Fandom Divergent: Faction Before Blood // RP Thread

[WanderLust.]

Maverick Maddox // Male// 18// Dauntless Born // Instructor
Interacting With: Randi Sanctuaryforall1


Maverick had not slept that night. It was hard to imagine himself ever sleeping again. So much of his reality had been warped in a single moment, this one cataclysmic moment would alter his life forever. He was numb. As vivid as the images were in his mind, he hadn't processed them, hadn't accepted them as truth yet, couldn't believe them even as he was signing Caspian's death certificate. His deft fingers gently gripped the ball point pen as he robotically wrote his barely legible signature. His eyes were glassed over, emotionless. Should he have been angry? After all, the coroner had ruled that Caspian had not died of natural causes. The tiny abrasion on his brother's neck had waved all the red flags. A pin prick. The mark of a needle. He had been injected with something, though his autopsy had not revealed any alarming substances. And yet, murder was still printed in bold ink on the piece of paper. Caspian had been murdered. Maybe if Maverick had had the courage to be a part of his older brother's life then he would've had the slightest inkling as to who would've wanted to kill him. Who would've wanted the golden boy, the shining heir to the Maddox family name gone?

By the time Maverick had arrived at the apartment, he was almost certain that he would find both Caspian and Ghost asleep, that he would spend yet another night on that uncomfortable couch that wasn't quite long enough for Maverick to stretch out on. Instead, he had found his brother's body on the floor. Caspian's skin was pale, his lips a sickening shade of blue, his grey eyes shut forever. Maverick didn't have to feel for a pulse to know that the eldest Maddox boy was dead. His knees had given out beneath him before he could even shut the door, his body crumpling against the wall as his ears began to ring. The taste of bile stung in the back of his throat... what was this feeling? It wasn't anger, wasn't sadness or grief... Maverick was... scared. A feeling that was foreign and unwelcome to him, his heartbeat was uneven, his knees and fingers felt like jelly, his head was spinning, his mouth was dry. "Caspian..." he knew his brother could not, and never would hear his choked whisper. It was more an expression of shock than anything else. Maverick's blood was ice, as he fumbled into his pocket, his fingers shaking as they struggled to dial the correct number. He didn't know how long he had waited there on the floor for the ambulance to arrive. Whether it had been minutes or hours. All Maverick knew was that by the time the paramedics walked in, he still hadn't bothered to shut the door. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from his brother's corpse.

A voice pulled him back into reality. "Sir...?" A young nurse who had clearly been trying to get his attention was looking at him expectantly. "What?" Maverick didn't mean for his voice to sound as disinterested as it did. "This was found among your brothers things.... all the rest is being kept as evidence for the investigation. If you've finished signing the paperwork you're free to go." Her slim fingers gently slid a beat up, silver, cell phone across the counter towards Maverick. It must've belonged to Caspian. He tilted his head, staring at it as if it were a foreign object, before exhaling heavily and reaching for the phone, tucking it into his pocket. Free to go. As if Maverick had only been here for a yearly check up, like he could just go about his normal day after everything that had happened. Earlier in the night that same nurse had commended Maverick for how calm he was throughout the endeavor. Maverick didn't know what he was, but he definitely wasn't calm. Perhaps his lack of tears had led her to come to such a conclusion. Maverick had not allowed himself a single moment of vulnerability. His cheeks eerily dry. He hadn't yet felt the urge to cry, the burning feeling in the back of his throat was something he associated with his childhood, something he felt was no longer appropriate for a grown man such as himself.


​

"Thanks." Maverick muttered, before turning slowly and heading back down one of the long, sterile hallways of the hospital. He wasn't sure which way he had come in. This place was a maze to begin with without factoring in that Maverick hadn’t been paying much attention to the endless lefts and rights they had taken on the way to the morgue. Everything in the building felt pristine and untouched, as though nobody occupied the place, even though Maverick could see several patients through the small windows in their hospital room doors. Most of them were older patients, dauntless who refused to accept the fact that their bodies were giving up on them. Occasionally, he would see a younger one, a face that felt almost familiar, perhaps someone he’d been in a brawl with once or twice. For the most part however, all the faces remained irrelevant, simply more static in his troubled mind, that was… until he caught a flash of blonde hair out of the corner of his eye.

Maverick paused mid step, his steely grey eyes suddenly snapping to attention as he saw an all too familiar face. She was not quite concealed through the small window in her hospital room door. He cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head as he inched closer towards the door. He knew he should’ve kept walking, shouldn’t have intruded, should’ve just stayed out of it, and yet his hand was reaching out for the handle of the door before he could stop himself. Like a well-trained thief, Maverick slipped out of the hallway and into the room, standing there with his hands in his pockets as his eyes looked over the sleeping form of Brandish Rose. His ears pricked at the sound of a steady, high pitched, beeping. Randi was covered by a blanket, no wounds immediately visible to Maverick. Her blonde mane framed her soft, angelic features. Even though she seemed quite pale, her cheeks were still rosy, her long, dark eyelashes fluttered in her sleep and Maverick began to remember a long-forgotten crush he had harbored for the girl when had had been just a boy. Randi had always been too dauntless for her own good, he had almost no doubt that was how she ended up in the hospital.

As if sensing him in the room, the blonde’s eyes soon flicked open and Maverick felt a heat rise to his cheeks as she stared at him, her large ocean eyes sparkling in the florescent lighting of the hospital room. She seemed understandably confused. Maverick cleared his throat and forced a weak smile as he held his hands up as if to show he was no threat to her. “Don’t worry, the nurses already informed me I wasn’t qualified enough to perform your surgery.” He joked softly, before his gaze softened. Randi seemed like she was struggling to sit up and Maverick shook his head, taking another step forward as if to discourage her from exerting herself. “What are you doing here?” he asked gently, instantly regretting the words. He should’ve known better and remembered who he was talking to. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the blonde retorted back with a tilt of her head that she could ask him the same question. Maverick inhaled deeply, his voice unwavering and almost disturbingly monotone as he answered, “Caspian’s dead…I found his body a few hours ago.” Randi’s features immediately morphed from her normal sassy demeanor into a shocked and sympathetic look. She looked like she was about to speak some words of comfort, attempt to console Maverick and make him feel better, but the older boy was not having any of that as his body immediately stiffened. “I uh…. I actually need to get going.” He paused, trying to think of some sort of excuse, but giving up when he realized he didn’t care enough to worry about proper bedside manner. “Feel better, Randi.” His boots thudded gently on the tiled floor as he made his way silently out of the small room and back into the empty hallway. It wasn’t until the door shut behind him that he realized he still had no idea what Randi was doing in the hospital. He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck from side to side as he continued making random lefts and rights until he found what looked like an exit.

This wasn’t the way Maverick had entered the building, but it was a way out. Maverick was light on his feet as he slipped out of the back door, hoping that he wouldn’t accidentally trigger some sort of alarm. He let out a breath he hadn’t even known he had been holding when the door opened silently, taking his first deep breath of fresh air as he made his way outside. It was getting light out, but it was still early enough in the morning that shadows provided ample space to hide. So… what did he do now? Return to training? Just…. Go home? He couldn’t fathom the idea of just returning to his normal routine as if nothing had changed when everything had. He was beginning to spiral, his breaths coming in raggedy and shaky as his hands slowly began to clench into fists. He had felt nothing for so long that now he was beginning to feel too much. Angry tears pricked at his eyes, his rage beginning to overtake any sadness that was attempting to make itself known.

Suddenly, Maverick let out a throaty growl as his fist slammed into the door of a nearby car. The cheap metal crumpling and leaving a fist sized dent on the side of the black car. Immediately, the car alarm went off. The loud sound of the horn blaring rhythmically in his ear made him want to punch the car again. He wound up for another punch but his fist came to an abrupt halt as he saw what he swore was Caspian staring at him through the driver’s side window. “Cas…” Maverick paused, before swallowing hard. Blinking his grey eyes as he slowly began to realize that he was not staring at a resurrected Caspian, but his own reflection. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair tussled and messy, his grey v-neck wrinkled under his leather jacket. He looked like a mess. It reminded him of the days he used to spend down in the pits, when a fight was the only way to pay for food in his belly, and a good shower was a swim in the river. The pits… that’s where Maverick needed to go. He needed to forget about everything, even just for a day. He wanted to be deep down in the caves where the sunlight would not reach him and the loud thrumming of music would drown out all the other noise in his head. With a half-assed plan, Maverick stalked off into the shadows, heading in the direction of the chasm where the entrance to the pits hid, the car alarm slowly fading into the background as he walked in the direction of his past.

​

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Fable

Mood: Tired

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: open

As the group at the bar disbanded Fable bid the others goodnight with a bright smile and a wave. This was the first night she had felt truly part of the group and it was incredible. Despite the happiness high, she found herself on at the moment she couldn’t help but turn her attention to the worry that had been nipping at her heart and mind all night. Where was Dante? She had been so annoyed with him earlier that just the thought of him made her blood boil. It was odd to be so angry with someone she cared so deeply for. This morning when she woke up with her head on his chest and the sky above them it had felt so natural, so right, but then he had to go and suggest blackmailing Blair, or worse, turning her in. That side of him was one Fable had been previously unaware of and had been ignoring her feelings about all day. The only time she let the mixture of emotions affect her was when she allowed them to add fuel to the fire in her during the free for all. She hated feeling so confused, so angry, so worried, so so many things for Dante. Even when she couldn’t stand to look at him her heart beat a little faster at the thought of him. Despite everything, he was still her best friend here. Deep down she hoped for something more but not while he was so willing to destroy someone else in order to gain the favor of others.

Sighing Fable found herself subconsciously kicking a rock down the street, unaware of her movements until it banged into a trashcan. The sound of the stone on metal snapped her out of her complicated thoughts, jolting her back to reality. Looking around the young woman glanced around, her multicolored eyes scanning the world around her as she realized she wasn’t too sure where she was. “Shit.” She breathed softly and tried to recognize any of the storefronts or bars.

Following the broken concrete path, Fable hoped to retrace her steps and end up back at the bar. At some point, she must have made a wrong turn because as she rounded a corner, she came face to face with an antique-looking iron gate with mental leaves and dull points. The gate was slightly ajar and lead to some stairs that wove between two buildings. What have I got to lose? She thought with a tired sigh as she slid through the slightly opened gates and started up the stairs. She hoped the stairs would lead to a place where she could get a better vantage point of the compound.

Her footsteps were surprisingly soft as she climbed the stone steps, a soft light growing brighter in the distance with what she hoped was access to a place she knew. As she drew closer to the light though she noticed how to stone steps grew bumpier, the walls looking more broken and having a slight shimmer. In the dark, it was harder to see but as the soft glow reached the walls Fable noticed that the bricks had all been replaced with glittering glass of all shades and sizes with shining stones thrown into the mix. The hallway widened into a beautiful glass garden between buildings, the walls, and floors made of mosaic pieces creating intricate patterns and scenes. As the light of several bulbs hit the glimmering stones and glass at different angles it created beautiful rainbow effects, shining colors onto Fable and the world around her. It was breathtaking.

Fable walked around in silent awe wondering who had made such a place and how she had not heard of it before. Surely this glass garden full of beautiful mosaics was something many people knew about. But if it was wouldn’t she have heard others speak of it? Wouldn’t more initiates flock here to see the rainbow lights that filled the air? Perhaps this was someone’s secret garden? A project meant just for them, and she had stumbled upon it while they were away. Fable hoped they wouldn’t mind her returning.

Unsure about how long she walked along the walls, admiring every inch, taking in each step she took, Fable finally found she had trailed her way towards another set of stairs. Looking back at the glass garden fondly she prayed she would one day find her way back here but knew it was time for her to leave. Following the steps, she was surprised to find they led to a common wooden gate on this end, tall, firm, and unsuspecting. Pushing it open the young redhead looked around the street she came out on and was relieved to see it was close to a diner she had found with Dante the other night. With the diner as the landmark, she knew she would be able to find her way back to the beautiful oasis she had found in the dauntless compound. With a smile on her lips, the young initiate turned and made her way to the sleeping quarters. The sun was already beginning to come up by the times she reached the bunks and only thirty minutes after closing her eyes she was forced to roll out of her bed and get ready for the day. While her night had been magical, she knew she would pay for it dearly as she rubbed her eyes and made her way towards the testing rooms.

code by Stardust Galaxy

Thorn

Mood: Concerned

Location: Training Center

Interactions: Open

The night had been one Thorn never wanted to experience again. Not only had he been forced to use violence but because of his own father, he had the blood of a fellow dauntless initiate on his hands. No matter how many times the young man washed his fingers and palms he swore he could still smell Randi’s blood all over him and see the crimson on his skin. All he could do was pray to anyone listening that she was alright. He had no idea what had become of the blonde after Ghost of all people rushed into the hospital with her.

Thorn had to admit he was surprised to find the instructor at the bar with Randi, his father, and his uncle. How had all of them landed in such a situation? Somehow, he knew it was the fault of his kin. It always was. Just from what little he had seen before tackling his father to the ground Thorn knew it was his blood that started it. He also knew that the next time he saw his father he would be lucky to walk away with sight in his remaining eye.

The boy shivered as he remembered the memory of slamming his father to the ground. His strong hands gripping the older man’s shoulders as he raised him upwards only to slam him to the ground. It happened that way several times very quickly until the drunken man fell unconscious. Thorn had only ever done something like that once before and it was when the two men dared to lay a hand on his mother. That night he had seen red and the morning after he was half-blind; a worthy sacrifice to keep his mother from harm and pay for his own acts of violence. Thorn was poetic like that, believing that an eye for an eye would make the world go blind. Violence only ever led to more violence which was why he always tried too hard to make the violence enacted upon him stop with him, not allowing it to go further. However, when someone he cared for, or someone innocent was being attacked there would be nothing in the world that would hold him back.

With his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t have to look at them the young, freckled boy walked into the training center. He knew all too well that the initiates would be down another member today and hoped the fiery blonde had managed to pull through her injuries. He had no idea if she had died or not and felt a sickening pit grow in his soul as he imagined her lifeless in front of her family on a metal table all because of his father. With his good eye, he avoided eye contact with those around him. This wasn’t like him and he knew that no matter how bad things got he always found a reason to smile for others…but today was hard.

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Vex

Mood: Excited

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Open

She was still on a high from such a fresh kill. Seeing the life fade from Caspian’s eyes caused the sort of bliss to shoot through her veins that usually only accompanied some sort of drug high. But, in a way, that is what every kill was to Vex, some sort of high. No matter the state of the kill, no matter the way it was done, Vex always left feeling like she was on cloud nine. Nothing could compare to the moments after she finished a mission, completed an objective. Now all she could do was hope that the foolish Dauntless authorities would catch on to the evidence she left behind and convict Charlie of the murderous crimes. It almost saddened her to think of the hopeful medic behind bars but then again she was trained to never pity her prey so her sorrow only went so far.

The restful nights sleep that came after an accomplished mission was always the best sleep she could ever hope for. Not only had she been tuned up lately but she had completed that which was ordered of her without fail and now was well on her way to finishing another objective. There was no way her masters could be ashamed of her after so many successful kills, missions completed without hesitation, orders obeyed without a second thought. She was the ideal assassin and she was proud.

A smile formed on her lips as she rose from the cot she was lying in. She was certain the Dauntless authorities would be finding out about Caspian’s death sooner rather than later and she couldn’t wait to witness the aftermath. Anything done for the betterment of Erudite was a righteous cause in her eyes so if it meant taking down the Dauntless hierarchy a peg then she was more than happy to do it. Making her way to the testing center she was more than certain that Charlie would still be around today but had no doubt that eventually they would find the evidence leading to her and come down with the full force of the Dauntless law on the innocent girl. Vex couldn’t wait to see such a thing happen.

As she entered the testing center she sighed and waited to be called forth for her third simulation test. So far she had passed her others well enough, glad to not be divergent and happy to defeat her fears as any Dauntless would. She couldn’t help but wonder what her fears would be today since her master had been careful enough to leave a few fears left within her. That which not even she knew.

code by Stardust Galaxy

Bloom

Mood: Nervous

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Chris

The interaction with Ghost was informative if not confusing. At first, he seemed friendly, then standoffish, then friendly again. His change towards a more positive demeanor came with the appearance of her friend Charlie which piqued her interest quite a bit. Bloom caught on slightly to the looks the two gave each other but remained wordless throughout the interaction. She knew Charlie was a bit more private when it came to intimate affairs and Bloom had her speculations as to why but didn’t dare confront Charlie about them. All in all, she was just grateful that Ghost seemed to at least tolerate her presence.

Standing in the training center Bloom looked around at the controls once Ghost and Charlie disappeared. She wished she had more time to catch up with her friend, but she knew Charlie would have stuck around if she had time. Charlie was always so good like that, putting other people first even when it wasn’t in her best interest. It was a trait Bloom found herself admiring and working to live by. Charlie had always been an inspiration for her from the first moment they had met. She was part of the reason Bloom found it so easy to smile so freely. Having a friend like the gentle brunette was a once in a lifetime sort of thing that she knew she was lucky enough to experience.

Walking out into the hallway Bloom noticed all the initiates lining up and looked around. Looking down at the list now open on her phone screen she could see two names assigned to her for testing on this day. “Chris?” She called out and smiled hoping the boy would be able to relax if he saw a friendly face. She remembered him from the night before at the bar with Poppy and two others. She hoped he did well on the test because he looked to be the dauntless type, but then again looks could be deceiving.

Nerdy.

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[Baratheon]

Finn Day

Aubrey pulled him closer, and for a moment, Finn was in pure heaven. He felt like years of longing and following his beautiful best friend around were finally coming to fruition. Still, though, he felt a pang of guilt. He had been in love with Aubrey for a long time, but had always respected her wishes to just be friends. He had watched her go in and out of relationships with other young men, flirt around, go out with others, and generally be independent. He was not the same way. While he had had his own relationships and flings, they had never been quite as serious as hers had always been. He found himself, always, drawn back to her. Was that healthy? Or creepy? Was he taking advantage of her emotions and kindness towards him by twisting them into this relationship? Was it all in his head?

Finn hated the idea of forcing Aubrey into this after everything that had happened recently. He went to pull away, the guilt becoming too much. To his surprise, though, she gripped him a little harder and her lips pressed on his a little more. Finn relaxed in her grip. Even if it was an emotional, spur-of-the-moment thing, the two were calm and safe in each others' arms. From nightmares to scary movies to bullies, they had often comforted each other here in this very room. Tonight was no different, with their stresses and problems only a little more real than before.

He was beginning to wonder if this kiss would turn into something else, the way she was holding him, but a sudden metallic tang made the two of them finally break apart. Finn licked his lips to taste the blood dripping from his nose, warm and dark. The taste seemed to wake Aubrey up from her stupor and she flew into the bathroom, disappearing fast as a shadow in the light. Finn suddenly felt cold and empty without her presence close to him. He shoulders drooped as he realized what had just happened.

As much as he longed for them to be able to call each other their own, he valued her friendship much more. He'd rather have the latter forever than the former for just a short time. With no on else did the teen share so many memories, stories, and adventures. Had tonight thrown all of that away for good?

She brought him some toilet paper which he took with a cautious hand. He dabbed away the blood still dripping from his nose, the pain becoming more apparent now that his adrenaline was fading away. Aubrey watched him with careful eyes. It seemed her thoughts were churning. Finn stayed quiet to let her think, not making eye contact. Finally she blurted out with a huff of a laugh, I don't know what to say. I don't know what I want.

Finn could have shouted into the void that he loved her, he loved her so much. And so her words struck him to the core. He was so confident, so ready in his feelings. She couldn't reciprocate them, at least not in a way that matched his enthusiasm. Whatever she was battling or wanting instead was stronger than any kind of love she had for him. She tried to explain her thoughts, words tumbling over themselves, but Finn could barely hear over the ringing in his ears. He was such a fool. Why would Aubrey, the ambitious, strong Dauntless warrior, ever waste her time with something like this? It had been stupid of him to pursue such a thing rather than focusing on becoming better, and stronger. She knew her future was up in the air and didn't want to throw it away on him. He understood.

Finn hung his head, fighting back the tears stinging in his eyes.

"I don't know what you've gone through, Aubrey, not completely. I'm sorry for trying to force this on you at a time like this. It's very selfish of me. I mean, I've had these feelings for a little bit now and I, well, guess I couldn't hold them in much longer." His words, for once, were quiet and hesitant as if he were a scared child. "This isn't something we should be worried about right now, yeah? I really value you as my best friend and partner, and if I really respected you, I wouldn't have come on like this and I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. You want to be the best Dauntless you can be and I wholeheartedly support that. We should both be trying for that, honestly, rather than messing around with relationships." It almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her.

"I think you are the least likely person to fail, Aubrey. You are so powerful, smart, and brave, and every initiate looks up to you. I know I've won against you in the past, but I consider those a few lucky times," He gave a small laugh, still not exactly meeting her gaze. "It's selfish of me to put these confusing feelings of mine on you right now. I value you as a friend. I know your goals and from here on I will stop being an obstacle for you. You will pass, Aubrey. I believe in you."

He started to stand, knowing the next day would soon be upon them. Neither was probably going back to sleep at this point. As he got to his feet, Finn lingered a moment longer, his eyes finally meeting hers. In the dim light of the room, one could notice they were shiny with unshed tears.

// Nerdy.

TEMPLATE © BOKEH​

Harper Day

As they awaited the first round of initiates, Harper slowly finished off her breakfast. Ghost had entered the room a little after her, quiet and distant. Still, she noticed his dark eyes were constantly cast her way, often meeting her own or glancing away quickly. Her thoughts, ones she thought she had pinned down, began swirling again. What was he doing? He almost seemed to be pining after her in quite the enthusiastic display. He had never acted like this before towards her, but his announcement yesterday could have had something to do with it, she supposed.

Did he want her to notice? To respond? Her heart battled between scowling at him or simply returning his gaze whenever they met, a decision that used to come easy to her. Now she found much of the aggression she used to have towards the other young man had instead dissipated into curiosity and wonder. What was going on inside that head? She could barely make sense of her own, and for someone as structured and careful as Harper, it was quite the unnerving feeling.

Ghost called them all around to help with some kind of magic trick. Harper had never really believed in magic or mythology; she did, however, believe in Ghosts' slight of hand. He quickly had the three other instructors help him find mysterious 'travelling' cards in each deck, displaying them proudly to the cheering initiates every time he found one. Harper resisted the urge to roll her eyes. For all of his pining early, he sure seemed to just be using her as some kind of show assistant. The young woman tucked the thought away for later.

After he finished up, Ghost began the next day's sessions. Not all of the initiates were here, but that was alright. Harper had a couple to get through, so the chances of one being here and the others trickling in later were good. "Vex?"

