No matter how hard he tried, Tox could stop his heart from skipping a beat every time he saw her emerald eyes flash behind her glasses. Perhaps he wasn't trying hard enough...or even at all, and he was getting irritated with himself. He didn't understand what was wrong with him. For years he had avoided feeling this way about anyone, and he had succeeded until now. There should be no reason he couldn't stamp out his feelings for Brain, no reason at all, and yet he was finding it next to impossible.
Patiently, Tox waiting for her answer, and he listened to her words very carefully. He noted that seemed uncomfortable with what she was telling him, but she kept going. She was trusting him, and it was making him ache inside to realize that fact. He wanted to scream at himself for how he felt, the way he wanted to wrap his arms around her and push her away at the same time. It was all just too much for a single person to handle. He felt as though he were losing this battle, and it was a loss he knew he couldn't risk.
"Uh-huh," he said, not understanding what was wrong with Mneme anymore than he understood what was wrong with Brain, but once again he didn't question her feelings for a second, "Well...I could call you Abigail, right? Unless you also don't like your middle name." He thought the name was beautiful, and saying it out loud was enough to make his heart beat rapidly in his chest.
There was a moment after his response, when Tox realized that Brain had trusted him enough with this information. As a common, unspoken rule, usually none of them talked about things from before they were brought to the compound very often. Thats why it was always part of the "welcome speech" that their old lives were over. Which was why he understood the significance of what she had said to him, and he wanted to repay the token of trust, even though every fiber in his body was saying that this was only breeding more closeness and emotions that he ought to be avoiding.
"My parents named me Ryuu," he said with a shrug of his good shoulder, "I never minded it much, but when I...when I left home I fell in with a street gang and they gave me a new name, Doku." He paused, frowning deeply at the floor as he tried to quell those memories that were now flooding his memory. "It, uh, means 'poison' in Japanese. Anyway, I never used my birth name again after that, and then I was brought here and got another new name." He finished with another one shoulder shrug and looked up at her as though to say and-thats-that, but he knew inside everything was in a jumble as he struggled not to think about that old life.
Creativity
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Posted: 8/23/2018 at 8:28 AM
Post #102
Although she wouldn't admit it out loud - and she hardly even admitted it to herself, either, mind - Brain's heart had skipped a beat upon hearing Tox offer her middle name back to her. Once again, a memory flashed to the front of her mind, though this one was not all that unpleasant.
'Uncle Lance! Uncle Lance! I got a name!' she had cried in happiness to her uncle.
'What's your name, Little Duck?' he had grinned and bent down.
'Mneme," she presented proudly. 'No middle name.'
'No middle name?' he gasped and held his hand on his chest in mock offense. 'I guess we'll have to make you one, and it'll be our little secret.'
She couldn't help the lopsided grin that spread over her face as she looked back at Tox, returning to the present day reality. There was something so unbelievably sweet about his suggestion that it made her chest ache. "Abigail's perfect, actually," she told him. "My uncle ch-chose it. Though in company and public, you might want to avoid it, to avoid confusion."
That wasn't the real reason why she wanted him to not call her it in public. It was more because she wanted the name to be private, intimate, something that was only between them, and it scared her immensely, that sudden, burning desire.
She wasn't expecting him to divulge his name to her, or anything at all, really, so when he started speaking again, she was more than surprised, though now negatively so. If anything, her smile, which had faded, returned a little. Ryuu. But then he continued, and she felt something a little darker in his tone this time.
A gang? He was telling her an awful lot. She wasn't complaining; she was actually really moved by this show of trust. But she had never been comforted much, and she wasn't certain how she should comfort him, as this was obviously something he didn't like to mention. He was trying not to show it, she could tell. She wanted to let him know that it was okay, that she understood how much pain he had probably known, that she thought Doku was an awful name, that he was okay to talk about it. But she had never been super eloquent.
Instead, in the matter of an instant - in truth, she hadn't even planning to - she stepped towards him and enveloped him in a hug.
