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Gwenneth Yuan

0 · 1,737 views · located in Aires

a character in “Birthstone Spirits: The Great Escape”, as played by China Demon

Description

Image
Name: Gwenneth Yuan

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Nationality: Though Gwenneth is Chinese by blood, she was born in America
and has lived in New York for most of her life.




Appearance: Gwenneth is petite, standing only at about five feet and four inches and weighing in at about a hundred pounds. She is thin from years of hard living, though her long limbs do possess a hint of muscular shape. She can often come across as stronger than she looks, her body type being rather thin and compact to begin with, but she would be easily overpowered in a test of sheer strength. She had distinct Asian heritage apparent by her dark hair, which falls an inch shy of her elbows and is naturally dead straight; her almond eyes, which are slanted up at the outer corners and a common shade of dark brown; the shape of her face, which has inclinations of once being quite round when she was younger, though is now sunken in slightly at the cheeks; and pale skin, which has just the right amount of melanin in it to make her skin rather pallid.

She owns only a couple of outfits, both of which consist of faded black or dirtied gray pieces. Her jeans are always black; she owns a gray hoodie and a black jacket. Other thinner clothing is usually layered to protect from the cold and to compensate for their rips and broken seams. She owns a pair of excellent, all-purpose boots, which are in the best condition of all her clothing. She wears her hair tied low at the base of her neck to keep it out of the way.

Personality: On the outside, Gwenneth is tough and a little bit dark. After growing up in a harsh environment, she learned that emotions are not to be abundantly displayed, and she has particularly good command of her fear. She does feel afraid, of course, but the extent to which it shows she can control with practiced effort. She tends to speak rather bluntly, usually to be purposefully acerbic.

Though she can be rather guarded during first encounters, Gwen’s more likable qualities tend to show through with time. Amiable by nature, she actually dislikes conflict and violence, though that doesn’t mean she can’t handle them. She is guided by strong morals, and as long as they are not contradicted, she is perfectly happy to cooperate and keep peace with others. Though at first she is not particularly friendly, her goal is never to create enemies.

Gwenneth has her insecurities, of course. The teenage identity crisis is no easier when living on the streets, and she often feels confused about her place in society and with the people around her. She generally thinks of these personal conflicts as her own problem, however, and doesn’t view them as something other people should get involved in.

Equipment: Gwenneth wears a tarnished silver snake amulet on a long cord along her neck. The snake is twisted around itself and its head is pointed downward. There is a garnet set into its eye, but since the piece is quiet dirty it is hard to see the gem. She wears it well out of sight. She also carries a couple small daggers on her person at all times.

Quirks: If she doesn't like someone, she will usually have that person refer to her as Gwenneth rather than Gwen.

So begins...

Gwenneth Yuan's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan Character Portrait: Jason Carter
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Someone had thrown away a half-eaten cheeseburger. Gwen just barely caught sight of it, top-down and barely holding together, from within the depths of the city trashcan. She had to stick nearly her entire arm into the bin to reach it, to shove aside the soft drink containers and ketchup-stained napkins and an old pair of shoes. Someone managing the fast food joint shouted and chased her away, but in the end, Gwen had her prize.

Gwen had truly descended into the ranks of the homeless. She chewed on her burger thoughtfully as the flow of the crowd led her into a more crowded part of the city. She had technically lived on the streets her entire life, but she had never actually been homeless before. But things had changed over the past few days, and now she was sleeping in doorways and nicking leftovers out of trash bins.

People in the crowd tried not to bump into her. She was filthy and kind of repulsive, and she knew it. However, dirt was no barrier when it came to licking the last of the greasy off her hands. She wasn't going to waste of bit of that heavenly sustenance. Whoever had thrown away the food had been a smoker. It had tasted more like cigar than cigarette—classy. The sandwich had also picked up some of the foot fungus taste from the shoes.

It was the best damn cheeseburger Gwen had tasted in her life. That grease would hold her over for a while.

Gwen had in mind to pay a visit to central park before the sun went down. She hadn't been there since she was just a child, and benches and bushes sounded a lot more comfortable than doorways and dumpsters.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Gwen splashed the cool fountain water onto her face. No one questioned her, even when she removed her sweater and long-sleeved shirt to wash her arms and neck. There was hardly anyone around to object to her behavior, but she could see why no one wanted to get involved in her situation. She looked like she was probably in too deep to be pulled out--unless someone was willing to get covered with shit along with way.

Nothing and everything about her relayed to those around her that she needed help. Beneath her torn clothes, the bottom layer of which hung from her shoulders like a veil of cobweb, her skin was dry and damaged and pale under a coating of city dust and grime. Disguised under the dirt she was covered in bruises, and she sported a half-healed split down her lower lip. Her hair was so tangled and dirty that it would probably retain the shape of her ponytail if she took out the tie.

There was nothing about her, however, that remotely suggested she couldn't handle what were merely inconveniences of appearance. After living on the streets for her entire life, Gwen couldn't honestly see dirt and bruises as an overwhelmingly negative thing. She’d been bruised and dirty since the moment her family lost their house, as far as she was concerned, and since that time had suffered much worse than dirt under her fingernails or body odor. Or cigar-toe fungus-cheeseburgers, as far as that went.

Washing away the top layer of dirt from her skin made some of her bruises more visible, though most of that didn't matter since she would be covering her arms. But even after she put her layers of clothing back on, an old purple-yellow bruise boasted its existence from her lower left jaw, its presence like a slightly embarrassing tattoo she wasn't sure she wanted other people to see. Using her wavering reflection for reference, she prodded the blotch to see if it still hurt. It didn't. The most impressive ones never hurt.

Gwen didn't like looking at her face much. Her reflection always unsettled her, a face that seemed both younger and older than it should. She looked young, but not in the way that a child’s face did; rather, young in the way a person looks when they have been malnourished and haven’t properly had a chance to grow. At the same time her eyes were too old, especially right now. They held defensiveness and put up a strong front, but Gwen could see right through herself in a heartbeat. But, of course, she was prone to over-analyzing herself. People always see what they expect to see, as it was said. More than likely, others just saw a face.

As the sunlight sunk below the skyscrapers of New York, plunging the city into a premature darkness, the park became quieter. Gwen kept moving until it was completely dark, the sidewalks illuminated by isolated pools of flickering electric light, before she found the quietest place she could and settled down to sleep. She decided against sleeping on a bench and instead went for hiding in a bush. She figured that she was less likely to be disturbed in the morning that way, though she didn't know for sure, not having explored either scenario.

Gwen settled down under the ample leaf cover, sacrificing some comfort in order to maintain discretion. Sleeping on bush branches was better than sleeping in a doorway. She arranged her drawstring bag, mostly filled with the rest of her clothes, under her head as a pillow. Pulling her hood low over her eyes, she shuffled once among the greenery before sinking like a rock into a deep sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Gwen first woke, she wasn't aware that anything in particular had roused her. As was usually the case, it could have been anything from a passerby to a car horn. It was quiet, though, quiet enough that she almost mistook herself for being somewhere else. The next moment, she realized both where she was and what had woken her up. It felt like someone was pressing ice against the warm flesh beneath her left breast. With a small gasp, a groggy hand shot underneath her layers of clothing, clumsily reaching to find the source of the cold. Her fingers caught hold of the snake amulet she usually tried to wear well-hidden, and she clenched it tightly in her fist until the metal once again warmed.

With a groan, Gwen stood from the bush and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her awakening had been strange rather than rude, and she found herself grumpily perplexed as she stooped to pick up her belongings. Still, she was rather pleased that she hadn't been woken until now. By the position of the sun, it was probably later in the morning rather than earlier. It looked like sleeping in bushes was going to become a regular thing.

Gwen stepped out of the bush with a rustle and a shower of small green leaves. Nearby there seemed to be a bit of a scene playing out, and while this wasn't anything unusual, Gwen's interest was piqued. Commotion could possibly indicate tourists--or it could indicate another bat-crazy homeless druggie who would be of no interest at all. Either way, her current situation hardly allowed her to leave it up to chance.

