Realistic or Modern Stained Glass [RP]

[Naeva Ami]

STAINED GLASS
~ A Found Family Story ~

- - - - - - - -

This roleplay is currently full and not accepting any more characters at this time. Please do not post unless you have an approved character.


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[Naeva Ami]

- - - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1ST, 1995 — 8:13 AM - - -​

 

[Naeva Ami]

Marissa Lennox❜ ─ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 Scavenger / Handywoman ─ ❛
tags: N/A ; location: Home
with: Alone ; outfit: Scavenging clothes

Morning light filtered into the church, illuminating the oft dark space in an array of colours. Thanks to a large stained glass window at the back of the main room. A large circle with a holy cross in the middle, surrounded by patterns of flowers and leaves. A half dozen smaller windows, mere slits on the sides of the room up high, allowed daylight in, unfiltered. Though with the morning sunrise, the room was a wash with vibrance.

The back door opened, carefully, quietly, before a teenage girl pulled herself through, trudging a couple different mismatched patchwork sacks behind her. And as quickly as she'd entered, the door was shut, and locked. Marissa hadn't dared use the front door. Truthfully, it was rare any of them did. The church was meant to be abandoned, and they had no desire to let anyone know the contrary. Drawing undue attention would mean the end of, well, everything. And so the back door had become the main door, ever since they'd taken up residence.

They were careful in everything they did. They had to be. No one cared much for stray orphans roaming the streets. And they cared even less for strays that made themselves a home. Its not like they'd been the only ones of their kind out here. It was a big city. There was the East Skull Raiders, a gang of street kids whom made all their lives worse by reputation alone. There had been Tim and Tiff, a sibling duo who'd been captured by cops a year back. The Thompson family too, who lived across town. They weren't alone, but that only made survival all the more difficult. But competition bred ingenuity. That was a big word. She'd learned it from Sage.

There were five of them now. And it felt right. With them, she was happy. Most of the time. Some of the time. Well, at least occasionally. And that was better than never. And even on the worst days, she knew that each and every member of her little family was here to help. She'd give the world for them. She'd die for them.

Marissa dragged the sacks behind her, and over to the corner of the main room that served as their general storage. They'd walled it off with planks of wood, painted it sky blue, as it had been the only pain they'd had at the time, and set up numerous shelving units within. One of their first construction projects, all those years ago. It had been the one that taught her she was actually good at it. Good with tools. Wood. Metal. A skill she'd developed each day ever since, to the point of regularly begging the others for a chance to tear down the storage room and rebuild it better. But, it simply wasn't a priority. Which, was fair enough. She'd live.

At the left side of the room, there were three bins. The first was labeled 'Evangeline'. Here, she dumped out one of the sacks, and in fell a couple pounds of used clothing. Most torn, or smelly. But if anyone could make use of it, Eva could. And Marissa of all people could use a new outfit or two. Her morning attire was her usual scavenging clothes. A pair of light blue jean overalls with perhaps a dozen rips throughout it. Frayed so completely that she was sure it would just fall apart any day now. And beneath, a white collared shirt. Basic, but having seen its fair share of wear as well. It had been stitched up five times, and the sleeves were frayed. Sadly, it was one of her most in-tact outfits. But she'd always tried to tell Eva to give the others new clothes first. She could wait.

Her hair too was in a state of disarray, however. And in more need of care than her clothes at this point. The rich brown locks fell all the way to her waist now, all tangled and knotted to hell. She'd never been good at hair care, and often tried to hide it's condition from Eva. But the morning's excursion had only made it worse. By now, to call it 'tangled', was an understatement. But she kept it tied back, so at least the massive weight of hair wasn't in her face.

She moved to the next box, labeled Elias, and dumped out the second sack. Two dozen bred rolls, a couple loafs, all tumbled in. Day old bread from the bakery on fourth street. They often tossed out the old stuff, at least once a week. So she made it a regular stop on her morning patrols. There were a few boxes of snack foods, and two carrots as well. Not the best haul when it came to food, but at least it was something.

Stopping at the final box, labeled Sage, she poured in the last sack, a little more gently than the other two. A smashed telephone, a few circuit boards she couldn't understand what they'd been from, a likely broken teal toaster, and a handful of double A batteries. An equally disappointing haul. But Sundays were rarely a good day to find tech junk. She'd find better stuff for Sage during the week.

