Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 10, 2006 12:12:36 GMT 12
[Because my only female character needs attention from me too Dx This is just her getting back from here]
Shrapnel drove her fists into the lumpy pillow, a hearty stream of expletives providing a backdrop to the steady sound of her knuckles colliding with deteriorating cotton.
"Cocky-" WHUMP "-sonuva-" WHUMP "-bi.tch!"
She flung the pillow against the far wall, where it all but sighed as it made contact and fell to the floor below, landing neatly on top of the walkman and dozen chocolate bars, as well as the book of matches and triple-A battaries, she'd brought back from her trip into the subway.
Shrapnel's shoulders sagged abruptly as she stared at the formerly neat little pile near the door. If she saw the Wildcat again, she hoped he wasn't expecting her to be friendly with him. For all she knew the bastard was expecting her to be grateful. She knew that the Cigarette's weren't into random violence, but if he tried to use his 'generousity' as a leverage point with her she'd gut him.
Her attack on the pillow had left her feeling drained, although more emotionally than physically. Not quite ready to get up and chuck her finds in with the rest of the stuff no one'd laid personal claim to yet, she tucked her knees up against her chest and glowered, giving the far wall a look that felt like it should be boring a hole through the drywall.
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Mina Crow
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Maelstrom Synkkyys
Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on May 11, 2006 5:28:46 GMT 12
[Huh. Right. Reason will be done with him - eventually. Catharsis? *Cackles* Just perfect. A notice: John is a telepath, as stated here. Feel free to have insights on his emotions and thoughts.] John was walking through the corridor, still wondering about his meeting with Reason, when he heard a series of furious, muffled shouts from a room. Hmm, now who's strangling who?He didn't remember to whom the room belonged, but the voice was... Shrapnel's, he concluded after a moment. Gods, what's got her into that state?He paused in front of the door, frowning, uncertain whether to knock or leave the girl alone. At least, he thought she was alone. Then the shouting died away, and John made up his mind, rapping softly on the door with his knuckles. "Shrapnel? Are you alright?"
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 11, 2006 5:35:33 GMT 12
Shrapnel started suddenly, neatly cracking her head on the wall behind her in the process. More surprised than hurt, she momentarily forgot why she was glaring at the weave of her pants. Then it came back to her, accompanied by the tingling throb at the back of her skull.
"Doors unlocked." she called gruffly, scooting over to the side of the bed and getting to her feet regardless. She crossed the room to the door, pausing to push the pillow and assorted knicknacks out of the way before she turned the door handle and peeked out into the hall.
"I'm not dead, so I suppose everythings just peachy" she said flately, most of the anger drained from her voice. John was a decent sort, at least in her books, and he wasn't the reason behind her abuse of her bedding.
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Mina Crow
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Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on May 12, 2006 3:04:40 GMT 12
That was a hell of a temp- Cut it off. No thinking. No thought bawling.
His frown eased, and he returned to his usual blank expression.
Peachy. I wonder...
John shook his head and put on a smile, casting Shrapnel a friendly look. He would not intrude on her problems; if she was willing to talk, John would help where he could; otherwise, he would let the girl do as she willed. No need to prod her. From personal experience, John knew trust was born more easily from silence than from questioning.
"It's normal. Don't worry, it will end up going away, eventually. Everything does."
Even hope? Argh, stop being a jerk!
He shrugged, trying to put that particular thought out of his mind.
"Erm... Can I come in?"
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 12, 2006 5:29:14 GMT 12
Shrapnel narrowed her eyes and looked confused for a moment. She could have sworn she just heard 'jerk', but John's mouth hadn't moved.
Must've imagined it. That was it, she was still on edge from earlier...
"Yeah, c'mon in." she finally sighed, stepping out of the way of the door and crouching down to fix up the little mess she'd made. The pillow she flung back onto the bed, the other junk she just pushed into a neat-ish pile out of the way. Her room was devoid of decoration and furnishing other than the bed and the large, abstract mural sketched onto the wall at the head of the bed. Besides those things, the room was sparse, and sterile. Unlived in.
