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 β€” 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: 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! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

A Handful of Dust Remake

A Handful of Dust Remake

0 INK

Dust, a settlement in the high desert is flipped into political, personal and ethical debate when newcomers step within their bounds.

8,129 readers have visited A Handful of Dust Remake since supertoastgirl created it.

Introduction

Image


In the heart of the desert there lies a speck of Dust, one of the only civilized towns in the West. The population 109, though the numbers flex quite often. Since the collapse of humanity, due to a disgusting and terrifying disease, America as we know it today has reverted to old ways. The term β€œWild West”, once used only to describe history and a type of fashion, is now the most popular way to survive.

There is no government, there are no rules. For those who are left, settling in the middle of nowhere is safer than inhabiting old cities and towns. Any kind of podunk town is too big for their numbers, and disease still roams the streets that were once populated, even 50 years later.

Due to the severity of this disease that wiped out 85% of the population, life expectancy is about 60 years old. That’s if you’re lucky; live in a safe area, know how to handle your surroundings and have the skills to survive with and without others.

Our story follows the second generation; those born into Dust whose parents are long gone now. They are the heart of the town, making things work, dealing with both political and personal. Their lives are fairly normal, hard, but normal. Unlike the rest of the West, Dust has a small set of rules, once occupied by staunch leaders. 1. They are to provide for the younger ones 2. Stay within the boundaries that have been set since before they were born... and 3. No strangers are allowed to enter, even if they seem to be the most innocent and helpful. Those who live in Dust know these rules are for the greater good, but some have a hard time following them.

A new story begins when a band of rag-tag strangers desperately need to stay in town. Though their story is real, some of the townsfolk are suspicious of their true intentions. What’s even more unsettling is that some of the women in town seem to know the strangers.

Characters--


-Townsfolk-


Image
Evanne Remmington || The mystery, left without a word to anyone else, came back a year later with a baby, no one knows the real father, as far as they know she’s been with Luke Ripley & Aaron Sullivan || Knows the newcomers || FC: Emily Kinney || TAKEN by sparrowluvr2

Image
Pamela Clay || Daughter of the founder of the town, very traditional, thinks she’s entitled to everything, a real pain || Wants nothing to do with the newcomers || FC: Phoebe Tonkins || TAKEN by MinorSeventh

Image
Juniper Jacobs || One of the boys, basks in her own freedom, dubbed the strangest woman in town, got kicked out of the town for a time, lived in the wilderness on her own, swears she will never love again || Welcomes the newcomers with open arms || FC: Natalie Dormer || TAKEN by Supetoastgirl

Image
Noah Ripley || Leader of the town, fair and just man, hold grudges and is constantly in a tizzle with Evanne Remmington, hates Pamela Clay || Is suspicious of the newcomers || FC: Theo James || TAKEN by PsychedOut

Image
Luke Ripley || Brother of Noah Ripley, self proclaimed β€˜bad boy’ in town, sleeps around, is reckless, stole Noah’s fiancee || Is indifferent toward the newcomers || FC: francisco lachowski || TAKEN by LittleMissGeorgia

Image
Aaron Sullivan || Not someone to be messed around with, known for his hot temper and willingness to fight, good friends with Noah Ripley and Juniper Jacobs. He is not an original part of town he was accepted in when he was a lost child, deep down he is very sweet and loving || Thinks the newcomers should have the same chance he had || FC: Ian Somerhalder || TAKEN by Redred33mer

Image
Resold Enudo || Ex-fiancee of Noah Ripley, thought she would be happy loving Noah's brother, Luke Ripley, but things didn’t work out, after losing two men she loved she’s gone off the deep end, the only functional doctor in town || Doesn’t care for the newcomers but feels it is her duty to provide for the woman || FC: Imogen Poots || TAKEN by SaxyLady15

Image
Dana Clay || Younger sister of Pamela Clay, tries to conform to her sister’s high expectations but is too open minded, she is madly in love with Noah Ripley, which makes things between them even worse || Wants the newcomers to stay || FC: Marie Avgeropoulos || TAKEN by MinorSeventh


-The Newcomers-

Image
Owen Thompkins|| Respectful, forceful, will do anything for those he loves, needs to stay in town for his wife || Will do anything to stay in town || FC: Jack Falahee || TAKEN by supertoastgirl

Image
Robin Braddock || Brother of Ginny Thompkins, irrational, aggressive, very much an anti hero, had an affair with Juniper Jacobs when she was kicked out of town, feelings for her are coming back || Unsure he wants to stay, unable to handle Juniper || FC: Eddie Redmayne || TAKEN by wednesdaysun

Image
Ginny Thompkins || Wife of Owen Thompkins, pregnant, going to go into labor any day now, without proper care she will die || Needs to stay, her life depends on it || FC: Felicity Jones || TAKEN by sparrowluvr2




::RULES::
- This is a literate role play.
- Prove to me your writing skills through your character sheet, unless I've otherwise role played with you.
- Please, seek to upset the characters and build new stores and romances
- All the general RPG rules apply
- Reservations are only 48 hours, I will accept a mostly finished WIP
- PG-16, which means it can and will get graphic


Please change the character sheet if you wish, this is just a basic. Make it pretty!
Skeleton:
Code: Select all
[font=”georgia”] [right][img]GIF HERE[/img]
[img]GIF HERE[/img][/right]
[b]Name:[/b] and nickname
[b]Role:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] 
[b]Occupation:[/b] if any
[b]Likes:[/b]
[b]Dislikes:[/b]
[b]Fears:[/b]
[b]Dreams[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b] make sure to correspond with others
[/font]

Toggle Rules

The GM of this roleplay hasn't created any rules! You can do whatever you like!

The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 8 authors

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


"Of course I came back... You know it's an impossibility for me to stay angry at you for long," Evanne said. She fussed with his bandage, even getting him a new one, but Noah couldn't take his eyes off her face as she continued. "I'm glad you're not in the mood for yelling. I think I've had just about enough of people yelling at me."

He shook his head vehemently. "Why would I be in the mood for yelling? I feel great. But I really am sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."

Her answering smile was blinding. "You don't have to be sorry for what you said, but thank you."

"I do," he countered. "I don't really remember what I said, but I know it upset you, so it must have been bad, and I don't want you to be upset, and I don't like it when you leave, and I'm really happy you came back, and I'm so excited that Evelyn's my daughter." He kept babbling as she carded her fingers through his hair, even though it was probably soaked in sweat and probably had a little blood.

"I should have told you the moment I got back... It's no excuse, but I just couldn't make the words come out. It never seemed to be the right time to drop the 'congratulations it's a girl' drama on you."

"I didn't want you to think that I had just used you or something... because I do love you, Noah. I was never going to keep you out of her life." Noah beamed, and Evanne continued, "She knows who you are and all about you... Most of the time, she falls asleep to stories about you." She flushed bright red, and he couldn't help staring at Evelyn, fast asleep and oblivious to her parents' conversation.

But her demeanor changed suddenly, confusing his impaired mind. "I wish I had just stayed... I'm so sorry... I swear I'm never leaving again... I'll never take Evelyn away from you..." When Evanne started crying, Noah started panicking, trying to pinpoint what he had said or done to upset her again. "I don't deserve your forgiveness or love and I understand if you can't trust but I hope one day you can. I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you..."

A long look, and Evanne's lips were on his. His eyes were already closed somehow, and he had melted into the kiss. Before long, though, a feeling of guilt started nagging him.

"I should tell you something, too," he said, pulling back and scrunching his face. "I fudged the numbers. On the vote. I knew someone might see the paper I brought up there, so I switched the tallies to make it seem like your friends won. But they didn't win. They lost. By quite a bit. But they're staying. As long as that Rob guy doesn't do anything shifty." Once again, he kept going, wishing someone would stop him before he poured his guts out.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Evanne was happy and relieved that Noah didn't pull away. She sighed and slowly pulled away to look at him. She looked down into his face, gently stroke his hair. She listened to him. She hadn't expected this. Her mouth fell open a little as she watched him. Nodding slowly, she understood what he was saying. "O-Okay... We can deal with this... everything will be fine. They won't do anything to jeopardize their stay, even Robert." She assured him. "Soon the people of Dust will see how helpful they can be. Thank you for doing that... I love you for protecting them, but we never have to speak about this again." She promised him. She leaned down and kissed his lips affectionately, hoping to comfort him and ease his guilt.

The blonde pulled away slowly to look down at him. She stroked his hair, smiling at him. "I hope you realise you are the savior this town. You're not just a leader... you would do anything to protect us." She smiled at him. She kissed his forehead gently. He had so much to worry about. He was always looking out for everyone else but did he ever just do things for himself? She wasn't so sure. Was the first time he had something for himself been when they were together? She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that might be the truth.

She made a silent promise that she would do whatever she could do to make his life a happy one. She'd take care of their daughter and make him happy. The one thing she was positive about was the fact that they could both be truly happy with each other. They could finally be a family.

"Do you like her name?" She asked him. She shifted and lowered herself down beside him, so she was laying beside him on the edge of the cot. She rested her head on his unharmed shoulder. She placed her hand on his chest, her fingertips running across his skin. "I never told anyone, but her middle name is your mother's... I think she would have loved Evelyn... and she had her eyes... She told him, closing her eyes. It was an amazing feeling to finally open up to him, letting him know everything.

Evanne knew that she had made the right decision in coming back. She just wished she had stayed then she could have been with Noah that much longer. "I'll never keep another thing from you again. Anything you want to know... I'll tell you."
Image
Image
Ginny was trying to prove to this boy that they were nice people. She knew they needed to win people over. "Your family won't much appreciate your comin' to strangers' houses. Ever thoughta that?" She shot her brother a warning look. It was like he wanted them not to be able to stay there. He seemed to cool off a little from her look. She sighed, giving him a half-smile in apology.

