*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 15, 2017 13:02:05 GMT -5
Destiny hugged his neck tightly, tears silently falling down her cheeks. She wasn't aware of the pain he was in. Not until he set her back on the bed and spoke in his strained voice. Quickly, she put as much distance between herself and him as she could without falling off the bed. "Are you okay?" she asked, staring at him in worry. He certainly didn't look like he was okay.
~*
"I haven't seen the Lion King in a long time," Nichole said, smiling. "Go find it and I'll clean up the kitchen."
~*
"I'll be looking forward to it," Faith replied. The chance that it would actually be a date, but she wouldn't mind seeing the man again. "It was nice to meet you as well, Nate. Have a good day."
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Post by Icestar on Jun 15, 2017 17:57:57 GMT -5
He coughed, but managed to quickly recover before having a fit. "Never mind me, I'm the one whose job it is to protect you. Are you okay? Where have you been? They haven't told me anything. Are you hurt? I was worried sick."
"I haven't seen the Lion King in a long time," Nichole said, smiling. "Go find it and I'll clean up the kitchen."
Anja nodded, remembered to say "Thank you," and ran to the TV to find the DVD. Normally she sang along to every song, but in this case, she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open within the first five minutes after settling down on the couch. She was feeling more and more tired lately, and she was beginning to suspect it had something to do with her dad's constant rules. It was getting to the point where it was difficult just to talk to him.
Within minutes of realizing how tired she was, she was snoring softly on the couch.
((*time skiiiiiip*))
Nate came to this café almost every single morning. The day after meeting Faith, not sure if she would be there at the same time, he walked through the door.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 15, 2017 18:46:01 GMT -5
"I'm fine. They put me in a room not far from here. I can come see you everyday if they let me. And I made a new friend," Destiny said, looking over at Sabel. "She speaks Spanish."
~*
Nichols cleared away the empty containers and placed them back into the back they came in. She would throw it out later before Donald got home. Once done, she took her spot on the couch beside Ava. When the soft snores started, Nichole couldn't help but smile in amusement. She got up, found a blanket, and gently laid it over the girl. She would take her to her room soon. It was no where near her bed time yet. If she woke up, then they could work on her math homework. If not, then the woman would take the girl to her bed so she could rest properly for the night. Then, quietly, she went to go make sure Dinsmore had plenty of food and water.
~*
Faith worked the same shift everyday she didn't have a morning class. Luckily that was only one day out of the week. The morning rush had just ended when she spotted Nate from the window. A small smile appeared on her face. "Welcome to Gallery Row," She called, using the line she had to use for all customers who weren't regulars. "What can I get you today?"
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Post by Icestar on Jun 16, 2017 7:39:24 GMT -5
Kurt smiled at the small girl, who was staring rather deliberately at the floor. He didn't speak any Spanish, but he figured she'd understand "Hello," so he said that gently. She appeared completely unresponsive, so he asked Destiny quietly, "Does she speak any English or German?"
Dinsmore bounced around the new twoleg as she filled his water, as he was quite thirsty from the walk.
Anja stirred from her light slumber at the sound of Dinsmore's paws scrabbling against the tile floor, but she found a blanket around her and immediately decided to go back to sleep. Still, because she was a child and children found great amusement in fooling adults into thinking they were asleep, she watched through slitted eyes for a few minutes as Nichole fed her dog.
Nate smiled and nodded in greeting, and at the question, looked up at the menu and drummed his fingers against his chin. He wasn't the sort to get exactly the same thing every day, and wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment. "I'm not entirely certain. What do you recommend?"
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 16, 2017 9:56:48 GMT -5
"She speaks a little English. About like I can speak Spanish. And she seems to understand what the guards say," Destiny replied.
