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Shirlee Fiala

"Did you know that you can only fold a piece of paper seven times? Shi-Shi bets you didn't, and that now you're gonna try it!" WiP.

0 · 581 views · located in Earth

a character in “Glamour: From Ashes to Wine”, originally authored by Jakuri-chan, as played by RolePlayGateway

Description



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"Shi-Shi knows all about them. If you’re reading this, you know what she means when she says “them”. She knows that you wouldn’t bother reading this unless you knew the truth. Shi-Shi could’ve been just like her mama, and let paranoia fuel her entire life. Let pain rule over her, but she refuses that. People all have pain, don’t they? Mama does, Brooke does, and so does Shi-Shi. But Shi-Shi would rather face all of that with a smile on her face, things never improve if people give into that pain. She won’t give into that pain, just like she won’t give up living her life because she sees them clear as day."
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Name:
Shirlee Marie Fiala | SHUR-lee MAR-ree fee-AH-lah

Nickname(s):
Shi-Shi – A nickname which is more prevalently used than her actual name . . . mostly only because this is what Shirlee calls herself first and foremost. As odd as that may sound, it’s true. Shirlee Fiala is a young woman whom speaks entirely in the third person. Definitely an unusual trait, but an unusual trait is something that can be expected of an unusual girl. The nickname of “Shi-Shi” is something of a dark joke she came up with on her own, as the nickname is a play on the Japanese word for “death”, something she came up with based on her own health history which is not entirely free of problems. . . .
Irl – As weird as a name it is, people have called her this before, pronounced like the name ‘Earl’, Shirlee had a few people call her this instead of her full name shortly after she was found alive in the morgue. Whether this is something that was done out of the sake of feeling affection for the young girl is unknown, it was something that was simply done.
Lee – Perhaps this comes off as an obvious one, but, there has been a few times where people have bothered to call Shirlee ‘Lee’. They opted to use this variant on her name instead of calling her Shi-Shi, as she seems to prefer.
The Ninja – Perhaps this sounds . . . like an odd moniker. Maybe it even sounds generic, but, it’s definitely a nickname that Shirlee has, uh, earned. So, to speak, anyway. This “title” has been unofficially placed overtop of her by her peers in her school, because of her rather odd behavior. People know that she’s an unusual sort, in that, despite her mannerisms and usual persona, Shirlee is rather capable of being sneaky. She quite skilled in creeping about and spying on people while remaining in the clear, after all, she grew up seeing and evading the eyes and attention of the Fae. Her mother tried to instill a deep sense of paranoia into her Sight-bearing daughter, so that it would rule over her always. As a result of that, Shirlee grew up to be a girl who crept about as if she were a shadow. Because of that, she learned how to be a shadow of herself and of others. Shirlee definitely makes good on this nickname of hers, and she’s received it the hard way. People have learned that she is not at all what she seems, she’s a capable little trickster and oddly deceptive down to her appearances.
Seeress – A name not so much exactly applied solely to Shirlee, but rather, this is a name that is applicable to all the women in Shirlee’s family history that happened to have inherited the Fae Sight that runs within their blood. For an immeasurable amount of time, for more generations than regular records have been kept, Fae Sight has existed in the Fiala family. It isn’t as if Shirlee is an anomaly, people have existed throughout all of history who have had the Sight like her. Shirlee’s family specifically was one of the ones which never failed to produce another successor of the trait with every new generation, no matter how far the family spread or how thin the blood ran. The Sight has never failed to appear within one or another at some point. Shirlee is just its newest bearer. As with most cases of Fae Sight, it’s something that is within the blood, within her family specifically.

In regards to the Fiala clan precisely, the Fae Sight haunts them to this day because as far as a millennia ago, a Fae fought love with a human man, and the result was a child of mixed blood who eventually came to successfully intermingle with humanity, and passed the ability of Fae Sight down the line to Shirlee. Those in an earlier age took advantage of their Sight, and used it to aid those who were plagued by Fae mishaps. So known did these women become, that they became known as the “Seeresses”. As it turns out, Shirlee is just the newest of the bunch, though none of the Fae would yet know this, after all, it isn’t like Shirlee is making her ability to see the Fae public knowledge, given what happened to her mother when a rather temperamental Unseelie discovered her Sight.


Role:
The Believer

Age:
Sixteen

Gender:
Female

Nationality:
The Fiala family can trace their roots all the way back to central Europe, when they were once widespread. Back during those times, the Fiala line could’ve been apply called a clan with no debate about it. The truth is that, at one point, there were so many different lines of the family carrying the Fiala name spread across Europe as a whole, that Shirlee’s actual ancestry and whatnot couldn’t be properly identified. All that is certain is that somewhere within the centuries, the family fell into a dangerous decline for varying reasons, and that only one of the many Fiala families cut ties with their native continent and migrated to America in the last couple of centuries. Though Shirlee has European heritage by her mother’s side, she’s undoubtedly a kid of mixed heritage and is in short, a genuine certified American.

Romantic Interest(s):
She has had some short-lived crushes in the past, but it’s never been anything she’s actively bothered to pursue. Generally speaking, Shirlee has some views regarding the matter of romance and whatnot, although considering her overall personality, they might bit come off as entirely too much of a surprise, or maybe they would, given the odd amount of thought put into them. . . .

Sexuality:
Heterosexual | Demiromantic
Given that most everything about Shirlee is just plain odd, it probably doesn’t come off as too strange that she herself holds some odd views and desires in regards to romance. Shi-Shi is a girl who is oddly open when it comes to discussing her sexuality and her potential plans or wants for the future, even with the whole Fae-Sight in mind. Suffice it to say, she is a girl who is straight as a ruler, and that fact is blatant. However, despite this, Shirlee has never so much as been out on one date. While she’s been attracted to several different guys, she’s done what is atypical of a teenage girl, never once has she acted on her attractions. Not once. Some people assume that this might even be because Shirlee is actually shy when it comes to matters of romance, but that’s not true at all. She is not the least bit timid when it comes to the opposite sex, but really, she’s actually refraining from acting on something as simple and as shallow as physical attraction due to a deeply held desire of hers that is actually naïve and childish given her upbringing and her life.

Shirlee is more than aware of the fact that there exist within the world, Fae and magic . . . and though she knows better than anyone that Fairies and such are nothing like the happy-pappy kiddie fairytales, she still possesses a want to have a romance that emulates that of a fairytale. She wans a technical “fairytale” romance, so to speak. It isn’t love at first sight that she wants, rather, she wants something deep. In a word, she wants to find her personal “Prince Charming.” This is something she won’t deny if she’s ever asked about it.


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"She looks human enough, when it comes to Shi-Shi’s appearance, she never knows what anyone wants her to say, she just looks how she looks; like a person."
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Height:
4’10”

Weight:
75 lbs.

Hair:
Midnight Black
There is no two ways about it, Shirlee has hair as dark as the night sky that deeply contrasts with the rest of her features. Her hair is something she inherited from her mother, in terms of color, texture and type, Shirlee definitely has her mother’s hair. Both women have long, silky black hair that is straight as a board but still thick and full. Shirlee’s mother keeps her hair long now because she no longer has the ability to see what it looks like, and thus, just lets it grow whereas Shirlee herself has ensured that there is at least some semblance of style to her hair. That being said, her hair is cut into a rather simple style commonly called a hime cut in Japan. She has bangs which have been trimmed even and straight, they fall just above her eyes while she has two strands of hair that are pulled in front of her ears that are cut to end right above her ribcage whereas the rest of her hair falls short of her hips.


Eyes:
Orchid Violet
That which makes her with the ability to see what others cannot, eyes of an inhuman color which reflect their inhuman nature. Eyes the color of vivid purple such as these are not something normally seen among humans, not naturally anyway. They are something that Shirlee inherited from her mother, who once had the same eyes as her daughter. They are something which any Fae-Sighted Fiala comes to possess, any babe who is born with these violet eyes will see beyond Glamour and Fae trickery without fail. Easily, Shirlee’s eyes are the most stunning feature she possesses, as well as the most noteworthy.


Description:
Simply put, she is a tiny thing. Always has she been, probably due to her less than perfect health as a child, has Shirlee been the smallest of the bunch. In truth, her height is utterly pathetic, though it borders on the line of what can be considered “normal” height. Really, she’s sixteen and doesn’t even break the 5’ mark, really, her lack thereof size is almost laughable. Shirlee’s height isn’t exactly considered average anyway, just that it isn’t considered to be ordinary at worst. It doesn’t matter how you view her though, Shi-Shi looks like a child, from height to weight, and given that she’s midway to being seventeen, you think she’d have developed some more of a figure this point then just having this itty-bitty little waistline that just transitions into what are supposed to be called hips. At least, you’d think she would have something more vaguely reminiscent of one than that, but, no. In all truth, Shirlee is built like an ironing board for all she lacks. Frankly, she’s a tiny, near-figureless girl, and while there is a technical term to describe her build, it does not do justice to the injustice that is her body.

Shirlee is a dainty little girl who is bony. You can see her ribcage right through her skin, her joints are blatant, while her arms and legs look like toothpicks. Her hands and feet are even somewhat lanky, her fingers are long and thin while her feet are rather angular.

Pallor and very lightly toned, Shirlee’s skin is such a shade that it can, at times, make her look sickly due to how ashen certain sorts of lights make her appear. At times, her very light skin almost can seem translucent, so light that the bluish veins beneath become more visible than they should.

Simply speaking her face is rather cute, plain as that. Though free of seeming too thin or anything to be of sharp features and such, her face possesses a sort of childish look to it, in line with her body being seemingly unable to progress and age beyond the physical appearance of twelve, it is sort of round due to a bit of baby fat remaining upon it. Despite this though...Shi-Shi appears the part of a cute girl.

As far as things go, Shirlee is really cuter than she is strikingly beautiful. She’s not ugly, but really, she looks an awful lot like a child, but the air she gives off makes it obvious she is not one. Her hair and eyes are enough to catch attention despite her body build. Honestly, she has no build, well, she does but it’s barely there, and you can only see it if she’s wearing a really rather clingy shirt. Her figure is barely worth mentioning, she’s utterly flat chested, and the only way you can even tell she has something of a build is by the fact that there is a very slight transitioning from a tiny waist to bony hips. Other than that, she’s just an ironing board as discussed earlier. Shirlee does nothing to show off or to hide what little figure she’s got, so don’t expect to see baggy clothing from her or to see revealing clothing.

Normally a silly smile is kept on her face. She tends to carry a rather innocent expression upon her features, in truth, she doesn’t really seem like she’s within the realm of reality most of the time when you get a good look at her face. She tends to look . . . dreamy. But, this just goes hand-in-hand with her personality, though naïve and innocent looks are common upon her face, it’s also true that smiles are just as commonplace as well.


Preferred Clothing:
Layers, skirts, leggings and button up tops, slip on boots. . . . Shirlee loves to dress up casually, but keeps an air about herself that shows off her natural personality and eccentric ways.

