Fantasy Dark World reboot RP

[Kallo]

Kevin had been more or less frozen in fear as he was lifted up by the collar to be somewhat sitting in front of Jeanne, taking a moment to gather himself as she spoke to respond before tensing himself at the cry which echoed from the clearing a fair bit away, glancing over before letting out a gasp as he landed fairly heavily on the ground. Noticing the silver comet which flew from the tree line a short bit after he could actually look away. The quick rush of adrenaline wearing off as his headache swung back with full force. Making him grab his forehead while the two of them ran off, one chasing the other.

Shaking his head a slight bit while slowly raising himself to his feet, rubbing along his arm where he could almost feel the claw hovering over him still while starting to stumble towards the source of the scream. Getting just close enough to see the body on the ground along with the three others still moving around slightly, glancing back at the comet for a moment before letting out a near silent snarl to himself. A sudden rush of nausea overtaking him though as he fell back down into a sitting position, cradling his head as he did his best to cover his ears at this point, the crumbling mansion in the background only making it worse on his headache as he started to curl up.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Vira

Staring up at Kore, Vira was not expecting such a question to come from the tree-freak. "Eh?!" she grunted in response, looking like she was smacked. Eyes dark, but also hazy, with wetness in their corners. "Pft, what?~" She replied as coldly as ever, "You wouldn't dare. Go back to hugging your trees."

Hollow. She felt hollow inside. Dad, her dad, was dead... No, he was just some whackjob doctor - not her dad. She shook her head, trying to clear it up. Then there was --Ellie! Her sister! Alive! All this time! Wait. Was she mistaken? Could she be mistaken? The resemblance... was uncanny. Clear as day to her. No, she knew they were the same. That little girl hadn't died in the fire; she had grown up, and became some cloaked killing machine. Just that thought made her tense up with fraught.

Vira bit her lip, thinking. 'Just who are you, Ellie?' Suddenly a loud groan sounded, and she looked over at the mansion. Her power went off, and a moment later it creaked until the foundations completely gave out, and it came crashing down. She stood up, running towards the mansion, arm extended. She barely got a few feet closer before it was turned to smoking, dusty rubble. Her feet stopped, and her hand fell back to her side. Memories of her time, her time spent in that mansion, came flooding back to her. "Gr.. Tch." Her hand came up and slapped against her face, as more tears freely flowed.

A moment later, the dark-haired woman regained some composure. She walked back over to the fallen doctor, then she began to move him about. If one were to look on, they'd see she was callously removing some of his bloodied clothes. His jacket, and his pants. She was completely naked after all, save for the bloodied bandages around her body. Vira hardly saw what she was doing, before she tossed the jacket around her shoulders, and stepped through the pants too big for her. It made her feel queasy; what she was doing, but... With the mansion collapsed in a smoky heap, she didn't hold much faith in it. And she couldn't waste any time going after that wom.. -Ellie. She was fast -very fast! God, how had she gotten so fast?

After a few buttons covering her feminine bits on the jacket, and after tying the belt around her waist tight, she was ready to leave. All she was thinking now, was go after Ellie. Find Ellie. Nothing would stop her. That goal would drive her, and screw anyone who got in her way!


Not Calm FrostFire Tall Bear revior Kiroshiven Tyra ShadowBroker Iamthemanfish FrostFire King Crimson littleberry Syphe

 

[Syphe]

Truth be told Sera was curious as to how Vira would react to Kore's... sudden offer. She was the last person she'd expect to try to comfort someone grieving. Did Sera misjudge her character? Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she'd undergone such a drastic change. Maybe she is now loving and kindhearted? Probably not. "What were you expecting?" She whispered to Kore, attempting a friendly tone.

A more pressing matter took point as Sera gazed into the flames devouring the once grand mansion. At least she was able to eat a meal inside, and thankfully everyone made it out before it completely collapsed, the last pillars giving way to the debilitating flames. Destruction really did seem to follow wherever they went. Even scarier? This all happened at the hands of a single person. Sera shuddered as her perspective shifted, her smaller - the world larger. She questioned whether she should stick around or not, but leaving now felt extremely shallow. How could she just leave someone who just lost someone they cared about, and on top of that, at the hands of someone she knew? Vira was definitely going to search for answers to this, and no doubt be even more gung-ho.

Sera slowly approached Vira as she wordlessly re-clothed herself. Hand on shoulder, she firmly spoke:

"I'm with you."
​

FrostFire
Thalia_Neko

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Vira​

Vira glanced back when she felt the hand on her shoulder. She took a moment to stare at Sera, but refrained from any nasty outbursts. She glanced down at the dead Doctor. The man she had once considered her father. Errrrr one of her fathers. She had multiple of them at this point, which was sort of humorous. "I'm going to bury him, maybe you guys can search the rubble. There might be stuff we can salvage," she pointed out.

Vira walked over to the mansion herself, looking to find a shovel. Probably down in that cellar area. Although the mansion had collapsed, the cellar was largely untouched. It took her a moment fiddling around down there before she emerged with a shovel. At which point she immediately started digging nearby.


