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Alex Garcia

"I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been."

0 · 2,238 views · located in Greythorne

a character in “greythorne”, as played by phosphene

Description

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absinthe | The Sounds of Silence | One of the Drunks
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"Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid."
Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note-Langston Hughes

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i d e n t i t y
xxxxx|| Name || Alejandro Luis Peña Garcia
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xxxxx|| Nicknames || Alex; Preferred, this is what he introduces himself as - various Spanish terms of endearment from his grandmother
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xxxxx|| Gender || cismale
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xxxxx|| Age || 23
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xxxxx|| Birthday || March 19
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xxxxx|| Sexuality || bisexual
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xxxxx|| Hometown || born in Flagstaff, Arizona; raised in Greythorne.
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xxxxx|| Ethnicity || Mexican, Puerto Rican, Spanish
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a p p e a r a n c e

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xxxxx|| Height || 5'9"
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xxxxx|| Weight || 159 lbs
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xxxxx|| Hair Color || Dark brown
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xxxxx|| Eye Color || brown
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xxxxx|| Identifying Features || Alex's arms are littered with the kinds of scars you might expect from someone practicing necromancy, along with a number of scars from childhood stupidity. His newest, ugliest scar, is on his lower abdomen; a horrible, gnarled scar given to him by a silver blade. It doesn't bother him as was supernaturally healed, which is likely the only reason he survived it, but the reminder of what happened will never leave him. His newest scar takes up a good bit of real estate on his left forearm; a sigil carved into his arm as way of marking, him for the pact he's made.
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xxxxx|| Description || Alex is not an intimidating figure; though he stays fit, he really lacks the height and muscle mass necessary for his physique to be considered anything other than average. His hair holds big, loose curls which, at the length he keeps it, tends to fall in loose waves. He keeps it as tamed as he can, but anyone with textured hair will tell you that it's sometimes a loosing battle. Alex's eyebrows tend to give his resting face a sad, thoughtful quality. This, perhaps, makes him look much wiser than he could ever hope to be. While he doesn't dress in the highest fashions, Alex still likes to dress well. He's drawn to dark colors, tight jeans, and crisp, clean shoes; along with a menagerie of accessories. He tends to wear long-sleeves, as he doesn't like showing his scars. In all, he tends to try to fade away a little with his attire, even if his personality makes him stand out.
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p e r s o n a l i t y

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Alex tries to project an aura of being calm, cool, and collected. Sometimes he succeeds, but often times people can sense a deep and profound sense of uncertainty to him. When you’ve lived your life steeped in predictions of a future that may- or may not- come to be, you begin to worry, looking over your shoulder at every turn. His friends have grown weary of hearing his constant warnings. “Be careful,” may as well be a catchphrase. Even he has trouble taking himself seriously, though. When nothing you predict ever comes to be, you start feeling a little insecure. However, after recent events, he's begun to take his dreams and gut feelings more seriously, if only for himself.

Alex often thinks of his friends, and occasionally likes to do things for them. A text on their birthday, a small gift when they’ve achieved something important. He doesn’t normally go for large, grand gestures (though, he has been known to pull them off occasionally), but he does like to make sure the people in his life know he cares about them. Though he can be sarcastic, and will often decry all of a person’s faults, he’s still a fairly good friend. To that end, he loves to crack jokes, especially to ease a troubled mind, and most especially of all when his friends are worried about him.

He’s a big flirt, though his style of flirting can occasionally be a little on the
 aggressive side. Alex knows what he wants, and he’s not really one to beat around the bush to get it. He often flirts with his friends in what he considers a platonic way, and it’s something that most of them just get used to over time. He’s never held down a real relationship, so he doesn’t have much experience in love, and may have some trouble separating lust from romance if he ever decides to settle down.

Alex is very dysfunctional, and some consider it a wonder that he’s even still alive, though he gives credit to his best friend for getting him through his adolescence. His living space is cluttered with useless junk findings from his many traipses through the woods. He is, at best, chaotic and, at worst, a complete disaster. He often speaks without thinking, and the words that tumble out of his mouth often embarrass everyone but him. He seems to have no sense of shame whatsoever, which honestly serves him well.

Lately he's been a little... Fidgety. This is not uncommon, and anyone who's known him for more than the past few years has very likely seen this side of him many times before. Something is very wrong in Greythorne, and something is very wrong inside of him, as well, though he would never admit it. He let all the pain and fear out once, the night of the attack, and he is loathe to express it again. It's only natural for a near-death experience to give way to some trauma, but Alex prefers to pretend nothing happened to him, that night. That he's okay. The town has enough to worry about, they don't need to put him back on the list. He's fine. He's fine. He'll be fine. He just needs some rest, that's all. Just needs a drink. Just needs... He doesn't know what he needs, but he feels like he's missing a part of himself, and like he will never be safe again.

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f l a v o r

xxxxx|| Likes || Alex seems to love food more than anything in the world, and giving him something delicious to eat is an almost surefire way to get in his good graces. He also loves running, and before the attack ran almost every morning, though he’s been scarcely seen outside his house since. He’s never minded dreamless sleep, and has occasionally drugged himself to ensure a restful night with no dreams. He likes to go on walks in the woods, both alone or with others, where he will often pick up rocks and other “treasures” he may find. He won’t say no to most alcoholic beverages, no matter how bad an idea drinking may be. He adores kissing, cuddling, and a few other less than pg activities. He’s been known to partake in... various substances- some more legal than others. He is, unsurprisingly, very fascinated with death, the idea, process, and aftermath of it. He just adores dogs, actually he loves most animals, really. He loves to listen to music, he loves to dance, and he absolutely adores a good party.
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xxxxx|| Dislikes || Alex has a lot of vivid dreams, and over time they all start to meld together, and it becomes hard to tell the difference between visions sent from the dead, and regular dreams. He used to love chocolate, but since the attack on the town, it’s made his stomach churn. He can’t handle criticism, and loathes being talked down to. He neither needs or wants your pity, he had enough people pity him to last him a lifetime. He isn’t a fan of death, or at least, the finality of it. He’s accepted it for what it is, and can appreciate it, but he doesn’t like thinking that he, too, will die one day. He hates being the third wheel, though he’s had plenty of practice. And it isn’t that he dislikes Disney movies, but it seems the only time he ever watches them are with Phoenix crying on his shoulder while they eat ice cream. He’s not a fan of his father, and he’s even less fond of his mother. He doesn’t like the concept of accepting his feelings and emotions like a functional human being, and instead chooses to ignore them all and replace them with humor. Alex is pretty superstitious, and always keeps an eye out for bad omens.
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xxxxx|| Fears || Alex is afraid of commitment and being alone; but most of all, he is afraid of his powers, and how badly they could go wrong.
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xxxxx|| Secrets || Despite what he's always said, Alex is pretty open to the idea of falling in love. | He's only actually tried to raise the dead once, and it didn't go so well. | He has an on-and-off relationship with various drugs, which is a pretty poorly kept secret to anyone who has gotten to know him much at all | He feels himself spiraling out of control again, and feels powerless to stop it | He is terrified of being alone, especially at night, but he's trying to pretend that the attack didn't effect him muchxx
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w i t c h

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xxxxx|| Necromancy || Sensing the dead is no difficult feat; most everyone feels the chill of their spirits in old houses, abandoned woods, on the full moon. Many hear their cries and intelligible moans, but a necromancer makes sense of them. They see them, hear them, call on them in times of need. It is a magic full of ritual and superstition, and for good reason. Nearly every part of necromancy requires sacrifice, from leaving gifts for the dead, to a sacrifice of blood. Some, like Alex, receive visions in the form of dreams. Sleep can thin the veil between the living and the dead, making it an ideal time to impart ideas and knowledge. Knowledge of the present, of the past, and of the future. Ghosts exist on a less than linear path, and while their predictions are often less than reliable, more often than not they carry a warning. The dead, it seems, are not the most optimistic.

Raising the dead is a difficult task, and is best left to groups of experienced necromancers. Still, Alex has been known to raise the odd bird or small forest-dwelling creature out of a mixture of curiosity, and a desire to practice. But small animals are easier to raise than humans, easier to control, and require a less substantial sacrifice.
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xxxxx|| Talents || Language: Alex speaks English and Spanish fluently, and he speaks passable French. Juggling: his friends tell him it's a useless skill, but you never know. Costuming: he's been making his own costumes for the town's fall festival every year since he was young, and they have only gotten more ridiculously elaborate with time.
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xxxxx|| Strengths || Alex is good at drinking, he's not the fastest runner, but he has decent endurance, he's actually a fast learner, especially when it comes to physical tasks.
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xxxxx|| Weaknesses || Silver, being a witch, he has a natural- and literal- weakness to silver, which can cause painful burns on contact. He's not so good at being serious, especially in tense or emotional situations. He doesn't have much of a filter, and has said some... Awkward things to people without thinking.
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h i s t o r y

Alex's grandparents moved to Greythorne when they were a young couple, Abuela was younger than Alex is now, and already pregnant with their only child. They were a quiet family, until Marisol became a teenager; she was a trouble-maker, always up to no good. People have compared Alex to his mother since he was a child, but if they were being honest, he's much tamer. Alex’s mother ran away from Greythorne when she was no more than eighteen years old- Marisol Garcia had met a handsome young witch named Alejandro Peña, and Marisol ultimately decided to follow him and leave her home. The relationship was short-lived, but produced Marisol’s only child, who she named after his father.

From a young age, Alex showed his powers. His parents, being air and fire elemental witches, had no clue what to do with a child who wouldn’t stop talking to ghosts and resurrecting butterflies. Alex’s mother wanted to send him to Greythorne to live with his grandparents, as his grandmother was also a necromancer. His father didn’t agree, and the arguments this caused is what ultimately broke their on-and-off relationship for good. They had their final split the day before Alex's third birthday. He went to Greythorne to live with his grandparents the next year, barely speaking English, but a healthy, though nervous child.

Maria and Luis did their best with the boy, who they raised with as much love and support they could muster, but he was so like his mother. Headstrong and careless, Alex caused his fair share of trouble, though he was rarely alone. Phoenix was almost always nearby; though Phoenix was a little older, having another young witch in such a small town made for a nearly instant friendship- their personalities just sealed the deal. With Phoenix by his side, Alex came out of his shell, though some of the adults in town may have preferred he stay quiet and reserved. His grandparents (Abuela very vocally, Abuelo more passively) adored Phoenix, and welcomed him into their home any time he wanted to visit. The boy's were always the best of friends, and Alex's grandparents could tell from pretty early on that neither of them were straight. His Abuela even has had this idea in her head and Alex and Phoenix were going to grow up, be high school sweethearts, and be happy together forever- preferably right down the street. So, him sitting them down and saying he was bisexual was met with a tentative chorus of, "are you sure?" And "you know we would never think any less of you, no matter what." Which honestly confused Alex, but he just ignored it and went on with his life. He still has no idea why they reacted that way.

He visited his mother at Christmas and over the summers, but he never felt quite at home with her; never felt quite right so far from home. He saw his father more sporadically, and most of his contact with him was- and still is- limited to phone calls. The amount of time he's spent visiting and talking to both of his parents has trickled to practical radio silence over the years, culminating, most recently, with his mother sending him a birthday text a day late.

Alex had his first real taste of personal tragedy at fourteen, when his grandfather passed away. A lifetime of smoking and not caring for his health resulted in a heart attack, and he didn’t last long after that. It was sudden, unexpected, and wholly tragic. It ultimately led to the ruin of Alex’s relationship with his mother, when she didn’t even try to attend the funeral. The two haven’t been able to repair the damage, though they also haven’t tried.

His grandmother took a long time to recover from her grief, and Alex was often left alone to work through his own sadness. He spent a lot of time with his closer friends, but did wind up isolating himself more often than not. That, combined with him growing into his powers, and the stresses of high school became too much for him. One night, he went to bed, and had a vision of death, destruction, chaos, and darkness. He woke to a bedroom full of the dead, come to see him in his hour of darkness. Most people in town remember that cold February night, where Alex Garcia ran out of his home into the snow, wearing only a tee-shirt and his underwear. He was running from something most of them couldn’t see, couldn’t feel, and would never know.

It’s been a few years since then, and Alex has desperately tried to stay in control. He went deeply into himself for a long time, and completely ignored most aspects of his powers, only even using them to participate in rights and rituals with his grandmother. In the past few years, however, he decided to embrace himself and his powers, and to try to create a viable future for himself. He’s now nearly done apprenticing to be a funeral director, and has started to really try to understand his powers, and how to interpret his dreams. Or, he was.

The fall festival is normally a night filled with fun; there are endless things to do, and it's normally the town's collective favorite day of the year. Alex knew something was wrong, but he ignored every rational part of himself and pushed on through anyway. He was normally wrong about those things, anyway, so he had nothing to worry about. That was what he told himself, anyway. That everything would be fine. But he got separated from his friends, cornered by hunters, and he almost died in more ways than one. Now he can hardly close his eyes without being there again, cold and scared and alone. He would be lying if he said he wasn't angry, if he said he wasn't scared. He blames himself for some of it; he knew something wasn't right, and his ignored that. He feels like he should have tried to warn more people, but there is a part of him that knows no one would have listened. Nobody takes Alex seriously. Why would they? He had been the boy that cried wolf one too many times.





writer: nonconformingrole - fc: Diego Boneta - hex code: #3a0a4d


So begins...

Alex Garcia's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you
“Two lattes, a grilled chicken, chorizo and red pepper sandwich, and the Woods Special. Can I get my two favourite customers anything else?” Phoenix asked, provoking a giggle from the two old ladies in front of him. They confirmed that no, they were perfectly happy, and Phoenix told them to call him over if they did need anything. They were approaching closing time, but he knew that Daisy and Phyllis would be out well in time for them to close up. They came in at the same time every day, like clockwork, and always ordered a latte each. Sometimes they would treat themselves to a pastry or a cookie, other times, they would stick with a sandwich, others, just the coffee. But they’d been coming since he opened, and they had stayed coming, even after the attack. And that meant a lot.

