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Fantasy Tools of the Trade | MAIN

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Jung Sunny
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If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.
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The most beautiful eyes in the world are those painted with helpless devotion. Sunny took a step back when the victim of her spell fainted. It was a shame that she ran out of time before he could reveal to her what was the content of the small bottle she found hiding in a pocket of her stolen hazmat suit. Nonetheless, she did find out where her subordinates were taken and the reason behind everybody’s stuffy get-ups. It turned out that she was right; she was indeed inhaling some shitty air after all. Modified devices were scattered throughout the building, releasing poisonous gasses which can pierce through a person’s skin and get into their system. She spent a while exposed to it so she wouldn’t be surprised if she contracted it along with Elijah and Avery. Hopefully, the herbalist back in their headquarters already figured something out.

Sunny dusted her hands off before reaching out into her pockets and pulling out her phone. She intended to contact James but it seemed like she didn’t need to because he already hacked into her phone. She rolled her eyes before showing herself to the camera, “Rude.” she whispered playfully, “Did you get all of that? Avery is stuck in some sort of meeting room while Elijah is in a room a few doors from him. They are not dead. Yet. But they would be in a couple of hours because they are currently breathing poison. They set up a bunch of strange devices here poisoning the air or whatever. Haven't noticed any cameras though.” she reported with a sigh while showing off her respirator and strange outfit. Never in her life did she think that there would come a time where she's going to end up wearing such fashion disaster. Those two better drop to their knees and kiss her feet when this is all over.

The songstress tried to think of a plan but the reanimated wolf by her side picked up a certain sound which made its ears perk up, wag its tail and run to who knows where (Elijah’s room). “Fuck..” Sunny muttered, completely clueless as to where the dog was going. She tried her best to sneak after the canine but ended up getting caught by one of the guards patrolling.

“Hey!” Sunny bit the insides of her cheeks to suppress a surprised yelp. She slowly turned around only to see one of the men in hazmat’s staring at her, “New recruit, right? Shouldn’t you be guarding the prisoners upstairs?” he continued and it made the singer release the breath she wasn’t aware she was holding. She silently nodded at him before walking off to the direction of the stairs with stiff shoulders, trying her best to imitate a soldier. Hopefully, he won’t notice the unconscious bodies in the room a few doors down. A shiver ran down her spine when she trudged her way to nearest room holding one of her friends.

The terrified Singer somehow managed to slip past through the guards and found herself staring face to face with the meeting room’s door. She turned the knob carefully, remembering the text James sent her earlier about him unlocking the doors. Hopefully Avery’s psychic ass hasn’t over-worried itself to death.



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Rod was making excellent time on his way to the office. “What a stupid revenge plot,” he idly commented while his hands passed over one another to steer. His eyes were fixed on the road as he found the exit ramp. The car followed the cloverleaf pattern onto the road that was the last stretch of this fifteen-minute haul.

A moment later, Sunny may have heard Rod’s SUV screeching to a halt outside. His tires left black skid marks on the gray, crumbling asphalt. He took a few seconds to pull up the group text on his phone and type this message in capital letters: “TAKE COVER I’M SHELLING THE PLACE”.

With that bit of flagrant foreshadowing done, the metalsmith stepped out with his thermos and a handgun, wedging the latter into the waistband of his jeans. With a simple gesture, the power imbued in the seemingly commonplace item activated, and soon it grew into an intimidating smoothbore cannon vaguely reminiscent of the Napoleon guns used almost 200 years ago. This weapon was essentially a breech-loading artillery piece designed in collaboration with Chance when the two were 21 years old. Rod pulled back the bolt of the cannon and inserted a shell with a yellow stripe before closing it again. He didn’t need Avery to tell him the whole box of shells would be used up within the next few minutes.

The text message should’ve been fair-enough warning. Rod started his assault by firing the first round directly into the windows. A deep, satisfying “POOM!” resounded, a trail of fire spewing from the gun’s muzzle as the low-velocity shell arced. On contact, an orange flash and an explosion of shrapnel decimated the windows with a thunderous noise. The whole office building shook, lights flickering. This was how Rod scattered the roaches.

Soon, half a dozen men in hazmat suits charged into view, firing their Sten guns at the weapon master, who grabbed his box of shells and took cover behind the engine block of his SUV. He grimaced, hearing his own windows shattering and tires deflating. He loaded the next shell he retrieved from the assortment, one with an orange stripe. His deft hands worked quickly to load it before he peeked up to fire an indirect shot. By the sound of it, he was a bit off; the high-explosive round pummeled the roof over the conference room in which Avery was being held. Fresh air flooded in as the ceiling crumbled, signaling the end of that ordeal.

The gunfire stopped briefly and Rod could hear the steel magazines clattering onto the concrete sidewalk; the baker’s death squad was reloading. With a blue-striped shell loaded, he stood up to fire directly at them. Upon impact, a deafening ‘BANG’ and a glaring flash stunned the henchmen, giving the fighter ample window to close the distance.

Casting aside his artillery piece, Rod charged in, the rings on his right hand melding into a knuckleduster. He pummeled the recovering goons with a flurry of teeth-rattling punches. By the time they regained their senses, two were down and four remained on the killing field. Two scrambled to pick up their guns and reload while another two bashed at Rod with their stocks. He confiscated one and used it like a baseball bat, hitting a home run with its owner. The other melee attacker grabbed at the immovable Swede’s pistol, only to be grabbed and used as a meat shield against an oncoming volley of hollow-point bullets.

A few bullets grazed the sturdy viking. He winced in mild pain, but quickly retaliated by drawing his CZ and planting three bullets in each shooter. All six assailants were down, some only for the moment. He froze at the distinct noise of a shotgun cocking. One last henchman emerged in the doorway of the trashed office, holding a 12-gauge Mossberg boomstick. Oh, shit...

ebb ebb eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch fluticasone fluticasone . D O V E . D O V E
 
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AVERY

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Avery sat back heavily in a meeting chair, twisting in an attempt to get comfortable. His efforts to loosen the binding only seemed to make it tighter, and there wasn’t much he could do without the use of his hands. He thought about slamming into the door, but a closer inspection proved the hinges and fastenings to be modern and sturdy. He’d only hurt himself, and draw attention, if he went that route. Avery was used to being in control. He could sit back and run things the way he wanted- certain that he could influence the end result.

But now?

There was almost nothing he could do, he was a sitting duck.

Closing his eyes, he tried focusing on the one thing he could do. When he drew on the future, the room began to shake, plaster tumbling from the ceiling. Standing back up, he kicked over the chair, frustrated. It didn’t do any good to knowing the future when you couldn’t do anything about it. He was about to reconsider his decision to not bodyslam the door when he heard a faint click from the doorknob.

Approaching it, he blinked down at the knob, mapping out how he would turn it with his hands stuck behind him. His plan was interrupted by premonition of a figure in a white suit entering the room. Maybe they unlocked it on purpose and were coming to put him out of his misery? Panicked, he surveyed the room again, hoping he’d overlooked something he could use as a weapon.

There was nothing.

His vision played out as a suited form approached the door and entered quietly. Shivering in apprehension, he put his shoulders back, refusing to cower. “I’m sure your family is proud of you,” he spat at the figure. “Do you even know what you’re doing? Poisoning people? You know you can’t get away with this kind of thing, right? The police will hunt you down, and you’re going to have a miserable life.” Avery ranted on, not realizing it was Sunny. “You-”

The whole room shook as Rod fired rounds into the building. “Jesus fucking-” Avery propped himself against the table to avoid losing his balance. He crouched and tucked his head down as the ceiling continued to crumble, dust clogging the air and making him cough uncontrollably. Lungs on fire, he was beginning to not feel so great.



