Suren Forsberg |19|Small, Pixie-like girl with a perpetual whimsical expression|Survivor|Wastes|Mentions: Cayenne | Pax

Stay. It was the only word that seemed to make Suren pause as the word floated over the landscape and into her ears. It had been a real voice, and she blinked a few times, finally noticing the woman and her dog. Her head tilted. Had she been talking to her, or telling her dog to stay? Either way, a command was a command and so she swayed on the spot slightly, watching as another figure approached. It was surprising, for weeks no one and then suddenly, two brand new friends. Well, hopeful friends.
Come over. It was better than being shot at, the request. Suren floated over two the pair with a blissful smile.
"Nice to meet you. Are we far? I swear I was just in the city. Or, a city. Might have been a neighborhood, it's hard to tell you know? Some neighborhoods are just as big as a small City. Or would they just be called a city?" She suddenly frowed as she pondered her own question for a moment, and then shrugged.
"Not lost, my friends are lost. You know how it goes. So easy to lose people now a days." She bobbed her head a few more times pleasantly, turning her attention to the other three, staring with rather wide unblinking eyes.

When her gazeet Garnets however, she crouched to peer at the dog, her attention shifting once again, like a leaf in the wind.
"Oh sorry for being rude. It's nice to meet you too, Garnet." she held out a hand as if to shake the dogs paw.

(For Moe's power: Surens legitimately happy and calm, except when she mentions losing friends. There's something dark there but it's reaaaallly repressed.)

⇼||Nadia Timéo||⇼
21||Female (Trans)||Survivor||Location: Abandoned City-Old Elementary School||Mentions:Zach, Vincent

Nadia blinked in the grim light. She yearned for the sun, even just a ray. She hadn't seen it in so long and it had taken a toll on her once glimmering skin. She pondered how long it had been since she saw it and decided it had been almost a year. The realization hit her in full wave and caused her to scrunch her nose in disgust. She seemed to faze for a second. She took a breath and became solid again.

She continued her quest to find food and a place to shelter from the oncoming storm. She hated getting wet so she needed somewhere here to sleep. She pushed her small body against a nearby building that had been a school at some point. Her murky eyes scanned the building, taking the sight in. Rotting wood that had been desk’s, scrap metal from lockers and loose papers lay scattered out front. She tried to imagine it as a bustling school but couldn’t.

Her heart felt heavy after looking over the building. Shattered old windows here and there and holes in the walls. She sat her backpack down and opened it slowly. She pulled out an old doll from her childhood and set it down beside the bag so that she could zip her bag back up and sling it over her shoulder. She whistled and a larger than average tuxedo cat made its way from the rubble. It was carrying a large bald rat with dead beady eyes. He plopped it down in front of her and smiled. Nadia petted him and then set the plush in his jaws.

The feline creature took it up to the front steps of the school and set it down right there. It made its way back to her open arms through the maze of glass, brick and large weeds. She set it on her shoulder and put the rat in her bag. She continued along the rest of the building to an alleyway between it and another building. She paused when she heard voices and peeked her head around the corner. She spotted two men in the dark after her eyes adjusted.

She crept along the shadows on one side of the alleyway. She approached them slowly before making her presence known by stepping out from the shadows.

[ Thane Percer ]
27 |:| Male |:| Survivor
Location – Abandoned City |:| Mentions - Echo, Adelaide, Jack, Vincent


And now they were down two four. The owner of the backpack – well, previous owner, considering he had dropped it almost as if he had burnt himself – had made a dash and disappeared into a random alleyway. Thane didn't even start to consider following him,because – at least in his experience – people who ran away did so to escape whatever situation they had been in. Also, it truly was none of his business and most people didn't appreciate prying very much anyway. Similarly, Thane wasn't really buying that Echo's leg was fine. Sure, he hadn't gotten a good look at the wound itself and since blood wasn't pooling around his ankle the scrape probably wasn't too deep to begin with, but infections could still be a bitch to deal with. Nevertheless, not Thane's problem to deal with because nobody likes nosiness. (Too bad he would always remain a nosy person by nature. Not even the literal apocalypse could change that.)

When the girl speaking up for the first time turned the conversation into a very serious 'discussion' on whether foxes were cats or dogs, Thane's eyes drifted back to the bag which had been left behind, now lying on the dusty street where Jack had kicked it previously. It made him all of a sudden overly conscious of his own backpack currently slung over his shoulder, which felt a bit lighter than he would have liked. Wasn't this reason he had come here in the first place? Thane lifted his head to look up at the sky. The haze didn't seem much different, but a storm was definitely brewing. He didn't know when it would hit, however he was certain it would eventually. As refreshing as it was to be able to decently communicate with some other survivors, maybe his time would be running out soon.

His decision was made. ”Great talk.”, he started off while raking his fingers through his hair in an attempt to flatten the messy curls just the tiniest bit (it was a futile endeavor but one could always try), ”But I'm afraid I have to cut this short. My schedule is really full today, you know, with all the scavenging for supplies and finding a shelter before the storm screws me over. I'm sure you understand. Now, if you'll excuse me. With that Thane swiftly turned around and began walking towards the entrance of the store they had all gathered in front of. Many would call turning your back on a group of basically unknown survivors careless. Thane called it 'overly confident in his reaction time'. As he reached the door he had one last thing to casually throw over his shoulder before opening the door to step inside, ”Have a nice life.”

