how she could be so mad at Bellamy even after he nearly got killed. Worth a morbid chuckle.
She stepped into the building. Here was as good as any place. The day was better than before, but given the time she knew it wouldn't be long before the announcements came on again. She dreaded hearing that awful news again.
"Okay everyone. Present time from your Empress. Come and get a weapon." She half-smiled. Not exactly how she pictured this all going. She hadn't wanted to do this so early. Not when there were still good people about. But fate conspired against her, pushing her to be just as ruthless as those she now had to fight. When the time came, she'd kill. She was more sure of that than her own name.
At least she still had Shawn. He would always be by her side. They were in love, of course they'd be together. As long as he was there, she knew that no matter what she had to do, no matter how dark she had to be it would all turn out right. They were going to go back home. They were going to survive and get married for real. Have kids and raise them to be better than their parents. Never having to do what mom and dad had to do to make it.
Just what would she name her children anyway? She'd have to consult her husband. Maybe even get started on making the kids.
Cursed, Hexed, Spellbound
Anyway you see it, your done
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Lord_Shadow
- Posts: 536
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:43 am
- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
Cursed, Hexed, Spellbound
There was once a dumb psuedo-news line here. Now there's this pretentious nonsense. YOU1 DID THIS, YOU1 KNOW WHO YOU1 ARE!
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
((Sebastien Bellamy continued from Bitter Dream))
By the time they reached the casino, Sebastien's teeth had been chattering for a good while and he wouldn't have been entirely surprised if his toes had all fallen off. He kept his mouth shut though, if only to deny Ana the satisfaction of him asking for help. It hadn't taken long for him to start lagging behind, and he'd considered just slipping off into the night, but being alone and injured, in the dark, with nothing to defend himself, well... that was even worse a prospect than putting up with Ana's madness for however many more hours.
It took all he had not to just drop to the floor once they made it inside. He braced himself against a wall, holding himself and shivering, as the others filed in and got settled. The walk from the hotel had been mercifully quiet, but of course that couldn't last.
Present time. "Here, come enjoy the things that one of your best friends was carrying when he died! What, are you still sore about that whole almost-being-murdered thing and me being an insensitive, delusional twit? Aw, lighten up!"
Sebastien scowled, but didn't protest. He was leaving here, as soon as he got the opportunity. This wasn't the hill he wanted to die on, and the fewer weapons in Ana's hands, the better.
By the time they reached the casino, Sebastien's teeth had been chattering for a good while and he wouldn't have been entirely surprised if his toes had all fallen off. He kept his mouth shut though, if only to deny Ana the satisfaction of him asking for help. It hadn't taken long for him to start lagging behind, and he'd considered just slipping off into the night, but being alone and injured, in the dark, with nothing to defend himself, well... that was even worse a prospect than putting up with Ana's madness for however many more hours.
It took all he had not to just drop to the floor once they made it inside. He braced himself against a wall, holding himself and shivering, as the others filed in and got settled. The walk from the hotel had been mercifully quiet, but of course that couldn't last.
Present time. "Here, come enjoy the things that one of your best friends was carrying when he died! What, are you still sore about that whole almost-being-murdered thing and me being an insensitive, delusional twit? Aw, lighten up!"
Sebastien scowled, but didn't protest. He was leaving here, as soon as he got the opportunity. This wasn't the hill he wanted to die on, and the fewer weapons in Ana's hands, the better.
((Shawn Thornton continued from Bitter Dream))
From the theatre to the hotel to the casino; this place really did seem to have everything and big buildings like these were in abundance. All of them strangely unoccupied, at least whenever they made an appearance. You’d think they would have seen more people by now, what with like eighty students in this game, but even on the way over here they had seen nobody. Granted it was night and freezing and anyone smarter than them would have been indoors, but still.
Maybe it was for the best that they hadn’t run into anyone though, given their current track record with meeting new people; one runaway and one attempted murder. Ana’s plan of winning over the hearts and minds of everyone they met was encountering some considerable difficulties.
Speaking of difficulties…
Shawn looked around for Sebastien, finding him leaning against a wall and shivering. With just a group of four they already had one person who looked like he was ready to get out of there first chance he got. Shawn was sure it was his injury that was keeping him here and not much else; as soon as he was feeling better he didn’t expect Sebastien to stick around much longer.
They would just be lucky if he didn’t take a swing at anyone on the way out.
The larger the group got the more troublesome people they were likely to add to the mix; if they couldn’t even handle one then what chance did their plan have. If it carried on this way then the producers wouldn’t need to do anything to stop their treacherous plan from being carried out; they could just sit back and let them self-destruct while watching the ratings climb.
"Okay everyone. Present time from your Empress. Come and get a weapon."
Shawn turned his head to take in the sight of his Queen/Empress/Girlfriend/Wife. She wasn’t looking as chipper now as she was at the start of the game, or even a few hours ago, and her dress wasn’t looking quite so sparkly as when he had first seen it. He guessed the march across the resort had drained even her reserves as well. She was certainly a vision of tarnished royalty right now.
He was still worried about her. Well, he always would be worried about her; right up until the moment they were finally out of this dreadful situation he would be worried about her safety. But right now he was worried about what she might do rather than what might happen to her; she had been becoming more and more unpredictable as the game had gone on, even for her. Her moods seemed to be everywhere and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking; well, he never could but now he couldn’t even guess.
The sight of her licking up someone else’s blood still lingered in his mind.
He’d wanted to talk to her while they were walking but it was surprisingly difficult to engage her in conversation. Now that they were staying still again, now that they were safe again for the time being, he’d take her aside and sit her down and talk to her properly.
It was his job to look after her right? It was his job to protect her and keep her from harm. Shawn never really subscribed to the idea that it was a man’s duty to protect his woman, but it was very easy to believe that when there was nothing that you needed to protect her from.