Britters
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Posted: 8/23/2018 at 5:53 PM
Post #103
Everything seemed to be making less and less sense, but Tox was surprised to find himself not upset being upset by it. He was becoming exhausted trying to keep his feelings at bay, and the day had already made him quite weary. Things in his life had never been normal, had never really made much sense when he thought it through. His life had been one catastrophe after another, and then he had ended up here at the compound, a test subject for a bunch of scientists. Maybe he needed to just stop trying to keep himself from enjoying something for a change.
It had felt good to tell Brain those things. Tox had never been the type to share things about himself with anyone, but he had told her all of that with no hesitation. He wanted her to know about him, about his life before he had come here (since the rest she would remember anyway). Briefly he tried telling himself it was because he hoped knowing he'd been in a gang would make him less appealing to her, but he knew that wasn't the reason. He simply wanted her to know these things, and the feeling in his chest that happened when he opened up to her was both uplifting and torturous. He really was beginning to think he wasn't going to be able to keep himself under control much longer.
"Well," he said, smiling back at her as she mentioned her uncle choosing her middle name, "Abigail it is then. You can...call me Ryuu if you'd like." He nodded his agreement about only using it in private, and his whole body went warm to think of them having such an...intimate connection. He was trying to regain his composure from those thoughts when...it happened.
The moment Brain's arms went around him, Tox's brain became so overwhelmed it was impossible to think any coherent thoughts. His heart sped up, his body did that hot and cold thing it had done when they'd kissed, and he was unsurprised to find himself wanting to simply stay there in the embrace forever. Before he could think any action through, his arms went up seemingly over their own accord, and he set his hands gently on her back, ignoring the painful protest his shoulder made. His heart fluttered in his chest as they stood there holding each other for what seemed liked forever, but was surely no more than a few seconds. He came to his senses in a flash and took a quick step back.
"My shoulder," he grunted out through gritted teeth, though he was in no physical pain, trying to explain himself, "I think we should...try and find some food." He flexed his fingers at his sides a few times, resisting the compulsion to put them back where they had been, and turned towards the crate to start searching.
Creativity
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Posted: 8/23/2018 at 11:29 PM
Post #104
(Timeskip).
Unfortunately, there had not been any food to be found in the countless crates that Brain and Tox had opened up together. They had found a countless number of coffee filters, plastic utensils, paper towels, rags, dish soaps, sponges, garbage bags, straws, plastic cups, lids, cleaning chemicals, mop heads, broom heads, gloves, and hand soaps - and that was only on one half of the container - but no food.
They had been at this for hours, and had, at some point, decided to just start taking inventory instead of looking for food. Since they didn't have any paper to write everything down on, Brain just paid more attention to the numbers, so she could act as a vessel of knowledge.
There were perks to her Ability, she would be the first one to admit. It wasn't that she didn't like helping out, either; she just rarely had time to do it. After a couple hours of inventory, she had grown restless with all of the logistics and moved to sit on one of the crates, only paying attention when Tox would call her name - call her Abigail - and tell her a number and the corresponding item, to which she would nod and then drift back into her thoughts.
"Why don't you just give it up by now?" she spoke up, tilting her head to the side in boredom as she watched Tox trying to busy himself still. "We'll be out of here in no time, and then others can help. Many hands make small work, you know." She was trying to be optimistic, but the crushing atmosphere of the small space still bugged her to an extent.
-
Sometime during their gardening, Wire had found herself becoming encumbered with a mild headache. She was no stranger to pain, but no one enjoyed it. Luckily, soon after that, they had all decided to stop tilling for the day. They were nearly done, and by now, Wire's hands were calloused and blistered from the hard work. The three of them had decided that they would continue another day, once the sun wasn't as unkind as it was being at that moment.
Wire was currently taking a walk with Reach. They had decided to try to explore the compound a little more, and Wire had no problem with that. Her toes had begun to feel a little numb, oddly enough, and she just attributed that to her sudden working again after having lived more docile for a while. Neither of them were really talking at the moment, just enjoying the other's company.