THE BAKER


Jacob was a firm believer in karma. All the pain and suffering his wife experienced locked up would now be passed on to the co op. It was beautiful. He debated for months, how he would do it. His first instinct was to run in guns blazing, but they were expecting that kind of thing. It would be too painless. The poison was the perfect option, slow and gradual.

“Turn in here,” he ordered the assistant and they rounded into the mall parking. Squealing into the lot, they were greeting with the echo of gunfire. Grunting, he reached into the back, grabbing the closest item. Weighing the large metal rolling pin in his hand, he didn’t wait for the car to be fully parked before he leapt out. Blood fueled with rage, he charged into the building, bellowing his wife’s name. Flecks of spit fell over the assistants already downed by Rod. Spotting the metalsmith, he swung with all his might.


. D O V E . D O V E Goonfire Goonfire

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» ELIJAH;
After a few moments, the sound of padding feet was heard and a bark echoed through the hallway. Elijah was glad to look up and see his faithful canine coming toward him, still animated and in one piece. Duke approached, and Elijah crouched down, hugging around the wolf's neck as the animal wagged its tail happily. The familiar feel of soft fur was enough to put Eli's anxious mind at ease, and with all the spinning his head seemed to be doing, it was nice to just... relax...

A loud bark and shake of the head are all it took to dislodge the almost unconscious human from his resting place against Duke's neck. The taxidermist caught himself on the ground and blinked, taking a moment for his vision to clear. It was bad to fall asleep with a concussion, right? He was now almost certain he had sustained one in the previous struggle--and Duke was able to sense it as well, it seemed. He placed his hand on the wolf's head, and was about to stand himself upright when something impacted. The shock of the hit left Elijah reeling, hands on his head as if to shield it from any further damage. Duke nudged at him to inch over and take cover under the table, and there, the two of them waited for bits of the ceiling to stop raining down on them. Once all had stilled, Duke tugged at his sleeve, and Elijah nodded at him and stood. He needed to go help the others. Or, at least, get out of the building.
Walking down the hall, Elijah made it to a stairway, and logically, followed the steps down to the ground level. He emerged through a hallway, down which he heard a terrible commotion of gunfire and shouting. That could be very bad, he figured, but he needed to help whichever of his teammates were in trouble.
Slowly and quietly, he and Duke made their way down the hall, Elijah coming up behind a man with a gun, remaining out of his sight as he took in the situation. Rod was here, somehow, and he seemed to be in a bit of a situation. Deciding to act, Elijah picked up a heavy bit of debris from the ground nearby, and then snuck up behind the man with the shotgun, clocking him over the head and effectively knocking him out. Karma, as it was.
Before he could take too much time to be pleased with himself, a cry was heard, and another man came rushing in, wielding a... large rolling pin? Elijah had barely yelled out, "Duke--" when the wolf was charging forward, catching the baker from the side and leaping, his teeth clamping on to the man's forearm. The man and beast were sent veering off to the side due to the momentum of the wolf's charging, and as Elijah watched the two of them tumble, he had to lean against the nearest wall, supporting himself as if the break-neck speed of the action in front of him was giving him motion sickness. The taxidermist closed his eyes against his building dizziness, sliding down to the floor and hoping that when he opened his eyes, this would all be over--the baker would be defeated, Rod would be out of danger, his friends would all be safe, and his goddamn concussion would go the hell away.


»location; ???
»mentions; Goonfire Goonfire
 
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Jung Sunny
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If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.
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Sunny was caught off guard by the psychic’s reaction when she entered the room. Completely perplexed, the singer froze at her place with wide eyes. Why in the world was Avery screaming at her? He even had the nerve to drag her family into it and she could clearly recall the moment when she opened up to him about her dislike of the topic. She was more than ready to berate him when it occured to her that this might be because of her horrendous outfit. It must have fooled Avery into thinking that she’s one of the baker’s minions just as it did to them.

The blue-haired female wasn’t given the chance to clear the misunderstanding because a booming sound resonated throughout the whole area. The next thing she knew was that the roof was collapsing and large debris started pouring down from above. A panicked shriek escaped her lips as she scurried to hide underneath the table, squeezing herself beside Avery.

“That fucking knucklehead!” she cursed between clenched teeth. There was only one explanation for this. Rod.

More sounds of explosions and gunshots followed but they weren’t enough to drown the psychic’s heavy coughs. Sunny hastily removed the respirator on her face and put it on Avery when the thought of him dying crossed her mind. At the back of her mind she wondered just why she was doing something so selfless.

The female used a hand to cover her own mouth and nose while the other carefully reached out for one of the glass shards scattered all over the place. She used the sharp object to free the man’s hands from its bound. “A miserable life, huh?” she repeated his words dryly, “That’s not something you should say to your gorgeous savior.” she added with a pout and knitted brows.

Sunny was reminded of the mysterious bottle in her possession as they waited for the crumbling to die down. She pulled it out and showed it the psychic, “I found this bottle in this suit. I don’t know what‘s in it but perhaps you can help.” she explained while offering the bottle to him.

It was undeniable that being able to tell what both the past and future hold was useful but the songstress has always kept an adamant bitterness towards it.

ebb ebb
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A hefty ‘thud’ prompted Rod to look back up. Elijah had saved him from the shotgunner, but was in poor condition. The smith was about to come to his aid when screeching tires and furious screams. He turned, noticing the head honcho closing in with a hefty bludgeon. It all happened so fast, Rod didn’t have a chance to note the weapon was a rolling pin; his mind reacted by willing his body to duck under the wide swing. “Bold strategy, Cotton! Let’s see if it pays off,” he taunted, tossing Eli the pistol with the safety engaged. The controls on the steel body left shallow scratches across the lobby’s wooden floor, all the way up to the taxidermist’s feet. A quick inspection would reveal four rounds left in the magazine and one in the chamber, hopefully enough to deal with the remaining few henchmen.

eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch

So why did Rod discard a weapon that gave him a clear advantage in this situation? The answer was simple: pride. He hopped back to gain some distance and then removed the industrial earring from his right ear. Its shaft extended and the head morphed into a vicious rectangular bludgeon. The steel adornment expanded until it became a vicious Nordic warhammer. “You’re mine! Stand down,” the strapping Swede asserted, raising the heavy weapon to challenge the madman.

ebb ebb
 
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t e s s a

With how the poison behaved, Tessa didn't have a complete grasp on how much time she has to think of something before things take a turn for the worse. It seemed to be a slow burn, as though it was made to prolong the agony as long as it could, since it took some time before it acted up. Her eyes glazed over from her musings, the songstress' voice dimly fading into the back burner. She crossed her arms with a soft inhale, 'There didn't seem to be anything noteworthy about the poison. Either it was indistinguishable or that chili pepper was simply too charmed by the allure of free food to even notice anything wrong with it.' She slightly snorted with a small smirk, 'Actually if Avery didn't say anything, we wouldn't have even suspected the pastries as the culprit in the first place.' She was running through different potential combinations for a cure in her mind when the sound of an explosion cut through her thoughts.

She jolted with a small squeak from where she was leaning on, catching herself shortly as she watched the almost-cartoon violence on the screen. "Wow, for a giant teddy bear, he sure likes to let loose with reckless abandon when he gets the chance." She thought aloud as she ran a hand through raven tresses to get the stray locks off her face, dimly reminding her she has yet taken a bath for the day with how things escalated. She grimaced, piling it on the things she has to do before she could crawl back to the comfort of her bed, which was still occupied by the redhead. She needs to figure something out and soon. Her eyes found themselves landing on the feed coming from Sunny's phone, thinking back to her words for a moment when a thought crossed her mind as she turned to the programmer, "Can you ask them if that suit has anything on it? If they're using the poison in the air, it might be possible they would keep something on them as a precaution." She reached for the door, "I have to get back to my room 'cause for all I know, my patient might be burning my stuff out of spite or sheer boredom. Who knows with that guy, really..." With that, she exited the room and half-ran to her floor.

