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Magia, Amore et Bellum [ACCEPTING]

Room for two? Currently writing up a CS along with a friend.

What Are You Listening To?

_{make you forget by luke christopher
album: make you forget - single (2018)}
^{genre: hip-hop/rap}

The Red Hoods: Initiates

	N I C H O L A S A L B U M Duncaster | Red Hood Keep Collaboration with: @Tenma Tendo Interaction: @Argetlam350 Mention: @Almalthia@Damo021

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"Just stay put and we'll see how Finlay and the rest of the Hoods handle it."

As the tension in the room escalated, Loona's grip on Nick's jacket tightened with it. "O-Okay...but Mr. Finlay and the other Red Hoods are mostly human right?"

...Can't really say for sure...

"If any of these guys started fighting then..." She trailed off and he tightened his hold on the hilt and the grip in his hands.

"It won't get that far." Nick began. "And to be honest, if we can't make it one day without killing each other..." He glanced about the room, pulling his eyes away from Blanchette and observing Finlay and the other hoods around them. The commander herself was poised; motionless as if she weren't even there. The hoods as well, sentries in the walls stripping their initiates bare with eyes that were taking note of every move, every decision. Finlay... Finlay was turning red and was clearly a hair's breadth away fro-

"Listen fookin 'ere!"

...There we are...

Nick watched as the veteran hood threw the manacles at the archer, the metal bands falling just shy of Colin’s face before grabbing the knight's brandished sword by the blade itself. He felt a twitch behind his neck. Steel severed flesh and drew blood but even as red began to paint the length of the sword, Finlay did nothing but ignore it. He addressed the room instead with a reprimand and a reminder, one Nick already understood. This place wasn't home. The rules weren't the same anymore. The people around you, they weren't monsters. Weren't heroes. Saviors. Gods. Demons. Men or women. Inside these walls, you were either a Hood or you weren't. Everything else was left at the door.

Nick glanced at Loona from the corner of his eye. She was still huddling in the space she'd created between his neck and his jacket, watching everything unfold, holding tight to him and hoping that things wouldn’t escalate further. Thankfully they hadn't and the both of them became visibly more relaxed.

"See?" He asked when things had finally settled, not really sure if he was speaking to himself or the Fae. He watched her pull away.

"Y-Yeah." She gave him a smile and a small bow. The girl was polite as ever. "Thanks for letting me hide while everything was going on." She continued in a more sheepish tone, one of her hands moving to scratch the back of her head. "I-I normally ask, but...u-um yeah."

Nick smiled at the display, still genuinely surprised that she of all people had volunteered to be here of all places. Her soft spoken attitude. The naivety in her eyes. The warmth that oozed off every word she spoke. The reasons that brought her here in the first place. She was entirely too bright for a place that was born of dark intent. Then again, maybe that was exactly why she needed to be here. There was a stark contrast between the perceived 'monsters' in the room and those who weren't. A werewolf removing shackles and stating her peace despite who she was. The vampire pushing a child out of the way of danger. A fae, a fraction of the size and strength of anybody else in the room and yet she chose to make this her life.

And here she was, scratching the back of her head as if she'd done something wrong. Everything was backwards.

"You don't have to ask." He said, nodding toward the area where she'd hid herself. "It's yours whenever."

"Really? You don't mind?"

He shook his head. "Besides, knowing me, it'll probably be helpful to have someone on my back to watch it." His smile turned sheepish and it was his turn to scratch the back of his head and look away. "Eeeeh... Sometimes I forget to look before I leap."

His chest began hurt and there was a sudden urge to rub the area, but a sigh from Loona distracted him. He turned to her again in time to catch the curling edges of her lips and her hands clasping into fists in front of her chest. Her face brightened up as if he'd said something interesting. "Ah, i-is that so? I actually kinda have the opposite problem you have. Sometimes I look too much and miss my chance to leap..."

...Hm...

"R-Regardless we're teammates now so I'll make sure to be there to support you as best a-as I can. A-And the others too of course, haha."

