|
[Mew & Shen] Shadow Game
Potential M situations...
--- Name: Patrick Flynn Nickname: Pat, Rick Age: 20 Weapon: Hammer Bio: Patrick Flynn became involved in the Game more or less through his free will. His eye, covered by an eye patch, happened before his induction and it doesn’t impede his vision too much, though his blind spot has increased due to the fact. He doesn’t talk much about why his eye is gone and there is scarring about it, but if he were to tell, he would speak of a father who had smashed a beer bottle in his face at a very young age. Rick has been playing the Game since it came out and is one of the first players. He’s been at it for three years now and has gotten used to his haphazard life of a job as a mechanic during the day and a fight for survival at night. He is something of a joker though he can be quite serious. And during the Game, he's a mix of both. Image: Summoning the Hammer! (Side note: Yes, it is Lavi from D.Gray-Man) - Name: Robyn Bridge Nickname: Rob, Robby Age: 17 Weapon: Bow and Arrows Bio: Robyn came into the game approximately five months ago. Experience with her chosen weapon has been one thing she has gained in this entire experience. And she did not volunteer for any of it. She has to go to school and all the friends she had before the Game have noticed the changes within her. They know she plays the Game, but for reasons no one fathoms… she tells them to stay the hell away from it. She fears for their souls and fears for her own as well. And she dreads not being able to greet the dawn one day. Image: Ready to aim |
Name - Shannon Gates
Age - 15 Ethnicity - White [American] Weapon - Sword Appearance - Thin and small. Height is about 5'4" and weighs about 120 pounds. Looks younger than he is because of his small stature and baby face. Medium brown hair not cut into any particular style with bangs that fall in front of his eyes. Wears simple black-rimmed glasses but will sometimes wear contacts. He has pale blue eyes and pale skin. Personality - He's very shy and is quite the bookworm. Tends to keep to himself and tries to make himself invisible. Usually gets picked on instead. He's not very strong physically but makes up for it in his intelligence. Wishes he could be more like the jocks in his school instead of the wimpy kid he is but never takes the initiative to become stronger or more popular. Background - Was homeschooled until his first year of middle school and had always been very shy and pretty much antisocial. Begins playing the Game at the start of this story and had no desire to play at all. Parents sheltered him while he was homeschooled and still do. They have no idea of his involvement in the Game and Shannon knows he could never tell them. --- Name - Maddison [Maddi] Cameron Age - 20 Ethnicity - African American 50% , Spanish 50% Weapon - Spear Appearance - Height of 5'6" and weighs about 140 pounds. She has an athletic and busty figure but not overly so. Her skin is a deep mahogany color and her eyes are just a shade darker. Her hair is dark brown and is ruler straight cut into a short bob hairdo and she has a couple of bright purple streaks going down the left side close to her face. She has two silver ring piercings in her right eyebrow and has multiple piercings in both her ears. Her clothing mostly consists of brightly colored tank tops, mini skirts, armwarmers, and stilleto boots. Personality - Maddi has a very dark sense of humor and likes to tease others. Rarely has a genuine smile or laugh and doesn't take life very seriously. She can take care of herself physically and is clever and always thinking ahead. Background - Maddi was abandoned as a small child and had been in and out of foster homes until she turned 18 and was able to go off on her own. She obviously became bitter from her experiences and rebeled against authority figures because of it. She started the Game about a year ago and welcomed it into her life without a second thought. Her normal life during the day consists of her job at a clothing store, her numerous and ever-changing mostly physical relationships, and random activities throughout the day. At night she is eager to begin the Game and the opportunity to stick cold steel into the shadowy monsters. |
((Time: Sunset))
Patrick walked the streets with a casual flair, his favorite jacket on to help buffer any kind of injuries he might occur during the coming night. This Game had the added benefits of repairing clothes as well as wounds. And it was as well because his next door neighbor, Miranda Reichs, would have a fit if he came home in tatters, though that hadn't happened in a very long time. The sun was sinking over the city. Long shadows were already being thrown across streets and alleyways were deepening into nigh impenetrable darkness. Rick was tired after his day of working on these three different cars that have been giving him a headache. Boss hadn't gotten the parts in, so repairing them up to a point was possible... going past that point was difficult. Patrick's weapon was not yet drawn from wherever it went when he wasn't using it. Having it balanced on his shoulder like an invisible broomstick or pole would look mighty odd to any of the non-Players that he passed. So, until his life was actually in danger he would not summon his hammer. His lone eye scanned the area, wondering if he'd see that drug addict tonight or not. Last night, the addict had sworn up and down he was having a bad trip until a wolf from around where Patrick himself lived sank its teeth into the eighteen year old's leg and drew blood. Jackass probably didn't make it through the night. A couple miles away, Robyn slipped out her bedroom window and onto the fire escape at her apartment. It was standard routine now. Do all her homework as soon as she got home and before her parent's arrived, claim she needed to do homework after dinner and going to bed after, go to her room and lock the door... Then slip out of the apartment, step onto the fire escape, and shimmy down in her 'Game' clothes of a loose fitting pair of yoga pants with plenty of give, a pair of archer gloves she got from a sporting good store, and a tank top with a sports bra underneath. Well-supported sneakers finished off her favorite outfit for the night and allowed good traction. Her chosen weapon of the bow and arrow was one she had gotten used to and glad she had chosen though at first she hadn't known what the hell to do with it. With her hair in a thick French braid down her back, she could will the bow and its quiver into existence over the braid so that she didn't have to worry so much of it getting in the way at a critical moment. Stepping down the street, she ventured into the growing gloom. Robyn hated this Game... But she wasn't going to stop or else she knew she'd never get to see her family again. If she hid out in her home, there would be small monsters that would come into her home. Last time she tried, she was bombarded with spiders the size of Schnauzers until she fled in fear of her parents hearing the commotion. The sun was sinking ever lower. Another night of the Game would soon begin. |
The first text message had arrived about a week ago. Shannon was surprised to see a text message that wasn't from either of his parents and had eagerly opened it, only to see the words "Welcome to the Game" in bold black letters. Obviously Shannon knew what this meant, the mysterious game that had been talked and gossiped about. He had no idea what the actual game was about, but he felt a sense of excitement when he received a message welcoming him into it.
Of course, that was at the start. When the shadows started moving and becoming dense like actual living creatures he knew he didn't want to be part of this game. He would cower away from the shadows when they so much as flickered and at night when he was alone in him room he would lay there with his covers pulled up to his nose in fear. Now he had received another message a week later, the same words printed in bold letters across the screen of his phone. As he sat in his room, the deep orange light of the setting sun filling his room, he felt more fear than he had in the past week as he stared at the message. The sun was going down and the shadows were stirring again, but this time they weren't going to stay put as if they were taunting him. The Game was beginning. -- Work had been extremely boring, and Maddison had been more eager than normal to leave and get started with her nighttime thrills. She summoned her long spear as soon as she was out the door, not caring if she looked strange to non-Players. She was wearing her usual sort of outfit which consisted of a purple pleated mini skirt, black knee-high boots, a lime green low-cut sleeveless top, and leather fingerless gloves. She whistled as she walked down the emptying streets, ready for the night to begin so that she could relax. Of course it seemed strange for Maddi to love the Game so much, but she was strange herself. The Game let her take out all of the frustrations and anger that had built up from her life. In the Game she felt free to do as she pleased, free to fight against whatever was coming for her. In the normal world she was expected to be a proper and charming woman. In the Game, nobody cared if you were screaming at the top of your lungs or cursing to the sky. In the Game, Maddison was free to do as she pleased, and she always looked forward to when the sun fell below the horizon and another night began. |
((I forgot to mention, if a weapon is broken, all the Player has to do is un-summon it and then re-summon it to be fixed. Also, the weapons have an effect on regular objects [such as signs, buildings, whatnot], but they can't affect regular people. And the monsters are whatever you want them to be, so you can get imaginative.))
