Vigilantes
 Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
|
Post by Levenin on Jan 3, 2016 2:51:58 GMT -5
Outbreak Stage #1 How peculiar— and frightening.
It’d been a good two weeks maybe, a long enough period of time for it to be more than happenstance by now. The shadow attacks, that is. No marks, no injuries, even internal ones. If it were a prank, Levenin could only imagine it was the most elaborate one Novus, and Canaan, had seen to date. It seemed almost every day they were doing check ups for “victims” with nothing to show for it.
It was around early evening when Lucca dragged him and Xi’an into the supply room for a hush-hush conversation. ”So I told the girls already,” he began, ”but I finally found some intel on this mess on the Underground last night.”
Levenin frowned, an eyebrow cocked in confusion. ”You mean one of the non-government news networks?”
”Yeah! With all of the people coming in complaining about nothing, I started snooping around for some answers. Not one anchor or article has mentioned it on the news, but you all know something strange is going on here. It’s not a plague or anything, though. It’s all really fishy.”
”Are you telling me you’re going to trust a bunch of anonymous conspiracy nuts to find out what’s causing this instead?” said Xi’an, unimpressed and unconvinced. He motioned as if to make his way out of the room, bringing a rack of towels with him as his feline ears twitched in annoyance beneath his hood. ”I’m not interested in wearing any tin foil hats, sorry. I have actual work to do.”
Lev could only stand by awkwardly as Lucca wrestled with the other man, pleading for him to listen to his theories. He wasn’t sure about the validity of underground news either, but Lev had to agree— this definitely wasn’t normal. ”...What did Cyrene have to say?”
”She, uh, wasn’t convinced… But there’s patterns, I swear! Look, even if you two don’t believe me, could you at least promise me you won’t walk around alone at night? I’m worried about all of you. Everyone’s free game, according to the Underground forums.”
Those words were the ones to stick with him as night finally fell and it was time to close up shop. Don’t walk alone, huh? Levenin was the first to admit he was scared, mostly of the unknown. He didn’t know what these attack patterns were. Maybe it was all some mass hallucination by the public. But what if these people were being targeted by something he’d never encountered before? Technology was always evolving, after all. The Secret Police and Vigilantes had a history of trying to one up the other in that department.
So for now, it was better to be safe, right?
Lev eventually found himself at a familiar door, knocking nervously while checking behind him at any indication of rustling or noise.
It’s… It’s nothing. |
|
Unapproved Character
Angel of Music
Would Sell You For One Corn Chip
Posts: 20
Preferred Name: Panda
Pronouns: She/Her
Character Profile: ʘ
Character Name: Nickolas Strickland
Status: Seeking RPs
|
Post by Soup on Jan 8, 2016 1:25:26 GMT -5
The angry yet hesitant sound of bare feet padding across the floor followed the knocking. While trying to sound quiet, the thin door did little to dampen the noise. Slowly the tumblers on the inside were unlocked --- almost a comical amount from top to bottom before the door was finally opening only to still be partially locked by a chain.
Soup peered through the opening at him before letting out the heaviest sigh of all. Of course out of anyone or anything with the force to hunt him down and find him, it was this stringbean of a person. He unlatched the chain and opened the door fully.
"How the hell did you find this place? Where's your guard dog? WHY ARE YOU OUT IN THE SLUMS AT THIS HOUR ALONE??!?"
He didn't even give Lev a chance to answer before grabbing his shirt and dragging him into the apartment, slamming the door shut and immediately locking it back up.
"Now, some answers please."
|
|
Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
|
Post by Levenin on Jan 8, 2016 2:44:04 GMT -5
Relief flooded him as Levenin heard the door unlocking after an uncomfortable silence. Good, Soup was still awake to hear him, though with how late it was, he probably wouldn’t be happy about having an impromptu visitor. Lev shot the bat man a crooked smile when his eyes peered at him carefully through the crack. Strangely, he didn’t look surprised to see who his guest was.