Considering that Shrapnel spent most of her time in her room, it was kind of eerie.
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Mina Crow
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Madness waits for some. It creeps up on others.
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Post by Mina Crow on May 12, 2006 20:27:46 GMT 12
[Lo!, my muse is dead. Again.]
Stepping into the room, John stared blankly at Shrapnel's catch, but said nothing.
Someone's been hunting well. And God knows we need it.
He sat on a corner of the bed, absently eying the mural, his eyes tracing its lines almost inconsciently. It was too alike to his own nightmares, to the flood of incoherent color that rushed into them time and again. And the room was almost... a cell.
And someone's needing a little more life in her own room. Creepy.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 13, 2006 6:51:42 GMT 12
[My muse likes to take smoke breaks rather than inspire me :P]
Shrapnel shoved her hands roughly into the front pocket of her large hoodie, giving John a look that was both confused and suspicious at the same time. She chewed at the inside of her bottom lip, occasionally making a small noise when she bit down a little too hard.
She disliked the quiet that suddenly seemed to take over the room, making it appear stiflingly close and cramped to the youth even as she edged the door open a little further with one foot in an effort to open it up a bit. Claustrophobia, she supposed, was apparently one of her vices when she got edgy.
"There something you wanted?" she finally asked, her voice unusually subdued, her gaze now settling on the tops of her old beat-up shoes.
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 14, 2006 23:28:12 GMT 12
He should be used to it. People often felt uncomfortable when someone around them kept silent - yet John had always preferred to be quiet. Dad always freaked with it. Most people considered it distressing, as if he was trying to pry something out of them by sheer silence. Nothing was further from reality, though; his silence meant John was thinking, and he used to do that a lot. But one could not expect others to understand it. In a world where you are somehow different from the rest, you are at fault, you are the outcast. He had got used to that feeling throughout his life.
In fact, Shrapnel's actions had helped John take his mind off the meeting with Reason. He had acted almost on impulse coming here - apparently, the freaking mutation was affecting his behavior. Or perhaps it was mere stress due to... everything. And here had he stood silent for a long while again. John could almost see the hairs rising on the back of Shrapnel's neck.
Distressing. Right. Talk, jarhead.
"Err... I was just checking if you were alright. Heard you, out there."
He stopped, at a loss for words.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 15, 2006 4:59:11 GMT 12
"Oh." she said flately, her eyes not leaving the scuffed white toes of her shoes. She desperately wanted to pull the hood of her sweatshirt up over her face, to hide in its protective shadow. But to put it on then could incite questions, and she had no good reason other than something along the lines of "I'm kinda scared, 'kay" to answer with.
"Was I that noisy..."
It was more of a statement than a question. She hadn't realized she was yelling until John'd knocked on her door. A sort of mortified realized made her feel a little ill to her stomach; if John had heard her, anyone in the hall or adjacent rooms would have as well. Oh. Sh.it.
Swallowing back this new bit of mild horror, Shrapenl returned to trying to break the heavy silence.
"Have you ever met a Wildcat calling himself Nails? I think his first names Ricko or something...?"
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 16, 2006 3:22:02 GMT 12
"Well, the walls are thin..." shrugged John. Then he frowned pensively, reflecting on her words.
Wildcats... Nails, is it? Nails, Nails... Ricko? Oh. Found it. If he's the one I think he is, he's a pretty loud fellow.
"Yes, I think I know him." He smiled tentatively at Shrapnel. "Did you meet him?"
If the Wildcats start harassing us again, I wouldn't like to be on their place. The tribe's not exactly the happy bunny at the moment; I wouldn't put it past Impulse to raid the Park. The Vampires and Seraphim are keeping her on edge, and being as she is... Not a pretty sight.