The sun slipped below the horizon. Shadows separated and formed monsters. It was showtime. Rick saw a cockroach the size of a cat scurry out with its friends from a nearby alleyway. With a flourish, the weight of his hammer fell into his dominant hand where the bracelet that insured his life and health at the end of each night rested. It was a deceptively simple bracelet. Six crystals caught on a leather band was tucked just inside his sleeve as it had slipped there while he lifted his hand up. Instinctively, he provided more leverage on his hammer, grabbing the other end to balance out the weight more easily and provide a stronger slam when the time came. And the time was now. He smashed the first one with the ease of someone batting a fly with the flyswatter, but the rest scurried faster, intent on getting some of the meat on his bones. They were disgusting creatures, he thought, but it was his fault. He knew that they were normally in this area. And a little further down the road, evil Venus Fly Traps crawled around on spindly vines, snapping at you with 'mouths' filled with digestive juices. And if you killed them, Labrador sized rabbits would come out to eat them and bite you while they were at it. Engaged with the enemy now, Patrick settled on taking out these bugs before moving on. It was never a bright idea to stay in one place too long while playing the Game. After all, there was a higher risk of meeting something that was way bigger than you, like the bosses from stupid RPG games on the PlayStation. ---- Robby had chosen to brightly avoid the roof tops. Commonly, she knew, there were snakes and crows up there. Crows she could deal with, even if they were bombarding her and pecking at her. She was terrified of snakes, though, and only went to the rooftops if she had no other choice. She traveled, hoping to find someone from the Game she could team up with. Weapons could affect other Players, but rarely was there a Player that sought the life of another Player. In fact, Robyn had never heard of Players attacking one another. However, she did meet a person once that claimed to have been attacked by another. Of course, the guy had been a bit paranoid (okay, a lot paranoid) so she couldn't substantiate his claim. When the sun dropped, she had summoned her bow and felt the comforting weight of the quiver on her back. Naturally, the thing didn't automatically refill every time she took a shot, but she could always get more arrows by simply un-summoning and re-summoning her bow. The quiver always reappeared full. Robyn got a few odd looks from passerby as she had both hands on her bow, an arrow nocked and ready. The placement of her hands without anything in them (according to said passerby) could be considered odd, as was the way her hair was pressed into her back and not free swinging due to the quiver pinning it. She knew she looked like a right crazy, but weapons only affected those that were apart of the Game. And if anyone was to try to touch the bow in her hands that wasn't a part of it, their hands would go through. Robyn figured she now lived on two planes of existence. One that was 'normal' and the one she was exclusively in while it was daylight... and then she had her feet planted in two different places when the sun went down. The world of 'normal' and the world of the 'Game'. Shaking her head slightly, she came out of her musings only to freeze at the sound of low, menacing growling. |
[Alright, works for me. c:]
The sun had disappeared. Now Shannon sat alone in his room, still staring at his phone in fear. There was a soft chittering behind him. He slowly turned, eyes wide, and then he was facing an army of grasshoppers which were the size of shoeboxes and had long sharp fangs. He sat there in fear until a few of the giant insects leaped at him, fangs bared. He ducked down on reflex and barely dodged three pairs of sharp teeth in his face. Then, as if someone else had taken over his body, Shannon ran for his window, unlatched it, and dropped two stories into the line of bushes in front of his house. He got up, groaning in pain, but was on the move immediately when he saw that the grasshoppers would have no trouble leaping from the house. Just as he lifted his foot to begin running he fell, his face hitting the grass with a thud. His glasses managed to stay on his face but they were cracked rather badly. Shaking, he turned his head to see what had caused him to trip; his leg was clutched in the claws of some sort of mangey cat, except this cat had the build of a small bear and its paws were stretched to look more like furry hands. A wimper forced itself out of Shannon's mouth, and then he was blinded by a bright light. He shut his eyes tight and the light faded. When he opened them again there were several different weapons in front of him. He had never used any sort of weapon before, so he just reached out to grab the simplest looking one. Shannon's hand clamped around a gleaming shortsword directly in front of him. As soon as he claimed the sword, a leather bracelet appeared on his wrist. Shannon was now officially a part of the Game, and he was going to have to fight for his life if he wanted to see daylight again. --- The first shadow monster Maddison saw was a huge dark horse. This horse probably wasn't something you'd go out looking for as it had hoofs the size of cynderblocks and the speed of a Ferrari. Maddison had come to try and fight this monstrous thing before and came inches away from getting her face smashed in. Maybe this wasn't the best idea but she didn't care. She felt like starting off big tonight, so why not start off with the strongest monster she had seen thus far? Maddison held out her spear as the rampaging stallion charged towards her, an excited grin stretching her face. The horse was gaining speed now, no intention on stopping but running straight through her. As soon as the monster got about ten yards away from her she rolled to the right, knowing it took the beast only a second to close the gap. After she rolled she leapt right back up and stabbed her spear towards the creature. The sharp point stabbed it's left flank, but it wasn't as deep as Maddi had wanted. She cursed to herself and pulled the spear out before she was dragged along with the horse. Luckily there weren't any other monsters in the immediate area, as Maddi was going to be fighting this thing for a while before she could either take it down or have to run for it. |
She saw the flash of light, going towards it as she remembered it well. It was only five months prior she'd seen it... the moment she had gotten her bow. Approaching, she saw a teen maybe a little younger than her. A guy, it seemed, by the set of his shoulders. He was slender, though, and definitely smaller than her. Almost waif like...
She approached, her foot stepping on a bit of broken glass and it crunched underfoot, causing the beast that was attacking him to turn in surprise, ready to defend his prey. She brought up the bow and smoothly loosed her arrow right into the creature's side. It sank in, luckily missing any rib bones and causing the bear-like cat to screech a howl that became a touch gurgled at the end. It lunged at her and she batted it aside with her bow, not looking forward to the claws that could rend her flesh open. She wasn't able to block it completely and howled in pain herself as the bow broke under the wannabe-chupecabra's weight to slash through her unprotected arms. Dispelling the bow, she felt the weight of the quiver leave her back as she managed to roll away. Blood spattered the ground after her as she hissed in pain and annoyance. "Use that overgrown tooth pick to kill it!" she called to the unknown teen. ---- Rick really wasn't looking for trouble as he finished off the insects. Instead of sticking to his usual route, he detoured South and heard the unmistakable sounds of battle. "Shit," he swore, his eye narrowing as he brought around his hammer. Before he could get to the site of the disturbance (which he really hoped was just a couple monsters going at it), his way was blocked by a couple of nasty looking wolves with odd spiky fur that resembled something a porcupine would have. "Shit on a goddamn stick," he muttered before cracking a grin at the wolves as they advanced. Swinging the hammer with a nigh professional ease, he smacked one as the other lunged forward, eliciting a shrieking yelp as he nimbly ducked the flying quilled fur form. "There, bitch!" The other wolf landed too close for comfort and sank its teeth into the tail of his jacket, narrowly missing something major, like his flesh. "Get the hell off, ass wipe!" he snarled as he brought his elbow down on the wolf's nose. This was a breed he hadn't seen before and he wasn't liking it. The wolf let go with a pained sound and he was able to get away from what could have probably been a very painful bite to his groin area if he hadn't have moved. Good thing he did, because the wolf barreled into his buddy and he hit it's side, smashing a few ribs in the process. The wolves were out of commission at that moment, but Rick wasn't taking chances. He smashed both their skulls with a heavy blow and ran like hell. He did not want to find out if those quills were sharp or if those two had buddies. |
Shannon was staring dumbly at the girl who had suddenly appeared and helped him. About a second after she yelled at him to help with the monster his body began moving on autopilot.