As long as they were in this situation he had to keep her safe.
Because he was her King.
“What do we have?”
From the theatre to the hotel to the casino; this place really did seem to have everything and big buildings like these were in abundance. All of them strangely unoccupied, at least whenever they made an appearance. You’d think they would have seen more people by now, what with like eighty students in this game, but even on the way over here they had seen nobody. Granted it was night and freezing and anyone smarter than them would have been indoors, but still.
Maybe it was for the best that they hadn’t run into anyone though, given their current track record with meeting new people; one runaway and one attempted murder. Ana’s plan of winning over the hearts and minds of everyone they met was encountering some considerable difficulties.
Speaking of difficulties…
Shawn looked around for Sebastien, finding him leaning against a wall and shivering. With just a group of four they already had one person who looked like he was ready to get out of there first chance he got. Shawn was sure it was his injury that was keeping him here and not much else; as soon as he was feeling better he didn’t expect Sebastien to stick around much longer.
They would just be lucky if he didn’t take a swing at anyone on the way out.
The larger the group got the more troublesome people they were likely to add to the mix; if they couldn’t even handle one then what chance did their plan have. If it carried on this way then the producers wouldn’t need to do anything to stop their treacherous plan from being carried out; they could just sit back and let them self-destruct while watching the ratings climb.
"Okay everyone. Present time from your Empress. Come and get a weapon."
Shawn turned his head to take in the sight of his Queen/Empress/Girlfriend/Wife. She wasn’t looking as chipper now as she was at the start of the game, or even a few hours ago, and her dress wasn’t looking quite so sparkly as when he had first seen it. He guessed the march across the resort had drained even her reserves as well. She was certainly a vision of tarnished royalty right now.
He was still worried about her. Well, he always would be worried about her; right up until the moment they were finally out of this dreadful situation he would be worried about her safety. But right now he was worried about what she might do rather than what might happen to her; she had been becoming more and more unpredictable as the game had gone on, even for her. Her moods seemed to be everywhere and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking; well, he never could but now he couldn’t even guess.
The sight of her licking up someone else’s blood still lingered in his mind.
He’d wanted to talk to her while they were walking but it was surprisingly difficult to engage her in conversation. Now that they were staying still again, now that they were safe again for the time being, he’d take her aside and sit her down and talk to her properly.
It was his job to look after her right? It was his job to protect her and keep her from harm. Shawn never really subscribed to the idea that it was a man’s duty to protect his woman, but it was very easy to believe that when there was nothing that you needed to protect her from.
As long as they were in this situation he had to keep her safe.
Because he was her King.
“What do we have?”
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Lord_Shadow
- Posts: 536
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:43 am
- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
"Well darling," she smiled, "for you I picked up a pistol. Trade in that old knife, give it here. There's a spare mag too but it was all I found." She placed the pistol and magazine on one of the card tables.
Just as she was going to decide who got the knife now, the announcements came on. Once more her least favorite part of the show came to ruin her mood. More deaths, many due to that Jewel girl. Anastasia wondered how that bitch would like being on the other side of those results. And once more, Lucia's name came up.
She slammed her hand on the table after hearing that. "Goddammit Lucia! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She couldn't help the girl like this. If Lucia kept murdering then Ana would have no other option than absolution via execution. And she really didn't think the poor girl deserved that. But then... they'd have to talk first to determine that.
And the hotel was labeled a danger zone. Good. That murderous bastard could rot for another twelve hours before anyone came by. Ana groaned in frustration. "Everybody's going on like animals. How the hell am I supposed to protect or redeem any of them if they keep on building up evil? How is anyone going to support us if the only people we have left to help are murderers?"
She looked at Shawn. "Darling, you have to help me out here. I'm losing my damn mind trying to figure this out and I need help. I'm drowning in my own helplessness here. Is my plan futile? Am I doing this all for nothing?"
Just as she was going to decide who got the knife now, the announcements came on. Once more her least favorite part of the show came to ruin her mood. More deaths, many due to that Jewel girl. Anastasia wondered how that bitch would like being on the other side of those results. And once more, Lucia's name came up.
She slammed her hand on the table after hearing that. "Goddammit Lucia! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She couldn't help the girl like this. If Lucia kept murdering then Ana would have no other option than absolution via execution. And she really didn't think the poor girl deserved that. But then... they'd have to talk first to determine that.
And the hotel was labeled a danger zone. Good. That murderous bastard could rot for another twelve hours before anyone came by. Ana groaned in frustration. "Everybody's going on like animals. How the hell am I supposed to protect or redeem any of them if they keep on building up evil? How is anyone going to support us if the only people we have left to help are murderers?"
She looked at Shawn. "Darling, you have to help me out here. I'm losing my damn mind trying to figure this out and I need help. I'm drowning in my own helplessness here. Is my plan futile? Am I doing this all for nothing?"
There was once a dumb psuedo-news line here. Now there's this pretentious nonsense. YOU1 DID THIS, YOU1 KNOW WHO YOU1 ARE!
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
As Ana and Shawn got to dividing up weapons, Sebastien quietly slid down the wall to the foor, huddling there with his knees drawn up to his chest. The first weak rays of sunlight were creeping into the building, and sure enough, the announcement he'd been dreading didn't keep him waiting.
More people from Davison, faces and names he'd never thought twice about until it was too late. Will's friend Erik. Lucia again. They were getting decimated by the kids from that other school.
Ana exploded when Lucia's name came up. How dare someone defy my code, how will I ever go on, blah blah blah. Sebastien pulled his bag closer and rummaged for a bottle of water. He'd need to eat soon probably, but he had no appetite.
God, Ana was still going on. Woe is me, who will bow and scrape to the mad queen if I can't carry out my stupid plan. It would help if we knew what the hell the plan even was.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, water bottle cradled in his lap. "Shut up," he muttered.