”Hey, uh— Hey!!”
Levenin didn’t have any time to spit out a poor excuse for him showing up at his door step before being pulled inside. He immediately put up his hands in defense. Shoving and grabbing tended not to end well for him. ”I-I’m sorry,” he began, stuttering and having trouble finding the right words to say. ”It’s just weird things have been happening lately and I was told not to go home alone. E-El- I mean- Evrika isn’t around and I didn’t want to drag her all the way here to help so uhh…”
He backed up step by step, trying to be as subtle as possible. He’d never been in Soup’s place before but had seen the outside plenty of times. It was just as tiny on the interior as he imagined it to be. Lev glanced around hurriedly, hoping there wouldn’t be a fight here in a room with little space to maneuver in. Somehow, he had a talent for pissing off the few people that could put up with him.
”I need an escort and you’re the only one I could think of. I-I can’t ask my coworkers a-and… Only until I get to the transport station for the Lower Ring. That’s it. Please don’t be angry. I’ll g-go if you don’t wanna, you know... I thought I'd ask…”
|
|
Unapproved Character
Angel of Music
Would Sell You For One Corn Chip
Posts: 20
Preferred Name: Panda
Pronouns: She/Her
Character Profile: ʘ
Character Name: Nickolas Strickland
Status: Seeking RPs
|
Post by Soup on Jan 8, 2016 22:05:13 GMT -5
Securing the last latch, Nick turned and crossed his arms. He honestly wasn’t angry at him; irritated of course, who wouldnt be at this hour, but he understood the situation. Though the mention of weird things happening caught his attention.
“Calm down, I’m not gonna yell at you or anything, take a minute to breathe. Pretty sure you just used one breath to say all that.” He waved over to an ancient looking armchair in the corner.
“Now, what was that about ‘weird things’? You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific, cause y’know I live in the Slums. All you see is weird shit here.” As he spoke he dug into a trunk at the foot of his bed---a mattress held up on old milk crates--- and pulled out a sweater which he quickly threw on over his head.
“But, I’ll agree to be your escort on one condition. I need to know how you knew where to find my apartment. How did you know where I lived, cause I sure as hell don't remember showing you. And if you can find me, then that’s worrisome.”
|
|
Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
|
Post by Levenin on Jan 11, 2016 4:55:24 GMT -5
Levenin took a few deep breaths, having exhausted himself of all air with his run on sentences. It was a habit he didn’t think he’d ever get over, simply because it was better to spit out everything in half the time before it was too late. He welcomed a seat in the chair, as squeaky and uncomfortable as it was, to staunch his beating heart. Barely a minute in here and Lev was already beginning to sweat.
”I don’t know what they are but… Patients have been coming in, saying they’ve been attacked by shadow beasts but there aren’t any injuries. Normally we’d think they’re on drugs or a bad Magix dose, but there are just so many of them… Children, too. They can’t all be imagining things, right?”
He’d done it again. Levenin stopped to catch his breath a second time, giving him the chance to really look around. This place seemed much larger on the outside. The clinic was in bad shape, or so he thought, but this apartment couldn’t hold a candle to that. Suddenly, he felt more thankful for his poor working conditions.
”Have you seen them?” Lev asked. ”You said you see weird things all the time.”
He was about to add more questions until Soup’s inquiry made him freeze. ”H-How did I find you…? That’s, uh… D-Do you really live in a place like this? I mean, your bed is so…”
Stalking? How would he explain that without coming off as crazy or creepy? "I, uh, had a lucky guess?"
|
|
Unapproved Character
Angel of Music
Would Sell You For One Corn Chip
Posts: 20
Preferred Name: Panda
Pronouns: She/Her
Character Profile: ʘ
Character Name: Nickolas Strickland
Status: Seeking RPs
|
Post by Soup on Jan 11, 2016 21:57:52 GMT -5
"The only thing I can honestly think of is that somehow an animal of some kind got into the city from a salvage zone, the lack of injuries doesn't make sense though." Nick rubbed at his chin in thought, trying to recall any strange sightings from previous nights he'd gone out. "Can't say I've seen or heard about anything either."