// Sanctuaryforall1

TEMPLATE © BOKEH​

 

[Aviator]

Ghost // Male // Age 18 // Training Instructor // Erudite to Dauntless
​

Birds. Jaxom is afraid of… birds? Ghost’s brow furrowed in confusion as he beheld a tempest of beaks and talons and black feathers descending on the tattooed initiate. When Blackwood had solicited Ghost to administer his fear simulation, Ghost hadn’t put up too much of a fight. If Jaxom was determined to try to leverage his knowledge of Ghost’s intimacy with Leah, then there would be no stopping him. Ghost figured it was a pretty good deal if he could at least get an idea of one of Blackwood’s worst fears in the process, and perhaps Ghost could utilize this information at a later date. A secret for a secret. While Blackwood may still have had a slight upper hand, Ghost was significantly closer to breaking even now than if Blackwood had approached him outside of training hours. Secrets were their own special form of currency. When it came to hoarding and spending them at the right time—both his own and those of his opposition—Ghost was a tycoon.
On the monitor, Blackwood continued to fend off the swarm of birds, striking out at them in a blind melee of fists and feet, eyes scrunched shut in rightful fear of them being pecked out. Ghost chewed on a piece of black licorice from the bag he had bought at the arcade with Harper yesterday as he observed the skirmish, scowling quietly. He couldn’t imagine that a fear of birds was particularly common or logical. Perhaps they were symbolic for something? But then again, Jaxom was a thrill-seeker; he didn’t seem the type to sit still long enough to articulate his thoughts in metaphors and abstractions.
Seeing that loss was inevitable, Blackwood ceased trying to strike the birds out of the air and turned and ran for a stout building in the distance. Birds smashed into the door beak-first like a fistful of darts as Blackwood slammed it shut behind himself. In reality, Jaxom’s slumped figure stirred in the reclining leather chair, and Ghost tucked away the meaning of his adversary’s fear simulation for reflection at another time. Blackwood would awaken in a minute, and when he did, Ghost would have more pressing problems. Perhaps it was a result of this morning’s draining adrenaline rush of events, but he felt surprisingly calm in the face of the impending confrontation. Ghost knew that he should have felt nervous, angry, or a combination thereof, because his plan was an insane one. A single wrong move, and the whole of it could come crashing down, a tower of cards burned to cinders. But for whatever reason, he felt almost nothing at all. Just a subtle but firm resolve that he would do whatever it took to win.
Blackwood awoke with a lurch, the tendons in his hands jutting out so that they looked as if they might knife through the skin at any moment. His massive chest rose and fell in great swells, his breathing audible from halfway across the room. Ghost calmly popped another piece of licorice into his mouth as he waited for Blackwood to gather his wits and make the first move. The smallest of tremors raced through Jaxom’s legs as he climbed out of the chair and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Ghost remained where he was, half sitting on and half leaning against the edge of the desk he used for notetaking. His clipboard and green gel pen lay neglected on the maple wood surface; right now there were more important things at stake than Blackwood’s fear simulation time.
Given that Blackwood opened with a statement rather than a direct question, Ghost said nothing in response, neither confirming nor denying the kiss with Leah. There was a distinct possibility that his opponent was recording this conversation, and if Ghost confessed to anything, then it was game over for him. Jaxom continued talking, and sudden anger coiled in the pit of Ghost’s stomach. So it had been Blackwood who’d tipped Charlie off to his and Leah’s private training session yesterday. Ghost wasn’t surprised; on the contrary, he was annoyed with himself for having not deduced as much on his own. But why had Blackwood gone specifically to Charlie with the information? Were Ghost’s affections for her really that transparent to the general public? Or had Charlie just been the first person whom Blackwood had encountered with the power to get Ghost in trouble? Seeing as Maverick had been conspicuously absent from yesterday’s training, there was a one in two probability that Blackwood would have stumbled upon Charlie instead of Harper due to random chance…
“Oh, come on, Blackwood,” Ghost chided in mock disappointment. “Let’s call a spade a spade. You don’t want a deal. You want to pull my strings. You think you can make me your bitch.” He paused and calmly licked at some of the dark sugar coating his lips. Then, unhurriedly, “But you would need some proof of these outrageous claims in order to do that. Which I know you don’t have.” To Ghost’s immense relief, Blackwood did not try to refute this point. The truth was, Ghost hadn’t for sure known that Blackwood didn’t have any solid evidence until just now. Seeing Blackwood’s initial nervousness, Ghost had only inferred as much; someone with proof would have been more confident, because they would have had more bargaining power. But because Jaxom failed to call Ghost on his bluff, Ghost knew his hunch had been correct.
Blackwood’s eyes gleamed maliciously, like a flash of moonlight on an assassin’s blade. He countered that he would just make sure to keep a close eye on Ghost and Leah and get proof the next time. Between bites of licorice, Ghost gave a single sad shake of his head. He chewed leisurely, balled up the now empty bag, and finally said, “There won’t be a next time.” Ghost felt a warning prickle in his chest, and knew that he was skirting an admission of guilt by millimeters. Blackwood leapt on his words, perhaps with the goal of goading Ghost into losing his better judgment in a fit of temper, but Ghost wouldn’t have it. “No. There won’t,” he insisted. He did not elaborate, but his tone brooked no argument. Ghost felt no compulsion to justify himself to Blackwood; his own remembrance of rejecting Leah was enough. Initially, when he had told Leah that he desired only her friendship, Ghost wasn’t sure whether she had heard him. She had retreated behind a stony curtain of control, leaving Ghost to guess whether she was hiding more vulnerable emotions or genuinely didn’t care about his relationship to her. He didn’t know whether to be hurt or relieved by Leah’s seeming apathy.
Not that that mattered at the moment, though. Gradual awareness that Blackwood was staring at him expectantly, as if waiting for Ghost to say more, seeped into him. Ghost cursed his own inattention. Then, letting out a gusty sigh, he looked between the computer and his clipboard again, as if noticing for the first time that he hadn’t yet recorded Jaxom’s score. Ghost tutted lazily as he transcribed the numbers from the screen onto paper. He kept honest about it, not deducting for the initiate’s failed attempt to threaten him. Compared to Blackwood’s personal average, today he had shown considerable improvement, and frankly, Blackwood’s current rank was pathetic enough that Ghost felt denying him this one victory would have been excessive punishment. No wonder he had resorted to half-assedly trying to blackmail Ghost. Jaxom was desperate, and now that they were just past the halfway point of initiation, he was finding himself short on options.
“I don’t dislike you, Blackwood,” Ghost said without looking up from his score sheet. In terms of overall rank, Blair maintained an almost suspiciously high margin of victory. Ghost would have to fix that. He made the executive decision that Blair would undergo a very nasty fear sim today and tank her assessment. Every initiate had one or two bad ones, if not more. “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t want to see you flunk out of initiation. You didn’t quite pull it off, but I admire this little gambit you tried to play here. The problem is, even if I—hypothetically—were guilty of that which you are accusing me, the punishment for embellishing initiates’ scores is far more severe than what I would get for making romantic advances toward a minor. The Dauntless idea of justice is funny like that, I’m afraid.” Ghost paused to allow his words to sink in, and when he continued, there was a touch of dark humor in the movement of his lips. “Be that as it may, I might be willing to take a risk for a reward of equal or greater value. How would you like to make a deal with me?”

* * *​

Ghost made a personal rule of never rushing through anything. Walking and talking fast was a breach of dignity. It betrayed nervousness in the doer, as if they were ashamed of infringing on the time of their betters, who had other, more important things to do and other, more important people to meet. But Ghost knew his worth; he was no one’s burden. So he took his sweet time when it came to playing status games.
However, he did not have such a luxury today. It was Blackwood’s custom to take somewhat longer than the average initiate on his fear sims, but he and Ghost had already whiled away some minutes arguing. If Ghost took too long to explain his plan, then his colleagues might start to suspect something. So he broke character and talked as fast as Blackwood could understand. By the time that Jaxom emerged from the simulation room, he and Ghost had formed a one-time alliance to execute an audacious scheme, at the end of which Jeremy Daniels would supposedly end up dead, Ghost would take his place on the leadership panel, and Blackwood would show a steep learning curve in terms of initiation that resulted in his graduating with flying colors. The first part of their plan would be enacted tomorrow, during Obadiah Parks’s conveniently public birthday bash, which the entire Dauntless upper echelon would be attending, including Daniels. Blackwood would be the trigger man. Ghost would be the accomplice who provided an escape route and tied up loose ends.
Unbeknownst to Blackwood, however, Ghost did not give half a damn about setting himself up on the leadership council. He had had that opportunity once and refused it. The Holy Ghost did not look back once he made up his mind and decided to leave a place. What he cared about was the fact that Jaxom had tried to burn him, and he could not let burns—successful or otherwise—go unavenged. And, if he was being honest with himself, Ghost was irresistibly curious as to what Blackwood would do, now that he had been presented with an out. A terrible, irreversible, monstrous out, but an out nonetheless. If anything, the egregious price of Blackwood’s goal piqued Ghost’s interest all the more. Just because today Jaxom had said that he would go along with Ghost’s proposal didn’t mean that he would have the heart to follow through with it tomorrow, when the chips were down. It wasn’t too late for him to back out.
A minute passed before Ghost followed Blackwood out of the simulation room. Ghost had needed the time to collect his thoughts and slow his thundering heart, and still, he couldn’t decide whether he was the smartest or the dumbest son of a bitch to have ever sucked air. Remembering the dispassionate way that Leah had regarded him yesterday, Ghost rearranged his features into inscrutable nonchalance and strode back into the waiting room. Only a handful of initiates had arrived since he and Blackwood had slunk away together. Ghost didn’t take it personally that they had skipped out on training, but he wouldn’t hesitate to deduct from their current ranks, either. Nerves crowded in his throat when he realized that Blair was among those absent. Had someone other than Ghost caught on to her Divergence and meted out her lawful sentence? Or had Ghost’s last conversation with Blair disturbed her too deeply from coming within a mile radius of him?
As if on cue, while Ghost was debating which initiate to select in place of Blair, Aubrey Stark and Finley Day swaggered into the waiting room, almost fifteen minutes late. They were within an inch of each other’s heights and stepped in such unison that Ghost scowled. He cut a quick glance toward Harper. Just because he was acting the part of her moonstruck swain didn’t mean that her little brother had been given a free pass. If anything, the absurdity of his charade with Harper and the necessity of its continuation made Ghost want to target the person closest to her heart even more. “Finley,” he began coolly, “I was just about to deliver another lecture on the importance of punctuality, but you’ve spared me the trouble. Instead, I shall make a swift example of you. Since you’re fifteen minutes late, an additional fifteen percent of whatever your time is today will be tacked onto your score.” Several initiates exchanged wild-eyed glances with one another, and suddenly the room was abuzz with hushed and deeply scandalized chatter. Ghost felt a vindictive spark of satisfaction. “Stop gaping at me in all your self-righteous indignation and please accompany me to a sim room. I’ve always been curious as to how your sim scores would stack up against your sister’s. Don’t deny me a front-row seat now.”

 

[WanderLust.]

Blair Avalon // Female // Age 16 // Dauntless Born Initiate // Divergent
Interacting With: Christian Nerdy.


Blair had turned at the sound of approaching foot steps. Despite the subtle ringing in her ears that had been plaguing her since Ajax had thrown her into the stairs yesterday, she was still able to recognize the heavy but determined footfalls of her boyfriend. Sleep deprived eyes met those of a boy filled with simultaneous worry and relief. Even though Blair had been sitting by the river for a while, she still hadn't been able to come up with anything to say to Christian to justify her disappearance. She was shocked at the way her body nearly flinched away from his touch, she had to consciously fight her own instincts when he reached for her and grabbed her, pulling her close to his chest. It was then that the blonde finally allowed herself to take a deep breath, burying her nose in his shirt and breathing in his familiar smell. She felt safe, for the first time in a while. It became all too obvious to Blair that Christian's touch was the only gentle touch her body was accustomed to. She woke up every day prepared to fight off blows in training, to deal with needles puncturing her skin for what felt like an endless stream of fear simulations. Her body had been sore from her fight with Ghost yesterday morning, but that felt like nothing compared to how her body ached now from Ajax's beating.

When Blair finally allowed her eyes to drift up to meet Christian's, her body tensed. She knew the second he had a moment to actually look at her, he would notice the bruising and the cuts, the overall lack of sleep and exhaustion that showed on her face, and she knew she was right. His sky blue eyes began to morph into a storm of rage and concern, his eyes flicking over every purple blossom on her skin and angry red gash. She knew he didn't mean to, but as his grip began to tighten, Blair's arm began to burn in protest and she let out a soft whimper of pain. As soon as the noise left her lips, Christian released his grasp. Her stomach churned with uneasiness. She had known this question was coming, who had done this to her? It was inevitable, but as she stared back at Christian she knew she couldn't lie to him. "It doesn't matter Chris..." she trailed off, but she knew that answer would not be sufficient. Taking a deep breath, she motioned towards the ground, her body protesting as she leaned down to sit. She stared out at the water for a moment, remember the day that Christian had pulled her out after she had been shoved in by Indira. Water, it had always been one of Blair's fears.... but she was so so tired of being afraid.

She remembered the day she had taken her aptitude test, she had been so sure that she knew the answer. That when she opened her eyes she would see the word 'dauntless' and that would be that. She was an Avalon, they had been dauntless for generations. Blair did see the word dauntless displayed on the computer screen that day, but it was accompanied by two other, unwelcome words, Erudite and Amity. Over time, she had grown to accept her erudite tendencies. They had been an asset to her from time to time, allowing her to outsmart her opponents if she could not physically over power them. But that pesky amity that remained in her... that was a weakness. Amity was the reason she hadn't fought back against Ajax last night, because she couldn't bare the thought of hurting her own brother. It felt as though her heart was at war with her brain, because even though she knew in her mind that she should've punched Ajax square in the face, her heart had left her there on the floor, merely accepting his blows with tears. Her amity was a weakness that she needed to rid herself of. But, to do that she needed to understand her divergency better, and unfortunately, that meant cooperating with Ghost.

Blair's lower lip stiffened and her eyes hardened as she took another breath, not looking at Christian as she began to speak. "From the day he found out I was divergent, he hated me." She paused, she didn't need to say a name, Christian would know who she was speaking of, would remember the night Ajax had barged into her room to warn Christian that he was fraternizing with an abomination. For a moment, Blair softened as she turned towards her boyfriend, who was only staring back at her with love and concern. "And from the moment you found out you've tried to protect me..." the smallest smile touched her lips. There were times when she had been grateful for Christian's protection, had understood it as a display of affection, but she couldn't rely on him to solve her problems anymore. He had enough on his plate as it was, worrying about his divergent girlfriend didn't need to be added to the pile. Her shoulders rose and fell as she forced herself to take another deep breath. "Christian, I love you..." her hand reached over, her fingers interlocking with his and enjoying the feel of her hand in his. "But you have to promise me, you'll let me handle this on my own. I'm just as dauntless as you... and I can handle myself." her voice was oddly firm, it felt foreign putting her foot down this way, especially with Christian. She hoped that he would understand, and that things could somewhat return to normal now. She hadn't shown an aptitude for Candor, but she knew Christian had, so she had hoped that he would appreciate her honesty at the very least.

Not wanting to talk about the subject any longer, Blair swiftly rose to her feet. She was tired of feeling like a victim. She was a fighter... a survivor. The wind caught her hair gently as it blew off the river. Her ocean eyes stared down at Christian as she held out her hand to help him up, a hopeful smile touching her face. "Come on, we're late for training." She let out a breath of relief when Christian finally, hesitantly, took her hand. Her clearly wasn't happen about what she had told him, she hadn't expected him to be happy. But she hoped that he respected her enough to honor her wishes. Her hand stayed firmly interlocked with his as they made their way towards training, the walk was silent for the most part, but it was a comfortable silence. As they grew closer towards the testing area, Blair yanked her white hood up over her head, hoping that it would dissuade anyone from looking at her face long enough to notice the marks and bruises. She kept her head down as her and Christian headed towards an empty bench on the side wall, all of the instructors must have been with other initiates because there was nobody there to scold them for their tardiness.

The pair sat down together on the bench, Blair resting her head on Christian's shoulder. It was only then that she began to realize how truly exhausted she was. She wondered if it showed. Minutes passed, her chest peacefully rising and falling as she leaned into Chris, he was the only person she allowed herself to feel vulnerable with. Her eyelids were growing heavy and were just about to shut when someone called Christian's name. Blair's eyes flicked open as Chris slowly stood. She gave him a reassuring, but tired smile as she squeezed his hand. "I love you...Good luck." She whispered to him gently, Chris smiled back at her before walking away towards one of the simulation rooms. Finally, Blair leaned her head back against the wall, her white hood shadowing her bruised cheek, split lip, and the dark circles under her eyes. The muffled sounds of indistinct chatter and nervous footsteps slowly began to fade into background noise, and Blair's eyelids were once again feeling too heavy to keep open. She must've drifted off to sleep, because her eyes did not open again until she was roused by the sound of someone calling her name.



​

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Randi

Mood: Concerned

Location: Hospital

Interactions: Mav

She wasn’t sure what drew her from the depths of her dreams but whatever it was she found herself feeling grateful for it. As her light jade gaze fluttered open and adjusted to the lights flooding in through the window blinds, she spotted a familiar face looking at her from the foot of her bed. A friendly smile pulled at her naturally pouty lips when her eyes locked on Mav’s though she had to admit she was confused as to why he was here. Certainly news of her condition hadn’t spread that much yet, and if it did wouldn’t Poppy or Blair be here before Mav? She was certain something more must be going on and did her best to sit up, only wincing a bit at the pain in her gut when she moved.

Hearing Mav’s comment about not being qualified for performing surgery earned the handsome young instructor a soft, yet genuine, chuckle from the blonde as she did her best to not upset her wound. “That’s a shame.” She replied giving him a wink. “The dauntless girl have been wondering if you know your way around a body, I guess we have our answer.” She added, returning his joke with one of her own. As she continued trying to sit up a bit straighter, she winced again and felt a pull at one of her stitches. It seemed that at the same time she winced Mav took a step closer; he was very attentive it seemed, and Randi could tell by the look in his stormy blue eyes that he was worried about her.

His inquiry into how she ended up here instantly sent a bolt of caution through Randi. She didn’t want the story of last night getting out and risk getting Ghost in trouble for something she dragged him into. Even if he did accidentally get carried away it was still her fault that he was there in the first place. She also knew that getting stabbed in the gut was honestly a better turn of events than what would have happened had he never shown up in the first place. Quirking her eyebrow, the fiery blonde gave the handsome young instructor a concealing smirk. “I could ask you the same thing, young man.” She shot back with a hint of teasing to her tone.

Her teasing and smirk dropped the moment she registered his expression and heard his next words. Instantly her heart broke for Mav as she realized he was here to identify the corpse of his own brother. Her mouth opened slightly as she tried to think of something, anything, that she could say at this moment but for once Randi was speechless. She had experienced her own share of personal and familial loss but never like this, never did she have to come and identify the body of someone she loved. As she thought about it she realized that if the night's events had been different then Freight would have been accompanying Mav to the morgue to identify her corpse. As she finally found her words, she opened her mouth again but before she could utter them Mav was straightening his broad shoulders and looked stiff, like some odd doll. He then muttered something about needing to go and told her to feel better. With that he was gone, the sounds of his footsteps disappearing down the hallway.

Instantly Randi knew something wasn’t right. With the look in his eyes, the way he left so quickly, Mav wasn’t in the right headspace to be off on his own. Knowing that she was likely the only person who knew what was going on and betting that Mav wasn’t going to go off and tell others what happened led her to fear only the worse. In a heartbeat, the young blonde was gasping in pain as she repositioned herself on the hospital bed so that her feet were free of the blankets and swung over the edge of the bed. Carefully Randi ripped the IV from her arm and placed her fingers over the bloody needle spot for several seconds before she finally ripped a piece of her medical gown and tied it over where the IV had been. With a hiss of pain, she got dressed in her bloody clothes from the night before, grabbing the dark flannel Thorn had used to put pressure on her wound so she could cover her white and blood redshirt a bit. Luckily the flannels fabric was dark enough that the blood was harder to see. If she had more time, she would have looked for better clothing options but for now, she hissed and winced as her weakened body got dressed as quickly as it could, and she took off out the door.

Doing her best to avoid any hospital staff or basically, anyone at all the petite blonde snuck down the hall to the closest exit she could find. She prayed to anyone listening that it was a safe exit to take as she pushed, needing to use more effort than usual, and slid through the door. Luckily no alarms went off and she was able to sneak out and down to an ally where she thought she spotted Mav standing in front of a car. His hands were balled into fists, and he was breathing heavily as he looked at the car which was going off as though someone were trying to steal it. For a second it looked like he was about to punch again but came to a sudden stop. Randi watched with bated breath to see what would happen as she leaned against a metal crate, partially for support and partially to hide herself from sight. In the blink of an eye Mav suddenly turned and started walking down the street, seemingly dead set on a certain path. Scrambling weakly to her feet Randi did her best to follow from a distance, concern growing in her soul as she watched him charge on ahead of her.

WanderLust.

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[xayah.]

LEAH YOUNG

erudite to dauntless | 16 | initiate​

Standing near the back of the room, as she always did whenever the initiates were required to assemble for training, Leah watched as the other initiates filed in for the day's activity. Unlike them, she had skipped breakfast, a habit retained from days of endless studying to be top of her class, and came in alone as always. It had never bothered Leah before, since making friends was never her forte nor her goal in whatever she was doing, but today, it was the only thing she could focus on at the moment. Each person that filed into the room after her either came with their group or immediately floated towards one after entering. They just never floated in her direction.

Not that that realization affected her... outwardly at least. Her face remained as gracefully serene as usual even in the presence of extremely intrusive thoughts. Almost two decades of composure training and lessons in how to act in public were practically engraved into her soul at this point. She expected them to be embedded in Ferris' body as well, but an observation of his actions during the past few weeks were proving otherwise. And now... Leah watched as a visible wave of initiates moved from their positions closer towards the instructors' area. The crowd was roused in irregular intervals, cheering on the focus of all their attention and becoming the loudest group in the entire hall.

At the center of it all was Ferris, displaying the most basic of card tricks for everyone to see. It was nothing to get worked up over, if you were observant enough it would be simple to explain, and yet he was being lauded as if he was a supernatural phenomenon, blessed with abilities no other human could possess. A great amount of his loudest supporters were girls, oohing and aahing with enough fervor to inflate even the egos of the most insecure people. Leah couldn't help rolling her eyes as Ferris soaked in all of the attention. Something about the way he soaked in all the attention from his adoring fans, many female, with such an overused trick—somewhat reminiscent of a frat boy using the same pickup line on multiple people since it worked once—left a sour taste in her mouth. He had just recently trespassed across the line Leah set up for herself to keep him as distant as possible before drawing his own, and poor Charlie was wrapped around his finger. It would be a fantastic plot for a play if the three of them were actors and not living, breathing people with real emotions at stake.

Speaking of Charlie, Leah snapped out of the sourness brooding inside her and turned her head towards the medic turned temporary instructor. Her name had been the first to leave the medic's lips in it's characteristic sweet and sing-song tone. Leah walked over calmly, a picture perfect portrait of composure that completely did not reflect her internal apprehensiveness. After all, Charlie had been the one to walk in on her private training session with Ferris. How she had found out, Leah had yet to uncover, but that didn't distract from the fact that their awkward encounter was still fresh in her mind.