He stood up quickly and took the sword in both of his hands. He wasn't sure what he should do but he just let his body move on its own, and a terrified yell escaped his throat as he charged at the cat creature. The cat snarled at him and leaped towards him with its claws beared. Shannon closed his eyes as he swung his sword blindly. He heard a gurgled growl and opened his eyes to see that he had somehow managed to slice open the cat creature before it did the same to him. He just stared, shocked, at the bloodied monster, not believing that he could have been so lucky. His breath was coming short and quick now; the panic from the nights' events thus far rising up in his chest. Shannon looked up at the girl who had rescued him and blinked his eyes quickly so that she wouldn't see that he was about to burst into tears. --- Maddison had managed to stab the horse several more times. One had punctured pretty deep into its' side, but the wounds didn't seem t be having much effect on the beast whatsoever. Maddison however, was running out of breath and had suffered a hard hit to her side, which she was now clenching with her free hand. The horse was studying her from afar, probably deciding on its next move just like she was. This creature seemed to have more sense than most. Instead of constantly charging forward with no real plan except KILL it seemed as though it was always thinking about the best next move. Just like a human being. This must be one of the tougher monsters the Game could think up. A "Boss" level creature that would be very difficult to defeat. Maddison was realising just what a dumb decision she had made by trying to face this thing again. She didn't think that she could beat it alone. She glared at the monster which was still studying her. It wasn't going to have the satisfaction of taking her out without a fight. "C'mon you piece of shit! I haven't got all night!" she yelled to it, readying her spear and clenching her teeth against the pain in her side. |
It was blind dumb luck that he managed to kill the beast... and Rob was very grateful. It was much like her first moment within the Game. For a moment, she knew what she had to do and did it, but never again that flash of revelation ever fell on her again and she learned how to shoot the bow through endless hours of practice and tons of begging for coaching from her avid hunter Ag. Teacher that liked any kind of projectile weapons... including bows and crossbows.
Her hand covered her wound, red blood coating her fingers. "Is there a first aid kit around so that I can patch up for a bit?" she asked, cursing her lack of foresight and not grabbing the fanny pack with her rudimentary medical supplies, including bandages and compresses. --- Rick vaulted over a pile of trash and burst onto the next street, skidding in surprise as he nearly body slammed a Boss. The thing was bigger than a Clydesdale and seriously torqued off. "Fuck!" he swore in surprise, spinning away in time to miss hooves as big as dinner plates that were aimed at his head. He managed to fall in beside what appeared to be a Mulatto woman. "You piss this sucker off, hon? 'Cuz that shows real lack of plannin' on your part," he chirped, settling his weapon on his shoulder as he flashed her a grin. Chit-chat hour wasn't more than a few seconds, however, as the horse decided that running them down sounded like a good idea, apparently losing its common sense at the appearance of the insulting red-head. |
As soon as she spoke to him again, Shannon snapped out of his daze and looked at her wound.
"Ummm, there might be something inside but..." he said quitely as he looked back up towards the window he had just dropped from. The grasshoppers weren't visible but he could still hear their chittering from inside his house. He felt like such a coward and a loser. He had stumbled around about to cry when this girl had rushed forward to save him and had gotten hurt in return. He dropped his eyes to look at the ground below him. "W-why did this happen to me? I didn't have any desire to be a part of this Game... I'm not important or anything either. So why was I chosen to be a Player?" he asked, not to anyone in particular. --- Maddison took a step back when the hammer guy came running out in front of her and the giant horse. The monster nearly kicked his head off and didn't take but a second to begin charging both her and this new guy down. Maddi twirled her spear around her arm and dodged the horse-beast by a tiny margin before stabbing the spear deep into it's shoulder as it ran past. "I wasn't really planning!" she yelled at the hammer guy as she pulled her weapon out of the horse's thick hide. She spun as she got her weapon loose and yelled again, "I was just looking for a good challenge!" She looked back towards the other Player and grinned at him. She must have a bit of luck left because he had joined her at the exact moment she needed some help. Her time wasn't up yet. Though, it just might be before the night was over, because the horse was still pounding down the street with only the tiniest hint of exhaustion exposed in its breathing. |
Robyn winced. The 'Why me?' spiel was at work. "I don't know, and I don't really care so long as I'm bleeding everywhere." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least it shouldn't be too far from a CVS or something. Got some money? I was a moron and left my own supplies at my house in my rush to get out tonight before my parents heard me."
She began to lead the way to the CVS she knew was in the direction she was going. It was the closest pharmacy she knew of. "You'd have to get the stuff for me. Try not to engage anything inside or else you'll look completely psycho. I did that once at the mall. Did not turn out too well." She grimaced at the memory. Back during the earlier days of the Game for her, she had gone to a brightly lit area hoping that it would keep the monsters away from her. No such luck as there was plenty of light and therefore plenty of shadows. And they could find her easier in the lit areas to begin with. --- "Well, you overdosed on good challenge, love!" he grinned, the expression almost feral. When the horse turned to try and run them down again, he threw himself to the side and whipped around quickly to land a hammer blow on the flank of the horse. There was the sound of a snapped rib and a shriek of pain. The horse managed to clear the pair of them and Rick scowled. "What's your opinion of running away? This guy's built like a tank." |
The girl didn't sound too sympathetic to Shannon's troubles, but he didn't blame her. She was a Player so she had been through the same thing right? He just put on the bravest face he could manage and nodded at her request for money.
He pulled out his wallet that he luckily still had in his pocket. "If there's one thing I usually tend to have, it's a bit of money," he said with a wry smile. He followed her as she walked towards the closest pharmacy, just listening to her advice. Shannon had his sword gripped tightly in his sweating hands, turning his head every way to look out for more of the Game's monsters. He had to be brave and be able to fight whatever popped out of the shadows. This girl was hurt and she shouldn't have to injure herself more for his sake. However, his vision was impaired from the cracks in his glasses. He grimaced, took them off, and threw them on the ground. He could see well enough without them at the moment, and he could just pick up another pair when they got to the store. Every shadow looked as if it wee about to turn into another nightmarish creature and attack to Shannon. Perhaps this Game was aiming to turn him crazy. --- Maddison let out a laugh at his words. "What? You think I didn't know that?" she asked as the stallion came back for another charge. She just rolled off to the side while the hammer guy struck it in it's backside. The horse didn't seem to slow down much though, and when her fellow Player asked about the option of fleeing she scowled. "I already ran from this thing once, I hate to do it again. But you're right. It would be stupid to stick around any longer, and I'm not THAT stupid," she agreed. Maddison dispelled her spear and turned to the red-head. "You have a place in mind where we can catch our breath?" |
"Don't be so paranoid that you'll snap and try to kill another Player," Robyn advised. "By the way, my name is Robyn. You can call me 'Rob' or 'Robby'. I don't care."
It didn't take much longer to get to the CVS and she waited outside nervously for him to go grab the first aid stuff and get back to her. She could still shoot her bow, but it would hurt like crazy and if she was unlucky... Well, anyone in the Game was unlucky. --- "The Player that manages to run away may just live to escape the Game!" sing-songed Patrick, dispelling his own hammer as he moved past her. "And if we can get over to the warehouse district, the excess of shadows will hide us somewhat. It's not completely free of monsters, but the boss in that area has a tendency to sleep for real long periods somewhere near the cargo loading platform and we can stick near the old warehouse where they do the food bank on the other end." He led the way, running and jumping over crap in the road, thankful that his boots had pretty good traction. |
When the girl, Robyn, spoke to him he nearly dropped his sword onto the pavement. He swallowed roughly and nodded towards her.
"O-okay. M-my name's Shannon." He didn't even look around for any monsters that may be lurking about in the store as he walked quickly to the aisle where the first-aid equipment was, went to the register, payed for the supplies, and exited the building where Robyn was waiting for him. He wondered if maybe he should leave this girl alone and try to survive the night by himself. He had already managed to get her hurt once, he would probably just succeed in causing more injuries to befall her. He stood under the buzzing yellow light that illuminated the CVS parking lot and waited for her to walk off and leave him. She probably knew that it would be the smart thing to do. He stared down at the ground, knowing that he would likely be some of the easiest prey these shadow monsters had ever seen. --- Maddison turned back towards the horse that was getting ready to charge again and blew it a kiss. "Ta-ta for now horsey!" she yelled to it, waving. She then turned around and followed the other Player, catching up to him rather quickly. When other, lesser monsters appeared they just continued running without paying them much attention. "My name... is.... Maddison.... by the way..." she said, taking quick breaths in between her words. She had never been to the warehouse district, always preferring to stick to the inner city instead, so she kept her pace a step behind his so that if he changed direction she could follow him without having to backtrack. |
Robyn started patching up her arm with one hand, practice showing from the fact she seemed capable of doing such a task. "Now that that's done," she murmured to herself and to the new Player. "Few pieces of advice for you if we ever get split up... The more lit the place, the harsher the shadows are and more likely the monsters will find you. That doesn't mean you can avoid them in dark shadows completely, so you still need to watch out.