She went straight to her room as she hoped for the best, gingerly touching the door knob with the back of her hand and sighing in relief when it was cool to the touch before she entered. She found the redhead, snoring quite soundly on the bed to which a touch of his forehead had told her his temperature had gone back to normal for now, so she took advantage of the brief calm to take a shower. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind but it would have to do for now. Once she was all clean and dressed, she threw her hair into a crown braid and pulled on a wig cap before putting on the pièce de résistance: her light bubblegum pink wig. She decided to tie it up into a half ponytail for today to keep it away from her face as she went back to working on a cure in her kitchen, picking a lollipop from a jar and putting it in her mouth.
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CHAPTER 2 : THE JOURNALIST

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Outside, crowds of people bobbed and flowed. Forcing their way across the street with self purpose as they skirted the puddles dotting the crosswalk.

When he first began his business, people warned Chad of working with family. That it made things complicated. For him, it was simple. The family business was something to be proud of, why wouldn’t his daughter want to take part? Despite people making light of it, he knew his work would always have demand. After a long day of suffocating real news, people wanted an escape. The tinny yells of made up housewives was as high entertainment as any play or philosophical production. Those who turned their noses at tabloids and gossip were lying to themselves- that they didn’t eat up the drama as eagerly as anyone else.

If they knew the work required for his pieces, they wouldn’t be so quick to scoff.

Chad had faced his own round of scrutiny, with critics claiming his practices were too severe and intrusive- the later thanks to his prodigy and child.

“Ash, I have something new for you,” he finally addressed his daughter, letting her wait in the room for a few minutes before speaking. “Jung Sunhee, goes by Sunny. You might’ve heard of her, she sings, performs, gathers a few crowds. She was seen walking with a redhead a few weeks back, but we haven’t seen anything of her since,” he scratched his chin, breaking her down in his mind. “Check in on her, see what she’s up to. As you know, she’s been living in some community, a hippy gathering of artisans and dirty kids. It's strange, for someone like her to associate with people like them. Find out why.” He didn’t have to say much more than that. Ash knew to be thorough.



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AVERY

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Avery half perched, half slumped, after switching positions countless times over the past hours and unable to be comfortable at this point. The artificial hue of the blue fluorescent ‘closed’ sign made the objects piled in his shop feel alien and otherworldly. He’d been there since late at night, gathering and jotting down any vision that might be of use. It had become a habit over the past two weeks, hiding out in his basement level storefront. The steps leading down to the door were lined with plants and ivy- a dirty antithesis of his upstairs living space. He didn’t want to think he was hiding away from the rest of the co op, but he was. Since the last mission, things felt terse and uncomfortable, like everyone was waiting for him to do something. The only thing he could do was this: work twice and hard and put in the hours. Chance hadn’t recovered from the poison, resting unresponsive under Tessa’s care. Every morning he’d brush by, hoping to catch a promention of the brash kid waking up. Avery never thought he’d see the day where he started to miss the guy.

Technically, the mission had been a success. The baker was hauled off to jail after being beaten (mostly by Rod) and the building the team (namely Rod) had damaged was covered by insurance. Yet, it was impossible to feel victorious.

Noticing the sun breach his windows, he pushed back his chair, pausing by the front door to gather his attitude. He shook and stretched his shoulders. He had a job to do. Storming through the front, he gifted his team a friendly wakeup in the form of pounded doors. Not sparing any privacy, he swung many of them open, letting the chilly hallway air into the bedrooms. “Time to get up, you don’t live here to sit on your ass,” he demanded, letting his voice echo through the walkway. “You’re getting me new members by the end of the week,” he reminded anyone who was smart enough to already be awake. With Chance out of commission and Luna away on a mission, he felt the team was weakened as a whole. They needed more members.

Starting with the lower floors, he approached Claire’s door. As a newer member, he kept a healthy amount of suspicion of her. Before knocking, he pressed his ear against the wooden door, searching for anything unusual. Reaching Rod’s door, he gave it a softer knock. It was impossible to be as tough on him, after losing his best friend. Continuing on, he wasn’t surprised to find James’ door stuck shut. He’d probably fused it with the wall as an act of passive defiance or need for seclusion. Giving up, he slammed it with the base of his palm, doubting James would bother to wake up before 2pm. Reaching Eli’s door, he bunched his shirt collar around his nose, not wanting to breathe in the noxious fumes the guy practically bathed in. “Get up country boy,” he muffled through the fabric. He avoided two rooms: Tessa’s and Sunny’s. Tessa because he didn’t feel up to visiting Chance, and Sunny because he rarely knocked on her door unless it was absolutely necessary.

Finishing his rounds, he barely had a chance to catch his breath before one of James’ systems went off, warning the co op someone was outside. Ever since they were poisoned in their own home, Avery was even less friendly to visitors. Approaching a front-facing window, he leaned out, propping his hands against the sill. Below, he could make out a figure in the driveway. Squinting, he first assumed his tired mind was playing games with him, certainly it wasn’t...

Luna?

Keeping as calm as possible, he rounded the stairs and flipped the locks on the front entry. “Wow. Welcome back,” he muttered, surprised and relieved to have her return. She’d been gone for four months, chasing a face swapping special effects artists who refused to be caught. For the last few months, it had been radio silence, and he’d expected the worst. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure nobody was around to observe, he gave her a brisk hug, ushering her into the building.

fluticasone fluticasone lostwanderer lostwanderer . D O V E . D O V E Goonfire Goonfire eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch Pine Pine AI10100 AI10100 SweetRose SweetRose Athanas Athanas

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Luna Saunders

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"Will I ever be truly free?"
location: The Co-op
with: Avery
tags: ebb ebb
Four months.

Luna had been away for four months when the missions should have only taken two weeks. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what had gone wrong. Maybe someone tipped him off or maybe she was just unlucky but the plan Avery had meticulously made for her fell away the moment her target was aware of her presence. And she wasn't going to go back home to tell them she failed. That was out of the question. She was not going to go back a failure. So she had set out to follow her target. Of course, Luna would have told the co-op of what she was doing if her phone hadn't been tampered with and she eventually dumped it after realizing that her movement was being tracked from the damned thing. It was a shame but she had no choice.

After that, it just became a dangerous chase of cat and mouse. Luna went radio silent so she can have a jump on the guy. Hours spent on stalking out and gathering information. When she thought that she had the jump on her target, he would be one step ahead and they would continue the chase. There were times when he slipped right through her fingers - so close to getting her but him getting away through some cheap trick. Oh if only he fought with her, this would have been easier. But the rat was as slimy as his reputation and would do anything to get away. It had only been through hardwork and perseverance that Luna hadn't lost sight of him... yet.

It was a nightmare. With no contact to call for help or to keep her relative sanity, Luna had been working on fumes by the time the fourth month had rolled up. It was a good thing they had contacts that she could get some money from. She just needed gas money and some food and she would continue forward. At least she would be able to pinpoint the moment she knew that she was in over her head. She really should have known better. With the extended length of the mission and how she had to forego rest to be able to catch up to him, Luna was exhausted and there was no way she could fight properly in such a state. But when she finally cornered him, she felt she could take him on. This was her terrain after all. Oh, how wrong she was. Unlike Luna, her target was rested. One of the mistakes she had made was losing the dagger dipped with a paralyzing poison - it was relatively harmless and just put someone under in a paralytic state for a few minutes. The next mistake was letting her target use it against her. At least he only managed to strike her side. That would have been all well and good until he rammed her head against the wall, knocking her out.

Luna didn't know how long she was passed out for. Could have been seconds, could have been minutes. Definitely less than two hours if she was still bleeding and not dead. Placing a hand over her bleeding side, the gash was certainly as nasty as she imagined and felt. But, she could walk it off. Technically. She stood up and used the wall of the abandoned building to support her all the way to her parked motorcycle - at least he didn't find it - and took out an emergency medkit. After a few minutes of disinfecting and dressing it, she hopped onto the motorcycle and headed back, muttering something about having to clean her motorcycle again because of her blood smeared on it. It was time to go home.

