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Realistic or Modern Cities Never Sleep

Characters
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Other
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  • how he's feeling...



    confused...?

















noel



i wanna be your dog












The weather was bad. It was just the right time of year for piss-poor weather. Noel liked weather that looked how he felt. It was poetic, it was clever. A little cheeky, even, like God was playing games or something.

After emerging from his home, he was greeted by some number of cops in the road. He ignored them, as was his right and his sworn duty. If he couldn't start fights with the police, then he might as well just ignore them, and they too would ignore him. He was a relatively unassuming lad anyway. A chin with not even a bit of chin stubble and a mop-top haircut of swaying, strawberry blonde locks that made him still look like a boy from certain angles. Even the wispy first growths of a mustache weren't quite enough to convince some, so every now and then he'd have to pull out his ID at a bar.

Money had been tight. Always was. Being in a gang is oddly like being a fish, if every fish had more than one human person inside of it. Right? The biggest fish has the most people, and that fish takes up all the good resources and eats up the littlest fish, and the sort of mid-sized fish had to eat shit and die on their own. That was where he was, more or less, that pissing Joplin bratva controlled almost everything. Why they hadn't just killed the De La Vegas at this point was a mystery.

(Not that Noel wanted them to. Then he'd be really fucked.)

So he woke up hungry, and the only thing in the fridge was a can of relish. Noel was living like the bugger from Fight Club. All condiments, no food. And now he was out, debating on how much he could spend on groceries. You'd think everything in Joplin would be cheap to match up to its clientele, but not so. The way some of these places charged, you'd think they were posted up in Seattle.

He popped into the local convenience store. Run by some nice immigrant family, though Noel had never bothered to ask where they immigrated from. A country, probably.

"Five dollars for an ice cream slider? You've got to be fucking kiddin' me."

"Sorry." The girl at the register shrugged -- no older than 16, and clearly already tired of working this dead-end job.

"It was three last week, and that was still way too much."

"Sorry, man." She loudly popped her gum. "You gonna buy it, or are you gonna keep complaining?" Noel silently debated whether or not a singular ice cream slider was worth almost as much as a Starbucks pissaccino or whatever. He decided against it.

Hunger gnawed at him, but he didn't dare call Avi up for another loan. That was his boss, not a goddamn bank teller. Plus, the rest of the gang probably wouldn't take too kindly to it. Noel was a loyal dog, but when you can't afford to keep it, it's best to put it up for adoption, so to speak. His hands balled up, fisted in his pockets, and he took a seat next to a building, trying to think if there was anyplace cheaper than a convenience store.

So maybe he did look homeless. And that was why some stranger offered him part of a sandwich. Gorgeous stranger, too. Couldn't tell if they were man or woman, but still, Noel wasn't afraid to point out an attractive person. Just don't make a big deal out of it.

"Uhm. Thanks." Aren't you going to tell them you aren't homeless? No, free food is free food, right? Noel horked down the sandwich at a speed almost unprecedented. It's not like you're starving, mate, what use do you have for a handout? Well, now it's too late to say something, isn't it?! "I'm not homeless." You MORON, why would you say that NOW?! This guy... girl? is gonna THROW HANDS WITH YOU now. While he could totally win, it really didn't seem like the best idea with all these officers wandering about. "Just broke." Oh, like that'll make them feel better. Fucking idiot. An idiot, you are, Noel Sheary!

Now apologize.

"You know what all the police is doin' out?"

That's not an APOLOGY. Fuck it all.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 
1661897859485.png

Trevor Tate
(TW: Slight Sexual Harassment)
​
Trevor was tired. Tired of the shit he had been wading in the past day. Tired of Joplin and its stupid citizens and their meaningless problems. Tired of women on dating apps ignoring him...

He was physically tired too, having spent the last few hours being thoroughly interrogated by his peers. Somebody offed the chief, a fact that was still sinking in, and people had the audacity to think he had done the deed. Yeah, he had gotten into an argument with the old man last week. Apparently, someone had complained to the station that Trevor had been over-aggressive and was using slurs on duty. Chief called him in to give him a talking to. Trevor had every right to give a talking to right back. The walls in the station were thin, so apparently their exchange had been heard by everyone in the vicinity. Causing people to point figures at Trevor for a possible suspect to Chiefs early end. And although today's "Good Cop, Bad Cop" game had not lead to any evidence that Trevor had killed his boss, he could see the weary and suspicious glances of his coworkers as he had left the station. Having being suspended until the case was solved.

He was just so fucking tired.

Yet, rather than heading back to his apartment to rest, Trevor found himself driving his truck (he left the cruiser at the station when off duty) into the Peaches lot. He parked, taking up two spaces to ensure that nobody attempting to park next to him could ding or scratch the paint. Hands in is jean pockets, Trevor walked into the neon lit entryway and took in the smell. Oh, he had sunk low to come here for comfort. Heavy bass music pumped through the speakers while a girl on stage shook her goodies for all to see. Adjusting his pants so that certain aspects of himself wouldn't be so...obvious, Trevor walked over to the bar.

He sat down on the bar stool, and silently nodded at the bar tender. "Bud Light." No more needed to be said, the bar tender nodded and grabbed a can from under the bar, popping it open and setting it down in front of him. Trevor sat there song after song, beer after beer. He stopped counting after the second dance done to "Moves Like Jagger". He felt fuzzy all over, and as if his head could float off his shoulder's at any second. He was good and properly drunk, just as he had set out to do. He closed his tab, and walked towards the stage.

Peaches wasn't too busy just yet, so Trevor was able to sidle up right along the stages edge. A front row seat. They were in-between dancers at the moment. As he and the other patrons waited for the next girl (Trevor hoped it was a girl and not some fucking man). There were a few signs sprinkled throughout the establishment that asked patrons not to touch the dancers, but Trevor knew that was a fucking lie. This place was shady as shit, some of the people here paid him to look the other way. Trevor was more than willing to take the money. Fuck it. It had paid for his brand new iPhone.

The music pulsed again as the next performer strode onto the stage. Oh, she was beautiful. Blonde hair down to her ass, hazel eyes that reflected the stage lights, and a thin waist that Trevor could probably snap in half if he tried hard enough (for anyone else but Trevor, that was a major fucking red flag). "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk started playing, and Trevor watched the woman as if in a trance for the entire six minutes and nine seconds.

The patrons clapped as she bent down to pick up the bills that had been tossed to her on stage. Trevor didn't carry cash, he had nothing to give her. As she stood up to walk backstage Trevor panicked, as drunk men do, and grabbed her ankle. The girl lost her balance and fell over, her head cracking on the hard stage. "No, stay. I wanna watch you 'gain." She was close enough for Trevor to reach out and stroke milky outer thigh. Trevor paid no attention to the fact she had fallen, and probably hurt herself. He was too drunk to care.

God, she was gorgeous.

The girl screamed. Trevor didn't hear what she said. He hoped it was his name. He felt hands grip his upper arms and begin pulling him away from his angel from heaven. "Lemme go!" Trevor tried to pull away from the bouncer, but failed in his intoxicated state. " 'm n officer of the law!"

"You broke the rules buddy, and you hurt one of our staff members." The man said more, but Trevor didn't hear. The bouncer pulled him harder, practically dragging Trevor out the door by the sleeve of his Cincinnati Bengals jersey. Trevor reached his hand out towards the dancer, as if he could grab her again and pull her out with him. Oh, he was so lonely. She would be the answer to his everything.

Trevor felt his world tilt as the bouncer literally threw him onto the pavement outside. The concrete was cold and hard. Wet too. Probably with piss, maybe with rain. Hard to tell in Washington.

And so, Trevor laid there. On the sidewalk outside Joplin's most popular strip club, drunk beyond belief and questioning his life choices.
Location: Peaches
Interactions: None​
 













aurora underwood
a witness
























u 2 r weird n im into it




peaches



[/tab]




but if i gave up on being pretty...
The last couple of days had been a whirlwind, and Aurora's mental state was reflective of their chaos.

Immediately after witnessing the murder, she'd gone straight to work. The question of whether or not to contact law enforcement had barely crossed her mind, but it seemed whoever had done it hadn't done a good enough job of hiding the body. The whole ordeal was annoying more than anything given the heightened police presence. It was making her side gig much more difficult.

So, she'd resorted to bottle service and waitressing for the night. It was probably her least favorite thing to do, all the catering to men with none of the freedom. Money was money, she supposed, and at least it gave her something to do while she waited for stage time.

It'd been decently uneventful, save for the pig groping a dancer, until she approached a pair sitting at the bar. As she reached them, before she could even ask if they wanted anything, the male immediately launched into a short tirade about... pedophilia?

Wrinkles formed on Aurora's forehead as her brow furrowed, unsure if the situation called for concern. Security was a little wrapped up dealing with the creep anyways, and the girl was evidently amused.