"Your sword only affects objects in the Game. That means non-Players aren't harmed nor do they see. Stay away from crowded areas as much as possible so you don't look like a lunatic. Besides, non-Players tend to make up their own stories for when you get hurt and even if you're thrown several feet backwards, they'll think you've tripped or something." Robyn continued outlining what was possible and what wasn't when a few low-level monsters appeared. With practice that wasn't quite perfection yet, she lifted her hands despite the people that were exiting and entering the CVS and summoned her bow. One hand went to the quiver along her back and she pulled an arrow out before nocking it. "I hate this Game," she said with fervent dislike in her tone as she drew the string back. --- "Patrick!" called the one-eyed man over his shoulder. "And it isn't much further!" He cleared the major part of downtown with Maddison on his heels and paused at the intersection of the Frontage Road alongside the highway. "Crud. Stupid traffic..." he muttered, punching the button. "Dunno 'bout you, but I think being eaten by a monster's better than getting run over by a car," he added conversationally. Luckily, the amount of fast moving objects that could hit a monster increased on the highway, so it was rare to find any monsters on said highway. Occasionally one did go onto a busy street and cause an accident, but it was rare. The downside? Traffic tended to lessen at night, but that only happened during the wee hours of the morning. |
Shannon jerked his head up in surprise at Robyn's words. So she wasn't going to abandon him? He felt his eyes start to water but quickly blinked them back before she could see.
"O-ok, got it," he said to her handful of advice. Then he saw the monsters crawling out of the shadows and summoned his sword out of whatever abyss it stayed in. His hands were shaking slightly as he drew his weapon in front of him. He tried to steady his stance and watched Robyn shoot multiple arrows from her bow. As he was watching her with amazement a small flowery creature was sneaking towards him from the side. He caught the movement out of his peripheral view and turned towards it, a grimace on his face. He had bought some temporary glasses while he was getting Robyn's medical supplies so his vision was more-or-less perfect now. The flower-creature charged at him and he stepped forward shakily, his sword swinging in an arc in front of him. He managed to cut off a large red petal from the monster and it let out a shrill shriek that made Shannon want to drop his sword and cover his ears. Instead he rushed forward so that he was standing over it and stabbed his blade straight down into the middle of the flower. The shrieking stopped and, breathing hard, Shannon turned back around to face Robyn. --- When Patrick stopped at the intersection Maddison did so as well. She could hear the sounds of other shadow creatures surrounding them and hissed, "We don't have time for this!" She rushed directly into the speeding traffic, moving her body swiftly to avoid becoming roadkill. The cars honked and beeped at her, many almost hitting her without a second glance. She knew this wasn't such a smart idea but she needed to sit down and rest soon; her side was throbbing and she needed someplace somewhat safe to take a look at it. Luck was definitely on her side tonight as she mad it across the street in one piece. She turned around and waved her arm frantically, grinning mischievously. "Come on Patrick! Don't be a chicken!" |
"Nice, but you may have to find a way to take lessons... otherwise that sword'll take you out." Her voice, shaking slightly from the strain of the mini fight, was somewhat breathless. "Let's haul ass. I'm not interested in round two in front of CVS. I do not want to get arrested for disturbing the peace," she muttered in a low tone.
Robyn kept her bow in hand as she vaguely gestured to to the surrounding people that were watching them with incredulity and suspicion. "Nothing to see here, folks! We're practicing for a play!" --- "You're fucking insane and I don't have fucking depth perception!" Patrick shouted across traffic. He dared a glance behind him and paled at the sight of the creatures. That is when the mighty universe reached out and blessed him... the traffic had a break coming. He shot across the street once it was available to him, haring like a madman and praying that his luck didn't shit out the moment he stepped foot on the tarmac. Patrick skid to a momentary stop as a car rushed past him, honking all the while, the wind of the vehicle buffeting him as the car zipped past. "Hoo!" he yelped before running across the quickly vacated lane when the insulting happened. The light changed. He looked over his shoulder at the creatures that were now coming at him across the suddenly paused ebb and flow. "Shit!" Running now, he flew to Maddison's side and grabbed her wrist as he ran under the overpass. "No rest for the wicked or the handsome!" he jibed. |
Shannon looked around at all the people who were gawking at them and grinned at them, embarrassed.
"Y-y-ya, nothing but a couple of umm... play... practicing... people?" I'm not very good at this... he thought to himself as his face reddened dramatically. He began walking away from the parking lot, not really knowing where he was going. He glanced back at Robyn and smiled tentatively at her. "So, umm, where exactly should we go now?" --- "You just realized that?!" Maddison yelled back at him as he scrambled across the intersection. He grabbed her wrist and was tugging her along behind. The shadow creatures were almost across the street so Maddison turned her head forward and kept running at full speed. "How much farther.... away.... is this place?!" she gasped at Patrick. She could usually run and fight for hours at a time but the pain in her side was persistent. She was going to have to rest soon or she would collapse. |
"A block!" chirped the one-eyed man between heavy breaths, releasing her wrist for his own balance as well as hers. "Then it dumps right into the warehouse district!"
He was right and just a block later they were meeting the fence of the outer parameter. It didn't do much good as Patrick detoured through an open gate that was rarely locked. "The warehouse is over here," he told her, pointing at one dark building about thirty feet away from the gate they had just entered. "You go ahead... I'll take out these guys and we can relax for a bit. The small door should be unlocked and if it isn't you can jimmy the lock easy with a key in the jamb." --- Robyn smirked a bit at him as she came up level with him. "Just wander about and keep the hell away from the big monsters. They don't generally leave their territories." She grimaced. "I'd say we could go up to the roofs, but I know that snakes and crows infest that kind of terrain and I don't want to deal with them. Man, I can't wait for sunrise..." |
Maddison didn't want to leave Patrick to fight the monsters himself. Not necessarily because she was afraid he could get hurt, it was more because she didn't want to feel like a helpless girl who needed to be protected. But the pain in her side was enough to convince her that she wouldn't be a huge help in a fight at this point. That fucking horse had probably cracked a rib or two judging by the pain.
She nodded towards Patrick before running to the door and opening it. The room she found herself in was dark but luckily no creatures were waiting for her. She slumped against the wall close to the door and held her side, gasping. The faint light in the room was enough that she could see as she lifted her shirt up to take a look at her side. Her waist was bruised pretty bad; a splotchy purple spot the size of her fist stained the skin there, the middle of it was a dark red. "Definitely cracked a rib..." she grunted as she felt around the area. Luckily she had brought her small bag with her that night, knowing something like this might happen. She took it off of her shoulder and let it fall to the ground. Patrick should be finishing up with the creatures but she waited a few more moments until he entered the building; she wasn't going to be caught bandaging herself up if he had been overpowered and the monsters came rushing into the room. --- Sighing, Shannon gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in his hands. How much of the night had passed already? For all he knew it had only been thirty minutes since he fell out of his bedroom window. "I don't have a clue about any of this... so if you don't mind me doing so, I'll just be following your lead," he said quietly, head down. Killer crows and snakes didn't sound very appealing but he figured the other creatures that existed in other areas couldn't have been anymore friendly. [Oh hey, do you happen to have an msn or something? I thought maybe we could discuss what might happen plot-wise? Or do you have something in mind already?] |
((I have Yahoo messenger but I do not have anything in mind for a plot other than perhaps the Players meeting in the daylight. The last time I did this plot, no one progressed further than just playing to get out. We could have a 'reason' behind the Game, though. I just am a bit tapped on ideas at the moment.))