Gwen moved closer to take stock of the situation. Some people were a train wreck, honestly, and that coming from a homeless person. She could probably squeeze a few dollars out of some of the people involved in the activity; Gwen's eye was particularly on the young man with the country accent. He looked like a gullible tourist if ever she saw one.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Autumn Jones Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan Character Portrait: Jason Carter Character Portrait: Yuki Ryouta
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#, as written by rikura
Jason's hands twitched as that annoying dude said "Ya hear?" He cut his eyes at the guy, whispering to himself in an annoyed tone, "I'll kill him. I swear, I'll..." He blinked, turning his head as he noticed someone at the edge of his vision. There was a girl there who looked like she'd just been thrown off a wild horse, especially with the tangled hair and the bruise... not that it made it any less obvious that she had an attractive face... Kind of made him curious, though. Homeless, maybe? He shook his head to clear it, looking away from her. "I kinda got a bad feeling for some reason..." he mumbled to himself.

And that's when he noticed the strange girl who fell out of the tree starting to move away. How he noticed? Well, because the annoying guy shouted, "Hey!" right next to his ear, causing Jason to flinch. 'Oh, thanks, because I actually like being deaf,' he thought sarcastically. He sighed, then blinked as he saw the girl striding away, "Ah! Hey, wait a sec-" He cut himself off as he saw her stop suddenly and she seemed to be... studying the tree?

He felt that little spark of curiosity in the back of his mind that usually, for him, meant 'step away, kid.' He shook his head to clear it again. 'Okay, this chick is seriously confused. Just forget about it. Don't get curious. Do not get curious! Walk away, go get the food, and go back to Aunt June's place.' He nodded to himself, 'Yeah, I'll do that.'

He took a few steps back and started to turn to walk the opposite direction from where the crazy girl was. When he turned, however, he finally noticed the heat on his finger that he'd been oblivious to up until now, so it sort of shocked him. "Ow, what the heck!?" He kind of jumped, doing a 180 on his heels, shaking his left hand back and forth. 'Seriously feels like a scorpion sting!' Not that it actually hurt...And he was back looking at the crazy girl again.

Twisting the ring on his finger as it burned against his skin, he sighed, defeated. 'And they say curiosity killed the cat.' A small grin formed on his face, as he, not realizing how silly that entire little bout of his probably looked, shrugged and thought out loud, "Well, at least a cat has nine lives."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Autumn Jones Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan
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The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of paper as Aria flipped a page of her book. The commotion of the outside could only be heard lightly. She was sitting behind a large mahogany counter with a novel sitting open. Though she should have been working her shift, the book store she worked at, A Novel Idea, was usually quite empty around this time. Lucky for her, it left some peace and quiet to catch up on some new novels. It was one of the reasons she loved working there, that, and the pun in the name of the store.

The silence was shattered by the tinkling of the bell on the front door. Aria lifted her blue eyes from the book to see her colleague, Nathan, stroll in. In his hands, he held two coffee cups and a small box of donuts. Nate came and occupied the other stool behind the counter, and set the drinks down. "For you m'lady," he said with mocking chivalry. "Why thank you," she replied with a smile. Cupping the drink, she took a sip and for a donut. Nate gave her hand a small slap, and slid the box of donuts closer to himself protectively. i didn't say you could have any," he teased. "They're all for me." After fixing him with a very adamant glare, he slid the box over to her and let her take a donut.

Munching on a donut, Nate leaned over and looked at the book. So what're you reading?" It took a moment for Aria to tear her attention away from the novel. "Oh, it's Eldest by Christopher Paolini." Isn't that like your seventh time reading that series?" Aria shrugged in return, and took another sip of her coffee. "I don't know, I lost track of how many times I've read it. It's just so good." "Whatever you say," he said with a smile. Nathan grabbed a stack of books off the counter and set about organizing them on the bookshelves.

This was pretty much how the rest of her time was spent. Aria helped a few customers, ate a few donuts, and conversed with Nate. When her shift ended for the day, Aria looked up at the clock and smiled. "My shift's over, I'm out." she said happily. "You sure you're gonna be okay closing up?" Nate smiled and walked over. "I'll be fiiiine, I don't know why you worry about me so much" After a pause, she shrugged. "Alright then, see you tomorrow." And with that, Aria grabbed her novel and left the store.

As soon as Aria stepped foot outside, she was hit with the brisk air of autumn. It wasn't necessarily freezing, but even the light chill made Aria cold. For some reason, she was very sensitive to the cold, and preferred the blazing heat of summer. As she walked down the street, she silently wished she had brought her coat. Even her outfit couldn't stop the cold.

On her walk home, she passed Central Park. She glanced down at the novel she had in her hands and shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to spend a little time in the park and read would it? She had a little time left before she had to get home. Making up her mind, Aria walked into Central Park. She had gotten more used to the cold now, but she hugged the book to her chest to get a little warmer. Her sapphire eyes scanned the park, and landed on a group of people surrounding a tree. Her first instinct was to go see what it was, but then she remembered that this was New York. When you see people suspiciously congregating around a tree, it was probably best not to go near them. But, she was still curious.

Aria inches closer to them, until she was just a few feet away, and could hear their conversation. Something about an ambulance? Someone must've gotten hurt. That was when a girl with wild blonde hair and a weird dress broke away from the group and started walking away, incidentally towards her. Aria side stepped, and watched as the others called out after her.

Aria wanted to ask them what was going on, but she felt a painful sting on her neck. She thought ignoring it would go away, but the burning was just growing in intensity. The pain came so quickly, she buckled to her knees. "Wow, way to not attract attention to myself..." She desperately felt around her neck to see what the source of the pain was. When he touched her necklace, her fingers recoiled. It was hot to the touch, as if it was on fire. She focused on the tree to collect herself and ignore the pain. It was working somewhat, and she stood back up. What was weird was the tree seemed to be vibrating or quaking. Maybe it was just her eyes tricking her. But something felt off about it.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Falke der Herrscher Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan
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It was very nearly quiet enough this morning in the Central Park of New York, that Falke thought he might be able to fall asleep. Of course, that was if one imagined the occasional flick of a page of the book the girl on the other end of the bench was reading, the timpani of honking cars and the living, breathing city surrounding the green swath of lawn to be little more than the whisper of static background noise. But he could do so, if he let himself wonder in thoughts, letting daydreams turn into dreams rather alarmingly quickly. And that wasn't exactly the short of "out of the apartment" adventure he'd been planning for this morning, or rather want to explain to his parents if he got mugged, or jumped Lord forbid, while he was snoozing. So, he kept himself awake, alert but relaxed for now. Until the time he got bored, and/or his leg's started to fall asleep, then he'd get up and head back 'home' to be waiting for his parents like he'd hadn't been gone.

It was only when he started to get uncomfortable, and debating about getting up, that sounds of commotion started echoing around him. First, was something coming out of the bush, further along the path but still close enough for him to hear the gigantic rustle of creaking limbs and little leaves flying all over. What the? It was entirely too big to be a stray cat or dog, or one those huge rats that were as big as dogs that supposedly lurked in the alley-ways all over the City - he'd heard that from the door-man of the Apartment the other afternoon, his father said it was a silly rumor New Yorker's liked to brag about and Falke honestly doubted it himself. Rats as big as dogs? No way. And this sound was bigger, and unfortunately even at this distant, the smell came to his sensitive nose of unclean, greasy, and for some reason, 'person'. Ahh, one of those stray persons that lurked in the alley-ways with the rats... Wait? What? No, not stray person. What was the word again? There were stray cats, stray dogs, giant rats, and-... Er, oh, Homeless people! That was it. He shook his head with a repressed sigh at himself, for his lack of political correctness in the English language. Easing the tension out of his shoulders, that had popped up at the first sign of disturbance near him, after recognizing the potential of 'threat' as nothing more than losing a few cents perhaps if she or he came his way. He relaxed again, even when distantly hearing some conversation involving Americans that didn't sound like native New Yorkers, something about a girl in a tree, etc. It wasn't his concern, or really anywhere nearby him that he should be concerned about it. Another person came walking up, steps steady and purposeful, and Falke didn't tense up like he had for the homeless coming out of the bush earlier (he could hear this person coming from a bit away at the very least, and it certainly wasn't a 'sudden' noise). The other, a he he could tell now by his deeper voice, flirting with the girl on the other side of the bench he also currently resided. While it was fair to say that it was common all over, it was equally fair to say that this was more than just common in New York since he'd stepped off the plane. It was likely due to the high volume of people stuffed in one area, he assumed. But still... It was a little uncomfortable listening to it going on right beside him. Jealous was he? No, not really. His sharp, angular features were hardly attractive, and his blind eyes well, they sort of killed the date-able material right at the start. He ignored them as best he could, tightening his grip on the leash when Otter started whining for some reason. Likely, wanting to go lick off their faces, as dogs often tended to do.