~*
Nichole smiled as Dinsmore bounced eager around until his water dish was full. He was little ball of energy. There were times when she wished she could change into smaller dogs, but she hadn't been able to do so comfortably since she was younger. Now she could only be the big breeds. Not that she was complaining. Come to think of it, it had been a while since she last shifted into anything. Maybe two months? Since she started babysitting Ava, she had been careful with her shifting. The young woman normally changed her form two, three times a day whenever she wanted to, but that had changed with her new job. She didn't want to take any risks, so she had forced herself to stay human for as long as she could stand. Right now, she was tempted to change while Ava was asleep. It was a bad idea, especially if she woke. Nichole glanced at the girl, tucked snugly under her blanket. Just for five minutes, she told herself. That would be enough until she could go hiking through the woods. Carefully, she allowed herself to change from human to Golden Retriever. It wasn't a pleasant change, but she had done it often enough that she didn't make any noise of discomfort. Once done, she shook out her new coat of fur and stretched.
~*
(Now I have to go look up coffee menus. XD)
"Well, we have our house blend that seems to be popular for those who like their coffee with just enough bit to keep the awake," Faith started. "Then we have several latte options that I can drown with either caramel or chocolate. If you're feeling a little fancier, I can make you a white chocolate mocha that's better than you can get at Starbucks. And of course, your choice of muffins, croissants, and scones."
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 16, 2017 12:07:09 GMT -5
((Woah, just checked the first page for the first time in a while. Jennette's 28!? How time flies.
Amberwing: Would you be open to Ivy meeting another on-the-run shifter?
User Name- Dawnmist
Name- Louis Girard
Age- 22
Gender- Male
Birth Country- France
Looks- Average height with medium-length, dark brown hair. He wears rectangular-framed glasses.
Personality- Louis was a typical teenager before being bitten. He did well in school and enjoyed the company of his friends. Being on the run, however, has made him more serious and suspicious than he used to be.
SS or human- Shapeshifter
How you became a SS- Bitten
Allegiance- Independent
Past- Louis's father worked for the RK, so when Louis was bitten at the age of 17, his father knew what dangers he could be in if the RK found him. His father encouraged him to run away so that the RK would not find him. He has been by himself, constantly moving, ever since.
Other- Because of his father's connection with the RK, he knows a small bit about the war and its two opposing sides.
))
Jennette's head jolted up with a start when she saw the knob on her cell door turning. The first emotion that struck her was fear, followed by anger. She scowled at the newcomer as he walked through the door. Her suspicions increased when she saw the tray of food he was carrying. It looked different than the average meals she had been given since arriving, and she wondered if perhaps it was tainted with some experimental substance.
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Post by Icestar on Jun 16, 2017 12:42:49 GMT -5
"Hey there, love," said Kurt softly in German. "You're beautiful. What's your name?"
Sabel immediately began to warm up to the man, and she chanced looking up. He was watching her attentively like she was the only person in the world. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had looked at her like that. This thought crossing her mind was simply too much, and suddenly feeling overwhelmed, she returned her gaze to the tile floor.
"Poor thing," Kurt said, switching back to English, a note of sadness in his voice. "Who knows what she went through to get here." But as much as he felt for this girl, she wasn't his job. He tore his attention away from her and returned it to Destiny, asking, "Did they give you any treatment? Were you hurt during the--" He paused for the slightest moment, unwilling as ever to discuss these things in front of a child, but this was war, and they couldn't pretend it wasn't, so he finished with barely a hitch: "bombing?"
Dinsmore immediately began to bark, which covered up Anja's squeak of shock and the noise made by her quickly sitting up straight on the couch. She stayed stone still with her eyes wide, watching her dog bark at the brand new dog stretching where Nichole had been moments before, her clothes still draped around it. For a moment her brain all but stopped working, until it started again, spinning out of control. Dinsmore had always liked her...
((Bwahahah. All according to plan.))
"You had me at 'drown with caramel,'" Nate said, grinning. "Anything like that, please. Surprise me."
((EDIT: Whoa, Dawn! I probably shouldn't have left immediately after putting up that last post. You're good to go with Louis. And you're telling me--Diana was fourteen when I made her. She's 31 now. They grow up so fast (even though it took seven years of my life for her to get this far).
