Seven Tales for Seven Sins

[Charmless_Anachronism]

[The Introduction]

Once upon a time, there lived a Prince. He lived alone just beyond the boundaries of the city. His home was a worn and crumbling tower: the charcoal bricks foreboding and looming. Onlookers stood on the edge of the perimeter, stretching their heads towards the sky, just to get a glimpse of the solemn prince. Alas, the Prince would not condone them. For, the Prince, reclusive and suspicious, sealed up the window of the great tower, enclosing him within its imprisoning walls. When he shut off the window, he shut off the sun, he shut off the world. They imagined the Prince hunching his back to the window in spite, his brow furrowed and angered. They imagined him deviously plotting. The townspeople became suspicious in their thoughts, creating realities with fictions. The Prince, however, knew not of this, but chided over his broken heart. The Prince had no one. The only company the Prince would acknowledge was his very own black reflection.
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who was the fairest of them all?” He called out to the still glass, blind in the darkness.
“You, Prince,” His reflection answered back.
So, the Prince spent his days sobbing and speaking to himself; He asked the same question over and over.
“Who was the fairest? Who was the fairest?” And, the mirror answered back, echoing the days of old.
Until one day, a sliver of sunlight fell onto the dark tiles, reflecting in the mirror. Angered by the intrusion, the Prince burst forth, demanding the sun to recede. The chair, his only support in pain, fell to the ground. He glared at the sunlight, reluctant to gaze away. For within the brilliant light was a woman. She smiled timidly towards the man, her eyes soft and loving.
“Prince, do not fear for I love thee,” She strode gracefully toward him; her essence lit the room afire. So entrapped by her beauty, he was speechless. He mumbled incoherently, offering up his only chair.
“Sit with me, be with me,” Was all he managed to utter, the reflection lost to him.
Within the next few months, the luminescent angel loved the Prince. She coaxed the darkness away; she warmed his cold, dead heart. The Prince began to smile once again. It was with this smile he ruled the angel. She was like an anti-moth, addictively attracted to his darkened soul. She would flit around the room, batting her eye-lashes as wings, to the man's own pleasure; she was a slave to his happiness. In turn, the sprite of a woman brought a slight of light into his shady world. She too brought that light to the people. She chiseled away the brick binding the window. Her essence cast away the doubt and dishonesty surrounding the forgotten city. It spread, lighting the world afire. And every one of his smiles urged this forward; she would do anything for the man, anything to please him. Until one day, the Prince’s smiling stopped.
The Prince wasn’t happy with his life anymore. She caught him hiding within darkness, speaking to dead lovers. Tears blurred the glorious light of the woman; leaving an opaque and laugh less woman.
“I love thee,” The woman would persist.
“Why do the people not love me?” The Prince would return. So, the angel told the people to love their prince for he is a good prince. And so, they loved him.
“I will do anything for thee,” The woman would persist.
“Why does not the sun shine for me? The Prince would return.
“I cannot make the sun shine for you, my prince,” She mumbled quietly. The Prince only looked away, frustrated by her incompetence. So, the angel blocked the window from the sun. If there was no window, there was no sun. The angel grew paler, and weaker very day, the light of her life stolen away. She stumbled through the corridors, finding the Prince’s room. There he sat, engrossed with his placid mirror. It was with her light, the reflection emerged through the darkness.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” The mirror did not return an answer. The angel was flustered. She found him there many times, staring intently back at his own reflection. Finally, one day, the angel told the Prince.
“I’m leaving, my prince.” The Prince took his eyes away from the reflection of the glass, fury in his eyes. He bolted towards her frail body, massive in stature.
“I will not allow it,” She braced her hands up for she knew what was coming. He grabbed the futile protection, throwing her onto the hard stone ground. The angel whimpered, crawling away silently. The Prince returned to his reflection. The angel stayed, afraid of what the Prince would do. Her light faded a little more every day. His reflection died in correspondence. The angel walked quietly into his room, the glass of the mirror almost completely black.
“I am dying, my prince,” She whispered, barely audible. The Prince looked at her, eyes aghast.
“If I tell you I love you, will you not return to the light?” The Prince asked. She shook her head, slowly.
“You do not love me,” She whispered.
“If the sun shines once again, will you not return to the light? The Prince asked. She shook her ahead again.
“You do not love the sun,” She whispered.
“If I return the love of the people, will you not return to the light?” The Prince asked. She shook her head once more.
“You do not love the people.” Her eyes were cold, and sad.” I cannot return to a world without love,” She breathed. She gazed up in the direction of the mirror.
“I love you,” He shook her by the shoulders.
“You love only yourself,” She sighed.
“I LOVE YOU!” He shouted.
“You love only your reflection. The world beyond the glass is the only world you love. In my eyes, you see yourself. In everything I am you see only your own reflection. In my actions, you see only your benefit. You love only your self,” The Prince, fury rising, hit the angel. Again and again, he hit her until no truth be uttered. Silently, the angel died, all the while whispering I love you.
__________________________________________________ ___________________

Moths dashed forward and back, mesmerized by the fluorescent street light. Their bodies hit hard against the glass, sharp taps echoing through the streets. Aaron wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the deafening silence surrounding the lonely coven. Normally, there was always something, but tonight there was nothing. I've a mind to climb up the damn street light and kill every last one of them. Aaron was annoyed by their minute actions. He inhaled on the butt of his cigarette, staring intently into the highlighting street light. He hated the dark. He'd rather surround himself in moth-infested lamplight. His hand dropped to his side, fingers pulling up tighter onto the cigarette. Lightly, he tapped the ashes onto the sidewalk. His right leg was crossed over the left, the entire weight of his body resting on the slender pole. He sighed, releasing his grasp on the cigarette. It fell to the ground, slivers of smoke ascending towards the fog-strewn sky.
She'd say smoking was bad, but she'd also say littering was bad too. What a dilemma.
He itched his stubble-dotted chin, watching the moths with a thoughtless interest. It was more than their addiction-driven actions, more than his hate for insects, annoying him tonight. He hated them because they weren't a big enough distraction to his thoughts. The streets, usually boisterous with activity, were dead. There wasn't even a late night argument of the next-door neighbors to tune in to. It was just him and the moths, buzzing and immersed in their own desires. Desires he didn't want to think about. Desires that were better left for the hopeful or for the dead. He shrugged, his head resting against the cool metal behind him. He closed his eyes, and with one fluid push, left the comfort of the street pole. He shrugged, giving the moths one last look.
"I'll be back for you later," With an obscene gesture, he was headed for the adjoining alley, his path to home. He stood on the edge of the circular pattern the lamp had created, a haven against the monsters of the night. He shivered, not from the cold, but an innate fear that spread through his body, tensing his muscles and sharpening his mind. He shook his hands, attempting to free the olden fear. With one last deep breath, he was gone. His fast-paced footsteps reverberated against the surrounding walls, burying the moths’ miniscule tinkers.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

[The Plot]

Long ago, an angel loved a Prince. The Prince lost in his own reflection, killed the angel. Her spirit was dormant within the Earth until finally it awoke from her slumber. She found a world alien, without love. Vengeful, blameful she cast the world in darkness. Seven adventurers set out on finding the angel and rescuing their world. Perils and heart ache awaited them. The world around them becomes a modern fairy tale; they, the characters, are subject to the story’s unfolding plot. Sins are committed and morals are learned all throughout this fairy tale of sorts. Magic and adventure waits.


[The Setting]

It is in modern times. The setting is a metropolis called Raylin City. Most of the characters, poverty stricken, live in the "bad" neighborhoods of the city. The city itself has one main factory. It is a plant, dreary and looming. It is in the downtown area where Aaron lives. Its pollutes cause frequent acid rain and leave the city in a perpetual mask of fumes.




[Set-Up]
It will be set-up basically like a book. It will have chapters and it will be guided by a narrator (sort of like a Dungeon Master). These narrators will be Baa.Baa.Blacksheep and I (we pre-planned). Whatever goals or scenes are set by the narrator, it is the players' choice of what to do with it. The story is not set in stone. Based on Role-players' actions or suggestions, it is subject to change. If players get off-track, the narrator will come in with guidance to what should be done or what goals should be met. It will be written as a story, not said matter-of-fact (Narrators get to play too!). Every chapter will begin with the narrator's set-ups. This will set the scene for the chapter and its goals.
Example:
Introduction: The Angel and the Prince
Prologue: Characters are introduced into the story. Players should write narratives interacting with only characters they already have established relationships. Monologues or self-narratives are fine.
First Chapter: Narrator (Baa and I) will begin the story. We will introduce the first scene and its first goal.
Second Chapter: Ect, ect,ect

I really had to fight the urge not to name this the Mega-Role-play of Doom…It took me so darn long to finish everything.


[A Pre-Rules Note-READ ME]
Be sure to read the rules. I need a role-play sample. It doesn't matter from where or what, but PM me with it and the character you would like to play. To make this as fair as possible, if you still would like to be involved in this than please list the second character you’d prefer after your first. You don’t have to, but it may be helpful, if you list the seven characters in your message to me in order of your preference. Baa.Baa.Blacksheep and I will determine who plays the characters based on your samples and first come, first serve may become a factor, but I’m not sure of the equality of that. If you wish to partake in this please be a person who is online quite a bit and willing to commit.


[The Rules]

I. No one is invincible. In a fight, depending on the circumstances, both parties should get injured.
II. No god-moding
III. Your best grammar. It doesn't have to be perfect.
IV. Be true to your character's personality. Do only what him/her would do.
V. Made-ups will only be allowed AFTER all the Pre-mades are filled.
VI. Write good, fairly long (a good paragraph) posts.
VII. If I tell you to keep part of your profile secret, please do so. No motives should be stated or revealed. They should become apparent as the story progresses.
VIII. You can loosely interpret the appearances and if you want to change anything to your character or add anything just tell us and we’ll be probably more than willing to accept.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

The Characters

No one may enter a self-made profile with an added character until every pre-made is filled. These characters are the backbone of the plot and story so please don’t be afraid to take them on.

Please PM me with your sample. See Pre-Rule Note for further instruction.

Name: Aaron Steiner
Age: 22
Appearance: http://images.google.com/url?q=http://spoilersfrance.com/heroes/peter008.jpg&usg=AFQjCNF9km2imE3cb3JdDapjEIV6qoqyAQ [Except with brown hair and longer sideburns...Well, if you want to change it...you can.]
Personality: Aaron usually has a sour attitude and views the world with little care, publicly. However, with his sister and close friend, Caz, he has a tenderness and sadness about him. He doesn't like to talk about how he feels and likes to keep to himself in groups of people. With his little sister, he takes on the role of big brother and is very protective and truly happy with her. He still has a good sense of humor and ethics, even if they are a bit twisted. He is a bit cynical, and has an attitude.
Fears: Death, Insects, Loneliness, Darkness
Career: Local Laundry Mat
Dreams: Wants to became a comic artist
Skills: Picking locks, drawing
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: Aaron and Lilith were inseparable as children. Aaron would tell Lily stories, fairy tales, every night, leaving out all the bad parts. Aaron wanted to protect Lily from all the bad monsters. It was his duty as a big brother. Until one day, an evil curse, cancer, destroyed their broken fairy tale. Their mother was diagnosed with cancer. Aaron couldn't protect Lily from that; no one could protect them from that. Aaron and Lilith were taken in by their aunt, Beatrice. Aaron grew into a different person, his mother's death changing him forever. He began to ignore Lily's persistent questions, maddened by them. He didn't want to talk to anyone about the death, not even his own sister. Eventually Aaron dropped out of high school and ran away from his aunt. He didn't want to live in a replica world of the one that had stolen his mother's life. Aaron was homeless for many years until he met Caz. Aaron still made frequent visits to Lilith. However, recently, Lily was diagnosed with the same cancer, mother to daughter. Aaron's visits grew more and more infrequent until he stopped showing up all together.
Fairy Tale Character: [To be Sent to Player]
Role: Protagonist
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Relationships: Lilith is his sister. Caz is his roommate.