"Yeah, I know. The folks here don't take too kindly to newcomers. Nothing new. There's a tanner here just by Beau Rogers'. You could try asking them. Mrs. Rogers is one of those traditional ones, but the Mr. Rogers could help see you through. As for tires, well..." The boy said.

Ginny gave him a sympathetic smile. "That's okay. I plan on proving myself, and my family, to this town. I'm sure more people will come around." She smiled at him. "Oh good! I understand she'll be wary but hopefully she'll be willing to make some sort of deal or trade." She told him, pushing some hair behind her ear.

Ginny sighed when Rob once again tried to challenge the boy. "Yes, I understand but hopefully we can gain some." She smiled at him and nodded. "It's not your fault, but thank you. We appreciate you walking us home." She took the wet flannel and rubbed it against her neck, thanking her brother. She sighed when she walked outside but she hoped he could cool down. "Do your shoes fit? Is it just wear and tear and holes or do you need larger ones?" She asked the boy sweetly. She hoped that if people saw they were willing to help other people, they'd be more willing to trust and help them.

"If it's just the fit as well as the wear and tear, I could just make some from scratch for you." The brunette offered.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Dana Clay
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImageImage


Dana did not rush through town even though every particle of her existence was urging her forward. Her mind, body, and soul wanted to see Evanne pay. The hot sun beat hard on the back of Dana's neck. She could feel the heat emitting from her body fighting the sun back. She had enough rage inside her to fight off a thousand suns; getting rid of one Evanne should be cake. Dana looked over and saw her dad speaking to Dusties, probably still trying to clean up the mess from the vote. She wished that he would take it easy for once. No one in town saw the way Patrick suffered in the night like Dana did. He needed rest, not to clean up Noah's garbage. As Dana crept closer and closer to the Med Hut she began to overhear Evanne and Noah's conversation. It only made her angrier, at the both of them.

Dana was right behind the blinds when she heard Evanne's voice, "I'll never keep another thing from you again. Anything you want to know... I'll tell you."

Dana stepped into the room. She could feel her knife tucked away beside her. Her eyes burned holes into Evanne's skull, "there are a few things that I want to know actually."

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Dana Clay
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
"No, Evanne," Noah said around the second kiss. "They should know. Everyone deserves to know." Evanne kept smiling at him like what he had done was blameless, and Noah wanted to scream at how slowly his mind was turning out words.

"I'm not a savior. If anything, I'm a traitor. I just turned my back on the majority for the good of people that I don't know." He shook his head. "If anything happens to them or with them, it's my fault."

Noah was glad for the respite when Evanne changed the subject. He knew even through the OxyContin that she was too close to see any problem with his actions. God help him, he was wishing that Pamela was there. "Do you like her name?" she asked of Evelyn, arranging herself next to him. Her fingers felt cool against his overheated skin, and a shiver shot up his spine. He grinned lopsidedly, his eyes locking on his daughter.

"Evelyn Grace Ripley," he whispered to himself. "I noticed those earlier. I thought she was Luke's."

Before he could respond to her promise, a tiny brunette whirlwind burst into the sad excuse for a room, words flying from her mouth.

"Dana!" he shouted in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Setting

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Dana Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
ImageImage


The blonde smiled as she listened to Noah speak. She nodded. ”Technically her last name is still Remmington but I guess we could make that change.” She laughed softly. She added after a few moments. ”If you want to go public about the vote, then I’ll be by your side… but wait till you heal first, okay?” She jumped when she heard Dana come in. Noah was surprised too it seemed, β€œwhat the hell are you doing here?”

”Dana? What’s wrong? Is it your father?” Evanne asked, sitting up. She frowned, confused. She slipped off the mattress, recovering him with his blanket but not taking her eyes off of the short brunette.

Evanne glanced at Noah and shook her head. She was sure everything was fine. After all, Dana was the nice sister. She stepped towards Dana. ”If you’re here to see Noah, I’m sorry but he really shouldn’t have any visitors right now. Just family for now. He should be up for more visitors tomorrow, all right?” She gave her a sympathetic smile, placing her hand on her arm to guide her back through the curtains.

Dana couldn’t help but stare at Noah. It was the first time she saw him since...well, for awhile. He was busy with the vote so Pamela saw more of him than she did as of late. She looked up at Evanne as she proclaimed, β€œjust family for now.”

β€œSo,” Dana started, β€œare you on duty right now or are you considered family now because you fucked Noah before you ran to the woods with his baby?” Dana didn’t know where this anger was coming from, but instead of fighting it she just let it take over, one step at a time.
β€œYou know….just clarifying.”

”I’m on duty.. but yeah, I’ve always been Noah’s family… since we were kids.” Evanne said, unsure what to say. She flushed at what Dana said, taking a step back. ”Okay, not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t know I was pregnant when I left.” She said shaking her head.

”Why would you even ask me that? Evanne said, her voice shaking from heartbreak.

It took Dana longer than it should to think of an answer for Evanne. Honestly, she just wanted to hear it from her mouth. She wanted to hear how she screwed, literally, another Clay’s chance at being with a good man. She did it first with Aaron when Pamela had a thing for him and she couldn’t stop there. She had to seal the deal with Noah by having a bastard toddler. Instead of answering her question Dana decided to ask another.

β€œHow many guys do you plan on screwing in this town?”

Evanne’s mouth fell open. ”What the hell is your problem? My life is no business of yours. How about you just go home? You’re only making things worse here.”

What the hell IS my problem, Dana thought. The answer to that question came to her clear as day and as quickly as the flash himself, β€œyou are my problem, Evanne. You’ve always been my problem, don’t you get that? You were Pamela’s problem, you were Riz’s problem, and now you are mine. I’m just gonna assume you and Juniper are eskimo sisters, or whatever they call it, on many counts. You just never quit. If it wasn’t Noah it’d be some other guy.” Dana took a second to compose herself as much as she could before continuing but quieter, β€œI have loved Noah, and only Noah, for as long as I’ve known him. I haven’t faltered or slept around with other guys because I was bored or lonely or Luke crazed. I stayed consistent and waited for the right time.” Dana scoffed, β€œfuck, even after Noah’s engagement was called off I waited because I knew he needed his space...looks like I should have been doing the exact opposite.” Dana’s eyes scanned Evanne up and down as she spat out her last sentence.

”What the fuck?” Evanne couldn’t believe what she was hearing she scoffed, pacing a few feet away before turning back to her. ”You have no fucking idea anything about me. Just because I don’t go spreading everything that happens in my life everywhere doesn’t mean Noah wasn’t the only one hurting when we were together. You don’t know what love is,” she told her. She rolled her eyes. ”You are just a nosy little schoolgirl with a crush. I have loved Noah all my life. When Noah fell in love with Ris, I let him be happy and kept my feelings a secret so he could stay happy. I tried to find love with Aaron and for awhile I thought I did… That was until I thought I got pregnant and he freaked out. And while he was gone I found out I wasn’t. I thought he broke up with me and I was heart broken because I wasn’t pregnant. I thought I lost two things. And I was upset so I did go to Noah and we comforted each other.”

She shook her head, her blonde curls messing up even more than before. Why was she explaining herself to Dana Clay? Regardless, her mouth kept moving and words continued to pour out. ”And then, Aaron came back and he was happy that we might have a baby. I told him I wasn’t pregnant. And he was upset. I thought we were broken up. And instead of hurting Noah and Aaron more, I ran away. Because I was a coward. And now, I’m not that coward anymore. I will stand up for what I love and believe in. So just go. Don’t forget you’re one of the reasons Noah’s here in the first place.” She snapped, turning her back on the girl to dismiss her. She hated being cruel but she had taken too many things from too many people over the years.

The words echoed inside Dana’s head. Don’t forget you’re one of the reasons Noah’s here in the first place. The words rattled inside her skull like an out of tune javanese gamelan ensemble. They travelled through her body, sending feelings of rage and guilt all over. The words poked and prodded at her soul. Evanne’s decisions concerning Noah and her words hurt Dana more than she wanted them to. Dana, in her rage, decided it was time that she made Evanne hurt too. β€œI’m done listening to your long ass monologues,” Dana yelled as she leapt at Evanne, grabbing a handful of her hair. She yanked hard, flinging Evanne behind her. She now stood in between Evanne and Noah. The way it should have always been.

Evanne let out a scream as Dana grabbed a chunk of her hair and yanked her backwards. She grabbed at the girl’s hand but she already released her. ”Fighting in the Med Hut? Are you completely childish? She snapped, pushing her hard on her chest. ”Don’t fuck with me, little girl.”

β€œI wouldn’t fuck with you, Evanne,” Dana smirked at her rival, β€œeveryone else has beaten me to that punch. I’m afraid they won’t be beating me to these.” Dana’s hands become fists as she prepared herself.

Evanne laughed sarcastically. ”Oh, the slut train? Good one. What did you stay up and listen to your momma?” She said, slapping Dana hard across the face.

Dana recoiled from the slap but immediately started letting her fists go. She threw jab after jab, aiming for different parts of Evanne’s face and torso. Evanne was a nurse but Dana was a mechanic. Her body was hardened from all of the hard work and she was a tough girl. Evanne backpedalled to escape the full force of Dana’s punches and they ended up in the front half of the med hut, far from Noah’s bed and out of his view. β€œDana,” Evanne called , β€œyou need to stop this.” Evanne spoked between heavy breaths , β€œhow do you think this is going to end?” Dana ignored Evanne’s words and punched ferociously, not seeing Evanne’s knee come up to her stomach. Evanne’s knee connected and Dana was stopped in her tracks, even if only for a few moments.

β€œI know how this ends,” Dana, already bent over because of the knee to the gut, reached into her boot and pulled out her knife. She quickly lunged at her nemesis and slashed, deep, into Evanne’s right arm. The blood came pouring out. Evanne put her hand over her arm to try to stop the bleeding but Dana had other plans. She grabbed Evanne by the shoulders and threw her onto the ground.

β€œShe’s in here,” a familiar voice from outside the hut called.