They were passing by what Wire assumed to be the library - that's where the redhead went the other day - when she was suddenly overcome by a wave of heat. She slowed down a bit, feeling a burning warmth cloud her face, neck, and chest. It hadn't been that hot out, but it was as if she was suddenly being suffocated by the heat.
"Do you feel that?" she questioned of Reach as she brought her hand up to wipe a newly-formed layer of sweat from her forehead. She had come to a complete stop and was looking up at the sky curiously. The sun was even mostly hidden by clouds today.
Edited By Creativity on 8/26/2018 at 2:19 AM.
Britters
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Posted: 8/26/2018 at 12:52 AM
Post #105
Gardening, it turned out, was not on Reach's list of favorite activities. They had toiled in the garden for what felt like ages beneath the blazing sun, until finally Flora had mentioned something about needing to peel some potatoes. They had all agreed to part ways at that point and pick things up again when the weather wasn't being so brutal. It was a huge relief to her, and she was happy to get her hands washed and change he clothes.
Walking in the fresh air after freshening up was...refreshing (aren't I funny, Crea? :P). Reach felt happy and optimistic as she walked alongside Wire, their familiars both happily flying above their heads. Mr. Darcy was showing off, doing tricks and soaring in lazy circles. She loved watching him, loved watching his feathers catch the light, loved watching him with Little Mbali. She felt grateful to have such friends as these, and to be able to make new ones here in this place. The feeling she got when being around wire was becoming liberating, and she was getting more used to it every day.
"Feel what?" she said absently, so wrapped up in her thoughts she barely caught what her friend had said.
When she turned and looked at Wire, Reach's face turned to one of concern. Her friend looked uncomfortable and, though it was harder to tell, a few shades paler than normal. She had stopped dead in her tracks and Reach did the same, walking back toward the other woman. She peered closely at Wire through her glasses and knitted her brows together. Her instinct was to put her hands upon her friend to examine her further, but even with gloves on she did not dare to go that far.
"What are you feeling?" she asked instead, concern flooding her voice.
Edited By Britters on 8/26/2018 at 12:52 AM.
Creativity
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Posted: 8/26/2018 at 1:37 AM
Post #106
It felt as if Wire wasn't grounded anymore. The numbness had suddenly surged up through her feet and legs, and she stumbled a step back, struggling to retain her balance. She could see Reach turn back around, and see fear cloud her friend's face, but she couldn't hear her over the sound of the blood rushing so violently in her ears. Her headache had amplified itself tremendously, and in such a short period of time, too.
Another intense wave of heat flooded her again, like a brick wall hitting her and knocking her backwards. The sting mark on her hand was itching like crazy and she absently scratched at it as furiously as she could, drawing blood, while fighting to stay upright.
She could see Reach's mouth moving, and she wanted to explain it. She wanted to tell the other girl that it was fine, that she was fine; she just needed to get somewhere cool is all. However, as she opened her mouth, it was as if all English fell out of her mind and off of her tongue and she struggled to form even the simplest of words.
"The... Th-... H... Agh!" she exclaimed as she felt her knees give out altogether and she fell to the ground. "Ukushisa!" she hissed, battling with the pain that had spread everywhere in such a short amount of time. But she felt both hot and cold at the same time, and with one last twitch, she slipped away from consciousness.
-
It had always been a nervous habit of Trace's to clench and unclench her left fist only - not the right - and this is what she felt herself doing once again as she sat beside Crypt. The blonde girl was hunched over on the bench, sobbing with her hands over her face. For her part, Trace was doing her best to rub her friend's back soothingly.
"There, there," she murmured comfortingly towards her friend. "You don't need the snake boy anyway. He's just full of it, you know that?" she nodded persuasively.
At her feet, Kutta raised her haid and looked dolely at Crypt, whose chameleon, Pascal, was trying to climb her. Kutta sensed the blonde's sadness and placed her long head on the girl's leg. Halfheartedly, Trace reached a hand out and patter her bloodhound on the head, but really paid the beast very little attention otherwise.
