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Amel Wyther | 26 | Male | Demisexual | Leader | Mentions; All Salen Frez | 25 | Female | Pansexual | Diplomat | Mentions; All Eni Vizin | 27 | Non-Binary | Demisexual | Mentor | Mentions; All Illon Elatos | 24 | Non-Binary | Asexual Demiromantic | Inventor | Mentions; All -- “Awww, don't be worried Eni! I'll be fine! I'm fast on my feet!” -- Eni chuckled, ruffling Agnar’s hair slightly. “I suppose that’s true. You just better keep your word about that.” *~*~*~* “No, definitely not. They'd probably start throwing things. Like, big things. Trees and stuff. But evidently, whatever is going on, it's bad. That is most definitely not how Karma usually acts.” -- Salen nodded, watching Karma and Ambrose for a few seconds before looking at Isabella. “Should we be doing anything right now? I feel sort of… On edge, doing nothing after so long of having things that need to be done… It feels wrong, you know? Like there’s something left that we’re forgetting about.” *~*~*~* “You've never heard of Disney?! Oh, sweetie, you've gotta watch some sometime! So, basically, Disney makes a lot of movies and shorts and stuff, and most of it's animated. A lot of it is really awesome! I personally really like Beauty and the Beast, which is a movie that they made. When we get back to the city I'll totally take you to see one of their movies! I think they're coming out with a new one soon. Although I will admit that some of the movies do have some... er, dark things in them, so you should double-check ahead of time to make sure nothing will trigger you.” -- Illon wanted to counter. Wanted to say that there wasn’t anything that could trigger them. That they were stronger than that, that they were perfectly fine. That they had more self-control than that. But given what had transpired not even ten minutes ago? They definitely didn’t have the right. So they just sighed instead, looking away a bit. -- “For the most part though, very fun. Did Ambrose say what his favorite was? I can see him being a 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' type of person, or maybe 'Snow White?' Oh, and Isabella would totally be a 'Brave' kind of person, or 'Moana.' I bet Salen would like 'Beauty and the Beast' too, and Agnar would definitely enjoy 'The Lion King'. Not sure about Eni or Amel. Oh! I know! We can watch 'Lilo and Stitch' together! That would be so fun! Oh, sorry, I got overexcited. You know how I can get.” -- Illon shrugged, about to speak when Ambrose walked in. The bubble got ever so slightly tighter. They hadn’t even noticed that it had gotten lighter while Esta was talking. “Oh, Disney. I guess I didn't really explain, huh? What'd you guess as my favorite, Esta?” -- “Hunchback of Notre Dame' or 'Snow White.'” -- Illon watched, their eyes falling slightly. Even if the bubble had only tightened a bit, it felt suffocating. Always, no matter who or when, if someone left and then came back the bubble always felt tighter. And they knew why, sure. But that didn’t mean they understood why. -- “Close, 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' is actually my second favorite. My first is 'Princess and the Frog.'” -- Besides, they didn’t mind not being in the conversation between the two. They didn’t know what they were talking about, after all. It did make them realize how little they actually knew though. And that made them shrink back without even realizing it. A sort of fear that would grip their mind without them noticing. A fear of others noticing. Noticing that they didn’t know… Something, anything. -- “I love that movie! Also, I totally should have guessed that for you, it seems accurate.” -- “Really? Well, thank you.” -- “Sure! I mean, you're confident and strong as well as smart! It makes sense!” -- “Aw, thanks, Esta, that's sweet.” -- “Of course! Hey, who do you think Illon would be? My guess is... Hmmm, well I haven't really thought about actual characters. Maybe Bell? Or Rapunzel?” -- Illon looked up, finally noticing how shrunken they had gotten. They forced themselves to look present, interested- Anything but how they actually felt. Because if the two were speaking about them now, that meant someone was going to look at them eventually. And they were right, because then Ambrose was looking at them. -- “Let's see, courageous and loyal, willing to do anything for those they care about, even if it means breaking the rules or risking their own lives, smart and kind? My guess is Mulan. A warrior who gave up everything she had to protect her father and saved her people in the process.” -- And it took everything in them not to flinch. Expectations like that for them only ended in disappointment. They knew that. They knew that from experience. But they refused to think on that right now. -- “Oh my goodness! How could I not have seen that, it's perfect! We'll have to watch that too, Illon, so you know what we're talking about!” -- This time, they did flinch. Not even noticing as their breathing picked up, their hands shaking, eyes falling to the ground. Expectations like that from one person, they could handle. But multiple? Too much. Too familiar… -- They couldn’t deal with letting the two down. The two would be disappointed, the two would be so disappointed. Once they realized that Illon wasn’t what they thought they were, they couldn’t be what the two thought they were. Just like before. But they couldn’t think about that, because then they’d get sucked into it and they would slip again. They would slip and Esta wouldn’t understand. Esta wouldn’t know how to help. Maybe everyone would finally- -- Their breath hitched before they even finished the thought. They didn’t want to be left. They really didn’t want to be left. Esta and Ambrose were still in there, they only partially noticed. And then they froze, not like the slipping did. But the way that someone who had just been caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing would. -- They shouldn’t be doing this. No steps backwards in front of them, in front of anyone. They forced themselves to pick their eyes back up, forced themselves to shrug at what had been said about them. And pushed past the suffocating bubble to speak. “I-I don’t kn-know about a-all that… M-Maybe some of i-it, b-but definitely not a-all of th-that…” -- They hated the stutter. But for now? They’d deal with it. Especially with how every word itself was a struggle though the bubble. And despite everything, they couldn’t force themselves to meet either of the two’s eyes. |