More people from Davison, faces and names he'd never thought twice about until it was too late. Will's friend Erik. Lucia again. They were getting decimated by the kids from that other school.
Ana exploded when Lucia's name came up. How dare someone defy my code, how will I ever go on, blah blah blah. Sebastien pulled his bag closer and rummaged for a bottle of water. He'd need to eat soon probably, but he had no appetite.
God, Ana was still going on. Woe is me, who will bow and scrape to the mad queen if I can't carry out my stupid plan. It would help if we knew what the hell the plan even was.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, water bottle cradled in his lap. "Shut up," he muttered.
((Jackson King continued form Bitter Dream ))
Jackson was feeling more positive about his outfit in the trek to the casino. Whatever they made the costume outfit, it was surprisingly warm. He was a little better off than the rest of the party in that regard. So when they reached the casino, he lingered outside for a minute, assuring them he was "just keeping an eye out for a minute".
It was at least a half truth. Being alone for a moment felt right. He would have gathered his thoughts, if he had more to gather. All he really had was that he was feeling more, and more nervous, and something had changed. The dynamic had shifted. They had struck a few discordant notes.
"Man, this is fucked." He muttered to himself. With the statement properly off his tongue, he headed inside, as Ana finished her rant about the injustices in the world.
"What's going on now?" He asked. He glanced at Sebastien, who seemed to be less than interested in the proceedings.
Jackson was feeling more positive about his outfit in the trek to the casino. Whatever they made the costume outfit, it was surprisingly warm. He was a little better off than the rest of the party in that regard. So when they reached the casino, he lingered outside for a minute, assuring them he was "just keeping an eye out for a minute".
It was at least a half truth. Being alone for a moment felt right. He would have gathered his thoughts, if he had more to gather. All he really had was that he was feeling more, and more nervous, and something had changed. The dynamic had shifted. They had struck a few discordant notes.
"Man, this is fucked." He muttered to himself. With the statement properly off his tongue, he headed inside, as Ana finished her rant about the injustices in the world.
"What's going on now?" He asked. He glanced at Sebastien, who seemed to be less than interested in the proceedings.
Shawn considered the gun in front of him. He wished he’d paid more attention to the announcement earlier, specifically the part where it described how each person died, then he might be able to turn if this gun had been used to kill somebody already. Or maybe it had already claimed the lives of countless other kids like him; he hadn’t really thought about where they got the weapons for each series of SOTF but presumably they reused some of them. How many owners had this gun had? How many of them had killed or been killed?
Still, a gun in this game could save his life and as much as he hated to admit it he would much rather he had the gun than Sebastien or Jackson. Or Ana for that, it he was perfectly honest, but since she already had that huge rifle and probably wasn’t going to give it up even if he asked nicely there was nothing he could do about that.
He unclipped the knife’s sheath from his belt and placed it on the card table next to the gun, before wrapping his hand around the ice cold metal of the pistol. He didn’t know much about guns, except what he’d seen in movies and on SOTF, but he knew enough not to just grab it by the trigger and start waving it around. He picked it up by the middle part of the weapon where the barrel became the handle and placed it carefully in his pocket; the fact that he didn’t have a holster and it would just be bouncing around in there worried him but there wasn’t an easily apparent solution right now.
He was about to grab the magazine when the announcement came on and like most of the people in the room and probably most of the people in the resort stopped to listen to it. More names he remembered, far too many that he could put a face to as well, people he knew. And Lucia. Again.
"Goddammit Lucia! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Shawn managed not to jump at the outburst happening right beside him but only because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. His thoughts were probably along the same lines as Ana’s; would they be able to help Lucia if she kept appearing on the announcements like this? Shawn had assumed at first that Lucia had simply acted in self-defence but with her name appearing a second time on the very next announcement he had to wonder.
"Everybody's going on like animals. How the hell am I supposed to protect or redeem any of them if they keep on building up evil? How is anyone going to support us if the only people we have left to help are murderers?" She turned to face him. "Darling, you have to help me out here. I'm losing my damn mind trying to figure this out and I need help. I'm drowning in my own helplessness here. Is my plan futile? Am I doing this all for nothing?"
Redeeming. Evil. The way she was speaking it was like she was starting to believe her own story. Maybe he was reading too much into it but she had given him enough reasons for concern. Still, here she was asking for his help and saving the trouble of him having to talk to her later.
“You’re not supposed to redeem them; you are supposed to get them home. They aren’t evil, they aren’t murderers, they’re us. They’re us dealt a worse hand and put into a worse situation; who’s to say we wouldn’t do the same as them if we were in the same place they were? If we were attacked, if we were scared, if we thought we were going to die.”
Preaching much be contagious because now he was the one giving the big speech. Not that he had the same grandeur and showmanship as his girlfriend which, as a magician, was actually pretty disappointing.
“Ok, some of them probably are evil murderers. But Lucia, Gabriel, maybe even that Jewel girl could just be scared and feel like they had no other choice. That’s what this group is right? Your plan? Another choice. A peaceful option. A different way.”
He was speaking loud enough that he hoped Sebastien and Jackson were hearing this as well. Maybe it would help lower the tension a bit. “If we meet any of those people we should give them a chance. Maybe it’ll all work out?”
He turned away from Ana and picked up the pistol magazine from the card table and held it up. “Not that I think we should be stupid about it or anything. You two should come get a weapon as well.”
Still, a gun in this game could save his life and as much as he hated to admit it he would much rather he had the gun than Sebastien or Jackson. Or Ana for that, it he was perfectly honest, but since she already had that huge rifle and probably wasn’t going to give it up even if he asked nicely there was nothing he could do about that.
He unclipped the knife’s sheath from his belt and placed it on the card table next to the gun, before wrapping his hand around the ice cold metal of the pistol. He didn’t know much about guns, except what he’d seen in movies and on SOTF, but he knew enough not to just grab it by the trigger and start waving it around. He picked it up by the middle part of the weapon where the barrel became the handle and placed it carefully in his pocket; the fact that he didn’t have a holster and it would just be bouncing around in there worried him but there wasn’t an easily apparent solution right now.