In fact, she seemed in control.

"Well, if being off his meds makes him think pedophilia's bad, maybe he should stay off 'em." A grin appeared on her face as she took a seat next to the pair. Whatever the hell these two had going on promised to be more entertainment - and less work - than wandering around the club looking for spare change.

A look of amusement crossed her face as the girl expressed concern about getting kicked out. "Only thing that'll get you kicked from here's being too much of a fuckin' perv," she said, getting the bartender's attention and asking for a Cosmo and the girl's vodka coke. "Owner doesn't care you're underaged and we don't either." She wasn't typically this talkative, and even less so to strangers, but she found it difficult to believe they'd remember much of what she said regardless.

"Haven't seen either of you around, what brings you to our glorious establishment?" The pair had piqued her interest. He looked cute - and dumb - enough to be worth getting to know. And the girl, though apparently young enough to cause pedophilic panic, seemed like she knew how to have a good time.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 







teo choi



  • .



The sound of bubbling laughter hit his ears but it didn’t stop the panic running through his body. Oh no. The only thing he could think of at this very moment was how he was going to go to jail for marrying a minor. God - I hope we didn’t do anything else. “Not my flower” he whispered under his breath, his hand reaching to his chest, clutching onto his shirt. There was no way in hell that he got that hammered to let himself go completely with a minor. It went against everything he told people; he was waiting for his wedding day. It was absolute bullshit. It had less to do with keeping a sense of purity and more to do with refusing to allow himself to become so intimate with someone capable of tearing his heart out and stomping on it before running away and never returning.

After all, who could love someone like him?

Finally, the girl confessed that it was all a lie; that they were not married. Still slightly shocked, Teo sat there for a moment, trying to process things in his little brain. It was working into overdrive right now, and he was struggling to keep up with the conversation. Okay… so… they weren’t married. He wasn’t a pedophile. She didn’t steal his flower. Once it had finally made it’s run through his brain, processing each individual syllable that came flying through, he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. Finally able to breathe, he released a deep exhale, allowing his posture to cave inwards. “Thank fuck” he exhaled, leaning forward as he rested his elbow upon the countertop; his forehead placed firmly in the palm of his hand and fingers combing through dry, bleached beyond repair blonde hair.

"Haven't seen either of you around. What brings you to our glorious establishment?"

Oh, shit yeh. There was someone else sitting with them now.

Pushing his head against his hand, Teo straightened his poster to sit up straight and presentable. Act sober was the first thing that echoed in his mind for some reason as he turned his attention to the new girl who was… wearing a bikini? His brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at her outfit before he took a moment to glance around himself quickly. There were a lot of girls here… wearing… bikinis? “I uh… I came for the drinks… but…” His voice trailed, not even looking at the girl as he spoke; like a toddler being distracted by something shiny and colourful while trying to uphold a conversation. “But uh…” he finally turned to look at the bikini clad girl that sat next to them. “Is there a pool here or something? Is it like… a swimmers bar? Fuck, I didn’t bring a towel. I could fucking go for a swim. Actually, no. I could go for a holiday to the Bahamas. Or a coma. I don’t know. Whatever is cheaper. I just need to get some peace and relaxation.”






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 

















scroll
















The Rebel





Kenzie























mood


Amused and Bemused





















outfit


Hoes dont get cold



















location


Peaches





















interactions


Her pedo husband & Aurora






















tags


weldherwings weldherwings & TheVoidQueen TheVoidQueen































Kenzie bit her lip as though in thought when the waitress commented about Teo staying of his meds before giving her an approving nod and a smile "That's a very good point".

Before she could say anymore her attention was once again drawn back towards Teo as she watched him trying to comprehend what had just happened. She could see his mind was still spinning trying to catch up with the reveal before his body visibly unwound and he seemed to relax. She almost felt bad about what she'd done , almost being the key word. It had certainly taken her mind of her boy troubles and was the most entertainment she had witnessed in days.

Smile still present on Kenzie's face she turned to face the girl who was now sitting with them "Well i can promise I'm not a perv" placing her hand over her heart as though swearing allegiance. The smile widened to a grin as Aurora confirmed that being underage didn't matter and she made a mental note to remember that.

The girl asked what brought them here and Kenzie opened her mouth to agree with Teos statement of for the drinks but before a single word could leave her mouth Teo spoke again and what he said nearly has her deceased. Mouth agape in shock and bewilderment Kenzie watched Teo as he asked if there was a pool. Eyebrow raised, Kenzie did her best not to laugh as she looked around at the bar.

Does he really not know where he is? Although seconds ago he did think we were married.

"A bar with a swimming pool would be very cool actually" she said, deciding to leave it at that and not tell Teo where he was, because to be honest she didn't really know how he would react. If the waitress of this establishment wanted to let him in on the not so secret location then she would let her. Kenzie had probably given enough pain to Teo in the 5 minutes she had been here.

But then again........ No

"I dont think you actually get rest in a coma" Kenzie mumbled before shrugging her own shoulder slightly "but what are you running from?" she asked him curiously. Maybe there was a reason he was this drunk.





♡coded by uxie♡
 









scroll








The Brat



Faye













mood

Unphased











outfit

Outfit & Shoes











location

Ehh i dunno near Peaches











interactions

Leon











tags

TheVoidQueen TheVoidQueen















The last few days had been eventful around the city, the Chief of Police being murdered was the talk of the town and the atmosphere was one of shock and fear in the residents, well some of the residents.

Faye was quite unphased by the entire thing, people die everyday and unfortunately murder was the top cause with an estimated 14,196 people murdered in America alone that year already. It was a part of daily life and someone getting murdered where Faye lived was not going to change the way she lived her life, especially since the victim was a pig, it was probably enemies that took him out anyway. Nor would it affect her emotionally, sure she didn't even know the guy. Who was to say he didn't deserve it. I suppose having a hit man for a father really does desensitize you.

Brushing away the thoughts of murder and cops Faye pulled her boot up over her knee to rest on her thigh before standing up to look at herself in the mirror. A small smile played on her lips as she took in her outfit. While some may look at her in bewilderment wearing a short skirt in November, Faye saw nothing wrong with it. Sure she would probably be freezing within minutes of walking outside but that didn't matter once she looked good shivering.

No pain no gain and sure there's many ways to keep warm.

Faye grabbed her long white jacket from the coat rack and put it on before grabbing her bag. She checked the contents quickly ensuring she had everything she could need.

phone check, purse check, smokes check, lighter check, keys check.

Faye checked the time on her phone as she moved towards the front door "Fuck" she muttered as she realised she was meant to meet Leon in 5 minutes and was at least a 10 minute walk away, if not more. Putting her phone back into her bag Faye left the apartment, locking the door behind her and began her walk.

Maybe he'll be late too

As soon as Faye stepped outside the cool air hit her bare legs and she shivered involuntarily but fought through it as she walked, moving would help and it was too late now to change. She would have to deal with it and persevere.

Nothing says dedication like hypothermia

As Faye approached the agreed meeting place, she spotted the familiar tuff of brown curly hair and grinned as she walked towards him "Hey" she greeted "sorry I'm late, you havn't been here long have you?"



♡coded by uxie♡
 




































  • how she's feeling...



    i can make this work

















may gu



heavy metal high school girl












(TW: internalized ableism, really brief suicide mention)

"Honey, this is the second time since we moved here that you've been drunk. Is something the matter?"

Lilianne, May's mother, set a gentle hand on May's shoulder. May blinked, not really seeing what the issue was. And that was just about how Halloween ended for her.

In the week or so after, everyone grew distant. Josh was hardly a friend of hers anyway, but what little contact they had more or less ended. Abby went off to do her own thing, and Max suddenly disconnected from almost everybody. He was a mess on Halloween, and all that May could assume was that she'd done something wrong. Max was actually looking a lot like her old friend Kandi, who also suddenly started dressing weird when they were in high school. But Kandi was all about neons and loud things, and Max was all silence and grayscale. Maybe he was just quieter because he preferred to sign.

May was just as much at a loss now as she had been back then. So, as she had with Kandi, she let him do whatever he wanted. After all, Kandi was still her BFF, they still texted... Sometimes. Now that she thought about it, those texts were getting more and more infrequent. May had always been holding her back. Maybe she just found someone else.

You'd be happier without her, and all that...

(Manic gesturing.)

It wouldn't make any sense for Max to leave her because she was mute, but it would make sense to leave her because she was a dipshit manic pixie dream girl stereotype that couldn't go anywhere without fucking things up. Still, she tried to keep her head up. Even though every time she met Mallory's eyes in the hall, she'd get a look like she was something scraped off of the bottom of a shoe. Like a piece of gum, or dog shit.

It wasn't until November 11th when she was alerted online that Max wanted to do something.

This is for business. Not for pleasure.