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Esta Haron / 24 / Female / Lesbian / Healer / M: All Ambrose Alinsky / 26 / Male / Graysexual Panromantic / Traveler / M: All Agnar Solefair / 22 / Male / Homosexual / M: All Karma Bravo / 25 / Nonbinary / Pansexual / M: All Isabella Finley / 25 / Female / Bisexual / M: All “I suppose that’s true. You just better keep your word about that.” Agnar playfully pushed Eni's hand away, truly looking at a child the way he looked at Eni with a crooked grin and eyes filled with amusement and a hint of admiration. "I always keep my promises!" He stated proudly. "It's one of my best qualities." --- “I-I don’t kn-know about a-all that… M-Maybe some of i-it, b-but definitely not a-all of th-that…” Ambrose looked over at Illon, wondering if he'd managed to mess something up again. He probably had. "You're already all of those things," Esta stated, somewhat oblivious. "You don't have to do anything else to prove it, you're already amazing!" Ambrose nodded slightly. "Right, and you don't have to be anything you're not comfortable with." He added, more observant and understanding than Esta, having seen his flaw. "You are perfect as you are, even if you don't always see it. Everyone makes mistakes, so no need to worry about those either." Esta nodded along happily, still not catching on fully, just going along with the caring tone that Ambrose was using. She was always willing to go along with anything nice. "No one's perfect." She agreed. "It's part of being human." Ambrose smiled slightly, his eyes knowing. Everyone in the tent should try to understand that, including Esta herself. "Of course." He agreed. Esta gasped suddenly, leaning forward. "I know! We can get the whole group together for movie night sometime when we get back to the city! Ambrose you can just let us know when you come and visit! I can host!" Ambrose laughed quietly, Esta was a sweetheart, but she really did push negative things away instinctively. "That sounds wonderful, Star. Though I'm not sure the rest of the group would agree." He tilted his head, he couldn't imagine Amel sitting in a room watching Disney while a majority of the group sang along. The scene was too unlikely. "Of course, I'm always willing to join you and Illon." Esta smiled, seeming satisfied with that. "I bet Salen and Isabella will join too, and probably Agnar." "Probably." Ambrose agreed, he wasn't sure how much Isabella actually liked Disney, but it was pretty obvious that she found it hard to say no to Esta, and Salen would probably do it for the same reason, though she would probably also enjoy it, and Agnar was an easy yes, he was childish in a way that was more than being the youngest. He'd definitely join in all the songs, though Ambrose wasn't sure if he could actually sing or not. --- “Should we be doing anything right now? I feel sort of… On edge, doing nothing after so long of having things that need to be done… It feels wrong, you know? Like there’s something left that we’re forgetting about.” Isabella looked back to Salen and shrugged. "I know, I don't think there's anything we have to do though." Isa examined Salen carefully, she knew her friend had a tendency to overwork herself, which was something both her and Agnar shared. It was probably good that Salen relaxed for a little... At the same time, Isabella was aware that Salen couldn't really relax while doing nothing, so then maybe something that was easy but still required a little brainpower would be good. "Actually, though, I have an idea. One moment." Bella stood up and grabbed her main backpack, rummaging through it until she found what she wanted. A book of word puzzles, advanced. And also two pencils. She walked back over and sat beside Salen again, opening the book to a new page and handing her friend a pencil. "Want to help me with this? I'm honestly not too good at it, it takes me like an hour to complete a page because I don't remember a word for something." She grinned. "They're fun though." |
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Amel Wyther | 26 | Male | Demisexual | Leader | Mentions; All Salen Frez | 25 | Female | Pansexual | Diplomat | Mentions; All Eni Vizin | 27 | Non-Binary | Demisexual | Mentor | Mentions; All Illon Elatos | 24 | Non-Binary | Asexual Demiromantic | Inventor | Mentions; All -- “I always keep my promises! It's one of my best qualities.” -- Eni smiled softly, proudly. “That’s true, yes. Fine, but you putting yourself into unnecessary risk is not going to slide again.” *~*~*~* “You're already all of those things. You don't have to do anything else to prove it, you're already amazing!” -- And again, Illon was tempted to shrink away. But they couldn’t. Not without worrying the two. They didn’t want to do that. -- “Right, and you don't have to be anything you're not comfortable with. You are perfect as you are, even if you don't always see it. Everyone makes mistakes, so no need to worry about those either.” -- And they wanted to argue. Wanted to prove that wrong. But they also didn’t want to raise expectations in the process. Didn’t want the two to think more of them than they already did. That they already foolishly did. -- “No one's perfect. It's part of being human.” -- “Of course.” -- Illon didn’t want the conversation to continue being on them. On them and how much the two thought of them. Thought of them falsely. -- “I know! We can get the whole group together for movie night sometime when we get back to the city! Ambrose you can just let us know when you come and visit! I can host!” -- And they were glad for the subject change, but not so glad about the way their heart twisted at the idea of the whole group getting together even after this. Of course, everyone else would still meet up. But them? They doubted that everyone actually wanted them around. It was all pity and feeling obligated to them that caused anyone to