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"Shi-Shi’s broken, or that’s what they try to tell her anyway~ She knows she’s not normal, but anyone who comes from her family and is born with the Fae-Sight can never be normal . . . normal’s boring though, so Shi-Shi doesn’t mind being “broken”, as they say."
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Personality:
✩ ENTHUSIASTIC ✧ FRIENDLY ✩ PEPPY ✧ STRAIGHTFORWARD ✩
She’s a frenzied, clingy, and rather complex young girl. Shirlee has been a rather peppy young thing for the last several years, always bouncing off the walls and talking incessantly about topics people might not care about in any way shape or form. First impressions can give you the idea that Shirlee is a strange girl who has no respect for others, that she is a person who is airheaded through and through and possesses no common sense. She babbles and babbles often, at times just going on about subjects that really are not of any significance to a situation or just talking about random things or spouting off random facts she knows. You could almost say that talking is one of Shirlee’s hobbies, but then, that might just be silly. People are often unsure if she’s manic, if she has ADHD, or if she might be a bit crazy. . . . The latter is terribly possible considering that she’s grown up seeing horror after horror what with her Fae-Sight. Yet, if she is crazy, she’s the sort that seems to be aware of it. . . .

Seemingly, she seems to be a girl who has little regard for other’s wellbeing and emotional state since she never seems to be paying attention, often acting like she is off in her own little world or like she’s imagining things . . . again. The words that come out of her mouth when she’s like this can be harsh, and rude despite her sounding so cheery while speaking. First impressions make her seem airheaded, thick-skulled and kind of like she’s an utter idiot, or maybe that she REALLY has an extreme case of ADHD due to how out of it she seems most of the time. In most moments, she’ll begin to babble about the most random of things that have nothing to do with the current conversation, like she’ll just begin to talk about how awesome doors are while everyone else is talking about something ĂŒber-serious. She might even just spout out random factoids she knows.

Topping all of this off, Shirlee also speaks in the third person, always. . . . She addresses himself by an almost cutesy sounding nickname too. Honestly, she seems to be an immature child who never ever grew up. Here’s the truth though, Shirlee is actually a lot smarter than most people think she is. Even if she babbles a lot and acts like an idiot at times, she’s oddly perceptive and simply prefers to act as she does instead of being all stern and grown-up, she finds maturity to be boring and dismal. The fun in life is to be had when you’re acting like you want to, and not like you have to. Besides that, she spent the earlier years of her life learning how to be a “shadow” by the will of her mother. The early days of her childhood were dismal, like the days of perceived adulthood. One particular day, Shirlee decided to step out from under the shadows she’d been willed to become a part of, and took to the sun, emulating it. This was against her mother’s wishes, however, given that Shirlee was privy to seeing the unseen and knowing things that could land her dead if she was found out by the wrong sort of Fae. . . . However, Shirlee found herself unable to live as her mother wanted. This led her to choosing to live as she wanted, and her becoming as she is now.

Shirlee lives her life now like she’s making up for lost time, and in a way, she might be. Given that her early years were rather lonely and isolated due in part to her mother’s understandable paranoia, Shirlee never really got to be what one could call a kid, or ever really understand “happiness” as most do. In the current years of her life though, she seems to be almost overflowing with optimism and happiness.

To say it honestly, Shirlee’s greatest asset is not her intelligence, while she’s far from stupid in the traditional sense; Shirlee’s heart is where her strength lies. Shirlee is not afraid to lay down her life for her beliefs, or to protect another. She is not afraid to do whatever she feels she needs to do for something, she knows she can do most anything, even if her effort isn’t initially enough for it, she knows that if she works at it with all she’s got, that over time, she can accomplish what is seemingly even impossible. Even if something seems as if it were a fool’s errand, utterly impossible, Shirlee’s not afraid to work at it and for it. Really, Shirlee is the kind of person who is not afraid to charge in if someone is in danger. She’ll protect them without regard for her own safety; say if someone fell overboard during a storm whilst on a ship, Shirlee will’ve gone ahead and literally dived into the fray without thought and save them while officials might still be discussing what to do.

Shirlee’s heart allows her an incredible amount of empathy for the world and its people. Her heart is where her strength comes from, where her ability put forth so much effort originates. Shirlee has this ability to understand people on a level few can, she can sympathize and understand others who might even be her enemies in strange ways, even if no one else can. This is something that allows Shirlee to understand people, even going to far as to not think of another as a bad person, but knowing so, just as someone knows the moon will always hang above in the night sky. As strange as it is, she’s this way even with the Fae she never interacts with on a face-to-face level.

Simply, Shirlee is a person who is bright and positive toward people and the world, she’s someone who strives to help people, and is willing to put her all out before her and work for something. She’s willing to help others to a fault, so to speak, in that she utterly puts her regard for others before her own. Even if there are times where Shirlee can be selfish, more oft than not, she acts before she has a chance to think, to even be selfish. If Shirlee is not given a chance to think, she merely jumps into the fray fearless. She is, in a word, brave and quick to do what feels right. She’s not the type of person who waffles around; she’s not someone who’ll dwell upon thoughts and such. When she is confronted with something, anything, and she is given a choice, she doesn’t decide, rather she “acts”. Shirlee came to a conclusion some time ago in her life regarding how she would always be, she realized that thinking wasn’t always her strong point, that making choices didn’t necessarily suit her, so instead of thinking, she would “act”, and act as her heart guided her. In a way, this is how Shirlee is brave, she simply doesn’t think about things when they are happening right in front of her, it’s a simple as just, “I’ve got to do this,” that is it.

Given how Shirlee is, it might be too apparent to say, but she’s a rather talkative lass who is quick in her attempts to befriend others, she’s a girl who enjoys the company of others and she’s very personable. Even if she’s a bit dull-witted at times, she’s a girl who believes in the bonds that come to be between people; friendship, love, family. . . . Bonds are things capable of bridging gaps between distances, time . . . Shirlee treasures the bonds she establishes. Some people write Shirlee off as a hyperactive, lack-witted imbecile who is naïve, and incapable of understanding anything, but really, Shirlee is simply a good person, someone who possesses a strange and honest personality.

She is perhaps the oddest, most genuinely honest person anyone might find themselves meeting. Given the world that she was brought into, there’s no doubting the fact that Shirlee is very different from most. She’s an awkward young lady who is always just trying her hardest at life, and living through every little bit of it with a general smile on her face, nothing ever getting her down. Even the path ahead of her is shrouded by darkness, Shirlee still walks forward, ever seeking the light . . . and if worst comes to worst, she’s not afraid of illuminating the path on her own if she must. She is willing to become the light in the dark if she has to.

In truth, Shirlee is a girl who is warm, eager, and optimistic in all aspects of her life. She’s alive in a world that is full of opportunity and chances, and she in turn is a passionate soul who is willing to put forth all the effort she can in order to do whatever it is she’s decided. The eagerness that Shirlee carries within her is powerful, therein lays an honest lust for life, and all it has to offer to her. So genuine is this that it can rub off on others, motivating them or even inspiring them, Shirlee’s personality is a contagious one that helps people to begin burning as bright as she does. Life to Shirlee is a special gift, and with that gift she’s been given, she uses herself and all she is to enjoy it and to help others. She strives to make the most of her life, and given the enthusiasm Shirlee carries for life, she’s a person who is capable of talking herself in or out of most anything. The sincerity in her voice, the frank manner in which she addresses any and all people is something which possesses the power to sway even the most cemented individual.

Although she can seem arrogant due the certainness she has in her own mindset and way of seeing the world . . . that could not be more of a lie. She is a very modest girl who views herself as being a completely average individual, no better than anyone else. Human life is significant to her in all forms, everyone is important; she is above no one and below no one. In a way, she can seem as if she is solitary due to the fact that her outward self can be caught in-between her joking and her more serious side. It is true she does like being alone sometimes, but Shirlee enjoys being around others a lot as well. She is an amicable girl who likes the company of people.

No matter how it is that she acts, in the end of it all, Shirlee still is just a teenager. She’s kooky, weird, not always the most mature of people, and she sometimes speaks without thinking; in the end of it all, a lot about her is ordinary when she’s placed in an ordinary situation. If she’s just walking down the street, then, she’ll act like a normal young woman would. Yes, she jumps the gun a lot at times in some of the more extreme situations she gets placed in, but, she’s just normal at the end of the day! She thinks about things normal teenagers would be thinking about. Her mind sometimes does take things the wrong way, she can find second-meanings in things people say, giggle madly at these while trying to cover it up—she can be selfish, immature and weird too. But, what can you expect from her? Under everything, she’s just that . . . a normal girl who has some extraordinary traits within her that show when the time calls for them, and maybe sometimes when they aren't called for.
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Oddities:
✩ Third Person’s Perspective – She speaks in the third person religiously, no joke, there is not a time when she can be found referring to herself as ‘I,’ she addresses herself as ‘Shi-Shi,’ and even in regards to other people, she uses third person pronouns as if whom she is talking to is not even there.
✧ Ditz or a Secret Genius? – It’s kind of impossible to tell if she’s a genius or if she’s really stupid sometimes. There are instances where she might spout out this astounding idea, then the next second she might be distracted by something shiny . . . seriously. She can go from one extreme to the other so fast that it’s not easy to tell what she is.
✩ Irrational Fear of Aliens – Despite the fact that she can see horror upon horror and the worst the Fae have to offer and not even flinch . . . and yet possesses a phobia of aliens, specifically the little green men kind . . . not much more needs said. Despite the fact that she does possess a legitimate phobia of aliens, Shirlee still seems to torment herself by watching programs on UFO sightings, abduction stories and alien encounters, even if this seems almost masochistic, Shi-Shi can sometimes be heard rambling on about how when the little green bastards invade, she’s going to be ready for them.
✧ A Sneaky Klutz – Even with her skills in sneaking around and the stunts she can pull using her abilities, Shi-Shi is, surprisingly a bit of a klutz. If she loses her focus or something catches her attention, she’s liable to lose her balance, begin to knock things over and otherwise make a clamor without meaning to.
✩ Sleepwalking and Talking – She is also a major sleepwalker/talker. She’s often found her wandering around wherever after she’s gone and zonked out for the night, and even after being directed back to bed, she’ll sometimes be found snoozing somewhere else in the morning after waking up. She’s even been found out cold, lying on the kitchen table in the morning. Also, some rather odd things will slip from her lips when she’s like this, no telling exactly what will be said.
✧ The Nicknamer – This probably isn’t so much of a surprise to anyone when they realize that Shirlee has given herself a nickname—she’s got a thing for giving anyone and everyone a nickname. As soon as she meets someone, she just feels an overwhelming urge to figure out a nickname for them as fast as she can, and make it as cute of a one as possible.


Likes:
Sunlight, dozing off in the sun, books, television, people, video games, manga/anime, online roleplaying, warmth, plush toys, the color red, flowers, animals, sweets—especially cinnamon, soda, breakfast foods, having fun, sleeping, reading, cooking/baking, being outside, music, coffee/energy drinks, making people smile, singing, good food, and playing jokes/pranks on people.

Dislikes:
Darkness, pain, blood, seeing others in distress, death, math, when things are too serious, UFO/ghost stories, boredom, thunderstorms, spicy/bitter foods, silence, science class, being alone, when people fight and many, many other things. . . .

Fears:
✩ Neilasoparophobia – A definite silly fear to possess, but one nonetheless. Shirlee is actually terrified of the prospect of aliens existing and invading. Mentions of them or UFOs even jokingly is enough to elicit a rather shady look from Shirlee who usually can be seen with nothing more than a smile on her face. When she was younger, she checked out this interesting looking book from her school library about alien abductions, needless to say that was a bad idea since the whole ordeal ended with Shirlee hiding under her covers with every light on in the house.
✧ Brontophobia – She can’t stand loud noises or thunder. Something about it has always just scared the ever-loving daylights out of her. Most people out grow their fear of thunder as they get older, same goes for loud noises, but Shirlee hasn’t. Though the girl can see the Fae and all sorts of monstrous things, she still fears loud booms that are completely unexplainable and otherwise harmless. Typically if it starts to storm, Shirlee will freeze up and almost seem to turn to a statue
✩ Aquaphobia – Though Shirlee’s fear of water isn’t so bad that she out rightly avoids being hygienic, but larger and deeper bodies of water like lakes bother her if someone expects her to go in it. She doesn’t mind walking along the banks or the shores of a water body, but she doesn’t like the idea of having to go into water that is deeper than her knees, namely because she doesn’t know how to swim.
✧ Claustrophobia – A relatively commonplace fear among people, Shirlee does possess a fear of tight and small spaces. The idea of getting stuck in a small space is terrifying, she likes open spaces.