Home.

It felt like such a foreign word now. Luna could just leave now - never return. For all they know, she could be dead - she might as well be right now. She could leave that life behind and free herself from the shackles of The Co-op. Get into a hospital, pay with it with her own saved up money, leave. But... that would be cruel wouldn't it? She can't leave Avery alone there, the guy might spontaneously combust! There was Sunhee too and she couldn't just leave without telling them at least. She tightened her grip on the handle as her vision swam. Blinking it away, she grumbled under her breath and sped up until she was barely being contained by the speed limit. She should be thankful that her target led her back to an area close to The Co-op. She doubted he understood the fact that his pursuer was closer to home. Admittedly, it was a good thing. With her wounds and the exhaustion that was creeping up to her, it was only a matter of time before her body would not follow her command.

The Co-op was within sight. It was pretty early in the morning; she wasn't sure what time it was but there's a slim chance anyone was awake. Avery had a strict schedule but at least he made sure they had enough rest. Avery - wonder how he would react? He'll probably yell at her for being... three and a half months late without telling anyone and the fact that she didn't complete the mission. Heh, that should be fun. She should tell Tessa that the paralyzing poison had worked well - or well, too well on herself. Oh, maybe she could ask Sunhee to sing her a song, it's been a while since she's heard her sing in person. She should give Elijah a new wood carving too, maybe he got another pet while she was away? Hopefully Chance doesn't give her any shit for now, she was tired. Maybe he and Rod finally got over that fight they got in. Which reminds her, she should apologize to Rod for losing a couple of her knives.

Pulling up into the driveway, silently praising the fact that Sunhee's fans weren't crowding the front, and then parking her motorcycle. Can't exactly get her head straight. She just needed to get inside. Get to a bed or something. Or- The door opened and she looked up, squinting and it was Avery's face. She gave him a lopsided grin, unsteadily getting off her motorcycle. "I'm home." She hadn't expected for a hug to come, especially not coming from Avery. Especially outside. She winced but nevertheless smiled. She patted him on the back in that short hug. "Might get a bit of blood on you here buddy. Sorry." She mumbled, holding onto Avery's arm as support. "So... how've you been these past few months eh?" She asked sluggishly.
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codedbycrucialstar | hidden scroll
 
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AVERY

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“Might get a little blood on you here buddy...sorry.”

Blinking, he took in her pale complexion and blood smeared clothes. Avery fought down a wave of worry- it hadn’t been an easy time out there. He believed fully in her capabilities to take on the mission, but it looked like he underestimated the risk. Leaving her motorcycle outside to lean on the driveway, he gave her a dark look. It would be better to wait until she was fixed up to tell her the truth, but she’d likely see Chance if she visited Tessa anyhow. “It’s been challenging, as always.” He started hesitantly, running his hand along the banister as he climbed the front stairs. “Chance was injured, unfortunately. He decided it was a good idea to eat food that was brought in by a stranger. It was poisoned. The husband of a woman we locked up years ago decided it was finally time to settle the score and baked us a whole truckload of poison.We’re lucky he didn’t kill the entire team before we even knew what was happening,” exhaling, he continued. “Anyways he’s been...out of commission since. But he’s in good hands. Speaking of, we’re taking you straight to Tessa - and I’m calling a meeting. I need to know everything that happened these past months, and they-” he gestured down the hallway as he reached the top of the stairs “- do too.”

Sliding his phone from his pocket, he typed a quick message to the group, not wasting time on pleasant embellishments.

"Luna is back. Meet on the second floor in an hour."
AI10100 AI10100

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Luna Saunders

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"Will I ever be truly free?"
location: The Co-op
with: Avery
tags: ebb ebb
Of course, the question was lighthearted. Luna was fully expecting that the guys would have been fine. It's been four months, sure, and she expected to hear something about someone breaking some bones or someone getting high as a kite thanks to Tessa. But the grim look on Avery's face wiped the grin off her face. She tightened her grip on his arm as he explained what had happened just a few days prior.

Honestly, Luna didn't know whether she should be amused by the fact that Chance simply ate a stranger's gift knowing the risks involved or to be exasperated because he did exactly that or to be concerned because he's been out of commission because he did it. Maybe once he woke up, she can throw her next wooden gift to him in his face and chuckle about it. "This should be fixed in a jiffy. Flesh wound really." She hummed out, keeping one hand on the re-opened wound. Ah of course, debriefing. She does want to tell them what had happened in the past few months, she guessed that her radio silence would have been very suspicious and she needed to explain all of that.

"Well, spoiler alert Avery..." She took in a sharp inhale. "I didn't catch him." That was more painful than the throbbing wound to her side. A blow to her pride directly, to have to admit that to him and later to everyone else. "I'll explain later." She grumbled, keeping her eyes at the path before them.
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codedbycrucialstar | hidden scroll
 
giphy.gif

» ELIJAH;
It was almost perfect.
The expression was friendly, the eyes were bright, but there was just something off about his current project. A wealthy elderly woman had commissioned him to preserve her beloved cat "Whiskers," but when Elijah held up the reference photograph, the two didn't quite match up. In exasperation, he patted the feline on the head, letting out a sigh. The sound of purring greeted him, and it was with a start that he realized that Whiskers was now nudging his hand for more pets. And, of course, now the cat looked perfect. Something to do with the 'being alive,' he guessed.
It had been a while since he had accidentally woken up any of his projects, and he had been doing so well, too. Perhaps it was because he hadn't slept in... What time was it?
Almost as if to answer his musings, the door to his room swung open, revealing Avery. "Get up, country boy," was shouted in his direction, and he had only gotten out "I am--" when the door slammed shut again. "--up," he finished, giving Whiskers some ear skritches before standing up and walking to the door, poking his head out. When he heard something mentioned about new members, Eli's eyes widened, and he smiled to himself, thinking that, perhaps, for sonce, he had done something right.
Slipping on some sandals (due to the backlash he normally faced), he left his room and walked down the hall, to a previously abandoned room and knocked.
You see, Eli had picked up a stray. Someone he thought would be useful for the coop, and he was hoping that he could prove that to Avery. And everyone else.
But mostly Avery.
"'scuse me? Feller? You awake?" he called to the door. "I ,uh, reckon it's time you met the other folks."

»location; Coop hallway outside Chris' secret room
»mentions; ebb ebb Athanas Athanas
 

t e s s a

Tessa opened up her windows to let the fresh air in before she tended to the patient, currently occupying her bed. "Morning, dum-dum." She murmured, as she checked the IV bag to see if it still had fluid before she easily fell to her routine for the past two weeks, when half of her bedroom had morphed into a makeshift hospital room. She didn't understand why he wasn't brought to an actual hospital or at least a separate room, but didn't have the time to question any of it when things escalated. The crew had came through with the antidote but it was a little too late: he didn't wake up. It didn't take much guesswork to realize that the poison had made its way to his organs, and that filled her with an all-too-familiar guilt in her stomach. That night, she made a sizeable hole on her drug stash, burying her more intrusive thoughts in a cloud of smoke as she focused on finding a way to improve his state. The days all melted together as she immersed in her work, but she eventually managed to get him mostly out of harm's way though he still didn't wake up, Yet. She figured it might be his body's way of recuperating. And that, she considered a small win in her book.

