[color=lightgray][indent][indent][indent][center][right][sub][@LovelyComplex][@BrutalBx][@metanoia][/sub]
[sub]Timestamp: After Go Go Swerve Arcana PT II: Boo[/sub]
[sub]FT: [color=FACE75]Sal Montero[/color], [color=fccb8e]Aves Kaine[/color], [color=cd5c5c]Rosie Drake[/color], and [color=c0f9fd]Anthony "Oz" Osso[/color]
[color=F068D4]Bron Milligan[/color], [color=palegreen]Stacy Čapek[/color], [color=b8860b]Marco Brady[/color], [color=violet]Katie Čapek[/color][/sub][/right]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/P9eQpOy.png[/img]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/l2OeHJK.png[/img]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/LugRo0U.png[/img][/center]

Around two hours or so after Ozzy broke through the floor, the assorted Midnight Society members and the spare parts had settled in with some blankets and booze to watch a scary movie. Oz of course had to explain that he had snuck in through the cellar to try and get into Swerve and had pushed up the wrong floor tile, thinking it was the trap door. The Metal Lord had tried to make it home to Violet through the storm but he ended up with a flat tire so he texted her to say he was going to the store. He also had to apologise to Stacy for scaring the living daylights out of her. Now he was sitting there strumming the guitar he kept stashed at Swerve and listening to former Co-Supreme Bronagh Milligan of all people detail her love life.

[color=c0f9fd]“Waitwaitwaitwait,”[/color] The Dungeon Master perked up. [color=c0f9fd]“You are telling me that not only does your boyfriend not care about your OnlyFans or the fact you screw other people, he is also a ninja?”[/color] Oz was dumbfounded as his fingers plucked away to the tune of Guns and Roses seminal classic, You Will Be Mine.

Bron had gotten rid of Oz’s jacket and was now just sitting in her bra and tiny denim shorts and feeling herself. She enjoyed the attention her body got, she worked hard for it by God! Plus the booze they had swiped from Mr. Kaine acted as a great heater so she was no longer feeling the cold. [color=F068D4]“Yeah Tommy’s awesome. Love didn’t let me down with that one.”[/color] The online model mused. [color=F068D4]“He’s currently rehabbing a really bad knee injury but he’ll be back in the dojo soon, kicking all kinds of ass, looking sexy as hell as he does it too.”[/color]

The blonde’s eyes drifted to the other side of the room and the two youngsters Salvador and Stacy, engrossed in conversation. It was adorable to see; the chemistry was there and palpable. [color=F068D4]“They’re so cute together.”[/color]

After the movie, Katie decided to stretch her legs and found herself intrigued by the song Oz was playing. A Guns and Roses classic, which was about as on-brand for that crazy-haired maniac as anything else would be. The only thing that she’d think was more on-the-nose might be something from Metallica. It was a good song, though, so she wasn’t complaining much. As she neared the busty blonde, she heard her mention something about a couple. She followed the blue gaze and saw how Stacy and that Salvador boy were [i]still[/i] talking.

She smiled. [color=violet]“And definitely a much better match for her than another boy from Pinehurst.”[/color] She didn’t want to ruin the image that Stacy had a boyfriend. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Katie knew her sister and knew that she wouldn’t willingly show interest in another person unless they had something special about them. When the moment passed, Katie turned her own blue gaze on Oz, shifting it into a glare. [color=violet]“You better apologize to her when you have the chance. Damn near gave me a heart attack hearing her shriek all of a sudden.”[/color] Not to mention the timing was almost too coincidental. The more Katie came to Edenrdige, the more that name it has - the most cursed town in the USA (that was it, right?) - seems to hold a lot of truth to it.

[color=c0f9fd]“I will, I will. If I didn’t Vi would have my balls in a marinara sub”[/color] Oz stopped plucking his guitar and placed it down by his feet. He wished he was home with Violet and taking care of her but at least she was safe in the house. The family was safe too. He had left his father at the office with a bottle of whiskey and a cigar, Bobby and Sienna were back at the house with Clari and by all accounts Ricky and that dumb dog of his were a few blocks away at Rochambeau. They were safe. Didn’t change the fact that Ozzy wanted them all together just to be sure. [color=c0f9fd]“Hey Aves!“[/color] The leather-clad insurance agent called out. [color=c0f9fd]“You heard from McDungus?”[/color]

[color=fccb8e]“Talked to him a couple hours ago,”[/color] Avery sat on the butt pillow criss-cross applesauce and shoveled cold popcorn with a mix of Buncha Crunch in her mouth, [color=fccb8e]“Gave him a premium video for his wank bank. Wasn’t a long back and forth though, let’s see… I did see him earlier this afternoon before all you trolls — actually scratch that, that’s when you and I sent him,”[/color] she gestured with her head toward Sal, [color=fccb8e]“on an adventure. Dude we spend too much time together. Which reminds me,”[/color] she turned her head to look at the almost lovers in their own private world, [color=fccb8e]“Did you ever find Dal? How is she?”[/color]