He was about to grab the magazine when the announcement came on and like most of the people in the room and probably most of the people in the resort stopped to listen to it. More names he remembered, far too many that he could put a face to as well, people he knew. And Lucia. Again.
"Goddammit Lucia! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Shawn managed not to jump at the outburst happening right beside him but only because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. His thoughts were probably along the same lines as Ana’s; would they be able to help Lucia if she kept appearing on the announcements like this? Shawn had assumed at first that Lucia had simply acted in self-defence but with her name appearing a second time on the very next announcement he had to wonder.
"Everybody's going on like animals. How the hell am I supposed to protect or redeem any of them if they keep on building up evil? How is anyone going to support us if the only people we have left to help are murderers?" She turned to face him. "Darling, you have to help me out here. I'm losing my damn mind trying to figure this out and I need help. I'm drowning in my own helplessness here. Is my plan futile? Am I doing this all for nothing?"
Redeeming. Evil. The way she was speaking it was like she was starting to believe her own story. Maybe he was reading too much into it but she had given him enough reasons for concern. Still, here she was asking for his help and saving the trouble of him having to talk to her later.
“You’re not supposed to redeem them; you are supposed to get them home. They aren’t evil, they aren’t murderers, they’re us. They’re us dealt a worse hand and put into a worse situation; who’s to say we wouldn’t do the same as them if we were in the same place they were? If we were attacked, if we were scared, if we thought we were going to die.”
Preaching much be contagious because now he was the one giving the big speech. Not that he had the same grandeur and showmanship as his girlfriend which, as a magician, was actually pretty disappointing.
“Ok, some of them probably are evil murderers. But Lucia, Gabriel, maybe even that Jewel girl could just be scared and feel like they had no other choice. That’s what this group is right? Your plan? Another choice. A peaceful option. A different way.”
He was speaking loud enough that he hoped Sebastien and Jackson were hearing this as well. Maybe it would help lower the tension a bit. “If we meet any of those people we should give them a chance. Maybe it’ll all work out?”
He turned away from Ana and picked up the pistol magazine from the card table and held it up. “Not that I think we should be stupid about it or anything. You two should come get a weapon as well.”
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Lord_Shadow
- Posts: 536
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:43 am
- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
"Thank you, love. But I can't help but feel that peace may not be a viable option much longer. Especially since some people," she glanced over to Sebastien, "really do seem evil. And while Lucia and Gabriel may not be, I doubt Evans isn't. You don't kill so many people accidentally, or in self-defense."
She sighed. "And sometimes other options are not profitable. But that's neither here nor there. We...we're not doing so well are we? I'm not blind, or oblivious to what's going on. We don't trust one another, do we? I mean as a whole, this group. This," she smiled wearily, "kingdom is falling apart."
She stared straight at Sebastien.
She wished beyond herself that she could find the strength to forgive him his trespasses against her, real or imagined. But the more she looked at him, the more her blood boiled again. When had he become such a spineless wimp? When had he lost that charming allure that drew her to speak with him that day?
When had she realized that he really wasn't anything at all she enjoyed being around? And her feelings at the party, her drunken admission. In Vino Veritas? No. She realized now that she had always kinda hated Seb. Tried too hard to force herself to like him, pushed herself too far into enjoying his presence. The flirting was too forced, too unlike her to be real.
Or was she just rationalizing it now that she was sober and truly with Shawn? Was she just trying to justify her present inclinations toward him? She had to be sure.
"You gonna sit there all day or are you gonna contribute to the conversation at some point?"
She sighed. "And sometimes other options are not profitable. But that's neither here nor there. We...we're not doing so well are we? I'm not blind, or oblivious to what's going on. We don't trust one another, do we? I mean as a whole, this group. This," she smiled wearily, "kingdom is falling apart."
She stared straight at Sebastien.
She wished beyond herself that she could find the strength to forgive him his trespasses against her, real or imagined. But the more she looked at him, the more her blood boiled again. When had he become such a spineless wimp? When had he lost that charming allure that drew her to speak with him that day?
When had she realized that he really wasn't anything at all she enjoyed being around? And her feelings at the party, her drunken admission. In Vino Veritas? No. She realized now that she had always kinda hated Seb. Tried too hard to force herself to like him, pushed herself too far into enjoying his presence. The flirting was too forced, too unlike her to be real.
Or was she just rationalizing it now that she was sober and truly with Shawn? Was she just trying to justify her present inclinations toward him? She had to be sure.
"You gonna sit there all day or are you gonna contribute to the conversation at some point?"
There was once a dumb psuedo-news line here. Now there's this pretentious nonsense. YOU1 DID THIS, YOU1 KNOW WHO YOU1 ARE!
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3449
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
((Jewel Evans continued from Story on the Radio))
Jewel at first intended to return to the daycare center, because she knew it would be unoccupied and suspected that others would take this into account, leaving it as an attractive location for the cowardly or opportunistic. As she approached, however, she remembered Yagmur and how he had snuck up from behind, and she instead kept walking. Past the daycare center and the condos lay the casino, all bright colors and garish hues, and Jewel moved instead towards it. Her mouth formed a smile, despite the chill. Her new clothes were not anywhere close to as warm as what she'd started in, but with the day bringing greater ambient heat she felt about the same.
She stopped a short distance away and watched as a boy in a huge hat and poncho stood for a time and then made his way inside. She could tell he'd already gotten into the spirit of things, maybe more than most of the others she'd thus far encountered, and this piqued her interest enough for her to move closer. Perhaps he was simply dressing for warmth—unlike what the girls were usually provided, his outfit had appeared fairly bulky—but Jewel found it more probable he was putting on a show.