And, bang on time, Daisy and Phyllis left, leaving them with plenty of time to clean up. Usually, Phoenix took as much time as he and the staff needed clearing up, but tonight was different. He didn’t rush anyone, but it seemed they were out in record time. Later that evening, there was going to be a town meeting of some kind to try and put a plan in place to prevent something like the festival attack happening again.

Phoenix would have been lying if he had said that the thought of it didn’t make him more than a little nervous. Following the attack, people had stopped gathering in public. The most people he’d seen in one place was his daily lunchtime rush, and even then, he could see the look of anxiety on their faces, the way they looked over their shoulders any time the bell on the door rang. People were afraid. But apparently this was a call to action. An attempt to try and take things into their own hands. And after everything that had happened, he couldn’t blame them.

In an attempt to distract himself, he’d spent the night before baking. He had filled a tray with his ultimate comfort food brownies to bring to the meeting with him, but he also had a smaller box balanced on top. Phoenix had said he’d swing by Alex’s with them to drop them in to his abuela, but in reality he didn’t want Alex to have to walk through town alone. Phoenix had been finding it hard, but it was nothing compared to Alex. And probably understandably so. Phoenix didn’t like to dwell on that night. The memory of seeing his best friend on the ground, covered in his own blood and the way that Phoenix had just
 left still haunted him. He could only imagine what it was like to have been the one on the ground.

He called his goodbyes to the rest of the staff as they locked up, pulling his coat on and tucking his scarf into it. Winter had fallen as harsh as ever, and he knew it was a matter of time before it began to snow. At least this winter, he lived right above the cafe and had a functional heating system, meaning he didn’t have to venture too far into the cold every morning. He didn’t waste time walking the familiar path back to the house, eager both to keep warm and get out of the dark. He’d never been afraid of the dark. The things that went bump in the night were commonplace in this town and often showed up first thing to his cafe in search of their usual coffee and croissant, before going home to bed. But all that had changed now.

“¡Hola, Abuela! Te traje unos brownies!” He called as he let himself in to Alex’s house. “I’ll leave them in the kitchen!” he added, switching back to English. He’d picked up a decent level of Spanish having spent a significant portion of his childhood in their house, but Abuela frequently bemoaned his grasp of grammar. He left the box of brownies into the kitchen and stopped to kiss the old lady on the cheek as he did so. The old lady chuckled and called out in Spanish, telling Alex that Phoenix was here.



ROSIE THOMPSON
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outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460
xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind
Rosie had gone straight from class to the town hall to help set things up. She hadn't organised the meeting, hut she'd been spreading the word and encouraging people to come, despite how afraid they are. She'd drawn the line at telling her students, though. She wasn't risking any of them getting hurt if anything did go wrong. They were kids. This wasn't their fight, as much as they might have wanted it to be.

And even if she hadn't organised it, she'd somehow found herself being asked to speak. Maybe it was just because, if she could control a class of rowdy freshmen, she could control a crowd of scared townspeople. Or at least that was what she told herself to calm the slight anxiety. She dug her phone out of her bag and sent a few texts.

To: Markus
you better get your ass here tonight because i've somehow been roped in to speak

To: Zada
babe apparently i have to talk at this thing so you better be coming


Things had been rough on everyone since the attack. But sitting at the top of a classroom, staring down at the empty chairs of students who had been murdered... she'd gotten her freshmen to rearrange the classroom so those empty seats weren't there and so their classmates wouldn't feel as they were sitting in their fallen classmates' seats. Rosie had wondered if she would have been able to make a difference if she had gone. If she could have saved even one of their lives, would it have been better? Or would she have been beating herself up that she hadn't done enough? She took a deep breath and took her seat on the stage as people began to trickle into the hall. She couldn't dwell on that now.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven Character Portrait: Violet Marsden Character Portrait: Travis Graveson
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Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven Character Portrait: Violet Marsden
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TRAVIS GRAVESON
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #8B4513
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xxx Older than water, stubborn as stone
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
xxx Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
xxx Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around

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Since the attack, Travis had only reported back to the organization once, and he wasn’t exactly happy with what happened, telling off people and throwing a few chairs as some people tried to make excuses while others weren’t sorry for what they did, one of his more spoken out coworkers bragging about how she easily killed a fae and enjoyed the scent of their mystical blood. He was quickly promised it wouldn’t happen again by his supervisors and to just continue gathering information, that they need to do more and that his job wasn't done yet. As he was walking out one of the higher ups stopped Travis and reminded him why he was doing this, these creatures were monsters, and they killed innocents, including his parents. Trav just nodded and headed back to Greythorne.

Over the time Travis spent many nights at the pub after closing up his store, along with many other people trying to grieve over what had happened and most days helping clean up the chaos from the festival and offering help whenever he can, though some people that would previous shop at his store were now weary of him, not because they suspected him, but because the attackers were humans, and so was he; guilty by association. Though after a couple weeks people tended to stop giving him a side look and continue their business at his and him trying to just be kind and nice, not caring about gathering much information over the last couple weeks, but he did know about a town meeting happening.

The night of the meeting Travis had started closing shop early, it didn’t matter too much as business has been slower since the attack. He finished sweeping and put his broom back in the closet and started locking everything up, double checking his apartment before throwing on a jacket and heading to town hall.

While walking Travis pulled out his trusty silver flask that he kept on him and took a swing before tucking it back into his inside jacket pocket. Though as he did so he stopped and took a look around, he felt as if someone, or rather in the town of Greythorne’s case, something was watching him. He scanned between buildings and bushes but couldn’t spot anything, but could've been any sort of supernatural. Trav sighed and just continued walking before getting to town hall a little early from the meeting and going in through the side door.

When he entered the room he snuck around to the back wall to just observe and see what was going on, as well as minimize eyes on him, alot of the creatures here are on edge and with it not many humans came to the town meeting in fear of being possibly targeted or discriminated against. He noticed certain people were already here, Rosie on stage and giving a slight wave, the two were on good terms and he had offered to help set up but she politely declined. And by the amount of floral jewelry and nature trinkets people were wearing assumed the little half-elf Kaylessa was somewhere, always trying to cheer people up.

When he leaned against the back wall he did notice another familiar face across the way also sticking to the back, Neden, and watching them out of the corner of their eye digging through their pockets. Trav quickly assumed one of two things, either something to fidget with, or some sort of weapon. Which if the town wasn’t already on edge he would’ve also been carrying something to protect himself, but for now all he had was his silver flask, which he took another swig out while crossing his arms, smirking when he saw Kaylessa run in and quickly go up front, chuckling a little bit to himself.



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KAYLESSA VALVEN
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500
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xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

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The night of the attack Kaylessa was scrambling, trying to help as many people she could and used up a majority of her energy doing so. She spent the next two days in a deep sleep that left some people worried for her, but when she woke up, she still had a smile on her face, even though she did feel sad for not saving more people. Over the weeks she tried cheering up people of the village but for once people wouldn’t smile due to their grieving and Kaylessa became a little secluded, spending most of her time in the surrounding woods and just taking time to think to herself and figure out what she would do.

When the information came out about a town meeting, Kaylessa spent the whole day collecting various flowers, leaves and other things from the surrounding area and making crafts that she would try to hand out at the meeting, maybe the slightest gift petting smiles on faces.

Kay arrived at the front of the building with a small table littered with trinkets made from feathers, necklaces with numerous rocks, colorful flower crowns and other small handmade knick-knacks about 30 minutes before people were going to arrive to get ready. While most people had jackets and other pieces of clothing to keep them warm in the colder weather, Kaylessa just wore a simple dress with numerous handmade jewelry and a pink and blue flower crown, another benefit of her heritage and powers is that most weather effects don;t bother her like others.

As people started to arrive Kay insisted them taking whatever they want and was glad to see a few smiles were made by her gifts. Though when she saw Violet she let out a little squeak and stopped her from taking one of the flower crowns on the table. “Wait! I made a special one for you!” She just about shouted as she turned around and dug through her small cart of boxes before pulling out a special crown she made just for Violet. It was made out of mainly violets and other small trinkets and held together by a woven thread of twigs and grass. “Here, I thought you would like it.” Kay said with a bright smile on her face holding out the crown to Violet.

Kaylessa was running low and about to head inside when she heard a familiar voice approaching and turning to see her favorite witch, Alex, also walking with Phoenix. “Alex!” She said as she ran around the table and hugged Alex. She hadn’t seen him in awhile and only heard about what happened to him at the festival. “Glad you’re okay and made it.” She said as she let go and took a step back. She quickly blushed and giggled as he complimented and flirted with her. “Well you’re looking great, would look even cuter wearing this." Kay said as she quickly grabbed a flower crown and jumped up putting the crown on Alex's head, taking a couple tries.

Kaylessa packed up her remaining thinks and pulled them closer to the building before walking in. She quickly skipped to the front and waved over Rosie and tossed her a necklace made with feathers from numerous birds and flowers. Flashing her a smile and turning around and taking one of the few remaining seats left, meeting starting soon.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven
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A l e x Garcia

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Outfit - #3a0a4d

After the attack, Alex spent a solid three days alone; he'd locked himself away in his bedroom, let his phone die, and only came out when he could no longer take the silence and solitude of his own grief and fear. Though he couldn't clearly remember much of what had happened between the attack and waking up the next morning. He vaguely remembered the text messages and calls he received, and ignored, between the attack and his phone dying; but when he finally charged it back up after those few days, he'd been completely overwhelmed. He'd only sent a message of any kind to three people: Phoenix, Jaiden, and his boss. In that order. His parents had clearly been updated by his abuela, and only his father bothered trying to reach out to him again in the weeks after the attack, though Alex wasn't sure if he found it comforting or not.

Alex returned to work faster than most of the people in his life would have liked. There was a lot of work to do after the attack, and as difficult as it was, Alex threw himself into it, working hard to give everyone they'd lost the best care he could. He felt a certain amount of guilt: he'd been having dreams and feelings about something terrible for weeks leading up to the attack, but he'd never thought anything like that would happen. Who would have?

He hadn't been sleeping well, not that it was unusual for Alex to not be sleeping, but every time he closed his eyes, he found himself back there. Somewhere between alive and dead, and running for his life. That he could remember clearly, and the dreams were so vivid he wondered if they weren't real, if he was going back there in his sleep. It seemed impossible, but impossible things happened every day in Greythorne.

Now Alex sat on his bed, half-dressed, thinking up excuses to get himself out of going to the assembly. On one hand, he genuinely wanted to hear what the others in the town had thought up to prevent another attack; it was an obvious concern of his, but he didn't know if he could handle it. He'd had a full-blow panic attack the day before when his abuela had touched his arm to try and get his attention. He didn't want to have yet another public incident. He didn't want to be that person.

He heard the front door open. Phoenix was there. Alex wondered if he just ignored him, if he would leave. Somehow, Alex doubted it. He stood up, and pulled a tee shirt over his head, calling out, "¥Espérame! Voy enseguida." After his grandmother. As soon as he opened his door his puppy, (who seemed to not understand that he was a ghost, though Alex couldn't blame the dog for not grasping the concept) dashed down the hall, straight towards Phoenix. "He can't pet you, you know." He called after the ghost, who ignored him in favor of barking and running between- and through- Phoenix's feet, which Phoenix was blissfully unaware of. Alex smiled at Phoenix, though it didn't reach his eyes, and said "I'm almost ready to go, just let me-" He gestured vaguely at himself as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a sweatshirt that he shouldn't have left on the table, and pulled it over his head. He turned and kissed Abuela on the cheek, before turning for the door, calling, "We'll see you there, right? You're just waiting on Louise?" Over his shoulder. The woman shot Phoenix a quick look, as if to say 'good luck', but she didn't say anything other than to briefly confirm that was the case.

Alex grabbed his keys and his coat, and headed out the door, shrugging on his coat as he walked down the sidewalk. He only spared a sideways glance to make sure Phoenix was following behind, but he knew he would be. He didn't have much to say, so he shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. He kept an eye out, scanning for anything unusual in the growing darkness. He had tried to avoid going out after dark since the attack, though he had found himself braving the dark to go to the bar a few times, almost more in an attempt to pretend things were normal.

At one point, once they had nearly arrived, Alex reached out and grabbed Phoenix's arm, pulling them both to a halt. It was only Carl Peters, crossing in front of them. Alex had known the older man his entire life. Alex quickly dropped his death grip on Phoenix's bicep, "Sorry," He quickly mumbled, hardly loud enough for even Phoenix to hear, "I don't know what I... I panicked." He didn't dwell on it, picking up the pace to the building. He couldn't wait to be back indoors.

He finally seemed to find his voice on that last leg of their walk, clearing his throat, "Sorry I haven't..." He trailed off, as if unsure of what exactly he was apologizing for, before saying, "Things in town are just so weird, now. You know?" He glanced over at Phoenix, they'd seen each other since the attack, of course, but most of the effort had been delegated to Phoenix's shoulders. Alex felt like a shell of himself, and maybe he looked like it, too. He didn't know.

Kay's voice calling his name made Alex smile, it was bright and genuine, and he returned her hug enthusiastically. His face fell slightly when she said she was glad he was okay, but he recovered quickly, flashing her a charming smile and saying, "How could I be anything but perfect with you around?" He took a short moment to take in her appearance before leaning in slightly, as if to tell some sort of secret, "You look fantastic, as always." He couldn't help but laugh as she struggled to put the flower crown on his head, and leaned in to kiss her cheek before saying, "Thank you. I love it."

He would ditch the thing as soon as he could without hurting her feelings, but it didn't hurt anything to leave it on for now.

As they walked inside, Alex suddenly realized that he desperately didn't want to be stuck sitting in a crowd of people, and turned to look at Phoenix, "Where do you want to-" He stopped, seeing a seat towards the back, on the end of a row, and changed his mind about asking Phoenix's opinion, "Here okay?" He asked, as he sat down, clearly not overly concerned with his friend's opinion.