"Eva! Eli! Sage! Morning delivery!" She called out, her voice soft, sweet, and far more angelic than she liked. Why couldn't she have been blessed with a gruff, intimidating voice? Something actually useful? She hated it. And more regularly than she wanted to admit, considered taking up smoking, just to change her voice. But she hadn't dared, for fear of Elias' wrath.

She'd have to tell him about the food later, if no-one else filled him in first. Even despite his disability, she'd still called out his name. It only felt right. Only fair. Even if he couldn't hear her, the others could. Collectively, they could pass information along.

Tossing the bags up onto a shelf, she left the storage room, and knelt down to the floor, where she proceeded to flop down against a bundle of blankets to rest. Scavenging was tiring. That, and she never got enough sleep to begin with. How could she, when she needed to get up at five each morning? Wasn't her fault.

coded by archangel_

 

[PinkChiffon]

Interactions: Naeva Ami & open​

Morning light painted the interior of the church in a tapestry of colors, an unexpected vibrancy for a space often shrouded in darkness. It was a quiet one in the church this morning. Evangeline had woken up fairly early to try and get some mending done. Some of the holes in their clothes were starting to get to the point of needing patches rather than quick fixes. She never liked the look of mismatched patches on their clothes, so these projects required more time and care. She wanted it to look intentional rather than utilitarian. Although the "grunge" look was all the rage these days, it was less fun when it was all you had, rather than an aesthetic choice.

She was more than halfway through embroidering a decorative edge on a patch when her mind started to wander. Eva lost in her thoughts, took in the intricate stained glass window at the back of the room, its design of a cross encircled by delicate flowers and leaving a striking contrast to the somber environment. The smaller windows higher up on the sides allowed unfiltered daylight to stream in, the morning sun transforming the room into a sanctuary of hues. Despite it all, it was a beautiful morning.

As the back door eased open, Eva's attention shifted to the entrance, her senses attuned to the quiet movements that followed. Marissa navigated the threshold with mismatched sacks in tow, a makeshift collection of odds and ends she had scavenged. Eva watched as Marissa meticulously closed and locked the door behind her, the routine practiced and precise. The front entrance was rarely used, an unspoken agreement among them to keep the church's occupancy hidden, to avoid the danger of unwanted attention. The subtlety of their actions mirrored the nature of their existence – carefully hidden, cautiously navigated.

Amid this familiar ballet of actions, Eva's attention was drawn to the storage corner of the room, a space defined by their shared efforts. The planks of wood painted sky blue, and the shelving units stood proudly. Marissa's knack for construction had been nurtured over time, a skill she had honed through countless days of determination and resourcefulness. Eva watched as Marissa sorted through the sacks, placing items into labeled bins. The 'Evangeline' bin received a collection of worn clothing, which immediately piqued Eva's interest. She watched carefully from a distance to see what sort of items landed in her box.

Eva attention was grabbed away from the box and to Marissa when she called out her name. "Good morning," She responded as she made her way over to the bins, abandoning her current project. Eva started sorting through what she had been brought. All of it was in need of a good washing, but what wasn't around here? It was all useful, even if it was just destined to be scrap fabric used for patching. "You got a lot of really nice stuff today." Eva's gaze skimmed over the other boxes before returning to Marissa.

"Oh, Risa..." Eva clicked her tongue as she reached out and stroked Marissa's ponytail. "I didn't know it had gotten this bad, why didn't you say anything?"

 

[Nomai]

Emery Lennox
The Leader
Naeva Ami and PinkChiffon ; open to all

......
​

Under the artificial light of the laundromat, Em sat cross-legged in a lightly padded office chair, only half-reading a worn copy of The Book Thief as they waited for their family’s clothes to finish drying. Although they had been coming to “Laundr-O-Mart” -- aptly named for its selection of cleaning products for sale in addition to coin laundry -- they still found it difficult to relax in public. That it was early in the morning and not many people had arrived yet helped a little bit, but not much.

Though Em was now technically an adult and could not be returned to her fath--anyone’s custody, she could not shake the thought that at any point the authorities might show up and ask if she knew of a Marissa, Elias, or Sage. She harbored no naivety of how much trouble she and Eva could get into if it was found that they were illegally “caring” for three underage teens, nevermind that they were kids themselves when they met. Even worse, the younger three would undoubtedly be forced to return to foster care, a fact that left a heavy feeling of dread in their chest.