Not Calm FrostFire Tall Bear revior Kiroshiven Tyra ShadowBroker Iamthemanfish FrostFire King Crimson littleberry Syphe

 

[King Crimson]

Jeanne&Abigail​

The once proud mansion crumbled beneath it's own weight like a flimsy pile of matchsticks, and disappeared beneath a mighty plume of dust and debris with a deafening roar serving as it's final death rattle. The cacophony of noise shook Jeanne to her core, and caused her weeping sister to bury her head deeper into the comfort of her chest.
What was truly disturbing to Jeanne, however, was the group of girls mourning over the old man's body.
Not something that a group of cutthroats and thieves would do.
Guess that kid was telling the truth.
"Sis..." whimpered the tiny voice beneath her, causing Jeanne to look down into her her sister's puffy, red eye.
"What are we gonna do now?"
It was a good question, one that Jeanne had a lot of difficulty answering.
Thankfully, the cellar seemed to still be in tact, the woman entering and exiting without a care in the world proved that, meaning that their supplies were safe and sound, but so what? They had barely anything left, certainly not enough to survive looking another day for shelter.
Jeanne took another look at her sister's face.
She looked tired.
Jeanne probably did too.
They couldn't keep going alone like this.
"Abby..." Jeanne began with a resigned sigh, "You sure these guys are on the level?"
"They gave me pudding," Abigail answered simply.
"Good enough, I guess. I'm gonna go talk to 'em." Jeanne shrugged, rising to her feet.
Abigail knew that her big sister hated a lot of things, strangers chief among them, which made it all the more surprising to hear Jeanne even consider talking to anyone besides her.
"R-Really? Are we gonna start traveling with them?"
"We're kinda starved for options here, Squirt. And pretty soon we'll be just starving."
Ruffling her sister's straw-blonde hair with her hand, Jeanne added with a feigned, reassuring smile, "How 'bout you come introduce me? Might make them less lightly to shoot me on sight, or run for the hills if they see you first."
Abigail reacted positively to her sister's joking words, and the familiar warmth of her hand on her head. For the first time since she got outside, she even managed to smile, if only just a little.
That heartwarming gift disappeared once she peered behind her sister's leg, and noticed Kevin writhing on the ground in pain.
"What about him?" Abigail asked. "I think he's hurt."
"Him?" Jeanne inquired, looking over her shoulder.
He certainly wasn't taking their little exchange from earlier well.
Not exactly sure why though, she barely gave him a love tap.
Still, it would be best to solve that matter before it got awkward, and she did, more or less, owe him an apology.
"Yeah, I guess you oughta go check in him. Tell him I said sorry about earlier."
Abigail nodded in understanding, and left her sister's side to tend to the boy in need, leaving Jeanne alone to deal with the trio in front of her.
It'd been a long time since she'd spoken with anyone who wasn't either Abigail, or trying to kill her, so her social skills were a bit...rusty.
Approaching the group with trepidation in her steps, Jeanne combed her hair back with her fingers, and cleared her throat, before calling out,
"Hey there, looks like you folks could use an extra hand?"

Thalia_Neko Kallo FrostFire littleberry Iamthemanfish ShadowBroker Tyra Kiroshiven revior Tall Bear Not Calm

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Vira was immediately on edge when she heard an unfamiliar voice. Her rustic eyes caught sight of a shorter woman walking over. Her direction indicated she had been hiding around the back of the mansion, but with it now the way it was.. she had lost her hiding spot. "Was that an attempt at a joke?" she inquired in a flat tone, noticing the other female's appearance, that immediately indicated she was an Abnorm.

"I don't know who you are, but I'd recommend not threatening me in any way," Vira stated. She'd sense any threats long before than came. If this woman was intending to do anything, she'd have a rude awakening. Not that Vira would explain that to the stranger. With that said, she got back to shoveling, and had already made quite a sizable hole. Overhead, the sky began graying, and thunder was heard off in the distance. Great, it was going to rain on top of everything that had happened.

King Crimson

 

[Syphe]

Wow, if Vira stayed silent after that very forward move, she was definitely hit plenty hard. But, it was progress, maybe.

Sera watched as Vira went inside the cellar to grab a shovel to bury the deceased man. It was a terrible thing to see, a person left behind to bury the departed whilst wearing their clothes; like a grim reminder of its owner's fate. Thinking she should help, she was about to walk into the cellar to find any extra shovels, however a new face showed up. Tensing her muscles, Sera subtlely moved her hand to the concealed knife. "Not to be unwelcoming... but you picked a rather terrible time to show up." She glanced at the corpse as she spoke.

King Crimson
Thalia_Neko

 

[King Crimson]

Jeanne​

Jeanne certainly wasn't expecting a warm reception to her sudden appearance, but considering that they didn't immediately draw their weapons or ran away screaming at the sight of her, things were going a lot better then she expected.
The dark-haired girl in front of her, digging a hole for who she assumed to be the old man, hardly seemed to raise an eyebrow at her introduction, interestingly enough.
She had the hard look in her eyes of someone who'd seen far too much, a no-nonsense tone in her voice that as commanded as much respect as the priceless-looking blade at her side, and she wore the clothes that reeked with fresh bloodstains.
It was almost like looking in a mirror.
Jeanne could see herself finding common ground with the girl, maybe even becoming friends, if given the chance.
Which is a shame, because anyone Jeanne had common ground with, was someone best avoided.

The other one had a reaction much more in line with what Jeanne would expect, being much more wary of Jeanne's sudden, and unwelcome presence.
She spoke sensibly; the last thing they probably needed was an encounter with a monster.
Then again, her circumstances were pretty dire, and if she had any other option, Jeanne wouldn't be doing this in the first place, and there was no such thing as a good time for someone that looked like her to show up.

"Relax, I ain't here to cause trouble." Jeanne explained.
"I'm with the rugrat over there, apparently you're already acquainted." (She was going to have to remember to have a long talk with her about that, later.)
"I'm not sure why she was with you guys, or how much she told you, but me and her were hiding out in the old man's cellar, and according to her, I can at least trust you enough to not try to stab me in the back, while I go in and get our bags out, and maybe pick up a few things from the wreck to take with us for the road. I'll help you sift for anything useful, give you half of anything I find, and then we'll go ahead and get out of your hair, deal?"

Thalia_Neko Syphe FrostFire

Abigail​

Meanwhile, Abigail had left her sister's side to tend to the wounded boy that rescued her.
The guilt she felt was immense, if only she hadn't frozen up with fear, she could have ran out by herself, then Kevin wouldn't have had to carry her out of the building, and Jeanne wouldn't have attacked Kevin because she thought he was kidnapping her!
This was all her fault!
"Mister Kevin, are you okay?" Abigail asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm really sorry if my sister hurt you, but I swear she didn't mean it! She was just scared...because she thought that you were gonna hurt me."

Kallo

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Vira glanced at Sera as she spoke towards the stranger. That was harsher language then she recalled ever hearing from the nurse chick, but she supposed given everything that had happened, it made sense. Maybe the woes of the world were finally getting to that naive nurse? Vira found herself actually feeling sad and pitying the girl. While a bit of caution and pessimism would help her survive in the long run, it was saddening to watch it happen real-time to someone who was genuinely a nice person. She shook her head to clear it as she worked on the grave. Being sensitive to other's feelings and situations?! What was she becoming, too?

"Well, there she is then," Vira replied dourly, waving towards the little girl she had stumbled across before. The flat statement was to indicate this newcomer could take her rugrat and get. As the Abnorm continued to talk, Vira stabbed the shovel into the ground, then leaned against it to look up and listen. Blinking she murmured, "All I see is another disheveled, decrepit set of ruins. You're free to look inside; No one owns ruins." She got back to shoveling, lifting up the shovel and stabbing it hard back into the ground, then tossing a huge wad of dirt over her shoulder. "Do what you want."

Syphe King Crimson

 

[Kallo]

He glanced at the little girl trying to tend to his 'wounds'. A noticeable lack of blood or anything in that manner over his body as he shakes his head slightly, patting her head while holding the other hand to his temple. "Calm down, neither you or your sister caused any harm, I just overexerted myself and this is the consequence. A headache some would probably call ungodly. Just a little bit of quiet would help." His voice having a slightly noticeable tinge of annoyance. As the headache only seemed to grow as he talked and thought. Though he gave her a small smile to try to help calm her. "And no need to call me mister, I'm probably the youngest here besides you."

King Crimson

 

[littleberry]

Snow
Interacts with: Thalia_Neko Mentions: Syphe FrostFire Iamthemanfish Kiroshiven Tyra Kallo King Crimson Clockwork Syringe Tetro Not Calm

Snow stood there, staring as the mansion fell around them. As Vira cried out for the man as her father... he must have raised her. The woman who killed him vanishing like a shining star. Who was she? What did she mean to the brass woman before her. Ellie was a familiar name but held no significant meaning in her mind regarding Vira. And now was not the time to ask.

Snow rubbed her arms, shivering as she turned to look to Sera and Kore. Sera was telling the new people in their ever growing group that they had picked a bad time to approach. It was always a hard time. She walked over to Vira as she dug the grave for the man. Snow bit her lip, knowing there was little she could do or say. "Anything we should look for... you... I mean anything of his you want to find and keep in remembrance. I would love to have had something of... well of my lost loved one to hold on too." Maybe she was being stupid... glancing over she looked at Patrick, Scarlett near him. He had wanted to speak to her earlier. She wondered if he still wanted to have that conversation. They were all together at least... in the midst of this tragedy they were all together still. There were many new faces from people she didn't know. But none of them had none each other before that fateful day in the pub. How dare someone hurt someone so close to her just moments after a battle which had taken its toll on all of them. Looking back to Vira, Snow's eyes flashed red and her hair wavered in color, her blood lust for vengeance unable to be suppressed and controlled for one moment.

"We will find who did this Vira. No one should have died like he did. That woman was powerful, she has to have a reason for killing him. No one that powerful just goes out of their way like this. We'll find out why this happened. We are going to stand beside you. Well... I know I will at least."

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Vira

Vira turned once more, when another much softer, more timid voice spoke up. It belonged to Snow. She was always one of the ones around that had bugged Vira the most, and simultaneously the least. Her naivety and weakness were blatant and boundless; that was so annoying about her. However, she was harmless, to the point that Vira saw a bit of Ellie in her; and that was a part that Vira had always wanted to secretly protect. You know, until... the current Ellie revealed herself; and the two couldn't be farther from one another.

She scooped out another chunk of dirt, as another clash of thunder rumbled above, and the air began to sizzle with the feeling of electricity and water. "As I said before, you're free to look. I don't own rubble." She winced, placing a hand on her side. "Though, maybe.. you could find the medical supplies..." -He was a doctor after all. She lifted her hand off of her, it was wet with red. She could feel it on all of her -her bandages were once more soaked with her injuries. Vira grit her teeth, before getting back to it.

Actually, she would've, but Snow continued talking, and she turned, as the girl drew her attention. "The one who did this was my sister, Ellie." Her eyes cast aside, "All this time, I thought she was dead..." Vira recalled the scene. A burning building, that she scrambled to get out of when she was so young... Her power, flaring bright in her head, burning there like the flames eating away at the building. Even recalling the scene, Vira could feel how painful her power was, forcing her to place her hand up against her temple. She was telling all this to Snow. "My power was screaming to me, 'Get out! Get out! Tell her to get out! Force her out!!' That's what it was saying. It could feel the danger for Ellie... Then.. nothing. My power stopped, my mind with no weight pressing on it. Just as the building collapsed. I had thought she died instantly..."

There was a concerned, confused look on the woman's face, as she tried to make heads or tails of it. Vira shook her head. No, there was no sense to it. Ellie had died in that burning building -she was sure of it. Why else had her power just stopped like that? And yet.. she was alive. She was. She had attacked today, killed Dr. Melchior. All that was unmistakable. "I mean, she's older, and she used to have blonde hair, but... It's her, yes; I'm sure of it." The two had the same feeling. She was just older. They were unmistakably the same though, the Ellie from then, and the one from today. What had changed? Vira could see them both in her mind once more. Little Ellie, even back in the Devil's Den (Spire? I forgot what I called the base lol) was a kind soul. She was smiling, vibrant, radiating a light no one else could in that place. The Ellie today.. she was solemn, sour, even cruel. What had caused such a dramatic shift?!? Had she gone back to the Devil?? No... No, not possible. Vira shook her head at that thought. She was running in the opposite direction of his base.

"She'd never do this.. Not the Ellie I knew. Yes... there has to be some reason.. She recognized me, that's for sure, but I don't think she knew of my connection to the doctor, so..." That indicated another motive. If Ellie had killed the doctor, because of his connection to Vira -well, that'd be an even scarier, more horrid motive. Vira looked back up, connecting their rustic and red eyes. "Thank you Snowbunny," she breathed very softly. She hadn't asked for help, none at all -ever. It was sweet. A bit unwanted, but sweet. With that, she turned back to digging the grave, which was nearly ready.

littleberry

 

[Ottoman]

henlo what up

 

[littleberry]

Snow
Interacts with: Thalia_Neko Mentions: @AnyoneNearTheRubble

​

Snow nodded, looking around at the huge amount of rubble before her. Medical supplies. Where on earth would she find those? Her thoughts stopped cold in her tracks when Vira kept talking. Sister...Her sister killed the man who had been a father to her? Snow looked up at Vira, understanding more and more about the angry woman... the hurt woman before her. Someone Vira had loved had died and she blamed herself. Snow knew exactly what the woman was feeling. Knew the pain.

"We're going to find out what happened to her Vira. If... If I could go back and understand why my... why my friend had to die while I live..." Snow wiped a tear from her face and nodded. "Anytime Vira... though there is no real nickname for you as there are the countless ones for mine." She bit her lip, looking at the rubble as she began to shift through it, going through every item carefully, able to tell what parts of the house were what by what was destroyed there.

Finding what must have been his office where he kept his supplies, Snow began to look even more carefully. A rolled up bunch of bandages. Useful for someone like her. Some disinfectant. This stuff was like gold! Two empty syringes in a plastic wrap with a needle also packed in. Could be used for something in the future perhaps... Snow looked up at Vira, holding what she had so far.

"He was a well stocked man. Had a lot of things our group of forever fighting friends will need."

 

[Not Calm]

Te Akiri 'Kotiro' Matiu
// littleberry King Crimson Thalia_Neko // Syphe FrostFire Iamthemanfish Kiroshiven Tyra Kallo Clockwork Syringe Tetro


The voices of small, frail children echoed through the woods; laughter, mainly. Anahera was crying. Some of the boys were giving her a hard time, as per usual. She had once caught a fish with her bare hands. Her innate skill relating to hand-eye coordination at such a young age threatened the boys' egos. A freak of nature, they called her. Kotiro disapproved of that phrase. Nature wouldn't produce something it didn't mean to. It just didn't make sense.

Kotiro snapped from his thoughts when his patient began twitching and wincing, "Oh! I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me." He explained as the young boy with the gash in his leg calmed himself. The poor boy tripped on a rock earlier that day and fell into a small crevice, splitting his thigh. Kotiro had been stitching the wound for some time now. For whatever reason, the wound wouldn't close... His needle kept slipping, or the threads came loose. Hearing the boy's pained noises brought Kotiro stress. There was a line of people waiting for treatment now... And, meanwhile, Anahera was getting tortured. She was fighting. Kotiro tensed more. The boy screamed. The people in line moaned and groaned over their various issues. A fire burnt. The house creaked. Smoke filled Kotiro's nostrils. The boy was wailing now. The people were running for cover, exiting the building. Anahera was nowhere to be seen or heard. Fresh blood had been spilled.

---

Kotiro awoke from his nightmare into another. The comfy living space in the Doctor's home was different now. The chattering in the kitchen was replaced by the crackling of fire and the natural light seeping in through the windows was replaced by an orange glow. Someone had lit the fireplace, Kotiro thought. He tilted his head to look. The fireplace was dull in color; no fire to be seen.

Panic filled the room. Kotiro made an attempt to scramble to his feet, but his legs wouldn't respond. Further examination revealed a collapsed floor beneath him, a hole in which his lower body was entrapped. He could feel the heat from the dining room, but he couldn't see the doorway. The smoke was thick and black where he was. As he became aware of this fact he became aware of his pained lungs. He coughed. Something had happened here... He could only assume it had to do with that group the Doctor had been dealing with. They looked like trouble.

The cause wasn't important. Kotiro was slipping, fast. He dug his nails into the wood, scrambling to get his knee above the floorboards. He was on the ground floor, so this must have been the basement he was slipping into... The last place he wanted to be in the event of a fire; either that or in the fire. Right now, he had to choose between the two. He had to decide the worse of two demons. He continued scrambling as the fire neared.

Creaking filled Kotiro's ears. Loud snaps followed, like a tree befallen by the winds. Like a house befallen by fire. The creaking and snapping gave way to tumbling chaos as the floorboards could no longer support the stone fireplace and chimney- the living room entered the cellar, and brought Kotiro with it.

Kotiro landed on his stomach. He'd landed after the chimney had already made its entrance, thankfully. The air was clean down here, for now. The sudden gust from the collapse had extinguished a large amount of the fire that came with the living room. He slowly brought himself to his feet, coughing out the same black soot that now covered him from head to toe. His wounds would need to be cleaned again. He groaned at the thought of what would follow this... He'd hoped nobody had gotten hurt. Or, even worse, he hoped he wasn't being blamed for this tragedy... He was a stranger, after all. He hardly had time to think of such trivial things, though... He needed to find his way out before more of the house came down on top of him.

"Help!" He yelled, climbing over broken furniture on his way to a doorway. Yelling hurt his lungs immensely, and clambering hurt his legs even more. He had no idea where he was going...

A few minutes of wandering aimlessly led him nowhere, though he could hear some commotion from the surface. He followed the noises through the light smoke. It seemed like this cellar was built strong... Aside from the living room, not much had collapsed. He couldn't imagine what the home looked like on the surface, though. Hopefully he'd make it up there to see it before something worse happened, though. This cellar wouldn't hold forever, surely.

Eventually, Kotiro found the source of the noise. A set of stairs led to a set of heavy metal cellar doors, with a crack of light seeping between between them. He crawled up on his hands and knees, and pressed up with all his weight on one of the doors. It hardly budged. "Help!" He yelled, "I'm stuck! Help!" He put all the strength he could muster into pounding on the doors with his blackened hands. Oddly enough, he heard some noises behind him, too, as if someone else were in the cellar... If only he could get this door open.

 

[King Crimson]

Jeanne​

"Hmph. Don't mind if I do," Jeanne replied with a smug look of satisfaction, walking away to leave the black-haired grave digger to her task.
On her way there, she passed by another unfamiliar face; pale, meek, eyes still full of hope and innocence.
She was kind of like...No, best not to think about that. Focus on the task at hand.
Jeanne took a brief moment at the cellar door to bury her thoughts, then climbed down the cellar steps, disappearing into the cold, dark pit below.

Eventually, her eyes acclimated to the oppressive darkness of the now buried cellar, and to her pleasure, she found that her duffel bag, and Abigail's backpack and pillow were in the same exact spot that she'd left them; in the darkest, most remote corner, where the old man would be least likely to check.
She spotted something else on the ground, which she was far less happy to see; a pair of familiar, bloodied bandages lying haphazardly on the floor, the cellar doors leading inside the mansion left wide open.
It didn't take much for Jeanne to put two and two together, and deduce how her usually stealthy little sister had been discovered.
"Gonna take her comic books for a month after this", she irately muttered to herself, as she collected her bags, and slung them over her shoulder.
As she turned around to make her way towards the exit, a clattering from up above, followed by the panicked cries of an unfamiliar male voice made her shrink back into the dark. Someone else from the group had entered the room, and was now desperately banging on the door to escape the collapsing building.
Though she couldn't make out too much detail in such low light, she could tell that whoever it was she was looking at was rather scrawny in build, possibly injured, judging by the uneven rhythm of his footsteps, and very much afraid.
Certainly not someone Jeanne would ever be worried about.

The door he was banging on; the same door she had entered through, and the dangerous sound of wooden beams groaning overhead, was much more of a cause for concern, however.
After collecting her bags, and slinging them both over her shoulder to free up her one hand, Jeanne walked towards the man, and with a casual " 'Scuse me," attempted to push the door open with her hand, only to find it unwilling to budge.
Must've messed up the latch or something, she thought to herself, looking closer at the space between the two metal doors.
Oh well, Jeanne dismissively added, as she delivered a vicious thrust with her left arm, her claws puncturing right through the metal doors, and sending the latch flying off into parts unknown.
With a fair bit of effort, she jerked her arm free from the confines of the steel doors, and with relative ease, pushed the two metal slabs up, and out of their way.

With that out of the way, Jeanne reemerged from the cellar, and took a quick look around, finding that her sister was still in the company of that young boy from earlier.
"Oi! Abby! I got our stuff!" Jeanne called out, walking towards the pair.
After being assured by Kevin, that he was in good health, Abigail was more than happy to meet her sister half way with a leaping hug.
"How's the kid doin'?" Jeanne asked as she ruffled her sister's hair.
"Good! Couldn't find any broken bones, and I couldn't find any signs of a concussion. Apparently he just wore himself out, and just needs some peace and quiet."
"Well, sucks to be him. He's prolly not gonna get much of that out here."
"I thought so too...Do we still have any of those painkiller things to give him?"
"Yeah, one dose left. Should be in your bag. Here," Jeanne said, slipping her sister's pink backpack off of her shoulder, and dropping it into her sister's arms.
"Thanks! I hope this will help him out a little--eh?" As she dug through her bags contents, she noticed that she was missing something very important.
Flustered, she looked up at her sister, and asked, "W-Why aren't my comic books in here?"
"Because I told you to stay put and rest. Not get up and go spy on everyone." Jeanne replied flatly.
"Awww..." came her sister's predictable, disappointed response, complete with crossed arms puffed up, pouting cheeks.
"C'mon! Don't be like that!" Jeanne chided,before rising to her feet and dusting herself off
"Once you're done giving him that, come help me find if there's anything useful in what's left of that house."
Looking up at the sky, Jeanne added, "...And make it quick. It looks like rain, and the last thing you need is any moisture getting in that head of yours."
"Right!" Abigail said, retrieving a small, orange bottle from within her bag, and rushing over to place it at Kevin's side, giving a small, curt nod, and a warm smile, before running back to join her sister, who had already began using her claw to tear through wooden debris, and pry apart wooden planks.

Thalia_Neko Kallo FrostFire littleberry Iamthemanfish ShadowBroker Tyra Kiroshiven revior Tall Bear Not Calm

 

[Syphe]

With a short sigh, a tense arm relaxed and crossed itself across the other. A guilty Sera straightened, remembering the pleasant atmosphere just before catastrophe befell the mansion and its owner. That girl was very innocent and timid, or at least put up a good act. When Vira pulled her out of the door, she was definitely surprised. But seeing as Vira didn't seem too hostile towards her (more so than how she normally is), everyone went on as normal as abnormal can be. As long as those tentacles remained as they are...

If those two are together, maybe they really are telling the truth. Sera watched as Vira let girl do as she pleased. 'She is right, though... no one owns these pile of ruins anymore.'

A pleasant surprise it was to see Snow approaching, thankfully unscathed. She seemed to understand the situation well, and as Vira explained what happened, Sera swore she heard something affectionate coming from that mouth of hers. Okay, definitely give Vira some space for now.

As Snow looked for medical supplies, Sera decided to sift through the rubble and clear a path to the cellar. If there was anything useful down there, transitioning from ground to underground would be much easier without eating dirt. Before long, a pile of burnt wood and scorched stones were placed off to the side like a makeshift barricade. Maybe it would be useful if fighting involved firearms, but that's not how it's been lately. Tooth and nail it was.
"Help!"
Sporting sooty hands and a splinter, Sera wondered just how often she has been moving things around, specifically charred ruins but that's not the point here. Is she a construction worker now? First the base, where she'd moved out furniture and trash to clear a path and living space for others and herself. Now here she was, doing the same thing again; in different circumstances, of course. Though, she didn't recall hearing anyone but herself asking for help.
"Help! I'm stuck! Help!"
Was she hearing things? Sera worriedly hastened her actions and rushed inside. "Tsk, the basement's littered with even more crap!" She pushed aside a cabinet and wooden beams, and what looks like a chair that had gone through hell. If these were plants, she'd be bushwacking. Woodwacking? Whatever she was doing, she had to move fast because the sound of someone pounding on a door confirmed her fears that someone was indeed trapped inside. Kicking aside a table, Sera called out to the one in distress. "Hang on! I'm coming to help."


-------------------
Not Calm

 

[Not Calm]

Te Akiri 'Kotiro' Matiu
// Syphe King Crimson //


The door hardly struggled against Kotiro's attempts to will it open, and his frustration was mounting, as was his fear. There was no debris blocking the doors, as evidenced by the fact that he could see between them... Why wouldn't it budge? Stupid doors. He'd encountered a handful before making the trip to the American land, but they didn't hold a candle to the complex systems here. Revolving doors still frightened him after the events that transpired in Utah.

The rummaging noises he'd heard behind him continued as his pounding weakened, and they even seemed to near for a little while. He figured it was his mind twisting the house's creaks and moans into more hope-inspiring sounds; his opinions changed, however, once apparent footsteps emerged from the otherwise indistinguishable noises. He couldn't risk turning and hiding in his condition- he worried for his lungs, and right now his only source of fresh air was by these doors. Kotiro was resolved to stay, even if it meant facing whatever was strutting its way towards him.

"'Scuse me," The girl spoke, making Kotiro jump two steps back and off to the side out of fear. He fully expected some monster- some American Cellar Monster who dwells in the underground portions of peoples' homes and eats their sewage, or something along those lines. This hardly satisfied his imagination, until the girl, in one swift motion, tore a sizable hole in the bulking metal doors. He let out a sharp yelp, expecting an explosion and shrapnel that, thankfully, never came. That'd quench the thirst of his imagination for quite some time... And he'd have a very hard time getting his heart to calm after such a scare.

Light seeped in through the new hole, followed by a wave of refreshing air as the girl pushed the doors open. He took in the beautiful sight for a moment, turning around to see the tarnished cellar bathed in natural light; and he looked down at his soot-covered hands and body, relishing in the adrenaline that accented the situation; and, finally, he looked up at the girl with the hulking arm, who was casually walking away without a word. It was an interesting scene, to say the least. He'd have to thank her later, because his mouth was dry of words now.

Satisfied, Kotiro stumbled his way up and out through the cellar doors. He heard a woman yelling to him somewhere among the rubble of the house... Unless she was responding to someone else's cries for aid, of course. He appreciated the gesture, so he began moving to make himself more accessible- he tried to move to an area devoid of rubble and debris. He made it only a short distance before tripping over a fractured structural beam from the house and collapsing, though- he was far too clumsy to prevent the event and far too weak to catch himself. He laid with his face in the dirt for a few moments and he found that, once given the opportunity to relax, he seethed with pain. His lungs and throat burned ceaselessly, and would continue to do so until the smoke was out of his system, which would take hours with proper care; his bite wounds would need to be redressed, his four leg wounds of particular concern, although his less severe arm wound could potentially need attention as well; his hands had minor burns, undoubtedly, but there was little to be done about that. Everything he could think of was self-treatable with the supplies he'd carried on his way to the house... He'd need to get back into the woods to find them, though, and he was in no condition to make a trip like that. It'd have to wait.

Kotiro sighed and pushed himself to his feet, before plopping himself down onto the support he'd tripped over with a wince. He opted to let the woman come to him instead. A quick scan of the area from his position revealed the damage the house sustained while he was either asleep or in the cellar... It was irreparable, and ultimately unfit for living in. He'd hoped everyone who had been eating diner at the time made it out okay... The Doctor, especially. Kotiro looked forward to learning the ways of American medicine from the Doctor- and maybe the Doctor was interested in learning more about herbal medicine, too! There was a lot of potential there, and he was excited to see it through even in light of the tragedy that befell the poor man's house.

 

[Iamthemanfish]

Patrick had entered the large house in search of Scarlet only to come flying out seconds later with his little girl in tow. The mansion had started to come down around them after a large crash had come from further inside. He had been able to do nothing but watch as Vera and two others had come crashing out of the mansion. He couldn't boost again so soon after what he did earlier and just watching how easily the woman in the cloak brushed the loudmouth aside made it abundantly clear that he wouldn't have made a difference in what happened next.

The solider stood a little away from where Vira was digging, from where Doc Mel's lifeless body lay. The old man had stood there passively watching as the woman had cried, he had waited as her sobs subsided, only moving after Snow had spoken to her. Patrick sat down his pack and removed a folding shovel from the side of it, a few loud clicks and the entrenching tool was folded out to form a kind of pick. He moved up next to Vira paused only long enough to nod to her and begun to lay into the ground she was working breaking up the dirt in large clumps to make it easier for the young woman to move it. He watched Snow move off towards the house out of the corner of his eye and waited till she was out of earshot to finally speak in a low tone I knew him, the Doc I mean, he was a good man he rumbled softly, he paused then to focus on the task at hand. He still hadn't fully recovered from getting shot in the south, and the boost earlier followed by a forced march through the woods all with one arm was finally taking a toll on him.

Interacts with Thalia_Neko
Mentions littleberry Anyone near the grave

 

[Syphe]

Sera had to be careful not to cut herself as she moved towards where she heard the shouting. Thanks to the fires, a lot of ash and smoke were impairing her vision, and whatever stopped burning before becoming ash had been reduced to sharp spikes. If she tripped on something, it could end horribly. Even so, it was nothing she didn't see before.

Pressing forward, the sounds of an incredible force punching through metal erupted throughout the basement -- followed by a thump as said metal fell to the floor. Whatever that sound was, it had came from the same direction Sera heard the cry for help. She sincerely hoped it was hostile and hadn't already eaten the poor guy. Fortunately, her worries were unfounded as she saw dented steel doors laying on the ground, and the person she came to find was also breathing. She assumed that it was that girl from earlier that did this, from what she could see of the marks on the door. With one less worry, she tended to the injured man.

"There you are. Don't worry I'm here to help you. I'm Sera." Quickly examining the wounds, she judged that immediate attention was not required, and that moving him away from the smoke and into fresh air is a priority. Wiping off some dirt and ash from his face, she offered a smile to show that she meant no harm and proceeded to help to his feet and towards the light outside. Navigating the ruins was not easy with another person, but following the path she made earlier made the going less difficult. "Easy now, we're almost there."


Not Calm

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Vira

Vira prickled when the old man started digging at the grave she was working on. But when he spoke up, she raised her eyebrow, eyes flicking up to look at him from her hunched position. "You did?" She narrowed her eyes. "Is that it? What did you know about him? Who are you? Why do you know him? Where did he come from? Why was he targeted by.. my sister? Why was he killed?" The questions came flowing out, each one darkening her face more and more. Vira did think of that old fart as her father. She was secure enough to admit that now. -After it was too late...- In the end, she realized, though, that she didn't know a lick about him. She got back to digging, quickly shoveling out another large chunk of earth, angrily throwing it aside. Rustic eyes now glaring downward, hyper-focused. Her memories from before... How stupid she was back then. As a little girl, when he took care of her, she hadn't even tried to get to know him. She couldn't remember a single question she asked that had anything to do with who he really was. It was so shameful.

Snow returned a moment later, making Vira semi-snap out of the dark funk. She eyed what Snow had found. "Heh. That's cuz he was a doctor. A well-prepared, careful, smart, sensible, generous old man." She shook her head, as she dropped the shovel, taking the things from the white-haired girl, then she pat Snow on her head. "Good job, bunny." This was good. She walked over to a nearby tree, and turned her back to it, sliding down it to sit on the ground. She needed to tend to her wounds if she intended to face down Ellie again. "Gr.." she opened up the jacket, and began to unravel some of the bloodied bandages, then she ripped some of the new ones with her teeth. "Ellie.. why are you like this now?.." Vira was sitting there fixing up her wounds as the others were off doing their own things among the rubble.

littleberry Iamthemanfish

 

[Kallo]

He let out a low sigh as he noticed the small vial being left near him. Glancing at it before wincing slightly with the sound of the door being slammed down nearby. Glancing in the direction before glancing at the younger one which had brought the vial to him. Nodding slightly as he opened it, drinking the contents as he simply continued to remained curled up. Doing his best to avoid continuing the migraine on...more or less waiting for the painkiller to take effect. His hands once more running along his temples. Though a slight smile creeped onto his face as the migraine slowly started to recede. Taking a little longer still though to let it fully fade away.

(Sorry for the shorter...and poor post, especially with the long wait for it. Just....in that odd funk I guess at the moment.)

 

[Not Calm]

Te Akiri 'Kotiro' Matiu
// Syphe //

Kotiro's head began to bob a little as, even with adrenaline prominent in his bloodstream, he began to drift off. He wasn't one to overwork, or even work, himself often, so an event like that tuckered him out fairly quickly. He would've slipped from consciousness, and likely right onto the ground, if it hadn't been for the girl he'd been waiting for, Sera, the same girl who'd invited him over to dinner earlier that day. After glancing over his body for a few quick moments, the raven-haired girl introduced herself. Kotiro could hardly make a sound with the mess in his throat and lungs, though he tried quite hard to upkeep his standard of politeness with a return introduction. Sera, as if able to read his mind, reached forward and placed her hands on his face, and sent a smile that said 'I understand'.

His nerves calmed and his temporary mute status accepted, Kotiro cooperated with Sera as they navigated the remains of the house together. The air was still thick with smoke, which made navigation difficult and stung the partially open wounds on his legs like red coals. Regardless of his pains, Kotiro struggled forward without a peep. Screaming never helped anything.

Shortly after Sera shared some encouraging words, something Kotiro wished he could thank her for, they broke free of the dense smoke and rubble. The transition was as clear as noon to midnight over the course of a few short moments. Satisfied with their progress, and absolutely exhausted, Kotiro let himself free of Sera's helping hands and collapsed dramatically to the ground. He rolled onto his side and let out a few winces and whines he'd been holding in, his legs curling up to his chest and stretching back out again multiple times to distract himself from the odd sensation of clean air filling his temporarily blackened lungs. After a quick transition to laying on his back and a few raspy breaths, Kotiro looked his second savior of the day in the eyes for the first time. He couldn't help but smile a little.

'Thank you', he mouthed out to her. His mind raced with a million other things he could say and questions he could ask, but, try as he might, nothing came out. He'd never yearned for his voice so much in his life.

 

[King Crimson]

Jeanne & Abigail​

The pair of sisters had been digging together for quite some time, and judging from the shattered plates, warped pans, and ruined silverware they kept finding, appeared to be somewhere in the mansion's kitchen.

"Hnn...Hraagh!!"
With one final heave, a large piece of timber finally came loose, falling to the wayside with a plume of wood dust. Behind it, the remains of what must have once been part of a pantry, and now that it was out of the way, Jeanne was free to open the cabinets that the large beam had been guarding, and claim the treasures that lay within.
The door swung open, revealing the dull, silvery gleam of aluminum cans lying at the bottom of the tiny box.
"Alright!" Jeanne happily exclaimed, grabbing one of the many cans, and holding it up to the light to marvel at it's colorful, mouthwatering label.
"Check it out Abby, canned food! And there's enough in here to last us for months!"
"I told you!" came her sister's muffled response, as she pulled her head and upper body out from a small crevice, stumbling backwards with a small case of bottled waters clutched between her arms.

Such as it always was; Jeanne would break down anything that was in the way, and grab whatever she could that looked useful. Meanwhile, Abigail would sniff out any valuable resources or dangerous threats with her sensitive tentacles, duck into any of the harder-to-reach spots, where Jeanne's bulky claw proved too cumbersome, and of course, boost morale with pleasant conversation all the while.
The simple joy of finding anything worthwhile, the familiar taste and texture provided by the lit cigarette clutched between her teeth, it all helped to put Jeanne's nerves at ease.
No other people around, no bloodthirsty bandits, no horrible flying monsters, streaking across the sky like comets.
Just another day, digging for scraps, trying to survive.
In Jeanne's mind, comforting moments like these truly were the closest thing she'd ever come to paradise.
And looking at her sister's face showed that she felt much the same way, seeming to be in much higher spirits than she was a few minutes ago as she enthusiastically stuffed her bag.

"We've gotten a pretty good haul so far." Jeanne said, slinging her now comfortably full bag over her shoulder
"How about we take a quick break, and get your head wrapped up while we're at it?"
"Yeah, a break sounds good! I'm beat!" Abigail appreciatively chirped back, before lifting her own bag up onto her back, and taking off towards the ruin's exit.
After spitting out her spent cigarette, and rubbing out it's last embers with her foot, Jeanne followed behind her, an uncharacteristically warm smile on her face.
---
Once they found a comfortable enough looking spot to settle in, Jeanne and Abigail sat down across from one another.
"Alright, let's see how your doing," Jeanne murmured, gently taking hold of the side of her sister's head, and pushing her sandy, blonde hair out of the way, revealing her sister's unfortunate disfigurement.
Despite all of the exposure she'd had to it, Jeanne never could truly get used to seeing Abigail's abnormality, if it even counted as such.
The empty pocket took up a large portion of the left side of her sister's face, and at some angles, she could even see right through to the other side of her head.
It was as if someone had taken a hammer, and smashed a hole in the face of the a beautiful porcelain doll.
Another sickening reminder for Jeanne of how unfair the world can be.
Abigail, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind it in the least.

"You're still lookin' a little inflamed around the edges," Jeanne worriedly stated, retrieving a mostly clean cloth from her sister's bag, which Abigail then moistened with some of their new supply of bottled water.
As Jeanne gently dabbed the cloth on her sister's face, a pair of not-completely unfamiliar faces stumbled into her view; one of the girls that she had spoken to earlier, and leaning on her shoulder, the scrawny, haggard-looking man Jeanne had passed by in the cellar.
After taking a few more assisted steps, the man collapsed in a spot that was a little too close, for Jeanne's liking, and in response, she began to reposition both herself, and Abigail, as to obscure, as much of her sister's profile as she could, and to hopefully get her sister to ignore--
"Sis..."
Oh no.
She knew that tone.
She knew exactly what her sister was going to say next.
"I think he needs water...Can we give him some of ours?"
And there it was...complete with the "sad puppy dog" eyes that she knew she couldn't possibly resist.
"Tch...Fine!" Jeanne begrudgingly surrendered, handing her sister the cloth, grabbing the half-full water bottle that she'd been using to wet her sister's bandages, and giving it a non-committal toss in the pair's general direction.

Not Calm Syphe

 

[Syphe]

Breaking through into open air felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off Sera's body. The suffocating smoke and ash made for one nasty experience-- one she was all too familiar with. Still though, this man had remained calm and cooperated with her, making the whole ordeal effectively easier. Impressive.

When they safely inside, the man let himself go of Sera's aid and collapsed to the ground, sounding off audible grunts of pain, signifying that she needs to swiftly figure out a way to treat his cuts and bites. Seeing as these injuries have reopened, they may have been recent (or poorly treated) and the crumbling house was definitely no help to that.

Sera was speechless as he did a strange excercise on the ground before laying on his back and mouthing his gratefulness to her. He seemed to be struggling to speak. "Be careful! Don't worry about it now, just relax. Thanks can come later, alright?" Speaking of relaxing, Sera was close to overexertion herself as she also inhaled a decent amount of smoke in her rush to get to the man in the first place. Water sounded great right now, and almost as if some higher being was listeing, a water bottle came bouncing in their direction. Looking to where the bottle came from, she saw both girls from earlier sitting together, the older one attempted to clean the younger one's missing face. She waved and made a gesture to express her thanks before cleaning the cap. Hopefully it's safe to drink she thought as she took a quick drink. Easing herself to a sitting position, she wiped some sweat off her forehead as she caught her breath. The man definitely needed a drink too. She helped him up to a sitting position and handed him the drink.

Sera's going to need to find something to clean and redress his wounds before they get worse. If she couldn't find her bag, she'll have to resort to plan B.


Not Calm
King Crimson