Name: Caz (Cassandra) Becker
Age: 22
Appearance:
http://www.aroms.com/anime/pics/7635/girls/closeup/pics/aroms.com-closeup-089.jpg[Her hair color and style would probably change a lot because well...that's just her personality]
Personality: She is usually calm, clear-headed. She is intelligent, but chipper. She looks at life as if the glass were half full. She is the calmer of the storm that is Aaron. She has a very open-mind and likes living independently.
Fears: Silence, Death of others, Losing
Career: Baker's assistant
Dreams: Author or TV personality or teacher
Skills: Sewing, speaking, debating
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: Caz began her life in the suburbs just outside Raylin city. It was a conventional home, small, compact, white-picket fence. Through the oak door of the common edifice, opposite worlds collided. Caz's mother was an ex-hippie and she began to dabble in Wicca. She'd just gotten over her Buddhism phase. On top of that, she couldn't keep a job. She didn't have the credentials or the patience. Caz's father had to support his daughter and his wife. Though the two conflicted frequently, the household maintained itself. However, it would affect Caz for the rest of her life. Split between two different worlds, Caz has never been pleased with the norm. She went to a four-year college for Fashion Design, but she could never keep a steady job or career choice. She loved working as a temp. She's been everything from a radio announcer to a rodeo clown. However, due to Caz and Aaron's impending bills, she had to keep a steady job. So, she found work at a small bakery, assisting. She isn't happy about it though. She met Aaron in an art class at the Community Center. They began talking and she found out he didn't even have a real home. So, Caz, always up for the spontaneous and new, offered up a free space in her shabby apartment. They've been great friends ever since.
Fairy Tale Character: The Emperor’s New Clothes
Role: [To be Sent to Player]
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Relationships: Aaron is her roommate

Name: Viviana Rose
Age: 25
Appearance: http://www.aroms.com/anime/pics/7635/girls/closeup/pics/aroms.com-closeup-022.jpg [Really vibrant red hair]
Personality: Vivi is a follower. She is a great listener and socialite. She would rather others dictate what kinds of life she leads. She just goes with whatever way the wind blows her. She easily forgives people and is kind and loving to most people out there. She has a strange mothering quality to her. However, she is flamboyant enough to bring many customers to the stage. She may be a follower but she knows how to use her voice and "talents" to her benefit giving her the illusion of confidence.
Fears: Violence, Death, Losing her job
Career: Lady of the Night
Skills: Umm..Lady of the night skills, dancing, charming people, cooking
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: Viviana Rose was born Rosalyn McLaughlin. Her mother and father were immigrants from Ireland. The McLaughlins were poverty-stricken. The previous year to their big move, Mr. McLaughlin's mother had died; she'd supported them through the rough times. So, they decided to move to the U.S. They had no living relatives left in Ireland. Mrs. McLaughlin's uncle currently lived in Endora, neighbor to Raylin City. Her parents weren't much in the way of business, but with a loan from Uncle Bert, nothing could stop them. They started their own little book repair shop. They didn't get much business and it was a failure over all. Vivi hardly saw her parents. They had to work to support in other jobs due to their falling business. Vivi graduated out of high school, but failed out of college. Vivi has never expected the best out of life and especially out of her self. There were few people around during her child hood to encourage her in anything. Most of the time, she was just set to work on mindless chores. A few years later, walking up from a waitress job, a man approached her, offensively offering her some work at a local strip club. Looking at her in a lascivious manner, he told her she'd be great at it. Vivi accepted the job; no one had ever told her she was good at anything. Vivi made good money, but she made even better money when she indulged the patrons’ wishes. She became a prostitute, subject to any man.
Role:
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Fairy Tale Character: Little Red Riding Hood
Relationships: Thomas Lent is a customer.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

Name: Thomas Lent
Age: 27
Appearance: http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o170/au_Sudo/Thomas.jpg?t=1184917636 [Appearance can definently change if wished.]
Personality:Thomas Lent is an attentive man; he is very aware of situations and keeps details in check. However, he has very little control over his own feelings and emotions. When he loses this control, he stops being attentive. Thomas does not handle under-pressure situations well. Thomas likes to talk and be in every conversation. He doesn't want to miss anything. He has a smooth voice and talks with a lot of elaboration, but that's just it, talk and no do. He has a somewhat gruff essence about him. He is muscular, yet slim. He's not afraid to beat down, according to his chatter. He's definitely not afraid to boast, and talks down to who he considers his "inferiors."
Fears: Heights, Being controlled
Career: Technician at a local Radio Station
Skills: Technology is his forte. He is a smooth talker. He is also an avid pianist.
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: Thomas Lent was bore from abuse into a world of abuse. His father beat his mother frequently while he, or both, were more often than not, drunk. At the age of fifteen, he was taken out of his home and into foster care. No one had reported his parents’ abuse until it was too late; their ignorant behavior had already left its mark. His foster family were loving. The parents fought as many married couples do. However, Thomas never really seemed to fit in with them. He loved them, but he always felt that their behavior was a facade. When they got into their verbal spouts, he sometimes world blame himself and imagine the man was hitting his wife behind the closed doors. Despite his internal insecurities, Thomas Lent was a Stud Muffin during his high school years and the quarter back of the football team. He dominated; it was a good feeling and he wanted to keep it that way. After, Lent was found smoking behind the stadium one night; he was kicked off the team. Lent no longer had his way and began his road to being abusive. After Lent graduated, he took two years of college for technology. However, he didn't want to leave his home town due to his grandeur years. This left him with a decent job, but not a great one. His mother, ailing, called on him one day. It all turned for the worse. He decided to move back into the downtown area to take care of her; she'd pleaded for his help and told him she was all better. However, nothing had changed. Lent's mother nagged and told him what to do; he hated not being in control. One night, angry at his mother, he was roaming the streets of Raylin City. He came upon a strip club and he enjoyed it. He enjoyed it so much he began to frequent them almost every night and that's how he met Viviana Rose.
Role: [To be Sent to Player]
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Fairy Tale Character: The Wolf
Relationships: Viviana Rose

Name: Lilith Steiner (Can have the nickname Lily)
Age: 15
Appearance: http://www.aroms.com/anime/girls/general/pic37.html
Personality: Lilith is a quiet girl with a brilliant smile. She loves to make people laugh and help them out. She is a kind heart, but she does have her faults. Lilith is a daydreamer and doesn't pay attention well. She is smart, but not street smart. She is very unworldly and clumsy. She usually falls behind easily. She knows a lot about books and random trivia, but it’s hard for her to remember directions and she can be a bit clueless sometimes. She's very loyal and loving. She is somewhat of a perfectionist.
Fears: Spiders, monsters, death, hurting her brother
Career: Beginning High School
Skills: Singing, calligraphy, athletic
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: Lily always dreamed of being a princess, of meeting her prince charming. Lily lived in a world of make-believe for most of her life. The innocent Lily grew up in the same household as Aaron, but progressed quite differently. She didn't remember much about her mother, she'd been so young. However, she created wonderful stories in her head about her; her brother would not respond to her inquiries so, she created her own answers. Lily loved her brother and her aunt. Her aunt was a bit tough around the edges, nay-saying her brother here and there, but Lily got along with her well. She brought a little cheer to the lonely widow's life. Her brother visited her, but infrequently. When he did, he treated her like a fairy tale princess. Lily loved it. It was if she were the only who mattered. Lilith loved the attention, but most of all she enjoyed spending time with her brother. When Lily became sick, it broke the heart of Aunt Beatrice all over again. Around the age of thirteen, Lilith was diagnosed with cancer; she had a malignant tumor in the brain. She has been feeling well on and off, responding to treatments. One day, she'll feel very sick. The next, she'll feel very healthy. After the illness, Aaron stopped visiting. Lilith was left to carry the burden of her aunt's and her own grief. Lilith does well in school, but has missed a lot of days due to her poor health. She's determined to stick through whatever comes her way though, despite the pain.
Fairy Tale Character: The Little Mermaid
Role: [To be Sent to Player]
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Relationships: Sister to Aaron, acquaintance to Caz

Name: Derick P. (Just the P)
Age: 16
Appearance:http://neshorsemen.myrmid.com/article/sw2001/fanboy.jpg [Except still overweight, but less overweight than that picture and more human looking. Find me a better picture and I'll replace it.]
Personality: Derick can be a bit outlandish. He is very shy with strangers, but once he warms up to people he pulls out all his tricks. He is always cracking jokes and making light of tough situations. He has a tendency to complain and berate himself. He can become a bit annoying with his persistent antics, but he truly loves being around people. He hates to be alone. When people make fun of him, he laughs, but it really hurts him. Sometimes, he breaks down, but not in front of others. He loves his family and loves complaining and talking about them. He is also very obsessive over his hobbies, interests, anything. He's smart and responds well to unexpected directions, but he can be a bit forgetful later on.
Fears: Being dateless forever, violence, losing people he loves, murderers
Career: Almost a junior in High School
Skills: Wicked at video games, chess, trumpet, occasionally writes, bowling
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: Derick Pollini was born into a warm household. Under one roof, Derick lives with his mother, father, two sisters, Aunt Layla, and his Grandmother, a sea of estrogen. His family is of Italian descent. He was born with his father's thick black eyebrows and curly hair. He is the middle child of the three children. His mother always worries he is going to join up with some gang and his grandmother is always prodding about a new girlfriend, but Derick has neither. Derick had never been good-looking like his father. He'd never been slim like his mother. He'd never been as charming as his elder sister. Derick was Derick. And, he hated being affiliated with perfection. In other words, Derick didn't have cool enough friends to be in a gang and Derick wasn't cool enough to snag a date. Actually, Derick just wasn't confident enough. In order to pivot the direction of his life, he took a strange first step. He changed his last name to the consonant, P. Derick is picked on by bullies, but usually makes jokes about it later. The humor helps him to suppress his hurt and low self-esteem. Derick is a goof, but does extremely well in school. He lives in a suburban home east of Raylin City, toward Endora.
Fairy Tale Character: [To be Sent to Player]
Role: A supporting character, comic-relief
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Relationships: None

[Charmless_Anachronism]

Name: John Garrits
Age: 35
Appearance:http://www.baldhalloffame.com/images/__visit%20015.jpg
Personality: John Garrits is a man of many grumbling words. He is a major complainer and usually unsatisfied with a quite a lot. He has a tendency to blames others and accuse easily. However, John has a good head on his shoulders. He thinks fast and creatively. He has a bit of a mouth, but he's not one to chat. He can be a man of very few words, but boy when you get him started he likes to RANT. When it comes to the tough questions, he is very evasive. He used to be a pretty open man, but due to changes in his life, he closed off everyone. He is a stubborn man in denial, but truly loves his family. He is very protective. He doesn't seem loving, but he once was a very heartfelt father. He is a fallen man.
Fears: homophobic, fire, change
Career: Accountant
Skills: He is very good with money. He thinks fast and has a very good memory. He likes to play guitar.
Motive: [To be Sent to Player]
Story: John Garrits is a family and self-mad man. John's parents worked minimum wage while he was growing up and didn't have quite enough money to put him through school. John, however, took the incentive and got his first job at twelve. He used his savings and many loans to get him through college. At the age of 24, he met his wife Elizabeth. At 25, he got a job as an account at Robertson and Teller, a local firm. It paid well and had excellent insurance for him and his family. At age 27, they had their first child, a son. At age 30, they had their daughter. Garrits seems to be great man. However, like his father, he was very temperamental. One day, angered at a co-worker, he bad-mouthed them to a fellow employee and was fired. His wife was angry, and in turn, he shot back a mirrored fury. This was only the beginning of Garrits' problems. John Garrits had been raised on discriminations; he didn't like liberated women, any race other than Caucasian, and especially disliked homosexuals. However, this was just a mask to hide the truth. John Garrits had thought of other men (frequently thought of other men); for this, his hate grew stronger. He became self-loathing and went into denial. John Garrits thrust himself into a world of hate and anger. He became a bitter old man, ignoring his wife and children. His wife became fed up with his behavior and moved the children out to her mother's, hoping it would signal John to get his life back on track.
Fairy Tale Character: Beauty and the Beast
Role: Supportive
Sin: [To be Sent to Player]
Relationships: None

[7000dominos]

((Well. Unsurprisingly, I love it. I'm in. So...I PM you a writing sample with my character choices? Can...I send you one from Betrayals, or is that cheating? Lemme know, though!))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Not cheating. It can be from anything. And, I apologize for the whole (this will be italicized). Did it in word...wrote myself notes..yaddah. So, you're the only person interested. ^__^ Reminds me of Underground...I'll take three characters, you take three..Haha..NO. I'm going to go whore myself off in General.))

[7000dominos]

((First of all, that grew, so you've got a chance. Second of all, I think you intimidate people. Seriously. You're too smart.))

[7000dominos]

((P.S. I vote you wait another day. I wanna play. I'm sure there's some way we can work this out between the four of us. You can make it a closed RP, if you need to.))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: This looks fascinating, actually, and I would like to participate, if possible. What does one do to apply? Do we send you a PM or post our writing samples here? I assure you, I can communicate effectively. I minored in creative writing in college. But just let me know how much evidence you require to support this, and I shall provide it. :)

[7000dominos]

((Told ya so.))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: I just privately sent the GM my writing sample, figuring as I have no idea when I'll be on tomorrow night, so I figured I ought to do it now. And my two character preferences. Hopefully one of them will still be available by the time I can get on here again.

[7000dominos]

((Poop! Thanks for reminding me...))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: No problem! Who are you interested in playing? I was thinking eithe Caz or Vivian might be interesting. Heck, the latter is very close to my own age. I think that's what caught my attention.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Sorry. I meant to put in the rules somewhere about pming the samples. Ah, my bad. I'll go do that. I have to wait for Baa. I want to make sure she's alive. So, maybe another a day, think about it.

EDIT (READ ME):
Okay, so I've read both samples. I'm going to wait a couple of days for more people and for Baa to make sure she's aware I started this. And see if she wants to see anything. So, well, I promise I will PM you with the results. I want to make sure to give everybody equal opportunity on the characters. Is this okay?))

[7000dominos]

OOC: No problem! Who are you interested in playing? I was thinking eithe Caz or Vivian might be interesting. Heck, the latter is very close to my own age. I think that's what caught my attention.

Caz and Lilith...I suppose the latter is much closer to my age than the former. Well. Two and a half years closer, anyway.

[7000dominos]

((Sorry. I meant to put in the rules somewhere about pming the samples. Ah, my bad. I'll go do that. I have to wait for Baa. I want to make sure she's alive. So, maybe another a day, think about it.

EDIT (READ ME):
Okay, so I've read both samples. I'm going to wait a couple of days for more people and for Baa to make sure she's aware I started this. And see if she wants to see anything. So, well, I promise I will PM you with the results. I want to make sure to give everybody equal opportunity on the characters. Is this okay?))

((Estoy bueno.))

[twilight_trance1117]

((Hehe. Well, I've applied as well. *crosses fingers* Whatever happens, happens. ^_^ Either way, this should be fun.))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: So Vivian is spoken for, then? In that case, I'll take Caz. I'd better leave the teen to be played by an actual teenager.

Caz and Lilith...I suppose the latter is much closer to my age than the former. Well. Two and a half years closer, anyway.