Great. She'd finally get to hang out with a friend, her only real friend besides Raven, and it wasn't even for fun. No Scooby Doo theme song singing, no funny detective hats, nothing. They may as well be doing homework.

But it was fine, right? She'd managed to turn talking Kandi down from a suicide attempt into a hang-out night, mostly because carting her off to the psych ward wasn't an option. She could make anything a social event. She wasn't just ANY dipshit manic pixie dream girl, she was a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL dipshit manic pixie dream girl. This was MANDATORY FUN. They were going to laugh and have a good fucking time.

And then she showed up and Max looked like a sad, used paintbrush.

She waved, no longer anticipating any fun.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 
LEON PIERCE
not understanding that you’re a horrible person doesnt make you less of

a horrible person
the sinner
fell asleep and forgot to die
the weekend
— mac miller
mood: what do we have here raised eyebrow emoji
location: outside peaches
outfit: surely u couldve done better.
interactions: neverbackdown neverbackdown - Faye | Twin Fantasy Twin Fantasy - May | Chimney Swift Chimney Swift - Max
scroll
Ratty ass Chucks, jeans that were older than he was, a beat up leather jacket, and a fucking Hello Kitty t-shirt.

Those were the rags he'd managed to pull out. Laundry had fallen by the wayside for maybe a little longer than it should've, and Leon had slept in a little longer than he should've. So here he was, rushing in the bitter cold in what could effectively be considered a crop top with a child's cartoon emblazoned across his chest.

He didn't even want to think about the fact that he was meeting a pretty girl at a fucking strip club looking like this. And he was running late. By no means would he consider himself the most reliable person out there, but today he was operating on a whole other level of disaster.

Granted, he wasn't the only one. The whole city seemed to be more chaotic than usual, which, for Joplin, was saying a lot. It wasn't quite in shambles but the murder of a police chief suggested it was well on its way to be. Leon wasn't exactly on the straight and narrow, but his run-ins with Joplin law enforcement had been minimal and he intended to keep it that way. He could only imagine how on edge the task force would be with the swine-in-charge stuffed in a dumpster.

The walk from the Chalamet to Peaches wasn't too bad, thankfully, and he walked quickly to preserve both time and body heat. He'd just barely managed to make it seem like he wasn't out of breath and out of place when Faye called out to him. "Nah no sweat, just got here myself," he responded, throwing an easy grin her way.

His brows furrowed as the pair began nearing the establishment's entrance, two sights catching his attention. One: a police officer, laying on the ground, clearly tanked beyond belief, and two: a pair of literal children. He wasn't technically old enough to be at Peaches either, but at least he didn't look barely pubescent.

With an evidently amused half smile on his face, he nudged Faye, nodding his head towards the teenagers. Was walking up to them the best idea, given their current location and his current attire? Probably not, and yet here he was, tapping on the boy's shoulder.

"Are you guys, like, lost or something?" He didn't mean to sound rude but found himself unable to hide neither his confusion nor his amusement at how out of place they seemed.
© reveriee
 













aurora underwood
a witness
























excellent question kenz




peaches



[/tab]




but if i gave up on being pretty...
Aurora damn near choked on her drink at Teo's question. The confusion on his face was mirrored in her own expression, utterly bewildered as he kept speaking. Setting her glass down on the bartop, she bit back a laugh at the girl's response. "I'll have to pitch that to the owner for summer," she said, not quite sure why they were dodging telling him he was at a strip joint but figuring she might as well run with it.

Honestly, it was almost endearing. He'd been sitting her for a fair bit of time before she'd joined them, and he seemed to just be noticing the half naked women parading around the room. She could only imagine how fucked up he had to be in order to achieve that level of obliviousness. Poor guy. Turning fully toward him, it was obvious that he was, in fact, not within the realm of sobriety.

Usually, right about now would be the time she'd ask him if he wanted a dance. He was out of it enough and focused only on blowing off steam. She might've said something along the lines of, A coma's more expensive and less fun than I am, or some other one-liner and sink her claws into him. Judging by the state of him, however, she doubted he had much to offer her. That, and the younger girl's follow up question promised to be far more interesting than anything she could get out of him in a private room. Information is power or whatever.

She remained silent, listening intently to the drunkard's response as if it might quiet her own thoughts. She was running, too, even if it wasn't taking her straight to the bottom of several bottles. In fact, until now she hadn't had a single drop of alcohol since she'd watched it happen earlier that week. She feared what she might say, all too aware that there were worse people to be on the wrong side of than the cops in Joplin. It was the main reason she'd actually come forward as a witness anyway: to do her part in ensuring the investigation didn't get too close to the truth.

All she had to work on were assumptions, anyways. It'd been dark that night, and who could even trust their memory that far back. What had happened that night was none of her fucking business, but she didn't want to risk it interfering with what did concern her.

So, she sat pretty and said nothing, an empty smile painted on her face to match the look in her eyes.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 






Max




filler



filler



filler



filler



filler



filler






















































The first stop on the impromptu homicide investigation was Peaches, the city’s most well known strip club.
Many of the suspects in the case that the police had publicly identified happened to be employees or regular patrons of the establishment… almost like they were trying to frame the business itself. Why would the JPD be out to get a strip club? Did some kind of drug ring operate here? The mafia? Or was it just the usual prejudice against the Industrial District's residents?
Max hadn’t put it all together yet, but he felt that he was starting to pick up the patterns. He’d only been investigating this case for less than an hour, but already he had leads. Or, at least, he felt like he did.

As Max walked through the parking lot to find a spot to wait for the rest of the team he’d hastily recruited on social media, the club's neon sign flashed at him with aggressive vivacity.
If he wasn’t nervous about this plan before, he certainly was now.
In all his life, he had never imagined himself coming anywhere near a place like this. Most boys his age would have been beyond excited to be sneaking into a strip club, but Max? He never thought about this stuff, ever.
Not that that meant anything, of course. He just had more important things to think about. That’s all it was, nothing more.

Before he could get too carried away by that train of thought, though, a familiar head of bleached-platinum hair bobbed towards him.
May. Of course, she’d be the one to show up early, always ready to lend a hand. He pinched his thigh to snap himself out of the cloud of worry and waved her over with as warm and friendly a smile as he could manage, straightening his slumped posture into some resemblance of alertness. He did his best to look optimistic and professional, for her sake, but he knew deep down that he was failing that miserably. He looked awful, even more awful than he usually did.

“Hi, May.” He greeted her, but as soon as their eyes met, her giddy excitement seemed to crumble into concern.

He wilted.
It wasn’t fair to her that he'd been this unpleasant to be around. May had a rough week and a half since Halloween, just like he did, and he knew his current state of being was probably just making her and everyone else uncomfortable. He'd barely said anything to her since then, just as he'd been ghosting Abby and Josh and everyone else. These were his friends; none of them deserved that kind of sullen coldness from him.

“Sorry for being… I wasn’t sure if anyone was actually going to… show up.” It was a relief, at least, to sign with her at comfortable speed and not have to worry about whether or not she was following along. He appreciated that about May, though he never felt like he had ever thanked her for it properly. Awfully ungrateful of him, really. “For people in this city to actually care about this, to want to help out even though… I mean, it’s great, right? I didn’t know that people here were still that…” he paused, hand circling in midair, searching for the right word, before bringing it to his chin. “...Caring.”

His eyes scanned the parking lot for a few moments, wondering if anyone else was going to turn up. May wasn’t the only one who’d expressed interest online, so maybe… “Maybe we should wait for the others. I have some more people who think they could help.”
So they waited, and waited… for five minutes, perhaps ten, but to Max it felt like an eternity of awkwardly loitering by the wall until he felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped in surprise.
He almost screamed, the back of his neck prickling as he spun around to come face-to-face with… well, “face-to-face” wasn’t quite accurate, as Max barely came up above this young man’s shoulders. God, he was as tall as Graham, maybe even taller. But unlike Graham, this guy was built like a beanstalk or a Victoria’s Secret model, and dressed like… Max couldn’t quite describe the guy’s attire. It was everything: the leather jacket, the Hello Kitty shirt that bared his midriff, the skinny jeans, the torn-up sneakers.
The woman he was with, who Max only noticed after several seconds of gawking, was nearly as eye-catching in her revealing luxury attire. Truly, it was almost unheard of in Joplin for someone to be wearing clothes so expensive– he got a bit lost in staring, despite being in no good position to judge what anyone else chose to wear (considering that he himself was dressed like if teenage angst was a person). But the Hello Kitty crop top had him so bewildered and fascinated that he only noticed the man’s lips were moving when it was far too late.