"Y'know, if you could give me back my bed anytime soon, that would be great. My couch isn't exactly meant for long time use." She spoke in a light tone, tapping his shoulder before she moved away from the bed and went to the kitchen, making a beeline to her microwave. She took out a steaming cup of milky hot chocolate, carefully adjusting it in her hands. She found that indulging her sweet tooth early in the morning soothed her nerves better than drinking tea, which didn't exactly help with her erratic heartbeat. Not that she didn't miss the taste but she figured it was a small price to pay, just until she could get her bearings back together. She brought the cup along with her to the couch and assumed a comfortable position, her back on the armrest facing her door and her legs tucked underneath her. She knew it was just a matter of time when somebody came to visit her patient, which was why she bothered with shorts this morning. She didn't even have that many pairs to begin with, so she borrowed some from the drying laundry. She didn't particularly care whose it was, she figured she would just deal with it later if ever.

She could hear the alarm for the door in the background but didn't give it much attention as she sipped on her drink, thinking it was just mail or something. If it wasn't, it was either someone else turns it off or the person on the other side leaves out of exasperation. She let out a soft sigh when the alarm finally shuts up as she munched on a butter cookie straight from the tin, waiting for her door to swing open for the first visitor of the day. 'I just hope it's actually for Chance, not for me... but I really wouldn't put it above them to get hurt this early in the morning.' She thought to herself, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. With that thought, she heard something chirp behind her so she stuck her hand into the couch crease to feel around for her phone. Once she found it, she fished it out and checked the notification, blinking twice in confusion as though she wasn't sure she read the contents right. After about the third time, she tilted her head, "Oh yay, she's still alive. I wonder how bad it is this time." She rolled her eyes as a small smile formed on her lips, standing up to prepare the things she might need in patching up the carver.
code by Ri.a
 
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Jung Sunhee
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If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.
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Flashes of red and blue, colliding with one another, were what filled Jung Sunhee’s dreams for the past few days. Upon fluttering her eyes open, the singer immediately reached out to the space beside her- only to grab nothing but air. Sunny tossed to her side, gaze lazily wandering around the empty sheets as she came to a realization. She was alone, again. There was no Chancellor sleeping peacefully beside her. She missed waking up with his body pressed against hers, his arms securely around her, while she reveled in his warmth. Ah, she was so lonely. Why must she trod through the path of loneliness and misery? What did she do to deserve such tragic fate? It has been two weeks since her lover succumbed to a deep slumber (comatose), and it pained her that her kiss (although it was heavily advised not to kiss a poisoned man) wasn’t enough to bring him back. Who was supposed to call her ‘sunshine’, or most importantly- ‘a morning angel’, without him? Woe was her! She missed how he would constantly remind her how perfect she was and how lucky he was to have her, but most importantly she missed-


“Time to get up, you don’t live here to sit on your ass,”


Avery, the little shit. Why the fuck was he screaming so early in the morning!? He totally ruined her dramatic moment! It was a good inspiration for a new album but he totally blew it by being a bitch first thing in the morning.


“You’re getting me new members by the end of the week,”



Came his voice which died down as he disappeared to bother the others. Sunny noted that he didn’t knock on her door, and it brought a smug smirk on her face. The female rose from her bed with a yawn as she prepared herself to get ready for her morning ritual. Taking care of her personal hygiene, picking an OOTD, doing a quick vocalization (which still attracts animals by the way), checking the vicinity for rowdy fans, and uploading a perfect morning selfie, of course. She eyed herself in the mirror before deciding that she was satisfied with her current outfit- a black long-sleeves and white tight shorts, matched by her brand new killer heels.


Sunny sashayed out of her room on cue with James’ alarm system blaring off. Nonetheless, the songstress chose to ignore it. She figured that the others could take care of it. Besides, it was probably one of her many fans trying to sneak in to see her again. You know what they say: fame comes with flame. She headed straight to Tessa’s room.


“Is Chance awake yet?” came her question after murmuring for the door to open itself. A frown crossed her face as her eyes met the still-comatosed figure of her boyfriend. She noticed Tessa busying herself with something and it appeared as if she was getting ready to patch someone up, but the question was who? “Oh, which dumbass managed to hurt themselves so early in the morning? Let me guess; the barn boy?” she said while walking across the room to take a seat on the bed’s side. She leaned forward to plant a peck on Chance’s forehead before whispering, “Wake up, sleepy.” Really, he should wake up. She was growing impatient, and the lack of communication between them was taking its toll on the relationship.


The diva retracted herself before whipping her head to Tessa’s direction with a smirk on her face. “Nice shorts, by the way. They look very familiar.” she commented before holding the glassblower’s hand, doing her duty as a good girlfriend, while she hummed a tune to herself. It was clear that the singer didn’t check her phone to read Avery’s text informing everyone that their favorite carver was back. For if she did, then she would be freaking out right now.


lostwanderer lostwanderer
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AVERY

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Leading Luna from where he held his arm, he rubbed his fingers against his scalp and temples, trying to stay focused and alert. “This should be fixed in a jiffy. Flesh wound really.” Letting out a single laugh, he shook his head. “Sure. For you that probably means you punctured a lung and lost a gallon of blood. I’m not having you pass out halfway through the meeting, it’d be distracting.”

“Well, spoiler Avery… I didn’t catch him.”

Caught off guard, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at that. “That’s unusual.” He muttered, running through what that meant in his head. Normally, she’d go to any ends to complete a mission. That meant it was either a difficult opponent, or-...

He didn’t want to make her waste her breath explaining it twice, but he was dying to know what happened. Reaching her floor, he breezed into the herbalist’s living space, almost sneezing at the sharp and grassy smell her room. “Morning Tessa, I have a guest for you,” Avery greeted to where Tessa sat, immediately recoiling when he noticed Sunny. “...Sunny,” he coughed in a non-committal greeting. She seemed so confident in the space that it suddenly felt too small to have him occupy it. Her energy snaked through the air and made it stuffy. Shouldering up and trying to omit confidence, he continued. “Luna just got back from her mission. She’s injured. Says it’s no big deal so she’s probably five minutes away from bleeding out, if you could patch her up...”

He wanted nothing more than to leave the room as soon as possible. Instead he opted to join Tessa, reaching for her cup. “Can I have some? Thanks.” He asked, clutching it away by the rim before she had a chance to respond. Kicking out on the couch, he sipped it, hardly tasting the sickly sweet drink. Returning it to Tessa, he made sure to avoid looking at Sunny. Slipping out a notebook, he flipped through the pages and clippings. It was one of many he utilized to organize the disorder caused by trying to absorb too many promotions in one day.
AI10100 AI10100 . D O V E . D O V E lostwanderer lostwanderer

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Chris had been awake for almost half an hour now, but he most definitely wasn't about to tell anyone. The day had started so calmly... He had been given a bed, a roof over his head, and the safety of being indoors. He'd slept like an angel, relishing in these simple pleasures in life. He'd always believed that it's the little things that matter the most, but he never had supported this argument more than when he had become homeless, where the mere prospect of food and a roof had become all he really wanted. Well, not all obviously. Some company would've been nice. But he was content with what he had. A shower would've been the crown jewel, so he wouldn't have to have wasted the past half an hour attempting to clean himself up using his power. It was a slow, tedious process, but definitely better than letting oneself smell like sweat, sewage, and dry blood. Of course, he didn't have a laundry, so he'd have to appear with the same clothes he had when eli found him-The ones with the dry blood of the muggers still on them. Thankfully, his jacket covered most of his bloody shirt, and he had managed to scrub it off his leather boots. So, that left him with just a few dark-red splotches on his-thankfully already dark- jeans. He prayed no one would notice.

He could hear yelling from above, though he couldn't exactly make out who was yelling. It sounded annoying and nagging, in fact it heavily reminded him of his mother. Of course, that had to be reality come to ruin his day. Whoever it was, he prayed he wasn't the one responsible for making him a member of the...team? What was the proper terminology for this posse Eli had described him.