• Felix Kepler •
25 |•| Male |~| Survivor
|•| Location - Abandoned City - Department Store |~| Mentions - Marcus

It took only the stranger’s promise he was real to rekindle Felix’s earlier nonchalant attitude for a second time, and he could offer no more than a half-shaky exhale as evident relief passed through him. While their certainly was more to fear from something real than not, in place of where fear should have resided, was merely gratitude. Marcus could surely not have helped ‘being real’ any more than he could have helped being a passing figment of fragmented imagination, and yet? Felix was grateful towards him nonetheless.

It meant nothing and everything simultaneously, to the man that seconds before believed himself to be the only real thing left. “Oh” seemed to be the only word he could manage after Marcus had introduced himself, for a moment, and it was within this moment that as momentary revelations passed through his typically-scatterbrained brain, an assortment of things occurred to him. Namely, the fact his initial impression had neither been particularly good or impressive at all, come to think of it. As sensible as it seemed for him to speak to Darcy and Klaus, if the brief frown he has caught on Marcus’ now unreadable face was anything to go by, it was not necessarily the ‘norm’.

”-I’m not crazy, y’know...” dubious words were scarcely any louder than whisper as his eyes settled upon the pair of mannequins from which he now slightly edged away; body language now mirroring that of Marcus’ as his arms uncertainly folded across his chest, before he mildly cleared his throat as if to speak louder. ”I’m not crazy.” Repeated he firmly, seemingly unsettled and somewhat hurt by the accusation that Marcus had neither spoken nor implied.

He gave only a sigh, then, inclined to wonder if he was simply making things worse as his mouth decidedly ran away with itself in an effort to make things a little less bad. Apparently. ”It’s better to talk to something than nothing. Up until ten minutes ago, if I had asked me, I would have said that I’m the only person still alive. You’re...You’re the first person I’ve seen, alive in ages. I don’t....I don’t get out of here much, if you couldn’t already tell. They walk around, out there...Here is better...” His eyes flickered to the window at the ominous mention of they, at which point a small shudder seemed to pass through him. The “they” he spoke of, of course, referred to the monsters. Doctors, though it was a name he himself did not recognise them as.

He seemed almost reflective then, mind still clearly fixated on wandering monsters and just how much better here was than the relative unknown of out there. It lasted only briefly, of course, and his attention would snap back to Marcus once again, having lapses back into the realisation that Marcus was bothered with other things; such as his certainty on the topic of food.

To which, Felix provided a curt nod. ”I’ve still got some cans stashed in the back room. Since the raccoon showed me what’s edible, I jus’ save ‘m. For emergencies.” As if on cue, he produced a pinecone from somewhere within the depths of his pocket, promptly proceeding to bash such against the nearby counter, till the nuts he sought were reluctantly yielded. Within the minute he began to snack, his features seemed to wrinkle as he spoke through a mouthful.”What I’m saying is, take some if you want. Pine nuts taste like ass, but they’re relatively easy to find.” A simple shrug overall, such a rather good indication Marcus was free to do as he wished. He didn’t mention the suggestion of trade that Marcus had offered, simply because nothing promptly sprang to mind. Nonetheless, he spoke again, still plainly on the subject of pine nuts. ”...Want one?”

| Adelaide Victoria Thompson |
18 | Female | Survivor | Location- abandoned city | Mentions: Thane, Jack, and Echo

Addie listened with her mouth pressed into a straight line, the cat on her shoulders falling silent as the dog retreated. A cat? There was no way this was a cat. Cats didn't have fangs that long or tails that bushy, and mutated or not, that was much too big to be a cat. At his eye roll, Addie's own eyes narrowed, giving her the look of a mother shouldered with insufferable children. However, before she could retort, Echo butted in, with a tone Addie often used when addressing Ody over a particularly bland issue. She could feel the irritation rising in her chest. Of course she didn't know what a fox looked like. Why should she know? She never lived by the woods, she'd never cared much for wild animals. She never needed it for life, and she never thought she did. Of course, as is often the case with teenagers, all her frustration was difficult to control, and it all bubbled out into one short, snappish retort:

"Well I'm sorry I don't know what some woodland creature looks like."

Yes, she would admit, it was a little mean, but she hated being ganged up on, surrounded, with unfair odds. Even if the intentions of the boys weren't malicious, Addie did hate to lose. And she hated appearing defenseless and weak. At Echo's testament towards the fox's playfulness, Addie only hummed, the tone making it difficult to discern her newest mood. The cat on her shoulders sure hadn't been enjoying himself, as his sides still rose and fell quickly, and she could feel his claws digging slightly into her shoulders. The little tidbit of information about the boy's gathering needs, however, did warm Addie up to him slightly. Ody wasn't the best at bringing food, and what he did leave for her was often mangled beyond recognition, if not disgustingly coated in dust and god knows what else. She hadn't yet been desperate enough to eat one. And she hoped she never would be.

Instead of replying, however, the girl remained in her stance, arms crossed, face now showing little emotion. The little pulses of pain that had been radiating from her shoulder had ceased, as did the furrow in her brow as she dealt with it, and apparently, so did their little meeting. The man called Thane, the one who was frighteningly tall, excused himself with a mention of the storm. The air had been weighing down heavily on Addie as the group spoke. He then left for the storefront, leaving Addie to wonder how nice it must be to have long legs. The distance of his lunges... But she was brought rapidly back to the present as the wind picked up, sending loose pieces of paper and trash drifting lazily across the streets.

Taking one last look at the cat, Addie nodded at the two survivors left, Echo and Jack. Perhaps she might have said something, but for lack of a better sentence, she simply left one word behind in her wake:

"Later."