Oz didn’t really want to admit it since it ruined the few cool points he had but he was worried about Clay. Not only was it his job to be out in the maelstrom and make sure people were safe but all the recent new letter business involved his friends. It was a somewhat unwritten rule beyond cracking a joke that the Arcana crew didn’t mention Clay’s other side, his Elite side. Sometimes it was hard to fathom that the idiot who could barely open a can of beans without spilling it just so happened to be one of the most popular guys in town yet he was not ashamed to be seen with the riff raff and the nerds. Clay was a good guy, he didn’t deserve all the stress. [color=c0f9fd]“I’m sure he’s fine”[/color]

Avery gave Oz a knowing glance, understanding where he was coming from. She kept a smile on her face to mask her own worry, especially while they were in the company of their big Swerve family. Not just him, her, Violet, Clay, and Rosie. Avery was never one to ruin the vibes, if she had to deal with something, she’d deal with it quietly so that everyone else could have a good time. [color=fccb8e]“We can always give him a call? Or…”[/color] she glanced at Marco, who now worked for Clay’s dream woman (and sorta girlfriend now). They could always get Marco to call Cat. That was doing the most, wasn’t it? She needed to stop feeding on Oz’s energy. Anxiety was not a good look on her. [color=fccb8e]“I’m sure he’s fine.”[/color]

Salvador almost didn’t hear Avery address him, too engrossed and lost in conversation with Stacy. [color=FACE75]“Oh, oh yeah!”[/color] The young boy from Miami shook away the tunnel vision, realising he needed to actually speak to other people and not just the pretty girl he wanted to marry, [color=FACE75]“She was ok. We played a game so that I could convince her to come back! I won! You guys have some really weird customs and I’m into it.”[/color] He scratched the back of his head lightly as a look of confusion fell onto his dark face. [color=FACE75]“I also met…I’m assuming her sister? She was a lot.”[/color]

[color=darkgoldenrod]“Dal’s sister?”[/color] Marco had been half-absentmindedly listening to the conversation at hand as he sat on the floor nearby. He had one of the early volumes of Naruto in his hands, resting in his cross-legged lap. First appearance of Rock Lee, when he wiped the floor with Sasuke. Good times. 

But he zoned into the conversation when heard Dal’s name be mentioned and paid attention. [color=darkgoldenrod]“You must mean Lolly.”[/color] Deep in his gut, Marco felt some guilt come to the surface, causing him to partially frown. He needed to get with Lolly and catch up. Maybe a League sesh. It’s been too long. [color=darkgoldenrod]“She seems like it but she’s honestly really sweet.”[/color] He laughed after he let that slip. [color=darkgoldenrod]“Don’t tell her I told you that. She’d probably kill me in every way possible.”[/color] Or just go on a profanity volley. Marco didn’t know which was worse.  [color=darkgoldenrod]“But If she’s a lot with you, then that must mean you passed all the vibe checks…uh, Salvador, was it?”[/color] He tried to remember. 

[color=FACE75]“Yeah it’s Salvador, most call me Sal.”[/color] The Latino furrowed his brow slightly. [color=FACE75]“No it wasn’t Lolly it was…what did she say her name was?”[/color] He thought back to the scene, to try and place it. He remembered being outside of the Davies-Drake home. He knocked on the door and when it swung open he was greeted by a small girl with messy blonde hair, smudged makeup, wearing nothing but a barely covering her modesty, Alice in Chains shirt and a massive joint hanging from her painted lips. [color=FACE75]“Addie! She said her name was Addie!”[/color]

[color=cd5c5c]“That sounds about right,”[/color] Rosie chimed in, leaning over from behind the counter. Just like Marco, she had something she was casually reading too, though in her case, it was a lot less family-friendly than early Naruto (Rosie could see part of the cover in his lap). [color=cd5c5c]“Thank god you’re not a chick, Sal. She might’ve climbed you like a tree. Or just mention how hot you were.”[/color] She hummed thoughtfully.

And it was then, as Rosie went on a half-tangent, that Marco realized he had it mixed up. It’s been a [i]long[/i], tiring day. Marco was worried about Danny, about his family and about whether or not they were safe in the storm. On top of everything, he wasn’t exactly listening in on the conversation, not enough to where he got the whole story. He quickly glanced at Sal. [color=darkgoldenrod]“Sorry, my bad. I got her next door neighbor confused with her sister. Still equally big personalities, though.”[/color] He chuckled nervously, almost grimacing at the unfortunate moment in his future when/if Lolly found out what he said about her.