He finished and got dressed, Just in time it would seem, for Eli was knocking on his door. He felt his anxiety returning at the sound of the words "Meet the other folks". From his experience, he and people didn't mingle very well. They were either afraid, disgusted, or thought it a good idea to mock him-with disastrous consequences. The only reason Eli had accepted him in the first place was because Eli was a goddamn weirdo who smelled like a Novice's science experiment. Of course, he would never say that to the lads face. He opened the door, and stepped out. He put a hand on Eli's shoulder, stomaching the horrendous stench with very little sign of his annoyance. "Hey man... I'd just like you to know, even if this doesn't work out, I appreciate the gesture a lot. I owe you one, okay? Remember that if you ever need any help". And with that, he followed Eli to a room. All that time, he was preparing what he would say. What would be the words that'd best suit the occasion be?

Eli brought him in front of a door. From what he understood, there was quite the commotion in there, as well as... was that a blood trail leading inside? Chris decided to pay it no heed. He took a deep breath, knocked twice, and opened the door. What he found within was most unexpected, to say the least. He had expected some posse of hard-working individuals, dressed in aprons and toolbelts. Maybe a painter with marks all over his clothes. Maybe a metalworker, strong and buff, ready to get down to business. What he appeared to be seeing instead apparently was: A guy with blue hair, with an extremely punchable face and arms that looked like they had not touched anything heavier than his pillow. A girl with pink hair, not too shabby, he had to admit, who currently seemed to be bandaging up a blonde-not too shabby either-, who was...bleeding profusely all over the floor. There seemed to be a guy currently in some sort of Coma or Narcosis on a bed. And another blue-haired girl, again, much more presentable than he'd expect an artisan to be, who looked straight off the cover of one of these horrendous K-pop bands. His main actually lagged for a few seconds, trying to take all that in. Somehow, he managed to get unstuck and begin making his case.

"I, uhh, Hello? My name is Chris. Eli, eh, brought me in. Said you were looking for people like me, y'know, uh, gifted individuals and all that. I'm a sculptor, you see. though I don't exactly have any degrees or diplomas, I have studied intently, something I can prove if given a studio. I can also, sort of uh, control materials, if you will.


...Is this a bad time? Should I come later? Does she need first aid? Cause I know some of that, if you want." he added, pointing at Luna.

eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch lostwanderer lostwanderer ebb ebb . D O V E . D O V E AI10100 AI10100
 
Luna Saunders

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"Will I ever be truly free?"
location: The Co-op
with: Avery, Tessa, Sunhee, Chris
tags: ebb ebb lostwanderer lostwanderer . D O V E . D O V E Athanas Athanas
Luna couldn't help but let out a chuckle, immediately groaning as pain shot up her side. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts." She growled out but obviously in jest. Though he did have a point, Luna was as reckless as they came. Her brother even wonders how she is still alive up to now despite the mess that she gets herself in to. She was just glad that Tessa is always there to stitch her back up and make sure she walks it off fine with whatever concoction she has. Though, sometimes, she has found herself inside the hospital but that was years ago. Oh, those were good memories.

She only gave a non-committal hum as a response to his own comment. They had passed by her room and there was an urge in her body to just go in there and collapse onto her bed. Damn, she hoped her brother had at least cleaned up the room so that it wouldn't be too dusty. Her attention was pulled away from her room and towards the scent that now lingered - one that she'd come to associate with Tessa. Despite the sheer difference between the normal scent the co-op carried and what Tessa's room carried, Luna felt strangely at ease. Considering her frequency of visiting the "clinic", Luna has also associated the scent with some form of safety.

As the door opened and Avery gave his greeting to Tessa, Luna opened her mouth to give her own greeting but it seemed like Avery locked up. It was Sunhee. She was sitting beside the bed where the comatose Chance was. The thought of exasperation crossed Luna's head but she was glad that they weren't ripping each other's throat apart by just being in the same space. There was that at the very least.

Letting go of Avery and then sitting down on the armrest of the couch. "Hey, good morning you two. Long time no see." She raised the hand that wasn't putting pressure on her wound. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss the smell of your herbs Tessa." She said with a grin. She eyed the supplies needed to patch her up and the grin seemingly widened. "You know me so well Tessa." Luna gestured towards the supplies to make a point.

She finally glanced towards the singer, the grin turning into a more genuine smile. Though, there was a small part of her that wanted to let loose a joke regarding Chance but she felt like it would be too soon. "What? No hug from my favorite singer?" She teased, opening her free arm as if gesturing for it, though her mind immediately leaped to thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea. Not to mention the fact that her clothes were probably more expensive than whatever she owned right now combined.

Before she could even continue the thought, however, there was a knock on the door and followed by a new face. He seemed to look at them in shock. Well, Luna couldn't really blame him considering what was currently happening and her current state. But then he introduced himself and told them all that Eli brought him in and so on. Luna was actually expecting that it was just a new member from the months she was gone but he was new new.

She let out a whistle. "A sculptor eh?" She paused there. Luna wasn't exactly the person who would be inducting anyone into the co-op. When he had pointed out her injuries, she waved it off with her free hand. "Nah, we're cool here." But really, with the blood that was now seeping through her rushed bandaging and then her shirt, Luna wasn't really feeling too good right now. That little bastard was going to force her to stitching up her favorite coat which was now cut up and her shirt now had red blooming to its side. She'd have to throw it away now. Oh, and of course, any more bleeding and it might actually be a cause for alarm.
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codedbycrucialstar | hidden scroll
 

t e s s a

Tessa stood in front of shelves lined with various concoctions, lightly drumming her fingers on her cup as she roamed her eyes for something that could be of use, when she heard the door open. She shifted her gaze to the source for a moment, revealing the songstress who looked like she was going to a photo shoot rather than visiting her comatose boyfriend. Typical. When she heard her inquiry about the glassblower's status, she didn't bother to answer and just let her figure that one on her own, tired of giving them the same answer for the past two weeks. No, he hasn't woken up yet. Yes, she's been trying to do her best to do something about that. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking away the thought as she gently swirled the liquid in her mug, diverting her attention back to the task at hand.

"No, it's not Eli but if you checked your messages this morning then maybe you probably already know who I'm expecting." She replied with a soft sigh, her eyes finally landing on the item she was looking for as she placed her cup down on one of the shelves to kneel down and pull something out of the second to bottom shelf. A decent sized box with a sticker of a black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. She regarded the contents with a tiny nod, adding a few choice items into the mix before carefully perching the hot chocolate on top of a jar and carrying it over to the center table. Her eyebrows slightly knitted at Sunny's comment, looking down onto the shorts when she put two and two together, in which she rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'll give them back to you once I'm done." She halfheartedly mumbled, plopping back down onto the couch with the half-empty cup of hot chocolate.

A few moments later, the door swung open for the second batch of visitors today, who she greeted back but not before sharing a look with the carver at the awkwardness between the blue-haired ex-couple. Even without completely hearing Avery's explanation, she was quick to notice Luna's injuries from where she was sitting, easily relinquishing her hold over the cup to the psychic as she walked towards her, "Well, you look awful as always, Luna." She lightly poked the bruise on her forehead with a lopsided grin before she put on a pair of gloves from the box and carefully lifted her bloodied shirt, gently peeling away the bandages to reveal the cut. She put pressure with her palm on a point above the general area to clamp on the bleeding as she cleaned around it with saline-soaked cotton balls, assessing the damage as she went. Once she was done, she slowly withdrew her hands to make sure the bleeding has stopped, glancing up to gauge her expression, "Alright, good job on narrowly avoiding getting hit somewhere major. So which would you prefer? I stitch you up and call it quits or I close it down with the spray like I always do but it's going to hurt a lot more than usual since your wound is a little deeper." She offered.