It happened so quickly, even his strong sense-sensitivity with his hearing had a hard time keeping up. The conversation he'd so blandly ignored early, had heightened in volume and in earnest. What sounded like a tree falling down, roared in his ears, followed by (he assumed the even odder sounding girl, maybe the one that had been in the tree perhaps, didn't even sound American at all) that commands of a girl - "Go... Run..." Or, something like that. A feathery brown eyebrow raised to be seen over the rim of his 'sunglasses', nostrils flared uncertainly. He tilted his head to share a look in the supposed general directions of the happenings, and then glanced toward the two that-... Well, had been there moments before, but had suddenly taken off for some reason. He didn't have to wait long for an explanation as a sudden screech sounded off from the same direction, he had to fight hard not to shudder at the high alien sound and didn't bother to hide his wince and the shaking of his head trying to rid the ringing going on in his ears. What in the world was that? Otter had slipped out from under the bench, frantically pulling on his leash - barking sharp and fast like false machine gun fire you'd hear in those game stores, movies, and the like. The dog never barked, not even at a cat or the postal-man. Common sense flooded his thoughts, aligning with his Fight or Flight mechanism and picking most definitively flight over staying around all 'this', whatever this was. And he trusted the dog far more with his life than anyone else, save perhaps his mother. Unsteadily he rose from his seat on the bench, wobbling slightly until his legs had feeling returned to them, so he could just leave all this frightening nonsense behind. Another screech sounded off, and Otter suddenly yelped, ducking sideways and bolting, taking Falke with him out of the way. Just in time as something small crashed into the bench he'd been sitting at for a moment before darting or really rolling off near his own feet in the grass, and then something rather impossibly large, the thing those screeches were, crashed into the bench as well. He could hear the metal itself warping, groaning, and screeching it's own metallic pain, amongst the alien screeches of some great beast. Otter had begun barking again, snarling intermittently, warning whatever is was off but really Falke thought it drawled a little too much attention for his liking. Good grief, what was going on? "Otter," He begged. "Come on!" Tugging on the leash, as he took a few steps backward, attempting to flee much like everyone else - even if he couldn't quite run as successfully as most, he'd still walk out of here just fine if he could get the darn dog to come along...

The setting changes from Aires to New York, Central Park

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Falke der Herrscher Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan Character Portrait: Cyclopean
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Gwen had never experienced a hallucination before. How was it that saying went? You're not crazy if you think you might be. While Gwen certainly categorized the events unfolding before her eyes as unreal, she was slightly put off by how realistic it seemed. Was it possible that one could be conscious of their insanity and yet be unable to control their distorted perception of reality? What was happening? The shudder of the earth as the tree hit the ground, the hideous sight that emerged from the dead space beneath, and the unearthly sounds that rang through the air; she didn't know how to make sense of it. If it was a hallucination and she acted, would she end up being one of those schizophrenic murderers, doomed to spend her life institutionalized and drugged? Or would failure to act result in her getting hurt?

What were the others doing around her? Erupting into chaos, apparently. Falling, running, descending into a mess of noise and movement impossible to follow. How could everyone react so confidently? That is, assuming that these people were actually there and not delusions. Though, they all had the right idea. Running was the most logical course of action, especially in Gwen's situation. She wouldn't put anyone in danger by doing so. It seemed, however, that not everyone had the same idea.

Gwen watched as the creature chased a thin, barefoot woman in roughly Gwen's direction. She and the others on a nearby bench scattered; Gwen herself dove out of the way as the creature impacted with the previously occupied bench. Even through the pain of hitting the ground and the sound of twisting metal from the collision, Gwen imagined herself, a lonely, broken body throwing itself to the ground in the middle of a quiet scene in Central Park. She should run--or at least walk away quickly. It was time to leave.

She stood just in time to see some kid throw a Frisbee at the creature. Really, again? This wasn't a movie. Life didn't work like a story. Heroics weren't always all they were chalked up to be. Heroics didn't make you a hero; they got you killed. She watched as the Frisbee thrower immediately regretted his decision and ran away in a panic, which in Gwen's mind was the appropriate reaction. But her stomach immediately dropped as the three in the vicinity of the Frisbee thrower split up, and the creature began to chase the wrong person. This was what was wrong with heroics. It wasn't even that it killed the wannabe "hero;" others suffered for the stupidity of their actions, and to Gwen there was no worse offense. She had to help that kid.

She wasn't as fast as either the monster or the young man it chased. The distance between her and the two seemed to close at an unbearably slow rate, as though the world was in slow motion. And yet, it seemed to take no time at all until she was dangerously close. She slid to a stop as the creature splashed in the shallow water, apparently confused if its body language was at all similar to the animals she knew. She didn't get any closer; she didn't need to be that near.

She reached her right hand into the neckline of her sweater and down to her left shoulder. It clasped metal, and she withdrew a small dagger, only a few inches in length. Both she and her weapon were enormously outsized by their opponent, yet before she knew it her arm was drawing back and preparing to throw. Remember what you were taught. The thought flashed briefly through her mind, but she couldn't think, there was no time. Driven by muscle memory alone, the small piece of metal flashed through the air and toward the monster.

It hit the creature directly in the back of its deformed skull. Gwen experienced a moment of victory as she witnessed its trajectory playing out exactly where she aimed it. She was treated to an unpleasant surprise when it merely bounced off the skull and flew directly into the lake. She took a step back. Shit. Who was the idiot now? Another step. The creature turned slightly. Fuck. What was it she had just been thinking about heroics? Gwen turned and ran, more or less back in the direction she came. Better late than never. Actually that wasn't true. Late was getting her killed. She heard the heavy footfalls now gaining on her. She had a head start, but as she had already discovered, she was no match for the monster's speed. And Gwen had no escape plan.

The setting changes from New York, Central Park to Aires

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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If Dorian had expected a pleasant response for tackling someone out of the way of a falling tree, he would have been sorely disappointed, emphasis on the sorely, by the other boy's reaction. He swore, rolling off his assailant and staggering to his feet in one less than fluid movement, right hand clasped over his nose to stem the flow of gushing blood. Drops of crimson already decorated the green grass beneath his feet, painting dead leaves in a macabre fashion. It was only the most pressing injury because, damn, the other boy could pack a punch, even when flailing wildly as he had been. The teen didn't have time to nurse his wounds, however, because there was something that needed his attention more than a possibly broken nose. Monsters, apparently, had that impact on people by making their everyday problems seem minuscule in comparison because, yes, his father not showing up for dinner was upsetting, but not more so than, say, some sort of Eldritch abomination killing him.

The scene had continued to play out when Dorian had been more preoccupied with his own issues. People were scattering to the wind, doing the normal thing, the smart thing in running away, taking off in all directions to save themselves. Others were not, and he wasn't even sure why he was surprised. There was a boy waving a camera around in such a way that reminded Dorian of a mix between an insane paparazzo and those found footage mockumentaries. He was with two of the girls left- the tree girl who, as it turned out, was probably less insane than the rest of them for staying if only because she apparently knew what was going on, and another. Others dotted around the park, either frozen with fear or grasping clumsily for weapons, and there was a dog barking somewhere, but Dorian's attention remained fixated on the immediate problem.

The monster, unbidden, had broken free of the bench that had seemed like such a good trap only minutes before when the metal had twisted forcefully around the creature, pinning it within. Now it was continuing its rampage, but it had a target now, or, rather, the predator now had the perfect prey. Dorian hadn't seen what led up to the fixation the monster had on the girl, but it made a sort of horrific sense. She wasn't in the best shape- that much was obvious even from a distance, too frail, almost sickly looking- and her pace was slowing with each step, or perhaps the monster was just increasing speed. Easy prey. It was looming over her now, and, for the second time that day, Dorian was faced with a choice. He exhaled, pulling a now blood-stained hand away from his nose and groping in his pockets. Keys, phone, wallet
 there. He found what he wanted- a pocketknife, another gift from his father. It wasn't incredibly large and certainly wasn't meant to cause harm, especially since he primarily used it to snip off loose threads on clothes, but it was large enough and definitely sharp. He clasped it in his hand, unfolding the blade. Choice made. He apparently didn't have a good track record for making choices today.