John shook his head briefly and shifted his gaze from the mural to the girl. It was not a stare, but a calm, understanding look - the sort of "If you need me, I'm here" expression of his, too often hidden by that absent, blank stare.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 16, 2006 5:50:04 GMT 12
"We had a run in down in the Grid. It was in the subway tunnels." Shrapnel said, squirming in an uncomfortable manner. The body language clearly spoke volumes; she didn't want to get into the details.
"I got the walkman and the junk food while I was down there." she added, nudging the pile with the toe of her shoe. She didn't mention that it'd come directly from the Wildcat. Somehow it felt... wrong, to have taken the stuff, even after he'd practically dropped it into her lap.
"...'M sorry I disturbed you. I'll try to keep it down." Shrapnel mumbled, by then intensely uncomfortable, twisted her hands together behind her back, entwining her fingers to keep them from restlessly picking at the old drywall.
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 17, 2006 7:56:02 GMT 12
John nodded with his head. It was not hard to understand the events beyond what Shrapnel had said – she had probably met the Wildcat amdfought him over her catch. Fortunately, she seemed unscathed; that was a relief, yet Shrapnel appeared to be troubled with something. What had Nails done to get her in such a temper?
Heck. John.
He was staring absently at Shrapnel's catch; realizing that, John took his eyes away, focusing them on a point beyond the girl's head.
"Er... Okay."
Her reaction to his silence was somewhat unnerving; he was tired of seeing people twitching uncomfortably around him. Therefore, John rose to his feet and started for the door.
"...Okay. I think I'll be going then. And don't worry about the noise."
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Seraphim
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Post by Seraphim on May 17, 2006 20:01:53 GMT 12
Axel turned up about then, knocking politely on the door. He looked jittery, like, jumpy high-strung jittery, which he knew wasn’t a good look for him. Looked like a junky. Fething needed to cut down on the sugar – what, hadn’t had sugar in weeks. Argh, nothing but d-hyd soup for the last few weeks, that and muesli bars. Axel coughed and brought his palm into his forehead, as if he could beat his hyperactive through train out of his brain.
“Uh, Shrapnel?” He could have sworn he’d heard John’s voice, but Commando in a girl’s room? Dude, that was like Seraphim crying over a stubbed toe – utterly unheard of. Ah well, he wasn’t a rat – if he hung around and heard what Axel had to say, he might or might not join in, but Axel could depend on the mute not telling Reason about operation Jailbreak. Er, Diner Out.
Of course, having seen Shrapnel’s temper and attitude in action, Axel was almost as wary of her as of Shotgun Suzie, but he needed both of them if he was o have any luck busting Seraphim out of Vampire hell.
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 18, 2006 7:48:49 GMT 12
Shrapnel nodded slowly, quietly letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and resolutely shuffled aside to clear a path to the door for John.
"You can take the walkman if you want. I think it gets radio. 'M not much of a music fan." she said quickly, her voice still rather muffled from talking towards the floor. Huh, cracked up, transplanted linoleum'd never looked so good before.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when a male voice suddenly came from behind her. Oh, right. She'd left the door ajar during her minor freak out at having someone in her room. Trying to mentally force her heart to quite its rapid stattaco beat against her ribcage, she turned on her heel, addressing Axel sharply, although not as forcefully as normal.
"Did you want something?"
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 18, 2006 11:04:42 GMT 12
"No, thanks." John dismissed the offer with a wave of his head and supressed a shiver. The last radio he had listened to had been Robert's small stereo, and the youngster never switched it from the army's station. Radio, in New Pork? There was only the army left, and that - no, thanks.
"I'm not too much of a fan, either. Well, I guess I'll see you later."
That was when Axel knocked on the open door.
"Hi, Razor."
Without turning back to Shrapnel or further addressing them, John waited for the other boy to clear the entrance of the room so he could get out.