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Well, we don't know yet...We're trying to wait until we get a few more applications before we decided who's who. And we desperately need some guy characters...So if you know anyone.... [/whoring]))

[7000dominos]

((Well, we don't know yet...We're trying to wait until we get a few more applications before we decided who's who. And we desperately need some guy characters...So if you know anyone.... [/whoring]))

((....I may be working on it.....Maybe...))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Thanks guys. And no characters are taken as of yet. It won't get down to first come first serve unless we can't decide on who gets who. It's all in Pre-Rule Notes. I think. That's where it's supposed to be at least.))

[angelgirl1419]

((First of all, this looks wonderful. XD Just the type of RP i've been looking for. Second, what kind of writting sample? Just something to show if were capable? Could I possibly PM you a little passage of a story of mine? Oh, and Jason Stathem is one of my favorite actors. XD In case you don't know who that is, he's the apperance of John Garrits.))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((I don't know who he is, but when I read he was an actor I thought someone might recognize him. I find this funny for some reason. Anyway, yep that would be good. One more person and we'll have enough people!))

[angelgirl1419]

((Okay, i'll just send who i'd want to be of the seven characters in order, since i'm not too picky. XD))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: Okay, I gotcha. But I think you should know I'll be out of town from Thursday through Sunday, so hopefully character selection can happen tomorrow night, before I leave. If I think of anyone willing to play a guy in something this detailed, I'll be sure to let you know.

((Well, we don't know yet...We're trying to wait until we get a few more applications before we decided who's who. And we desperately need some guy characters...So if you know anyone.... [/whoring]))

[angelgirl1419]

((I'll try to coin someone into getting into this. XD. Hopefully they will.))

[White Horse]

{Ya' lo all! ^^ I am here!}

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: Hello! Nice to see you here. We need people, to take the pre-mades if nothing else. :)

[White Horse]

OOC: Hello! Nice to see you here. We need people, to take the pre-mades if nothing else. :)

{Hi! ^^ XD Nice to be here, lol.}
{'Sgood to see you, too!}
{I put in for Aaron or Derick, but I'm not to picky XD if I have to use someone else, that's cool :3}

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Okay, totally forgot this. There are two more character in this roleplay. A hobo and an angel. Played by the narrators. Also, is it okaaaaaaay with you guuuuys...if people ya know..uuuh..die? Is it okay if you're character is subject to dying? Not saying they will...persay...but...these things happen.))

[angelgirl1419]

(Fine with me as long as were able to have a made up character...that way we don't have to quit the RP all together. ^_^))

[twilight_trance1117]

((Death? Sounds fine with me. Afterall, death does happen. Lol))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((I guess I need to go look over these samples....))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: The narrator-run characters are fine by me. As for the dying thing, I'd rather it didn't happen, at least not unless it's the most fitting way for the plot to go. I'd hate to get involved in a roleplay only to have to drop out because my character got killed off. I tend to get attached to them, even though, admittedly, this one's not a personal creation.

((Okay, totally forgot this. There are two more character in this roleplay. A hobo and an angel. Played by the narrators. Also, is it okaaaaaaay with you guuuuys...if people ya know..uuuh..die? Is it okay if you're character is subject to dying? Not saying they will...persay...but...these things happen.))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Oh don't worry too much...We're not killing off anyone in the real early stages of the RP...More like close to the conclusion some people will...Drop off. But it doesn't mean you can't stay. Like Angel said, you can make up another character on the sidelines during that time. Divine intervention....))

[angelgirl1419]

((XD Sounds good enough to me, oh by the way, have the characters been sorted out, as of yet?))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Well, me and Charm have talked it over, but you'll probably won't get the official list until she gets on tonight. ;) ))

[angelgirl1419]

((Okay then, so we most likely will be able to start tonight?))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Maybe, but don't hold me to that.))

[angelgirl1419]

((Oh no, I won't. XD I was just asking is all.))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Thanks. `Neeways, it's all up to Charm to what happens. She gets the final say. I'm just a lowly lackey. >.< ))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Okay, the dying thing could NOT happen. It would probably be better if it did, but still. I'm taking that all in when I cast and probably will talk to the person/people before I go into it. There is only two more characters that are sort of in the air. We have everyone pretty much assigned except for two. Baa and I disagreed. I'm going to try one last attempt at whoring this and if no one responds by 12:30, I'll have the list up.

P.S. I mean, we sort of pre-planned the dying thing, but we'll alter the plot and details dependent on your guys responses and what you want. So, really, if it's not what the story calls for or it's not the best thing for you guys, it has a good chance of not happening))

[angelgirl1419]

((Sounds good enough to me. XD))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: If it's what's truly best for the plot, that's fine. We'll go with what the storytellers desire. :)

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Eff it. Here's the cast.

Aaron:White_Horse
Caz: Guendolen_Sama
Viviana: twilight_trance1117
Thomas: au_Sudo
Lilith: 7000dominos
John: angelgirl1419
Derick: KitsuneNoKoi

Hope no one drops and this is okay. *Throws confetti*

Since, I know you guys want to start, I'm going to try and send those motives and sins and things at the speed of light. HIGH HO' SILVER AND AWAY! ))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: Fine with me. Let us know when you wish to begin, okay?

[angelgirl1419]

((Fine with me too, just what about the characters sins?))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Working on sending them now. Keep em' secret. Thanks. If you have any questions, we don't mind answering. Baa and I are both available. She's usually one during the day, and I'm usually on during the night.))

[angelgirl1419]

((Thanks. XD))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

TO NOTE: Character can change motives if they really want to. Please just pm us with your suggestions. Some are better suited for change other are not, but that doesn't matter. Whatever you want, we're here to serve you.

The Prologue

Shards of sunlight reflected in the muddied waters of Raylin City's bay, nicknamed the Gray. The docks were eerily quiet, vacant of sea-farring men. Even the birds flew at a distance, specks of black in a mass of white. Water sloshed against the edge, spilling onto the side-walks. The Gray was stirring a dark and looming message. The shards of light seemed swallowed by the darkening waves. The clouds moved in for the kill, enveloping the sky. A dark gray, mirror of the foreboding bay, crept through the soft white hue of the sky. It was devouring the heavens. Hurried footsteps echoed off the walls of closely condensed buildings; citizens were hurrying home, sprinkles of rain pittering onto their unshielded faces. Rats, nibbling on scattered garbage, scurried away back into the depths of the underground. The city was closing within itself, guarded for the approaching storm.

Goals: Characters introduce yourselves. Give us a glimpse into who your really are and what kind of life you live. Please keep in contact with the people you already know. Begin!

[angelgirl1419]

((Woah man, here we go. XD))

Everything seemed as if it no longer made sense, or was worth any while. Everything went by in a haze, and the only apparent change was from day to night. Life had no more meaning. It was as lucid and as simple as breathing. There was no more surprise, no more thrill, no more excitement. What good is solving a puzzle if you already know how its going to end?

John Garrits life worked in this same impression. The whole cycle of his being was the same everyday.

Get up from bed
Down a cup of instant Folgers
Indulge in self loathing
Work
Come home
More loathing
Scavenge for something remotely edible in the refrigerator
Sleep

The isochronisms repeat themselves, day in and day out. There’s never a missing link in his chain of events, nothing ever changes. After being fired from his job, and his wife jetted out with the kids, he was utterly companionless. John tried to weasel his way back into his old accountant job, but his employer refused to hand it back over...so now his current job is a janitor at a nearby gas station. John Garrits had reached his nethermost limit, and has only two choices. Make progression, and improve his roguish and monotonous life, or remain as he is. And be doomed to a life of his forsaken dreams and family.

~*~

After eating leftover Mexican food from the night before, John decided for some leisure time and perhaps some self anathema. But after only a few brief moments, a knock was heard at John's door. John only grumbled and adjusted his position in his old ratted up recliner, not caring the least bit. But after the knocking stopped, John heard footsteps nearing him. Turning his head in puzzlement, John saw a co-worker, Rose that worked with him at the gas station standing in his doorway.

"The...door was open." She said meekly. John only squinted his eyes, and sucked a piece of food out of his teeth. "So, why are you here?" He asked rather rudely. Taking this as an invitation, Rose stepped in the room only a few paces. "I just thought, maybe someone should check in on you..." She said, as her eyes drifted to the kitchen, which she instantly cringed in disgust at.

"How humanitarian of you." John said with a thick sarcasm, a sour look on his face. Rose scoffed, her expression showing that of distaste. "You actually live here?" She asked, averting John's first remark.

"Yeah I do, now can you please get out now? Did you come here just to see if I really do live in a freaking pig sty? Huh?" Rose shook her head with longanimity. "Well why the hell did you come here for?" Johns tone was crude, and anything but blunt. Rose stammered. "I had just thought...that maybe someone...well, should check on you." John sneered, throwing his hands up in rage. "Just leave, alright! Really...I don't need to be checked up on, alright?" Before John could utter another word let alone phrase, Rose had flew out the door.

Feeling only worse than he had before, John sank deeper into his chair.

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

(( *throws up some mini-confetti* Woot! Have fun, everybody! Me and Charm will get this plot moving soon, once everybody gets their intros done!))

[angelgirl1419]

((Oh come on people and post your Intros! >.<))

[7000dominos]

(( >< Sorry. I've been busy. I really really shouldn't be here as it is.))

Lily stared with wide, olive green eyes as a drop of water slid down the glass plate she was holding in her hand, warping the imge of the house that was her world as it did. She considered herself a drop of water on a sheet of glass sometimes: All she ever did was slide along the world, never really entering, but always changing it for everyone else. Sometimes, like with Aunt Bea, she changed it for the better. She knew her aunt depended on her, her company and her bright smile, to keep her whole, together. Lily was sure to hide her sickness from poor Aunt Bea. She'd lost her sister. No reason to watch her niece suffer.

Other times, though, she messed things up. Like with Aaron. She knew that was why he didn't visit anymore. He didn't like seeing her. She reminded him of a mother she'd never known. She couldn't blame him, really. She always tried to hide her sickness from him, too. But he always knew.

She lifted the plate over her head, tilting it so the sunlight streaming through the window struck the drops and splashed liquid rainbows on the floor. Lily smiled. Maybe we drops of water mess up peoples lives, she thought. But we can make beautiful things, too.

Lily had always liked the rain. She would sit at the window for hours, when she was younger, before she'd gotten sick, and watch water pelt the gray streets outside with cruel, unrelenting fingers, She would marvel at how each drop trickled down the window pane, each making its own way, choosing for itself, as if it were alive, splitting and merging in some strange dance she would never understand. When a drop got big enough, she could look through it and see the world beyond turned on its head, morphed and twisted so she could hardly tell what it had been. That had been her favorite part, back then. She would trace the water paths with her finger until the collided with the sill, sliding off to drop into the grass below. And she always wondered the same thing: What would have happened if its path had been different?

"Lily, have you finished washing those dishes yet?" Aunt Beatrice's voice, weary and withered, came from the living room. Lily started, dropped the plate, sent it clattering to the ground. The plate shattered, sending glass in a million directions, knife-edged shards spraying across the floor, obliterating her rainbows. Lily stared, watching, wide-eyed, until another call broke her trance. She thought of the rainbows she'd made in Aunt Bea's life, and of how the little knives she created in Aaron's overshadowed them.

"Lily! What was that?" A shifting. A ruffling of pillows. The TV was muted.

"Nothing!" answered Lily, carefully stepping over the glass to reach the broom closet. "I'll clean it up. I'm sorry, Auntie!"

A sigh. More shifting. "Child, if your head weren't attached to your shoulders--"

"...it would up and float away," sighed Lily to herself, kneeling to sweep the glass into a little tray. "I know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lily sighed, staring out the window as the sun set, casting and orange-pink glow about her small room. She held in one small hand a pencil which had once been pink, but was now pock-marked with tooth marks. The eraser was a pale green nub; the pencil itself read, in faded sparkling letters, "....ing go hand in hand!" It was an old pencil, well used and tired, but it was her favorite, and she clung to it with the kind of foolish ferocity only a child could posses. She'd gotten in after winning a reading contest at school. She'd been so glad that day, only two years ago, though it seemed much longer ago than that. She'd read quite viciously all month, and was to receive a pizza party in honor of her hard work. The entire eighth grade english class had been put on hold that day to celebrate the contest.

She'd never gotten her party, though. She'd been feeling rather odd all week: tired and weak, and the next day, she didn't make it to school. Nor the next day, nor the next. In fact, she'd missed the last three months of school. The following week, she was taken to the hospital, and the week after that, she was diagnosed with cancer. The same fatal disease which had killed her mother, and so badly hurt her aunt and brother.

Lily sighed again and turned back to her desk, pencil in mouth, to stare at the partially blank piece of paper in front of her. It couldn't really been called blank. There were faint pencil marks, words upon words upon words which had been erased. Tears stains, and a million creases. The paper had been balled up and flattened many times.

And there were, of course, the two crucial words at the top, which signified to paper as a letter, many weeks in the making: Dear Aaron...

[White Horse]

It would be so easy... No one would be able to stop him... But... ehh, who wanted to deal with that kind of clean up? Besides, the razor was probably dulled by now, and wasn't he better then this? He was-is! Is better then that. Even from this distance, he could hear a shattering plate; had something happened? Or was it just dropped? Should he wait to see if an ambulance came? No; it wasn't his problem. Aaron Steiner turned away from the tiny view of the house that his sister and Aunt lived in, staring at the sidewalk as he went.

The sidewalk, so much like teeth that had never been brushed; they were yellowing, and, in some places, had black spots. A germ had gotten into the mouth that was Raylin City and was slowly killing everything off.
He could do something about it; gather a group to go around cleaning it up, or to protest to the Mayor, but, that would require being around other people, and at the moment, the razor looked better then being around others.

Aaron stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling the crumbled heap of bills; there was no reason to have it orderly, it would only get taken apart later. It wasn't much, though, even though it had just come from his paycheck; such was the life of one who worked at a Laundry Matt. It wasn't enough to live on, but, at least he wasn't on the streets like he had been all those years ago; or, was it not so long ago? It was hard to tell these days; they all seemed to collide into one long, painful existence.