The only word that Max was pretty confident he read correctly from the guy's lips was “lots”, and he was wrong about that one actually, not that he’d have any way of knowing that… and instantly he was in a panic, heart racing, sweating despite the frosty early-November weather. He glanced sideways at May, eyes begging for a translation of what the tall Hello Kitty aficionado had just said, but staring speechless was burning at him, clawing into his brain. He had to say something, anything, so he'd stop looking so goddamn–

“You’re here to help with the investigation?” He blurted out, a little too quickly for himself. Complex multisyllabic words like “investigation”, were a struggle for him to say orally even at the best of times, and the result was something that could perhaps be difficult to understand if one wasn’t used to hearing him speak. He could only pray they weren’t too confused. “Great!! Awesome. I’m Max. Thank you.” The whole time he was talking, his face was turning a flustered red from his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He could tell he wasn't giving the impression he wanted to give.
He forced an awkward lopsided smile and held out his hand the two newcomers to shake, internally berating himself for not telling them he was Deaf when he was recruiting them to help with the mission. Lack of foresight was practically Max’s middle name at this point, he felt. But to be fair, he hadn’t been expecting so many people to want to join him in searching for justice. It was exciting, just as much as it was terrifying and more than a little bit embarrassing, to feel like he had this many people counting on him to do the right thing.

“Follow me,” He said finally, steeling himself and all his remaining shreds of confidence, gesturing for the group to follow his lead as he marched straight up to the black-tinted glass front doors of Peaches and knocked sharply, just like how he imagined an actual private investigator would.
Shockingly, Max was naive enough to think that this was going to work.

What actually happened, though, was the obvious conclusion: the bouncer opened the door a crack, saw four baby-faced awkward teenagers, and immediately burst out laughing, saying something that Max had to assume was insulting before slamming the door in his face.

Ouch.







♡coded by uxie♡
 







teo choi



  • .



“But what are you running from?”

The question lingered over his head. Facing inwards towards the bar, Teo sat hunched over, his elbows rested on top of the counter. He took hold of the shot glass that had been previously filled with various alcoholic beverages, and allowed his fingers to run over it’s smooth edges. All the while, his eyes were fixed on the transparent glass and once more, that question ran through his brain. What was he running from?. It was a metaphor, of course, as he was not actually running like in some sort of marathon. However, he had somewhat unsettled and rattled by the metaphoric question as Kenzie spoke it into life. Because it made him reflect on the demons of his past.

Why exactly was Teo Choi the way that he was?

Why did he spend his days in search of a high and spend his nights passed out drunk at local bars? Why did he find himself in shenanigans that didn’t need to involve him, or in circumstances that would’ve been much more fruitful and positive had he just stayed home instead? And why was he was a wandering nomad, with no real friendships nor anything to keep him grounded in one spot for too long? Was it because found the comfort in alcohol that provided a warmth that reminded him of his deceased mother’s embrace? Or was it because his highs helped him to forget every pain that his father had afflicted on him not only as a child, but as a teen and adult?

Ultimately, it was far more painful to live a life of sobriety. Without the alcohol and drugs, he was left with nothing else but his thoughts; a dark and scary place to be left behind. Night terrors rattled his body without the aid of something - anything - to help him snooze off. Anxiety and sadness riddled him to the core as he woke up every morning knowing that he was waking up to a world where he was very much so on his own with no one to help him; and those who said were there to help him would sooner or later show their true colours. Memories would flutter though his mind and take captive of his thoughts, words echoing and stepping over his body until he was beaten, bruised and barely able to stand on his own.

Living was painful.

And as he sat there, his eyes focused on the shot glass, it was almost like all those emotions came whirling around that vacant brain of his. Swirling around, creating a blizzard, to which shone through his eyes as they glazed over. No, he thought to himself. No tears.. Licking his dry lips, he placed down his shot glass and swallowed thickly to push down anything that was attempting to make it’s way back into the light of day. It was the way to go; just push it all down so no one can see and no one can comment. No one can nit-pick. No one can judge.

As he sat up straight, he turned to Kenzie with a forced smile on his face. His eyes, once starting to swell with tears, attempted to shove them back so he could perform a happy act for the girls before them. “It’s not what am I running from. It’s why am I running” he sighed, pressing his lips together in a closed, forced smile. “And I’m running because it’s quicker than walking, isn’t it?”

Thankfully, at that moment, the bartender returned with the ordered drinks. The attention was on Teo, especially after his little comments, that it seemed as if the girls didn’t have much focus on their drinks. Time to go in for the steal. After all, the rude bartender had already cut him off saying ‘I think you need some time to chill for a bit’. As if they knew his alcohol tolerance. So, without a moment of hesitation, Teo reached over towards the glass that had been placed in front of Kenzie. It seemed that he had over shot his goal - probably due to the poor co-ordination thanks to the multiple drinks he had had that night - and gravity took hold of him.

Bang!

Within a split second, Teo - who had once been sitting in his chair - had fallen off his seat and situated at the feet of Kenzie. “Ah, fuck” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he felt the pain beginning to radiate. Of course, that’s what falling off a chair and whacking the back of your head against another chair would do to you. “You have to give me some of your drink now. I’ve got a boo boo” he pouted, out stretching his arm towards Kenzie as he stuck out his lower lip.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 









scroll








The Brat



Faye













mood

So very amused and very cold











outfit

Outfit & Shoes











location

Peaches











interactions

Leon, Max and May











tags

TheVoidQueen TheVoidQueen Chimney Swift Chimney Swift Twin Fantasy Twin Fantasy















Faye grinned as Leon confirmed he'd just arrived. As she stopped beside him Faye couldn't help and look him over, the grin turning into an amused smirk and her eyebrow raised as she spotted his hello kitty top.

"You could say we're both fashionably late...." a tone of laughter was present in her voice as she emphasised the word fashionably. Faye looked up at Leon meeting his eyes as she tried to hold an innocent expression but an amused smirk broke through as she spoke again "Does your sister know your borrowed her clothes"

Leon's expression made Faye giggle "Im sorry i'll stop" Realising that Leon was now going to be at a strip club with a child character on his top almost made Faye laugh again but she bit her bottom lip and pushed back the laughter.... for now at least..

As they reached Peaches, Faye felt Leon nudge her and turned in the direction he nodded with a raised eyebrow, an amused expression taking over her features as she took in the scene in front of them. She honestly didn't know which was the more interesting of the two, the two, very clearly, children walking towards the strip club entrance or the police officer drunk of his face.

Faye followed as Leon approached them and interacted as she stood back slightly observing. She watched as the boy seemed to become transfixed by Leon, a completely different reaction to the tshirt than Faye had but who knows

Maybe Hello Kitty turn him on....

When the boy basically told them that they were here to help the investigation, well she guessed he said investigation, Faye glanced sideways at Leon amusement but also confusion clear on her face. She gave a little shrug as if to say lets do it before turning her attention back to the boy speaking.

"I'm Faye" she greeted and shook the boys hand as he offered it to her. Faye then turned her attention to blonde girl and gave her a small smile in greeting.

Unsurprisingly they were rejected from Peaches and Faye bit her lip as she tried to think about what they could do now. A cold breeze played at her legs and Faye shivered as she pulled the jacket closer to her.

I should have worn jeans

Holding the jacket closed made Faye look as though she was only wearing the jacket and she wondered if she went up like this could she get in, after all it was a strip club, although that wouldn't help anyone else and so she disregarded the idea as soon as it came into her head.

"Ok anyone have a plan B?" she asked. She had worn this outfit thinking they would be inside not standing in a carpark with two kids.



♡coded by uxie♡
 
Raevlyn
Darrow
Take me to space~
https:///www.raevlyn-darrow.com
/sugarinspace

Things had been rather dull for Raevlyn since Halloween. With most of their friends busy, almost a little concerned at Max's absence since the part at Mallory's, their life had become a repetitive cycle of hanging out with 'Ivy and the gremlins', as it so happened that their little gang had become, school, filming, and the return of dusty, industrial district parties. It was safe to say, they were pretty damn bored, so when news broke of the dead cop, and their messages flooded with their friend's plots to help 'investigate', Raven couldn't deny the chance to show up the useless cops of the city.
The problem? Raven receives not one but two calls to action. Almost at the same time, the green-haired teens' messages came through, one from Ivy, calling their troublesome group to scour the dumpster for 'clues', and another from Max, to join a thought-up scheme to sneak into peaches to interrogate those inside. While Raven sought to be friends with everyone, they couldn't deny the enticing pull of sneaking into a strip club, the excitement in their stomach as they imagined questioning the beautiful, half-naked women and watching the absolutely memorizing show they put on. Raven had to admit, they'd taken a peak in the adults club before. They shot a quick message to the group chat, explaining they'd tag along later, before confirming with their friend Max that they would indeed be there, but first, they had to prepare. Scouring their closet, they threw together a collection of fishnet leggings, black shorts, a checkered corset, and a big, fluffy green jacket. They finished the outfit with a chain choker and a collection of silver and diamond jewelry they took from their and their mom's boxes, stuffing extras into their pockets for the group.
With a long platinum blonde wig, and a simple eyeliner and lip look that they believe made them look more mature, despite their short stature and baby face, they were ready. Deciding their precious puppy Saturn would blow the crew's cover, they parted ways with a sad goodbye and collected their leather side bag and green, alien skateboard, before heading out the door with a confident, deep breath. After downing a few of the alcoholic nips in their bag, and puffing their strawberry vape on the ride through the town, they made quick pace to the club, easily finding the group of teenagers by the door, standing out like a sore thumb.
"Hey!" They called as the picked up their board and hurried over to the group, signing hello to Max as they came into view, taken a little aback by his dark clothes and dulled energy, memories of Halloween night coming back to them, feeling sorry for the boy.
"You guys didn't try to go in the front did you?" The blonde teen laughed, signing as they spoke. "Yeah there's no way they'll let us in, but I can show you guys to the back door if you want? We can sneak in where the dancers go in!" Raven tried to contain their excitement, nerves bubbling with the thought of breaking into the strip club with their friends, and the two less familiar people who had joined them. This is just what they needed to satisfy their burning energy.
coded by reveriee.
 


