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"There are a lot of things Shi-Shi can and can’t do. But, that’s like everyone isn’t it?."
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Skills:
✩ Quick-witted and Deceptive – Despite her hyper-activeness, Shirlee is surprisingly clever and quite the little capable actress, able to make herself seem rather frail and helpless when she’s anything but. If she has to enter a sticky situation, she never goes in unless she’s fully prepared and thought of every single potential outcome.
✧ Bizarre Cuisine – Cooking; one of her creative outlets in which she has some talent for. She tends to make some pretty weird sounding foods that look scary, but for some reason tend to taste good. Those who are about to sample her food for the first time might be scared by what is put in front of them, but anyone else who had been brave enough to taste her food before knows that it’s always good, weird as hell, but good. She’s also apt at baking as well, this means she often will be making sweets, like cakes, cookies and other such things.
✩ Ninja-ing – She’s a freaking ninja, or she might as well be. Shi-Shi has some weird ability to tail and sneak up on people without them knowing about it until she decides to let them know she’s around. These ninja-like skills of hers also entail her to sneaking into places she’s not supposed to be—she gets bored. It’s also not out of the question for her to use this skill to sneak glomp other people.
✧ Human Physiology – Also, she is gifted with an odd knowledge of human anatomy, she knows all of the pressure points on the body, and is completely able to use this to her advantage. Shirlee’s small size makes it hard for her to fight if someone is bigger than her, so often times she’ll just move in with her ninja skills and hit an opponent on the desired pressure point. She knows how to inflict a massive amount of pain to a person without threatening their life, how to temporally paralyze a person’s limbs, how to knock someone out cold in fifteen seconds and she also knows how to make it appear someone is dead for a short period of time. Even though this knowledge can be used for malicious purposes, Shi-Shi more often uses it to calm people down, or to make them feel better if they are in pain from an injury or some sort of ache. However, if someone screws around with her friends, and this comes to her attention . . . expect her to put this knowledge of hers to rather sinister uses.
✩ Personable - People reading; of all the things you’d think be beyond her . . . she’s oddly apt at being able to understand people and their emotions, such as if someone is feigning an act of happiness or trying to play it cool about something, if she so desired, she’d be able to call people out on what it is she’s sensing and thinking, however, she does not do this and instead chooses to silently take note of it.


Weaknesses:
✩The Cutesy – Even if it might seem like something so stereotypically feminine, there’s no denying the fact that Shirlee does have a weakness for things that are all around adorable. Even if something called a “monster” is cute, you can expect her to lower her guard, if she even has one, and go over to play with it, even in the heat of battle.
✧Edgy Temperament – Sayingit simply, this is Shirlee’s greatest weakness. She’s slightly reckless and also a bit insane when it comes to combat, as well, it’s easy for her to lose her cool if someone she cares about is messed with, as such, when she does fight, she becomes unpredictable and it’s hard to control her—in truth it’s almost like someone is unleashing a feral animal if she becomes angered during a fight, it’s quite strange to see a usually energetic, happy young girl act so much like a wild beast. When it is that she becomes like this, there seems to be no stopping her in truth, and she fights and fights until it is that she just is so injured she can’t go on. . . . So, yes, this is a weakness.


Powers/Abilities:
N/A

Weapon(s):
Shirlee has never once had any sort of formal combat training, she’s only sixteen and given that her mother was always extremely protective and overbearing of Shirlee as she grew up for understandable reasons, she has no idea how to fight using anything conventional, so, basically Shirlee, if she has to fight, just uses improvised weapons.

Fighting Style:
She grew up learning how to move and live like a shadow, that much extends out to her fighting capabilities. She has no training and hasn’t had much need to ever find herself in a fight before. However, the few times she’s found someone trying to reach out for her or moving against her, she’s found herself fleet of foot. She’s quick to dodge blows and strikes out at random. If she really has to get into it, expect her to fight like a wild animal.

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"Put a quote from your character here about their family, history, or race/culture."
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Species:
Human

Family:
ANSWER HERE

History:
ANSWER HERE

Other:
ANSWER HERE

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So begins...

Shirlee Fiala's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Shankara
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There were things she’d always seen and would always see, horrors and wonders alike. During the short time she’d trekked upon the Earth, she had found herself coping and adapting to her surroundings quicker than her mother could have ever known or understand. Once upon a time not so long ago, her mother had wanted her to live life as if she were a shadow of a shadow, to live in constant fear and paranoia because of what it was her eyes allowed to see that no one else could. For the first years of her life, she’d lived like this, peering around corners and always looking over her shoulder in mock-fear and caution of the supposed-to-be invisible monsters and creatures that humans called the Fae. Since she was born, she had always been able to see these beings. The Fae-Sight was something written eternally into her blood, and into the lineage of her family. Each new generation always brought with it, a new girl-child whom possessed the Sight the same as her mother before her. Shirlee was just the newest inheritor of the ability, and though she refused to live as a shadow’s shadow anymore as per her mother’s wishes, she still knew well enough the dangers that would be posed toward her if ever her secret was ever reveal. . . .

After all, her mother paid that dear price herself. Even with that in mind, Shirlee just couldn’t ever bring herself to live life so falsely fearful, though she did indeed pay mind to play the passive ignorant human, she wouldn’t live like she had something to hide. Should she act as if she had something to hide, the Fae and people in general would otherwise come to assume that she did indeed have something to hide. It was better to live in the open, and to live life as if she were completely normal without pause. So, that’s what she did, and that’s why she so adamantly worked to convince her mother to finally relinquish her iron grip on her and allow her eldest daughter to finally attend a proper school for the first time in her life just two short years ago.

It was hard to convince her mother that she would be fine out in the wide, bright open world where there were few shadows to dwell within. . . . But she’d managed when she raised a big enough stink with her mother to finally get it through to the now eyeless woman that she, Shirlee Fiala, could live among the Unsighted masses and never raise attention to herself among the Fae which were interspersed among the throngs of everyday people. That first day Shirlee stepped out the door of her home to attend to a real school; that was the first time she ever managed to smile so widely that her cheeks hurt.

Though her life had since been what most average, normal adolescents would call mundane and utterly tedious, Shirlee herself called her everyday a wondrous happening and a blessing. For her it was amazing to just walk freely in the sun, even if she had to act the part of ignorant to all she saw, it was wonderful in its own way to just be able to talk and walk with other people without having to act with false caution. The last two years of her life had been what she would consider heaven. . . . .even the times when she would spot within the groups of children and teenagers at her school the random, stray who Fae who’d either raised their Glamour to blend in, or who made themselves invisible so that they could silently observe and do whatever it was Fae did while thinking themselves so utterly unknown.

Though she could very well feign the role of innocent, oblivious adolescent in regard to any Fae presence which lingered within the vicinity, as was the case of today, Shirlee found herself at times glancing about the room, making it look as if her attention was as distracted as ever it was while her eyes peered through the magic that Fae thought made him/it/they undetectable to the class of dour, bored-stiff students. He’d been there all day, the entire morning, and though she saw he looked more human than some Fae, she couldn’t doubt his inhumanity because, well, he was floating . . . which was something humans did most definitely not do without some means of assistance.

Mrs. Irving had handed out a pop quiz earlier, much to everyone’s dismay and annoyance, the act was met with groans and many sighs of protest right when it was that haunting Fae had slipped his way into the room. It was about that time that Shirlee had come to notice, among many of her classmates, that an air of unease and anxiety settled in upon the room, though both things were typical of a class undergoing a pop quiz, the level of which was higher than usual, enough so that the students all twitched wordlessly and looked about in a manner most antsy. Of course, such behavior was not unusual for her herself, but for most others, it was most out of the ordinary. It was something she did not give much regard toward, however, as she merely went about her business in taking the test, only peering up and around off and on to give a look toward that Fae. . . . The day otherwise went on as normal, minus the fiasco with the flag falling off the wall and knocking the white board off one of its screws. Though the other students were abuzz with conversation to distract Mrs. Irving, Shirlee herself had gone uncharacteristically quiet what with that lingering Fae still being there.

The day went on like this, with hiccups and flubs occurring all around the room; everyone was chalking it up to an off day. A few classmates had come over and asked Shirlee if she was all since she’d gone so calm and quite as opposed to usual, so she answered them with her biggest smile as ever and declared she was completely fine right before she heard it.

Shirlee went still when she heard an unofficial declaration of battle sound out from the skies, thunder roared and the rain began to beat against the window pane. A surge went through her of course, as soon as she heard the thunder, she hated it and all loud noises alike. But like everyone else, her sight was drawn outside, her violet-eyes looking out toward the world, her desk right up against an old wide, window. And what she saw approaching was enough to make even her breath hitch.

It was enough to make her ascend to her feet so fast that her chair fell backward from the force, her hands went against the glass in front of her as her eyes widened as much as humanly possible and all she could do for the moment was blink. There . . . were so many Fae—so many things. Creatures as black as ink that moved like and unlike shadows. She couldn’t could how many of them there were, they moved in succession so inhuman that they all seemed to blend together as if one creature. This was not . . . what was going on, she could not speculate. Shirlee failed to realize that she had not been breathing for the passed several seconds when it was Mrs. Irving called out to her, asking her in her teachery-tone why she was looking out the window so.

“Well, Miss Fiala, would you care to enlighten us with what is so fascinating about an autumn thunderstorm?” the lady’s arms crossed over her diaphragm as Shirlee took in a shaky breath and looked over to her, her attention caught.

Fae-Sighted though she was, she was the only one of them all that could see the Fae below them for what they were, for the creatures that her classmates needed to fear. She couldn’t explain to her teacher or to her classmates anything, they’d write her off as utterly crazy of course. . . . “Shi-Shi is sorry, Mrs. Irving, the thunder startled her. She doesn’t like thunderstorms much,” she lied with an honest timid tone lacing her voice. Though she had told a lie, the sentiment was genuine. Fear wasn’t something that visited her often, but now, it did with the sight of so many inhuman creatures below.

Her head turned upward instinctually, the Fae that had been there that morning was gone, having probably left when everyone had gone to lunch. There was no sense in staying in an empty room, unless, he was a part of whatever was about to begin.

Another of Shirlee’s classmates had gotten to their feet as well, and were peering out to the school grounds below, his name was Tyler, and confusion went over his face at what was below, though he could not see it for what it really was. So they are hiding themselves with Glamour. Why are they doing this Shi-Shi wonders. The fact that Tyler could see them at all meant that they were allowing themselves to likely look human for whatever motion they were implementing.

“Uh, hey, Mrs. Irving is there some kind of . . . thing going on today? An assembly, a fire drill, or whatever?” Tyler asked.

“Shirlee, Tyler, everyone, please seat yourselves back at your desks so we can continue our lesson. There are no drills or anything scheduled for today.” Mrs. Irving answered with a sigh, finding herself growing slightly irked at her students. “Why would you ask anyway, Tyler?”