"I just c-can't see how he could ch-choose her... over m-me!" Crypt wept, then pulled back and wiped at her eyes angrily. "I hope h-he r-rots in there with h-her!" she declared, though Trace could still recognize the pain in those blue eyes.
But, Trace pulled back and gave a small shrug. "Well, my father always told me that average boys choose average girls," she smiled, though it was small and more sad than she intended it to be. She, herself, had not chosen an average boy.
No. Her Erik would be waiting for her when she finally got out of this place. She knew it. It seemed as if he was waiting for her when she got out of the other place. He once told her that, if he had to, he would wait a million years if it meant seeing her face.
Britters
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Posted: 8/26/2018 at 1:05 PM
Post #107
There was nothing quite like fear. It had the ability to grab hold of you and override your senses, your logic, and your decision making skills. Reach was quite familiar with fear and its effects. She had felt fear at many different times in her life, for a wide variety of reasons, and she would always hope that she'd never have to feel it again. Of course, fear is one of those things that can't be avoided, no matter how hard you try. Whether its something you're afraid of, or fear for someone you care about, it will always find you.
"Wire!" she called out, as she watched her friend deteriorate very suddenly before her eyes, "Hon, I need to know whats wrong. You have to talk to me." Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest, and she was struggling to breathe but she knew she had no choice. Her friend needed her.
When Wire collapsed, Reach gasped out loud. Her icy blue eyes darted to the other woman's hand, which she had scratched at so intensely it had begun to bleed. She heard her friend's cry of pain and felt a whimper building in her throat, but she refused to let it out. She reached out a hand, and she knew it was shaking like a leaf, to place upon Wire's forehead. It was difficult for her, even with the gloves on, but her instincts overrode her fear and even through the glove she knew her friend was burning up. She had to do something, she had to get Wire somewhere to be treated, but there was no way she could carry her there by herself.
"Help!" she shouted, looking around for anyone that might be around, telling herself that she had to not think about what she was doing anymore, "Please, someone help me!" She hated calling out, hated putting herself in the path of her social anxiety, but there was simply no time to think of another solution. She didn't know what could possibly be wrong with Wire, but whatever it was it was very bad. Very, very bad.
-----
As far as Howl was concerned, not that he thought anyone really wanted to know his opinion, this place wasn't all that bad. They never went hungry, they had beds to sleep in, and clean clothes to wear. They may be imprisoned, but there was more than enough room to roam. He knew there were things about this place that were not so nice, such as the examinations, and of course the occasional death. However, people died every day in the outside world, so in that regard he considered himself and the others here at the compound lucky.
"What was that?" he asked, turning his gold-flecked silver eyes to his right at the wolf sitting casually next to him, "You know, you ask me the same thing every day. No, its not lunch time yet." The wolf, Chap he had named him, licked his lips and whined softly before laying down on the ground with a huff. He chuckled and patted the wolf's head.
Lunch was always Howl's favorite. He had known about breakfast and dinner growing up on the streets, but to have arrived here and discover that there was a third meal he was guaranteed every day, that had been a blissful revelation. He was gearing up for some more quiet pondering when Chap raised his head and yipped, his ears perked up and pressed forward. He turned his own ears in that direction and heard a piercing cry. He was up on his feet with no hesitation, as was Chap, and when the wolf bounded forward he followed.
They found two women, newcomers Howl figured because he didn't recognize them, both on the ground. The blonde one was hunched over the dark-skinned one, who was clearly very ill. His tense eyes flitted from one to the other, taking in all of the information he could. He looked at the blonde woman, who had glanced up at him with wide, fearful eyes, and nodded at her. He scooped up the dark-skinned woman with ease and carried her with long strides to the infirmary, the other woman hurrying after him. He said nothing until they arrived and he'd laid her down on one of the beds. That was when he noticed the moth flitting around his head and he looked up with interest.
"The moth said she was stung," he said to the blonde woman, his eyes still on the moth, "From the sound of it it was a Purple Weeder, but she must be allergic because this isn't a typical reaction. Brain is usually our medic when someone gets sick, which isn't often, but I haven't seen her since this morning." He delivered all of the information with no real inflection, and when he was finished he looked at Reach expectantly, as though waiting for instructions.