stay. That’s all it had ever been. And why would that change now? -- “That sounds wonderful, Star. Though I'm not sure the rest of the group would agree. Of course, I'm always willing to join you and Illon.” -- Liar. Probably. Most likely just happy to join Esta and willing to tolerate them. They shrank again now that the focus was off of them. The conversation didn’t really concern them, now did it? It was just Esta and Ambrose discussing plans for the future. The future where they would probably already be back to isolation again. And to think they offered Ambrose to stay with them… He had probably just agreed not to seem rude. He could always stay with someone else, after all. And Illon was by far the least likely to ever see any of them again after this… -- “I bet Salen and Isabella will join too, and probably Agnar.” -- “Probably.” -- Illon wasn’t exactly ready to leave but… They felt so… Out of place. And they could move their feet again. So quite honestly? What did it matter if they didn’t feel ready to do anything? They needed to stop wasting time and being selfish and actually do what needed to be done; the group leaving so that everyone could get to the city and do what they actually wanted to do. Ignore them and never have to interact with them again. -- So they pushed themselves up and off the ground so that they were standing, their eyes still not meeting either of theirs. “Well, w-we should probably g-get going, r-right?” Illon’s voice sounded withdrawn, and they could only hope that no one noticed. *~*~*~* “I know, I don't think there's anything we have to do though. Actually, though, I have an idea. One moment.” -- Salen raised an eyebrow as Isabella stood and grabbed her backpack, going through it before coming back over. Watching as she sat back down and offered her a pencil. She took it and looked at it for a moment before looking at Bella as she spoke. -- “Want to help me with this? I'm honestly not too good at it, it takes me like an hour to complete a page because I don't remember a word for something. They’re fun though.” -- Salen looked at the page, glancing at Isabella due to the rather obvious attempt at getting her to take a break… And then have an amused sigh in defeat. She could never say no to Isabella, nor to a good word puzzle. “Sure, why not? It’s something to pass the time while we wait for Illon, Esta, and Ambrose at the very least.” |
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Esta Haron / 24 / Female / Lesbian / Healer / M: All Ambrose Alinsky / 26 / Male / Graysexual Panromantic / Traveler / M: All Agnar Solefair / 22 / Male / Homosexual / M: All Karma Bravo / 25 / Nonbinary / Pansexual / M: All Isabella Finley / 25 / Female / Bisexual / M: All “That’s true, yes. Fine, but you putting yourself into unnecessary risk is not going to slide again.” "Whaaaatttt? I never do that!" Agnar laughed. --- “Sure, why not? It’s something to pass the time while we wait for Illon, Esta, and Ambrose at the very least.” Isabella smiled with satisfaction. "Right." She agreed. "Now, what the hell is the name of the Greek god of love? I only know Aries, Athena, and Zeus-" --- “Well, w-we should probably g-get going, r-right?” Esta beamed when Illon stood up. "If you're ready! I'm glad you're up again." She said, giving her friend a quick hug before grabbing the majority of their things and leading the way out. "Me too," Ambrose added. "I'll take care of the tent." He said, making sure everything was out before following Esta and Illon out. He started to take down the tent when it was tugged from his hands. Ambrose looked up in confusion and found Karma watching him silently, using their power to neatly wrap everything up and place it carefully on the ground. Ambrose smiled in thanks and picked up his own things again. "Looks like we're ready to go!" Esta stated, trotting over to join Salen and Isabella. The second in command looked up when Esta came over and smiled. "Excellent." She stated. "How's Illon?" Esta hesitated a moment. "Getting better... I think." She said, glancing over her shoulder at Illon again. "Better than terrible." Isa said, "Hey, they'll be fine, I'm sure of it." "Yeah, I hope so. What're you two doing?"
"Word puzzles," Bella replied. "Wise girl is much better at it than me." Esta smirked at the nickname. "Oh, how surprising." She said sarcastically. "Rude," Isabella complained, though her eyes were amused. --- Ambrose walked over to stand next to Illon, determined to help them as much as possible. Of course, if Illon seemed like they were uncomfortable with him around, he would back off, but until then he'd stay beside them. Talking or not. --- Karma blushed slightly at Ambrose's grateful smile, but quickly pushed it away, their mood dipping as Ambrose walked over to stand next to Illon again. It was always Illon. Of course, it wasn't Karma's place to complain. Illon was much nicer than they were, and probably more willing to have an actual conversation... That was saying a lot, knowing Illon. Still, they couldn't help the flicker of jealousy that appeared in their chest when Ambrose smiled at Illon. Sighing, Karma stood and grabbed their things. They weren't sure why they felt the way they did, Ambrose was like, wayyyy out of their league. How could someone with such a kind heart ever care... There was no point. There never was. They'd already been far luckier than they should have been when Kostas came along. They didn't deserve to be cared about, that message had been drilled into their head from the moment they were born. They certainly didn't deserve to be loved. Kostas had been an... exception. A beautiful light in the midst of a dark, endless tunnel. And it had gotten him killed. Of course it had, because Karma was so useless and selfish that they were blinded by their own pain and didn't see their one and only friend. They'd already had more than their share of affection. They shouldn't ask for more, and they definitely shouldn't expect more. It was fine, they told theirself. Ambrose would be happier without them anyway, they all would be. |