Dana ignored the voice and sat on Evanne, knees on her chest. Dana raised her knife, prepared for the final blow. β€œMy life is over, Evanne.” Dana began to cry, β€œnow you’ll know how that feels.” Dana took the knife and made an attempt at Evanne’s life but a hand stopped her. Dana struggled with her oppressor and tried even harder to get to Evanne’s neck with the knife. The blonde squirmed under her, trying to get away from the knife, her hands were slippery with blood but she tried to push the knife away.

β€œDana,” Patrick yelled at her, β€œstop right now.” She didn’t allow Patrick’s voice to phase her. Dana tried again to connect her knife with Evanne’s jugular but Patrick with all his might held her back.

β€œDana, please!” Luke’s voice joined her father’s. He went to grab Dana’s shoulders to aid Patrick who was there first.

”Please… Dana…” Evanne said, struggling under her. Tears coming to her eyes. ”You still have a life…”

It wasn’t the terror in Evanne’s eyes that told Dana that something was wrong. Evanne was terrified from the moment that the punches started flying. It was the lack thereof all of a sudden that alarmed the Clay girl. All of the strength that was holding Dana back suddenly disappeared and she fell facedown, dropping her knife completely. Dana turned to face her father, who was paler than he should have been. He let out a groan, unable to hold onto his daughter. He stumbled backward, grabbing at his heart. His chest burned and everything looked off. He could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears. Without knowing what happened, he fell to the ground. β€œDana…” He said weakly.

”Patrick?” Evanne asked, sitting up even though she was in incredible pain. Tears were already streaming from both girls’ faces but they both forgot about each other and looked towards the founder of Dust who was losing his own personal battle right in front of them. Patrick fell to the ground, losing consciousness. He looked up at his daughters, for everyone was a child of his in his head, and spoke softly, almost a whisper, β€œyou have to do better than us.” Patrick Clay shut his eyes, with no hope of ever opening them again.

Evanne’s nursing took over as she shot up to help Patrick but she too was losing her own battle with the huge gash in her arm oozing blood all over the hut floor. Evanne was down on the ground faster than she got up. She too shut her eyes.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Dana Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
As soon as Evanne was gone from his side, Noah was hit by a geometric truck. A square, or probably a triangle. He knew the feeling. He'd experienced it before. It came with the memory of blonde curls; high, bright peals of laughter at his expense; a dare; so many rings on long, pale fingers; and the best fireside make out session he'd ever had. The yelling in the room became singing and laughing in his mind, and his hands itched to take out the IV. Once he had accomplished that, all while Evanne and Dana were hugging and laughing and giving each other playful shoves, Noah stood from his bed--the comfiest, most luxurious he had ever felt--and knelt beside Evelynn's.

She was already awake and giggling very strangely. It almost sounded like crying to Noah, but that was impossible. What was there to cry about? Colors were so vivid, and everyone seemed to be having fun. He scooped up his daughter with his good arm and held her close to his body. She was the softest thing he'd ever felt, and he sat cross-cross applesauce on the floor--the beautiful, dusty, comfortable floor--to rock her back and forth. He didn't know how long he spent there, staring at Evelynn.

As Patrick and Luke came in to join the huddle--what was in Dana's hand? Some kind of device to allow her to hug more effectively?--everything suddenly went to shit. One moment everything was fine, the next Patrick and Evanne were on the floor, Evanne bleeding bright crimson.

Amongst the yelling, Noah spoke. "Luke," he said quietly, "try to stop the bleeding. Dana get Risalda."

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Dana Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

ImageImage


Luke was usually the person who could talk his way out of anything. He was always prepared with a witty come back or a quick getaway plan. He stood in silence for what felt like a millennium, taking in the situation. Dana's fury has created a monster and now two people laid still on the hard ground. Luke was certain that neither Evanne nor Patrick would make it...if they weren't dead already. "Luke," his brother slurred his next words, "try to stop the bleeding. Dana, get Risalda." Luke ignored the way his brother delivered his lines and only took in the context of them. He had to try and save Evanne. There was no witty come back or getaway plan under the sun that could get Luke out of this mess. He was now involved and he couldn't go anywhere.

"Fuck me," Luke ran his hands through his hair and tried to think of what to do and how to do it. He was no doctor but he did nurse a few drunk men and women of Dust more times than he'd like to admit. Dana was a wreck. She sat and stared blankly at the wall. Luke knew that look. It was the "holy shit, I just came down from my high what the hell did I just do oh my god I am so screwed to hell and back fuck me sideways look" and Dana did not wear it well. She was not the type of girl to go off and do this. I should have tried harder to stop her, Luke thought, this is just as much my fault as it is hers.

"Don't bother getting Risalda," Luke put a hand on Dana's shoulder as he passed her, "she is drunk off her ass right now. There is nothing she can do to help anyone here. I also don't think, with the new information we've learned about, that Ris would care much for saving the life of the woman who had her ex's child. We are on our own."

Luke ran over to the cabinets and found stuff he saw Ris use to stop bleeding. He quickly made his way back to Evanne and wrapped her arm in a combination of medical tissue and bits and pieces of stuff that looked tough and secured it with medical tape. She was going to need stitches and a blood infusion and Luke knew how to do none of that. Dana was sitting over her dad crying and holding his hand. She was never going to be able to recover from this and on top of that she was probably going to get exiled for killing Evanne.

Attempting to kill. She isn't dead yet, Luke. Try harder.

He looked over towards Dana who was still with Patrick, "does he have a pulse?"

"No...."

"Then get off your ass and help me move Evanne to a bed. Patrick's battle is over but Evanne's is just beginning," Luke spat at Dana. He needed to let his inner Ripley leader gene show a little if anything was going to be accomplished...and even then they still might fail. Life was so much easier when all Luke had to worry about was which Dusty he was going to sleep with that night. He didn't think he'd be able to jump back into that life of his after something this insane. He wasn't sure if wanted to. Dana and Luke picked up the unconscious Evanne and put her in a bed next to Noah's. Luke could feel Noah's eyes following his every move. He turned to face his brother after putting Evanne into the bed, "she is going to die, Noah. There is no way to avoid this."

Dana crossed to Luke's side of the bed, the side that was between Noah and Evanne, and put her hand on his shoulder like he did for her just a few minutes back. She squeezed hard and without words told him all that he needed to know. Dana looked at Noah who was still laid down in his bed, too weak to move. "There is nothing I can say to fix this," Dana spoke quietly, "and honestly...I don't think I want to fix this. I tried for years to get your attention and to be there for when you needed me. I even asked you out a few weeks ago and you didn't even notice. My dad always told me to know when to give up and move on...but I guess I never understood that lesson, not until now." Luke sat in silence, taking in all that Dana was expelling to his brother. Hot tears raced down her face and nearly created tiny puddles of disgrace and disgust on the ground beneath her. She continued, "there is no longer a reason for me to stay here. My father is dead. You are an idiot and I am a killer. I belong in the wilderness with the raiders and the thieves. Maybe one of them would appreciate when a woman throws herself at them." Dana wiped the tears from her face and spoke and for the first time in ever Luke could hear the Diana Clay come out through her, "I know I will be exiled so allow me to leave on my on terms. You owe me that. I will go and retrieve my things from the Mech Hall and will be gone before nightfall. I am done with this town. I am done with you."

Luke could not imagine Dust without the only Clay he still respected. His heart was heavy and a tear made its way out of his face and joined Dana's puddle. Soon his face was littered with tears as well. Dana was the one girl who he saw himself with for real. He always thought that when she gave up on Noah that she would turn to him and he could learn how to finally treat a girl the right way...but now she was leaving for good and his chance was gone. Luke was damned to be a whore for the rest of his life. He chuckled cheaply to himself. There were worst ways to live. Dana turned to him and hugged him tightly. "Maybe one day," Luke smiled, "you'll take me up on my sex offer."

Dana's smile was forced but Luke was glad that she was at least trying. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered to him, "make sure my dad gets a king's funeral." Dana then, as quickly as she entered, left the Med Hut, probably on her way to the Mech to prepare. Luke, with hands on his hips, looked down at his half dead brother and then at the mostly dead Evanne. He would continue to try to help her but only time was going to tell.





Timeskip Ready

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Aaron "Sullivan"


Image


Image
Image


Aaron and Juniper left town so quickly that an ignorant Dustie might have thought they shot Noah. A hell of a hike later and after bickering about where to set up camp and how far to hike, Juniper sat with only the front of her aglow. She poked a stick absentmindedly in and out of the hot embers as she thought about the day. What a shithole Dust was. Aaron yawned loudly as any sense of time they had was obliterated by their hike into the night.

"So how come you've been bugging me so much about going on a camping trip?" Aaron asked casually. Juniper looked over at Aaron with a guilty look on her face. Honestly, just going camping with him wasn't the reason that she wanted to go back into the wilderness. Juni shrugged her shoulders in defeat.

"Truthfully," she said, making it sound more like a question than a statement. A nervous laughed escaped her as she continued, "You're going to think this is stupid." Juniper leaned toward Aaron like she was telling him some kind of secret. "I needed to come out here to cleanse myself... To reassure myself that not just bad things happen out here."

"So something bad happened out yonder when you left Dust before?" Aaron persisted. Now he was intrigued.

"Something," Juniper scoffed, "try many things." The only person that Juniper had ever disclosed about her life outside of Dust was Luke. Even then he didn't get the whole run down. Juniper figured that Aaron deserved to know something. "In short, I almost died of dehydration. Completely my fault, and completely stupid, but I was in a hurry to leave. Then, someone saved my sorry ass and set me up in a shack in the middle of nowhere." Juniper stopped, trying to piece everything together.

"Then I met Robin, who was actually apart of band of scoundrals trying to rob me." Juniper skipped everything in between. "Everything was uphill from there and... then it wasn't. It was actually a cliff and I fell right off of it," Juniper said, making a silly motion with her hands.

