Fantasy A Lovecraftian Tale

[Cherrywitch]

The sharp eyes scanned over the new girl, seeming uninterested in her. Unlike Ray, Tsukiko did find this girl useless. In the woman's eyes, tears were weakness. Being depressed was one thing, but showing that sadness to others, strangers, that was a death wish. What if those monsters saw her crying? It would be easy bait. Tsukiko could feel that this girl wouldn't survive too long out here.


"Issy, right?" Tsukiko had stood from her place under the evergreen, and though she was soaked through she didn't look in the slightest affected by the cold. "I suppose I should introduce myself as well. My name is Tsukiko... A pleasure to meet you." The dark haired woman held out her hand with a flourish of her elegant fingers, to shake the girl's hand out of proper greeting.


@Yellow Swan @Kayla


Sorry, my character is such a b. )

 

[Yellow Swan]

"Thanks Ray." Was all she could say as rain and tears became the same. Why was there such a punishment for something so trifling. Surely there was a better way than maximum punishment for any wrong doing. Ray had taken off his shirt, wringing the water out. She blushed slightly before trailing her eyes towards the ground. She wasn't use to such behavior.


Whoa.. Was Issadora's impression of Tsukiko when she introduced herself. She was strong, elegant, and even had grace for their predicament. Issadora reached back for Tsukiko's hand to shake.


"Nice to meet you too..." She hesitated a moment, "May I call you Kiko? Ah, but I'm sure you like Tsukiko just fine."


The storm was drawing nearer. The rain was still pouring hard, and the wind began to pick up. The chill finally reached her ears. Issadora blew on her hands to warm them up, then cupped one ear. She proceeded to repeat this process.


"Maybe we should look around for some place to get out of the rain?" Issadora had no right to suggest this, since indeed she wasn't all that aware of 'The Outside'. She stood there lost, waiting for a reply.


@Cherrywitch @KayIa

 

[Lekar]

Nate did a half-joking bow, his body writhing in response from the cold and tenseness.

"Nice to meet you, Alicia..."

He sighed, gathering his composure. He had to state the obvious.

"If you're looking to group up, you're only going to burden yourself. I don't know the first thing about survival."

He wasn't even sure what to do first. Water is more than likely to be contaminated everywhere and the fauna has evolved to survive the harsh conditions of a destroyed world, much more so humans. He had no idea where to start or what to do. He supposed that he should start looking for a shelter, surely there'd be a destroyed city somewhere.

Nate remembers vague tales from his childhood about the dangers of the outside, the torn apart cities from long ago when humans were plentiful and everywhere. It's a good thing what they've made has stayed for as long as it has. It's only a service for the banished now.

@EmerySnowe​

 

[EmerySnowe]

@Lekar


"Well, luckily for you, I know a lot about survival. I'm a nurse in training," Alicia replied, chuckling at the young man's eccentric bow. Her smile faded, however, the more she thought about it. "Was a nurse in training." She corrected herself and cleared her throat. "Anyway, you're looking pretty cold there, so you should keep in mind that the most important areas to keep warm are your feet and your head, since those are the areas that control body temperature," she said, noting the boy's quivering limbs. She didn't have any of her usual medical supplies, and she grimaced as she thought of the situation. The most obvious answer was to get furs from the animals. However, that was easier said than done when the animals available had evolved into merciless monsters. Alicia pursed her lips in thought. She had to keep this boy alive, if only for the selfish comfort of knowing that she could still help people.

 

[Cherrywitch]

Tsukiko held back a twitch at the name. That's what 'gramps' used to call her. That sweet old man... He didn't deserve what he got. Pain, suffering, sadness. He deserved to go out peacefully for his actions, not in agony.


"I'd prefer if you called me Tsukiko." The raven haired woman stated in a neutral tone, watching the girl attempt to preserve warmth in her ears. Tsukiko didn't even feel her hand when Issy shook it, and she could sense her bare legs starting to go numb as well... Getting out of the cold would be a good idea. "Ray, is this really the best shelter around here? No old rickety shack from the world before or something?" Her red eyes flicked to the other, calculating and cool as always.