Squeezing their book shut, Em took a breath and tried to focus on the methodic spinning of the washers and the familiar scent of detergent. Despite being a family of five, they only needed to use one large washer and dryer for their clothes. It was something that made her feel increasingly guilty; though they all took care of each other in their own ways, as the oldest she felt a responsibility to ensure that the kids -- she still thought of them that way even though they were just a few years apart -- had everything they needed. Em had taken on a series of odd jobs during their years together, but they didn’t pay much and she could never stay too long lest people became suspicious. She always lied about her age, but could not dodge questions about where she lived and who her family was forever.

When their dryer finally slowed to a stop, Em carefully slid all of their clothes into a cart and steered it over to a folding table. Although they would almost certainly have to fold the clothes all over again when they got home, they found comfort in the repetitive process, allowing themself to focus completely on the task. When she was finished, she loaded everything into a mesh bag they had found ages ago at the church and stepped outside.

It was much brighter out then when Em had first arrived, and the crisp, fall air was a nice wake-up after a couple hours sitting inside. She unlocked the rusty, purple bike that Mari had scavenged for her a while back, and slung the bag over her shoulder; she had long since grown proficient at riding one-handed. They did their best to enjoy the ride back, admiring the changing leaves and oddly pleasant scent of decay. When they pulled into the church, they brought their bike to the side of the building, slipping it behind a large brush and securing it tightly to a drain pipe.

Entering through the back door as she always did, Em noted the newly filled bins; Mari must be back already. It did not escape her attention that the haul seemed a little lighter today, and hoped that Mari did not feel too badly about it. Scavenging was like weather; you never knew what you would get until the day of. They heard voices coming from the room over, and, setting the laundry bag down next to their bin to deal with later, they headed towards them. Mari had collapsed on a pile of blankets and Eva knelt beside her, looking concerned. It was a position Em had often caught her in, despite their repeated reminders that she had a perfectly operational mattress.

“Everything okay?” Em asked, a hint of worry in their voice. Fortunately, as they stepped closer, no one appeared to be injured, though they would be remiss to ignore the pure exhaustion present in Mari’s expression.

 

[606]

Sage Lennox | The Planner

Location: Basetment/bedroom area > Kitchen
Mood: Unbelievable tired
Tags: Nomai PinkChiffon Naeva Ami

Sage would be nowhere to be seen by the others. In fact they had done this on purpose for the time being. Shut away in a corner of the basement tired tinker, messing around with bits and pieces of some old phones from earlier hauls as they couldn't sleep earlier. While they were asleep at one point, they woke up in a cold sweat and since then, been working. They got some tools and trinkets from their workshop to bring down to distract themselves as they waited for morning to come. It didn't bother them too much as long as they didn't think too hard about it. It wasn't often this happened but at times, it did. Nothing some cold bland coffee couldn't fix if it got really bad.

Yet what did they do those many hours awake? Truly nothing. They had just been taking whatever would be taken apart, apart -- and a poor attempt at organizing all the little pieces. While they loved to keep things organized it was hard to do it in the dark in the early morning still tired and shaken up from whatever dream or nightmare they just had. That was the other thing. Sage couldn't remember what about that sleep that woke them up. No vivid memories of what the dream was about if anything at all, just one moment asleep and the next sitting straight up in their shared room in a cold sweat. A shower would be nice but it wasn't their day so, it would have to be fine.

Only drawn out of their own heads hearing noises from upstairs as people moved about Sage hid in the corner and sighed, slowly deciding to creak up the sketchy stairs and peek out at people coming back. The first person they spotted was Marissa dropping things off then Eva going to check on her and soon after Em walked back in. It wasn't a lot of people but enough to encourage Sage to not draw attention to themselves as they quietly tried to sneak around and get a much-needed drink if there was anything.

This was just the way life was at the time. Life wasn't great but surely was a major upgrade from the life they lived before this. Thinking back to all the times when Sage didn't know where they were going to be, carrying little around even moving in the middle of the night. It was nice to be able to hide away from everyone and have a place they could do so. It wasn't a big thing yet it also felt like luxury to Sage. When they first got up and left the foster system, Sage really had no plan or anywhere to go they simply went, praying and hoping to whatever god might listen that they would find a way to live. Thats when they ended up with this family. A small and poorer-than-poor family but, people who truly meant well and took in the sickly thin person who was simply, lost.