The brown-haired boy turned around and looked to his teacher while Shirlee’s own eyes returned at the sight below that only she could fully comprehend. “Cuz, there’s a bunch of random people coming into the school.”

A curious and questioning look passed over the teacher’s face while she moved to the window herself. Even if Shi-Shi doesn’t believe that all Fae are bad and evil, she knows enough to get that a bunch of them gathering so is definitely noooooot a good thing. Mrs. Irving was at the window now, looking out at the sight below . . . only getting there in time to see it begin to unfold.

A campus security guard was the first victim to whatever this was. Blood splattered from him, and before his body could even hit the drenched pavement, Mrs. Irving was already away from the window shouting at her students to get to the floor and under their desks while she herself ran for the door. Shirlee witnessed it in full while it was that those students who’d gotten up from their own seats in curiosity were screaming in horror, terror and anything in-between, quickly ducking to the ground, as per the teacher’s orders. Mrs. Irving had locked the door as quickly as she could, and hit the lights. “Children, this is now an emergency; you all know those lock down drills we did? Well, this is a lock down, and it is not a drill!” she spoke, her voice breathy.

While most everyone else in the class was to the floor, panicked or anything of the like, Shirlee remained still and seemingly calm while still peering below, she saw the tragedy beginning to unfold, she saw the hapless and hopeless effort made by the security guards, each and everyone felled for simply trying to do their job. Everyone around her was panicking, not understanding, or knowing the truth of what was going on below. They all thought that this would be something the police could handle, they thought the people below who were beginning to inflict terror were simple human madmen.

And though one would think that knowing the true horror, the true terror of the situation, that, that would incite one to react with alarm worse than any other. . . . .in Shirlee’s case, this was far from true. Yes, she did feel the prickle that came along with knowing and seeing, as it would always, but it was something she grew up knowing and learning how to control rather than allowing it to rule her. She had to. At that moment, while she stood and looked below, she saw a horrible creature, a Fae, move in the center of the writhing mass of individual and singular shadows, separate, the one in command, it was HUGE, and . . . blue. While most people at that moment, at seeing that sight, would’ve probably wet themselves in terror and dropped, screaming, Shirlee’s face became overlain with an expression of determination, her thoughts drifted to only one thing. Her school, it was a school that taught all grades. Her mother decided that if Shirlee would go there, so would her only other daughter. Shirlee’s thoughts went straight to her sister, to Brooke.

This situation was more dangerous than anyone but her could understand, Which is why Shi-Shi needs to get Broo and get outta here! Shirlee turned her gaze to behind her, looking at all of her classmates who now cowered under their desks, while Mrs. Irving was attempting to console one very frazzled girl in particular. It was stupid, and it could even get her suspended or expelled in the aftermath of all this, but she didn’t care, all that mattered right then was her sister. She had to go for it, even if they tried to stop her, even if she were pitted against those bizarre, horrible ghostlike monsters below, as well as that Oni—Atomic Blueberry as she would now call him. She had to find her sister, she was the only one even in the school who could see these things for what they were after all.

Very quickly, she took in a deep breath, holding it before she turned on her heel and bolted for the door without a word. She undid the lock in less than a second and was out of the classroom, Mrs. Irving calling behind her to come back that instant. Shirlee paid her no heed at all, she moved as quick as the lightning that flickered outside, weaving in-between a few of the black masses which had began to slither up into the top floor of the building, she gave them no thought, no attention, though they noticed her. She focused her thoughts on saving her sister from this mess, from whatever this was supposed to be. It was as she neared the stairwell that she finally let go of that breath she’d taken in, releasing it from her lungs along with her “signature” battle cry.

Shirlee didn’t say it, she screamed it with fierce determination and courage, a loud “BONZAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!” resounded throughout the floor and down the stairs into the next as she put forth her all into one last bit of sprinting before it was she leapt into the air above the stairs, sailing up and above several of the inky creatures that loitered upon the steps. Of course, she braced herself when she hit the wall, and slid partway down it from where she’d made contact, but before anyone could blink she was already moving against it, forcing her legs against the painted brick surface, and launching herself down the following set of stairs below her, again she flew up and above the touch of those things, all the while she thought only of her sister and getting her home. Brooke wasn’t like her, she couldn’t see, she wasn’t Fae-Sighted. She wouldn’t know the horror or gravity of the situation like her.

Shirlee landed on her feet at the end of the stairwell before she began to move with haste again, however, her efforts and movements were halted when it was she nearly ran right smack into someone who was coming up the stairs from below—it was that Fae she’d seen before, the one who’d lingered about in her classroom before lunch.

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Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly
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I wondered, where were you...
when I was at my worst.


Icarus spent his time obsessively switching his illegal police-radio and creeping through buildings like an impromptu burglar slash homeless man, as opposed to actually enjoying whatever life had to offer—today was no exception. However... this time, something was happening. Snatching bits and pieces of rumbling police-talk, Icarus gathered that they were heading for his old school. Keywords were being thrown about with breaks of disbelieving snorts. Supernatural and barrier. They were holing up kids in their classrooms for some undetermined reason. No casualties as of yet, but plenty of promises if they did not obey. He quick-stepped down the sidewalk like a bloodhound, griping the walkie as if it were a lifeline. It was, after all, an opportunity to smooth the bitter wrinkles in his shirt; if only for awhile.

The world was a dirty place to live in—but, he had to admit that the media swarmed like flies to a carcass. As soon as something seemed just a little off, they came from miles away. All prettied up with their vans and trucks and cars, cameras poised like rifles, and dramatic voices rising like an orchestra made up of chaos and hopeful traumas. The kind of catastrophes that would make headlines, and all of this made the perfect entryway for someone who wanted to go inside. Why would someone want to burst into a place where there was possible danger? Because there was something supernatural about this particular phenomena. Apparently, the school's guards couldn't make it into the classrooms. A magical force field of some sort. They couldn't explain it, actually. Police radios just said force. Some kind of force. It was enough to send him running; hand-held radio gripped in one of his hands. Coincidentally, Icarus knew the school well. He should anyway. He did graduate there, after all.

He took a deep breath and dipped between the gates, furthest away from the sirens and gathering horde of nosey civilians, red-faced cops, and nosier press. All eager to get a glimpse of the things he'd been screaming about for ages. Monsters, ghouls, empty-eyed demons. The things he so desperately wanted to destroy. Sick things that went bump-in-the-night; made up of his worst nightmares. They didn't know what they were dealing with, but he did. He scooted closer to the building and pressed his back against the bricks, old book bag still strapped to his back. Of course, they'd be scratching their heads at the barrier, wondering how to get in, or negotiating with whoever—no, whatever—that was skulking about the school grounds, holding people hostage. Holding human beings hostage. He wouldn't allow it. Not this time, not when he could do something about it. Icarus hunched lower to the ground and inched towards one of the back doors; an emergency exit. Good enough for him. Turning the doorknob and toeing it open, he slipped inside, unimpeded.

It led into one of the staircases, now-empty. He hunkered down beside the railings and swung his book bag onto the ground, sifting through it until he found his mask and tomahawk. Two important items, in his opinion. If the cops did manage to slip through again he didn't want anyone seeing his face, and worse yet for any of those monsters remembering what he looked like. Better to stay on the safe side, at least until he exited the building. He turned the mask over in his hands and grinned. It depicted the age-old oni. Japanese demon used in Noh theatres, and more recently, discovered as real. If those Mares were real, there was no doubt that other monsters or demons or creatures lying in wait existed as well. This particular one was in striking red and cut as a half-mask; golden tusks, rabid eyes. It probably painted an insulting picture, which was intended. He strapped it onto his face, tied the back tight enough so that it wouldn't slip off and took one step down the stairs.

Icarus jerked to a halt and shied backwards.

Ah.


Two students.

A girl and boy. Right below him, facing each other. Hopefully, the boy hadn't noticed him. Facing him as he was. Icarus was on the stairs after all. If he saw anything it would be his feet. He hissed an irritated sigh and glanced up the staircase, then back down. Better to stop and listen to what they had to say. They appeared human, and they might have information as to where the demons were last sighted. Flying blind was of no use to him. And he didn't have Quidel with him to smell them out—better to keep him safe, even if his skin scrawled with the gnawing dread. He shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet and slowly leaned out of sight so that he could hunch down by the end of the stairs, leading up, but close enough that he could still keep an eye on them. He gripped the tomahawks handle, straining to listen.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly Character Portrait: Cordatta Avicii
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#, as written by toajojo
It was not too early, just some hours before noon. At least, from what she could tell. Cordatta looked up to the sky from the depths of her lake. It was hard to tell the time accurately as it was fairly cloudy out. The sun was almost completely obstructed from her view. With a slender finger she tapped the bottom of the surface. Watching the world seemingly ripple before her. Something did not feel right about today. It felt off. Well, to her at least. She rolled her shoulders. It faintly felt as if there were other fae in the area. Her lip curled, but she could be imagining it. Why would there be other fae in her city? Other than the more common fae like household Brownies, and on occasion the random fae that passed through. Those, she could deal with.

She looked up to the sky one last time and released an exasperated sigh. Honestly, she really was not feeling up to going out today at all. And she would not if she did not already have a previously planned engagement. After all, today was bound to be a slow day. It was a weekday so children were at school and adults were working, and it looked as if it were going to rain. If they did not have anything to do, a normal person would not even be tempted into leaving their home.

Alas, Cordatta had a date scheduled for today. Even if it were storming she would not miss it. She took a deep breath and small smile crawled onto her lips. This would be her first date since Lukas left. It had taken her quite sometime to get over him, but now she was officially back in the game. She would not admit it but Lukas managed to make her lose confidence in this whole endeavor she had been working towards. It had gotten so complicated. For a brief period she was not even sure if she wanted to keep trying. That was only temporary though.

Raising her hands Cordatta lifted them out of the water and rested them on the surface. With a huff she pulled herself up to the top. There was no one around at the moment so she did not have to worry about anyone seeing her in her natural state. Stretching her arms out over her head, she let out a loud yawn. Bringing her hands down, she twisted her long hair and brought it over her shoulder, pulling the water droplets out of it, she let them fall back into the lake along with the rest of moisture that clung to her body. Rolling her shoulders, she walked from the center of the lake to the shore. The water rippling beneath her with every graceful step. Shutting her eyes briefly Cordatta willed an aura of Glamour to cover her and hide her indecent state of undress. In the human world, public nudity was frowned upon. The idea took her quite sometime to wrap her head around at first, but now it was second nature.

She rather liked choosing out clothes to. . .'wear'. In fact, she had planned out her outfit for this date the previous night. As she set foot onto the surrounding land her eyes adjusted to see the Glamour cloaking her small figure. Allowing her to see herself as the humans would. Today she opted for something simple. A Fall outfit. Black skin tight jeans that showed off her athletic legs tucked into a pair of light brown ankle boots. The latter giving the illusion that she was a good two inches taller. Her baby blue button down shirt was only tucked partially. Right in front at her zipper of her jeans. It was one of the new trends she had noticed. Not tucking your shirt all the way was quite hipster it seemed. Cordatta was honestly unsure of what the word meant completely, but she was willing to go with it for the sake of fashion. To top it off, she had a yellow orange scarf wrapped loosely around her slender neck, it complemented her eyes. Walking to sit on the nearby bench, she waited for her date, braiding and re-braiding her hair all the while.