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Seraphim
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Post by Seraphim on May 18, 2006 21:30:30 GMT 12
“Oh, John! Well, at least you’ll have a chance to hear it too.” Axel shuffled into the room. Axel, on a bad day, could sulk for an Olympic gold. Any other day, he had a gold in shear off-kilter attitude. Today definitely qualified for terrible day, and Axel looked the part. There were shadows under his eyes, and his expression was surly as it would get.
He tried to ignore the state of Quin’s room as he gave his thoughts one more shove into being orderly. Usually, they were so crazy-high-sugar-dazed even he got lost in them, but today was a terrible day – and Axel felt he had to do something about it. So, here he was, going against Reason’s direct orders and all that. Just like a good soldier.
“Well, uhm. Let’s cut it to the quick – I’m collecting people to come with me and Rattlesnake. We’re, uh, going to rescue Seraphim.” He didn’t pause for them to react. “We’re going fully armed and Reason’s not to know, and we might pull Dancer out of there too because she’s been ill treated by all parties.”
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 19, 2006 1:28:23 GMT 12
Shrapnel frowned slightly when Axel invited himself in, making the small room seem all the smaller. But damn, he sure had a good reason to be all out of sorts. Rescue Seraphim without Reason's knowledge... From the Vampires. That was just the sort of batsh.it crazy that got her attention.
"So aside from you, Rattlesnake, and possibly me, who's in on this?" she asked, visibly perked up from her dour mood only moments ago. Nothing beatdown the crankies like plotting what very well might wind up a suicide mission.
Getting Seraphim back was a priority. Dancer... Shrapnel hadn't really come into contact with her that much. She was neutral on that part. Some part of her was worried about the "Reason's not to know" bit, but curiousity overwhelmed that minority.
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Mina Crow
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Post by Mina Crow on May 19, 2006 4:42:01 GMT 12
John stopped on his tracks, frowning. He stood silent for a while, serious brown eyes fixed on Axel, trying to figure out what was going on. When he spoke, he was facing the mural again, expression lost in its complexity.
"Reason knows, Razor. That's obvious. She always knows what is going on. And Rattlesnake? Last I heard of him, he was on the cells. What has changed now?" There was a small pause, then he continued. "The girl's a Vampire..."
Screw Reason. We won't let the Vampires have Lucifer. Not after Serenity and all the others. And you know what? I don't give a sh.it if the whole Castle hears this. Even Reason. Especially her.
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Seraphim
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Post by Seraphim on May 19, 2006 9:00:47 GMT 12
Axel stumble backwards as John said something about – wait, no. He hadn’t spoken anything much at all about Reason. How odd, that. Maybe Axel’s hyped-up brain really was coping with all this stress all too good. Who else was coming? Well, that was simple. There were so many people in Castle Smoke who would love to do something suicidal like this.
“Who’s coming? Well, Shotgun Suzie if I can find her, and Daisuke if he’s not surgically attached to his laptop yet.” Axel paused and directed his gaze at John, still puzzling. He could almost hear the cogs turning in his own head.
“And as for Rattlesnake, I ain’t a thief for nothing.” He grinned. “And if Reason knows, screw her. She can’t stop half the military might of the Cigarettes from doing something she knows we should be doing.”
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Masquerade
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Post by Masquerade on May 20, 2006 7:08:21 GMT 12
John had a damn good point, in regards to Reason. She probably knew... but then again, if she hadn't taken steps to stop Axel yet, she might actually harbor some support of his crazy plan.
"I'm in." she said firmly, brushing the backs of her knuckles over her mangled cheek, wiping away the grime that she'd aquired climbing through the dark subway tunnels earlier.
"I'm not big on the Dancer girl, but if we're going to get Lucifer outta there we might as well do it all." she added, her voice now having regained its usual aggressive vigor.
"We're probably gonna get our asses handed to us... if Reason lets us go through with this." she muttered, with a rather odd mixture of apprehension and... excitement? Oh yes, she was out of her funk now. Very much so, in fact.
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