She heard a knock on her door, which meant more people coming into the room as she slightly bit her lip. She took her eyes off Luna for a bit to look who came in, Eli with an unfamiliar looking person, lending an ear to listen to what he had to say with a slight tilt of the head. Apparently, the taxidermist brought him along as a recruit. When he gestured at Luna, she blinked slowly and shook her head with a small smile, "It's alright, I got her. This happens more often than you think. Though I appreciate the offer so thank you." She turned her attention back to the carver, raising her brows as she waited for an answer.
code by Ri.a
 
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Rodger Solveig

Regular pings of regret and self-doubt made Rod a nervous wreck. Trying to forge ahead became increasingly difficult, and so he simply confined himself to his shop, the steady beat of his hammer and the occasional swig of liquor drowning out his sorrows.

The night before, Rod worked tirelessly on a certain secret project of his, then shambled back to his room, where he passed out on the couch from a sloppy combination of exhaustion and drunkenness. He didn’t sleep as much as he could’ve, would’ve, or probably should’ve, thanks to Avery. Of course, there was no use feeling sorry for himself, so he picked his ass up and chanted to himself, “I will win. Why? Because I have faith, courage, enthusiasm.” This persisted throughout the process of showering and dressing himself, though his tone indicated his heart wasn’t really in it. He finally tied his hair back and walked out, even with a few loose strands subtracting from his usual neatness. “What’s the word, Avery?” he droned after tracking the psychic to Tessa’s room.
 
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AVERY

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Before the co op tightened ties with law enforcement, upper rooms were open to the public- visitors could browse the joint living space and studios to experience the work flow of the artisan. That was before they started making enemies. Now, it was rare to see an outsider walking the hallways and co op members were discouraged from welcoming in non-member friends.

Which was why he was so disappointed to receive a faint premonition of Eli walking alongside a figure he couldn’t quite make out. Eyeing the door, he strategized his position relative to the entry and Luna. Avery wasn’t a fighter, and if Eli wanted to parade in a bloodthirsty assassin, he had to be ready.

"I, uhh, Hello? My name is Chris. Eli, eh, brought me in."

“Hello, Chris was it? We are looking for new members.” He stood up quickly, making direct eye contact across the space. It was important to make a strong first impression. He strode over to where Chris was standing, crossing his arms before he reached out to shake the tall man’s hand. “I’m Avery. I run things around here and make sure we operate as efficiently as possible. I’m not sure how much Eli filled you in on, but we have a way of doing things that’s different from other art collectives. This group, as you may have noticed, is small. We spend a lot of time together. We live here and work here. I’m not gonna make you fill out any paperwork, but we’ll conduct a few small tests to make sure you’re the right fit.”

“What’s the word, Avery?”


He stepped back as Rod entered the room to give him space, and took the chance to introduce him.

“Hey Rod, morning. Luna’s back,” he jerked his chin her direction, eyes lingering on the dark circles and fatigue wearing on Rod’s face. “And I’m just meeting a new possible recruit. Chris, meet Rod. He creates and supplies all the weapons.” Continuing on, he introduced the rest of the room. “Rod works a lot with Chance, the one who is… resting.” He coughed. “Next to him is Sunny,” he said a little too fast. “She, uh, sings.” He paused and thought of adding more. “Tessa is our healer - if she offers you something that she’s not taking herself, I would probably clear your schedule. Luna’s our carver - she’s been here a long time so she gets most of the good missions. She’ll skin you like a fish.” He added, staring directly at Chris. “Eli you’ve already met, he actually skins fish, among other animals. It’s disgusting. Everyone else you’ll meet here in a minute. You’ve got good timing, actually, we’re about to have a meeting once Tessa is done fixing up Luna.”

Pausing to think for a moment, he rubbed the side of his nose. “Why don’t you help me set up the meeting space downstairs? Pull up some chairs?” For Avery, it was important to assert leadership right away. Start with small things and built up.

Athanas Athanas Goonfire Goonfire eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch AI10100 AI10100 . D O V E . D O V E lostwanderer lostwanderer

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[div class=fsize] Jung Sunhee [/div] If you want to shine like the sun then burn like one.
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Sunny was surprised when Tessa’s door flung open and in came two particular people whom she wasn’t really expecting to see because of two wildly different reasons. Avery, because they have been avoiding each other like a plague for the past months- while Luna, on the other hand, faded out of existence for four continuous months. The singer immediately bolted up from her seat with wide eyes, “Luna!?” she exclaimed. She watched with her jaw dropped as Avery explained the situation and Tessa moved to address Luna’s injuries. Her friend’s wounded form made her knit her brows in concern as she stammered to form a coherent sentence before settling with her classic, “Luna, what the fuck!?”


Before she got the chance to dwell longer on her shock, however, more people entered the room. Sunny eyed the carver before a genuine smile crossed her features. She was glad that Luna was back. In fact, she missed her greatly to the point that she probably flooded her phone with messages and voicemails- but she won’t say that out loud for everyone to hear. She would've ran to give her a hug but she figured it wasn’t the best moment to do so, considering that her good friend was bleeding a lot and she was wearing a brand new top.


It wasn’t long before the barn boy’s new friend began to introduce himself. Sunny eyed him from head to toe before clicking her tongue in disgust. It wasn’t mainly because of his appearance, it was because he was brought in by Eli. However, Sunny opted to keep her mouth shut, letting Avery do the talking. She waved a hand when Rod walked in to join the fray, and that was when the psychic started to introduce everyone. Sunny had no qualms about it until it was her turn.


“She, uh, sings.”


'She, uh sings?'


If somebody was keeping their eyes on her, then they would notice how her face began to twitch in annoyance. That was it? That was all she got? He won’t tell the new guy about how awesome she was or how much contribution she has poured into the team? That was it? She just sings? Oh, hell no! Who does he think she is? She is Jung Sunhee, for goodness’ sake, and she deserves the proper recognition.


“Oh, yes, I just sing! It’s not like I save ungrateful idiots from getting poisoned to death because they were dumb enough to get captured, or give them my respirator when their lungs are failing. Yes, I just sing.” Sunny spat while crossing her arms and glaring at Avery, after he finished giving Chris an order. She was already upset enough because he didn’t thank her properly (like going down on his knees to kiss her feet, or singing praises about her), and yet he still added fuel to the fire by dismissing her.

ebb ebb AI10100 AI10100
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Luna Saunders

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"Will I ever be truly free?"
location: The Co-op
with: Avery, Tessa, Sunhee, Chris, Rodger
tags: ebb ebb lostwanderer lostwanderer . D O V E . D O V E Athanas Athanas Goonfire Goonfire
Luna let out a small whine when Tessa poked the bruise that had formed on her forehead - which, she honestly didn't notice up until now. No wonder it was kind of painful. Once Tessa moved to lift her shirt, Luna removed her hand and placed it on her lap, a momentary lapse in judgement as her blood was now smeared on her pants. Grade A decision making Luna. She let out a hiss when Tessa started to clean the wound. "Ah you know me. Trying not to bleed out when I know you're not around." She said with a forced snicker. "Close it up with the spray. I'm sure I can take it." She gave her a nod. Luna couldn't afford bed rest. The sooner the wound closes up, the sooner she would be able to bounce back. "Give me something to bite into. I'd rather not lose my tongue. That might be the only thing keeping a certain couple of people here from not fighting." She joked.

Sunhee's reaction was completely understandable. But honestly, Luna was... well, maybe a little bit surprised. Okay. A bit more surprised than she should be. First it was Avery's hug. And now a genuine smile from Sunhee? Yeah, Luna was not exactly used to this kind of treatment from them. Especially in such public places. She did want to revel in such rare circumstances but she didn't have time.

Avery had averted his attention to Chris and began his little speech. Rod had come over and Luna gave him a wave. Even with her very... shaky acquaintanceship with Chance, Luna did like Rod - especially, since he always made weaponry for everyone. Most of her knives were from Rod after all. And well, Rod and Chance were best friends from even before the Co-op. They came in together and roomed together. He must have been devastated with Chance's current... ah, predicament. Well, Luna knows a temporary solution to sadness - maybe that'll help him.