And that awkwardness seemed to linger in the air during the pair's walk to the simulation testing room. Even as Leah mentally prepared herself to be injected with the serum, the only words said between the two was the brief disclosure of what today's training was about. Truthfully, Leah didn't see Charlie as a rival, much less a love rival. She didn't have the fluttering heart, goosebumps on the skin sensation whenever she saw Ferris; it was more akin to how distant family feel about one another—connected but rarely friends, much less acquaintances—granted distant family don't kiss, but if the sweet, compassionate medic wanted him, she could have him with no competition.

Leah's indifference to the matter was the last thought on her mind as she felt the slight pinch of the needle. And without a clue about what happened before she opened her eyes, all she saw facing her down was the barrel of a gun.

interacting with: Charlie Nerdy.

 

[Nerdy.]

Charlotte "Charlie" Stark || 20 || Medic || Dauntlessborn

Charlie was surprised at Ghost's acceptance of the dinner proposal set out by her mother. It was something she had been secretly hoping for but had already resigned herself to hearing his refusal, as oft happened. However his acceptance caused her heart to burst, and the smile that lit upon her face was unlike any other, in fact it surpassed so that it almost hurt her cheeks from how happy it made her. This happiness and elation was soon distilled though, as Ghost reeled away from Charlie's small show of affection, she thought she was being slow and un-invasive, a small kiss on the cheek, and she would have retreated further from him quickly, in fact she did, but he retreated like the kiss had been a burning coal and she had just burned his cheek. Why? Why did he always do that? Charlie couldn't help but take it a bit personally, once or twice if he did it out of shock, surprise or as he stated now, "not being ready", she could maybe believe. But Ghost reeled away from her small displays of affection frequently, and Charlie was almost out of the self-confidence to initiate them. She was confused to why he would spend hours with her, why he would even kiss her much more passionately than she had just done, and then reel away when she did what could hardly be called a kiss. She took a small yet deep breath and tried to hide the hurt within her. If he truly disliked those displays of affection, she would set out to never do them again. If that is what he wished. He was the only one she wanted to do them with, but that was okay if he didn't want to, she recalled how she used to wish Caspian would stop kissing her, or stop touching her. Therefore she resolved herself to allow Ghost his space, even if it hurt her deeply to do so.

The initiates were almost nowhere to be seen, it was well past the beginning of training but people had seemed to take too much time to themselves the day beforehand, and were trickling into the training area like a dripping pipe. Once there were enough to talk to, Ghost made a show out of card tricks, while Charlie continued watching the children pouring in, no sign of Aubrey or Finn, Randi was gone too, Christian and Blair seemed absent also. Charlie licked her chapped lips, and tapped her fingers on her hip quickly, finally when Ghost was finished, the training was able to begin, and Charlie called in Leah. She was acutely reminded of the situation they had been in the day before, when Charlie had seemingly burst in on Leah and Ghost's time in the simulation room. That had been what had led to their argument, and that weighed heavily on Charlie's mind. Bringing up Caspian's abuse on her when she was so young, had brought many memories that she had hidden in her mind, and she wished to dig them back into their graves where they belonged. Caspian was her bestfriend still, now and forever, even if he was a roaring stupid drunk sometimes who was ruining his own life. She loved him like a brother, and always would. Regardless of a painful past. But that was not Leah's fault, in fact Charlie knew it was unfair of her to hold anything against one of the initiates, for it was Ghost she had been upset at, and not Leah. The two hardly spoke however, and Charlie simply administered the serum and stood back, watching the scene play out.

It was fast. Terribly fast, but as normal as normal could be. Leah was awake in almost no time at all, and Charlie frowned as she looked at the score. She was glad for the girl, but she was suspicious of Ghost's help in the matter, and wondered if Leah would surpass everyone because of that. She still felt it unfair that Ghost played favorites, but she could not stop him, nor did he listen to her very often, so she would not make a fuss about it. Instead she simply turned to Leah and smiled brightly. "Leah that time was incredible, this will bring you up in rankings quite significantly I believe. You are free to go, though I imagine nobody else will be finished quite yet. Well done." Charlie said, as she opened the door to let Leah leave, and readied the room for her next initiate, whoever that might be. She was not suspicious about Leah being divergent at all, from what she could tell Leah was an Erudite to her core, and was simply applying logic and reason to her environments in order to succeed, and it seemed to be working for her. Charlie knew that the fear serums played on many different fears in your mind, your worst nightmares, your mild fears, fears you didn't even know you had. She had never figured that out, why and how it chose your fears, but it was an interest to her. Charlie had the room ready for another as she exited the training room, just in time to hear Ghost calling Finn's name. Charlie was suddenly hit with a deep, sweat inducing fear. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge, and an image of Finn's body at the bottom of the chasm caused a genuine shiver to creep up her back. She knew she had to cut in before Ghost could get in Finn's head and watch his simulation. She felt oddly obliged to be protecting Finn in this manner, even from Ghost, whom she dearly trusted... for most things that was. She trusted him, but she was also beginning to paint a picture of him, and that picture was one that could plausibly send someone like Finn to the headman's block. She knew her throat was dry and her lips chapped from nervousness, but she steeled herself anyway. "Ghost? I hope you don't mind but I had actually already told Finn that I would administer his fear sim today." She immediately knew that Ghost would not let this drop, as his eyes flew upon her like a raven looking for its next meal. She swallowed nervously and continued before he could interrupt her. "I will add on the fifteen percent don't worry, you'll have to wait slightly longer to compare Harper's time with Finn's. Come along Finn." Charlie knew that Ghost would not swallow her reasoning nor her insistence quietly, and she anticipated a conversation about it later. Yet she had talked so fast just now that Ghost had had no time to respond, and she was already walking back to the simulation room with Finley. She was almost visibly shaking - standing up to Ghost was not something she did often, at least in public, and she was terrified of the idea. It had chilled her to the bone.

"Finn, I don't think I can do that another time or Ghost will ask so many questions that my answers will be irrelevant and not believed." She said as she closed the door firmly, and led Finn to his chair. "I just want you to have one more go in a safe environment, with me, before you try with the other instructors. Ghost, Harper... Bloom or Maverick, I'm not sure how they feel about... well.." Charlie licked her lips and motioned to Finn. "You know what. I just want to make sure you can hide it, so... please try your hardest to pretend that the simulation is real. I don't know how it feels personally, but try to get out without making me know that you're aware of the simulation. Thank goodness you have Ghost's punishment, it will actually make the leaders of Dauntless less likely to suspect you of D... well... let's just get started shall we?" Charlie waited till Finn was comfortable and then injected the serum into him, then standing at the screen watching expectantly and nervously.

Interacting with: Ghost Aviator Leah xayah. Finn Baratheon

Aubrey Amber Stark || 16 || Initiate || Dauntlessborn

The words that really surprised Aubrey above all the others that Finn spouted. Was that he had felt these feelings for a while. He likes me. The thought sent a shiver down her spine and she hugged her arms to hopefully not show that it gave her goosebumps to hear him say that. To be liked, to be loved, to be appreciated, to be cared for. All girls desired this, Aubrey imagined, and she had always known that Finn loved her. They had always acted like siblings, like twins almost. But now, that image was falling apart, and she stared at him in a new light. Had Finn always had such a manly jaw shape? Had his hair always swooped so gorgeously over his forehead? Had his eyes always been so devoutly staring at her? With such emotion and desire? A blush formed on Aubrey's cheek. She hardly heard the rest of Finn's words, but she could hear the sound of his voice was sad, hurt even, and she felt that put on her. She had hurt him by pushing him away. But she had to! They couldn't do this now, not when they were so close to finishing initiation, what they had always dreamed of. After that... of course they could... maybe try something new. Like kissing again, something Aubrey could still feel on her lips. But right now that would be a distraction from their goal, a stumbling block. A really, really, really nice looking stumbling block. A really soft pillow of a stumbling block. Which was even worse. Aubrey felt a tug on her heart, it seemed to say that one way or another, her heart was going to break without Finn, or without that Dauntless leadership and coming up on top. Was that a bad thing that she desired? She had never in her life suspected that it was bad to aim so high and believe you can hit it. That was everything Dauntless stood for! So no it wasn't bad. But was it bad to stop things so abruptly with Finn? While she came to the conclusion it wasn't bad, her heart told her otherwise, as it squeezed reluctantly at her decision.

Finn believed she would come out on top. That was enough. She smiled at him, a soft, Charlie like smile, as she took his hand to stand with him. They were oddly quiet as they left the house and slowly made their way to training. They didn't rush, instead they walked quietly and slowly, their hands bumped twice while they walked, their fingers sliding together until the both of them shoved their hands in their pockets, to stop that rush from the contact. It was so awkward. Aubrey kept her eyes high, looking at the ceiling and counting the number of lights she saw, as well as the marks on the ceiling that were made from who knows what. Whereas she could see out of her peripheral that Finn was looking down, the two of them almost resistant to looking at each other, though each of them stole glances of each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Except right before the entered the training room, the two finally made eye contact, and Aubrey blushed again under the warm stare of Finn. She held out her hand, an invitation for a handshake. "Truce? For now? We can... maybe pick this back up later? Over drinks? Or coffee?" Aubrey felt her skin grow cold. Had she just asked him on a date??? What had happened to leaving this behind and pursuing her goal. She mentally scolded herself but did not withdraw the invitation. They went on "dates" all the time, so this was no different. Not at all. She bit her lip as she waited for Finn to shake her hand, and was finally able to let out her breath she had been holding when he did. The two smiled at each other half heartedly before entering the training room. IT was evident that they were late. Quite late in fact. So late that Ghost immediately called them out for it. Aubrey scowled at him, as he spoke to Finn, saying that to make a show of not being late Finn would be demoted points. It was odd when Charlie came and said she had already arranged to do Finn's fear sim. Aubrey had been with FInn all of the day before, and all of this morning. When had Charlie arranged this? How strange. She gave Finn a smile and a soft punch to the shoulder, before looking around for someone to stand with. She noticed that Blair was finally back, Christian had just been called to go to his sim, so Aubrey made her way over to Blair. "Hi Blair. It's good to see you..." Although Blair and Aubrey knew each other well enough, they had never been BFF's, or girlfriends or even that close. But Aubrey knew her well enough to trust in her company. She sat down beside her and chewed at her bottom lip, nervously thinking about what she was going to do about all the feelings she had to do with Finn. One part of her urged her to speak to Blair about it, the other told her that if she kept quiet they would go away and disappear. Aubrey sighed as she leaned her head on her knees and waited for her turn to get called up.

Interacting with: Finn Baratheon Blair WanderLust.

Christian "Chris" Parks || 16 || Initiate || Dauntlessborn

The tall Dauntless boy felt fire rage through his veins when Blair tried to shake away the importance of the obvious abuse she had been through. Christian would have yelled at her that she was being stupid for saying so, but he would never raise his voice at her, at least never on purpose, never when he was in control of his mind and his body. He instead grated his teeth together and simply sat with her, waiting for her to tell him what had happened. Finally he got his answers, but his blood went cold as he knew exactly who it was she was talking about. Ajax. Her brother. The bastard. Chris balled his hands into fists, breathing harshly through his nose and clenching his jaw so hard he felt like it might pop right out of his face. How could Ajax hit Blair? So hard to make her bruise and bleed? The bastard deserved to die, to be beaten so badly he couldn't move, to be beaten senseless, to be put in hospital for everything he had done to Blair. Christian had been in some serious fights with Asher, and with Phillip. It had gotten so bad that he had nearly killed Phillip before in a fit or rage. But Chris had never laid a hand on his sisters, nor had he ever hurt a girlfriend like that. He knew he had been rough with Blair in the midst of a fiery passion, but he had never hit her. He knew he had pushed Aubrey into the river, but that had been an accident and he had immediately saved her. Plus back then he had only been on those awful drugs, and now he had more control over his own brain. Over his body. He could hear Blair asking him to promise not to do anything, but Chris could not. He could not lie to her. He knew that if he saw Ajax's face he would immediately blow up and try to take him out. He couldn't stop himself. "I can't promise that Blair. But I will try not to come into contact with him, for your sake. But if I see him...." Chris stopped himself from saying something awful, and simply took a deep breath, pulling Blair in close to him and breathing in the scent of her hair. She didn't want him to hurt Ajax, but Chris wanted to protect Blair with all his might. He knew his limits, and he would be honest with Blair about them. He would avoid Ajax, but he would not promise to not protect his girlfriend.

When Blair finally suggested they make a move and finally go to training, he accepted, and they walked to training at a leisurely pace. He cared not about being late, he cared not about his scores today. All he cared about was his girlfriend's wellbeing. And he was simply glad to have her with him. From the moment he reached her that morning at the river, he had not let go of her. He was touching her in some way, holding her hand, her shoulder, pressing her against his chest or his side, he was determined to not let her go unless he was forced to. She was his and he would keep her safe. He knew that she wanted to look after herself. She said she was just as Dauntless as him. From the little he knew about divergency, he knew that in reality she was more Dauntless than he was, he was, from his aptitude test, Candor. He valued honesty, justice, truth, integrity. Bravery was something that he simply had from the family he'd been brought up in, and from the side effects of the hormones that triggered his bursts of anger. In fact most of his life he had spent with no emotion at all, a grey lump of mass that simply had no wish for anything. But ever since he had taken those drugs that Ghost had given him so long ago.... well he was a new man. He had emotions that were good, and he didn't blow up in anger as often. He still felt his emotions too strongly, sometimes so strongly he couldn't control himself, but it wasn't always anger anymore. He was glad for that, even if his new found addiction meant he was dying. Quickly.

Christian and Blair had barely had a minute to themselves when Christian's name was called by Bloom. Chris was surprised to see the woman there. When had she become an instructor? He recalled seeing her at the bar the night before. He leaned over Blair and kissed her on the forehead, whispering to her that he would be back to sit with her, or wait for her if she was already in a sim when he got out. He stood up and walked over to Bloom, finding that he looked down at the gentle trainer slightly, as he towered over most people. She smiled as she led him into her simulation room, and Christian was quick to follow. He wanted to finish as soon as possible so that he could go back to comforting Blair. Every second away from her felt like fire, and in fact the fire felt like it was burning his chest and throat. Christian felt his body begin to rack with coughs a little as he finally entered Bloom's room. He covered them quickly, swallowing down the sweet tasting bile that had risen up in his throat. Christian waved away Bloom's concern. "Don't worry, I just forgot to take some meds, I will take them after this." He said honestly, his voice a bit courser than it had been before. He sat down in his chair as he watched Bloom. "I believe that Charlie has given you a specific serum for me? I'm unfortunately allergic to the main serums." Bloom confirmed that Charlie had in fact readied a serum with Christian's name on it, and Christian was glad. He hated when he came out of every simulation sick, and would spend the rest of the day sick. He sat back on the chair and allowed Bloom to prick his skin and insert the cool liquid of the serum, as his eyes closed in awaiting his nightmare.

----

"Blair?! Blair??!!!! BLAIR!!!!!" Christian ran around the Avalon's massive house, his voice rough and sore from the screaming. Blair had called him to the house to tell him something important, and he had come, but it was empty. Knowing what she had told him already, Christian's suspicions that Ajax had hurt her were soaring sky high, and he found himself running up and down the Avalon's house screaming Blairs name. That was when he saw Blair's kitten, it was on one of the steps of the main staircase, it's body disfigured and squished as if... as if someone... Christian realized oh too late that he had squished the poor kitten in his hurry to find Blair. Christian froze, and as if magical, Blair appeared on the stairs right then, her eyes glued to her kitten. The sound that came out of her throat was almost inhuman, as she bent down to cradle the disfigured animal in her arms. "Blair..." Christian felt his voice break. He had hurt her... he had killed her kitten. Blair immediately began to run and Christian followed her. "Blair please stop! It was an accident! I'm so sorry! Blair!!!" Christian ran to her door as it slammed in his face. He began to slam on it with his fist, knocking so hard. Tears poured down his face as he realized the truth of his murder of her kitten. He could hear her sobbing in her room. He began to apologize when he realized he could hear another sound, in between Blair's sobs she was yelping in pain, and there was the sound of contact upon her body. Christian's fear rocketed at that point. He began to knock harder on the door, trying the handle but to no avail. He began to run down the hallway, and to slam his body into the door. "BLAIR!!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, oddly feeling blood trickle down his throat as he did so. He didn't know how long it took, but eventually his body broke through the seemingly unbreakable door and he fell into Blair's room. She was nowhere to be found, but Ajax stood there smiling maliciously and Christian didn't even hesitate. He ran at Ajax, slamming the boy into the wall as he began to pummel him into the wall so hard that it began to crack. Ajax's face continued to smile and Christian hit him harder.

That was when he Christian noticed the broken glass and the window that was shattered. Had Ajax thrown Blair out the window? Chris screamed in rage as he threw Ajax to the side, running to the window to check if Blair was in fact at the bottom. Instead all he could see was what appeared to be her tv, shattered on the ground, as if someone had thrown it out the window. Chris turned around as he heard a footstep, and he swung with all his might, only to realize a second too late that instead of Ajax being behind him, it had been Blair. Chris tried to stop his fist, but the momentum and rage inside him couldn't be stopped that quickly, and his fist buried itself into her chest, and her face contorted in pain as she was sent flying into the wall, her body cracking like the sound of an egg as it hit it. Dropping lifelessly to the ground. Christian froze again as he realized what he had done. His body pale and shaking he ran to Blair, lifting her up, only to find lifeless grey eyes staring up at him. "No... No no no... Blair!!!! Blair!!!" Christian could feel his heart beating so hard he felt it would explode. He began to perform CPR on the lifeless body, but nothing was happening. Tears streamed down his face, but he continued, for what seemed like eternity. He didn't stop until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Surrounding him was everyone he held dear. His dad. His brothers and sisters. The Avalon family. Poppy. Randi. The instructors. His friends. Christian saw them all point at him and stare, murmuring amongst themselves. Christian looked back at Blair and he simply collapsed on her body, defeated, crying and shaking like a small boy. There was only one option.

Christian stood up, and walked to Obadiah, he pulled the gun out of his side arm and gave it to Ajax. "Please." Was all he had to say, as the boy smiled maliciously and raised the gun, shooting Chris in the head.

---

Christian sat up from the chair with a gasp that racked his body. He heaved for breath, his mouth filled with blood, his head raging with pain, his heart hammering in his chest. He barely heard Bloom as the boy fell off the chair, tears still streaming from his eyes as he let the coolness of the floor soak through his sweaty body, and heaved breaths of sweet yet bloody tasting air. He knew that it was a sim. Now. But it had been so real. He had killed Blair. That was his worst fear. That he would lose control and hurt her... those lifeless eyes. He felt his body rack with sobs as he came to terms with the fact that he had killed her in his simulation. And he knew he just wanted to see her, but also a part of him didn't want to. It didn't want to see her and remember the life draining out of her body. He felt bile rise up in his chest and he reached for the bin, heaving into it. What came out was mostly blood and bile, and Christian knew he was late for his dose of Lull. He needed it badly if he was going to survive the day. His body was cold but sweating, and although his tears had stopped he had streaks down his face and red eyes. He looked like a mess. He looked at Bloom, he could tell from her face that what she had seen had been atrocious, and yet there was compassion in her eyes, she didn't think him a monster did she? Was he a monster? Did he simply need to be taken out by someone like Ajax? She asked if he was okay, or if he needed Charlie. He shook his head, "I just need to get my meds. I'll be fine." His voice was rough, hoarse and pained him to speak. She nodded solemnly, simply letting him know that his score was not very good today, and he nodded, not surprised, before leaving when she dismissed him. Although he had promised to go back to Blair, he couldn't in this state, so he ran. His body pumped itself back full of adrenaline as he ran to the infirmary. He knew Charlie had a stash of Lull in here just for him. So he grabbed it, and immediately threw it back, waiting a few moments as it finally set in.

As he sat in the infirmary alone. He let himself cry just one more time. As the pain subsided in his throat and the throbbing in his chest and head gave way to a buzzy, fuzzy, warm and delightful sensation. He stopped crying, and wiped his face of tears and sweat. He composed himself and began to breathe again. He was ready to go back to Blair now. He began to walk quickly back to the training room, and looked around for Blair. It seemed that she had been called in for her simulation however, and he sighed, wishing to hold her live body next to his, instead, he saw Poppy and Fable, and walked over to them quickly, hoping for a distraction from the simulation he had just gone through. He was sure he still looked a mess, disheveled hair, and pale, he was slowly starting to feel better however, and he smiled a small smile to the two. Poppy immediately offered him some coffee and food and Christian thankfully accepted it, downing it almost in one go, his body craving sustenance.

Interacting with: Blair WanderLust. Bloom and Fable Sanctuaryforall1 Poppy Wolfiee
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[WanderLust.]

Maverick Maddox // Male// 18// Dauntless Born // Instructor
Interacting With: Randi Sanctuaryforall1

Ash. It was a name that Maverick had not responded to in quite some time, an entire life that he had quite honestly almost forgotten. He had been born Maverick Maddox, another strapping, young, male heir to the notorious Maddox family. His father had been a prideful man, his mother a resilient woman, his brother had been his idol. Sure, Maverick had taken his fair share of beatings, but at least he had had somewhere to sleep at night, food in his belly, a roof over his head. That was, until he quite literally burned it all down. That was a burden he would carry for the rest of his life. He had been only been only a child, but he had never allowed his naivety to excuse his actions. His parents were dead because of him, as abusive and cruel as his father had been, the young Maverick had never meant to kill anybody... had he? At the very least... he hadn't mean to kill is mother. She had always been kind to him. And Caspian? Maverick wouldn't ever have purposefully endangered his brother. Yet, the Maddox family mansion was now just a pile of ash. With Caspian gone... Maverick was once again completely alone in the world.

Ash had never had anyone. He had been created from nothing, an alias spawned entirely from Maverick's imagination. When he had first taken on the identity, Maverick had dyed his hair blonde in an attempt to further conceal his identity, but he shouldn't have bothered. The dauntless found in the pits were hardly the kind of company you would find on the streets near the Maddox Mansion. The two worlds, while in the same faction, rarely collided. So now, as Maverick slunk through the shadows of an all too familiar crowd, he knew that he would be recognized, not as Maverick, but as Ash. That was the name he had just written on the fighting roster after all. He was sure there would be more than a few unsavory characters that would be all too excited to get in the ring with him to settle a few bets. This was how he used to feed himself, how he used to pay for a bed to sleep in. He fought for every scrap he had, and he had the marks to prove it. Ash had been quite the fighter down here in the pits, and had earned the accompanying reputation. He stood silently in a cheering crowd, watching in the ring as two shirtless, burly men grappled at each other. One was bleeding profusely from a cut above his eyebrow. Maverick had never seen either of the men before, but the second he saw the one of the left teetering unstably, he knew who his opponent would be.