Turning into the cheap, little corner store near the street he lived on, Aaron walked toward the counter, his shoes squeaking against the linoleum floor that had probably never seen better days, and ordered another pack of cigarettes; he was smoking quite a bit, now, wasn't he? Three, maybe four a day? Ironic that his sister, Lilith, was the one with cancer. Before he was even out of the store, Aaron was tearing open the top and taking a roll from its sleeve.

Aaron stopped for a moment to watch the happy, little fire do it's seductive dance with over the red phosphate floor; so easy. Lighting the cancer-stick, he whipped the match, killing the flame and ending its happiness, before flicking it to the dirty sidewalk; that happened to a lot of people, he noticed; they were happy before they were tossed to the dirt like a used match.

That was life, though; and then you die.
Like so many others.
Aaron sat on the steps that led into his apartment building, the one he shared with Cassandra, and leaned his right shoulder against the rock and concrete railing. As maddening, as sick and twisted as it might be, he couldn't help but think: What would happen when Lilith died? For she would die, in time; their mother had died. But then again, wasn't it always a matter of just that? Time? Maybe he finally jump off the peer and not come back, or use the dulled and rusty razor. Maybe a gang or two could spare him from the inconsequential voice in the back of his head, telling him how he should live; he lived the way he wanted to live, not how someone else, least not his mind, told him too.

Glancing up toward the skies, he noticed that darkness would set in soon; how lovely. Standing and dropping the half-smoked cigarette to the step that his feet had been resting on, nostrils flaring as he blew out the last of the smoke, Aaron ground the ball of his left foot into the white stick, smothering it like the fog over the city, before he headed inside.
They say you have to hit rock bottom before you can climb to the top again....

What if the bottom isn't made of rock?

[twilight_trance1117]

The bedsheets lay askew across the bed, barely covering Rose's shaking body. Beads of glossy sweat decorated her forehead, slightly reflecting the warm light in the shabby room. A large, gruff man rose from the bed, sliding on his boxers and then his pants. His large frame cast an even larger and more intimidating shadow across the yellowed wall with its peeling wallpaper. Rose closed her eyes, trying to not think of what had just happened. But, she couldn't block it out. The dim reality of it all was staring her in the face. She could hear the man cough to clear his throat and she opened her eyes. Not wanting to move, she peered out of the corner of her eyes at him. He was adjusting his tie and once done, he wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. He then reached into his pocket and retrieved a wad of money. He threw it onto the bed. It was a tip. An ugly thank-you for the job Rose had done. She had become good in her line of business and for that, she couldn't stand herself.

A brief patter of rain could be heard against the room's only window. She glanced at her customer, watching his expression of annoyance greet the raindrops. He cussed under his breath, something about not having an umbrella. And within that minute, he had left, slamming the door behind him. Rose continued to stare at the window, watching the world turn into a grey haze as the rain began to fall even more. She then sat up and walked into the adjacent bathroom. After taking a lengthy shower, she changed into a skimpy little number. It accented her every God-given curve. It's dark shade of red complimented her hair and rosy cheeks. After throwing on her grey jacket and grabbing her umbrella, she headed out into the rain, towards the Strip Joint, to find herself another means of bringing in some income.

She walked into the dim lit building and made her way to the back room, through the mist of smoke. It would be in the back room where she would change, do her hair, and apply her make up before hitting the stage.

[au_Sudo]

"Thomaaas." A crickety voice called from no where.

Thomas Lent twitched on his bed, the voice brining him back from his dreams.. He looked up at his alarm clock with disgust, the red numbers indicating he should still be sleeping. He'd only gotten to bed three hours ago. One of the stupid djs managed to jam the disk changer up, and suprisingly it had taken quite some time to fix it. It wasn't that he minded getting called in for idiotic problems that could've been avoided.. He'd have no job if they didn't happen. But, that he was called in to fix idiotic problems that could've been avoided- on his days off. He rubbed his eyes and let his hand drag down his face. He was way to tired.. What could the old bat possibly want?

"THOMAS!!" She called again. "Mimi needs a bath!" she yelled.

Thomas got out of bed with a groan and scratched himself. "YOU need a bath." He called back in a half yawn. He walked down the hall and entered the smoked filled the living room, the source was a cigarette resting in between two boney fingers. The woman- his mother.. was pale from sickness and appeared tired. She took a drag from her cigarette."Well, at least take her for a walk." She said smiling cruelly and nodding at the jittery shi-tzu. Her only companion. Ahh, how he hated the woman.. And her ratty dog. "Don't forget an umbrella dear." the womans lips curved up in a cruel smirk~

--

Thomas walked down the street, holding his breath when a scummy looking person passed, or homless person, ugly women, fat guys. He dragged the dog behind him on her skinny pink leash. His cell phone rang and caused him to pause, long enough for the dog to get a good sniff at a tree. He looked at the caller. "WORK" showed next to a picture of his boss smirking. "Hello?!" He asked agitated. "Uh huh..Yeah.. Yeah.. It can't it wait 'till tomorrow? Ahhh what ever 'ya scrooge I'm headed there now." He grumbled flipping the phone shut and shoving it into his pocket. He looked at the dog and sighed, the started walking again. "You know..you might own more clothes than I do.. But..ya look damn ridiculous in 'em." He laughed, regarding it's rain coat and hat with a little umbrella attached. Some how his feet seemed to lead him in the opposite direction of where he worked and twords his favorite strip joint. "You wait out here." He said wrapping the lead around a lamp post. He ran his fingers through his hair, adjusted his tight fitting jeans, and headed inside.

(I can change it if it's like..>.O earlier? XD)

[7000dominos]

((Sooorry...I guess I made it sound like I wanted it to be raining. I didn't. I wasn't clear, my fault. I fixed it. Charm/Baa, lemme know if I should change it again to work with everyone else's.))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((...It's fine. These don't have to be at the same times or anything. Theeey could be on different days for all I care. Sooo...yeah...you guys are awesome. I really enjoyed reading all of them. ^__^))

[KitsuneNoKoi]

Derrick rubbed his sore hands together dully. He was just finishing up a conversation with his sister when his grandmother chimed in.

“I don’t see why you waste your time in here when you could be outside with your friends. Maybe a girl. I mean, really, why don’t you spend some time with a nice girl?” she began. This only caused Derrick to sigh and look at his grandmother, a look of interest on his face. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a girlfriend, it was just that he couldn’t get a girlfriend. Who would want to date Derrick? He wasn’t amazingly gorgeous. He didn’t have a perfectly sculpted body. He was just himself. He gave a nod to his grandmother and, with her leaving satisfied, took leave to another room.

He walked into his kitchen and smiled at his mother. “Hello,” she said, smiling warmly, before turning her attention back to the vegetables she was chopping up.

“Hey,” he said in a friendly tone. “What’s for breakfast?”

“You’ll see,” she replied. 'You'll see.' The dreaded 'you'll see,' thought Derrick.

“Last time you made that everyone got sick," he laughed.

“I don’t see you cooking,” Derrick’s mother threatened in reply. That quickly shut Derrick up. Noticing his cue to leave, he quickly got a can of soda and rushed out of the kitchen. He didn’t want to anger another woman in the house. He knew the consequences for that.

He walked into his room. It was empty except for the furniture. He hated to be alone. He was the type who wanted constant attention from everyone. He loved to laugh and see others smile. Derrick was Derrick. There wasn’t any other way to describe him besides “class clown.” But, it was more than just wanting to make others laugh. It was a need to feel…a sense of belonging, if you will. He didn’t like himself too much and couldn’t really help that. He felt rejected due to his looks. He knew he was annoying, but he couldn’t help that. It was just in his nature. He hung onto his friends because he felt they were the most important people in life. He would do anything for his friends and family and he wanted friends that would pay attention in return.

As a result of Derrick hiding his true feelings, he tended to go into books and games. He sometimes shunned reality, not wanting to face the real world at times. This actually added fuel to the fire. Kids just made fun of him even more, but it didn’t matter: he had finally found a way to escape for a small amount of time. Though, this did trigger an imagination. One that made people laugh even more.

Comedy had been his solution. It seemed to make people like him, gave him attention, gave some decent friends, and it made people happy. There wasn’t anything else he needed. Well, besides air, water, and food. He couldn’t live without those. But, emotionally he was set. For the most part. There were always a few people wanting to pick on him, but he simply shrugged it off as best he could. What else was he to do, after all?

[angelgirl1419]

((I agree. XD All of them were really great...is the only person we need to post next, Guendolen?))

[au_Sudo]

((Mm. I thnk so, but shes coming back Sunday right? ))

[angelgirl1419]

((...I would have no idea. XD))

[7000dominos]

((Mm. I thnk so, but shes coming back Sunday right? ))

That's what she said, I think...

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Dammit...I better get cracking then!))

[Guendolen_Sama]

OOC: I'm really sorry I didn't post before this. I honestly did want to when you first posted on Wednesday night; but before I got the chance, the site cut out on me. I got blank white screens and nothing else, no matter what. And I'd stayed up too late as it was; I couldn't stay up indefinitely trying to see if it would come back. Then, of course, I was out of town. I've been trying to muster up a good post ever since. The introductory ones are the hardest, to my mind. I just hope I can do this well.

IC: Morning. The alarm clock set off its insistent screeching buzz; Caz's hand slapped the beside table a few times before successfully hitting the clock. She wasn't at her most co-ordinated right now. The clock (an old one she'd had since high school and had never gotten around to replacing) had the most bone-jarring ring in existence, but at least it got her out of bed. Another day of the same old, same old....
She felt better as she took her morning shower, though; the water cleared her head. Maybe today wouldn't be too bad. Okay, so she was still in that same-old job, the bakery. Not the most exciting work by any stretch of the imagination. But someone did have to pay the rent for this place.... Aaron was a great guy, and she really liked sharing a place with him. But he had a hard time with jobs.... Still, right now she really didn't think she'd like sharing with anyone else.
Breakfast- this time it was an impromptu breakfast sandwich of eggs and some leftover ham from dinner the other night- and time to brush her teeth. Caz looked at herself in the mirror as she did so. Perhaps it was time to try a new hair color. She wasn't entirely sure if purple was "her" anymore. Maybe I'll go jet-black. Or something really funky, like bright blue with flourescent green highlights. If she did that, someone at work would probably go nuts. As it was, they weren't too keen on her current purple locks.
Hm. Maybe blue and green was the way to go after all....

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((Harry Potter...or post...Hmm... *grabs Harry Potter book* I'll put that post up tomorrow, Charm. To everyone else: Lovely intros! The plot will be set in motion very soon, I promise.))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

“The world is at an end.”

“The world is coming to an end.”

“The end is near.”

“The world is at an end.”

The words floated into the filthy air like a mantra as people continued on with their lives. Smog filled skies perfectly reflected the mood surrounding the factory in the heart of Raylin City, casting its inhabitants into a perpetual state of dusk. The homeless outnumbered the homed in the city, with numbers of people lining the street, begging others for scraps when they barely had enough themselves. It was nothing new; just the norm in these hard times. People became adept at ignoring the ramblings and the pleadings of those less fortunate than themselves, their presence blending into the background like an annoying fly.

A homeless man, more filthy and weather-beaten than the rest, stood like a statue against the foreboding walls of the factory. His hair, where it still remained, was white and wispy, floating around his head like some sick excuse for a halo. His face was leathery and wrinkled, age spots and purplish veins covering the exposed skin. His eyes were glazed over with white cataracts and stared, unseeing and unblinking, into the flow of people before him. His clothes were caked with soot, dirt, and grease; what once was fine livery where now reduced to deplorable rags. His mouth did not open, lips staying in a firm line. He did not join in the begging his fellows had. Rather, he just stood as if waiting for some sign, not moving an inch from his spot. He remained that way for hours, and those around him wondered if he had simply died that way.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the man spoke. His voice was scarcely a whisper, like the wind stirring the leaves in the trees, but had a commanding, almighty air to it.

“Humans have plunged into darkness. Sins outweigh virtue; selfish desires have consumed the human mind. They have bitten into the forbidden fruit, casting themselves into the shadows. The Angel wails for this world. Her sadness spurs demons; the world shall soon face their faults and receive retribution. The end is nigh.”

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((I've been uber busy with 4-H this past week and I just finished tonight, so I should be able to finish (the reply) what I've already started by tomorrow night. I have band (and 4-H) all day tomorrow until 9:00. You guys don't have to stop at introductions, you can go ahead and roleplay more of their lives.))

[angelgirl1419]

((Aye, aye El Capitan. XD I'll add more onto mine when I get some more time, too.))

[twilight_trance1117]

((Continue RPing? KK!))

Viviana walked onto the stage in her very revealing number. This got howls and hoots from the men in the club. She had come to ignore this and just work. She had been told she was good at this job of hers, and secretely, she almost liked being told that. Being told she was good at ANYTHING was more than she had expected and was thus welcomed praise. She walked in her heels toward the edge of the stage, which was almost like a catwalk, and began to dance. The dim lights reflected off of her silky red hair as she moved with a sort of sultry appeal. Whenever offered tips, she'd reach out her delicate pale hand and eagerly snatch them up. It was a living and every bit of money helped.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

Chapter One: The Pestilence

I created a world, just for you and I
But I lost you in the dark,
I lost you in a crowd of imitations

Once, there was an angel that defied God. They called him Lucifer, the angel of light. God loves all his creations and so loved Lucifer, but Lucifer's aspirations were unforgivable. He wanted to steal the light from the world. He wanted to steal the hope from the people and cast them in a bleak hell. So, in turn, God gave Lucifer his heart's desire and sent him to a world just for him, a world of darkness.

