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Neutral
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Nina Krakowiac - F - 22 - Mafia - Mention(s): dir: Caspian, Verruck, Nicholas (ind: Finntello) ~ Nina looked back at the bird-man - sure enough, he had a bird with him. Nina quietly wondered how the bird-man - Fintello - had done that, exactly. Then again, she could probably "sneak up" to said bird and just take it like Verruck had kindly implied a few minutes ago. Nicholas' orders turned her attention from said bird - both the man and the literal bird - to Nicholas. Who had just given her orders that he probably expected to be done - and she resigned herself to probably having to do it. While there was definitely a personal drive to avoid doing anything useful (or anything at all, really), she could recognize when she kind of had to do something. And while the avoidance to do stuff that she found pointless was rather high, she was still loyal enough to it. Somewhat relucantly, she looked across her right shoulder at the two males, who - jeez, what idiots they really were - and strode off towards Nicholas, not really sparing a backwards glance at the two of them who seemed to be doing fine, really. By now she'd missed her chance to splat Caspian against a wall, but maybe the chance would come next time. Maybe. Hopefully. The others wouldn't like that, though. They really wouldn't. Banishing the thoughts of wall, she strode towards Nicholas, silently as usual (she didn't bother making her footsteps sound like she had for Verruck), picking her way across the wreckage of the landscape like she honestly didn't care. To be fair... it wasn't like she really did. "You think we really need more than one fire?" Those were Nina's words to Nicholas as she cast her gaze around for some sort of wood. Maybe oil would have been better, but it wasn't like they had an abundant supply of oil anymore. To be fair, they didn't really have much things to put said oil into in the first place. But then they didn't have much oil anyway. "I presume you want some sort of wood and makeshift kindling to burn?" Carpet, and sometimes books, did serve as some nice kindling in the absence of actual kindling, and Nina kept talking on her original thread of speech. Although carpet had to be pried off dusty floors covered in whatnot, and books were a bit scarce nowadays, so it wasn't that nice to get. "Which one will it be, Nicholas? You go after the kindling or the wood?" Dusting her not-dusty-at-all hands on her jacket, she didn't look at Nicholas as she spoke, but more looked around for something that might qualify. |
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Darkseeker
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Caspian Cadogan | M | 28 | Mafia | Mentions: Verrück (dir.) Nicholas, Nina (indir.) At the harsh sound of Nicholas’s voice ringing out across the clearing, Caspian winced. His shoulders hunkering down and crashing lightly into Verrück before he straightened his spine and threw a sharp look over his shoulder at the old man. Eyes burning with annoyance, Nicholas had interrupted their juvenile chatter, that was rude. “We’ll probably get nothing but bones if Nicholas was the one giving out rations.” He grumbled under his breath, only securing his hold on Verrück as the other man leaned back into his side. The moment of quiet was quickly disrupted once again, but this time it was Verrück that sprung up from his side and vanished into the rubble. Leaving both him and Nina standing a little dumbfounded until his scrambled return to them with the clanging of metal sounding with each step as he siddled back up to them. Caspian was left watching in bewilderment as Verrück instructed his dog and the creature seemed to understand completely, taking the roped bucket between his teeth and peering up at them. Clearly excited to be involved in the conversation as he peeked up at the humans surrounding them. He was going to make a comment on the little thing’s expression when he found himself being hauled up into the air. His arms flailed out to the sides as his eyes widened in surprise. “What are you-” He cut himself off as Verrück managed to get a secure hold on his legs and Caspian stopped squirming around. Now locked in at the legs, Caspian blinked at Nina before she strutted away, leaving him in this predicament alone. “Stream?” He mimicked Verrück with a more confused tone of voice, a half developed smile forming on his lips. Quickly, Caspian found himself needing to grip onto the fabric that covered Verrück’s shoulders in order to not send them both toppling backwards. The more words that flooded from Verrück, the more Caspian returned to his previous smirking self. “I might just toss you in the water when we get there.” He threatened but there was not bite behind his bark as he allowed himself to be carried across the clearing, ignoring the strange looks they were receiving. At least they were entertaining themselves, this sorry lot was boring and everyone needed some wild fun in their lives. Otherwise, why was it worth living? |
