Alex Matson | Female | 24 | Survivor
Location: Abandoned City | Mentions: Kato, Gang member NPC

Alex stood up and stepped out of the shadow, holding her hands up, her bow still hanging loosely in her left hand. "Alright, you got me. I wanted to make sure nobody was doing something stupid. Better to be cautious than dead." Her eyes flicked to where Sam was crouched. "On me."

The odd creature stood and padded past the two men and over to sit at Alex's side. She reached over to scratch the top of his head along the ridges there. "I'm Alex, this is Sam, I think the closest thing to call him is a dog, so we'll go with that. We were looking for shelter from the storm when we heard a commotion. The asshole wouldn't let me leave without checking it out, so here we are. Uh, what else? We aren't raiders or here to steal shit, so don't worry about that, he's friendly and listens well enough, and I'm not one to go after people without a decent reason. Like I said, just finding a place to hunker down and weather that nonsense because I think this one's going to be pretty harsh." She pointed outside to the clouds. "So now that my formalities are out of the way, mind introducing yourselves?"

(this is turnip chair's side btw - i didn't roll my main today)

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

Oliver barely registered the nails cutting into his skin in his desperate escape. Had he not been running for his life, he definitely would not have been nearly as indifferent towards the unwelcomed touch. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to panic or let his mind cloud with unwanted memories of a different man from a previous time, too distracted by the dog that had apparently caught their scent again to think about anything other than the pounding footsteps behind them. Then they stopped again, as though the beast had somehow lost their scent again. Oliver had no idea what the illusionist had done, but he was glad it worked.

Then the boy suddenly spoke up, far too loud for Oliver putting all of his focus into his ability to hear. A bit of a warning, at least, could have made the raspy voice less painful. ”Look at the street signs. Do you see North Street? Head down the-” He was cut off by coughing, causing Oliver to look back with something that wasn’t quite concern but also not indifference towards the boy's health. His gaze was met with blood on his acquaintance's fingertips, and it never quite occurred to him how much he hated the color red until that moment. It was dark and ominous and ugly, although he wasn't sure how much of that was due to the color itself or his protanopia. Either way, he was beginning to despise its appearance, and if they made it out of this alive he doubted he would ever be able to look at an apple the same way again.

Just as Oliver turned his attention back to the road ahead of them, trying to divide his focus between listening to the mastiff behind them and straining to read the words in front of them, he was being yanked to the left, so suddenly that he almost let go of the hand pulling him before he remembered that doing so would likely kill him. Perhaps the boy wasn’t as blind as he had originally assumed? ”Look for a tall, broken down house. It will be easy for you to spot.” Or maybe Oliver had been correct the first time in he was, in fact, blind. He elected to ignore the unimportant train of thought, as well as now-distant canine, in favor of trying to find the house the boy was referring to.

It didn’t take long. The teenager was right - the collapsing house stood out like a sore thumb amidst the mostly-intact buildings on either side of it, and Oliver barely uttered a quick ”Is this it?” before remembering the boy couldn’t see and bursting through the front door anyway without waiting for a reply. ”Are we safe here? The dog might catch our scent again - or hear us. I'm not sure how strong its senses are, but I don’t really think we should stick around long enough to find out.” His anxious gaze scanned the room in the hopes that perhaps a secret door would swing open and lead them to a hidden bunker of sorts, but when no such thing happened, his panic spiked. Did the illusionist lead him into a trap? He'd watched his hunter crash through a wall when he first encountered it, and he highly doubted this ratty building would stand much of a chance against brute force.

(i'm going to get jack's reply up tomorrow because it's 1am here right now, sorry for the wait telle and blue)

Atlas Knight
18 / Male / Survivor
Location: Wastelands / Mentions: NPC

Atlas had been gulping down a large sum of water when the man spoke behind him. Atlas felt as if he had jumped out of his skin and immediately spat out all the water that had once been in his mouth. The water, along with bits of chip, splattered onto the kitchen wall. The chips within the plastic bag had been mercilessly crushed as Atlas gripped onto the bag fearfully. Heart racing, Atlas spun on his heal to find an oddly dressed man nonchalantly sitting at the kitchen table.

Atlas bristled at the comment. "Knocking?? It's the apocalypse! Politeness isn't exactly my top priority at the moment." Atlas glared at the newcomer, a bit unnerved by his presence. The creep factor definitely jumped when the stranger said "Oh, it’s not me you should be scared of mate. It’s the quiet ones that’ll get you. The ones you least expect." Atlas looked warily past the man and into the other room, unable to get a clear view of anything beyond the doorway. He arched an eyebrow, not liking the situation at all. "What the hell's that supposed to mean??" His eyes darted back to the man, realizing that the bowl of grapes had disappeared and had been replaced by an apple. The young man attempted to act tough, but he could tell he was shaking a small bit. He bit his lip in annoyance and in fear.

Atlas's hostility towards the man remained the same, but he didn't seem to pose a threat. He decided that fighting the guy probably wouldn't be the best way to go. Besides, he was feeling on edge, and sweat began to drip down his face once again, though not from the humidity this time. He hated when he got all jittery. Crossing his arms and puffing out his chest, Atlas said, "Mind explaining to me what you're talking about? And how the hell you got in here?"

NPC ENCOUNTER
For: Atlas

The stranger stares back at you for a long moment, neither your hostility nor fear appearing to affect his neutral expression. He looks rather pointedly at the mess you’ve made as if he expects you to clean up after yourself but doesn't say it aloud. "Yes, seems everyone’s forgotten their manners these days. It's a right shame," he sighs. This statement, of course, is rather contradictory. He’s hardly being polite himself.

"What do you bloody think it means? Nothing’s ever as it seems. Especially not now." Your irritation with the situation sees a flash of amusement flicker in his eyes, but it’s gone nearly the moment it appeared and you may wonder if it was ever there at all. He seems to consider your last set of questions for entirely too long before answering. ”Isn’t the answer obvious? I was here first. You just didn’t notice me because you weren’t seeing clearly. Don’t blame yourself, most people don’t. Normies and what-not.”

You can't tell whether or not he's being purposefully obtuse, but you don't have a lot of time to consider it as he's suddenly on his feet and making his way over to you. "Look harder." He suggests, placing one hand boldly on your shoulder while the other motions around the room. Your vision seems to flicker and you begin to notice things that weren't there before. The house is in better condition than you initially thought, and supplies line the formerly empty counters in haphazard piles. You notice with alarm there are also two...creatures standing quietly in the kitchen doorway. You can't quite tell what they are, presumably some kind of animals? They're utterly hideous.

They beasts stare at you with soulless black eyes. Bone-like antlers sprout from their heads and their bodies are furless. You can see their bones quite clearly and they look quite nearly like walking skeletons covered in pale pink skin. "That's Gertrude and Hank," the stranger introduces them, affection in his tone. "They're nasty little shits. Don't try to pet them," he adds, waving them away. You can hear their hooves clicking on the floorboards as they return to the living room. "Anyway, you're lucky I was here mate. They would have eaten you by now otherwise."

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

NPC ENCOUNTER
For: Kato, Alex

[Switching to the third person because doing second person with two people involved is a bit difficult. The wording here might be a little funky. Please forgive.]

The man can seem to tell Kato is holding back and avoids touching his skin as he returns the gloves. It’s unlikely he knows the reason why and is possibly just respecting his personal space. He appears curious once Kato confesses the unusual hawk doesn’t belong to him, but doesn’t push the subject further and seems to accept the simple answer he’s given. This doesn’t stop his inquisitive gaze from examining Yuki for a few seconds longer before snickering at Kato’s apparent cluelessness concerning the weather. "You really couldn’t tell?"

He could see Kato tensing up as he mentioned knowing of a place he could stay. If not for their interruption, he would have asked the other man to hear him out before refusing, but as things were, he had to assess the newest threats first. He couldn’t tell what or who they were despite his confident tone, only able to detect their heat signatures through the gloom. His body language offered no hint of unease, but beneath the surface, he was feeling more cautious than his cocky stance implied.

As Alex rose from her hiding space and revealed herself, any apprehension he might have felt melted. Just another survivor? That he could handle. As her 'dog' abandoned his own hideaway and returned to her side that certainly caught his attention though, and he whistled, apparently impressed. "Whoa, that's quite the pupper you got there. How come everyone gets a cool pet but me?" He complains lightheartedly, glancing between Yuki and Sam in mock dismay. Alex is quick and to the point, explaining why she was lurking around within a few quick sentences. If he's suspicious, he doesn't show it.

"I'm Venom," he announces, seeing little issue in being honest. If you consider a codename honest. Clearly, this isn't his real name. "Bet you'll never guess what my power is," he adds with a roguish grin, and the other two may be able to catch a hint of two worryingly long and sharp canine teeth. "That leaves you, pretty boy," he comments, glancing down at Kato and waiting for him to introduce himself. Quite suddenly, however, his body seems to tense. His formerly easy-going expression dropping into something deadly serious, standing completely still as if he's sensing something his companions might not have noticed yet.

A thin, forked, snake-like tongue flicks from his mouth a few times, tasting the air. Probably an unusual sight for the survivors, but he seems unconcerned with them right now. "Well shit. We gotta go. Now."

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

In the house they went. This was frighteningly familiar for Enzae - down to the very way Oliver himself was reacting to all of this. It made it especially difficult for him to retain focus. For some reason, the man's panicked nature was throwing him off. He reminded him of someone else, and he couldn't help but feel several urges. The strongest one was to take the rusted butter knife out of his pocket and stab it deep into his acquaintance's chest before fleeing. A particulary annoying one made him want to bring the man into an embrace. Of course, he would not do either; for Oliver was not who he was reminded of. Thankfully. Enzae couldn't promise his actions would be very orthodox if he was.

But, god, Oliver was even annoying like him. The flashes of irritation were almost comforting for the male, yet he was snapping at Oliver moments later.. "Shut up." His voice never once strayed from its quiet, almost calm tone, but it was clear he was exasperated with the man. "I know what I'm doing." He stated afterwards. And, just to prove a point, he was tightening his grip on Oliver's hand, squeezing almost painfully. "You said you trusted me." This was added a bit more accusingly. Those blackened eyes found their way to Oliver's face, staring at him in all their terrifying glory. They narrowed lightly before their gaze was traveling away once more.

Without warning Oliver of his next actions, he was moving once more, dragging the man along with him. For someone so small, he was pretty damn strong. Towards the staircase they went. The closer they grew, the more obvious it would be that something was off about the architect of the piece. It was built peculiarly, and Enzae would soon prove why. He was dropping to his knees in front of it, again, more or less dragging Oliver down. His fall would perhaps be a lot less graceful. His free hand scrambled across the ground, fingers pulling nimbly at the boards. He was able to pry one of them up, revealing what seemed to be another staircase beneath. A basement, perhaps...? More boards would have to be brought up in order to open a wide enough passage for both men, however. "Help me get these up. You can let go of my hand - but keep a hold of my arm."

Kato Arashi
20 | Male | Survivor
Location; Abandoned City | Mentions; NPC Venom, Alex

Those pretty flickered as Alex emerged, quickly scanning the her figure. Small - smaller than him, anyways, though not by much. Long, pretty brown hair, and matching eyes that seemed to hold a no-nonsense glint to them. She was dressed in a way that almost seemed practical, opposing to his all black, thick attire. He inclined his head to the side as he continued to observe her, staring thoughtfully at the woman. He'd perhaps find her attractive, given another situation. At the moment, he was merely curious about her; finding her appearance quite intriguing.

Kato was so lost in thought that he missed a majority of dialogue that passed between the other two. It wasn't until attention was being brought back to him was he snapping out of it. His gaze flashed up to the other man - Venom - right as he flashed those sharp teeth. A sense of dread began to pool deep within his stomach, leaving his heart racing as uncertain alarms rang within his mind. Something about this guy was so off... Yet, even still, he couldn't help but be intrigued by him also. Every survivor he'd met so far was so... interesting.

He let out a light snort at Venom's comment, though it was quite forced, if he was being honest. "Oh, aren't you a charmer." He shot back, keeping his tone light and teasing. There was no mistaking the gleam in his eyes, however, that one would only catch if they were paying close attention to the male. He didn't trust Venom. Not one bit. Which is why he did not offer up his name, but instead almost seemed to try to direct the conversation away from this fact, whilst keeping suspicions low as possible. If it came to it, he would give them the name the skiptracers called him - the name they'd, surely, gotten from his former... friend. Ara.

The sudden vibe he was getting off of Venom had him tensing, his gaze flickering uncertainly between the other two survivors. Without hesitation, he was lifting an arm, exposing it to the sky. A flash of white, followed by a harsh spray of blood. The hawk had launched herself from her perching point, and landed clumsily upon his arm, slicing brutally into the flesh as she did so. Usually, Yuki was a lot more orthodox in her roosting, and was able to latch on without injuring Kato. The opposite happened enough that Kato wasn't too phased by the pain, though. He merely grit his teeth, shaking his arm lightly to get the bird to unhook her talons from his skin. She did, and with a few hops, managed to rest elegantly atop his shoulder. Those red eyes shifted between Venom and Alex, glinting almost hungrily. A parting of her beak allowed for a forked tongue to slip out, flicking some of its poisonous coating into the air. The substance emit a sizzling sound as it came in contact with the nearby ground.

Slowly, he was bringing himself to his feet; an action that took a bit more effort than usual. A blinding pain shot through his body, forcing him to emit a sharp gasp. Instinctively, he was reaching out for the nearest object to steady himself - which happened to be the seemingly friendly gangster, Venom. His hand hovered briefly above Venom's arm, almost touching him, but not quite. Certainly, the teenager would be able to feel the chilling cold that Kato's exposed palm radiated. He caught himself just before he was grabbing him, yanking himself back so violently that it actually sent him stumbling.

He recovered quickly, however, straightening himself with an awkward clearing of his throat. The gloves were hastily pulled back over his hands, the lingering burning sensation forgotten under the thought that he may accidentally harm one of them. He'd come far too close to causing some serious damage - to both he, and the other male. Yuki let out a strange half chirrup, ruffling her white feathers as she focused her gaze on her shaken owner. She pecked lightly at his ear, effectively snapping him out of his trance. Really, she was just testing if perhaps he was edible just yet.

"Let's go, then." His voice sounded strange to his ears, but it'd be the same, muffled mutter to the other survivors. The mask did an excellent job of concealing more than just his physical identity.

Alex Matson | Female | 24 | Survivor
Location: Abandoned City | Mentions: Kato, Venom

"Nice to properly meet you, Venom." Alex offered a friendly smile. She snorted at his comment about Sam, shrugging. "You might find one yet, Sam's been with me since he was a pup, but you'd be surprised how many people have found animals to bond with." She watched as Kato hauled himself up, seemingly not doing so great, with a bit of concern. His bird was staring at her like it wanted to eat her, but was simply too small to actually do so, and it was a tad unnerving.

Sam's tail thumped against the ground contentedly, then he stood up, suddenly on high alert. He made a strange rumbling-hiss sound, tilting and turning his head as if figuring out the source of something. He looked at Alex and huffed, nosing her side.

"Yeah, that would be his way to say we need to leave." Alex clicked her tongue and Sam followed her as she walked towards the pair. "Venom, you mentioned that you knew somewhere safe? If so it makes sense for you to lead the way." She was taking a huge chance in trusting the teen, especially considering that he was part of one of the gangs, but having allies was always better than striking out alone.

[ Thane Percer ]
27 |:| Male |:| Survivor
Location – Abandoned City |:| Mentions – Adelaide

The fact that this girl gave him – not much more than a total stranger to her – the permission to wait the storm out in her hideout was probably one of the highlights of his day. Why couldn't more survivors be like that? Cooperation made everyone's life so much easier, especially when mother nature herself seemed to be so determined to kill you at last. Thane found his grin widening involuntarily as he looked down at the smaller girl, because this time her eyes were shining along with her smile.

He barely managed to contain a chuckle when her face turned less than happy the moment her feline companion perched itself on her shoulders. It took Thane a second longer to notice the bright yellow stare directed at him. The cat was staring at him. He truly didn't know what to make of that. Slightly perplexed, he maintained eye contact with the creature, wondering in the back of his mind if this was some sort of test or simply an impromptu staring contest. Or maybe there was no deeper meaning behind this and he was over-thinking this entire affair. Thane knew a thing or two about reading other humans, but cats certainly weren't part of his skill set. But the answer to that riddle would have to wait until another day, because the girl promptly dropped the animal on the floor, effectively ending their little staring contest.

Now it was apparently her turn to approach Thane, who was positively surprised by how well this encounter was going. Stopping only a small distance in front of him, she stuck out her hand and introduced herself as Addie. Finally able to put a name to the face, Thane didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. His hand moved forward, grasping her considerably smaller one. ”Thane.”, he returned the gesture, before snickering lightly,”Although you might have already known that one.” An unexpected rubbing sensation made him look downwards. The cat was continuously looping around his legs, pressing its body against his pant legs from time to time and purring. Loudly. Was it normal for a cat to purr this loudly?

At Addie's offer his gaze immediately returned to her face. He didn't know the girl in front of him. Not really, at least. Their first meeting had taken place less than an hour ago. But Thane felt like he already knew that a kind heart was beating strongly inside that chest. Still, after stocking up just before coming here his supplies were looking pretty good. Smiling, he pointed over his right shoulder to where his backpack rested against his back and replied, “I think I'm good for now.”

As the purring at his feet continued, Thane crouched down to get a better look at Oddy. Slowly, he held out his hand while muttering softly, “Hey there, buddy.” He might not be an expert on cats but he vaguely remembered that most animals liked to sniff someone before they tried to pet them. Oddy had previously purred at him which either meant he liked him or he wanted his food. Thinking about it, the latter appeared to be the more probable version. Thane would try to pet the cat regardless, though.

He was still waiting for the cat's reaction when he glanced up at Addie once more. ”Do you know of any room on the upper floor I could stay in? I could probably go look myself, but I think you might know this place a bit better than I do. Just a guess.”

⇺ [ 'Venom' ] ⇻
19 |:| Male |:| Diamondbacks Gang Member
Location - Abandoned City |:| Mentions - Kato, Alex

Venom doesn’t miss the mirth glittering in Kato’s eyes, though it seems despite the other man’s willingness to joke around with him there isn’t any trust shared between them. He isn’t offended. It’s practical to be wary of someone you’ve just met, and so few people in this city are little more than self-serving thieves. For all they know he’s no different, and the same could be said of them. The lack of a name offered might have seen another sarcastic quip aimed in Kato’s direction if not for their untimely interruption. He was on edge now, hoping against the odds he was wrong about this.

Yuki swooping down and sinking her talons into the flesh of Kato’s arms caused his eyes to widen slightly, a few droplets of blood splattering across his arm. That seemed...unnecessary to say the least, but right now wasn’t exactly the time for criticism. The hawk’s hungry gaze didn’t quite register, distracted by the venom dripping from her forked tongue. Under better circumstances, he might have been thrilled by the similarities between him and the odd bird.

As Kato struggled to regain his footing Venom reached out at nearly the same time, just narrowly avoiding grazing his icy fingers as they both seemed to reconsider touching one another. He could feel an unnatural coldness emitting from Kato’s hand that made him want to recoil, but he’d barely needed to move before Kato himself rather violently yanked himself away, nearly falling backward. He decided to take a risk by gripping the front of Kato’s shirt before he could fall completely, hoping whatever he was afraid of happening only applied to his exposed hands. The clothing was ice cold to the touch and it took a great deal of restraint not to jerk his hand back.

Once it seemed like Kato had regained his balance he let go, attention turning to Alex and Sam as the strange beast seemed to be picking up what was concerning him. ”Right, follow me. Try to keep quiet,” he whispers before slinking down a back alley, hoping they could slip by undetected. The sky was growing worryingly dark and he wasn't certain whether or not he hoped for rain sooner rather than later. It would force everyone else in the area to find shelter and he’d have more time to think, but it would also mean they would have to find shelter before he could bring them to the safehouse and most of the surrounding buildings were less than promising.

Something seems to pass at the other end of the alley and he curses, ducking behind a dumpster and motioning for the other two to do the same. After a few minutes have passed he dares to glance over it and finds with relief they haven't been discovered. "So guess I should explain. Seems like a few people from the Wolverines are out looking for trouble. Technically it's my duty to confront any intruders, but I'm not suicidal, you know? Those guys are nasty. The place I'm taking you guys is only a few blocks from here. If we play it cool we might be able to get out without them noticing."

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

Jack stifled a laugh at Echo's recounting, having stumbled upon far too many close calls himself when it came to water. If he was going to steal from someone, he definitely wouldn't go after their water of all things. Radiated water really wasn't as bad as everyone seemed to believe - it tasted a bit off, and it burned his throat, but it was still drinkable. It wasn't, however, ideal for pouring on open wounds, hence the need for uncontaminated water.

Jack took the offered bottle, frowning when he noticed it was half empty. He hoped it would be enough to clean the cut. Echo spoke up again, a warning (or maybe a threat) this time, and Jack tensed at the implications. He wasn't exactly keen on dying in the middle of trying to help someone else. This was exactly why he preferred to take care of himself and no one else. A wary glance at Echo eased his concern a bit, catching the reassuring smile and deciding that the threat must have been a joke of sorts. He let out a shaky laugh.

”Yeah, me neither. Lucky for you, all the wipes in here look pretty dried out, so they won't hurt as much,” he assured, tearing open a packet to clean his hands with as though to prove a point. There were only a few wipes left in the kit, and Jack knew better than to waste any supplies unless absolutely necessary, even if they were hardly of use. He crouched down to try and clean around the cut as gently as possible when a lollipop was held out to him. Hesitantly, he took it, raising a confused eyebrow at Echo as he put it in his mouth. ”Oh, um. Thanks. I love cherry.” The last statement was a lie - he had never been fond of anything cherry or grape-flavored, but he didn't want to be rude. Plus, he wasn't exactly in a position to be picky, and at that moment he would gladly eat anything with a gross medicinal flavor if it meant getting something to eat. Echo was a good person, Jack decided, a trait that he thought had been lost to the virus along with everything else. It was a shame he would likely die of infection before anyone else could come to the same conclusion.

”If I was a doctor, I'd probably recommend stitches. Unfortunately, I'm just gonna have to bandage you up and hope for the best, because I don't do needles,” he said around the candy in his mouth, carefully wiping the skin surrounding the wound to clean off any grime that might drain into the cut when he poured the water over it. Years of experience with treating his own injuries ensured that no alcohol came in contact with the exposed tissue, although he couldn't guarantee the same for when he rinsed everything off. ”This, uh, this might hurt a bit. Fair warning. I'd really appreciate it if you could try and keep your axe away from my head, because I don’t think you have enough stuff in this kit to help with decapitation,” he joked, in the same truthful manner that a dog owner might say ”Having a dog is great until you have to pick up after it.” Just because Echo was on Santa’s nice list didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of killing Jack on the spot, whether accidentally or intentionally.

Jack regretted ever volunteering to help Echo the moment he started to slowly pour the water over the cut, his breath hitching at the sight of bloody water streaming down the leg in front of him. There was red everywhere, and suddenly Jack was five years old again, watching as his parents’ bathtub overflowed with bloody water and stained the tile floor. Everything was red and his mom was gone and his dad was standing right behind him and he was so helpless and--

”Are you alright?” his dad asked, snapping Jack out of his trance. Only it wasn't his dad standing behind him, it was the man he’d tried to rob earlier, and there was a new girl with him, saying ”Oh lord. What happened there? Nadia. By the way.” Returning his attention back to the situation at hand (he noticed that the bottle was now empty and hoped he hadn’t been spaced out for very long while holding an empty bottle, because that would be embarrassing), Jack wasted no time in grabbing the sterile wound dressing package from the first aid kit and tearing it open, plastering it over the soaked injury before wrapping it with a gauze bandage to hold it in place. Pulling the knife out of his pocket, he cut the gauze wrap from the rest of the roll, taping the loose end down to the dressing and hoping it wouldn’t come unstuck as soon as Echo stood up. His handiwork was far from perfect, but it was (hopefully) secure, which was about as good as it could be given the situation.

”Jack,” he finally said to Nadia (in response to a question she didn’t ask, but he didn’t care) after Echo’s injury was taken care of. He busied himself with putting the remaining medical supplies back into the kit, wincing as he realized he forgot to grab a cloth to clean the blood trickling down Echo’s leg from the impromptu bath. Nadia spoke up again, voice shaky and breathing heavy, causing Jack to turn around. His eyes widened when he caught sight of her body flickering into translucence, unsure of what was happening and worried for his own safety above all else. Rather than comment on the dangers of her absurd abilities, however, he asked, ”How come you’re not falling through the ground? That’s your power, right? Passing through things?”

Kato Arashi
20 | Male | Survivor
Location; Abandoned City | Mentions; Venom, Alex

Kato lowered his head, fixating his eyes on the murky ground as he did so. He wouldn't look at Venom or Alex, as he now knew the girl as. He couldn't. How was it he'd already gotten so attached to these two that the mere thought of harming them left him feeling so? It sent a spike of anxiety surging through his body; leaving his skin hot and head spinning. He didn't like it. Not one bit.
Both gloved hands came up, slipping underneath his hood so their fingers could bury deep into his blonde locks. He tugged gently at the roots, though squeezed quite harshly, as if he was trying to crush his own skull. Luckily, he was at the back of their current little group, and his panicked actions would not be caught by the others.

He hated feeling this way. He hated how he got this way. He hated how he couldn't handle situations like this. He hated how he couldn't even be around someone without becoming a danger to them -

A rather violent inhale that was thankfully too quiet to be audible. Momentarily, he was squeezing his eyes shut, slowly letting the breath out as he did so. Calm down. You're fine. It would be a shame if he were to lose control of himself. Already, he could feel the ice beginning to tremble; threatening to etch further up his arms. He found that allowing his emotions to get the best of him could also trigger the spread. False fronts helped him prevent it - for he could still act a certain way, without truly having to feel it.

Which was why he was able to pull his hands away from his head, and plaster a smile upon his lips. Of course, the mask would hide such a thing, but he knew his eyes would show happiness. He kept the expression as they weaved through the buildings, only allowing it to finally drop as they were forced to take shelter behind a dumpster. The pale hues finally flickered back to Venom, allowing their gaze to rest momentarily on the boy before shooting to the ground. Then, to Alex. He seemed able to look at her more comfortably - perhaps because he had not come only a centimeter away from sending ice through her veins. He held onto this thought as he continued to study the older woman, silvery blue eyes never once flickering away from her shadowed face.

He didn't exactly give a verbal response to Venom's words. He just sort of hummed softly in response. He did, however, hiss sharply as Yuki parted her beak, knowing the bird was about to give a warning cry at the sight of the Wolverines. The sound immediately shut the bird up, though she was leaning forward and taking ahold of what must've been his lip through the mask, tugging painfully to show he had annoyed her. It took a great amount of self control not to swat her away, for he knew this would cause her to shriek in indignance.

♠|| Echo Wilders||♠
18 |:| Genderfluid: Currently male |:| Survivor
Location- Abandoned City |:| Mentions: Jack

Echo was quite glad to hear Jack's statement about the somewhat dry wipes. Staring into the oblivion with his mouth dropping open like a fish from the feeling alcohol interacting with his wound didn't sound all that impressive. The boy looked confused when Echo offered him to candy, but he thankfully took it. Echo would have felt awfully awkward if he had just been sitting there holding up a lollipop. If course, he could have attempted to pull it off as if he were strecthcing, but he highly doubted the the boy would be fooled. "Oh, um. Thanks. I love cherry." He blinked a few extra times, and Echo realized that he didn't like cherry at all. Undeterred, Echo decided to try grape next time.

When Jack mentioned stitches and needles, Echo had to stop himself from jerking his leg back and startling Jack and Kai. He grabbed on tightly to a chunk of Kai's fur, the thought of needles making him uneasy. At least the boy didn't have them on hand. Echo might have got up and raced away if the boy had pulled out the mentioned items. Despite Echo's unease, he sat quietly as Jack wiped his wound. ”This, uh, this might hurt a bit. Fair warning. I'd really appreciate it if you could try and keep your axe away from my head, because I don’t think you have enough stuff in this kit to help with decapitation,” Echo smiled lightly and examined the med kit with mock thoughtfulness, as if wondering whether there was anything good for decapitation in there. "Ah man! I'm no Frankenstein, and I never was good at chemisty, so you'll have to keep your head." He said with a mischievous grin. When Jack started pouring the water, his eyes grew unfocused, and Echo realized that something was wrong. He exchanged a worried glance with Kai, who also sensed something was off as the water spilled out the bottle more quickly. He was about to call the boy's name, when the man from earlier and a new girl showed up. Echo tensed slightly, but immediately relaxed when the man asked if they, or one of them was alright.

Jack jerked out of his daze and went back to treating Echo's leg. ”Oh lord. What happened there? Nadia. By the way.” The girl named Nadia said. "It's just a cut. I got into a bit of a tussle with with a stool. Can't really tell who won, though." Echo answered. "Oh, I'm Echo! " He added after realizing he had forgotten to introduce himself. When Jack finished, Echo should go and shook his leg around, happy to see that the bandage held well. There was a bit of bloody water trickling down his leg, but he simply shook it off before rolling his pant leg back down.

When Nadia went to kick a rock and her foot ended up passing through, Echo's eyes widen and she
immediately to a mental note of what happened. In case she ever had to fight this girl, (which she highly doubted), it would be good to know her power. ”How come you’re not falling through the ground? That’s your power, right? Passing through things?” More mental notes. Jack made a good point. How did she stay above the ground? Maybe it was willpower? He looked obviously at his own hands and wished he had a cool power like that. He then mentally scolded himself, telling himself that his power was just as advantageous in many other ways. "That's an awesome power. Is there anything you can't pass through?" He asked, genuinely curious.

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

Vincent watched quietly as Jack bandaged the wound, listening as Echo introduced himself and explained the cause of his injury, Jack soon after offering up his own name. "I’m Vincent. Pleased to meet you both," he comments softly, his eyes lingering on the now wrapped leg as Echo tests it, seemingly content with it. The cut needed stitches, he could tell from just a brief glance, and he wondered if he should mention it. The threat of infection was much higher if it wasn’t tended to properly and that was something no one could afford in a world without doctors, or trustworthy doctors, rather.

As Nadia staggered forward Vincent reached for her out of reflex, alarmed when her arm slipped right through his hands. ”Are you alright?” He asked, beginning to feel like he’d asked those exact same words so many times today it might as well become his catchphrase. Seeing she’d managed to catch herself and hadn’t fallen onto the cracked pavement, he let out a sigh of relief. As she went on to apologize and allude that her power was acting up, the concern in his eyes seemed to ease as well. "You didn’t hurt anyone so there’s nothing to be sorry for," he reassured her gently.

Jack’s question brought his attention back to the boy and that reminded him they hadn’t exactly parted on good terms. His face likely gave away what he was running through his mind, but he couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t make things worse and concluded to just keep his mouth shut for once unless Jack decided to broach the subject. If the teen was willing to let it go there wasn't much reason to dig the whole thing back up, though the urge to apologize profusely was still present.

In an instant, an impending feeling of doom washed over Vincent and his gaze lifted upward. The sky had grown so dark there was barely any light left, the clouds a deep shade of violet. If he didn’t know what was coming next he might have found them beautiful regardless of the fact they hid the sun from him. The first drop plummeted towards them from above, landing on the stone curb only inches from where Echo sat and sizzling. "We need to go. Can you walk?” He asked Echo urgently, stepping closer to him and Jack.

Alex Matson | Female | 24 | Survivor
Location: Abandoned City | Mentions: Kato, Venom

Alex dropped down into hiding silently, and Sam followed suit. It was obvious that she was a hunter just by the way she moved when needing to be quiet. She had her bow ready with an arrow nocked to be drawn and fired quickly if the need arose, which in this town, it easily could. Her companion flared his nostrils, taking in a deeper breath and looking around as if taking stock on where the people were.

Kato hissing at his bird drew her attention, and she mentally thanked god that her companion had the sense to know when to keep quiet and listen to her. She listened as the group of gangsters moved on, letting out a deep breath as she listened to Venom.

"Sounds good. Better to avoid fights these days, especially not knowing what kinds of powers someone might end up having." She spared a glance towards where the group had gone. "And only fight if we have to." She looked over at Sam. "Stay on alert, bud. I think we'll need it." Her dog just wagged his tail, licking her hand before looking at Venom as if saying "Where now?"

"Off we go then, hopefully to somewhere with a stable roof." Alex gestured for Venom to go ahead. "Sam will probably scout ahead a bit, and I can go last to watch our backs in case someone tries to sneak up on us."

⇼||Nadia Timéo||⇼

21||Female (Trans)||Survivor||Location: Abandoned City-City Street||Mentions:Vincent, Jack, Echo

The female looked surprised at all the questions she got. “I uh. Hold on,” she said and took a deep breath. She flickered in and out of translucency for a moment before coming whole again. She crouched and picked up the feline that was now on the ground glaring up at her. After setting him on her shoulder she thought about the many questions she had just been asked.

She had appreciated the compliments from Echo, all though they seemed to be taking mental notes so she didn’t know if she should even explain it to them. “Yeah. Phasing is what I refer to it as. It has helped me many times before. Really, it's connected to my emotions. If I am happy I have complete control over it.” she stopped as Vincent spoke. She looked at his kind eyes and smiled. “If you can’t, I can help carry your things. Or help you. A stool? You had a fight with a stool?” she laughed.

“Most of the things I can’t go through are very very dense. If I really try I can go through almost anything. Except for the earth. It is too big. It’s solid enough that I can’t go through it. No matter how many times I have tried to fall through it. I can also make many other things translucent as long as I am touching them. Just not for very long. I don’t know about humans. I have never tried to make another human translucent.” She said and tapped her chin gently. “That’s probably really hard. If at all possible.”

She shrugged and looked at the first drops falling and sizzling. She closed her eyes and made her bag translucent, along with her hands to hold it. “Okay, ready,” she said to Vincent, who she trusted the most even though she barely knew him. She looked at the other humans. Jack seemed like he didn’t have many friends, ore trusted anyone really, Echo she couldn’t quite tell. But Vincent seemed nice enough. If she could she would probably just follow him. She didn’t wanna be alone again.

°Marcus de Brodeur °
31 :×: Male :×: Survivor
Location :: Abandoned City - Department Store || Mentions :: Felix

Felix seemed to visibility relax at Marcus' confirmation that he was indeed real, but shifted to what could've been anxiety moments later. Marcus hesitantly waited for Felix to continue, as something seemed to be on his mind. He didn't interrupt as the other male insisted on his sanity, though Marcus had to wonder if Felix himself believed it. He supposed he could've been more reassuring, but Marcus figured it wasn't his place to act like a friend. However, as Felix tried to explain, Marcus felt just a bit baffled. Had he really not met any other survivors? He didn't really count the doctor's that scoured the area as survivors, nor the mutated animals that threatened to kill you if you turned your back for even a moment. He figured that Felix still should've been able to find at least one other living person, though. Marcus admitted that being alone for, what- how long had it even been? For as long as the world had crumbled, could likely be detrimental to someone's mental health. That admission didn't serve to bring Marcus much extra comfort though.

He watched as Felix fixated his attention from outside back to him, staying quiet as he nodded. He was relieved at least something good would come of interacting with another survivor- despite his somewhat unstable mental state, Felix appeared to be relatively harmless. Marcus almost found it amusing that someone who would likely be viewed as dangerous to society before the disease was actually helping him. Just as Marcus was about to open his mouth, Felix revealed a pinecone from somewhere out of his pocket, slamming it on a counter until he seemed satisfied. Marcus was glad he was watching or else he would've certainly jumped back from the sound. Hopefully it wasn't loud enough to draw another living creature near. Felix appeared to pick out something from the remains of the pinecone- oh. Well, he certainly had to admit that he hadn't really thought of that, and even if he had, he certainly had no way of telling what things were edible or not anymore. The two times he had attempted to consume something from the wild, he'd ended up sick for days. Marcus had a bit of a surprised look on his face, which was quickly replaced by a quiet huff of laughter and a slight grin when he was offered one. "I'd love one," He answered as he stepped closer to the counter and to Felix, picking one up and examining it a little before placing it in his mouth. It certainly didn't taste that great, but it was food, and that's exactly what he needed. He recalled that Felix mentioned something about a raccoon, and with the prospect of more food, his mood and attitude were a bit lighter, "You had mentioned a raccoon, I believe? When you say it showed you what's edible, did you mean how to tell what you can eat even out there?" He nodded to the entrance to outside. It seemed a little far fetched, but honestly, he'd heard and seen of stranger things. Regardless, he felt like perhaps Felix wouldn't be so bad to ask for help. He seemed eager to help and give- a little too so, if you asked Marcus. Marcus was more interested in learning how to find his own food rather than take from someone else.

His mind also drifted to mentioning the back- just how many cans were there? He didn't know what he meant by back, but Marcus didn't want to wander to find out. The store was big enough to hide surprises elsewhere, one story or not, and there seemed to be various sections that he could see alone. He wondered if Felix would mind letting him walk around, but then decided that Felix probably wouldn't care. With this in mind, he spoke up again, "So, this place... Have you been staying here for a bit?" Marcus had come in the front entrance, but he spotted another emergency exit to the side, and was willing to bet there were at least two or three more openings elsewhere. He just hoped they weren't as easily slipped into as the front.


________••••________


°Niles Quinton°
28 :×: Male :×: Survivor
Location :: Wastelands || Mentions :: Gregory, Thiago

Niles' gaze kept sliding from Gregory to Thiago, feeling his anxiety bump up a bit as Gregory snapped at the home owner. Niles felt a frown etch itself into his features, eyebrows drawing together in concern. He really hoped this wouldn't end as badly as it began. At least Greg seemed to explain why there was suddenly a living tree holding him up. His attention finally settled on Thiago once he turned his attention to Niles, quietly listening as he pointed out that Niles had in fact been the one breaking and entering. He felt his face and neck grow warm with embarrassment, looking away. He didn't try and clarify that he didn't expect Thiago to fight or run, as that probably wasn't the point Thiago was making. The tension was almost palpable, though Thiago seemed fairly calm all things considered, and the snide remarks shared by the two strangers put Niles on edge despite nothing really being directed at him.

His concentration was snapped away from Thiago to Gregory when he shouted his complaint. Niles watched with a look of amazement as Greg seemed to literally teleport beside Thiago, though he knew it likely wasn't as plain cut as teleportation. So his ability was transportation based? He tried to keep himself from looking interested in what all happened, and instead focused on the both of them. Niles realized that he had seen their abilities, but they hadn't seen his. He wasn't sure he wanted them to know; it wasn't very useful anyway, so he decided to brush it off in favor of studying them a little. The first thing he noticed was Gregory seemed to favor a leg- perhaps he was injured? Thiago also had vines sprouting from his wrist, which seemed to explain his ability a little. He didn't really want to seem like he was looking for something in particular, so he glanced down to his feet. He finally noticed Pumpkin with a bit of surprise, turning around to look for the other feline he had seen earlier. He saw it still resting on the banister, seemingly uninterested or extremely cautious of what was going on. Before he could help it, he blurted out, "Are these your cats?" He wasn't even exactly sure who he was asking, and he felt his face flare up. He quickly tried to calm his embarrassment by adding, "Th-they were just here when I got walked in, is all." It really was embarrassing to ask such a silly question in such a tense moment, but there wasn't any way to take it back now. Niles felt like he'd die from embarrassment if he opened his mouth again, so he just silently fidgeted with his gloves.