Thunder rolled through the city, breaking the bonds of a storm-inflicted peace. Lightning cut spidery silhouettes across the green-grey sky. Together, they were a heart. The thunder was beating the rhythmic pulse and the lightning, the quiet between. And true without metaphor, a silence can be the deadliest of all. Through the day, the rain didn't cease, but beat on. Car doors slammed seemingly simultaneous. In their wake, footsteps hurried across side-walks and drive-ways, hurtled pebbles disturbed from their unrestricting coves. Then, one by one, or two by two, the doors slammed, playing like music of an impromptu cannon. Impatient wives kept tired husbands at bay, halting them at doorsteps; frightened wives ushered forlorn husbands in, keeping a vigil of the daunting rain. As an early night enclosed on Raylin city, clouds mounting over persisting fragments of light, an infectious fatigue swept over all. With early darkness, came early slumber, silencing an apprehensive metropolis. A silence only a massive, imprudent storm could come to bear.

But a quiet noise still remained. The thunder still sounded, distancing itself as the winds carried it to a mirrored capital. Until finally, you couldn't hear it at all. Calamity was restored; the storm was receding. But, the light didn't return. The stars didn't shine. The moon didn't watch over the lonely city with a tired smile. A late passerby, caught in the storm, was drawn to the bleak nothingness, staring skyward. The fumes and pollutes from an ill-advised factory left the sky in shabby ruins, no place for stars and most of the time, only the slight of a moon, but tonight, the sky was a vacuum of vacancy, sucking in everything. The sky usually swirls of navy blue and green, a mosaic of nature and human decadence, was a pure and rueful black. But it didn't stop at the horizon. The sky was opening its jaws, and opening them wide. The darkness filtered out of the sky and into the city. Like a python, prey easing down its throat, it swallowed slowly, devouring piece by piece. Black casts plunged towards the dead city, falling away in divert directions. The city's colors, the putrid green and black that made up the masterpieces of the darkened skyline, melted away; All the color seeped into one definitive hue: black. Synthetic lights danced amongst the ebony hues, a tango of impending demise. And slowly, one by one, they faded, immersed in the night. Shapeless shadows of gray and black marched through the streets, seeping through the sewers and creeping under the cracks. A baby's ceaseless cries, a mother's comforting whispers, suddenly, stopped. The baby's blaring whines didn't decrescendo, segueing into a rhythm of Eden. The mother's harsh breathing didn't transcend to an utter bliss of accomplishment, watching her slumbering child with a thin-lipped smile. Their cries, their whispers, their breaths just stopped, swallowed in a terrible, deafening silence. A couple, hand in hand, lingered under a broken door-frame, interlocking lips. For one brief longevity, they were one being. Unforeseen shadows fled from the cavities of the adjoining alley, diving and winding through the air like acrobats. A foreign wind, mustered by the dark bandits’ fluid acceleration, chilled the vagrant couple. The woman's clutch on his worn-denim jacket left shadowed imprints. She pressed her body further against his, thieving his warmth. The wind, too, bore a new creation. Her hair came alive, winding in the air, untamable. The loose hair became venomous tendrils, nipping and biting at the conjoined faces. She was a modern Medusa, black snakes creating a grotesque veil. In correspondence, her black hair seemed to tear from her scalp, covering the man in an ebony stone. Then, from his lips to hers, the dark epidemic spread. The winding snakes consume whole. Then, dogs tied to wooden posts, barking frantically having foreseen the looming danger, were silenced. A TV left on, but unwatched was silenced. Just as the great Mother had quieted the wailing city, calming it into its slumber, She continued to suffocate, until all was whole and utterly still.

Goal: Welcome to the twisted fairy tale. The world is bleak and dark. It's over-grown with forrestry, dark and rotting trees. Its an alien world. Please, create your own visions of this world with your replies. Raylin City is cast with an eery light, but the sun isn't shining. You are one of the eight who are not blind. One is a homeless man, sputtering on a street, out of his mind. The rest, well, that's for you to find out. Your fellow citizens, other than these seven, have become mindless zombies crazed and darkened. They seemed to be possessed by horrible sins and desires. But many are affected differently. You are thrust into a world you don't understand. You have your motives, but now, can you save all that's been taken from you?
The World: A woman wandered about the deserted streets, clutching to her withered handbag. Her skin was yellowed, her eyes an unsual dark. From a distance, the woman seemed to be but a wandering hobo. Closing on her frail body, and tinges skin, there was something deeper amiss with the wanderer. Her head twitched sharply from side to side, her body trembling from head to toe. She did not walk, but rather glided across the side wallk, her arms resting limply at her sides. And her eyes, were a sallow endless black. The irises seemed to have been snuffed out by some darkening fire. Her lips were slightly parted, and breathing harsh and rasped. She mumbled to herself, or rather, talked to ghosts only she could see.
"I want....please...." Her head jerked to the left. "Love...Mine...All mine...I want...they're dead..." Her prattling made no sense as she carried on, driven by the unseen forces. Then, she was joined by others. They appeared out of no where, falling in behind her by only seconds. Strangled voices called forth similiar broken messages, some crawling, some writhing in unseen pain. The people were changing. The world was changing. The sun no longer peaked over the high fortidues of metal. It didn't reflect in the pool that scatterred the city from the previous storm. Yet somewhere, in the distance,a light shone. But beyond, where the light lay, massive black trees grew from the cement covering the city in a dark forests. Miniscule cracks in the streets turned into gaping holes. The city was crumbling.

NOTE: I hope this give a better sense of what's going on.
Some people seem inflicted with some demon, mumbling to themselves, alone. They rock themselves back and forth, fearing the touch of others.
Others attack ruthlessly, screaming at the demons that aren't there.
Some, shine with a brilliant light. Yet, all they do is stare, lost in the light, lost in a city of darkness. They are pure souls lost in hell.

This is not happening to any of YOU. But to all the people around you. What will have happened to your relatives? Your family? Your alone. Or are you? Go forth and see.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Sorry, it's a day late. I went home and died yesterday. I didn't get a lot of sleep and did a lot that day, so...I was in a coma, as Baa would say.))

[7000dominos]

((In a few minutes, I promise. I added onto my other one. I'll edit the second part later, too.))

[7000dominos]

((I'm gonna post, I am. I just...think better at night.))

[Baa.Baa.Blacksheep]

((In bed. ;) ))

[7000dominos]

((........So?))

[twilight_trance1117]

((Wow... just wow... what a post. *shrinks back at its lengthy descriptive awesomeness* I'm gonna take a minute to think of what to post. Someone please go ahead and post so that I can kind of get a vibe as to what to write. ^.^ Still though, that's preeetty impressive.))

[7000dominos]

((I've been stalling for the past 24 hours, you cheater! I'm still working on mine...*stares at blank page* And as far as that goes, you kinda get used to it. Kinda.))

[7000dominos]

As soon as Lily opened her eyes, she knew it was going to be one of those days.

She mustered a handful of strength and turned her head to the window. Fat, cold droplets of water traced their way down the glass pane, leaving zig-zagging streaks in their wake. Lily reached a trembling hand out to the window, but she couldn't reach it, and she didn't have the energy to get up.

It was Monday, and she had to be at school in half an hour, but she knew she wouldn't be going. She'd missed four days of school in the past two weeks, and it upset her. But the anger fizzled out quickly, exhausted and unfueled, and her hand dropped, limp and pale, back to her side.

Next to her head, on the tiny bedside table, a small orange-brown transparent bottle half full of pills sat, goading her on. Steiner, Lilith. Take two a night while symptoms occur. This always made Lily laugh, albeit bitterly. She would throw the entire bottle away--burn it even--the day her "symptoms" stopped occuring. She knew she shouldn't be so cynical, but she couldn't help it. Faking pleasure all the time took a toll on her. It wasn't as if it could be helped. Stupid little bottles with stupid little labels didn't know she was going to die. It wasn't their fault her "symptoms" would "occur" until she was gone. She took a deep breath and pinched her arm. She got like this on mornings when she wasn't feeling well. It always made her feel worse. She shook her head, intent on putting on a good face for Aunt Beatrice.

Aunt Beatrice. She made a face at the tiny pill bottle at the thoughts. She hadn't taken one in weeks, though she'd been sorely tempted to on more than one occasion. But she couldn't. She knew how much they cost, and she knew that Aunt Beatrice couldn't afford to keep paying for refills.

She turned her head slowly and gently as if it were a china vase full of heavy, priceless diamonds. Her eyes fell on her desk, and on her half finished letter to Aaron. She'd asked him to come and visit. Just a suggestion, really. She hadn't seen him in so long, and she wanted to say hi...

She wouldn't be able to mail it today, but she thought that was alright. Aaron wouldn't want to see her like this, anyway. It would only hurt him. Then he would go away longer.

Rain pattered persistanly on her window, as if trying to get her attention. She turned back, appeasing the detirmined fingers. Outside, she could see sprinklers running in the lawn across from hers. Sprinklers in the rain. Like the title of some sick, twisted poem.

A person rushed by, clutching an unbrella against the wind and rain, hurrying toward some place or another. She propped herself up, not without effort, to watch.

~*~*~*~*~

Ryan Glibson tugged his too-small rain slicker tighter around his shoulders, watching his breath puff out in frail white whisps in front of his face. Lightning scittered across the sky in noiseless streaks of blue-white. Thunder followed with pouding steps, chasing the lightning across the sky, the two criss-crossing across the sky like restless kittens.

Ryan huffed as he rushed down the street, cursing his luck. Why, today of all days, had his car broken down? And his selfish, lazy, good for nothing wife had taken it to work. He swore again, strongly distrusting her motives. Still, he thought as cold rain water dripped into his eyes, he had no time to think about that now.

He was meeting a man to spy on his wife. He knew--knew--that she was cheating on him. She was looking for a younger man, he thought. He was tired of her late nights, of coming home to an empty house and no dinner. He was tired of her sudden explosion in new apparel, and the poor excuses to explain their origins. She was nothing but a filthy, lying gold digger, and he would have his revenge.

He hurried down the street, checking his watch. He was late. Running to meet his appointment, and deaf over the sound of his on labored breathing, he never heard the car come up beside him. He was, in fact, only aware of its prescence after a few quarts of icy, muddy water poured over his head and down his neck. He stood, dumbfounded for a moment, before hurling every curse known to man (and a few he'd just made up) at the green Ford rushing past him, eager to meet its own deadline. Then he continued, seemingly unperturbed, caught up in his own selfish desires.

That was people today. Somehow, things had changed. People's personal desires, however selfish and superficial, had become more and more important as of late. People were selfish and close-minded, living purely for the moment, never thinking ahead or behind. They made stupid, spontaneious decisions, that meant hell for themselves and everyone else. And what did it leave?

Inside a tiny house, beyond a sodden glass window, a pair of hazel eyes pulled themselves from the rain soaked streets of Raylin city. Ten minutes until the school bell rang. Lily glanced toward her backpack, already packed and ready, and laid back down in her bed, tugging her quilt over her face to hide everything--the cars and the streets and the sodden people and their selfishness--from view.

[twilight_trance1117]

((I'm guessing it's morning now? Right? So I don't go and type about evening events? I don't mind it being morning mind you, I'm just asking. ^_^))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Right. Now, it would all be on the same day.

NOTE TO EVERYONE: This is when the real playing begins. Baa and I leave you as guiding phantoms. ^___^ It won't be like the Prologue were you each just write one (which didn't have to be that way, maybe I submitted that chapter too early). It's mostly in your hands now. Chapters will still appear, but more or less, depending on what's going on with you, the players. So, have fun, have any questions we're at the ready!))

[7000dominos]

((Which means the first person to post more or less chooses the weather and time of day....Hm.))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Weather, yeah, but the time of day could be different))

[twilight_trance1117]

((I'll just have it be morning as well. Differing times in the same city confuse me. O_o lol))

Vivi had just gotten home in her rather desolate and sad excuse for an apartment. She tossed the wad of money onto her dresser from a good nights work. It was kind of funny. Years ago, such a profession wouldn't make nearly enough for most people, and yet today, with the new mindset of people, it was increasingly popular. You'd find the weary businessmen, the town drunks, and the rough street thugs all in the same place seeking the same thing: Lust of the flesh. And it was because of this lust that she was able to get by. That, and the fact that she sold herself. It was the only thing she was good at and it provided her with a way to bring in some income, and that was all that she really needed. She tried hard to push the feeling of worthlessness and shame out of her mind. Most customers wouldn't pay if a woman gave off such a vibe.

Viviana flopped onto her messy bed and closed her eyes. For a split second, she could have sworn she felt the presence of the guy from earlier there, next to her on the bed as well. Her eyes shot open and she turned her head, relieved to find no one else in the small room. Sitting up, she adjusted her outfit and rose from the bed. She decided on taking a shower, perhaps getting a bit of breakfast and then going to bed. She slept most days, seeing as her nights were very, very busy. She was a popular one and had many clients that payed well, making it hard for her to refuse. Vivi was always one to give into the will of others, never deciding for herself. It was easier that way, afterall.

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm going to go back and add onto my post and try to make the setting and what's going on clearer. And, since only two people have responded, send out pms to the other players afterward. Hopefully, this will be done during or by tomorrow night. Thanks.

EDIT: I have posted a little more on my original response. I'll edit mistakes later. Hopefully, this help to make thing clearer, but if anyone needs suggestions or anything Baa and I are usually one every day. Also, the world doesn't have to be constricted to just what I've mentioned. Everything's dark and twisted. Use your imaginations. So, please create your own visions of this world. Thanks! ^__^

p.s. The original Chapter 1 is on page 8. I will be editing "The World" later.))

