Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat — the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Long-term fantasy roleplay partners wanted » Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! »

0
followers
follow

Annette Ryeo

"maybe i'm too emotional, or maybe you never cared at all"

0 · 486 views · located in Cairo, Egypt

a character in “Gods Among Us: Reborn”, originally authored by EsmeBheart, as played by RolePlayGateway

Description



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████


Image




███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image Image
Image Image

F U L LXN A M E
Annette "Ten" Ryeo

N I C K N A M E (S)
Ten, Anne

B I R T H D A Y
March, 27th, 2002

A G E
19

B L E S S E D B Y
Osiris

G E N D E R & S E X U A L I T Y
Demi-Girl (She/They), Bisexual

E T H N I C I T Y
South Korean

H O M E T O W N
The Bronx, New York

H E X
#73200b



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image
H E I G H T & W E I G H T
5'3'' and around 130pnds

A P P E A R A N C E
Annette is on the paler side with shoulder length black hair, that frames her rounder face. They have overall a softer face that paired with her short and smaller frame doesn't make her look all to intimidating despite her best effort to look so.

Ten doesn't wear to much makeup, only really wearing lipstick, eyeliner or blush, in away not to pull from their fashion. Ten likes to dress in a more grungy, streetwear esc style, it might be yet another way for them to distance herself from the image of their family. They recently got a septum piercing, which pairs nicely with their two tattoos. They have a knife on their left thigh, broken chain on her up right arm and have plans to get more




███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image
L I K E S
Movies (loves drama, and rom-coms), Picnics, Filming, Fashion, History, Video Games (specifically battle royal games, and team shooters), Music, Heights, Camping, Clubbing, TikTok.

D I S L I K E S
small spaces, ryan (her ex), flaunting their wealth, their mother, darkness, mice, musicals, the cold, the smell expensive perfume, modern architecture (feels to mechanical), Strawberries (allergic)



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

ImageP E R S O N A L I T Y
Chaotic, Hopeless-Romantic, Troublemaker, Dramatic, Emotional.

Figuring out who Ten truly is can be an almost impossible task, there is who she used to be, who they let people see, and who she really is.

The Past. Growing up Ten’s personality was chosen for her before she was born. She was to be the perfect daughter, the perfect girl. A soft-spoken and meek girl, who wouldn’t make waves or talk back. Someone who wore their heart on their sleeve.

The Mask. To the outside world, Ten could be described as unhinged, a loose cannon. This is exactly how she wants to be seen. Something so far from the child she was that they will push down true aspects of themself to uphold the image they so carefully crafted. Someone who is a rebel, who pushes the status quo. Someone who takes what you expect a woman to be and crushes it.

The Truth. In reality, Ten is a mixture of who they let on, and who they were. Much more confident than the child they once were, but softer and much more intune with her emotions than she would like to admit. They love cheesy rom-coms and dramatic movies about long lost love. They yearn for true love like in the movies, real friends who won't leave them once they show them the softness. They also love getting up to no good, pulling pranks, partying, and creating their own rules. Though the walls, to who they really are, have been built up and locked away if you stay around long enough you might see the light coming through the cracks.



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

Image
H I S T O R Y
Annette was born into the lap of luxury, with a side of cruelness. As the youngest of the Ryeo family, success seemed to be inevitable. With a mother who was a popular politician, and a father who was hailed as the best plastic surgeon in New York. Ten would have the power, money, and connection to achieve anything they wanted, even if they had none of the talents.

Growing up Ten soon would realize that they had to act like someone was always watching and that they couldn’t have a life that did not reflect well on her mother. Their mother picked out everything for them: their personality, friends, interest and if they step out the lines there would be hell to pay. Annette was a very prim and proper child growing up acting the perfect daughter, they made sure to push down anything that would get them in trouble.

Ten was living in a prison of themself, and as she got older the walls started to crack. The first sign was when they were 15 their mother struck them on the face, and ten fought back. That would end up being a big turning point for Ten. Soon after Ten was nearly sent to juvie after lighting an oil painting of their family on fire in the courtyard. It wasn’t long until the media started to spin stories about Annette The Troubled Teen, this would only worsen the relationship between mother and daughter.

Ten’s rebellious side wasn't just constricted to their home life, school wasn't much better. Feeling out of place and alone in a strict private school, they would do everything in their power to get pulled out of the school, and after being expelled it worked. They were transferred to a public school which helped them out in a lot of ways. They had their own friends, their own life, hobbies, even if they weren't the most healthy, they were hers. Ten did her best to hide what their home life was like, worried about being used by people for their money, Ten formed herself into an average teenager. Ten was happy or so they thought, they were still holding stuff back. Anything they liked that they thought their family would approve of at all Ten would shove it away.

Now in college, they are still hiding parts of who they truly are but without her mothers' eyes, the façade is starting to melt away. They started making good friends, found a passion for film, and finally came out. Things were looking up for Ten, even when their boyfriend cheated on them they had a good support group to stop them from slipping back into old habits.



███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████


Image Image
Image Image

T H EX B L E S S I N G
Necromancy
When blessed Annette will be able to communicate, summon, control the dead. When she wants or needs she'll be able to see the ghost and spirts of a certain place. They will also be able to see through the eyes off the dead, and can sometimes get visions of when people will die.

Umbrakinesis
When blessed they will ability to mentally generate and manipulate darkness, the absence of light. They will be able travel through shadows.

T A L E N T S
Film Making, lying (very good at making people believe her),

S T R E N G T H S
Putting on a smile, Writing, Reading people.

W E A K N E S S E S
Trusting people, self love, opening up to people.


███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

So begins...

Annette Ryeo's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK




Image
Eden Montgomery
Image
Image
Image
Host of Serqet | Attire | hex: #9D948D
Image
Image
Tarren Havenfield
Image
Image
Image
Host of Anubis | Attire | hex:#575772
Image






Image
Trevor Price
Image
Image
Image
The History Professor | Attire | hex: #6C021B
Image
Image
Kayden Hallows
Image
Image
Image
Professor's Assistant | Attire | hex:#96909c
Image





Two days. It had been two days since the group of students from LindenWood, had found themselves leaving the comforts of what was considered to be their new home back in New York. All while being led by their Professor. Who, by all means knew what he was doing, well, for the most part. There were times where his assistant, Kayden, would have to step in and lead the otherwise clueless bunch. Was indeed a sight to see as a small Irish woman led a brigade of International students, and their clueless and often time scatter brained British Professor. To say getting around the airports wasn't easy, well, you can only imagine. But now the group found themselves in what would be considered their new home for the next month, the Dusit Thani LakeView Hotel, in Cairo, Egypt.

Currently, the hot sun of Egypt had been beating down overhead, onto the small group of travelers, nearly exhausted from the full day of exploring. The first day was spent exploring the city itself, the food, the culture, the people, and a few landmarks such as the Abdeen Palace and the Khan el-Khalili bizaar that were in the capitol.

Arguably though, today’s activities were perhaps the most exciting and nearly everyone was looking forward to it. The day began with a short bus ride to the outskirts of Cairo in Giza, where the students were allowed to explore one of the seven wonders of the world. The Pyramids of Giza. The impressive structures were a breathtaking sight and it wouldn’t have been complete without a lengthy lecture from Professor Price. They had already spent about four hours at the site before the sun had just begun to set in the Western horizon. Most of the group would have thought the day would’ve been called quits there. Seeing as the sun was beginning to set, and it was best advised to settle indoors after that. Since the group first arrived, they had been told countless times by locals to be wary after the sun goes down. Local tales had been spread about the group in the oncoming two days, even if Tarren and even Eden had thought that they were nothing more than old lore and stories told, especially to scare off tourists. The less trouble they caused, the better.

But, as their luck would have it, Professor Price had a different idea.

Tarren knew that the moment Professor Price just simply mentioned the field trip to Egypt, that things weren't going to end well. Tarren had never been out of the country before aside from a few trips back home to Brisbane for their mother. Other than that, Ren had never been to a place with endless seas of sand, and blazing suns, it was a stark contrast in culture to what they knew for the better half of twenty-plus years. But they figured that they might as well go, especially due to some pushing from Price, and some of their friends in the days that followed. While the prospect of earning a few more credits and offers after going on the trip was originally the only thing that ultimately made them go, knowing that some of their friends truly wanted them along was enough of a push. And so they made their decision.

The first few days were rather, uneventful if Ren was being honest. Not much of anything happened except for small travel, and touring some of the surrounding cities. Not that it wasn't interesting or boring, it just wasn't exactly what they had been expecting. It was now the second day and the sun had already started to slowly go down, as well as the majority of the tourists were beginning to head back to the buses and leave for the night. Tarren had stayed back amongst the group and waited for news on what they would be doing.

The buses began to fill, leading the tourists back to the capital, Price instead had the group stay behind as he wanted to see one last thing before they headed back. His request was met with unsurprisingly, unanimous protest - after all they had been trekking nearly all day, not to mention whatever the man had in mind was definitely not on the itinerary. It wasn’t until about a half hour after they had been wandering aimlessly around the desert that it was obvious they were more than a little lost.

It was only when Price told them all to follow him and that they weren't exactly done just yet, much to the vocal dismay of the others. While everyone was getting either burned or complaining of the heat, Tarren had welcomed the sun. They oddly dressed with a jacket and shorts, with plenty of sun screen applied, of course. With sunglasses in hand, they had no reasons for complaining, at least not now. They figured in the morning they would feel the aftermath of the Egyptian sun that shone down on them mercilessly for hours. But for now, feeling that familiar sun here, like it was back in Brisbane.

Tarren looked to some of their friends for a moment, giving them a don't ask me look, before they walked up alongside Price and Hallows. "Excuse me, Professor?" Tarren started, but only received a poor excuse of an answer in the form of a shoulder shrug and mumbling. Seeing as the two co-leads were busy looking over the map. Tarren turned back to look at the others, shrugging their own shoulders before continuing to walk up alongside the Professor and his assistant. "Don't mean to....intrude, but, the others and I were wondering where we're actually going? The sun is setting, so shouldn't we be headed back already?" Tarren questioned casually.

The other two mumbled about themselves a bit more, before Kayden turned around partially to face Tarren, giving them a bright smile, "We'll be going back in just a bit. The Professor just wants to trekk on a bit more, and then we'll be heading back. Promise." Kayden looked back, as Trevor exclaimed to himself and headed off in the direction he was facing. Kayden and Tarren exchanged glances between each other, and then the group, before gesturing for the others to follow their wayward Professor.

The group had been led further past the Pyramid of Menkaure to the Queen’s Pyramids, a set of three Pyramids that were smaller in comparison to the others each built for a famous Egyptian Queen. Long gone were the signs placed conveniently for the tourists, it was beginning to look like mountains upon mountains of sand dunes awaiting them when the ground suddenly dipped down into a small ravine. Trevor skidded to an abrupt stop at the sudden dip in the ground and his eyes lit up. ”Fascinating...” he mumbled under his breath lowering his map as he looked at the ruins.

Nowhere did it list the presence of a tomb or a current excavation taking place. To anyone else, this place might not have existed. So, how in the hell, did they manage to find it? Nevermind go in the right direction to possibly stumble upon something? This immediately didn't sit right with Tarren, nor Kayden. But Trevor, he seemed all too excited. A little bit too much, if they were being honest. The two women shared another look at each other, before walking up alongside the Professor. "Trevor?" Kayden began, folding her hands before she continued, "Don't you think it'd be best if we started to head back? Come back in the morning, and when we're not all exhausted? And...you know...Sunlight?" she questioned, gently tapping Trevor on the shoulder.

A small chuckle escaped his mouth as he looked up finally at the two, ”It would, but we don't have time for that! We want to be able to say we explored it first, don't we? Besides-" the Professor turned fully around to look at the full group of students, ”We go in and explore, just a bit. And I'll give you all passing grades for this class, and even more so, we can take the rest of this trip easy afterwards. We just have to take a little peak inside the tombs first." he grinned.

Trevor gestured for the group to join him by the edge of the slope, and looked down once more into the ravine. At the bottom of the crevice, set a massive entrance to some sort of temple that was half buried in the sand. The place looked like it was just a breeze away from toppling over. Threatening statues of Pharaohs were in the front staring menacingly down at them, almost as if they were guarding whatever was hidden away inside the tombs. The sight made Tarren’s stomach turn with that all too familiar sense of adrenaline. But the rational part of their brain flickered for a moment. There was no way that something like this had sat here for this long without being discovered. With all the tourists, explorers, and locals poking around the desert? There was no way this place had been undiscovered. Right?