Dorian ran then, each step punctuated by a pulsating warmth emanating from his bracelet that he didn't have time to worry about, gradually picking up speed as he sprinted into death's grip with only a hope, a prayer, and a knife on his side. The monster was even bigger up close making even Dorian feel small in its shadow, but he couldn't worry about that now. Now he could only worry about his aim, as he stumbled into the monster's path, dug his feet into the ground, and, with a shout and in one swooping motion, buried his knife into the creature's chest. It went in surprisingly smoothly, and he could see blue blood oozing from the wound, intermingling his his own red covered hands. He looked positively feral then, blood staining his face, knife buried to the hilt in the monster, teeth gritted with the effort of twisting it and digging it in deeper. This was not how he expected his day to go.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan Character Portrait: Cyclopean Character Portrait: Yuki Ryouta
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Tallyho was growing rather exhausted by the wild goose chase, and she was a little disturbed by a tall man who insisted on putting a foreign object in her face. What was that, anyway?
Though a little rough-looking, a black haired girl tried to stab the cyclopean, she failed. But the soulless one, oh she knew he meant business from the moment she opened her eyes and saw his orbs of eternal disapproval staring into her effortlessly. She wasn’t too surprised that he was the one to kill it off. He was mostly out of the way, silent and, it was the quiet ones that were the most dangerous. He stabbed it in the right place too, the cyclopean screeched and quivered, black liquid began to overflow from his wound. It must have been the luckiest stab in the world, too. It had to be.
It scattered—the thing that once terrified them all took the form of a pile of onyx shards in the wilting grass.

Tallyho had seen cyclopean parish before, so it wasn’t like its way death was particularly foreign to her. But in a way, the death of this cyclopean felt less like the death of a cockroach, and more like a surreal awakening. Her stomach seemed to turn, and she felt the air grow colder. It was then that she knew that her life would change significantly.
Tallyho grunted, rising to her feet like a newborn deer taking her first steps.
“You’re still alive, Tallyho. You did well,” she huffed as she placed a hand on her collarbone and caressed her necklace.

It was searing hot—a brilliant glint of purple. She let out another yelp, blind and in pain.
“Damn necklace,” she huffed violently under her breath. She fumbled with its chain, desperate to finally release herself from it. But it wouldn’t open. She tried pulling it over her head, but instead the thin, sliver chain dug under her jaw. Head too big. Frustration. Hopelessness.
She looked up at the sky, and saw that it was white, and that the clouds were being eaten by its blankness. She frowned.
The high towers were disappearing from roof to base as the whiteness was slowly consumed the city from above. She looked past the trees and buildings, towards the horizon. The white barrier was consuming the city from all sides.
She glanced at the others, and then her surroundings again. The white wall made it to the tree that had fallen, slowly closing in on the group like a shrinking box.
Tallyho squinted, but soon resorted to covering her eyes when she was sure that she was—like the fallen tree—consumed by the white wall too.
It was like experiencing death while still being very alive. She couldn’t really say how she got from point A to point B. One minute she was opening her eyes again; curious about what she would see in the white of her surroundings. She blinked, and then she stood in darkness.

Complete and utter darkness with single glimmer of golden light the distance straight ahead. She did not dare to move.
There was no way that this was happening. She either had to be dead, or at the bottom of a valley of poppies, far fallen in a floral coma.
Then a path of little white dots lit up before her and chilling the soles of her feet. They looked like stars—and yes they were—flattened into a pathway leading to the light. Beneath the path of stars was the illusion of a troubled sea that wavered in a storm. She looked above and there was blackness, but against this darkness slid two paths of flying birds that zipped in opposite directions. The image of white underbellies moving eternally and consistently above. Their bellies were soft and round and their gentle coos rang throughout the space. One path flew forward, disappearing into the golden light and the other path zipped behind her. She turned around to see a wide gaping vortex of blue and black. The birds flying towards her made nose dives above her head and sunk into its tunnel. She had another look around and realized that the eleven teens from the odd park were there too, idle just as she was.

She was sure that they were going to be confused and ask questions, but this time she was in the same ignorant boat as they were.

“Welcome to the Core.”

Tallyho’s eyes darted back and forth. It seemed as though the stars on the path before her lit up even brighter. The voice was a gentle soprano full of knowledge and grace. It was in the way the voice wavered, how precise the lady-vocals were with language.
“The pathway before you is a dimensional bridge. It foreshortens the universe so that one may travel between the two existing worlds. One being familiar to most of you—planet earth. The other is called Aires.”
There was a pause. Tallyho felt pretty bad not knowing much about the Earth place mentioned.
“Most beings are not able to enter the core. Only those with special purposes are allowed to successfully travel between the two realities. And the twelve of you are undoubtedly special beings.

Since the beginning of time there has always been a special discourse between the humans and—the creature that you experienced back on earth—the cyclopean. However, these disputes have only been confined to Aires. But because of the race’s growth in power, they are infiltrating earth at increasing rates.
So why are you here?
Well, first I’d like to begin by telling you a legend.
It began long ago, when a powerful evil began to encompass the land. Oblivion, the king of the Cyclopean, took over the entirety of Aires, murdering all who opposed him.
And as a result, I created twelve stones and infused their powers into a group of mortals who possessed the ability to manipulate the elements by wearing their respective jewels.
You may recognize these warriors as the months of the year.
The people of Aires called them the month warriors—saviors who would vanquish all chaos—demi gods of a sort.
They purified the land, but in the final battle Oblivion mysteriously vanished, and soon the confused warriors were consumed by their gems. Some way or another, the gems found their way to you twelve, and after much searching, they have finally found the right mortals to harness the powers they contain.
It is your destiny to suppress the rise of the cyclopean, for the fate of two words hangs on your shoulders.
So here you are with two paths before you,” the voice hummed.
“You can turn around now, and go back into the blue portal from which you came. Go back to earth, and accept the fact that you are turning your back on the two races of human and that you will only be able to wait hopelessly for the cyclopean to inevitably enter your realm. Or you can walk forward towards the golden portal. Where you will enter Aires and make the commitment of being Month Warriors, and actually make an active attempt to suppress the problem before it spreads.
But just remember. It’s all or nothing. Eleven heroes cannot do the work of twelve.”

The voice went silent, and the star path grew dull.
Tallyho looked around at the others. So this entire time she wasn’t on Aires?
That meant that those people were
aliens.
She shuddered, and began to regret getting those damned apples. But at least she got to go back to Aires, even if impending doom was on the way.
“I’m going home,” Tallyho said plainly. Her amethyst lit up, and this time it did not burn. She supposed it was some sort of testimony to her joining the cause, or whatever. Though that wasn’t necessarily invested, she wanted to go home.
Without waiting to see if the others would follow, she walked down the star lit path towards the light head high, golden locks rippling in the galaxy dust.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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Harper had broken the surface in time to see something bounce off the monster and splash into the lake. A second later the monster had turned around and was chasing someone else, away from him. He gave an enormous sigh of relief, sinking just a little in the water.

His curiosity piqued about whatever had fallen into the water...it didn't look like a frisbee since the splash was so small. Ducking underwater, a familiar stinging hitting his eyes, Harper swam to the spot where it looked to have landed. Oblivious to whatever was happening above land, he finally found what looked to be the shaft of a knife sticking up from the muddy bottom. Retrieving it, he realized it was indeed the shaft of a knife, with the blade still attached to it. Small, but well-crafted it looked. He hadn't gotten a good look at whoever had thrown it so....finders keepers? Briefly he imagined the look on Sadie's face if she found out he had stolen someone's knife. If she found out...and he hadn't actually stolen it. The person had lost it in the lake...