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Amel Wyther | 26 | Male | Demisexual | Leader | Mentions; All Salen Frez | 25 | Female | Pansexual | Diplomat | Mentions; All Eni Vizin | 27 | Non-Binary | Demisexual | Mentor | Mentions; All Illon Elatos | 24 | Non-Binary | Asexual Demiromantic | Inventor | Mentions; All -- “Whaaaatttt? I never do that!” -- Eni looked at him skeptically, “If that were the case then I wouldn’t have said again, now isn’t that right?” *~*~*~* “Right. Now, what the hell is the name of the Greek god of love? I only know Aries, Athena, and Zeus.” -- Salen laughed, thinking for a moment before speaking. “Well, if it’s actually looking for a male figure then it would be Eros. Otherwise, it’s going to be Aphrodite.” *~*~*~* “If you're ready! I'm glad you're up again.” -- Illon was not expecting the hug, but they still managed to return it before Esta went and grabbed the majority of things from the tent. They grabbed their red bomber jacket and tugged it on before grabbing anything themselves, looking at Ambrose as he spoke. -- “Me too. I'll take care of the tent.” -- Illon nodded, and followed Esta out of the tent. Of course, then Esta went to Salen and Isabella. Which meant they were on their own again. Which was fine, it gave them time to think. -- “Looks like we're ready to go!” -- Salen looked over at Esta, smiling. The two had managed a bit more before the three came out, which was kind of nice. Salen went back to the page, deciding to try and finish it before the group started moving. -- “Excellent. How’s Illon?” -- “Getting better... I think.” -- “Better than terrible. Hey, they'll be fine, I'm sure of it.” -- “Yeah, I hope so. What're you two doing?” -- “Word puzzles. Wise girl is much better at it than me.” -- Salen blushed lightly, shaking her head softly with an eye roll and small laugh. But she stayed focused on the page, as she tended to. -- “Oh, how surprising.” -- “Rude.” -- Salen did glance up at the two at that, because honestly? Esta saying something that could be an insult? That was a sight to behold. She mumbled to herself, going back to the page. “You two with your remarks…” -- Thinking turned out to be pretty bad for them right now, because less than a minute with Esta off with her future girlfriends(It would happen. They were sure of it.) and they could already feel their mood sinking. -- It wasn’t that they couldn’t deal with not being around someone, that wasn’t it at all. No, this was just because their thoughts hated them apparently. So they immediately decided not to focus on their thoughts. They spotted Amel sitting off to the side, which was very uncharacteristic of him. They were sure that they’d only make whatever was going worse though. -- So they didn’t go over there, instead continuing their observation of everyone else. Eni and Agnar seemed to be talking… It reminded them that the two had disagreed about what to do concerning them, if what Ambrose said was true. So maybe they had made up already. That was good, the tension seemed gone between them at least. -- And Karma was outside Illon’s tent. Putting it away..? That was definitely not what they would expect. Especially if Ambrose was right about Karma agreeing with Amel and Eni. But, then again, Ambrose and Karma got along. So maybe Karma was just being nice to Ambrose, which just happened to mean putting away Illon’s tent at the moment. Yeah, that was most likely. -- And… That was everyone. And yet they stood, isolated even in a group. It just proved that they weren’t going to be involved when the group got back. Which was fine! Obviously! They didn’t care whether anyone talked to them! In fact, it would probably be better for them if no one did. Like always. -- But then Ambrose was walking towards them and standing next to them and Illon… Didn’t know what to think. It’d be better if he just stuck with Karma, right? Before last night, Ambrose and them barely talked. Ambrose and Karma had been getting along longer, and were probably closer. Right? So why waste time on someone that would just be alone and isolated once they reached the city? Why not talk to someone that may actually accompany him on his trips? Because Illon knew that even if they eventually wanted to, they couldn’t. It was risky for them to have even tagged along for all of this, and look at where that ended them up at. -- They didn’t speak, of course they didn’t. The bubble was tight with the idea that the others in the group were nearby and given that the wounds had dried sticking to the mask- Talking would hurt. And there wasn’t really any reason to talk, so they didn’t. They just hoped that Ambrose didn’t mind, or that he did and would go where he would probably be better off at. With literally anyone else. Even Amel. *~*~*~* Amel heard when the three came out from the tent. He waited a bit for everyone to get situated though, and then stood. Turning, he did a head count. -- Esta, Salen, Isabella were talking. Agnar and Eni were talking. Karma was standing off to the side. And… Ambrose and Illon were standing off to the side too. Great. All eight were there. -- “Alright, everyone! Remember, we have a long way to go today. We may end up traveling in the night even, since if we get where I’m wanting to get by sundown, we won’t have many things to worry about if we keep going.” Amel stopped for a moment, staring at Isabella as he continued. “Don’t worry, I’m not heartless. We’ll have several breaks in order to make sure that we’re all eating and drinking enough. It’d be a real shame if no one died during the mission but ended up dying on the way back. Now come on, it’s time to get going.” -- And he turned again, beginning to walk away from camp. He wouldn’t check to make sure they were following, after all. They really only had two options. Stay and get left to die, or follow him to get back to the city. He was sure that no one wanted to die, at the very least he certainly didn’t. He’d come too far to die now. -- And he had, hadn’t he? His family could screw off, he’d managed to survive when they couldn’t. He’d managed to survive now, too. And he wasn’t going to die now, not when the mission was so close to being over. Not when all that was left was one person. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall, not in the past and certainly not now. Not ever. He’d live, and he’d live to see when the rest of the group died. Because he wouldn’t let him die before them. Not when he’d already survived so many deaths anyways. It would all be for nothing, if he died now. |