Tarren looked at the others, then back at Trevor, "I have to agree with Kayden, Sir. We can come back tomorrow. We'll have more time, and natural lighting to explore the tombs. Besides, who says this hasn't been explored yet-" Trevor lifted his hand, ”Want a promised passing grade, or not, Havenfield?" he questioned, eyebrows raised before a grin formed on his face. ”Whoever wants to come along, make haste. But for those who wish to remain outside, feel free. We'll just take a peak, and be done with it, ya?" He didn’t really wait for much of an answer from the others, as he had already began to carefully move down the edge of the ravine. Taking just a moment to beckon for everyone to follow him. Before disapearing further down.

Kayden gave a wary glance to the students, “We have to go after him don’t we?” Kayden paused, then looked back to the direction of which Trevor left. “We have to go after him.” She said more to herself than the others, and slowly she began after him, sliding down the slope. A few rocks scattering down from the impact of her feet. The audible crack of rocks clattering below.

Professor Price reached the base of the ravine just in front of Kayden, and whoever else was behind her. Placing his hands on his hips as he gazed at the towering Pharaoh statues to the dark cave of an entrance. “Professor none of us really think this is a good idea we-” Tarren's face paled slightly as they watched him slip off his backpack and crouch down. Quickly beginning to dig through it furiously until he retrieved a torch.

He tapped it on his knee a few times before the faint light flickered on. “You, you can’t be serious.” Kayden mumbled out as a look of disapointment appeared on her face. Even for her, with all of the years she knew Trevor, even this was a bit much for him. Trevor just returned her gaze with a small glint in his eyes. He quickly stood up, brushing sand off of his pants. Brandishing the flashlight in his hands. ”I know this might seem a bit insane to some of you but…Wouldn’t some of you like to have a piece of your name written into history? You all signed the waivers didn’t you…?” The briefest smile flashed across his face, before turning to look at the old entrance of the ruins. “I’m not forcing any of you to follow me, in fact, by all means stay out here. I’ll just have a brief look inside…” He trailed off, as he gazed back at the entrance. “But, for anyone who would like to join, I won’t stop you either.” and with that, Trevor made his way into the entrance of the tombs, and whatever it was that awaited inside...

Thoughts wracked around Tarren's mind as they thought to themself for a moment. If something was truly down there, and if they were a part of a possible large discovery, it could possibly end up with some way of helping their situation back home. If this came with some sort of financial pay, well, Ren could feel a slight nagging feeling in the back of their head. Something telling them not to. But at the same time, they had no real choice.

Going against their better judgement, Tarren shifted through their own backpack that they had with them, quickly retrieving their own flashlight and turning it on, exposing some of the smaller details of the entrance as they took a few steps forwards in the direction the professor went off in. "Well, I for one say that we need to get him back, but...As long as we don't come across any more scorpions or centipedes, I know I'll be fine." Tarren said with a large grin, "But I doubt that'll be the case..." they shuddered, thinking about the scorpions they already came across. While, in reality, Ren was both terrified and excited for what could possibly be ahead, even if what was about to come could be a mistake. What was the harm in snooping around for a little while, right? And obviously, retrieving Professor Price...




Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen Character Portrait: Nova Morrison Character Portrait: Cassidy Cooper
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Image
Romeo Viljoen
Image
Image
Image
Host of Bastet | Attire | hex: #6565D1
Image
Romeo walked with the group, intently staring at his phone at the pictures he had made throughout the day. Seeing the pyramids with your own eyes is a dream for anyone, but for an architecture student it was a bit different. To only imagine you could design something that would be out there for 1000s of years.
He had been sending pictures on the family WhatsApp group. For once he was nearly on the same timezone as his sisters, so he had received running commentary throughout the day. He send them one last picture of Sol and himself with the setting desert sun glowing red in the background. While he detached his phone from the selfie stick he saw 5 hearts popping up before he even had the chance to put it in his pocket.

With the sun lowering he took off his glasses and put them in his backpack. He took out the plastic bag of dates he bought that morning and starting eating them. He walked to the front when the group stopped walking, where he just picked up what buzzkill Ren was discussing: “The sun is setting, so shouldn't we be headed back already?”
Romeo shook his head.”Also don’t mean to intrude, he said sarcastically. ”but the prof is right, why would we go back to the hotel now?”

He patted Professor Price on the shoulder twice. ”There could be a world of things out there, and we can be the first people to see it.”
He didn’t believe himself much, but it sure beat going back to the hotel, sharing his room with Annette.
And the more sand I collect in my shoe, the more I get to dump into her bed tonight…

When they started walking again, he slowed down his pace, still looking at the different buildings and even ruins they saw. Even for Romeo it was a bit much when they stumbled upon the small ravine.
”Uhm…guys, that looks deep. We can at least look for some stairs…”
He looked at the professor and how he jumped down with relative ease.
Romeo shouted:”All right, fine…, but you better turn that passing mark into an A.”
He waited for an answer, but was fairly sure the professor was too focused on what he saw in front of him to take note of anyone else.
In a lower volume he spoke to Sol. ”Bitch, if I die, you better mummify me in silk…. But leave the face, people need to see the face.”

Stumbling bit by bit he got down the ravine. The last 2 metres he had to jump, and although he hurt his ankle he was able to walk it off in a few paces. He saw the lights of Trevor and Ren, and he grabbed his phone again. Despite seeing 31% on his battery he turned on his flashlight. As he waited for the others to come down he stared at the statues. ”You know what, I think if Cassidy would grow a beard like that, he could bring it back into style, he's got the face for it.” He shot a quick picture of the statues and the entrance itself. Somebody had to document this stupid idea...

While putting the flashlight in his breast pocket, he searched his bag for his second power bank, knowing the first was empty already. He kept it close at hand, just in case. With a courage mustering sigh, he walked though the massive door into the chamber, sneezing loudly twice with the dusty air.
He turned to Nova as they walked in. "I step up with my phone drawn, sneeze loudly and shout: oh temple of old, reveal us your secrets."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
outfit x || song x || hex #de9e47
Image
It was easy at first, playing it cool. Soledad was used to other’s watching her, judging her. It’s not like she made it any easier for herself. People had been making their assumptions about her long before she ever stopped trying. Impulse control wasn’t something she wasn’t ever taught well anyways.

In an ideal world she’d been able to continue the facade, though she barely lasted through check in before she was sitting in Adam’s lap. Charlie could pretend she was in her own world but Soledad knew she was just as uncomfortably aware about the other at all times. Her friends all gave her the similar look of dismay. At this point it was just expected but it wasn’t anything short of disastrous.

Then room assignments were given. Sol had immediately tensed, looking at Adam for his reaction. Sometimes she didn’t know if he just played dumb, it was difficult to believe someone as smart as he was could have the emotional intelligence of a thumbtack. If she hadn’t been flushed with a murderous rage, she might have taken delight in the look of horror on Charlie’s expression at the same moment.

And just like that karma reared her ugly head, pairing Soledad and Nancy together. She could have sworn the room went quiet for a moment, looking to Soledad for her reaction. It would seem this trip would be taking every opportunity to test her limits. Well - it’s like her mother always taught her. If you’re going to make a scene, wait until after you can steal all the mini toiletries.

Soledad had made sure to linger in Adam and Charlie’s room as long as possible, leaving evidence of herself everywhere from strands of her hair in the bathroom to her sock she tucked between Charlie’s bed and nightstand. By the time she made it to her room Nancy was already asleep with the lights off. Obviously she turned back on the lights so that she could get ready for bed. Just like Nancy to just expect Sol to tiptoe around her.

It felt like this trip was filled with just about every sort of confrontation she’d been avoiding all year. Even with Adam rooming with Charlie and the ugly step sister in the next room, the main thing stressing Soledad was having to explain to Romeo why and how she was so close with the rando on their trip. It was accidental at first but after seeing how Romeo and Ten developed animosity, it was really for Sasha’s protection to keep the two apart. Luckily Sasha was friends with enough people on the trip who already hated Sol so it hadn’t been as difficult as she thought - at least so far.

The next few day Charlie did all the work keeping her distance, which of course Sol took her own amusement in how Charlie seemed to look everywhere but at her and Adam. She usually suckered Romeo into taking some pictures of her, though he was much more interested in the academic side of things than she was. Somehow managing to bounce around her mangled web, by the end of the third day of visiting the pyramids she was ready to return to the hotel. She exchanged a look with Ten as Professor Price went into a spiel about breaking into the tomb and making their mark on history, as if to say ‘That’s some white people shit.’

Her parents had already said this shit would happen. That’s exactly what happened in the Mummy and they never let her forget it from the moment she told them about the trip. Unsurprisingly, Tarren Eden Nova and Charlie all followed. Sol smiled. It was a shame to be losing Nova but if that was the price to pay to be rid of the other’s then she was willing to pay that cost.

“All right, fine…, but you better turn that passing mark into an A.” Romeo said from beside her. Sol looked over to him with eyes wide, already shaking her head when he turned to her to whisper “Bitch, if I die, you better mummify me in silk…. But leave the face, people need to see the face.”

“What - no!” Soledad called out after him. “Goddamnit.”

Now she had to go after him, she couldn’t let him be the only minority going into a perilous scenario. That was literally the recipe for death in every horror movie between 1992 and 2003. She huffed as she followed after Romeo, stopping short and peering over the ravine.

“Adam,” Soledad looked back to him with a pleading expression. “Go first in case I fall.”




Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
outfit x || hex #012969
Image
A lot of the flight had been a blur, Sasha and Rahmi splitting an edible before their flight. When they arrived, she had almost forgot she spoke Arabic and watched as their professors fumbled through interactions bleary eyed. They griped when they were matched with Cassidy but at that point Rahmi was ready to just pass out. By the time they woke up Cassidy would already be gone, it was basically like having the room to herself - so far at least.

Admittedly even with her Arabic, she still sometimes struggled with small dialect differences. She was enjoying being immersed in her people’s culture. It was a bit amusing to watch Yousof fumble with his basic Arabic. To be fair most of Rahmi’s basic knowledge came from their parents lecturing her, which Yousof had the fortune of mostly dodging.

She’d promised her following that she’d take some tiktoks on the trip, luckily Sasha and Ten were game. Rahmi even managed to loop Nancy into a couple, though she wasn’t as shameless in front of the camera as the rest of them. Against everyone’s wishes and her parent’s explicit orders, Rahmi had smuggled some carts she would pass between whoever raised a brow her way.

By the time the sun was setting, Rahmi was so enraptured by the grandeur of their surroundings she was barely even listening when Professor Price began some frantic monologue.

“I know this might seem a bit insane to some of you but…Wouldn’t some of you like to have a piece of your name written into history? You all signed the waivers didn’t you…?” The bizarre statement caught her attention, Rahmi looking over to Sasha with a bewildered expression.

“Why would he even mention the waiver’s right now?” Rahmi let out a small laugh, looking back to Nancy for some sort or affirmation. She lowered her tone to a whisper. “Like - I get informing us of the risk but just weird way to say it. Right?”

She looked over to Yousof, noticing he was recording and seemed a bit too giddy about the situation. If their parents knew what they were doing right now, they would smack them over the head. Though, usually if her parents were against it that meant it would be fun. She walked over behind Ethan as he shone the light down, peering into the ravine.

“Oh that’s not so bad.” Rahmi said off hand before calling out, glancing at Sol out of the corner of her eye. “Charlie - you make it down alright?”

Smiling to herself, she looked back to Sasha and Nancy giving them a shrug. She’d have to talk to Yousof about getting their story straight to make sure their parents never found out, but it was too tempting an opportunity to pass up. Pushing pass Soledad, she began to lower herself giving Nancy and Sasha another reassuring glance before disappearing into the ravine.

“Oh shit,” She said once she reached the base of the ravine reaching the others, looking around in bewilderment as she hit her cart coming to stand beside Charlie.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Yousof Farooq (#CD7F32)
Theme//Outfit


He wasn't sure how long the class had been touring Egypt. Though Professor Price advertised the trip as adventure and exploration, they spent the last two days shuffled from one tourist destination to another. Abdeen Palace, Khan el-Khalili, and whichever restaurants spoke English. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but Yousof felt more invested in his games than the Egyptologist's lecture. That seemed to be the story of his journey. He played Genshin Impact in the United States, Animal Crossing (New Leaf because he simply couldn't abandon his old town) on the plane, and he started playing Pokemon Go the moment they landed. He had to send gifts to his friends, natch. He was lucky that they had time for him to snag a SIM card at the airport.