Lungs reminding him he needed to breathe, he resurfaced. He was wary of returning to the shore, scanning the park. A ways off he saw a black mass fall to the ground, still, before shattering. "Well, good thing that's taken care of," he said outloud, "Stupid aliens should know not to mess with us Earthpeople!" Deciding it was safe to return to land, Harper swam to the shore, his jacket still on the ground, relatively unscathed. Hauling himself out of the water, he shook himself like a wet dog, water from his clothes and locks spraying everywhere. Picking up his jacket and pulling it over his shivering self, he held up the knife he had found and opened his mouth to ask for its owner.

An intense heat interrupted him, blossoming yet again from the same place it had before. With a shout, Harper dropped the knife. This time wrapping his fingers with his wet shirt, he looked down for the source of the pain. He was startled to realize it came from his shark-tooth necklace, and even more surprised to find the exact source was from the pearl ring he had found earlier that day!

"Stupid, cheap piece of plastic," he muttered, struggling to untie the wet cord behind his neck. It took him a few minutes of useless fumbling before he remembered he still had a knife. It was when he turned to relocate it that he finally noticed the whiteness closing in. His eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed the knife before running away from the erasing, panicking. What was this? Some sort of alien thing? Had he stayed in the water too long and not realized it? Was he dying? Was this a trick?

His feet couldn't carry him fast enough, and in an instant white surrounded him entirely...

He hadn't realized he had closed his eyes until he opened them, and was startled by the darkness.

"That's it. I'm definitely dead..." he said out loud. He wasn't even sure how he was standing...looking down, he only saw more darkness. Yet as he kept looking, small pinpricks of light glowed below his damp flipflops, and then spread, creating what looked like a bridge of light. Closer inspection revealed what looked like an ocean, waves rolling not too far below them. When he looked up he noticed the others from the park, standing around and looking just as confused.

A voice started talking, speaking of warriors and gemstones and cyclosomethings. Words that flew over his head until the very end, when she spoke about their "destinies". When she finished speaking, he frowned. Commit to being monthly warriors on the basis of an attempt to suppress those beasts? Not even obliterate or wipe out, but suppress...meaning they'd still be around. And there were supposed to be more of them in this other place?

This had to be a trick. Had to. Some sort of trippy thing, maybe an amusement ride or simulation, where they needed random people's opinions. It was New York after all. It wouldn't surprise him.

What did surprise him was when one of the girls announced she was 'going home' and then walked towards the other world. What was she, crazy?! Squinting, he realized that it was the same girl who had fallen out of a tree, so...yeah, he wasn't surprised anymore.

"Well, I'm going home, too," Harper said loudly, turning back to the blue portal, "Besides, if the only basis for picking us people is because we have a magic birthstone or whatever, I literally just found this ring today, a few hours ago, in a hotel pool, and I'm pretty sure it belonged to someone else, so, uh...yeah. I'm definitely the wrong guy for this. I'm out."

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Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan Character Portrait: Cyclopean
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Once the black-haired guy released him, Kyle could see what was going on. "Damn!" he muttered to himself when he saw that massive alien beast thing and the tree uprooted and lying on the ground not far from him. Apparently the other guy pushed him out of the way, and he freaked out... Another thing the blond ruffian didn't want to tell his father about. His father wasn't a mean or bad guy. Actually his father was the best guy Kyle knew, but that was the problem. Kyle was always in trouble for one thing or another, even when he wasn't trying to be. Punching that guy who got him out of harm's way was another stupid troublemaking thing for the boy to do.

He shook his head. He didn't have time for this! That monster was chasing a dirty and way too thin girl, and before Kyle got himself together, the same guy who saved his butt approached that monster and well, Kyle didn't see what he did, but the monster collapsed into a pile of black stone. The blond shivered at the sight but got himself back together faster than before. As something of compensation, he pulled a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket and jogged over to the other guy.

Rubbing his neck with his free hand, Kyle handed over the handkerchief and said quietly, "Here, clean up a bit." Turning his head away briefly, he continued, "You can tip your head back to slow the bleeding." He paused again and kept rubbing his neck. This was a seriously awkward situation and his day was already bad, but he wasn't a coward and could 'fess up' to his mistakes for the most part. It was easier with strangers than his family though. "I'm sorry for that. I...I wasn't thinkin' right."

While he was still speaking, the pain in his ear elevated and a white fog came over them. He tried to avoid expressing the pain, so the guy wouldn't think he was unwilling to say what he needed to. Temporarily he went deaf and numb, which freaked him out AGAIN, but this time Kyle kept his hands to himself.

When sensation returned, he was on his knees in a weird place that looked like the entire universe and every ocean in the world were crushed together and flattened. This was really freaky! He couldn't hold back a shout of surprise. Topping off this awful day, some lady somewhere said he had to save the worlds of Earth and Aires. What the Heck!? How could some freak like him save anyone? All of his teachers said he was nothing but trouble; actually pretty much everyone thought he was a troublemaker. He sat down and shook his head, protesting this weird lady's words. She couldn't be right, but what if...

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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#, as written by rikura
Jason' s smile disappeared as he noticed a freaky hand coming out of the tree after it fell. His eyes widened as, not just a hand, but a whole freaking monster thing emerged from it. Taking a few steps back, Jason surveyed the area, seeing most of the people still here. But what was that idiot girl doing still standing there!?

He watched the scene unfold, and it happened fast. From the girl who'd fallen from tree throwing pinecones at the monster, to being chased by it, to it being stuck in a bench, to that first guy he saw stabbing it with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Jason had unconsciously started to sprint towards them when the monster was towering over the girl, his finger burning with a white searing pain as he moved. "Damn it!" he stopped sprinting, the pain too hot for him to focus, and tried to yank the ring off. It wouldn't budge. It would twist when he twisted it, but it wouldn't move past his knuckle. "W-what the hell is going on!?" And though he saw the guy stab it, he wasn't really focused on it, only on his ring. Until, that is, he saw everything starting to be swallowed by a wall of white. He closed his right hand tight around the fingers on his left and did a 360.

"There's no way out of this thing... crap." He closed his eyes as the white closed in and waited. For a second, he felt a very strange shift in the air around him, and the pain from his ring stopped. In fact, everything stopped, and it felt like he was paralyzed and having the air pulled out of him before things snapped back to normal. He opened his eyes slowly to see blackness. "What-" He cut off as lights arranged under him and in front of him, creating a path. He started and looked down, and with a blink of surprise noticed that under the lights it looks like there were churning dark waves. He looked around slowly to see eleven other people there as well, all of them he thought he recognized from the park.

"Okay, what is going on?"

His eyes shot forward as he heard a smooth voice start to speak, almost sounding like it came from every direction. He heard as the voice started to talk about things he wasn't familiar with, and his curiosity caused him to listen, really listen as she mentioned the legend, the birthstones, and the monster thing. What did she call it? He tried saying it out loud in a whisper, "Cyclo... Cyclopean..." And as the voice finished talking, giving them a choice... well, he'd already decided without really thinking about it like he should have.

He heard someone say, "I'm going home," and was surprised to see the girl who he'd before thought was crazy walk towards the other world, and after a second, things clicked in his mind. She wasn't crazy, she must have been from this, this Aires? If everything happening wasn't just some illusion or dream or something... He glanced back at what he assumed would be the way back to Earth, and then looked in front of him to where the girl was walking.

Yeah, there was no way he was changing his mind now. The peridot on his ring started to glow right as that previously annoying guy said, "Well, I'm going home, too," and he started to walk before saying, "Well, I'm in. I'm not sure if any of this is real or just some crappy dream, but I don't think I could walk away even if I wanted to... It feels... right to me." Not that I can actually DO anything...