"Life seems to do that," Aaron acknowledged. He took a moment to take in everything Juniper had to say; he didn't quite expect that deep an answer to as simple a question as he initially asked. Nevertheless, he wasn't insensitive to what she had to say either. Aaron looked at her calmly and understandingly. "Do you feel safe?"

Juniper blinked at Aaron; she hadn't expected him to ask her that. Her eyes darted to the fire and her brow furrowed, thinking about the complete solitude she was in for the majority of her banishment. "I don't know," she said slowly, trying to get a grasp on how she felt. It was then that she realized she wasn't alone nor was she going to be abandoned. Juniper looked back at Aaron before saying, "Yeah, I guess I do feel safe."

"Well that's good to hear," he replied positively. "I think you're going to have a good time tomorrow," Aaron told Juniper, "because I think if you have this idea that the wilderness is all bad, you didn't do it right." Yawning obnoxiously loud again, Aaron then asked "so how 'bout some sleep?"

With a nod of the head Juniper stood up from the rock she was sitting on, kicked some sand into the fire, and sluggishly made her way to the tent. Aaron finished putting out the fire by throwing more and more dirt into the fire pit, and by spreading the embers out so they'd burn quicker. It was only a few minutes before he couldn't feel the heat of the fire with the back of his hand anymore, and he joined Juniper in his small backpacking tent.

"Surprise," he said playfully as he crawled into the tent. He took a moment to untie his boots and put them in the corner of the tent before lying on his back on his sleeping bag. "Am I too fat or are you okay over there?"

Juniper laughed, partly from his jokes and partly from the fact that they were in such close quarters. "Oh please," she said playfully, "you're only crushing me." Juni slipped into her sleeping bag with a smile on her face and wrapped her hair into some kind of bun. Settling into the comfort of her bag she lazily looked over at the man next to her. "Hey, Aaron," she paused for a moment, "thank you."

The sound of her words seemed to make him freeze as he gazed blankly up at the top of the tent. Aaron was noticeably more tense as Juniper showed her appreciation for him. Thoughts he himself considered insane ran through his mind; they were friends, maybe close friends at that, and that's not something Aaron wanted to lose. Already there was enough to deal with between Evanne and Noah. He just wanted to avoid pain and tension for now while he sorted out all of his thoughts and emotions. He scratched the side of his head while he pondered.

"Don't worry about it," Aaron finally told Juniper after a long moment of silence. He turned over on his side, facing away from Juniper and looking at the nearest wall of the tent. He hadn't even bothered to get into his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. "Just sleep for now."

Juniper nodded her head at Aaron as he flipped in the opposite direction and told her to go to sleep. Her eyelids drooped closed with exhuastion but her mind bounced around tirelessly. The majority of her thoughts twisted around the townsfolk and their agression toward the Thompkins.

"Aaron," Juniper finally said, interupting the stillness of their tent.

"Yeah?" he answered; he was not exactly comfortable in his tent like this, and with all that he himself had to contemplate, Aaron was not so fast to fall asleep.

Honestly Juniper wasn't sure where she was going with this. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts she finally spoke again, "I'm sorry about all this shit with Evanne." It was unfair, the way that Aaron was tossed so frivolously aside. He was kicked down like a dog and ignored, and all because Evanne was a coward. Suddenly, Juniper saw a direct correlation with Evanne and Robin. Then Juni thought about herself, everybody had a little coward in them. A little coward that had the ability to take over when things got too hard. And the cowardly aspect of Aaron that was unsure of himself froze. Simply, he stared at the wall of his tent with his back still to his friend. Inside of him was a chaotic bag of emotions he was afraid of showing to anyone else.

A wall of exhaustion hit Juniper as she tried to finish her train of thought. "You never deserved any of this..." Juniper said, drawing a little closer to Aaron. "You're one of the good ones," she finally stated, trying to come to a real conclusion. Her tired mind was flicking off its switches though, making it hard for her to really say what she wanted to say. Instead of trying to articulate her thoughts into words Juniper nuzzled her head into Aaron's side, forcing him to put his arm around her. This gesture was purely platonic for Juniper and once she settled her head on his chest as she said it again. "You're the best of us, Aaron."

Setting

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image


Dust was quiet for the next four days. The usual gossip that circulated between Dusties was silenced with the wind; it seemed futile and childish to spread rumors, whether they were true or not. There was a hushed way about the people as they soaked up the tragedy of Patrick Clay and his terribly mislead daughter, Dana. Perhaps it was because no one really knew what to say or because there was still tension regarding the newcomers, but no one looked each other in the eyes.

In a series of about twenty days Dust had been turn up side down and shaken sideways. Some of its people were caught off guard and fell, while the rest of them held on for dear life. Most of the original Dusties would argue that this was because of the newcomers. Others would stand to say it was because of the unchanged communism of the town. Dust had been a thriving settlement for close to thirty years with no changes or exceptions to the rules, yet its people were crumbling beneath the pressure. There were many unanswered questions that zoomed through the heads of the town, but no one dared to ask them, not in a time like this.

The silence of the people was unbroken as the settlement soberly set up Patrick Clay’s funeral. In the center of town was a platform decorated with a red velveteen skirt and a collection of classically Patrick Clay items scattered on the foreground. There was a Polaroid of him with a young Pamela on his knee and an even younger Dana on his shoulders in a black frame. Along the edges were dried flowers, pale pink and yellow pedals that had been collected over the past two months for this sole purpose. Imbedded in the stale blossoms and stems were little trinkets and books that were Patrick’s, and at least a dozen Playbills.

It was late morning when the service started and every person in Dust was there. Most people brought their own chairs and a few stragglers stood in the back or sat on the ground. There was no official priest and no official words, but there was a long line of people who wanted to say something.






Image
Image


Juniper stood in the back with her arms crossed and frown present on her face. If it wasn’t enough that Noah got shot, Juni had to come back to this mess. Evanne was sitting at the edge of the crowd in a rusty wheelchair and as pale as apiece of paper. It didn’t take long for Juniper to put the pieces together. The whole thing disgusted her; she had even seen and spoken with Dana in the wilderness just yesterday! That bitch couldn’t even confess to what had happened; she had just told Juni and Aaron that she needed some air.

β€œUnbelievable.” Juniper muttered to herself, thinking about Dana, as she watched Marina Freeds tearfully express her gratitude for Patrick. In any other given circumstance Juniper would have taken her turn up there and said that Patrick was like a father to her, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Juniper looked up into the clear blue sky, the pasty sun beamed down on the tired town of Dust. She should have been grieving like the rest of the people, but she was boiling inside. This was just another thing she would suppress until further notice. She had been unbelievably honest with Aaron out in the wilderness, but she had also been harsh and unsympathetic.

Juniper’s mind wandered just as her eyes did, checking in on everyone. Diane Clay sat at the front as unmoved as a statue, and Pamela was unseen by Juni. Noah was also toward the front, pale, but moving around fine. Evanne looked like death and her baby Evelynn was being looked after by her mother. At the other edge of the crowd were the Thompkins, Owen was wringing a hat uncomfortably while his wife held one of their children, the other baby was tucked away in a large weaved basket. Robin of course was the first person she had found, but she saved him for last. Her eyes scanned him up and down before returning to the funeral. Now Carlos Manch was taking his stand, all the words that were spoken by the last five people meshed together and became white noise to Juniper.

β€œDammit,” she said, finally bringing everything in her head to a halt. This made a couple of Dusties turn around with annoyed faces, then they returned to the service without much mind.

Setting

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image

The last four days has been a nonstop hellish roller coaster. It took nearly twenty-four hours for Evanne to even wake up. After that, she was in and out of consciousness until the night before. She spent the whole night thinking about everything that had happened. And the last words Patrick said to them echoed through her head on a loop. She knew she needed to speak at the funeral. They needed to know what he wanted them all to do.

After the last speaker finished, she nodded to the man who had been nice enough to help wheel her to the funeral and now to the front. Evanne watched the casket as they near it until he turned her way to face everyone. Her blue eyes searched the faces of her fellow Dustians.

"We..." The blonde paused. Her voice was a whisper. She coughed to clear her throat. "We lost the father of Dust. And no one can deny the good he did. But even in his last moments he had a new lesson for us. 'You have to do better than us.'" She let the words sink in. Would they understand, like she hoped she did, the lesson he needed to pass on?

"I intend to do just that..." She looked at the picture of Patrick. A shaky sigh escaped her breath. "Thank you for everything, Patrick." She said more to herself than anyone else. She nodded to Jamie, the man helping her, and let him wheel her off. Evelyn slipped down from Mrs. Remmington's lap and hurried over to her mother. With her unarmed arm, she helped her daughter into her lap. She didn't mind her daughter using her as a jungle gym. Evelyn was perhaps the only thing in these last few days that made her feel like she was still alive.

Evelyn wrapped her arm around her mother's neck. Evanne hugged her back with her unharmed arm. She whispered soothing words to her daughter and didn't meet anyone's eyes. She felt like a fish out of water. Even when she came back to Dust with her daughter, she could handle it. She came back for Noah. Hell, she came back to beg forgiveness from Aaron.

Now, she felt so alone. It wasn't anyone's fault really. She had been isolated from everyone to heal. She didn't even think she was healing too well. It would take awhile, yes, but something was wrong. Slowly, her hand closed into a fist then slowly opened. She watched her hand do this. And yet, besides the ache in her arm, she didn't feel it. Would it be like this forever? If there was nerve damage, there was the potential that she wouldn't have full function in her arm, let alone hand. If she couldn't manage, she'd have to relearn to do everything with her left hand.

Turmoil coursed through her veins. She wasn't just angry, she was scared. She may never be the same person she was before. Could anyone really be the same person after being attacked in that way? She didn't hate Dana, she pitied her. She did think Dana have some sort of punishment, but she didn't think she should be killed; even if that meant Evanne may never be safe or have peace of mind.