When he told his family about Egypt he had been met with a mixture of annoyance and elation. His parents were unhappy that he and Rahmi were delaying their graduation. In their words "we left thirty years ago and now you want to go back?" One of their younger sisters joked that they were returning to the motherland and had him promise to bring back a rock for her. She loved collecting rocks minerals of every kind, but foreign ones were especially exotic. He recalled her asking for a specific kind but the name escaped him. Probably because he was busy shoving clothes into his bag.

Eh, I'll grab one on the way back, he shrugged, nearly walking into Tarren as they asked Hawthorne where they were headed. He'd been looking back and forth between the buildings and his phone because the best way to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime trip was to draft every second of it.

Tour guide who starts banging walls to recreate Indiana Jones.
thrifter bf, depop reseller gf
Egyptian TV store named Serqet City.


He didn’t like any of those.

"You're thousands of miles away and all you can do is stare at your phone?!" He was sure his high school history teacher would be malding at the thought.

It didn’t matter much given that he was losing signal quickly.

They were far from their bus and even farther from civilization. Sand seeped into his boots with each step, only stopping when the group hit a ravine. Even before looking, he pulled out his phone to photograph the partially buried temple. There was no way that anyone could have found this place before, much less a tour group. The professor must have known something. And if he didn't, then perhaps there was another reason they found their way to this place. Either way, curiosity bubbled in Yousof's mind. He fixated on their menacing gaze; there was challenge in their eyes, beckoning him to enter.

Price must have agreed because the older male turned towards the class to announce his fascination with the ruins before hiking down the ravine.

”I know this might seem a bit insane to some of you but…Wouldn’t some of you like to have a piece of your name written into history? You all signed the waivers didn’t you…?"

Now that Yousof thought about it, signing waivers was a rather strange ask for an educational trip. He tapped the record button, videoing the entrance before them (along with close ups of Rahmi, Tarren, Kayden, Hawthorne, Lenny, and finally Sol).

"I’m not forcing any of you to follow me, in fact, by all means stay out here. I’ll just have a brief look inside…But, for anyone who would like to join, I won’t stop you either.”

He turned his phone over to Fletcher with a smirk.

”C'moooon Fletch it's my last year here!” he announced, "you can't tell me you aren't at least a little bit curious about what's down there. It'll be like Indiana Jones or The Mummy, just watch!"

Yousof, did of course, neglect to mention any possibilities of traps, raiders, or ancient monsters, but he figured that they would be in no danger of that.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK


Image
Image

ADAM BARRETT
Host of Khonsux|xOutfitx|x#2F356E

Image
Image
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Before arriving in Egypt a series of choices Adam made had complicated a number of his relationships. It wouldn't have been as big of an issue if it didn't concern a few participants in their trip to Egypt. If it didn't he would've been able to delay addressing the issue until he returned. Unfortunately for him that wasn't the case.

The issue began as most issues do between couples, a fight. What was said between Adam and Sol for the two to break up? He didn't remember and maybe that was the bigger problem. The two have had issues before and had worked through them in the past. Rather than working things out again between them this time Adam had found comfort with another, Charlie.

Charlie was like a carefree pixie that fluttered into Adam's life. Things were less complicated with her, she was like a breath of fresh air. Whenever he was having issues he could escape by spending time with her. He felt wanted and grew to enjoy the feelings he had when he was with her. It started innocently enough but eventually grew into something more, something intimate.

If he had chosen to end his relationship with Sol and pursued one with Charlie maybe things would be simpler. They had just broken things off, the timing was right, but that's not what he did. While he enjoyed spending time with Charlie, Adam and Sol shared good times too. They may bicker and fight regularly but there was history between them, they knew each other better. Charlie could help him escape life while Sol helped him struggle through it.

Adam didn't want either of them out of his life, they were both important to him. It was selfish of him, he knew better but he didn't know what to do. Ignoring the situation didn't make things better, in fact it made it worst, but he didn't want to hurt either of them. Maybe he could figure out the perfect solution to their problem but he wasn't having any luck with that. He didn't want to admit it but this was probably a problem he couldn't solve.

Now he was in Egypt with both of them. His relationship with Sol was on the mend but he could still sense hostility directed from her to Charlie. Adam tried to intervene whenever he could but whenever he did it seemed to make matters worst between him and Sol. Incidents like that continued to occur between them.

One recent incident was due to Adam and Charlie sharing a room at the Lakeview Hotel. Sol was noticeably annoyed, especially after Adam didn't seem to be concerned over it. Adam thought it would be a good chance to talk to Charlie, to try and make the situation between them more bearable. He waited in the hotel room to talk to Charlie but she didn't arrive until the last minute before curfew. It was probably because Sol had chosen to spend some time with Adam in his room earlier. They shared a small greeting before she went to bed. Apparently she didn't want to talk about their situation either.

Aside from interpersonal issues their trip to Egypt had been mostly uneventful. They visited most tourist sites in the area and had become acquainted with the locals and the food. Charlie had been avoiding contact which Adam appreciated. When they talk he would rather it be in private between just the two of them, he didn't want things to escalate due to outside interference.

As the sun was setting, time to return to the hotel, Professor Price insisted on journeying further. Adam didn't particularly mind staying out later but the group had heard rumors about strange events occurring after dark. Maybe it wasn't the brightest thing to do but Adam thought there would still be enough time to back out of any strange shenanigans before they occur.

When the group stumbled on a presumably undiscovered tomb Professor Price insisted on searching it despite the protest of others in their group. Adam thought it was also a stupid idea but didn't voice his opinion, there was already enough people doing that. When Price suggested giving all of them passing grades Adam chuckled under his breath, he didn't need a handout but maybe some of the other students did. Adam didn't know and he didn't care.

Against the opinions of others Price ventured down into the tomb and disappeared from the groups sight. Adam sighed and was preparing to go back with any students that would join him until he heard the others talk. Most of them had already ventured down into the ravine but he could still see Sol by the entrance. She turned to him and asked, "Adam, go in first in case I fall."

Adam sighed, unwilling at first because he didn't want to get dragged into Price's 'exploration'. That was until he heard Ethan say to Sol, "Come on, Don't be pathetic Sol, we both know he's gonna let you be the one that gets hurt if shit goes south." There was some animosity between the two but Adam begrudgingly also saw Ethan as somewhat of an equal.

He ignored Ethan's blatant barb and looked down the ravine. Turning towards Sol he said, "Keep close, don't want to lose you in there." Before she answered Adam jumped down and slid to one of the wider and flatter areas below. Adam began to test the ground beneath him, stomping on it several times before he was happy with its stability. He looked up and spread his arms motioning for Sol to jump down and said, "It's moderately safe."

As he stood there, arms wide open, he heard people talking further in the tomb. Sol had followed soon after and the two ventured forward, seeing numerous statues in front of the tomb. Sasha, one of Sol's friends, had mentioned them, saying, "You think he’ll come to life and fall in love with me? I think I could be his sexy mistress." Adam didn't doubt that but he didn't think complimenting him would do him any favors with Sol, or with Sasha for that matter.

When they had caught up to Price and the other students who had already entered the tomb, he heard Price talk about cementing their names in history because of this discovery. This intrigued Adam slightly but in order for them to be remembered at least one of them would have to survive. Adam would rather not enter but it didn't look like he really had a choice, if he wanted to stay in the good graces of Sol. If he had to go in he would at least try to ensure the safety of those in his immediate vicinity but he wouldn't stick his neck out for everyone in their group.

Adam looked around the group and saw several people he would rather not die and others who he didn't have too much of a concern for. As some of the people followed Price, Adam turned towards Sol and said, "Last chance. I'm not fond of dying and I rather not go in there but . . . your call." Adam waited for her response as he casually played with his lighter.


Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Image


It wasn't that Lenny wasn't interested in Egypt. The culture interested her, there was no reason why it shouldn't. Even the locations they saw at first were beautiful and strange, but soon became boring to Lenny, whose main draw from this trip was the prospect of seeing the local species of lizards in their native habitat. Which she was currently more focused on than the seemingly endless trek. The pyramids were just of passing interest. Instead she spent most of her time either scoping the rocky terrain at her feet or with binoculars held up to her face in search of rock-dwelling lizards basking in the sun. There were many scorpions, a few thousand beetles, but so far she hadn't managed to catch anything larger. Perhaps that was for the best, she wasn't sure if her travelling companions would appreciate her waving these creatures around in their faces.

If one were to examine Lenny closely they would see that she was in fact growing rapidly bored with this adventure - sure, it was fun at first. The initial misadventure through the airport had been a chaotic mess sure, but the hotel was nice and comfortable. She had spent the first hour of her time sorting through her luggage, mostly an assortment of absurdly strange clothing choices that seemed more fit for a night out than for sightseeing. But if Lenny was going to be walking through any sort of populated area she was going to damn well dress to impress.

Though her current choice seemed to be less than ideal. Drawing in a thousand mosquitos to her bare arms. She had settled on a black sleeveless mock turtleneck. Paired with a very unbelievably breathable pair of acid wash shorts. She had forgone her usual tendency to wear platformed shoes, because of all the mistakes in the world that one probably would have made her the most miserable with how much walking they were doing. No, she'd simply thrown on a dusty pair of old sneakers instead and called it a day.

By the time they'd gone through the whole tourist spiel she'd become incredibly sick of both the heat and the dust. Plus the day was drawing to a close and quite frankly she just wanted to be curled up in her bed back at the hotel. It seemed though that the professor had another idea. Lenny didn't speak up to argue though, that wasn't her job, she was simply there to see the sights. Besides, she had only come because a few of her friends were also on the trip, and quite frankly she had needed a mental break from the heavy workload she'd taken upon herself. This was supposed to be a vacation for her, albeit an educational one.

Lenny hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going or why it wasn't back towards the busses where the other tourists had begun to filter onto and away. At this point following blindly seemed to be the best course of action, despite the stupidity of it. But she was nothing if not ready for things to go wrong at any moment - this was just another in a series of life's misfortunate events. She paused with the others, listening in as they each raised their concerns. Lenny laughed under her breath, she couldn't help it. The good ol' Cordova confidence had begun to kick in, sweeping away the bone deep exhaustion from the long walk.

"Well, we'll pass in one way or another at least." She quipped, cracking the knuckles of each hand. Before following those that had already made their decision. She had no time to wait. While the professors promise of a passing grade for potentially grave danger didn't sit well with her, she couldn't deny that she felt thrilled at the idea of exploring somewhere that had never been explored before. This truly was her chance to mark her name in the annals of history and she was certainly not gonna let it pass her by.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image



host of thoth
hex code: ffe5b4
attire: x
theme: stars are blind


For Nancy, the flight to Egypt had been nightmarish. She'd spent the majority of it crying in the airplane restroom, running the tap to muffle the sound of her panic-induced sobs. Hyperawareness of her environment's inescapability gripped her from lift off until touch down, and even her dreams were riddled with plane-related anxieties. Following visions of crashes and hijackings and a slow sinking into a middle-of-nowhere ocean; she would wake up gasping, and then the gasping would fail to cease. Following almost every awakening, she'd have to sneak off once again to the airplane restroom. By the time they landed in Cairo, the routine had become clockwork, only for them to disembark, and return Nancy to a state of unsureness.

But at least she was on solid ground, now, and she could reassure herself that the worst part of the trip was behind her. Until the trip home, anyway. Nancy tried not to think about it, but it loomed in the distance, like a storm cloud on the horizon, or a dark figure lingering at the edge of her periphery. Her inability to live in the moment was disappointing, but she had adapted to her wanton worrying somewhat; enough to push the presence further into the edge of her gaze. It was still there, that dread, but it looked slightly thinner now. Scrawnier. The days leading up to the flight home would feed it, but today, Nancy vowed to starve it best she could.

Not to mention, she had bigger, more immediate things to worry about. The silence in the room following the announcement of Nancy's roommate had spoken for itself, as did the stone that formed immediately in the pit of her stomach. It felt like a cruel joke, and though she wasn't used to such wickedly fateful experiences, considering her recent plane-related trauma, it felt like overkill.

Thankfully, the first night, Nancy had barely seen Sol. Going to sleep, she had wondered if perhaps Sol had opted to hide away in a friend's room rather than spend any time in close quarters. Still, she'd left a lamp lit by the door, so that Sol would be able to find her way around if she did find her way back to the room. A lamp Sol promptly had ignored, turning the overhead light on and forcing Nancy awake once more. As she listened to Sol make herself comfortable, Nancy stifled her yawn and her frustration, and instead waited in silence for her roommate to go to sleep herself. All the while, Nancy stewed in the dread of what would undoubtedly be similarly uncomfortable nights ahead.