Creativity
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Posted: 8/26/2018 at 1:39 PM
Post #108
(Timeskip a few hours)
Wire was back home in that little cottage that she had grown up in, with that old television playing some lively classical tune on the music channel and the VCR player being fiddled with by her brother. He was scowling deeply as he tried to remove the current tape from it. "Why did you not get a new cord for this?" he demanded, turning his beady eyes on her angrily.
She crossed her arms over her chest defensively, not bothering to grace him with words. He stood, fists trembling at his sides. "I told you to get a cord for this! Do you listen to me at all, Lungile? Do you know what I do for you?" he shouted, and she had to struggle to keep herself from quivering.
"I give my life for you, Unogwaja. My every waking moment is dedicated to you, and you do not care for me! Is that what respect you give me? What thanks? Is that what I am worth to you?" As he ran at her, fists raised in anger, Wire felt herself rooted to the spot. She couldn't breathe, but only watch as her brother grew to be nearly twenty feet tall. Or was it she that was shrinking? She couldn't tell, but the walls grew with him, and purple rings danced at the edge of her vision.
"Angibi, mfowethu!" she cried out in protest while his fist flew towards her. "Ugangilawuli, Dumi! Ngingowesifazane omuhle! Kuhle..."
-
There was a sort of irony in an illness of the heart, and although Trace didn't like to think about her situation a whole lot - who would? - she could appreciate the hidden meaning behind a heart disease. A sickness of that which emotions come from, which gives life, love, and happiness. Though, she knew that her emotions were intact. Good as new, even. She still loved her husband, and she cared for Crypt, and her other friends. She still thought about her brother and missed him, and she still remembered her parents.
The only thing that bothered her was being in this place. The more time she spent cooped up in here meant the less money she could be making right now. The only thing that assuaged this irritation was the thought that the money she had made was sitting in a bank account right now, and would be collecting interest as she breathed and rested her body on this bench.
Crypt had recovered from her earlier meltdown and was sitting on the bench beside Trace, talking avidly to Copy about how she had won an Oscar for her portrayal of a character in some Canadian movie - Trace couldn't remember. Crypt was one of those people who loved talking about her past life, and even though Trace wasn't, the blonde girl respected it, and the Indian-Aussie was more than happy to listen to her friend rant.
Many of the people in their compound were eating their dinner right about now. Trace had already finished hers, though she insisted that the cuisine here was still terrible. She had been pushing for more exquisite, more cultural foods for three years now, and the kitchens still hadn't heeded her request. It was annoying, and every day, she had half a mind to shove her dinner down the back of the head cook's coat.
She hadn't done it yet, though, she figured with a content grin as she stretched against the back of the bench and closed her eyes, happy with the sounds of the people chatting and Crypt recounting her tales. Life wasn't that terrible here.
Britters
Level 72
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Joined: 8/25/2014
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Posted: 8/26/2018 at 11:23 PM
Post #109
Sitting back in a padded chair, cup of tea in one hand, her other hand resting on her forehead, Reach considered the events of today. The gardening plan, which had started out innocently enough, had soured in her mind as she realized it was the cause of Wire's current condition. Her friend was laying in the bed next to the chair she sat in, and it had been a scary situation to have to draw upon her experience as a nurse. She was so very tired...
"Ah!" she yelped, startled when Wire began to shout in her native tongue, and then softened as she grabbed Wire's hand in her gloved one, careful not to make skin contact, "Shhhh, dove, you're alright." She rubbed her thumb on the back of the other woman's hand, looking at her friend's face with sad concern.
Thanks to the guy's help from earlier, he had said his name was Howl later on, Reach knew that Wire had been stung by a bug while they were weeding. It sounded like a semi-regular thing here at the compound, but her friend had seemed to have a violent allergic reaction to the sting. She had found a syringe of powerful antihistamines and gotten it injected into Wire's arm. She had been laying rags soaked in cold water on her forehead, changing them out at regular intervals and checking her vitals as best she was able with the supplies available. She hoped Wire regained consciousness soon, or else she'd have to try and put an IV in her arm for fluids.