So, the Lillian/Diana/Christoph thing? I was trying to figure out what reason Lillian would have to come to Schwarz's house and the best idea I have is for her to call Schwarz, who picks up barely conscious, and when the call pretty immediately goes silent, Lillian traces the call [which she can do since technology is her specialty] and shows up at Schwarz's front door.))
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 16, 2017 16:22:11 GMT -5
Archer stepped into the cell, offering a soft smile to the woman. "Good evening, Miss. I hope I didn't disturb you," he said, shutting the door behind him. He was to play nice to her, not allow her a chance to escape. "Are you hungry?"
~*
"Just a few scratches and bruises," Destiny replied once he turned his attention to her once more. She didn't understand German, so she hadn't aid anything while he tried to address Sabel. "They also gave me a shot when we were in the van. I don't now what it was for though."
~*
The dog barking wasn't expected. Nichole tried to get Dinsmore to quiet done, but it was too late. There was movement out of the corner of her eye, and when she looked over, her gaze meet Ava's. For a moment, she just stood there. Why had she thought this was a good idea? When she finally snapped out of her daze, she immediately turned back into a human. "Ava, I can explain," she said slowly, carefully stepping over to where the girl was. "Just please don't freak out."
~*
(XD)
"One caramel latte with extra caramel coming right up," Faith replied. She walked over to the coffee maker, and in no time had his order ready. "This is the most caramel I've ever added to a drink, so I don't know if it'll be too sweet," she told him as she walked back over to the counter.
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Post by Icestar on Jun 16, 2017 16:37:08 GMT -5
((Dang, I forgot about that shot. We've never had anti-shifting serum that lasted longer than twelve hours... Um. Okay, for the record, this is a one-time thing.))
Kurt sagged in immense relief when she confirmed that her injuries had all been superficial ones. When she mentioned the shot, he surveyed her for a moment before asking quietly, "Can you shift?"
Anja instinctively pressed herself back into the couch, clutching the blanket close to her, but she looked up at Nichole with unafraid, albeit very wide, eyes. She'd seen the news reports, and read the papers, and as much as her dad tried to keep her away from anything to do with them, she knew what she had just seen. "Are you a shapeshifter?" she whispered loudly, her brain firing in too many directions at once to maintain her Irish accent. The words were spoken in her natural German lilt.
Nate rubbed his hands together. "If caramel overdose is how I'm gonna go out, so be it."
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Post by Icestar on Jun 16, 2017 17:07:50 GMT -5
((I know, I mean she should be able to shift because the serum should have worn off, but let's just say for this one time, 30-hour anti-shifting serum is a thing. Because Destiny definitely can't shift right now, the RK's not that sloppy.))
"Try now," Kurt said simply. He was sure of what the result would be, and said it only to demonstrate to her.
"I don't think you are," Anja said, eyes still wide, accent still German. "I like shapeshifters. It's just my dad doesn't." Despite this, or maybe because of this, she stayed exactly where she was.
That gave Nate pause. He wondered, if he were to die, who would even attend the funeral. Possibly some of his friends from Potsdam, at least the ones still alive. In fact, he'd gone to some of their funerals in the last month. But he couldn't think of a single person he was absolutely sure would be there for his. Not even...
As ever, he covered it up with a grin, and said, "I'd be much obliged."
((Sorry, bedtime.))
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 16, 2017 17:37:09 GMT -5
(Got it!)
Destiny nodded and tried to shift. She was still in the process of mastering it, but there were certain forms she could change into easily. Or, so she thought. The little girl tried her best to shift, but nothing happened. "I-I can't," she muttered, casting a worried look up at Kurt. "Why can't I shift?"
~*
"You have to promise not to tell him," Nichole said. "Please?" Now she was concerned. She thought Ava's accent had wavered due to fear. It not only wavered, but it sounded more German. So much was happening at once. First, she had to let the girl know that everything was okay. "You trust me, don't you?"