Upon reuniting with her friends, however, her spirits had returned to her somewhat. she was not athletic in the slightest, but the ache in her legs after hours of walking was oddly pleasant for Nancy. Usually 'different' frightened her, but the distance from her parents had provided a strange sort of ease, and, geography aside, she'd never felt further from them than she did right now. The familiarity of her friends had kept her steady- and, for the time they had thus far been in Egypt, Nancy had come to the realisation that their presence wielded far more inherent comfort than the familiarity of home. As such, in their company, and for all her physical tiredness, there was a lightness to her steps, and the curious glimmer hadn't left her eyes since the class had first began their exploration.

That is, until now, when she gazed down at the cavernous expanse before them, and her intrigue turned into incredulity.

"We go in and explore, just a bit. And I'll give you all passing grades for this class, and even more so, we can take the rest of this trip easy afterwards. We just have to take a little peak inside the tombs first."

Nancy did not blame her professor for his excitement- such a thing was to be expected, even if she did not share his passion for uncovering the resting places of dead royalty. However, a frown formed on her face as Trevor continued on with his enticing offer of good grades. A bolder student might have called the man out on his manipulations, and pointed out the abuse of power- but Nancy was never one to be described as bold, and so instead, she forced her resentment flat, and turned her focus onto the reactions of her friends.

She immediately met Rahmi's gaze, and the pair exchanged looks of trepidation.

“Why would he even mention the waiver’s right now? Like - I get informing us of the risk but just weird way to say it. Right?"

Nancy shrugged, "I mean, he is a weird dude. It's not exactly out of left field." She grinned in faux-enthusiasm, "And if I die here, I don't have to fly home, so..."

As Nancy watched Rahmi descend into the ravine, her concern collided with the lingering of Trevor's words: Wouldn’t some of you like to have a piece of your name written into history? Fame wasn't something Nancy had ever aspired towards, and yet, the question gripped her. Her family appeared, uninvited, in her mind. Disappointment and resentment were ingrained into their faces, and they each held their doctorate.

Nancy watched as more students began to trickle in after her eager professor, following the man into the darkness. The temple loomed, steadfast and foreboding, and Nancy stared at it, thinking of doctorates.

"You can't tell me you aren't at least a little bit curious about what's down there. It'll be like Indiana Jones or The Mummy, just watch!"

She sighed resolutely, before following Rahmi down the hillside. As she passed Yousef, she shot him a teasing smile, "I hope you know that you're the Jonathan in that scenario."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen Character Portrait: Rahmi Farooq Character Portrait: Nancy Yoo
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Image
Image
Of Osiris | Outfit | #73200B


There was only one reason that Ten was here, lost in the deserts of Egypt as the sun was starting to set. She needed to be as far away from New York, from Ryan as she could be. They weren't going to spend the next month trying to dodge their ex on campus, nor was she going to stay home with her mother. Besides, an out of country excursion couldn’t be that bad right? While from the start of the trip everything seemed to be going wrong for them, from getting food poisoning on the plane, having one of their suitcases get lost, being stuck with Romeo as her roommate, and worst of all that Cassidy, the man Ryan cheated on her with, was here. All Ten wanted was to lay down in bed, but they couldn’t even do that as her Professor had gotten them all lost. Ten wanted to be able to bitch about everything to Sol but Romeo had attached himself to her hip sense they landed. Ten was not about to put themselves through the draining task of talking to him anymore than she had to. So she hung towards the back of the group walking with Charlie, who they didn’t want to burden with everything.

“Ugh why does he have to be here too.” Ten said more to themselves while holding their friends hand. She shook their head “Sorry it just… a lot” they said with a sigh “but I'm okay” Ten said squeezing Charlie hand, both well aware of the lie. She let go of Charlie’s hand. “Hey I’m going to check in with Professor Price to see what the hell is going on.” Ten gave Charlie a smile before making their way to the front of the group.

Before Ten was able to question Price about what they were doing out here, they got stopped by a very tall and annoying man. “Hey Ten I-” He wasn’t able to finish before Ten cut him off

What, What the fuck do you want Cassidy?” Ten snapped back at him.

“I just wanted to talk. I can’t imagine being here has been all too easy.”

“Oh really, Oh my god this has just been just peaches and cream for me!” Ten rolled their eyes “No fucking shit sherlock, im lost in the desert still not feeling well, and stuck here with the personification of a wacky waving inflatable tube man that MY boyfriend cheated on me with. So no, I'm not doing so great, and I don't really want to get into that with you. Ten stormed past him making sure to kick some sand on him as she did. “Fuck you” they said under their breath.

Ten had made it to Price when she saw it, below them a massive tomb partly submerged in the sand dunes “Woah.” Ten studied it from afar, as she tuned out whatever the Professor was saying, something they were quite good at by this point. They were quickly brought back into reality when he said, ”I know this might seem a bit insane to some of you but…Wouldn’t some of you like to have a piece of your name written into history? You all signed the waivers didn’t you…?” Ten stood in awe as they watched the group one by one follow Price into the mouth of the tomb.

“What the hell?” Ten said, shaking her head as they stood above the drop down alone. Ten debated about whether to follow suit or not. They didn’t really want to get lost in a tomb with little to no light, but they also didn't want to be alone on the surface with the sun setting behind the rolling hills of sand. Ten took the plunge and slid down the hill, coming to the decision that being with the group was safer.




Image
Image
Image
Image
Of Ma'at | Outfit | #73200B

Cassidy was listening to one of the many audio books he downloaded, he was doing anything he could to keep his mind off the fact that his overly ambitious Professor had gotten them lost. Cassidy looked ahead to the man leading them and could help but feel like they were heading somewhere they shouldn’t.

Cassidy tried to keep his mind on the positive, he loved learning about the history and culture of Egypt, he just hoped it would be in safer practices. That wasn't going to stop him having fun from shopping, eating, he shot a look over to Sol and other ways of fun. He wasn’t here for fun, he was here to learn, to get away, and hopefully not get killed in the process by his assigned roommate. He didn’t fully know why Rahmi wasn’t a fan of him but they definitely weren’t hiding their dislike of him. Cassidy was trying his best to make this trip go smoothly, but as he couldn’t switch roommates it already felt like he was failing.

Cassidy looked back at Ten, someone he wasn’t on the best of terms with as they were both unaware that they had been dating the same guy for some time. Ten seemed to harbor more animosity towards him then he did her. All though it was getting harder not to be so envious of all the support she got after all was revealed. While Cassidy was left to pick up the pieces on his own. He knew Ten wasn’t having a great time so he wanted to clear the air between them, so when Ten walked past him he took out his headphones, and tried to strike up a civil conversation with her. “Hey Ten I-” He wasn’t able to finish before Ten cut him off

What, What the fuck do you want Cassidy?” Ten snapped back at him.

“I just wanted to talk. I can’t imagine being here has been all too easy.” Cassidy said, trying his best to defuse the conversation.

“Oh really, Oh my god this has just been just peaches and cream for me!” Ten rolled their eyes “No fucking shit sherlock, im lost in the desert still not feeling well, and stuck here with the personification of a wacky waving inflatable tube man that MY boyfriend cheated on me with. So no, I'm not doing so great, and I don't really want to get into that with you. Ten stormed past him kicking up some sand onto his legs.

“He was my boyfriend too-” Cassidy thought to himself. That's what he felt like everyone failed to grasp that Cassidy was hurting too, but he was expected to be fine with it. Cassidy wasn’t able to wallow in his upsetting thoughts for too long as it seemed the Professor found something worthwhile. Cassidy made his way to the edge of the ravine the group had gathered around, and looked down and the temple below them. When he brought up the idea of exploring the temple for the promise of boosting their grades, He shot a "is this man serious" look over to Nancy. He didn't know why but he felt like he needed to, he needed to see what was inside. So shoving down his nerves Cassidy clobbered his way down the steep drop, turned on his phone's flashlight and followed Professor Price inside. “This better not kill me.” Cassidy thought to himself

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK




Image
Eden Montgomery
Image
Image
Image
Host of Serqet | Attire | hex: #9D948D
Image
Image
Tarren Havenfield
Image
Image
Image
Host of Anubis | Attire | hex:#575772
Image






Tarren and Eden shared one more mutual glance at each other before they both began to make their way into the chamber's entrance. Ren almost jumped out of their skin as they felt a hand suddenly grab them by the shoulder, looking back to see Alex. Eden looked at the two and gave a small nod as he continued on ahead, "Yeah, bud?" they asked, an eyebrow quirked upward at their cousin. Alex paused for a moment, "I'm gonna hang back out here with some of the others, you go on ahead yeah?" Alex gave a small smile. Tarren simply shrugged in response, "Okay. If we all die of some ancient curse in there, my ghost is gonna come back and haunt your ass." Tarren joked, before turning back and entering the chamber of the tomb. They shone their flashlight against the walls and pillars, the inside being far larger than they would have anticipated, or expected. It seemed to be more of an outdoor courtyard, than a normal entryway of a tomb. But, they didn't know much about Egyptian culture to be completely sure.

By the time that Tarren had caught up with the others, they were more towards the middle of the group, silently walking beside Nova and a few of the others. "Wonder how long it'll take for us to get lost in here, before the professor realizes?" Ren whispered to Nova. Eden leaned towards them as a smirk spread across his face, "I give about fifteen minutes before we're all possessed by some ancient dieties or something. Or get eaten alive by giant, mutated spiders." he joked. Tarren tolled their eyes at his response, The day we get possessed, I'll hope that they'll use my body to beat your ass for jynxing it." Ren joked in return, gently pushing him.

The group collectively continued onwards, further into the entryway. Originally they were able to walk shoulder to shoulder, but the longer they walked, eventually the halls became thin enough to have to walk in single file. Professor Price and Kayden were somewhere up ahead, before another large room opened up ahead of them. There was ancient texts and images covering the stone carved walls, whatever was chisled into the old stone was barely telligble, even if someone knew how to read it. They were long since faded, and just barely able to be seen with the use of flashlighs and other means.

Tarren and a few others broke off from the main group, and so did some of the others, but staid in the same chamber they were in. As they walked along, looking at the carvings in the wall, Tarren suddenly shot out their right hand, pushing back whoever was next to them. They anchored their feet into place as they looked down at their feet, just barely a few inches to their right, the earth had long since opened up, creating what could only be described as a sinkhole in the ground. "Best to watch where your feet go, mate." Ren rattled off, their eyes glancing back to the wall. "Hey Professor?" they called out, looking up at a large mural along the large wall in the chamber they were in. Trevor turned to look away from the current wall he was looking at, clearly trying to translate whatever text was carved in, Yes, Havenfield?" he asked as he slowly made his way over, being careful of where he walked.

"What do you think is?" Tarren shone their torch against the wall. The mural along the wall was faded, but enough could be made out after a few minutes of study. Trevor's eyebrows furrowed as he looked over the entirety of the wall, using the flashlights of a few students to help illuminate the full image. "Well, I'm no ancient philosopher but...My best guess? Would be some old battle that took place thousands of years ago. See-" he began, pointing at one end of the wall, "That right there, is Set. Egyptain God of Chaos and Storms. What it appears to be, is a long told story of him and the others Gods of old engaging in some ancient battle." his hands tracing the images to the other end of the stone. "And that, is Horus. God of the Sky. And of course, the others-" he gestured to all of the other drawings of Anubis, Osiris, Sobek, and many of the others and their armies led under their control. "But I don't remember reading of some battle like this. As it looks like the Gods are fighting among themselves even, not just against Set?" Eden chimed in.

Price smiled and nodded at Eden, "Very good, Mr. Montgomery. Very good observation indeed." Trevor said a bit enthusiastically. "I'll need to take some notes of this down for later...Interesting indeed. But, they were always known for their stories, and if this indeed an undiscovered tomb? Who knows what stories and battles are told within these very walls!" Trevor giggled excitedly, jotting more notes down into his notebook. Tarren and Eden exchanged a look as they shrugged their shoulders. He's officially lost his plot, the look said.

Kayden finally wiggled through the group that had formed around the others, looking up at the mural, "This is all well and good, Trevor. Really. But, We've gone further than we initially said. And even I feel like now would be a good time to turn back and head to the hotel. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow?" Trevor turned his head to look over at her, "Yes, but-", he started once more. "But I just...I got a feeling. We just go a little longer, and I just know there's something worth pressing on for." he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Kayden and some of the students are rolled their eyes and groaned in sync at the answer they were all give. "You're impossible..." Kayden huffed under her breath as she looked at him. Trevor simply shrugged, before begining to walk again, headed into another chamber as he scrawled more notes into his notepad.