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Lightbringer
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Nicholas Accardi / 46 / Male / Mafia / M: Verrück, Caspian, Nina (dir) The expression that Nicholas had softened just a touch as the three hurried up to him. They didn't question it at all which was good. If anything, they got to working and looking much happier than before. That was wonderful. While he wouldn't say anything, Nicholas was at least a little amused and relieved to see Cadogan and Aachen getting... close. Closer than perhaps usual friends would be. Good. Good. That meant things were starting to mend. If, despite the times, they could get to that sort of thing? It meant that the world hadn't ended. They could start rebuilding relationships and the likes. Brick by brick. His icy gaze swiveled toward Nina as the young woman prompted a soft question, asking if he thought they needed more than one fire. "I do, yes," he agreed. "One for the soup and one for water. We'll want to keep a steady supply of good, fresh water. We'll have to sift it and strain it but it'll be better than drinking stale wine and the likes." It wasn't bad but it wasn't his favorite in the slightest. Nicholas enjoyed a good wine but stale? He'd rather have spat it out. But food and drink were precious and he couldn't afford to waste it. "I can get the wood," Nicholas responded to Nina's question. "If you can, get leaves and grass. We'll want to start clearing out spaces for gardens to grow food for the winter. It wasn't a matter of growing it for fun now. They had to survive and they couldn't survive off of just bird. The man stepped into his hut and ruins, gathering wood pieces. It wouldn't be much but it would be something to start with. Dragging the wood to the dirt, Nicholas began to dig a hole. He set up a small bit of wood, leaving space for kindling. In his pocket, he had a small pack of matches. He just needed another pot. But first... the bird too. "Terrence!" The man barked out a sharp call, watching the young man flinch. Nicholas couldn't hide a smug expression at the motion from the other winged individual. |
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Blake Borelli | 36 | Male | M: Finn, Valencia (dir.) Nicholas + the Mafia (Ind.) Words went through one ear and out the other with the man. His face was showing his displeasure with the woman as she spoke to him. He looked away and at the ground, trying to find a way around this conversation. His eyes flickered up, watching her walk away, relief flooding through him when bam there was another person in between the two. He sighed, in an annoyed manner. The conversations just kept going and going. Was there ever a stop to the others around him talking? They were all annoying, holding conversations without saying much of anything. There was no point to it all. . His wistful gaze watched Finn, in a zoned out manner. He couldn't ever understand the young man, so why bother? Arms crossed over his chest as his eyes flicked from one of Finn's eye to the other, trying to read the panicked man. He couldn't think with all of the ruckus that he was making. Finn made it hard to do much of anything, but that was most people. Finn at least had good intentions, clearly, after all, he made a decent cop. Blake's ears caught some of what the young man had said, and he gave him a puzzled look. Blue moutain lions and two-headed deers? What was this kid on? "That can't be right..." He muttered to himself, turning away from the pair, hand on his chin, thinking. A hand ran through his thick, short blonde hair as he thought. Was there an atmosphere leak that was causing Finn to be loopy and see weird things? He turned back around to examine Finn again, his head tilted to the left. He wasn't acting any less normal than usual. Blake stepped closer, looking at his eyes. They weren't bloodshot or anything, and the young man wasn't sweating. "Can you walk in a straight line for me?" He asked, "One foot in front of the other like you are walking on a tightrope." He stated, glancing at Valencia. . How badly had this all effected the rest of the terrain aroun them? Blake hadn't even thought about what lay around them. Could Finn really be telling the truth about what he'd seen? He watched Val put her hand on Finns shoulder and praise him. Outlaw stood up from where he laid, wagging his tail and barking at the pair before crouching down and crawling