[color=fccb8e]“Lolly should be next on your list anyway, buddy. Marco, why don’t you introduce Sal to our Dagger? The rogue in our campaign.”[/color] Avery suggested as she grabbed her phone to text Clay and check up on him. Now that Oz had mentioned it, Clay had been awfully quiet. He at least texts her every couple hours. It was getting around that time. 

[quote=Avery Kaine][color=fccb8e]To: [color=BCDD81]McDungus[/color] 
Hey dude, you found shelter? Are you safe?[/color][/quote]

Little did Avery know Marco had never physically met Lolly. They had gamed together constantly but during her Midnight Society days, they always missed each other by seconds at Swerve. She’d leave, he’d come. She’d arrived and he’d already be long gone. They might’ve seen each other in the halls when she gave Q, Dal, and Dean a surprise visit but whether he knew that was his gamer friend or not was dependent on if he knew how she looked. Dallas was really the only one who could walk in and out of the Andersons house freely. It was wild because Marco knew her so well. They had been friends for years. And yet because she was a NEET — no higher education (she was homeschooled), no employment, or training — unless you forced her to go out, the likelihood of meeting her wasn’t high.

The Dagger? Well shit that was badass. Sal nodded his head in agreement. [color=FACE75]“Yeah! Absolutely! Let me know whenever you want to do it Marco and we can go on a quest for the dagger!”[/color] If he was being absolutely one hundred percent honest with himself, the last ten hours had been the most that Salvador had felt alive since his mother died. His quest to bring together the fractured Midnight Society was filling him with a joy he hadn’t felt in so long. And the talks with Stacy, they were the icing on an already sweet cake. For the first time in over a year, Sal was happy. 

[color=darkgoldenrod]“Great idea, Aves!”[/color] Marco grinned. And he really did think it would be a great idea. Honestly, he hasn’t been able to see or even talk to Lolly as much lately, but that’s mostly because of how little free time he’s had in recent weeks. Occasionally they’d play a game or two on his days off, but not like how it was before. Between work, Danny (and Danny’s grueling workout regime), Marco just couldn’t find the time to sit down for a few hours, play a few games of ranked, troll some of the salty players, and laugh about it with Lolly. He never went too far into it, but he missed that. He missed [i]her[/i]. [color=darkgoldenrod]“Does tomorrow work for you? Where are you staying at?”[/color] Marco asked Sal.

[color=FACE75]“Oh!”[/color] Salvador had to pause to think. Where [i]were[/i] they staying? His father had bought a nice house somewhere at the top of town. It was a nice four bedroom, white picket fence sort of place. [color=FACE75]“Oh yeah, we just moved to a house on Scott Street.”[/color] The young nerd clenched his fist in triumph as he remembered where he now lived. He was a golden god.

[color=palegreen]“Oh this sounds like so much fun!”[/color] Stacy commented, her bright smile and giddy giggle shining a light on the room. From across the room, she saw Katie looking over and smiling at her sister. [color=palegreen]“But why is she called The Dagger?”[/color] Stacy asked, looking around the room. Really anyone could answer since it seemed almost everyone but her and Salvadore were aware of why.

[color=fccb8e]“Because she stabs people in the back,”[/color] Avery bluntly answered as she placed the bowl of popcorn to her side. There was a moment she briefly glanced at Sal who kind of announced his status of wealth without intending to. He was one of the filthy rich ones. Noted. Resting her hands on her knees, still sitting on the floor, Aves continued, [color=fccb8e]“In game, I mean. Not like in real. Lolly is too forward to be an actual back stabber. We call her the Dagger because in our long running Dungeons & Dragons campaign, she played the rogue. Rogues are sneaky sneak. Stab stab. It’s just some nerd shit they made up when they were in highschool.”[/color] 

Grabbing her phone, she pulled out a picture of the Midnight Society at a Renaissance Fair where Eloise was dressed as her own version of Robin Hood, but instead of arrows, she held two fake daggers and looked like an absolute menace. A tiny one at that! Aves showed the picture to Sal and Stacy. [color=fccb8e]“That’s her, the little Filipino. Sal’s already met the blonde, that’s Dal, the Sword, or in less nerdy terms, the knight. The tall scrawny boy is Dean, the Shield. See, he plays a Druid but his gameplay has always been on the defensive side, so instead of calling him nature boy or tree hugger, it just fit to make him the Shield. His defensive play is spell based rather than actually holding a shield. Like with bark armor, absorbing elements, or bonding with beasts. I’m probably getting carried away and all this is flying over your head,”[/color] Avery chuckled at the blank stare that Stacy was giving her. The problem with being a geek was that more often than not you got caught up rambling about things that the other person had no knowledge on, therefore talking their ears off. [color=fccb8e]“Anyways! The last guy, that’s Quinton Woods. He was their dungeon master and their best friend. Their fearless leader. Him, well, dying just really… messed them up, I guess.”[/color] 

As dark as it was to mention the tragedy of Midnight Society, if these kids were serious about being part of Edenridge, they needed to learn fast that everyone they saw was fractured one way or another, and that in order to survive the storm, you needed a family. Your chosen family to make you feel a little less empty on the inside. She wasn’t going to dance around the dark when Edenridge was one of the gloomiest places on Earth. 