As she walked, passing Echo and the fox and Jack on her way to her corporate home, she realized how much she'd missed people, even if the interaction had been riddled with tension and she had snapped a bit. Regardless, she couldn't just turn around and apologize- she was too proud to anyway. Instead, she simply pushed herself into a jog as the impending storm loomed closer, the jar of honey weighing heavily in her pocket.

[ John “Jack” Peterson ]
17 • Male • Survivor
Location: Abandoned City • Mentions: Thane, Adelaide, Echo

Jack frowned at Echo's accusation that he'd never seen a fox before. Of course he knew what a fox looked like, he wasn’t a complete moron. He'd been partially joking with his correction, but he had stumbled upon several mutated cats since the virus that looked suspiciously like foxes, so his assumption wasn't entirely founded in ignorance. Oh, wait. Thinking back on it, Jack realized those might have actually been foxes he'd encountered, although he had no idea why so many of them were in the city. Weren't foxes supposed to live in the forest? Apparently so, since the cat girl had referred to them as ”some woodland creature” in her sharp retort.

Thane's sudden departure caught Jack off guard. Oh, right. There was a storm brewing, likely a nasty one from the looks of it, although weather predictions had never been his forté. The next thing he knew, the girl was walking away too, and Jack and Echo were the only ones left. Well, unless he counted the fox, but he wasn't even fully convinced it was a fox, so he didn't count it.

”So, uh. Guess it's just you and me now,” he said awkwardly, turning his attention towards the only other person that hadn't left. Eyeing the bloody leg, he raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Is that going to need medical attention? I know how to dress a wound, but I’m about as far from an actual doctor as you can get beyond wrapping bandages. Just thought I'd warn you in case you pass out from blood loss and I'm supposed to save your life. I hate to break it to you, but I'm basically useless with that kind of stuff.”

××××××××⚠××××××××

[ Thiago da Silva ]
28 • Non-binary • Survivor
Location: Wastelands • Mentions: Greg, Niles

Movement above grabbed Thiago’s attention before he could respond to the invader's excuses, and he caught sight of a man grabbing onto the vines outside of the house as he attempted to climb out of the bedroom window. It would have been amusing, had Thiago not been fully aware of the fact that the vines were much weaker than the escapee probably assumed. Clearly, a nap was too much to ask for.

Sighing, Thiago turned his attention to the long-dead tree standing in the middle of the yard like a rotten statue, walking the short distance to where a large, brittle branch was outstretched as if begging to be put out of its misery. Hoping the abysmal sunlight and the little energy he had left would be enough, he grabbed the limb, the vines on his wrists growing and climbing further up his arms as he drew upon his abilities. It took more effort than he was used to, but after a moment the withered bark beneath his fingers seemed to swell and stiffen as life was breathed back into the tree. Vibrant green leaves sprouted from the limbs, the previously-dead tree returning to its original size and shape and restoring any offshoots that had fallen off after the Plague. The entire process lasted barely half a minute before the intruder he was rescuing had his feet on the windowsill and prepared to drop.

It was possible that Thiago was far too calm and relaxed for someone attempting to save the life of a man plummeting to his death. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe it was the fact that this certainly wasn’t his first time retrieving a flight risk from a window. His hands shot out towards the escapee as though to catch him, and with a low groan, the tree leaned with him, limbs extending and splaying to break the fall. When the man landed on the largest of the branches, Thiago’s arms returned to their position crossed over his chest, body swaying slightly from the energy he'd lost. The questions directed at him were only met with a disapproving glare of silence.

The other trespasser suggested they have a civil discussion from where he now stood at the door, and Thiago decided to focus his attention on the much more reasonable of the two. ”I wasn't planning on fighting or leaving, actually. You and your friend are the ones invading my house.” He paused, glancing back up to the man stuck in the tree like a helpless kitten. ”First you break into my house, then you try to break back out. What, is this place not good enough for your tastes?” he sneered, glare hardening. Thiago may not have been a violent or cruel person by any standards, but he was tired and frustrated and he really, really just wanted a nap, because this was not what he had in mind when he wanted to find other survivors.

××××××××⚠××××××××

[ Oliver Waterworth ]
31 • Male • Survivor
Location: Abandoned City • Mentions: Enzae

Oliver may have panicked a bit when the words ”If you let go, you may die,” were spoken, tightening his grip but otherwise managing to not completely freak out. (Somehow.) Then everything started to blur, like when Oliver would wear his older glasses when he lost his correct pair before the virus stripped his need for vision correctors. It was nauseating. He began to worry that this was a setup, that the boy had lured him in with a false promise of security and was now stealing his abilities before he left him to face the ferocious dog on his own. The world around them was terrifying, grey and lifeless and dull aside from the inklings of the most foreboding shade of red Oliver had ever seen lurking in his peripheral. The boy's eyes were a similar color, reminding Oliver of deoxygenated blood - a comparison that he violently repressed the moment it came to mind. Some sort of inky black substance that Oliver couldn't identify trickled from his eyes, and his body was trembling. ”We are invisible to it. We will remain so as long as I remain.” The explanation did little to reassure Oliver that he was not, in fact, going to die in that alleyway. It did, however, redirect his focus to something he could actually focus on. Sound.

Oliver had never in his life been so relieved to hear a dog (especially not one the size of a small car) growling nearby as he concentrated more on what he could hear than what he could see. He could pick out every heavy step and every ragged breath the beast took, disproving his fears of the boy before him stealing his powers. At the realization that this wasn't a trap, curiosity took the place of anxiety, and he studied his (hopefully temporary) perception of reality with fascination, keeping the sounds of the hunter around the corner as his main focal point. His nausea began to fade, replaced by a thousand different questions racing through his mind about the boy's abilities and how they worked.