Z a d a min Albahr

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Outfit & jewelry - #78b0ad

After the attack, Zada hadn't known what to do. She hadn't lost anyone she was particularly close to, though her neighbor's house was now vacant, and seeing the dark windows every evening was occasionally heartbreaking, so she just carried on her life like normal. The only notable additions to her daily routine were helping to clean up the town, and trying to become more a part of it. Greythorne was her home, no matter how she felt about some of it's residents, and she didn't want to lose it. She hadn't felt so at home since she left the ocean, all those years ago, and she wasn't willing to lose it.

She'd kept herself busy that day with chores around the house, and an extra long bath. She was going to have to skip out on her swim because of the meeting, but she didn't mind, she wanted to find a way to help the town, even if her contributions were small. Especially if she got to kill more hunters, or even if it just let to their demise. Perhaps vengeance wasn't the most helpful motivator, but Zada had found that it served humans perfectly well, so she had never once felt guilty for it.

She was just getting ready to head to the meeting when she read Rosie's text, and didn't bother to reply, instead opting to perfect her lipstick. It would be more helpful if she arrived early enough to get a good seat, where Rosie could maybe easily glance on a friendly, and hopefully reassuring face. For all her flaws, Zada was nothing if not supportive of those she cared about, and she cared deeply for Rosie.

It wasn't a long walk to town hall (it wasn't a long walk to most places in town), but Zada still found others shuffling inside ahead of her. She smiled at Kaylessa, who was handing out trinkets by the door. It seemed trivial, and somewhat childish, but Zada knew she had good intentions. The people of this town could use some cheering up, and there was probably no better person for the job. Zada really had no use for any of it, but picked up a little trinket, ensuring it wasn't something meant to be worn, and thanked the girl as genuinely as she could.

Once she made it inside, she quickly pushed her way up to the front, taking a seat and looking up at Rosie. She flashed her friend a hopefully reassuring smile, she could never tell, as she had been told that she looked somewhat terrifying when she smiled with her teeth. She settled in, knowing she would have to wait a few moments while people trickled in, and she hoped that no one would talk her her. Her general vibe was normally enough to deter people from her presence, but this town had done nothing if not surprise her.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Travis Graveson Character Portrait: Camila De Santo
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c a m i l a x d e x s a n t o

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t h e x d e m o n
#ecaa53 || Outfit || location

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The town bitch, though it was not necessarily an earned title if one were to ask her, walked in like she had one of those heavy metal themesongs. She, of course, was not only late but dressed with the appropriateness of a late night out with all her curves for the eyes to drink in. But that was just Camila, love or hate her. She had made a show of opening the doors with a force unseen, pulled off her sunglasses as she steps through the threshhold, and had her very in auspicious Hell Hounds. All three walked behind her; eyes black as the abyss, coat shining, the rotten egg scent of sulfur for the ones withh those pesky supernatural senses.

Since the attack, she has actually done a few things to earn her town bitch title for once. The big daddy of Hell knew that she was here now, so it was only a matter of time before she was forced back home. Camila might as well as enjoy her last day among the Earthly realm - a place that people would perhaps never suspect her to fall in love with. There had been too much drinking, sex, drugs, being awful to people. She figures that this town expects it, so why the fuck not just live up to the hype of her name? She could tell who she bothered with the things she did, and who couldn't possibly care less about her actions. To ruination, she says. Live because she's going to be out of here. To Hell with all the folks that hate her because they did so before. Literally - she will see half these fuckers there when they finally day.

"Custodi in praetorium," she commands her hounds, and at least two vanish in a wisp of black smoke. Presumably to guard the town hall, as anyone that knew Latin would likely be able to discern that she told then to go guard the Hall. Just in case. Camila was no longer taking that many chances. Not that she cared about anyone else. She'd just really love to know if the Morningstar was going to make a show of things, and Camila didn't quite like surprises.

Her first victim, or victims depending on how one sees her actions, was Alex. After all, he was in the back row and so readily available for her. She slipped behind his seat and let her cool hands grasp his jawline on either side, "Hola mi amor. Estas guapo." Camila both greeted and complimented him. With her eyes pinned on Phoenix, she tilted Alex's head just a tad and licked the side of his neck in that slow, seductive manner. She ended it with a flirty kiss to the side of his jaw, released him, and fluttered on to claim the next unfortunate soul on her radar. That was just about everyone right now.

Travis was next, and she moved toward him like a predator to prey and bit her bottom lip. If it weren't for the fact that she was a fucking evil and vindictive bitch right now, one could say that she was giving off a playful innocent expression. Since he's leaning against the back wall, she just invites herself to press against him and smells the side of his neck while grasping the collar of his shirt with both hands. "You know, soldier boy, you're starting to smell a little bit like Hell," she whispers to him. "You used to smell so... different." She locked eyes with him for a moment, "Can you feel it?" After the inquiry, she kisses his lips, released him, and slipped away. She wasn't going to stick around. Something was off about him, but it helped that she just didn't care right now. At all.

Zada was last on her list, but she was less likely to be a dick to the Mermaid than she would be to all the stupid men in this town. As the Demon's hills click-clacked with command down the aisle, she blew people kisses or flipped them off - whichever one they deserved they got. She turned into the row with Zada and made herself very comfortable at her side. Camila practically leaned on her, one of her hands falling onto the woman's closest thigh. "We could ditch this joint, you know. Go for a dip in the lake. Naked," she offered. The demon's host body smelled a little like booze, even if she wasn't drunk. Buzzed is all she ever got, and that is a word well-suited for this time.

Her remaining Hell Hound prowled the town hall, and the other two were dispatched elsewhere. They left the Supernatural folks alone for the most part and were content to just roam quietly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you
Alex had been like this for weeks but it didn’t hurt any less to see him like this. The hollow smile did nothing to reassure Phoenix, but he returned the smile anyway. Phoenix returned the look that Abuela gave him with a small reassuring smile, promising to look after him.

Alex didn’t wait particularly for Phoenix, only glancing to make sure he was following, but Phoenix caught up easily. It was like being with somebody else entirely as they walked in silence. Before the attack, there had seldom been a silence between them, always filled with laughter or teasing. Now, Phoenix knew not to try and fill the space with noise. Even he found it hard to know what to say.

The contact of Alex’s arm pulling him to a stop shocked Phoenix out of his thoughts as he mentally prepared himself for an attack, but he saw nothing. Just Carl. Phoenix took one look at Alex’s face and thought for a moment about suggesting they ditched the meeting and went back to his apartment instead. And then Alex started moving again, apologizing in more of a mumble than anything. Alex actually spoke as they reached the town hall. Phoenix just shrugged. “It’s okay. I get it. Everything’s different and weird and
 Just
 know I’m always here, okay? Even if you just want to get drunk or drink tea, or
 I dunno, sit in silence on the floor. Any time of day or night.” They’d been friends long enough that he knew he didn’t have to say it, but sometimes a reminder was needed. Alex clearly wasn’t in a great frame of mind right now. And besides, there was plenty of nights when Phoenix found himself awake at three, four, five in the morning, unable or unwilling to go back to sleep.

Phoenix was glad that the first person they ran into was Kay. It was hard not to smile in her presence, and her energy was practically infectious. Her outfit put them all to shame as they huddled in their jackets and scarves. He left the two of them for a moment as he went to put the tray of brownies down for people to take as they pleased. He got back just as Kay put a flower crown on Alex’s head, struggling to balance it on his curls, and Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh. Then she bounded away, and Phoenix could see the slight change in Alex’s expression. He wasn’t in a flower crown mood, but Phoenix knew he didn’t want to hurt Kay’s feelings. And so Phoenix very obviously reached over and stole the flower crown from his head, balancing it on top of his hair instead.“Bullshit, we all know I’m the cuter one wearing this,” he declared.

Alex started to ask wear Phoenix wanted to sit, before darting to an unoccupied seat.“This is perfect. I’m afraid if we sit any closer to Rosie’s skirt without sunglasses, we might do permanent damage,” he joked. The exact location of the seat hadn’t escaped Phoenix either, but if he was being honest, he was happier here too.

He caught that familiar, sickening scent before he saw her. He didn’t even turn around to acknowledge her, not wanting to grace her with a reaction. But he could feel her eyes on him, see her out of the corner of his eye. But instead he kept his eyes forward, trying desperately to keep his expression neutral despite the twisting in his stomach and the anger that rose within him. The only outward reaction was a clenching of his jaw as Camila kissed Alex’s jaw. She slunk away and Phoenix had to resist the temptation to glare at her as she did so. Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Rosie getting to her feet and walking to the podium, the room starting to fall silent at that single action.



ROSIE THOMPSON
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outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460
xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind
The hall filled up relatively quickly, which Rosie was pleasantly surprised by. She spotted Kay bounding around, handing out flower crowns and trinkets. The small smiles they produced didn’t escape her notice, and that meant a lot. People looked scared, and confused, and angry. A smile wouldn’t change or erase any of that, but it was a start. It made things seem a little less terrible. Kay quickly ran up to the front and threw her a necklace, which Rosie caught and pulled it over her head, before going to stand at the podium as the last few stragglers came in.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said, and silence fell over the room. “Okay, wow. This isn’t high school English, don’t worry, guys, you can relax,” she added, getting a few giggles out of the crowd. “It’s wonderful to see so many of you guys here. Thank you to the wonderful Kaylessa for these trinkets and to everyone who brought anything. I know that things have been scary
 and I know people are afraid. But we rallied around tonight, and that’s a good start. We fought them off once and we can fight them off again. So, let’s get this started. First, Chief Kaner is going to discuss what the police force is doing and what volunteers are needed for them, then I’ll open the floor back up for a discussion. So please welcome Chief Kaner to the stage and hold any questions until the end.”

Rosie took her seat as the police chief stood up to drone on about increased vigilance and whatever. He had never been the most engaging of speakers, but Rosie had long ago perfected the art of listening to boring speakers. Her students tried, but some were always more engaging than others. It was only as the crowd gave polite applause that she came back to herself, getting to her feet. "Thank you, Chief Kaner. So, now that we're aware what the police are doing, it's time to discuss what we can do. So, first up is... voluntary patrols. I'm aware some have already been running, so would anybody like to fill us in and let us know what we can do to help?" She asked, glancing down towards Markus. She highly doubted he would speak up, but maybe someone else might.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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#7B5653 || Outfit || townhall

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The man was typically known for his punctuality, but he was late tonight. His broad frame wandered down the street; his figure moving along like a shadow floating quietly and darkly beneath the soft light of the moon. His hands were in his pockets and strking blue eyes flitting from here to there. Another black figure dashed in the dark, but he knew it to be the Demon's Hell Hound, so he pressed on and continued down the pathway down these lonlier town streets to the slightly busier townhall.

Since the attack, he has felt very much the same. When one is such a hunted species as he, there is no surprise that the Mortals always came. They destroyed everything, and it was only ever a matter of time. The Supernatural were never safe - not in a thousand years past, not in a hundred - not in this modern day. This was the life he was used to, and he has grown understandably callous to the casualties that come with this. It wasn't his fault. It was simply that life was so tragic that tragedy has become his sense of normalcy, thus this, to him, was the way of the world. For others, however, perhaps it was not. Everyone thought this would remain their home unscathed by mortal persecution, and that was their own fault. He felt bad for them, sure, but there was nothing he could do to ease anyone's pain. Not that they'd listen given his rather unearned reputation.

Just as the townhall came into view, though the humdrum inside has been playing into his acute sense of hearing for a while now, he noticed Markus and Jai outside. He pulled his hands from his pockets and braced their lower backs, some strange gust of wind parting the doors. Elijah always had this gravely calm tone of voice; masculine and gutturally harsh with notes of his mother-tongue. It resonated gruffly, yet strangely... melodic and calming. There were many ways to describe his voice, but confidence, command, and ease were the easiest to remember. "Going in?" It was one of those inquiries that might normally be accompanied by a smile, but instead, he gently guided them both through the doors with the placement of his hands. Was it one of those strange protective things that were subtle in nature? Perhaps. It was dark outside, and the streets were dismal as the town gathered.

Once the trio made their way into the Hall, the Vampire took a moment to take in Rosie's words. After the blurbs by the Chief and Rosie were done, he simply walked down the aisle. His eyes hardly met anyone else's, and he continued because who was going to stop him? No one. No one really liked him. Everyone stayed away from him. He liked it that way. It could stay. They could be afraid of him or call him what they will, but he didn't care about any of it. He's too old for the petty drama. Though he did sneak a side-peek toward Zada, but swiftly drew it away. He was just checking to make sure she was still there, even though he could smell her. Everyone has their own unique smell.

His steps ceased in front of Rosie, and two hands were placed upon her as gentle as a man could be; one of her elbow and another at her shoulder. He didn't smile, there was no expression to his otherwise serious features, but he tugged at her with something that could be easily misconstrued as asserting his masculinity over her. He never thought about it that way, but he was an old fart and she knew that he didn't mean any ill by it. There was the slightest hint of a smile for her in that fleeting second he believed no one was looking, however.

Once she was out of his way, he took his place in the front of the Hall. His hands grasped either side of the podium and he finally looked at each and every being in the room. He stopped at no one in particular as he commenced to speak with his deeply rumbling and harsh Slavic tongue, "They will come again - we know this because history always repeats itself. This is nothing new to some of us, but it is always tragic. This would be the time to put aside petty differences and settle the feuds in our community - to stop being each other's enemies." This time, his gaze falls pointedly on Camila. He likes her, but damn - she's such a handful and she's grown particularly less manageable and more agitating.

"We have many tools at our expense - more than our enemies if you ask me. They are stronger than mortals, but we are stronger. It is in our nature. There is a power-imbalance, and we hold the advantage. The problem is that we didn't know they were coming, but now we know. If you think you can't help, then you're going to die. You're going to cause someone else to die. Everyone in this town is a cog in the machine that runs it, and it's our duty to defend it."