Tip-toeing into the kitchen area, where there were basic appliances that Sage helped set up, and started to quietly move around to find a slightly dirty cup and fill it with water. While it would be nice to have something like coffee, starting the electricity this early might be a problem from the house they are taking electricity from, but in another 20-25 minutes, maybe then. For now, Sage sat down at one of the desks that was still life in the once church classroom and took another moment alone, sipping their water and would simply, listen to the noises happening in the main area.

coded by archangel_

 

[Naeva Ami]

Marissa Lennox❜ ─ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 Scavenger / Handywoman ─ ❛
tags: N/A ; location: Home
with: Evangeline, Emery; outfit: Scavenging clothes

She'd been so tired, she hadn't even noticed Eva had already been occupying the room with her. Maybe this was a sign of comfort, perhaps? They'd been roommates for over a year now. And even if she tended to just curl up in a blanket all over the place half the time, she was genuinely comfortable around the other girl. Though, as of late she had hoped to keep out of her sights. For no other reason than her hair. And today it seemed, she'd failed to avoid detection.

She'd opened her mouth to mount a defense of her neglected ponytail, only for Em's entrance to interrupt. Em too, she loved dearly. But the mother hen was the last person she wanted to see at the moment, given the topic of personal grooming. Marissa was trapped.

"Morning Eva, Em," she mumbled before rolling over on her side, facing her hair towards the resident fashionista, and her face to Em. "Everything's fine. Mostly," she said, making an awkward shrug from her position on the floor. Though, she'd said the same when she'd come home bleeding. Which, happened more often than she'd like to admit. She was good at scavenging, not good at being careful. Or good at self preservation.

"Eva discovered the poor state of my hair, that's all." A bigger deal than she wanted it to be, of course, but it was far from anything critical or urgent for the family as a whole. She tilted her head a little to see the blonde out of the corner of her eye. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to waste time on me. You've got more important things to do, right? So I just figured I'd leave it alone for a while." She didn't expect to be able to convince her. Marissa had been unable to make any headway into detangling the knots on her own. And as much as Eva was better than her at hair care, she didn't expect her to have any luck either. Her hair was just... in a bad way.

"I didn't want to be a problem for you. But I... seem to have failed there." Truthfully, it had been some time since she'd had a haircut, or new clothes, or anything that would make her look like a presentable young teenager. Her grooming was way past due.

coded by archangel_

 

[PinkChiffon]

​

Eva smiled a warm and weary smile as Em came through the door. Her smile brightened when she saw they had clean laundry in tow. As a little girl, she didn't really understand why her cat would jump into the basket of fresh laundry her parents had done, it was just a bunch of clothes after all. But now, she gets it. If she was a little cat, she would 100% sleep in the pile of clean laundry every chance she got.

Eva's smile faltered slightly as she continued to gently scold Marissa about her neglected hair. "For starters, spending time to help you out is never a waste, so jot that down. And if we let it go much longer, we're going to have more problems combing it out. Maybe we French braid it next time? It might help keep-" Eva lost her train of thought at the faint sound of rustling from the kitchen and some running water. Eva's eyes narrowed, trying to make out who exactly else was up and moving, but were gone as quickly as they had come. Sometimes these kids move so quietly that seeing them was like catching lightning. That's why she couldn't see who it was, it was definitely not that she could probably use some glasses.

Her train of thought having already left the station, Eva picked her embroidery project back up, trying to figure out exactly where she had left off. "You guys have already got so much done this morning..." Eva's voice trailed. She could have sworn she was further along than this. As much as she wanted to continue along with her pretty embroidery job, she had to admit that it was taking her far longer than she imagined. She could always go back in and add to it later if she wanted, but for now, she would need to switch gears and just focus on getting it done so it was wearable again. "So," Eva said without looking up, "What's everyone's plan for the rest of the day? It seems like it's going to be a nice day outside."

 

[Nomai]

Emery Lennox
The Leader
Naeva Ami PinkChiffon 606

-------​

Em glanced at Eva as Marissa downplayed the state of her appearance. It was certainly not the first time they had this sort of conversation; Mari notoriously clocked her personal well-being at the bottom of her list of priorities--a topic that increasingly surfaced in group discussion. At least this time she didn’t come home with bloodstains on her clothes. Sometimes that seemed to be all they could ask for. Em decided not to push this issue for now--she knew she needed to choose her battles, especially when it came to Mari’s stubbornness--and Eva appeared to have the role of concerned older sibling covered at the moment.

