| Welcome to Day of the Sins. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| The long walk | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 23 2009, 04:25 AM (1,479 Views) | |
| Silent Neth | Mar 23 2009, 04:25 AM Post #1 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
It seemed unlikely, as he thought, that the apocalypse he and his peers had predicted had come to pass, although an end to the days many once knew had. Neth woke up sore on the morning of the first, shrapnel of wood and glass filled the bottom of his face, thankfully, he could still see. He could assess the damage done by the blast, a tragedy perhaps but he did not really need his face, the importance was that he was still alive and not many at that point could say the same. Life was all he could ask for at this point, the smell of death already reaked all the way down in his basement.. or maybe his face was just infected. Neth pushed himself up, shoot his head and judged by the amount of blood on the floor that he still had several pints. He stumbled up the stairs pushing open the remains of the barricaded door that led to the basement. There he saw that most of the walls were no longer standing, giving him a wide view of the surrounding feilds of burned wheat and in the distance, the dark clouds retreating towards the sea. He found the bathroom door and pushed rubble out of the way. The door was jammed so he kicked it in to stand in front of the sink... there was no more mirror, it's fragments littered the bathroom floor... it wasn't what he was looking for anyways, he had no intention of knowing what his face looked like. He stuffed a rag into the sink's drain and poured what little water would come out of the pipes before it began to run black. He openned the pharmacy door and poured iodine into the water, then dove his face in. Moments later he had fashionned a scarf out of an old pair of jeans and picked up his supplies, there was no point staying here; if he were to die he wouldn't do so like his father, sitting alone in a dump of a house waiting for death to come to his door. An hour passed, maybe two when he reached the long beach... he took a breif glance around to see if there were survivors but all he could see were bodies gently floating to the beach or stranded there. He began to check their belongings for valuables such as watches, tools, cellphones... this eventually got depressing, he walked away from the beaching of death and headed north along the beach towards downtown, figuring if anyone survived he'd have a better chance of finding them there... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Mar 24 2009, 12:54 AM Post #2 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The weather had changed too; snow was more beautiful than she could remember, and the sun was so much more friendly than she had ever noticed. The desolate, and almost barren city had dug an illusive print on her mind and body, and she could never get the smell of blood off of her. In reality it was never there, but ever since that night she could never again remove it's haunting from her air. The screams only came at night, while the scent of crimson regret lingered like death on her shoulders incessantly. It came to the point she dared not look at her reflection in fear of seeing his stained smile curling from behind her. Yes, blood now had a character in her world. He came in birth, he came in death. He kept you alive, but if you unleashed him, he would very well kill you. Ryann could even see it now as she strolled slowly down a heated side-walk, or what was left of one. Normally she didn't travel far from her small sanctuary of an apartment she shared with her brother; the streets even in sunlight hours were dangerous because of the shadow creatures. Today she decided to take the risk considering the sun had come out to play. Being cooped inside bleak rooms only made the taunts of the sunshine less tolerable to Ryann and here she was soaking in the rays and feeling the heat under bare feet, her pink scar across her right foot glossy under the light. She was the portrait of a ragged doll as her tattered once white skirt was now cream and holey, her laced, ivory, tank-top corset splattered with old blood like a canvas. The laced back peeked from behind a mane of dark hair, two front strands braided and pinned at the back like a crown of ebony, the rest covering her identity while she walked face down. Face after expressionless face scanned into her sight as the side walks were almost littered with them. Some old and some fresh, some beginning to bloat, but regardless of the stage of decay each one received the kiss of a flower petal as Ryann picked and dropped them to each sad soul. The whole while she hummed a slow, soft lullaby. (Gah sorry I can't write anymore, I just went brain dead. Sorry if it makes no sense. >_< ) |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Mar 24 2009, 02:20 AM Post #3 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The track outside the homestead was not perilous as he would have expected it, he had hardly met anyone alive and those he did find were too far out of their minds to be any use to him and were driven away at gunpoint... He walked and saw bodies... further, more bodies... the smell of rot and burning wreckage welcomed him to the city. He went to work, there was no point travelling any further now, he had to comb the city for utilities and he needed a place to go back to and sleep at night. He did not want to smell the bodies any more than he had to so his first task was to dig a trench... sixty feet long and four feet deep. He dragged every carcass he could find into it and filled the pit of death with kerosene... it burned for two days and smoked for a week, after that he returned the soil into the ditch. Soon enough the smell had gone for the most, or he got used to it, whichever would come first. He used an abandonned storage house to fashion a makeshift home and storage depot for what he could find. He haulded an old fridge, car parts, scrap metal, any functioning computers he could find, a generator but nothing to run it with, dried food, frozen but thawing meat, wood... in short everything that could still be of use. The area around his house was possibly the only place not completely littered with bodies.. Ryann might notice the lack of the pudrid smell and the presence of the stomach rumbling smell of cooking meat and freshly burning wood... It seemed to come from a shash that had been barricaded with tall sheets of metal and nailed boards. As soon as Ryann would see the shack, make no mistake that Neth had seen her and awaited her approach with his gun hand resting in hs lap... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Mar 25 2009, 04:26 AM Post #4 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Feeling the sensation of the sun on her skin made Ryann relaxed. Before she disliked the sunlight, complaining it was bothersome, stuffy, and too much only brought problems like sun burn or skin cancer. The latter being perhaps the worse case scenario, but she didn't care about that now. Most of her time was spent in shuttered rooms, and even if the shutters were removed the built in bars always kept her caged. Ryann loved her brother and understood his need to protect her, she was all he had left, and he was all she had left. It was why when he came home one day, frantically placing metal bars on the windows she didn't argue like most days. It was an unspoken agreement that if they were to live, they were to be like ghosts. However, when DJ left earlier that morning to meet up with the other survivors in the subways, she decided to remain behind. DJ didn't protest much as being inside a locked apartment was safer to him than wandering the streets to get to a subway. What he didn't know was the hunger festering inside Ryann, and the need to exercise her body. She waited twenty minutes from his departure before casually opening their front door and walking out into the demolished streets. She had a car, a nice 68 Buick Skylark that had been a pearly white the day she received it for her sixteenth birthday, but now it was rusted and grimed with dirt and blood. Normally she would only sit in the car (the battery had been stolen shortly after the attack) and think, but today her feet carried her elsewhere. Something about today made Ryann feel secure, and bold. Her face-down walk proved either her insanity, or dumb trust in the world. It wasn't until the pavement ended and the hot sand stared that she looked up. There was a house, or an attempt at one that met her cool gaze. The blue eyes narrowed, the sunlight catching them and intensifying her stare. Was someone living inside? She doubted, but was curious anyways. The hand that held her bouquet of flowers released all but one, and this one white dandelion she tucked behind her right ear, her expression softening as she began walking towards the shelter on silent, bare feet. Her once clumsy gait was slow and smooth as if she had developed the need to move like a cat. Ryann neared a window, it's black face a gape in the run-down walls, and could smell something cooking. She paused in her tracks and frowned, the wind picking up as if trying to pull her by scent to the source, but she remained rigid with her hands limp at either side of her body. The only movements were her hair, and skirt dancing with the wind, trying to pull her closer, but move she would not. She knew better than to call out, but was naive enough to not hide her white and blood-stained self. She stood out like a black rabbit in the snow, but her face was unmoved, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The wind became persistant, and the flower wiggled out, flying into the window only a few feet away. It was now Ryann moved by taking a slow step back and pausing. (Why do I ramble again?) |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Mar 25 2009, 06:33 AM Post #5 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
If he knew exactly who he was dealing with, Neth would know without a doubt that he would need not to brandish or to think about his weapon. There was no knowing that such a thing was, nor would Neth ever beleive that at any time for any reason, mostly not at a time and place like this, that anyone could mean no harm. Outside appearances can be deceiving, roses have thorns and kittens are born killers. The shack itself had two main entries, one which was obvious and another which was not. The main door was a garage door, though it had been jammed. The bent metal that once permitted easy sliding now made the door more difficult to disloge by force than it would have been to ram it in the first place. Neth hadn't taken any chances and barricated that door since he could use the hole a taxi sign had dug into the wall above the main door that led above the rafters. That door couldn't be seen from the outside, there was a sign on the door that said "Disks" but had lost the first S. This sign was loose enough for Neth to slip in and out and peek out onto the street in front, this was Neth's observation tower. The second was simply a hole in the wall that Neth had thought about mounting a massive slingshot to hurl a bowling ball at any poor fool that would walk in; he had fallen short on elastic cables, seemingly those were considered valuable things in this time... He did find several good bowling balls that he would probably just chuck at someone to compensate. Neth had been sitting in the rafters above, watching Ryann's approach suspiciously. Once she had fallen from his view, around the corner of the warehouse he quietly slipped from his perch and dropped himself on the ground, obscured by the long shadows that the fire casted. Not quite invisible but completely motionless, crouched onto the ground, gun in his holster now. He had stowed it for the purpose of climbing down but hadn't drawn it from lack of reason to. The warehouse hadn't been changed as much on the inside than on the outside. There were several things lying around that didn't seem to belong to this kind of warehouse. In the middle of the warehouse, directly below what seemed to be a makeshift chimney or simply a hole that had been there before, was a circle of bricks taken from buildings near this one in which a low fire was roasting unidentifyable meat on unfolded coathangers. The crackle of the fire was the only thing that could be heard over the pitched whisper of the wind on the sharp steel edges that led in and out of the large empty warehouse. A sharp whisle was heard as a gust pushed on the strange figure that stood before the hole, the soft patter of the dandelion touching the stone floor was what Neth had heard. His eyes fell from her to the object that had drifted to his feet... A brown leather gloved hand left the shadows and gently picked up the delicate thing, bringing it to his eyes, observing it, questioning it... His presence was now possibly noticed but not tangible in the shadows. His eyes peirced though the darkness and met Ryann's, Neth thus exposed the most kind visage he could give to a stranger... not saying a word or moving a muscle either kindly or offensively.. The fire crackled again, a shower of red sparks rose into the air and vanished before they had touched the ground... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Mar 29 2009, 08:45 PM Post #6 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Every muscle in Ryann's body seized and her insides heaved with fear as her stare met the reflection of another's. Startled, Ryan took in a sharp breath while the wind itself seemed tamed with content as if it's goal was to have the two aware of the other. Her mind raced with possibilities; a shadow creature, a survivor, an unknown. Whatever it was, it kept itself inconspicuous and therefore didn't seem to mean harm; perhaps it was scared so it shadowed it's identity. The corners of her lips twitched as a flickering smile crossed her face. An almost inaudible sigh escaped her, and she felt at ease. His eyes weren't hard to read, and she knew her mental villain of Blood wouldn't come from the person she watched now. Slowly a small hand rose up and waved meekly at the stranger but Ryann did not speak. Daringly she inched forward, taking note of a crate near the window she could climb on top of, but she kept her calm stare on the strangers. Mentally she monitored her nerves and body, everything inside her telling her to flee, but her exterior only appeared to say defiant. When she reached the window sill her once slinking form became a bullet of agility as in one quick motion her slender fingers grasped the grimy edge, small feet quickly climbing onto the crate before launching off and landing lightly on the windows pane. Ryann was now in a crouch on the frame of the window, balancing on the balls of her bare feet. Her hands balanced her as they grasped the upper frame, but her eyes were wildly now staring at him. The flames embers licked in the pools of her eyes reflecting their dance, and the glow softened on a pale face with sunken eyes. Ryann looked like an animal, alive and alert as her mouth turned into a smirk. "You have my flower." The voice didn't match the look, as it was melodic but shy. Ryann could now see the outline of a man, and fear turned into hope. Something scarce in times like these. (Kay sorry. I hope it makes sense, I didn't proof read it.) |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Mar 29 2009, 11:07 PM Post #7 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The flower was twisted between his thumb and index finger, his eyes still fixed upon the figure that lay in the windowframe before him. He seemed to have no expression in his face... he kept to the shadows mainly for stealth but also because he did not wear his mask... He didn't think he would have had to leave the shadows. Unbiased to whether or not he wanted company at the time he was expecting her to leave once she saw his form in the shadow.. He sat upon a small crate now, arms resting against his knees and the flower held aloft before his face... Such a delicate thing, a rarity of life within such a disgusting world. Even before it was destroyed such things were rare, beauty in it's purest and most simple form, the effervecent joy of innocent life. He did not wave back, he canted his head to the side as if comfused by the gesture... Why would someone trying to steal from him reveal their position purposively.. Perhaps that was not it, perhaps there was another reason the figure had approached his shack... No doubt the smell of food had drawn her there without any sign of malicious or greedy intentions. He observed her advance, slowly reaching up to the cloth under his hood to pull it over his face as casually as possible.. Once she had climbed through the window and stood before him, she could see the cold, emotionless eyes staring back at her from below the hood and the long stiched rag robe that seemed to be the same color as the burned wood and chipped stone wreckaged that lay outside.. "Is it?" He finally answered after several moments of observation between her and the flower.. There was hardly any intonation to his voice, a low murmur. He tilted it forward slightly... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Mar 30 2009, 12:18 AM Post #8 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He was nothing like the others she had met. When he spoke she felt her body react by swaying back, intimidation now settling into her core. It wasn't hard to recognize the animalistic attitude that the restraints of her world left her in. Her eyes darted to the cooking meat, before snapping back to him and she cocked her head mirroring him but with a playful smile. Dirt was smudged on her neck which was now evident when with a hand she swished her hair behind her shoulder. The silence lasted and she only stared back at him, her body making small sways in the window as if her frame was fragile to the winds teasing. The fire crackled, and a curious stare scanned slowly to the flower in his hand, a big hand she noted. She knew she wouldn't last very long if forced to battle him, all by seeing the size of his hand. She was speedy, but only for so long and she had nowhere to run in such a shack, and jumping out the window would also be futile as he was within a lunging distance. Now she carefully slid down to the floor, and sat herself down into a crouch infront of him and the fire. She could feel the dampness of the metal wall behind her and she raised her head to make eye level with him; a subtle message she would not submit to his gaze. "It is, but it's a gift." She looked around her before imposing, " It looks like you need it more than those bodies outside." Her eyes met his again and her nose scrunched into a discomforting look as she shifted her weight to sit down and against the wall. Sniffing, she looked at the fire before murmuring, "Life is for the living." Ryann's eyes squinted into a glare while she expected him to toss the flower into the hungry flames; she would have. After all, most of the people she met wasted their lives until the moment the earth shattered, and now even the living were dead in someway. Ryann knew she was intruding, but didn't mind. If he had wanted her dead he would of done so by now, not to mention she kept her distance and didn't touch anything she thought he would value, like his food or fire or even him. That last one sent a shiver up her spine, and she mentally scolded herself for thinking too boldly. In other cases Ryann would have gotten close enough to taunt and tease, but by his lack of interest she knew he wouldn't take kindly to her inspecting his home....No, his domain as she didn't get the homey feeling from the run-down shelter. Her wandering eyes rested on him once again, and an eye twitched when a spark snapped. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Mar 30 2009, 12:40 AM Post #9 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He hadn't even come close to budging, not a twitch, he didn't even seem to blink the whole time she climbed in to sit near the fire. The flower's head pointing towards her, slowly fanning from the pull of gravity.. "A gift..." He contemplated, then slowly his chest rose, air filled his lungs and soon he began to turn around within the darkness, his eyes hidden from view a moment as he placed the flower's stem into something that looked like a cut off tube leaning on a makeshift rack made of a shopping cart... Upon closer inspection, this tube looked to be an old .44 rifle. He turned back to her, folding his arms upon his lap silently, studying her once more, contemplating what she did or had tried to do in the few seconds he had been turned around... Simply a matter of knowing if he could trust her.. He smirked from beneath the veil in his face though this could hardly be seen but in his eyes as he seemed much less weary of her but not anymore intent or glad of her presence. "A flower in the ground, is life..." He nudged his head in the direction of the flower that stuck out from the nuzzle of his gun "that isn't" He said with a solemn monotone voice. "But thank you." He added as if in a side thought as he stood up, pulling a torn sheet of metal and a bent coat hanger that was shaped into a pair of hooks.. He used it to pick up one of the brochettes from the fire scraped the meat off into the sheet and dropped it in front of her, some dust lifting from the ground around it... He turned back and sat on his crate once more as meat continued to sizzle upon the fire... He didn't have any trouble finding food... turns out that the population of rats had gone up tenfold since most of the humans were gone. Perhaps he wasn't eating the dead, but he was eating what was eating the dead... She might taste the slightly different meat than what she was used to but if she were hungry enough to walk into such a place, Neth didn't think there would be room for complaints |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Apr 2 2009, 12:15 AM Post #10 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
When he moved Ryann shrunk back and even a few times a whimper escaped her mouth, but her facial expression never changed from a curious stare. Deep down she was terrified of the possibilities, but not necessarily of him. Any moment a Shadow could lunge and rip, being the case you couldn't see them in the dark. Here now was a full grown fire, which one would assume made the chance easier to detect a shadow lurker, however it only intensified the anxiety. Ryann's eyes would dart around her every time an odd shadow danced across a wall, or even the mans face. During some moments it was her own shadow that caught her off guard, and she tried her best not to display this worry. He made visual contact again, and he seemed less hostile but Ryann wasn't convinced. She played a quirky smile and nodded faintly, but her face was pale; unusual for someone sitting beside a warm fire. By now her cheeks would have been tinted with rose; gradually she was inching as far from him as possible. What kept her in the room? It was the exact reason for most of her deathly experiences; curiosity. Despite his mysterious existence, his lack of former etiquette, and perhaps his suspicious meat (she couldn't remember the last time she had even eaten meat), Ryann was drawn to his atmosphere, his oddness compared to the rest of the survivors. He was lonesome, but not lonely, something many people during these times were. She rose an eyebrow, a sign of her becoming more comfortable, when the rat's carcass thudded at her feet. It smelled intriguing, unlike anything she had ever scented, but it looked even more inviting. The suggestion he poisoned it crossed her mind momentarily, but by his quick generosity she doubted he had. It wasn't like he had been expecting her, unless.... Ryann's body perked up and she avoided eye contact with him, staring intently at the rat now. "Who are you?" She growled. Haunting images stabbed her soul, and she fought back the sudden urge to impale him with something sharp. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Apr 2 2009, 04:01 AM Post #11 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth had always been very observant.. not of people's thoughts or most of what people would normally recognise as obvious.. but he understood fear, uneasyness.. Breifly all that was negative came easily to him.. Sensitive to this, he noticed her fear of something, knowing it wasn't directed at him though he knew there was nobody else here, that he would have noticed any and all presences. "Eat" He said simply after turning back from the dish he had tossed at her. After he turned his back on her, what she did concerned him little, all he needed to know was whether she was hostile or not.. but mostly, he thought on whether she was or not, stupid enough to be hostile.. "Who am I?" He asked, his eyes reflected by the fire gave her an inquisitive look.. he laughed and shook his head "You are in my domain, you should start by who YOU are..." He frowned deeply as if he found this rather insulting. He shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out a tattered metal case from which a white stick was produced.. "I'm nobody little girl." He said reaching to the fire to remove a stick that was halfway in it and lit his cigarette with the red hot tip... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Apr 13 2009, 02:36 AM Post #12 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
She watched him silently as he moved about and spoke towards her. His question made her smile a bit, aware of how right he was. With a downcast stare she replied, "I'm nobody too." Ryann grabbed the rat and tossed it a few times from palm to palm, testing the texture. She then slowly brought it to her nostrils, inhaling in sharp breaths which wrinkled her nose. It didn't smell like chicken, or anything she could of ever recalled eating, but it did smell cooked. With a precarious glance at Neth she nibbled a shred of skin (or was left of skin) off the body and played with it in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. She waited, staring at the fire and mentally checking for every feeling that coursed her body; her stomach rumbled and she momentarily feared poisonous death. When it subsided she began indulging into the meat more vigorously. Half-way through she paused, wiping some grease from her lips, and looking towards the nearby window. "I don't think I could ever go back." The statement seemed to be more self directed, but her voice carried over the flames to him. Ryann felt warm and comfortable here in the shambled shack, which was peculiar to her as it wasn't her home. However, home to her was nowhere now, unless DJ was there. Maybe the silent man reminded her of DJ? Ryann gave him a weary glance, hoping he wouldn't notice her small stares. She wasn't good with keeping eye contact, as peoples eyes told far too much than she ever wanted to know. The eyes lied, they cried, they smiled, they burned, and they lusted all when the face defied them. Eyes made her uneasy, and so she remained edgy when stealing glances at him thinking he would not catch her gaze with his own. A normal person would assume Ryann either had a crush with her dodgy looks, or was very paranoid and quirky. Neither were true now as she inspected every portion she could of him, from the bold but loose way he moved to the silent confidence he expelled. He was a fighter no doubt, and would make a good alli in such dire times. The reference to her brother was unidentified as her brother was smart and reserved, but not as aloof as this guy before her. The girl glowered as she acknowledge he still hadn't given her his name or even an alias. With a biting of her lower lip Ryann mentally brainstormed nicknames for the odd man. "Grumpy? No he was nice to give me food. Stinky? Nah, that was just his food. Oh how about Flower?" The last thought issued a soft giggle from her as she eyed the flower he had previously accepted from her in almost awe. {OOC:Yeah, so sorry I took foreverasaurus! =( } |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Apr 16 2009, 04:09 AM Post #13 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth patiently waited for the girl to grow aware of her own innocence. When she settled down he looked back to the window out front. his face was no longer visible for a while.. If she looked up she'd see a mirror hanging by what seemed to be a system of ropes... You could see the entire front door. Most of what lay on the tablets and shelfs and also what appeared to be a burned down car was covered in heavy rags as if this place had been unused but livable for a while. The fire smelled slightly like the wreckage.. a dusty burning smell that could remind one of the first day and this gave a taste of smoke to the roast rat. It was nicely spiced and tasted just like rubbery chicken she would have to chew for a while on it. Neth stood, his brown eyes scanned over her face as he approached... He was near the fire when he leaned forward and snatched a roasted rat with the tongs. He turned around and climbed onto the rafters. "So tell me... Nobody. Do you know what hit us? How far up north got hit?" He said in an idle tone as if he didn't really care. It was stictly information, if she knew the territory she would potentially have leads on his Unit. If another survived they must have had more plans than this. He took a bite out of the rat, it seemed to come clean, he'd been eating this for a while. Although his face couldn't clearly be seen, she might notice his scarf was pulled down somewhere beneath his chin. "What order still stands?" Neth knew not to trust anybody.. Usually those who could't be trusted would have either shot at you, not noticed you, ran away or just dove for the meat. It was as if he saw in her, a last hope of civilisation he had chosen to accept it's defeat. It seemed not everyone had died... or at least died in their minds. He kept a gaze out in front of the warehouse almost as a reflex. His eyes turned down to her, he fell silent as if expecting an answer... The place might seem cozy at the time, Though it didn't appear he had a stockpile of rubbish to burn. He had a neatly laid pile of cleaned wood laying in a pile of crushed concrete. A wheelbarrow, six bicicle wheels and a wheelless wheelbarrow that seemed to have been sawed through the front lay in one corner next to a couple of shovels that by the looks of things might or might not be broken... Neth was neatly equipped with various trinkets, though if at first they appeared junk they had been transformed into various tools who's purpose were unclear. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | May 29 2009, 01:43 AM Post #14 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Conscientious of the scarcity of meat supply in the area, Ryann gently tucked the remains of the half-eaten rat into a ragged cloth she found laying over a small jar that contained nails, rusted for age. The orange, dirty parcel was then placed carefully on the window sill as to not be forgotten on her departure. Satisfied with this, she turned back to the man and gave a gentle shrug, her mood now at ease and her body comfortable in her surroundings. However, her cold eyes still could not give solid contact, a sign she still would not trust him. "I'm just as clueless as you." Her small feet imprinted on the dusty concrete as she explored the cluttered room. With a hand gently brushing over a bike wheel, making it roll, she guided it a few feet around taking a small delight in its squeak as rubber made friction off the ground. " A few survivors remain in the area of Los Angeles, or what's left of it." Her voice was soft, and distracted. The tire stopped at the other end of the room, and she released it, watching it thunk to the floor and spin up and down on its side as it battled gravity. It was now she noticed the run down car, and almost excitedly she scurried towards it, laying a hand on the rump that peeked out. Turning quickly, and leaning against the car she folded her arms, her face sober once more, but relaxed. " Mother nature is the only known order to me at the moment." From outside a rustle was heard, resonating from beneath the window. Ryann tensed, her eyes darting to the source and already her posture slouched as if ready to crouch. With some commotion, a small cat pounced onto the window sill and studied the occupants. It's large eyes darted from Neth to Ryann, showing caution but by it's perked ears it seemed only curious. It was hard to tell the age of the cat by it's malnourished body, but the large paws stopping at the end of a small frame hinted it was very young. Short fur proved it was clean for the most part, as only its head seemed greased, and a few spots matted and debris infested. Other than that, the tip of its tail seemed lost and was instead a gaping pink stub that oozed a yellow crust. A whisker twitched, and a yellow eye semi-closed, before both stared down at the wrapped lump on the window sill. Ryann gave a sigh, but was smiling and very gently poised into a crouch. She glanced at Neth momentarily, wondering if he would kill the poor thing, he seemed the type. Hoping not, she began inching forwards towards it, hoping to show the quiet man her intentions of helping it, not him blasting it's head off and sticking it on a spit. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Jun 23 2009, 04:43 AM Post #15 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
more of the rat was ripped from the delicate bone before a small carcass was left for Neth to scrap upon. He seemed quite contempt even if the girl had much less information than he had hoped. This wasn't entirely a dissapointment since this hope was based upon the girl's aparent civility; he lack of agression, politeness and how she wasn't starved to the point of getting the grease of her meal passed her cheekbones while even saving some for later. He let out a low chuckle at being called clueless but paused to consider how much he knew of the situation and decided that this term was not an insult as it truely applied.... "Mother nature is no order, nor is she a mother..." A small smirk appeared on his lips beneath the veil of darkness "...I've yet to meet a mother who would treat her children as such... no, this is the work of man." and by this he meant not the male genre of his own kind but his own kind as a whole... "I suspect this is what we are to expect from our si-" He stopped abruptly, drawing breath... In an instant the slight click indicating the safety on his pistol had been released.he was ready to shoot, the gun however wasn't lifted neither did it leave it's holster, his eye was quicker than his hand and he had noticed the sickly feline hoping to get a share of the food that was roasting on his wreckage fire... Neth had always hated cats, lazy creatures living off man's goodwill while treating all those around them as lessers... He observed Ryann's approach and returned the safety on his gun... With a small splatter the carcass of the rat landed an inch away from the cat before bouncing outside which scared it off momentarily before it realised the projectile used against him was in fact food... "I wouldn't touch it, it's most likely diseased from running around this wreckage.." He would comment idly "Not every life is worth saving; remember this and you will save your own." He Lept off the rafter he had been sitting on and walked towards the car where Ryann had previously turned her interest to "Like this, for example... perhaps the body is ruined but the heart still beats." An unseen grin from under his scarf as he wrenched the hood open with screeching metallic sound. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Jul 31 2009, 08:53 PM Post #16 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A frown hardened her face as the cat was scared off, and she had the impulsion to turn on the man and scold him; the cat had done nothing to deserve such offense. However, she remained low to the ground, a palm placed behind her against the car for support as one knee barely touched the cement floor. Ryann's face clearly was composed enough to display her pondering, and this she resorted to for a few moments. He spoke like that of a typical cynic, and to this she smiled softly, registering her eyes to his with a glint in them. " You may be right, but from my experience, every mother has a wrath for punishment. If she is to be our mother, then are we not only children testing her patience?" A gesture to the car was made, and she slowly stood up, the whole while her eyes fixed on him wondering if he was like an animal who rebuked at fast movements, and so she paced herself to appear calm and assuring. By now Ryann had made her own judgment of the man before her, as unreliable as it was, it was human nature to mentally asses another, and by now she had her tidbits. However, looking at the car he had motioned to she was aware there was so much about him she clearly was ignorant to. " It's beautiful..." Quickly, she corrected herself with " The metaphor that is." followed by a whispered sigh. A small hand glided over the hood, it's edges beginning to rust with age, and she remembered her own precious car back at her apartment. Only now it wasn't that precious, as nothing else of the sort was. It didn't have an engine, it was useless to her. The only foundation of attachment she reserved for it was the fond memories of it's existence when times were much easier. Recalling this now, Ryann grasped the tarps edges and tugged hesitantly at first, looking back to him with a blank look. " You stayed..." She said this more out loud than to him, a thought dawning on her. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 1 2009, 05:53 PM Post #17 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He tinkered with several parts of the engine, seeming lost in thought for a moment as she spoke... this was an impression as he hadn't ceased listening to her. "NIn that regard, the mother's wrath we are feeling is but her way of making us all leave the nest..." He turned to her, a solemn look on his face.. or what could be seen of it. "When the bird or the wolf's cub is old enough they are cchased from their home to live or die." He lifted his hand and motionned behind himself as if it were self explanatory. "Nevertheless, if we have tested her patience we are long passed the bounds of her kindness and thrown into the world that fathered us." he stopped, and slowly lowered the lid back on the car. He paused.. "I stayed?" He wasn't quite sure what the question was but his attention was quickly drawn aside... "Tell me... "He said with a slight nervous note in his voice now as if something bothered him. "Have you faced the horrors of this wasteland yet?" He lifted a finger to where his lips should be to utter silence and moved to the door looking up... he had heard them talking, outside wasteland thugs were in search of food... there wasn't much to be had here but they certainly wouldn't be left alive either way. He pulled out his gun with one hand and a set of keys with the other... "Start her up..." He said tossing the keys to Ryann... The car wouldn't last very long on the road but it would allow them to put some distance between them and their assailants (P.S. LISA IS SO HAWT =D) |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 1 2009, 10:52 PM Post #18 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Watching him with curious eyes, Ryann made note of how swift his fingers were as they twisted, pulled, and rubbed the internal mechanisms. She couldn't quite help but continuously be surprised with his expertise. Sure he was a guy and most guys knew this, but they didn't fidget with these things as quickly and comfortably as he did; he appeared to know how it all worked without having to look at it. This was even what he did as he glanced up to her, and she felt her body take a step away from him suddenly realizing she had been inching forward unconsciously. Wolf cubs? A snicker was held back as she bit her tongue to correct him, realizing the specifics had really nothing to do with his general message. In turn she cast her stare elsewhere, knowing he was right but not knowing what to reply with. When the question was heard by her ears, she looked back to him with a blank stare. Ever so gradually her face pulled into a large grin, before her body shook with a stifled chuckle. Had she faced the horrors? Was he blind? Without ceasing to beam at him, she held out her arms and cocked her head playfully, saying " You tell me." before spinning in a circle to display her blood stained clothes and hallow, frail look. When the full rotation was completed she faced him now, but wasn't smiling her eyes catching his gesture for silence and she too tilted her head to look up. It wasn't until she felt the keys hitting her chest, and her hands catching them on reflex did she look down with a startle. He wanted her to leave with him? Her body stood straight, and she watched him baffled as he moved away. Ryann wanted to ask him why, but felt an odd trust in his demand. As if it was okay to just do and not ask at this moment. Her body itched with an anger for rebellion, but it wasn't strong enough to overwhelm her sudden want to actually go with him. For the briefest moment her brother passed her mind and she remembered he would be returning to their apartment in time, only to find her missing. The wind made Ryann sharply look back up to the ceiling, her hearing acute from many days being cooped up in the building, hearing the faintest rat scuffles in the dark along the pipes. It was now she felt the dread of returning to the apartment, the one place that held her caged, and willingly. She hated it, but loved it all at once. It wasn't until she found herself sitting in the drivers seat, door gently closed, keys in ignition did she realize how impulsive she was being, just leaving with a man she barely knew, much less liked only to feed a hunger for freedom he seemed to present. It was stupid, but it was exciting and she quickly gave life to the vehicle, her eyes looking up to him through the passenger window only this time the cold blue was sparkling with fever and her lips spread into a smirk. (Why thank you Jeff ^.^) |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 1 2009, 11:00 PM Post #19 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
There was a dead silence... Neth was so completely motionless that he could be mistaken for a statue... The noises made from the ignition caused some chatter outside but the car didn't start. Neth turned, hos gun held towards the door in his left hand and his right holding a rope that seemed to control the door. He motionned for her to try again... On the second try the car started, Neth turned and ran towards the car... once he got near he lept on the hood and walked in through the roof that was missing... All happened at once, Neth landed in the seat next to Ryan right as the engine began to roar and the door slid openned. There stood two men, one that was looking away still, motionning to unseen people further away, the other looked straight to Ryann with a surprised look on his face and a shotgun in his hands. A loud crack resonated through the room... it wasn't the car... "STEP ON IT!" Neth exclaimed hodling the still smoking pistol towards the next assailant... The man that had been looking in still stared in, the same look frozen on his face as he collapsed to the ground from a bullet hole straight through his forehead.... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 1 2009, 11:21 PM Post #20 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Everything happened so fast that Ryann wasn't sure what was going on. It was like a movie; the doors opening, the shocked men with guns, Neth's almost matrix moves and the bang of what she thought was her heart bursting from fear. His yell sent her frozen body into drive and she instinctively slammed on the gas pedal, her eyes wide and her breathing quick. The car shot forward and nicked the man who was still standing sending him onto the hood and off the side with a thunk, meanwhile the fallen opponent went under the tires bouncing the car twice. Ryann's eyes shut tight, and her body locked in a shudder as she felt the bodies collide with the vehicle, while she had half the mind to hit the breaks. Instead though, she found her foot pushing harder on the gas, just wanting to get the hell away from it all. After a few seconds she opened her eyes, and mentally assessed all was fine. While her body shivered with the remnants of a rush, and her eyes darted about fervently she remained silent but her mind felt like a whirlwind of thoughts and panic. "What the fuck.." Was all she murmured at first with a tiny voice. They were now speeding down a road that was part of L.A. still, but looked as if they were driving through a desert of desolate canyons and buildings. Her window was down and the wind was making her hair dance as the car pushed 80 km, her eyes narrowed not only from the sun but the sudden fury she felt festering inside her. With a sharp turn she yelled, " What the fuck was that?" as the car came to a stop on the side. Ryann wasn't even sure if she was angry with him, or angered at the situation. She couldn't even tell if she felt remorse for hitting another two human beings. She just stared at him, mouth agape and eyes searching his face as her brows furrowed. " Who the hell are you?" Came mumbling out as her head shook slowly. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 1 2009, 11:38 PM Post #21 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He prepared his pistol to fire off another round, he was confident in the girls ability to react but had seen very large brutes shit themselves in the face of fear adn the sound of gunshots. he nonchallantly watched the body of the man still standing be shot over them with some level of satisfaction that he wouldnt have to wast enother bullet. The street curved a few times but that would help them clear the others from sight quickly. He turned to her as they proceeded forward, a smirk on his unseen face. "Nice work..." He said after he heard her mumble... maybe that was his way of being comforting. He held on to the door next to him as the tires screeched but let go to grab the roof as the door detatched from the car under the weight "fuck..." He groaned, removing his hand from the sunroof that resembled an open can of sardine... and just as sharp too. "That's the wasteland.... " he said bandaging his bleeding hand with a peice of rag he ripped from his shirt... it didn't seem to make much difference, "... We've been through this before" he said standing out of the car and taking a look around, his gun still clutched tightly in his uncut hand. "But if you must know, I'm a military... ... retiree" He said "And for now I am your best chance at staying alive in these slums..." He seemed satisfied that nobody followed them and climbed back into the car "I don't need to know who you are but I suppose you're gonna want to tell me if I am to trust you." He motionned forwards "Keep driving we can't stay here" |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 12:23 AM Post #22 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The sun made the illusion of sizzling air across the road as it beamed down on them. Ryann scowled as he explained, finding the answer far fetched. Then again, it also made sense with what he'd shown her so far. Pulling herself out of the car window, she paused midway and sat on the edge of it to peer at him over the roof, watching him as she processed once again everything that had happened thus far. She recalled his agile movements, his shadowed appearance, his careful alertness to everything, and she couldn't forget his control in the shooting incident that had previous passed. Maybe he was telling the truth, either way she thought he was wrong about her needing him and she voiced this with a bite in her voice of resentment. " I'm still no one. " He had sat back down in the car, but she remained sitting on the window ledge, starring gloomily at the side of the road. The wind picked up and dust rustled up behind her, floating into her face and hair. Sighing in slight defeat she slid back in and grasp the steering wheel with much more ease now, her head leaning back against the head rest but she didn't hit the gas. " I can't leave my brother behind." Ryann turned to look at him, noticing his bandaged hand and the gun resting on his lap in the other. " But we can't go back either." She muttered, feeling her foot pressing gently on the gas and creeping the car back onto the road. Looking up, she began driving off again but at a more leisure speed, glancing in the mirror at her now sweat glistened face; her cheeks blushed from the heat. Ryann couldn't remember the last time she had been outside during the day for so long, and the feeling of relief crept up once more. It was now she relaxed and allowed the feeling of the wind from the window sooth her body, her skirt flapping on her legs as the speed of the car increased. " Where are we going?" She looked back at him, her face now extinct of anger and new with determination. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 12:42 AM Post #23 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth didn't say a word until she had stared the car and drove off... for a moment he looked deep in thought, or dead, whichever first impressions gave away. "hmmm... Downtown I guess."his voice showed a note of concern even if distant "Well I'm sure he can take car of himself... but this car won't last to downtown so we might as well stop off to where he is to resupply..." He wasn't quite sure what he meant by ressuply yet... where was he gonna find a car in this place? it took all the misery in the world to peice together that peice of jumk. Ryann might notice it too, the gas pedal was loose and didn't seem to come back up as fast, this made it difficult to slow down. The car had a stick shift but was strangely automatic and the clutch jammed the motor making a sceaching sound. every now and again a small peice of rust would detach from the roof and stick itslef into Ryann's hair... Neth shifted and suddently he stood, crawling into the back seat and started looking for something. "if you see anyone hitchhiking don't even think of picking them up..." He said dully... he continued to rummage through the back but by his mumbled curses he didn't find what he was looking for... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 01:31 AM Post #24 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann kept her eyes on the road, straining to hear his muffled words over the roaring of the engine. " How old is this piece of junk?" She wondered, taking time to peer around at the interior of the car. The leather was peeling and faded, not to mention she could feel the scraps of rust coating her hair and she shook her head vigorously to free it of the debris. "Downtown?" She questioned out loud, wondering why on earth he wanted to go down there. After all, downtown held little refuge as it was the one place to be hit the most. No, they were better off taking shelter in farm country if they wanted to escape the same deviants from earlier. Ryann opened her mouth to protest, when he made his way into the backseat, distracting her vision as she glimpsed his abdomen from where he had ripped his shirt. She blushed, turning back to the road, as the image of the solid flesh, toned, and tanned imprinted into her brain making her light headed. The girl could only assume it was a result from so much time alone with nothing to do but plot, and probably keep fit to clear the mind; her brother worked out often for the same reason. Nevertheless, she reacted like a teenage girl and fumbled with the buttons on the dashboard trying to find music, wind shield fluid, air conditioning, whatever to distract her back from the sudden shyness she felt. When Neth commented on going back for her brother, Ryann felt her mind clear and sat up straight again. Her rigid attitude suddenly taking over and she nodded in agreement, but without warning she pulled sharply on the wheel to cut into a field of now wild grass that was dried from the heat. Without warning, a hub cap flew off the tires and in synch the car swerved with such sudden force that Ryann was caught off guard and slammed against the side, desperately straightening out the vehicle. Meanwhile, her own door opened violently on the turn, slamming shut with such force as the car was straightened that it left a welt on her bared arm. Ryann gasped in pain, but bit her lower lip, grimacing. " That's gonna leave a bruise..." The car rumbled on through the tall stalks, and then some streets and alleyways as she made her way back to the apartment her brother and her shared. It was quite far from where she had met Neth, and so Ryann was assured their attackers wouldn't be near enough to find them easily. As they reached the front of the large, lonesome building she resided in, the car screeched to a halt. As if finally reaching the end of a long battle, the car spewed a few bangs from it's exhaust, before almost giving a human sigh and groaning as if it were dyeing. Ryann quickly killed the engine and pushed open the door, only to fall out as it fell off. Catching herself, she stood up and marched to the side of the building where there was an alleyway. The exterior of the building gave the impression it was abandoned and any method of entry was impossible unless one could barge down a boarded up doorway with two large padlocks, or somehow scale a brick wall to the nearest window that was at least 20 feet high from the ground. Even then, the window, like all the others, had caged bars placed inside to expel anyone from entering. It was when Ryann hoisted herself onto the alleyways dumpster did she reveal how her brother and her were able to enter their domain. Standing on the edge, she faced a fire escape ladder that was high enough from the ground to be unattainable, but a in level with the dumpsters roof. However, it was a good 3 feet away and so it required the girl to run a few feet and launch herself across the space in order to grasp the bottom of the ladder and hang on as it dropped to ground level. Once her feet made contact with the cement, she turned and looked to Neth, giving a little cocky smile, before beginning to climb up the ladder. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 02:11 AM Post #25 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth continued to rummage the back for his mysterious object pausing only as she turnes sharply to the side, his arm came through a window that had already been cracked... He pulled it back and thanked the thickness of his clothes that he hadn't been injured again... "The road, driver" he snapped. He seemed to find what he was looking for, eventually, some sort of ruined box bound together by rough plastic straps... the condition of the box made it difficult to tell what was inside but Neth had cut a corner to peek inside, He hauled the box to the front. He didn't catch her judging what lay beneath his shirt, he wasn't observant enough but he did notice she wasn't looking at the road ""Stump" he said as though she might have already noticed it, he flopped back into his seat. He thought about commenting on how they were not on the road but figured it didn't really matter at this point. He contempted himself by looking forward into the distance and occasionally to the back. Strangely everytime his head turned back his eyes paused on the side of ryann's almost as if he hoped to catch her eye again... He hadn't looked directly into her face ever since she had stumbled upon his hidey hole. When they arrived, at the building Neth didn't move, he waited for her to get out before he'd slip out through his own absence of a door. She might hear the click of his the safety being removed on his gun but after the many times he had done that since she met him that wouldn't be surprising... "Hmmm... clever" he said as she pulled down the ladder, climbing up after her... his eyes carefully studyiing her movements, at first to make sure he didn't hold any broken bars but after a moment he simply studied her underside.... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 02:36 AM Post #26 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann was careful as well as she made her way up the ladder, only her body was so used to the climb that she skipped a few bars with expertise, her body as swift as a monkey scaling a tree. Being a good few feet ahead of Neth, Ryann paused momentarily to glance down at her companion, catching the silent stare he cast upward. It took her a few seconds to remember her skirt, and it's loose flutter in the breeze and she frowned down before stamping down on the bar below her; creaking it gave way and began free falling towards Neth. Ryann turned to face back up, and began climbing again all the while listening for the sound of descending metal clanging against bone under flesh. It wasn't long before she reached the balcony on the sixth floor, of course before him. Instead of hopping off into the balcony, Ryann slunk her way onto the balcony ledge, poising herself almost like a cat as she peered down at him with a playful smirk set onto the full lips. "Hurry now, slow-poke." She teased, with the subtle hint of a giggle. The giggle however was stifled as she quickly took notice of how he too was rather accustomed to climbing, his arms almost working faster than his legs so that he almost pulled himself with ease the whole way. She now studied him silently, a silent intimidation beginning to build inside her, but a hungry curiosity also festered; it burned her cheeks with slight restlessness. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 02:46 AM Post #27 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He climbed pretty quick himself, being fit but heavy set and shy to have his face pressed directly into the panty above him... as she cast her gaze down his eyes snapped immediately to her face, trying to observe her expression... she looked flustered but he didn't know why. A bar snapped, Neth watched it fall towards his face nonchallantly... one hand and one foot were taken from the ladder before returning... all Ryann would hear is a swift *fwip* and neth started to climb again. Once they reached the top, neth stood before her as if to bark an order... probably a force of habit of his ... no order came out, he was out of his jurisdiction here and he doubted she would have him do anything at the moment. He stood straight, skimming thught his thoughts ... his hand went for his jacket and out of it he pulled the bar that had come off"You uh... dropped this" he said arching a brow He couldn't get his eyes off of hers, there was something mysterious about them... she looked completely innocent, a delicate flower that could be taken away by the first hail or anyone who'd wish to pick it out of the ground, have it's beauty for themselves for a time before watching it shrivel and die... There was so little beauty left in this world it... it... "Shall we?" he motionned... shall they what? he didn't know.. they were here for some reason... what was it? "you're brother... is here?" |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 03:24 AM Post #28 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A surprised look crossed the pale face, before the eyes darted down to the pipe and she let out a nervous laugh, her body shifting weight onto the other bare foot. " Hehe..um...thanks." A small hang quickly snatched it from his open palm, before tossing it aside carelessly. The thunk broke a silence that had quickly built up as she stared at him cautiously. When he spoke, her expression broke into a flicker of narrowed eyes, before she slid off the balcony ledge and skipped to the barred window. The ledge was dusty, and even a pigeons nest rested in the corner, three periwinkle eggs laying dorment in its bed. Ryann stooped down, a soft smile dimpling her cheeks, " Hello there sweeties." she cooed, a hand combing her hair behind her ear baring her neck and beaming face, as the wind toyed with the other strands. "See," she looked to him, her eyes glowing, " it pays to help anything or anyone you can." Ryann looked back to the eggs, a sombre look dawning her face as she recalled the small bird she had found earlier that month, sickly from lack of food. " I nursed their mother back to health. This is the gift she returned, life." The last words died off as her voice grew faint, her mind taking awe in how scarce things like these eggs had become. Sniffing, she then stood up and hopped onto the window ledge, careful of her little friends incubating beside her, and she pushed on the bars caging them from the room inside. Unlike the other bars on the windows, this one gave way and the whole section lifted up like a hatchway so that Ryann could slink into the damp, dark room. Once her body disappeared inside, she called back, " Don't be clumsy now and hurt my present. " Once inside, he would find the only source of light being a few feet from the window, but otherwise complete darkness swallowed the room making it uncertain if it was empty, cluttered, big or small. However, Ryann knowing her way about was now walking silently in the darkness, trying to find a candle and match, hoping his eyes too would grow accustomed to the black. She wondered if he'd be surprised at how casual the room was. It looked like any home did before the attack, dorming a mattress on the floor with black and white checkered sheets, pillows, and blanket. The hardwood floor scattered with sheets, mostly music sheets and a keyboard stood near a closed closet door, letters painted on the purple walls but illegible in the darkness. Even some posters of odd sketches and paintings clung to the wall hazardously; it was like any other young adults room, as if the chaos of outside belonged in here, only it looked natural and comfy. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 03:41 AM Post #29 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth smirked... once again though his mouth could not be seen his eyes indicated a certain pleasantness , as if they became less sharp and peircing for a moment. He looked at the birds that had been incubated... in a side thought, he pondered what good breakfeast those eggs would make... on another he pondered how good a meal the birds would make... On the third he simply nodded "Very nice..." he said rather uncomfortably... He did't see the reason why she held so dearly to ther lives but wasn't surprised... many had a hard time detatching themselves from lives that weren't their own. He followed her through the hole that led to the unlit room... he spent a moment trying to get his bearings, his eyes adjusted but he couldn't quite see the floor, thankfully there weren't many things liying around nor were there any traps like he would set in his own home. "Such is a beacon of light in dark times... You seem quite well ofooff!" he had stopped paying attention to where he was going and had bumbed into Ryann... His movements were stiff and probably solid enough of a hit to topple her forwards... but if he did he would be quick enough to catch his mistake and prevent her from having to catch herslef before the ground came... "Damnit... hold on..."" He fummaged through one pocket and pulled out what appeard to be a plastic rod, when he flicked it, it cracked and started to emit an eerie green light that quickly filled the room... "Are you alright?" |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 04:24 AM Post #30 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann had been scuffling about the articles strewn on an unseen desk, the rustling of his footsteps amongst the papers was the only indication he was nearing her. Without caring much, she turned and began walking towards the closet, curious if the candles were in there when she felt a force from behind. Immediately she lurched forward, hands forward to break a fall that never came. Neth had caught her by the waist in time, and Ryann felt suspended there as his solid arm dug into her soft stomach. Her eyes were wide with shock, and hearing his curse she quickly pulled herself up, turning to face him with a soft murmur, " Sorry." It was when he flickered the light on was she quickly startled again and gave a soft yelp, jumping back from the sudden light only to find his arm not there anymore to protect her. Inevitably, the small girl toppled backwards, thumping onto the hard floor, a resounding "ow" bouncing off the cold walls. Opening her eyes from their grimace, and rubbing her bottom sorely, Ryann slowly looked up to the cloth-faced man towering above her. The eerie light casted his face, making his eyes shine down at her and her mouth dropped open, his deep voice intimidating her even more. She wasn't aware she had taken on the look of a small child meeting Santa for the first time, scared and intrigued all at once. "I'm fine." She breathed, before slowly standing back up. Once again Ryann could feel her cheeks blushing as she broke eye contact with him, only to find them lingering over the scars and veins that protruded from thick arms, just as tanned as the rough body she had glimpsed before. She could feel her body heating, even in the frigid room and she was quick to move away from him to her vanity table where she sat trying to make herself look busy as she rummaged in the drawers. " My brother should be back soon, in the mean time make yourself at home." She mentally cursed herself for the mess in her room, but was quick to correct her guilt. " His place wasn't that nice either. What the fuck am I worrying over? Its armageddon out there, I bet this is the Hilton Hotel for him." Once she caught her reflection in the mirror, and his glowing body looming a few feet behind her and she froze in the realization in how opposite the two looked from each other; the sun and the moon. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 04:39 AM Post #31 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He felt slightly embarassed... he hadn't touched her like this before and felt her body oddly warm... he was used to this kind of corpral heat when someone had been running or working out for hours but doubted the drive had exited her enough to... his thoughts paused by will... he was overthinking something he knew nothing about "No, my fault." He felt himself being soft, something he was no accustommed to, perhapst it was adaptation to the situation, perhaps it was something else he did not recognise... He liifted the glow stick above his head, giving light to help Ryann with whatever she was doing... He couldn't quite figoure our what it was but responded strangely to the demand to make himself at more... he did so by looking left, then right then standing in the exact same spot he was before... everything looked too nice to sit on, too fragile to lean on and too expensive to sleep on, it was as if a poor man was thrown in a treasure chest and told not to touch anything or leave. He grew sweaty... perhaps the heat of the house with his ovethick garb but he felt the need to pull something off, he pulled off the woleln sweatshirt, leaving nothing but a sleeveless shirt willed with holes an his scarf.... He watched her work, wondering what she was looking for... wondering as well why he felt less at ease than in a trench returning fire to the enemy... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 05:05 AM Post #32 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann wasn't even sure what she was looking for in the cluttered drawers. " Why do I have so much shit?" She pondered, with a flustered look on her face. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, turning to start rummaging in another drawer pulling out a brush that she tossed over her shoulder, the handle brushing the side of Neth's face as it whizzed past him barely missing his head. The girl heard the bang as the brush hit the wall, and she spun in her seat to face him, eyes wide wondering if she had hit him. He seemed composed, or so she thought, the scarf covered too much, and she wasn't good with making eye contact. She noticed the awkward stance he took, and smiled knowing he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Ryann stood up and gestured to the bed, before walking over and plopping herself neatly down near the top. " Sit." It was an order, but didn't sound like one as it came out soft and with the slightest hint of a smile; this wasn't positive as she was far enough that the light was weak on her face, shadowing some of it. " Tell me, stranger," she couldn't remember him telling her his name, " why do you cover your face? Are you trying to be mysterious? Or are you really that hideous? " Her head tilted, her body leaning back on her elbows. Ryann, now comfortable in her element, was unaware of how true her teasing was. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 05:22 AM Post #33 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He watched her rummage some more, unsure what to do at the moment... that was until he saw some object fly straight for his face which he nonchallantly avoided by canting his head to the side... such a dodge was nothing when knives thrown a ten times the speed wrea voided the same way. He arched a brow as she stood back up, and decided it was probably best to sit... He looked up to her being named... stranger, that was not his name but he knew that was the only thing she knew to call him, aside nobody. He waited for her to ask but didn't seem to flinch at the question... He smirked from beneath the cloth "Should you really be asking questions you don't beleive you'll get an answer to?" He chuckled... the state of his face bothered him little, it in this wasteland it only made him look all the more badass... nevertheless he chose to keep it hidden to avoid the stares he got and knew he got in the first few days of the cataclysm... "If you must know... in spite of my.. preparations, I've been wounded to the face from the blast..." He lifted one hand motioning behind him "I suppose the scar of the world felt the need to apply itself to me, there is little I cannot do without what I lost, I have both arms both legs... it is more than I can ask for." he tried to stay positive but how does one stay positive while saying I'm disfigured... "Let us just say you would not want to see what lays beneath this mask..." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 05:54 AM Post #34 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