Then the monster rounded the corner, and all of the blood drained from Oliver's face. It seemed to recognize his scent as fresh, drool and foam frothing at its mouth in a disgusting display of hunger. He was glad his vision was distorted - he probably would have screamed if he could see the mutant in extreme HD. The weakening grip on his hand brought Oliver back to the present and he glanced back at the boy, realizing with dread that his companion seemed to have a greater difficulty keeping up their disguise as the canine drew closer. Dark eyes hardening into determination, he examined the buildings surrounding them, cursing the fact that they were at a dead end. No. Wait. There was an escape - some sort of small corner store that may have once been a coffee shop before the virus but had since been reduced to little more than a windowless room, providing a way out of the alleyway without getting too close to the predator. (He hoped it wouldn’t be too close, at least, but he had no idea if his assumptions were correct. God, he hated how uncertain he’d become after the Plague. He used to be so sure of everything, so confident in his knowledge and skills as a scientist, but now he wasn’t even sure he could put trust in the facts that had once come so easily to him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't possible. It wasn't-)

Oliver looked back to the boy, whispered a quiet ”Don't let go,” tightened his grip on the hand controlling his illusions and ran. It took all of his self-control to move slowly enough that the boy could keep up, having deduced that he either couldn't see at all or had very limited sight in his current state. But somehow they made it to the building without the mongrel so much as glancing their way, too distracted by the sudden dead-end of scents to notice his prey escaping. Oliver was careful to warn the illusionist of the elevated window panes when they crossed over them so that he wouldn't trip, but otherwise had no intention of stopping or slowing down in the escape, hoping the boy would be able to keep up the disguise long enough for them to slip by unnoticed. He knew they wouldn't be able to run forever, and that he'd have to find a safe place to rest soon, but his top priority was putting as much distance as possible between them and the frustrated dog behind them.

Enzae Mercier
18 | Male | Survivor
Location; Abandoned City | Mentions; Oliver

Enzae allowed himself to be pulled along by his companion, stumbling blindly through the red blur of a world. Every breath was a struggle; forced in through burning lungs as a horrible, shallow gasp. His other hand came up, grabbing weakly at Oliver's arm as he bumped into the taller man. His fingers dug painfully into his flesh, his nails seeming to bypass those thick gloves and pierce far too easily into the delicate skin. Thankfully, such a grip did not draw blood. That would just add to another thing Enzae had to conceal.

He was quite aware of the fact the dog could still smell them, though it only jolted to his attention as it made its new appearance. In his haste to twist its sight and hearing, he'd completely forgotten about the canine's acute sense of smell. In his mind, he was reaching out; extending his hand through the thick fog of red and black so that he may grasp at the strings which held the creature's senses. Very slowly, he was twining yet another one of the threads around his fingers, weaving it and tying it to the other two which had previously been in his clutches. The knot was looser than he'd prefer, but it'd have to make do for now. Their scents would suddenly be fainter, but not completely absent from the air. He wasn't sure if he could influence the dog any further without causing serious harm to himself. Enzae already knew the crash from this would be killer. Hopefully, he'd be far from this... person by that point.

Oliver's whisper fell upon deaf ears, although this didn't matter too much. Enzae wasn't planning on letting go. Because, surely, if that large hand broke away from his own, he would find himself on the ground, and soon in the jaws of that beast. He knew that by this point, he was too far gone to remain stable on his own. It was all he could do to keep from blacking out. It wasn't usually this bad - but he'd already used his abilities right before this encounter, in a feat of escaping unnoticed from a small group he'd seen earlier. Enzae preferred to avoid any survivors he saw rather than try to team up like the others were... yet, somehow, here he was; saving one of them.

Well. It was sort of mutual at this point, he decided. This man could easily let go of him and leave him for the dog. But he'd already gotten the point across that he would die if their contact was parted. He had a feeling that if he had not said this, Oliver would not be so keen on making sure he was able to keep up. It was everyone for themselves in this world. Enzae had figured that out pretty quickly. Nobody, no matter how much they tried to tell you otherwise, truly cared. If it came down to it, they would save themselves before even attempting to save you.

Enzae was one of these people. He had no problem sacrificing another life for his own... So why, in this situation, had it become the opposite? Why was he sacrificing his life for a complete strangers? Enzae himself didn't know, and perhaps even the gods above had no true idea what had sparked his actions. It would remain a mystery to all. He could not explain the reasoning behind what he chose to do, and what he chose not to do.

"Look at the street signs." His voice was suddenly cutting through the grey silence. A look at Enzae would reveal those red eyes were now almost completely overtaken by an oily black. The same substance streamed continuously down his pale cheeks, turning his mask sticky and wet. It was skin-tight now, his former covering. The boy's identity was concealed no more - unless having half your face black left one unidentifiable. "Do you see North Street? Head down the - ." Coughing interrupted his speech. His free hand was brought to his covered mouth, stifling the sound. Red was visible on his fingertips when he pulled it away; a startling burst of color in this otherwise dull environment. The presence of blood did not seem to bother Enzae, though.

His next move was terribly stupid. Enzae wasn't even in the right mindset to think about the consequences of this action. He was suddenly taking the lead, veering off sharply to the left so they could head down North Street. He yanked Oliver along, a grim determination set upon his face. "Look for a tall, broken down house. It will be easy for you to spot." It would look nothing like the others in the area - for, truly, it was not a house, but merely a decoy for what laid just underneath its floor. He would know. His parents built it themselves.