"Yeah..." He let slip a small, nervous laugh as he glanced about the hall once more. He watched the others move to their rooms, all of them like children after a scolding. Some trying to make amends or find peace where they could. The rest simply moving on and moving forward. A group nearly fractured and they'd barely just begun. Loona's promise to himself and everyone else put her in arguably the toughest position and he did not envy her. "...We're going to need it and in fifteen minutes we're going to find out exactly how bad." As he was finishing, Brighid strode up to the pair to excuse herself before chasing after Finlay. Not entirely sure why she had, Nick watched the woman leave and disappear around a corner before turning back to Loona. "We should get ready. We don't need him yelling at us again."

"Y-Yeah, you're probably right..."

"Before you go... Hold out your hand in a fist." It was a sudden and strange request, he knew, but Loona surprised him yet again when she obliged. With a tilt of her head and less than a second of hesitation, she held out a fist toward him.

"Like this?"

...Exactly...

He reached out and tapped it with the tip of his finger and Loona, clearly confused, blinked. Nick chuckled. “That'll be our greeting. It's a little quicker and it'll save that dust of yours.” At least he hoped. He wasn't exactly sure how the vial of dust worked or how much of the stuff she had in it. However, it being a substance that could cure or potentially resize an object made it fairly valuable. He figured he'd let her keep most of it for the more important task of aiding those around her rather than for the shaking of his hand. She seemed to understand. Confusion had turned to understanding which had quickly turned into a giggle.

"Yeah, you're r-right. I think I like this better too!" She said with a smile, her hand returning to her side.

"Good. See you in fifteen?"

The Fae nodded eagerly before giving him a quick wave and then floating off towards her room. Nick's room was opposite and if he remembered correctly, he'd been paired with...

...Devout. Whitelock...O'Shay...

Three names he flipped over and over in his head as he made his way. The only thing that peaked his interest more than meeting the Fae, was the fact that he'd be sharing quarters with the passionate redhead herself. A woman too beautiful for shackles...

...Or not...

Framed in blood and bold enough to make moves of her own accord. Bold was dangerous, but also quite fun and if nothing else, he was sure he'd not want for interesting conversation. There was a story there somewhere about who she was, how'd she turned and more importantly, how exactly she knew what everyone was. He hadn't been made aware, but then again, maybe he wasn't paying attention. It wouldn't have been the first. To add more fuel to his curiosity, she was a healer. An odd combination that. A fiery woman. A healer. A werewolf. A view from behin-

He stepped into the room to find Whitelock.

...Tholo...

According to Brighid, Bartholomew was a Werewolf as well. A tall, elderly and seemingly stoic man. Head of white and skin cracked around eyes of grey. History carved deep into the stone of his face and the multitude of lines telling of just how much history. Nick didn't take Bartholomew for one to express his concerns. The man breathed of a soul who held very few qualms and dealt with the rest when it was time to. Brighid however had given him a reason to speak and speak he did.

There's was nothing more dangerous than a man with a lot to say who also knew how to handle himself. The man here seemed exactly that and Nick had been assigned to bed with him. With both the man and and the woman. Two werewolves and one man. Not exactly the tryst trio he'd imagined and not exactly one he was sure he could survive. Then again there was supposed to be another.

Devout, whoever they were, was a mystery. They'd not introduced themselves or been called to directly by name so he could only hope for a woman. He was seriously hoping for a woman.

"Tholo, right?" Nick walked to the other end of the room and pulled two of the swords off his back before setting them down next to one of the open bunks. He did a quick check of his gear, making sure pouches were closed, blades were sheathed and pulled tight against him and then moved to find the wolf once more. He held out hand. "I'm Nick."

What Are You Listening To?

_{keanu reeves by logic
album: keanu reeves - single (2019)}
^{genre: hip-hop/rap}

The Red Hoods: Initiates

	N I C H O L A S A L B U M Duncaster | Red Hood Keep @Tenma Tendo@ZAVAZggg@AtomicNut @NorthernKraken@Almalthia

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Amid the sudden chaos, frenzied voices and the sharp song of unsheathed steel, Nick became distinctly aware of Loona tucking herself in between the skin of his neck and fabric of his jacket. There was an ounce of warmth and pressure where she had hid herself and the soft of her voice cut through the commotion in the hall with ease. Her distress was clear as day and her concern valid. Still, there wasn't much to be done. He shook his head.