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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What in the? Falke’s brain felt groggy, like the times he'd stayed up far past his self allotted bedtime or tried to do too much in one day straining body, mind, and soul. How long had been sleeping on the floor, again? And, wait-... Voices? Familiar somewhat at that, and yet-... Reality returned with a short, unpleasant jerk. Already standing upright, he wobbled slightly, off balanced by the sudden spell of dizziness plaguing him. He sucked in a breath of fresh air, unaware that he'd been holding it, with a gasp. He'd been getting away with /it/ and whatever was happening, finally getting Otter to follow him by tugging on the leash, and then nothing, absolutely bloody nothing. Coo like clinks echoed and rolling waves roaring softly became noticed by his ears, seemingly falling directly underneath him, or above him maybe, or really both at the same time. He honestly wasn’t sure, but all he could say was that this certainly didn’t feel like he was at Central Park, or in New York City anymore at that. Alright, set priorities straight. Monster had been attacking, clearly not in the park anymore, and a whole bunch of teens crashed on the floor around him. Something was happening, though he wasn't quite sure what. Wonderful. He raised his hand to rub gently at the side of his temples, wincing slightly because of the rope-burned flesh of his palms stinging painfully, noting the disappearance of his blind-man’s ‘sunglasses’ as he did. Great. That was his third pair this year, his parents wouldn’t be pleased to get him another. But then again, losing his glasses seemed less of a problem currently, than the pickle he was currently stuck in And, wait
 Rope-burns? The leash. Crap. Where was Otter? He’d been right behind him, tugging on the leash, still barking his silly head off at the monster. And now? There didn’t seem to be any hide or hair of his dog. Depp
 He didn’t however have time however, to continue chewing himself out or perhaps calling out for Otter, as a Voice echoed forth.

His brain was able now to comprehend what was being said but not at the same time, maybe it was the echoes fault, likely. Or, well
 He couldn’t quite believe this was all happening. Month warriors? Spirits stuck in stones in their jewelry? Save the world? Destiny? Yea, right – a ton of stuff worth investing his sanity in, no not really. All 12 or nothing, well, that didn’t sound pleasant
 Falke glanced about, his eyes narrowing wearily as they made their unfocused trek about the room. Listening to the others varying remarks of going home, both heading in opposite directions, more than slightly disconcerting he’d might mention if asked, and another’s happy-go-lucky why not giving it a shot. He stayed silent however, not voicing a comment or opinion. Because really, while he was not sure on his own answer to the question asked of course, but - blue portal to earth or gold portal to wherever that was again? Well, the humming listless noise that he assumed were the portals happening on either end of the room – didn’t really shout out blue or gold to him, so like he knew where to go if he did decide. Great.

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Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel Character Portrait: Gwenneth Yuan Character Portrait: Yuki Ryouta
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It all happened so fast. Before the blonde could answer, a black haired girl attempted to knife the creature without success. Then a guy stabbed the creature in the chest, causing it to ooze black liquid and shatter into a bunch of onyx pieces. After some confused looks exchanged by the group, a white light surrounded the area, causing Yuki to raise his hand to his face to cover his eyes.

"Arrgh! What is this light?"

When the light show subsided, the people that were surrounding the monster were gone! Yuki took a look around the park to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The tree that the blonde lady he was talking to was still crashed down, the bench was wrecked, and the brown jacket of the guy that took a dive in the lake was still there. Everything that happened was real and the people involved were gone.

Yuki didn't know what to make of the situation. He walked by the lake where the guy was wondering whether he drowned or not, but he doubt that happened. Something weird happened here in Central Park, he just knew it. He looked back in his camera, watching the events playback as though he had just filmed a movie. Only it wasn't a fake monster, a cast of actors, or a made-up set. That stuff that happened was legit and he recorded it on tape.

He jumped up in excitement and shouted, "YES! I got the film I needed, and if I need proof I can just show them the tree and the bench. I just have to take care of this fil--"

Suddenly, Yuki heard a "sploosh!" coming from the lake and he heard a "Woof!" coming from the direction it was thrown from. it seemed a dog and his owner was playing fetch, and the ball headed in the lake right where Yuki was standing. Before Yuki could make hold of the situation, the dog crashed into Yuki causing him to fall into the lake and drop the camera he was holding. "No!! The tape!!" Yuki shouted. "Damn dog! That was my proof! My chance!" He swam to the bottom of the lake to try and find his camera, but the water was so murky that he couldn't see. He dived many times down scrambling to find the camera, but he never found the camera.

He would have given the dog's owner an earful, but by the time he resurfaced after the tenth or twelfth time the dog and his owner was gone. "Curses!" Yuki grumbled smashing the water with his fists. "Now what am I going to do!?!"

After getting out of the lake without his camera and with the rest of the equipment soaked, Yuki did the only thing he could do. He walked back to his dorm to get a fresh change of clothes and figure out how he was going to buy his whole equipment again.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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Skylar watched with wide eyes as one of the boys who had been standing near the tree earlier stabbed the thing right in the heart, a deafening shriek filling the air as the creature dissolved in front of her. The burning sensation coming from her necklace intensified, the sudden increase in pain bringing her to her knees.

She opened her mouth to scream but couldn’t, her heart thudding away in her chest. An overwhelming sense of panic washed over her, her eyes squeezed shut as she struggled to take in air. She was going to die, she was going to die, she was going to die


Just as quickly as the pain had increased it was gone, the burning replaced by a comforting warmth that seemed to envelop her like a thick blanket. Skylar felt like she was floating, the panic replaced with a strange sense of calmness.

If this was what dying was like, she was totally satisfied.

Slowly her eyes opened, her surroundings gradually coming into focus. She definitely wasn’t in Central Park anymore, the familiar chaos of the city replaced by a serene setting that she couldn’t even begin to explain. Her older brother had told her about patients who explained their own near death experiences, saying that it felt as if they were traveling through a tunnel towards a bright light. While Skylar didn’t consider herself to be religious, maybe this was what heaven was supposed to be like.

Regardless, Skylar wasn’t exactly sure what to think about this whole situation. The rational part of her kept saying that this was ridiculous, that she should turn and go back through the portal that led back to Earth. The other part of her was attracted to the idea of being an “undoubtedly special being” though. That and the fact that she was pretty sure she was already dead, and what else did she have to lose anyway? Not much.

"I'm in." She stated, glancing back to see if any of the others had made up their minds yet.

The setting changes from Aires to New York, Central Park

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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#, as written by Linnea
Black blood oozed from the beast like pus from an infected wound. It flowed to the ground, leaving its mark on the earth. Autumn blinked, not sure if she was grateful or disgusted. She let out a slow and tentative breath, as if to test if it was alright. So far, so good. If she could breathe, then perhaps she could walk. Her unsteady steps seemed less difficult than before as she slowly tried to make her way out of the park.

The beast shattered into onyx shards like glass falling from a broken window. It was a pitiful death to be sure. This terrifying creature was left as nothing but a pile of tiny black stones on dead leaves. Autumn didn’t even question how such a thing could happen. She could only think of how it sapped away her fear. There was nothing scary about tiny stones.

Her steps grew steadier as she tried to pass the scene. She was definitely going home. No need to stay around here. She stopped, however, as her necklace pressed harder against her skin. Underneath her coat and sweater, it was supposed to be warm. Instead, it felt like ice. The piercing cold dug into her like knives, forcing her to hug herself tightly to try to ease the pain. She let out a sharp gasp, doubling over as the unnatural chill tormented her. This deathly cold, it went straight to the bone. There was no shivering, only pain.

The world started to fade, white erasing the skyscrapers. Perhaps this was a side effect of the pain. Was she dying? Surely a cold necklace couldn’t kill someone. Through squinted eyes she surveyed her disappearing surroundings. The whiteness was closing in, engulfing the world in emptiness.

She closed her eyes, hoping it would go away. Maybe this was a dream. She would wake up at home in her nice bed, surrounded by stuffed animals and posters of her various interests. Her eyes would fall upon the picture of her and her friends and she would know she was safe. Oh, how she wished this was the case.

The pain left just as quickly as it had arrived, leaving her both relieved and confused. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and stood up. The world was black now, a more discomforting nothingness. Autumn bit her lip. Maybe this wasn’t a dream. Maybe she wasn’t dying. Maybe she was already dead and this was simply her journey.
She looked around. Most of the people from before seemed to be there.

Before her was a golden pillar of light. Heaven perhaps? Autumn had never really given Heaven much thought. She had always believed in regeneration. Would she get in even if she didn’t believe? Had she sinned too much? Was she hellbound? Trying to communicate with the dead wasn’t a sin, was it? She tried to think of the seven deadly sins. Which ones had she committed? Gluttony. That was for sure. She wasn’t a whale, but she was certainly chubby.