He shifts away from the podium for a moment and then steps beside it, "If you own a business, perhaps you can help create a rallying point as a place of safety for those who can't fight. The town hall, for one, is easy to secure with the proper people. The bar and other stores - use them to stow weapons or tools that will assist us in fighting back. You may think that these people are gone, but I can assure you that they will return. These are zealous people that can trace their legacies spent persecuting others back centuries. But they do not always win, and we do persist. Speak up. I, for one, am out from sundown to dawn. Camila has her dogs on patrol day and night. There are people that will protect you even if you think they will not. A little less self-pity and more preparation will judge whether Greythorne will persist, too. So even if you don't think you have anything to contribute - search deep. Everyone can." He looked to Rosie for some sense of affirmation or something, and then just dipped to a seat someplace in the middle by himself.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven Character Portrait: Travis Graveson
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TRAVIS GRAVESON
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #8B4513
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xxx Older than water, stubborn as stone
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
xxx Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
xxx Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around

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As more and more people came in, Travis started taking note of was and wasn’t there, as well as what type of attitude their body language gave off. Most people were slow and hesitant, alot of darty eyes, and a couple long stares at him. He saw two of the witches, Alex and Phoenix, Alex looking paranoid and scared of being here, and Phoenix wearing a flower crown, and seeming more of a caregiver in his movements and how he spoke. . Trav hadn’t seen much of Alex since the attack, hearing he was injured but miraculously survived, he was curious about what happened but hadn’t figured it out yet and knew now wasn’t a good time to ask questions.

Travis ignored most of the others coming in, taking small notes in his head and just acknowledging their presence whenever they would look at him, it wasn’t until a specific demon walked in that caught his eye. Camila. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she walked over and teased Alex, mostly ignoring Phoenix. He knew about her behavior and how she interacted with some of the other beings in Greythorne, but she still intrigued her. Most demons he faced served someone or something, but she more so served herself and her own wild fantasies. He didn’t turn to face her as she walked up to him but knew she knew he knew she was coming.

Camila commented on him smelling differently than before, a little like hell. “Well you know better than everyone we all have our sins. And I might be able to smell the difference in people, but it’s safe to bet most people smell different after the attacks. Fear, paranoia. I might not be able to smell it, but its there.” Travis was a little surprised when she kissed him and walked away, though it wasn’t the first time she had done so, especially in a teasing manner, but still left him wanting more. As she walked away he turned his focus back on the crowd and finally up onto Rosie as she began to speak.

Travis listened carefully, keeping mostly a serious face shown while others relaxed and gave lighthearted laughs to her jokes. Next was Chief Kaner, a Druid, and Trav rolled his eyes at his generic talk about vigilance, looking out for each other, and not being afraid to speak up. Basic stuff that he had heard numerous times throughout his military career. Though what caught Travis’ attention was when the vampire Elijah stood up and gave a speech to the crowd. Trav actually perked up and listened to what the man had to say, curious and fascinated by how he went on and his words, but for a vampire that is a few hundred years old, Travis knew he had some practice. As Elijah finished, he took his seat and the room was quiet.

Travis straightened up his jacket and pushed himself off the wall before starting to walk down the middle. “Well, while Chief’s and Elijah’s speeches were great, thank you you two. I gotta point out something Elijah had said. ‘put aside petty differences and settle the feuds in our community’ to quote him directly.” Travis said as he turned around as he got to the stage and leaned against it. “Look around. We’re suppose to be a community, but the few humans like myself that live in Greythorne, most aren’t here. And it’s because they are scared and afraid, even some of have left Greythorne because some of their close friends wouldn’t talk to them anymore. I’ve heard talk at the bar about how ‘we should kick all the humans out of Greythorne' just because the people who attacked us were humans.” He paused for a second, taking off part of his jacket to reveal his left arm and a healing bullet wound. “But they attacked all of us, not just the ones that aren’t the same as them.” Travis pulled his jacket over. Though the bullet wound was from that night of the attack, it was self-inflicted so he could have a cover story. He wore a sling for a little bit and had to refuse Kaylessa’s many offers to just heal him.

“I got nothing else to say besides that. And I, as well as the few other human’s left in Greythorne, would appreciate it if they were stalked each night by Nymphs and Shapeshifters.” Travis said as he started walking back to his seat. He could feel the eyes staring him down, but as well as some of the guilty looks from supernatural’s that felt bad. He wasn't sure why he even spoke up as it would put more eyes on him, but he felt like he needed to say something, he had seen first hand some of the humans being treated like they were the ones who shot attacked their neighbors, and heard some nasty things at Camila's pub.

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Travis Graveson Character Portrait: Camila De Santo Character Portrait: Elijah Patrov
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If Alex hadn’t heard her coming, he may have jumped when Camila touched him, but her the sound of her heels was impossible to miss, and he would know her voice anywhere. When she spoke directly to him, greeting him, he smiled, "Gracias,” His voice was low, almost a purr of appreciation, and he continued to speak as she tilted his head (he never minded her taking charge), "Te ves hermosa hoy." He hadn’t seen her yet and wasn’t rushing to get a look, either. He didn’t even turn to look as she walked away, though he did cast a sideways glance at Phoenix, almost as if to check if he was still there.

The beginning of the meeting was boring enough, just like every speech or update Chief Kaner had ever given. Alex tried to listen closely, but found his mind wandering, mostly with the realisation that enough wasn’t being done, and the idea that half the residents of this town may never be prepared for another attack, himself included. Almost all at once, it seemed, the chief finished his update, and Elijah took the podium.

Alex didn’t have anything personal against Elijah, but found the vampire’s distaste of Phoenix unsavory. Still, his words pricked at Alex’s ears, and he was right. Alex knew it all too well. The hunters would be back, and if they caught the town off guard again, more would die. Maybe all of them. They knew what they were up against now, no doubt the hunters would come more prepared next time. The speech was meant to be inspiring, and it probably was, but Alex didn’t hear much of it past the ringing in his ears. He took in a few snippets, though. He needed to get it together, and fast.

Suddenly Alex felt like his head was swimming, and he felt like he was going to cry- or die. He didn’t know for sure. Coming to this meeting had been a mistake. He thought getting out might be good for him, he wanted to know what was happening, how he could help, but he obviously wasn’t ready for this. He needed some space, some air. A moment to think. Maybe he should go home.

He stood up, fairly abruptly, scooting his chair back behind him. The sudden movement and noise was slightly startling to the people around him; though most of them thought nothing of it when they saw who it was suddenly jumping up out of his chair. Alex had a long history of being impulsive and jumpy, and given his recent experiences, no one in town could really blame him for being more on edge than usual. Everyone knew what had happened, after all; news travels fast in a small town, and everyone was a little worried of what Alex would do if he never mentally recovered from the attack. Or, now, what he may not be able to do.

Without apologising or saying a word to Phoenix, he turned and all but ran out the doors, desperately hoping that no one would follow him. He just needed a minute, needed to clear his head, then he could go back inside. Or maybe he needed to go home. He had a cigarette lit (no small task, thanks to his hands that wouldn’t stop shaking) almost the moment he walked through the doors; he’d never smoked consistently, it was always a crutch in times of stress, and he’d quit ‘for good’ nearly two years ago. Lately he had found old habits creeping back in, settling in as if they’d never left. As if he hadn’t spent the last two years of his life playing catch-up, trying to grow up and become an adult.

Out in the cold air, he swore he could hear voices carried on the wind, calling out his name. As if to beckon him forward into the darkness, to his end. Calling him home. He knew that the spirits wanted him back, they’d nearly had him once before, and if he didn’t get a grip soon they might just catch up to him, after all. He didn’t slow down for a moment, having decided to just go home. He come to the meeting, he’d tried. He couldn’t do it. He needed to calm down, then he could figure out how he could help. He could do something.

Phoenix knew this meeting was important, but he found himself struggling to concentrate on anything anyone was saying. Even as Elijah stood up to give a grandiose speech, possibly meant to inspire them all to stand up and fight, he instead found himself watching Alex out of the corner of his eye. Coming here might have been a mistake. Maybe they should have just stayed in Abuela’s, or gone back to Phoenix’s instead and drank tea and talked shit for a while. This had been a bad idea, and the guilt of getting Alex to come was beginning to settle in to his stomach.

And then, suddenly, Alex shoved himself to his feet and practically ran out of the hall without a word. A few people around them turned to look, and Phoenix instinctively shot them an apologetic half-smile as he got to his feet and silently pushed their chairs back into place. A distraction arrived in the form of Travis standing up to make a speech, just in time for Phoenix to follow Alex out, his heart in his chest. Things had been worse than he’d imagined. This had been a mistake. They shouldn’t have come.

“Alex,” he called, but Alex didn’t turn or otherwise respond. Phoenix strode after him, catching up easily, just like he always did, just like he always had, even when they were kids. “Alex,” he called again as he got closer, but Alex was lost in his thoughts. So Phoenix reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop as he reached him. “Alex. It’s okay, you’re okay, you’re safe. Come on. Talk to me. What’s wrong?” He asked, stepping as close as he dared and lowering his voice to speak softly, keeping his hand on Alex’s arm.

Alex felt his chest tighten, and panic flared back up in his mind. It was just Phoenix, and rationally he understood that, but he was already on edge, and Phoenix grabbing his arm like that, it just set him off. He froze, only for a moment, as if his brain just couldn’t fully process what was happening. He felt frustration rise in his chest; he was frustrated that he couldn’t handle the meeting, that Phoenix had followed him out, but mostly he felt himself growing increasingly frustrated by his own panic and fear. He felt like his life was falling apart, and that he was just getting in the way everywhere he went. He felt the panic and frustration meld into a frantic sort of anger, not unlike a wounded, cornered animal. He flinched away from Phoenix, ripping his arm away from his friend’s touch, and turned to face him, “Don’t touch me.” He spat, voice dripping with venom. He hadn’t meant to snap at Phoenix, but he didn’t stop there. “You wanna know what’s wrong?” He lowered his voice, but nothing in his tone was soft. He’d never spoken particularly harshly to Phoenix, not even when they’d disagreed. There had always been some sort of affection, or humor, to cut the sting of his words. He didn’t try to keep the anger out of his voice this time.

“I have been there for you through everything. Every pain, every heartbreak, every stupid decision. Even when I was hurting, or lost, or
 Whatever. I have always dropped everything to be there for you.” He held up a finger, as if daring Phoenix not to say a word, “I
 I practically died, Phoenix! I was alone, and you left me there. All for what? Some asshole who left you heartbroken the next day!” He shook his head, he knew he should stop, but his heart was pounding in his chest, his ears were ringing, and he felt completely out of control, “And you’d known him, what? Two weeks?” He scoffed, “And now look at you. Now you’re
 You’re blond now? Trying to look like him?” Alex rolled his eyes, his tone would’ve been condescending if he didn’t sound so furious, “What a pathetic attempt to hold onto someone that didn’t even care about you enough to say a proper goodbye.”

Alex shrugged and took a step backwards, as if he suddenly couldn’t stand to be so close to Phoenix, “I really hope it was all worth it. I certainly learned a very valuable lesson about what kind of person I should be putting my trust in.”

Phoenix stumbled back the moment Alex pulled his arm away, realising that he’d made a mistake. And then Alex started speaking, and Phoenix just stared at him in confusion. He’d never heard Alex speak to
 anyone like that. It felt like he was listening to somebody else in Alex’s body.

Phoenix wanted to comfort Alex. He wanted to ignore everything he was saying and drag him home, make him hot chocolate, and tell him to sleep it off and he’d feel better in the morning. He wanted this to be something they could move past. But every word felt like a kick to the chest. And what hurt the most? It was true. It would have been easier to dismiss it if it had been empty, if it had been just delusions. But it explained so much. It explained the distance that Phoenix had started to feel ever since the attack. It drove home the guilt that Phoenix had felt for weeks now as well as the heartbreak of being abandoned again. That look of disgust as Alex stepped away from him felt like somebody had driven a knife between his ribs and there was a moment where he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“You ungrateful asshole,” Phoenix choked out, not realising he was crying until the tears were streaming down his cheeks. “Are you forgetting all the times I fucking talked you down after a nightmare? I let you pass out on my couch because you got too drunk? Pulled you away when somebody was about to kick your face in because you flirted with somebody you shouldn’t have?” He was yelling now, and he wasn’t going to be able to control it. It was a defense mechanism, kicking in so nobody would see the pain and the hurt. “I make one mistake, one mistake I have regretted ever since, and I’m the monster?” He could feel a familiar tug somewhere in the back of his mind, the tug that meant he was losing control of his abilities. He couldn’t let that happen, not here. He needed to get out of here, needed to go. He ripped the flower crown from his head and hurled it at Alex. “Go fuck yourself, Alex.” He turned and stormed away, the tears still streaming down his face.

Phoenix’s words didn’t hurt. They were true, and Alex hadn’t forgotten any of it, he just didn’t care. The things Phoenix had done right in the past just couldn’t erase the pain and betrayal he felt. He let the flower crown hit him, not caring enough to move or even try to stop it, and when Phoenix turned to leave found himself calling out, “We’re all monsters, Phoenix! But you’re a fucking coward!” The words left his mouth before he’d even stopped to consider what he was saying, just like everything else he’d said that night. He found himself beginning to tremble; so he turned, and started walking home. This was the last place he wanted to be. If Phoenix was a coward, Alex didn’t know what that made him.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir Character Portrait: Violet Marsden Character Portrait: Travis Graveson
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you
Phoenix didn't know what he wanted to do. He didn't know where he wanted to go. No, it was that he knew exactly where he wanted to go. He wanted to go to the same place he always went when he was hurting this much, where he knew it wouldn't hurt quite as bad. He wanted to go to Alex's. But that option was gone.

Oh, the irony.

It was only when Violet gently put a hand on his shoulder that he realised he hadn't gone anywhere at all. He jumped a little. Her being able to touch him was... weird. Wrong, almost. She'd changed too, since that night. Well, they'd all changed. But Violet more so than most. Why? What had happened? Why did nothing make sense any more? What had that attack done to the town?

Her words were firm, but not harsh or uncaring. He wanted to explain. He couldn't just go back inside. He couldn't just pretend everything was fine because it wasn't. The flowers that had begun to grow through the concrete, unaffected by the bitter cold, their bright colours almost an insult, was a testament to that. Everything wasn't fine. He wasn't fine.

"You're a fucking coward." The words echoed in his head, made the lump in his throat feel like it was smothering him. All he wanted to do was run and hide. That was all he had ever wanted to do and it hadn't served him well so far. So why was he still so afraid?