It was an hour and a half before he arrived at their designated meeting place. Checking his watch to make sure he was not running behind schedule or anything. In all honesty, he was five minutes early. He had wanted to get there before his date to make sure she would not be waiting for him. He wanted this to be perfect for her. “Uh, h-hey Datta. Y-you weren’t waiting long were you. . .?” He stuttered nervously, glancing at his watch again.

Cordatta smiled reassuringly up at him. He was so adorable. A few weeks ago she had decided that her type was now the awkward geeky type. “Of course not Bradley. I just got here too.” She lied easily. She had been sitting there for almost two hours, braiding her long hair over and over again. Though, she would not hold that against him. He was right on time. Pushing herself up from the bench she wiped the nonexistent dirt from the back of her pants and stepped in front him. He was even innocent enough to blush lightly at her sudden closeness. She smiled inwardly to herself. “So, what did you have planned for us?” She asked him sweetly. The boy adverted his eyes and stuttered something before taking a deep breath to recollect himself.
“I-I was thinking maybe a-a movie and brunch.” He told her. Deep down bracing himself for any snide remarks or sounds of dissatisfaction. He had not been on many dates and was definitely still a novice compared to his date. He just hoped she would not be disappointed with anything. He. . .Really liked her. “That okay?”

“Yes!” She assured him with a small laugh. Bradley let a small, sheepish smile escape his lips before quickly turning on his heel to lead the way deeper into the city. Cordatta easily fell into step with his strides. Walking on the only slightly busy sidewalks of the downtown area, Cordatta could feel their hands brush. She was not sure if it were an accident or not, well, knowing him it was most likely the former. She did not care. Without a moments hesitation, she grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers. Smiling to herself because she did not even have to look at him to see his fervent blush.

It was not long before they made it to the theatre hand in hand. The light dusting still adorning Bradley’s cheeks made Cordatta feel strangely prideful. The fact that he was attracted to her, and she was at the forefront of his mind was clearly obvious. Just the way she wanted-- needed.

Bradley glanced at his watch and was pleased that they were just in time for the film. Today was the first day it came out in the threatres so it was bound to be packed. He looked down at his shorter counterpart. “Data, our theatre is number four. I’ll get the snacks, you choose our seats?” He suggested. Cordatta pursed her lips in thought for a second. She never liked being separated. Too many things could happen in that period of time as life had shown her over, and over again. She painted on a placid smile, pushing down her undeniable unease.

“Sure!” She chirped. Reluctantly she detached herself from him and waltzed into where their film would be playing. Cordatta chose a pair of seats quickly near the middle of the room and sat down. She was realizing why he sent her in first. From what it looked like more and more we're piling into the room at an alarming rate. They would not have been able to find a seat together if not. She bit her lip and scooted back in her cushioned chair. Sitting on her hands, she tried to contain her shivering. Why was it always so cold in the theatres? She was always, naturally a very cold person whenever she was not in her element, but being in there was taking it to another level.

Bradley arrived soon after. Popcorn, soda, and junk food piled high in his arms. Cordatta could not help but smile at his own enthusiastic one, albeit shakily. He sat down beside her and watched the screen excitedly as the movie began, sipping his Coke. Glancing at Cordatta, he could notice her concealed quivering. Immediately he shrugged off his coat and passed it to her, which she accepted gratefully. Quickly she pulled it on and wrapped it tightly around her. Ah. It was so warm, and real. She snuggled into the young man’s side and trained her eyes on the big screen. He was such a gentleman. She loved it.




When the couple emerged from the theatre about an hour later with a horde of others, it was pouring. Cordatta had known it was going to rain, but had not expected it to with this intensity. And so suddenly too. She flinched as the boom of thunder cut through the air. The chattering around her silenced for a moment before returning full force. Bradley turned to her quickly and began to zip up the oversized jacket he was letting her wear. She watched him wide-eyed and curious as he pulled the zipper to the top of the trench coat’s collar, effectively covering half of her face. “Sorry, I did not even think to bring an umbrella. Ugh. Now it is storming and we’re going to be soaked. Wear my coat, it should keep you at least somewhat dry.” He told her and yanked the large hood over her head. “Sorry again Datta. My apartment is closer, um. . .do you mind waiting out the storm there?” He asked hesitantly. A blush coloring his cheeks. He hoped she would not take that request the wrong way.

Cordatta smiled softly at his hesitance, of course she did not mind. In fact, everything was going along smoothly. The storm was not such a bad thing it seemed. She shook her head, the action was largely hidden by the high collar and hood, but Bradley managed to catch a glimpse of it. He smiled awkwardly to himself, grasping her small hand, he took off in a sprint. Cordatta let out a carefree laugh that was swiftly swallowed up by the pounding rain. How romantic was this? The two of them running through the rain, him desperately trying to get her someplace dry. She laughed again. It was somewhat ironic as she was a water fae, but sweet all the same.

As they raced past block after block, Cordatta’s mirth began to fade. A feeling of tension returning. Though, this time at least four times worse. There were more fae in her city. That was for sure. A deep scowled etched itself on her dollish features. There were multiple it felt like. She tightened her grip on Bradley’s hand and he abruptly stopped, staring at something just ahead of them. Crowding the street and blocking their path was a mob of people. Civilians, policemen, and news crews. Bradley, seemingly over the surprise of the multitude of people in front of them began to slowly but steadily muscle a path through the crowd. Determined to get to the other side. Cordatta allowed herself to be pulled through the immensely large group. Though her senses were heightened to the extreme. She could feel their presence. She craned her neck to actually look at and register where they were. The school. Why were the fae gathered at the school? She did not know, but she figured the worse right away.

Feeling a wave of determination and anger well up inside of her, she wrenched her hand out of her date’s grasp. She was not going to let them harm her humans in anyway. Summoning her Glamour to cloak her entire presence, she became invisible to the average eye. Hopefully Bradley would just think they had gotten separated by the rowdy people surrounding them. She slipped through the people in her path and made it to the force field encircling the building. Frowning, she placed both of her palms on it and walked around feeling for any weaker areas.

After Cordatta felt around the perimeter for what felt like an eternity, she finally found what she was looking for. Focusing on that spot, she pushed through the barrier steadily. Upon entering, she stumbled due to the lack of resisting pressure. Looking up, she froze. Finally seeing who was trespassing on her self-claimed territory. And, it was a lot more fae than she ever expected. A trickle of fear seeped into her heart. 'W-why?'
She wondered apprehensively. There were so many of them.

She mentally tried to count them, but was quickly overloaded. It was like an army. Her eyes darted around taking in the different fae and frantically attempting to catalog them. These fae were not of the Seelie court, were they? She took a nervous step back seeing a group of Mares. Not willing to waste anymore time she hid behind a wall of the brick building. She hoped none of them saw her. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to collect her thoughts. Prior to this, she had caught wind of the apparent Unseelie rebellion, but never gave much thought to it. Unconcerned if it did not affect anyone inside of her Monkeyshpere.

She needed to stick to the shadows. She tucked her bright, snowy hair into the black trench coat she was wearing. How was she supposed to sneak inside inconspicuously? There were groups of fae guarding all of the major entrances and exits. She could break into a window, she supposed. Though, the action would attract more attention than she would like. She could not very well gather the children to safety with Mares and other various fae swarming them.

Cordatta bit her bottom lip anxiously, when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A slightly ajar emergency exit and a shadow disappearing into it. She crept towards it and peeked inside, watching the figure creep down the almost empty staircase. She furrowed her brow and followed behind him silently, it did not seem as if he were a fae she figured to herself as he pulled out an mask and placed it over his face. She tensed as he pulled out what seemed to be an axe. Were students allowed to carry weaponry in their backpacks? Anyway, it was not safe for him to be there.

With hushed footsteps she inched towards the boy hunched on the staircase. Flexing her fingers, she shot her hand out. Seizing the boy’s wrist so he would not be able to lash out at her with his blade. Closing the distance between them effortlessly, she brought her lips to his ear and harshly whispered, “Huma--Child." She caught herself. "What are you doing? You must escape, it is unsafe here.”

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Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly Character Portrait: Hylas Arvanitis.
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Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Douglas Baines Character Portrait: Shankara
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Everything was bad and nothing was okay.

A large, booming shout that echoed through the top floor corridors and even further down to the stairwell Shankara was floating over reached his ears and sent the hair on the back of his neck on end. He stayed there, momentarily frozen as he heard footsteps approaching, loud and clear. He had to wonder who might be approaching, what kind of creature, or monster really, with those vocals, was coming towards him at such a speed with such a warrior's call. With baited breath, he waited, silently listening in on who it could be that crashed through the Mares that had already reached the upper parts of the school and were barreling through them so fearlessly. And then, he spotted them as they-

They nearly crashed right into him.

Shankara barely spun out of the way, tripping over his own feet--which was quite a miraculous feat considering he was mid-air and not even using them--and dropped to the ground, landing on the stairs and bouncing down the steps he'd already passed until he tumbled to the second floor, where he laid there, dazed and confused and slightly intimidated. When he bothered to raise it head to see who it was who'd nearly trampled him down, he was stunned to find that the only one in his immediate line of sight happened to be a simple human girl. She had no distinguishing features, nothing particularly special that would make her stand out in a crowd.

Getting to his feet, Shankara decided that if he were to give this girl a piece of his mind, he would need to do it appearing as a human rather than glaring at her in his invisible state and hoping that his negative vibes would eventually wear down on her over a period of time. He remained grounded, letting his glamour work to mask the marks over his eyes, his eyes themselves going from glimmering gold to an average autumn brown, and his hair, while originally white from the lighting, going black, and remaining that way. He stormed up the stairs to reach her, but just as he got to her side, he paused, any words of vile or insult dying on his tongue and drying in his throat on their way up. He was very suddenly reminded that he had no people skills whatsoever and that chewing out this absolute stranger of a human was the equivalent of throwing himself into an active volcano and hoping he wouldn't get burned. "There's no way this could possibly go wrong."--some stupid person somewhere, probably.

In the end, the beautiful formation of his words ended up coming together to be, "I'm lost." It was nothing. It was meaningless. Immediately, the self-hate settled in and his mind was a whirlwind of insults striking straight towards his self-esteem that he was sure, as he made haste to bury them down, would all come back later to haunt him.

Trying to gather the vomit that was his thoughts, Shankara decided that maybe, this was not the right situation to be fretting over his lack of people skills, or his initial intent to snap at her for nearly causing him to have a concussion. Something was coming, he knew. Something far, far worse than those who had already arrived, an insurmountable gathering of fear all composed together in one tight, enclosed area that would surely lead to the school collapsing in on itself with the people, and himself, inside. It was a sixth sense, really, a sensation that went past the Mares that he knew were already wandering the corridors and individual rooms of the school. It was almost like a tugging, or rather a switch flipped to warn him of the oncoming danger. It wasn't the exact same as the chilling, deep-rooted unsettling sensation that came whenever the true King of the Unseelie Court came anywhere within the vicinity, but it was similar. It was much, much too similar.

"You shouldn't be here," he finally managed to say, his teeth threatening to chatter out of his gums. "I shouldn't be here. Oh god, nobody should be here! What am I doing here?!" Why he ever decided to stay when he knew the school and its occupants, which he was now one of, were in danger, was beyond him. He saw the storm clouds crowding in like an omen for bad things to come and he'd still thought to stay, as if he, of all fae, could do anything to help the situation. Him! The Natural Disaster! What a joke!