Before she could worry any more than that, a path revealed itself. Tiny dots of white light, stars of varying shapes, formed beneath her feet. Beneath them, an ocean in the middle of a storm. Autumn stared at it for a moment, entranced. Perhaps she wasn’t a sinner after all. This was too pretty to be hell. She almost wanted to touch them, just to see if they would respond. Above her, white birds flew in various directions. Her eyes followed one of them as it soared to the vortex behind her. Surely, that had to be hell.

The star path lit up brighter as a voice spoke. “Welcome to The Core.”

She sounded godlike, beautiful and wise. The feeling was inexplicable. It was as if her body simply wouldn’t let her feel anything but whatever this was. It wasn’t quite positive, yet it was nowhere near negative. One could describe it as neutral, but there was too much emotion there for it to be so. Warm perhaps? Trusting?

Autumn listened intently as the woman spoke. At least this wasn’t Heaven or Hell. Though this all sounded outlandish, she didn’t question it. Perhaps this was due to her wanting to believe in such things. Perhaps the voice was simply too convincing. Or, perhaps, she just liked being called special.

A demi god. It sounded nice. In fact, the whole story sounded nice. Gods, powers, stones. There was, of course, the fear of these “Cyclopeans”. But to be revered, to be a god, it sounded wonderful. Frightening, but wonderful. As the story continued, and Autumn finally caught on, she found it a little less positive. Her destiny was really to fight those creatures? How was she expected to fight them? She couldn’t even move when she saw one!

Still, there were people depending on her. If this was real, and she honestly couldn’t think of how anyone could fake this, then she would be dooming millions of people. It was a terrifying, and also a little flattering, thought. She gulped.

Her eyes looked upwards as she thought it over. Assuming this was real, there were two worlds at stake. Hers, and this “Aires”. If she were to go home, she would not only be keeping the rest of the group from fighting but she would also be allowing the worlds to fall to ruin. The Cyclopeans would invade and her world would die. Then again, the military would surely get involved. They would figure out how to kill those things soon enough. But would the war end? On the other hand, if she were to go to Aires, she would become a demi god. She would gain powers and be revered. Of course, she would have to fight the Cyclopeans. Still, superpowers. Finally, she decided to go to Aires. It was better than waiting for her world to burn.

Others started making their choices. The other blonde opted to go home, which appeared to be Aires. Well, that explained how she knew what the Cyclopean was. Others agreed to the terms, saying they would go to Aires. There was one, however, who chose to go home.

“Wait.” Autumn said, walking up to him. “You can’t leave now. You heard what she said, it’s all or nothing. If you go, then none of us can help either world.” She reached for his arm, trying to stop him. “What about the people back home? They’ll die without our help! Are you really willing to risk millions of lives just because you don’t want to do anything? Do you really have no one you want to protect?” She protested, though her voice remained steady.

The setting changes from New York, Central Park to Aires

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Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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Everything happened in matters of mere minutes, shattering a once peaceful day that almost signaled the end to a near perfect vacation. The people flocked to the park like some unheard call had lured them step by step into the trap that sprung the moment the strange blonde was encountered. The appearance of the monster, its slaying and the scattering of what was left brought a chill to the warmth of the autumn sun. Onyx stones that glinted hard and cold amongst the autumn leaves that made the park beautiful at this time of the year.

The brunette that was called here by that same instinctive lure watched all that had happened from afar. A small twinge of ice radiated against her wrist, the worst of the pain emanating right where the turquoise stone pressed into her skin. The image of everything around her, flashing and fading to white to only be replaced with the spectral like area around them. When the woman appeared, speaking a greeting, the one who had kept silent stepped closer to listen.

As dialogue was exchanged, more information filtered into the mind of the watcher, her nutmeg eyes glinting with some emotion be it pride, hunger, or lust. It was hard to tell. A coy smile curled its way onto her rosette bows, deft fingers brushing through the chocolate curls that rested on the pretty little head of the female that had kept quiet. A demigod? Now... that is better than Lead Actress! And that weird monster... so that was what the woman meant by a 'cyclopean'...interesting. The thought brought an entertained chuckle from the seventeen year old. Her fingers curled around the bracelet at her left wrist, her coy smile twisting up further.

People depended on her! This was the most exciting thing to happen to her! Lux couldn't help but let another chuckle escape her, feeling nearly light headed from all of this! Imagine me, Lux Adair, a demigod! Someone that people depended on protecting! More and more thoughts of the same nature dashed across Lux's mind, allowing her to keep her silence. However, she knew what she was going for.

With sure steps, the brunette allowed her feet to carry her across the crystalline path towards the portal that would lead to the world called Aires. Where she was to be the hero, but... Lux stopped in her tracks, her eyes glancing over the others she was supposed to work with. Another one had went to talk to the male that seemed to be staying behind or indecisive. It did not matter what he was to Lux, but it appeared that even if she went ahead, nothing would be done if he didn't follow. Perhaps it would be best to wait for them? It must be suicide to walk into a world she knew nothing of alone, when she had these others to have her back.

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Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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"Do you really have no one you want to protect?"

Harper froze mid-step at those words. His eyes widened briefly as he thought of his sister, Sadie...she was the only person who had ever cared about what he wanted, who actually cared about him, and she was also the only person he ever cared about.

With an exasperated exhale out his nose, Harper spun around slowly on the inhale. Exhaling into an annoyed smile, Harper looked down at the blonde girl.

"Look, you," he said in an irritated tone, "This game that you're trying to pull, this guilt-tripping, reverse psychology bullshit? Whatever it is, it's not gonna work. Even if we all help, who says it's gonna work? You heard the lady: attempt to subdue or suppress or stifle or whatever she said. Not eradicate. Not annihilate. Not "get rid of the problem entirely". And there's not even a guarantee our attempt will pay off. An attempt is like a half-assed try"

A quote from his father right there.

Harper continued, "I'm not about to throw away my life on the slim chance that it'll prevent something that apparently is bound to happen anyways. I would much rather, on the other hand, use the remaining time we have before the cyclowhatevers invade Earth, which sounded like a decent amount of time to me, to build up on some ammo and home defense to prepare against them. Oh, and also to spend some quality time with the one person I actually want to protect, who I have a date with in two hours for ice cream, so if you'll excuse me, I will be off."

With that, he turned around and resumed walking towards the blue portal. "Besides!" he exclaimed, throwing up his hands, "How do we know this isn't just some elaborate stage performance? We're in New York City! That Cyclowhats it was probably just a man in a costume, or an animatronic!"

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Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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Black blood began to burble from the wound, gushing and spurting from the incision, decorating the grass beneath its feet and, unfortunately, Dorian as well. He winced, shutting one eye as the black ooze sprayed onto his face, but dug the blade further in, twisting it once more for good measure because the dry-cleaning bills were going to be awful, but a few extra dollars spend on laundry were preferable to death. Then the most remarkable thing happened, and, for the first time since this unfortunate adventure had started, remarkable was actually the appropriate word. He could hear it, an audible sort of crackle as the monster began to harden before his very eyes before shattering, onyx shards flying everywhere leaving Dorian standing where he was, panting, painted with blood, knife still posed where it had been before the creature had promptly exploded.

This was too unreal. This was insane. He'd just- there had just been
 A monster had dragged itself out from a hole in the earth underneath a tree, run rampant in Central Park, and Dorian had just killed it. Probably. He'd just
 He'd just killed something, something unearthly, violent, and over eight feet tall. His hands shook, but he stood frozen, dazed, unable to move for just a moment. That is before a white handkerchief was thrust in front of his face, breaking the spell as he whirled around. No, it as just that boy from earlier offering up the cloth in combination with a muttered apology. To be honest, Dorian didn't hear most of it, the apparent apology muffled by the sound of his heart beat still thundering in his chest.

"I
It's fine," He finally choked out, taking the handkerchief with a trembling hand and pressing it against his nose, wiping slightly and doing more harm than good as he smeared the two colors of blood together before tilting his head backwards, closing his eyes with a deep, shuttering breath. So he didn't see his beloved New York City skyline begin to vanish, erased by a disturbing blankness blanketing the city, muffling for a time every one of the senses. When he did finally open his eyes, to his horror it was to the last of the trees disappearing, the grass beneath his feet not far behind. The bracelet on his wrist was throbbing now, but not terribly uncomfortably, and he clung to the sensation as the world apparently ended around him, erasing it or possibly him from existence. It was dark now. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, even the one still clutching the now stained handkerchief. Just
 nothingness until a brief glimmer of light appeared on the the horizon and slowly, slowly sensation came back. There were lights beneath his feet, fashioned like stars in the heavens above- or perhaps they were stars, he couldn't tell- and the sound of flapping wings, the gentle cooing of birds flying overhead, towards two swirling vortexes, just now making their presences known. And then, there was a voice.