[Guendolen_Sama]

Another insistent alarm clock buzz. Another day. Caz slapped the alarm, as usual, and rolled limply out of bed. She looked out the window as she shook her purple hair out of her eyes. The sky looked... weird, today. It had a hazy light to it; not a sun-type light, though. More akin to the light you got when a big storm was building. Come to think of it, the sky had looked like that more often than not, recently.... Wonder why I never noticed before?
Oh well. No use dwelling, though. She didn't have to go in to work until a little later today, so Caz thought she'd take some time and make a real breakfast, instead of just a hurried bagel on the way out the door or whatever. Maybe Aaron would like some, too.... She knocked on his door, sticking her head in a bit. "Hey, buddy, you conscious yet?"

[angelgirl1419]

((Sooo sorry I havn't posted yet...I've just been really busy lately, and havn't really had time to write out a decent post. Besides, i'm in a bit of a writters block state at the moment...but I'll get out of it soon, and will post. XD))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((Is anyone still...going to post on this?..Anyone??? If you don't want to drop this, please post on here and tell me so. Because, I did work on it and if people are still interested, I'd hate for all that writing to go to waste, sooooooooooooooooooooooooo.....please just let me no if you are still interested. I'm always here for suggestions if you need them, just pm me.))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

((NOTE: Everyone did really great introductions, but I do not want anyone to think that they have to make their posts long every time. If it's at least a pretty good paragraph, that should be fine. I was afraid people wouldn't want to post because they thought they would have to make it long each time. I worry about everything. Just make your posts as long as you need whether it be extremely lengthy, or just a paragraph. As long as it gets your message across. Sorry, worried about this.))

[twilight_trance1117]

((Sorry! I've been as busy as ever but I'd really like to continue this! ^-^ I'm gonna do my best at this so bare with me if I stray off from what you intend.))


Viviana lay there on her bed, eyes closed and yet unable to catch any sort of sleep. The air in the room lay still, almost dense with a new sort of strangeness. The feeling in the air wasn't new. Oh no. It felt fairly familiar but louder and more apparant. As if the volume had been turned up. Vivi rose from her bed slowly and listened. Not a sound at first, but then the low humming of a man. She didn't move, but instead listened intently to his deep voice as it cracked and mumbled. She had heard this voice before but where? She took a moment to remember. It was the elderly British man that lived below her. He was a generally rude man who complained rather much about everything. If anything seemed wrong or unfair to him, which just so happened to be everything, he'd let you know.

As she walked towards the slightly open window she began to catch bits and pieces of what he was saying.
"Lost...everything...told you...bloody well... gone..."
Viviana gazed below her at the streets and saw him stagger on, as if burdened by something immense and invisible. He continued mumbling under his breath, cursing as well. Vivi bit her lip and stared, not knowing what to make of it. He wasn't just rambling like normal, oh no. He seemed to speak in a daze, as if on the edge of insanity. Not only was his talk and demeanor different, but there also seemed to be a dark aura hanging around him and above him. She couldn't quite place her finger on it but it felt as if something almost tugged at her heart.

[White Horse]

During a storm, Aaron would usually wake up and watch it, but not this time... He was to deep into his sleep, too involved.

He could see it all again... The happy, he could feel it, then she died... Where did the happy go? Why did the happy have to leave?
Misery... it likes company, you know... It likes my company... I keep misery happy... Misery has my happy... Mother once had my happy, but she left.

Lilith... Oh, Lily... She once had my happy, too... But she's up and gone... Left me alone... No, not alone, misery is here to keep my company; misery likes my company.

Her shell, my Lily, her shell is still here, yes.... but she is so... That will leave me, too... I don't want to be without the happy.... Misery has my happy... That's why I stay with misery, you know? Close to my happy....

With a gasp, a deep, shuddering intake of air, Aaron sat up in his old, breaking, dirty bed, the sheets sticking to his sweat-slicked chest. The booming storm made Aaron's dark gaze flicker to the window with a small crack in the glass before he pushed the sheets away and stood, stretching and cracking his body. Aaron dragged his feet as he moved toward the end of his bed and pulled the pack of cigarettes and matches from his jeans before slipping into the bathroom.

After splashing some cold water onto his face, Aaron pushed the seat of the toilet down and sat upon it, lighting a cigarette.
What had all of that meant? Those horrible feelings; for a moment, he had felt how he had before, when their mother was still alive, but then all he felt was horrible.
How he feels now, actually!

Taking a long drag, Aaron knocked the dark ashes into the sink; he knew that Lilith would die, because of her cancer... So why was he dreaming about it? There was nothing to resolve, and that's what dreams were, correct? The brain trying to answer a question?

Turning the tap on, he let it run over the end of the cigarette, dousing it, before Aaron stood and dropped the butt into the toilet, flushing it and heading back into his bedroom to sleep as the storm calmed outside; a sign? Possibly, but, not likely.

~~

When he woke again, the storm was gone and the sun was already bright and shiny; time to start a new day. Aaron slipped into his bathroom for a quickly shower, ran a brush through his hair and teeth, then wandered back into his bedroom to pull his pants off the end of the bed and slip them on, followed by a new shirt, skipping breakfast.

When he exited the apartment, he took his time seeing what had changed; the hell happened to the people? Moving down the sidewalk, Aaron ignored all of those around him until someone hit him from behind and made him stumble. Turning, he saw someone sitting on the ground; they didn't get up, they didn't speak, they didn't even look at him... O.K. then... Aaron backed away slowly, watching the person like they might pounce on him, before he finally gave up and continued on to the laundry-mat; the door was still locked and the place was dark; odd; it was usually open before he was even awake.

What was going on?!

[twilight_trance1117]

Viviana left the window and headed to her bed, picking up her coat. She knew very well that there was nothing in the fridge and that she would have to seek out food at the grocery store. She'd use some of the money she'd made from the night before.

She exited her room and headed down the hall, and then down the stairs. Noticing that the building also felt eerie and dim, as if it was only a shell of itself. Shaking off the feeling, Vivi walked out into the street and stopped instantly in her tracks. She didn't know why she hadn't noticed it before, perhaps the lack of sleep, but the buildings and sidewalk now looked extremely withered and decayed as if they'd crumble or turn into dust at the slightest touch. Not only that, but many of the people who busied themselves in the mornings were no where to be seen.

Vivana glanced around and hesitantly began making her way to the store for some food, pulling the hood of her coat on. Anytime she'd come upon a stranger on the sidewalk, she'd hear mumblings similar to those of her neighbor. She would tilt her head down, hiding behind her red hair and hood, and then walk faster. A chill ran down her spine. The environment felt almost nightmarish and the people were more like ghosts than anything else.

[7000dominos]

Lilith sat on the beaten up old couch, knees drawn up to her chest, toes poking from under the shabby blanket like so many pale, round stones. Her eyes scanned the television with a severe, and somewhat precocious intensity, but if you were to ask her what was happening, she couldn't have answered you.

It was a soap, the television program, one of her favorites. (You got used to watching soap operas when you spent so many school days at home.) She always thought it was so funny how the main character, a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair and eyes, had cancer, but never died. In the beginning, Lily had been reluctant to watch it. She didn't need a reminder of the strain she was putting on everyone around her. But as one episode gre into two, grew into four, grew into months of near obsession, her reluctance faded. The beautiful woman never died. Oh, she got close a few times, but she never actually bit it. And, even better, there was always someone with her. Always. A friend from work, her gorgeous, yet forlorn mother, her chruch pastor. Her boyfriend, who, if Lily shut her eyes and concentrated very hard almost looked like Aaron.

And so the soap became more than a daily obsession of one who was often stuck home alone while her aunt was at work. It became a beacon, a positive symbol of hope, that one day Aaron might overcome his aversion to her and begin to visit again. Begin to love her again, as she loved him.

[KitsuneNoKoi]

Derrick awoke to the piercing sound of his alarm clock. After slapping the 'snooze' button a few times, he groaned and sat up.

"I don't wanna go to school," he whined.

After minutes of constant complaints, he walked out of his room and into the bathroom. His house was quiet, which was very odd, but eerily soothing at the same time.

Turning on the hot water with a bit of cold, Derick closed his eyes in relief. The warm water helped wake him up and massaged his sore muscles.

After getting dressed, he began looking for his sisters to see if they were ready yet. No luck. Sitting down on the couch, he turned on the TV and began flipping through channels, boredly. "I hate school mornings..." he muttered to himself.

((I'm sorry! I've just been... -what's the word-unable to come up with anything better than this. I'm going to edit later. Yes, most definately...><))

[au_Sudo]

(( >_> Sorry this sucks X_X I'm sleep deprived. ))


Thomas yawnnnned and stretched his arms out. He sat up in his bed with a smile, today was going to be a good day. His smile accompanied him to the bathroom. Damn, he was feeling happy. He started to hum a song as he brushed his teeth, which turned into a whistle when he peed, and a full out song when he hoped into the shower. After his shower (and getting dressed) he walked quietly down the hall - so he didn't wake up his mother. He was having a good morning so far, and he was sure her raspy ole voice would surely ruin it.

He started to whistle again once he had gotten to the street, he put his hands in his pockets and admired the sky. What he saw through the smog any way.

"Ahh, today is lookin' fantastic. Heh heh." He nodded his approval at the sky. It was easy to ignore the pollution when you felt so good. Today, the roads were straight and smooth, the side walks weren't cracked, the birds were singing, and every one was beautiful! Except the guy with the huge mole that walked by.. All was wonderful until (following routine) the convenience store he usually bought his morning cup o joe was closed. He walked up to the the store and peered through the glass door. All the lights were off, but he could see the cashier standing in front of the register.

"Silly son ova b!tch must've forgotten to unlock the door.." he muttered to himself, rapping the door with his knuckles. The man at the register turned tiredly towards Thomas. Thomas smiled widely and waved. The man simply faced forward again. Thomas eye brows knitted and he knocked again, but this time got no response. He kicked the door causing the bell inside to chime.

"Ahh what ever you bastard, see if I ever come here again.." He grumbled flipping the store off before continued off. He scowled as he walked along.. Suddenly the birds beautiful song morphed into a an annoying wailing sound. He shook his head, he wasn't gunna let a cup of coffee and some bastrd ruin his day. He smiled again and continued his way. A woman with her children walked by slowly, he nodded "Good morning missus." She stared at him blankly and continued. "..God whats up with people today?" He mumbled continuing forward. He hadn't watched where he was going and tripped over a tree root. He snarled and kicked it.

Some one rambling passed him by, and knocked into him.

"Excuse you!" Thomas exclaimed pushing the man backwards. The man was not phased and continued forward. Thomas turned around and watched him.."Aren't ya gunna apologize?!" He asked- irritated. The man continued.. "I swear if one more god damned person pisses me off today heads are gunna flippin' fly." He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the street stiffly. A cranky expression on his face. Living sure was tedious some times.

[angelgirl1419]

John groaned with intense irritability as he clamped his eye lids shut. "Damn sun..." He said aloud, as if someone was their to listen. He raised his hand and rubbed at his itching eyes to clear out the sleep.

Sitting up, he held his head in his hands for a few moments...he hated getting up, hated driving to work in his beat up station wagon, loathed his foppish, enfeebled boss who thought he was better than him...He ransacked his entire life.

Nothing worked out as it seemed it would...nothing. Things where better than they could possibly when he and Anna lived in that nice two story house on Proper Street, with the big yard, and the swing set in the back for the kids to play in...even that damn mutt of a dog was enjoyable...

His old job as an accountant, that was exceptionally finer than this incompetent work as a janitor.

He hates most coming home to a devoid and godforsaken house. When he opens the door, the kids don't come bouncing down the stairs, and scampering up to him and blabbing about how Jack caught a huge cricket, or how Bella accidentally drew on the walls with her crayons...and certainly their was no smell of warm, freshly pulled out of the oven dinner.

He ruined it...ruined everything. He was happy, well, content. Now, he wouldn't mind if the sky fell down and crushed him as he lay in his bed...in fact, he would welcome it. He couldn't figure out why his life did a tailspin and he now lived a life of complete, and utter loathing. Still, as he sat here pondering and pondering over how the enjoyable events of his past life could led to such hell...his thoughts proved not to be fruitful.

John's reverie was untimely disturbed by the annoying blaring of his alarm clock. John raised his blood shot eyes to that dreadful mechanism...and slammed his fist down onto the snooze button.

Time to go to that hell hole called work.

((I am so sorry! I havn't had much time to post lately, and unfortunently this is the outcome...XD))

[Charmless_Anachronism]

NOTE: Now, the world has been shrouded in chaos. Be sure to interact with your fellow players!

[Guendolen_Sama]

Hm. Aaron had already left. Curious. Usually Caz was at least half-woken up when he got rustling around in the apartment.... She must have been sleeping more deeply than usual. Curious.
Well, now was not the time to dwell on it. She was going to combat the odd dreariness of the day by making her favorite breakfast, waffles and fruit. Though it seemed to taste different today. Everything was... bland. Another strange thing.
Washing up the dishes, getting ready to go out for the day. Her mind turned over, wondering things. About whether it might be time to move on to another new job. This one was getting seriously old. Hm, what to try next? Nothing to do with retail, or at least not food service. She sort of envied people who were happy to settle with such things. It made life easier. But it would also be less interesting. And honestly, who wanted a boring life? Change was what made things exciting, new.
Speaking change, maybe I'll try a new hair color. Black, maybe? That might be fun.... Wonder what Aaron would think of me with black hair? She grinned a bit to herself as she tried to picture it. He'd probably take it all in stride, really. He was used to her mercurials shifts, after all.
The sky was even stranger when seeing it directly outdoors. It was almost a yellowish glow. And it was so very still.... No wind at all. The trees seemed almost listless, their color dull and lifeless. Caz couldn't help but shiver a little bit.
Then... there were the people. Caz wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. She was an avid people watcher, after all; you never knew what you might see. But those around her.... They seemed almost, well, zombie-like. It was like in a movie she'd seen once. Everyone was taken over, they didn't lurch or moan or anything like that, but they milled about listlessly, as though having no mind or identity of their own. Everyone she passed had that aura. That sense of being completely split from reality. Caz suddenly felt very, very alone. And for someone who was usually fine with solitude, for the most part, that sense was highly disquieting.