But there was this girl, the only human he could see around who wasn't trapped in a classroom or being chased by the Mares (yet). Perhaps he could do something with her, for her. Narrowing his eyes and forcing the ants crawling under his skin to calm, Shankara tried to focus on the situation at hand before it got out of control (which he knew for a fact that it certainly would). "Listen, listen. Bad things are happening. You can see that right? Of course you can see that. You don't look blind to me." Blah, nervous. "Anyway, anyway. What I'm trying to say is, we can't stay here. You uh- Those things down there will tear you- us!- apart, limb from limb, like, uh," a pause, "like alligators! Those are real right? Yeah, yeah. Like those giant lizard things that live in swamps. They eat people. Those things down there eat people. Similarities."

Realizing he was rambling, Shankara took a moment to pause, scrubbing his face and groaning. "Wait, wait, that isn't what I meant to say. What I mean is, we should do something. I mean, right?" He looked to her as if asking for a way out, an excuse that would tell his consciousness that he should just leave. Shaking his head, he moved on. "That was rhetorical. Forget it. The answer is: yes! Yes, we should do something. I have ideas." He held up a single finger, frowned at it. "One. I have one idea. We kill the one causing the bubble blocking the school--you saw that right?--and make a run for it. Everyone else should be good to go from the-"

Before he could finish, a gathering of Mares swarmed over their heads, as if just realizing their existences for the first time. A part of Shankara knew he'd wasted their time by standing there talking instead of running, which was the only smart choice, but the rest of him feared what the Mares might do despite him being fae. They obviously weren't biased.

Rather than continue their conversation, Shankara grabbed the human girl's hand and dragged her down the stairs with him, leading a small hoard of Mares along after them. He tripped out of the doors and out into the courtyard, where the sun was shining through the storm clouds that were already beginning to pass. When he realized that trying to run was probably a futile effort, Shankara spun back around and pulled the girl in front of him like a shield, grabbing her shoulders and ducking behind her form, which was smaller than his own, as if to silently say "Take her! Not me!"

But when nothing happened, he risked peeking past his human shield to the doors of the building they'd left, seeing the Mares hovering inside where the lighting was dim. They seemed to hesitate, the lot of them glowering at Shankara and the girl through the glass windows embedded in the doors, before swirling back around, apparently deciding to remain inside the building instead of chasing them outside where natural light occurred.

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Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly Character Portrait: Cordatta Avicii Character Portrait: Hylas Arvanitis.
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We are the nobodies...
wanna be somebodies.


Straining to hear anything from his vantage point proved difficult because of all of the commotion filtering in from outside. There were footsteps clomping up and down the hallways overhead and the steady, howling wail of police cars outside the perimeter of the school cast the entire area in a skin-prickling unease. And here he was, hunched down at the top of the stairs like a burglar, waiting for any sign that these schoolkids were exactly who he believed them to be. If they were anything else, he'd have no choice but to strike them down—monsters hardly deserved to breathe the same air as humans did. He had seen enough of those black things to know that they could take other forms.

Or else, make you believe that you were seeing something or someone familiar. How could you fight something that wore different faces? Things that could cast shadows across the world you believed was real, only to drop you into darkness. He stifled his shaking hands, gripping his wrist briefly before leaning forward.

So intent on the kids below that he hadn't realized someone had stalked behind him. Quiet as dormouse, or something equally silent. He might've been impressed if it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't afford being caught. A coolness shivered across his wrist. Slender fingers wound themselves as quick and strong as a snake—the analogy held up, because he only had time to react as soon as the person whispered in his ear, almost as if it had been the wind slipping in from the door he'd left ajar. Icarus flinched against the iron railings, eyes wild behind the mask. Who? Initially, he thought a cop might have come through, having seen him slink in while he had his back turned. But he was wrong. This was no cop. He exhaled in disbelief. Thin, feminine; female. Why couldn't he pull his arm away? He tried jerking his arm from her, but it proved ineffective. Child, she'd said. Who was she to call him a child? A teacher, maybe.

No.

“Escape?” His voice lowered to keep from being discovered by anyone else, though his eyes narrowed to slits. The remnants of fear bubbled just below the surface of his voice; a fight-or-flight response he understood well enough. It kept him alive, and supplied him with enough energy to run when he needed to. Now, it only made him feel as if he were overflowing with paranoid, unspent energy; and since he couldn't move, his options were slim.

“I'm supposed to be here.” His fingers tightened around the handle of his weapon, growing white at the knuckles. Instead of trying to pull away from her, he leaned forward until his mask was inches from her face and grinned, even though she couldn't see it, even though he found nothing amusing. “Let go, lady. I'm trying to save people here.” Muffled, and ringing with intentions, untruths. He might've been there to keep people from suffering the same fate his parents had, but he would've been lying if he denied wanting to make himself feel better.

Icarus pursed his lips when he heard footsteps drawing closer, coming from below. In vain, he pulled again. Too many people now. People or monsters, he wasn't sure. And if he wasn't sure, he wasn't safe. From what he'd seen so far—none of those dark things were around, or else, not in this direct vicinity. He figured they were holing themselves up in the classrooms, or the gymnasium; whichever space was large enough to hold the most students. He supposed he could be wrong. He'd never considered them smart, just cruel. If he was right, then two directions were available, and he had to choose one; quickly.

His thoughts whirred like a broken record, aching on one desperate sentence: let go let go let go, and he tried to clench his teeth hard enough to keep them from chattering out of his mouth. Being stuck here felt as terrible as teetering on the edge of a windowsill, because they could be watching and waiting and slavering like hounds, ready and willing to tear them apart. Couldn't she understand that? Of course not. Of course, who else could see the things he'd seen? They had their eyes closed to an entire world he wished he'd never seen. Adults, teachers, random ladies who followed him through open doorways. Unnaturally strong ladies.

He tsked and dropped his axe, arching his eyebrows, as if to say fine you win, let go. And then, he saw them. From his peripherals, slinking on the ceiling like slimy denizens of the dark. Arching and crawling until the two students fell out of sight. It was enough for him to bristle like a kicked cat and recoil towards the lady, fingers twitching. It all but consumed him, threatening to steal away the nerve he'd built up after so long. After hunting them this far, and now, they were here. Just down the stairs: beasts, quiet as the dead. His voice dropped; acidic and ripe with fear. He had no time. No time left to play around—

“Let go, or I'll kill you.”

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She had managed to force herself to stop right just in time to prevent herself from running into him, into that Fae. He was coming back up the stairs—more like floating back up the stairs. Shirlee herself jerked to a steady halt, remaining stilled and upright with no notable issues, unlike her Fae . . . companion of circumstance, so to speak. Silence lingered upon her person, she said nothing, thought nothing and did only what it was she did best in situations like this, when it was she was face to face with a Fae, merely, she focused all her attention upon her Sight, absorbed all it could offer her. Yes, this was that same Fae who’d lingered within her classroom for some time earlier that day, seemingly just observing them, the human students of her school as some Fae did occasionally. His eyes were gold, and his hair white—no mistaking him given that. Shi-Shi wonders if he’s not a part of all this . . . he has been haunting the school all day—perhaps he is a stake-out?

The girl’s thoughts wondered as she remained still, and stone-faced, simply staring down the flight of stairs at the Fae who had managed to trip up midair and go tumble downward onto the cement and tile steps below. Even Shirlee couldn’t help the slight flinch that overtook her face at the sound of hitting that hard surface—it was something she knew well from experience, after all. When it was that the inhuman creature finally came to a halt on the stairs below, on the second floor, he looked upward from where he laid, seemingly confused, Does Shi-Shi see some anxiety in his eyes? Could she had scared him? Certainly he had heard her earlier battle cry, her declaration of war upon these Fae and creatures which had declared their own war on her school. It wasn’t as if humans willingly busted out into the fray of situations they couldn’t fully wrap their heads around, and, it wasn’t like any of the Fae on campus at the moment were yet privy to the fact that she was Sighted, that she could see through their trickery and devious magics.

Certainly, she was an anomaly, she had just launched herself overhead those inky, shadow creatures which writhed as if they were all one. . . . The light-haired Fae was glaring up at her, likely angry that she had almost run into him. Is he going to wonder why Shi-Shi stopped like she did, and managed to keep herself from plowing into him?

It was at this point that she noticed it, a faint shimmer overlain him, before it vanished into air again, leaving him looking as he did before to her. That shimmer however, was something she recognized well, it was something she could see through without any issue or fault, the Fae had shifted and made use of his innate Glamour, likely making himself look human so that he could reveal himself to her without giving up his secret. Shirlee herself crossed her arms over her chest and took a more casual stance for the moment, while it was the Fae managed up to his feet, looking irate and irritated, while she herself just maintained a . . . nonexistent expression. A few times, she blinked, while Fae-boy stomped up the stairs, Shirlee knew well the expression he carried. He was going to try to go on a tirade toward her, if that was what he wanted, then so let it be, when he finished, she would bolt off again and go look for Brooke, to get her out of this . . . mess, this attack, this, whatever it was.

No matter what manner of Fae this boy was, it didn’t matter to her, the fact alone that he was trying to use his Glamour to disguise himself as a human to her meant that he wasn’t going to exact nameless, attempted unseen revenge against her—which quelled a few doubts that Shirlee possessed about him. If he was a part of this whole mess, a part of the Faevasion, then he wouldn’t be showing himself to Shi-Shi in any form. That much meant that he was at least a neutral enough party in this. . . . However neutral a stray, hapless Fae could be, of course, even with the slightly negative aura that he seemed to carry.

Shirlee simply stared at him, he at her side, while it was all anger or trace or irked expression was lost upon his marked, undeniably inhuman face. She stared at him with her usual wide-eyed expression, letting him go. This was how you wanted to handle Fae, just let them be till they were done with you, well, that’s how it went in casual situations. The notion which travelled across his face though, was one of misperception, realization that maybe he wasn’t so sure of himself anymore? Shirlee waited though. . . .

Until finally he managed out some bungled up words, definitely not what, what she’d expected to hear from him, or really, any Fae. It was a sort of timid, ”I’m lost.” and, that was it. Shi-Shi just blinked, her own mind a bit . . . perplexed at what the Fae had just said to her. Lost? Did Shi-Shi hear him right? Did a Fae actually just tell her that he was lost? Well, that definitely settled it. This guy really was just some stray, hapless bystander of a Fae who’d gotten wrapped up in whatever was going on at the moment, no different than anyone in the school. Oi, poor weirdo.

Her mouth opened, as she was ready to say something to the Fae, to get on with her pseudo-rescue mission to save her sister, Brooke. But . . . it was then that something travelled through her, some sort of strange unsettling chill, a sentiment laced with toxic fear that sent chills through her small body, it was enough to silence even her. Shirlee’s eye widened a bit, her face became even more pallor from the shock and the false weight that the vibe sent through her, while her mouth remained slightly agape. That was new, totally new. Not once in her short life had she ever felt something quite like that. Her violet eyes traveled over to look at the Fae next to her a moment, by the look on his face, she wasn’t the only one who’d experience that sentiment. Even he’d been affected by that. That’s enough to tell Shi-Shi that something’s coming, that whatever’s coming, it doesn’t discriminate between human or Fae. A tiny gulp came to be from her at that.

It took a bit of a swallow to calm her heart, which at some point had started to try to beat free of her chest, before Shirlee realized that the Fae was talking to her again, definite terror lining his voice. “You shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be here. Oh god, nobody should be here! What am I doing here?!”