Setting

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
As Noah sat in the second row, he couldn't help but contrast the funerals of his parents from the spectacle of weeping and wailing surrounding him. Not even half the people had shown up to either his mother's or his father's, and he and Luke had been the only ones to shed tears. Here, with Patrick Clay's body in the casket in the center of Dust, it seemed there was not a dry eye to be found. Noah could barely hold back vomit while Marina Freeds sobbed her words at the podium. His eyes bore into the back of Diane Clay's head, only one chair in front of him.

He was reminded how different their guidance was. Polar opposites, in reality. From the first day of Noah's training to become the leader, Diane had told him how little people could think for themselves as a group. According to her, they needed constant guidance and a firm hand to keep them from killing each other, accidentally or otherwise. Patrick, on the other hand, had said that good people like the ones in Dust just needed a mediator and protection from outside threats.

Noah had been the official leader of Dust for almost four years, and he still couldn't figure out which one of them was right.

When Evanne was wheeled up to the front, he bowed his head. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes after what had happened, and he still wasn't sure what to do about it. He had only visited her in the Med Hut while she was asleep, and he couldn't stop himself from panicking every time he saw her. What he had done was visit Evelynn every day while she was In Martha Remmington's custody. They didn't talk about why he was visiting or why at times he would just stare at Evelynn and try to pick out which features came from whom. He didn't know if Martha, or Dust for that matter, was aware of Evelynn's parentage.

Brushing dirt off his arm sling, he tried not to listen to Evanne. Nonetheless, he heard every word. "'You have to do better than us,'" she announced as Patrick's last words.

Noah couldn't imagine doing better anymore. It was clear to him that they were--he was--doing so much worse.

Setting

11 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Dana Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Ginny hated funerals. They reminded her of burying her parents. Her mom died before she married Owen, but she had gotten to meet him at least. Her father performed the small ceremony for them. He had been so heartbroken after losing his wife that he died less than six months after her. It had been hard on Ginny to lose both of her parents in the same year. She had gone from a daughter to a wife to an orphan. After that, she felt a need to always protecting Robin.

Micah fussed in her arms as if he could sense everyone's distress. She hushed him, rocking him gently. She knew she was crying. She was very emotional these days. Her mother warned her that her heart would break more easily after she had children. She'd be fragile but strong. Her mother told her, "Though you may cry. That doesn't mean you aren't strong. It just means your heart has gotten bigger and sometimes you gotta let a little out." That was one of the last lessons her mother tried to teach her. She didn't know Patrick that well, but she knew he was a great man. Just the reaction from everyone had been enough to tell her. It never helped that she was a sympathetic crier as well.

In the past few days, a lot had been changing. Word got out that Ginny was a witch when it came to mending shoes. She had mended the boy's that night and made him a brand new pair because his were too small for his feet. After what seemed like a few hours of bargaining with Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, they traded her leather for two pairs of shoes. With the leather and a few other things, she found to use. She had made them each a pair before doing anyone else's.

Even with the grief all around town, someone would end up on their small door step to trade for mending or a new pair of shoes. She was already running low on supplies. At least now they would have more things to trade for more supplies.

There were still plenty of people who didn't trust them. But people seemed more willing to test them now. Ginny prayed it would last and they would not be blamed for this great man's death and kicked out. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Poor Evanne... Everything seems to be going to hell." She whispered to her brother and her husband. They were close enough to hear everything but far enough away that they could whisper and no one would notice.

She looked through the crowd of mourning people. She caught Juniper looking at them. She nodded to her, hoping to convey some sort of sympathy. She turned back to the front. "Juniper made it back just in time for the funeral. I don't think she even knew what had happened. Maybe... you should talk with her." Ginny said to her brother.


Image
Unknowingly Evanne had started crying. She only noticed when Evelyn touched a tear rolling down her face. "Mumma..." Evelyn said. Evanne tried to smile at her daughter. "Momma's okay." She promised her. She kissed her forehead lightly.

Thankfully, the funeral seemed to be breaking up. Most would probably go over to Mrs. Clay's home to give their sympathies. Evanne wasn't sure if she could handle that. She just wanted to go home, to her own bed and sleep. Or... just not think about anything. It hadn't been lost on her that Noah hadn't visited her or even looked her way when she was at the funeral. Did he hate her now? Her mother had mentioned that he had been spending time with Evelyn when she was helping her dress this morning. Her mother told her as more of a way to get information out of her than to tell her how sweet it was.

Evanne told her mother nothing. She looked at Jamie. "Do you think you could take us home, Mr. Jamie?" She asked him tiredly.

Mrs. Remmington was over by her side now. "Are you sure you want to leave yet? If so, that's fine. I have your room all made up." She held her arms out to take Evelyn but she just clung to her mother.

"I meant my home, mom. I'm ready to go back to my home." Evanne said softly.

Her mother scoffed. "You are unfit to live on your own this soon. You won't be able to take care of my granddaughter."

"I can manage just fine. I'll send word if I need help okay? Just..., please. Let us go." Evanne said, looking away from her mother. Her mother had handed down a lot of cruelty over the years. She knew if she gave her mother an inch she'd take a mile. And Mrs. Remmington was not getting a mile in her or her daughter's life. Jamie didn't move, unsure what to do.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Owen's hands hurt more and more as he nervously twisted his farmers hat. The limp piece of fabric rubbed together with he force of his hands, while his ears half listened to the sob fest. This was only his third funeral, but he already hated them. Granted, his other two funerals were for Ginny's parents and he had to help lower them down, but the same sticky gut feeling lingered in the air.

Catching a glimpse of Juniper's unforgiving eyes scanning over Robin, Owen couldn't help himself but smirk. Quietly he had still been rooting for them. Though Juniper was unpredictable at times she brought something good out in Robin, and Owen wanted that sort of Robin for his kids' uncle. Thinking of the little crying bundles of joy the brunette's eyes looked down at the basket at his feet, inside was the slumbering Wren. Then he looked at Ginny who was holding Micah, looking at her delicate features Owen realized that she looked much different from when they first married. Without much thought he continued to admire her, seeing that what once was a sassy girl had become a strong lady. He supposed that childbirth did that to a woman.

Since finding Juniper's previously occupied home in the wilderness roasted she was a touchy subject. Conversations containing the blonde had been hush hush for quite a long time. Owen and Ginny both avoided casual conversation that might bring up bad (or good) memories of her. It wasn't until they landed in Dust did her presence, at least in talk, started to slow more frequently. The older brother-in-law could see that speaking about Juni made Robin uncomfortable, so Owen generally tried to stay away from the subject. It wasn't like Owen had much time to discuss Robin's love life anyway, working the way he was.

But when Ginny spoke of Juniper in such a unconcerned attitude Owen was a little taken-a-back. He looked over at Robin, wondering what grand excuse he would come up with this time. Owen didn't understand the feelings that Robin harbored, but he knew that sometimes people just need to let it go. With that thought Owen turned back to the front, this was something that he was going to let Ginny deal with.

Setting

11 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Dana Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan" Character Portrait: Eliza Pelletier
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image


To say Risalda Enudo was feeling all alone, was an understatement. Just the day before she'd gotten completely wasted in the street, and no one even turned their head in her direction. Maybe it was time to do something that she had been afraid to even think about, but.. if she couldn't get a mate, then.. she'd be perfectly fine without them.

Her feet just started moving. She started heading out of the funeral service, for some man she'd never really met. She briefly stopped, and looked behind her to Noah, Evanne, and Evelyn. Risalda was perfectly fine with the way things were now. Noah deserved that much at least. Yes, she'd never forget him, or she might always have a caring for him, but, he's moved on, and there was no need to dwell on her mistakes. As she stopped, she examined how perfect of a little family they were, and she smiled. Then, when Evanne turned away from her mother, Risalda turned her head, but was still smiling.

She doesn't know what brought her there, besides her own intentions. She'd have her dreams come true in this small, dusty town, if it was the last thing she'd do. The doors to the building weren't shiny, and dull as the years of weather had damaged the paint, as it had the rest of the building. She walked in, and examined the wall of shadowed containers. Her lips pursed as she slid one out, and then walked into the back room, where she completed the procedure all by herself. She'd been planning this for months.

That's how she knew it was going to be now. On her own. She looked down as she laid her hand on her stomach, and smiled. Then, in an all-out smile, she walked away from the old building, the sign dangling from above the door.

If you could read, you could just make out the words, "Sperm Bank Of Dust".

Setting

8 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Pamela Clay Character Portrait: Luke Ripley Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


There was not a second during the funeral that her daughter’s hand wasn’t firmly placed in her own. Diane sat quietly as the townspeople went up to her husband’s casket and spoke one after the other. Diane would squeeze Pamela’s hand every time someone came up and spouted shit from their face orifices. They called their fecal matter β€˜condolences’ or β€˜kind words’ about Patrick Clay. If one more person called him their father Diane was going to explode. Patrick was great at being the loving and kind head that people wanted to be around. That was how she fell in love with him to begin with. Patrick was the man of her dreams. He was a gift from the God that she no longer prayed to. After Delsis broke the world around her, Diane decided that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John could shove it. If there was a God there wouldn’t have been a disease that nearly wiped out the entire planet. God. What a fucking joke.

The montage of crap was brought to a halt when a familiar blonde in a wheel chair was rolled up to Patrick’s casket. Diane squeezed her daughter in preparation for what was about to come out of this one. Evanne Remmington should have stayed far far away from Dust when she left the first time. It was people like her that made this town weaker…and now Dana was gone because of her. Diane knew that her younger child would have never done what she did if she raised her herself. Patrick’s kind hand wasn’t the kind that Dana was needing. She needed the firmest of hands and an even firmer regimen but instead she ran wild. Well, now she can run wild in the wilderness to her heart’s fullest content. Diane couldn’t admit to anyone how depressed she’s been feeling since the death of her husband and the unofficial death of her daughter, Dana. Diane knew that banishing someone into the wilderness was just as good as an execution itself. She should know; she created the law. Dana, if she was still alive, had two options: get smarter or die.