"No... Not really." He replied simply. He'd thought about it. Counted the heads as soon as they started moving. Noted the pull on the bow to the left of the room, the arrow centered on the white haired male who'd just been ousted as a vampire. His aggressor staring him down with a look of determination not like to be easily broken. Noted the steel clad knight with blade brandished between himself and the red haired women. The fair lady who'd proclaimed herself a werewolf. A fair lady with a penchant for the arcane judging by the incantation she'd let slip from her lips and how every shackle she'd touched did the same. A gesture of kindness and the second he'd witnessed in the keep as well as telling of another layer beyond the one made obvious by her confession. But alas, it was a difficult thing for some people to believe that a human and a monster could be one and the same. Separate. That was always easier. Separate was also simpler. Unfortunately, simple and easy wasn't afforded to them any longer... and this would be the first of many growth pains. It had to run his course and if someone were to stop it, it wasn't Nick. He held no authority here and whatever skill he thought he might have... "Not much I can do. This is just how some greet one another. It's a little different from your handshake."

At this point it was all about picking his battles as well as getting the measure of the men and women next to him. Who buckled under pressure? Who bent the rules? Who believed in what? And how far was someone willing to go for those beliefs. Could he trust a man to not cut down one of their own solely for personal gain? And if he couldn't, did he really want to have to rely on him? Could he rely on himself when the time came?

...Who the fuck knows...?

Could they rely on him? Would they if they knew?

There had been a bit of a tremble in Loona's voice and Nick immediately made connections he wasn't entirely sure he had to make. She wasn't human either and he had to wonder how the other two felt about it. Would they resolve to cut her down as well? On instinct he'd checked his gear. Three swords strapped to his back, two more than he was used to carrying on his person. The others were extra and he'd carried them all in with the intent to stow the rest. The added weight was throwing him off. Way off. There was also the dagger strapped to the back of his waist and a fourth arm hidden beneath the folds of his outerwear. He gripped the latter two and kept his eyes open for any sudden movement made toward himself.

"Just stay put and we'll see how Finlay and the rest of the Hoods handle it." His eyes flicked over to the commander who was watching everything unfold.

The Red Hoods: Initiates

Okay. Short and sweet for now.

The Red Hoods: Initiates

	N I C H O L A S A L B U M Duncaster | Red Hood Keep @Tenma Tendo

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The ride there was… colorful to say the least. A carriage packed beyond capacity. Thick unbreathable air. The stench of last week's hunt still wedged between someone’s teeth. There was yelling and shoving and more yelling and after? A march through dirt and trees and flowers and...

And was that a… Fae?

Then the keep itself. A swatch of gray against the backdrop of a blue sky and a myriad ocean of color at its feet. The stone walls stood in defiance; A symbol of strength encroached by opulence. Once inside however… there was nothing but red.

Red capes. Red carpet. Red banners bleeding from crowned pilasters. Red eyes in the walls. A red ocean and a flash of green.

What?

Sure enough, a flitter of movement caught his eye form above. Not a terribly hard thing to miss as it glided down and came to a stop directly in front of him, it's attention clearly to the front of the room. It also being the most interesting thing in the room. The rest were fairly common back home, creatures of the night included. None were the size of his palms and none were inadvertently about to poke him in the face with...

Is that a silver toothpick?

"Hi." He leaned back an inch. "First time?"

The Red Hoods: Initiates

Nicholas Album

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N I C K O L A S A L B U M
Theme

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^{_{S E X :}} Male
^{_{A G E :}} 20
^{_{H E I G H T :}} 5'11"
^{_{S P E C I E S :}} Human

^{_{P H Y S I C A L A B N O R M A L I T I E S :}}
Scarring reminiscent of a projectile entry point centered on the chest area. The single wound is a little less than an inch in diameter.

^{_{E X T R A :}}
Volunteered.
Nick is fairly good with a mandolin, likes his fruit, likes his drink, likes his women and knows his poisons. Is also new to the area and unless anyone is extremely well traveled, would not recognize his face.

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^{This OC conceived for: The Red Hoods: Initiates}

Ban the Person above you

Banned for not listening to anyone else.

Ban the Person above you

banned for listening to the voices in your head.