Tarren exchanged a look with Kayden, and some of the others, shrugging their shoulders once "Someone's gotta get him...Mother fucker..." Tarren groaned, throwing their head back for a moment, before walking after Trevor, and into another chamber up ahead. It wasn't much longer after Tarren had walked in after Price, that there was a blood curdeling scream that rang out from their direction. Eden didn't waste anytime and ran into the next chamber to see what had happened. "What? What happened, Ren??" he questioned as he found them frozen a few steps ahead. They took a few deep breaths before turning to look at their friend, "It was the biggest fucking, mother fucking fucker fuck that I have ever seen in my life-" they started, before shuddering. A large grin formed on Eden's face, before a loud bellowing laugh escaped his lips. "You know, the bigger they are, less threatening, right?" he chuckled. "I'm serious, you asshole! It ran across my foot and everything. I fucking hate them, and you know that. I don't get how you like them so much." they said with another shudder.

"Well, like most things in life, Ren? You warm up to them over time." he said with a shrug. Tarren shot him a glare, "Only way I'd warm up to them, is if a flame thrower was involved." they bit back. Eden chuckled, and wrapped his arm around Tarren's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll stay right next to ya, so no more scary creepy crawlies scare ya."Eden teased as they continued onward, looking for their wayward professor. Who, now seemed to be nowhere in sight. They both could have sworn he was standing right there, alongside Kayden. But the moment they had looked at each other, and then back ahead of them, further in the chamber, they were gone. This wasn't good.





Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
outfit x || hex #de9e47
Image




Sol could recognize the initial reluctance in Adam’s expression when he asked her to help her down. Admittedly it was enough to cause her hesitation, glancing back down the ravine and reconsidering following Romeo. Ethan had begun to rummage in his bag, if he was going down she supposed Romeo’s chances at least statistically improved.

"Come on," Ethan said, turning on his flashlight. "Don't be pathetic, Sol, we both know he's gonna let you be the one that gets hurt if shit goes south."

Sol’s eyes narrowed, considering reaching out and pushing Ethan into the ravine while he was crouching over - though only for a moment. She huffed with annoyance, though she wasn’t sure if it was directed towards Ethan or the reminder that she couldn’t attempt to murder him.

“Mm, well we both know I don’t need him to protect me - so how about you keep your little comments to yourself before I lose my impulse control.” Sol tilted her head, giving Ethan an empty smile. Rahmi had stepped forward in between them, calling to Charlie down below before heading down. There were few moments that Rahmi missed to make Sol feel uncomfortable. Sol rolled her eyes, glancing back to Adam who’s initial hesitations seemed to have subsided.

"Keep close, don't want to lose you in there." Adam said to her before jumping down, a slow smile spreading across her face. It was little things - no literally just the bare minimum was enough to make her melt. She looked over to the other’s with a smug grin, realizing who all was left. She sneered at Nancy’s proximity, eyes drifting to the towering figure beside her.

Though Cass had always been the most discrete of her flings, she was less concerned about Adam learning about them than she was Ten. She locked eyes with him briefly, that familiar heat fluttering in her chest. Suddenly aware of Ten standing nearby, Sol looked over to her, noticing she was distressed. It didn’t take much to deduce the why - though Ten didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it and Adam was already gesturing for Sol to jump down.

She moved to jump, her body tensing. It wasn’t that she didn’t know Adam would catch her, she just forgot that it took trust to take the leap. Suddenly aware of all the people gathering behind her, she slid herself down as much as possible before jumping down. He caught her easily, she expected nothing less. She let out a heavy breath of relief, smiling a bit. Others could criticize her and Adam’s relationship as much as they wanted but at least she knew what to expect from him.

Sasha had followed behind them, Sol could feel their hair tickle her shoulder as they leaned forward and joked about being a mistress to one of the pharaoh statues. Sol giggled, looking over her shoulder back at him. “Babe, bar too low. You’re a queen.”

"Last chance. I'm not fond of dying and I rather not go in there but . . . your call." Adam waited for her response as he casually played with his lighter. Sol rolled her eyes, reaching up to push his hair back, her fingers lingering as they trailed down his neck.

“Don’t worry, papi - we’re too sexy to die.” Sol gave his face a gentle pat, though her palm still made a soft smacking noise against his cheek.

She looked around for Romeo, who seemed to still be in the front of the group. Ten had ambled towards the group, Sol recognizing the look of dismay on her expression. She reached out, wrapping an arm around Ten’s narrow shoulders walking together in step for a moment. It was apparent Ten didn’t want to talk about the elephant in the room and Sol wasn’t about to try to open that wound.

“Picture this, we miss our flight home but that’s okay because we’ve met foreign business tycoons who want to fly us to Paris. We think they're gross but we go anyways because we know they’re all talk.” Sol started, hoping to distract Ten by encouraging her to continue the hypothetical.

The further they walked into the tomb, the more obstructed the path became making it difficult for light to travel through the passage. Naturally those who had been better prepared with lights had been the first to go in, though someone in the back seemed to have turned on the flashlight on her phone. Sol wanted to save her battery for photos so she quickened her pace in an attempt to catch up with the others.

As the passage widened into a chamber, the others filled in behind her. Up ahead Ren called a warning about the floor, flashing a torch on what appeared to be a sinkhole. She could distantly make out Eden and Professor Price voices, but she was hardly interested. I mean here they where in a presumably untouched tomb and they wanted to act like they were explorers of the unknown all of a sudden.

Rolling her eyes, Sol pulled out her phone, turning on the video with flash panning the room. She was in it now, might as well play into the trope of the dumb asses foolish enough to let themselves into a sealed tomb. Turning the camera back onto herself, she adjusted her hair before leaning back into Sasha and Ten making sure to get the mural in the background.

“Just look cute, TenTen can cut it all in post and we’ll make cute tiktok and probably go to Egyptian prison.” Sol posed into the camera as she spoke, handing her phone off to Sasha since he had longer arms to reach out and make sure they were all in the shot. As they moved the angles around, Cassidy’s face appeared behind them in the corner of the shot.

“Oop!” Sol said, immediately grabbing the phone from Sasha before Ten used the moment to lash out on Cassidy on film. Laughing, she grabbed ahold of Ten’s arm as if to tell her. ‘Girl, I know.’

Still filming, Sol stepped forward beside Adam turning the camera onto them. To her dismay, he had never been the sort to indulge her much in public displays of affection - though that didn’t stop her from trying. She grabbed ahold of his chin with her free hand, manicured nails scratching at his beard as one would a pet as she kissed a trail from the corner of his lips to his ear. Others had began to move out of the chamber ahead of them, Sol turning the camera back forward as she followed.

“The fuck was that?” Sol’s head snapped forward as she jumped. A muffled scream Sol recognized as Tarren’s from up ahead startled her. She turned the camera back on herself and others briefly to catch their reactions.

While every bit of her had the instinct to leave at that moment, she debated only for a few moments before curiosity drove her forward. Her gaze on the screen of her phone as they walked forward, she didn’t notice when it opened into the next chamber immediately running into a figure blocking the entrance. Small hands grabbed her arms, catching Sol before she could fall over. All she needed to see was that flash of red hair, immediately pushing Charlie off of her and stepping backwards into yet another figure.

“Jesus fucking christ-” Sol turned to see Fletcher standing behind her, staring at her like a doe in headlights.

“Can you two back the fuck up?” She looked between Charlie and Fletcher, her eyes narrowed into slits.

“I know you have the social skills of a ferret,” Sol looked Fletcher up and down, pointing with mild disgust. “but you should not be in this close proximity of someone who does not give a fuck about you.

“As for you -” Sol turned back to Charlie, suddenly remembering that she was recording. “I would rather be curb stomped than to ever be touched by you again. Oh - and please wipe your fucking hands they’re somehow cold and clammy despite us being in the middle of a literal desert and it’s disgusting.”





Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
outfit x || hex #012969
Image
As much as Rahmi felt uneasy about their scenario, she couldn’t help but to find it exhilarating. The mural had retained it’s integrity over centuries, it was hard not to marvel at their work. She reached out to touch the drawings, hesitating before making contact. It would be criminal if this masterpiece were to be damaged not after all these years because of her curiosity.

Afraid that flash would further damage the paint, she opted out of taking any photos instead doing her best to commit the colors and shapes to memory. She listened vaguely to Eden and Professor Price’s conversation, intrigued by the story. Admittedly Rahmi didn’t know much about Egyptian gods beyond names and domains. The stories were so convoluted it was hard to keep up sometimes.

She glanced back to see if Ten had caught up, catching a glimpse of her beside Sol. Rahmi shook her head. She never really understood how or why Ten remained friends with Soledad - though she didn’t hold it against Ten. She did however hold it against Adam a little bit. Rahmi rolled her eyes as she witnessed Sol unleash an assault of kisses onto Adam while pointing the camera at them.

“Ugh, so cringe.” Rahmi said to Charlie, laughing a little under her breath. Drifting as the other’s pushed in, she didn’t realize she lost Charlie until she heard a distant scream. Looking around, she could spot Nancy and Ten were still behind her. A flash of red movement caught her eye, Rahmi following behind Sol and the others as they headed in the same direction.

“Can you two back the fuck up?” Rahmi could recognize Sol’s acidic tone, pushing forward but it was already too late. Fletcher and Charlie both were already shrinking in their own shadow. She opened her mouth to speak, Soledad already turning on Fletcher before back to Charlie.

While she wanted to intervene, more than anything Rahmi wanted Charlie to put Sol in her place. She knew that probably wasn’t going to happen though so instead she elbowed Adam hard, gesturing for him to ’Control his bitch’

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Sasha Floyd Character Portrait: Eden Montgomery
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
SASHA JULIAN FLOYD
xxxxxxxxxxoutfit / "it's too fuckin' hot for much else"
xxxxxxxxxxhex code - #B1CCCE
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Once Sasha stumbled into the tombs behind everyone that had got in so far, they realized quickly that not bringing a flashlight was a poor idea. But aside from the incessant phone calls from their mother and a few photos snapped with their friends at the pyramids, their phone battery seemed to be up to the task of being their flashlight. In the beginning, when the halls were narrowing and felt like they were caving in on Sasha, it was a pinpoint for regret to grow. But once they reached a big room, Sasha broke out from the little follow the leader they’d made and a sense of exploration overtook him. This may be the only they’d see Egyptian hieroglyphics so close, and though Sasha wasn’t really that interested in the history, seeing something that was meant to be secret fueled their adrenaline easily.

The walls were covered in images Sasha didn’t recognize. Really the only reason they came down here was getting a passing grade in a class they never paid attention to, not to check out carvings on a wall. It was still interesting, Sasha had to admit. As the professor was rattling off, they remembered one of the goddesses Nephthys. He wasn’t quite sure why she had been remembered, but his eyes locked on her image the moment he recognized her. The goddess of air, and the death experience. It distracted them enough to where they were just catching the end of Price’s rambling, and even he wasn’t familiar with the images they were witnessing.

As they were about to walk up and touch one of the unknown batches of hieroglyphs, Sol passed off her phone and had Sasha hold the phone out for them and Ten. Sasha hadn’t really met Ten before the trip, but they had a policy where if Sol was friends with someone, they would at least try to play nice. Sasha also had a funny habit of befriending those Sol wasn’t friends with: them and Tarren had bonded quickly while living together, and they occasionally chatted with Charlie about New York and other little things - though they tried to keep their friendship with Charlie to a minimum when they knew all of the drama between Sol and Charlie. Apparently there was drama between Ten and Cassidy as well, as Sol quickly snatched her phone back and turned to Ten and Adam. Sasha willfully ignored the public display of affection between Sol and Adam; they couldn’t tell if it was a power move or Sol genuinely wanted his affection at that time. From all the times they’ve broken up, with Sasha playing the cheer up squad, they really couldn’t tell what made Sol run back to him. He was one of the hottest on the trip, Sasha could give him that.

Sasha was torn from his thoughts by a scream from one of their classmates. It sounded familiar, someone he knew pretty well. Sasha wanted to go after Tarren to see what was going on, but they were stopped by Sol’s sudden freak out. They weren’t particularly close with Charlie, but Fletcher they considered more of a friend and they wanted to pull Sol out of the rampage she was about to go on against the two of them. It went against their better nature of fueling the fire, but they didn’t want to fuel anything in a tomb that could crush on them at any moment. They grabbed Sol’s hand, turning her attention to Sasha. ”Easy darling. I don’t want to die down here unless I get to shag a pharaoh first so why don’t we find a way out before that cooky fucking professor gets us trapped here,” Sasha tried to improve her mood the only way they really knew how, through stupid jokes. But the slight shaking in their hands proved that the adrenaline wouldn’t cover the fear that started to creep in.