scroll
































The Rebel










Kenzie














































mood




Amused and Bemused










































outfit


Hoes dont get cold


















location


Peaches


















interactions


Her pedo husband & Aurora


















tags


TheVoidQueen TheVoidQueen weldherwings weldherwings


























Kenzie raised an eyebrow at Teo's comment that running was faster and opened her mouth to clarify that wasn't what she meant but quickly closed it and pursed her lips as though deep in thought before a smirk played on her lips and she gave a small half shrug "you do have a point Teo"

The forced smile did not go unnoticed and she figured that the question was too heavy ended for his current state more so than not understanding the question and decided to let it slide. She just hoped that he was doing ok mentally, although all signs currently pointed to no. As she looked at his face, she could almost feel the pain radiating off him but pain for what? She didn't know and nor was she in any place mentally herself to be someone shoulder or support system.

Hell I can barely support myself

The drinks were dropped infront of them and Kenzie turned to thank the waitress but before she could get the words out , she was distracted by a hand reaching into her vision before quickly disappearing with a loud and surprising bang.

Kenzie looked down at the floor by her feet to see Teo holding his head. A laugh threatened to errupt but Kenzie bit her lip hard to try and contain it. It was hilarious but she wasn't mean enough to laugh at him twice ... Well no she definitely was but not this time, this time she would try and be nice.

Kenzie rolled her eyes before a smirk took over her features "I really don't know if you need anymore" she teased pretending to think it over before handing him her cup. "Not all of it tho!" she warned him.

Once Teo had taken a drink, Kenzie took the glass before reaching down to take his hands to help him up. Her attention, however, was on Aurora as she asked with an amused smirk "so how drunk is drunk enough to be kicked out?" Kenzie knew from experience that falling off chairs were normally not a good thing.







♡coded by uxie♡
 



















may gu



heavy metal high school girl












At the very least Max seemed sorry for leaving May out to dry like he had. She now just felt bad for being angry at him, even though she was fully within her right to, and hey wait isn't this a strip club?

She suddenly heard herself being addressed. Clearly whoever it was was some kind of, uh... Little girl baby roleplay guy? Definitely some kind of fetish, like, the really spooky kind that you don't wanna get involved in because it's a really good way to get kidnapped by someone who skins people for a living. Clearly this one had found a girlfriend, so it was anyone's guess who was the skinner and who was the skinnee. The skinned, if you will.

"Are you guys lost?"

"Are YOU lost?" May signed, only then realizing that the stranger probably didn't know ASL. Nobody does. This wasn't even just a Joplin thing, it was just that around here some asshole nearly throttled her for "throwing up gang signs". The guy wasn't even in a gang! He was wearing a fucking football jersey!

Max walked them up to the front door. Terrible idea.

"Come back when your mother's done lactating, kid."

Ew... Gross. Boob milk.

And then Raven appeared right the fuck out of nowhere -- they'd been off doing their own thing, too. Not that May considered them much more than an acquaintance, as much as she wanted to yell "OMG friend" and latch onto yet another pissed-off scene kid. After having only one close friend for over 10 years, May was starting to realize that her social faculties were a little, er, stagnant? Needed a bit of shaking up. She was working on it!

A window.

"Max can stand on my shoulders and then..." She looked around. They could all make a rope out of shirts and jackets. May pulled her overshirt off. "We can tie all our coats and stuff together." Except for the Baby Man, who wasn't really wearing a jacket. She didn't want to see him shirtless. "Then he can throw it down... Do they even understand what I'm saying?" She gestured towards the Odd Couple.











































♡coded by uxie♡
 
1661897859485.png

Trevor Tate​
How long did Trevor lay on the pavement? Who knew. Honestly, he didn't care. The ground was hard and wet, and he felt like if he was going to try and figure out where his life went wrong, the ground in front of Peaches was a good place to start.

Was it when he tried to drown his sister in the toilet when they were kids? Had that caused the spiral to his demise? Nah, course it didn't. Santa brought him an Xbox that year, so of course that behavior wasn't naughty enough to warrant coal under the tree (fun fact: to this day, Trevor does not know it was his parent's being Santa the whole time. They thought he figured it out when he was older and never thought it necessary to tell him. Little did they know they had birthed an idiot.). So if the toilet incident wasn't were he went wrong, what was it?

A voice pierced through his thoughts, absolutely derailing his train of thought. Suppose that was a good thing, you probably shouldn't drink and then drive a train.

Trevor opened his eyes. The dim brightness burning. He could make out a trio of blurry figures very close to him. One was talking, the other two were...dancing?? You couldn't even hear the music out here! Oh, unless they had headphones. That was a possibility.

"Yeah there's no way they'll let us in, but I can show you guys to the back door if you want? We can sneak in where the dancers go in!"

Vision clearing a bit, Trevor could tell that the group was comprised of young kids. Take that, mixed with the sentence out of the non-dancing one's mouth, and you got a cocktail of teenagers trying to sneak into a strip club.

Ah, to be young.

" s'not gonna work..." Trevor said to them. Could they hear them? He could barely hear himself to be honest. With one ear to the pavement he could hear the cars on asphalt and his own heartbeat more than anything.

As previously established, Trevor was an idiot. He did not know two of the kids were communicating via ASL. If you asked Trevor what ASL stood for he would probably say "Ass, Schlong, and LeBron James". So, he did not "hear" the young girl suggest they pile in through the back window.

" 's a window n the back." He slurred at them. His voice was getting a bit louder. He peeled himself off the pavement. Quite literally. What the fuck was on this ground for his jersey to literally be sticking to it?? "Leads to the men's room. Go in the door, the girls will see ya."

He stared at the teens, waiting for a response. If he had been on duty, he would have taken them in. But he wasn't. He was on suspension for a murder he didnt fucking commit, and at the moment he was done giving a fuck about anything. Well...he was done giving a fuck about anything except that beautiful babe inside. Trevor thought for a moment. It took most of his brain power.

" 'll make ya kid's a deal. I help you in, you tell my angel I love her." Trevor stood up, the world spinning around him. After a moment, he was able to orient himself. He held his shaking hand out to the one he assumed to be the leader of the group, the talking one. "Deal?"

Location: Peaches
Interactions: Max, May, Rae. Twin Fantasy Twin Fantasy Chimney Swift Chimney Swift Nightmarish Nightmarish​
 
MOOD: Terrified

OUTFIT: Probably something like this in whatever the school colors are

LOCATION: Chalamet Building
basics
MENTIONS:


INT:



tags
TL;DR:
tl;dr
Jenelle Kennedy
Let us be young, let us be wild
until the summer's over
(TW: mention of indecent exposure/overall creepery to a minor)

Jenelle's heart was thumping in time with the rapid footfalls of her sneakered feet on the pavement. The soft curls of her long, coppery ponytail bouncing with each step as she hurried briskly down the street. Yet no matter how quickly she walked, she couldnt shake him. Every time Jenny glanced over her shoulder, she found him there still, walking behind her. Every time she'd cross the street, he'd end up on the same side as her eventually. Though he ambled along at a casual pace, he always seemed to catch up even when Jenny picked up the pace or took a quick turn. Never deviating from the path Jenelle led him down.

This man, Jenny didn't have a clear picture of what he looked like; he was a good distance away, plus she couldn't muster up the courage to be so rude as to turn around fully and outright stare in order get a good eyeful. Though he wasn't near close enough to grab her, this subtle relentless pursuit was just as terrifying in its own way.

Jenny first noticed the man not long after starting her walk home. She'd been at the high school, cheering for the basketball team's first home game of the season. It hadn't taken her long to get fully creeped out by the feeling of another's constant presence as she walked, and everywhere she went, he seemed to follow. If this guy really was following her, she didn't want to risk leading him right to her door. Better safe than sorry, especially with a murderer on the loose.