As Neth answered, Ryann's smile faded into a look of horror. She leaned forward, feeling the emotion of guilt swim through her body, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." She began to apologize, but caught herself as the words sounded almost corny and insincere to her ears. Isn't this what most people said? She looked to her lap, contemplating how to make the situation better, but listening as he spoke. When he finished, she had been slowly looking up when she caught sight of her own scar on her foot. Ryann moved to trace the pink tissue that ran from the middle of her large toe and second, all the way to her ankle. " I got this too," she gave a small shrug, " It may not be bad as yours, but I'm left with a reminder too. " Slowly the cold eyes travelled up his body to his stare, and she willed herself not to flinch. Ryann was not very good with making eye contact with people, she was very shifty, but in this case she forced her glare to penetrate his. " Maybe I do want to see it." Her voice wavered at first, but by the end of her suggestion it was clear on her challenge. Ryann wasn't sure what to expect from him. If he chose to not unmask his face, then she supposed she'd have to venture further later on, knowing her curiosity would not be satisfied if he declined. On the other hand, if he decided to appeal to her subtle request, then she wasn't sure how she would react. Ryann had seen many horrific scenes; people being ripped apart alive, children drowning in their own blood, charred bodies curled and awkwardly broken into many positions. " His face can not be all that bad, for his eyes seem the most distracting part." Her thought made her smile and she rose to her knees, now anxious to see more. " I'll tell you how to kill shadow monsters. " She bribed, unaware he had no idea of the creatures that now lurked in the crevices of the world since the explosion. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 06:11 AM Post #35 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth wasn't worried about his face, really... He never really considered that his looks would really affect the coutcome he would have upon the world... but it hit him now, she was making a pretty big deal out of it and it strained him some. "it's nothing really, a few mere scars." he shrugged, trying to dismiss the topic but wans't so efficient at it. He chuckled again, shaking his head. "If I did not have a face, there would be nothing to want to see... How do you know your want isn't simply based off thought of something that can be? He listened but his eyes arched at shadow monsters.. "Very well but you'll have to start by explaining to me what those are." He reached for the back of his scarf, carefully untying the knot that held it together.... Soon enough the mask was removed to reveal what seemd at first clance a rugged face, unshaven and tanned but less so than his forehead... A scar began beneath his left eye, his nose sgiwed sine bibe and in many places the skin overlapped itself... "The irony is I've been shot at hundreds of times... but a whiskey bottle did this to me.." He chuckled some, trying to take the tension off.... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 06:23 AM Post #36 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann nodded gently, and opened her mouth to speak when she noticed his hands moving to untie the scarf that bandaged his face. " They need light and darkness to exist, because," she tried to explain, but her eyes were transfixed as she watched him," they're made of shadow of course. You mostly see them at night," she paused as the first scar was apparent, running jaggedly under his eye, and she felt her stomach suck in with her breath, her body tingling, " they are silent, unless they-" She stopped, now seeing his face fully. Her mouth was still agape from her unfinished sentence, as her eyes took him in. Silence ensued, the kind that was strained and tense, making it clear uncertainty lingered in the air. Closing her mouth, but remaining expressionless, Ryann got to her feet and made her way slowly to Neth. She came face to face with the man, peering up at him curiously, and ever so gradually a slender finger delicately inched to his face, her mind wondering if he'd flinch to her touch. She began tracing the scars, her head tilting gently feeling some spots soft and healing, others tight and hard from layer and layer of tough tissue. Her eyes followed her finger, as her skin could feel his breath on her face, and she noted the sweet scent of it. It was odd to her, a smell she had never scented before, mingled with the pleasant smell of the sweat lingering on his body. Ryann let out a soft laugh, " It's hideous, I'm not going to lie." She said softly, before making eye contact again. " But not scary; I thought I'd be scared." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 06:36 AM Post #37 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He didn't move, he waited for her to approach him... His face looked as expressionless as it did with the mask, the sculpted jaw remained in place as if it were carved out of stone, his cheekbones visible through the flesh... the scar was but the surface, it didn't twist his features but didn't clomplement them... When he smirked, the corners of his lips lifted so slightly it would be difficult to see should she be anywehere further... "Very comfortng, don't worry I"m used to critics anyways." His lips hardly moved as he talked as if he were used to talking with that mask on his face by now... or perhaps he had always been that way, it was unreasonably difficult to tell what seemed to paraliyze his stone face. "Don't worry, the outside is but a representation of the world's affliction on our persons... There is little to do with it save live with it and by it." He lifted a hand as f in a side thought, what drove him was more than hust a thought... He pressed his rough palm upon her chin... Caressing the soft skin idly "We are all blessed and cursed ... While I have been cursed with being a monster, you have been cursed with beaty, the delicate flower of a being... "He had trailed off in thought, not truely aware of what he was saying... the words ust came out of his mouth.... He pulled his hand from her chin, his brows wose, , lips parted for a moment... "And by that I mean, That can inspire the world we live in to one day return to it's glory..." He n |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 06:51 AM Post #38 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann stiffened as his hand touched her skin, the warmth of his fingers making her body shiver yet her eyes turned cold as they stared back at him. Every part of her willed her to shrink away, but she remained with the mirror of his face in her eyes, her own expression a reflection of his; blank and stoic. " Did he just compare me to a flower?" It seemed absurd to her, as she had never heard anything like it before, but the thought she knew would rattle her brain for days to come. She wasn't quite sure how to reply, before he moved away and she took his que to also part from him. With her eyes downcast, Ryann pondered what he had said, unsure if it were true or not. It almost seemed odd of him to say, one who was so rugged and the core of the earths shattered terrain. She was deep in thought when the melancholy cry of a bird cried into the room, and she glanced up to the window sill where a petite brown bird, speckled with white hopped it's way around the nest. Ryann peered at Neth from the corner of her eyes and smirked, moving towards her bed where a large bag rested beside it. After rummaging inside she pulled out a quarter of a loaf of bread, and when she neared the window she began tearing it apart with force; it was evident the bread was very much stale from her effort to break it. The bird twittered excitedly as the girl gently scattered little crumbled pieces on the sill feeding her little friend. The whole while, only small remnants of cooing could be heard from her soft voice, little phrases of " So beautiful, " and " my precious, " could be heard as she grinned to the bird. When she was done, and the bird pecking away at it's meal, Ryann placed the bread on the window sill and turned to face Neth with the faintest trace of a smile. " Are you hungry?" Her eyes now stayed on his, a sure sign she was beginning to trust him. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 2 2009, 03:20 PM Post #39 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth could feel the tension calm itself slowly, a certian trust could be felt between the two of them... that sort of thing was common when two people almost die together. He arched a brow watching her speak to the bird but retained himself from mentioning that it couldn't understand her. He leaned in though curious to hear her voice sing the delicate words to the bird, a breif moment imagining himself as one, free to wing the sky at his leisure stopping here. Neth would not tell a lie... In fact the term was so foreing to him that should he need to withhold information he would straight up say he refused to talk which is what the military secret ops had taught him, to rather say nothing than to say something wrong because it might end up being true. He had spoken more this day than the past few momnths and more so than each day spent in the military, this he noticed and found it strange... The words caugth in his throat, his eyes locked to hers, his gaze falling right upon her soul took an air of comfort, the look one gave to a very comfortable bed or a baby kitten.... though Neth wouldn't be pleased so much by these things... "Yes... Weell I've food in the car if yo like." He said thinking of that box he had hidden in the back... beef jerky, a whole box full... He never liked that stuff in the past but now it tasted a little better than rat... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 2 2009, 03:36 PM Post #40 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann gave a tinkling laugh, the first she had ever shared with him that lit up her face. " Oh good, I was afraid I'd have to forage in this place for something." She suddenly began pulling on the waist of her skirt, obviously beginning to take it off, " There's no electricity in the building since the last car battery died; my brother has to find another." She continued undressing, unfazed by his presence as her bare legs looked milky white in the suns rays from the window, a few bruises on the thighs and nothing but a sky blue panty covering her lower body. "We haven't had a group meeting with the others in a long time too, that's where Damien is now." In her sudden comfort she found herself talking more than usual, loving the familiar feeling of not having to be in her brothers shadows. " I used to have this much freedom before the explosion." Pausing, she realized she couldn't unlace the back of her corset alone and she suddenly turned red. " Um..I wanna change out of these clothes do you mind?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, as it dawned on her now at the scarcity of clothing she was wearing, and there was a man in the room...a man she didn't know. Hestitantly she paced herself over, trying not to make eye contact. " You just need to pull the top lace that's tied. One tug should work.." Her meek whisper trailed off as she finally looked up to him, before turning around and pulling her hair to one side. Her eyes travelled around the room, her body anticipating the rough fingers, and her mind racing with, " This is so fucking awkward." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 3 2009, 02:57 AM Post #41 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He had, for a moment lost attention to her, letting his gaze draw itself along the room. He nodded Car batteries had very short lives when not tied to an incoming source it was a simple matter of hooking up the battery of his car to the one powering the house and start the motor, this way the alternator would fill them both. He thought of suggesting this but was interrupted in thought""The others?" he asked turning to her, noticing at once, drawing his eyes down her legs... his lack of a mask didn't do much to heighten his expression, both brows lifted a moment but his jaw remained stone. He didn't quite know how to answer that, on one hand he'd tied and untied his share of boots in the day but he'd never peeled an orange without breaking the soft inside layer.. A few quiet seconds passed before she spoke again, at the instructions he "Uh sure..." He stood, moving swiftly behind her.... She'd feel the sides of the corset being pulled lightly together, with one hand he removed the pressure from the lace and with his other pulled off the lace... He was not used to doing anything so slowly but felt the urge to be careful. He didn't move or say anything, this felt rather weird, He'd see many of his female... co-workers nude before and had found it intreiguing but not as cricically as now... "How's that?" He said helping the corset off her, perhaps to make sure his job was well done, perhaps because he wanted to help or perhaps because of all those things in addition that he simply wanted to.... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 3 2009, 03:19 AM Post #42 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann held her breath as she felt the corset tighten about her body. As her eyes were transfixed on the pair of socks at her feet, she could mentally vision how the white lace would fall away, baring a white back with a slight indentation for a curve, a few small beauty marks on her left shoulder, and most notably the faded pink scars that seemed to decorate her back like a splash painting. Biting her lower lip, her head gave a few quick nods and now knowing it was open she turned to face him. His expression is what made her smile, and she tried to hide it as she lowered her gaze and stepped away and tossed the corset to the side, however she was quick enough to turn at the same time and so left little view of her front side. It was now only the matching sky blue straps of a bra that pressed against the girls upper flesh. " You did fine." She called back, now bending over and grabbing a pair of black jeans, one leg already pushing through. As she turned, zipping them up she tossed him another glance " So what's for lunch in your car?" She was beginning to grow accustomed to figuring out what he was truly thinking by the flinches his face made. With the mask she was as good as clueless with nothing but eyes to guide her, but even those were hard to read as she didn't like so much openness. Reaching for a red shirt, she took notice of his green light and pondered if it was safe to be using it, " Are you ever going to tell me your name?" She already assumed the direction of his answer. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 3 2009, 03:34 AM Post #43 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
It wouldn't be difficult to tell what he thought by his eyes... he quickly hid any expression he had moments after he begun to have a new one, she might get a peek of his slight awe, The awe of a man who'd never think he'd find a pearl in the sea again only to find one of the most perfects ones lying in a broken shell... This he thought in those words, such a poetry it made to him... only a glimpse of white light in darkness was so much easier to appreciate than that which lay in the bright sun.... the corner of his lip turned up, he tilted his head forward slightly but she had looked away and his responce fell deafly on the silence once more. "Beef"He answered simply... jerky maybe but that was probably the last product from a cow anyone could find anyways, also he didn't wish to cut her apetite by making her think of those plastic wrapped dried sausages. He didn't sit back down, he disliked sitting in a place he didn't feel able to spot his enemies before they did him.. then again the difficulty they'd have getting there it should be pretty safe. He hadn't had the time to explore the whole place yet and that made him shifty already... also he was buzy surveying her dressing... perhaps he should make sure she didn't need any more help while he was there... He shook his head, no he shouldn't make her feel more uncomfortable sthan she was already... He turned to look out the window... the view showed him the desolate land that he was now acusstomed to, this was a less pleasant view but allowed him to keep his thoughts systematic. He turned, lowering the light towards her as the chemical inside began to die down, generating less light... "No?" It resonated as a question, mostly because he wondered why she would even consider him giving away his name.. "tell you what, give me a name and you can call me that." The corner of his lip raised again, so slightly it could make he wonder if it was because of his wounds or if his face was so naturally nonchallant that smiling took an extrem effort in itself... The latter was possible because he didn't seem to be able to express anger either... or anything really. He'd make a great liar if he bothered to make one up. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 4 2009, 02:51 AM Post #44 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Beef, something that would be considered a luxurious food if one could get their hands on it. Ryann paused, a brown shirt in her hand as she thought back to the last time she had the decency of a nice meal that even included protein. " Well, there was that weird stuff he gave me earlier, but that didn't taste like beef." She frowned, now reconsidering what beef tasted like, and not being able to recall, figured there was a good chance that was what she had been eating. It was when she noticed him not making any effort to sit back down did she vanquish her thoughts, tried to ignore her salivating mouth, and pulled the shirt on; the snug tank-top and dark jeans gave her comfort when trekking about the city in daylight. Even though one was rarely attacked during the day, she had had enough experience with shadow creatures to know it was best to blend in with your surroundings; mostly being the shadows. " A name for you?" She didn't look to him as she sat on her bed and began wrapping a white linen around her feet in criss-crosses, pulling the leggings of her jeans up to woven a pattern around her calves, and below the knee is where she tied these bandages. The soles of her feet were red, and the heels and some pads calloused from her voyages over the rough terrain, and climbing the landscapes of buildings and other obstacles, these bandages were a form of socks or shoes, but gave her efficiency when climbing. Ryann remained silent for a few moments, but noticed his green light diminish and so she opened the drawer on the table beside the mattress and pulled out a large candle that she lit and placed on a metal box beside the bed. Still not paying him much attention, she began rummaging through the drawer, and pulled out what appeared to be a silver necklace with a dog-tag on the end. This she placed in her mouth as she stood up and briskly made her way to the window, hopping out but calling back, " Come if you want, Pinky." A small smile played onto her lips as the nickname travelled through the room to him. This name would have to stick for now. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 4 2009, 03:17 AM Post #45 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Perhaps it was that there werent really any girls like her in his squadron, or in the army as a whole but something about that girl rubbed him the wrong way... or the right way, which one it was he couldn't tell. He watched her put the peices of clothing together in a way that he himself didn't consider as efficient as clothes could be but he supposed everyone made with what they had now, or did before. He shook the stick and cracked it again trying to pull every last drop of chemical light from it before it went dark. He pondered the quality of the jerky he had found , most food had already been looted in the first few days after the cataclysm but people had a hard time getting in places without windows or glass doors... he also wondered why there wasn't single plasma TV left in any store in down... wh o needed those things anyways? He snapped back up and watched her hurry out the window, he had been following her of his eyes but had broken away to regain the cloth bandana that he wore around his face... as he put it back on he noticed her jumping out the window. He casually strolled over behind her and looked out. ""Living pretty dangerously there pumpkin, I don't view this as a matter of 'if' or 'want'"he didn't laugh at his own joke, since it wasn't funny then it wasn't really a joke at all. Hence the reason why he didn't talk much. He lept off after her, feet landing on the railing softly |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 4 2009, 03:55 AM Post #46 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