Once she was out of range of his hammer, he whipped the thing into existence and immediately hammered the side of a monster, smoothly fighting the lot of them off. At least with her out of range, he wasn't as worried about accidentally hammering her or watching out for her back. It was one of the reasons he preferred to not work alongside other Players even though the advantage of having someone watch your back was easily comparable to the annoyance. Unfortunately, he mused to himself, it was very difficult to find someone capable of taking care of themselves. Most of them hadn't been in the Game as long as he had been. Maddison seemed like she could handle herself, though he wondered if she wasn't fighting to merely survive. The woman had obvious issues and seemed to delight in the chaos of the Game. Patrick finished the monsters off and hightailed it to the warehouse. He flung the door open and it bounced off the wall with a loud clatter as he barreled in in his haste to get away from the exposed areas. --- Robyn looked at him with some sadness. "I have to say... I haven't been long in it, either. I wish I knew what was coming, but as far as I know, the only way out is to survive." She had no idea what was on the other end other than eight hours of sleep and no longer having to wonder if she'd wind up comatose in the morning. She'd seen her fair share of nixed Players, staring blankly at nothing as the sun rose. The bracelets fixed the bodies up to perfect health... ...But the soul was no longer there... "Five freaking months of only an hour's worth of sleep..." she sighed. "I'd love to get a full night in again." Even as she spoke, more monsters appeared. These were fairly freakish creatures this time... Monsters that looked like Venus Fly Traps that crawled along on skinny vine-feet. "Ugh... These guys... We need to take them out quick and get out of here. I do not want to be here for the rabbits." |
[Durn. We could just talk about it by pm or something then? :3
Oh and ya, I think in the long-run it would be interesting for them to try to find out who's in control of the game, why they're doing it, and how to stop it.] The door burst open a few moments later and Patrick ran in, making as much noise as possible. "How long do you think we have to rest?" Maddison asked as she reached down for her bag, opened it, and pulled out a roll of cloth bandages. She didn't have time to waist so she quickly pulled her shirt up over her head and dropped it to the floor next to her bag. She unwrapped the bandages and got to work wrapping the roll around her torso. --- As Robyn spoke, Shannon said nothing. He could tell that she hated doing this every night, but who wouldn't? He adjusted his glasses on his nose before he saw the new creatures crawling out of the shadows. He sucked in a deep breath and turned to the girl next to him. "Errr, rabbits?" he asked but quickly shook his head. The monsters that the Game produced weren't ever what they seemed. The giant grasshoppers in his room had definitely proved that. "I'll go in close," he said, determined and more courageous than he'd ever been. Already the Game was having an effect on him. Survival depended on not being afraid of what waited around the corner and his primal instincts knew that. He steadily advanced on the carnivore plants, his sword gripped tightly in his hands, and swung it down on the nearest creature. He missed and the thing whipped out one of it's sharp vines and scratched him across the cheek. Shannon felt the warm liquid run down his face from the scratch and brought his blade back down on the monster-plant. This time he struck it, straight through it's gaping fang-filled mouth. It let out a high-pitched shriek and then crumpled to the ground. He continued like this, but was scratched several more times before he was able to take out another of the creatures. They were faster than they looked and Shannon was not quite used to the weight and swing of his new weapon. He wiped the blood from his cheeks with the back of his hand before swinging yet again at the group of monsters. Some force inside him was pushing him onward, making him continue to slice at them even though logic told him that he should run. |
Robyn groaned as Shannon ran into the fray as she loosed an arrow, pinning one plant down. The idea for survival included trying to keep as much distance as possible. Her bow usually provided for that and ranged combat was much better than any other combat so you didn't have to get in up close.
Repeatedly, she loosed arrow after arrow, pinning each plant she trapped to the ground. One spectacular shot had a Trap writhing with its mouth pinned to the ground as it fought to get loose. "Yeah!" She called to Shannon. "You don't wanna mess with rabbits the size of Rottweilers and are as friendly as..." Thwack of an arrow. "...fighting pit bulls! We'd be interfering with their meal if we hang around and they'll attack us..." Pause for another arrow. "...if we stick around." --- "About... twenty or so minutes. No more than thirty, though." For a Player in this particular war zone, that was a phenomenal length of time. He gave her a long and appreciative look at her bra-only upper half before averting his eyes. "You need help wrapping that?" he offered, knowing that the likelihood was slim to none on that prospect. She seemed to him to be the type to protect herself irregardless of her current situation. ((Sounds good to me.)) |
Robyn was able to take care of the majority of the plants and at her words Shannon gulped hard.
After stabbing his sword down onto a creature and hearing it's shriek of death he went back over to where Robyn stood, breathing hard. "Well then.... let's... get out of here," he said in between breaths. He dispelled his sword quickly, the weight of it was tiring normally, but even more so when he had just been swinging it around at scratchy plant monsters. The cuts on his face burned but he just tried to ignore them. Crying over it wouldn't do him any good, all he could do was suck it up and keep moving forward. --- "HA!" Maddison laughed, a hard, sarcastic sound. "Keep dreaming hammer-guy," she said with a cocky smile. She thought about the estimated time and felt that it was enough for her to be feeling up for another night of stabbing low-level monsters through the face. She finished wrapping her torso in just a few minutes and after double-checking that the bandages were good and tight she pulled her shirt back over her head. Then she slid to the floor and sat, trying not to move her upper half too much. Maddison was never much of a conversation starter, and she let the silence hang between them, planning out how she would survive the rest of the night. That stupid horse was gonna pay for tonight, and she needed to be stronger than she was now. She thought she might have been able to handle it but obviously she was wrong, she needed some hammer-wielding red-head to come in and save her, which did not go over well for her. |
((Time: Three in the morning... I'm about ready to wrap this night up. Oh, and I forgot to mention, when the sky turns gray... or rather from six to seven in the morning, the Game ends for the night and the Players get their hour of sleep.))
Robyn looked him over after they finished up. "Let's go..." she said, seeing the pain in his face. "And don't worry too much about the cuts. They'll vanish when you sleep." She lead the way away from the scene, away from the place where the rabbits would come feast. As she stepped through the area, she saw some of the plants still alive and wiggling to get loose. Frowning, she made sure not to dispel her bow at that moment, not wanting to loose the creatures and have them attack again. She'd only do that once they'd gotten well enough away and 'safe'. Right now, though, her quiver was empty and it made her feel slightly naked. Hopefully, there'd be no issues for about a block. Usually there weren't, but you never could be sure. --- Rick cracked a grin at her, the lone visible eye crinkling slightly from the smile. "Just an offer," he told her. "Completely up to you. And you're lucky that those will be better for tomorrow night." ((Sorry there's not much for Rick. I'm short on ideas for him at this moment.)) |
"Uh-ok," he mumbled, his speech slurring a bit. He felt the exhaustion wash across him for the first time that night. All of the adrenaline from the fighting was wearing off. If something attacked now he probably wouldn't be able to defend himself too well.
He dragged his feet after Robyn, hardly keeping his eyes open. "How much... yawn... longer is the night going to last?" he asked the other Player, his voice thick with sleepiness. He knew he needed to wake up, it had to be several hours still until the sun came up, it was still pitch-black after all. --- Maddison grinned back at Patrick. "Ain't that the truth. Isn't it nice of the Game to lick our wounds that it causes?" she said, a dark sarcastic tone in her voice. She did actually enjoy the Game most of the time since it allowed her to act out her aggressions, but no matter how messed up she was, she could never fully appreciate being thrown into a world every night where monsters tried to kill you. It was more like fate was laughing in her face, making her continue to fight for her life even after she could finally escape the multitude of foster homes and uncaring "parents". |
"A little while longer," informed Robyn, looking at her watch. "It's a bit past three now... and we can head towards our homes in about two hours. Gives us time for the shadows to die down when we drop into bed."