She began to regret this decision, however, when she soon found herself wandering the Industrial district, having taken quite the detour from her neighborhood in Foxglove Heights. She was trembling slightly, more from fear than the Novemeber chill in the air. Zipping up the matching track jacket over her uniform in hopes it would help, and wrapped her arms around herself to keep from making a grab for the cell phone in her jacket pocket to check one more time if it was really dead. She'd forgotten to charge it earlier, so it was no suprise it ran out of juice just as she tried to reach out to one of her parents at work.

As she walked, Jenny tried to calm her scattered mind with rational logic. Even a girl as naive and sheltered as Jenny knew it was unlikely she'd be the killer's next target after such a high profile victim. He might not even be a killer at all. For all she knew, they guy could be an average, run of the mill creeper. Sadly, she was no stranger to weirdos and pervs exposing themselves on the streets and buses of Joplin. Although...the thought of running into one now chilled her to the bone. Leah wasn't by her side on this occasion, with her usual promise to "kick him in the balls so hard he'll have to suck off his dad's to get new ones."

That usually worked like a charm to make the coward slink off in defeat. But Jenelle just wasn't the type of girl that could spew such vitriol in public, at least not with the aggression necessary to emasculate the creep into backing off.

What Jenny could do, was keep her eyes peeled for an opportunity, and she found one in the Chalamet building. The front door was wide open after a resident had just hurried through it, the heavy door taking its sweet time to swing shut again. Allowing Jenny to slip right through before it closed.

Jenny stood in the lobby, almost too scared to peek out the window. Fearing she might see the man out there, waiting for her. Max lived in the Chalamet building, along with plenty of other kids she knew from school. But she didn't climb the stairs to try and find anyone, deciding it was best to stay put for now. What would she even say if she could guess Max's apartment number? The guy hadn't done anything, nor tried to attack her, he never came anywhere near her. She could have imagined the whole thing.

A bit shaken, Jenny reckoned she'd remain in the relative safety of the Chalamet building lobby for a spell. She stood huddled by the window to catch her bearings. Deep green eyes darting around the industrial landscape in hopes of soon convincing herself it was safe to venture out alone, hoping she could do so before daylight ran out.
code by valen t.
 
1669672746330.png

Zachary Carpenter​

Zachary stood in the Walgreen's aisle, shelves and shelves upon tampons taunting him. "Go! Get some for your sister, she's dying in there!" his grandmother had said after shoving forty dollars in his hands and shoving him out the front door. Zachary would have liked to think he was more knowledgeable about women than his other male peers. But alas, it seemed like he was just as clueless as the rest of them. He didn't know anything about buying tampons. Boxes with words like regular, light, super, and overnight stared at him. Laughing. "Ha, he doesn't know what any of these words mean!" they seemed to say. What was Zach supposed to do? He couldn't call up Cassidy and ask "Hey what size is your vagina? Regular or super?". If Zachary had picked up the boxes and read the descriptions, he might have had a better understanding of the situation. But, the boxes stayed put while the boy stared at them.

After twenty minutes of looking, Zachary just bought one of each type for Cassidy and had the high-as-fuck college student behind the register ring them up. "Sorry little dude, we are all out of bags. Your gonna have to carry those home yourself" the wannabe white Snoop Dog told him. So, Zachary began the walk back to his apartment, tampon boxes in his arms like a newborn babe.

As he walked, he could only find himself thinking of one thing.

Jenny.

At the beginning of the week, he had told himself the reason she seemed to occupy a lot of his free thoughts was due to the fact she seemed to be the first person he was forming a real connection with. But as the days went on, and he passed her in the hallways and sat behind her in class. He came to realize that his was what people called "crushes". Every time he saw her smile, or caught a flicker of her firelight hair out of the corner of his eye, his stomach flip-flopped and the rooms temperature went up by ten degrees. With these newfound feelings, Zachary hadn't had the nerve to message her online since the party. Talking to people online was so much easier when you didn't know them in real life.

The Chalamet building came up, and with his arms full, Zachary used his foot to open the door to the lobby and let it slam shut behind him. He walked towards the elevator, but stopped dead in his tracks.

"Jenny?" Zachary wasn't sure if he had actually been talking to himself or calling out to the girl in front of him. He had never seen her here before, so he didn't think she lived in the building. What was she doing here? He was dumbfounded.

"I wasn't...I didn't think I would see you here." he said. Then, looking down he realized he was holding four three boxes of bright purple tampon boxes in his arms. He felt himself blush. Did he mention the fact these were for his sister, or would that make things more awkward? Probably more awkward.

"So...what brings you here?" he asked, silently praying to the gods above she did not notice the packages he was holding.

Location: Chalamet Building
Interactions: Jenny Qwertycakes Qwertycakes Qwertycakes Qwertycakes​
 







mallory hawke



  • .



tw: mentions of drugging
It took a moment before the boy finally caught up with Mallory, she wasn't sure what the hell he had been doing, but maybe he was just preparing himself for her being a visitor. She had never visited the Jones' house before, so she was soaking in every bit of decorum as possible, trying to gather information about the family, which was rather hard to do

Footsteps entered the kitchen, offering her a glass of water, it may not be the best drink to cover up the powder taste of crushed pills, but somehow the girl would make it work. "Why don't you just go ahead and get us both a glass? I'm trying to get in touch with someone to help me with my car. Might be here for a while." A smirk spread across the girl's face, as Josh had spoken up again.

He mentioned something about not wearing shoes in the house, not once in her life has she ever been to a place that required that, but if it meant getting on his good side, she would abide by the silly rule. "You don't have to if you don't want to... Just… you know. Family rules.” Without any hesitation, she slipped off her boots, revealing the bright white socks that covered her perfectly polished toes, if the slippers weren't comfortable, she could always just go in her socks.

Taking the slippers from Josh, she slips her feet into them, one by one, and then leans up against the counter, "So where is your family? It's not really safe for anyone to be out and about right now.." Fake concern hidden in her voice, the fact that all these events just so happened to line up perfectly made Mallory smile, at least the first half of the plan was working out.






/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 







joshua jones



  • .



Much to Joshua’s surprise, Mallory began to take her boots off. Why did he think that there was going to be some huge battle between the pair of them? But here she was, willing to take her shoes off and place the slippers provided by him. Maybe he had been wrong about Mallory? Maybe she wasn’t this she-devil that the whole school made her out to be? Besides, she had been kind to him at her Halloween party even though he hadn’t been technically invited by her. Even as she stood there, slipping on those slippers and beginning to ask questions about his family, she was starting to become less and less scarier with each passing moment. Just a little.

“Oh… uh…” he began, instantly beginning to feel some sort of nerves run through him. He didn’t realise that they would be talking about him whilst she was here. After all, he was just Joshua Jones. No one ever asked him anything about himself, apart from Abby and Max, of course. But before the pair of them, no one really took the time of day to ask questions about his everyday life. “My Dad is in New York until Tuesday for an Elders convention. And my U-” he paused for a moment, feeling a wave of embarrassment flood him as he almost said Umma; obviously, it was Korean for ‘Mum’, but considering Mallory’s track record, he felt that she would’ve judged him somehow for saying it. “My uhh - my Mum and my sisters are in Seattle for the weekend. They’re at a women’s service.”

As the glasses in his hand filled, he used his elbow to turn off the tap before extending his arm to offer a filled glass to Mallory. “And then my brothers are with their families. Wives… kids… all of that” he trailed off lightly. Well, he hadn’t been thirsty before, but after all that talking, he felt his mouth drying out. Lifting up the other glass, he took a sip of the cool water the quench his thirst. Thinking of drying out… the cupcakes. He didn’t want to overcook them; otherwise, they’d get too dry.

So, he placed his cup down on the countertop before turning towards the oven. “Sorry, I just-” he exhaled, picking up an oven mitt and pulling open the oven door. “You caught me in the middle of cooking some cupcakes”, he explained as he looked into the appliance, watching it cook the cupcakes. Did you really have to explain? he anxiously thought to himself as he squatted down, reaching into the oven with his mitt-covered hand to pull the cakes closer to him. Upon inspection, touching the top of the hot baked good briefly, he concluded that it still needed at least another five to ten minutes. Joshua pushed the tray back into the oven before closing the oven door and standing up to his full posture.

Right. What to do now?

“What… would you like to do?” Wow, that sounded so incredibly odd. “I mean, like…. Until someone comes to help you with your car? We uh… we don’t really have a television. I mean, we do but it only plays with the VHS machine that we have and… I don’t think you’ll like the videos we have… uh…” He could feel his face beginning to burn, slowly pulling the oven mitt from his hand and placing it on the counter. It was the first time anyone he knew from his school had the pleasure of walking through the Jones house, and he was beginning to really see just how odd his household must’ve been for guests who wandered in. “We also have… board games? And, uh… a trampoline in the back?”