While watching SOTF, she'd always had mixed feelings about the costumes. It was good to see what everyone got, and there was a lot of creativity that went into their construction. They allowed the kids to shape their images, take on new identities for themselves and create striking effects if properly considered. At the same time, so many contestants could be crassly obvious in their pandering.
She looked into the building, having moved to the door in a series of loping strides, glancing to both sides all the time in case of ambush. She stood to left of the door, peering in, blinking and squinting into the dimmer light, and the corners of her lips turned upwards as she saw what awaited her.
The four were all from the other school, like all but one of her victims so far. Three boys and one girl, one girl decked out in regalia fitting for a ruler. The story she could supply was all that she needed: they were playing at something, a whole group crafting their own little reality out of costumes and camaraderie, and Jewel was in costume too, so like back at the cabaret she could enter the stage.
"Hey." She stepped inside, lips upturned, axe-gun held in her hands, stun baton jutting awkwardly from the pocket of the coat. The ringing was very quiet now, so much so that she had forgotten it until this moment. Her heart was quiet for now. That might well soon change.
"What's going on here?" she asked. "Mind if I come in?"
Jewel at first intended to return to the daycare center, because she knew it would be unoccupied and suspected that others would take this into account, leaving it as an attractive location for the cowardly or opportunistic. As she approached, however, she remembered Yagmur and how he had snuck up from behind, and she instead kept walking. Past the daycare center and the condos lay the casino, all bright colors and garish hues, and Jewel moved instead towards it. Her mouth formed a smile, despite the chill. Her new clothes were not anywhere close to as warm as what she'd started in, but with the day bringing greater ambient heat she felt about the same.
She stopped a short distance away and watched as a boy in a huge hat and poncho stood for a time and then made his way inside. She could tell he'd already gotten into the spirit of things, maybe more than most of the others she'd thus far encountered, and this piqued her interest enough for her to move closer. Perhaps he was simply dressing for warmth—unlike what the girls were usually provided, his outfit had appeared fairly bulky—but Jewel found it more probable he was putting on a show.
While watching SOTF, she'd always had mixed feelings about the costumes. It was good to see what everyone got, and there was a lot of creativity that went into their construction. They allowed the kids to shape their images, take on new identities for themselves and create striking effects if properly considered. At the same time, so many contestants could be crassly obvious in their pandering.
She looked into the building, having moved to the door in a series of loping strides, glancing to both sides all the time in case of ambush. She stood to left of the door, peering in, blinking and squinting into the dimmer light, and the corners of her lips turned upwards as she saw what awaited her.
The four were all from the other school, like all but one of her victims so far. Three boys and one girl, one girl decked out in regalia fitting for a ruler. The story she could supply was all that she needed: they were playing at something, a whole group crafting their own little reality out of costumes and camaraderie, and Jewel was in costume too, so like back at the cabaret she could enter the stage.
"Hey." She stepped inside, lips upturned, axe-gun held in her hands, stun baton jutting awkwardly from the pocket of the coat. The ringing was very quiet now, so much so that she had forgotten it until this moment. Her heart was quiet for now. That might well soon change.
"What's going on here?" she asked. "Mind if I come in?"
Sebastien had almost managed to tune out Ana's blather when she just had to go and talk directly to him. So glad I'm finally worthy of your attention again, Your Highness.
It took an incredible effort to open his eyes and focus on her, exhaustion combined with the desire to just block anything and everything Ana out of his mind for at least a few hours. He ended up regarding her with his eyes half open, still slumped against the wall and making no move to get up. "I don't have anything to add. I'm sure you'll do whatever you think is best."
He shifted slightly to try and get into a more comfortable position. "In case you haven't noticed, none of us have slept for an entire day, and it's not doing us any favors. And oh yeah, I did get stabbed by one of my best friends. Who killed one of my other friends. And died right after that. So forgive me if I'm not really in the mood to play tea party, okay?"
Sebastien did his best to keep his voice even, but he couldn't completely keep the edge out of it. God, why was it so unreasonable to these people that he might be just a little bit upset over everything that had happened? But oh no, god forbid he go around in the death game with anything less than a smile on his face and a kiss for the ground Ana walked on.
They were saved from the brewing argument, however briefly, by the entrance of another girl that Sebastien didn't recognize. "Saved" might have been too strong a word actually, given her less than comforting appearance, but Sebastien would take what he could get right now.
What was going on here? Good question. "A trainwreck," Sebastien said to no one in particular.
It took an incredible effort to open his eyes and focus on her, exhaustion combined with the desire to just block anything and everything Ana out of his mind for at least a few hours. He ended up regarding her with his eyes half open, still slumped against the wall and making no move to get up. "I don't have anything to add. I'm sure you'll do whatever you think is best."
He shifted slightly to try and get into a more comfortable position. "In case you haven't noticed, none of us have slept for an entire day, and it's not doing us any favors. And oh yeah, I did get stabbed by one of my best friends. Who killed one of my other friends. And died right after that. So forgive me if I'm not really in the mood to play tea party, okay?"
Sebastien did his best to keep his voice even, but he couldn't completely keep the edge out of it. God, why was it so unreasonable to these people that he might be just a little bit upset over everything that had happened? But oh no, god forbid he go around in the death game with anything less than a smile on his face and a kiss for the ground Ana walked on.
They were saved from the brewing argument, however briefly, by the entrance of another girl that Sebastien didn't recognize. "Saved" might have been too strong a word actually, given her less than comforting appearance, but Sebastien would take what he could get right now.
What was going on here? Good question. "A trainwreck," Sebastien said to no one in particular.
Jackson didn't have any time to start checking out his weapon choices before the Sebastien and Ana passive aggressive shootout kept a-rolling on. A shame, too, because the girl that had just walked, as non-threatening as she made herself seem, was armed like she was in a zombie movie or something.