[7000dominos]

Lily was day dreaming as the stared out of the trees rushing by the car window in a blur of dark green. Her hair was pulled back in a neat pony tail, her clothes were immaculate. No one would know she was sick now. Unless they noticed how pale she was. Or how violently the purple under her eyes stood out against the white of her face. Or how much she shook, even under three layers, even with the sun shining feebly past the clouds now. But Aaron wouldn't mind. He'd be happy to see her. That was what she kept repeating to herself as she got dressed and snuck out of the house and into the waiting taxi that would take her to her brother's apartment. Now a small smile crawled over her face as her mind wandered, as it was so prone to do.

Snow White was wandering through the forest, laughing, like she hadn't a care in the world. The sun shone through the emarald green canopy in cool, warm rays of yellow, striking the grass in friendly, obtuse ways.

Lily didn't know how she knew the laughing young girl was Sow White--her favorite fairy tale character (there was something about the way that Snow White came so close to death, how she bit the poisoned apple....and still survived)--but she did. The girl was lacking her seven dwarves. There was no magic mirror or evil queen in the background, and no animals traisped around her, holding the non-existant train of her gown from the dirt. It didn't matter that her eyes weren't blue, but olive green, like Lily's own. Or that her hair wasn't curly and black, but bronze-colored, and straight. No matter how much the girl resembled Lily herself, Lily knew--knew--that she was Snow White. And the young man, gazing at her by her side, was her prince.

The pair walked through the forest, laughing and playing, not like lovers, but as something else entirely. Snow White adored her prince. She could hardly take her eyes off of him. When she looked at him, her face and eyes lit up, and she looked like she couldn't be happier if a ton of diamonds fell from the sky.

And when he looked at her....oh, that was Lily's favorite part. He looked like he would do anything for her. He told clever jokes, and lifted her up to pluck succulent fruit from the trees. He even (though his smile faded sightly here, which made it all the more heroic, Lily thought) crushed the occasional spider that crept across their path. The two looked happy together, absolutely overjoyed.

Even when a fierce wind blew through the forest, hurling apples from the trees at their heads with almost angry force, the prince made them stop. He carried her through the forest, the storm of putrid, rotting, apples, to safety. And they lived happily ever after....

"Hey!" a voice shattered her dream. "Kid, wake up! We're here!"

Lily stammered and apology and quickly shoved a few bills into the waiting cabbie's hand. "Thanks," she said shortly, hopping out of the car, sprinting up the apartment's stairs, and waiting, with wide eyes and baited breath, in front of her brother's door. Had she knocked already? She couldn't remember.

[7000dominos]

((P.S. I know they're both gone. No worries.))

[au_Sudo]

Thomas sighed deeply when he saw the studio.

"Wonder what they can manage to fk up today.." He rolled his eyes and walked in. When he entered he passed a desk, "Hey Phoebe." He said waving at the woman sitting behing it, behind a clear plastic window. She grunted her welcome. He reached a door and looked through his wallet..where was his frikken I.D card?

"How's yer mornin' been T? " she asked as she licked her finger and turned a page in her magazine.

"Psht.. Horrible. Same ole shte ya' know?" He found it and slid it through a scanner. Insert Number The screen read. "36..12...28" Thomas spoke softly as he poked the numbers in. Saying these numbers defeated the whole purpose of the mechinism.. Denied It was a good idea to have such a security thing, to prevent people from busting in and stealing the cds, or killing a dj.. But it was such a pain.

"GOD DAMN IT.." Thomas kicked the bottom of the door.

"It's been 6 months, the codes changed..Shouldn't you know that?" Phoebe asked sounding tired.

"NO.. God damn it I thought I told Leo to wait for me before he did all that.." Thomas grumbled, cursing the other tech. He walked over to the desk. "So are you gunna tell me my number or what?" He asked. Phoebe looked up, some thing strange about her. Sure, she was never too enthusiastic about her job but she was usually friendly. She seemed cold. He sighed and opened a drawer than flipped through some papers. She copied down the number and handed it to him.

"Maybe you should pin it to the sleeve of your jacket eh?" She teased

"Yeah very funny.." He grumbled smacking the plastic window. He went back to the scanner and entered his new number "36,10,47" A green smiley showed on the little screen, a loud buzzing sound was heard and the door unlocked. He walked into the closest booth. The Djs on the other side were sitting there, the red light was shining to indicate they were on the air. They didn't seem to be talking though, he looked at Leo. "Hey ******* I thought I asked you to wait before you changed the frikken numbers.." He hit his shoulder playfully. "Hey is some thing wrong with the light?" He asked. He waited several seconds. "HEY.. Is the light broken!?" He yelled. Leo seemed to be asleep.. He could faintly hear music playing.. He opened the door to were the djs sat and waved his arm for one to come over. They both sat there, dead looking.. He rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut, he didn't care if it messed up any thing. They weren't talking any way.

He passed the locked doors again.

"Hey, what the yell is wrong with every one today!?" He asked yelling. He looked over to the desk, where Phoebe was slumped over horribly. "Heyyy you okay?" He asked knocking on the window. She yawned.. "Some thing weird is happening..I'm getting outta here.."He thought to himself as he ran out. Once out he realized some thing deffinately was up. The first person that crossed his mind for some reason was Vivian.. "Wonder if she's come down with this freaky thing too.." He asked himself heading off in the direction of her place.

[twilight_trance1117]

Viviana cupped her hands around her eyes and stared blankly into the small, local grocery store. It was empty and desolate save for a young lady slouched over the check out area, a red apron tied around her waste.

Vivi tapped on the glass, but the girl didn't move. Frowning, she tapped on it again, this time louder. The girl's eyes shot at Vivi and she jumped back in shock, her heart jumping with her. She then backed away slowly, staring at the store, confused and slightly afraid.

Turning on her heel, she spun around and instantly bumped into a man. She fell backwards and landed on the ground. It was like running into stone. He didn't move, speak, or even acknowledge her as she glanced him up and down. He was dressed in shabby clothes, his wispy white hair a mess. He stared up into the yellow-ish sky, his dry cracked lips moving slightly. His low voice cracked as he spoke soflty. Viviana couldn't hear or make out anything he was saying as she slowly rose up from the pavement. She backed away, carefully eyeing him as she brushed herself off. And then, she sprinted, not daring to look back.

It wasn't till she was almost to her apartment that she even noticed she had scraped her knee. She stopped and leaned heavily against a decaying brick wall. She was breathing very hard and yet no matter how much air she took in, she never felt as if she had enough. It seemed that even the oxygen had become stale and unrefreshing. Glancing at her knee, she frowned and wiped some of the dirt from her small wound. Vivi winced slightly at the pain. It stung.

[7000dominos]

Lily waited several long minutes--long, agonizing minutes, in which doubt ate at her, chewing away with cruel words. He won't answer, because he doesn't care. He doesn't want to see you. You're too weak. He doesn't like weakness. Go away. Just leave and make it easy for him.

Lily started back down the stairs, dread and longing coiled in her stomach like poisonous snakes. What would she do now? She had come too far to go back, but she couldn't stand the thought of hurting him...

Caz's bakery was not so far away. She liked Caz. Maybe...maybe she could just drop by. Say a few words, pass on a message. Then she could say hi to Aaron without torturing him. It seemed the perfect plan.

And maybe she could get a free bagel out of the deal.

Feeling considerably lighter, she headed off toward the bakery, eagerly awaiting the happy tinkling of the bell over the door that would signal her arrival.

[Guendolen_Sama]

The tinkle of that bell sounded eerie to Caz as she opened the shop door. "Hello! Anyone here?" She looked around. No one. The place was cold. The air felt damp, as though it hadn't been used in a while. Which was crazy; she'd just been here yesterday, right? Always, it was warm and cozy, smelling of fresh bread and melting butter and an ever-changing hint of something elusive, cinnamon or berries or toasted nuts, some such thing. Caz had, in the past, bided time on slower or duller days by trying to pinpoint those ever-changing scents.
Now, there were none. It felt blank, empty. Just like the world outside. "Yoo-hoo! Anyone home?" she called, idly setting her bag on the counter as she walked into the shop. In the corner of the kitchen was the woman who owned the place. She sat very still, her eyes blank, head resting on one hand. "Mrs. Jenkins? Earth to Mrs. Jenkins!" Caz waved a hand in front of the woman's face. No response. "Hey, what gives?" She nudged Mrs. Jenkins' shoulder a bit; her hand slipped, head dropping and then jerking up as she blinked, wide-eyed and staring, like one still in the edges of anaesthesia or some such thing.
"Yes? What? Who?" she said, voice thick and heavy; again, like one under the influence of a soporific.
"'What'? That's what I'd like to know! This place is due to open in a few minutes, you know. And you're sitting here in the cold!"
"Open?" Mrs. Jenkins blinked owlishly at the purple-haired girl. "We will be fine...." Her voice trailed off, distantly, and she rested her chin on her hand again, staring at something in the air that Caz couldn't see.
And Caz found this freaky. Really freaky. The people on the streets had been bad enough, but someone she knew.... It made it ten times worse. Then it hit her. Aaron! She hadn't seen him all morning. Was he- is he- did he end up like this too? Caz had no idea, but she knew she had to get out of this place and try to find him as soon as possible. He, if no one else, she had to make sure was not victim to this torpor.

[7000dominos]

Lily felt as if a ray of sunshine bore down on her head as she walked to Caz's workplace. She felt lighter, happier, then she had in days. Now that she had a quasi-definitive plan.

But, as she tried to catch the eyes of those around her, she noticed something. Everyone shuffled along, frowning, mumbling to themselves, in some immense, unknown hurry. Where were they all going? And why wouldn't anyone look up? They all looked frightened and hassled. She glanced around her, trying to smile and lighten the mood.

Nothing, not even the happy, if not haggard face of a child, could lift this strange spell.

Even the tinkling of the bell on the bakery door seemed heavy and slow.

"Hello?" Lily called to the somewhat ominous darkness. "Caz? It's Lilith. Is....there something wrong?"

((I'll edit this in the morning.))

[Guendolen_Sama]

Caz scrambled out of the back kitchen at the sound of a familiar voice. "Lil? It- it is you! What on earth are you doing here?" She spontaneously hugged the younger girl. "Not that it's not good to see you, it always is, but- have you seen what it's like out there?" Caz hoped, really hoped, that the dull listlessness that seemed to have overcome the world wasn't just in her own mind. "And have you seen Aaron? He was already gone when I got up this morning...."

[7000dominos]

Lily hugged Caz back, happiness flowing through her, flooding the strange feelings of foreboding that had been building up in her since leaving her brother's apartment.

She shrugged. "I....wanted to visit. I went to your place first, but no one was there. So, no, I haven't seen him. But I was outside." She shuddered, glanced over her shoulders through the big windows. Sunlight, seeming almost too heavy, stained the checked linoleum floors. "Everyone is......different." She smiled suddenly. "I'm glad you're okay." A pause. "Is.....Aaron...." she dirfted off, unsure of how to phrase the question.

[Guendolen_Sama]

"And I'm glad you're okay too. C'mon, sit for a minute. It's gloomy, but as you said, it's just as bad outside...." Caz led her to the chair behind the counter, deliberately avoiding the back kitchen. "We've still got some of yesterday's bagels. Want one? On the house. You can eat it while we talk...." Caz waited for Lily to ask what it was she was going to ask. As far as she knew, Aaron wasn't lost in this torpor but she hadn't seen him all day, so she couldn't know for sure. It was... worrying, to utter an understatement.

[7000dominos]

Lily shook her head. She wasn't hungry. She usually wasn't on days like this. She kept her back turned purposefully from the entrance, though the entire place was exuding....sadness.

She watched Caz watching her, waiting for her to finish the question she'd started. She could feel it, hovering in the back of her throat, but she was afraid if she spoke the words, it would be admitting....what? What would happen? What could happen? It was ridiculous to assume that her speaking a few words could hurt her brother.

Right?

"Is..." she started slowly. "Is Aaron like...them?" She didn't bother looking outside. She knew Caz would know.

[Guendolen_Sama]

Caz put her hand over Lily's. "I..." she swallowed. "I don't know. Last I saw him he was... much as he ever was." A wry, almost ironic smile. "But today was the first day this- all this- really... hit home. I keep telling myself that he's okay, he's got to be, but- I just don't know-" She was filled with the sudden urge to set out and find him. To make sure he wasn't lost in this heavy, almost supernatural listlessness.

[7000dominos]

"Oh."

Oh.

The image of Snow White and her laughing prince sudden evaporated. Lily chewed absentmindedly at her thumbnail. "Oh," she said again, because she couldn't think of anything else.

After a few moments of silence, "Let's go look for him." Lily was quite detirmined when she needed to be. Afterall, she'd come to see him. Her aunt would be angry if she found out Lily was out and about on one of her bad days. Far be it from her to get yelled at without any incentive.

[Guendolen_Sama]

"That's the spirit! Exactly what I planned to do. Come on." Caz put an arm around Lily's shoulders. She'd make sure the younger girl didn't tax herself too much, during this. "And- and when we find him- I'm sure he'll be just fine. You'll see." She gave a one-armed shoulder squeeze, trying to summon up a reassuring smile. Aaron had to be okay. He couldn't be part of this morass of heaviness overlaying their world. He just couldn't be....