Robyn looked at Shannon. "You can't tell your family, you realize. They'll just try to have you checked out by a psychiatrist or have you committed... I made the mistake once, at the very beginning, and I got to visit a therapist for a few weeks before I just got out of all of it by saying 'I was acting out'." She looked him up and down with a disapproving frown. "You are a prime target right now," she told him. "But then again, the first few nights are the hardest, I suppose. You'll get used to the hours soon enough." --- Rick smiled in a wry manner. "It is a good thing. I wonder what makes this all possible, though... I mean, normal people can see us at night, but they can't see our weapons or the monsters. The monsters can see us and our weapons, but they can't attack regular people. I've seen them phase straight through normal people before." It was a thought that had been on his mind for a long time now. It wasn't something that was exceptionally dire, but it nagged at him for some reason. Ever since he became part of this Game, he'd been fighting for his life... granted, that was nothing new for him if you considered the eye patch and the scars and hollow beneath it. But it was new to be an adult and at times still completely incapable of protecting another individual or even himself despite the strength and physical abilities he had gained. Even though he was a part of the Game, he still had to remember there were regular people out there... and there had been a few times where he had to face muggers or other not-so-nice people. And there were other times he had gotten hassled by police officers, too, because he looked suspicious. |
Shannon frowned at what Robyn had said.
"I wouldn't tell them anyways..." he mumbled. He knew that if he said something about it they would indeed have him see a psychiatrist. They worried too much about him, and he hated when they hovered over him like he was a baby. That's why he never told them about the bullies at school. They would take him out and start homeschooling him again. Even though he didn't have any friends at school and was teased endlessly, he would rather be there than stuck at home, never getting to see all of the other kids his age. It took him forever to convince his parents to let him into public school, so he could never tell them about anything amiss with him. He sighed and summoned his short sword again. He just wanted to get through this night, and even though he was about to fall over, he knew he couldn't let his guard down. "Let's just get this night over with," he said to her, the frown in his face deepening even further. - - - She couldn't lie, she'd thought about it herself as well. But there was nothing she could do about it, right? She was trapped until she her luck ran out or until she turned 25. "What good is it to wonder about it if we can't do anything about it?" she voiced her thoughts, a growl lacing her voice. The sounds of new creatures creeped into her ears. Their time was almost up. She stood up and stretched painfully, testing her side. It seemed like she could make it through the night fighting lower level monsters. "We shouldn't wait for them to find us in here, so let's go meet them instead," she said to Patrick as she summoned her spear, slamming the end of it onto the hard floor, the sound echoing around them. |
((Quick fast forward. I'm bored... I'm going to do just a slight generic outline of what happened so we can get on with this show.))
The pair of teenagers made their way through the streets, fighting when necessary, and avoiding people that might give them trouble when they appeared. It was not, in essence, a very good night... but then again, within the Game, they never were. Taking care to have minimal injuries, Robyn and Shannon finished the night by managing to get back to the start point. The sky was beginning to gray and night was receding. It was a point in time that Robyn sighed in relief before climbing the fire escape back into her bedroom. "Good morning to you..." she said to Shannon before haring off towards her own home, having made sure she had gotten him home in one piece physically. Mentally, of course, she wouldn't be able to tell. --- They went forward to meet the monsters, Rick wishing to do something else... like run away instead of being suicidal like Maddison seemed to be. He understood where she was coming from, but during the lulls like this and during the breaks at work, he wound up pondering the question again and again. When the stars started fading from the sky, it was time to get going back to his side of town. "We've got very little time left before we'll pass out," he cautioned, seeing the forms of monsters fading out. Their weapons, of course, didn't seem to do as such, which was comforting. "I don't know about you, but I am not sleeping in an alleyway. Not with work starting at eight!" |
[Ya, I figured that's what we'd do. :3
Bit of a long post here. xD] After Robyn left, Shannon stood there waving at her in a sort of stupor. He finally snapped out of it when the first rays of sun started to peek out over the horizon. He shook his head and went to the front door, taking out the hidden spare key, and unlocked it. The house was, thankfully, still quiet, and Shannon was able to sneak back into his room and on top of his bed. As soon as his head touched the pillow he fell asleep. It felt like he'd been asleep for five minutes before his alarm was ringing in his ears. His mother then burst into the room, yelling at him to get up. Shannon groaned and covered his ears, but soon realized that wasn't going to work. His mother was shaking him to get up. "Why are you wearing your day clothes? And why didn't you take off your glasses?" she asked him, her voice giving him a headache. He finally opened his eyes, which were bleary with sleep, and looked at his mother. "I was just really tired... I forgot," he told her lamely. She scrunched up her face in worry but left his room after telling him to hurry up and get a shower so that he wasn't late for school. He had gotten his shower, dressed simply in blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and sneakers, grabbed his backpack and a piece of toast, and was out the door in about twenty minutes flat. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry. Luckily he lived pretty close to the school so he didn't have to walk, or run, far. He sprinted into his first class right as the bell rang. The other kids looked at him funny and laughed but he just tried to ignore them. The scratches and bruises on his face had healed up, the only evidence that he had even been through the night before was the leather bracelet he wore on his wrist. The entire day was a blur, all he could think about was the previous night, images of the monsters kept haunting his thoughts. The same people teased him in every class, but he was so caught up in the nightmarish thoughts that he didn't pay any attention to them. This cost him after school was out. The bare fist flew swiftly at Shannon's face, hitting him fully in the left cheek. He felt his head jerk to the side as he fell to the ground. The one who had punched him was his main tormentor, Jason Burkley. The kid was huge for a fifteen year old, standing at about 5'11" and weighing a solid two hundred pounds, a complete muscle-head. Jason laughed as Shannon spit out blood onto the dusty ground. "You wimp, you should know better than to ignore me when I'm talking to you," Jason said to him with a snarl. He then kicked him in the stomach and Shannon gasped, and then curled up on the ground to cover his stomach. He was coughing violently now, and Jason and his buddies continued to laugh at him. Shannon was shaking, but he put immense effort into not letting himself cry. He wouldn't cry ever again, not after that life-changing night. Slowly, he stood back up, glaring up at Jason with determination, not backing down. He knew he should just run away like he usually did, but something in him had changed, and he gathered up all his courage so that he wouldn't run off scared like a child. The meat-head would be able to look straight into his eyes now, his new glasses were laying on the ground, cracked. "Come on, why don't you hit me again you giant sack of shit," he growled at the larger boy, still stunned at himself for being able to stand up to the bully. Jason actually flinched, but he obliged Shannon just a moment later, sending him flying off into the dirt again. - - - Maddison had run out to greet the new monsters, ready to tear them to pieces, but after Patrick's comment she cursed and turned on her heels. "Fine! Back to the city then hmm?" she yelled to him and she ran away from the warehouse district. She figured Patrick could make his way back home himself, so she just fled back to her own part of town, taking down weak monsters whenever she needed to. By the time she arrived back at her tiny apartment, the sun was just starting to come up, she made it back just in time for her measly hour of sleep. Breathing heavily, she dispelled her spear and buzzed herself into the complex. She managed to fall asleep quickly once she got into her own room. Another night down... she thought as she drifted to sleep. Her eyes flew open at the same time she woke up every morning. The time was programmed into her head by now. She felt her side even though she knew it would be perfectly fine. She quickly stripped down to her underwear and undid the wrappings, then took off her last two scraps of clothes and hopped into the shower. Work wasn't something she enjoyed doing, but she needed her part-time jobs so that she could pay for her cheap, run-down apartment and all the luxuries in her life. Such as her beautiful 2005 yellow Ducati Superbike 749. She loved the bike immensely, it was one of the things she could actually rely on. She sighed happily when she eyed the bike in the car garage, still as gorgeous and pristine as ever. She put her jean-clad leg up over the seat and put on her helmet. She turned on the engine and revved it before taking off out of the garage in into the streets. She hadn't driven two miles when the unthinkable happened; some idiot pulled out in front of her without any warning, causing her to crash straight into the back side door of their car. Luckily, Maddison was uninjured, but her Ducati didn't share the same luck. It was smashed up bad, and the owner of the car heard a stream of curses before her temper cooled. They guaranteed that they would pay for the damages but Maddison was still not pleased. She made them call someone they knew with a truck so that her bike could be taken to a mechanic right away. They just took her to the nearest one and then took out her crumpled bike and gave her their insurance information so that she could use it to pay for the costs. Maddison left her bike outside and entered the front door, waiting to find some assistance. |
((No problems at all with that!))