The bearded man hit the floor with a sickening thud that screamed concussion. A loud bell dinged signifying the man on the right had won the fight and a small framed girl with purple hair joined him in the ring. She was wearing heels that made her look about a half a foot taller than Maverick suspected she actually was, and a top so cropped it hardly left anything to the imagination. She looked vaguely familiar, and the name Victoria came to mind. Perhaps Maverick had spent a night with her before... would he even remember? So many of his nights down here had been spent in a drunken haze he had tried so hard to forget. With a smirk, Victoria grabbed the winner's hand, lifting it into the air and the crowd erupted into more cheers for the victor. Evidently, this guy was a fan favorite. No sooner was the loser dragged out of the ring mumbling gibberish than the purple haired girl was shouting into the sea of faces. "Ladies and gentleman, we have a brave soul out there tonight! A challenger..." More blood thirsty cheers, these people wanted violence, and Maverick was ready to give it to them. "Taking on our victor, Valcon, we have....." she squinted in the light, obviously trying to read Maverick's scribbled handwriting from her clipboard. "Ash!?" She paused, looking out into the crowd for him. So he did know her. "Let's give Ash a warm welcome back!" Maverick was in the process of pulling his black leather jacket off when the crowd began thundering all over again, repeating his name in a slow and steady rhythm, like a war chant, they wanted blood.

As Maverick stepped up into the ring, he squinted, his eyes adjusting to the light. He visibly jerked his head to both sides, cracking his neck, attempting to loosen his body for the fight that was about to ensue. Valcon, his opponent, was a large man with caramel colored skin and eyes so dark they were almost black. He was covered in tattoos and had a nasty looking scar on his bare chest. Not to mention he had a few inches on Mav, and looked to be about fifty pounds heavier. His game was strength, so Maverick's would have to be speed. Victoria, or Vicky as she liked to be called, gave Maverick a flirty wink as she sauntered passed him on her way out of the ring. "It's good to see you again, Ashy, let's get a drink later." She purred. Maverick didn't notice her, he was in a place he had not been in a long time. His head was filled with rage, he needed someone to blame for Caspian's death. He needed to hit something, scream, do anything he could so that he would stop seeing red everywhere he looked. By the time the bell dinged, Maverick's chest had begun to heave with anticipation, and like a shot fired from a gun, he lunged forward. His fist collided with the throat of his opponent, who coughed and wheezed in response. Maverick was quick to spin around to the left, guarding his flank incase Valcon recovered quicker than expected.

Their deadly dance ensued, Maverick was constantly dancing just out of reach of Valcon's blows, moving with a speed he hadn't utilized in far too long. It was a pretty standard fight, until the dark skinned man came around Maverick's back, simply throwing his weight onto him elbows first. Maverick tumbled forward, the wind knocked out of him as his chest hit the ground, the 200+ pounds on top of him refusing to budge. For a moment, Maverick allowed himself to look out into the crowd, his vision blurry and his ears ringing as he struggled to regain his breath. This man was literally crushing him, he let out a gasp, fighting for air as he peered out into the crowd. Grey eyes stared back at him, but he knew it wasn't real. Caspian wasn't out there in the crowd cheering for him. He would never see his brother again so why did his mind insist on playing these cruel tricks on him. The rage came bubbling up in his chest again, Caspian was gone and there was nothing Maverick could do about it. Gone... Gone... Gone...

He didn't know at what point he had managed to twist his body, how he had ended up on top of Valcon. It was all a blur... a rage induced blur and his fist slammed towards the ground. Thud. Caspian was dead. Thud. Someone had murdered him. Thud. Maverick couldn't save him. Thud. Maverick couldn't save anyone. Thud. Maverick let out an angry scream, his throat scratchy, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as he reeled back for another punch. That was when he noticed that Valcon was no longer fighting him, his opponent's body was limp beneath him. At some point in his rage, Maverick must have punched him so hard he knocked him out... and he had just kept hitting him. He couldn't stop himself, it was like he wasn't even in his own body. When reality once again came crashing down on him, he stood up so quickly he made himself dizzy. He looked around, expecting some sort of retaliation for his brutality, but the dauntless of the pits didn't care. They lived for this blood and violence. Maverick's ears were ringing as he stumbled backwards, the crowds cheering growing louder and louder as he saw Vicky approaching him with a seductive grin. She reached for his hand, ready to hold it up to declare him the winner, but before she could, Maverick brushed past her.

"Hey! Where are you going?" she pouted, noises of confusion rising from the crowd. Maverick didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care. He was going away from here. He didn't know what had just happened to him. Caspian had been dead less than 24 hours and yet Maverick had already seen him twice, like his brothers ghost was haunting him. He grabbed his jacket from the ground, swiftly pulling it back on to cover the blood that now stained his white shirt. He didn't know if it was his own blood or Valcon's, but it didn't matter, he would have to trash the shirt now anyways. As he made his way further from the ring, he found it easier to disappear into the crowd than ever. In less than sixty seconds the next fight was starting, more blood to satisfy the pits need for gore. The crowd returned to its normal low rumble, but something seemed amiss. "Don't touch me!" a girls voice snapped with a fire that sounded too familiar. Maverick cocked an eyebrow, slowly making his way closer to the crowd. Somebody was starting quite the commotion, and had caught the attention of a few men that reeked of alcohol. A flash of blonde hair and Maverick couldn't help but inch closer, shoving his way past the crowd to get to the source of the noise.

When he was close enough to recognize the girl on the ground, gravity itself could not have stopped Maverick. His arm lurched out to grab the nape of one of the mens' shirts. Dragging him backwards, Maverick inserted himself into the middle of the growing circle. "What the fuck is your problem, asshole?" Maverick snarled, his fist pulled back, ready for another punch. Immediately, another one of the men tried to grab onto Mav, attempting to help out his friend, but Maverick whirled around, his bloodied knuckles threatening another blow as he took a step forward, now standing squarely between the blonde on the ground and the three men. "You touch her again and I'll kill you." Maverick growled, his threat hanging in the air. It seemed to be enough to get the three men to move on their way, clearly not wanting to risk ending up like Valcon. Maverick slowly turned to look down at Randi, stretching a hand down to help her up. "I thought you were supposed to be in the hospital?" Maverick smirked, she was quite the trouble maker. She always had been, maybe that was what he liked about her. "You're in the wrong part of town, sweetheart."


​

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Fable

Mood: Tired

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Poppy

Poppy’s sudden arrival was like an act of mercy upon her poor soul. She was so tired and out of nowhere, this caffeine angle descended upon her with gifts of cakes and coffee. “You are an absolute lifesaver.” The redhead gasped with a look of true gratitude in her multi-colored eyes. Looking in the bag she selected a bear claw from the bundle and one of the bottled coffees which were like mana from heaven. Uncapping it as swiftly as she could the young transfer took a sip and just about melted at the taste and the wakeup jolt to her system. “I honestly owe you my life right about now.” She informed Poppy with a smile as she raised her bottled coffee in gratitude to the young woman.

Ripping off a few bites of the bear claw she offered half to Poppy since the girl did pay for it after all. She honestly hadn’t been expecting such an act of kindness from the girl she had only really spoken to a few times before, most of which occurred last night. “I really do appreciate this; I was up all night so this is everything I need right now.” She admitted after a few more bites and sips of her coffee.

Thinking back to the night before she figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring up the little slice of Eden she had found in the Dauntless compound. “Hey Poppy,” She began and leaned back against the wall, still tired despite the food and caffeine. “I found something last night. I haven’t heard anyone here talk about it before, but it was really cool” She continued. “It’s like a hidden glass and mosaic garden.” She did her best to describe it from the stairs to the walls, to the way the lights hit the multicolored glass. “It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.”

Wolfiee

code by Stardust Galaxy

Thorn

Mood: Concerned

Location: Training Center

Interactions: Open

Seeing Ghost was enough to give Thorn a great mixture of feelings. For one he was relieved because it meant it was very likely Randi was still alive. If she weren’t he had serious doubts that Ghost would just be prancing around in the training center but would rather be off being questioned by the police somewhere. Seeing the instructor, however, also revived the extreme guilt Thorn had for the entire situation in the first place.

While Thorn himself had not instigated or put Randi and Ghost in that position it was still his kin who did so. The young, freckled boy wasn’t fond of the whole idea that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree which was why he always felt so ashamed of the actions taken by his father and uncle. They not only chose violence but they chose to create violence where none was before. It never helped anyone and was part of the reason why Thorn believed in peace over aggression as much as he does.

Looking down at his hands the curly-haired boy could swear he still saw blood on them. Blood from Randi and blood from his father. He had gone against everything he believed and attacked his father last night to protect others. Still, he hated that he did it at all. Any act of violence only reminded Thorn of the man with who he shared blood with. It reminded Thorn of how greatly he wanted nothing more than to be nothing like him.

Shaking his head, the young man finally put his hands to his side and looked up. He hoped to spot someone he knew well enough to talk with. With any hope having a conversation would help him forget all that happened last night.

code by Stardust Galaxy

Vex

Mood: Uneasy

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Harper

Vex looked up from where she had been leaning against a pillar staring at her boots. Harper’s voice was clear as a whistle over the chatter of initiates, the sign of a truly confident woman. Vex could admire that and also wished she could crush it out of her too. Powerful women were her favorite, even those who didn’t truly hold any real power but had that sense to them. Harper was a woman like that, one so beautiful and strong, like a lioness Vex wanted nothing more than to hunt and have her fun with.

Passing Harper as she entered the room she gave her a slight nod, maintaining her act of being a nervous little initiate just like the others. It was a pathetic role to play but she would do anything those pulling the strings over in Erudite asked her to. If they gave her the command, she would attempt to bring down every person in this building and she would do her best to follow that order perfectly. It was her programming.

As she leaned back in the chair Vex glanced over at Harper, then the needle, and nodded to show she was ready. Her gaze then focused up at the ceiling as she felt the jab of the needle into her skin and the rush of the simulation drug entering her system. Taking a deep breath she counted backward in her mind before her eyes shut and she was plunged into the world of her greatest fears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The itsy bitsy spider

Went up the water spout.

Down came the rain

And washed the spider out.

Out came the sun

And dried out all the rain.

And the itsy bitsy spider

Went up the spout again.”

The small innocent voice echoed in Vex’s ears as she began to emerge from the deep sleep she had been in. Out of habit she went to lift her hand to her head but froze when she found she couldn’t budge. Her eyes flashed open as she fought to sit up but was held down flat against a cool metal table by unforgiving restraints. Her head, neck, waist, wrists, and legs were strapped to the surface she lay upon, giving her absolutely no ability to move or even dream of escaping.

“Oh, dear little one, it’s all messed up again.” A familiar yet distorted voice crackled from somewhere behind her. Her eyes searched for any source of possible escape she could find and for an instant, she lost her breath as she saw in the reflection of several metal surgical instruments the fear on the face of the version of her looking back. That wasn’t her, she didn’t feel fear like this, this was wrong. She wanted to scream but her mouth was blocked by a thick piece of leather wedged painfully between her jaws. “Time for some reeducation. We can’t let our hard work go to waste, now can we?” The voice crackled again, and she flinched as she saw the table full of surgical instruments next to her shake slightly as a gloved hand reached for a circular bone saw. Instantly every part of her wanted to break free and get away but she was frozen, the part of her mind that allowed her to fight back was stunned, she couldn’t fight no matter how much she wanted to.

The sudden ring of a mechanical instrument filled the air and Vex’s eyes were forcibly locked onto the blinding surgical light and mirrored ceilings above her. She couldn’t blink, she couldn’t look away, she couldn’t do anything as the distorted doctor-like creature brought the circular saw down to her forehead, the blade easily cutting its way into her head.

As blood flowed freely from her head, tears flowed from her unblinking eyes and a scream ripped through the air. She watched as this being opened her head, ripping the cap of her skull wide open with the bone saw. In the corner of her eye, she could see another figure beginning to approach, it was dark, covered by shadows, but slowly prowling closer.

“The itsy bitsy spider

Went up the water spout.

Down came the rain

And washed the spider out.

Out came the sun

And dried out all the rain.

And the itsy bitsy spider

Went up the spout again.”

The echoing song sounded again in time with the bone saw and cracking of her skull. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t the story she knew, that wasn’t the song. “Oh, dear little one, this won’t do one bit.” His voice was so familiar and also like nails on a chalkboard; if blood weren’t flowing so freely from her skull, she could have sworn she would be able to see it coming from her ears. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it all make sense. We just need to scrape it all away and start again.” As the words were spoken, she could see him picking up a new tool that looked like a massively large needle. Without hesitation and despite her screams he began to jab the needle all over her brain like a broken and sporadic sewing machine. “Sweet little one you will be good as new once we fix this little mistake.” The voice sounded again as though trying to be soothing but sounding too proud, too broken, too happy to truly mean it.

“The i-i-itsy b-bit-tsy spider-r-r…”

The echoing voice tried to sing again but with each prod of the needle, it stumbled, stuttered, and hesitated. In sync with the now struggling song, the dark figure beside Vex drew closer but seemed to struggle with each step. As it stumbled it seemed to shrink and with each step, it took the shadows around it faded. Between the broken song, the stabbing in her brain, and the crackling voice of the man operating on her Vex had a hard time keeping up with the slowly approaching figure until suddenly it was right beside her and very visible.

To her right, a pair of young and pleading eyes stared back at her. They were golden brown and full of tears as they looked up at her. Vex knew this girl because she knew herself and this being standing next to her was her as a child. Obviously, the child feared for her, hurt for her, was too scared to do anything to save her. It was revolting. The weakness in the eyes of the child staring at her was everything she never wanted to be again.

As the little version of Vex raised her hands towards the table looked from her to the binding on her hands. If the smaller version of her could do this she would be free. Seeming to understand her motion the little girl raised shaky hands to the bindings and opened them. Instantly and through the unimaginable pain in her head, Vex used her free hand to rip herself free of the other restraints before staggering to her feet. However, rather than attack the doctor who ripped her head open the young woman turned on the little girl and slammed her into the table, strapping her down in her place. The doctor’s gaze remained fixed on her despite the little girl struggling on the table before her, her voice screaming the song she had been hearing since she woke up here. It was wrong.

With her head still cut wide open and her brain exposed Vex stood shaky but tall and looked at the doctor before her. Parting her lips she sang,

“The itsy bitsy spider

Went up the water spout.

Down came the rain

And no one heard them shout.

Out came the sun

And the bodies all were drained.

And the itsy bitsy spider

Went down the spout again.”

Seeming to be content with the way the song had finally been sung the doctor turned his gaze away from Vex and towards the child version of her still fearfully singing the sweet and innocent version of the song. Right away he went to work with the bone saw as Vex turned and walked away from the version of her that would always be weaker.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vex’s eyes flew open as she reached her hands up to her head and felt around, relieved to find the top of her skull still attached. She breathed a sigh of relief and finally glanced over at Harper. She had no idea where such a fear simulation had come from but would pass it off as a combination of fears if she had to.

Baratheon

code by Stardust Galaxy

Bloom

Mood: Concerned

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Chris, Poppy

As Chris entered the testing room Bloom had taken over for that day's fear sims her vibrant minty green eyes were fixed on him with concern. The young man seemed to be stuck in a coughing fit and doing the best he could to hide it. Charlie had made her aware of some of his medical conditions and concerns but still, Bloom felt the need to be cautious since the young initiate was about to go through such a stressful process. “We can take a minute if you need. There is no need to rush if you need to catch your breath.” She offered him, wanting to make sure he was facing his simulation without coughing and choking on his own tongue while in the simulation.

As Chris waved away the idea of giving him a minute Bloom made sure to take the next few steps a bit slower, giving him the time whether he liked it or not. Eventually, though she did get to the point where she was finished clicking away on the computer and needed to inject him with the special serum. Charlie had been diligent and provided her with the proper serum for Chris, something the new instructor was grateful for since no one else had mentioned it. Once Chris was settled Bloom pressed the needle to his skin and injected the special liquid into his veins. Almost instantly the blonde boy was out like a light and Bloom turned her attention to the screen to watch the simulation.

The simulation that followed was a hard one to witness as so much pain and death filled the screen. It was so clear how much Chris cared for Blair and feared causing her any sort of pain. His simulation was one incident after another and ended with him giving in to the release of a bullet to the brain which caused a stinging in her heart. He was such a brave kid, seeing him, Blair and even the kitten dying within the simulation gave Bloom a good idea of how greatly he cared for his girlfriend and feared himself.

When Chris jerked awake violently and slammed to the ground in a coughing and crying fit Bloom did the first thing that came to her mind. She got down on the ground next to him, giving him space, not touching him, but speaking soft and soothing words. “It’s okay Chris, it was just a simulation.” She assured him in a calming tone. “Everything is going to be okay.” She added. “Do you need Charlie?” She inquired, her voice still compassionate. When he stated that he just needed his meds and would be fine she knew she had to take his word for it. He didn’t look okay and she wanted to help him but she couldn’t if he didn’t let her. Standing up and looking at the screen she sighed and looked over at the blonde boy as he began to get up. “Take care of yourself.” She told him. “I’m sorry about your score.” She added.

Once Chris had exited the room she took a moment to debate adjusting his score. She wanted to but knew she couldn’t, she was so new and wasn’t sure she could fix it without looking suspicious. She also feared hurting another initiate with her good intentions. Taking a breath she pushed her hair behind her ear and turned to exit the room. “Poppy?” She called to the group of initiates.

Nerdy. Wolfiee

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[Aviator]

Ghost // Male // Age 18 // Training Instructor // Erudite to Dauntless​

Ghost watched with glee as Finn Day’s face twisted into an angry snarl, sharp creases appearing where the boy’s face was normally smooth and unlined. Day’s lips parted but for an extended second no sound came out, as if he were affronted on so many differing levels that it was hard for him to choose where to start. Yes, Ghost thought eagerly, fighting down the poisonous smile that threatened to curl his lips, you were saying? He was very aware that his showdown with Day was commanding the attention of everyone in the room, initiate or instructor, the tension so tenuous that a mistimed breath might shatter it to pieces. With so many witnesses to Finn’s impending impudence, Ghost would be completely justified in doubling the deduction he’d already imposed on the Dauntless-born boy’s next fear sim score. That, and maybe he would put Day in charge of cleaning the communal bathroom for the remainder of initiation. Not for the first time, Ghost was glad that Caspian’s time was occupied with leisurely pursuits. As petty as it was to lord over a group of sixteen-year-olds, Ghost could get used to the absolute power that came with the title of head instructor.
Before Day could let fly the arrow that he was nocking on the Cupid’s bow of his lips, there came the soft clearing of a throat somewhere behind Ghost and to his left. But he was keen to goad Day into a more severe punishment and dismissed this noise until its maker started speaking in a high, clear voice. Ghost was forced to take a step as Charlie brushed past him, her hip knocking into his, until she stood beside Finn and wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders. Ghost eyed the arm with suspicion. Charlie almost never initiated physical touch, yet here she had acted without a second of hesitation. He knew that Day and Aubrey were thick as thieves, but he’d had no idea that Charlie and Day were anything more than acquaintances. Charlie’s body was angled toward Ghost, and when she spoke it was painfully obvious that he was the intended audience. The pit of his stomach roiled with something that felt unpleasantly close to betrayal.
Charlie’s voice was like a sharp blade being drawn delicately across flesh; it contained a steely edge that Ghost had never heard before, and when she turned and strode off toward a simulation room with Day in tow, Ghost felt like he had been punctured where he was weakest. He stared uncomprehendingly at Charlie and Finn’s retreating backs, unable to churn out a response fast enough in his confusion. “But—” Ghost broke off with a bitter scowl when he realized that two dozen pairs of eyes were trained on him, and anything he said would most likely be used against him in the future. Charlie didn’t break stride or look back, leaving him to fume silently in the wake of her hasty exit with Day. You’ll have to wait, Charlie had told him. A flush of warmth suffused Ghost’s chest as he pondered her choice of words. Dating or not, I do not have to do a goddamn thing you tell me. He pressed his lips together before words he knew he would later regret tumbled free. Ghost had agreed to be Charlie’s boyfriend, not her bitch, and if the two things were synonymous, then he wanted no part in either.
A torrent of whispers and quiet exclamations bubbled among the rows of watching initiates. Some of them darted sidelong glances at Ghost, their gazes skipping away before he could catch and maintain eye contact. “Damn, then,” said a girl in a leather jacket, just as a boy with a pomegranate-red mohawk blurted, “Is he really just gonna take that lying down?” Heat flooded Ghost’s face. He knew that the ring of spectators was the main source of his rancor; had Charlie told him off in a more discreet environment, where his reputation wasn’t at stake, he wouldn’t have been half as angry at her. But she had humiliated him. Between Randi publicly calling him out yesterday, Ghost breaking down in tears after his fear sim while Leah watched, and Charlie’s transgression against him today, initiates’ respect for him was rapidly dwindling.
Why would Charlie insist on administering Day’s fear sim, anyway? The sudden thought sliced through Ghost’s fury in a way that only questions in need of answering could. He mentally ticked off possibilities and discarded them until only three mostly plausible ones remained: Charlie wanted Finn to herself because he was struggling in the faction, and rather than see him flunk out, she was willing to help him cheat his way through; Finn was afraid of something particularly shameful that he didn’t want his sister or any other instructor besides Charlie seeing; or, just as Ghost was with Blair, Charlie was covering for a Divergent initiate. Ghost fiddled with his gold bracelet as he considered this final possibility. Divergents were supposed to be extremely rare; he’d been shocked to discover that Blair was one of them. But for there to be two Divergents among this year’s class of initiates? The probability was almost impossibly slim. And yet Jiao-long Young had shown unswerving confidence that Ghost would find at least one among the initiates’ ranks, or else he wouldn’t have bet a million dollars on it…
A sharp motion glimpsed from the corner of his eye pulled Ghost out of his stupor. The lolling head of a dozing initiate snapped upward as Aubrey Stark gently poked the girl in the side to get her attention. The hood of a sweatshirt was drawn up over Blair Avalon’s sunflower hair, throwing shadows across her pale face. Ghost’s knees went weak with relief. When he had heard nothing from her all yesterday and she hadn’t been on time for training today, part of him had assumed the worst. He shifted his eyes around the room, ensuring that neither Harper nor Bloom was paying Blair any mind. When Ghost determined it was safe, he approached Blair, trying to keep his posture and voice as casual as possible.
“Miss Avalon,” he began dispassionately, “You are bold to come to training so late and assume that I won’t deduct from your fear sim score. Or is it that you just don’t care?” His face was as inscrutable as the dark side of the moon as he studied Blair, whose lips parted as she stared at Ghost as if unsure whether or not he was speaking seriously. It wasn’t until he was within several feet of her that he noticed the assortment of bruises and discolorations arrayed across Blair’s face. Ghost was unable to discern whether she had the beginnings of two black eyes or was immensely sleep deprived. Or perhaps both. Either way, it was obvious that Blair had recently gotten into a fight, and Ghost raised an eyebrow as he considered what might have caused it.
Blair swallowed slowly, and just as she started to respond to his question, Ghost interrupted flatly, “I don’t believe in excuses. Now follow me to a sim room and consider yourself lucky that I’m not counting you absent for the day.” Aware that Aubrey and a few others were watching their exchange, he added a sneer for good measure. Blair obediently rose from her seat and followed Ghost down the hall, and as soon as he had locked the door of the sim room behind them, he turned to her and asked, “Did you appreciate my performance?” Ghost looked at her with a wry expression that fell just short of a smile. “I was thinking of calling out your black eye and noting how you’re not much to look at anyway but figured that might be a tad overboard. Plus you appear as though you’d like to minimize the attention drawn to those,” he said, referring to the combined damages Blair’s face had taken and the way her hood strategically obscured them. Ghost didn’t directly ask, but a question was buried within his comment.
The last hints of humor faded from his brown eyes, reverting Ghost to his usual solemn gravitas. “You still have a very important decision to make, if you recall our previous discussion?” Where they—well, Ghost—had brainstormed the idea to lure Obadiah Parks, one of the highest-ranking men in Dauntless, to a remote location with a phony phone call and jump him. Then, via a small vial of truth serum that Ghost had obtained for an exorbitant price from the same dealer who supplied his lull, they would extract every last tidbit of information Parks knew about Divergents. Finally, a second equally overpriced vial of memory serum would wipe the entire encounter from Parks’s brain after Blair and Ghost finished with the interrogation. Altogether, the whole enterprise shouldn’t take more than two hours from start to finish. Assuming they weren’t caught and apprehended midway through, of course.
Blair threw him a slit-eyed look. Obadiah Parks, their planned kidnapping victim, also happened to be her boyfriend’s father. Ghost had known his idea would meet some level of resistance. Now it was a question of just how much. “Until we can figure out who’s hunting you and how, information is our most valuable currency. And with Parks’s rank and access to classified files, he’ll be a gold mine. We need to know what that man knows, Blair. For your sake.” Ghost crossed his arms and met her cosmic-blue gaze unflinchingly. Why couldn’t Blair just put aside her emotions for five minutes and see that this was her one viable path to survival? Until she and Ghost got their hands on a few more puzzle pieces, they were fighting their opposition blind, and they were already horribly outnumbered.
“Oh,” Ghost said as an afterthought as he awaited her response. “Top of the class or not, you still need to take a fear sim today.” Blair started to object, but Ghost shook his head, resolute. “You must practice until your fear sims are indistinguishable from those of your peers. It’s hard to explain, but your fear sims are strange. It’s almost as if universal laws don’t apply in them. You do things and make choices that shouldn’t be possible in real life. If you want to blend in, you have to put a stop to that.”