As it turned out, he took a small step closer to the table, maybe thinking he could block what was on the table with his body. She didn't need to see what they were working with, whoever she was.
Sebastien put in his two cents before Jackson could.
"Just a discussion." He threw out on top of it.
As it turned out, he took a small step closer to the table, maybe thinking he could block what was on the table with his body. She didn't need to see what they were working with, whoever she was.
Sebastien put in his two cents before Jackson could.
"Just a discussion." He threw out on top of it.
Shawn didn’t hear Sebastien’s comment and he barely paid attention to what Jackson said, he was too busy looking at the girl who had just walked in with appraising eyes. She was tall and thin, long black hair with lots of piercings and dark clothing to boot; kind of pretty if you liked the goth thing. Most importantly he didn’t recognise her, which placed her as a student from the other school. Actually, no; most importantly she was carrying a weapon.
It was hard not to notice the wicked looking gun in her hands or the baton sticking out of her coat; the presence of the weapons unnerved him. True it wasn’t much compared to their own arsenal he had to admit, but there was a difference between them; they had weapons, she was armed. She looked like she was ready to use those weapons while he doubted any of them, except probably Ana, could say the same.
That being said she wasn’t exactly being threatening at the moment; she had her gun in her hands sure, but it was more like she was cradling it than wielding it. She was smiling and seemed friendly enough, her question was innocuous and her tone non-threatening. Even so, something about her seemed off to Shawn.
Maybe he was just prejudiced about the dark clothes, the piercings and the SOTF villain t-shirt. But something told him that people holding guns and acting friendly at the same time weren’t right. If you were brandishing a weapon you would be more aggressive or defensive in your actions. If you were genuinely friendly you wouldn’t flaunt your weapons like that.
Even so he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. As the guy who just spouted a load of crap about tolerance and understand even for the killers he didn’t have much choice. He patted his pocket discreetly to check that the gun was still there and then stepped away from Anastasia. He walked around the table and forward until he was closer to the girl than Jackson was.
“Hey. There’s not much going on, we just got here so we’re still getting settled. You’re from the other school right? I would probably remember you otherwise. My name’s Shawn.”
He took a few more steps away from the others and closer to the girl. Some part of him warned him that this wasn’t a good idea but he went ahead with it anyway; Maybe a part of him was thinking if he got closer he could stop her before she tried anything dangerous, if his hunch about her turned out to be right.
He still kept enough sense to stop well before he got close enough to the girl that she could reach him with that axe-gun thing or her baton. He’d left his knife on the table so he felt even less confident about winning a fight than he would have done even if he had it.
“I’ve got no problem with you coming in, assuming its ok with everyone else as well. And I shouldn’t have to tell you that you’d have to drop those weapons before we let you in.” That was the real test wasn’t it? If she gave up her weapons, or at least the gun, then it would ease his suspicions of her a little and he honestly wouldn’t have any problem with letting her in. If she didn’t want to give them up them she could just turn around and leave now; being understanding was one thing but he wasn’t going to take any chances with some girl he didn’t know. “Also, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to tell us your name before this goes any further.”
He kind of wanted to put his hands in his pockets, so that he could have a hand on the gun in case this was the moment everything went badly, but he didn’t want to draw attention to the weapon or the bulge it made in his jeans. Instead he settled for hooked his thumbs into his pockets and bet on the fact that he could reach the gun quick enough.
It was hard not to notice the wicked looking gun in her hands or the baton sticking out of her coat; the presence of the weapons unnerved him. True it wasn’t much compared to their own arsenal he had to admit, but there was a difference between them; they had weapons, she was armed. She looked like she was ready to use those weapons while he doubted any of them, except probably Ana, could say the same.
That being said she wasn’t exactly being threatening at the moment; she had her gun in her hands sure, but it was more like she was cradling it than wielding it. She was smiling and seemed friendly enough, her question was innocuous and her tone non-threatening. Even so, something about her seemed off to Shawn.
Maybe he was just prejudiced about the dark clothes, the piercings and the SOTF villain t-shirt. But something told him that people holding guns and acting friendly at the same time weren’t right. If you were brandishing a weapon you would be more aggressive or defensive in your actions. If you were genuinely friendly you wouldn’t flaunt your weapons like that.
Even so he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. As the guy who just spouted a load of crap about tolerance and understand even for the killers he didn’t have much choice. He patted his pocket discreetly to check that the gun was still there and then stepped away from Anastasia. He walked around the table and forward until he was closer to the girl than Jackson was.
“Hey. There’s not much going on, we just got here so we’re still getting settled. You’re from the other school right? I would probably remember you otherwise. My name’s Shawn.”
He took a few more steps away from the others and closer to the girl. Some part of him warned him that this wasn’t a good idea but he went ahead with it anyway; Maybe a part of him was thinking if he got closer he could stop her before she tried anything dangerous, if his hunch about her turned out to be right.
He still kept enough sense to stop well before he got close enough to the girl that she could reach him with that axe-gun thing or her baton. He’d left his knife on the table so he felt even less confident about winning a fight than he would have done even if he had it.
“I’ve got no problem with you coming in, assuming its ok with everyone else as well. And I shouldn’t have to tell you that you’d have to drop those weapons before we let you in.” That was the real test wasn’t it? If she gave up her weapons, or at least the gun, then it would ease his suspicions of her a little and he honestly wouldn’t have any problem with letting her in. If she didn’t want to give them up them she could just turn around and leave now; being understanding was one thing but he wasn’t going to take any chances with some girl he didn’t know. “Also, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to tell us your name before this goes any further.”
He kind of wanted to put his hands in his pockets, so that he could have a hand on the gun in case this was the moment everything went badly, but he didn’t want to draw attention to the weapon or the bulge it made in his jeans. Instead he settled for hooked his thumbs into his pockets and bet on the fact that he could reach the gun quick enough.