By the time he had made his way to the balcony, Ryann was on the edge in a crouch facing him. She noticed he had wrapped his face up again and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. His joke didn't even trigger a smile, but only a small shrug before she turned and grabbed the sides of the ladder that had aided them in entering the building. With a tug, she discovered the metal was snagged and stuck, and so she began pulling harder her eyes narrowed in concentration. A few jerks and shakes later, the ladder had been pulled all the way up and no longer remained low enough to easily climb up. Taking in a deep breath, and continuing to ignore him, Ryann turned the other way and disappeared behind the ledge of the balcony as she climbed off. In a matter of moments she had slide down to wrap her legs around one of the long pipes that ran the length of the building; rusted with age, and warm but sturdy Ryann used this to slide down like a fire pole making the distance time from the top to bottom cut in half than vice versa. Once at the bottom she turned and placed the metal dog tag around her neck, then tucked it into her shirt so that the chain was only evident around the pale neck. Cupping a hand over her eyes, Ryann looked back up to see his progression, and also a little curious to see if those pants fit snug enough for...well she would never admit. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 4 2009, 04:53 AM Post #47 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He rememberd this place well, the ladder he had climbed up, the pan- particular condition of the horisontal bars. He took a look down to check for any nearby obstacles, not aparent and gave a look from his altitude to check for potential danger. He completed his rekon in time to see her reach the botom. He decided to follow her example rather than trust the horisontal bars, plus he had gloves what could he risk from sliding down at high speed along a rusted pipe. He simpley walked into the hole and let himself fall through. He caught himself about midway, a shower of rust fell shortly after Ryann had cleared the botom but was too fine to leave any trace on the ground. When he reached the bottom he dropped the rust flakes in a nearby pile of trash and docked his head sideways towards the exit indicating he'd need to return to the car. He said nothing. At the car he'd pull the box out of below the front seat and placed it on the hood. He took a look around... he probably wouldn't see anyone coming, but then again this place didn't look as threatening as the gathering yards... The old factories were the main source of food there but the wars insuing from it was ridiculus. "I hope you like sausage." he said not even smirking behind his mask, this was a perfectly plausible question.... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 4 2009, 05:15 AM Post #48 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Watching him slide down with such ease only made Ryann realize how easy this was for him; this whole corrupted world where death lingered at every corner. She took into consideration what he told her earlier about who he was, and she eyed him with a curiousity. As he was inside the car she found herself looking around them, feeling she had to be on guard, even if she rarely saw anyone about. When she did, she was quick to hide. However, as her eyes scanned the building wall reading the familiar graffitti, she spotted a window in the side of a large factory which had very minimal windows to begin with. A grin brightened her face and without hearing Neth she turned to him and grabbed his good hand, tugging on him urgently. " Come with me for a second, bring the stuff." She let go and ran towards the window, her arms outstretched to only discover she was too short to reach the sill. Turning around a childish smile was given to Neth and she beckoned him over, calling out " I need you to lift me up." It had become almost habit now at how she studied his movements. Ryann couldn't tell if she was simply impressed with the man, scared of him, curious, or all of thee above. Regardless, she took her time to allow her eyes to catch the way he briskly, but stiffly walked. Her mind noting the narrowness of his shoulders and the way the sun caught the soft hue of his hair; brown. Had she noticed it before? Probably not considering the scarf covered far too much for her to examine. The girl soon realized she was almost disappointed that he had covered his face, and she recalled back the recent memory of it. It wasn't attractive, but she was able to tell under the wounds there was a very handsome man, or someone who had been handsome. Her eyes glazed over as she remembered the shape of his jaw, and her finger tracing over a soft scar that ran along it. His calm, but assured demeanor was certainly pulling Ryan's strings. " And that ass wasn't half bad. " She thought, smirking to herself. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 4 2009, 05:34 AM Post #49 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He pulled out one of the massive jerkies... quite glad he had found this stocked in a locked container when he was hiding from a group of sild dogs... wild dogs with crowbars. He tore it neatly in half. To where? He held the two half weiners in one hand and sslung the box over his left shoulder. by the sound it made, it was full and relatively heavy but the strap around it was solid. He followed her, first a quirk of his brow at her sporadity then he wondered whether or not he should laugh, or be pleased. He followed her anyways, observing the window... he had nothing against breaking into someone's house, chances were nobody lived there anyways... "What?" he said simply, looking her over then to the window, it was a few feet higher than his head, he could reach it if he jumped... Neth wasn't very tall but it didn't matter, his left arm came near her legs and he scooped her up on his shoulder, this would only work if she allowed herself to be lifted up by sitting on his arm as it picked her up, she would be eye lever with the window, he held her up now with one arm, holding two halfs of a jerky in that hand and a box over his other shoulder... but the box seemed to help him more than anything as it balanced the weight.... :Hurry, be quiet." He said hushed, knowing he'd be unable to see anything happening behind him as long as he held her up, he didn't want to drop her... or lose his jerky... or kill somebody tonight... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 4 2009, 05:49 AM Post #50 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann gave a half-yelp as she felt her body launch into the air. Instinctively a hand placed itself firmly onto his head, side noting it was soft, and she had the horrible image for a second of toying with it and being flung wildly off for trying. This thought made her redirect her hands rather quickly to the window's ledge, and after a few budges she was able to slide it open. " I want to show you my favourite place in the world." She looked down at him and smiled, before pulling herself up and barely missing his head as her feet kicked mid-air when she hoisted. The bandaged feet fell silently on the other side of the window, moving swiftly to climb on top of a large bulk. From the creaking and shape of the objects body, it could only be guessed it was a large car and as she stood on the roof and pulled off a tarp from the top of the garage, sunlight spilled harshly into the room lighting up the white car's glossy casing. It was in mint condition, and Ryann even gave it a stroke, before hopping off and opening the passenger door. As she moved to climb inside, she remembered his battered hand and was quick to scurry across the garage. The shelves contained mostly perishable canned goods, some already opened and scattered sideways. The other percentage of things were small tools, car parts, and a good stash of guns and weaponry on the lowest of the shelves. However, the spotlight lingered mostly on the Skylark Buick, and therefore the importance of the other materials in the room seemed irrelevant; except for the first aid kit Ryann brought back with her now, and which she clutched to her chest as she climbed into the car and sat in the back farthest from the open door. Placing the little box infront of her on the seat as her back leaned against the hot window, the calm blue of her eyes searched for gauze and rubbing alcohol as parts of her face were darkened in shadows. Her stomach rumbled, and Ryann paused to place a hand to it, her gaze looking up wondering if that sausage was good. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 4 2009, 06:01 AM Post #51 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
he had to keep watch as she climbed up the window... he knew this but couldn't help but look p to make sure she climbed in okay until the last little bit of her passed the window, then he took a glance backwards tocheck if they were not sighted. He tossed th sausage up, it landed right on the ledge and slowly edged down and fell to the floor... he took a bit out of the sausage, , and another... soon he only had one peice ledge and he stuffed that one with the wrapping in his pocket. He lept easily, heaving himself on the ledge in seconds beofre landing behind her. His eyes went to the shelves first, he moved along the various goods and weapons along the shelves, he picked up a tfle , set it down next to the box of jerky on a cleared shelf . he turned around to see the car suddently removed from under the tarp "Where did you get all this?" he asked with a not of being impressed, he found many things where he was but most of it was either essential or useless without a 10 000 watt power source.... He picked up the gun and the box and threw them in the backseat, a gesture being the equivalent of "This is the car we;re taking" He didn't assume it was hers, no, he simply assumed that upon finding it she became the proprietor of it. "Can it run?" he asked turning to her, a brow raised with an unseen smirk behind his mask |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 4 2009, 04:55 PM Post #52 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
His almost sloppy way of entering made Ryann sharply look at him with the expression of disdain. Her eyes lingered on the box of jerky and she made her move for the food first, taking a long stick and popping it into her mouth. The first bite required some effort as she wasn't used to tearing meat anymore, and the beef itself was already a bit stale. She pondered how old it was, but didn't want to ask knowing it would be discourteous even if she judged he wouldn't care either way. The car door beside him lingered open, and with the sausage half in her mouth she moved across him on all fours, her necklace slipping out and brushing against the crotch of his pants as the arm that didn't support her reached out trying to grab the handle to pull the door shut. " It hash no battery, or eshgine." She tried to explain through the mouthful of meat. Ryann's eyes swiveled to gander at him from the corners of her eyes, trying to notice if he didn't like her invasion. The muscles in her body tensed while her hand flailed ahead searching for the handle, while her eyes remained on his and the sausage limply sticking out of her mouth, not noticing the comical visual she provided. What was really a matter of 8 seconds felt like 3 hours for her as she finally grabbed the window's lever and pulling that shut the door with a thud. Hastily, she retreated back to her side of the car and pulled the sausage out of her mouth, dropping it onto the package as she used the hand to gently take his injured one and began removing the ragged piece of shirt he had tied around it. " This will get infected." The cold eyes remained focused as her hands worked to untie the bandage and unwind it, grimacing slightly at the dried blood and long, fleshy cut. She continued to chew the piece in her mouth, but found it a bit hard to swallow as she was inspecting the open wound, a queasy feeling gurgling in her stomach. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 4 2009, 11:26 PM Post #53 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Packing up the ammunition he could for the weapons he could carry, he observed the car with a bit of dissapointment, no engine made the beast heartless and without one it could not be of use to him.. He considered using the motor of his other car but would need a crane to lift the damn thing. He had one back at the old place but he wasn't going back there, the harvesters would be all over him now that he had killed some of them, yet again. They didn't know his name but they would remember him and his sneaky ways. He looked down as if to ask a question, but this brought another... He didn't voice it because it was something along the lines of "What the..." while he was normally observant he couldn't quite figure out what she was trying to do, only what it seemed she was doing... After she had gotten in he leaned into the window, watching her skuttle inside before opening the door and sitting next to her... When she tried to take his hand he simply shrugged "It's nothing really... what do we have to disinfect anyways?" He pointed out, knowing that there was nothing sterile enough to put on a wound in his own possession, people though peroxide made a better drug than a disinfectant and supplies weren't common. He looked over the dashboard for a moment as if in mid thought, then followed the walling until his eyes fell on her, He lifted a brow and tilted his head just slightly to the side "What's the point of sitting in a car that can't run?" Hpointed outalmost innocently, He could think f a few things but was quick to space his mind from it... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 5 2009, 05:40 PM Post #54 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The piece of material was now on the floor of the car, the bottle of rubbing alcohol already being flipped over onto a swap of cotton. " It's rubbing alcohol; I don't think it's a matter of disinfecting the wound." She gently placed the soaked swab on the cut, gently dabbing it up and down the length, before wiping away the dried blood. " If it really eliminated the bacteria, wouldn't it also kill the good germs you need to heal?" The corner of her mouth twitched for a smile, but betrayed her as she remained stone-faced. Ryann held up the swab, as if to prove to him she had cleaned it, his blood smeared in different shades depending on age across the barely white. "I just wanted to at least clean it off, and I don't have water on me." She then dropped the cotton ball back into the medical case, also putting away the alcohol before taking the gauze and slowly unwinding it. Briefly her eyes transfered to the now pink cut, clean of dirt leaving a nice trail of white flesh, and she considered not adding a bandage, supposing the cut was shallow enough that the air could heal it quicker. Deciding to be safe than sorry she began wrapping the linen around his palm, her eyes every so often glancing at his. " I come here to think usually." A nice knot now perched on the top of his hand to fasten the wrapping, and she leaned back into the window, her eyes staring at him coldly. " I was in here when the world came to a stop." It was evident Ryann was a very restless soul as her eyes continuously would dart about, her small body would fidget, and she kept playing with her hair, her piercing on her eyebrow, her necklace, while the other hand brought her snack to her mouth. Chewing, she suddenly tilted her head at him and inquired, " Why did you stay behind if you had a car that could take you somewhere else?" |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 6 2009, 02:31 AM Post #55 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He cautiously returned his hand to her as she produced the alcohol, perhaps it wasn't the best thing to put on a wound but it certainly did prevent infection. "The germs that heal me are within me..." he said azs if it were a scientific fact, it might be but he didn't really know. "It';; be fine like this.." He reached for a corner of his clothes to wipe off the execc alcohol from the wound and returned his hand for it to be tied... He didn't really feel that was necessary but appreciated the attention it was given, that in itself should make it heal faster... He watched her work, her movements wre delicate but he couldn't help but feel some amount of pain, the cut was shallow but had cut in an angle under the skin and hit many nerves... He didn't seem to feel any pain though, maybe he didn't or maybe he was just used to it. "Make it tight" he said, not wanting to have to pull it off because it came loose... He looked at her work most of the time, she wouldn't cross his eyes until she was nearly done when he looked up at her, finding his eyes upon his he remained in that motionless gaze for a moment... "Really? You've not moved much since then... is this area really that safe?" He questionned, having not found anywhere safe enough to stay for long really, exept the old shack but it was really because there wasn't anything left to harvest there, he still wondered what the harvesters were doing there... He was then asked about his reasons for staying, he didn't quite know but he had an answer to that... "Well I'm surprised the car started at all... First time I tried since installing the engine..." He paused, thinking for a moment.. "I suppose I needed some time to rest before moving again... but your right, thought, I guess I just became too comfortable." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 6 2009, 03:01 AM Post #56 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A solemn nod was given to his reasoning and she looked to the front of the car, watching the sun's rays creep into the interior like mini spotlights; the dust particles in slow mobilization, and in that moment she was entranced by the simplicity of life at times. It wasn't until her trailing eyes landed on his did she compose herself back to reality and she sat up a little straighter. "If my car worked, I'd drive and never stop." She leaned her head against the window, loving the warmth that seeped into her bared shoulders. With a hand, she moved her hair to one side to feel it along the exposure of her neck, and her eyes closed a blissful smile crossing the lips. " I remember I used to be so worried about such silly things," the eyes opened, a warmth of nostalgia giving them a welcoming hue, almost as if the blues deepened in affection, "I thought my band's demo would never be heard, I was scared I'd never get a boyfriend, and I was always concentrating on ignoring I was a social outcast." A small laugh escaped her as she looked down, her shoulders giving a gentle shrug. " Now my band's gone, most of them dead; the only thing I have left is my music." Silence ensued as she began to play with the dog-tag about her neck. Finally her eyes narrowed and she outstretched her legs, allowing them to rest on top of his lap, and she slouched down and to the back of the seat, laying down in a rather comfortable position. It was usual for Ryann to have odd mood swings like these; one moment she was shy and cautious, like a threatened abused dog, and other times she was very friendly and familiar with people, like now with Neth. Of course, he wouldn't be used to such a personality as hers, and she was oblivious to her sudden comfort around him. "I'm nineteen, and don't care about boys." Her voice was bland, and her face grave as she stared into the back of the leather seat, a finger drawing circles on it. " There's so little love, therefore there's no time for anything like that. Survival is a priority at the moment," her eyes caught his, " but don't we need love to survive? Human contact." All she had was her brother and the other survivors, but she didn't talk much to them. They all seemed more concerned about food raids, and establishing missions to scout other encampments to see progresses and what was going on. Ryann wasn't interested in saving the world, she was only interested in saving herself and her brother; she could not give a damn about anyone else in terms of people. Ryann would never admit this. "Everyone's an outcast now." This last bit was murmured to herself. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 6 2009, 03:49 AM Post #57 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He felt at ease hee, of course there was nothing to really worry about or pay attention to, whoever held this place up did a thourough job at it. Neth allowed himself to cant his own seat backwards and lean down, his eyes not closing but looking trance-like at the ceiling almost dreamily... He didn't really answer any of her questions until he felt her smooth legs set upon his lap... He turned his head towards her... He gave a little unseed smirk... didn't care about boys, He felt sorry for not beleiving that one in the slightest... As far as he knew everyone was victim to love and lust, some just hid it better than others... He remained quiet until "Human contact?... no, we don't need it.." He paused, reconsidering his answer... "But... like all things, the mind is fragile and sometimes it is best for another to be near else one can lose their sanity... Then you may still be alive but without reason, there is no purpose." He smirked... "Indeed... we've been cast out from the mass, the ones who are dead." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 6 2009, 04:11 AM Post #58 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Insanity cause by lack of human contact. It was very true, and Ryann found herself smirking at him, " Wouldn't you be a prime candidate, Trigger-Happy?" She grabbed another sausage from the package that now rested in the nook between them, and took a bite while reveling in the new nickname she had thought of for him. " Did you ever have a loved one?" Her eyes were large and innocent as she nibbled on her food. A cloud had shifted over the sun and redirected portions of the light so that now a streak of gold warmed her pale cheeks, the dust particles dancing around her head in the light and her eyes almost a transparent hue. Smiling, she crossed her legs on his lap and spoke with an impish air, " How old are you anyway? No, wait don't tell me. " her eyes registered to the car ceiling and she bit her lower lip thinking. " You're 23," Ryann looked back down to the man for the reaction, but her eyes instead caught the sun on his face and she once again noted the hue of his eyes, an unknown crooked smile slowly creeping onto her mouth. When the sun caught them well enough she liked how they seemed to warm, like two orbs of honey. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 6 2009, 06:23 AM Post #59 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth chuckled, probably the heartiest sound he had ever given before... He shrugs "I'll have you know, Hazard that I've never shot a bullet that's not hit what I wanted to hit." He stated, and this was a fact, he wasn't afraid to back it up but had certain objections against wasting bullets. He pulled the switch on the side of his seat to let it lean back and lounged about, yes this car was quite comfortable, he had to admit but it was but a car after all. He noticed her feet lying upon his lap but didnt make much of it. "no" he answered simply. "Well I.. Well, no not really." He tried to avoid that question, he didn't really know what they called love but certainly knew what he called loving.. He had loved many things and many people in the past but had grown accustomed to the feeling of loss more than anything. "Twenty seven.." He turned to her, his eyes still cold but hiding something... there was something about Ryann he enjoyed, perhaps it was her sporadic nature, perhaps it was how he couldn't figure out if he was talking to the same person every other minute... He had gone passed the question whether she was trustworth, He now simply wondered which direction she would head in next... He slowly stroked her leg, "Have you ever had a loved one?" |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 6 2009, 06:42 AM Post #60 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
"Hazard?" Ryann rose an eyebrow at him, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smirk. "What's he implying by that?" Her question went unanswered as his next one prodded her thoughts. Gradually the smile ceased to exist, and she stared at him with a blank look. The fingers that toyed with the dog-tag paused, and her entire body froze, her eyes glazing over and looking past him. Dark hair, dark eyes, pallid skin, minor details to his appearance; the faintest memories Ryann had of him now. Well, the only ones she permitted herself to imagine, but deep down she could recall more. She would always remember his smell of ash, and the way he carelessly rested his hands behind his head. Even now the trickling image of his gait crossed her mind, and she narrowed her eyes unknowingly to the thought, turning away quickly so her eyes would not betray her words. "No, I've never had a lover." Her lie was confident, and she stared out the front window while her fingers abandoned the dog-tag that she once caressed habitually. "He's gone, forget it." She chided herself. Slowly her body came back to life and she could feel his touch on her leg. She regarded him with a cautious stare, her eyes wandering down to the hand before back to him and she continued to stare with a soft manner. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 6 2009, 07:16 AM Post #61 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He didn't seem entirely convinced of her statment... then again he hardly ever seemed convinced of anything at all, this was simply his air of questioning where anything one would say would be picked appart without being necessarily questionned. "Never?" he paused quietly, there was a doubt, a ring of hesitance in her voice... He turned his head back, looking at the ceiling once more.. "There was... This woman once.. I met her back at boot camp, she was many grades above me at the time... She taught me many things, like... You didn't have to beleive what your superiors said, as long as you looked like you were obeying their roders.." He paused, breath heaving into his chest and back out... He turned back to her, she did bear some resemblance to her, maybe if she took out the peircing and buzz cut her long hair... He contunued.. "We met again in special ops..." He called it special ops but it was neither a place nor a grade, but the commandos had a way of sticking together besides the official's effort to keep them appart and mixed with the crowd. "One night she came into my ent but... When she left, I... I felt a part of me leave with her. She said taht it was not love but just sex... for the..." he turned his head away "Fun of it..." He stopped abruptly s if this was the end of the story.. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Damien-James Lucas Casteel | Aug 6 2009, 02:35 PM Post #62 |
![]()
Dreams just aren't enough
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
[[Well... Technically you'll have three more people jumpin in here in a little bit, but first we gotta figure out IC where you guys are. Won't be difficult, but it will require a few extra posts that aren't really anywhere near you guys. So um... bear with us, huh?]] As Damien reached the alleyway where Ryann's window was located, he looked around the street, making certain that no creature had followed the trio there. He left the sides of the women and made his way to the dumpster by the brick building. "Sorry for the unconventional entry, girls. Unfortunately, there's no longer a door, so that window leads to my sister's room." He climbed up onto it and faced the girls again, pointing to a window on the third story of the building. It was barred, like all the windows on the building. Next to the dumpster, but higher up, was a ladder meant for fire escape, but morphed into an entrance. DJ nodded to his recent companions and looked at the ladder, launching himself off the dumpster and grabbing hold of the rusted metal. The ladder creaked and screeched, sliding down closer to the ground, giving Damien's stomach a lurching feeling. Before his feet even touched the ground, he was climbing up the ladder to rid the entry window of the bars. He was inside now and peeked his face out the window. "Up you go, come on. It's not as bad as it looks, promise." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 6 2009, 04:49 PM Post #63 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A soft laugh escaped her and she gave a shrug, "I'd imagine it gets frustrating to be in such an environment she was; all those men and such standards to meet, with few fun, and little time for relationships." Her face grew serious as she sympathized with the feeling of rejection. "But, it hurts for anyone." It was now Ryann felt her hesitation. She couldn't tell if he had made the story up to get her to talk, but her reasoning won out with the fact it wouldn't make sense as to why he'd be so interested in her love life to the point he'd lie to know about it. Therefore, she looked up to him and wrinkled her nose, as if trying to make the impression the story didn't mean much to her. "I liked," she paused, debating her choice of words, " No, I felt for a man once. He was older than me, around four years." A half-smile twisted her mouth as she recalled his sarcastic reaction many months ago to her age, " Nothing much happened between us, because he was married." She now placed a hand subconsciously to the dog-tag. "I cared very much about him." Her sentences seemed blunt, and voided of emotion. It seemed as if she had worked long to barricade these very words from being spoken, and now upon release she found it hard to say them. It was now Ryann's turn to look away abruptly, as if ending her story with nothing more than a brief explanation. Her and Sloan's relationship had been far more intricate than she had let on to Neth, but it was over to her; he was probably dead by now, and even if not she was sure he was wishing she was after their last meeting. Biting her tongue, she sniffed away the thoughts and took on a presence of nonchalant, giving him a coy look, "Relationships aren't such a priority anymore, so why dwell on them." She said it more as a statement than a question. Ryann had heard the shuffling and creaking of the ladder, and for a moment tensed but reconsidered and gave a nod to the window saying, " That was probably just the wind. It makes that noise a lot." |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Mary Winter | Aug 6 2009, 05:09 PM Post #64 |
![]()
We all Live in a Yellow Submarine
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
(Sorry have to make a comment for DJ and Arlette about how it's not night anymore, like on our other thread.) By the time they reached the building, dawn had been birthing and the sun was beginning to shine which only brightened Mary's mood. She loved the sun, and anything that was warm and healthy. "Looks like it'll be a nice day, huh Mr. Buttons?" The ferret was raised to eye level and she beamed at him before snuggling him into the curve of her neck, her smile momentarily being directed at Arlette. When DJ had reached the top, Mary was staring in awe at the ladder and him, her gaze going back and forth. It looked like a fun ride, and she mentally made a note, "Next time we come over, I'm doing that." Without hesitation, the blonde bounded forward making her curls bounce and giggling like a schoolgirl. " Me first, me first!" She announced, as she began climbing quickly to reach the top, not even noticing the hazardous creaks the bars made under her boots. Mr. Buttons was clutched tightly as she made her way up, his neck squeezing so that his head lolled a bit to the back, the lifeless eyes staring down at Arlette as if mocking her. "They should install a slide to go back down." Mary thought, her eyes glancing at the sides of the ladder. Reaching the balcony, she hopped into the window and acknowledged quickly the keyboard standing in the corner of the room by skipping over to it with a few claps of her hands. " Do you play this?" She soon remembered he had said it was his sisters room, and she now examined the music sheets strewn about the floor, " Or does your sister play?" |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 6 2009, 08:30 PM Post #65 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He listened calmly to her story, not quite sure what to make of it, then again he didn't really know what to make of his. While she could dwaddle on the thought that he may or may not still be alive Neth couldn't, he knew for a fact that she had hit a roadside mine on a recon patrol... and just like that he understood her reasons for not wanting to get involved... yet it wrenched at his heart anyways just like the blood of everyone he's killed... "The past is a memory, information... We cannot let ourselves feel-" he stopped, hearing the clanking.. "are you sure?" He asked, lofting a brow. He seemed somewhat less stressed at her suggestion, but then came another clank, much more hurried yet lighter. "..not taking that chance Hazard" He reached around the back to pick up the rifle he had dropped in the back seat.. clicking the safety off he scurried out of the car without a word.. He stood beside a window, his back against the wall with the barrel pointing upwards, he took a glance out... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 9 2009, 05:08 AM Post #66 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A smirk grew on Ryann's face as he began speaking words she only assumed were an attempt at speaking wisdom. Given their predicament, she felt anyone who had survived thus far could say two words and it'd be wisdom of some sort. She had been mindlessly chewing on the last morsel of sausage, her eyes distractedly staring at the ceiling of the car, noticing the padding beginning to rip. "I'll have to fix that." Ryann crawled to the door that Neth had left open on his departure and hung half-way out, her face staring at him in impatience. "I'm telling you it's the wind." A grumble sprouted from her throat as she made her way towards him, reaching on her tip-toes to get a glimpse over his shoulder, but failed. Instead he moved away from the window to be facing her, her body stepping back in surprise. She was too short for anyone to see her through the window, and vice-versa; the eyes glimpsed what they could make out from their view. The ladder was barren, and the missing bar she had kicked at him earlier was a gaping hole in the parallel design. "I'm telling you," She whispered, not sure why he suddenly made her feel she had to, " there's no one out there. The buildings old and falling apart, a mouse could make a ruckus." She folded her arms and stared at him with a smug grin. " You scare far too easily." Taking in his lethal form, she decided to roll her eyes and play fair. " Ok, maybe you're too worrisome." A small hand rested on his arm and she smiled softly at him, "Relax for once, Trigger." the nickname stuck,"It's really safe around here." The blue eyes squinted as the smile grew into a warm grin. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Arlette Fintan | Aug 11 2009, 09:20 PM Post #67 |
![]()
Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