 

[WanderLust.]

Blair Avalon // Female // Age 16 // Dauntless Born Initiate // Divergent
Interacting With: Aubrey Nerdy. Ghost Aviator

Blair was roused from her sleep at the sound of a feminine voice. At first, she figured it was Randi or Poppy checking in on her, and she was about to heave a sigh at the thought of having to explain the bruises that littered her skin. But she was pleasantly surprised when her eyes flicked open and landed on those of Aubrey Stark. Blair and Aubrey had both grown up in dauntless, and shared similar dauntless ideals, she had always wondered why the pair had never gotten closer. But the more she thought about it, Blair remembered that Aubrey and Christian had briefly dated, and for her own sake Blair had tried to distance herself from all of that. She hadn't wanted to intrude on Aubrey's relationship, nor had she wanted to torture herself by being too close to Chris when she knew she couldn't have him. There had never been any bad blood between the girls, but they had never formed a bond like she had with Randi and Poppy, although she agreed with Aubrey's statement. Aubrey's face was welcomed at that moment, and she was pleased that the other dauntless girl wasn't prying into the details of the origins of her injuries like she feared the others would.

Blair paused for a moment as she realized Aubrey's usual partner in crime, Finn, was walking away with Charlie, and she slowly began to piece things together. Blair rarely saw Aubrey without Finn nowadays, she had often suspected that the pair had feelings for each other and wondered why that hadn't done anything about it. Were they really both so oblivious as to their own feelings for each other? With the slightest of smirks, Blair allowed her eyes to flick one last time from Finn back to Aubrey before responding to Aubrey's greeting. "He looks at you the way I used to look at Christian." In love with someone you think you can't have. Although, Blair didn't say that last part out loud. She didn't smile too much for fear that her split lip would protest, but it was clear that she was attempting to be friendly with Aubrey. Aubrey immediately stared back at Blair with what appeared to be a mixture of shock, confusion, and embarrassment as a blush rose to the girls cheeks. But before Aubrey could say anything more, another voice cut into their conversation.

She didn't know why, but when her sleepy ocean eyes finally made their way up to meet Ghost's stormy brown ones, she looked like a scolded dog. She had never much cared about Ghost's opinion before, so why now did she feel like she had disappointed him? Before she could utter a word, he summoned her to one of the sim rooms. Blair rose to her feet, throwing back an apologetic look at Aubrey before silently following the dark haired male, her shoulders hunched forward with exhaustion. The second the door shut behind them however, Ghost's entire demeanor seemed to change. Although he attempted to hide it with subtle insults, Ghost had admitted to keeping his mouth shut about her injuries, solely because he thought Blair didn't want to draw attention to them. She tilted her eyes, for some reason skeptical that Ghost would do anything for her simply out of the kindness of his heart if he didn't have anything to gain from it. "Your theatrics are much appreciated..." she paused as though she were a small animal, wary of getting too close to a predator, "... thanks."

He didn't ask about her bruises, and she didn't offer an explanation. The room remained silent until Ghost reminded her of her promise to answer his proposal. Of course, Blair should've suspected that his small act of kindness had hidden intents. Had Ghost merely been trying to get on her good side so she would agree to his scheme? He began parading his onslaught of reasons why they had to kidnap Obadiah, why they needed to learn more about her divergency, and Blair couldn't help but grit her teeth. We need to know what that man knows, Blair. For your sake. "I Know!" She finally snapped, recoiling from her own outburst and quickly backtracking, repeating the words with much less aggression the second time around. "I know..." she took a deep breath, nodding gently. The two remained locked in a stare down, Ghost wanting answers that Blair wasn't ready to give yet. An unstoppable force had indeed met an immovable object. Perhaps sensing the tension in the air, Ghost quickly changed the subject. He was right, she did need to work on hear fear simulations if she wanted to blend in with the other dauntless. She gave him one last, unflinching stare down as he injected the serum into her neck, before allowing herself to slip into her fearscape.

******

This fear simulation offered Blair no gradual transition, not even a moments time to get her baring. From the second her eyes shut this fear had decided to make its presence known. Pain radiated through her cheek as she was thrown down against those wooden stairs again. A yelp escaping her lips as she heard the sound of her cheekbone connecting with the edge of the stair. For some reason this pain felt so real... so often the sensations in her fear scapes felt murky, artificial, like a cheap imitation of the real thing. Perhaps the reason this pain felt so real was because the true wounds that had inspired this particular fear were still fresh on her actual body. The pain had already been there to begin with, her mind was simply working with what it had. "Say it!" A large hand grabbed a fistful of her blonde hair, shoving her face harder into ground. "Stop it! Please-" she hated the way her voice cracked, she sounded so weak. Her abuser had yet to be identified but Blair already knew what this fear was.

When he grabbed her shoulder, flipping her onto her back, allowing her to look up at him, she wasn't surprised to see Ajax's face. Eyes startlingly similar to her own stared back at her with pure rage. Her shoulder blades cried out in a familiar pain, a pain that she had experienced just last night. This was perhaps the most realistic fear simulation she had ever experienced. "You're a disgrace to this family, Blair." He spat, and once again lunged for her. This time his blow felt like fire in her jaw, the taste of blood blossoming in her mouth as her lip split all over again. "You're not dauntless!" He screamed. Normally, this was when Blair would have dissociated with the simulation. Reminded herself that none of this was real until her heart beat slowed enough to release her from the hallucination, but not this time. She needed to handle this like a true dauntless, the way she should've handled it the first time. Her right foot jutted out, striking her brother hard in the shin. He crumpled over in pain and immediately Blair forced herself to her feet. She was still weak and dizzy, but she drove herself forward, leading with her shoulder until she slammed into Ajax's chest, knocking him to the ground.

He let out a wheeze as Blair stood over him, trying to catch his breath but Blair didn't give him the chance. In a flash she was on top of him, her elbow driving into his throat, choking him as he struggled for air. "You know you don't belong in dauntless." He sputtered between gasps. Blair pushed down harder on his jugular. Would she have been able to do this if she hadn't known she was in a simulation? She didn't know. But as she stared at the pale imitation of her brother, the anger and betrayal she felt was real. "I'm more dauntless than you, coward."

*******

She knew mere minutes had passed in the time it had taken her to complete the simulation. She was fast, a symptom of her divergency she had no doubt. Her eyes flickered open to find that something was hovering in front of her. A needle? She let out a startled noise, gripping the edge of the chair as she sat up, and suddenly the syringe dropped to the ground. Had she done that? It wouldn't have been the first time she had moved something with her mind unintentionally... She let out a breath, running her fingers through her hair and resting her elbows on her knees as she looked to Ghost. He had a look on his face, the I told you so kind of look. It pissed her off. It pissed her off because she knew he was right. Until she could further understand her divergency, she would continue to deal with floating needles and shattering glass, pounding headaches, and not knowing who are what the hell she was. She sounded resigned when she finally spoke. "I'll help you... but you need to promise me Christian stays out of it." she said firmly. Her boyfriend's involvement wasn't open to discussion, she needed to protect Christian from the dangers her divergency posed. She wouldn't have anyone else getting hurt because of her.​

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Randi

Mood: Concerned

Location: Bad Side of Town

Interactions: Mav

Following Maverick turned out to be a challenge for more reasons than Randi originally expected. He was quick, his feet carrying him down a path that was clearly familiar to him as he wove between buildings. Randi did her best to keep up and keep hidden, ducking behind boxes, bins, and cars in order to avoid being spotted by the young man she was trailing. It took a lot out of her already weakened body and there were several times she felt herself grow unsteady or her vision began to tunnel as she trailed after the instructor. Swallowing and breathing heavily she tried to focus her mind and push on past the pain in her gut and the weakness of her limbs. She certainly should have still been in the hospital but instead, she was tracking Mav through some of the worst parts of the Dauntless Complex and knew she couldn’t turn around and bail on him, not when he was acting so concerning.

As they finally seemed to reach their destination Randi recognized the crowds and cages as one of a few underground fighting rinks that operated within Dauntless. It was so crowded that for several minutes the blonde somehow managed to lose sight of the boy she was following but his location became quite well known to her the moment she heard the roar of the crowd and looked at the center of the rink. There Mav stood like a gladiator ready to fight with all he had in him and when the gun when off her lunged forward like a beast, bashing his opponent in the throat.

Randi found herself watching in awe and shock as the version of Maverick fighting in the cage was unlike any she had ever seen before. Usually, he was one of the most caring and considerate people Randi has ever known, but the man standing and fighting in the cage was pure rage, pure pain, his eyes unseeing of the brutality he was inflicting on his challenger. It was almost hard to watch as he went beyond what was necessary to put the other fighter down, not that anyone really seemed to care. Eventually, it seemed Mav snapped out of his blood-thirsty state as he stumbled back from the barely breathing form on the floor in front of him.

As soon as the fight ended Randi attempted to move from where she had been leaning against a pillar so that she could continue to follow Mav and hopefully catch up with him. She needed to make sure he wasn’t more injured than he realized and make sure he didn’t put himself in further harm. As she tried to push through the crowd, she felt a hand grab her arm as a large, heavily tattooed man pulled her towards him.

“Hey little fox, leaving so soon?” He leered, his breath reeking of cheap booze. “I think you should stay and let me, and my boys entertain you for a while.” He continued as several men around him shouted their approval and voiced several catcalls. He pulled her closer and Randi did the first thing that came to mind.

Raising her knee up sharply she hit the man holding her square between the legs and ripped herself free of his grasp. The move took a lot out of her but when he attempted to swipe at her again, she dodged and hit the ground, shouting, “Don’t touch me!”

Suddenly with the force of a train, Mav was there and pulling the guy away from her. She wasn’t sure at what point he had even noticed her presence, but she was glad he did. On a normal day, she likely could have handled this jerk but not in her current condition. She heard Mav go off on the guy and breathed a sigh of relief as the others seemed to back up as well. It seemed that they took the threat of being beaten to death very seriously after the recent display in the ring.

When Mav turned to help her up, she took the aid without hesitation. At this point she was feeling as though she could fall over at any point but still, she gathered the energy to give the guy who harassed her the finger as Mav escorted her away. Hearing his comment about how she was supposed to be in the hospital she gave him a tired smirk and chuckled, “Trust me, you would want to escape too if you had to eat the food there.” She joked. “Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing.”

WanderLust.

code by Stardust Galaxy

Fable

Mood: Tired

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Poppy

Fable leaned against the wall doing her best to stay awake as she sipped the coffee Poppy had brought and nibbled on the sweet pastry in her hand. She was seriously regretting never going to sleep the night before, especially after sleeping on a roof the night before that one. Her internal systems were chugging at this point, and she knew she would definitely suffer the consequences of not giving her body proper time to rest. As she thought about the night spent on the roof her mind also wandered towards thoughts of Dante. She could see the young man on the other side of the room, and it felt so odd that they wouldn’t dare approach each other when just the other day they were inseparable. It seemed his true colors were enough to make her cautious of him for now, though her heart ached.

Hearing a familiar voice coming back down the hall her head snapped up and she spotted Poppy returning from her test. The simulation clearly hadn’t taken that long as the dark-haired girl reached for her own coffee and breakfast pastry looking rather at ease after facing a fear simulation. Hearing her talk about how it hadn’t been that bad left Fable with mixed emotions. She was happy that Poppy hadn’t struggled too badly with today’s fear simulation but also concerned that she would not have the same sort of confidence when it came time for her to face her own.

The redheaded girl congratulated Poppy with a cheer of her coffee and smiled at her, “That’s great! You weren’t gone too long so you must have clearly aced it.” She informed the dauntless-born girl. Hearing Poppy’s question about what her fear simulation would likely be caught Fable off guard at first. She hadn’t really been one to talk about her fears openly with others since basically ever and especially not in Dauntless. Taking a moment to consider how to reply Fable sighed, “I dunno.” She admitted. “The last two certainly haven’t been what I expected so I am imagining this one is likely to be a curveball as well.”

Wolfiee

code by Stardust Galaxy

Bloom

Mood: Proud

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Poppy

Bloom was happy to see Poppy socializing with others when she came out to call her in for her simulation. She had been so worried about the young woman alone at the bar last night and was relieved when her friends joined her. She noticed that it seemed to be the same group that joined her last night that was here now. It was so important to have a lifeline during initiation and Bloom’s heart was warmed to see that so many initiates already seemed to have theirs. It gave her true hope for this class and those who would make it through initiation.

As she led Poppy back into the testing room she made sure to give her time to get comfortable in the testing chair before she began. “This might pinch.” She warned the young woman though she knew she was probably already used to the needle at this point. As gently as she could Bloom pierced Poppy’s soft skin with the needle and injected the serum into her veins. In an instant the girl was unconscious, and Bloom gently moved a lock of hair out of Poppy’s face before turning to examine the monitor that showed her what fear Poppy was facing.

She watched with a smile pulling at her rosy lips as the dauntless-born young woman seemed to acknowledge her fear and over a few minutes began to push past it. She saw the heart rate on the screen began to lower as Poppy took a running jump off the edge of a building and onto another. She continued this method, jumping from building to building until her heart rate had lowered to normal. In the simulation Poppy screamed with victory and Bloom couldn’t help but internally cheer the young girl on.

When Poppy awoke, she couldn’t help but smile at her and give her a nod of approval. “Very well done.” She informed the dark-haired girl as she watched her face change to a look of triumph. “If you swing by the bar tonight, I will make sure to congratulate you officially for your accomplishments today.” She smiled in response to Poppy’s mention of her usual place of work.

Wolfiee

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[Baratheon]

Finn Day

The boy felt more at peace on the walk to the training room than he had in a long time. His hands felt electric every time they brushed Charlie's own, and he found a smile tugging at his lips. He finally shoved his hands in his pockets, but still, he felt as if phantom fingers were intertwined with his own. He was fully prepared to just move on and face the day, but Aubrey stopped him right before they walked in. Her eyes were serious, yet kind. Just as they had always been.

"Is that a date I hear?" He joked with her, reaching out to pat her on the head, "I agree. We should hang out and talk this over. Maybe the arcade again?" Finn felt in far too good a mood to be serious right now. He wanted to hug Aubrey, to pick her up and spin her around. He wanted to laugh and run and dance. But he couldn't. Instead, she seemed a little off-put at his response, remaining silent. He offered a nod, the smile fading. Understood.

Finn knew he was a little late, but he would never have thought that he would be made so much a victim for it. Ghost's eyes seemed to be on him even before he passed through the doorway, and his heart made a violent leap inside of his chest. He locked eyes with the young man, his own wide with fear. Wait, had he missed something important? Had he done something wrong? Finn listened as Ghost explained his meaning for the death glare. He scoffed as the instructor mentioned adding an extra percentage onto his score.

"You can't do that," He retorted, although he really had no clue at all. With Aubrey beside him and his sister nearby, the boy felt a little empowered in his defense. "You're just upset you've got a stick up your butt. Score me the same as everyone else."

His macho man routine was ruined, though, the moment Ghost mentioned him taking a seat and being under his watch for this session. All color left Finn's face as he froze on the spot. No! He had to have Charlie! Finn wasn't stupid, he knew how cunning and observant Ghost was. There was no way the instructor would miss his Divergent tendencies in these fear sims. Finn glanced around wildly for the medic, gesturing towards her once he made eye contact. There was no way she could let Ghost get away with this, right? It would be walking into death row. And no, a meal was most likely not included with it.

"I'm supposed to be with her!" He blurted out, his eyes moving back and forth between the two. "For, uh, bias purposes. That's why she's had me." It was a crappy excuse and one he'd thought of on the spot. No way was Ghost buying it, but... he had to try. "I'm not going in there with you. You'll dock me for breathing wrong while unconscious or something stupid. Charlie here won't. I'll even take the point decrease."

A keen person might have been able to hear the panic in Finn's voice as he spoke, but he also did a good job of keeping his cool. He relaxed back into a casual pose, keeping the shakiness out of his voice. At the end of his response, he crossed his arms over his chest and took a few steps backwards. This couldn't happen, and he would fight tooth and nail to stay protected. Ghost would sell him for a corn chip, he was sure. He might even kill him with his own hands. Whatever happened, it would be bad, and Finn was far too close to victory to lose it all now.

To his relief, the medic made her way over and in a much gentler way told Ghost she would be handling his sims today. Finn practically scampered to her side and hid behind the woman as she reassured Ghost all of his rules for his sim today would be met. Before the other young man could respond, Charlie was herding him into her room. In a moment, he was safe and behind a closed door once again. He breathed a huge sigh of relief, nearly collapsing into the chair. His hand and legs were shaking as the boy tried to catch his breath. He held an arm out to Charlie, raising his eyes to see her.

"Hey, you saved my life. Thanks," He said shakily, trying to smile. A smile, however, was not on Charlie's face as she sternly told him to either get himself together or be found out. He nodded, his eyes falling towards his lap.

Being Divergent was something he wouldn't wish on anyone.

"I know. And thank you. You're doing a lot for me," Finn told her softly. "If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know. I'm ready." He held his arm out again, a little less shaky now. He could do this. Pretend it was real. Fight through. Be brave.

The serum was injected. Finn rested his head back and sighed as the near-familiar blackness washed over him.

-------------------------------------------------

He awoke to find himself right outside the compound. He was alone, but it was a nice day out. The sun shone above him, a few clouds lingering in the bright blue sky. The spot he had awoken in was familiar, one of the many pathways to the train tracks from a side door, near the Pit. He spun slowly, seeing that everything was oddly... normal. Finn breathed a small sigh, wondering if maybe something had gone wrong and he was just asleep? He began walking, feeling rocks underneath his boots. The warm sun felt good on his skin, and in this dream world, none of the soreness and tiredness from his training affected him. He felt like it was day one all over again. Actually, if it was even before he had started his initiation. Actually... He looked down at himself and noticed he was far younger than he should be, in a smaller, paler body. Interesting. Was this a scene from his childhood about to play out?

He stopped walking as the thought crossed his mind. This day was feeling pretty familiar. Finn reached out to block the sun from his eyes, squinting in between his fingers. He wracked his brain, but no results. Hmm. He was just about to begin walking again when an angry buzz hit his ears. Oh? He whipped around to see quite possibly the largest, most dangerous, most scariest flying bug he had ever seen in his life.

Even knowing this was a simulation, Finn yelped and scrambled backwards. The wasp flew closer, angry about something. What had he done to threaten this tiny beast? It kept growing closer, in quick little spurts that freaked the teenager out. He kept moving backwards until he turned to run, not wanting that thing anywhere near him. Alas, his hurry and a badly placed rock halted him, and he hit the ground with a solid oof. Finn rolled onto his back, the wasp directly above his eyes. It seemed to pause there, as if relishing in its kill. He was trapped. Finn swatted at the thing, but it was not fazed. It simply flew around his hand, almost lazily, until he gave up after a few tries. He wasn't getting out of this.

This day hadn't ended well in real life, almost three years ago. Finn had been exploring and been stung by a- much smaller, but still scary- wasp outside. He had a bad flare up afterwards. Finn hadn't known he was allergic to anything, and so when the wasp stung him, his body reacted in all of the worst ways you could imagine. Charlie had said he was lucky to survive; Aubrey had found him quickly and, seeing his red face and choking sounds, rushed him to her sister.

It was a dark time for the teen. A combination of how weak he felt, being allergic to wasps, and how sick he felt made for bad memories. Finn swatted again, the fear of experiencing the pain and humiliation too much for him. But wait; would his body even react in a simulation? Would he even feel sick, or the pain of the sting at all? Finn began to lower him arm, but suddenly remembered he was trying to act a part. He had to pretend to fear this thing, whether it ended up doing anything or not.

"Go away!" He shouted, putting on his best face and gaining motivation once again to run. He got to his feet and took off, only to feel two quick, fateful stings on his arm and shoulderblade. Man, for a simulation, it still hurt! Finn collapsed onto the ground, feeling his body immediately react. The wasp flew away. He rolled onto his back, feeling dirt in his mouth as he struggled to breathe and call for help. Was it his imagination, or did this feel a little more real? It did nothing but help his little show as he pretended to writhe, his body shutting down slowly, his eyes getting heavy as the last gasp of air escaped his mouth...

Finn awoke with a gentle start, his eyes immediately finding Charlie. "Uh, hey, uh, better? Man that stung..." He reached over his shoulder to feel his back, wincing despite nothing being there. Finn was happy about that, for sure.

// Nerdy. Aviator

TEMPLATE © BOKEH​

Harper Day

Vex was someone Harper had had her eye on for some time now. Another strong, confident, warrior of a woman who didn't seem to take crap and always came out on top. Not to brag, but Harper saw herself heavily in the teenager. She didn't know Vex well, of course, but that was how the girl came off. She walked towards the room silently, giving only a nod of acknowledgement. Harper allowed her to take a seat.

Despite her previous notions of Vex, the girl did seem a little nervous. Harper smirked. "Everyone still getting used to these, huh? Let's see how you do." Vex didn't respond, but laid back in the chair to signal she was ready. Harper inserted the serum and took a seat at her computer to watch the show.