It wasn't his smartest idea to lead this stranger right into his hideout - but, alas, it was a better option than running around in the open, looking for somewhere else that could provide shelter. Dangerous things lurked in this city; far worse than that mutt. He could not fool them all at once.

♠|| Echo Wilders||♠
18 |:| Genderfluid: Currently male |:| Survivor
Location- Abandoned City |:| Mentions: Thane, Vincent, Jack, Adelaide, and Zachary

Echo hadn't intended for her comment to sound spiky, but when the sword girl snapped back about not knowing much about woodland creatures, Echo realized the truth behind that. Foxes never entered the city during the day, and he had only ever seen a fox at night, and it was apparently starving, rummaging behind a dumpster. Even Kai was looking at him that said "Geez, you could have said it nicer." Echo was about to apologize, when Thane excused himself, making mention of the storm that was swiftly approaching and his need to gather extra supplies before it. Echo looked up and realized that the storm had neared in on them in the last few minutes. The man stop in the store entrance and tossed out a ”Have a nice life.” before disappearing inside. Echo looked after him blankly, trying to interpret what he was implying with those words. "Does he not think we can survive out here because we're kids?" He muttered to himself. When the sword girl turned around and stated jogging away with a simple "later", Echo remembered himself and yelled "Sorry!", but he wasn't sue if she heard it.

”So, uh. Guess it's just you and me now,” The Jack boy said before looking at Echo's leg. ”Is that going to need medical attention? I know how to dress a wound, but I’m about as far from an actual doctor as you can get beyond wrapping bandages. Just thought I'd warn you in case you pass out from blood loss and I'm supposed to save your life. I hate to break it to you, but I'm basically useless with that kind of stuff.” Echo looked at him strangely for a few moments before bursting out into laughter. The last sentence particularly amused him, as it reminded him of himself quiet well. Oddly enough, Echo felt a lot less awkward after that. "Don't worry, saving passed out people isn't my forte, either." He said after calming down. Hey opened his backpack and rummaged through it before pulling out a small, beaten up first aid kit. "If you could dress it, that would be great. All I really had in mind was giving it quick wash and then wrapping it." He felt as if he should give the boy something in return, and he noticed how skinny he was, so he pulled out a can of pineapples as well before handing the items to the boy. The pineapples weren't the most sustainable items out there, but the sugar would grant some energy. "It looks like it's going to be a big one." He said as he rolled up his torn pants leg. "You should go back to your shelter after this, unless you want to catch a cold and a soggy appearance. I'll probably have to reinforce my bunker to make sure it doesn't flood." He let out a dramatic sigh. "It's such hard work, too! I wouldn't choose a bunker to live, if I were you. It's very well hidden, but great for being turned into a under water lake if not protected." Echo had no idea why he was rambling about his hard to maintain shelter. Maybe he missed talking to other people more than he knew.

⇺ [ Gregory Black ] ⇻
30 |:| Male |:| Survivor
Location - Wastelands |:| Mentions - Niles, Thiago

As Pumpkin and Ember descended the staircase, the former was quick to pull ahead of his companion, winding around Niles’ legs with a shivering tail and bright eyes once he reached him. He meows loudly and expectantly, his amber gaze drifting toward Niles’ hands. Ember was more cautious despite her curiosity, leaping to sit atop the flat newel at the end of the banister, watching the visitor with interest. Pumpkin’s demands to be petted were sadly interrupted as a commotion outside drew the man’s attention away, and the Maine Coon grumbled as Niles moved toward the door.

Determined not to be ignored, Pumpkin follows Niles and pauses beside him in the doorway, witnessing the scene outside unfold, seemingly unfazed by it. Greg, meanwhile, was less than thrilled with his current predicament. Rising into a sitting position, he resists the urge to wince as pain shoots up his rib cage, a hand moving to press against his bruised bones in an assessment of his condition. Satisfied that indeed nothing was broken, he tried to work out how he’d get to the ground without asking for help or hurting himself further because no way in hell was he requesting aid from either of these strangers.

The house owner was perhaps reasonably disgruntled by the whole affair, but that didn’t stop Greg from shooting a sharp glance his way. "The last few times I encountered other survivors they tried to murder me, so forgive me for not wanting to stick around and introduce myself," he replied icily. "Besides, this place is a wreck. How was I supposed to know someone lived here? Take better care of your shit." It likely wasn’t the wisest thing to snap back at the person whose mercy he was at, but Greg was never one for holding his tongue. Looking over Thiago critically, his gaze lingered on the vines sprouting from his wrists as well as the fact he was very well...green. "You brought the tree back to life," he guessed a bit sullenly. God. He really hated the thought of some rando saving his life. "Thanks I guess."

Niles suggesting they all come inside and talk things out civilly saw his gaze divert to him. The man looked less than threatening, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t withholding a powerful ability. Greg told himself he was right to have been cautious despite the fact everything seemed to be pointing to the fact neither of these people were a danger to him and if he’d just come down when Niles first called for him they all could have avoided a lot of trouble and he wouldn’t currently feel like he’d been run over by a truck.

Quite suddenly, Greg felt a familiar sensation wash over him, and his expression was, needless to say, irked. "Oh, now you want to work!" It was over within seconds. One moment he was on the branch and the next he was gone, melding with the shadow the tree cast across the lawn before he rematerialized next to Thiago, unsteady on his feet and nearly falling over before managing to right himself. Well, he still supposed that was better than having to climb down.