towards them. "Outlaw..." Blake said, his voice cutting through his silence. "Down." The canine gave him an annoyed looked before resting his torso on the ground. Blake's blue eyes then returned to Valencia. Was she fishing for him to hop on the praise train? He thought not. He quickly looked away, jaw clenched. The vulture smelt... funky. It almost smelled like road kill. Not quite as bad as a skunk or capybara (as he had learned the hard way, the scent gland needed to be removed before consumption) but it also didn't look healthy. It looked like it could carry a 101 diseases. His dog whinned from next to him, and Blake looked down at the skinny canine. "Good job Finn." He said finally, without any move to get closer to the pair. . Nichloas' voice cut across the clearing, and Blakes head snapped towards him, annoyed. They were talking.. not really, but still, how rude to interupt. What was he, five? Blake flipped him a bird and turned back to the young man. "Don't give him the bird until he treats you with respect." He said, bluntly. He hadn't ever known why Finn was so scared of the silver-haired man, but he had a few ideas. "If you give him the bird without him asking nicely, my dog will bite you." He said, signaling for the dog to get into a sitting position. The dogs tail wagged, and drool dribbled out of his jowls, clearly excited by the words he heard. |
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Lightbringer
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Finntello Terrence / 26 / Male / Cop / M: Blake, Valencia, Nicholas (dir). The way Valencia had stumbled back had Finn hesitating before he rambled. He hadn't meant to startle her but... at the same time, he had to share what he had found! There was at least something! Good news and bad news. He had taken another deep breath to keep talking when she had extended her hands to keep him from talking further. It... he was excited! He couldn't help it! A brighter smile slipped over his expression, his eyes brighter as the simple praise came from the woman. It was a bit of a small blessing--just a small one--but something more than what he was used to getting. It almost made his heart soar. He turned his rusty red gaze to Blake, watching him for a moment or two. The look was... not quite the same. It was more puzzled than anything else. Which wasn't entirely what he wanted to see. He stepped forward, toward the winged young man and... gave him a slight interrogation instead. Finn shook his head for a moment and sighed. It figured. His eyes flicked to the dog and then didn't return up. He knew Blake really didn't mean the words he said. It was just pity and to appease Valencia instead. "It's fine," Finn shook his head lightly, sighing softly. Not that Blake wanted it anyways, it was rather obvious by the way he was side-eyeing the bird. Finn turned on his heel, making his way across the dusty street toward the man with the pot and fire. Nicholas lifted his icy blue eyes, taking the bird from his hands but Finn didn't meet his gaze. A part of him... was scared. But that was the wrong thing, clearly, when Nicholas let out a disappointed sigh. "Can't even look at me?" His words were quiet and soft. Finn finally looked up at him. "I thought you didn't want people looking at you--" The expression that Nicholas wore darkened, a sharp scowl etched in his face. "I expected better, Terrence. Your father would be absolutely ashamed of you if he were still with us," his voice was low and dry as he turned to pluck the feathers from the bird. Finn remained standing where he was, his heart twisting in his chest. Finally, it dropped into his stomach and any sort of appetite he might have had was gone. As... nonchalantly as he could, Finn stepped back and shuffled toward the small hut he called home, closing the door behind him. He sank down to the floor, hands shaking. He had been trying to avoid that thought, those disapproving eyes that stared at him. That constant scowl of distaste and disappointment. No--it was just... embodied in everyone around him. Finn lowered his head into his hands, staring at the floor while he tried to wrestle his emotions back into place. |
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Neutral