As the simulation played out, Harper found herself growing disturbed and... she was someone who was not easily disturbed. A song, Vex as a child, her hands tied, her skull being split open... what on earth kind of nightmares plagued her? Harper found herself glancing over at the initiate's slumped body, wondering if any of this simulation was founded in truth. She grimaced as the doctor walked away from the mess he had made, blood and skin everywhere. Harper was the adventurous, combative sort, but she had never had an injury this serious or large before. Her skin tingled the tiniest bit.

Finally, as the doctor left, the screen fuzzed out and Vex awoke with grasping hands. She felt for her head, obviously relieved it was still there. Harper leaned back in her own chair, expression neutral as she made notes on Vex's report. She had stayed fairly brave, not trying to escape or fight as much as she would have expected. So brave, but hardly one to act on the bravery. Interesting. Was she like that all the time, with her toughness as a facade, or was she someone who would leap into a fight? Harper did not know the answer to that.

"You did fine," She reported, "If you need someone to talk to , therapy's on the second floor of the Pit. Give them a visit if you need to." Harper waved the girl off, not trying to rush her but ready to move on. She didn't really want the images of that mess she had seen in her head. To experience that first hand or even in real life would be excruciating. She'd have to keep an eye on Vex.

Harper stood as the younger woman finally left to see Ghost, Finn, and Charlie all getting into some kind of verbal altercation. She chose to ignore before calling her next initiate. "Fable?"

// Sanctuaryforall1

TEMPLATE © BOKEH​

 

[Aviator]

Ghost // Male // Age 18 // Training Instructor // Erudite to Dauntless
​

For the first time in a long time, Ghost felt a stab of sympathy as Blair’s blond head lolled backward over the headrest of the leather chair and she succumbed to the fear serum. Over previous days he had felt a cold indifference as initiates experienced nightmares given flesh and blood before him and he watched, detached from the scene, an unwanted but necessary intruder. Before, he had seen his role as an unavoidable job in need of performance; it was vaguely unfortunate that initiates were forced to reveal their deepest fears to him, but that was just the collateral damage of training. All things considered, they would emerge stronger from the experience, and if Ghost was being honest, a dark, vindictive part of him was satisfied to see these younger kids suffer as he had two years ago, in their place, in that same chair.
But now, after having been confronted and nearly slain by his own demons yesterday morning with Leah watching, Ghost felt somehow dirty as the monitor displaying Blair’s fear flickered to life. Divergent or not, she was no more immune to harmful emotions than anyone else. Pixels solidified into the shape of a tall, lanky boy with cornsilk hair and eyes the color of frost and curses; his resemblance to Blair was unmistakable. The boy’s mouth twisted into a sneer as he looked at his sister. Ghost’s gaze shifted to the wooden surface of the desk he sat at, one leg crossed over the other, an unexpected flutter of embarrassment catching him off guard. The shapes of people and objects burned themselves into his retinas and stayed there, floating around behind his eyelids like hungry wraiths. Leah, her eyes bright with accusation as she bled out in a bathtub, blood streaming from slashed wrists. The red-hot glow of pain imparted by Averill Jacobi’s open palm as he whispered how his only child was a mistake, unworthy of the family name or fortune. Charlie turning her back on Ghost and vanishing through an open door before he could catch up to her.
Unable to fend off this onslaught of memory, Ghost felt a sudden tightness in his throat. His jaw clenched so hard that he heard it creak. He suddenly didn’t care what kind of fucked-up lesson that these fear sims were supposed to impose on incoming members of the bravest faction. Subjecting children to mental and emotional torture, however character building, was wrong in every sense of the word. Ghost remembered the featherlight touch of his mother’s fingers brushing the hair out of his eyes as she stooped to give him a goodnight kiss. He was acutely aware that he would never hear Tabitha Jacobi’s teasing laugh or smell her hazelnut-coffee aroma again. As Blair Avalon’s mental representation of her brother lunged for her, his eyes on fire, the screams in Ghost’s head reached a crescendo.
Within the space of a minute, Blair’s fast and shallow gasps were leveling off. There was a rustle of cloth as she sat upright in her chair. By this time, Ghost’s gaze was stubbornly fixed on the two decks of cards gripped in his hands as he shuffled them together and split them apart in increasingly intricate motions. Seconds passed as time continued its relentless march onward; Ghost was almost no longer surprised to find a needle and several pens levitating when he finally dared to glance up. He was coming to expect the impossible of Blair, including her surreal fear sim time of just a hair over two minutes. Including success with their insane plan to snap Obadiah Parks up off his own streets and extract information about Divergents from him.
Blair spoke first, just as Ghost had been waiting for. He’d already made his case; Blair had all of the facts arrayed before her, and so he had nothing left to say. Her eyes resembled windows into dark and turbulent waters brimming with all sorts of inimical creatures. Ghost felt a kernal of respect for this woman with an ironclad strength of will. At her condition to participating in his plan, he gave a single tight nod, ignoring the wave of guilt that rolled over him. “You have my word that no harm will befall your suitor,” he said with utmost seriousness. Under most circumstances, Ghost considered his word binding and unbreakable, at least when he was the only one who stood to gain in the breaking of it. That much was a staple within the felonious code of ethics that he adhered to. But when quite possibly the fate of the entire city was at stake depending on what he and Blair chose to do with the information they obtained from Obadiah Parks, Ghost would compromise his self-respect if the greater good called for it. He wanted to keep his promise to Blair that Christian would be spared from involvement in any of Ghost’s future plans; he really did. But sometimes what he wanted was of comparatively little importance to what he had to do.
“Meet me at the intersection of Twentieth and Magnolia Street at three o’clock,” he directed, speaking with a low, fast urgency that indicated he would not be interrupted or argued with. “There will be a car waiting for you; I’ll text you the details of what it looks like after it’s been secured. Do not interact with anyone two hours prior to leaving the compound, and for the love of god, do not let yourself be followed.” His expression was hard and flat as the blade of a knife as he instructed Blair on this last point. If she tipped anyone else off to their plan, she wouldn’t have to worry about being caught and killed by secret police, because Ghost would do the deed for them.
Wanting to break the icy tension that gripped the room in the wake of his words, he suddenly fanned the double deck of cards in his hands and thrust them out to Blair. “Pick a card,” he commanded with an air of mysticism. Blair raised a single pale brow that seemed to ask, Really? At a time like this? but nonetheless complied, selecting one near the top of the deck. Then she stared expectantly at Ghost, obviously waiting for him to do something. He shrugged. “That’s all. I just wanted to see what card you would draw. You can put it down now.” Blair rolled her eyes and pitched the card onto the desk faceup in a fit of exasperation. It was the king of clubs. “Expecting a trick, were you? Well, you’ll just have to wait until this evening, after we finish the Parks job.” It was an optimistic statement, reinforcement that after all was said and done, he and Blair would still be alive with all of their present liberties, but Ghost didn’t smile. The way he said it was more like a challenge that he was issuing to fate, an invitation to do its worst and still he and Blair would prevail.
When they parted ways, it was more of a dismissal from instructor to initiate than two friends bidding each other farewell; Blair would have to prove herself on this job first before Ghost recognized her as an equal. If she didn’t screw up, then maybe he would rethink her hierarchical relationship to him. His legs quivered as he stood, and at first Ghost attributed it to nerves over the upcoming heist; this was his most blatantly illegal misdeed in the two weeks since he’d broken into Jeremy Daniels’s house, yet if he were caught this time the consequences would be even more severe now that he was colluding with a Divergent. But then Ghost’s vision rapidly sharpened so that he could see each individual fleck of lint on the initiates’ black leather chair, before promptly receding into a blurred, indistinct wash of color. A dull ringing filled his ears, and Ghost’s limbs went cold with dread. Oh, hell no. Not today. But the stony authority of his thoughts was hollow; when a bad spell overcame him, Ghost knew he was just a plaything of the gods, helplessly divested of control of his own body.
As his vision gradually returned to normal, he found himself reaching hesitantly toward his breast pocket. But he’d had his last dose barely two hours ago; surely it wasn’t yet time for more. Lull was simultaneously medicine and poison. A regular dosage would fend off the bright, sharp pain of withdrawal—which would prove lethal in a few days’ time—but he was quite literally poisoning himself each time he took the stuff. This way he would still die, but more slowly, over an extended period. Taking the drug was the lesser of two evils, not a cure.
Suck it up, Jacobi, Ghost mentally scolded himself, clinging to the edge of the desk for balance. One more initiate. Then you can go home and lay the hell down until showtime. Just one more. Gritting his teeth in grim determination, he shuffled away from the desk and out of the room. The cool blast of air conditioning when he stepped into the hallway chilled the sweat that had accumulated on his brow. Not trusting himself to walk any further, Ghost remained just outside of his simulation room and called the first initiate who met his eyes—Aubrey. “Miss Stark, if you’d please?”

 

[Nerdy.]

Charlotte "Charlie" Stark || 20 || Medic || Dauntlessborn

Charlie nodded to Finn in acknowledgement of his thanks to her, how she had "saved his life". The very words rung a deep chord within her, like a bell in her chest, it almost hurt. The reality of those words were terrifying. She was protecting a Divergent... no... she was protecting a friend. Finn had always been like a little brother to her, and she would protect him even against Ghost, whom she had grown to find affection for. Did she like Ghost? Very much. Did she trust him? That was a matter waiting to be seen, but deep down Charlie knew the answer was both yes and no. She trusted him with certain things, but with others, his character made her doubt how much she could trust him. She didn't know his thoughts on many subjects, and he had already lied to her so often that she knew not when she could trust his words. But she would continue seeking to learn more about him. She had to.
She waited for Finn to sit down on the chair before administering his fear simulation and watching it carefully on the screen before her. You can do it Finn, do what Aubrey would do. She knew Aubrey well enough to know that her sister would always do the Dauntless thing to get out of her fear simulations. She had seen that first hand when she had administered her fear simulation the other day, and Aubrey had bitten through her own tongue to stop Bastian and Julian from taking her and doing what they pleased. It had been so sad and heart wrenching to watch, but it had made her realize how Dauntless Aubrey was. She was a true picture of Dauntless, so proud, so ambitious, so brave. But she was still just a child, as every one of these kids were.

Charlie stood and watched the computer while unconsciously chewing on the end of a pencil, nibbling at the wood and paint. She only realised she was doing this when a piece of the painted wood stuck to her tongue and caused her to wrinkle her nose at the taste. She was glad nobody had seen her do so, and she embarrassingly placed the pencil in her pocket hoping that nobody would see it. She instead began to chew the ends of her hair that fell near her face. Finn would do it, and then if and when Ghost was to have a chance with Finn, he would have had enough practice to hide his Divergent nature. He had to, she couldn't bear to see him "disappear" from Dauntless. Aubrey would be heartbroken. She watched in anticipation.

- waiting for Finn's fear sim -

Aubrey Amber Stark || 16 || Initiate || Dauntlessborn

Aubrey's cheek swelled with a blush as she looked at Blair. Her eyes narrowing. What was she saying? That Finn wanted her to be his girlfriend? And that it was obvious to everyone? Aubrey had always thought that it was a joke that everyone played with and it wasn't actually something people believed. They had always, always, always been bestfriends and nothing more. Why did things have to change? And why oh why did she have to have such confusion, not knowing what she wanted anymore. That was something she had never had. Aubrey ALWAYS knew what she wanted, but at this moment, in regards to Finn, she had no idea what she wanted anymore. She wanted things to stay the same, but... oh how she could still feel the feel of his lips on hers, the pull that her body naturally had towards him, the absolute safety she felt from and with him. She craved that, as - she thought - naturally any girl would. But she wanted her life to stay the same. She didn't know what would happened if she, if she committed to being with Finn like that. The very idea struck a chord of worry and anxiety in her. She felt already anxious, a nauseous growling in her belly making her pull her knees up to her chest as Blair had to go off for her fear simulation. Aubrey felt almost sick. But she could do this... couldn't she? Her fear sims... they had been awful, and she always got through them but it scarred her each and every time. They paraded her nightmares and dreams on a neverending loop. She gently brought her hand up to touch her nose, wincing slightly at the sensitivity, it still hurt a little. Her fingers dropped though to touch her lips, remembering how Finn's had felt.... She clenched her jaw. Stop day dreaming. Be ready. She scolded herself and began to do sit ups, waiting for her name to be called.

It was a little while before any of the instructors came back out, but Aubrey's eyes lit upon the first one to come out that she heard. Ghost. Her eyes lit upon his and she felt her heart drop as she watched his lips form her surname. Sh*t. She really didn't feel like being in Ghost's charge today, but she had little choice. Her composure darkened, she stood up and walked past and with Ghost to the simulation room, not saying a word. She had nothing to say and cared not for anything he decided to say. She just wanted to get this stupid simulation over and done with before anything else. She hopped on the chair and moved her long blonde hair out of the way so that Ghost could give her the simulation. She shivered at the touch of the needle, and as her eyes flickered close, she could have sworn Ghost's eyes were malicious, though it soon fell to nought as her mind succumbed to the power of the simulation.

---

Aubrey was again in Finn's room, just as she had been this morning. Though she knew not that time had surpassed from then. Instead she was lying on his chest, as they watched the movie. His arm was wrapped around her middle and played with the ends of her hair, then occasionally stroking her side. She shivered at his touch, and her heart rate increased at the rush of it as well. What were they doing? Just having a movie night? Why then was Aubrey starting to sweat, and her heart rate beginning to increase by the second? She was not comfortable, and yet she was. Her breath caught in her throat as Finn's hand gently pulled her singlet up enough so that his fingers danced along the bare skin on her side, her hip. She twitched at this feeling and would have pulled away gently, but FInn's grip was tight, possessive. She swallowed, her throat dry as her heart thumped so loudly in her chest that it drowned out the sound of the television. Oh how this feeling both excited and terrified her. She turned to look at Finn, only to find him already looking at her, and she opened her mouth to speak, wanting to voice something to him, but she was silenced as he leaned forward and closed her mouth with his own. She gasped as he did so, but also melted into his embrace, yet the intense heart rate didn't stop, nor was it just the intense heart rate of an excited teenager. No. Aubrey was terrified. Finn began to let his fingers dip lower and higher on her skin and she squirmed under his touch, wanting him to stop. She needed some breath. But Finn wouldn't let her leave, his mouth glued to her own. She felt suffocated. She needed space. She began to wrestle harder against him but every time she used more strength, so did he. He began to push her slowly to the floor, covering her body with his. His legs straddled her and pinned her to the floor, she reached out to push him off of her, but he grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head on the ground, as his other hand still gently danced on her skin. Aubrey's eyes began to fill with fear and tears as she struggled against him. Somehow... somehow she knew that it wasn't just this intimacy that scared her but something that she couldn't put her finger on.

But it soon became apparent. Aubrey finally wriggled enough to be free of his kiss, and she gasped for air, as Finn simply still sat upon her, smiling down at her. "Why do you struggle so much against me Aubrey? I thought you liked this. I thought you liked being my girlfriend?" Aubrey awkwardly bit her lip and struggled to answer him, as she couldn't say for sure that she did or didn't. She did... but she knew that there was a reason she didn't want to be his girlfriend... what was it... But that too soon became apparent. Time seemed to move so fast that she couldn't comprehend the passage of time, her heart rate increased though as they stood at the end of initiation, and she stood in line ready to hear the names read off on who had finished initiation. Finns name was first, right at the top. So she hadn't been at the top? She knew that seeing Finn had distracted her some... but surely she would be second. She heard as Blair's name came second. Then Chris's was third. Then everybodies name came before hers. Finally the last name... Jaxom. It Wasn't hers. Aubrey realised what that meant. She had failed. She. Aubrey Stark. Dauntless of Dauntless. Had failed. Because she had been with Finn so often that she had not trained hard enough.
She watched as everyone turned to look at her, and she saw as they began to just stare as she was grabbed by a Dauntless guard and she was being dragged away. "You.... You can't do this! This is wrong! Finn how the hell did you get on top when I didn't? You cheated? You are all assholes!" Aubrey screamed at the injustice, she knew that Finn must have cheated. He'd skipped as many classes as she had to go on dates and have fun. But somehow he was on top. This is what she got for committing to a relationship like this during initiation. She wrestled away from the guard and ran to Finn. He looked apologetic, sad. But she was angry. She punched him straight in the jaw, feeling a satisying crunch in his jaw. She heard his yelps of pain and she smirked. "I'll show you. I'll rise to the top. Even out there. Then I'll show you Finn. Just you wait." She said, and let the guard drag her away, her heart rate lowering as he ambition returned.

---

Aubrey sat up from the chair slowly. That had been... not real. She breathed a sigh of relief. What a weird nightmare of a simulation. That had been unlike any of the others. IT hadn't been as scary as she thought, but she had been terrified the whole time. Her heart rate had stayed consistently high until the very end. She knew that. She remembered. She clenched her jaw at the remembrance of seeing everyone watch her go. Nobody trying anything to keep her there. She belonged in Dauntless. She was scared of being factionless. She was scared of committing to a relationship with Finn. She was scared of changing her relationship with Finn. She was scared that it would distract her from her ambitions. And that simulation had played on her fears like a toddler plays with toys. She sighed, jumping off of the chair and glancing at Ghost before crossing her arms over her chest. "May I go?" She asked, not caring to ask how her time was or what rank she was. She didn't want her fears to be looking like reality. She just wanted to leave. When Ghost finally gave her the dismissal she required, she exited the room, and walked to the end of the room. She leaned her head against the coolness of the wall, hoping that it would clear her head and help her to think. She just needed to think. She just wanted to know what to do.

Interacting with: Ghost Aviator | Currently nobody

Christian "Chris" Parks || 16 || Initiate || Dauntlessborn

Christian had listened briefly to Fable and Poppy speak, watched as Poppy went off for her fear sim and then came back. He and Fable spoke a little while Poppy was gone, mostly about how Fable was enjoying Dauntless, and Chris had said a little about how it had been to grow up in Dauntless and if it had prepared him for initiation at all. He noted to Fable that only the first part of initiation - the physical training - was something he was prepared for. No one had known about the fear sims before initiation. Soon though Poppy came back and Chris gave her back her things, watching as she ravenously ate the food and drank the coffee. He wondered what her fear simulation had been, and it if it had been as nightmarish as his own. USually he did well, he knew that, and usually he wasn't as scared as he had been in his last sim. But today had been so real and so bloody painful to watch as he hurt Blair so much, eventually killing her in his simulation. He could never recover from that. He could never live with himself if he did that. Which is why he had asked Ajax to kill him in the sim. To stop him. He was a monster.
Hearing that Poppy's had gone well he smile. "That's good, that should put you higher up on the scoreboard. Mine was much more difficult today, I didn't finish as fast as I usually do." He didn't say at all what had transpired in his fear simulation, he didn't want them to know. And they didn't ask, obviously both of them realizing that it was something he didn't want to talk about. When Poppy asked Fable, he also turned, curious to see if she had an answer. Her answer was interesting and Christian was curious. "I find the fear simulations interesting, they feel real, but every time for me it has been something that I have known is something I fear, I am curious to see if I will find something new." Christian wondered how that would feel ,to have a sim that shows you something that you are afraid of that you have never realized. He had lived a strange life, but he knew what gave him fear generally, but he was aware that that didn't have to be true in all cases. He was sure that he might find something new to be afraid of that he hadn't realized yet.

Christian's head turned as he saw Blair exiting Ghost's simulation room, and he grabbed the coffee and pastry that Poppy had grabbed for Blair. "I'll see if Blair feels like joining us." Christian said as he jogged over to Blair. She looked... wary. But he attributed that to her fear simulation. She looked up at him and he found her eyes sunk into something he couldn't put his finger on. He just felt his own heart break when he remembered what he had done to her in his dream. He slowed down his jog, careful to not scare her or hurt her, and gently wrapped his arms around her, almost hardly touching her. He kissed the top of her head and passed her the coffee and the pastry. "Hey, Poppy got these for you. Do you want to come join us? Poppy was really worried about you last night, I'm sure she'd love to see you." He said softly to her, letting his arms drop from around her and awkwardly not touching her. She seemed put off by his inaffection and he sighed. "Blair, my fear simulation... I hurt you... I did things... and I don't want to do that to you. I am so sorry, it was an accident and I don't ever want to hurt you. I love you." He said honestly, his heart beating fast. He couldn't hold back the truth form her even though she hadn't been trying to get it. His honest nature had decided that when it came to Blair, not telling her something was near the same as lying to her. He waited for her response and was relieved when she spoke kindly to him and embraced him fondly. He gently hugged her back and relaxed, the tension in his body finally relieving. He took in a deep breath of her hair and motioned to where Poppy and Fable were, though it looked as if Fable had just been called by someone. "Let's go back to Poppy, okay? Let's just... relax and... and stay away from your house please... Stay with me tonight Blair. Please.." He quietly urged her to stay with him, he couldn't bear if Ajax hurt her again, and he couldn't bear if he broke his promsie to try and stay away from Ajax. He would absolutely hurt him if he saw him, he knew that too well, but he could try and avoid him. His body prickled with anger as he awaited Blair's response. Not angry at Blair obviously, but at Ajax. And himself.

Interacting with: Fable Sanctuaryforall1 Poppy Wolfiee Blair WanderLust.

 

[WanderLust.]

Maverick Maddox // Male// 18// Dauntless Born // Instructor
Interacting With: Randi Sanctuaryforall1

"Alright Sparky..." Maverick fondly remembered his childhood nickname for Randi. The borderline Pyromaniac had earned that name after she had almost set Maverick's shirt on fire during one of her tricks. "Let's get you back to the hospital." He effortlessly reached down to scoop Randi up in his arms, she was so light, it felt as though he were carrying a child. Randi's face at the proposition seemed fairly indicative that she had no intentions of returning to the hospital. "Alright then, the dorms. But you better let me take a look at that." Maverick looked down at her stomach, blood was clearly seeping into her shirt and he cocked a challenging eyebrow at her. When she finally conceded to the compromise, Mav began walking out of the fighting rings and away from the crowd. Normally, he would've been moving a lot quicker, but he didn't want to jostle Randi around too much, and he was obviously restricted in his movement from having to carry her. He could've set her down and let her walk, but something in him wanted to protect her and this was the best way to do it, at least until they were in a safer area. They had both clearly already made some enemies, and Maverick wanted to get out of here with out having to endure another fight.

His pace slowed as he caught sight of a row of motorcycles and a devious smirk touched his lips. "Hold on a second...I have an idea." he trailed off, gently setting Randi down before he paced over towards one of the bikes, an all black one with sleek chrome detailing. He looked both ways, making sure that no unwelcome eyes were on the pair, before he reached into his pocket to remove a small pocket knife. Caspian had taught him how to do this when they were just children. It seemed like almost a way to honor his late brother as he got down on one knee and popped the chrome plate that was covering all the wires for the bike. With the deft hands of a skilled thief, Maverick carefully sliced two of the wires with his knife. Once that was done, he began twisting two of them together and laughed with joy as the bike sparked to life. "I hope he won't miss this." Maverick grinned as he turned to Randi, holding out a hand. Randi seemed more than excited to get on the bike as she took his hand and climbed on top of it. Maverick, however, needed to ensure one last thing before they took off. He sat down in front of her, but turned around, holding something in his hand. "Helmet, Sparky." He plopped the thing down on her head with a satisfied smirk. "I may not be the best driver." He winked, before revving the engine, once then twice.