Watching Eva fuss over Marissa’s hair, Em was struck with a strong sense of gratitude for the girl--no, young woman. She had been her one constant since she’d run away all of those years ago, and she doubted she would have been able to handle the stress of being responsible for their small family without her. They nodded along as Eva told Mari that she was always worth her family’s time, though was distracted by the sound of the kitchen tab running. She frowned a little; though she had not seen anyone go into the old classroom, she had a strong suspicion of who it might be.

Noting the slightly wistful tone of Eva’s voice as stared down at her embroidery and commented on the other two’s productivity, Em shook their head and peered over her shoulder. “Hey, sleep is productive too. Can’t expect to finish that project of yours with your eyes half-closed,” she teased gently.

“As for the rest of the day, well, this laundry isn’t going to re-fold itself, so that’s the first thing on my list,” Em paused, shooting another look at Eva. “And yeah, it would be a shame to waste such a nice day, especially as it’ll be getting much colder soon. Maybe…if we have a little extra cash lying around we could stop by Shelby’s after our chores are done.” Shelby’s was the local ice cream shop just a couple blocks away and was a favorite, if rare, treat for the household. Though by looking Mari splayed out across the blankets, it seemed that they could all use a pick-me-up. Retrieving their bag, Em started towards the kitchen and said to the others: “I’m gonna get going on the laundry, but let me know what you decide!”

Upon entering the converted classroom, they were not surprised to see Sage seated at a desk--glass of water in hand. “Morning, Sage,” she said, offering them a warm smile.

Though the small teen had joined the family a couple of years ago, they were still pretty reserved and quiet. While Em tried not to fret too much over it, she still worried about whether they felt welcomed and about what they might have experienced in the past. Speaking of which, they looked quite tired, which was concerning. “Do you mind if I sit here?” She asked, gesturing towards the desk next to them.

 

[606]

Sage Lennox | The Planner/Techie

Location: the kitchen
Mood: tired but sorta waking up
Tags: Nomai PinkChiffon Naeva Ami

Sitting in the kitchen, they had pulled their legs up to their chest, their glass resting atop their knees as they closed their eyes and listened. It was a small-ish church that allowed it to be quite easy to sit back and listen to the group chatter. From what Sage was paying attention to, it seemed that Marissa’s state of hair was noticed and Eva questioned how much she had gotten done. In all fairness, the three of them had probably done more than Sage had done all night, simply due to their lack of sleep at least. Sure they had a lot on their list to work on they were simply, tired.

On top of the hair fiasco, it also seemed that Eva might have noticed Sage dashing into the kitchen and thinking about whether they should go and say hello or not, Their eyes shot open as someone entered the kitchen, looking to the classroom entrance to see Em walking in. Seeing the smile, Sage would return with a small smile of their own, taking a sip of their water to clear their throat.

“Good...good morning,” they said staring at Em with big tired eyes before looking at their hands and their glass of water. It seemed that Em was also busy at work making Sage feel like they should also be doing something.

“Oh um, no. Go ahead,” they said, looking at the desk next to them. “Um…would you like help to fold?” They asked, mostly feeling bad that they hadn’t done anything despite being up all night.

Sitting up slightly, Sage would put their glass on the desk and slowly let their feet touch the ground and dust off their shirt and flannel. Now that they were talking and less in their own head they could actually think about what they should be getting done.

The colder season was upon them and Sage had made it their own personal mission to try and get some form of heating in this church. While there were some hints of AC and heating being in the church to some extent there was at least the base to work with. It just that it was now all up to Sage to well, fix it well enough while not blowing a fuse, again, as those have become not only hard to find but also hard to fix. Yet the others had put their trust in them, so, they must do what they can. It was the very least Sage could do to pay back their kindness. In 2 years they had been nothing by kind and really, Sage didn’t want to be dead weight, and all that they had to offer was their intelligence and understanding of technology, though that wasn’t by choice. Sage had actually only recently been teaching themselves yet it seemed easy enough and nothing terrible has happened yet.

coded by archangel_

 

[Naeva Ami]

Marissa Lennox❜ ─ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 Scavenger / Handywoman ─ ❛
tags: N/A ; location: Home
with: Evangeline outfit: Scavenging clothes

Marissa lazily waved goodbye to Emery from her place on the floor. Normally she would be more than willing to help with laundry. Normally she'd have offered, even if she wasn't very good at folding. Typically she filled in on other jobs, assisting the others where necessary if she didnt' have any furniture repair or construction to do. Which, there was always something, but she needed the right mindset, and energy for it.