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Lord_Shadow
- Posts: 536
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 2:43 am
- Team Affiliation: Emmy's Selkies
Before she could rightly tell the little whiner to shove it and get over himself, someone new arrived and grabbed Anastasia's attention. She blinked in surprise. For the first time in this game, the newcomer was female. Neat. She was also armed with both a projectile and melee weapon. Not neat. But dressed up. Neater! And had an unmistakable wrongness to that demeanor. Super not neat!
Shawn stepped up and began working his magic with her. As soon as he spoke to her, Ana felt her dislike for this girl shoot through the roof. Jealous much? No, no. This was merely a precaution against a foreign power. Not like she was worried the new girl would steal her boyfriend away. No. What she was worried about was that this new girl would start the violence like that guy had.
She spoke up. "What he said. We're having an important meeting right now, and you're welcome to become a part of that if, and only IF, you prove yourself not to be hostile. Otherwise, we may have some issues to work out." She said that last part with as fake a smile and cheery voice as she could muster.
"Oh where are my manners? Anastasia 'AnArchy' Arcadia, Queen and Empress of Awesometownia, where you find yourself situated. Nice to meet you." She waved and smiled. Fake fakey faker. Maybe this chick would get the hint and see she wasn't wanted.
Nothing to do with jealousy. Of course not. She was just dangerous, that's all.
And hey, if she did make a move on Shawn, she would just have to learn to live with a new facial cavity. Because if she so much as touched him, Anastasia was going to blast her stupid head off.
She grinned at the newcomer.
"Back away from my husband you no good tramp. Too close right now."
Shawn stepped up and began working his magic with her. As soon as he spoke to her, Ana felt her dislike for this girl shoot through the roof. Jealous much? No, no. This was merely a precaution against a foreign power. Not like she was worried the new girl would steal her boyfriend away. No. What she was worried about was that this new girl would start the violence like that guy had.
She spoke up. "What he said. We're having an important meeting right now, and you're welcome to become a part of that if, and only IF, you prove yourself not to be hostile. Otherwise, we may have some issues to work out." She said that last part with as fake a smile and cheery voice as she could muster.
"Oh where are my manners? Anastasia 'AnArchy' Arcadia, Queen and Empress of Awesometownia, where you find yourself situated. Nice to meet you." She waved and smiled. Fake fakey faker. Maybe this chick would get the hint and see she wasn't wanted.
Nothing to do with jealousy. Of course not. She was just dangerous, that's all.
And hey, if she did make a move on Shawn, she would just have to learn to live with a new facial cavity. Because if she so much as touched him, Anastasia was going to blast her stupid head off.
She grinned at the newcomer.
"Back away from my husband you no good tramp. Too close right now."
There was once a dumb psuedo-news line here. Now there's this pretentious nonsense. YOU1 DID THIS, YOU1 KNOW WHO YOU1 ARE!
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
1. Yeah you, you nefarious ne'er-do-well you.
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MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3449
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"AnArchy?" said Jewel lightly. "Small world. One of your classmates just said I should shoot you."
She laughed.
She'd walked into this trainwreck discussion slightly unsure but now she was getting a better handle. There were four of them from the other school and nobody she recognized. She discounted the two who first answered her question immediately; they were cuing her in to conflict in the ranks but took only passing interest in her it seemed, while the other boy, who was a little handsome and much more vocal, was getting close. He'd stopped outside of her reach, at least, so fortunately she didn't have to shoot him as a precaution against what had happened last night repeating itself.
But they—the boy and the so-called queen, whose tone Jewel did not like and who was making Jewel consider doing Genni a solid—wanted her name. She could have lied, and probably that was what her mentor would be presently shrieking in her ear to do, and there was after all no reason to run a good trick dry and boring through repetition, but at the same time names held power and Jewel's more than most. It was after getting five kills that Zach had died in part by shouting his own name.
So she said, "I'm Jewel."
She smiled more broadly and made sure that her gun was steady. It was hard to hold it straight for long sometimes; the blade dragged the whole weapon downward through its added weight. She considered, briefly, chaining her words with a shot to punctuate the introduction, perhaps into one of the spares to the side, but decided that would be ostentatious.
"I'd love to help you plan," she continued, "but I'm not sure I trust you enough to disarm."
She laughed.
She'd walked into this trainwreck discussion slightly unsure but now she was getting a better handle. There were four of them from the other school and nobody she recognized. She discounted the two who first answered her question immediately; they were cuing her in to conflict in the ranks but took only passing interest in her it seemed, while the other boy, who was a little handsome and much more vocal, was getting close. He'd stopped outside of her reach, at least, so fortunately she didn't have to shoot him as a precaution against what had happened last night repeating itself.
But they—the boy and the so-called queen, whose tone Jewel did not like and who was making Jewel consider doing Genni a solid—wanted her name. She could have lied, and probably that was what her mentor would be presently shrieking in her ear to do, and there was after all no reason to run a good trick dry and boring through repetition, but at the same time names held power and Jewel's more than most. It was after getting five kills that Zach had died in part by shouting his own name.
So she said, "I'm Jewel."
She smiled more broadly and made sure that her gun was steady. It was hard to hold it straight for long sometimes; the blade dragged the whole weapon downward through its added weight. She considered, briefly, chaining her words with a shot to punctuate the introduction, perhaps into one of the spares to the side, but decided that would be ostentatious.
"I'd love to help you plan," she continued, "but I'm not sure I trust you enough to disarm."
Shawn tensed, more at the laugh than he did the words. The out-of-place smile was bad enough but what kind of person just casually talked about shooting someone then threw out a laugh like that? Then there was the suggestion, if it was true, that somebody had actually told this girl to shoot Ana if she got the chance; did Anastasia really have enemies in this game that they didn’t know about? He knew that not everybody appreciated her unique brand of uniqueness, but to actually want to kill her?
