Realistic or Modern Dead Inside

[DemetrioMachete]

GoldenHeartedGhoul Webs Elk Kobe Nathan Wade na ((I apologize for this taking so long, but I was waiting for other peeps. We shall start now, if you are still in the mindset for it.))

Philadelphia, the day before Z-Day.
May 4th, 2018
2:40 P.M.
​

It was some work of a miracle that Simon knew all there was to the Microsoft Office suite. It got him this job at the front desk, rather than being back there in the warehouse, handling the boxes. Boxes that could be anywhere from practically weightless to over 100 pounds. Of just clothes, no less. All he had to do was account for every one who clocked in, and everyone who clocked out on 1st shift. It was easy. Simon enjoyed easy. It made dealing with his dreams more simple.

But now it was time for him to clock out. With a deep sigh, he swiped his badge across the machine, and walked out to the parking lot. After a brief hunt, he found his Nissan Altima, turned the ignition, and headed home. Having later hours than the warehouse workers meant he got to slide through town easily, not worrying about the rush at all. It was all well and great. Simon hated traffic.

In about 15 minutes, Simon reached home: the very same apartment complex he owned and rented out to others; a rather mundane building that didn't stand out as exquisite or disgusting. Just like the man who owned it, the apartment was completely average. With a deep sigh, Simon left his car, locking it soon after. It was time to greet his tenants. Those who weren't at work, anyway.

As Simon entered the place, he took in a deep sniff of the air. It smelled of carpet, air freshener, and reheated leftovers. The usual. Simon's first order of business was to check on Miss Gretchen; the oldest lady who lived here. At 104 years old, Simon worried for her health, paranoid about the day she would simply go to sleep and never wake up. With a polite, thrice penetrating knock on the door, Simon's voice broke the relative silence of the apartment.

"Miss Gretchen? You sleep well?" There was a silence, followed by a brief shuffling, the sound of a lock undoing itself, and then the door opened. Miss Gretchen was alive and well; her old frame beaming with happiness at her visitor.

"Oh Simon, dearie, yes I slept well!" She spoke, wrapping her arms around Simon in a faux grandmother's embrace, which Simon returned reluctantly. "How was work today?"

"Quiet and boring. The way I prefer it." he replied, sliding out of Gretchen's hug and having a short glimpse around her room. He saw the half-finished blanket she had been knitting; now feeling bad for having interrupted her.

"Aaah, that's my Simon. Keeping everything neat and in place." The old woman quivered on the spot; whether it was from being cold or overwhelmed with positivity was anyone's guess.

"Which.. brings me to my point. Anything happen here, while I was gone?" He straightened his posture and folded his arms across his chest, hoping Gretchen would tell him all was well.

"Nothing around here, I'm afraid. But have you seen the tele? The man on the news has been talking about something strange happening up in Canada! Mass riots, blood drinking, it's complete and utter chaos!"

"Really now..?"

"I am absolutely certain! Go, go and check the news. See for yourself!"

"I will, once I've checked in with everyone else. Have a good afternoon, Miss Gretchen."

The old woman nodded, and huddled back into her room, as Simon closed the door behind her, leaving it unlocked just in case she may have needed help. Now to check in with everyone else... He didn't want to dwell on this unusual situation in Canada until he had made sure everyone was following his guidelines...

 

[Kobe Nathan Wade]

Kobe sighed as his coworker, Katie, left the private studio in Ardmore. Her and Kobe didn't exactly see eye to eye, so it was a relief when she left an hour earlier than he did every night. Now don't misunderstand, Katie was never rude to the male trainer, there was just that sort of unspoken tension two people have when they have conflicting personalities. It was like somebody had pulled a weight off of Kobe's throat after the day was over. He didn't have any more clients, so he was free to do his own workout and shut down for the night.