((Sorry it took me a while to get here. >.<)) Arlette stretched and rubbed her eyes, her spine popping in several places. She looked up at ladder and window DJ had recently climbed up and through. "Well that looks sturdy," she said sarcastically, a laugh escaping her lips. She reached back and stroked the neck of her guitar, remembering all the times she and her brother had snuck out of the house for a late night gig that their parents hadn't allowed them to go to. Of course, that was when they were practically still children and when their band was still just starting out, so those gigs had been rare. At least we actually have a ladder this time, she thought, laughing a little more as she watched Mary climb up second. She really didn't care when she got inside, as long as she didn't have to wait in the alleyway for too much longer. Alleyways always freaked her out, anyway. She always thought there was someone hiding behind the corner of a building, or behind a dumpster or something, ready to jump out and latch on to her ankle once she got close enough. Once Mary was through the window, Arlette approached the ladder and stared up at it. Now that she was closer to it, she was amazed at how well it was able to hold Mary and DJ's weight. To her, it looked as if it would snap and fall apart at any moment. Arlette sighed. "My turn," she muttered, and quickly got up on the ladder and made her way up to the window. She never liked ladders. She was always afraid she was going to fall off and crack her head on the ground below. She always thought that if she didn't die of old age, she'd die from falling off a ladder... She sighed again--this time of relief--when she reached the window and clambered inside. However, he toe caught on the windowsill, causing her to fall onto the rug, Ian thumping her on the head, and her clumsy foot sticking out the window. "I think God hates me." She laughed weakly and pulled her foot inside. She sat up and rubbed her head, knowing she'll have a rather large bump there for a few days. Ian was a bit heavy, anyway, since he was an electric guitar. |
| |
![]() |
|
| Damien-James Lucas Casteel | Aug 13 2009, 01:40 AM Post #68 |
![]()
Dreams just aren't enough
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
As Mary was asking her question about the keyboards, Arlette was falling in through the window. Damien sidestepped Mary and just missed catching the red head. "Yeah, those belong to my sister. I can't play like she can, but she's no match for me with a guitar, either. You okay, Arlette?" Damien offered his hand to help her up, guiding her to his sister's bed to sit down for a minute or two. They were inside and there was absolutely no reason to rush anywhere. He took Ian off her back and laid the instrument on Ryann's bed. "When you're okay to go, I have to go find my sister... Uh... It might not be the safest, because I honestly don't know where she is, so you two might want to stay here." Damien shuffled his feet and ran a hand through his hair, thinking of one spot in particular where Ryann might be. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Mary Winter | Aug 13 2009, 01:58 AM Post #69 |
![]()
We all Live in a Yellow Submarine
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A hand began to glide over the keys, her head bent and not even giving recognition to the clumsy Arlette. The only acknowledgement Mary allowed was the brisk nod to Damien's suggestion that they remain while he left; she didn't mind being alone if Arlette wanted to leave with him. The fingers, short and round, were now tapping keys here and there to compose a tinkling melody that was choppy and amateurish. Mary was fascinated by the instrument, and it seemed Mr. Buttons equally enjoyed it as he was perched where the music sheets would sit, looking down at the keys with a lop-sided head and bent whiskers, lifeless eyes mirroring small images of her fingers stumbling to a melody. " We'll be fine." She softly said, not looking up, too entranced by the music she created. Eventually her eyes began to linger on the music sheets on the floor, wondering if they'd be hard to play, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on playing and inspecting. Mary gave the aura of a five year old hard at work. " Mary had a little lamb, a little lamb, a little lamb.." The voice sung with a sweet sound, half-held back and mostly audible in a whisper. (OOC: is she creepy or what?! Ok, either creepy or precious..I can't decide.) |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 13 2009, 02:05 AM Post #70 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He stood by the window for a moment in silence... peering out to the ground below... He tried not to let himself be seen by whomever might be near but that limited his vision of the scene below. He saw a movement, a flicker of firey red hair dissapearing from his view as she climbed up the ladder "Scared would assume There is some sort of damger to me.." He said turning back "Being watchful means you don't have to be scared.." He said in a cold manner, not thhat he was very much displeased by her objections, he simply thought it wasn't a good idea to talk when one had to be stealthy. "I saw someone, know anyone with red hair who owns a guitar?" He asked arching a brow, while he spoke he heard the *Thud* and shook his head "If they're theives they aren't good ones at that.." he said making a quick look over of the alley and when satisfied nobody was left he'd edge the cannon of his rifle towards the window of ryann's room... waiting |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 13 2009, 02:58 AM Post #71 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Moving away from Neth, Ryann now steered herself beside him trying to peer over the window sill by reaching on her tip-toes again; this was non-successful as she could barely see over it even with the few small hops she made. Blowing a sigh of frustration, she turned and made her way back to the car and leaning against it to watch him with a bored pretense. "You're possibly lunatic, " she began, but stopped short as he brought the rifle higher and she found her eyes narrow. She had heard the thump, and knew very well it was too heavy to be anything not to worry about. Immediately Ryann ran to Neth and paused beside him, her eyes zoning in on the ladder outside, a muscle twitching in her face from her sudden stillness and concentration. Faintly, every so softly she heard musical notes flowing from somewhere high; mingling with the wind like a duet and spilling into the stuffy garage. She thought for a moment if it was Damien, but knew his playing style and that he wouldn't have been so clumsy with his footing. " Music," She whispered into Neth's ear, her head shifting towards his, the eyes briefly glimpsing at him from the side. He looked like a statue kissed with colour and burden, the lines of his half-bared face contorted with tunnel vision, and his eyes silent of thought. This made the girl follow his gaze, but she could only see the bars of the ladder, and it was now she realized the ladder had been let down when she could easily remember pulling it up before their departure. People were in Ryann's home, and it was now fear was instilled into her body. The pallid cheeks flushed, and her body leaned forward as she held her breath, just as keen as Neth was to finding out who was tresspassing. " They like nursery rhymes." She mentally commented with a slight smirk; part of this was exciting her and her body even itched for a fight. A foot lifted and her ankle rotated in a stretch to loosen the muscles; Ryann's kick-boxing would help and she was glad she also had Neth's gun to rely on mostly. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Arlette Fintan | Aug 13 2009, 03:29 AM Post #72 |
![]()
Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Arlette nodded as she grabbed Damien's hand and stood up, rubbing her head with her free hand. As he led her to the bed, she blinked a few times, trying to clear the spots from her vision. "I'm always so clumsy," she said, laughing lightly. "Everyone I knew would make fun of me for tripping over nearly everything I came in contact with. And then, I would always somehow injure myself after facing my clumsiness." She shook her head as she sat down on the bed, her hand still on her head. When Damien took Ian off her back, Arlette froze up a little. No one had ever taken the guitar off her back, and she felt a bit scared, now that it was separated from her. It felt as if she wasn't as safe as she had felt before. Like her suit of armor had been removed, if she had been wearing any to begin with. "No," Arlette whispered and snatched Ian back. She held the black guitar in her lap, her arms wrapping around its body. "I'm fine with him with me... I'm not uncomfortable with him on my back, even if he did hurt me..." She looked up at Damien, an eyebrow twitching slightly. |
| |
![]() |
|
| Damien-James Lucas Casteel | Aug 15 2009, 02:05 PM Post #73 |
![]()
Dreams just aren't enough
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I am surrounded by loons... Damien thought as he looked to Mary and then Arlette. The two were positively psychotic. Why did he bring them back? Oh right... They were hot. He wondered if it might even be worth it. He'd hate to turn into Ian, a safety blanket. Damien nodded slowly and started to back himself to the window again. "Right... Just, uh... Stay here and don't let anyone in until I get back, okay?" He mentally pushed the crazies out of his mind and focused on where Ryann would be. His first thought was the garage where her car was. She always liked to go there to think. Too many times, Damien had woken up to find Ryann out of her bed, missing, only to come back a few hours later saying that she'd been sitting in her car. Too many times Damien had to remind her to leave a note. He was absolutely sick of her wandering off and leaving him without a clue as to her whereabouts. He climbed out the window, fishing for a step with his booted feet. Once he reached pavement in the alley below, he set out across the street to Ryann's Thinking Place. Damien scoffed at the name. What was there to possibly think about? They had to climb in through a window in this place, too, on account of the door being blocked by massive amounts of debris. He zipped up to the window via the same method as the apartment and wiggled through the window. The window was framed from the inside with iron and it wasn't the sturdiest stuff on the planet. It was old and rusty and snapped right off as Damien put any sort of weight on it. It fell to the ground with a loud clang, signaling his arrival. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 16 2009, 07:20 AM Post #74 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
He held out for a while by the window, he pushed ryann back as he saw damien climpushing himself near the windowb out. "back to the car.." he would whisper, not letting her get a view of the man who had began to climb down. He ignored t fact that he had seen someone else before, he wouldn't get a shot off so as not to alert whoever was still inside. He pressed his back against the wall next to the window, his rifle pointing at it. He looked to Ryann, whoever it was was coming thiis way, he made a gesture indicating one person had spotted them, she probably wouldn't understand. He waited the rifle was exactly where Damien's head came out, at the klang the itchy trigger finger fired, but not before moving slightly to the left and with a loud *BANG!*, fired, deeply grazing his shoulder. Neth turned and lept away several feet and covered his head... then looked back up, lifting his rifle back up looking for where that sound had come from while everyone's ears still rang from the shot |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Damien-James Lucas Casteel | Aug 16 2009, 09:19 PM Post #75 |
![]()
Dreams just aren't enough
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The clang. Then the bang. Damien fell in through the window, a bleeding hole in his right shoulder. He had screamed in agony from the bullet wound, but that scream was cut short by the one that escaped his mouth upon contact with the hard concrete floor. "Jesus FUUUUUCK!" Damien clutched his shoulder with his left hand while rolling around on the floor, wanting to get up, but not entirely being able to. He tried to regain composure and managed to sit up, no longer writhing on the ground. "Who the hell..." He muttered. Whoever shot him couldn't have been Ryann. She would have recognized it was him. Damien got up, looked around and snatched up a crowbar that was leaning against a tire-change kit. He wielded it with his good arm and leaped behind a pillar, looking around the area for his attacker. Gonna get a good ass-whoopin', you motherfucker... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Ryann Jordan Casteel | Aug 18 2009, 09:05 PM Post #76 |
![]()
Rip out the Wings of a Butterfly
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
BANG! The sound vibrated in the girls ears and she felt her body shoot back with surprise and the force of Neth's leap. Ryann tumbled to the ground, her arms breaking the fall, and her hair falling in her face making her eyes wince as blood streaked her elbow. "Shit!" She hissed, swinging her hair back and scrambling after Neth to hide behind him. The collected dust enveloped the intruder and the cursing was strangled by the remnants of the bang ringing in her ears, her head beginning to sting with a headache. Ryann wanted to ask who it was, but couldn't open her mouth to speak as her eyes darted about the garage like a cat. The vague streaks of sun shimmered on posts that held up the roof, and she could see a silhouette dodge behind one, grasping an object and clearly squeezing their arm. The way they moved, the now faint sound of their yell, even the shadows shape made Ryann's eyes widen as they registered the pointed gun, and her mind registered an identity. " Damien..." She at first whispered, before moving past Neth, a hand pushing down his arm that clutched the rifle, and her feet carrying her across the cement to who she hoped was her brother. "DJ!" This was called out as her body moved faster to the pillar, and she stopped short a few feet doubting her estimation. Ryann waited to see if the wounded was her brother, or if it was someone willing to prove her foolishness by hurting her. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Mary Winter | Aug 18 2009, 09:13 PM Post #77 |
![]()
We all Live in a Yellow Submarine
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The music was calming, while simple and Mary was smiling softly to herself as it tinkled her pleasures. Mr. Buttons remained perched in front of her and every once in a while Mary would glimpse to him and beam as if sharing a secret conversation with the toy. Her attention for Arlette was almost non-existant as she never looked to the other girl, much less gave the aura that she knew the presence was even there. It was only when the loud clanging from outside reached the two girls did Mary look up and frowned. Her eyes looked from the window to Arlette curiously and she grabbed her ferret before moving forward to the window. "What on earth was that?" Slowly she climbed outside, less determined than when she had climbed in and stood on the iron-gated balcony, staring off into the distance. " Where did that man go?" As soon as her murmur left her lips, Mary took notice of dust rising out of a window below across the alley and her brows knit in thought. "I think someone's hurt." Her voice carried over her shoulder to Arlette as if announcing the score of a game she really had no interest in. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Silent Neth | Aug 18 2009, 09:55 PM Post #78 |
|
Wastelander
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Neth was either not paying attention to Ryann' ssuddent worry, in fact he seemed more than outraged that she would throw herself in harms way. Neth stood, "Damien is it?" He smirked beneath his mask, a fight was it? he hadn't gotten into melee in so long and the though brough his mind to attention..He saw the man pick up a crowbar... a brow quirked knowing that the weight of the blunt object would hinder him more than it would help.yet his job wasn't done since his target was still alive and walking.... The rifle clicked as the safety returned on it and fell to the ground. In a moment Neth grabbed Ryann's arm and pulled her away from the man and stepped forward, unarmed. He pulled his longcoat off and thrw it behind him, leaving his sleeveless leather vest the only thing on his torso exept the ends of the scarf that covered his face... "I won't begin to tell you how unlikely that is..." He cracked his neck that resonated t with a loud pop and stood at the ready for the incoming attacks... |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Damien-James Lucas Casteel | Aug 22 2009, 03:20 AM Post #79 |
![]()
Dreams just aren't enough
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ryann was here. Damien had heard her. She called to him and then he heard her footsteps. They stopped as another pair approached and sent her back. Damien stepped out from the pillar and furrowed his brow and pursed his lips. "Who the fuck are you, joker?" He held the crowbar with a firm grip in his left hand. His eyes darted around the room, scanning. He saw Ryann behind this guy and his face relaxed. "Ryann. What the hell is wrong with you?! A note. Anything! It's not too much to ask, please! I get back and you're not there. I told you to stay there..." DJ's face returned to a scowl, a glare, in Neth's direction. His eyes widened and grip loosened on the crowbar as a sudden realization hit him. He could have possibly just walked in on something he did not want to know about. Damien was suddenly seriously creeped out. Ew... my little sister... ewwwwwwww. |
[align=center] [/align]
| |
![]() |
|
| Arlette Fintan | Aug 27 2009, 02:42 AM Post #80 |
![]()
Member
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Arlette jumped a little when she heard the bang come from somewhere below the room's window. "What was that?" she asked, looking at Mary as she hugged Ian tightly to her chest. It sounded like a gunshot to her, and she hoped Damien wasn't seriously hurt, even though she only knew him for a few hours. She still could not help but feel worried about others' safety. She got up, slung Ian's strap back across her chest, and went over to the window where Mary had just climbed out of. She bit her lip as she peered out at the alley, noticing dust rise out of a window below. "Someone's hurt?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in worry as she looked at Mary. "You don't suppose it's...Damien, do you?" She had a feeling it was him, but she wouldn't be able to know for sure unless she went over to the window below and saw a wounded Damien for herself. |
| |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Long Beach · Next Topic » |





![]](http://z1.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
[/align]




[/align]



[/align]


12:44 AM Jul 11