~*
"So what have you been up to?" Faith asked while he paid. They had a little time to talk unless he needed to get to work earlier today. She assumed the question would take up too much of his time.
(Good night, Ice!)
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 16, 2017 19:23:55 GMT -5
((Icestar: Yeah, I was wondering about how to bring Lillian back in too. Sure, that would work. Now I just need a reason for her to call Schwarz.))
Lillian strolled back down the same hallway she had been in only an hour before. Though she had originally planned to return to her room for the night, she had quickly become restless, so she decided to take a walk around the base and get to know it better. She halted suddenly when something on the ground caught her eye. She picked it up. It appeared to be some sort of access card bearing Schwarz's name. She must have dropped it when she was here earlier.
Lillian pulled out her phone and dialed Schwarz's number. One ring. Two rings. On the third ring, Schwarz picked up. Or at least, Lillian assumed that's what happened. The phone stopped ringing, and she heard a brief groan on the other end. Then a clatter, as if the phone had been dropped.
"[Insert appropriate title here] Schwarz?" she said. "Schwarz, are you there?" No response. That couldn't be good.
"Shoot," she muttered. "Well, thank goodness you didn't hang up." Lillian rushed back to her room, and after a few minutes with her phone and laptop, she was able to trace the call. She quickly scribbled down the address and was off.
Minutes later, she arrived at Schwarz's home. The front door was left open. Now Lillian knew something was up. She ran up to the door. "Schwarz?" She called. "Are you there?"
When she reached the porch, she noticed a small bird lying unconscious near the door. To a typical person, one not so familiar with shifters, it may appear that the robin had simply hit the window and knocked itself out by mistake. But Lillian did not think this was the case.
She prodded the bird gently. "Schwarz?"
((I don't know what Lillian is supposed to be calling Schwarz, so please just assume there's the appropriate title worked in there.
Also, sort of a flimsy excuse, I know. Not sure what the access card is for, but it's probably unimportant.))
Jennette eyed the man suspiciously. "That depends," she said. "What's in the food?"
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Post by Icestar on Jun 17, 2017 7:46:25 GMT -5
((That's actually a really good idea, Dawn. I couldn't think of anything. And her rank is Sergeant Major. It's on her form if you ever forget, but yeah, what you just did there is fine. And Schwarz actually didn't manage to complete the shift; she was lying halfway into the flower bed in front of the house. Don't think a bird could have picked up the phone.  )) "That's what the shot was for," Kurt said softly. "Don't worry. But... you'll be getting a lot of shots like that while you're here." However long that may be.
Anja blinked, honestly unsure of how to answer. She'd only known Nichole for a few weeks, but she liked her, and her being a shapeshifter shouldn't change anything as far as Anja could tell... it was just that she knew if her dad found out, she'd never see Nichole again. "I... I think so."
"Oh, y'know," Nate said as he handed over his only fiver. "Saved the world twice in the last twenty-four hours. Oh, and I found one quid lying on the pavement. Really exciting stuff. You?"
After attempting to answer the phone, knowing that she needed to get in contact with someone but doubting her own ability to dial a phone number, the tiny bit of extra sound in her ear was like an explosion and she immediately recoiled, covering her head. She was beginning to recover some degree of cognizance, but it wasn't coming fast enough. Her head hurt. Everything hurt. Had that phone ring even been real? Where was she? Where was Christoph? This thought stirred her to try to claw her way upright, but the world around her still made no sense and she was forced to stay in place, attempting to come to grips with her surroundings. She was sitting up in the flower bed by the porch, dirt and mulch getting all over her clean grey trousers. A voice echoed around her, and on registering that she was no longer alone, she forcibly pulled herself back into awareness with renewed urgency. But as she blinked into the face hovering above her, she found it to be familiar. "Valentine?" she slurred, and lurched suddenly and unsteadily to her feet. |
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Post by Icestar on Jun 17, 2017 8:41:32 GMT -5
"We're not residents or guests or patients here, sweetheart," Kurt said, tone still quiet and somber. "We're prisoners." Before she could react, he held his hands out, inviting her back into his arms, ready for it this time. "But don't worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Almost everything within Anja was inclined to believe that, except... "He's my dad," she said, tears trembling on her lashes now, but not yet falling. She wiped them away. "He says shifters are trouble. He says any time there's a shifter around, I'm in danger."