Victoria King
32 / Female / Survivor
Location: Abandoned City / Mentions: Felix and Marcus

Faded, torn paper skidded across the desolate city landscape, carried away by the rising winds. As Tori strode down the once bustling street, her bleached hair whipped across her face. She frustratingly tried to keep it down, hating it when her hair got in her face. She had considered just chopping it all off at one point, but never really had the chance to do so (the Apocalypse and all kind of took priority). Despite the humid temperature, Tori couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine as she sensed a major storm quickly approaching. She supposed she could take shelter in any of the buildings surrounding her, but she needed a place that would be sturdy enough to survive strong winds, and would provide enough supplies to last the storm. One could never tell how long one of these squalls would last.

Tori had been aimlessly wandering the streets for hours now, hopelessly looking for a place to stay. She wasn't one to give up though, especially in situations like these. A storm was brewing. What else could she do? Sit and wait for the acidic rain to melt the skin off her bones? No way in hell was Tori going to let that happen. She saw what it could do to a person. She didn't need that happening to her.

Tori gripped her handgun which she held outstretched in front of her in a confident manner. It was the only gun she managed to salvage from her, well, shady lifestyle back before the Plague. She cautiously rounded several corners, not wanting to be jumped. After what seemed to be forever, Tori stumbled across a seemingly sturdy department store. Perhaps it held items of value. Silently, she slipped through the back entrance and began looking about. The silence was broken by two voices up ahead. Tori froze in place, unsure if she should continue or not. She weighed her options, ultimately deciding that she didn't have anything lose anyway. Making sure she didn't make any noise, Tori crept forward, attempting to get a better view of the two people. She held her handgun by her side, in case one of them some how spotted her.

(@Quinn and Mori, how big do you guys think this department store is?)

♟[ Pax Ricochett ]♟
:|: 25 Y :|: Female :|: Survivor :|:
:|: L- Wastelands :|: M- Cayenne ' Garnet ' Suren :|:
As she approached, Pax attempted to rid herself of the colors swirling around the stranger and her dog, blinking her eyes rapidly as one might do after staring at a bright light for far too long. The blinking did no noticeable good, the colors just as vivid as they had been before....though the ones surrounding Garnet were a lot more distracting, the light jumping from one place to another in barely contained angles. It was probably Terragon's scent...or even just the sight of him in the distance. No canine would be comfortable with the scent of such a large predator....especially if they had chanced to meet one of Terragon's like before. There was nothing much Pax could do to comfort the canine, so she would do her best to keep her movements slow and contained, her voice soft. A dark purple light slid down her arm like ink across paper, her own personal color for nostalgia. She had once owned a dog.

A slight blink of surprise would be the only outward sign from Pax, a signal that she hadn't noticed the other woman...apparently a stranger as well until Cayenne gestured for her to approach. The other was blond, younger than herself, her colors deep pastels that barely moved at all. Perhaps that was why Pax hadn't noticed her...she had become used to spotting other's by their aura alone for a while now. Aura's..especially human auras, were very bright. Add that to the fact that this light seemed to move a lot more when the subject, in particular, was distressed, aggressive, or otherwise pulled thin...and you usually saw them coming considering the circumstances. Suren's calm had effectively hidden her from Pax's range of notice, and the thought that she could overlook someone simply because of their lack of worry was...concerning, to say the least.

"Sorry about sneaking around like that, my curiosity got the better of me this time around I'm afraid." A glance of distaste was taken at the darkening sky at Cayenne's words, Pax subconsciously unfolding the rolled up sleeves of her plaid shirt so that they would cover the length of her arms. "I prefer lighter weather these days if I'm being completely honest, though I used to love a good storm."

Pale iris's would be directed towards Suren as the young woman spoke, a thoughtful light drifting around Pax in weightless tendrils as she studied the pixie-like woman. It seemed as if the stranger was almost detached from reality, the way she spoke and how she moved. So when her aura shifted, half a second if that, and became completely inverted for a split second, Pax was quick to tense up only to find herself looking once again at pale calm colors. It had unnerved the animator, wound her up again, but the dark emotions the stranger had displayed were gone without a trace and the conversation already moving on. A cautious glance would be gifted to Suren before Pax would turn her attention to answering Cayenne's question.

"I've always found myself wandering the wastelands and avoiding the cities...all to often those towns are nothing but a contstant place of bloodshed between 'gangs' or are all too still and silent for comfort." A thought latched on to Pax after that, one she should have considered sooner. " I'm not trespassing, am I ?"

Sudden concern leached into Pax as she caught a glimpse of Cayenne's car....this one had a car, a dog ( a seemingly normal one at that), and hypothetically....a gun. All those factors pointed towards the stranger being part of a gang of some sort...and gangs were not known for forgiveness when it came to trespassing. Or, at least, the ones she had run into hadn't.

"Ter and I haven't hunted or taken anything if that is indeed the case." Pax could hear her words becoming quicker with nerves, could see her colors tightening in response, and forced herself to take a deep breathe. "The name's Pax, by the way."

[ Thane Percer ]
27 |:| Male |:| Survivor
Location – Abandoned City |:| Mentions – None (this is literally like 900 words of me moving him from point A to point B. Enjoy reading many words without much happening)

His steps made faint noises as Thane entered the store. The door fell shut behind him, a soft clicking sound signaling it's closing. At first he remained still, hesitating to step farther inside before he had the chance to examine his new surroundings first. The store itself appeared to be rather small, exactly what you would expect from the look of the exterior. What most likely once used to be neatly stocked shelves was now in utter disarray. The shelves were no longer standing in well arranged rows – a few of them even toppled over and one lying on it's side – and all kinds of things were scattered on the floor. A good part of it looked like empty packaging, either left behind by survivors or torn apart by some animal. All things considered, this shop was in a significantly better shape than most Thane had come across since the world had taken a nosedive.