Sometimes that was an excuse.

She rolled around a little to face Eva. "Well I'd like to go to shelby's later, if Em says we can," she said quickly. It wasn't often they got to treat themselves. "I found a couple dollars too this morning, could help. Put it in your bin." She'd had many dreams of what they could do with some extra spending money, if they ever got lucky enough to start saving. For years she'd wanted to get a family tattoo together. But, it was both such a personal choice, and an expensive one, that she'd never pressed it. They had better uses for their money. Like ice cream.

"If... you don't mind spending time on me after all, could you fix my hair, and find me nice clothes to wear? So I don't look like a homeless kid when we go out to Shelby's?" she asked timidly. She didn't mind looking bad on her own. But when she was with the others in public, she felt like she had to at least look like a normal girl. For their sake, more than her own. "I don't... know how successful you'll be at detangling it though. Its... bad," she noted shamefully. "But if you're busy I can leave you be. Or... Or I can help with your chores? I was just going to sleep for a while otherwise."

Most morning's she took a quick cat nap after returning from scavenging. Sometimes though, she would sit and watch Eva work, if there was nothing she could actively help with. Eva was good with her hands in a completely different way than she was. Marissa respected her for it.

coded by archangel_

 

[Nothingness]

영원한 사랑

Seong

Interaction.

Open

Mention.

Naeva Ami 606 Nomai PinkChiffon

Location.

Garden

Breathe in. Breathe out. Deep breath in. Breathe out slowly.
Mentally repeating the same words over and over to himself, a young male sat on the ground in a small pile of white pebbles leftover from the days when the church grounds had been well taken care of. With his eyelids closed, both hands resting on his knees, palms facing upwards, he took in the cool morning breeze before the sun rose over the horizon. Seong typically tried to be the first to get up so that he would be able to get in some early morning exercise before preparing breakfast for anyone in the group, eating healthy was one thing for him but to avoid having his disease getting any worse than it was, he had to be sure to keep his body as active as he could so that the blood flow would stay at a constant pace through his heart and lungs.

By the time the sun had risen, the warmth and nearly blinding light from it had caused Seong to scrunch up his face before slowly reopening his eyes in a squinting manner. "Morning already..?" He whispered under his breath at the obvious fact before exhaling a low sigh. Helping himself up off the floor before dusting his black cargo pants off, he stretched his arms over his head while letting out a deep yet silent yawn. Just as he had dropped his arms to his side, the sound of the back door opening before shutting had him snap his head in the direction of the noise, it seemed as though someone had just returned; most likely Marissa on another one of her scavenging hunts, wonder what she brought back this time.
While curious as to the haul for the morning, Seong knew well enough that he had to prepare breakfast for the group, they didn't have much but Seong had lived on his own for long enough that he was well-versed in how to prepare a decently hearty meal out of almost nothing.

Wandering through the backyard of the church grounds, Seong stepped barefoot through weeds, dead grass, and overgrown bushes. At first glance, it would appear as though he would be randomly walking through shrubby for no apparent reason but to the trained eye one would notice that he was examining smaller specific plants that had been growing in between the weeds and other plants. Some of these plants were either squash, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and even some baby pumpkins. Luckily since all of these types of vegetables grew in the form of vines, they easily blended in with the other random overgrown flora surrounding the area.

Picking a handful of nearly anything he could grab a hold of, Seong carried the harvest back into the church through the door that the group had unanimously decided would be the main entrance and exit.
As he entered the building, his attention was caught by that of Marissa and Eva speaking with one another, Marissa appeared to have been lying on a pile of blankets, clearly exhausted from no doubt carrying back supplies on her own. Each one of them was still young and yet they were doing so much to support one another, the least he could do was keep each of them as well-fed as best as he could.