Robyn had dropped off into bed and woken up precisely an hour later. She routinely checked herself over in the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door, took her normal shower, cleaned up, fixed her hair, and threw her uniform on with practiced ease. Her parents were already gone as they were usually out the door fairly early. Her mother worked across town and her father had a client he had to represent in court early this morning, so she was left to her own devices, which suited her right down to the ground. Her day passed with little issue and she had just left her campus. As Robyn went along, she walked past the public school her school was four blocks down from that she normally passed to get to the metro station that would take her home. What Robyn saw on the grounds made her pause. What she saw Shannon. However, seeing Shannon was not the issue as she had seen a Player or two outside the Game. However, Shannon was being beating up on by what appeared to be a big jock. Her mouth reacted faster than her brain did. "Hey! Asshole! Cut that out!" She hared across the property, garnering surprised looks from the public school kids that hadn't expected the Catholic School Girl to suddenly appear out of nowhere. She didn't get there in time to keep Shannon from hitting the dirt, but she did stand protectively in front of him. "Wow, what a manly man you are! Picking on people that are obviously weaker than you so you can get your peanuts off!" she snarled, her eyes narrowed in fury and her mouth set at an ugly angle reminiscent of a snarling lioness. Her hand gripped the strap of her tote and her feet were splayed. At a moment's notice, she could fling the bag aside to protect her face as she knew good and well she wouldn't fight back so that she couldn't get in trouble. At this point, she wasn't starting a fight. She was coming to the defense of another and if he hit her, she could so get her lawyer father to press charges. --- He managed to get home in time to drop into bed, fully clothed and a couple of his more recent acquisitions of wounds unattended. His eyes popped open not too long later and he groaned as he sat up, not really wanting to move just yet. However, one glance at the clock told him to move his keester. Busily, he went through his morning ritual and threw on his work clothes. Then, he adjusted his eye patch, walked out of his little hole-in-the-wall apartment, and raced to work. He was lucky it was within walking distance as he didn't need to bother with driving. Most of Patrick's major places he visited did not require driving, which was good because the cost of having you reviewed on whether or not you could drive every single stinking year was pretty cost ineffective. As such, he was glad he was actually a motorcycle mechanic. Even though he had no depth perception, he could work on them as the motorcycles tended to be up close and personal. He could figure out depths at that range and did it all the time. He was not allowed, however, to do the inspections on any of the vehicles. Patrick understood. He was truly a liability. There were days he cursed his past and his father for taking his eye, but there was little he could do about it and he always diffused whatever comments thrown his way about it by making some comment about how all chicks digged his eye patch. His day had been going quite the normal route... when she walked straight out of the previous night and into the shop with a messed up Ducati. He cast an eye over it even as he slid out of the office with its one-way mirror. The purpose was so that the employees could see out without having to have the boss's business spied on. "Hello," Hector said, beating him to the punch of the meet-and-greet when Patrick had just entered the bay. "What happened to your bike?" |
Shannon was shocked when the girl from the previous night jumped out in front of him, as if to protect him. He stared in disbelief as Jason faltered.
He looked like he was considering beating Robyn up just to get to Shannon, but instead he took a step back. "I wouldn't hit a girl... next time your girlfriend won't be here to protect you dork," he growled to Shannon and his goons laughed as they walked off, leaving Shannon and Robyn behind. "R-Robyn? You're here? H-h-how...?" he stuttered, somehow thinking that she would only exist in the Game world and he wouldn't ever see her during the day. He stumbled a bit as he got up and picked up his cracked glasses. He sighed as they were the second pair in the past 24 hours that had gotten broken. He needed some prescription ones instead of store-bought kind but he hadn't gotten up the courage to tell his parents that he had broken the first pair. He grinned to himself at the irony; he could fight nightmarish shadow monsters but couldn't tell his mother that he had broken his glasses. He shoved the broken lenses into his pocket and turned to face the girl. - - - "Some idiot pulled out in front of me, ran straight into the side of their car," she said with spite, still fuming over the incident. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she explained to the man, not having seen that Patrick was here. The toe of her boot was tapping against the floor, an obvious annoyance in its rhythm. No telling what it would cost her to get her bike fixed up, or if it could even be fixed up. She had saved up for so long and had managed to pay the entire thing off just a couple of years ago. Now she might have to do that all over again. |
Robyn cast him a sidelong look before yelling across the yard. "And remember this, Peanut! Assult's a crime! So is harassment! Don't think you're getting away with this!" She watched the Neanderthals leave the vicinity before returning her gaze to Shannon. "And you! You should report that to the police! Don't these public schools have cops around for this sort of shit?"
Her voice was full of rancor and she was obviously a less than happy individual. Her mother and father would have kittens over this, she knew well. But at least he hadn't actually hit her, but she was going to drag Shannon to some kind of authority figure to get whoever that jackass was reported. --- ((Despite the fact Rick is a mechanic, I am not. I may have to B.S. my way through the damages.)) "Looks messed up," Patrick said, his wild red hair bright against his navy uniform as he walked over. "But doesn't look too terribly bad." He knelt down next to it as Hector frowned, not liking that Rick had horned in unexpectedly with the hot chick. "Looks like the back end is fine, but the front suspension looks like it has some issues. Kinda bent and will have to be replaced. Rim of the tire's bent, too." Hector bucked up at that point, trying to save some face and plastering a bright smile on. "It shouldn't be hard to fix at all, ma'am. We can get the parts in and work on it immediately. Do you have insurance?" |
Shannon's eyes widened in shock, then he composed himself and felt his mouth turn down into a frown.
"I don't need to tell anybody, it's fine," he grumbled, glaring down at the ground. His face was numb where Jason's fist had met it. He spit onto the ground, a red-tinted glob of saliva. He knew he was going to have an even worse day tomorrow. The fact that Robyn had had to jump in and rescue him would only cause more ridicule. He wanted to tell Robyn to just leave him alone, but he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. She was just trying to help, and she had saved his life more than once in the Game. He should be grateful to her. - - - Patrick had seemed to pop up out of nowhere, surprising Maddison, but she didn't show her shock. Instead she grinned and stopped tapping her foot. "Thanks for the analysis eye patch," she teased. Then she turned her attention to the other man present. "Ya I do... the paperwork would be in the storage of the seat, as long as it isn't torn to shreds. Or if you can even open it." She shifted her weight before continuing. "I do have copies at my apartment though, just in case the ones in there.. aren't there anymore." |
She saw the look on his face and recognized defiance when she saw it. He was one of those types, it seemed, that would take a beating and not do anything about it. "Hardly fine," she said, softening her tone as she eyed him critically after he had spit out that bloodied saliva. Robyn sighed. "Open your mouth and let me see the damage. I wish you would tell someone, though. You could file a suit and I could provide the lawyer. My dad's one."
--- Hector nodded and turned to the bike only to find Patrick already working the seat open. Patrick sifted through the material and located the insurance card. "I'm going to be honest and tell you that it could be hard to repair and cheaper to buy a new one," Patrick said, looking at Hector with amusement gleaming in his eye. Hector, he felt, needed to be taken down a few notches. He was the sort of guy that was typically coined a 'ladies man' and Rick enjoyed his company at times, but in times where Rick was the superior (especially when it came to being the repair man), he felt that Hector should back off. "You did file a report with the police as well as the insurance, right?" It seemed redundant to ask such a question, but Rick wanted to cover his bases. |
He was going to refuse, but ended up doing what she asked, opening his mouth wide.