But somehow, somehow, he found it in himself to turn and go back inside, stopping only to wipe the last of the tears from his cheeks. He stood at the back of the hall as Neden made their grand entrance, flanked by two Spriggans. Their dramatic flair would have usually made him smile, but not tonight. Tonight, he could barely muster a half smirk. Part of him wanted to prove Alex wrong. Prove he wasn't a coward and sign up to protect the town. But no, he couldn't do that either. Instead, he stared at his feet, trying and failing to calm down even just a little bit.



ROSIE THOMPSON
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outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460
xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind
The silence that hung in the air as she asked if anyone would like to speak lasted just a second too long, and Rosie knew it. But then Elijah made his grand entrance and made his way to the stage. She let him move her, ever so gently, forever the gentleman, but his glancing smile was met with an eyebrow raised just a little. It was gentle and gentlemanly and entirely innocent, and they both knew that, but also she would have stepped aside without having to be moved.

His speech was intended to rouse and bring hope, and while it may have been best delivered to a group of soldiers instead of a group of terrified but angry townspeople, it seemed to rouse a few and comfort a few others. She gave him a nod and a smile as he looked at her for confirmation. Before she could step back up to the podium, however, Travis got up.

His speech was... slightly less well received. Rosie could hear the angry mutterings from the crowd. Travis had a point, she had to admit. The town was showing signs of division, and while she was quelling it as fast as she could in her classes, she couldn't do much about the rest of the town. But the town was angry, and they were scared. They were afraid of humans, especially of newcomers who didn't have any link to anyone in the town. Fear did bad things to people, and people did bad things because of fear. Showing off his injury wouldn't gain him any sympathy. Everyone in this room had either been injured themselves or had lost somebody in the attack.

The angry mutterings continued, and Rosie was about to take back control of the crowd when Markus spoke up. Almost reflexively, she raised her eyebrows. He barely liked talking to people one on one, let alone in front of a crowd this big. It was brief, but did the job, and it seemed to quiet the crowd a little, or at least turn the murmurs a little more positive. He shot her a look that she understood all too well. He was done talking now and needed somebody to take over. Rosie stepped up to the podium- but before she could say anything, the doors swung open, and in walked Neden. There was a brief moment of confusion as people realised that there appeared to be two of them- and then one of them revealed themselves to be a spriggan. The real Neden, with their usual overdramatic flair, added on that anybody was welcome to join the patrols. Rosie just raised an eyebrow and smirked a little as they assured her that the town was perfectly safe. She doubted it, but at least Neden and Markus appeared to have the whole thing under control and were competent. She cleared her throat as Neden and their group of spriggans took their seats.

"Alright then. So, thank you all for your speeches and your contributions to the safety of the town. If nobody has anything else to contribute, I think we'll wrap it up there for tonight. I understand there's some refreshments down the back. Thank you," she said. The crowd began to chatter, a mix of emotions filling the room as she headed towards Markus.

"Hey. Thanks for that, I think we, uh, needed a change of tone after Trav's speech." She said, raising her eyebrows knowingly.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Travis Graveson Character Portrait: Camila De Santo Character Portrait: Elijah Patrov
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#, as written by mombie
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c a m i l a x d e x s a n t o

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t h e x d e m o n
#ecaa53 || Outfit || location

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e l i j a h x p a t r o v

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#7B5653 || Outfit || Location

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Neither demon nor vampire would be that affected by the violence that would ensue later. The truth was pretty simple - Camila and Elijah were near pariahs in one way or another, justified or not, in this town. Elijah had always just had a quiet and peaceful existence here, whilst also falling into the realm of being subjected to certain untruths simply because of who he chose to be around. Rather, that he chose to be around no one at all. Camila, on the other hand, was just a woman people hated because of a man. Truthfully, it was a tad grating, given that she's never done anything to be genuinely loathsome. Without actual friends here in Greythorne, what did more death mean to them? Nothing. Camila would go back to Hell, and Elijah would move on. That's all it meant.

The lumbering man watched the fiasco that was Alex and whatshisface (he forgets sometimes), and Camila's eyes were on a certain mermaid's retreating bottom once Zada had stood up to say a piece. The gal was right - Humans would never understand their persecutions and the injustices. Hell, they do it to each other - which is the most fascinating and terrifying thing of it all. Humans had no boundaries when it came to who should die and who should live, and much of that to blame is on God and fearmongering.

Elijah (and Hell, Camila, too, but for a totally different and more lecherous reason), almost broke his neck as his gaze followed Zada to the Human. He waited until Travis departed after certain words were likely exchanged, and then stood up to begin removing himself from this area altogether. He didn't much like being in this place with the entire town, and it certainly wasn't safe to be huddled together.

His movement earns the attention of Camila, whose heels click-clacked for only a swift few seconds before her presence was right in front of him. She looped an arm through his own after stepping to his right side and suggested "I say we go to your house, pop open one of those unnecessarily expensive bottles of scotch, and just let the town do as it will."

She had noted that Alex ran out with Phoneix, and the smallest of pangs of guilt crept into her chest. Did she do that? The pair had bolted out of the door and some argument likely took place on the streets. Everyone was so vulnerable and touchy, but she didn't blame them. Not one bit. There is a lot to be nervous about, and death is one of them. Once the mortals latch onto something, their teeth and claws never relent. Tensions would rise as the level of fears did, and that's exactly what they hope will happen. It always happens. Both Camila and Elijah know that there is a pattern to things, and this is irreversible and hard to get away from.

"You are not going to go find Alex?" He looked down at her with a puzzled expression, leading her down the aisle and toward the exit.

She looked up at him, her brows knitted together as he had decided to shove himself into personal problems. If one could call it that. "Not right now. I'll just mess things up, and well - if I am going back to Hell soon, maybe it's for the best that I allow his... relationship with the boy to... go undisturbed." It took her a few seconds to choke those that two words out, but it was true. Time is fleeting and she didn't want to make Alex hate her, too.

"An act of selflessness?" He teased her, a sly grin having crept across his lips. He knew that would bother the hell out of her, but he dished out a light jab here and there. He moved through the door with Camila in tow to bring them down the empty streets in the direction of his home.

"I wouldn't call it selflessness," she shrugged at no one in particular. "We'll call it... concentrating on the bigger picture."

The pair would soon be at the steps of his large and lonely home; a desolate place where it was always as cliche as cliche could get when it comes to all the thoughts one might have of a Vampire's dwelling. It was a haunt, that's for certain. Camila and Elijah disappeared through its doors, and likely wouldn't be out unless something were to occur.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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ROSIE THOMPSON
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outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460
xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind
Rosie just raised an eyebrow and shook her head a little as Markus asked if his speech was any less awkward. “It was fine, not shitty at all, Markus. You need to give yourself a little more credit,” she said, with a half grin. The update at least put her at ease. She couldn’t go on the patrols, what with having to mark papers and prepare for her classes, but Markus had at least been keeping her in the loop. In a time like this, she'd found herself taking some degree of leadership on this thing. Mostly, she used the information to advise her students to stay away, or to answer any questions they did have. She couldn't do much, but she could try to protect them. Markus turned to walk away, having updated her in his usual brief manner, but instead Neden reappeared in their usual energetic manner.

The grin on Rosie's face rapidly disappeared as Neden mentioned what they’d found during the week. “No. No, he didn’t.” She said, turning to stare down Markus. She just sighed as Neden explained that they’d had a hiccup. And that they now had a guest. She knew exactly what that meant, unfortunately. It meant things were now more complicated than they had been two minutes ago. Neden disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared under the pretense of getting food. Rosie turned fully to Markus.

“Were you going to bring this up?” She asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. “Markus, if there’s one of them, there could be more. What are you going to do with our little
 problem?” She asked, keeping her voice low, little more than a hiss to prevent anyone overhearing. “We need to deal with this.” She glanced around and saw Travis looking at her, giving a wave. She smiled back and return the wave, before turning back to Markus. “As quietly and as quickly as possible.”

To give Markus his credit, he told Rosie the full story once they left, away from where they might be overheard and cause a panic. They thought the hunter might be a valuable source of information, but he hadn’t said anything yet. His training was surprisingly good, and he hadn't cracked yet. But he couldn’t stay locked up in Markus’ basement forever, and they needed to do something with him. They spent the next few days trying to hatch a plan. Rosie could use her abilities to get him to talk, reveal everything him knew. But she wasn’t eager to do that. If he escaped, her giving away an element of her ability could potentially be used against them. It was only when she was in Travis’ shop, picking up a few things for dinner, that she had her brainwave. Getting a human to talk to the hunter could work. Let them think there was somebody on their side. Someone who could help. And they wouldn’t be giving away a tactical advantage.

Their plan came together relatively quickly after that. Rosie made a stop into Phoenix's café on her way home from class and managed to talk him into bringing Jaiden and Violet out for drinks. Markus and Rosie had both agreed that they needed to get Jaiden and Violet out of the house, just in case things went wrong. And a third party would keep them accountable. That and, well, from what Rosie could see, they all needed a night out with friends. She hadn't seen Jaiden that withdrawn since she'd first arrived in Greythorne, and now she was possibly worse than she had been then. And as much as Phoenix was pretending that everything was fine, Rosie knew it wasn't. She didn't know the details, but the marked absence of Alex from Phoenix's surroundings seemed to be part of the problem. And Violet had changed too, but possibly the least. Rosie could still see the old Violet every time she went to Markus'. She'd changed, of course she had. They all had. But Rosie could still get a smile out of her, which was more than she could say for some of the others.

She headed straight over to Markus' after class. Travis wasn't going to be finished for another while, but Rosie wanted to be there early in case Violet and Jaiden needed more persuasion, and because, as ever, she had essays to be marking. She wasn't sure whether or not Neden would be coming or if they were doing patrols that evening.



PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you
When he'd woken up the morning after the meeting, everything had felt like a horrible dream. And then it hit him again. None of it had been a nightmare. It had happened. And it felt like somebody was kicking him in the chest all over again. But he'd gotten up, as normal. He'd gone for his run, taking a different and slightly harsher path, but one that he knew meant would pose less of a risk of running into Alex. He'd gone home, showered, and gone to work.

And that had been his routine. Pretend everything was normal. Pretend that he didn't stare at his phone, waiting for a text that didn't come, writing texts he'd never send. Pretend that it didn't feel like somebody had cut off his left arm. Sure, he didn't need it, but not having it made things so much harder.

Abuela still came in, like she always did. Phoenix couldn't lie to her, couldn't tell her everything was fine. He gave her her usual supplies of bread and pastries when she came in instead of dropping them over before or after work.

"He misses you too, Phoenix, querido. He just can't say it." He didn't need to say anything. Abuela could always read him like a book, and lying would be a waste of time. He just smiled sadly and handed her the bag of baked goods.

Get up. Go for a run. Go to work. Pretend like the dark circles under his eyes didn't give away the fact he was snatching only a few hours of sleep every night and that that sleep was seldom restful. Nightmares plagued him from the moment he closed his eyes. And it wasn't like he had anyone to talk to them about.

He knew from the moment he saw Rosie's face that she was back into "caring english teacher" mode, and it at least gave him a couple of seconds to brace himself. But she didn't mention him, just said that she'd been around at Markus' and thought Jaiden and Violet needed a night out. He didn't know how she managed to talk him into agreeing to bring them out. But she had always been extraordinarily persuasive, even without having to use her abilities, so he found himself having committed to the plans.

He'd taken his time getting ready, waiting for an excuse to arise that would mean he didn't have to go. Going would just be a few more hours of pretending that everything was fine. It was bullshit, everyone knew it, but Jaiden didn't need his stupid crap on top of everything she was dealing with. He'd even put on eyeshadow and eyeliner to stretch it out, but eventually, there came a time when he had to leave to go meet Jaiden and Violet at Markus'. Shoving his phone in to his pocket, he turned and left, making his way across town.

He knocked on the Markus' door and was let in by Rosie, who chattered in her usual charming way, giving out about her freshmen. He just smiled and nodded, forcing a laugh at appropriate points, and mostly just prayed that Violet and Jaiden would appear soon. He loved Rosie, but he just... wasn't in the mood for that constant chatter right now.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven Character Portrait: Travis Graveson
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KAYLESSA VALVEN
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500
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xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

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Kaylessa smiled as Neden said she would consider working with Travis, she just wanted everyone to be nice to each other and knew that they would need to work together to get through this, and that Travis working with the others would be a start to this. She returned a smile to Travis before turning around and skipping back through the hall to grab her small cart and walked down the aisles of chairs in between people starting to clean up. Kay would quickly grab some of the trinkets she made that some people had left behind and put them in her cart, as her way of helping clean up and to also re-purpose her creations for another time. She knew most people didn’t hold onto everything she made and wasn’t too upset.

As the building started to empty out Kaylessa said bye to everyone and headed back outside to grab the rest of herself and head home, though when she got outside there was something on the ground to the side of the pathway in a patch of grass that caught her attention and she ran over to see what it was. A flower crown, on the ground ripped apart and destroyed on the ground, the same crown she gave Alex earlier.

Kay picked up the pieces of the crown slowly, a little frown on her face and set them on top of her cart. She knew some people didn’t like the crowns she made, but no one had ever destroyed one before, and she always thought Alex liked her and liked her crowns. Kaylessa skulked back to her home with her belongings, thinking and trying to figure out what this meant and why Alex would do this.

The next few days flew by and Kaylessa didn’t do much out in the town of Greythorne, she was more in one of her cleaning moods and cleaned and rearranged her place again. Though as she got almost done cleaning she found the destroyed flower crown from the day before, thinking back to the night, and decided she needed some advice and was curious about some stuff and headed out. First she went by Phoenix's store to ask him about it, but he wasn't there, or atleast ignored her bangings on his store's doors. The next stop was the lake, hopefully Zada would be there to talk.