She’d uncrossed her arms, and locked away that toxic sensation from before, that fear that’d been artificially instilled in her by that unseen, far away force. Whatever that was. Control, she had to stay controlled for now—she had to be ready to fight to Brooke, against the Atomic Blueberry below, and those shadows---Ink-babies. She’d fight through them and get her sister home to Mama. Lightning flashed again, and Shirlee jerked her head upward, to look out the nearby window above. The clouds in the sky seemed to start to stir, as if they were brooding. Something was definitely coming, for what reasons and why, it didn’t matter.

“Listen, listen.” the Fae-boy started again, causing Shirlee to look at him. “Bad things are happening. You can see that right? Of course you can see that. You don’t look blind to me.” Shi-Shi can see far, far more than Fae-boy knows. “Anyway, anyway. What I’m trying to say is, we can’t stay here. You uh- Those things down there will tear you- us!- apart, limb from limb, like, uh . . . like alligators! Those are real right? Yeah, yeah. Like those giant lizard things that live in swamps. They eat people. Those things down there eat people. Similarities.”

Could he be more awkward to the fact that he wasn’t human? She knew he was a Fae, okay, of course she did, but, had she been some ordinary human girl, who did not possess the Sight, no doubt she’d be questioning him in total for now, wondering if alligators were real. . . .

He rubbed at his face with a guttural groan before continuing on his rambles again, “Wait, wait, that isn’t what I meant to say. What I mean is, we should do something. I mean, right?” he looked at her as if he were doubting himself, his own already twisted Fae sense of morality. This caused one of Shirlee’s delicate eyebrows to raise, a bit flabbergasted by the fact that a Fae was suggesting doing . . . something? Did he mean to try to help the students of the school? Odd. “That was rhetorical. Forget it. The answer is: yes! Yes, we should do something. I have ideas.” he held up an index finger, “One. I have one idea. We kill the one causing the bubble blocking the school—you saw that right?—and make a run for it. Everyone else should be good to go from the—“ he stopped talking and before he did anything, Shirlee already knew why.

Her gaze was cast upward before anything, and above them there’d amassed a gathering of the Ink-babies. They had to move, pronto! Shirlee was ready to move before the Fae had even bothered grabbing her hand, pulling her along down the stairs right after him while it was those shadowy wraiths gave chase, writhing so unnaturally as they did. She had no time to think about what it was the Fae-boy had suggested, killing whatever was causing the barrier around the school. She had no time to think on any of it, to even consider or bring herself to care about it—the Ink-babies, whatever they really were, they weren’t biased. They were intent on not just getting her but even attacking a Fae. . . ? Shirlee’s eyes opened as widely as they could, and even though she moved along, aimlessly guided by the Fae who grasped onto her hand so desperately, going down the stairs and through the building, her body began to tense instinctively as something within her began to crack apart and her composure and her mindset began to rearrange herself at the realization that whatever was going on did not just affect humans it seemed.

Whatever force guided the monsters, those shadowy wraith-like creatures, it did not distinguish between Fae, or human, it cared not for anything, save for itself and its own likely twisted goals and aims. Shirlee knew what her mother would think of this, she would command both herself and Brooke to hide away in the dark again, to become the shadows she tried to raise them as. Her mother would flee from this in fear, completely understandable fear. Brooke would listen to their mother because she never knew better, she could never See like either of them could. She was completely normal. . . . But, Shirlee wasn’t like her mother or like her sister.

A look settled over Shirlee as it was she and the Fae-boy were finally out of the building, himself tumbling forward onto the pavement of the courtyard. Shirlee did not follow suit, she did not speak, did not move when the boy had finally let go of her hand after finding the safety of the outside. Without a sound though, she moved, turned around a glare etching itself over her usually pleasant features. Her aura had even shifted, seemingly at least twice her diminutive size. The realization that this . . . whatever it was, that was attacking her school, was not bias had caused a flutter in her heart, a sway in her thoughts and goal, moving away from just rescuing her sister. A sentiment of anger, and bitterness swelled within her quickly, along with a desire and an urge to end all of this, to drive out these Fae which seemed not to care for anything, even their own kind. They were commanding the Ink-babies to even attack their own kind. It was bad enough that they were attacking innocent humans, but to even turn on their own kind. . . .

There is no way in hell that Shi-Shi is going to stand for this. She is not going to stand by while this happens. She was human, and, the matters of the Fae world did not concern her even if she could peer beyond the Glamour and disguises of it. Well, that was how it was supposed to be. But, the Fae world had just come and interjected itself into her world, into HER life without so much as a “How’d you do?”

Shirlee glared at the shadow wraiths that hovered and lingered within the doorway of her school, refusing to come out into the light it seemed while it was she felt the Fae-boy behind her grab onto her shoulders, and duck behind her, opting to use her as a shield against the hesitant Ink-babies. Shirlee’s form and frame shifted to accommodate it, but she remained relatively rigid, not caring, not questioning him or even this invasion anymore. No part of her was even remotely curious about why it was happening, why it was going down—she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was to end it. So it was that her hands tightened into two little balls at her side, fists so tight that her knuckles shown white.

This was not her world, this was not supposed to be her business. . . . But she’d decided upon her course of action, damn it all, she was making this her business now. She was the only human here who could see, the only one who could see the sides, the innocent, the guilty, and the bystanders. She was the only one who was without bias—so she would be the one to strike the blow to stop this insanity, no matter what it took. She was going to do this, not only for Brooke, but for everyone innocent involved.

Fae-boy was peeking over her shoulder to look at the Ink-babies as they reluctantly slithered back into the safety of the school building, obviously scornful of the light.

This was when Shirlee finally moved of her own accord, brushing the hands of the Fae off her shoulders and stepping away from him in a fluid motion that bespoke of her determination and fearlessness toward the situation at hand. Shirlee looked upon him, her violet colored eyes as obvious as ever as she took in his nonhuman form. To make him aware of Shi-Shi’s Sight, or to have him remain in the dark. . . ? she asked herself. For whatever the reason, this Fae, this bystander of a Fae, wanted to resolve this situation—even if he was hesitant to do so, such a willingness to do so was abnormal, to say the least. Shirlee didn’t entirely know what to make of that, she didn’t know if it meant she could maybe . . , entrust him with a secret like hers, the fact that she saw beyond and knew him as a Fae like those who were attacking her school now.

If he was willing to try to help everyone then. . . . Shi-Shi is going to take a chance. If he still wanted to work with her to bring down this insanity, then him knowing that she could See, that was probably better than him not knowing, because, he would know that she saw everything for what it was al ready and yet was still without fear. “Strange, she finds him.” she started, “Like Shi-Shi, he’s an anomaly.” Shirlee pointed at him, already knowing that her third person way of speaking could confuse people easily. “Shi-Shi knows already what he is, Fae. She knows that who she looks at is not human, even though he might disguise himself as one to fool her, to lull her into not being afraid of him considering all that is going on around, the other Fae which are instigating this attack.”

To her side did she again drop her arm, stopping from pointing at him, “Shi-Shi saw him, floating about in her classroom all day before lunchtime. Watching and idly observing. He thought he was invisible to everyone, but he wasn’t to her. She also saw him again while she was lunging overtop the Ink-babies and heading down the stairs, even though he still thought himself invisible, Shi-Shi stopped when she shouldn’t have had to, or thought she had to. Even right now, he still must think that he looks like a human to her human eyes.”

Shirlee let herself remain quiet a moment, letting what she was saying sink in, she wondered what he was going to do. “She knows though, that he is not a part of this attack. He made claims of wanting to help, to stop it. If he still wants to, Shi-Shi will assist, but he should know that she does not fear any of these other Fae—already, she sees them for what they are. Even the Atomic Blueberry—the oni. If she runs into it or any of the other ringleaders, Shi-Shi is going to fight them with everything she has, he can hide if he wants to, but he should know that she won’t hide.”

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Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Douglas Baines Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly Character Portrait: Kodak Character Portrait: Cordatta Avicii
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The skies were at odds. Rays of sun fighting to break through the shadowy overcast, only to have those same darkening clouds encircle and strangle out the offending beams. Warning growls of thunder rolled through the heavens, like an animal crossed. Even those few areas touched by these golden havens were quickly consumed by fog. The haze grew thicker with unnatural speed, slowly engulfing the whole city. The anxious crowd which had gathered around the police barricade grew disconcertingly quiet, and the local PD were not much better. No demands were given, no orders issued, and still no idea what in the hell that barrier even was. Worse yet was a presence on the horizon. Some unknowable dread which seeped into the bone, making hairs stand on end.

Something wicked this way comes....



The smell of salt rang heavy in the air as the gulls cried in complaint. The plodding, sobriety-challenged footsteps of a local homeless man trekked down to lay his withered body by the docks. He groaned and murmured about the faults of his life, taking another deep swig of misery to cure what ailed him. A dry, cracked hand reached out for support, gripping tight on the old wood post separating him from a quick dip. His leaning turned to a slothful slide as he found himself laying against it, drinking deeper of his spirits only to find that his cup had run dry. Yet the bottom of another bottle searched, and still no answers.

With a disgruntled groan, he cast the offensively empty bottle at the waves and the wall of mist from whence rolled in. The dread shiver of cold came wafting from the waters, making him pull tight his coat. The old man was all but ready for another dreamless sleep, when he heard something splash in the waters. It was light, mind you. Like a fish, but.... not. It wasn't the noise, but the silence that followed which set him on alert. The gulls had fled, the winds had died, and the city went mute. He learned over, to peer into the abyss. Some part of him feared of something down there peering back, and it was....

The water was a bright crimson in color, like something biblical in nature. Slowly his hand dipped in, only to find this was not blood but... slimy. Algae. It was red algae, and from what he could make out through the fog, a whole sea of it. Splash. Another sound, made like thunder against the eerie silence. This.... was not natural. The old man couldn't explain why he feared it, only that he did. It was like he was born to fear this, like some form of predator was eyeing him down. His heart raced, his throat went dry, but nothing happened. And for the next several moments, that was all there was, a big nothing. Nothing except that feeling of dread.

It came in a crack of thunder, like a canon from the sea. An explosion of movement and sounds, as this hulking form leapt from below the waves. It's sound, a Godless mangle of calls, like the death cries of several drowning beasts. On four shattered, jagged hooves it tried to stand, staggering and waving about like a freshly birthed fawn before finding it's own strength. No skin, none save a thick layer of that bright red algae from the sea. Black mollusks pierced out of it's musculature. Stained bones grinning back at him from it's horse-like head. And atop it's back.... No, from it's back, a lifeless cadaver of horrible proportions. Limp, gangly arms dragged the ground, it's upper torso slumped against the horse-like head. This wretched thing looked like something you'd expect to see in a medical museum, pickled as a fetus in a glass jar.

But there it stood, and began to move. Like a corpse reacting to an electrical surge, it's massive limbs twitched before rising of their own free will. The body had gained life, grasping at it's face in pain and letting out a horrible screech. The hellish cry increased in volume steadily, higher and higher, louder and louder, till it threatened to deafen the old man. It'd peaked with a ear-piercing scream, grabbing at the kelp-like mane of it's steed with a strong yank, causing the beast it rode to rear back in pain. Finally it settled, the head of the rider lolling forward like it's neck lacked the strength to hold it. It rolled and twisted, till finally in heart-stopping swiftness, it was staring straight at him. It's eye.... That blood red, burning eye of this damned thing. It Hated the old man. He could feel it. Hell, he could see, taste, smell, and hear it. Every sense he had screamed at him that this thing only wanted him to End.