He began to walk through the store slowly, letting his eyes roam again. You'd probably be able to find a decent amount of usable supplies by searching through all that was left standing on the shelves, but Thane wasn't done contemplating his options yet. Then his eyes landed on a wooden door towards the left side of the room and he paused. There was a very real possibility that this little door led to a back room, maybe a storage area. Nodding to himself he let his feet carry him to said door. Checking that room first just in case couldn't hurt. Even if there was nothing worthwhile to be found, he would still be able to come back to the main area later.

Close up he noticed some little pieces of tape sticking on the wooden surface, marking the place where an 'employees only' sign might have hung some time ago. The hinges creaked loudly when he tried to push it open, the uncomfortable sound making him wince. Meanwhile, the door stubbornly refused to open further than a smidgen. Thane frowned. He started his second attempt, this time knocking his shoulder against the wood as well. And finally, it worked. Once he was able to force the opening wide enough he passed into the next room without hesitation.

There wasn't much to see except for a pile of cartons stacked in one of the corners. A storage room indeed. ”Alright.”, Thane murmured underneath his breath as he started to roll up his sleeves, ”Let's get to work. After carefully setting down his trusty (but half empty) backpack next to the pile, he lifted up the first box and quickly glanced at it's contents. It was obvious that someone else had already rummaged through this one – human or animal, he couldn't tell – so he put it aside soon after. The same was the case with the next carton. But the third one, the one far in the corner, hidden away and obscured from view by all the others, seemed almost entirely untouched. Inside was a whole bunch of canned and dried food. A small grin curled the corners of this mouth upwards. Maybe today wouldn't end up completely disastrous after all.

Thane didn't waste much time, stuffing his bag with everything that would fit next to the two water bottles he had managed to find as well. The backpack was quickly slung over his right shoulder, now a comforting weight against his back. After a mental pat on his own shoulder for a job well done, he continued to the door opposite to the one he had come through. A window revealed a narrow alley on the other side of the apparent back door. There he would be able resume his way. His good mood lasted for about three more seconds because as soon as he stepped foot outside he realized what would come next. Step 1 had been supplies. The following step 2 was... shelter. The thought alone made him groan. Thane supposed most survivors actually liked having a solid roof above their head. Well, he definitely wasn't one of them and he had very good reasons for that. Unfortunately, the deadly glare, which he was currently directing at the building in front of him, wouldn't make the incoming storm disappear. But eventually, Thane simply let out another annoyed sigh and proceeded to saunter down the alleyway.

Matters were made even worse by the fact that it wasn't that easy to find a suitable hideout in the first place. The majority of the buildings lining the street were damaged in one way or another. Especially windows tended to be broken or missing entirely and those circumstances didn't appear quite ideal when faced with a storm. If Thane had to spend the night (or several nights, depending on how long the storm would last, but he preferred not to think about that) inside some abandoned building than he could be picky about it as well, god dammit!

Eyes jumping from left to right and back again, scanning the houses one after another and determining each and everyone to be somehow unfit. He probably hadn't been looking for long, maybe several minutes at max, but it sure felt like a lot longer when you were an impatient person working on a task you didn't want to deal with. Thane turned another corner and that's when he spotted it, his eyes lingering longer than on any other building before. What caught his eye was a small corporate building, only two stories high and with a surprising amount of windows still intact. It looked good. It looked like satisfactory protection from the incoming storm. And that was good enough for Thane to approach the building's closest entrance.

The interior was nothing special at first glance. What was unusual however, was that everything was just a bit too orderly. His eyes narrowed slightly the longer he inspected the room he found himself standing in. It wasn't really 'clean' in there by any means, but most houses were a Mess. Capital M. This... This seemed almost organized. Almost as if someone was living in here.

⇺ [ Cayenne Willow ] ⇻
21 |:| Female |:| Survivor
Location - Wastelands |:| Mentions - Pax, Suren

As Suren made her way over Cayenne regarded the strange girl with an expression bordering between curious and amused. She couldn't say she’d met someone so remarkably calm since this whole disaster began. "Quite far I’m afraid," she confirmed, motioning her hand to the east. "The closest city is about two days journey in that direction." As Pax drew nearer and finally spoke, what remained of the tension gripping her body seemed to uncoil. It was clear neither of these women meant her or Garnet any harm, at least not at this moment, and she was keen on taking the opportunity to socialize.

"It’s understandable. Glad your curiosity brought you my way. Been a long time since I’ve met a friendly face," she commented, her gaze switching between Pax and Suren warmly. "Storms aren’t what they used to be these days, can’t say I blame you. Seems we’re in for a big one too, y’all got somewhere to go?" She inquired, feeling a tug of concern for the strangers. She might have just met them, but the thought of anyone left to the wrath of the elements made her feel a bit sick. She’d seen what the acid rain could do to a person and it wasn’t pretty.

Suren mentioning she wasn’t lost, but had lost others created a similar feeling of unease in Cayenne. Her tone was a bit too casual for her liking, but it was possible she’d suppressed any deeper emotions attached to such a depressing story. "That’s a shame, sorry to hear. Some folks just ain't got any luck," she murmured sympathetically before falling silent as Pax explained her own reason for straying so far from civilization, or what was left of it, a reassuring smile sent her way once Pax asked if she were trespassing.