“Zada! You out there?” Kaylessa shouted towards the water as she plopped down on the grass by the shore of the lake holding the crown, hopefully her mermaid friend would be here. If she wasn’t though Kay wouldn’t mind just laying down and staring at the sky. It was when she heard the breach of water that she looked back to the water and saw Zada. “Hey Zada
 sorry to bother you but
” Kay paused for a second looking at the still damaged crown in her hands, before setting it down it down the grass. “I gave Alex this crown last night, and I found it like this. Why would he do this? I thought he liked me, liked what I made. What if he hates me, and just barely puts up with me. I get people don’t always keep the things I make them
 but no ones ever done this.” She said staring at the ground, trailing off. “It
 it hurts
”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven
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KAYLESSA VALVEN
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500
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xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

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Kaylessa kept her eyes on the lake, watching the moonlight shimmers off of the ripples of the water as Zada talked, though she did notice her pick up the flower crown. Listening closely as she described what little she knew of Alex, as well as men as a whole, though ending on the note that maybe Alex isn’t good enough for her creative nature to be wasted on and doesn’t deserve her kindness.

“But Zada, I enjoy it. Most people just say thank you and move on, he would always say nice remarks. Compliment me. Not just Rosie saying I look nice today, but more personal.” Kay said as her eyes floated from the river over to the crown in Zada’s hands. Thinking back to what he had said to her when she saw him at the town meeting. ”How could I be anything but perfect with you around? You look fantastic as always.” They felt like more than a typical compliment, like they had feelings behind the words.

And it wasn’t just then, the two always had an interesting dynamic while in school and close friendship. Kaylessa always felt like there was something else and assumed with how Alex treated her that they were the same, but right now Kay felt like he just hated her. “Should I say something to him? Maybe say something to Phoenix or Rosie? They know how he is and might know. Though Phoenix wouldn’t answer the door
 Maybe he doesn’t like me either
 I guess you are right Zada. Thank you.” She said before leaning over and giving Zada a hug, not really asking first nor caring. Kay quickly stood up and ran back into town, leaving the flower crown with Zada.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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KAYLESSA VALVEN
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500
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xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

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“I’ve been good, better now after talking to Phoenix. And he fixed the crown!” Kaylessa said in response to Jaiden asking how she was, and holding up the crown before putting it on her own head with a smile. Then Violet asked if she would be joining them, Kay turned her head not knowing what she was talking about as Phoenix hadn’t said yet, but right when she thought that Phoenix explained they were going back to his place. She was thinking of saying no and going back to show Zada the fixed crown and tell her what Phoenix had said, but then he brought up tea. “Oh! Yeah I’ll come! Sounds like fun.” She said smiling before he continued saying they should get of the cold. “It’s not that cold, last year was worse, the lake froze over night and Zada wasn’t too happy about it.”

Kaylessa skipped along side the group, often getting ahead and then skipping back to them. “So I heard that Markus had some new guest over recently, though Neden won’t let me meet them. Like, why? I love meeting new people. I even heard he’s a human like Travis, and sorta like me. Ish.” She brought up. She overheard it between Neden and Rosie but as soon as Kay started asking questions she was told not to worry about it and Rosie tried changing the subject. And Neden wouldn’t even tell her when Kay put on the fake frowny face Zada had taught her to try to use when told no. “It’s weird.”

As the group continued, Kaylessa led most of the conversations with the group, though as they got closer she grabbed onto Phoenix’s hand. “Hey Phoenix. I have a question.” She stopped skipping and matched his walking speed. “Should I get Alex something? Maybe flowers or something? There’s this grotto I found in the woods with these really cool brown flowers, they would match his eyes you know.” Kay asked with a smile. She wanted to get Alex something to show how much she matters to her and she loved making crafts with flowers. So many options and she was really interested in using the flowers from the grotto she found.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Zada min Albahr Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxno i've got nothing to lose
xxxexcept everything you are
xxxi'm not looking at the moon
xxxi'm staring at the stars.
Even if it had been the last thing he’d wanted to do at one stage, he was glad he brought the others round. It made him feel a little less alone for a while. It made things feel a little more normal. Made it a little easier to deal with. But it couldn’t last forever, and all too soon, he was alone again. He went back to his repetitive routine. Run, work, sleep. Repeat, repeat, rinse and repeat, over and over again. Sometimes he went to Markus’ to see Jaiden and Violet. He perfected his Opera Cake recipe at 3AM one morning. Abuela still came for her bread and pastries, and Phoenix pretended he was more okay than he actually was. She’d always been able to see right through him, and her sad smile as she left told him that that hadn’t changed. But it was either that or probably end up crying at work when he spoke to her, and he refused to give in to that.

Kay appeared to have forgiven him, at least. She still asked if he’d spoken to Alex again, and he’d force a smile and shake his head and say no, they were just too busy. The flower crown still sat on a bookshelf in Phoenix’s apartment, the only place he could find for it where it wasn’t going to be staring him in the face every time he walked into the apartment. She still seemed convinced that Alex had genuinely meant the flirting, and he wasn’t sure what else he could do or say to convince her otherwise. How could she not have known that he was like that with everyone? Was it because she’d only ever really seen him with Phoenix, and he had never been like that with him? Or did she just really believe that he was different with her? He’d told her to bring him the brown flowers she mentioned. Maybe the flowers might make him smile and it would be worth it.

He didn’t want to leave his apartment, but his cupboards and fridge were so low that he really needed to get groceries. Travis always stayed open a little later to serve the night-dwellers, which meant that Phoenix was able to call in after work. Travis was pleasant as always, but Phoenix wasn’t particularly in the mood for a chat. He took his groceries and left again.

There was a strange energy in the air as he walked back to his apartment. He couldn’t explain it, but it was
 oddly familiar, and not in a good way. It was a tension, as if something bad was about to happen.

He’d just gotten back into his apartment and put the groceries down on the counter when he heard the first scream. Something told him to slam the door and lock it, told him to hide. But instead, he sprinted back down the stairs, back into town. The hunters were back. He met one almost at his door, but before he could react, a vampire appeared from nowhere and tackled the hunter, their teeth already in the hunter’s neck. Phoenix turned and ran, running back towards town.

He didn’t expect to see Abuela there. He wasn’t, however, surprised to see her punch a hunter who was at least a foot taller than her in the face and knee him in the groin. “Abuela! Where’s Alex?” He called. He didn’t give a damn about their fight, he needed to make sure he was safe. He hadn’t dealt well with the first attack, so if they were going to be attacked again, he had to try and help. “He went to the graveyard!” Abuela called back, and Phoenix took off running again, avoiding the hunters as best he could.


ROSIE THOMPSON
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outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460
xxxi'd sit alone and watch your light
xxxmy only friend through teenage nights
xxxand everything i had to know
xxxi heard on the radio
Rosie and Travis excused themselves from Markus'. He insisted on walking her home to make sure she got home safe. And it was there that he told her the truth of why the hunter had known who she was. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but it did make sense at least. It was an answer.

The next few days were quiet. Too quiet. Neden and Travis stayed passing on the information from the patrols, and everything was quiet. Considering they'd captured and killed one of the hunters, Rosie knew that quiet was certainly not a good thing. It was a matter of time before they retaliated. And they needed to be prepared. The patrols got bigger and patrolled for longer. She and a few of the other teachers stayed after hours to make sure the kids who stayed late got home safe, walking or driving them home themselves if needed. They were preparing for an attack, if they couldn't make it obvious.

So when she heard the screaming start from town, she knew exactly what it was. She'd stayed after school to make sure the drama kids got home from rehearsal safe. When they'd announced they were doing a production of Macbeth, Rosie had gotten roped in as director. It was turning out better than she'd imagined, but that afternoon, she hadn't been able to focus on any of it. She was just getting her stuff ready to leave when the screaming started. She and the others had prepared for this. Their first priority was to get the kids home safely.

She and half a dozen sophomores had ended up too close to the centre of town, where the worst of the attacks seem to be concentrated. She'd decided that it wasn't worth getting them all home, and instead was going to bring them back to hers. There was enough room and she could keep them safe. And then a hunter ambushed them. Her kids were ready to fight, but not as ready as Rosie. He hadn't expected her to take flight and kick him in the face from the air. But he recovered quickly and grabbed her ankles, yanking them towards her. She leaned into it and drove the force of her weight into it, knocking him out. She hit the ground and yelled for her students to run. And they ran, just like she'd told them to. They were kids. They didn't need to fight this fight, they needed to be safe. She got to her feet and started following them, catching up to them easily. She was going to protect these kids, no matter what. No matter what she had to do.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Neden Isimir
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A l e x Garcia

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Outfit - #3a0a4d
Without Phoenix, Alex was lonely. It wasn’t as if he’d shut himself up and away from the world, but everywhere he went, everyone he saw, it all reminded him of Phoenix and how easily their entire friendship had fallen apart. The entire town reminded him of all the time they’d spent together, and when his father called to try to convince Alex (and Abuela, surprisingly enough) to move in with him to escape the hunters, Alex might have done it if Abuela hadn’t stubbornly refused. He wasn’t going to leave her alone. Besides, Greythorne was their home. Alex just didn’t feel safe anymore, and he wasn’t so sure he ever would. His dreams were extremely troubling, and it was becoming more difficult to interpret them by the day. He didn’t know if it was the spirits, or if it was him, but he didn’t understand what he was seeing, even if the contents of the visions were largely the same every night.

He’d decided to put his fear aside and seek out some clarity, but he wasn’t about to go out alone, not to the graveyard, and certainly not at night. The dark made him uncomfortable now, so he was glad to have someone to be there with him, even if he and Neden weren’t particularly close. They were mostly just there to step in if things went horribly wrong, and to keep Alex from feeling so
 Nervous.

Really, everything about necromancy had made Alex nervous since his first real encounter with what he could do. He tried to push his childhood failures from his mind as he set up for what he was attempting; this would be different. It had to be. He could stay calm this time. He could control it. He didn’t see any other option.

The setup was easy enough: pick a spot he liked, light the candles, double check that everything was there. ”That should be everything
” He muttered, more to himself than anything. He sat down on the ground, legs crossed, and leaned back against a weather-worn gravestone, and shot Neden a small, and completely fake, smile, ”I’m not really sure what any of this is supposed to look like, but I’ll probably be fine. So just... “ He shrugged, ”Sit tight.”

He had two wine glasses and a dark red wine set in front of him. Getting the spirits of the dead to come and grant him a clearer vision should be easy enough. He filled both glasses, and set one aside; he drank his own glass in one go, and sat back to wait. He crossed his arms in front of him, to keep from fidgeting, and closed his eyes. The worst part was the waiting, and he began to think he hadn’t done enough, the spirits could be so difficult to please. So he grabbed the bottle and began to drink directly from it for a time, then waited a while more. He was just about to drink a little more when he heard a sound like a distant church bell ringing. He shot a glance at Neden, then set the bottle aside to wait.

It took a few minutes, and there were more spirits than he expected, but Alex was relieved that it seemed to have worked. As the group of spirits settled in a semi-circle around him, Alex felt compelled to stand, though he suddenly felt a little lightheaded as he did. He felt icy hands grabbing him; pushing and pulling him until he was surrounded. He felt his heart begin to race, but he closed his eyes and suddenly felt very, very tired.

When he opened his eyes, he was laying in a bed of wildflowers. The moon was hung impossibly low in the sky, and he thought, for a moment, that if he tried, he could reach out and touch it. He didn’t have time to be mesmerized, however, because he started to hear the sound of screaming. Someone was scared. Terrified. The flowers around him began to die; slowly, at first, and then faster, almost too quickly to take in. He sat up, and then quickly stood; he was in a field of flowers, and they were rapidly dying around him in all directions. He started walking, and then a sense of dread and desperation gripped him, and he broke out in a sprint, though he didn’t seem able to actually go anywhere. Suddenly, and all at once, he came upon a horrible scene.

It was eerily familiar, just like what he often saw in his nightmares; but he wasn’t looking at himself laying on the ground. He knelt down in the already-cold blood that was quickly expanding from the body, and seemed to be the source of whatever was killing the flowers. He knew who it was, but he didn’t want to believe it. It didn’t help that nothing was clear, here. Everything seemed so hazy. As he reached out, the entire scene changed. He was kneeling in a dark alley, Phoenix’s lifeless face staring up at him, even as insects and animals began to claim him. Suddenly, he heard his own voice echoing above him You’re a coward, you’re a coward, you’re a coward Over and over again, even as he grabbed onto Phoenix’s shoulders, as he shook his friend. Phoenix was so cold, and Alex watched in horror as his body began to fade away like smoke in the wind. He started to scramble away as he just heard the word coward repeated again and again.

”No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. This couldn’t happen. He heard the screaming again, it sounded louder this time. He felt like he was going to be sick. Darkness began to engulf him, or maybe he’d just closed his eyes. He needed to wake up. He wanted this to end.

He woke up when he felt his head hit the ground, and quickly scrambled to his knees to empty the contents of his stomach. In the moonlight, he swore the liquid looked like blood.

As he stood, he realized that the screaming was real. What was happening? He didn’t know if Neden was speaking or not; he didn’t hear anything beside the screaming and his own thoughts, but he managed to say, ”I-I’m fine. You should probably
” He gestured vaguely towards the town, he was desperately trying to reel in his thoughts, trying to make sense of everything he’d just seen, and what he was hearing, and what he knew to be true. They were back. He needed to find Phoenix.

He stood up and started to run, he hoped he wasn’t too late. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to stop it, but he at least needed to be there. He couldn’t stomach the thought of Phoenix being all alone, scared and in pain. Something in his gut told him that he didn’t have much time, and he didn’t even know where he was going, but he didn’t have enough time to really consider a plan. He didn’t even see the hunter until they were right there, and he found himself stumbling over an old footstone when he tried to change direction and run away. He suddenly felt very defeated, as if even trying to find Phoenix had been pointless anyway. Alex couldn’t even protect himself, how was he supposed to save anyone else?

Setting

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Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia
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PHOENIX WOODS
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outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be
xxxno i've got nothing to lose
xxxexcept everything you are
xxxi'm not looking at the moon
xxxi'm staring at the stars.
The screaming only seemed to get worse as Phoenix sprinted through town, heading towards the graveyard. This attack seemed to be worse than the last. Or maybe it just seemed that way, maybe their own ghosts from that night were still lingering in their brain. He couldn’t let it happen again, he wouldn’t let it happen again. He didn’t care what it took. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Alex.