It wasn't just any voice, it was a precise, beautiful voice, tone equal parts soothing and authoritative. And it didn't stop there- that magnificent voice was spinning a magnificent tale more fit for a best-selling fiction novel than the reality he existed in. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, there was silence, the star path dimming visibly leaving all twelve with a choice. Some didn't take long at all to make up their minds, wandering through the portal into the unknown or, as Dorian began to realize in the case of the girl from the tree, into the only world she knew. Others made uncertain declarations then and there, some heroic like the Southern boy, and others less so, like the dripping wet local demanding answers that Dorian was certain would never come. And then it was like all progress was frozen. Even those who had said they were going were still loitering around, either hesitant to go alone or too nervous that someone would stay behind. If it were the second case, they had a right to worry.

Even after one of the girl's- the one who'd checked on the girl in the tree(and, really, he wished that he knew their names to make all of this much more simple)- impassioned protest, no one seemed too convinced. There was that New York boy's attempt to force rationality on a very irrational situation, another girl- the one he'd saved- expressing her doubts that this was even real. All of their voices were breaking the silence at once, swirling together in whines and declarations and Dorian, who had just killed a monster with only a pocket knife, had a possibly broken nose that was still gentle trickling blood and hurt like Hell, and who had had a very bad day even before this whole disaster, had enough.

"You want to know if this is real?" His voice echoed in the otherworldly cavern, something halfway between a sneer and a frown frozen on his face. "See this blood on my face? On my hands? On this knife?" He was illuminated in the cold starlight, black blood evident as it stained his features and body alongside his own violent red, holding his pocketknife up for all to see. "I killed that- that thing back there, stabbed it between the ribs, felt this blade go through its scales as it screamed, was sprayed with black blood, and felt it disintegrate beneath my hands into little shards, so I think I would know if it was fucking real." His bracelet was throbbing now to match his elevated heartbeat, warm upon his wrist.

"I don't give two shits about the rest of you, but this is an all or nothing deal, and if you're too much of a coward to try to save your own planet, to save the people that you want to protect, that's your own problem, don't make it mine. This is the deal; we go through that portal and try to stop whatever the Hell is happening before it happens on our planet and puts everyone at risk, or someone goes home because they're too scared to even try and you've fucked two planets over, your loved ones included. I'm sure none of you want that on your conscience, and it's sure as Hell not going on mine." Not once did his voice crack, keeping his tone at somewhere between a cold monotone and a harsh whisper as if too afraid to speak loudly in the Core.

"And if it's a hoax, and I highly doubt that any of you believe that right now, what have you got to lose? Your dignity? If that's the case, then any dignity that you had is long gone by now. I refuse to let any cowards get my family or me killed when we could have done something to prevent it."

There was silence for a moment before Dorian spoke again, an aching tiredness in his voice. "Look, I just had to murder a giant monster with a pocket knife. Just go through the damn portal."

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Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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Harper ignored the guy, continuing to walk up to the blue portal, hands in pockets and mentaling "lalalaican'thearyou"-ing.

But when the guy started telling everyone what to do, then Harper finally stopped. And not out of obedience.

If Harper had been irritated before, which he was, now he was supremely pissed off. And on the verge of anger. "Listen, you," Harper snapped, marching over to the taller boy, "I don't give "two shits" about being called a coward or scared. Or about any stains on my conscience. Or about "dignity". But I do give A LOT OF SHITS about being told what to do! Especially by some snotty, twiggy, kid who only happens to be taller than me through genetics. There is no deal, Capische? I would much rather spend whatever remaining time we have with my sister and making plans for our survival with ample time and no immediate risk of dying than wasting it on some futile "attempt" to stop something that'll probably kill us two seconds into that portal."

He took a breath.

"As for it not being a hoax," he continued with the same amount of pissed-off, "You ever seen a movie, son? Ever been to a play with gore and violence? If it was an animatronic they could have easily filled it with fake blood that evaporates or disintegrates quickly. Or maybe you were just tripping balls. EITHER WAY, I don't give a damn what you think or what you think you can tell me to do. I am NOT going, this is stupid, it's suicide, it's fake, and you need to f***ing deal with it!"

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Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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The slap stung the lower half of his face, causing him to bite his tongue, both literally and figuratively. He had been slapped by girls before, but never this hard!

If it had been a guy who slapped him, Harper would have certainly returned the favor, and then some. But he didn't hit girls, so instead he just stood there, stunned and in pain as this blond girl, the one who had fallen out of the tree and undoubtedly caused all this, lectured him further on what an asshole he was and how immature he was acting and how unreasonable he was being even though everyone else seemed to have no regard for their own lives. Basically, things he already knew. In fact, the only thing he was really thinking about, besides feeling angry, was that the monster was called a cyclopean.

Some other guy pitched in, calling him an idiot and preaching about his philosophy on life. Seriously, these people all looked younger than him, from what he remembered. And they were lecturing him?

"I'm not an idiot!" he shouted, but before he could continue he felt the collar of his shirt yanked forward. He yelped, not just because he was now being dragged towards the wrong portal by a girl much shorter than him, but also because his necklace had slipped past his shirt and onto his bare skin, scalding him.

"Stop, you...crazy...bitch!" Harper hollered as he tried to undo just the pearl ring. The cord was still wet and he had already forgotten about the small knife in his jacket pocket. Giving up on his necklace, he tried to pry the girl's fingers off his shirt, but her grip was strong. Finally, two feet away from the portal, he leaned backwards as far as he could, planting his feet in front of him and slowing down her progress as he applied more resistance.

"All of you...are crazy!" he panted, "You know, two can play this guilt game. You all are what, high school students? You wanna talk responsibility? How bout rent to pay? Food to buy? Jobs to work? You guys probably live with your parents still and don't have to worry about that shit, but I do. Anyone gonna pay for all my new shit once I get evicted because I haven't paid my rent? Anyone gonna give me a new job once I get fired because I haven't shown up? Anyone gonna explain to my sister how come I went missing all of a sudden? And speaking of, how long do you think we'll be in this stupid mythical lord of the rings world? A day? Weeks? Months? If everything's in real time, do you really want your parents or whoever your loved ones are to worry about you for that long? What if it's some inception shit and one second in there is like a day on Earth? Huh?!"

Harper glared at everyone as best he could before finally spitting out, "You guys are just kids. You think I'm the selfish one? You guys don't even pay taxes. Look at all of you. So eager to "save the world." This isn't Avengers. You guys all have frikkin superiority complexes or something."

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Character Portrait: Skylar Grayson Character Portrait: Kyle Keaton Character Portrait: Aria Delaine Character Portrait: Dorian Roberts Character Portrait: Harper Calloway Fields Character Portrait: Tallyho Abel
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Damn, this girl was good...

He had been formulating his own comeback and eventual dash back to the blue portal while the girl had talked, but once she mentioned his sister...

The part of him that thought the cyclopean was fake tried to reason with him once more, but that image....he imagined the silver chain with the cello charm she often wore ripped off and covered in blood. He had been planning on taking her to his apartment in Boston, which he would have turned into a shelter. But...if he kept up his current track record and failed once more...if a cyclopean broke through and attacked...

The disappointment he imagined on Sadie's face in a few hours by the ice cream parlor killed him, but the image of her being dismembered before his eyes was something he couldn't handle.

"I hate all of you," with a hard swallow he glared at the blonde girl as intensely as he could manage. "Fine...bitch...I'll go through this stupid portal. But don't you think, and don't any of you think" he shouted to the rest of them, "That I'm doing this for any of you, or because you guys told me to. As what's his face said so eloquently, I don't give "two shits[i]" about any of you or who you think you are. I'm deciding for [i]myself whether to go in or not, and that's for one reason only."

He turned back to the girl, and narrowed his eyes even further. "Only one reason," he hissed. Fists clenched, he turned his glare to the yellow portal and stomped through.