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Esta Haron / 24 / Female / Lesbian / Healer / M: All Ambrose Alinsky / 26 / Male / Graysexual Panromantic / Traveler / M: All Agnar Solefair / 22 / Male / Homosexual / M: All Karma Bravo / 25 / Nonbinary / Pansexual / M: All Isabella Finley / 25 / Female / Bisexual / M: All “If that were the case then I wouldn’t have said again, now isn’t that right?” "No, absolutely not. Reckless doesn't describe me in any way, shape, or form. I'm the least reckless person ever." Agnar stated, his face was completely straight, but his eyes gave away his laughter. --- “You two with your remarks…” Esta and Isabella exchanged an amused glance. “Alright, everyone! Remember, we have a long way to go today. We may end up traveling in the night even, since if we get where I’m wanting to get by sundown, we won’t have many things to worry about if we keep going.” Amel stopped for a moment, staring at Isabella as he continued. “Don’t worry, I’m not heartless. We’ll have several breaks in order to make sure that we’re all eating and drinking enough. It’d be a real shame if no one died during the mission but ended up dying on the way back. Now come on, it’s time to get going.” Isabella stood and grabbed her stuff as well as Esta's bag, and nodded to Salen. "You can keep that if you'd like, wise girl, I doubt I can actually get much of it done anyway." She stated, evidently deciding that Salen's name would be 'wise girl' from now on. Bella had a tendency to do that, when she came up with a nickname or something and decided she liked it, it stuck. "Oh, I can take my stuff, Bella!" Esta said quickly. "You don't have to carry it!" Isabella raised an eyebrow critically. "Star, you've got no arms. You forgot to give Illon their stuff back." Esta looked down and blushed, she'd completely forgotten she was still holding Illon's things. "Oh." She said. Isabella smirked. "I've got your stuff, it's fine." "You're sure?" "Positive. I'm strong, princess, remember?" She winked. Esta blushed more at the nickname and nodded. "Okay then." "Great, now let's go, girls!" The second in command said, starting forward. "We're close to home!" --- Agnar started to follow Amel, then doubled back as he realized he'd forgotten his stuff. "Not reckless!" He stated as he passed his mentor, grabbing his things and then trotting back over again. Now that he'd had a little time to rest and he was on good terms with Eni again, he had a little bounce back in his step, something that had been missing since the argument. Once he'd found a rhythm, Agnar turned around and started walking backwards, facing Eni. He caught sight of Esta, Salen, and Isabella and a grin crossed his face, one that, if you knew him well, you knew could only mean some sort of trouble. "Hey, Eni, how long do you think it'll take for the girls to get together? And who do you think is gonna confess first? My money's on Isabella... Or would be, if I had money." --- Ambrose walked silently beside Illon for a few minutes before a song popped into his head and he started to sing. He was careful this time, and his voice, though still beautiful, held no power. He started off with 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes' from Cinderella, and it didn't take long for Esta to join in, harmonizing perfectly with her high soprano voice falling smoothy above Ambrose's light but full baritone voice. Isabella smiled, at least for the moment, the group seemed happy again. She might even join in with the music if she knew the song well enough. For now, though, she was happy to just listen. Esta and Ambrose's voices blended beautifully. When the first song was over, Ambrose jumped into 'I Just Can't Wait to be King' from The Lion King, deciding that Disney was probably the most well-known, and, therefore, most inclusive thing to sing. He was proved correct when Esta sang Zazu's part and Agnar, in a very Agnar-like fashion, jumped in on the chorus, he actually wasn't too bad at singing either, though he was definitely not as talented as the other two, and couldn't find any harmony. He had a nice tenor voice, and Ambrose switched to harmony to let the young ranger take the lead on the Lion King song. Agnar, of course, took this as an invitation and jumped right into 'Hakuna Matata' when the first song was over. This caused Esta to start laughing because she and Ambrose had most definitely been correct about Agnar's favorite Disney movie being 'The Lion King,' and it was just so predictable. --- Karma trailed silently behind the rest of the group, glaring at the ground as they walked. They weren't entertained by everyone else's musical abilities, it mostly just made them feel more left out. They knew the songs, but it wasn't like they were good at singing, and, even if they were, no one would want to hear them sing. Instead, they just started counting their steps, occasionally getting distracted and having to start over. It was one way they'd learned to pass the time over the years. If their mind would cooperate for very long, that would be nice, though. |
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Amel Wyther | 26 | Male | Demisexual | Leader | Mentions; All Salen Frez | 25 | Female | Pansexual | Diplomat | Mentions; All Eni Vizin | 27 | Non-Binary | Demisexual | Mentor | Mentions; All Illon Elatos | 24 | Non-Binary | Asexual Demiromantic | Inventor | Mentions; All -- “No, absolutely not. Reckless doesn't describe me in any way, shape, or form. I'm the least reckless person ever.” -- Eni rolled their eyes but looked over and watched as the group slowly began following Amel. -- “You can keep that if you'd like, wise girl, I doubt I can actually get much of it done anyway.” -- Salen blushed and was glad that neither were looking at her. She didn’t want to get in the way of Esta and Isabella. Those two obviously liked one another, she couldn’t let her own small crushes on the two ruin what they had. -- “Oh, I can take my stuff, Bella! You don't have to carry it!” -- Salen stood, grabbing her own bags and placing the gifted book into it. She was going to keep it, refusing a gift was just bad manners. Regardless of who that gift may have been from. -- “Star, you've got no arms. You forgot to give Illon their stuff back.” -- “Oh.” -- “I've got your stuff, it's fine.” -- “You’re sure?” -- “Positive. I'm strong, princess, remember?” -- Salen’s heart twinged, twisted. But she didn’t let that show, she just smiled fondly. Softly. Watching the two react so smoothly. -- “Okay then.” -- “Great, now let's go, girls! We're close to home!” -- Salen grinned and fell behind Isabella, her viola case on her back and her bags in her arms. She hadn’t really played too much, just in her tent at hours when she didn’t have anything to do and she was sure that everyone else was asleep. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them to hear it, it was just… She wasn’t sure how good she was at it, and hearing Ambrose play, well. She doubted she could ever be on his level. -- Eni watched as Agnar started to follow Amel, raising an eyebrow at the fact that he had forgotten his stuff. And then had to keep themselves from laughing as Agnar ran back over to get it. “Not reckless!” -- Eni ended up chuckling though regardless, and grabbed their own stuff before following Agnar. Eni was just about to get onto Agnar about walking backwards when the child spoke. “Hey, Eni, how long do you think it'll take for the girls to get together? And who do you think is gonna confess first? My money's on Isabella... Or would be, if I had money.” -- Eni thought for a moment, Isabella was fairly open and confident. Would be the safest bet for something like that… Esta was far too self-conscious and stuck in her own head to do it. But then there was Salen. Polite, relatively soft-spoken, confident but not cocky, and good with words. Their bet would be on Salen, if she could focus on something other than work for more than five minutes to realize Isabella and Esta liked her. -- So Eni spoke, voice quiet enough that no one else would hear, “Either Salen or Isabella. Isabella is a bit too loud, and I’m not sure how much experience she has. Salen though? If she stops working long enough then I’m sure it’ll be her.” -- Illon was walking besides Ambrose when he started singing a song that they did not recognize. At all. Maybe from Disney then? Either way, they were thoroughly confused. It sounded optimistic enough, so they weren’t sure what Esta had been talking about before. -- Salen looked back towards Ambrose and Esta as the two sang. She was half tempted to join in, it looked fun enough at least… But hearing the two sing so beautifully together… She didn’t want to ruin that. She had only been singing whenever she played her viola, and she wasn’t sure how her talent had fared since then. She wasn’t sure how good she had been before that too. -- Amel flinched at the sound of singing. It sounded nice, sure. But it was too familiar for his liking, and not to mention far too upbeat. His eyes narrowed, but he kept walking. Emotions would not get the best of him now, he’d heard Ambrose sing before. Just not with a feminine voice counterpart. But that didn’t matter. He refused to let it matter. -- Eni listened to the singing calmly, giving a slight laugh as Agnar joined in. Deciding to take Esta’s place as she laughed during ‘Hakuna Matata’. They knew plenty of the songs to sing along, after all. They were just picky with which songs they sung. Especially given that they had been told before that they had the voice of a music teacher when singing. Which was nice, but it made them want to save it sometimes. -- Illon started to slowly fall behind as the others sang songs that they didn’t recognize. It didn’t really matter, they were just songs. That they didn’t know. What was wrong about not knowing some songs while it was clear that everyone else knew them? It wasn’t like they were watching themselves get isolated from everyone else right before their eyes… Well, okay, maybe it was like that slightly. They just hoped that no one would notice how quickly they lagged behind. They just hoped no one would notice that they didn’t know the songs. -- And then they were besides Karma. They hadn’t meant to do that. Karma was one of the people that definitely didn’t like them. They should go, either keep lagging or catch back up to the group. But the group was still singing songs that they didn’t know and they had a feeling that Karma wouldn’t like them being behind them and… Karma looked like they could use some company anyways. Maybe not from them… Definitely not from them. But from someone. And besides, they knew that if they hadn’t been told by Ambrose about the argument- They would have talked to Karma. And they told Ambrose that they were going to continue as if he hadn’t told them, so… -- “Do you know any of the songs they’re singing? I’m guessing they’re from Disney but I’ve never seen anything from Disney before so I’m not sure.” Their voice was quieter than it needed to be, and they were mumbling. Trying to open their mouths as little as possible. Speaking was still painful though, despite their efforts. And the bubble was suffocatingly tight. This was someone who didn’t like them, after all. Someone who would only get annoyed by Illon talking to them. They pushed through it though, just so they could keep their word to Ambrose. “Esta said Disney apparently has some triggering elements so people should double check before watching anything but all of these songs sound optimistic, I’m not too sure what she meant. Do you? Oh, and Ambrose and Esta were talking about getting the rest of the group together again someday to watch Disney movies. Not sure why they told me that, but uh. Yeah! Hopefully everyone finds that fun, right? It sounds like it would be.” -- Okay, so maybe they took some creative liberties with what the two had said. But they had definitely meant everyone but them. And they honestly didn’t want to tell Karma that Esta thought they had triggers or trauma or something. They didn’t. They refused it. They were perfectly fine. |