That was when he heard the angry shouts of the man from earlier. The one who Randi had so wonderfully flipped off. "Get the hell of my bike!" he screamed, but Maverick was already two steps ahead of him. "Hang on tight." He whispered to Randi, and with a twist of his wrists the motorcycle took of like a shot. Randi's arms looped around Maverick's chest and he had to admit, it sparked something inside of him that hadn't been there for a while. He let out a gleeful shout as he sped up, going even faster. It was exhilarating, driving something with so much speed. Admittedly, he had never driven one before, but he feared if he had told Randi that she wouldn't have gotten on the bike. Maverick sped through the streets of dauntless with the carelessness of somebody who quite obviously knew his way around the complex. It was a joy ride. For a while, the pair just drove around, leisurely exploring the dauntless compound from the safety of the bike. It wasn't until quite some time that Maverick found himself turning down an all too familiar road, the bike slowing down until he stopped in front of what seemed to be a pile of wood and Ashes. Maverick pulled down the kickstand on the bike and slowly rose to his feet, his grey eyes emotionless as he took a step closer towards the gated off remains of his childhood home.

"This is all that's left now..." he sighed, looking over the ashes of the Maddox mansion. "All that remains of the Maddox family." Perhaps she would try to comfort him by reminding him that he was still a remnant of the Maddox family. But Maverick knew better. He would never be able to rise to the level of notability and respect that his parents had commanded. Hell, he could barely even handle Caspian's job, Caspian had always been the golden boy. "Now, I'm just the kid who set his house on fire. I might as well just go by the name Ash. He's more me than Maverick Maddox ever was." Maverick sighed as he sat down on the ground, his elbows resting on his knees as he tried to find some fond memory of this place. Alas, the only memories that came to mind were those of his father branding him and Caspian that fateful night. He looked down at his left arm, the dauntless insignia still burned into his tanned skin. He noticed Randi looking at the recognizable scar. "So we never forgot where we came from... and where we belonged.... Caspian had one too." He shrugged softly, as though his fathers abuse were something so casual. In dauntless, it wasn't uncommon for kids to be born into the abusive families who wanted their children to show now fear. "But I ran away because I was so afraid of being caught... of being held responsible for this. I've always been afraid." He sounded disgusted with himself, he couldn't believe his eyes the day he had taken his aptitude test under a false name and had still received a result of dauntless. He had spent so long running scared he was sure that he was no longer worthy of a dauntless title. And yet, here he was. A single tear rolled down his cheek which he quickly wiped away, he didn't need Randi to see him cry. He was stronger than that.​

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Vex

Mood: Predatory

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Harper with mentions of Bella

The concern in Harper’s eyes left Vex with a poison sensation in her blood, she did not need Harper’s pity. What happened to her when she was younger, when she was weaker, made her the perfect specimen she was today. It made her the shining soldier and assassin crafted by her Erudite masters, a weapon for them to wield against their foes. She did not let this disgust show but instead let out a soft sigh and nodded her head, giving Harper a seemingly appreciative nod as she stood from the chair.

“I was sick as a kid.” She stated simply in reply to Harper. “Didn’t care for the doctors much but they made me better.” She explained hoping it would make the fear simulation seem more like a repressed childhood fear rather than memories. She didn’t fear Harper, but she knew she needed to be cautious about what others knew about her. She wasn’t supposed to have had fear simulations like that, they risked exposing too much, but luckily she could twist what it looked like had happened because in the end no one really knew her fears but her.

With that the beautiful transfer turned and walked away, her strides making it clear that she had no desire to seem weak or upset in front of anyone. It was something any initiate would try to do but Vex did it with ease. She had a carefully crafted character to portray, she needed to be strong in front of certain people and vulnerable in front of others. Harper was one who could see a bit of both because that was what would be expected of a transfer and Vex needed to be convincing.

As the former Erudite girl exited the testing room she walked down the hall, scanning the crowd and gathering information as she went. It was always important for her to know who was traveling with who, who was hanging out with who, and who was all alone. She was still internally shaken from what she had witnessed in her fear simulation and wanted to find a way to focus on something else, on someone else. She had been stalking a rather entertaining piece of prey for a while now and during her last tune up she had been given permission to act whenever seemed suitable. With everyone so distracted by the fear simulations and their own events now seemed like as suitable a time as ever to take out her prey. Peering around the crowd she watched as a familiar red head came racing out of a testing room sobbing like a new born child. Vex let Bella run past without reacting too much and watched with several others as the transfer charged out the door. Turning and going another way Vex smiled internally as she felt the rush of a new hunt beginning. She would find Bella and have some fun removing her from the population which would hopefully clear her head.

Baratheon

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[xayah.]

LEAH YOUNG

erudite to dauntless | 16 | initiate​

What was it they said about life or death situations? That a human's first reaction is emotional, not rational? That fight-or-flight takes over without a second thought? If that were true, Leah truly must've not been human.
A pounding heart? Tingling fingers? Fast breathing? Once the initial surprise of suddenly being met face on with death had faded, Leah could feel the rush of symptoms associated with fear as the gun made contact with her forehead. She was more stunned than scared at the situation but only by a bit. Death had always been a fear of Leah's, especially dying without leaving some sort of legacy behind, but this was not how she had thought she'd go. Maybe it was more likely than she thought now that she was in a faction where a gun was only slightly off the mark from lethally hitting you. Nonetheless, she had been beat to an inch of her life early on in initiation. This was almost nothing to her now.
Remaining as composed as ever, the Erudite girl's thoughts raced as she quickly ran through calculation after calculation in her head. Time was of the essence after all. She could practically feel her executioner's ever nearing intent to pull the trigger. It takes the average person about a quarter of a second to react. I can reach the arm holding the gun in a shorter amount of time than that. If I just...
Grasping the straightened and locked arm of her assailant, Leah bent backwards near the elbow with as much force as possible. Any more and she might have detached the two forearm bones from the elbow. The gun dropped from their hand and with some deft footwork, Leah secured it under her foot before picking it up and aiming. She had expected some sort of guilt or moral dilemma about taking a life, but just like when she and Ferris were forced to fight for their life in the outskirts of Erudite territory, nothing came to mind or heart. If it meant she would survive, if not thrive, Leah was not shy about doing what needed to be done. Undisturbed by the realization, her slim, graceful finger pulled the trigger without hesitation.
And just as the gun fired, making the sound ring in her ears, Leah blinked and found herself back in the testing room. One glance at Charlie, and it seemed that her time had significantly improved considering the frown on the medic's face was less of disappointment and more of dissatisfaction at how the help Leah had received from Ferris had done it's job. Nonetheless, being the kind person she is, Charlie congratulated her, and all Leah could do was nod in acknowledgement. As much as Leah loathed to admit it, Ferris had proven helpful; she would just never let him know it. Being indebted to him would be one of the most shameful things ever.
Walking out of the simulation room less concerned about flunking out of Dauntless than before, Leah breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Her usually sealed shut lips formed a small o shape as air passed silently through—a manifestation of all the troubles and worries of the past few weeks. Now free for the day, the Erudite girl walked out of the training hall, taking a much-needed break from the tense initiate environment.
interacting with: Charlie Nerdy.

 

[Aviator]

Ghost // Male // Age 18 // Training Instructor // Erudite to Dauntless
​

Surprisingly, Aubrey obeyed without comment. No gibe regarding how Charlie had publicly brushed him off, no question about why Ghost was coming apart at the seams. He tried to make his posture as casual as possible as he leaned with one shoulder blade against the door frame. Either his ruse was successful or Aubrey didn’t care enough to ask if he was okay as she flounced past him and plopped into her chair, her every sharp motion bespeaking a fierce, latent agitation. It was evident that she had been expecting an instructor other than Ghost to administer her fear sim. He doubted whether he ordinarily would have cared about her rejection, but as sweat slicked his palms and the floor lurched beneath his feet, Ghost’s only concern was finishing up with his final initiate and getting home as quickly as possible.
Holding the edge of his desk for balance, a dangerous beat passed when Ghost was confronted with two different fluids in glass vials and hesitated, unsure which was the one he was supposed to be administering to Aubrey. Anxiety flared through him. He reached a hand up to scratch the back of his neck in a desperate play for time and his shaking fingers came very close to jabbing himself in the eye. Ghost heard the swish of hair across shoulders and the imperceptible parting of lips in dazzling clarity as Aubrey too noticed his pause and prepared to comment on it. Before she could, Ghost came to a decision and snatched up the vial on the right, knowing that if she asked him a question he’d lack the mental capacity to answer, and that would definitely give him away. Ghost fumbled the liquid into the syringe with slow, deliberate movements, and fortunately the vein on Aubrey’s neck was easy to locate; Ghost was fairly certain he could have spotted the flash of blue against snowy-white skin from across the room.
Strength was rapidly depleting from his legs, and instead of sitting down in the chair behind his desk, he tumbled wildly into it. Fortunately Aubrey’s eyes were closed by this time. Ghost sucked in a breath of relief, both that she hadn’t seen his lapse in voluntary movement and that he could finally take his weight off his feet. His garnet-red button-down—which had been elegant and unrumpled just a few hours ago—was now plastered to his skin with sweat. Ghost pulled his trench coat a little more snuggly around his body, wishing to entrap the last slivers of warmth before they could escape.
The muddle of color on the monitor was murder to his hypersensitive eyes. Ghost blinked away tears as pixels coalesced into what looked like a teenage boy’s bedroom, with blue walls adorned with anime posters and clothes haphazardly strewn across the floor so that trying to walk across without stepping on some would have been like navigating a minefield. A figure with elfish features and brown eyes dancing with mischief appeared: Finley Day. A knot of tension that Ghost suspected had little to do with physical illness formed in his stomach as Day wrapped a possessive arm around Aubrey’s waist and lowered her onto her back.
Somehow, amid all the small pains and distorted senses vying for his attention, Ghost managed to feel even more acutely uncomfortable as Day clamped his mouth atop Aubrey’s. The passion of their kissing escalated, and when Finley rucked Aubrey’s shirt up her back, Ghost pressed his elbows to his desk and buried his face in his hands, unwilling to watch further. His skin tingled with the scorching heat of his embarrassment, which was only relieved by regret for having chosen Aubrey. All three of Ghost’s fellow instructors were female, and slightly more qualified to watch the intimate scene playing out on the screen. Well, maybe not qualified, but not quite so dirty. Ghost didn’t dare glance up to ascertain how much clothing Aubrey still had on if any, but in all of the fear sims he’d been privy to over this year and last, he had never seen a naked initiate.
Excruciating minutes passed. At last, the raised voices as Aubrey presumably fended off Finn’s unwanted advance faded into silence, and Ghost peeked up. He found her steadily gazing back at him, her blinks long and slow and flat, as if annoyed with Ghost for the random misfortune of having been the instructor to view her simulation. There was no telltale trace of shame or fear of judgment in Aubrey’s narrow-eyed expression. She asked to be dismissed, and Ghost answered with a single mute bob of his head. He swallowed thickly as she stood up and stalked out the door, her posture rigid with indignation.
Ghost consulted the clipboard with the initiates’ scoresheets, and his vision dimmed as soon as he made to focus on the close-up object. He took a quick breath that stuck like toffee in his chest. His throat burned, and he threw up an arm just in time to partially muffle the cough that tore through him, his shoulders shaking with the force. Knowing that he was running out of time, he knifed to his feet and pushed his chair in with a little too much strength, so that the top edge slammed against the desk with a loud crack. Ghost’s world rippled and quaked, colors blooming across his vision like fireworks. The next time his vision cleared, he found himself stumbling down the hallway leading to the waiting room with no memory of how he had gotten there.
Only a handful of initiates still milled around, most having departed immediately after finishing their test or currently in the process of taking it. Charlie, Harper, and Bloom must have all been in their testing rooms, as fortunately none were within sight. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, he tucked his chin into his chest and vacated the training premises. In a surprising burst of clarity, he suddenly remembered that he had promised to reveal the initiates’ overall ranks upon the conclusion of today’s training, and Ghost felt a pinch of guilt at having to renege on his promise. But now was not the time for lingering and small talk.
Powering through the curious stares that followed his departure, he coughed and sputtered as he fell into the familiar path that would take him to his apartment quickest. Ghost’s breath was rattling in his ears as he arrived at the base of the first stairwell. It took a conscious effort to lift his feet high enough with each step so that he didn’t trip and fall on his face. His legs were screaming when he reached the third landing, and during the interval that he had decided to stop and catch his breath, a realization hit him: The scream hadn’t come from his own body, but from an external source.
As desperately as Ghost wanted to get home and weather this latest episode of illness in the comfort of his own bed, he knew that he would not be able to forgive himself on the off chance that someone was genuinely in need of help and he turned a blind eye, just like all of the politicians and businessmen he despised for their indifference to the suffering of the factionless. A few seconds passed in which Ghost changed his original plan and comprehended the process that he would have to take in order to accomplish the new one. Instead of taking the stairs up to the next floor, he would have to go forward on the level that stretched out before him. Before his eyes, the walls wavered and suddenly curved inward, like the laugh lines around a mouth that was mocking his pathetic state.
Ghost proceeded down the narrow corridor yawning before him. His pride was only just strong enough to keep him from slumping one shoulder against the nearest wall. The lights were so dim that he had to squint to focus on any one object for a prolonged period, and his distance vision had never been lacking. As an initiate he had taken to mentally mapping out the whole of the compound for future analysis if necessary, so he probably should have known where this particular deserted hallway was leading, but the memory eluded him.
When Ghost turned the corner, he almost tripped on the body. At once he could tell that the girl was dead and not asleep, in the way that the tendons of her hands jutted at harsh angles, the spectral pallor which had replaced cheeks that should have been rosy with a flush. He had seen the maladroit slump of death before, and ever since that night the idea that someone might mistake death for sleep shocked him. There was an icy, sinister permanence to death that a sleeping figure would never emulate.
Ghost’s pulse throttled. For him to start seeing hallucinations of that magnitude, this was going to be a nasty spell indeed. His desire to go home and abandon this new frivolous quest—what had he come all this way for, anyway?—renewed in him. A shadow fell over him, and four years of living on the streets resurfaced inside him, and Ghost’s fingers closed over the handle of one of the pistols at his belt. But the knowledge that, in his current condition, he was probably more likely to shoot himself in the foot than take down an enemy caused him to rethink his initial plan, and he let the gun remain holstered. Besides, the teenage girl standing across the hall from him was unarmed and looked perfectly calm; not ready to rip out his throat with her bare teeth. She was a few inches shorter than Ghost but so solidly built that he would have guessed they were within five pounds of each other’s weight. Long coffee-colored cornrows were pushed over one shoulder, leaving one side of her face almost bare except for one errant curl. Her skin was the color of hickory, and Ghost found himself fascinated by the play of light and shadow across it.
Suddenly the muscular girl took a step toward him. He hadn’t been expecting her to move, and when his eyes went to track her, a swirl of vertigo overcame him and he lowered his gaze to the floor, where the spinning was slow and consistent and predictable. For some reason, when she spoke, her voice reminded him of a knife wrapped in velvet. Yet it was a blur of sound, and he was unable to distinguish where one word ended and the next began. With a herculean effort, Ghost wrenched his head up and forced himself to concentrate on the girl’s lips. “What?” he asked, and his voice sounded thinner than a wisp of woodsmoke. Awareness that he knew this girl from somewhere trickled into him, and he was simultaneously intrigued and intimidated. Ghost had never understood why some men would freeze up in the presence of a pretty woman and had always mentally dismissed those who did as weak of will. And so the fact that this young woman made him feel indescribably nervous caused an irrational laugh to bubble up his throat. It tangled with a cough and resulted in an unpleasant, hacking sound that Ghost was sure did this girl’s first impression of him no favors.

 

[Sanctuaryforall1]

Randi

Mood: Understanding

Location: Maddox Mansion

Interactions: Mav

An exhausted smirk pulled at Randi’s naturally pouty lips when she heard the name Mav had called her a thousand times before but not in recent months. She let out a slight hiss of pain as he lifted her into his arms, her stitches definitely not in the best of shape after all the activity she had just experienced when she was so freshly wounded. At the mention of the hospital though she gave him a glare that expressed how she would rather chew glass than go back to the building that smelled so strongly of rubbing alcohol and death. “You can look at anything you want if you promise not to tell Poppy about any of this.” She conceded with her usual flirty flare. “The last thing I need is a mom speech from her.” She chuckled with a wince.

Mav was being so careful as he carried her would of the building where the fights took place. She could tell he was taking it slow and trying to remain as stiff as possible to keep her from getting shaken in her already injured state. Though she said nothing she leaned her head against his chest in appreciation. She was truly exhausted at this point, her body enduring what felt like a war in the past 24 hours between the free for all, being drugged, being stabbed, then being attacked at the fighting ring. It was a lot though she would never admit to it.

Lifting her head as she felt Mav’s strong arms lowering her onto the pavement as he claimed to have an idea. Looking around she noticed the motorcycles lined up and instantly felt the undeniable desire to mount one and ride off but resisted since she knew she would only make it a few yards before falling off in her weakened state. Instead, she watched as Mav walked casually up to a black and chrome bike and went to work hotwiring it. Now that’s the Mav I love to see. She thought to herself as her tired eyes sparkled with excitement when the bike roared to life. She eagerly took his hand as he offered to help her up before straddling the bike. As Mav plopped the large helmet on her head she laughed as the front of it covered her eyes before pushing it back out of her face and giving him an eye roll. “Aye Captain.” She replied with a laugh as he revved the engine, and she strapped the helmet into place.

Suddenly behind them came the shouts of a voice Randi remembered from mere minutes before. The man who attacked her was now running at them and screaming for them to get off his bike. Wrapping her arms around Mav she looked back at the man and stuck her tongue out at him as Mav took off like a bat out of hell. It was a childish move, but Randi relished the look of rage on the perv’s face as he turned redder and redder while screaming after them. She hoped he would keep screaming until his voice box broke. Turning her focus back to Mav she adjusted herself on the seat as they drove down the road, her arms tightening around him as she held on and leaned her head against his back. She watched the scenery of the Dauntless Compound whiz by them as they drove around, no real destination in mind, just enjoying the wind whipping their hair and the simplicity of this moment.

Finally, it seemed that Mav had found the direction he had wanted to go or at least settled on a destination. Their route became more direct, and Randi trusted him to get them wherever they were going safely as she closed her eyes for a few minutes to just enjoy the feeling of the ride. Before she opened them again the familiar scent of ashes and old burnt wood met her nose. Her jade gaze opened and fell upon the burned remains of the Maddox Mansion, Mav’s old home, a former pillar of the Dauntless Complex now reduced to ash. She listened to Mav’s hushed words as her eyes scanned the wreckage of his old home. The way he spoke sounded so defeated but in a way, Randi could understand. “The person I saw in that fighting ring tonight wasn’t you Mav.” She told him softly. “From what I could see…that man is who you are when you feel like you have nothing left when you don’t want to be you.” She pointed out. “But that man isn’t the one who saved me tonight, that wasn’t Ash, that was you, Mav.” Her words were gentle and meaningful as she reached over and rested her hand on his shoulder. Shaking her head she took a breath and looked to the sky for a moment before continuing, “You don’t even have to be one of the other, your name…their names aren’t what make you who you are. It is you who decides that.” In this moment Randi was doing what she has always done best, she was truly speaking from the heart, complete honesty no matter the cost. She wanted Mav to know that he wasn’t his family, he wasn’t the man the people watching the fights cheered for, he was whoever he wanted himself to be. “I like whoever it is you decide to be.” She told him as she sat beside him carefully trying to avoid irritating her wound.

Her eyes drifted over to the branding on his arm, the Dauntless insignia. Fire was no stranger to her, neither were burns, but she had never been branded like that before. She pictured a younger Mav being forcibly branded by his father and the image enraged her. For a moment she was glad the flames the Maddox patriarch had used on his sons were eventually the flames that turned on him, fire was unforgiving, a trait she related to. Her rage quelled though when she heard Mav’s next words. “Mav…” She breathed as her heart broke for him. “Being afraid…it is the most natural thing ever.” She told him and shook her head. “What I mean is…being afraid is what makes us human, being afraid means we know we have something worth losing whether it is our lives, our friends, our families, or our futures. Wanting to protect that no matter how you go about doing it is also natural. Being a member of Dauntless has taught me that we all have fears, bravery would not exist without them, and you are far braver than you give yourself credit for. Running from your past is half the reason why people come to this faction in the first place, they think here they will learn to face their fears and overcome them. Some do manage to do that, but others learn that being here doesn’t mean you are fearless, it just means that you will not let that fear control you or your life.” Carefully the petite blonde leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder. “You are afraid and that’s okay, but just don’t let that fear control you and turn you into something you aren’t.” She told him, her voice just above a whisper. “Fear can make monsters of men, but you are stronger than that.”

WanderLust.

code by Stardust Galaxy

Fable

Mood: Terrified

Location: Testing Center

Interactions: Harper

Fable found the conversation between Poppy, Chris, and herself to be quite interesting especially since it was helping to keep her awake. She had to admit she was a bit disappointed when her name was called and thus, she would have to depart the topic of their theories about the fear simulations. Turning her head, she saw she would be performing her fear sim with Harper yet again and hoped that her less than ready state wouldn’t hurt her too badly today.

Walking past Harper and into the testing room Fable did her best to look as alert as possible though the dark circles under her eyes gave away the fact that she got no sleep the night before. Despite trying to fight it off a yawn did manage to escape her lips as she sat in the chair and her cheeks flushed bright with embarrassment. “Sorry.” She apologized to Harper, hating that she looked like a tired dummy in front of the instructor. “I got a bit turned around in the compound last night, so it took me a while to find the barracks.” She admitted as she sat back in the chair.

Taking a breath, she watched as Harper prepared the needle and typed a few things into the system before turning towards her. She had gotten over wincing when the injection was given after the first simulation, but it still amazed her how quickly the serum would kick in. All it took was one blink and she was gone.

Multi-colored eyes flickered open and for a moment Fable thought she hadn’t opened her eyes at all but blinked several times and still saw nothing. Her heart began to beat hurriedly in her chest as she attempted to move but found her hands bound behind her back by some unknown force with her legs trapped as well. Suddenly all around her, she felt hands gripping her body, their iron grasp bruising on her skin as she struggled against them. She kicked and screamed, lashing out as best she could in her bound state only for the grip to grow stronger and far more painful. She swore she could feel her bones cracking under the pressure of the hands that dragged her towards an unknown destination. Her vision was still filled with darkness, so she had no idea where she was, who was carrying her, or where she was going. Screaming in fear and frustration it seemed that no matter how hard she struggled and kicked outward, her strikes met thin air.

After who knows how long of being dragged and carried by these unknown beings Fable felt herself being lifted up, her body being passed upwards as her heart raced within her chest and she continued to fight. Suddenly she felt what must have been a fist connect with her face as her headshot backward against a solid object and she felt herself grow dazed and for a few seconds. In that time her struggles didn’t have the same strength and she felt her hands being unbound and quickly rebound behind a pole. As the dazed effect wore off Fable pulled and struggled against the pole she was bound to, the feeling of blood trickling down her nose and across her lips totally lost as she focused on trying to free herself from her bindings.