Levenin's comments on his apartment jarred him out of his thoughts, a quick glance about the room and he gave a scoff. "You don't come out this way often do you? This isn't the Lower Class, space isn't a common commodity and neither is money unless you do shady business in the market. I'm lucky enough to even have a place this nice, with an actual roof. Most of the buildings here are barely standing as is." He jabbed his thumb up at the ceiling toward a trapdoor.
"There's a second level I use for storage. It's cozy, but it's home. And hey, I got this bed for a good deal."
Nick fixed him with an even stare and raised his brows at him. A lucky guess? He almost laughed. That was a definite lie if he'd ever heard one considering he'd just said moments before he was looking for him specifically. What did he do, knock on every door until he found the right one? He'd squeeze the truth out of him eventually, but for now he kept his opinion to himself, opting instead to switch the conversation over to the problem at hand.
"So say we get attacked by one of these 'shadow beasts', what's the plan?"
|
|
Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
|
Post by Levenin on Jan 15, 2016 6:16:37 GMT -5
He knew Soup didn’t believe him. Who would? Levenin could only swallow harshly, even as the other man accepted his poor excuse for an answer without question. ”Y-Yeah… It can’t be animals. B-But at least you haven’t run into any problems. I’m glad to hear that.”
Levenin regretted this decision. He shouldn’t have come here, or even thought about it. Now he just looked creepy in front of a friendly stranger. Really, why did he think to drop by at someone’s place and inadvertently revealing he’d been basically stalking it after a chance encounter? Not to mention it was far too late. For all Lev knew, Soup was about to head to bed for the night and now here he was in his living area… after insulting said living area.
”Sorry, I didn’t want to… I didn’t mean it to come out like that. Y-Your bed is lovely.”
The more Soup continued to cock his eyebrows at him, the more Lev just wanted to bolt out the door. How red was his face right now? The guilt was plain to see. ”Well, uh… I dunno about a plan. I dunno if you can attack them. The only thing I have on me is my knife. They don’t seem to leave any damage so maybe they’re intangible to weapons? There’s always running, I guess… Or screaming for help or hoping nothing happens… Lucca was the one who told me about them. I don’t know enough. I didn't think to ask him more...”
That was it— he had to get out. Lev gave a hurried wave before practically leaping out of the chair and spinning around for the exit, his face burning.
”I’m s-sorry. I’ll just go. I’m sorry for bothering you. H-Have a good night.”
|
|
Unapproved Character
Angel of Music
Would Sell You For One Corn Chip
Posts: 20
Preferred Name: Panda
Pronouns: She/Her
Character Profile: ʘ
Character Name: Nickolas Strickland
Status: Seeking RPs
|
Post by Soup on Jan 23, 2016 19:04:19 GMT -5
"It's o-" Nick practically jumped out of his skin when Levenin leaped out of the chair in his blind panic, sucking in a breath of air harshly. What the hell was he doing? No wonder Evrika was so worried for his safety, he couldn't blame her. The guy was pure, concentrated nerves alight at all times. It was as if his flight response was dialed up to the highest it would go and someone ripped the knob off for good measure. Albeit, he probably wouldn't get very far in his haste given all of the locks on the door had been resealed, but his efforts were almost admirable.
Nick thought to grab him but immediately stopped himself before he even made a move. The risk of him getting injured was pretty high, nothing was gonna stop the other man from suplexing him into the hardwood out of impulse---except maybe his lack of strength and Nick's own added weight. Instead he tried to place himself between Levenin and the door as quickly but as calmly as he could. His hands went up in what he hoped was a soothing gesture, he definitely wasn't used to this. Talking him down seemed to be the---hopefully---better course of action.