And then Avery went on to introduce the members one by one. Luna was humming as he spoke before she looked at him quizzically when it came to Sunhee. I mean, he wasn't exactly wrong but she wouldn't exactly put it that way. But when she was mentioned, she gave a grin. "I can. But I won't. Unless you give me a reason to." She settled back down on the sofa, waiting for everyone to leave the room so that she can get patched up in peace when Sunny suddenly interjected with her own defense - and what a defense it was.

She knew that her reaction should have been - 'oh I have to diffuse this situation before these two start fighting'. And it really did cross her mind for a split second. Of course, it was quickly overtaken by the... less rational part of her mind. She snickered and looked up at the both of them. "Yeah, I knew something was missing." She muttered. "I need the details later Sunhee. That actually sounds like quite a wild adventure for you guys." Luna pointed out before making a dismissive hand signal. "Now skedaddle guys, I'm trying to get patched up in here."
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» ELIJAH;
When Chris emerged from the room, looking much better than he had when Eli had found him, the blonde smiled slightly. The hand on his shoulder was a bit of a shock, but not unwelcome. No one else in the co-op had ever touched him in literally any way, now that he thought about it. Chris’s heartfelt words of thanks were met with a nod. “Naw, don’t mention it,” he shrugged, before leading his much taller companion to the room from which most of the commotion was coming from this morning.
Eli followed Chris into the room, which seemed to be quite crowded first thing in the morning. The taxidermist hung back, letting Chris introduce himself to Avery, his eyes scanning the length of the room and taking in everyone’s reactions to the newcomer. It was wit surprise that he realized Luna had returned, and, though she was looking a bit roughed up, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. Out of everyone in the coop, she had been the kindest to him in the short amount of time he had been here before her extended mission. The figurines she left for him were some of his favorite belongings, displayed in a place of high-honor in the strange museum that was his living quarters. Jus as, he was about to greet her, he turned toward Avery when he heard his name spoken. His head tilted a bit as the psychic introduced him off-handedly, and he winced outwardly as the word “disgusting” was directed his way. A frown made its way onto his face as he scuffed his foot against the ground. He had been doing much better lately, or so he had thought. His animals hadn’t escaped a single time since the baker incident! He was wearing shoes!
As he lamented the fact that he would most likely always be the outcast, his attention was stolen again, first by Sunny’s apparent anger at Avery, and then with Luna chiming in. Forcing the near-pout off of his face, he turned to the carver. “Welcome home, Luna,” he murmured from his spot by the door, before stepping outside the room, hoping the others would follow and leave Luna to get patched up in semi-privacy.

»location; Tessa’s room
»mentions; ebb ebb Athanas Athanas AI10100 AI10100 . D O V E . D O V E
 
Chris was taken aback by the unorganized Chaos that seemed to be this team. Firstly, the blonde, who was introduced to him as Luna apparently had a habit of getting hurt, while simultaneously being able to gut him like a fish. He raised an eyebrow at this, as she really didn't seem all that threatening to him...But maybe he was wrong. Maybe several weeks of beating expert brawlers had made him overconfident in his powers. He smiled back at her when she mentioned she was not going to kill him without provocation: "I shall be sure to keep that in mind next time I happen to want to stir up trouble."

He listened closely as the blue haired guy introduced himself as Avery, claiming he was a leader. Now, Chris was no expert in reading characters, but he was sure as hell certain that this guy was about as qualified to be the leader of anything as Chris, and that was by no means a good analogy. Still, he could give him the benefit of the doubt he supposed. He was caught severely off guard when the singer, Sunny, suddenly began angrily yelling in her defense, apparently angry that Avery had claimed that she just sang. No, somehow she had saved all of them from capture, while simultaneously also managing to save them from choking. She saved this entire team... with ONE respirator. All the while looking as if though she couldn't land a punch to save her life. Yeah, no. Benefit of the doubt has it's limits, and this is where he drew the line. He laughed loudly at Sunny's obvious bullshit, unable to hide his disbelief. "Y'know, just because I'm new doesn't mean you have to try and bullshit me! Don't worry, I operate on a strict "No-judgement" policy. Plus, I can't sing for shit, so for me you're good enough as you are, y'know?"

With this perhaps non-diplomatic statement out of the way (he never was good at PR), He turned back to Avery: "Tests? Just a fair warning, I suck at math. Anything else, I think I can take on, so no issue here."

He was somewhat taken aback when he requested he help him pull up some chairs. He wasn't even part of their team yet and this blue-haired emo wannabe was going to start having him do chores? This, in combination with the fact that he had pretty much called Eli disgusting made him visibly scowl for a brief moment. However, he quickly managed to hide it. There was no point in ruining this over petty shit. "Sure, I can help pull some chairs up. Lead the way, chief."

. D O V E . D O V E ebb ebb AI10100 AI10100 lostwanderer lostwanderer eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch
 
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CHAPTER 2 : THE JOURNALIST

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AVERY

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He flinched involuntarily at Sunny’s outburst, hoping she wouldn’t notice him dancing around her subject. Feeling a knot of frustration uncurl in his chest, he shot back. “I’m sorry I didn’t read your entire biography Sunny,” he smiled seethingly, jaw tightening. “I’m sure Chris has more important things to do than hear your life story, dear.” He wish he didn’t add the “dear” part, it echoed more severely than he intended. Blinking it off, he turned back to Chris before Sunny reloaded for another attack.

“Great. Glad to hear it,” he responded curtly, grateful that he didn’t have to execute any heavier handed leadership methods. Catch them early and power struggles are minimized. Leaving the room after a final weighted look in Sunny’s direction, he was grateful for the cool air of the hallway. Passing Eli, the irritation from Sunny pooled over and he couldn’t help but funnel it outwards. “Eli, the trash in the kitchen is full. If you have nothing better to do until the meeting, run it outside.” Feeling a little better, Avery headed upstairs.

On the second floor, there was a unit that had been empty since Avery’s admittance years ago. It sat above the garage door and heating systems that gurgled and clammered through the night. One of the light bulbs burned out, leaving the remaining one to weakly illuminate the space with soft gloom. Being the least desirable, it became the home of overstock items that didn’t quite belong in the armory or main closets. One of these items being chairs. Leaning against the window sill, he scratched at some paint chipping from the wood. “Yeah, so arrange these however you want. Get creative. I don’t expect the meeting to go long so don’t overthink it, nobody’s staying that long.” The water heater gurgled in agreement.

Waiting for people to arrive, he spoke to Chris as little as possible. Avery hated small talk and didn’t want to give the new guy the wrong impression - that they would chat over tea every morning and share feelings. Once people filed in, he began the meeting, still standing in the same spot by the window.

“Good morning, I hope you’re all well rested and set to face the day,” he began with forced joviality. “Starting out with a few small announcements. First, as some of you have noticed, Luna is back. She’ll fill us in at the end of the meeting. Second, there’s been an upsurge in food going missing from both the kitchens and the fridges. That’s shitty. That’s theft. If you need more food - request it instead of making your teammate go without. Don’t share the misery.” Pausing for emphasis, he scanned the room. “Last week I got news of someone missing a mission because of a dull blade. If it’s getting dull, bring it to Rod. He’ll fix it. Lastly, before I open up the room, we have a newcomer.” He walked over to Chris, gripping the edge of his shoulder. “Make sure he feels at home. And as method, we will give him the usual tests in groups of two this time. The teams are as follows: Rod and Luna, Claire and Tessa, Eli and Sunny, and I will be working with James-” he sighed. “-who of course is running late. I’ll pass it over to Luna.” He ended, looking up the Carver expectantly.


fluticasone fluticasone lostwanderer lostwanderer . D O V E . D O V E Goonfire Goonfire eggsaladsandwitch eggsaladsandwitch Pine Pine AI10100 AI10100 SweetRose SweetRose Athanas Athanas

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