Suddenly in the distance, through the darkness, she saw a flicker of light. For a moment she was hopeful that it was her sight returning to her but it quickly became clear that her sight had never left her in the first place. She was simply stuck in a void of darkness with a light in the distance growing closer. Blinking a few times she watched at the halo of the light began to illuminate the area in front of her and recoiled in horror at the grotesque shadow creatures that surrounded the elevated platform she was bound to. She was struggling to the point that the bindings had turned her skin raw and bleeding and she hoped the blood would allow her to slip free of her ties but alas they did not budge.

Fables heart sank before beginning to race again as she looked up from her struggle to see the light was much closer now and was in face a torch being carried by one of the shadow beings. Suddenly above her, a wave of foul-smelling liquid poured down over Fable which caused her to choke and sputter as some got into her mouth. By the scent, she could instantly tell the liquid of gasoline and as the flaming torch drew closer, she noticed she was bound atop a pyre of wood and twigs. True horror stuck her to her core as she realized what fate stood before her. Despite her desperate struggles, she could not break her binds, her feet slipping beneath her as she tried.

Suddenly the torch-bearing creature was standing before the pyre she was bound to. It bared its dripping fangs at her, the pale eyes of it and its kin glowing in the firelight. Fable cried and struggled as she watched the creature carefully toss the torch up onto the pyre and the scream that ripped through her throat was unlike any other as she became engulfed in flames. The feeling was unlike any pain she had ever felt, it was raw, burning, excruciating agony that would not go away. Her screams became blood-choked gargles as she breathed in the scent of her burning flesh until after an eternity of pain everything went cold.

Quite suddenly Fable shot up in the seat of the testing room, her eyes looking around wildly as she processed her surroundings. For an instant she could have sworn she still felt her skin on fire, but the sensation was fading, and she couldn’t be more grateful for it. Calming down after a heartbeat she realized that with such a rough awakening that she must have certainly failed the simulation, badly. She dared to look over at Harper and the look on the girl’s face told her all she needed to know; she had botched this simulation. “I…” She began but paused instantly. Harper didn’t need to hear her lame excuses; she was pathetic once again. Getting up from the chair Fable gave Harper a nod before exiting the room in shame.

Baratheon

code by Stardust Galaxy

Vex

Mood: Cautious

Location: Side Entrance

Interactions: Ghost

The last thing Vex had been expecting as she took her prey down was for one of the instructors to come stumbling out of the seldom-used side door. Everything had been going so smoothly, Bella was the perfect prey, a weak little bird that could be taken down with a single swipe. Vex was getting ready to move the girl to a more favorable location for the final kill when Ghost came stumbling through the doors.

Instantly Vex could tell something was off with the normally appearance-conscious instructor. She didn’t know Ghost well, certainly not to the degree of other initiates, but she knew he normally carried himself a specific way and this certainly wasn’t it. Looking at his eyes Vex could see how the pupils were all over the place, seeming to struggle with the new light as Ghost blinked and looked around. He was holding himself weird, like he wasn’t at full strength and certainly not full awareness. Still, it seemed he had found the ability to look down at Bella’s unconscious form though Vex could tell it took him a moment to register it. Whatever he was on seemed to very strongly affect Ghost’s mind as he looked at her with little to no recognition. Perfect. She thought to herself with a sigh as she stepped over Bella’s body and closer to the instructor.

She knew she couldn’t kill him, getting rid of two bodies today was not something she had the energy to do. Plus, it seemed that since his system was soaked in whatever he had taken Vex was willing to bet it was doing odd things to his brain too. She would have to take the gamble and simply knock him out in order to make sure he didn’t get in her way further. One interruption was enough, she didn’t want the fool to cause any more.

Walking towards him, her hips swaying with a natural seduction Vex made sure to say absolutely nothing. She wanted to get as close as she could before she struck and didn’t know how great of a flight risk the instructor would be. As she drew closer, she reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around an extendable baton with the full intent of whipping it out and clubbing Ghost over the head with it. A pretty smile pulled at her lips as she looked up at him and she readied herself to remove her hand and weapon from her pocket but right as she was about to strike she saw the young man's eyes roll to the back of his head as his body crumpled to the ground before her.

Aviator

code by Stardust Galaxy

 

[Nerdy.]

Charlotte "Charlie" Stark || 20 || Medic || Dauntlessborn


The fear simulation that Finn went through was familiar to Charlie, although it gave her a perspective that she had never had on a historical event in Finn’s life. The poor boy had been terribly allergic to the sting of a wasp, and she wasn’t at all surprised to see that he still feared that. She watched, glad that for once the fear sim wasn’t going to be something that would mortify the initiate but simply cause them fear. Too many people had such terrible fears, Charlie included, and she knew if anyone saw her fears she would not know how to act, as her fears were reality, and that reality was a nightmare. However, she watched in anticipation to see if Finn would be able to fool her, make her think that he didn’t know this was a simulation, make her think he solved it the right way. To her delight, she watched as he showed little to no signs of understanding that what he was experiencing wasn’t real, and she felt an optimistic twinge in her heart. He would be okay. She frowned a little bit as he let the pain and reaction be what took him out of the simulation, giving in rather than fighting, but it was a start, a very good start.

Charlie watched as Finn woke up, and wasn’t surprised as he immediately reached to the areas he had been stung, she was sure that they had felt just like the genuine stings had felt, and she had no doubts that it was very unpleasant to feel. She looked at his time, and nibbled gently at her bottom lip as she did the quick maths to add Ghost’s time to Finn’s score. She sighed softly, under her breath, and hoped Finn couldn’t hear that as she turned to him and smiled. “Your time, even with Ghost’s punishment, was still very good. You did well.” She said, and stared at him intently, showing that she meant he did well to hide his divergency, but masking it with the sentence to say that he did well to come out in that time. After a few seconds had passed, she hoping that he had understood her reference, she continued to speak. “It wasn’t a particularly brave way to exit the fear simulation but that happens, you did well nonetheless. You are free to go. Good job.” She smiled and opened the door to the room, letting Finn exit. There was a warm part of her heart, Finn would be perfect. He would be perfectly fine. He had to be. She would make sure of it, even if it ended up costing her much more than she could ever imagine. She knew in her heart that she would never desert someone she loved, and she loved Finn like a little brother.

Charlie moved back into the simulation room and tidied it back up, before exiting and looking around. “Thorn? If you’re ready please follow me.” She said, catching eyes with the young man and smiling fondly. She turned as she watched him begin to walk towards her, and she led him into the room, closing the door behind him. She turned to look at him and almost gasped, noting even more new bruises and cuts that embodied his muscular body. “Thorn…” She could hardly help herself as she said his name softly, stepping towards him. She watched as he respectfully stepped away, and held up a hand to show that he was okay. She felt her lip quiver at the thought of someone hurting Thorn, and yet she knew she had no power to help him except to administer treatment and to be a friend. She said nothing as he sat on the sim chair and readied himself, before she finally let out a breath and grabbed the syringe. She gently inserted it into his neck and watched as his eyes flitted shut. She then stood there, chewing at her bottom lip, before finally picking up her first aid bag and opening it. Since Thorn was basically asleep, he couldn’t tell her not to treat his injuries.

Charlie worked quickly and efficiently, she opened/lifted his shirt, a blush rising to her cheek as she realized how this might look if someone were to walk in, but she carried on, more concerned about helping Thorn’s old and new injuries than to how someone might perceive her actions. She knew she was meant to watch his sim but this was more important to her. She cleaned his cuts, bandaged any that were particularly bad and put gentle ointments on the bruises and old scars. Once that was done, she gently returned the shirt to how it was, and began to pack her things back in her bag, putting any equipment she used into a sealed bag to clean later. Once done, she walked back to the computer to check if he was nearly finished, and to see how he was going….

Interacting with: Finn Baratheon Thorn Sanctuaryforall1

Aubrey Amber Stark || 16 || Initiate || Dauntlessborn


Aubrey lay on the floor a little while away from everyone else, staring up at the ceiling and counting the little nicks and imperfections that were on it. She breathed as slow as she could, letting the coldness of the floor seep through her singlet, and trying to keep her breaths in rhythm with a fan that she could hear that was supposed to keep the room cool on a hot day. She closed her eyes but it only helped in reminding her of the nightmare simulation she had had. Finn, in love with her… She in love with him. She gets distracted and instead of coming out on top like she should… She falls so far she drops out. She clamped her jaw shut, fists forming so tightly she felt her fingernails press into her palms. Even now those memories of the fear sim caused her heart to race, and she found herself unmeaningly holding her breath. She wasn’t afraid of Finn, but she was afraid of losing. Losing the life she wanted. Did she want Finn in her life? Y.E.S. Did she dislike the idea of being with him… romantically? No she didn’t, in fact, she was realizing that she liked it too much. But was she afraid of the distraction, of losing the Dauntless life that she dreamed of. Very very much. That was something she had never been able to put into words, but now, it was all too clear, that was the reason she had freaked out this morning in Finn’s room. That’s why she shut him down. That’s why she only had silly and fun little relationships. They got serious, some very serious, but she had never ever put them above herself. But Finn? She loved Finn. More deeply than she had ever loved anyone in her life. If she were to let him into her, into her personal and singular life, then would he be the reason she dropped out of Dauntless?

Aubrey sat up and rubbed her arms, her hand went up to her neck, her fingers gently scraping over the mark that the syringe left in her neck. These simulations were dumb, and she was almost certain that she had fallen far down the line and nearer the bottom. Whereas Finn seemed fine. When they talked about their simulations he didn’t seem as bothered or hurt or scared. But she was terrified, and every night she got less and less sleep as the sims bombarded her dreams with her deepest and darkest fears. She hated this. She did not feel brave in the slightest and she knew that was what made her scared over anything else. Was she brave? She had always believed so. Now… she wasn’t so sure.
Aubrey knew she needed to do something to alleviate the stress from her mind, and she twirled a long blonde tendril of hair around her finger as she thought about what she could do. Mostly her mind thought of training, sparring or running, but then a reminder seemed to set off alarm bells in her head. Charlie! Jeremy had asked her to look into who was hurting Charlie. Aubrey had found a mission to take part in and it was exactly the distraction she needed. But she needed Finn… or did she? Aubrey felt a pang of intense guilt at the doubt of needing Finn. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him, she desperately did, but the simulation was plaguing her mind like a sickness and she felt almost nauseous from it. However, she didn’t need to wait too long to make her decision, as Finn was let out from Charlie’s simulation room just at that moment, and the two made eye contact. Now Aubrey had no choice, and that simple reality let her breathe a sigh of relief. No choice was better than making the ones she had thought of.

She waved Finn over, seeing as he was already walking this way anyway. When he arrived she playfully punched him on the shoulder as she stood up. “How was your sim?” She asked, though she almost dreaded his answer. He shrugged but then went on to talk about the wasp sting, transporting Aubrey through a time loop to remember just how that had happened back in the past. She shivered as she remembered how scared she had been at the time for Finn, and how scared she had been of wasps and bees, until she herself had been stung and it had had no effect. She had overcome that fear. She could overcome her other fears too. Finn returned the question tentatively, but Aubrey shook her head. “Let’s just say it was about dropping out of initiation.” She said, which was the truth. Finn seemed sad that she didn’t want to speak about it, but he also seemed to understand her pain during this moment. “But I need a distraction, I was thinking we could try to investigate…” She leaned closer. “Charlie a bit more. Try and find this person who has been hurting her. Now is perfect, she’s busy.” Aubrey looked at Finn excitedly, hoping he would agree to come help her.

Interacting with: Finn Baratheon

Christian "Chris" Parks || 16 || Initiate || Dauntlessborn

WIP

 

[minmi]

Scotty

amity transfer

fear sims > outside

apprehensive

hoodie + leggings

interactions

Bloom Sanctuaryforall1 / Jax Wolfiee

Despite having an aptitude test result that told Scotty she was Dauntless loud and clear, the novelty of being a part of her soon-to-be faction was swiftly wearing off for Scotty. While she had never quite belonged in Amity, she new what to expect out of her days. She'd get up typically as the sun was rising to feed the horses and cows, take a walk around the barn to make sure all animals had enough water for the morning and refill their troughs if not, shovel the poop so the animals could roam without getting too dirty, and then she'd return home for breakfast and schooling with her mother. She had other chores on the farm to return to afterwards, but at least she knew pretty much exactly what her day held. Here, that wasn't really the case.

Getting up around dawn remained the same for her. She'd take the opportunity to try and journal what she could remember of her dreams, watch the sun rise, and watch the compound slowly wake up around her. She'd shower, eat, relax for as much as she could for the free time she had in the morning, for she never knew what to expect out of training. Knowing that they were going through initiation in phases somewhat helped, but there was no clear outline outside of that. Who were you going to punch today? Would the instructors give you knives and set you loose in a dark room? What else would they do to beat you down into submission? What nightmare would you face today?

Natalie certainly enjoyed Phase Two much much less than she had Phase One. It's not that she couldn't do it, or that she particularly sucked at it. She just didn't enjoy having to come face to face with her fears while someone was watching her. It felt like someone had taken her journal out from under her mattress and was reading her deepest secrets and worst nightmares aloud to her. And, worst of all, they left her feeling more weak and exhausted than getting the ever-loving crap beat out of her. Going through her fear simulations— having her baby sister Emily ripped out of her arms, drowning in open water, returning home— was very similar to spending all day in the hot sun getting repeatedly thrown off a bronco until he finally kicks you in the head and you have to call it a day. It was causing her to lose a bit of sleep like a hoof to the face would, too.

Having eaten her breakfast and sipped her coffee, the teen made her way to the training room per the usual time and waited patiently for the instructors to begin their day. Soon enough, they were rallied around but only to watch... card tricks. In her eyes, Ghost was one of the most peculiar characters in this ensemble. He always spoke like he was better than everyone when he was, quite frankly, pretty small and a little ragged looking at times. She knew better than to try and test him, especially with how apt he seemed to be with weapons and knowing he somehow had to be able to become an instructor, but in the back of her mind she'd always wondered if one-on-one, hand-to-hand she could squish him like a bug(she certainly had the height advantage). His little show had been entertaining, but no matter how closely she tried to watch she didn't quite get how he did it. She had even spoken up and asked to see another trick, fairly amazed by the success of the first. She had been disappointed with his response, but it seemed time to move on.

She absolutely hated waiting her turn for these sorts of things. The build up was way too awful, causing her heart to swell and her nerves to rise. She often spent the wait pacing, watching as each initiate entered and exited the closed off rooms, anxiously turning her ring around and around her finger. "Natalie?" Bloom beckoned. Scotty straightened, awkwardly nodded her head, and speed walked her way towards the instructor and into their room. Socializing wasn't really a skill she had, so she remained silent while she sat and the serum was administered. Plus, Bloom was so pretty the teen would probably lose her tongue anyhow. Quickly, the room blurred and became dark.

//
(TW: murder, potential graphic imagery)

Natalie had awoken in the dead of night to a quiet alarm clock and quickly gotten dressed. She already had a suitcase hidden in her closet, full of the things she'd need out with the factionless and the sentimental items she'd miss. She had stopped by Emily's room to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then she stepped out into the chilly night. Her engagement ring was on her left hand, instead of her right. She was meeting Sam tonight. She could hardly contain her excitement as she swiftly made her way to the cornfield, where they had agreed to meet. She had practically skipped.

She was there now, standing waiting. The night wind gently blew, causing the corn stalks to sway and make a peaceful rustling sound. But the night was anything but peaceful. An uneasy feeling loomed over her, a pit settled into her stomach. She thought she heard movement in the corn near her. She turned swiftly and leaned towards the sound. "Sam?" She called quietly. Her blue eyes searched fearfully in the dark for the familiar silhouette she had seen most mornings. When there was no answer, she called again, this time a little louder. "Sam?" Something caused the corn to shake again and her heartrate picked up once again. "Who's there?" There was no response, she felt unsafe, so she dropped her suitcase and bolted.

She was trying to make her way out, to find open area where someone might see her, where someone might hear her scream. But the path became tangled, moving, unfamiliar. It seemed as though she was cutting deeper and deeper into the corn field. She stepped in a hole and fell into a small clearing in the corn, where a little bit of equipment lay around. "Ah!" She breathed in sharply. Her hands were scraped and stung a little. She pushed herself off the ground and raised her eyes. And let out a blood curdling scream. Her gaze had found her very fiancé, Sam, strung up onto the cross that the field's scarecrow should have been nailed to. Dead and bloodied.

Natalie crumbled back to the dirt, sobbing, feeling as if someone had ripped her heart out of her chest. She sat and she cried, until she could gather her thoughts. If Sam was dead, it meant that she could be next. She had to get out of here. She frantically wiped her face and nose, tried to smooth down her hair, and dust the dirt off of her jeans. She took a few deep breaths and...

//

The initiate's eyes fluttered open. While her heartrate and breathing had slowed and regulated, now that she was awake hot shame had caused her cheeks to become flushed and her chest to feel like it had pins and needles. She laughed nervously and let out a quiet "Sorry." Before sliding out of her seat and wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. She still hadn't figured out if she was supposed to wait around and stay until she was dismissed, or just leave on her own merit. Finding the former to be too awkward, she bowed her head a little to show her thanks and as a farewell to the beautiful instructor. "Um. I'll be going now." And she left the room quickly.

Feeling very embarrassed and overwhelmed by what had just happened, she needed some fresh air. She needed to go on a walk. She wanted out. She swiftly found the nearest exit, where she knew there would be a bench for her to sit on for some time before she would take a walk around the perimeter of the compound. But, as she made her way there, she found someone already sat there. Another initiate. Jaxom. He looked up at her as she approached, and asked if she was finished for the day as well. She felt a little bad, like maybe she was intruding on his alone time. She honestly hadn't spoken to him much, either, so she was struggling to find enough words to respond.

"Mm-hmm," She nodded, taking a seat next to him on the bench, palms face down on the the cool metal. "I think so. It's just the fear simulation and we're done right? So. I think so." She stretched her legs out and crossed her ankles, seeming to think about something before she spoke again. "Those are supposed to get easier, right? I feel like every day we go into those things and we're blindsided. And we're supposed to become fearless, but..." Scotty trailed off. She didn't really want to address the nightmares these things were digging up. "Sorry, I'm probably talking too much."

In reality, she hadn't really talked much, but having had few friends at any point in time, talking was truly not her forte.

coded by natasha.

 

[WanderLust.]

Blair Avalon // Female // Age 16 // Dauntless Born Initiate // Divergent
Interacting with: Christian Nerdy.

Blair left the exam room feeling only slightly better than she had before. Her fear simulation had woken her up at the very least. She felt a bit more human… a bit more dauntless now that she had faced Ajax, even if it was only in a sim. She felt better than her battered body looked, although she doubted many would believe her about that. The bright purple bruise that Ajax had left on her cheekbone was beginning to fade into a soft lilac, her wounds almost mimicking flowers on her skin. She barely had time to get her wits about her before Christian was running towards her. She slowed her pace slightly, not because she feared Christian himself, but because she feared something was wrong. His hesitance to embrace her only furthered her wariness… why was he acting this way?

He handed her a coffee, which she took gratefully, but simply shook her head at the pastry. She wasn’t sure she could stomach any food right now. Her boyfriend began to talk about Poppy, how she had been worried about Blair, but Blair’s attention was not so easily swayed. She planted her feet, her blue eyes narrowing at the taller male. When Christian’s gaze finally met her own, she cocked an eyebrow at him, asking the obvious question without having to say anything at all. His honesty was one of the things Blair loved about him, and as Christian began to explain his fear simulation, Blair couldn’t help but breath a sigh of relief, thankful that it wasn’t something more serious.

“Christian…” she breathed softly, the tiniest of smiles tugging at her lips as she laced her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. “It’s just a fear sim…” she looked up at him with her ocean blue eyes, nothing but trust and affection for the boy lingered there. “I know you would never hurt me, and you know that too.” She pulled him closer to her, allowing her lips to press against his softly in the most innocent of kisses. “I love you.” For a moment, Blair allowed herself to forget her problems, to simply float in the simplicity of a normal dauntless life, but Christian’s request that she not go home sent her reeling back to reality, her smile slowly fading from her lips.

“I won’t go back to my house Christian, I promise… and… I’ll stay with you tonight…” she nodded slowly, spending the night at Christian’s was exactly what she wanted… what she needed. But as she continued to speak, her tone shifted slightly. “But there’s something I have to do first, something I have to do alone, and I need you to trust me okay?” Her eyes pierced into his, reminding him of his promise earlier that morning to let her handle her divergency on her own. “I’ll find you as soon as I’m done.” She reassured him, standing on her top toes to plant another kiss on his cheek, hoping he took this news as well as she was hoping he would. As much as she loved Christian, she needed him to trust her independence, her own dauntless nature, instead of seeing her as a fragile thing that needed protection. With that, she laced her fingers with his and the pair made their way over to Poppy and the others.

***********************************

Once Blair had caught up with the other initiates, she had made her way back to the dorms. She didn’t want to risk returning home and running into Ajax, nor did she want anyone following her. She had quickly swapped out her white hoodie for a tight, black, long sleeve shirt, black leggings and black sneakers. She briefly considered putting on a black baseball cap to hide her face, but decided against it. She didn’t need her outfit to scream “I’m trying not to be noticed”, instead her black attire fit the traditional dauntless dress code while allowing her to blend into the minimal shadows offered by the setting sun. Blair silently made her way out of the dorms, she didn’t look behind her, forcing herself to keep her eyes straight ahead. She didn’t want anyone to think she looked suspicious, but she was careful to listen for any footsteps that may have lingered. Once she was sure that nobody was following her, and her phone finally beeped alerting her that she had service, she pulled it out and quickly dialed the number Obadiah Parks had given her the night she had found Christian at the hospital.

When the man answered the phone, he sounded surprised, “Blair?” She swallowed thickly, reminding herself that she had to sound casual. “Mr. Parks…” her voice sounded innocent, believable. “I um…” she paused “I think I know who gave Christian the drugs.” Her voice shook. This wasn’t a lie. Blair was fairly sure that Ghost was the monster of that fairy tale, the antagonist that had unintentionally assisted in the fatal poisoning of her boyfriend. But that wasn’t what was prompting this phone call. It was merely the best excuse she could think of to lure Obadiah out of the dauntless compound. “Can you meet me?” At least now the fear in her voice would seem justified, “I’ll text you the address. I just don’t want him to find me… I’m scared he might hurt me too.” Blair hung up abruptly. If she knew Obadiah Parks the way she thought she did, he would take any opportunity to get to the person who had poisoned his son. Thankfully, Blair was still on the mans good side, the sweet girlfriend of his youngest son, why should he have anything to fear from her? She felt the bitter taste of guilt rise in her throat as she exited the dauntless compound. Blair rarely left dauntless since initiation had started, it felt almost foreign to be out amongst other factions, every sense was on high alert. When the dark colored car pulled up next to her, she didn’t hesitate. She opened the door and slipped in before anyone would have even noticed she had disappeared, her stomach churned as she sat silently in the back seat. What the hell was she getting herself into?​