There he was again. His lips started to feel dry from all this improv talking. As he awaited for her answer, he reached towards his glass of water and took a couple of gulps. As he drank, he felt something crunchie? in the back of his mouth. His brow raised, looking into his glass to observe the little amount of water that remained. Maybe it was just in his imagination, considering he couldn’t see anything in the glass. Oh, well he thought to himself, taking the last swing of his glass to help clean that gritty feeling in the back of his throat before placing his glass into the sink.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 





























NOVEMBER 11TH.

When past-time consisted of scouring through pockets and bickering a procured trinket’s worth in pawn shops, rarely did Ren feel like he’d done a good deed.

Ingrained with principles bequeathed through a life of famished survival, it was a touch surreal to act outside his own self-interest. Vacillating from an ark anchored in morally grey purgatory by this lifeline extended— a sisyphean thought that shrugged his shoulders like an ill-fitting coat:

He could be a good person.

Not too far gone to be unredeemable, not lost, untethered and coalesced into perdition. He could be restored, selfishly wallow in the merits of good karma.

Until the stranger fell into the crux of speaking once more.

I'm not homeless.

You fucking what.

Sloughing a gossamer-thin impression of amiability like skin to rocky spires, Ren found himself no longer interested in being good.

“But— my sandwich?” Stalled with mechanical horror, brows scrunched in offence at the harrowing realisation; “You stole it?!”

Ren was never being nice ever again.

Crossed arms now served as a makeshift shield, communicating defensive ire as he sized up the opponent in a scowl. Whilst having immeasurable time to make peace with this loss, the missing half of his sandwich, Ren always valued instant gratification.

Maybe if he hit them and ran really fast, he wouldn’t get in trouble for it.

What a mischievous little thought.

Eyes dropped to Noel’s mouth, weighing risk of meeting it with a curve of knuckles or instead diving his hand down their gullet to pull out the bread clump by clump. The intent of sandwich retrieval, albeit brief in passing, held immense appeal.

Coal eyes raised, mapping features in the light of the waterfront. Straining to decipher if being broke was enough to settle their wrongdoing.

Alas, Ren would not be so easily appeased. Between them laid a rift, a gauntlet betwixt two opposing sides; he should’ve known better than to fraternise with the enemy.

“I bet you’re not even a real blonde.”

If he was certain the not-hobo wouldn’t bite his arm, Ren would’ve snatched at their “wig”. The sandwich-stealing Gwen Stefani wouldn’t be getting the upperhand today.

Scrutinous gaze skimmed over to their swimming focus. The cops?

“Looking for you.” Ren answered, letting conversation sour in the air.

“Kidding! I’m kidding.” A salty side eye merged with a mumbled, “I wish,” before temporary cessation. “Haven't you heard? Police chief got skewered, so now people are acting sad.” He didn’t anticipate much remorse on Noel’s behalf, an individual who’d proven no stranger to apathy— only monsters steal food, and at the very least, didn’t feel an expectation to assimilate with civilian mourning.

Ren hoped they killed another.

Held hostage by the grief of his sandwich, anyone normal would’ve walked off to enjoy the rest of their night. But Ren was not normal. Inviting himself to sit next to Noel with a sigh.

“I suppose I can let you hang out with me.” The blonde had said no such thing. “Especially since you’re in my debt now.” Always unable to filter thoughts to mouth, for anyone who knew Ren, the oddity of his behaviour was hardly a surprise. “And hey,”

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

“You single?”

Bingo!
























now playing...







KILLED BY THE SUN



BUCK-TICK


































































♡coded by uxie♡


 







mallory hawke



  • .



tw: mentions of drugging
Joshua began to explain where his family was, which honestly, was boring as fuck to Mallory, but it was passing some time while she was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. His dad was off at some geriatric convention in New York, while his mom and sister were at a women's service, whatever the hell that is. Then he began explaining that his brothers were with their respective families.

From the looks of the house, it didn't seem as though he had any other siblings than the ones that attended school alongside him, so Mallory was slightly shocked hearing about this, the walls were bare of any family photos from where she was sitting, unlike her own household that had them plastered on every wall you could see. He had handed her a glass of water, while also holding one for himself, would she be able to get the pill to dissolve enough in that?

At that moment, Josh turned around to check on something in the oven, apologizing to Mallory for his lack of attention towards her, though she wouldn't mind, this was the perfect time for her to dump the powder into the glass. Quickly, the girl crushes up the powder just a little bit more and poured it into the water, hoping that by the time the boy turned back to her, it would be almost invisible.

He then started listing things that the two could do while they "wait" for someone to come help her with her car, mentioning only having a VCR, board games, or a trampoline in the backyard, and there was no way that the girl would be going outside to get all sweaty for no reason. "We could totally just chill and watch those little movies you have, I don't mind." She gives him a warm smile, watching him down the rest of his drink, pausing for a second to examine the little liquid remaining.

"Oh fuck. He knows." Panic rushes through the girl's body, but before she could react with anything else, Josh swallows the last gulp that was in the cup. A sigh of relief escapes Mallory's lips as the excitement of success settles into her bones, finally, there was no way that anything could get in between her and Josh after this. They would sit on the couch and the boy would be knocked out in no time, as long as he doesn't try to fight off the effects of the pill.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 







joshua jones



  • .




trigger warning!
mentions of drugging/date rape


Movies. Right.

A wave of nerves came crashing upon him as he began to mentally check off each and every single movie they had for the VHS machine. Many of them were educational Jehovah Witness in which his father often played during their family study night and then quiz the children on afterwards. There were a handful of ‘Christian Romance’ films and ‘Korean Christian’ films tucked away in the pile too, but he doubted Mallory would understand Korean (as it had no subtitles) nor would she want to be caught dead or alive watching some religious romance film with him. The options left were the children movies; ones that he and his sisters were allowed to watch once they had finished their chores and homework.

“Movie… okay…” he almost mumbled the sentence out, nodding with agreeance to his own words “Just uh… The TV is in here” Joshua motioned towards the archway in the kitchen that led towards the living area, slowly starting to walk towards the direction of where he pointed. “You can bring your drink if you want. We have coasters on the coffee table” he added, hoping that he was doing a bang-up job with being a host. After all, it was his first time ever hosting someone in his own house by himself.

The living room was much like the rest of the house; spotless, with very minimal decor. While the rest of the house was covered with hardwood, the living room was coated with a thick, plush white carpet. The walls were an off-cream and yellow combination, in desperate need of a paint job after all these years. Above the fireplace was the one and only family picture that was on display for all to see. A stretched canvas that took up most of the wall space of the Jones family, dressed in white shirts and blue jeans, relaxing under the shade of a mighty tree. The picture was a couple of years old, bearing a picture of a pre-pubescent, forced-smiling Joshua whose teeth were clad in those horrible braces he had been so self-conscious about. Both Mary, Martha and Alexandra were all under ten years of age, and all of his brothers and their wives had either toddlers by their legs, babies in arms, or stood with their hands upon their stomachs to indicate the new life forming in them.

Walking into the living area, Joshua made his way over to the tv cabinet and squatted down to open up the door. His eyes scanned the selection before he saw the tape he had been searching for, reaching for it and pulling it out. Prince of Egypt. It was surely a classic film, wasn’t it? Opening up the box, he pulled the tape out and placed it into the VHS player after turning it on by hand. Finally, he pressed the ON button for the television, watching as the video began to play; outdated ‘coming soon’ clips flickering on the screen before him through an almost-blown-out speaker of the television set. Satisfied, he placed the box on top of the cabinet, closed the door and then went to stand up. As he stood, he felt his body sway. Must’ve stood up too quickly he thought to himself, feeling extremely light-headed for a moment.

Frowning at himself for a split moment, Joshua turned back around and made his way over to the seven-seater modular cream couch. He noted where Mallory was sitting and opted to sit down with a certain amount of distance between the pair. Well, if he sat next to her, it would be bizarre, wouldn’t it? But then, if he sat too far away, that too would seem… odd? He didn’t want to offend her. Crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes zoned in on the television, praying to Jehovah that hopefully the movie would make time pass quicker and he could get back to finishing those birthday cupcakes.

As baby Moses was carried down the stream by the waters of the Nile, Joshua felt this odd feeling flood over his body. He felt the need to frown, but for some odd reason, he found himself quite unable to do so at this present time. Odd. His body felt heavy, and with each passing second, he could feel his body beginning to melt into the couch. Joshua wanted to get up, and he wanted to move around because he could not fall asleep in front of Mallory; how rude. But no matter how much he mentally screamed at himself, his body just wouldn’t listen. His head was the last thing to feel heavy, and when it did, he tried to fight back. He tried to keep his head up straight and his eyes open. But whatever this was that was blanketing him with this drowsiness, it was winning. And his eyes finally closed, his head tilting back against the back pillow. He was completely out cold.







/* ------ credit -- do not remove ------ */

© weldherwings.
 



















mia



the battleship potemkin












(TW: Rufus and all things associated with Rufus (CSA mentions and misogyny mostly), literal murder)

For most of the day, Mia kept to herself.

Her parents, for once, were understanding. Mom and Dad were both victims in their own right, one a former stripper and the other a prisoner once upon a time. They'd seen the types of assaults that Rufus had committed, hell, they may have even been victims of it, not that Mia would know. She'd never asked. They were two secretive people. After stewing in blanket rage for several hours, sending inflammatory and probably-in-poor-taste messages to the JPD official Twitter, she decided it was time to get some fresh air.

Mom said to be safe. Mia shoved a knife in her pocket.

Not anything fashionable, no rainbow metal or images printed on it. It was an old Soviet pocket knife, with a corkscrew and a few other tools. It was old, and it was reliable. She didn't exactly bring it everywhere, but it was starting to seem like a good idea.

The Joplin Waterfront was one of the few places someone who was broke as shit could go and relax without looking woefully out of place. There was also Chalamet Park, and maybe a few restaurants. Things were getting replaced by expensive buildings, stores and restaurants and fineries that nobody had any use for. The Joplin Library was probably next -- though maybe someone would chain themself to the gate and save it.

It was only then that Mia spotted him. On the waterfront, waiting like a snake. Maybe hoping he could find a hot 12-year-old to take on a ferris wheel ride. Instead he got Mia, who unfortunately, saw him well after he saw her.

His hand tightened around her arm.

"We need to talk, Mimi."

"Let go of me."

It was getting dark. He probably spotted her neon shirt reflecting the light of the local theme park. A lovably hideous little shirt that Mia would now have to throw away because it'd forever remind her of the time that she was locked in an interrogation room with her rapist. She managed to wiggle her arm loose and ran towards a rickety flight of wooden stairs, instead going underneath them... Only to find a wall on the other side.

He closed in, like an encroaching wolf sniffing out prey. Mia thought about how fucking stupid it was to get assaulted by a guy named Rufus. Rufus.

Then he made a "gawk" sound, like an eagle being shot.

Mia opened one eye, barely even aware of what she'd done. One of the little tools -- the long, pointed one -- in her Soviet Army knife was buried in Rufus' stomach, and blood was coming out. He fell back, shrieking. She panicked. Her boot collided with his head, causing it to smack against the wall attached to the stairs. That silenced him for the moment -- no, another good kick, just to be safe. Her knees shuddered a bit.

His face was fucked up, and his belly was open, but if she got him to a hospital now, he'd be fine.

She flicked to the correct end of her knife -- the knifey end.

"Mi--"

It dove through his stomach. Again and again and again. She was silent, completely and utterly quiet, just slamming the blade in and out the way he had used his own weapon against her. Only she was merciful. She wouldn't make him live through the trauma.

It was maybe a solid two minutes just stabbing the shit out of Rufus Allen before she finally stopped. Her hands fell to her sides, and she looked down at what a goddamn mess she'd made. The ground was painted cherry red, as were her clothes. (Now wearing this shirt again was REALLY out of the question.) Her hands, too, stained like those of Lady Macbeth, and the Soviet pocket knife her daddy had gifted her was covered in the filthy blood of a pedo.

Fuck. I fucked up. I totally just killed somebody.

But the waterfront was only a few feet away. As long as nobody saw her, maybe she could get Rufus' body into the ocean...











































♡coded by uxie♡
 






Oliver




filler



filler



filler



filler



filler



filler






  • home (filler tab)



































syml



I wanted to leave










(T.W: aftermath of a homicide-- slightly graphic, read with discretion.)


As he wandered across the creaking boardwalk, shivering in the wind that tossed his hair into his eyes and stung his pale bruise-littered skin, Oliver blew a puff of gray smoke from his tired lungs and ignored the harsh dry cough that followed it.

There was no denying that it was an indubitably terrible idea for Oliver to take up smoking as a habit. Secondhand cigarette smoke from his family throughout his early childhood had already damaged his respiratory system quite significantly, which was something that he was only going to make worse by doing this, but it was so normalized by practically everyone around him that he hardly thought anything of it when he started handing dollar bills to strangers in exchange for a quick dose of nicotine.

Smoking helped, he thought… or at least it was supposed to. Not with his lungs, certainly, but with the constant overwhelming stress he was under.
Between school, the Bratva, and his mother’s marriage, on top of everything else going on at home, Oliver’s condition had wavered and started to backslide. He needed this.

Over the bitter scent of cigarette smoke, and the usual salty smell of the wind off the wild Pacific ocean, and the familiar complex aroma of the city, something else hit Oliver’s nose with an unwelcome odor. He couldn’t place its source at first, but something about it curdled his stomach instantly. Instantly he had a bad feeling about this.
He groaned under his breath, muttering wordlessly and pulling the dwindling cigarette from his mouth to bite anxiously at his nails. What was it? It was like vomit, and rust, and garbage, and…

Then he saw it.
The dark, glistening red that was creeping across the pier, smeared in a long trail down the wooden steps as someone dragged a limp unmoving figure towards the edge of the dock.
Oliver didn’t feel well, looking at all that blood. He’d never seen someone bleed that much. Not even the man he found in the trash.
It had happened again: the second human corpse Oliver had stumbled upon in a short time. He knew Joplin was a dangerous city, but running across the bloody aftermaths of 2 homicides, one right after the other? Statistically improbable. This shouldn’t be happening.
Shifting back slowly, hoping he hadn’t been spotted, he prepared to make a run for it.
But the person, the living person dragging the dead man along, it was…

“Mia?”
He knew Mia Potemkin from the cold linoleum hallways of Marsha J. Clark High School. The two teens didn’t share any classes, at least not this year, but their lockers were side-by-side and they’d talked enough times for him to instantly recognize her, even splattered with blood in the dark struggling to pull a mangled corpse down a flight of steps.
He said nothing else, not a word, but walked towards her, somehow both visibly horrified at the sight of all the carnage and yet disturbingly calm for the situation at hand. The smell of blood and guts and the gory mess covering the pier seemed to sicken him more than the actuality of what was happening. He recognized Mia, but not the dead man. Another stranger's corpse... it almost didn't occur to him that it had once been a living person.

He got up to a few feet away from Mia and the body, looking down at the dead man’s face with an expression of nauseated worry, a quiet “blech” escaping him.
This was bad, very bad.
There was no way that Mia would be able to cover this up by herself. They were alone on the pier for now, with no one likely to come this far out away from the center of the city until morning, but it was only a matter of time before someone noticed this, and then Mia would be doomed to life in prison or worse.

So, without even the slightest attempt at explaining himself, Oliver had committed himself to helping.
Mia wasn’t going to go to prison.They were going to hide this body, destroy all incriminating evidence, and no one would ever know where the corpse went or who spilled all the blood on the harbor.

Methodically, like he’d somehow done this before, Oliver extinguished his cigarette on the toe of his shoe, twirled the butt of it between his fingers for a moment or two, and then swallowed it.
Instantly he doubled over, coughing violently and starting to gag. “...No evidence.” He barely managed to wheeze out, clutching his chest. It was a vague fraction of the explanation he wanted to give for his bizarre action, hardly even directed at Mia: the cigarette filter had his DNA on it, and since there was no way the two of them were going to be able to clean up all this blood, it was imperative that they left nothing that could link them to the scene of the crime. The body, the weapon, and anything either of them had so much as touched had to disappear.

Through the coughing fit, he'd been consumed by deep and frantic thought, trying to come up with a plan. They were going to need supplies, none of which should be too hard to find on the waterfront: plastic trash bags, some bricks, hopefully some bleach or other strong cleaning agent.
He loathed the idea of putting plastic into the ocean. It gnawed at his conscience… What if, as the bag started to degrade into microplastics and further the pollution of the underwater ecosystems of the Puget Sound, an unsuspecting innocent sea turtle chewed off a piece of it and suffocated to death?
Oliver seemed to have no qualms about helping conceal a homicide, but the thought of indirectly harming a turtle almost choked him.

He hadn’t even verbalized any this plan to Mia yet, though, or even his intent to help. He was still just standing there, trying not to throw up the cigarette filter he just swallowed, watching his vision blur with dizzy shades of green and yellow and brown.

Somehow, in the distracted caverns of his mind, he sort of expected Mia to just telepathically understand what it was he was trying to do here. She’d know he was here to help, right? Anyhow, he’d figure out how to say it soon, surely… sometime before daylight blew their fragile cover.







♡coded by uxie♡
 
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