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Esta Haron / 24 / Female / Lesbian / Healer / M: All Ambrose Alinsky / 26 / Male / Graysexual Panromantic / Traveler / M: All Agnar Solefair / 22 / Male / Homosexual / M: All Karma Bravo / 25 / Nonbinary / Pansexual / M: All Isabella Finley / 25 / Female / Bisexual / M: All “Either Salen or Isabella. Isabella is a bit too loud, and I’m not sure how much experience she has. Salen though? If she stops working long enough then I’m sure it’ll be her.” Agnar nodded to show that he'd heard Eni's response, but continued singing, giving his mentor a happy look when they joined in. Esta managed to pull herself together and joined back in, not minding sharing her harmony at all. Eni sounded great. Isabella fell back slightly to walk next to Salen and nudged her lightly. "You should join, wise girl, I'm sure you know these songs, and your voice would be undoubtedly beautiful." She said, smiling confidently. "It always is." --- “Do you know any of the songs they’re singing? I’m guessing they’re from Disney but I’ve never seen anything from Disney before so I’m not sure.” Karma jumped a little when Illon spoke next to them, looking up in surprise. They'd zoned out and hadn't expected anyone to talk to them, especially not Illon. Yet, here they were, talking. “Esta said Disney apparently has some triggering elements so people should double check before watching anything but all of these songs sound optimistic, I’m not too sure what she meant. Do you? Oh, and Ambrose and Esta were talking about getting the rest of the group together again someday to watch Disney movies. Not sure why they told me that, but uh. Yeah! Hopefully everyone finds that fun, right? It sounds like it would be.” Karma looked down. Esta hadn't told them. Probably because no one would want them around anyway. Not even Esta. They hesitated, they hadn't spoken to Illon since they'd gotten taken, and even before that the two hadn't talked much. Karma honestly wasn't sure what to do. They couldn't ignore Illon, obviously, but every time they looked at them their emotions acted up. Emotions that Karma shouldn't even have. Guilt and jealousy mainly. So, just don't look, right? "Um... I know some, I guess. I never really watched movies. No time." Not the complete truth, but, then again, the truth wasn't a pleasant thing. "So I guess I don't know about Disney, really. Except it's... er, popular. Movie night sounds fine I suppose." They hesitated, their eyes glued to the ground. '1, 2, 3, 4...' They started toying with the sleeve of their jacket. "So... uh... Do you have plans or something for when we get back?" '5, 6, 7, 8...' It was honestly taking all their effort to just stay calm and talk. They usually would have snapped and said something stupid that they'd regret later by now, but somehow they managed to keep their cool, constantly toying with their sleeves and staring down. Why did talking have to be so hard? It didn't make sense! It wasn't fair! And then there was the fact that it was Illon, Illon of all people! Why them?! Esta or Ambrose Karma maybe could have handled, or Eni or Amel or Salen. Not Illon! Not after the argument, not when they were confused enough by their feelings already, not after everything! Yet, here they were. Talking. Karma's mind didn't stop racing. What if Illon knew about the argument somehow? What if they hated Karma? I mean, that wouldn't matter, right? Everybody already hated Karma anyway... But what if they knew and they thought Karma hated them because Karma was stupid, anti-social, and had made a mistake? Of course, the mistake wasn't fixable. They'd fucked up, but still- They didn't hate Illon, not really, they were just impulsive. Everything was so hard, why'd everything have to be complicated? Why couldn't something just be easy for once?! '9, 10, 11, 12...' Please. |
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Amel Wyther | 26 | Male | Demisexual | Leader | Mentions; All Salen Frez | 25 | Female | Pansexual | Diplomat | Mentions; All Eni Vizin | 27 | Non-Binary | Demisexual | Mentor | Mentions; All Illon Elatos | 24 | Non-Binary | Asexual Demiromantic | Inventor | Mentions; All -- “You should join, wise girl, I'm sure you know these songs, and your voice would be undoubtedly beautiful. It always is.” -- And Salen was blushing again. Great. She hadn’t been ready to hear that. Looking away, she shrugged, mumbling. Something she knew was odd for her usually clear voice. “Compared to Ambrose and Esta? My voice is a dull record, I could never even begin to ascend to their levels of music.” -- The songs were continuing and quite honestly, Amel was starting to get tired of it. It all sounded mocking to him, the mixture of voices oh so perfectly made to better show off one another’s talents. He hated it. He hated that he understood it. He hated how much she would’ve loved it, if she were here. And he hated that it made him think of her. Because those memories were private, and not for anyone else. Not to be remembered in the presence of anyone else. It would be disrespectful, after all. To her. -- As the last song came to a close though, Salen knew that she couldn’t argue with Isabella. Not with the compliment, not with the nickname, and not with that smile. So before the group started up again, she began singing. The ‘Healing Incantation’ from ‘Rapunzel’. Songs like that had always been where her talent laid, according to those who actually heard her sing. She wasn’t sure whether she believed it, but her voice echoed the song in the forest the group moved through. It was clear, her diction and emphasis right where it should be. Just like when she used to give speeches back in the city. *~*~*~* While waiting for Karma to speak, the bubble tightened. They’d made the wrong choice, Karma didn’t want to speak to them- Karma wouldn’t even want to look at them, if they had the choice. Why did they ever think it was a good idea? They shrunk back, the bubble tightening around them to where they were sure it was actually affecting their breathing. -- “Um... I know some, I guess. I never really watched movies. No time. So I guess I don't know about Disney, really. Except it's... er, popular. Movie night sounds fine I suppose. So... uh... Do you have plans or something for when we get back?” -- And then the bubble loosened, just slightly. Karma was speaking to them, and continuing the conversation. And at least they weren’t alone in their uncertainty of Disney then. And then Illon paused for a second. Actual plans? They looked towards the trees, shrugging. “I mean… Not really? I’ll probably just go back to my work and lab. I have a lot of unfinished projects, so I’ll probably work on some of those… I have to restock my supply of food, too. So, probably grocery shopping… And there’s going to be an adjustment period as I get used to the one ear thing, I guess. Shouldn’t take too long though, my own fault if something blows up in my face; should’ve just remembered my right is broken.” They gave a slight laugh, they felt like everything about them was broken. -- Their eyes fell, and they shrugged. Sighing, shrinking. “To be honest?