Evanne’s coughing was signal that it was beginning. Diane could almost guess what she was about to say; something about Patrick being the big grandpappy of Dust just like everyone else. Patrick called everyone and anyone younger than him his β€˜child’ so they felt more comfortable bringing their problems to him so in turn everyone called him thought of him as β€˜dad.’ Patrick had more kids than a Latter Day Saint these days. But, instead of focusing on all his other β€˜children’ he should have kept his daughter out of trouble. Now she was banished from the town her parent’s created because her father was weak.

β€œWe lost the father of Dust,” Evanne spoke softly, still on meds probably.

Oh here we go again.

Diane listened to what Evanne had to say and promptly put her words in her mental cabinet where everything else she didn’t care about collected dust. Pamela squeezed her hand, β€œI think it’s your turn, Mom.”

Diane stood up from her seat the only way she knew how to stand. Confidently. She paused at Patrick’s open casket and silently hoped that he was in a better place. If God were real then Patrick deserved the most luxurious heavenly suite. There were no one on this planet who deserved peace more than he did. The moment with her husband was short lived because she had to address the crowd. Diane turned to face her townspeople.

β€œRegardless of our different opinions on how this town should be run Patrick was a great man. All of you have said many kind words about him and it is highly appreciated by me and Pamela. I want to take this time while I have all of you here to focus on the last words Patrick Clay spoke. He wanted us all to do better than his generation and the ones that came before him. He wanted us all to do better than what we were already putting out because, quite frankly, even Patrick was aware that this town wasn’t doing what was needed of it.” Diane paused to look at the familiar and unfamiliar faces in the crowd. She stared for maybe a second too long at the newcomers and their twins.

She returned to her speech, β€œthe first generation of Dust worked day and night to make sure that our children could survive in this desolate land. We made decisions that we are not proud of for the sake of the future of this town. We have made enemies high and low in order to secure safety for our people. Generation One had this fire because we were scared and pissed off. Patrick did not see the fire in this generation and that’s because it’s not there.”

Diane looked towards Luke, β€œthis generation is too interested in having sex with everything with sexual organs.”

Diane looked at Juniper, β€œthis generation is too interested in running away every time they have an issue instead of handling it.”

Diane looked at the newcomers, β€œthis generation is too interested in blending in instead of daring to be the nail that gets the hammer. Want my advice? Instead of being the nail just become the hammer. No one else in this town seems to be taking that role.”

Diane switched her gaze to Noah at the end of her last sentence then continued, β€œThis generation is too interested in having bastard children instead of leading their town.” Diane found Evelyn playing on her mother’s lap and frowned. That child would have an interesting future in store for her. She will either be hated because her mom was a slut or because her father was an unfit dictator.

Diane smiled and looked up at the crowd, β€œPatrick wants us all to do better than he and his generation did. Patrick was a great man and an even greater leader even if it was only from the background. Doing better than Patrick will be difficult. There is no tougher job in the world so I suggest you start. Thank you everyone for coming but the funeral is over. Go home.”

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Aaron "Sullivan"


Image


Aaron was nowhere to be found at the funeral. On the day he returned to Dust with Juniper, he quickly found out that Patrick had passed. Whatever passed through Aaron's mind in the instant he was told the news was never shared with anyone. All he said was, "that's too bad." Other than that, he seemed quite expressionless. Not even hearing that Evanne had been stabbed by Dana, whom he saw with Juniper, or how Noah was faring elicited any meaningful response from him.

Instead of grieving with everyone else, Aaron was working out in the farm fields when no one else was. Not that he couldn't grieve. He was more afraid of what he would do if he did see people like Noah and Evanne at the funeral of a man who touched everyone's heart. Since leaving for his trip with Juniper, events and emotions from when he was ten stirred up in his mind, and Aaron wasn't sure that he could stop himself from choking out Noah for what he and Evanne did.

So, Aaron resigned himself to working away the time in the fields when everyone else was down paying respects to Patrick Clay. All his negativity could be concentrated and manifested into tilling dirt and picking any weeds he found. While he hadn't worked on a farm since he was a kid, Aaron still remembered long hours working to help the families he lived with.

The sun was strong; farmers often wore long sleeves, pants and a hat when working in the fields because standing out in the sun for so long could cause a brutal sunburn. And that's exactly what Aaron wore: a dirtied, somewhat tattered, green button up shirt, tan cargo pants and a borrowed straw hat.

Aaron's job wasn't very challenging to him, other than that it was hot and he couldn't escape his own sweat in the clothes he wore. But it offered an excuse to be away from people for a bit while giving him an outlet for his energy. He worked through the whole day, losing a sense of time while he did because he just wanted the day to end.

"Hey Aaron," a farmer called out to him. Aaron looked up to see the landowner walking out into the field far enough so that talk to Aaron.

"Yeah Sam?"

"The funeral's over... it's late. Most everyone's taken the day off, so uh, get some rest for tomorrow," Sam McGee told Aaron.

"Right," Aaron acknowledged. Giving a last few pulls of the rake, Aaron began collecting his things. He was so out of it he hadn't noticed that Sam had said goodbye and left; he just noticed that the farmer was gone. With handfuls of tools, he made a long walk back Sam McGee's barn to stash them away. Before heading out of the barn, Aaron sat on a crate and looked down a the ground, thinking hard about what he was going to do next.

"Well... it'd be rude to do nothing at all," he said to himself.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image

Noah clenched his fist and glared at Diane. Who did she think she was? Gritting his teeth, he shot up from his seat and met her where she was standing to give the illusion that he was expressing his condolences. He could barely hide the look of disgust on his face when he spoke.

"If you utter one more negative word to or even about my daughter again, there will be severe consequences, do you understand me? You want me to lead, fine. I'll show you leading, but you better make damn well sure you're in line." He spoke quickly and quietly, and he walked away without waiting or listening for a response.

Evanne was arguing with her mother on the edge of the crowd, and Noah knew them well enough to guess what was being discussed. He'd be damned if he let that old crow steal his kid. His new path lead straight to the back, right to where Juniper was standing.

"Ms. Jacobs," Noah said, "if you want a break on your Harvest Tax, you'll meet me in my office as soon as possible." Again, he was gone without giving her a chance to argue, this time making a beeline for Evanne. He arrived just in time to catch the end of their argument.

"You should go with her for now, Evanne," he said. "After all, she's right. You're in no condition to take care of a child on you're own right now. Gather anything that is yours or Evelyn's, though. There will be new arrangements by sundown." It was more than a little difficult to come across as strong and confident with his left arm held immobile in a sling, but Noah thought it had worked as he took long strides to his office.

All he had left to do was hope that Juniper showed up after finishing whatever of her own business she had to do.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Juniper stared absently at the scene in front of her. The people came and went like they were part of a somber dance. Their words became nagging noise, making her emotions ripple. It was as if everything was out of focus. Juniper was present, but her mind wandered and her eyes glazed over.

Suddenly, with the acknowledgment that Diane Clay was speaking, Juniper's mind sharpened. She forced her eyes to focus and read Diane's tired face. Mrs. Clay had never been someone that Juniper cared for. Diane was strict and unforgiving, and Juniper needed a lot of forgiving. Juniper shuffled in her place, realizing what Diane was doing. There was no doubt that Mrs. Clay would take her knock at Juniper.

β€œThis generation is too interested in running away every time they have an issue instead of handling it.”

And there it was. Those deadly eyes struck Juniper like a baseball bat, with a swift hit to the gut. Diane, of course, was right. Juniper was a runner. She ran away from the dust storm that killed her parents, and then she never stopped. Juniper ran away from foster homes, she ran way from the rules, and ran away from anyone who thought twice about her decisions. And the one time that someone else ran, she found a way to run away from that too.

Shamed and too tired to put up a fight, Juniper lowered her head. Diane quickly moved on. The rest of her speech blurred together and before Juniper could put her head on straight again Noah was approaching her.

Baffled at Noah's proposal Juniper made a face. There was no way that he could just give her break on her Harvest Tax. Why would Noah want to do that anyway? She struggled just as much as any other. Taking another look around, Juniper decided she had no reason to stay here. Lingering on the Thompkins and Robin she slowly turned toward Noah's office.

A moment later Juniper was opening Noah's office door. Juniper didn't care to knock, nor did she care to be subtle.

"What the hell is this?" she asked. Juniper took a step toward him and stopped with her hand on her hip.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
Noah barely had time to breathe in his office before Juniper pushed open the door.

"What the hell is this?" she demanded. He pursed his lips at her tone, but he decided it wasn't an issue worth pressing at the moment.

"Have a seat, Ms. Jacobs," he said calmly, sitting down in the chair behind his desk. "We have much to discuss. In the past you have had... Difficulties paying the Harvest Tax in full and on time. I imagine you might be interested to hear that I am willing to offer a reprieve of sorts for this tax cycle." He knew it was probably a risk, mentioning the past event. Few people knew what really happened, and it wasn't something he was keen on letting become common knowledge. It could set a dangerous precedent.

Then again, he thought, so could this.

"I need you to understand that this must be handled with the utmost discretion. You can't tell anyone that I'm even offering this." Noah took a deep breath and crossed himself like his mother used to, silently asking preemptive forgiveness from a god he wasn't sure existed.

"I don't know how well you know Martha Remmington," he began, "but she's a scheming bitch. I need you to get Evanne and Evelyn away from her."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Not in the mood to play goody goody Juni stayed upright, refusing his offer to sit. Her posture slouched into a comfortable position against an old book self that had more trinkets and maps than books. Juniper watched Noah with drooped eyes, perhaps to show him her disinterest. She wasn't sure if Noah's little idea was out of pity, or if it was because she was the only person in town who seemed to be able to keep secret.