"Ah don nee uh lahaw, ah cah deu wi doe gahs ahsef," he gargled out at her, his mouth still open. If he went around telling adults about what was happening to him it would only make the situation worse. He was a guy, and guys couldn't go around crying about getting beat up. It was the rules... of life or something, the way things were. For the time he had been going to public school he had been teased, and a coward. But now that he had gone through that hellish night, he felt as though he could finally stand up for himself, as if it had injected the courage he was missing all his life. He thought suddenly about the Wizard of Oz, like he was the cowardly lion and had just received his courage from the leader of the magical city. Or some of it at least, the thought of returning to that shadow world tonight frightened him to the point of feeling sick. - - - Foot beginning to tap again, she merely nodded at the question. The news that she probably need to buy a new bike didn't make her happy. She would probably end up doing so, perhaps take out a small loan to help pay for it, but she wanted to hear the cost of the damages before she made a decision. "You think you can give me an estimate of the costs? Maybe we could sit down and discuss it..." she said to Patrick. She glanced down at her bracelet that couldn't be removed and thought about thanking him for last night. She wasn't the type of person who ever thanked anyone, but he DID save her ass. It was quite the coincidence that she ran into him again today, she hadn't expected to see him again. |
Robyn inspected the interior of his mouth, mentally running the words to translate the gibberish. "Yes, you did very well with them," she said in a somewhat sarcastically 'consoling' tone. "You must have had your tongue between your teeth at one point because you bit the shit out of your tongue." She pulled away after the inspection. "You do realize they could be kicked out of school for what they've done? Brought up on criminal charges? Why don't you do something to ensure not only your safety but the safety of others like you?"
--- ((I'm not going to throw a number out. I have no clue what the costs would be. Pretend it to be whatever you want.)) Patrick did a mental tally and held a hand up, see-sawing it back and forth to indicate this was an approximate guess-timate as he tossed a figure range out to her. "That's just an approximation, not an actual tally," he warned. "It could be more than that." ((Sorry, short post.)) |
[Sorry for taking so long to reply. Dx
Also, do you know how we're gonna get into the plot really? Should we discuss it over pm?] Shannon shook his head at all of her concerns. It probably would be smart to tell someone about the bullying so that they might be taken care of, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Perhaps it was a matter of pride, he wasn't sure. "No. Forget about them, I sort of have bigger problems to worry about now. As for other victims... I think I'm the only one they mess with to this extreme... since I'm the most wimpy and cowardly one at this school," he said with a sad sigh. He wouldn't be such a victim anymore, and he would stand up to Jason and his gang of goons from now on anytime they messed with him. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked back up at Robyn. "What are you doing here anyways?" he asked. During all the excitement he had forgotten the shock of seeing her again. He had honestly expected to either only see her during the Game or never again. - - - The number was as bad as she had expected, but nothing she couldn't handle over time. Being broke and not being able to afford luxuries wasn't something that Maddi spent time worrying about. And right now she wasn't thinking so much about the bike, more about talking to the other Player in front of her. Since she wasn't a very social person, especially during the Game, she had never interacted with someone she had seen in the Game outside in the real world. Despite her usual attitude, right now she felt a bit of marvel at seeing this man in a greasy mechanics uniform with a monkey wrench instead of wielding a massive hammer and taking out monsters. Impulsively, she grabbed Patrick's wrist and pulled him out of the small room and into the bright sunlight outside. She dropped his arm and walked a few feet further from the building, then turned to face him. "Maybe it's not as strange to you as it is to me but I'm a little shocked to see you. And as a barking mechanic no less. Isn't it a bit tough to work on dainty engines with one eye?" she asked, not caring if the subject was insensitive or not. She was actually surprised at herself; she always figured if she saw another Player outside of the Game she wouldn't give a shit, but now she thought that maybe she really did want someone who knew about that world to talk to. |
((We probably should discuss it over PMs. I'm trying to think of ideas, but I can't put any together at the moment. We need to toss ideas off each other.))
Robyn blinked and then had the decency to blush. "Um... I was going back home to get my homework done." She looked down her front at her school uniform before returning her gaze to him. "And I should get going. Just because you're involved in the Game doesn't mean you have to lay down for whatever life throws at you otherwise." She turned and began to walk away from him. "Talk to you tonight." And with that, the young woman took off, running to get to her own school. --- Patrick looked at her for a long moment before he barked out a laugh before falling into a boisterous chuckle. "Believe me, it's not too bad when I'm close. Depth perception only whacks me at a distance." He chuckled again, his lone eye shining. "Imagine my shock when you come strolling into the shop. I never would have thought about seeing a Player outside the Game. Most of the ones I do see tend to have just died in it." There was a morbid humor to that as well, but he sobered slightly and only allowed himself a small grin. "So, Mizz Maddison..." he drawled, deliberately affecting a Mississippi accent into his words. "What, pray tell, can I do for you?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, not allowing her annoyance to dampen his spirits any. After all, that incredulity was the very thing that was making him laugh. |
And just like that he was by himself, watching her run and her hair fluttering in the wind. Warily he glanced back at the school, saw nobody, and then started to make his way around the building so that he could get on his route to his house. There were still kids hanging out around the school and he could feel their gazes on him as he walked, but he just kept his eyes set forward and didn't bother to acknowledge his classmates.
Robyn's words were still sounding in his ears, "Talk to you tonight." Suddenly the weight of the leather bracelet on his wrist felt like a concrete glove, reminding him that there was much more to fear than a schoolyard bully. When he got home he shut the door, yelled "I'm home", and started to run up the stairs to his room. He was hoping that he could get to his room without his mother seeing him but of course he wasn't that lucky. She happened to be upstairs and he nearly ran into her as he hopped up the last few steps. "Woah Shannon, slow down the-" she halted, a gasp erupting from her mouth as she saw her son's injuries. He could immediately feel her hands on his face, and he winced as she brought her palm across his left cheek where Jason's fist had slammed into it. "Ah, Shannon, sorry! What happened to you?!" she said, her voice increasing in volume with every syllable. He groaned and pulled away from his mother, ducking under her arms and then putting a hand out to stop her from coming at him again. "It's fine mom, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." And with that Shannon turned away from his mother, her face scrunched up in worry, and ran to his room. He clicked the lock on the door as soon as it shut and threw his backpack to the ground. He waited for a few moments to see if his mother would come to the door and try to coax him out, but after a minute relaxed when no sound came from outside his room. He didn't know what else he was supposed to do now. He had homework but it all seemed ridiculous now; sitting at his desk and doing algebra equations when in three to four hours he would be fighting off shadowy monsters. In the end he found himself slipping out his window, carefully climbing down to the ground, and roaming the streets. There was no point in waiting in his room, curled up on his bed waiting for night to fall so that he could repeat the previous night. - - - Crossing her arms, Maddison allowed herself a humorless smirk at his playfulness. "Shut it Cyclops. I just thought I'd... ugh... thank you for saving my ass last night. And you should feel honored, I don't say such things to just anyone you know," she said with a grimace. She felt awkward having those words come out of her mouth, and she didn't want to prolong the moment. "Look, just... take care of my bike, I'll buy another one. And as for the stupid Game, expect this thanks as a one time thing. I don't take you as the buddy-buddy type and neither am I, it was strange to meet up with you again but I don't expect to see you again." This whole situation had taken her off-guard and she didn't appreciate that. She would want to take out her frustrations out in the Game ten-fold tonight, and she was eagerly anticipating the chance. "I can send the money for taking care of the bike, don't worry," she added as a last remark before turning away from the other Player and walking off. The whole conversation felt weird but Maddison was known for her ranging moods and personality. Right now she forced herself to forget about the chance encounter with thoughts of pushing her spear through the ugly faces of the monsters in the Game. [Do you mind the colored posts? I'm wanting to make my replies all pretty so ya... xD You can tell me if you'd prefer them to stay black though heh.] |
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:08 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin®