♠|| Winston Park||♠
23 |:| Male |:| Survivor
Location- Wastelands |:| Mentions: Atlas

Winston sighed with relief as he felt himself cool down in the shade of the house. Jae scratched him softly, panting from thirst. "Oh, good idea." Winston mumbled as he pulled out his water bottle. He frowned as he realized that the bottle was already half empty. "I hope you don't get thirsty after this." He says quietly, as he unscrews the cap. A whisper of footfalls cause him to pause, and he looked up slowly. He relaxed for a second as he looked at a pair of beastly looking creatures that resembled deer. Thankfully they were herbivores. Wrong!

He reached for his machete with one hand and lifted Jae up on his other arm, ready to launch him up, as they inched closer to him, eyeing him like he was their next snack. "Oy, enough of that you two. We've discussed this before. People aren't for eating," Winston held his breath as the two deer-like creatures paused for a second. He still held Jae up, in case the deer had a hankering for drumsticks. After a few seconds that seemed like a few hours, they turn and walk away.

Winston lowered his arm, still tensed up. "Now those, are not what I would call safe pets. They would make good guard dogs, though. He whispered to Jae. Pets or not, Winston was glad he wasn't turned into some carnivorous deers' lunch. He was about to thank the stranger when he silently turned around and rifted back into the house. "Who do we have here?" The other guy demanded, his arms crossed, looking as if Winston should be obligated to tell him. Winston's eyes narrowed. The man sounds as if he owned the whole wastelands and Winston was just a trespasser going with his front yard. Winston took his sweet time and gave Jae some water with cupped hands before before looking him straight in the eyes. "Who's asking?" He replied brusquely. He then realized using such a tone with him wasn't the best idea. He might be in control of the house or friends with the deer whisperer. Winston forced his face to soften and look apologetic. A fight really wasn't what he needed at the moment. "Sorry, do you own this place? I didn't mean to trespass." He said as he fiddled with the earring on his left ear.

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

From around here. Suren pondered the statement, following Cayenne to the car with a bounce in her step, rather trusting despite the fact she, and the other girl for that matter, were strangers at best and dangerous at worst. She technically wasn't from around wherever they were currently, if thats what it had meant. Though by the looks of it, no one was technically from around their current 'here.' She slid into the seat, tucking her legs under one another to sit rather awkwardly cross legged, her backpack swung around to her lap, one knee propped against the door when it closed, eyes staring outside the window as the first droplets began to fall. she looked almost peaceful with her faint smile. After all, it was nice not having to work to avoid the droplets for a change. After a moment of staring, her head tilted back towards the other two.
"Thanks for the offer to stay! I don't take up much space. I can offer some food in return!" She patted the large backpack and the sound of something shifting, possibly cans, clinked within.
"And nope, not from around here. I'm from, east." A cheerful grin flashed as she finished that thought from before.
Then, with a wiggle she hunkered down into herself, becoming little more than a pair of eyes staring unblinkingly at the pair from behind a bag and scarf, the gaze only moving when it followed their conversation, flickering towards the creature that Cayenne referenced.
(short is short sorry! )

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

The next office Thane entered immediately stood out to him. This had to be the place Addie spent most of her time at, no doubt. Sure, the rest of the building looked better taken care of than most houses these days, but this room seemed lived-in even at first glance. It was almost a bit cozy. Well, as cozy as an office could get. While Addie wandered further into the room Thane stopped shortly behind the door frame and settled on leaning against the nearby wall, keeping his intrusion in her space as minimal as possible. There was enough to explore from a distance anyway. Not too much furniture filled the room but it was sufficient for keeping his mind busy.

At once his attention returned to Addie as the girl stopped her rummaging to pass him a dusty jar. Thane hastily stepped forward to accept the jar and then turned it in his hand to glimpse at the label. Honey. Personally, he wasn't a fan of golden, sticky bee vomit but to each their own. So, instead of judging the taste of survivors after a devastating virus had left society lying in ruins Thane decided to do the thing he came for: Opening the damn thing. While he took faint notice of Addie proceeding to finally appease Ody with cat food, he attempted to open the sealed jar. Emphasis on attempted. The lid wouldn't budge and his fingers slipped across the smooth surface uselessly. Okay, so this jar wanted to be stubborn. Whoever closed this thing did their job pretty damn well.

After briefly wiping his right hand on his jeans, trying to get rid of all the sweat and dirt, he returned the appendage to the metallic lid, ready for round two. But for a second Thane paused to think. He supposed he could make this easier by using his ability. Well, in theory at least. The lid would break and this would be over pretty quickly and effectively. On the other hand, there was the very possible chance that the glass vessel itself would give in way before the metal did and that would result in a mess he definitely didn't want to deal with. Yeah, no, bad idea. The good old fashioned way it was then. Straining his fingers over the cool lid, he grasped onto it as tightly as possible and twisted. It took a few seconds but soon the rewarding click of the lid popping open at last echoed throughout the room.

”Finally.”, Thane murmured to himself and went over to the desk on the other side of the room. As he set down the newly opened jar his eyes spotted something way more interesting on the corner. There rested the sword Addie had carried around earlier. Now, weaponry of any kind wasn't necessarily his forte but even he could tell that the grip looked rather nice; it's intricate designs in stark contrast to the tape covered PVC pipe it was sheathed in. Still, the weapon choice struck him as unusual. He couldn't say he'd seen many people running around with swords even after the apocalypse. You couldn't find weapons like this just anywhere and even if he would have seen one lying around, he wouldn't know the first thing about actually using it.

In his wonder another small detail caught his eye. Her jacket was lying on this desk as well. Nothing about seemed particularly special, it was simply a varsity jacket of some high school whose colors he didn't recognize. But the patch on the back was partly visible as well and with this new context the sword suddenly made a lot more sense.
”Fencing, huh?”, Thane noted, his voice carrying only mild interest while his eyes glinted with curiosity, ”Interesting choice of club. You know, I was never really a sports person myself. Thinking back on it, I don't even remember if my high school had a fencing club. But that skill is sure getting useful now, isn't it?

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

Venom was only vaguely aware of an iron grip on his upper arm, so tight it was sure to leave a bruise once Kato finally let go. The ice creeping up his sleeve was less noticeable as the firestorm cascaded around them and he found himself so transfixed by the wild flames his reaction to the other man holding onto him for dear life was drastically delayed. Even with Alex rebuffing the attack, the heat was near unbearable and beads of sweat formed on his skin, his eyes closing to protect them from the hot air. The shocking cold only became noticeable once the blaze evaporated, the contrast between extreme heat and cold like being plunged into an icy lake. He jerked away from Kato’s touch out of instinct, finding the cause for it being his frozen sleeve and finding himself grateful Kato hadn’t reached any lower or he might have some serious frostbite right about now.

Once he’d recovered he realized Kato wasn’t in the best shape and leaned closer to him again, hands hovering near him for a moment as if uncertain how to support him. He could recall touching his clothes earlier hadn’t resulted in anything adverse other than a bit of a chill, but he was unsure if touching him again would be a good idea at this point. "I know you don’t want to, but maybe you should sit down," he suggests in a whisper, gaze flicking between Kato, Draven and the rest of the gang still surrounding them, closing in once more now that the flames were no longer a threat. It would be a disadvantage if they ended up having to fight or run, but Kato didn’t look like he’d be able to stay on his feet much longer as is.

Alex rifling through her pack for something saw his attention half split between Kato and her before she pulled out a small bag of medication, holding it up for Draven to inspect. Its contents were minimal but valuable. Drugs of any kind were hard to come by anymore and Venom found a spark of hope forming in his chest. If anything could get them out of this it might just be that. Before Draven could respond, however, an ungodly shriek echoing toward them from a nearby alley saw nearly everyone jump at the unexpected noise, every head turning until they landed on a girl and some sort of snake-like creature. There was a tense moment of silence before some of the gang members rushed toward her and attempted to herd her into the circle with the rest of them. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Draven appeared content to let his followers handle her, his gaze returning to Alex thoughtfully. "Deal," he starts to say, but then the sky seems to open up and suddenly acid rain is pouring down on them. With no choice beyond being burned by the droplets or fleeing, most of the group scatters, seeking shelter in the nearby buildings. Draven winces as the acidic drops hit his skin, but is intent on completing the agreed transaction before departing, snatching the bag out of Alex’s hand before booking it. Venom does risk grabbing ahold of Kato’s shirt before steering him to the closest building that actually looks stable. "Come on!" He calls to Alex and Clovia. "This will have to do!" He can only hope as they enter the building they won’t be sharing close quarters with any of the Wolverines. He hadn’t been able to tell where most of them darted off to.

[Apologies, this isn’t the best quilty. Still getting over my cold.]

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

Alex hissed as a few of the first drops hit her, and Sam yelped when a larger drop hit his nose. She answered Draven's agreement. "Great! When the storm lets up, we'll go on our merry way!" She tossed the bag to him as he grasped for it, then hurried after her companions, Sam already way ahead of her. Alex glanced back at the girl who had kinda been forced into their group.

"Come on!" She called, rushing inside the building after Sam, Venom, and Kato. She took a deep breath now that she was out of the acid, shrugging off her jacket to dry it off with any sort of rag she could find to keep the droplets from eating right through the leather. Once settled down near her companions, she started drying her jacket, being careful to avoid touching the drops that had pooled on it. "That was a close one." She looked over at Sam, who was pitifully pawing at his nose, whining.

"Here boy." She set her jacket aside, reaching for her backpack instead. She pulled out her travel first aid kit, a leftover from her hiking and camping days. Sam set his head on her lap and let her clean out the little burn with some gauze, then put a tiny dab of ointment on it. Once finished, she looked at the others she'd found herself with. "Anyone else get burned by that shit? I don't have much left in this kit, but I have enough to at least clean things properly."

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

The shriek was horrific enough to startle Kato right out of his daze. Shocked, he stumbled back, and perhaps would've fallen if not for the support Venom's precedence was offering. The man's previous words, as well as most of this interaction itself, did not register properly in his foggy mind. If not for the scream of that ungodly creature, he would still be lost in the trance, unable to break himself away from the horrors which enveloped his shaded mind.

Those hands shook just as badly as the rest of him, rendering the act of actually holding onto Venom almost impossible. Yet, still, somehow, he was still able to cling to the male, and remain more or less on his feet. This wasn't so bad, truly. Once they were out of this situation, he'd just need a while to cool down. He'd be back to normal before long.

But then, out of seemingly nowhere (though the sky had betrayed its planned mischief a while before), the clouds were parting. Strange. Confused, Kato's eyes flickered upwards, honing their gaze upon the peculiar sight. What was this...? Acidic rain was the last thing he was expecting. Kato had witnessed many storms in his life, and never had any started quite like this. The sky had appeared to open up.

The painful stinging of the rain didn't seem to affect him in the same way it did the others. Perhaps it was because he wasn't quite able to focus on what was happening just yet. The acid ate right through his sweatshirt, leaving crude, burnt holes in the sleeves. Milky white skin shone brightly through these gaps, glowing strongly against the darker fabric. Because of the tilt of his head, angling his face towards the sky, his mask was too being affected. Only a bit was broken away before he was jerking his chin down, abruptly bringing his gaze to the ground. Around him, chaos seemed to unfold; confusing and erratic in his current state.

He knew someone was trying to lead him somewhere, judging by the sudden tugging on his shirt. It took a moment, but he was eventually stumbling after Venom, fleeing with the others of their small group to the nearby shelter. Yuki followed close behind, narrowly missing taking Kato's head clean off with her too-close of a swoop. Her talons had brushed against the hood, threatening to pull it right off and expose him further to the elements. Thankfully, he was practically indoors before this occurred, so even if she had been successful, the damage would not of been terrible.

The moment he was able to, he was releasing his iron grip on Venom. Finding a nice, sturdy corner to huddle in, he was sinking to the ground, pressing his face into his hands as he did so. It would've been a good idea to rid of the burnt, foul smelling hoodie, but at the moment, this was the least of Kato's worries. He just needed a second to breathe. Hopefully, no one would disturb him. He could only pray that his little... companions kept to themselves for the time being.

Alex's offer was downright ignored. He instead merely brought his knees to his chest, opting to bury his face in them instead. He was fine with just sitting here, propped up against the wall.

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

Jack hadn't been paying attention to Echo's retort towards Vincent, too lost in his own thoughts of distrust to bother listening in on a conversation that didn't include him (despite what many seemed to think, he really wasn't too keen on eavesdropping unless the topic involved him). He apparently said something wrong, though, as Echo spat a very unamused ”No dip, Sherlock,” violently snapping Jack’s attention back to him. What the hell? Echo had seemed like someone without a single mean bone in his body (well, until Jack remembered the axe, but as far as he was concerned he was still in one piece, so), but the next thing he knew the guy was taking off towards his supposed ‘car,’ abandoning the small group to fend for themselves. Rude. Vincent tried calling after him in desperation, and Jack rolled his eyes. ”If they're so determined to leave, let them die alone. I highly doubt any amount of begging will bring them back,” he wanted to mutter, only to be interrupted by Nadia speaking up.

Jack's eyes widened considerably at Nadia's scolding, shocked that she even had it in her to insult him as though he was the wrong one for not immediately jumping into the noose of trust that was just begging to snap his neck and kill him. Too many times he'd fallen into that trap - he had the paranoia and the scars to prove it - and too many times he'd been stupid enough to hope that maybe one day his blind trust would pay off. It wasn't pride that pushed him away from the gallows, it was fear. He almost snapped as much, maybe even throwing in a cold ”I wouldn’t expect you to understand, you spoiled prick. I bet it must have been nice to have a place to call home with people that would never betray or hurt you,” but he managed to stop himself right as he opened his mouth. Thank God, too, because he really couldn't afford to lose another shot at sticking with a group. The rain would be picking up any minute now, and even he knew he wasn't invincible. He needed a place to stay, even if he planned to flee the second the rain stopped, even if he hated the very notion that he would have to trust these strangers long enough for the skies to clear.

“I-I think we should probably wait the rain out in the store. I’m pretty sure it’s the only place near here that'll be able to protect us,” he suggested, hating how weak his voice sounded compared to its typical fire. He would never so much as come close to admitting it, but Nadia’s words had cut deep, and he wasn't quite sure what to do anymore. He wanted to run away and never look back like the distrustful coward he was, but even he knew the odds of finding another place to crash before the rain picked up were slim to none. Maybe an acidic death wouldn't be that bad after all, especially given his only other option was being trapped in a building with a human doormat and a woman that apparently hated his guts. Ironic how he wasted seventeen years of his life fighting to survive only to die a pathetic death because of the rain. He braced himself for the rejection, to be told to get lost and find his own damn shelter, since that seemed to be the trend here. He just had to go and fuck everything up with his paranoia yet again, didn't he?

××××××××⚠××××××××

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

Something vaguely resembling concern flashed across Oliver's expression at the other's coughing, followed by ragged breathing that was far closer to gasping than a steady inhale-exhale. He didn't know how much longer the boy would be able to keep up his illusions, nor did he wish to find out. ”Yes. I could stop them,” the illusionist replied as he rose unsteadily. Oliver frowned when the masked teenager made no move to do as he said he could, cruelly taunting him with the idea of an unobtainable freedom. But then his reasoning was explained with an emotionless voice and Oliver understood why, on the verge of vocalizing his affirmation before they were headed down the now-apparent staircase. They went through a door, and it took Oliver several seconds before he realized the lights had been flickered on and he adjusted his eyesight accordingly.

The room was simple enough, if not for the strange papers on the walls and the… was that blood? Oliver’s entire body tensed at the realization, and for not the first time that day, he wanted to escape the strange boy controlling his perception of the world. If he wanted to ask about the origin of the blood (which he definitely did not), he didn't get a chance to before his acquaintance was pulling off his mask and a glove, revealing a bloody face that proved Oliver's age assumption with a startling clarity. Children didn't belong in the cruel world that remained after the virus, and it was a wonder how any of them managed to survive at all. The boy before him couldn't have been older than a teenager, although with how sickly he appeared Oliver wouldn't have been surprised if he was even younger. It was frightening, in a way, to know that his life was in the hands of a kid. Of course, he knew better than to underestimate the skills of those younger than him - he’d graduated high school at fifteen even with the head of the group home delaying his education by two years, after all - but that didn't mean he wasn't wary of the boy's experience.

The teenager’s sudden warning brought him out of his contemplating, silently prompting him to make a decision. Oliver wasn't certain he wanted to be in pain, even if it meant release from the horrible illusions. Pain had always been a fear of his, and he had a tendency to avoid it like a rabbit avoided a wolf. He supposed he didn't have much of a choice in this scenario, however, as it was either risk getting hurt or remain trapped in an insanity-inducing illusion, neither of which was particularly appealing. ”Okay,” he replied simply, voice low and nervous but unwavering. He took the boy's palm once again, bracing himself for the pain that was sure to come.

[so sorry these are both so short and terrible and that they took so long rip]

⭑✦Rey Ricochett✦⭑

29|⭑|Male|⭑|Survivor|⭑|Location-Abandoned City|⭑|Mentions-Weylyn

Rey settled down for a moment. He rested his hands on his bag calmly. When the male demanded he put his bag in the back he glanced back and narrowed his eyes. They scanned over the blood, causing him to give a slight shake of his head. He turned back to the man, his eyebrows furrowed and his nose scrunched up. “I uh…..don’t really feel comfortable parting with it and also there’s a LOT of blood back there, I didn’t think someone as cute as you could uh...kill someone. Unless of course it wasn’t you. Either way. I am not putting my bag back there.”

His brown eyes flickered down to his fingers as they tingled for a moment. “Are you asking about my power? Rey Ricochett at your service fair sir. My power is complicated but basically, seeing into the future is my deal. I don’t use it often since my it feels like dying my skin completely black.” His voice was light and full of laughter when he talked about his power. He then held his hands up to the light and showed the male his fingertips. The black color reached to about mid finger where it mixed with his cocoa skin and faded away.

“Anyway! What’s your name? And What is your power, if you don’t mind me asking.” He said and carefully examined the males face and then the gun pointed directly at him.

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

Echo walked away, feeling a bit bad, but fearing that he may get attached to people who could betray him or not make it through the next day. "W-wait!" Echo didn't need to turn around to know that was Vincent. Echo slowed down slightly, wanting to hear what he had to say. "It makes more sense for us to stick together. I can find us shelter!" Echo scoffed as Vincent said this. "Who made you the leader?" He grumbled, but his resolve was already fading. Kai have him a scolding look as if saying, "He's older. It's his job to make sure you're safe." Echo slowed to a walk as he rounded the corner.

Vincent seemed like a good guy. At least, he sounded like someone Echo should trust. It wasn't like him to just leave a group of people without knowing if they were going to be okay.<"And your leg! It needs stitches, you can't leave the wound untreated or it might get infected even if you keep it wrapped!" Echo flinched at the desperation in his voice, and came to a complete halt as Kai moved to intercept him. "I know, I know. I have to go back to them. I'm not getting stiches, though! My leg is fine." Echo's words ended in a yelp as Kai swiped at his leg. Echo jumped around and cursed at the fox badly enough to make any sensible woman faint. Kai had to jump out the way to avoid a flying show from the angry boy. Echo paused his tantrum to put on his shoe. He burst out laughing, probably acting like a crazy person. As much as he hated needles and sticthes, Kai had made a good point. They both paused as they heard someone raise their voice. Jack was getting told off by Nadia?

Echo's lips curved into a smile, and they started running back. It would be crazy to miss the chance to help someone and make new friends. Echo had been the the murky darkness of loneliness for too long. Echo decided it was to to step into the light and make these people his friends. Even Jack, no matter what rapidly changing mood he was in. Echo stopped a few meters from the group and shouted "Hey!", Grabbing their attention. With a crazy grin on his face, he he pointed back to where he had come from. "Don't tell me your just going to stand there! Let's go on a car trip! Follow me." He said as he danced to avoid the sizzling droplets. He didn't wait for their replies before slowly jogging to where he parked his car and climbing in.

{Clovia Panthera}
23 || Female || Survivor
Location: Abandoned city || Mentions: Alex, Venom, Kato, NPC

Clovia felt a sense of dread wash over her as she was surrounded and hearded towards the group of people. Well, at least they weren’t attacking. She was internally screaming the entire time, unaware of what to do in case the man had said no deal. She started to relax a little after hearing that he was okay with the offer. She watched as an exchange was made between the probably dangerous man and the girl. I mean, he would be considered dangerous as he had little followers that most likely do as he asked. Clovia winced as she felt a drop of acid hit her left arm, burning a hole through the fabric of her long sleeved shirt and proceeding to burn her skin. ’Can’t we just have normal rain for once?’ It was wishful thinking to hope for normal rain. The creature on Clovia’s backpack let out a hiss as acid started to drop onto its’ scales. ’Seems like you’re affected as well little buddy...’

Clovia’s train of thought was interrupted as the snake-like boy and the girl had called her to come with them. She stood there for a second, slightly dumbfounded, before racing after them into the building. Hopefully, there were no cockroaches this time. She’d much rather acidic rain than cockroaches. She sat down, sliding her backpack off. Clovia grabbed the creature and put it in her lap, patting it in order to soothe it a little. It didn’t make any screeching or hissing noises this time, merely settling with its’ form of purring. She watched as the other boy sat in a corner and covered his masked face with his hands. ’Probably best to leave him be.’ Clovia turned towards the girl with the mutated... dog? Wolf? Whatever it was. ”Uhm, I’m fine, thanks. I’ve got some cream in my backpack, which I usually use for burns.” She spoke kind of awkwardly, feeling kinda bad for intruding into their small group. ”Er, sorry about that. I don’t think you guys were expecting someone else to appear, let alone someone with a, uh, creature that makes ungodly noises. So, sorry about that, again.” She apologised, rubbing the back of her neck with a bit of a sheepish grin.

Clovia turned to study each of the three people she’ll be waiting out the storm with. The girl was first. She was quite pretty, actually. She had long brown hair, light brown eyes to match and honey skin. She was wearing some jeans, a plain, old looking shirt with a leather jacket that looked pretty worn out. Clovia noticed the girl was wearing boots similar to her own. ’Good choice.’ She noticed a silver necklace hanging around her neck, with a gold and amethyst ring on it.

Next was the masked boy. A black mask covered most of his face, save for his eyes. Clovia didn’t get to catch what his eyes were like, however. She saw pale blond hair peeking out from under the hood he wore. The boy’s hands adorned thick, leather gloves. Clovia couldn’t tell much of what his face looked like, for obvious reasons. His pants were baggy, black sweats. The shirt he wore now had holes in it from the acid rain, exposing his pale skin.

Last was the snake-like boy. He was quite tall with a stocky build. His eyes were brown like the girl’s, but a darker brown. His hair at the top was patterned in a mix of black and brown, seemingly dyed to be that way. It eventually faded to a light blond, which Clovia knew was either dyed or his natural hair colour. She decided to go with dyed. Her gaze settled on the scale tattoos that covered his throat and framed his face that were lined along his cheekbones. Both of his arms were tattooed as well, the left covered in symbols that she recognised to belong to a gang, but which one she didn’t know. On his right arm was a mix of rattlesnakes, skulls and red roses all tangled together. It looked quite nice.

After Clovia was done staring, she cleared her throat. “I’m Clovia, by the way. I forgot my manners, I should really introduce myself first. And my little buddy here is, er, well, I don’t have a name for them yet. Whoops.”

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

Jack wasn’t the only person taken aback by the fire in Nadia’s voice. He glanced between her and Jack apprehensively, the flash of gratitude he felt conflicting with his anxiety. He hoped the confrontation wouldn’t lead to an argument. It was the last thing they needed right now, and in all honesty, he found her words to be a bit harsh. It wasn’t often someone spoke up in his defense. Perhaps if he’d handled the situation better things wouldn’t have led up to this. Vincent couldn’t tell if Jack was simply stunned to be scolded or if Nadia’s lecture had truly hurt him, but either way, the teen didn’t respond and Vincent was quick to try and smooth things over.

"Trustworthy people are hard to come by these days, and caution is what keeps a lot of people alive," he reminds Nadia gently, doing his best not to sound critical. He didn’t want her to think he didn’t appreciate her sticking up for him, but Jack was barely even an adult. They had no idea what kind of people he’d encountered before meeting them. If they were anything like some of the other survivors Vincent had met he couldn’t say he blamed the teen for being wary, his fingers nearly coming to trace the cut on his cheek, still smeared with dried blood. Though the wound still stung sharply he’d nearly forgotten about it with everything else going on.

He quite nearly turned down the can offered to him shortly after considering his pack was still decently full, but realized the gesture itself was more valuable than anything else and accepted it with a smile and a warm, "thank you". There was nothing to say he couldn’t share it with his new companions later. The raindrops were starting to grow harder to ignore and he hissed in pain as one splashed onto the back of his hand, waving it as if he could shake the pain away. Jack spoke up at the same moment and Vincent nodded in agreement. "Yes, the store will have to do. It’s not the most structurally sound building around, but it should hold. If it floods we’ll just to have to climb onto the shelves and hope they hold."

He tried to force some optimism into his voice, but it was clear Vincent wasn’t all that convinced by his own claims. Seemed they wouldn't have to find out whether or not he was right, however. A familiar voice was calling out to them and he turned to find Echo had come back for them, beckoning them all to follow him. Checking to make certain Nadia and Jack were coming, he hurried after Echo, catching up before long. It was a relief to see Echo did indeed seem able to run just fine despite the injury. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as he’d initially suspected.

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

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

Once they were safely indoors Venom released Kato, watching as he crawled into a corner and seemed to curl into himself. He lingered near him in uncertainty for a moment before concluding the other man’s body language stated he wished to be left alone and decided not to intrude, instead assessing how Alex, Sam, and their newest companion had fared after their unwanted acid shower. Sam seemed to have burnt his nose, but Alex was still in one piece. 'Nah. I’ve been stuck in worse," He replies, declining the offer. Despite the fact he probably had the least amount of clothing on, just a pair of ripped jeans, a black t-shirt, and a pair of beat up sneakers, it seemed he wasn't’ too worse for wear, though there were a few patches of skin along his arms that were clearly irritated.

As the girl offered an apology he could feel his owl guilt making a rapid return. "Guess I should apologize too," he starts awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his head. "Shoulda been paying more attention. Really didn’t mean to get any of you caught up in this. We’re really lucky we got out of that mostly unscathed." His eyes drift back to Kato, who out of all of them seems to be struggling the most, and considers maybe that’s not such a true statement. "I wouldn’t trust Draven. Soon as that rain stops we need to put as much distance between us and him as possible." His attention is drawn back to Clovia as she introduces herself, looking her over for the first time.

The snake-like creature catches his eye before long, but his typical enthusiasm for anything remotely reptilian is still significantly muted due to their current situation. "Nice to meet you Clovia. Wish it was under better circumstances. I’m Ve...Dante." He decides after everything they’d just been through he possibly owed these people his real name, though he wasn't sure it would change anything. It felt odd to hear it. The gang was pretty strict about leaving your old life behind. You took a new name. Became a new person. He hadn’t used his birth name or had anyone call him by it in nearly a year.

[This ended up shorter and sloppier than intended but once again I am filled with exhaustion. Rip.]

[ Weylyn Hayse ]
23 || Male || Survivor
Location: Abandoned City - Neighbourhood || Mentions: Rey

Waiting for the stranger to comply, as he looked over the mess in the back and turned to Weylyn with a calm refusal, Weylyn was taken aback, his hand going noticeably slack on the gun. This was different, and definitely strange, considering the deadly firearm literally pointed at his head. Then he called Weylyn cute, and he couldn’t help but catch his saliva in his throat, letting out a strange choked noise. What the fuck was going on.

He physically couldn’t find his words, for the first time in so long, living in a world like this once, he was honestly shocked. When he introduced himself as Rey, his voice as calm as before and even a bit cheerful, it was his power that had Weylyn wide eyed. Future sight? Was that why he wasn’t afraid of the gun, did he possibly know that this ended with Weylyn not shooting him, but something else? The black of his fingertips worried him, if someone’s power could physically alter themselves, it had to be powerful. He only knew this from experience.

Sitting a bit straighter, he wrestled with the thought of just shooting this guy and getting it over with, an enemy with future sight wasn’t one easily beat, unless you already had them in a situation like this one. Though in the end, he couldn’t possibly, because this guy, Rey Ricochett, more childlike than man, wasn’t his enemy. So he sighed, slumping back into his seat and letting his gun fall to his side.

”I’m Weylyn,” He said lacklustered, looking out into the road that now showered with light rainfall, if they stayed here any longer the tires of the truck would likely melt to the asphalt. ”Dont ask me anything else, we’re not friends, and we’re not partners, and as soon as we get to the shopping district, you’re gone. Got it?”

⭑✦Rey Ricochett✦⭑
29|⭑|Male|⭑|Survivor|⭑|Location-Abandoned City|⭑|Mentions-Weylyn

Rey’s brown eyes turned to the window and examined the rain sprinkling down from the clouds above. He was guessing it would get heavier as the time passed. He seemed to rethink his decision to get in the car. If the other male wasn’t gonna help him get to the wastelands, then what? He would have to walk and waste time with this person. No, He thought, I will get through to him, especially if he is heading to the wastelands afterward.

He watched the gun settle on the seat next to its owner. The dark male rested his hands on his bag, which he kept on his lap. He pushed a hand quickly through his curly hair, trying in vain to tame it in the least bit. A pink and red bracelet made of yarn slipped out from underneath his flannel sleeve. It was worn and had hints of dirt here and there. It looked like it was about to fall apart and yet he still wore it.

He brought his arm back down and flinched when he saw the bracelet. He quickly tucked it away and bit his bottom lip quickly and shook his head, before letting the thought slip from his mind. “Well, we better get a move on then. Weylen.” he let the name bounce around his mouth. It was fun to say, he found out.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

The woman took a deep breath and managed a smile through her gritted teeth. She played with the ends of her dark brown hair and readjusted her hair clip. She then looked at Jack and winced when she heard his voice waver. “Okay, that-” she stopped when Vincent took the Tuna from her hand and thanked her. She nodded. Her hand withdrew and found its way into her pockets. She was about to start up her sentence again but a slightly familiar voice spoke up behind her.

She turned her head and was surprised to see Echo had returned. “Don't tell me you're just going to stand there! Let's go on a car trip! Follow me.” Nadia furrowed her eyes and then she smiled slowly. A real one this time. She followed Echo and Vincent to the other survivor's car. She paused for a moment and decided she would rather not get stuck in the backseat with Jack. She was still tense with them but could understand their hesitation to join a group of complete strangers, but she had found it rather bland without others around. So she was very willing to join them on this endeavor. Plus, if she felt threatened she could easily escape with her powers and didn’t have to hurt anyone.

She turned to Vincent and stopped him before he made a decision on where to sit. Echo had seemed to leave it up to them to decide where they sit. “Hey. Would you be okay sitting in the back with me and Stellar here? I kind of was harsher with Jack back there than I expected to be.” she said as she opened the back door and slipped in, setting Stellar down on the seat and then her bag on her lap. She slid all the way over and looked out at Vincent.

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

Dark eyes bore into Oliver's, awaiting his final decision. Their gaze was so vivid in its intensity that it, for a startling moment, seemed that Enzae could actually see Oliver. But the glossy, unfocused look of the orbs proved otherwise. His abilities had left him blinded for the time being, and at the complete mercy of his chosen companion. Well, perhaps not. What they currently had seemed to be a mutual agreement of "I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me.". Enzae wouldn't exactly call him an ally, for neither had actually put up such an offer, but it was nice to have someone not trying to kill him for once. Oliver was the first being he'd actually been able to speak to in a very long time.

He felt a palm touch his, and almost immediately, he was flinching back. He caught himself before he could rip his hand away, instead opting to enclose Oliver's own in an iron-like grip. The touch of another's skin against his was startlingly unfamiliar. He'd worn coverings for many, many years - since as long as his mind would allow him to remember. Human contact was something that remained strange to this very day. It wasn't something he thought fondly of, truly.

Yet, not even seconds later, he was being jolted from his thoughts. The process had begun. Shockingly, it would be fast and painless; a first for the illusionist. Just as quickly as it'd started, it was ending. His vision had momentarily been engulfed in a brilliant red as he pulled the darkness from Oliver's mind. Then, suddenly, he was able to see again. Dizziness hit him like a bullet, leaving him swimming in a miserable nausea. It could've been worse, though. It could've been a lot worse. Previous times had left him wracked with seziured and vomiting up his own blood. It was the one of the many reasons he avoided partnering up with people. It rendered him unable to use his ability properly without having to shield them from it, and that was a horrid hassle in its own.

He let go of Oliver's hand, forgetting for a moment that the man might be quite dizzy himself. His own had already faded, though it was quickly replaced with an unmeasurable fatigue. As if staying on his feet hadn't already been hard enough. "Well," His voice sounded a lot different now that his mask was off. No longer muffled and unintelligible, it was actually quite melodic, almost soothing in its raspier tones. It was obvious he didn't speak too often. "I'm going to... clean my face off. You just... make yourself at home." His brow furrowed, knitting together in an uncertain confusion. "Uh... There's some food in the cabinet if you're hungry. Don't... touch too much. And don't break anything." Sending Oliver towards his storage of supplies probably wasn't his smartest idea - but, hell, he'd been making some pretty stupid decisions lately. Might as well continue.

(sorry this is bad and ends suddenly ,,, ^^'' the last half got deleted and i can't bring myself to rewrite it.
also if you want exacts of what is in the cabinet just let me know.)

| Adelaide Victoria Thompson |
18 | Female | Survivor | Location- abandoned city | Mentions: Thane

The cat taken care of for the time being, Addie returned to her unexpected, but welcome, guest. When she spotted the open jar of honey she moved to thank him, but he had began speaking in a slightly curious voice. 'Fencing, huh?' She nodded, a crooked smile lighting up her face. Call her strange, but she was extremely proud of her sport. Thane's reaction was all too common for her. That, alongside 'you fence?' is typically the most common reply. But she had no qualms about answering her fellow survivor. However, he had continued, opening up about himself in the process. Not too athletic, huh? He was certainly tall enough to slay at basketball, though the curls that tumbled over his forehead might get in the way. And certainly the right build to fence, lean and long. She couldn't help the envious thought: his lunges must cover half the strip.

Her short legs had never been especially beneficial, and her style was much more defensive, but Thane, given the proper weapon and training, could excel. However, his next line, about his old school lacking a fencing team, dashed those weak hopes. Oh, well. Can't convert them all.

"Yeah, it's a pretty niche sport. Way too expensive, too. But it's certainly useful in ways I couldn't have imagined a year ago." She grinned, pushing the fly aways from her pony tail down as she surged on, effectively spilling her fencing guts for this complete stranger.

"I was never much of a... team player, I guess. I tried riding horses, but it got scary expensive scary fast. So that was no. But fencing, still expensive, was my path. You don't exactly have to feed your whites..." She meant to make that a joke, and a stupid smile still crossed her face, but she realized Thane probably wouldn't understand it. "Anyway, the sword I, uh, stole. First and last thing I ever took. Aside from food, but who doesn't steal that?" She spoke almost defensively, as if afraid this man would judge her for what she'd done wrong. She reached for the weapon, slowly, worried that if she moved too fast Thane would react negatively. She held it almost reverently, with love and kindness a mother might show to a child.

"It's easy to keep clean, I never have to reload, and as long as whoever I'm facing doesn't have a gun, most people don't know what to do with a sword."

She then placed it back on the desk, the metal rattling against PVC, and hummed as the cat returned and looped around Thane's legs.

"He'll be your friend now, and if you're lucky you'll get a dead something tomorrow morning." She then added, almost as an afterthought, something mildly concerning:

"Don't eat it."