@Yellow Swan @KayIa

 

[Lekar]

@Lekar
"Well, luckily for you, I know a lot about survival. I'm a nurse in training," Alicia replied, chuckling at the young man's eccentric bow. Her smile faded, however, the more she thought about it. "Was a nurse in training." She corrected herself and cleared her throat. "Anyway, you're looking pretty cold there, so you should keep in mind that the most important areas to keep warm are your feet and your head, since those are the areas that control body temperature," she said, noting the boy's quivering limbs. She didn't have any of her usual medical supplies, and she grimaced as she thought of the situation. The most obvious answer was to get furs from the animals. However, that was easier said than done when the animals available had evolved into merciless monsters. Alicia pursed her lips in thought. She had to keep this boy alive, if only for the selfish comfort of knowing that she could still help people.

He was pretty impressed, nurses were quite important back home. One bad cough and an entire block could be cut off for an epidemic quarantine. It was obvious that she only wanted to help, and he supposed that he could use it.

"Well, it's most unfortunate that you're stuck out here then. A nurse in training, that's important stuff. Keeping the living alive and learning how to do so."

He tried to smile, but instead let out a tired sigh. He put a hand on his hip and spoke sternly.

"From this day forward, we're not allowed to die. I don't care if things look grim, or if we get caught in the worst of the worst. We're going to survive our sentences and go home heroes. From the small conversation we've had I can already tell that you're a caring person, and you obviously must be out here on bad circumstances. Neither of us must deserve to be out here."

We're together now. He thought to himself. She seemed like she knew enough to help him, but he just had to think of ways that he could help. All of his life he's relied on his silver tongue and quick wits to get him through the thick of a bad situation. Now, in a world like this, all he has is his wits.

"I know how to read the stars, we can chart out a map if we find anything to write with and on. I'd say our first action should be finding a city. When I was younger, I'd heard tales of plenty of huge cities that existed before The Outside got to the way it was. If we can get to one, at least we'll have a place to lay our heads."




@EmerySnowe​

 

[EmerySnowe]

@Lekar


Alicia listened to the young man as he spoke, smiling softly at some parts and wincing at others. Her hands dropped to her sides, her gaze resting on the muddy ground. By the time he had finished, an awful feeling churned in her gut.


"I'm certainly no hero," she whispered, gripping her arms across her chest. "And I know that I deserve to be here. I don't know what you've done, but it can't be as bad as the crime I've committed. I will, however, stay by your side. I can promise you that." She took a deep breath and looked over at him. The clear blue of his eyes reminded her of water, and her throat grew dry. "Well, we're not going to find a city if we die of thirst, so that should be our first priority. If we follow animal tracks, it'll lead us to where the water is. And...where the beasts are, as well. So we'll have to be careful."

 

[Lekar]

Nate felt his gut twist as she talked poorly about herself. It was disheartening to hear from a new-found ally.

"Even if you don't think you're a hero, or that you deserve to be out here. I believe you don't deserve this terrible fate, and you're certainly my hero, I'd probably be food for the wild by now if you hadn't found me."

He smiled, his teeth hardly chattering as he begins to warm up. He looked around, thirst was surely their biggest priority as she said.

He couldn't hear any flowing water nearby, and the ground beneath him was still mud from the rain, so that doesn't give anything away. Any tracks would be hard to find depending on how long he'd been asleep and how long the rain had stopped.

"If I ventured to guess, I'd say finding tracks are going to be an issue."




@EmerySnowe​

 

[EmerySnowe]

@Lekar


Alicia offered the boy a small smile of reassurance, her heart warming at his words. Perhaps there was such a thing as redemption. Perhaps she didn't have to live the rest of her days in guilt, but that would only prove to be true if she didn't have another episode. For now, she had to focus on keeping both of them alive. And finding water.


"There has to be something," Alicia replied, glancing around at the muddy ground. The rain had erased any tracks that might've been there before. She turned to look behind her; she saw a small incline. Behind her, a small decline. "Let's start heading this way," she said, pointing in the direction of the decline. "Water always runs downhill, so this should be the right way to go." She began to walk, gesturing for Nate to do the same. Their own tracks would be imprinted in the mud if they stayed idle or didn't walk fast enough. She made sure to walk lightly on her feet.

 

[KayIa]

Ray shook his head. "I've only been out here about a week, but I haven't come across any shelters of any sort yet. If we travel far enough we could find a collapsed city probably but I'm sure the monster population is thicker by the remnants of past civilization." After wringing everything out for the most part he put his clothes back on and took a few minutes to strategically place his kunai back into their little hiding spots in his clothing. Eight kunai, he was two down from the original amount but eight was still plenty enough for the moment. Lastly, Ray carefully took off his headband but when he wrung it out he did so with a little more care than he did with every other garment of clothing he had. He gently pressed it back onto his head and let his black hair fall over most of his headband.


@Cherrywitch @Yellow Swan

 

[Lekar]

Nate takes a big stretch and begins to follow behind, his journey starting with going to get a drink.

"If it's not too personal... what did you do to get out here?"

He was genuinely curious how a girl so nice and caring for a total stranger would end up breaking the law. She seems like the last person to start up trouble. Then again, everyone has a side of them they'd rather not show.

"I... well, back home, I was a... 'swindler' I guess you could call it. I was infamous for my use of manipulation and charisma. I helped my parents get a $200,000 house for $50,000 and the seller still thought he was still getting a good deal. We weren't exactly rich, so I was sent to buy anything we needed and was pretty much guaranteed to get a good price. Everyone thought I was either the silver-tongued devil, or the charismatic angel. Honestly I don't even know which to believe."

His smile began to fade and his voice drifted away as he continued.

"Some old 'acquaintances' found out about the amount I'd taken them for, and decided to crash my 16th birthday and teach me a lesson. They attacked my mother, I took one of their lives... Even though my family and I said it was self-defence, the other men outranked and outnumbered us, and the court found me guilty of murder."

He clenched his fist, a fire burning inside him.

"Since I was sent out here, I vowed not to let that get to me and let myself drown in self-wallowing. I vowed to return home and live out my sentence, so my family can see me again and those men will be forced to see me as a hero who survived The Outside..."




@EmerySnowe​

 

[Mikailgirl]

Cher yawns, looking up at the sky, of course rain..how horrible. She scrambles out of her home and stretches before opening a small black umbrella. It was broken but at least it wasn’t torn or anything like that. She slips on some old rubber boots and runs out splashing in the puddles, she was going to check that weird gate thing, she wondered if weirder people has come out from it, with their frail bodies and weird faces. She stumbles a little but catches herself, how she hated the rain, made everything just a little to slippery for her. She licks at the air like a snake, more people had come out! She starts to run, stopping in front of some evergreens…yep they were here. She looks around, looking out of place with her torn raincoat and boots, along with the umbrella she is holding. “…H-Hello? I can smell you..so..um..it’s ok.” She looks up, tasting the air again…ohh food was near.


@KayIa @Cherrywitch @Yellow Swan

 

[ByTheChesapeake]

"This is where he was going to die."


Oz clenched his fire extinguisher as he slowly made his way through the wasteland. He shielded himself with his arm, resting it on his forehead to keep his rain soaked hair from dripping down into his brown eyes. His vision was blurry enough and he did not need the rain causing more of a problem than it already was. It was so dark here, so dreary. It was nothing like the City. He had only been out here for a few hours, but the time seemed to drag on, giving him the feeling that it had been much longer.


"You're not going to survive this."


The storm had only gotten stronger since he had been brought to the outside. His sopping clothes stuck to his small frame as he looked around for shelter. He wouldn't live long if he didn't find a place to stay. That, and he needed to find water. Dehydration was going to set in and was going to kill him faster than any lightning strike that might hit him. At least, he needed to find something to catch the rain water in. That would be a good start.


"You're going to die here."


Oz shook his head. He was going to go crazy if he couldn't control his thoughts and this overarching sense of doom he felt. Death was inevitable, but hopefully if he did the right things he could prolong his life, if only for a little bit. He moved toward a large piece of metal protruding upwards. Maybe that could shield him for the time being. He walked around the perimeter of it, trying to maybe find a place that would overhang a bit and give him some sort of shelter. He found exactly what he was looking for, but it seemed that the place had already been occupied. "Oh!" He exclaimed, not expecting anyone to be there. This was the first sign of human life he had seen in hours.


"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here. I can leave."


@RomanticDaffodil

 

[Cherrywitch]

The raven haired woman turned, cut off from her reply to Ray from another female voice. The sharp eyes scanned over the newcomer with mild curiosity. Was Tsukiko some kind of magnet? Everyone seemed to notice her out here.


"Hello." She said the two syllables as more of a statement rather than a greeting, eyes matching up to the newcomer in a sort of challenge. Tsukiko sensed something... Off with her. "You can smell us? Are you some sort of bloodhound?" The woman's voice was unamused.


@Yellow Swan @KayIa @Mikailgirl

 

[KayIa]

Ray had barely finished tenderly putting his headband back on when something caught him off guard. It didn't entirely seem human, but it didn't really resemble any of the creatures he'd come across so far. The seventeen year old jumped to his feet and already had a few kunai ready to throw wearily. His cold blue eyes were glaring at the newcomer uneasily. He himself didn't want to die because of his guard being down, but he also wanted badly to make sure the other two would stay alive. Especially since they likely had more friends and family to have worry about them than he did.


@Cherrywitch @Yellow Swan @Mikailgirl

 

[RomanticDaffodil]

Leah looked up, water dripping from her hair, down her neck, and soaking her clothes. She wasn't surprised to find someone else out here. The City authority had a habit of dumping criminals all in one. Saved resources. Leah was surprised, however, that this person was humble. Most criminals sent out here would kill you on sight, take your things, and not think twice about it. This kid was different.


"Don't. Don't leave. It's nice to have some company." Leah manged to get out, choking on her words. The shock of leaving still hadn't left her system, and it was quite visible through the shaking of her hands or the darting of her icy blue eyes.


@By the Chesapeake

 

[ByTheChesapeake]

Oz looked back at the girl. She still sounded so shaken up. Oz had done a lot of his crying the night before they forced him into the outside. Now he felt nothing, forced to endure the punishment he was handed. He knew better. He knew if he ever committed any crime, it was practically a death sentence. All children learned this, and it was used mostly as a scare tactic. He wished he had controlled himself that night. He wished he could go back and stop himself, but those were pointless thoughts. The past was the past, and he had to live with the consequences of what he had done.


He nodded his head and sat down next to the girl under the outcrop, standing his fire extinguisher up in front of him. He looked down at the ground for a moment, grabbing a rock that he could hold and fidget with as he talked. "Thank you," he spoke. "I appreciate this." He did not know this girl. Maybe he had seen her in passing on the streets, but that was the extent of it. He didn't know what this girl was capable of. Though he didn't know what she was sent here for, there was a good chance she was out here for something serious. He should have been more cautious and not as trusting, but the offer to get out of the storm was too tempting to pass up.


"I'm Oz."





@RomanticDaffodil

 

[Mikailgirl]

“Oh so you can understand me, that’s better than I hoped.” She hops back and forth. “Well, everything has a scent, like rain and the sky. Your scents are kinda weird, though..not bad but not really good.” She twirls, letting the hood fall and show her face. “You all look like you need something to eat. I smelled food a little over that ways and if we get there fast enough we could share it.” She looks back up at the sky. “It’s going to clear up soon too..but then it will get colder, you’ll probably die. I’m Cher by the way.”


@KayIa @Cherrywitch @Yellow Swan

 

[KayIa]

Ray eased up and wondered if he should truly trust her. Even still, he still had manners to some degree and his stomach was probably take over his actions soon enough if he didn't get any of that food Cher mentioned. "Rayazin but if you want, you can call me Ray. So where did you say you smelled food?" He asked curiously as he tucked his kunai back into their hiding places within his clothing. Ray glanced back at Tsukiko and Issy to see if they wanted to follow the odd newcomer. Even he was still unsure if Cher was truly human so he decided if she stuck around peacefully long enough he'd end up getting her alone and asking her about it.


@Cherrywitch @Yellow Swan @Mikailgirl

 

[RomanticDaffodil]

"Leah. Leah Fariss. I used to run the 45th legion of military corps. Not anymore." She sighed, looking at her hands. No one had believed what she had done. What would make this kid any different. All anyone saw her as was an arrogant girl, who thought that since she led so young, she could get away with murder. That didn't happen to be the case.


@By the Chesapeake

 

[Cherrywitch]

Tsukiko, as usual, outwardly showed neither like nor dislike of the stranger. Her face was blank under her gray hood, lips pursed tightly.


"Tsukiko."


She stated her name in three bland syllables, eyes still sizing up the girl. For now, Tsukiko deemed her not a threat, but still would stay on guard. But the gambler was not gambling away her life. If Cher really did smell food, the warmth of it would save all of them from death. "As Ray said. Could you lead us to this food?"


@Yellow Swan @Mikailgirl @KayIa

 

[ByTheChesapeake]

Oz's eyes widened when she said she used to run the 45th legion of the military corps. She looked so young. She couldn't have been much younger than Clara. "That's really impressive," he replied. That was when the wheels in his brain had started turning. If she was a leader in the military, she had to have known some survival skills. More than him anyways. If he stuck with her, he might have a tiny bit of a chance to extend his death sentence.


Though he was impressed, Leah was clearly distraught. Something had have to have happened to cause her to lose her place as the leader. Most likely it had to do with why she was out here. He offered her a small, sympathetic smile. "I used to be in the city orchestra. I never got my official dismissal letter, but at this point, I think it's safe to say I've been kicked out."





@RomanticDaffodil

 

[Mikailgirl]

“I smelt it near the big metal thing..don’t know what it is but food likes to hand around in there. We need to hurry though because everyone is hungry out here.” She closes the umbrella and gives them a thumbs up.

 

[KayIa]

Ray looked into the distance and wondered what big metal thing she was talking about until it hit him. Cher must've been talking about the gate that lead to where people lived their peaceful little lives. He noticed that it wasn't pouring as badly anymore so he took comfort in that and the possibility of getting real food in his system again. He was pretty ready to follow Cher to whatever food she spoke of as his stomach definitely was taking the lead of his brain.


@Cherrywitch @Yellow Swan @Mikailgirl


(Btw I'm guessing we shouldn't actually go for the food until @Yellow Swan has responded since that hasn't happened in a while and I don't want to leave her behind)

 

[Yellow Swan]

Issadora was startled by the hooded newcomer, but knew she wasn't in any better position to complain. What's with all these comments about being able to smell? Her stomach slightly growled, she wasn't familiar with hunger but was sure this was not it. Issadora stepped to the side, offering a spot in there little circle.


The girl pulled off her hood, and unlike the other two, she flinched. Oh my god, what is that? Issadora kept in a scream but slowly started positioning herself closer to Ray. Do they not see her face, um, teeth?! She knew there was something Outside that was dangerous. Was this it? Issadora looked to Tsukiko, who was more annoyed than fazed. And Ray? He looked willing.


Afraid of what her own voice would sound like she nodded her head to the quest of food. However this didn't mean Issadora was ready to trust the "Cher".


@Cherrywitch @KayIa @Mikailgirl


(Thanks for waiting for me, that was nice of you guys^^)