Still, the fear couldn’t push back the worry that Ren was in trouble. Sasha really didn’t care about people&/ safety and well-being - unless it was in the small circle of people that they truly cared about. Sol and Ren had made their seats in that circle. While Sol was here and had Adam to protect her from trouble, Sasha didn’t know who Tarren was with and if she was safe; after a scream like that, it would be hard to believe. ”If Ren’s trying to scare us I’m going to kick their ass,” Sasha mumbled as they continued forward trying to find their roommate. The threat was empty, it was the only way Sasha knew how to convey their worries to others.

Sasha finally caught up to Tarren, who was with Eden. Thankfully, it looked like whatever caused her to scream wasn’t there anymore, and the two were bickering between each other about whatever it was. ”Screaming in an unknown tomb where we may be trapped forever and die is not really what I want to hear, Ren.” Sasha scolded playfully as they ran up to the two of them. Sasha had been too involved in Sol drama to see them wander off, but they assumed it was after Professor Price. Tarren seemed to have a good relationship with the professor, as did Eden. Unfortunately, the only thing Price probably ever thought about with Sasha is how to get them to pass so they wouldn’t have to take another class with them again. ”You know it might be better to stay in a big group. If some god comes to life to demand a sacrifice I’m not saving either one of you,” Sasha added with a scoff, though they really did not want to wander aimlessly around this tomb. It only made the fear climb higher, even if he was in safe company.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Image
Romeo Viljoen
Image
Image
Image
Host of Bastet | Attire | hex: #6565D1
Image

The first chamber was surprisingly big. Looking at the walls closely he could see inscriptions everywhere. If this indeed wasn’t discovered, this was going to be a world of new information. It was pitch dark inside. Romeo figured the Sun must have set by now. Their torches weren’t exactly industrial strength, but it was helping that they all seemed to have some form of light. He could only coordinate with his own light and the lights he saw coming from the others.
He kept looking at the walls as though he was going to recognise anything. In the soft light he found he ran into Cassidy. ”Hey Cass, isn’t it weird that this place is so big? I mean, in the pyramids I could not walk fully upright, let alone you. But here…” He paused, pointing his phone upwards. ”Here we don’t even come quite close to the ceiling.”

Romeo put his hand on the wall. The writing was so weak, he could barely feel the grooves of the hieroglyphs.
He had overheard Cassidy trying to talk to Annette. ”You know, you shouldn’t bother trying to talk to Annette. God knows she won’t see any other reason than her own.” Regardless of the situation, communication with the grudge should be limited for everyone. He continued. ” I mean, it’s not like you were the one cheating, so the only thing people can blame you for is being stupid enough to not recognise you’re being two-timed.”
There were people to spend your time on, and then there were others. For Romeo, Annette lead the second group.

He saw a bunch of lights pointing at a wall on the other side of the chamber. Not one to miss out, he made his way over to hear the last part of the explanation. He heard the giggling of his professor and shook his head. ”He can’t be the most qualified to lead us down here…can he?” he asked in a soft whisper to no one in particular. Before he could question the professor if the discovery itself was not enough for now, the man had already moved on to the next chamber. ”This is not the amazing race, you know?” he shouted after him.

He turned around to look for Sol. He saw her quickly enough, naturally looking more at selfie opportunities than around the none-discovered ancient building they just walked into. As he walked over to her, she grabbed Adam’s chin and started planting kisses on his face. Romeo sidled up to them. ”Oh please dear, we’ve been here for like 10 minutes. The time to eat each other for sustenance will come later.”

Romeo made some pictures of the ‘battle image’ when he heard one of the girls shouting in the next room. Not terribly eager to put himself in harms way, he made a slow walk to the next chamber. He walked behind a curly head of hair, which even in the dark he recognised as Rahmi. Sol was not far in front of them, and by the sound of it, she wasn’t particularly trying to make new friends.
While Sasha was out rescuing Sol from her ordeal, Romeo turned to Fletcher. He looked at him with compassionate eyes, trying to give him some well meant advise. ”Come on, we’re in a dark scary tomb. There really is no need to push, give the lady some space, will you?”

Without waiting he walked on to the front group, passing people left and right when they didn’t appear to be moving much. ”Look Professor, it’s been nice and all, but should we not head back? People are getting agitated back there.” He finally caught up with Eden, Ren and Nova.
When Nova mentioned it, he noticed the professor and Kayden were not even in sight. ”Weren’t they ahead of us?” Romeo walked closer to the wall and leaned against it. ”So…what now, we wait for them here?”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
hex #0a3533
Image


Lenny didn’t fear the dark, nor the bugs, not even the threat of certain death really got to her. There was something undeniably fun about this strange little detour. A flickering pulse of excitement running through her veins. Yet her hands shook. She tried to wipe away the sweat that had gathered across her forehead but the wetness came back anew. They were walking pretty far in, and she couldn’t stop herself from internally panicking at the tighter sections, where they could no longer walk shoulder to shoulder. What was this? Lenny didn’t scare easy - as far as she thought anyway. But had she truly ever faced anything like this before? No, this was a wild unknown.

When they reached the open chamber she let out a gasping breath, feeling the constriction of her chest loosening. She could focus now, without the strange feelings that invaded her. She found herself wishing she hadn’t tagged along. The bravado she always confidently wore was wearing thin. They were lost in some ancient tomb; possibly undiscovered, so the chances of anyone looking for them were slim to none.

She distracted herself by nearing the mural, hovering her hand carefully over the lines. She dared not touch it, in fear of harming this ancient piece of art. But she could definitely see why this would be so exciting for the professor. This was history right here, and they were seeing it for the very first time.

She’d never had much interest in myth. She preferred the type of history that was easily explainable - gods weren’t exactly in that wheelhouse for her. She’d barely been paying any attention to the others when she heard the scream. Her blood ran cold, skin crawling as she swung around. Turning away from the mural and back towards the group. She felt frozen to the spot - but her feet seemed to have other ideas as she quickly followed behind the others. She caught sight of Rahmi, pushing to stand just behind her.

She caught the tail end of Sol’s bitchfest and rolled her eyes - of all the times to do this? Really?

“This feels like the start of a horror movie.”

Rahmi suppressed a laugh, her lips turning upwards into a wicked grin. Lowering her voice to make sure Sol couldn’t hear, she turned towards Lenny as she spoke. “Honestly love that for us, if nothing else but because who else among us would be the first to go beside the one that just threw a fit?”

“God, right? I can’t imagine any monsters passing Sol up after that.” She laughed, the slight tinge of fear receding at last. She glanced at Fletcher as he approached, watching him lean against Rahmi. Lenny offered him a small smile, though she was unsure if he saw or not. “Don’t let her get to you okay, she’s not worth it.” She spoke up. Rahmi pat his head reassuringly, nodding her head to emphasize Lenny’s words of encouragement.

“Anyways,” She glanced towards the others, dropping the whisper and adopting a normal volume.

“We’re probably just freaking out for nothing, I bet Kayden and the Professor just went ahead of us a bit, he was awfully excited about exploring. Shouldn't we start looking for them?” Before they get even further…

“Honestly?” Rahmi looked around warily, “I don’t really think poking around for them will do any good. Maybe we should just head back and hope they do the same?” Lenny considered this for a moment. They could definitely do that, rather than risking their lives going further in.

“Yeah,” Lenny rubbed the back of her neck, “Maybe we should try and call for help?” If they called for help would anyone even be able to do so? Even explaining where they were and how they got there seemed like an impossible task. Plus, if her cell service was shitty out here she doubted she was the only one.

Rahmi pulled out her phone. Her battery was low, she’d brought an additional battery but she wasn’t getting any service. Looking back to the others who seemed to all be gathering in the next chamber, she looked over to Lenny with a grimace. As the two who had been in their dorm the longest out of most of the others, they’d often default into the role of problem solvers - but there didn’t seem to be many smart ways out beyond don’t go in the sealed tomb in the first place.

“I dunno, let’s see what these idiots are saying before we lose any more of them though.” Rahmi wrapped an arm around Fletch’s shoulders, giving him a squeeze to keep him close. “What if we make them all hold hands, maybe then we can all learn to play nice - huh?”

“Oof, good luck, we’d probably have an easier time using handcuffs.” Lenny found that visual particularly hilarious, grinning suddenly. Rahmi was right though, they needed to catch up with the group before they all wound up MIA or worse. She motioned ahead of herself, as if to say lets get this show on the road. And hope to whatever god is out there we don't all wind up dead.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen Character Portrait: Sasha Floyd
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image



host of thoth
hex code: ffc58d
attire: x
theme: stars are blind


Nancy did not feel rage often. Even when anger struck her, she had mastered the art of silence; she suffocated the flame in her own complacency. Her inability to act prompted even more resentment towards herself, but it was in good company, and every time such an event occurred, she merely tucked away among all the other objects of self-criticism that stood stacked in her mind. Another source of frustration for her to chide herself for later.

Such was the occasion now, as Sol bludgeoned Fletcher with unwarranted cruelty. Nancy had built up quite a resistance to the woman's verbal brutalities, but she could not say the same for her friend. More so, Fletcher had never done anything to hurt Sol, and, as Nancy had peered through the dark, even the collision was Sol's own fault.

“I know you have the social skills of a ferret, but you should not be in this close proximity of someone who does not give a fuck about you.”

She wanted to bite back, to return the gesture, but instead, as always, she retreated into herself. Her lips parted as if to speak, but any words she had to share died before leaving her tongue. A coward, until the end.

She felt Romeo brush past her in the dark, and for a moment, she hoped that he might have the courage that she did not. Of course, he was a friend of Sol's, but he was no stranger to kindness, nor to boldness. Nancy watched as he approached Fletcher, and, with his words, her hope sank, stonelike, in her chest.

"Come on, we’re in a dark scary tomb. There really is no need to push, give the lady some space, will you?”

She was shocked by the rage that bubbled again in her chest. It seared her, acidic and internal, like indigestion. It felt hypocritical, but for whatever reason, Romeo's words were especially frustrating. That shift of blame, that complicity to cruelty... it felt familiar, and reminded her of home in a way she did not ever want Romeo to do so.

And then there was Adam. She is a much better person than she outwardly conveys. Nancy had never understood that logic, and yet it was employed so often that sometimes she wondered if she was just as ignorant as her family insisted. What did it matter, how much 'better' Sol was deep down, if what was on the surface was so dedicated to hurting?

She breathed, tempering the burning. She had been too slow once more, and there was no point, and no chance, of her saying anything now. This memory would fit in nicely among her aforementioned collections of regret.

Navigating her way through the dark, she inserted herself between Fletcher and Charlie, reaching over to squeeze their hands reassuringly. "Are you guys okay?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Yousof Farooq (#CD7F32)
Soundtrack//Outfit


Nancy's words cut deep, so much so that Yousof had to stop himself from clutching his chest in pain. It hurt only marginally less than if she'd called him Jake Johnson.

“Aye! I’ll have you know Jonathan saved them in the end!” he shouted after, though she’d long passed him.

He puffed his cheeks for a second before letting out a breath and walking ahead. Most of the group followed after their professor with Tarren and Eden leading the charge. Cassidy and Romeo followed after, soon caught up by Ethan, Ten, Nova, and the 'it' couple of Lindenwood University. The others trailed behind, seemingly apprehensive of what lay ahead of them.

He didn't blame them either. Not everyone had the adventurer's spirit stupidity.

Yousof ran his fingers over the images carved into the walls, stopping short of a long-haired woman with bare feet, long arms, and well, a frog’s head. Heqet, goddess of fertility. Along with Sobek, she represented fertility but unlike Sobek, she was a frog which was an infinitely funnier and more memorable animal. Not that Lenny would agree considering she had equal love for all creatures unconventionally cute.

It seemed that they had a deity for everything in ancient Egypt. Time had eroded the hieroglyphs so other than the vague etchings of another, nobody would know what they meant. Still, he snapped a picture of the carvings before reverting back to flashlight mode. The path had neither lighting nor railing. There were no directional signs nor benches for weary tourists. Instead it narrowed with every turn. The air reeked of must and decay, affirming the lack of human interference and thus, possibility that something unknown resided in the tomb.