This was one of those times when he really wished Ana would just tone it down a bit; Shawn really didn’t want Ana to have this girls attention right now, not while she had that gun in her hands and not while she was still giving off such an unhinged vibe.
He wasn’t a big watcher of SOTF, but he had seen a few seasons. His sister was the bigger fan and she was able to pick a future psycho out of a line-up with uncanny ability. When they were watching she would suddenly point at someone and say;
See him? He’s going to go crazy. He looks like a loner, he fidgets way too much and he looks at everybody like he’s sizing them up for the chopping block. I give it a day, maybe two, but he’ll snap.
This girl was acting just like the kind of person she always pointed out to him.
She was probably screaming at the TV now for him to just shoot her.
When she revealed her name it didn’t really come as a surprise. This unnerving girl was the same person who had appeared on the announcements time and time again, almost every time accompanied by the name of somebody he knew, by name if nothing else. He tried not to react too strongly, lest he provoke a similarly strong reaction from her, but when she dialled up the smile and the creepiness with it, it was hard not to immediately go on the offensive.
She hadn’t done anything yet but what she said made it very clear that she wasn’t planning on giving up her weapons anytime soon. It was only a matter of time though; despite what he had said earlier there couldn’t be a good reason for all those deaths. You could only claim self-defence so many time and with her body count this girl was definitely a killer, and a dangerous one at that.
Shit. She really had the drop on them as well. Neither Sebastien or Jackson were armed at all and they only had two guns between them and one of those was currently sitting uselessly in his pocket. Did Ana have her rifle near her? Could she grab it before Jewel shot somebody.
He needed to get to his gun quickly and without Jewel shooting him first. Could he do it without her noticing? Maybe, but he’d need some kind of misdirection or a way to hide his hands… ok, yeah, that might work.
Shawn pulled his hands away from his pockets and gave an exaggerated shrug. “Well, shit. That’s puts us in a little bit of a situation doesn’t it? I mean if you’re really who you say you are, and I don’t doubt that you are, then you understand we are going to have a few reservations about letting you just walk around with a gun like that.”
Here Shawn stuffed his hands roughly in his pockets, hoping that the overstated motion would hide the fact he had something in them other than his hands. He then half turned his body away from Jewel, hiding his right hand and arm from sight as he looked over at Anastasia and the others. “I mean, really in this kingdom the only one who should have that kind of power is the Queen, right?”
He gave another large shrug, lifting both hands out of his pockets and the gun in his right hand with it. He made sure to keep his right arm hidden from Jewel and hopefully she was too distracted by all the other movements to notice any glint of steel that might of crept through. He turned his head back to face Jewel but kept his body half turned and his right hand safely out of sight.
“But, what can we do? It’s not like we’re going to force you. Are you sure there’s no chance we can talk you around? You can keep the baton but it would make us all feel a lot better if you weren’t holding your gun like that.”
And if you could stop smiling please and thank you, but I won’t say that to your face.
This was one of those times when he really wished Ana would just tone it down a bit; Shawn really didn’t want Ana to have this girls attention right now, not while she had that gun in her hands and not while she was still giving off such an unhinged vibe.
He wasn’t a big watcher of SOTF, but he had seen a few seasons. His sister was the bigger fan and she was able to pick a future psycho out of a line-up with uncanny ability. When they were watching she would suddenly point at someone and say;
See him? He’s going to go crazy. He looks like a loner, he fidgets way too much and he looks at everybody like he’s sizing them up for the chopping block. I give it a day, maybe two, but he’ll snap.
This girl was acting just like the kind of person she always pointed out to him.
She was probably screaming at the TV now for him to just shoot her.
When she revealed her name it didn’t really come as a surprise. This unnerving girl was the same person who had appeared on the announcements time and time again, almost every time accompanied by the name of somebody he knew, by name if nothing else. He tried not to react too strongly, lest he provoke a similarly strong reaction from her, but when she dialled up the smile and the creepiness with it, it was hard not to immediately go on the offensive.
She hadn’t done anything yet but what she said made it very clear that she wasn’t planning on giving up her weapons anytime soon. It was only a matter of time though; despite what he had said earlier there couldn’t be a good reason for all those deaths. You could only claim self-defence so many time and with her body count this girl was definitely a killer, and a dangerous one at that.
Shit. She really had the drop on them as well. Neither Sebastien or Jackson were armed at all and they only had two guns between them and one of those was currently sitting uselessly in his pocket. Did Ana have her rifle near her? Could she grab it before Jewel shot somebody.
He needed to get to his gun quickly and without Jewel shooting him first. Could he do it without her noticing? Maybe, but he’d need some kind of misdirection or a way to hide his hands… ok, yeah, that might work.
Shawn pulled his hands away from his pockets and gave an exaggerated shrug. “Well, shit. That’s puts us in a little bit of a situation doesn’t it? I mean if you’re really who you say you are, and I don’t doubt that you are, then you understand we are going to have a few reservations about letting you just walk around with a gun like that.”
Here Shawn stuffed his hands roughly in his pockets, hoping that the overstated motion would hide the fact he had something in them other than his hands. He then half turned his body away from Jewel, hiding his right hand and arm from sight as he looked over at Anastasia and the others. “I mean, really in this kingdom the only one who should have that kind of power is the Queen, right?”
He gave another large shrug, lifting both hands out of his pockets and the gun in his right hand with it. He made sure to keep his right arm hidden from Jewel and hopefully she was too distracted by all the other movements to notice any glint of steel that might of crept through. He turned his head back to face Jewel but kept his body half turned and his right hand safely out of sight.
“But, what can we do? It’s not like we’re going to force you. Are you sure there’s no chance we can talk you around? You can keep the baton but it would make us all feel a lot better if you weren’t holding your gun like that.”
And if you could stop smiling please and thank you, but I won’t say that to your face.