Part of her wanted to like this offer, with it's secrecy and plotting, but she couldn't bring herself to appreciate it. It wasn't blackmail, and it was fair, but Juniper was tired of being a pawn. After he finished Juniper scoffed, then she took a moment to stand upright again.

"Just because you're daddy now doesn't mean you can get someone to do your dirty work," she said while crossing her arms. Despite Juni's distaste for Noah's sudden flight into leadership, at least her hope was being restored in his abilities. With that, Juniper turned around the exit, lifting her hand to signal her leave. However, once she opened the door she saw Robin, still wading in the center of town. "Shit," she grumbled under her breath, closing the door in front of her.

Juniper turned around to face Noah once again. "What do I do?" she asked, as if seamlessly continuing their conversation. Juni approached Noah and sat down close enough to lean across the desk.

"I don't want your reprieve though," Juniper began with a shack of the head. "Give it to the Thompkins and Robin."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image
"Just because you're daddy now doesn't mean you can get someone to do your dirty work." Noah scowled. He opened his mouth to reply but Juniper was already leaving. She seemed to spot something outside the door that changed her mind, though, and she turned back to him. "What do I do?"

Noah pretended she never tried to leave. "Dust needs a leader," he said. "Whether I wanted it or not, that position is mine. There are no more proxies, no more backups anymore. The last viable option died with Patrick. Now if I fail, we all fail. Unfortunately, Evanne and Evelyn need someone too. I can't do both. At least not now."

Juniper shook her head. "I don't want your reprieve though. Give it to the Thompkins and Robin."

"Fine. Whatever you want. But first, you get Evelyn and her mother out of Martha Remmington's house. She was right about Evanne not being fit to care for a child yet. She's not even fit to take care of herself. I don't care how it happens--if you stay with them or they stay with you or whatever you come up with--just make sure they're getting everything they need. I'll provide everything, anything you need to make their lives as easy as possible."

Noah sighed. "I can't be there for them. I need to know that someone is."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


Juniper listened to Noah carefully, he seemed sincere enough. He even let her decide what her reward was, which made Juni believe that this wasn't some kind of trick. It was silly of her to think that Noah would set her up for another trip to the outside, but with what Diane did as a leader nothing surprised Juniper anymore. The blonde had receded in her chair and crossed her arms defensively while listening to Noah's last comment.

How quaint, or perhaps how gallant is what Juniper should have thought. Noah was really stepping up to the plate with this whole kid thing. Juniper had half expected him to deny the child completely. If anything she thought Noah would just give Evanne money in secret to supposed Evelyn. But he really cared for her, maybe he even loved her. That would be one good thing. Juniper thought of all of the other outstanding issues in Dust. Then she thought about Aaron and his whole situation. Then she thought about the Thompkins and their two babies. Then Robin.

Quickly, Juniper brought herself back to Noah. She understood what he wanted her to do now. Noah wanted her to take care of Evanne, or Evelyn, or both. Juni closed her eyes slowly, taking it all in. She preferred the solitude of her small cabin, but if the Thompkins didn't get help they would be out. It was already near the end of the season and there was no way they would make it. After a moment of thought Juniper nodded her head.

"Okay," she said simply. "I'll find them and have them stay with me until Evanne is back on her feet."

With that Juniper stood up and walked to the door. She was going to leave without saying anything else, but she stopped to make a little fun before exiting. "Just as long as you don't come chucking rocks at Evanne's window at night," she teased with lifted eyebrows. With a smirk, she closed the door behind her and set off to find the little mother and her daughter.

There was a wall on the other side of Dust, and Juniper hadn't noticed it at first. No one had noticed it, actually. Most of the heads were crooked down to the ground today, and there was little thought about the stillness of the air. Juniper's confidence stride was stopped immediately, her blue eyes grew wide with fear, and her muscles froze in place. Just beyond the little town they lived in was a raging dust storm. It would surely reach town in the next couple of minutes and no one had sounded the alarm yet.

Juniper's mind buzzed with what she was should have down. She would have ran back into Noah's office and told him the news, then they would have ran to the bell that was above town hall. Yes, she would have been a hero. But she was stuck. She was stuck in her ten year old self, sweating from anxious memories, and paralyzed with fear.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Aaron "Sullivan"


Image


The sky was painted oranges, blues and purples as the sun was setting. Most people had gone home and kept to themselves. An eerie stillness hung over Dust.

Aaron had only seen this kind of stillness on a weeknight when he was up guarding the town. It was a bit odd to look down the street and no one eventually turn around to meet you. So it fit the setting, Aaron thought. He walked down the main roads of Dust; a single boy who had went to borrow something from the neighbors was going back home.

Eventually, he ended up at a view quite magnificent. Great flowers and wreaths ordained the site. A podium was there, and the empty chairs still remained even though people had long left their seats. An isle went up the middle of rows of chairs, past the podium, and to an ornate stone tablet.

Aaron looked down at the handful of flowers he had prepared and tied together, then back up at where he was going.




"Hey, get back here!" a young man shouted at a boy. The boy ran between residential shacks of Dust, arms filled with a can of food and a big bottle of water. The boy was sure he had lost the man when suddenly, his body bounced off the front of the man.

In a panic, the boy tried to scurry away, but it was hopeless; the man had a firm grip on the lad's ankle. He was dragged into a corner, the man having a knife out. The youth shrieked.

"Aaagh!"





Aaron approached Patrick Clay's grave site. It felt like there was a lump the size of a bowling ball in his throat. He got to the front end of the chairs, some distance away from the tombstone of Patrick Clay. He could hardly believe the day had come.

All Aaron could do was stand still; he wasn't sure whether to give into anger, to cry, or to just curl up in a ball and do nothing. Conscious of his dilemma, he looked around to see if anyone was near.




The man had put his knife away, and was looking down at the boy. He seemed aware of the child's fear.

"What do you plan on accomplishing by stealing people's food, kid? What are you gonna do now that you got yourself in this mess of trouble?" The boy sat and looked away from the man, not wanting to be lectured.

"Hey, aren't you the Sullivan's kid?" the man asked; he recognized the boy now that he saw through the tattered clothes, dirtied face and his messy, oily hair.

"Piss off, I'm not their son!"





Seeing that no one was there to see, Aaron looked back to the gravestone. He gulped, trying to accept that this was reality. Before he walked closer, he dropped his flowers among the many others that decorated Patrick's grave. He walked closer so that he could read the etchings on the stone.

Aaron's eyes glistened with tears as he realized the finality of time. He dropped to one knee so that he was closer to the grave itself.


In Loving Memory of Patrick Clay
Founder and Father of Dust
1991-2065
Rest In Peace





The boy stood in front of a house; he wore a clean short sleeve shirt and shorts. He knocked on the door of the house, and when no one answered, he let himself in.

"Mom? Dad?" he called. "I... I decided to come home."

His voice rang through the house but no one seemed to answer. The youth eventually found his father lying in bed.

"She's gone, Aaron..." is all his father said.






"You know kid, finding that out really does suck," the man told the boy, the child's face dirtied with him wearing the tattered clothes from before. The man was squatting so that his eyes were level with the boy's, who sat up against the wall of a building. "I'd like to think that it's part of life. But life isn't meant to conquer you. You, people, are meant to conquer life."




The breath was stolen by the words, quite literally set in stone. 1991-2065.

"You told me that this life was supposed to be conquered..." Aaron said aloud, tears rolling down his face now. He wiped his nose and took in a shaky breath before he continued. "I asked you how and you told me to take control of life, not to let life control me," he went on, becoming more assertive in his tone.

"Now look! Everyone's gone! My parents! Evanne! And now you! And the whole fucking town's caught up in whatever the hell they're doing!" Aaron shouted furiously at Patrick's buried body. He pounded both fists on the ground before him so that he was on his hands and knees. Though, that moment with Pamela before he left town haunted him as he yelled those words; she didn't seem caught up in what she was doing. But his angry, self-centered reaction screwed that up. It just made him angrier and more depressed to try and acknowledge these things.

"Raaaagggghhh!" Aaron let out an enraged, beastly scream as if he was being impaled by by the end of a sword. His voice echoed through the desert as he was groveled in a helpless state of tears, sadness, and rage.

"You can't leave now! What are we supposed to do?" Aaron continued to shout at nothing. He punched at the dirt beneath him, grunting with rage at every meaningless strike. Death was absolute, and Aaron knew that. In a few moments of his wild display, Aaron stopped and buried his face in his hands. He'd be ashamed of his actions if anyone saw them, especially that the Father of Dust's grave. Patrick Clay was supposed to rest in peace, not have his coffin rattled by some inconsiderate ass.

"I'm sorry," he let out crying. With his face hidden by his hands, he put his forehead to the ground as he wept in front of Patrick Clay's grave.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Entry:
coming up






The incident at the Med Hut spread fast and was much talked about not only for the mysterious nature of the attempt on Evanne Remington's life by Dana Clay, sweetheart of Mech Hall and one half the founder Patrick Clay's brood, but the death of that very founder in the same location. It wasn't long until it reached the edge of town where they lived through the harsh, hushed whispers and the undeniable glances their way. Old Pat was dead, and he had nearly lost a friend. He didn't know how long he was in a state but he had ended up nearly wrecking one of his inventions in the back of the house in his anger. Patrick Clay was stable ground and one of the reasons why he had decided to stay, but now he was under precarious ground again. His still unresolved issues with Juniper Jacobs only made it worse so, and in a town like this interaction was not only inevitable but sometimes necessary.

He hadn't expected how dull the funeral had become with queues upon queued of people wanting to speak up and give their eulogies to their beloved, albeit unofficial, town leader, and he swore he saw a cloud of hopelessness come over the gathered crowd. Perhaps it had something to do with Dana's much older look-alikeβ€”her motherβ€”who stood with a particular presence he knew Pamela had taken after. This wasn't going to bode well for them.