Maybe they would uncover lost treasure or a pharaoh's remains. Were ancient gods on the table? The each of them could be something found on the walls or a deity of their own choosing. Hm, the only hitch might be that somebody already did that with the Greek gods. In his younger years he'd taken to assigning different roles to his friends whether they were Harry Potter houses, game characters, or superheroes. Fitting everyone into neat, little categories comforted him as a teenager and amused him in college.

Fletch could be Bastet, Lenny could be Sobek (obviously), Rahmi could be Isis, and I could be-

"Oh shit." Yousof managed to stop himself before becoming the second domino to Sol's wrath, but not before scraping against the wall beside him.

Her words were brief, but venomous enough to leave him astonished. There was a novel cruelty in her verbal lashings, a creativity not seen outside of online circles. The empathetic side of him wanted to comfort Fletcher (as good friends do), but the sudden ringing in his ear forced him stop and clutch the side of his head. Above him, Horus's eyes seemed to follow his movements, a ghost of a bird filling his mind before he blacked out.

---


The moment he regained consciousness, he glanced around, one-quarter aching but three-quarters panicked.

Oh god, oh fuck. Oh god, oh fuck.

What if this was it? Was this how things would end? Lost and broken? Furiously grasping at the ground, he crawled around the stone floor for what felt like hours (thirty seconds) before finally breathing a sigh of relief as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Good his phone was still in working order.

Bringing up the light on his phone, Yousof began surveying the chamber. They were definitely still in a tomb, but where in the tomb was the question. Much like the path over here, the room lacked any lights, directional signs, or tour guides. Instead he saw dried vines, sandy floors, stone walls.

"Oh, hey Ethan," he let out a weak wave as he saw the other man slowly waking up. "Good to see you alive."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
outfit x || hex #de9e47
Image


It’s not like Sol expected anyone to come to her defense, she neither needed nor warranted their help. She was used to other’s apologizing for her or trying to defuse her like she was some ticking time bomb. Romeo usually could handle her expertly but it seemed like he was letting others take the lead so he could LARP as some adventurer. Sasha just attempted to placate her, only annoying Sol further. She opened her mouth to speak when Adam pulled her in, Sol immediately melting against him.

"I understand you're upset but I do not think right now, in this fucking tomb, is the right time to start or address previous shit." Her lower lip jut out in a pout, mostly annoyed that he had a point. Before she could think of a response he pressed a finger against her lips. "You've said more than enough already and you are beginning to try my patience."

A complicated knot began to develop in her chest. How could disappointment be so cutting? The worst part was it only made her want him more. He released her, frustration evident on his expression as he added over his shoulder a gruff, "We will talk later.”

Sol looked over to Ten with a pained expression, “Do you think I have to psychoanalyze why that just turned me on? Or can we both just agree that it was hot?”

As much as she hated to admit it, Soledad responded better to a firm hand. Too often people would try to pacify her, or manipulate her. Sometimes she played along, she liked people thinking she was dumber than she really was - made it easier to catch them when she needed to. With Adam however, things were always so straightforward. In his own way he did make her a better person, though it was usually one step forward two steps back. Any calm Adam might have managed to sow was engulfed in a fiery rage as he closed the distance between him and Charlie.

Sol felt her stomach lurch as he leaned in towards her. A shadow passed over her face. What always hurt the most wasn’t Adam’s complete ability to do the thing that would make her the most insecure she could possibly be . No, what hurt the most was the reminder that no matter what Adam never thought about Sol before he would do the very thing that would hurt her. Her emotions were always an afterthought.

She bit her lip in thought, looking around at the others hoping no one had noticed the shift in her demeanor. Ethan quirked an eyebrow her way as he walked past. It was the only glance of concern cast her way and all she could do was roll her eyes, uncomfortable with admitting anything but infallible confidence.

“I’m so over this,” She mumbled to herself, turning back towards the mural room.

If she wanted to be everyone’s villain, she’d have just gone home. Romeo was more interested in being on some National Geographic shit, and Sasha ran off the moment they heard Ren’s little squeal. Besides if she left without warning maybe she could worry them a little bit into thinking she’d gotten lost or died - that would hopefully teach them to leave her by herself.

Turning back to push past the others, she couldn’t see much - but Cassidy was hard to miss. She paused as she moved past him, suggestively brushing against him just enough that it’d appear to be an accident to someone else. Apparently Adam wasn’t ever going to sever his old ties. They were on a break then, they were on a break now. There was nothing stopping him, so why should anything stop her?

“My bad,” She said as she bumped her hip against Cassidy, her smirk making it apparent it was not an accident. Adjusting herself so that Cass’s large frame blocked her from the others, she twirled a strand of her hair flirtatiously.

“Sorry we haven’t talked,” Sol bit her bottom lip. “Things are . . . complicated.”

Cassidy already knew the details, it was the same circumstances they’d been repeating since her freshman year - though Ten did exacerbate the tension. She wasn’t sure why they never moved past late night link ups. He should have been the perfect guy but he was always someone she came back to between who she thought was the real deal - Adam. Cassidy was smart, sexy and emotionally available. If she was being honest that was probably exactly what kept her away. He was safe, and Soledad rarely played it safe.

“Do you want to maybe sneak out together tomorrow? Make a day of it?” She said with a wink, discretely tugging at the fabric of his shirt.

‘Snap me’ She mouthed silently before turning back towards the mural room. Now that the room was empty, it seemed much larger. Using the flash of her phone, she carefully walked back through the room. A rock skittered in the corner, Sol turning to look but instead her light falling on the design of a hideous creature. She tilted her head to the side, stepping in a bit closer. It was obvious it had been designed to be something that stoke fear when you looked at it, but she somehow found it comforting.

When she stepped forward, a ringing began in her ear. At first she ignored it, but the ringing only got louder until she keeled over everything going black.

It was unclear how much time had passed when she began to stir again, her eyes adjusting. Bleary eyed, she pushed herself upright blinking rapidly trying to take in her surroundings all at once. Crouching just a few feet away Tarren was approaching her. Her lips were moving but Sol was still out of it, their words just background noise.

“What are you doing?” Sol mumbled, more out of confusion as to why Tarren was crouching than anything else. One hand went to her head as she tried to shake herself awake. Ren had pulled out her torch bathing them in the fire light.

"...You doing okay?" Tarren asked her, Sol nodded as she pushed herself upright and finally taking a look at their surroundings. There didn’t seem to be anyone else, none of this looked familiar. She closed her eyes massaging her temples, trying to recall her last lucid moments.

All she could remember was the illustration of that strange being, walking towards it then - nothing. She looked around again, there was no sign of the mural anywhere though there were new markings on the wall. Tarren had been way ahead at the front of the group - how was it that they were the ones stuck here together?

“Hello?” Sol called out to anyone else that might be nearby, listening for a moment before looking back at Tarren with concern. “What do you remember last?”


Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Charlie Addams Character Portrait: Tarren Havenfield Character Portrait: Adam Barrett Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Soledad De Leon Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Image
Romeo Viljoen
Image
Image
Image
Host of Bastet | Attire | hex: #6565D1
Image
Romeo sighed hearing Nova talk about the professor. ”Remind me to let him know where he can stick those ritual rocks when we eventually find him, will you?”
Looking to the side how Ren and Eden were inspecting yet another wall. ”Peeps, maybe let the walls be walls for now, until we find the guy who had us sign waivers to lure us into this place?”

He looked at the others coming closer and he noticed the clear difference from when he had passed all of them just before. He saw Nancy grabbing Charlie’s hand in support, but also noticed how quickly Charlie let go of it again. When looking into her direction he could swear Nancy’s eyes were shooting daggers at him. So much so that he pointed at himself with an innocent look in his eyes. He mouthed the words to her without actual sound coming out. What did I do?

Close to Nancy he saw Adam as well, but now without his attachment. If she was no longer attached to him, he could only guess Sol had stormed off. ”Let me guess, Sol is…”
Before he could finish his sentence someone already pointed back over their shoulder. Romeo stopped leaning against the wall and sighed once more. He leaned over to Eden. ”All right, let me see what she is up to. I don’t like the idea she is wandering off in this place by herself.”

He walked back past the others. Maybe he’d just wait outside for the others, together with Sol. He saw Cassidy looking confused at the room behind him. He almost looked as if he was going after Sol too. ”Forget about it Groot, that ain’t the rebound you’re looking for…” As he walked passed him Romeo’s ears star to itch. He was no stranger to sinus issues, and his ear often itched so bad he scratched it by making some gross sounds. It disgusted most people, but the vibrations scratched him where he could not otherwise reach it.

It didn’t help much that his ears started ringing too. He put his finger on his ear to silence the sound, but somehow it came from inside his head. It made him dizzy as he walked on, still in search of Sol. He put his fingers on his nostrils and blew hard trying to clear it as if he was under water, but it didn’t seem to help a bit.

With the light of his cell phone aimed in front of him, he thought he finally found her. ”Your relationship ran into a stop-sign again?” He tried to sound sarcastic, but it didn’t come out right. He saw Sol falling down right in front of him, but before he could react he dropped himself as well. Falling into an even deeper darkness than before.



Romeo woke up feeling a hand on his shoulder shaking him roughly. ”Get up, come on, you’re snoring up the place.”
Hearing the voice, he opened his eyes wide and looked straight up at her. ”Get off of me… like... right the fuck now…”
Ten got up, giving Romeo the chance to take in his surroundings. He leaned up and stood straight, hitting the sand and dust off his clothes. ”Where are the others? I..I was right behind Sol, where is she?”
He looked on as she moved about the room, moving her hands over the wall as if she was trying to feel something. She didn’t say anything and just continued what she was doing.

”If you’re waiting for a ‘please’ you know you can whistle for it, right?” She finally spoke back, mentioning she had just woken up a minute or 2 before him. ”So I don’t know where Sol is, I don’t know where the others are, I don’t know why I keep being stuck with you, and I don’t know how to get out this room. Fine? All clear now, can you now just shut it?”
Romeo looked at his nails and could swear he saw blood coming from underneath them. He then pointed his index finger at Annette and replied angrily. ”Jy krap met ń kort stokkie aan ń groot leeu se bal”

He looked at the walls and Annette feeling angry and annoyed. It didn't help he had slept on top of a small pebble that now caused him to rub his back to try and make it feel better.

Looking over the floor, he saw his backpack lying over on the side. Going through it, he could see nothing was missing. His phone had run out of battery. It felt cold to the touch, indicating it had been off for a while. ”I’ll wait with recharging for now. The light here is not too bad, and I’m not gonna have reception here in any case. Date?”
Ten looked back at him confused, but then realising he was offering her one of the dates he had bought and still had in his bag. She took it from his hand.
”This doesn’t change anything…, but thanks. Now..how do we get out of here?”

Romeo took a good look around the room. ”Well…, if there is a way out, the biggest chance for an opening or door … is in that wall.” He pointed at the wall left of him. ”The opposite wall is a load bearing wall, and so far most of these places are build big, but basic at the same time.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Annette Ryeo Character Portrait: Romeo Viljoen Character Portrait: Lachlan Paratus
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by TushoKa
Image
Romeo Viljoen
Image
Image
Image
XXXHost of Bastet | Attire | hex: #6565D1
Image
Image
Annette Ryeo
Image
Image
Image
XXXHost of Osiris | Attire | hex: #73200B
Image






Romeo wiped the sweat from his forehead again. He lost his shirt, his patience, his new selfie stick and his mind. He still had the feeling he was seeing things, and after the snakes he felt like he could hear hissing everywhere around him. After having some light before the snake pit, it was now dark again. His fingers trailed the walls on with side, still feeling the engravings. In any other situation he would have stopped and looked at them, but he was tired. He was angry and he wanted to get the hell out of here, no matter if the secrets to Paradise itself were on these walls.

The air smelled musky, like there was mould all around him. The smell made the air thick and Romeo coughed every so many steps to try and clear his throat. What a joke, getting all this way only to die of inhaling mould. The walls felt cold and almost wet, very strange for a tomb in Egypt. He must be deeper than he thought.
”I don’t wanna wait.”cough, cough.”For this life to be oveherrr” cough, cough. ”I want to know right now what will it be!”

His head was thumping. He could feel his heartbeat in the back of his skull. It gave him a sting every few metres and he picked his eyes closed to try and relieve the pain. He put his hand on his head and tried to rub away the pain that only got heavier every step. When his ears started making that beeping noise again, he was afraid he would pass out, just like before. His knees became weak and he fell to the ground. Knowing the way back did not make any sense, he pushed himself to go on. He felt how the sand beneath him turned into stone. His bare knees scraped over the floor, literally dragging himself forward.
”You won’t be missed, just give up!”