A hunter stepped into his path, something dangerous gleaming in his hand. Phoenix didn’t think, didn’t stop to examine what it was. He reacted instinctively and punched the man in the face, hearing a satisfying crunching sound. The man cried out and dropped the gun. Phoenix drove an elbow into his stomach for good measure, before smacking the man across the head with the gun. The hunter sank to the ground, and Phoenix hurled the gun as far away from the unconscious body as he could. Another scream, sounding too close. Phoenix took into a sprint again. It wasn’t far now, he could see the shadows of the headstones between the trees.

Getting to the graveyard was one thing, finding Alex among the rows of headstones would be another. But Phoenix’s gut told him where to start searching. He’d been here once or twice with Alex and Abuela, knew roughly where to find it. There was only one reason Alex would come to the graveyard, only one person’s grave he was interested in.

Phoenix saw the hunter first. Saw the glint of a silver knife, felt his shoulder burn with the memory. And then he saw Alex, stumbling over a foot stone-

And then there was that knife, moving as if in slow motion-

And Phoenix was running, throwing himself between the hunter and Alex. Vines wrapped around the hunter’s hand, but the woman wasn’t phased, simply yanked her hand free-

And embedded the knife between two of Phoenix’s ribs. He cried out, he couldn’t stop himself, all he could feel or focus on was the pain, the burning pain. She wrenched the knife out, moments before vines wrapped around her head and neck and twisted, snapping her neck. Phoenix hadn’t meant to do that, but everything seemed to be going into overdrive now, fighting to protect him.

He looked dumbly down at the wound, where one hand was already pressing to it, red seeping through his fingers. And then looked back at Alex. “I’m sorry-” he choked out, his knees giving way. He instinctively reached out, clung to Alex to hold himself up. “I’m so sorry.”

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Rosie Thompson Character Portrait: Neden Isimir Character Portrait: Violet Marsden
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Jaiden Price
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Witch | outfit : herex|xhex: #800000
xxxWe've made such a mess of this place
xxxThere's blood stains on your face
xxxWatch everybody live and pray
xxxInvade in her life


The next few days came by like a blurr for Jaiden. It was a mix of returning back to her normal everyday things, and then with the introduction of a Hunter and his body being taken care of, Jaiden knew what she had to do. She began training with her abilities, thanks to some help with Markus. He was able to gather some other Pyrokenetics in the town who helped her focus and know-how to contain it. They practiced in secrecy and private as the days passed. They all knew. They knew what was coming, it was obvious. They just didn't know when. Jaiden had always practiced slightly with her connection to fire, but never spent as much time as she did. The days were exhausting and seemed to go on forever. With the ever-growing dread, and with slightly more control, Jaiden had started to fall back into her old ways. Going out with some friends, and staying in Markus' home lately. Things had felt off in the following days, just something didn't feel right. About anything, and she didn't know why. Not until the day arrived.

Jaiden was out among the town, enjoying her day for the first time in a very long time. She went among the shops and checked to see if there was anything she wanted or needed, but there wasn't anything of real note. Passing from storefront to storefront her day went by rather quickly, and as the sun began to dip, fear and anxiety began to slowly creep inside once more. The air felt colder. No sign of wind or movement, but just cold. As if even nature knew what was about to happen. She found herself walking down the street in the dark when it happened. Screams. It started out in the distance of just one, and then another joined in, and eventually, it was a crescendo of multiple people screaming as they ran through the town. She felt her heart sink as reality hit her. It was happening again. Just when everything started to feel normal once more. She began to finally take a few steps back and as she turned, she saw what was going on just down the street. A dark figure rushed out from between two buildings, tackling an elf in the process to the cold hard ground, and a gunshot rang out. The elf went silent and still as a pool of blood began to form. She felt sick as others rushed past her, whether to action to help or in fear as they made their escape, but all she saw was the same thing the night of the festival. People screaming, running for their lives and to find safety, and Hunters. Everywhere. There was too many this time around as they seemed to swarm from the surrounding treeline as they made their way into town.

The young witch finally snapped herself back into reality as someone pushed past her, forcing her against a brick wall. After a moment of shaking her head, Jaiden found herself pushing herself against the wall and into the middle of the street. Looking around for any sign of someone needing help. She wouldn't run away, not this time. She was a coward last time, and someone she loved dearly paid the price for her actions. She was a coward, and she hated herself for it. Feeling so helpless and defenseless. Too scared of her past actions to use her abilities to help someone else. To use it for good, or at least in a just manner. She shook her head, seeing two more Hunters run after a group of small children, cornering them in an alleyway. Jaiden quickly gave chase after them and stopped about five feet away from the Hunters. A large lump formed in her throat as she tried to hold back the anxiety as her hands shook. After a brief moment, she called out to the Hunters, "Aye, Fuckos! Get the fuck away from those kids!" Jaiden lunged forwards, punching one in the back of the head as she gave a short burst of fire towards the other Hunter's abdomen, using it as a distraction. The first Hunter whirled around as he grasped the back of his head in pain, mumbling something under his breath about how they'd all pay. She heard and had enough, without even a single moment of hesitation, the two Hunters were consumed by a sudden wall of fire, that slowly drew in closer and closer, the light bouncing off of the buildings. Giving the scene a hellish glow as the two Hunters crumpled to the ground as they screamed, and suddenly were silenced as they turned to ash and dust. Without a single look of remorse on her face Jaiden turned to the group of children that had been herded like cattle. "Go find your parents and hide, don't let anyone find you. This isn't your fight, got it?" her voice was compassionate and somber but was cold as ice at the same time. She quickly turned on her heels and left to go find others that were in need of help, or maybe even one of her friends to help, if they weren't busy. All she hoped was that everyone was okay, and that nothing bad had happened just yet.






Markus Valegood
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Lycan | outfit : herex|xhex: #063A67
xxxI got everybody sleepwalking but they
xxxThey think they're awake
xxxAnd our hands always covered in shame, but
xxxIt won't wash away



The following days had been an absolute mess. Markus had been busy with trying to figure out what to do with the whole Hunter issue, as losing their only real form of information had been expired all too quickly. Patrols became stricter, longer, and larger groups were sent out as it wasn't safe. Things hadn't felt right since the first Hunter showed up, and with how things had only seemingly got worse over the next few days both Markus and Neden grew paranoid. They added new members to the patrols and made sure everyone was combat-ready and knew what to do if another attack were to transpire. It was like the worst thing that could possibly happen, was starting to happen and it was only a matter of time until it made itself known. That was until today. Markus was tending to things in the town, getting a few personal items, as well as supplies for the house as three people were in his home. He hadn't realized how expensive food was for three people, but he couldn't complain. As much as he never wanted to admit it, his friends were his family and he was happy to help them any way he could. He was in town the entire day as he had multiple errands to run, and by the time he was done with everything the sun had already started to go down. He began to slowly make his way through the town and back to the direction his home was in, midway through the entrance of the forest he stopped. Everything went cold and silent. The forest itself was normally so lively with animals, the wind would blow and make sounds throughout the trees. But not now. Now it was eerily silent. It was then that he heard a faint whisper among the trees. Spriggans and TreeFolk all alike were hidden throughout the woods, which was what made the forest such a fantastical, yet horrifying place. If one wasn't any wiser they could end up as some fertilizer for one of them.

Markus' hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he couldn't tell what it was, not until it was too late. Screams were heard coming from town, and that it when it hit him. Hunters. They were here, again. The church bell went off soon enough, alerting the people in the town of what was happening, as everyone knew if the church bells went off, it was to signal the arrival of danger. Markus began to make a bee-line for the town when a sharp and searing pain shot through his leg. Looking down, a large arrow had embedded itself into his right calf. He groaned in pain as he took a moment to collect his thoughts, they were hiding in the woods. It only made sense. Quickly he turned, grabbing one by the throat as he went for a sneak attack from the shadows. Markus simply grinned, and in an instant a crescent of red sprayed through the air as the Hunter was dropped to the floor, a fresh and gnarled wound bled out from the neck. Markus looked around for more, ducking behind a tree as he pulled the arrow out from his leg, seeing the wound heal within seconds. A chuckle erupted from his throat as he witnessed two more Hunters peer out from within the trees, "If you're going to fight, at least make it fair." he said with a low growl, his eyes twinkled with some mischief before lunging forward with inhuman speed. He already had his hand wrapped around another Hunter's throat, squeezing tightly until he heard a satisfying crunch and the Hunter's body went limp. Markus dropped the fresh corpse and slowly stalked his way through the woods, hearing a twig snap behind him he ducked behind a tree.

Familiar voices came from the entrance of the woods, seeing a group of children and then an all too familiar face appear quickly behind them. Rosie had been ushering a group of her students to safety. A small smile appeared on his face as he went to greet them, but yet again a searing pain shot through his side as he fell to his knee. A deep growl erupted from deep within his chest as he flashed Rosie a look. He looked down at his side, yet again another arrow. With a groan he removed the arrow, snapping it in half with ease. This wound seemed to take slightly longer to heal, but within a minute it had already healed over. He turned to where the arrow came from, seeing another Hunter hiding behind the trees in the back. Markus helped move the students and Rosie hide behind some trees themselves. He knew what he had to do, he wasn't as useful as he could have been otherwise. He quickly tossed off his shoes, removing his shirt and tossed them to the side, "You may want to look away." he said softly. the transformation was quick, but too slow for his liking. It always was. His bones having to break and crack, reform from human and into that of a wild beast's. His muscles and tendons, and every fiber of his being shifted from his human form, to that of an overly large wolf. A low, gravelly growl escaped the beast's mouth as it looked around for a moment. It had always been something he hated, and used for last resorts, but this time it was the only option he had if he wanted to ensure the safety of his friends. The wolf slowly lowered itself close to the ground as it peered around the side, staring into the darkness. Picking up on the scent of the Hunter, Markus slowly slinked from where he had been hiding with the others and made a straight bolt and out of sight as he chased the Hunter. A pained, human scream sounded as the sound of snapping and growling, bones breaking and flesh tearing and all went silent within seconds. After a few moments of nothing, no sound or movement a figure slowly exited from the darkness. The figure slowly made its way from the darkness, blood-covered dark matted fur, dark blue eyes scanned the area as a howl escaped its lips. A triumphant howl sounded but was quickly silenced as the trees themselves seemed to stir to life. Roots began uprooting themselves, gaps, where there were trees prior now existed as the treefolk, had been awoken from their slumber, ready to defend their home and the people within it.







Violet Marsden
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Ghost...? | outfit : herex|xhex: #2b2a2a
xxxThere's blood in the water but it tastes so sweet
xxxShow me no mercy
xxxAnd let it rain, and let it rain
xxxShow me no mercy



The following days had been hell on earth. From locking herself away after the night she had spent with everyone, to spending long nights and mornings in the local library. Violet had been studying everything she could to try to learn something, anything about herself. Anything about what she had become, but there was nothing. Nothing about someone having been a ghost that had become what she was now. There were no answers, and maybe there never would be. But as the days went on, it only grew more painful. The mark on her wrist had grown from a simple numbing throbbing pain, to at times an immobilizing sharp ache. She never understood why it would randomly cause her pain, nevermind where it came from or why. All she knew now was that she was different from before, not just shunned to the outside and made to look on as an outsider, but now she could do things. She always could move things around or summon things to her will if she so desired, but this was different. She spent the following days researching and practicing her newfound abilities. It was now that she was in the woods, northside of the town. She sat beside a tree, reading a few of the books that she had borrowed from the library. She hadn't planned to have been there as long as she did, but it was like something else was calling out to her from afar. Always out of reach, both literally and figuratively.

It was only when the sun began to go down that she decided it would be best for her to get her things and head home. Markus made it a point for her to never be out by herself when it got dark. She took a detour, though a pathway she hadn't been to in years. A place she avoided at all costs since the accident. Since she became a ghost, and whatever it is that she is now. The all too hauntingly familiar scene and smell laid before her eyes through the treeline. Violet slowly walked through the trees, keeping her backpack close by as she shuffled into view of the lake. She felt a large lump form in her throat, it was the first time she had been there since, wanting to reject the reality the best she could. But with everything having gone to shit already, she had to face the facts, even if she didn't want to. Violet set her things down along the treeline next to a birch tree and walked to the water's edge. Sitting down, and gently tracing the water's surface with her fingertip. But, the moment her finger touched the water, frost gathered and quickly began to spread out over a small patch of the lake. Violet quickly scrambled backward from the water. She blinked, but the moment her eyes landed on the lake she gave out a heavy sigh. The rippling water was just as it was, no ice, no frost. Nothing. She hadn't had visions or memories of the event in years, and now...Now it happened for the first time in over a decade. Quickly getting to her feet she mumbled to herself, "I knew I shouldn't have come here..." she mumbled. The sound of a twig snapped alerted her, causing her to pause for a moment. Looking around she didn't see anything of importance, that was until a voice spoke out from behind the tree line. "You're right about that." a deep, yet oddly calm voice called. Violet snapped her attention to where the figure sat, his face was blocked from view as he was looking away from her. "Who...Who are you?" she questioned, an eyebrow quirked.