Without so much as a word to either of them, Seong proceeded to head into the old church classroom that had been converted into a kitchen. There he found the remaining two members of their small family, Sage and Em. It looked as though the two of them were having a conversation with one another so the most Seong had done was give them a nod of his head as a greeting due to his hands being as full as they were with ingredients.
Making his way over to the far side of the room where multiple desks were pushed up against the wall and repurposed to make a countertop, he unloaded the ingredients that he had been carrying onto the surface of the tables that all had marks on them from dices and chopping of food. Lifting up one of the top halves of the desks, he reached into the interior where a variety of old scraps of sharpened metal or oddly shaped sharpened rocks were laid before them. Each one of them had a sort of 'handle' to them by wrapping it in some old torn fabric to avoid cutting oneself.

Retrieving one of the 'knives', he began to slice into the tomatoes, and bell peppers, leaving the tomatoes in large slices while dicing the peppers into smaller cubes. With the vegetables prepared, he made his way over to one end of the counter where an old electric stove had been sitting with an even older car batter attached to it. The stove had been left from the old occupants of the church and with the help from Sage, they were able to restore it to working order, even if it wasn't working like brand new. With a twist of one of the knobs on the dashboard, one of the burners slowly came to life as a round circular red spot formed on the metal surface of the stove.
From there, Seong opened the oven door where he retrieved an old black cast iron skillet that had several dents in it, something that was retrieved from a previous haul from a junkyard that someone else had thrown away. While it wasn't in the greatest of conditions, it still did the job it was designed to do.

Placing the skillet onto the round heated surface of the stove to let it heat up, he opened yet another one of the desks to retrieve some of the most basic of spices such as salt and pepper as well as some oil. Covering the inside of the skillet with oil to allow it to heat up, he went for a small cooler that had been set on the opposite end of the counter. Inside were about half a dozen eggs and a small bag of ice to keep them fresh, grabbing out three of the six, he cracked each one into the pan once the oil had been hot enough, scrambling them, he added the needed spices before adding the diced and sliced vegetables into it.

code: s e v e n
​

 

[Nomai]

Emery Lennox
The Leader
606 Nothingness ; Open to everyone!


“Thanks,” Em replied with exaggerated relief, sliding behind the desk next to Sage with practiced ease. She set the laundry bag down at her side and pulled out a scavenged button-down shirt that she was pretty sure belonged to Seong. Gently creasing the crisp folds, they were amazed by the things people would throw away--perfectly good items of clothing, partially eaten meals, mildly rusted tools…though they supposed they should be grateful. If not for the discards, their family would have much less.

When Sage offered to help with the laundry, Em looked at them with a pleased surprise. It’s not like they weren’t a generally helpful person, but she often became so lost in her work that it wouldn’t occur for her to even ask for support. “Sure!” she said, smiling brightly at them as she slid the bag between their two desks.

As they settled into a comfortable silence, Em bit her lip, debating whether or not she should voice her next question. “How’s it been for you? Being here, I mean,” they paused for a moment. “I know it’s not a normal situation, by any stretch of the imagination.”

They were saved from elaborating when Seong came through the kitchen, his arms full of fresh vegetables from the garden. Em truly was in awe of everything he managed to grow; they swore that any plant they tried to care for shriveled at their touch. “Oh! Hi Seong!” they said, pausing in their folding. “What’s for breakfast today?”

 

[606]

Sage Lennox | The Planner/Techie

Location: Kitchen
Mood: Hungry
Tags: Nothingness Nomai

Giving a small but less enthusiastic smile back, Sage spun slightly in their seat looking at the clothing before gentle grabbing a piece and begin to fold it, their eyes darting to Seong as he entered the room and gave them a small nod back, not minding the quietness of the other.

Their attention was drawn back to Em as they asked how it was for them. Sage was the newest member and the youngest. Anything is better than their previous life, taking another piece of clothing and staring at it for a moment.

"It's good. I like it here," they said softly, sniffing the air as the smell of food began to fill the room, shortly followed by a rather loud stomach growl from Sage. Their pale skin got a slight dusting of pink and they looked down at the 2 pieces of clothing they folded and quickly grabbed their glass of water and took a long sip of water, hoping it would settle their stomach.

"S-sorry," they whispered, still looking down at the ground, setting their now almost empty glass of water and rather quickly beginning to fold again, carefully taking each article of clothing and delicate folding them, mostly putting it all into one pile next to them, still unsure of what belongs to what person, except their own which still ended up in the singular pile.

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