Romeo heard the voice clearly and he sharply turned his head to look over his shoulder. ”Dad?”
He could swear it was his voice. They might not have spoken in a while, but it was not a voice you’d soon forget.
”Just give up, run away from your problems, it’s what you do. It’s why you left head over heels to Lindenwood.”
The sound came from the other side and as Romeo turned his head too fast, the headache started to cause him to see black spots in his eyes.
”You wanted me to go!”
He shouted, although he wasn’t sure how it came out.

”SHUT UP, shut your mouth! Leave me ALONE!”

Ten’s voice sounded further away, but far more real. It gave him a moment of clarity and something else to focus on. He pushed himself up and held the wall as he raised his voice.
”Ten? Is that you? Who is with you?”
There was no voice calling back to him. He started to bang the wall, but the stone made little sound. He walked along the wall, barely able to stand, but knowing he had to make it to the other end.
”Just another person to run away from, you even ran away from us.” The voice was unmistakably his sister’s, Shondré. It didn’t sound angry, like his dad did, it sounded sad, with a sniff at the end.
It sounded way more sad than his sister had ever been. What was this? Even in his head this was an unlikely thought, merely a distraction.

”Get out of my head. Both of you! Give me some space!”

She sounded frightened, like she was in danger.
”TEN! Don’t listen to them, they don’t control you. Listen to my voice, follow my voice!” His voice went hoarse from shouting this loud.
”Why did you leave us behind?”
Goddammit. What the hell kinda B-movie were they playing in his head. His sisters had been nothing but happy while growing up. Certainly a lot happier than he had been. He had thrown himself a pity party for years and he had finally grown out of it completely. He wouldn’t be dragged back now.

”Ro..Romeo..is that you? They won’t leave me alone. He…he is in my brain, he’s pushing me out.”

She sounded mad. Whatever was happening, he had the feeling it was the same as what happened to him, some sick hallucinations.
”I don’t know how, it’s like a bad trip, just fight through it. Get to the other end of the room. I can feel we’re close to the exit now.”

”STEP AWAY! Don’t come any closer!”

Romeo could not even be sure if she heard him. Whatever was bugging her, it was doing a good job. The only way he could help her was to get to the other end of the room.”Are you going to run from her too?”
He snapped back before he knew it. ”I didn’t run from anyone!” The voices had him riled up. Whether it was true or not, it was annoying nonetheless. He took a few deep breaths in order to calm his mind. ”Ignore them..I have to ignore them” he whispered to himself.

”You can’t keep me in here, I’m not your little girl anymore. LET ME OUT!”

He could hardly hear his own thoughts, but in his mind he saw Ten struggling. He didn’t know against what or who, but he felt her struggle.
”Ignore them, girl, come on, get through this!”
”Like you take a challenge head on…” the voice of his father was mocking him, laughing at him. And instead of just the voice he felt a push in his back, throwing him back on the ground. His head still pounding, drowning out any plan he could try to think of.

”Stop! Get away from me. Don’t…don’t hit me!”

He heard how her voice broke. He wanted to shout again, but no sound was coming out. He pushed up and ran towards the exit. He fell over his feet a few times, but kept going. Just before the door he bumped into someone, and he fell on his back. ”Going so soon?” The voice was a blend this time. A blend of every bully he had seen in school. Every guy that shoved him around, all of them pretty much the same.

Romeo wasn’t scared, just angry. He leaned up on his arms. ”Listen here, nameless fuck turd….”
He was interrupted by Ten. He heard her sound so clear, almost as if she were running past him.
”I told you to STAY AWAY!” the short outburst was followed by a loud sound of something cracking against the wall. He heard footsteps, fast ones. ”I never want to see you agaAAAGHH!”

The sound stopped so abruptly it was still ringing in his head. All of a sudden all sound was gone. No more Ten, no more hallucinations, no more scattering feet of any animals, no snakes hissing, just nothing.
”T..Ten?” he asked out loud.
Again his sound was met with absolute silence. He scuttled to his feet, standing up quickly. His headache was gone, the air more clear than before.
”Ten, where are you? Say something!”
He put his ear against the stone from where her voice had sounded earlier.

She must have gone on already. She..she got to the next room, I need to hurry up and make sure we don’t lose each other.
His mouth was so dry, he could barely swallow. He walked through the door where moments before he had been blocked by a vision.
”Wait up Ten, I’m coming. We’re so close now!”
This was the shortest hallway so far. Just 10 metres in there was a wall, seemingly the end of it all. It was slanting slightly as if it was a very steep hill.

”It’s up there Ten, I swear it! Come, let’s climb up.” The walls were no longer wet, he put his sneakers on the wall and they did not slip at all. His hands found something to hold on to and he started to climb.
”This must be it!”
The climb was easier than it should have been. It was far more steep than anything he had climbed before, and he had no upper body strength. But still, he cleared the 20 metre height like a professional. On top there was only a small platform before there was doorway. He stopped, trying to look deeper into the darkness to see if he could find Ten.
”Ten? Hello?”
From the corner of his eye he could see something shiny deeper into the next tunnel. ”Is that you?”

He stepped through the doorway, holding onto the sides. Almost immediately he heard a slam behind him and he was in complete darkness. He turned around, but where the door had been there was now just another wall. He could not see anything, and in his confusion he turned around, not even sure which direction he was facing, or had been facing moments earlier.
Farr off to his right he heard a small sound. It was feint, but it was the only thing he had to go on. Even though he could not see, he started running.
”Ten, wait up… you’re going too fast!”

He tried to follow the sound. He was panicked and going too fast. Not able to see a thing in from of him, he slammed into a wall, knocking his head and falling backwards with a thud.




Romeo tried to open his eyes. Every time he did he closed them again. The light was so bright, he just could see anything other than brightness. He put his arm in front of his eyes, trying to shield them. He raised himself slowly, sand swaying around him.
What the….? We made it out? He stood up straight. All around him he could see sand. He was back on the surface, standing in the middle of the desert. The wind was strong and sand swept against his leg. He noticed his clothes were different. He was wearing all white now, not as short as before, but very comfortable. He looked around him.

Image


He stared ahead, recognising her in the distance. He started running slowly, obstructed as his feet sunk into the sand with every step.
”Ten, wait up!”
Finally, he could see another person again. He had been scared to die in that place, but they made it through.
She continued walking, seemingly much easier than him.
”Almost there, I’m so glad you made it!”
He had never been a fan of her, to say the least. But if it was Ten or no one, he still preferred Ten. When he was only a few metres away, he noticed she looked taller, more gracious. He only noticed now how there were no footsteps in the sand where she walked. He was exhausted, barely able to do more than breath when she finally turned around.

Image


It wasn’t Ten. Neither was it any of the others. She had a smile on her face, but he could read no kindness into it.
He eyed her suspiciously. ”Where is Ten? I saw her, I heard her, she must be here.”
The smile on her face disappeared, and instead she looked upset, her forehead frowning and she bore her teeth before giving a small hiss.
”You didn’t protect her!” her voice had a slight accent to it combined with venom as she spoke.

”What do you mean, where is she? Are you…keeping her?” he was worried.
She laughed, or at least made the attempt to sound like she laughed. She started pacing, back and forth, never breaking the eye contact. She kept her shoulders back, almost as if she was on the prowl. ”She is being kept.., but not by me. You could have seen her, if you had only protected her.”

”Who is keeping her? Whose ass do I need to kick… ” He couldn’t believe he was feeling this strongly about Ten. He sounded more aggressive and manly than he normally would. If they would have told him just a few hours ago how he would stand up for Ten, he wouldn’t have believed it. Not that he knew how long they had been separated.

”Kick your own if you have to, it won’t bring her back anymore. She is gone… gone because you didn’t do anything. And you are supposed to be my host… you were supposed to be the one to inherit what I can give you.” Another hiss came from her mouth. It sounded unnatural. It sounded ugly coming from someone so beautiful.

”I’m supposed to be your host? What the fuck does that even mean?” the wind started to pick up. The sand was flying higher than before and Romeo had to shield his eyes. All of a sudden, she was right behind him, whispering more than talking,
”What does it matter now? ” She stepped around him, still not breaking eye contact. ”Why would I want you as a host now? You can barely protect yourself, let alone others. She died because of you!”

Romeo closed his eyes again. Trying to stop the tears that were already flowing. Trying to resist what he already knew was true.
”You’re lying. She got out ahead of me. If she is not here, she must still be in the tombs.” He didn’t know what he was trying to defend. He had no idea why he was fighting with this lady.
”Her body might be, but her soul is in another place. Your friend made sure of that. Unlike you, she is doing what is expected of her.”
She spoke about Ten like she did not care, like her death wasn’t awful and horrendous.

IF she is dead, it’s her own fault.” He was shocked by his own tone. And by his silent admission he realised the woman was telling the truth. ”I told her what to do. I told her to ignore the voices. What more could I have done? If you wanted to protect her, you should have done so, instead of setting me up for failure!”
He was angry. ”I gave her a literal lifeline to get through these tombs. I took on about a billion snakes so the Princess could walk right through. I told her what to do when she heard the voices. How is it my fault that she didn’t listen? How can I protect her if I didn’t even see her, if I couldn’t even touch her?”

The sand in his eyes made it hard for him to see. It stung his eyes to open them wide, but he could swear she was growing taller right in front of him. ”You think protecting your friends is a one time thing? Everything is a-okay if you safe them once? You’ll need to do better than that. You have clearly failed this trial, you are not worthy!”

”This is a trial? You are playing with peoples lifes. Playing..and losing!” He spit out the sand that had flown into his mouth. It was like a storm was picking up, and he was more worried for himself than the mysterious woman he was fighting with.


”You do not know what is coming. You may not know now, but soon you will. And you’ll wish this trial had been a whole lot harder to get the right people for this mission. But you are blind! You have always been blind. Blind for the truth, blind for what’s in front of you.”She screamed it, inches away from his face. Her piercing eyes forcing themselves into his brain.
”You want to be blind, fine, be blind!” she put her hand over his eyes. It started glowing, brighter and brighter. Till there was nothing but light.
And after the light, there was only darkness.




Romeo felt the pressure of her hand leave his eyes. He could see sunspots, but they were slowly disappearing, bringing nothing in return. The sound of the oncoming sandstorm was gone, leaving him in a deafening silence again.
”Uhm…hello? Scary lady? Helloooohoooo?” his voice echoed back to him from multiple sides. He blinked his eyes rapidly and rubbed them. He could still feel the sand and it still hurt. But even as he tried to rub his eyes clear, he could not see anything. He held his hands in front of his face, but no matter how close he could not see them in the darkness.

He checked in his bag to find his phone and he pulled it out. On feeling alone he noticed it was off. He pulled his portable charger as well and hooked it up. Although the device vibrated for a second, it did not light up. Strange, it should at least blink red. Shit, it probably broke with one of his falls.
He put both things away and scrambled back up. Keeping one hand in front of him and one on the wall, he slowly moved forward. He did not want to run again, in case he would bump into another wall. As long as he followed the same wall, he should come out somewhere. Unless this is a circular room, idiot.

After 15 minutes or so, he still had the feeling he was making some progress. He could be wrong but he felt like the floor underneath him was changing. He went up, then down, then on stone, and eventually back on sand. He could still feel the linings on the wall, but it was impossible to make sense of it in total darkness. They always say your hearing gets better when you can’t see, but Romeo couldn’t hear anything.
The only thing he heard was the careful shuffling of his own feet. Or was that something else?
It still sounded far away, but Romeo hurried himself. It was definitely becoming clearer, and he realised when he was in the same room.

”Ten! I knew it, I knew it just had to be some kind of weird dream.”
He heard her rambling, whatever she was saying did not make sense. The sound came from the ground, but it was away from the wall. Romeo sat down on hands and knees and crawled towards her. ”My god Ten, I was worried, after that last room, I thought you…you didn’t make it.”
He found her laying on the ground. Feeling the outline of how she was lying down, he positioned himself near her head. He lifted her up and put his knee up behind her so she was sitting straight up.
”W..Wate…” Her voice sounded off, she must not have had a drink since they left the first room. Maybe she lost her backpack. Clumsily with how he was sitting, he grabbed the still half full bottle from his own bag. He undid the screw cap and put the bottle on her lip, tipping it slightly for the water to drip into her mouth.
”Drink up, jeez Ten, it’s so dark in here, I can’t see a thing. How did you make it here this fast?”
After the longest time, he could feel his heart beat slowing down. Feeling better now he finally wasn’t alone anymore.