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Nina Krakowic - F - 22 - Mention(s): dir: Nicholas, asdfghjkl, (ind: Finntello) ~ Nina nodded on to Nicholas's words, but her thoughts weren't really in it. A vegetable patch. Okay. Well, at least it was more productive than a gods-damned wall, really. It took a bit longer than she thought it would to get the dead leaves that he had asked for, mainly due to the fact that most of it was already burnt. Hey, wonder why that was the case. In any case, it was boring work that was only exacerbated by the knowledge that it was probably something that she should be going anyway, even if she hadn't been ordered it. Eventually settling on some dead twigs that seemed to have been there for the last decade, and uprooting something that looked like a dry weed (passable enough, Nina thought) she returned to where Nicholas seemed to be setting up - like he had said - two fires. Nina still found it pointless. Couldn't they just boil the water then the soup after it? Or wasn't the water for the soup anyway? Nina couldn't see much point in it still but, well, she'd done her job. Although she did cheat a bit with the dry weed. "Kindling's collected. You're welcome," she tacked on to the end so he didn't need to thank her for a job that she had literally done out of duty. Sighing, she glanced at the firepit that the man had dug before looking around, and the bird that he was holding. Nina looked at the bird briefly before looking away. She didn't dislike the bird, per se, but it wasn't much to look at either. Bird. Bird turned food. Who cares what the bird was, really, other than food at this point? "Anything else needed to be done?" She didn't fancy having to get mroe kindling. There was... enough, really. But Verruck and Caspian weren't back yet, and the others didn't look very happy for some reason. Not that they were ever happy in the first place, really. But that was besides the point. |
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Neutral
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Verrück Aachen | M | 23 | Mafia | M: Caspian (dir.), Nicholas, Mylo (ind.) - Verrück let out a sharp, low chuckle at Caspian's half-hearted threat, his pace not faltering as they trudged through the debris-strewn wasteland. He shifted his grip on Caspian’s legs, adjusting the weight of his passenger without breaking stride. There was something oddly comforting about the absurdity of the situation, about the way Caspian could slip back into his old self, playful even in the face of the desolate world around them. - The distant calls of their comrades faded into the background, replaced by the quiet rhythm of their footsteps, the occasional scrape of metal on stone, and the light thud of Lump’s paws against the ground. Verrück glanced sideways at Caspian, the mischievous spark in his eyes never wavering. - “Careful now, Caspian,” Verrück said, voice low but laced with amusement. “You toss me in that water, you might not be getting out yourself.” He turned his gaze forward, ignoring the puzzled stares from a few scattered figures who seemed to be trying to make sense of the unusual sight of one man carrying another with a dog trotting along beside them. It wasn’t like they had a lot of options for entertainment in the ruins. His eyes caught those of a man with dark black hair and bright red eyes before Ver furrowed his brows and turned his gaze back ahead. - Ahead, the landscape was a jagged mess of fractured stone and twisted metal, a broken mirror reflecting the chaos of their world. But somewhere beyond that, there was the possibility of fresh water—a small luxury in a place where everything had been stripped bare. - “Yeah, well, you’re not the only one who can make threats,” Verrück continued, his voice adopting a more thoughtful tone. “I’ll bet you anything that Nicholas’ll try to get some ‘praise’ out of us when we find it. He’s got this whole routine, you know? Like he’s some sort of goddamn savior just for finding something that won’t kill us.” - His words were punctuated by the soft clinking of the bucket as Lump’s tail wagged, swinging the metal gently back and forth. The dog had yet to let go of his prize, eyes bright with anticipation, tail a blur of motion. - “We should be careful not to get too excited about it,” Verrück added, glancing down at the dog, then back to Caspian. “Nicholas'll make sure it’s the ‘bare minimum.’ Like we’re not all starving, he’ll make it sound like he’s doing us a favor.” - A low wind swept through the clearing, kicking up dust and sending the edges of their worn clothes fluttering. Verrück’s smirk softened for a moment, his thoughts drifting back to the dwindling days of survival. But just as quickly, he was back to his old self again, the one who found humor even in the bleakest of moments. - They were heading toward a stream, a sliver of hope in the form of fresh water, but in this world, even the smallest things could become a game of survival, an opportunity to twist, turn, and make something out of nothing. - He wasn’t going to let that slip by. - "Keep your head up," Verrück muttered, almost to himself, as he looked toward the horizon. "At least one of us will enjoy the trip." |
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Darkseeker