"Nineveh, calm down. I don't know why you suddenly decided to bail, and I can't stop you from leaving, but hear me out." A tentative step forward, just an inch. "If there are really shadow creatures prowling around out there, then you fleeing outside the way you are probably isn't the best thing to do. You'll make yourself a target. And you know just as well as I that there's more than monsters hiding out there in the dark."
Another step and his ears dipped down in a non-threatening display.
"You kept your end of the bargain, so I'm going to keep mine. Fair is fair."
|
|
Vigilantes
Smiley Specialist
he's big enough
Posts: 164
Preferred Name: Nama
Character Profile: ♦♦♦
Character Name: Levenin Refure
Main Account: Levenin
Status: On Hiatus
|
Post by Levenin on Jan 25, 2016 2:47:32 GMT -5
Levenin jiggled at the door handle, completely forgetting the locks securely fastening shut the one exit he had. It wasn’t until he caught Soup’s eyes looking at him and silently urging him to not tear the door off of its hinges that the man threw his hands back to his sides in haste. The bat didn’t seem angry with him, at least. More concerned than anything— which is something Lev wasn’t expecting from the person he’d basically stalked and barged in on. The thought of that set him at ease, but only slightly.
”It’s Levenin,” he said, swallowing hard. ”My name is Levenin. N-Nineveh is just a codename. You… You should know it, for all of the trouble…”
Was it wise to reveal such a sensitive detail about himself to someone he didn’t know beyond a choice encounter? In a way, Levenin justified it through the fact Soup was still willing to help him instead of beating him into a pulp.
”I-It’s okay. I’m like this all the time. I brought my knife for protection and I have my mods as back up. It’s selfish to drag you out of safety for this…”
Lev was losing this battle. Stuck in the other man’s own territory, he wasn’t about to be let go into the night alone. Soup didn’t appear to him being the type to take “no” for an answer. That, and he knew his way around these confounding locks.
”We’re just gonna go to the station,” Levenin stuttered. ”That’s it. A-And we’ll run the whole way to cut down on time. We should probably go before I waste more t-time, yeah? It's already late.”
|
|
Unapproved Character
Angel of Music
Would Sell You For One Corn Chip
Posts: 20
Preferred Name: Panda
Pronouns: She/Her
Character Profile: ʘ
Character Name: Nickolas Strickland
Status: Seeking RPs
|
Post by Soup on Feb 6, 2016 14:52:03 GMT -5
Relief flooded him when the other released the door handle, albeit he still looked just as frazzled and anxious.
Oh, he'd given him his birth name. Levenin...Nick's chest tightened just a bit. It had been a long time since anyone had trusted him with anything like it. Living and working in the Slums required such strict anonymity, it was almost taboo to share in such info, and here this guy was offering his identity up like it was nothing. To someone he'd only met twice. A scavenger no less.
Trust was a rare gift in the Slums afterall.
"...That's a nice name. I'll keep it safe." Nick's smile was a little forced and he was hoping beyond hope that Levenin wouldn't question his sudden unease or worse---ask him for his name in return. As much as Levenin claimed himself to be flighty, he was probably just as bad on the inside. He wanted to give him his own name, mutual knowledge to ease off some of the rocky edges that lined their alliance. The thought of it made him feel sick however. Years of secrecy and always checking over his shoulder had taken its toll and his own paranoia gripped at him tightly. Nick busied himself with the bag sitting at the foot of his bed, pulling his own knives free and shoving them into the spaces between his ankle and wrist wraps before the entire bag itself was shouldered.
"You're not dragging me anywhere, and asking for help does not make you selfish. I'm willingly offering my time to take you where you need to go." Nick faced him and pulled his scarf up over his head like a hood. "Which, I'll repeat what I said before. Running will be a last resort, it attracts attention, attention we don't really want or need if we're gonna defend ourselves from unknown monsters."
He took Levenin by the arm and gently pulled at it so he would move out of the way of the door.
|
|