The man smirked, turning his head to look at Violet, his face still obstructed from view due to the cloak he was wearing. The only defining features that could be seen were a very squared jawline, brown gote, and beard. The man slowly stood, rising to his full height which easily towered over Violet. "In time, my dear. But for now, I think the real important thing is your friends. Remember?" he mused. Violet took a step back when the man spoke, something was familiar about him, but she didn't understand why. Not yet anyway. A lump formed in her throat at the mention of her friends, and how they were more important than anything at the moment. She was going to ask what that meant but then a scream was heard far off in the distance, which caused her to look away. Violet snapped her head back to where the man had stood, and when her eyes landed back there he was gone. Without a trace. There was no sound of him leaving, nor was there even a sound before he made his presence known. Violet didn't know what to do, she couldn't move as she tried to figure out what to do. Does she go to help whoever screamed, or simply ignore it? It was only when what sounded like several people running along with the trees that caused her heart to race, as well as sink. They were all dressed in black and were running at high speeds to the direction of the town. She immediately understood what was happening, she began to make her way from the lake, that was until three figures stepped out from the treeline. They had to crouch down from the upper branches of the trees as they exited and entered the clearing. Violet knew that Spriggans and treefolk had existed in the town before, but these...These were far too large to be normal ones, nevermind how old they looked. Ancient moss and foliage had spread across the majority of their bodies as they stretched. Violet watched in silence as they looked at her, before looking at each other and then back at her before walking past her and towards the direction of the town. The fact that the ancient treefolk started to awaken caused her heart to race even more as her palms began to sweat. She didn't know what point she'd serve in trying to help, but if what was happening was what she thought, then she had to do something. Anything to help those she cared about, and that's what she would do.





Neden Isimir
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Fallen Angel | outfit : herex|xhex: #a39d9d
xxxThis place is going up in flames and
xxxWe watch and we wait
xxxAnd I think I kinda like the way it
xxxIt burns in my face



The ensuing days had been nothing but preparations and over paranoia. Neden had always been one for being over the top in everything they did and always seemed to be paranoid about something or someone. But those days were an entirely different kind. With the way patrols were being pushed towards and adding new people, making the rules be harder and the guidelines of what to do in case of an emergency or attack. They spent days without sleep, choosing to stay up most nights, hard at work even if they weren't patrolling. With the events that transpired between Travis and the Branded, Neden had to take matters into their own hands. They stayed up later and longer, ate less, slept less, but trained more. Trained harder, and longer than they ever had. They knew something bad was coming and it would be coming soon, but Neden didn't know when or why. But just that something dark was coming their way, and there was nothing to do to stop it. All they could do was help the others prepare and that is what they did. While on one of those days, Alex approached them and asked for some help. That he'd need someone in the next few days to come with him to the graveyard so he could do a special thing for him to be able to have a proper vision? Something along those lines, Alex hadn't been exactly very clear on what he wanted from them, but they obliged. What was the worse thing that could happen? It could backfire and he could end up hurting himself? Which, would be oddly amusing. The day finally came when Alex came to them and said it was time to go, taking a few things with them just in case if things went south, not like they needed this to happen for them to bring their things with them anyway. A few knives, their main choice of weapon and a few other things that they kept hidden in their overcoat.

Neden followed Alex to the graveyard and kept a small distance between them as they walked, keeping their eyes on anything and everything. Neden silently followed Alex as he tried to find the perfect spot that he wanted to set his things up. When he finally chose a spot Neden helped him set everything up and took what he didn't need, placing it on the side of the gravestone. They gave him a few feet of distance in case anything backfired or went horribly wrong and simply watched. Neden nodded as he told them to just sit tight and not to worry, and that he wasn't sure what was going to happen exactly or what they possibly could witness. Neden simply shrugged as he began whatever he was doing, as Neden didn't really have the biggest interest in Necromancy or things along the things that pertained to death. Whether it was still the angel part in them or not they weren't sure. All they knew was that it made them uncomfortable, but not because it went against nature itself, but because they were dealing with someone who wasn't even entirely sure if he was doing it right. Neden simply stood there watching as it all unfolded, when nothing seemed to be working as even Alex said he wasn't sure if he was doing it right, "Look, if this doesn't work any time soon I'm gonna go. I have more important things to-" they started but were silenced as a dark mist began to form around their feet. Neden dug in their pockets for a moment, but stopped as suddenly dozens of spirits formed around Alex. Their eyes widened for a moment as their heart raced, but took a deep breath as they spirits moved in closer to Alex and formed a semi-circle. [i]Holy shit...He actually did it..., they thought to themselves as Alex's otherwise stupid idea of a summoning actually worked.

They watched in silence and awe as it only lasted a few short seconds, but it was enough to take in. Alex sat there in silence, in a daze as who they presumed to be past necromancers themselves, or some other witches gathered around Alex. Everything happened so quickly, as the spirits quickly faded away, as did the mist and they were left alone once more. Neden blinked back into reality as Alex began to tip over, clearly still in his daze. Neden reacted on instinct and helped keep him from slamming his head into anything and helped lower him to the ground, backing away a bit to give him room to breathe. Neden looked away as Alex quickly scrambled to his feet and emptied his stomach. Patting him on the back awkwardly as he did so, seeing as that it could be the only thing they could do to comfort him. Neden didn't know what he saw, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. All they knew was that Alex was incredibly panicked and speratic, more so than usual. It was then that Nedne heard screaming coming from the town. their heart sank, it happened. It was happening again. Another attack. "Alex we need to get out of here now! It's not safe." they said as they shook him by the shoulders. Neden looked at him as he gestured to the town, obviously telling them to go and help. Neden shook their head, "Not leaving you behind, you idiot." they said as they helped Alex to his feet, but watched as he took off like a rocket. Shaking their head they quickly followed after him, and watched as another figure came running into the graveyard, but was stopped by a cloaked figure. Neden didn't see what happened exactly, as it happened too quickly. All that they knew was that Phoenix went down, and the Hunter was ensnared in vines and was quickly silenced.

"No!!" they exclaimed as they ran towards the direction Phoenix was in. As Neden ran, they stopped by Alex and forced him to his feet, "Get to your fucking feet you idiot!" they said coldly as they helped him as they made their way to Phoenix. Thankfully Alex was easy to help over to where Phoenix was laying down in the grass, obviously losing blood all too quickly. Neden placed Alex down next to him, quickly turning their head behind them seeing more figures emerge from their hiding spots. Hunters, and lots of them. "Fanfuckingtastic" Neden muttered out loud. Looking back at Phoenix and Alex for a moment they spoke, "Do what you can, wrap this around his wound for now." they said as they tossed him a wrap of gauze they had stowed in their pocket. Turning to face the encroaching Hunters, Neden dug into their pockets and retrieved something that glinted in the moonlight. Whistling softly into the wind for a moment, Neden smirked. They'd have back up soon enough, but until then they'd have to do what they could. Turning the end of the pen, in a flash it changed its appearance from a normal household pen into that of a sword. With a deep breath, Neden brandished their weapon as a Hunter rushed them with two plain steel daggers.

Neden dodged the first strike of their blades, twirling the sword around as they engaged in combat with the Hunter. The Hunter went for a single strike, easily dodged with Neden's speed and agility. "'What even are you?" the Hunter hissed between her teeth. A smirk spread across their face, "Pissed off, darling." they quipped, quickly going in for a lunge of their own, the Hunter got in a quick slice along Neden's left arm as the Hunter blocked the blade with their other dagger. Neden hissed at the Hunter for a moment, but smirked as not even a drop of blood seeped through the coat. The Hunter went into for another jab, but was forcefully yanked backward by what appeared to be vines and branches. A smirk appeared on Neden's face as they looked around, Spriggans and treefolk of all kinds finally arrived and had made quick work of some of the Hunters. "Head into town, the town's people need your help more than us." Neden called out to the dozen of Spriggans, who simply nodded and left for the town. Neden took another quick look around and ran back to Alex and Phoenix, who were still laying on the ground, "You both need to get out of here, now. Find someplace safe and you'll be fine. Got it?" they questioned. Neden took two steps away from them and stopped before they made their way back into the town. Stopping as something didn't feel right, it was too quiet. The Hunters had been picked off far too easily and it just didn't sit right with them. Neden knew more were out there, hiding among the trees. Before they turned back to speak to Alex and Phoenix, the slightest sound of a twig snapping along the treeline caught their attention.

Without even thinking, Neden stepped in front of Alex in a split second, and a moment later the crackling of a gunshot went off. Neden slowly looked up at Alex as they turned to look at him. A small smile creased their lips for only a second as they collapsed to their knees, holding their side. Everything went silent, except for the doll sound of static and ever so quiet ringing sound in their ears. Neden didn't even have a second to think of a better option than getting in the way of Alex and blocking him from being hit. A chuckle sounded for a moment before Nedne let out a soft groan as blood came spurting from their lips. Neden bent over and coughed, blood splattered across the old stone and grass. Looking down at their hand finally, they saw that it was coated in blood and a large mess of flesh and blood covered their jacket. "I'm sorry...I wasn't much help...I wish I could have done more..." they muttered, their breathing became heavy and labored. Neden was losing blood and strength at an all too fast rate and their vision began to blur. Sitting back against one of the headstones they let out a chuckle, "You did good though, Alex...Don't let them tell you otherwise..." they said softly. There was nothing left to say or do, and after a bit of silence, all went quiet. Not even the sound of wind or animals chirping. A figure slowly stepped out from the treeline and slowly began to make its way over to Alex and Phoenix. As the figure grew closer they slowly raised their weapon and went to open fire.

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, and an unknown figure rushed at the Hunter, knocking them off their feet. The weapon scattered across the cold stone below and out of sight. The Hunter looked up at his assailant in confusion. After a brief moment of silence, the Hunter brandished a large, curved knife and went for a quick strike. The other figure dodged out of the way with incredible speed, grabbing the Hunter by the shoulder and flipped over them. Now standing behind the Hunter, the figure gave a quick few jabs along the back and kicked at the lower lumbar, causing the Hunter to crash to the ground. "What...What are you?" the Hunter questioned, looking up at the figure with dark, jet black wings that seemingly blended in with their attire, as they spread out more. No smile or chuckle, but an icy cold tone came forth as the figure spoke, "Death." the figure said simply. In a blink of an eye, a dagger was logged into the Hunter's forehead, burying deep within the skull, and the Hunter went still. The winged figure slowly stood up, wiping the blood from their weapon as they put it back into their cloak's pocket. As the figure slowly walked over to Phoenix and Alex, an all too familiar face gave a small and friendly smile, "I'll explain later, but we need to get out of here. Now. Can you carry him or should I?"





Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Phoenix Woods Character Portrait: Alex Garcia Character Portrait: Jaiden Price Character Portrait: Neden Isimir Character Portrait: Kaylessa Valven Character Portrait: Violet Marsden
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KAYLESSA VALVEN
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outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500
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xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

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That night Kaylessa really enjoyed hanging around Phoenix, Violet, and Jaiden. She didn’t really hang out with people in a tight group like them, seeming to be more of a free spirit that floats around sharing with anyone and everyone, but she did like it while it lasted. Kay didn’t really understand insider jokes before but now the group of four had a couple of their own and she would treasure those and when she left in the morning, she likes watching the sunrise reflecting off the snow, she made them promise that they would do this again, maybe even with Alex.

The following days were more so normal from Kaylessa, either saying hi to Phoenix and asking about if things are better with Alex and if he’s talked to him, but always getting the same answer of not yet and they aren’t ready to talk. Kay really wanted to talk to Phoenix about Alex but knew from Phoenix’s energy and demeanor that she should leave it at her asking the simple question and changing the subject. She would also try to see Alex but somehow she always missed him and his grandma would answer the door saying he was either busy or not there, Kay occasionally leaving small gifts for him.

Then came the attack. Kaylessa was just out walking through the town when she heard screaming and was shoved aside by some of the citizens running. She stood up confused and peaked around the corner and saw the horror that was happening. Another attack, like at the festival, where Kay exhausted herself to a coma, and whenever she would ask Rosie or someone about what all happened they would never give details and change the subject to something more joyful. But now, now they were attacking again. Kay then heard another set of screams and knowing the only way she can help is by healing she went towards them.

Kay kept to most dark alleys but started crossing one of the parks in the town when she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground, letting out a scream behind her mouth being covered. She finally saw who was holding her down and quiet, some person she never recognized, with weapons and masks, a Hunter. ”So you must be the little half-elf. A healer not a fighter. Now we can’t be hav-” Kaylessa kicked the man in the shin which made him loosen his grip and she quickly stood up and starting running. ”You bitch!” The man yelled out and started chasing her.

While trying to get away Kay accidentally made a wrong turn and ended up in a dead end of some stones and thick hedges that she knew she wouldn’t be able to get through and when she turned around the Hunter was blocking the only way in. The man smirked and raised his gun aiming at the half-elf. Kaylessa stumbled back closed her eyes, scared and not knowing what to do. But what she heard next wasn’t what she was expecting, instead of gun shots, she heard a yell and a sound of a scuffle. When she opened her eyes after awhile, she saw the hunter was no long standing and being a threat to her, but on the ground unmoving, and saw a familiar beast figure, Markus. He helped her up and asked if she was okay. “Yes
 thank you. I’m sorry for being weak
” She mumbled out as he made sure she was okay.

Markus made sure she was safe and asked where she was going. “I
 I don’t know. I just wanted to help. Have you seen Phoenix, or Alex?” Kaylessa asked as the two ran through the town. ”You’re asking about Alex? Him and Neden were talking about something at the cemetery and I heard a scream from over there.” A small druid said to Kay and Markus, seeming to appear out of nowhere. ”But so much has been going on and pretty sure Neden can take care of themself and Alex.” Before anyone else could say anything Kay took off towards the cemetery.

Kaylessa ran as fast as she could, ignoring everything around her as she headed towards the cemetery and when she arrived and dashed through the gate she saw two things that froze her in space. First was Neden, she now had large black wings coming out of her back that seemed to mezmerize Kay. And then she saw something that was much worse than Neden’s beautiful wings.. Alex clutching onto Phoenix who did not look so great. Kaylessa decided she would ask about Neden later and rushed over to Phoenix and Alex. She didn’t look as bad as they did, just a little dirty and a bruise on her face from being thrown into the ground. “What happened?!” She shouted, quickly putting her hands over the bloodied wound of Phoenix as the others explained what had happened.

Usually when Kaylessa used her powers, she would feel a little bit of herself drained of some energy and a warm glow come from her hands, but right now she was feeling nothing, as if her powers weren’t working and she wasn’t healing Phoenix. “I
 It’s not working. I can’t heal him. Why can’t I heal him?” Kay kept trying and trying. She could heal Phoenix but she could feel some of his life essence draining from him. As she sat there with her hands over the wound some tears started rolling down from her eyes.