"Poor Evanne... Everything seems to be going to hell." Robin grunted his agreement, eyes flickering momentarily to Evanne. "Juniper made it back just in time for the funeral. I don't think she even knew what had happened. Maybe... you should talk with her."
"Why should I?" he asked his sister almost incredulously, eyes shifting over to her before caught her gaze. He looked back at his sister and brother-in-law and sighed. "She's tough. You've seem her. I don't see why she'd need my shoulder to cry on."

Dana's mother stepping up to the podium only confirmed his previous thoughts. She came down like the hammer that she had so described in her speech, and while that might have served to inspire the rest of the crowd, there was a notable lack of belief in the people. Her speech had suggested that everyone had to be rote, devoid of faults and foibles. Oh, as if she had none herself, Robin thought as the crowds dispersed, moving on to their jobs or homes.

He turned to his family and sighed. "I need a bit to think. You best head on home, and quick. Before those two start wailing for Momma's milk." He pressed a kiss to the babies' heads and sent them on their way, but not before turning to see something that sent his heart racing. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck! Virginia, Owen, you get to safety now! Stay inside. Get the kids under the blankets, make sure no sand gets anywhere on them. Cover nose and mouth. Go!"

Since there was no one there to warn anyone, he cleared his throat and yelled. "Sandstorm! Everyone get inside! Sandstorm!"

His eyes locked on Juniper, stood paralysed as she viewed the horizon. "Juniper, what in fuckβ€”Shit." He remembered what one of these sandstorms had done to her parentsβ€”caught, buffeted, suffocatedβ€”and he realised he needed to get her out and quick. "Juniper, move!" He quickly ran over to her, finding the nearest structure they could get in and forcefully dragging her. "We have to move, or we die!"

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs Character Portrait: Rob Braddock Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Image
Image


As Diane Clay took the stand Owen was suddenly aware of the sun. Its ruthless rays beat against his neck like a stubborn bird pecking at a worm. With the dilapidated hat still in his hand Owen scratched the back of his neck, somehow trying to relieve the sting that was forming a sunburn. Instinctively he looked over at his wife and Micah to see if they were suffering from a similar discomfort. As far as he could tell there was nothing wrong with them.

Owen hadn't been listening to the staunch woman who possessed the podium; his mind was on other things. He needed to find a sure way to provide for his family. Owen was good at farming, but the season was coming to a close. They would never have enough time to sufficiently support themselves, let alone the dreaded Harvest Tax that everyone was so worried about. The pit of Owen's stomach had never been so twisted with anxiety. They were here now, inside Dust and living, but he wasn't sure how long that would last.

The funeral dispersed quickly after Diane's remarks. Carefully he watched the townsfolk go back to wherever they came from. Some went back to work, others went to have an afternoon chat with the neighbor, but most just lounged in the shade or went to refill their water bottles.

Owen looked over at his wife and gave her a sympathetic smile, he knew that this tiresome event had made her upset. "Come on," he said gently, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He reached for her hand with his left hand and grabbed the basket with his other. "Let's go talk to Marshal Carrie, or whatever his name is, I heard that he has a junk pile with some tires." Owen looked down at his wife with loving eyes, he was remarkably proud of the way that she was taking control of the situation. Owen went to escort his lovely Ginny in the direction of some neighbors when he heard Robin's foul mouth. Surprised at this sudden outburst, and half thinking it was related to what Ginny had been pressuring earlier, Owen glared at his brother-in-law.

"What the hell are you-" Owen stopped himself, now seeing what Robin was seeing. Owen's eyes grew wide as the pillar of sand grew taller and taller, soon the sun would be blocked and a chaos of wind would engulf anyone and anything without remorse. Owen scooped up the basket that held his precious Wren, and held on to Ginny as he bolted for a building. They won't have time to run all the way home, the storm was moving too fast. Robin's voice rippled through the town and almost instantly women began to scream, and children began to cry. Dust was in chaos once again. Owen frantically, along with a dozen other people, tried to open every door in sight. Everything was locked.

Suddenly he decided that they needed to sprint. Their home was the only safe place for them. At home they had a supply of water and food, and anything that the babies needed. After all, these dust storms could go on for days. "Ginny," Owen said sternly, "we need to run."

With that he took Wren from the basket and swaddled her close to him, he would able to run much faster without that dumb basket in the way. His baby girl was now crying softly now, irritated by the sudden movements. His eyes peered across the chaos. Some people were trying to save their animals and crops, while mothers helplessly screamed for their children. The storm was just beginning to engulf the town and within minutes the whole place would be gone. Owen saw Robin running toward the cloud screaming at someone. Owen stepped forward in a panic, as if to save his brother-in-law. The he realized that the person that Robin was screaming at was Juniper. Owen's heart sank.

"Don't be a hero, Rob."

Owen thought about how those were the same words that Robin had once said to him when they first found Juniper in the wilderness. Shaking his head Owen grabbed Ginny's arm and booked it in the other direction.

View All »Arcs

Arcs are bundles of posts that you can organize on your own. They're useful for telling a story that might span long periods of time or space.

There are no arcs in this roleplay.

View All » Create New » Quests

There are no quests in this roleplay.

Add Group » View All » 0 Factions to align with

Here's the current leaderboard.

There are no groups in this roleplay!

Events

Soon™.

Game Master Controls

Welcome home, Promethean. Here, you can manage your universe.

Arcs

Arcs are bundles of posts from any location, allowing you to easily capture sub-plots which might be spread out across multiple locations.

Add Quest » Quests

You can create Quests with various rewards, encouraging your players to engage with specific plot lines.

Add Setting » 1 Settings for your players to play in

Settings are the backdrop for the characters in your universe, giving meaning and context to their existence. By creating a number of well-written locations, you can organize your universe into areas and regions.

Navigation

While not required, locations can be organized onto a map. More information soon!

Add Group » 0 Factions to align with

There are no groups in this roleplay!

Collectibles

By creating Collectibles, you can reward your players with unique items that accentuate their character sheets.


Once an Item has been created, it can be spawned in the IC using /spawn Item Name (case-sensitive, as usual) — this can be followed with /take Item Name to retrieve the item into the current character's inventory.

Mobs

Give your Universe life by adding a Mob, which are auto-replenishing NPCs your players can interact with. Useful for some quick hack-and-slash fun!

Mobs can be automated spawns, like rats and bats, or full-on NPCs complete with conversation menus. Use them to enhance your player experience!

Current Mobs

No mobs have been created yet.

Spawns

Locations where Mobs and Items might appear.

Events

You can schedule events for your players to create notifications and schedule times for everyone to plan around.

Permissions

Add and remove other people from your Universe.

The Forge

Use your INK to craft new artifacts in A Handful of Dust Remake. Once created, Items cannot be changed, but they can be bought and sold in the marketplace.

Notable Items

No items have been created yet!

The Market

Buy, sell, and even craft your own items in this universe.

Market Data

Market conditions are unknown. Use caution when trading.

Quick Buy (Items Most Recently Listed for Sale)

Open Stores

View All » Add Character » 12 Characters to follow in this universe

Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs
Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington
Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins
Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo
Character Portrait: Dana Clay
Character Portrait: Pamela Clay
Character Portrait: Luke Ripley

Newest

Character Portrait: Luke Ripley
Luke Ripley

"I know you find me attractive, don't lie to me..."

Character Portrait: Pamela Clay
Pamela Clay

"Without rules, this town would crumble."

Character Portrait: Dana Clay
Dana Clay

"We all deserve the freedom to define who we are."

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo
Risalda Enudo

"I screwed up. Don't remind me about it."

Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins
Owen Thompkins

"My family is the only thing I have."

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington
Evanne Luna Remmington

"You leave her alone or you'll get a boot up your ass!"

Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
Rob Braddock

"Let's see if we can't shake things up a bit." [WIP]

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs
Juniper Jacobs

"If there's no telling then no one gets hurt."

Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Ginny Thompkins

"I can't tell him how scared I truly am."

Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Noah Ripley

"Each person will do their share."

Trending

Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Noah Ripley

"Each person will do their share."

Character Portrait: Pamela Clay
Pamela Clay

"Without rules, this town would crumble."

Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Aaron "Sullivan"

There is so much to say, and not enough time to say it."

Character Portrait: Luke Ripley
Luke Ripley

"I know you find me attractive, don't lie to me..."

Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
Rob Braddock

"Let's see if we can't shake things up a bit." [WIP]

Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins
Owen Thompkins

"My family is the only thing I have."

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs
Juniper Jacobs

"If there's no telling then no one gets hurt."

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington
Evanne Luna Remmington

"You leave her alone or you'll get a boot up your ass!"

Character Portrait: Dana Clay
Dana Clay

"We all deserve the freedom to define who we are."

Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Ginny Thompkins

"I can't tell him how scared I truly am."

Most Followed

Character Portrait: Luke Ripley
Luke Ripley

"I know you find me attractive, don't lie to me..."

Character Portrait: Risalda Enudo
Risalda Enudo

"I screwed up. Don't remind me about it."

Character Portrait: Juniper Jacobs
Juniper Jacobs

"If there's no telling then no one gets hurt."

Character Portrait: Noah Ripley
Noah Ripley

"Each person will do their share."

Character Portrait: Owen Thompkins
Owen Thompkins

"My family is the only thing I have."

Character Portrait: Evanne Luna Remmington
Evanne Luna Remmington

"You leave her alone or you'll get a boot up your ass!"

Character Portrait: Aaron "Sullivan"
Aaron "Sullivan"

There is so much to say, and not enough time to say it."

Character Portrait: Ginny Thompkins
Ginny Thompkins

"I can't tell him how scared I truly am."

Character Portrait: Rob Braddock
Rob Braddock

"Let's see if we can't shake things up a bit." [WIP]

Character Portrait: Dana Clay
Dana Clay

"We all deserve the freedom to define who we are."


Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » A Handful of Dust Remake: Out of Character

Discussions

  • Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Most recent OOC posts in A Handful of Dust Remake

There have been no posts in the OOC topic for this roleplay!