… I’m not sure what else. Probably just more work…” They took a breath, reminding themselves of no backwards steps. They forced their eyes to brighten, forced themselves to look at least a bit optimistic. “Well, anyways! What about you? Any plans to meet up with everyone else at some point? I’m sure they’d be glad to have you.” -- And not them. The group would be happy with everyone except for them. It’s why they didn’t bother to mention any meeting up with the others. After all, they knew their place. Knew that their life was destined to be one of isolation and solitude in a messy lab/apartment and being avoided on the streets. And being stared at. They were fine with it though. They always had been… Right? They still shrunk back without even noticing it. |
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Esta Haron / 24 / Female / Lesbian / Healer / M: All Ambrose Alinsky / 26 / Male / Graysexual Panromantic / Traveler / M: All Agnar Solefair / 22 / Male / Homosexual / M: All Karma Bravo / 25 / Nonbinary / Pansexual / M: All Isabella Finley / 25 / Female / Bisexual / M: All “Compared to Ambrose and Esta? My voice is a dull record, I could never even begin to ascend to their levels of music.” Isabella shrugged disbelievingly but didn't push. However, when Salen started singing the next song, she beamed again. When the song was over Esta practically squealed. "Oh! That was so pretty! I didn't know you could sing, Salen, your voice is beautiful!" Isabella shot the diplomat a triumphant 'I told you so' smile. "Like always." She stated, smirking. Ambrose smiled as well, quietly amused by what was obviously Isabella flirting. "Your voice is very pretty, Salen." He offered, his voice soft. --- Agnar grinned impishly and opened his mouth like he was going to say something (probably a mildly suggestive comment on Isabella's flirting), when he, still walking backward, managed to trip over a stray rock. Being quick on his feet, Agnar shifted quickly, looking a bit like a cat as he twisted in the air, landing on his feet again and stumbling a step, grabbing Eni's arm before he finally regained balance and continued walking. He gave his mentor a slightly sheepish smile and let go of their arm, making jazz hands. "Ta-Da!" Isabella, whose eyes had been dragged ahead when Agnar started flailing, snorted, highly amused. "Oh my god, this child." She stated, shaking her head and looking playfully towards Esta and Salen again. "Poor Eni tries so hard." Esta laughed lightly before calling up. "Are you alright, Agnar? No injuries?" "All good, medic!" Agnar replied, looking over his shoulder and shooting Esta a smile and a thumbs up. Esta laughed again, shaking her head. "You're right, Bell, Eni got themselves a handful by adopting him. He's sweet though." "Oh, I don't think anyone would doubt that." Isabella agreed, her tone turning slightly affectionate, though it was still amused. "Agnar is a great person, and he works hard. I'm pretty sure anyone would be proud to have a son like him." --- “I mean… Not really? I’ll probably just go back to my work and lab. I have a lot of unfinished projects, so I’ll probably work on some of those… I have to restock my supply of food, too. So, probably grocery shopping… And there’s going to be an adjustment period as I get used to the one ear thing, I guess. Shouldn’t take too long though, my own fault if something blows up in my face; should’ve just remembered my right is broken. “To be honest?… I’m not sure what else. Probably just more work… Well, anyways! What about you? Any plans to meet up with everyone else at some point? I’m sure they’d be glad to have you.” Karma almost snorted at the last sentence. Almost. "No idea." They admitted. "I'm honestly not sure what I'll do when I get back. I don't have much to go back to anyway, and I really doubt the others would actually want to see me more than they have to. I may be stupid, but I'm not completely oblivious. I'm a nuisance, really the only thing I've ever done for this group is cause disagreements and critique people. No one really wants me around. The fact that you're even talking to me is a surprise, I mean, I was pretty sure you would hate me because..." Karma caught themselves at the last moment, realizing that they'd said too much. Them and their big mouth. Why did they have to be so stupid?! "Well, everyone hates me so..." Karma looked back at the ground, kicking away a stray rock and silently scolding theirself. That was stupid, all of it. Illon didn't need to know about their emotions, they didn't care. No one cared, they should have just stayed quiet. Played along like any sensible person. Yes, they would meet up with the group later. They'd watch movies and everyone would be happy. Yes, they had a great place to go back to in the city. A whole mansion in fact! A nice family and lots of friends! A mom who paid attention, a dad who loved them and never hurt them, who never drank, a big yard, a dog, a cat, some fish. Everything perfect! Yes, they had a great life! They should have just played along. Instead, as always, Karma had messed something up. They had to do that every time. Every. Fucking. Time. Why couldn't they just have a nice conversation for once?! Why couldn't they learn to get along with people?! They were so stupid. |
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Winter 
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