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Valencia Cobris-Strix | 29 | F | Cop | Mentions: Blake, Finntello (dir.) Nicholas, Caspian, Verrück (indir.) At the reversion to standardised testing, Valencia couldn’t help the roll of her eyes, looking off to the side rather than at the two men. Why did it matter if the young man was inebriated? They were all looking for some form of joy, gods knew she would have given her left leg for a bottle of wine. As he eyes landed back on Blake, he gave his less than heart-felt compliment to Finn and she narrowed her eyes briefly at him. What an old grumpy man. Valencia withdrew her hand from his shoulder and placed it in the front pocket of her tracksuit bottoms, popping one hip as Finntello moved away to sort out his bird. “What’s up with you, hm?” She questioned, using one hand to flick out towards Finn’s retreating form. “He brings back food and you ask him to perform a field sobriety, there’s no laws anymore.” She huffed, letting the hand fall back to herself, slapping gently against her thigh as it did so. She could excuse the lack of warmth in the compliment, but the rigid attitude bothered her the most. Valencia ran her eyes over Blake, up and down his form, currently ignoring the canine at his feet. A lot of men seemed to act like this and it was annoying to say the least. Finntello wasn’t an easy person to be around, for all the chatter and over the topness, but he was nice. Nice wasn’t exactly common amongst the people left behind in the ruins. In the distance, she would hear Nicholas talking but didn’t care enough to tune into the conversion. At least Blake had given some meaningful advice before he had left, not that she could blame Finn for his aversion to Nicholas. The man was a piece of work, not in a physical sense but he always had some little plan plotting away in his brain. Valencia never liked the scheming type. “No matter.” A sigh accompanied her words, looking away from Blake and towards the strange form of a fused Caspian and Verrück as they made their way past. Valencia’s eyebrow quirked at the sight, what on earth were they doing? They looked like children playing make believe, it was envious how little they cared. Shaking her head, she looked away and down at Outlaw, studying him for a moment before turning herself away. She had never really worked with the K-9 teams, never had the need to. Valencia was always stuck on patrols or speed cameras, the boring things. Nothing exciting ever seemed to happen to her, aside from surviving whatever this global event was. Even then she wasn’t sure she wanted to survive it. |
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Lightbringer
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Nicholas Accardi / 46 / Male / Mafia / M: Nina (dir) Nicholas settled back after finishing the pits, gathering the kindling that Nina had gathered and set them in each of the pits. "Thank you," the man said anyways. He had basic manners... when he wanted to. He'd get water boiling in one pot, the first one. That would be the one that he would make into the soup. The other pot, now that he knew where the stream was, would be used for a constant stream of fresh, clean water. As clean as they could get it at least. If he had another drink of stale, broken open whiskey, Nicholas was going to vomit. His tastes were finer, a rich palette, and that stuff... that stuff was below even the hooligans on the streets. He didn't wish that on anyone. "If you need to rest, rest," Nicholas responded to Nina's question. "If you see something you think should be done, do it." It was short, curt and cordial. He wasn't going to make her do anything if she didn't want to. He was currently plucking feathers from the bird so he could skin it properly, remove what couldn't be used and hopefully by then Cadogan and Aachen would be back with the water. The dark feathers that he plucked from the vulture were set into a basket he had dragged over. They would be good to use for coats, pillows and the likes. His first intentions were to feed his people first. But there was a chance that there would be enough soup for all of the people there. His would get food first, then the three former officers. If one of them even came out. What a pathetic waste of feathers. Nicholas scowled lightly. Of all the folks in that bloodline, it had to be the idiot son that survived. That one young man that just got on everyone's nerves, him. It was him. He knew what he had said. Hopefully, it would get the young man into thinking a bit more and do something useful. Like shut up. The grating yapping every day was getting on everyone's nerves. Finally, he could get some peace and quiet. |
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Spring Month: 2 
Day 
Flood