"I know, right? I couldn't quite believe it; more money than I've ever seen in my life!" He glanced down at the more-than-one-quid amount of change in his hands, and hurriedly shoved it into his pockets.
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 17, 2017 11:15:04 GMT -5
((Oh yeah, good point.))
"Are you okay?" Lillian asked, gently taking one of Schwarz's arms to steady her. "What happened here?"
Jennette briefly nodded her assent.
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Post by Icestar on Jun 17, 2017 13:17:45 GMT -5
Schwarz automatically jerked out of her grasp, lifting her other hand up to her head. She brought it back with blood on her fingertips, which she blinked at vaguely before waving it, flicking some of the blood in random directions. "He took him," she said, her voice much clearer this time, and her mind coming along right behind it. "Christoph is gone." Immediately she spun around, yanking her keys from her pocket.
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 17, 2017 13:24:48 GMT -5
"Wait, what?" said Lillian. "Who took him? How do you know?"
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Post by Icestar on Jun 17, 2017 15:29:50 GMT -5
"Wolfgang Möer. His scumbag father," Schwarz snapped, entering the code into the keypad and then pressing her thumb against the sensor hidden beside the doorway, before stopping to think. Wolfgang Möer was dead. Killed in action. She had seen the body. This couldn't have been him; it wasn't possible. It wasn't rational.
The scanner beeped, verifying its recognition of her identity, and the outer door unlatched. She inserted her key into the inner door, and pushed it open, entering.
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 17, 2017 20:05:56 GMT -5
"Oh," said Lillian, not really sure what else to say. She followed Schwarz through the door uncertainly, not really sure if she was invited inside or not. "And he knocked you out too?"
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 17, 2017 22:34:24 GMT -5
She didn't like the sound of that. Patients were people who where sick and needed a doctor. They weren't sick. Well, she wasn't, but Kurt was still injured. Hesitantly, Destiny crawled back into his arms, not trying to hurt him like before.
~*
"Ava, I know I'm asking a lot from you," Nichols said, kicking herself for causing this mess. "Listen to me. Have I ever tried to hurt you once since I've known you? Have I brought trouble to you? If I have, then I will tell your father the truth and never bother you again."
~*
Faith laughed. "Well then, Mr. Billionaire, what are you going to do with all that money?"
~*
Archer nodded and shifted the tray in his hand. With it balancing carefully in on arm, the man tore off a generous bite out of everything on the plate. Once he had sampled the door, he lifted up his free hand, proving that nothing weird was happening to himself. "Does that suffice?" He asked. "I would offer to eat more, but I do want you to have some resemblance of a meal for your own."
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 18, 2017 12:24:25 GMT -5
"Thank you," Jennette said grudingly, taking the tray. She wished she didn't have to take anything from the RK, but she had to admit that she was very hungry. She began to eat some of the food, then glanced up with a raised eyebrow when she realized the man hadn't left, and seemed to have no intention of doing so.
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Post by Icestar on Jun 18, 2017 17:39:34 GMT -5
((Yay, Amber's back!))
Kurt held her tight, and the pain was duller now; a minute or so before, he'd upped his morphine dosage. He was feeling half-asleep at this point, but it didn't matter. Not while Destiny was here, anyway.
"Listen to me, Destiny," he whispered into her hair. "Do what they tell you. Take what they give you. But if they ever take you to a room by yourself and especially if they try to strap you down... faint. Go limp, shut your eyes, don't respond to anything no matter what they do. Understand?"
Anja blinked, suddenly feeling like crying. What if Nichole was endangering them in ways Anja didn't know about? Maybe even ways Nichole herself didn't know about? But she had to admit the answer to the question put to her was "No," and that is what she said. Still she could not promise not to say anything. But she couldn't guarantee she would, either. She was tired of her father's fear of shifters ruining things for her. It was why they'd moved here, left everything she'd known behind. Of course, she knew that something had... happened to her dad. She didn't know what; he refused to tell her a thing about it.
She wiped her sleeve across her face, though her eyes remained dry. For a long moment she eyed Nichole, and in this time she realized her mouth felt off. In a snap, it came to her: it wasn't full of the still-strange feel of the accent she'd adopted since coming here. That was not good. She had to reestablish it. Quickly, sounding as Irish as could be, she asked a question she'd been wanting to ask anyway: "What other animals can you shift into?"
Nate actually gave that a good think over. But he could come to no conclusions. He didn't think he could get what he really wanted if he had all the money in the world. So... what would most people say? "Get a nice house on the beachside with two dogs and a white picket fence," he said, injecting obviously exaggerated wistfulness into his voice. Realizing that left a lot of money left over, he added, "And I guess fund my world-saving activities."
Schwarz elected not to answer that directly, instead muttering "Gutless coward, couldn't face me like a man" under her breath, and then, in her effortlessly commanding voice, "Shut the door behind you," before she dashed upstairs.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jun 18, 2017 19:05:13 GMT -5
"You're welcome," Archer replied, folding his hands behind his back once she took the tray. He allowed his eyes to scan the cell around them. "These aren't the most favorable living conditions, are they?" he commented idly with a frown. Of course, this was a prison, not a bed and breakfast. The cells weren't suppose to be comfortable.
Destiny had tucked herself into Kurt's chest as delicately as she could. She wasn't a heavy child, but she didn't now where all he was injured. At his words, a new sense of fear crept over her. "W-why?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him. "W-why would they do that?"
Nichole didn't speak. This was pretty much an information overload for the girl. It wasn't something she could readily accept, especially is she had grown up with a fear of shifters. So she stayed silent, breathing out a small sigh when she had replied with a "No" to her questions. "How about this," the woman offered, lowering herself to the floor. She didn't want to sit on the couch in case it scared Ava. "I'll answer as many questions as you like if you answer one of my own. Does that sound fair?"
"Sounds like a pretty good life to live to me," Faith agreed, leaning against the counter. She detected the hints of exaggeration, but whether or not the man was joking or making light of the truth, she couldn't tell. "I would probably spend all of my fortune on books," she admitted with a laugh.
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Post by Dawnmist on Jun 18, 2017 19:45:18 GMT -5
"Well, it's a prison cell," Jennette muttered, annoyed. "I doubt they really had comfort in mind when they built it."
Lillian shut the door. She uncertainly climbed the first few stairs before stopping. "Can I help?" she called up after Schwarz.
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Post by Icestar on Jun 19, 2017 3:18:50 GMT -5
Kurt took a long moment of silence to contemplate how to answer. "I don't know yet," he finally said. "But it won't be anything good. And trying to fight them won't get you anywhere. Not anywhere you want to be at least. So you make them think something's wrong with you. It's the best thing you can try."
It sounded better than fair to Anja, but she was wary of what this question may be. "What?" she asked cautiously.
"That's fair," said Nate, who had never been much of a reader. "Might need someplace to put them all."
"Secure the house," came a shout from downstairs, but seconds later, Schwarz suddenly appeared at the top of the steps, glaring at Valentine with deep suspicion. "What the h--- are you doing here?" she growled.
((I changed it so she went to the basement instead of a second floor. This is supposed to be a pretty small one-story house. Also, I may be dropping censored swear words now and then. These characters have grown out of my control, and some of them like to curse.))
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))