Pain shot through his left side, immobilizing him against the ground. With one of those ungodly arms, it reached out and point straight at him. His breath caught in his throat, his lungs hyperventilated. All he could do was stare back it it's canid-like head, as the edges of his sight darkened. He gasped and choked, till finally his body gave up. A mercifully blackness spirited him away from this place, from that thing. The Nucke.... That name echoed as the last thought he had. The Nuckelavee.... was free....



Orders came in for the choppers clogging the sky to RTB, the fog making it hazardous to negotiate through the city. Their air support gone and their snipers blinded by the wall of fog, all the police could do was hold the line and wait for orders. Brass was treating this as just an everyday hostage situation, but anyone with eyes could see this was far from normal. Just what in the Hell was that thing? A force field? Was this some kind of military technology? How did these psychos get their hands on it? And what did they want with these children?? People were getting restless, mostly parents wanting to know what's being done to save their children. But the quiet.... that was the worst. It was recent, too. Like things outside this city block just dropped dead. There was a frigid stillness in the air, thicker than any haze.

In the distance, it sounded like a horse's whinny. Everyone, and I mean everyone stopped to look around. The popular question quickly became "what the fuck was that?", as people just stood there scratching their heads. One cop, a rookie holding the back corner of the forward barricade.... he caught sight of it first. A large, looming figure which seemed to materialize out of the fog only a few yards from him. It galloped on horse-back, or so he thought, before it's arms rose up. What.... he thought, before he realized all too late that it was mere feet away. It's gigantic hand scythed straight through him, rendering him nothing but a grisly stain. It rode straight on, a headlong charge for it's objective. Before the masses could react, it's hand plunged into the hood of a squad car, gripping the metal mass by it's chassis and Frisbee-tossing it into the back lines of the police perimeter. Several were caught by the flying wreckage, either being trapped or crushed beneath it. Gunfire started, and the crowd went berserk.

The law enforcement didn't know who or what this new hostile was, only that it was large, and by God was it fast. The damned thing had completely disintegrated the entire rear or the police blockade and slain three news crews before any of them got a bead of it. And even then, something just off. Their guns kept jamming, and even the ones still operational just would not remain docile, jerking around erratically whenever the trigger was pulled. Hailstorms of lead flew everywhere, even into the scattering crowds of civilians. The remaining film crews too stubborn and idiotic to leave without their scoop struggled with malfunctioning equipment. Whatever this thing was, it just refused to show up on film. A few stray rounds punctured the gas tank of their van, and even though such things simply don't happen in the real world, the entire vehicle erupted into flames.

The creature made a bee-line for the force field, but was finally cut off by a police firing squad. Letting loose with automatic rifles and riot shotguns, the thing reared back screeching and covering it's face. A storm of bullets pelted it, tearing through it's flesh and splattering that red slime everywhere. It hissed and shrieked and barked, before finally going limp against the ground. Was it.... dead? There was a moment of unease, weapons trained on the corpse. The look of the thing was..... It couldn't be real. Nothing like this should exist. One officer stepped forward hesitantly to confirm the kill. He couldn't help but look at it's one, empty eye socket. The other, overtaken by some meaty mass. It got closer, step by step, till he was right up on it. The barrel of his shotgun inched forward, nudging the horse-like skull.

The fire came back to it's eye. It glared at him. It Hated him. The arms of the Nucke came alive again, clamping around his entire upper body like a sprung bear trap. It's claws pierced into his back, stabbing all the way through his chest cavity and out his sternum. It made him watch. He couldn't look away. With the most horrifying sound that no human being should ever hear, it pulled it's hands apart, tearing the man asunder. The gunfire resumed in force, but this time to no effect. High caliber rounds tore right through it's meat, and it didn't even flinched. It just trotted calmly up to the barrier, crushing a squad car under it's weight. It stopped just at the glowing field, bullets impacting against it and the barrier itself. The Nucke took a long, rasping breath, inhaling deeper than anything that size should.

There was a pulse in the air, like that sickly breath you get right before you start turning green. The veins which spider-webbed it's whole body swelled to disturbing lengths, ready to burst with it's thick, tarry blood. The foul ichor surged to it's system mass and up it's neck. Putrid black spittle dripped and oozed between rotting teeth. It reared, spinning around with new purpose. It howled, torrents of black fumes spewing from it's mouth like dragon's fire. The Reek, churning from the Nucke with an otherworldly sentience. It covered everything, chasing victims down like a plague of locusts zeroing in on a target. Anyone who could run, didn't make it far. Anyone who couldn't, well.....

What was once the busiest part of the city was now a ghost land. No live soul dared go back. The Nucke turned back to the barrier, it's burning eye meeting the witch on the other side in a chilling lock. She knew her Lord had sent the beast, but then why did it eye her so? What did this meeting of eyes fit that shared between a wolf, and a hare? It's claw dug deep into the barrier, surprising her. It's hand pierced through entirely, the light of the barrier being mired by it's corrupting touch. The witch concentrated, trying to keep it from tearing through. Summoning the best of her will, the barrier forced the Nucke back. It screeched in anger, lashing and pounding against the obstruction repeatedly, but it held strong. It backed away, before locking eyes again. It's spindly arm stretched out, pointing a clawed finger at her with a menacing hiss.

The message was clear. From this moment on, if the barrier failed to keep things in, it would fail to keep the Nucke out. Fear of life is truly an excellent motivator, don't you agree?

With that, it retreated to the epicenter of the chaos it had wrought, lying down to rest and wait. It's breath became louder, exhaling more of that toxic miasma in thick wafts. The fumes completely shielded it from view in a matter of moments, creeping down the stairs and to the streets. The stone it touched cracked, the steel rusted, paint peeled, tires popped, glass shattered, and the bodies.... Let's just say some things are better left without description. The Reek encircled the barrier entirely, and anything it touched withered away. Silence, awful, terrible silence took hold again, broken only by the ragged breathing heard throughout the block.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Douglas Baines Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly Character Portrait: Cordatta Avicii Character Portrait: Cadence Fiala
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#, as written by toajojo

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shirlee Fiala Character Portrait: Douglas Baines Character Portrait: Shankara Character Portrait: Icarus Brightly Character Portrait: Cordatta Avicii Character Portrait: Cadence Fiala
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#, as written by toajojo
It took a few seconds for Bradley to register the fact that his hand was empty. He clenched and unclenched his hand twice just to confirm the now empty space before he finally had the sense to turn around. Stopping dead in his tracks, he spun around frantically. Eyes desperately darting from person to person in search of his date. Though, by then it was far too late, Cordatta was long gone. Not knowing she had left on her own accord, he jostled through the dense crowd looking for a glimpse of her petite figure.

From the distance a strange sound cut through the air. The large mass of civilians and officers alike quieted down and turned their heads to try to find the source of the sound. Bradley was no different. He furrowed his brow and contemplated on what it could have been. His thoughts being whispered throughout the crowd. 'The hell was that?' He squinted seeing a dark figure near them through the fog. Shaking his head, Bradley took off his glasses and wiped the droplets off of them with his soaking shirt. Rendering himself very near sighted for a precious few moments.

That was all the time it took for chaos to ensue. He heard the unmistakable sound of metal being crushed then all of a sudden their were waves of guns being shot, and people screaming bloody murder. He struggled to put on his glasses as people ran into him hoping to get away. He was confused. What had happened? He stood firm as the others around him went into a panic, his eyes trying to focus on the scene in front of him. What he saw was worse than any nightmare one could ever dream of conjuring. His heart stopped for minute as he pieced together what was occurring. "A-A monster." he breathed into the air. Unable to do anything else as his body was stiff with horror.

He watched the fearsome behemoth face the police force. All the while his mind was in frenzy trying to get him to move. Get him to do anything. 'You need to move. Run. Find Datta. We need to leave.'
Was his silent mantra. It was only when the beast was finally overwhelmed, Bradley began to move. He needed to find Cordatta and get the hell out of there. All around him was a tornado of hectic bodies. A few on the ground, lifeless. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as he meticulously searched for his companion. Hearing a gruesome sound rip through the area and the gunfire continue once more worse than before, his heart dropped and his search became crazed. Why could he not find her. She would not have left without him. Would she?

The thought that she had left him while he stayed behind to search for her tightened his chest. And all of a sudden a renewed sense of urgency hit him like a wave. He needed to leave now. . . Without her. There was not anymore time. He forced his strides to become longer and pumped his arms. Keeping pace with the others who were beginning to flee. When the air around him seemed to become impossibly thick. He tried to push himself harder. Get out of whatever it was, but could not. Neither could anyone else.

The strangely dark smog suffocated him. Bradley gasped for breath and his body slowed. He blinked as the world around him became darker with each passing second and his body collapsed to the asphalt below. He heard others around him, but could not see them. Honestly unsure if the cause was due to his glasses shattering from it's impact with the sidewalk or the fatal murk. Tears filled his eyes and spilled over his cheeks and he heard desperate cries and gasps from others. He groggily clawed at his shirt suddenly feeling tightly confined. And he coughed, exacerbating the burning in his lungs. He was going to die. Closing his eyes, Bradley barely felt the sobs racking through his body. He was going to die.




The boy's sudden flinching startled Cordatta for a second. She had not meant to scare him so. Maybe it was the black coat she was wearing. With only half of her face barely visible, she supposed that could be mildly alarming. Wordlessly Cordatta pulled her hood back with her free hand and shook her hair out of her face. Effectively revealing her feminine features. As the boy attempted to wrench his arm free from her grip, she only tightened her fingers around his slender wrist. Idly noticing sharp contrast between his pale skin and her caramel hand. In the back of her mind she wondered if her hold on him would cause bruises. Hopefully not.

"Escape?" The male's low voice questioned her. She pursed her lips as a crease formed between her thin eyebrows. The wrinkle always formed when she was confused. Cordatta's eyes roamed over the boys mask in search of his meaning. Her fingers twitched. She wanted to take off his accursed mask and reveal his face. It irked her that she could not read his features. Why would he ask such an obvious question. It seemed obvious enough to her. Anybody with sense would know that they needed to find a way out.

". . .Yes?" She answered slowly and unsure.

"I'm supposed to be here." He challenged her directly. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something rude. Feeling the boy's veins pull under her fingertips, she looked to his hand. Noting how he tightened his own grip on his small axe. Whitening his knuckles. She prepared herself for him to try to lash out at her with it. Entirely unready for the way he opted to lean in close. Cordatta instinctively leaned back slightly. Uncomfortable with his proximity. His demon mask was now beginning to unnerve her. “Let go, lady. I'm trying to save people here.”

She opened her mouth to voice an affronted retort, but fell silent as she heard steps. Promptly she shut her mouth and quieted her breathing. Deciphering the noise. Something was nearing them. She had to get out of their. She could not be caught this early. The boy tugging his arm, pulled her from her thoughts. Correction. She had to get both of them out of there. The boy came off as stupid and senseless to Cordatta. If she left, she had no doubt he would try to stay and fight them off. He was a wannabe hero. He would most definitely get his dumb behind killed. "Drop it." She demanded coldly.

He did. A lot easier than she thought he would. It fell with a short clatter. “Let go, or I'll kill you.” He threatened. She tensed. Something about his tone was making her anxious. Collecting herself, she curled her lip in disdain. Giving a final squeeze before finally releasing him, she hoped he did bruise. Swiftly, she snatched up his axe and cocked it in her own hand as a response to his threat.

"Boy, you are too weak to kill me, or any of the others for that matter." She stated cruelly. "Escape or get yourself killed. It is none of my concern now." She spat. Turning on the ball of her foot she went to find a way around the opposing fae to some of the helpless students. Never mind saving him.