Suddenly the excited wonder that had consumed Stacy’s face disappeared at the mention of the one that died. Stacy had never been great with this sort of stuff. It’s not that she didn’t know unfortunate things happened to people, but it brought up some unpleasant memories. Mika probably thought she didn’t remember those days, but she did. The days where Katie tried protecting her from the screaming matches her father and Misha got into. She tried to black it out, but every so often they came back. [color=palegreen]“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have asked…”[/color] She dipped her head down as the auburn-haired girl fiddled with her thumbs in her pockets.

Katie, like the protector she was, let out a sigh and turned her attention to Avery. She wasn’t mad or anything, but she could see how clearly bothered Stacy was about all this talk about death and despair. [color=violet]“That’s dope, that you’re all named after weapons. I’ve even dabbled in D&D some but I’ve never got a rad name like Dagger or Shield. So lame if you ask me,”[/color] the blonde complained, souring her expression momentarily before she shook it off. [color=violet]“Might be fun if you have some spots open.”[/color] Katie chuckled, looking around the room. Her gaze centered on Bron and Rosie for a few moments, noticing just how Rosie couldn’t take her eyes off of the busty barbie even with the current topic. [color=violet]“Honestly this place beats the shop in Pinehurst. Adam might have my tongue for that, but it’s the truth. The vibe here is reason alone to keep me around. So if or when a spot opens up, I want in!”[/color] She announced more than stated and that’s just who Katie Capek-Zima was.

[color=F068D4]“Yeah I’m not doing that,”[/color] Bronagh waved her hand dismissively before taking a sip from her solo cup. God, a solo cup? Reminded her of college. She was definitely the odd one out here. This was not her world and she had just stumbled through the looking glass like Alice in Wonderland, she was even wearing powder blue denim for emphasis. These nerds wanted to play games, she had a game from her world that would shake things up. She had been an annual player of a thing called Dare Night whilst at college and that was always a good time. Maybe she could do something like that to get these little shits where they were too hesitant to go. [color=F068D4]“You guys wanna talk games, here’s a game. Truth or dare and we’ll play it in a world you dweebs can understand.”[/color]

Bron climbed onto the chair she had been sitting on, her long limber frame towering over the peasant subjects. [color=F068D4]“Here’s the deal. I am the Dare Mistress. I will be asking you all truth or dare and I will be the one dictating how far this goes. The field is not open for question, all I need is a volunteer to be the first.”[/color]

Oz, intrigued, started strumming a medieval type of melody on his guitar, surveying the group. [color=c0f9fd]“And thus, to continue on their mythic quest, the remnants of the Midnight Society and their new allies must venture forth into the woods of temptation, said to be the home of a beguiling Druid pagan who challenges the very decency of man with her wicked ways. Tales are told that any man or woman who sees her, shall succumb to her thrall and be forced to play her deadly game.”[/color]

[color=F068D4]“Yeah sure let’s go with that,”[/color] Bron shrugged.

As Rosie had rolled her eyes at Oz, Marco looked between Bron and Oz. The latter was so interesting and weird and, if Marco was honest with himself, kinda cool. The way he could just come up with that in such a dramatic fashion had impressed him to the point where the young Brady man stepped forward. Truth or dare was a game he had not touched since the early years in high school. Kylee had sort of dared him at that tragic party at the Carlisle house with Danny. So he was used to it somewhat. So what could go wrong?

[color=darkgoldenrod]“I..”[/color] His throat was dry, so Marco coughed, putting his left hand over his mouth so he didn’t spread any germs. [color=darkgoldenrod]“I…volunteer as tribute!”[/color] He raised his other hand.

Continuing to play the tune on his guitar, Ozzy returned with his Dungeon Master voice. [color=c0f9fd]“And low, the first to venture into the Woods of Temptation to meet the Druid was the Staff. What challenge awaited him in the dark dark forest?”[/color]

Fuck it. Bronagh would play along. When In Rome, eat pasta. That was the saying, right? Opening her arms wide, her body enticing and seductive, the younger Milligan sister tilted her head.

[color=F068D4]“Play with me Midnight Society, play with me. If you dare!”[/color]

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