"Heck no. This land doesn’t belong to me. Doesn’t belong to anyone anymore. You’re right about the city though. Guess you could say there’s strength in numbers and better shelter, but they do seem to draw the wrong kind of attention. Sure the doctors don’t have much trouble finding victims either. Rarely see ‘em out here..." The way her voice dropped off left the implication she had indeed seen them before despite her claiming it was unusual, but she didn’t appear especially eager to say any more on the subject. Regardless, she hoped her reassurances would soothe the anxiety she could sense in the other woman.

“Nice to meet you both, I’m Cayenne,” she added after Pax introduced herself, watching as Suren seemed inclined to personally greet Garnet, which the Doberman appeared to approve of, a tan paw landing in Suren’s palm.

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

⇺ [ Vincent Peirce ] ⇻
24 |:| Male |:| Survivor
Location - Abandoned City |:| Mentions - Zach, Nadia, Jack, Echo

The stranger remained eerily silent, and Vincent could feel his heartbeat beginning to pick up again. Was it possible this guy was aligned with the plague doctors? Was he just sadistic? What other reason did he have to follow him down here and block his way? "So, nice meeting you, but uh...I’m, uh, I’m going to get back to my group now." He attempted weakly, forcing himself to move forward, barely daring to breathe as he awkwardly brushed past Zach.

Before he could exit the alleyway, another silhouette appeared at the entrance, the details of the person’s appearance hidden by shadow. Vincent stopped dead in his tracks, wondering if they were with the man and if this was all part of some twisted game they were playing with him. His eyes began to glow again and he couldn’t bother to suppress it this time, his nerves getting the best of him. The plus side of allowing his ability to show, even if only partially, was he could make out the newcomer's features more clearly now and found himself staring at a rather short woman.

This didn’t appear to make him feel any better, however, and he forced an anxious smile as he stepped closer. "Hello, I was just leaving, if you don’t mind moving?" Glancing over her head, he could spot two figures still standing in front of the store, one of them looked like the kid who’d tried to rob him only minutes prior, and he appeared to be conversing with another teen his age. He thought about calling out to them to draw attention to his situation, people who were up to no good tended not to like that, but he doubted the boy would be glad to see him back.

[Apologies for taking so long with these and that they aren't the best quilty. Been a long ass day.]

⇼||Nadia Timéo||⇼
21||Female (Trans)||Survivor||Location: Abandoned City-Old Elementary School||Mentions:Zach, Vincent, Jack,Echo

One of the men stood oddly silent and still. She watched as the taller one made his way past the other. He seemed startled to see her. She realized he was over a foot taller than her. His eyes suddenly began to glow and he looked nervous despite his clear tactical advantage over her. She guessed this was part of his power.

"Hello, I was just leaving, if you don’t mind moving?"

She looked at him for a moment. She was curious about what the glowing eyes were for. They lit up the alleyway more, letting her see a nearby door. She felt a raindrop hit her cheek. She wiped it off and stared at her wet finger for a moment. “Do you know a good place to stay? All the good places seem to be taken and I don’t want to stay in a one-story building in case it floods.” she finally answered him, ignoring his question. She mainly just wanted someone to talk to, to have a conversation with.

The cat on her shoulder hissed at him. It puffed it’s fur out to make itself look bigger. “Stellar, no. Stop,” she said. She looked up at the darkening clouds. She shook her head for a moment. “I’m Nadia, by the way.” She said when she looked back at him. She noticed his eyes flit over her head, making her paranoid. She looked behind her and spotted two teenagers speaking. She looked back at the man afterward.

Suren Forsberg |19|Small, Pixie-like girl with a perpetual whimsical expression|Survivor|Wastes|Mentions: Cayenne | Pax

Suren gently shook Garnets paw twice, listening to the other two. She placed the paw gently back to earth, and straightened with an energetic bounce.
Someplace to go. Her head tilted, listening to the wind for a moment, the voices that led her onward surprisingly silently in the moment. She had somewhere to go, she had too. But, she couldn't remember. Surens expression wavered slightly, eyes holding a Faraway glaze. As quick as it happened, she blinked, and it was gone, her grin returning.
"I was just gonna keep walking until I found somewhere. That's what I've been doing thus far, and it's worked out just fine." she rocked back and forth, from sole to heel, as if unable to stand still.
"Although, I don't really want to get rained on. I mean, it can be fun sometimes, but its tiring keeping everything dry. Also the rains gotten all funny, not haha funny but the kind of funny that people say is funny, buy it's really just sucky. But you seem like you know that. Is there anywhere nearby around here with a roof? Are you from around here? Is anyone really? Oh, I'm Suren by the way. " she had started to speak almost to each girl separate, yet together as she rambled on, throwing her name casually at the end of the torrent of words with a wide grin.
"It's been a long time, or maybe not, well I don't know how many days, I haven't traveled with anyone for a while, so if you don't mind the company- Istorms pass faster with people to distract you, if you know a place to bunker down. Bunk down? Hide?" A frown, then a shrug.

"Also, wouldn't finding a doctor be helpful out here? I mean, every walk in clinic I've found has just been empty. At least, I think they were clinics. Coulda been a pharmacy. Is there a difference?" She frowned again, thoughtfully, before looking between both of the other girls with her wide eyes, as if they weren't complete strangers, and that this situation was as normal as meeting old friends on an afternoon stroll.

(For Pax: Same as before. Chill and happy unless talking about her old companions.)