Kobe pulled up Youtube on the work computer at his desk and typed in "DMX, X gon' give it to ya'" into the search bar. He clicked on the second video that popped up, as the first was always the clean version, and who the fuck wants that? Most people wouldn't assume that the tall, white guy with a ponytail would listen to DMX while he works out, but this was his usual Friday routine. The week was not over for Kobe, unfortunately, but it was still the end of the workday so he was pretty relaxed as he walked to the Nautilous exercise machines on the other side of his studio. After a series of grunts, heavy breathing, and several other heavy rap songs ensued, Kobe's workout was done and he began to turn off the fans and shut the windows.

He put his tie back on, tucked his shirt into his khakis and put on his backpack. As he left the office he locked the door to his studio and took the scrunchy out of his curly, messy hair. It fell around his shoulders as he began his few-block-long walk to the train station. The light spring breeze that flew by felt nice after just finishing a workout, but because he was so tired his usually heavy backpack was more of a burden than usual. After a while the train came, and he boarded. He set his backpack on the seat beside him and pulled out his sketch book, and began doodling absentmindedly. When the conductor passed, he showed him his weekly pass, and kept drawing. It was a few more stops to Jefferson station, but he had the route ingraned in his brain so deeply it would almost be second nature to switch trains when he got there. He wondered if his landlord, Simon, had started making his rounds yet. He wasn't worried about it. He and Simon were on pretty good terms. Kobe, Ashley, and Millie hadn't been late with rent yet and though the place may smell like weed every once in a while they made sure it didn't on the days Simon checked up on them. If he ever noticed, he hadn't mentioned it yet, anyway.

(Players mentioned: DemetrioMachete ) (I hope everyone is still into the rp, because I am.)

 

[GoldenHeartedGhoul]

Sunny
​

Lucas had been staring at the ceiling fan for upwards of twenty minutes now. Since he'd woken up - on the living space floor no less - his eyes had been transfixed on the spinning blades above him. Constantly whoofing above him in circles, ceaselessly. He sighed and eventually sat up. In the middle of the night he'd moved from sleeping on the couch, onto the floor. His blanket and pillow were strewn across the couch, and in his sleep addled mind he could faintly make out a distant beeping noise. It wasn't until after he blinked a few more times and scrambled to his knees that he realized that the alarm clock he'd set up nearby was going off. It's bright, blinking letters had read 12:16PM.

Lucas clicked the alarm off and sighed. He'd slept in, of course. Though that was nothing new. If anything, he'd gotten up considerably earlier than he normally would. Especially since he hadn't been sleeping in his own apartment. No, he hadn't been couch surfing. Until recently, Lucas had taken to watching over a friend's place. It wasn't supposed to be for more than a few weeks, but those few weeks had bled into a month now. He'd since started working night shifts with a local bar, frying potatoes and mopping up whatever mess happened to streak across the hardwood. Nevertheless, housesitting came with its own responsibilities. While rent had been paid up for the next three months, Lucas still had to manage utilities and a mess of other boring things around the house. William, the man he'd promised to watch his apartment for, had squared quite a bit of it all away. Even if it meant running a tight ship and keeping William's running secret quiet. William's landlord, as far as he could tell, didn't allow pets.

Among the responsibilities he'd been left with, Lucas was also accountable for a sizable mutt. He'd gotten familiar with the dog long before he'd taken up watching the house. He'd been entrusted with the dog's secrecy after all. Taking her on walks was what had dragged him into this mess to begin with. Still, it wasn't without its benefits. He had a place to stay, company that didn't question his choice of clothes, and someone who was a great listener.

Lucas threw open the curtains and let light shine in. He really didn't have much to do, did he? What would he possibly do today? Take it easy on the roof and draw skylines again for the umpteenth time? Hell no. Today had to be different! Today had to be special. Even if it's just a pint before walking home. It didn't have to be much. Just something a touch different. His gaze drew to a discarded dog toy. A squeaky, fuzzy ball. With the ball in hand, he sat himself back down.

"Lecky!" He whisper-shouted and squeezed the ball once.

He couldn't describe it, but Lucas felt that today should be fun. He'd take Intelectus out for a long walk. Maybe stop by the bar, pick up his check and grab lunch while he was there. Dogs could eat burgers, right?

 

[Twin Fantasy]

You ever wake up and immediately bang your fuckin' head on the back of your bed?... Art wasn't even that tall, but it kept happening. Ow. What a way to wake up... He rubbed his head. A few more years of this shit and his goddamn skull was gonna crack open. Holding that shit together would be a waste of glue. That was how he kept his wigs on, after all, and... Ugh. Forty different kinds of slightly bothersome.

He rubbed his eyes. Skippy... oh, fuck. The landlord.

His sleep schedule was messy, as he worked a bar job and whatnot. He had all the time in the world, it always felt like. Noon...? Shit, he actually got up on the early side, by his own standards. His first order of business was to check on Skippy. His pet ferret, who he'd cleverly and sneakily hid in his bathroom. Being as gay as they came and a bit of a lecherous whore on the surface level, Art knew better than anyone that nobody wanted to go in his bathroom. EVER. Especially when he hung "Occupied" signs on the doorknob and then would crack a joke about how that was from last night. They'd never fucking touch the place. This bathroom was, actually, a haven for Skippy, which was the closest Art ever wanted to having or adopting children. (Apologies to any eligible bachelors who are ready to have their sex lives destroyed.)

He knelt down, where he'd set up Skippy's large cage in the bathtub, on top of a small table. (If he needed to shower, he'd just move it. It wasn't... THAT heavy.) Quickly he dropped in some food. He'd allow Skippy some free time later, but he-who-had-a-stick-up-his-ass, AKA Simon, the landlord of his building, was probably gonna come by soon. And he hated animals, along with anything else interesting or fun, so Art had to take the time out of his busy, slippery, slimy schedule to make his house douche-proof until the guy got replaced, or arrested for selling drugs to babies or something.

Next order of business: Breakfast. Art was far beyond caring about his weight, so frozen waffles with ice cream on top. Hey, he was feeling fancy. Who could possibly blame him? He'd fucking earned it, he was tired.

...And a little hungover.

It wasn't his fault. Guys kept buying him drinks. Did they even know he was a man? Probably not.

 

[Centari]

So lonely, Intelectus felt so lonely lately. Her master was gone, making the house feel that much more empty despite the currently company within. He'd been sleeping here, eating here, doing all sorts of stuff William used to do. She hoped it wasn't permanent. That Lucas was her new owner now. She waited by the front door most of the time Lucas wasn't playing with her, taking her for a walk, or eating. She even slept by the front door on the off-chance William might come through. Imagine her disappointment when it's just the mean-man or Lucas. She was jaded with having to heave herself up just to turn the corner so the mean-man didn't see her. Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink... She inhaled slowly and chuffed out a tired sigh. Today she decided to lounge around William's bedroom so she could at least smell him, but she couldn't smell him much to begin with, he was always so tidy and clean the only way to really smell him was to bury her face into his pillows or rummage around his laundry which she wasn't allowed to do so she did so sparingly. She raised her tired head from the comforter of the bed, nose flaring to take in the air. Lucas was awake now, she could smell his breath as he opened his mouth to yawn at one point or another.

Another slow inhale and a quiet chuffed sigh filled the quiet of the apartment, she didn't have much to do. William always spent so much time playing with her or training her, walking he- Ball? Ball??? Ball! Intelectus jumped from the bed and trotted over to where Lucas was sitting on the couch, her tail wagging back and forth with fervor. She sat herself in front of him obediently. "Broof..." She said quietly, knowing full well being loud in the home was a no-no. Her eyes, despite being covered by a layer of matted fur, locked onto the ball and occasionally shifted to Lucas' face, her jaw parted, tongue lolled out and an excited panting coming out heavy from her lungs. Ball! Lucas has ball...is it time to play? I love playtime, throw the ball! I won't hit furniture, promise! Ball! Throw ball!

Before Lucas could throw the ball, however, Intelectus leaped up and snatched the ball from his hand, leaving behind quite a bit of slobber in the process. She knew she could never do that with William but Lucas was a lot more relaxed and easy going. She quickly dismounted his lap and trotted around the apartment, showing off her trophy proudly before stopping suddenly, putting her paws out defensively with an excited glimmer in her eyes. Keep away! She wanted to play keep away. Can't get it! Mine now, mine now, mine now. Come and get it but you can't! She hopped a few inches left and then right, waving her head around

 

[DemetrioMachete]

The first of those who Simon would check up on first, was Kobe. Simon unconsciously nodded his head in approval as he made for Kobe's room. He never seemed to go out of his way to break the rules. Rent was timely, unaccounted tenants didnt seem to stay long, and of course, no pets. Swinging the keys across his fingers, he knocked upon the door.

"Kobe?" He called, thinking to himself how to seem more approachable. He did appear quite drab, after all.

"Kobeeeeee." He dragged out his name... that was what people did to sound hip, right?

"We uh.. we need to have a talk. No trouble, mind you. Just the weekly inspection." In the back of his mind, he wanted to talk about the news old Gretchen had given him.. maybe as he was leaving.

Kobe Nathan Wade

 

[Kobe Nathan Wade]

Kobe rummaged for his keys as he approached his building's front door, and unlocked it with the big house key. He flipped his fingers to the smaller, tie die colored key to his room. He looked up the stairs that wound up to the third floor he lived on, and his shoulders drooped a little. The workout he did pushed his muscles to failure, so he was very week at the moment. The first step was the hardest, his muscles feeling like they were moving through oil, but then they realized he wasn't going to let them quit on him and moved a little easier.

As he rounded the third flight he saw Simon walking down the hall towards his room. He thought about calling out to him, but felt awkward about it. He couldn't think of anything that would make the few seconds it would take to reach Simon on the other end less awkward, in fact. So he waited until Simon knocked and said his name a few times.

"Come iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin." Said Kobe, in the same mock tone Simon had said his name. He slid his arm past him and the key into the lock. He walked into the apartment, expecting Simon to follow. Just as he did his eyes darted to the coffee table in a mild panic. REALLLLLLY hope there's no weed stuff on there. A silent sigh reverberated throughout his soul as he realized there was nothing but a water bottle and a "Cards Against Humanity" set. "You want anything to drink?"

DemetrioMachete

 

[GoldenHeartedGhoul]

Time was easily lost when Lucas hopped up and chased after Intelectus. A quiet laugh escaped him as he scrabbled around the room to take the ball from the dog. It was a short lived game when his stomach growled rather loudly and a low, nibbling pain crept up from his gut. "Okay, okay," he said quietly, dropping to one knee and beckoning the dog to come to him. They could play later. He'd promise her that. From his kneeling position, he grabbed his phone from the coffee table. He checked the time and a cold pit formed in his stomach.

It was after two in the afternoon.

His alarm clock had lied to him.

A shiver ran down his back.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" He turned his attention to the dog. Of course she wouldn't know what he was talking about, but surely she'd understand his panicked tone. He pocketed his phone and ran to the adjoining kitchen. "Put up your toys, Lecky!" He called as his feet squeaked and slid against the tile floor. He started putting together some meager form of breakfast - lunch would be more appropriate - jam, bread and some peanut butter.

He came back into the room, regardless of whether or not Intelectus had listened to him. "Go!" He whisper-shouted, as he often does. He started cleaning up around the living room, making it look at least halfway presentable. He among anyone else, knew William's landlord would stop by at anytime to inspect the place. Especially since he wasn't the real tenant of the place, he had to take extra care to keep William's "affairs" in check. Primarily the big fluffy one.