"Come on, dove," she spoke softly, "You can pull through this, I know you can. You have to, because I need you and we promised each other we'd learn everything we could about this place, remember?" She could feel her throat tightening as the words came out of her mouth, and she realized she needed to admit to herself just how much Wire had come to mean to her in just a few short days. She didn't want to imagine going through the rest of her time here without the other woman. It just couldn't happen...
-----
Dinner was probably Howl's second favorite daily meal. He as a bit of a night owl, so in the morning he never had much of and appetite, so he typically just had some coffee. Oh, he ate of course, because when you'd gone hungry as often as he had, you don't turn down food ever. Breakfast food just wasn't really his favorite, he had a bad reaction to eggs, but he did enjoy bacon. Of course, so did Chap and the wolf was usually the one to herd him to the food table in the morning so he could get his share.
"Looks like chicken and mash potatoes, Chap," he said to his companion as he held out his tray for food, "Hopefully there's gravy." There was gravy, and one of the people on food duty, ladled some over his potatoes. It spilled out and flooded the chicken, and his stomach growled.
Carrying his food to his usual spot, Howl's mind wandered to the two women he had helped earlier. He had left Reach and Wire, for the blonde woman had given him their names, in the infirmary. He had stayed for a little while, helping Reach find supplies. He had left after she had told him there was nothing much more they could do for the dark-skinned woman but wait and hope she recovered. He had brought her a pot of tea, which seemed to have surprised her, as much by the gesture as by how he had come by it, but he'd left it there without a word and left her in peace.
Howl was so engaged in his own thoughts, he had forgotten to pay attention to where he was stepping and the tip of his shoe caught onto a rock in his path. He had pretty good balance, he had used to climb building and rooftops when he was a younger street kid, but sometimes there was just not much one could do besides let themselves fall. He took the fall like a pro, using his shoulder to roll himself back onto his feet with no small mount of agility. Of course, his food tray had gone flying and he stood up, dusting off his shirt and turning around to see where his food had gone. He froze, when he saw what had happened.
"I'm very sorry," he said, his gold-flecked silver eyes round as he looked at the woman upon whom his potatoes and gravy had splattered. He knew who she was...and he couldn't believe his poor luck.
Edited By Britters on 8/27/2018 at 12:00 AM.
Creativity
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Threads: 255
Posts: 5,902
Posted: 8/27/2018 at 12:25 AM
Post #110
Trace had never been someone to let others walk over her. Ever since she was young, she had been quick to know what she wanted, and even quicker to acquire it through any means necessary. She was aggressive, and overly violent, and though she had learned to subdue it somewhat when she was younger through her religious practices, the anger was always there, boiling under her skin, threatening to spill over.
Since she had come to this compound, she had learned how to harness her anger more. She picked a fight with another member the very day she had arrived. She would have won, too, if Kicker hadn't torn the two of them apart with a force of energy on either side of him. She was actually rather glad when he disappeared, but now that wretched green-haired man - Tox, that was his name - had taken the leadership role, and was as adamantly against fighting as Kicker had been.
The first thing she felt when she got bombarded by mashed potatoes, gravy, and some strips of chicken that bounced off of her and fell uselessly to the ground, was rage. She opened her eyes dangerously and glared at the offender. She recognized him, somewhat. She had always been very good at remembering both faces and names. He had been in her batch - had even stood next to her on that day when their names were unraveled. Howl, she recalled.
She stood immediately, wiping the food off of her tank top. Crypt and Copy had turned to watch with interest. "You shrimp," Trace snarled as she took a threatening step forwards. "Snake Boy isn't here to stop me now. Do you want to feel my fist on your face?" her mouth curled into a wicked grin.
'My knife longs to be in your side.' One of her old catchphrases struck her, and her twisted smile just grew a little bit more.
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