[7000dominos]

Lily stood in the sunlight that poured down on Raylin like a ctiy-wide facade. Like as long as the sun kept shining, everyone could pretend things were still normal.

But, looking out at the various passers-by, each lost in their own world, far from Raylin as they could be, Lily knew that it wasn't normal. And to think that Aaron might be stuck in this bottomless void was almost too much to bear. She shuddered subconciously and put on a smile.

She could act just as well as the sun could.

[Guendolen_Sama]

"That's right. It'll be okay." Caz actually had to work to keep her natural optimistic cheer running, right now. These people all around them, dull, almost lifeless, the world itself dragging its heels.... It was like the sun was lying to them about its light. "Now, come on. Let's do this step by step. First place we'll check is the laundromat. If he's not there, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." I hope we find him. He's gotta be okay in all this. If he's not, I- I'll slap him silly 'till he comes out of it!

[7000dominos]

Lily nodded slowly. "Right," she said absently. "He should be there. He works there." She looked around her, bright eyes picking out individuals. "Even if he is like them, he should be there."

But he wasn't. She knew it, felt it strongly. He couldn't be. He wasn't supposed to be the one to leave her. That wasn't how it was supposed to be. Even if it was fairer that way. Aaron had already lost Mom. He didn't deserve to lose her too....

Lily shook herself. Her mind was wandering. She looked around herself again, wondering if this strange eerie spell was trying to drag her under its power as well....

[Guendolen_Sama]

Caz gave her another squeeze. Lily's expression was worrisome. But what could she do? She liked the girl, but they weren't best friends or anything like that.... Though did share the bond of caring about Aaron. "I'm sure he's not like this. He'd better not, if he knows what's good for him!" Got to keep her spirits up as well as mine. We can't let ourselves get dragged into this. We can't.

[7000dominos]

Lily shook her head. "I know that," she said calmly, though she avoided eye contact. Her voice sounded more confident than she felt. "If he was like them, I.....I think that I would know. You know?" She forced a laugh. "Besides, I have a letter to send him, and if he doesn't reply, I'll tell Aunt Beatrice."

Her heart pounded suddenly. Aunt Beatrice. Was she..? She ignored these thoughts. Aaron now, others later.

[Guendolen_Sama]

"Actually, yeah, I think I do know. 'Cause I think I'd know too, when you get right down to it." A brief pause, and then a light, almost forced laugh. "Sharing an apartment and all, you know? You get to know a person...."

[7000dominos]

Lily laughed, for real this time. "Yeah," she answered, shrugging. "Sharing a mom, and all. It does that to a person, I guess." Another laugh. "He's definately okay." A look around. "Do you know where we're going?" She was awful with directions.

[Guendolen_Sama]

"Uh...." Caz looked left, right, then left again. Everything felt so different, she had to get her bearings. "Okay, yeah. I know to get home is that way-" she pointed left- "and the laundromat is kind of away from that, so if we go in that direction for a while, we'll turn at some point...." She was staring at the sky, trying to do a mental map in her head. "Oh, it's better if I just show you. I'm a sensory sort of gal. Come on."

[7000dominos]

Lily shrugged. She wouldn't remember either way. "Sounds fien to me." She nodded and followed Caz.


She wondered what she would do if Aaron were gone. She guessed she would just go home. She had no right to complain, not really. Aaron had been through so much more than she had. It wasn't fair for him to lose both her and their mother. She felt like she should know some pain, too. The only pain worse than losing Aaron would be hurting him. And she didn't want to do that anymore. She hoped they found him. If he was like them, she'd find a way to save him. To pay him back. To protect him, like he had her.

To make him love her again.

[Guendolen_Sama]

Caz knew something was bothering Lily. She figured it was something to do with Aaron. It was obvious their relationship was stilted, and she'd gotten the impression that that wasn't always the case. No wonder Lily wanted to fix things.... But Aaron had some sort of skewed idea in his head, one that even she hadn't been able to penetrate. Well, she would indeed try. In the meantime, though, she'd just concentrate on locating him. "This way."

[7000dominos]

"Uh-huh." Lily nodded absentmindedly. Then, to fill the silence. "I like your hair. What's that....like....orchid?" It was easier to joke in this oppressive silence. It made bearing it, standing up against it, easier.

((I imagine this would be much easier if White was playing.....))

[White Horse]

Well..... Now what? Aaron leaned against the dirty wall, blowing smoke rings into the air and watching them slowly dissapate until someone dragged themself by and then dropped against him. The cigarette rolled to the ground, only to be snuffed out when the other person's shoe ground it into the dirt and cement. "What the hell are you doing?" Aaron growled, pushing against the man. He moved back slightly juddenly jumping on Aaron and biting his shoulde,r tearing the flesh away.

Aarow let out a loud scream and knocked his knuckles into the man's jaw before stumbling away, grabbing his shoulder with his left arm as blood literally spurted from the deep wound; it wasn't just flooding his clothes and side-walk but it was actually flying into the air. Pulling his jacket off slowly with his still usable arm, he tied it around his right shoulder as best he could, constantly moving to get away from the people that had staretd to follow him, like they were drawn by his blood or something.

Then his leg was grabbed and he was pulled down to the ground, cracking his teeth together as his jaw hit the ground. "Get off of me, you stupid-ass!" Aaron kicked the kid in the face as he tried to take a chunk out of Aaron's calf. Pushing off from the ground, Aaron started to run as fast as he could while bleeding out, only stopping when he saw Caz and Lily in the distance; if this was happening to everyone, then they would be in danger. He started for them again, the idea of Lily's cancer pushed into the back of his mind for a moment when they had time to themselves. "You guys can't be out here, everyone is going insane!" He shouted towards them, glancing back to see another person get added to the group; it was like they had all turned into zombies!!

{Yeah! What's wrong with White? Didn't he promise to post, like, 5 days ago? Sheesh, that guy seriously needs to remember his RPs >< Doesn't he care about us anymore?!}

[Guendolen_Sama]

"Orchid?... Oh, you mean the color?" Caz grinned. "I think the official name on the box is 'vivaciously violet' or something like that. Funny, when I first woke up today I was thinking it might be time for a change.... What d'you think of black? Or bright blue with green highlights?" Yes, joking about hair colors was a good distraction from the current state of the world they now walked though.
They turned the corner, and... there he was. He seemed to be not under the influence. But... he was also apparently under attack. "Stay back, Lil!" she shouted. Aaron would kill her if his little sister got hurt.... She, on the other hand was going to help him, and took off in his direction. "We did notice that, you know!" she yelled back at him.

[7000dominos]

((Oh, hey, well. That was convenient. Hmmm...this would be easier if I didn't have to finish my homework....))

(( :o Heh.))

Lily didn't have time to make a suggestion, or even laugh good-naturedly.

Because there was Aaron. And he was okay! Sort of....Her heart stopped when she saw the blood. There was another man with him, who had the same dead look in his eyes as everyone else, but he was using his hidden, unexplained passion to hurt her brother.

"NO!" she screamed, and tried to make herself move after Caz. It was as though her legs were pushing through mud. "Leave him alone!" What could she possibly do? If didn't matter, as long as he was okay.

What was it Cas had said earlier? Right. She could cross that bridge when it came.

[Guendolen_Sama]

"Let me handle this part, Lil!" Caz was stronger, faster. The cancer had weakened Lillith. She couldn't risk the girl getting hurt. That would hurt Aaron like nothing else, whether he'd been standoffish to her or not. As for Caz herself, well, she was going to help him no matter whether he wanted her to or not. She was pretty versatile- she could handle herself. Even if this was starting to feel freakishly like a Romero movie.

[7000dominos]

Then Lily froze, because is she got hurt, it would kill Aaron. But he couldn't her expect to stand there while the other man attacked him, could he?

The police? Even if they were zombified, they couldn't ignore their duty to the public. Right?

It didn't matter. Lily was already running for the police station.

[White Horse]

{:3 I'm good like that.... I'm come when needed... I'm like a lovable dog in... so many "ways".... Many, many different ways....}

Finally, she was here... Lily... He would be able to speak to her... But... Aaron stopped and looked back towards the people that hadn't stopped from chasing him; this wasn't the best place. "I'm all right, Caz, it's just a scratch." Aaron mumbled, despite being so pale at the loss of blood. He actually took the time to take his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pull one out between his teeth -since he currently had only one, useable arm- before glancing back towards the zombified people and finding that they were only a few yards away now. "Oh sh!t..." And then he started to run while trying to light the cigarette at the same time.

"Forget them, Caz! Just run!" And he glanced toward Lily..... His little sister.... He had stayed away for so long... And now he would make up for it by acting the role of protective, older brother once more.

[7000dominos]

(( -_-* You don't skip a beat, do you?))

Lily shoved open the door. The station was empty. "Hello?" she called, her voice small in the silence so thick, she felt like she was suffocating. "Why isn't there anyone here? My brother....some guy hurt him. I need help! Help, please!" She ran to the counter, leaned over. "Hello?? Hello!"

[Guendolen_Sama]

"Run? You think I'm just gonna abandon you to these freaks? And in case you haven't noticed, your sister's gone and disappeared!" Trying to smoke even now? Only Aaron....

[au_Sudo]

Thomas stood infront of her apartment door. He sighed.

"Should I just walk in?" he asked himself. "Maybe she's with some one.. That'd be pretty akward to walk in on..again.." he swallowed and cracked his neck. He always felt like he should be in azs hole mode when he was with her.. But he was usually in that mode any way. He knocked on the door to Vivians apartment and took a step back, waiting.

[7000dominos]

After several moments of shouting, a single man, dressed in a wrinkled, deep blue suit, dragged himself from the back room, looking bewildered as if he'd just woken up.

Lily was a very kind-hearted and happy person. But even she could only ignore this spell for so long.

"Why didn't you come out earlier!" she shrieked at him. "My brother--he's hurt. He could die!" She was surprised how easily the word left her mouth. "Someone attacked him! Come on, please! His friend, too, she's out there. Everyone is....crazy!"

The man stared at her for a long time, silent, uncomprehending. Lily blinked back, horror rising in her stomach.

"You're.....you're like them," she said slowly, backing away from him even as his hand crept toward his gun.

"Get away from me!" she screamed at him. She backed out of the bulding as quickly as she could. She had to find Aaron and Caz.

And run.

[twilight_trance1117]

Vivi struggled up a set of stairs to her apartment room. She was tired, out of breath, and her knee was hurting her. She rounded the corner and headed down the hall to her door, but stopped when she saw a figure standing in front of it. She squinted. Her eye sight wasn't the best and the dim, buzzing lights overhead did little to help.

Hesitantly, she walked forward, fearing it was another scary person. She almost forgot to breathe, trying so hard not to be heard and yet at the same time, trying to see who was at her door. Maybe it was someone who was like herself. Meaning, someone not in such a horrid trance-like state of mind like most everyone else now.

[au_Sudo]

Thomas knocked once more a mumbled under her breath. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot a few times.. He had a sence that some one was around. He stopped tapping and looked around. He thought he saw some one duck back around the corner. He rose a brow..

"Hello?" He called. He didn't care if it was trouble, he was sure he could handle it. He approached the area confidently.

[twilight_trance1117]

Vivi recognized the voice instantly. She had heard it many times before.
"Thomas...?" She called out meekly as she walked briskly forward toward him. Normally, she found it akward to meet a 'customer' outside of work, but not now. Things were far from normal.

[au_Sudo]

A smile formed on Thomas' face. He stopped walking and put his hands in his pocket.

"Right on the money there." He watched her come closer, "You sound kinda scared..Have you noticed how every one's been a dick too?" He asked tilting his head some what with a confused face, reaching his hand out for her. He wasn't sure how she could see him with the lights so horrible.

[twilight_trance1117]

Viviana slowly reached out and grabbed his hand, delicately.
"What's going on with people...?" Her voice trailed off. She let his hand go as she glanced around the dim lit hall. She had lived her for quite some time now and her eyes were now easily able to see.

[au_Sudo]

Heat rose to his face when their hands touched. They were so soft..

He shook his head, no more of those sissy thoughts. D;

"Hmm.. So you haven't noticed than?" He asked sounded disapointed. "Maybe it's just me then. Every one is pissin' me way the hell off." He scowled. "They're all like fruckin' brainless. Bumpin' in to each other, not opening doors..Falling alseep on the job eh heh.. " He sighed thinking about the events so far today. "Well I guess every one is out ta get me today." he said quietly.

[twilight_trance1117]

She watched him, her eyes taking in his movements and words.

"I have noticed people are acting.... strange and the city seems a bit more decayed and almost... " she thought for a fitting word, "lifeless?" She bit her lip and glanced down tha hall.
"How come we aren't like that?" She asked, knowing very well a full answer is probably not something she'd be getting.

[KitsuneNoKoi]

Derick, tired of waiting, walked to the his parent's bedroom door. He knocked on the door lightly a few times. Getting no response, he knocked a little harder. Still, he recieved no answer. Slowly opening the door, he poked his head through the miniscule crack in the door.

"....Mom?" He whispered.

Silence was the only reply he received.

Turning on a lamp, he saw nothing. The room was as clean as usual. The bed was unmade, there were a few magazines ascrew a wooden nightstand, but, it felt... empty.

He looked in every room, but saw no one. He mumbled to himself and put on a coat, walking out the front door and into the cold, desolate outdoors. It felt so strange. It was silent. There was no wind. There was no noise. The children- ususally so happy-carried an emotionless face.

"What's going on?" he asked no one in particular.

Everyone was emotionless. Their eyes had nothing in them. It was driving him insane. He hoped it was only the group ouside; he was wrong. No one was in front of the school-which was very understanable considering the time. Reaching school and going inside, no one was wandering the halls.

Looking at his watch, he saw the time. He was late, naturally. But where was everybody? Where was anyone?