Not long after he had the living room cleaned up and put on some music and flopped on the couch. Maybe he'd taken things a bit too far and too quickly? He sighed and slumped to the side. "Lecky." He called quietly, snapping his fingers. He was being... What's the word. Irrational. He was worried Simon might come knocking on his door to strike the eviction hammer on him, William, and Intelectus. He groaned and rolled over onto his back.

"Lecky," he said again, motioning for her again, and even gave a little whistle to grab her attention. Why did he have to be so scared of some old guy? Even if he did come knocking on the door, sure enough Lucas would already be across town, right?

Right?

Centari

 

[Centari]

Intelectus bounced around a bit more, excitedly running around the living room with the ball tightly held between her jaws where plenty of drool soaked into the endless carpet of fur around her face. Despite her kind and playful nature, she knew when to quit. She trotted over, satisfied with her victory. She dropped the ball at Lucas' feet and sat her big but down with her tail thwapping the ground happily, peering through the screen of fur covering her eyes. Toys, pick up... pick toys... up pick toy... Pick up toys! She seemed to bow her head knowingly, scooping up the ball and running it to a basket in the corner of the room that appeared to be nothing more than decoration. She dropped the ball, trotting over to pick up a tug-of-war rope, a chewing bone, a tennis-ball, and a studded plastic bone and placed them all haphazardly into the basket, using her nose to close the top of it. Picked up toys...good girl, I'm good girl... Her long tongue bobbed up and down as she panted. Anything that didn't involve sleeping made her pant quite heavily, so much fur made her a walking space heater.

She trotted up to Lucas back in the living room, sitting at his feet facing him with a big silly smile, as much as a dog could smile anyway. I'm here! You're here! Pets? I like pets, give pets? She closed her mouth and whined quietly, something was wrong. He seemed upset, did she not clean up her toys right? Did she miss one? Was she a bad girl?

GoldenHeartedGhoul

 

[DemetrioMachete]

Simon entered, quirking an eyebrow at Kobe's choice of tone. In his mind, he felt he was correct in guessing people liked to drag out words to sound hip. Simon darted about the room carefully, inspecting the walls and ceiling for cracks, the window for dust and other damages, as well as the carpeting for stains. As Kobe offered him a drink, Simon held up a hand in protest.

"I'll pass, thanks. Just made it home from work, need time to settle after I finish up with everyone, ya know?" Eventually, Simon returned to the door, thoroughly satisfied with Kobe's state of affairs.

"You take care now. Oh and uh.. check out the news, when you can. Miss Gretchen told me about this new epidemic in Canada. Cant have it spreading south."

After touching up with a couple of others, Simon would finally come to Lucas. Fortune was on his side, today. He had plenty of time to hide away the dog's toys, the noise went unnoticed. After stalling himself, smoothing out his dress shirt, he knocked.

"Willi-... oh wait. Lucas?" William was the original owner of this particular room, and it had evaded Simon's mind consistently that he had left it in the care of another. Even over the course of months, Simon kept forgetting.

"Theres a couple of things we need to talk about. Inspection, firstly. Other than that... you been watching the news?"

GoldenHeartedGhoul
Centari

 

[Kobe Nathan Wade]

Kobe shrugged when Simon turned down his offer for a drink. He plopped himself onto the futon and turned on the tv while Simon flitted around the room doing his check up. It was a tad annoying he had to go through this every once in a while, but a helicopter landlord was a small price to pay for the cheap rent.

"You take care now. Oh and uh.. check out the news, when you can. Miss Gretchen told me about this new epidemic in Canada. Cant have it spreading south."

Kobe's ears perked up at this. "See ya." He said, before flipping the channel to cnn. Not for any personal preference, simply because it was the first number he could think of. Images on the screen depicted CDC experts advising people to stay indoors and avoid anyone with 'Flu Like Symptoms.' Hm... weird.... Kobe wasn't too worried. Sure Philly was pretty far north but if the disease was in Canada he was sure they'd quarantine it in time. He checked his phone for the time. His girlfriend, Ashley, should be over any minute. He was excited to see her after a long day.