Yep, kinda thought we'd have one of the typical intros, but I'm not complaining! Anyhoo, I guess I'll have Carolyn turned to keep up with the pace of the game, otherwise she could [realistically] die very quickly.
Heretic
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Vampiretwilight
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"Deputy Reynolds, thanks for meeting me here." Carolyn walked up to the uniformed officer, shaking his hand as they exchanged pleasantries.
"No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. You're the one on call," he pointed out.
Carolyn laughed. "Yeah, you're right. So anyway, these guys have hit the three-strike mark. I'm not even sure how many times we've warned them to follow proper dumping protocol before that, yet they've ignored us each and every single time." Carolyn motioned for Deputy Reynolds to follow her around to the side of the building. "That grass hasn't been green in I don't know how long, and as you may or may not know, discoloration is a sign of violation, especially since we have the paper trail. If you would be so kind as to draft a quick report for me, I can handle the rest of the paperwork so we can begin the termination process."
"No cease and desist letter?" he inquired, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a small notepad.
"We're beyond that," Carolyn added. She reached for her binder in her bag when Deputy Reynold's radio went off. He put a finger up and walked away from her to better hear the transmission. A moment later, he returned, his face an indicator that something big had occurred.
"Carolyn, you need to get out of here," he said to her, pointing to the back of the building.
"But what about—?"
"Go!"
Carolyn's heart suddenly started to beat quicker. Something this urgent only meant one thing...
Damn!
She dropped everything and took off for the clearing behind the building. Hopefully she would get home on time, if that was even an option given her distance.
"No need to thank me, I'm just doing my job. You're the one on call," he pointed out.
Carolyn laughed. "Yeah, you're right. So anyway, these guys have hit the three-strike mark. I'm not even sure how many times we've warned them to follow proper dumping protocol before that, yet they've ignored us each and every single time." Carolyn motioned for Deputy Reynolds to follow her around to the side of the building. "That grass hasn't been green in I don't know how long, and as you may or may not know, discoloration is a sign of violation, especially since we have the paper trail. If you would be so kind as to draft a quick report for me, I can handle the rest of the paperwork so we can begin the termination process."
"No cease and desist letter?" he inquired, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a small notepad.
"We're beyond that," Carolyn added. She reached for her binder in her bag when Deputy Reynold's radio went off. He put a finger up and walked away from her to better hear the transmission. A moment later, he returned, his face an indicator that something big had occurred.
"Carolyn, you need to get out of here," he said to her, pointing to the back of the building.
"But what about—?"
"Go!"
Carolyn's heart suddenly started to beat quicker. Something this urgent only meant one thing...
Damn!
She dropped everything and took off for the clearing behind the building. Hopefully she would get home on time, if that was even an option given her distance.
Cassandra Voss & Reno Wylde
A collab between @Heretic and @Apollosarcher (slightly NSFW)
Cassie headed back to the reception, but not before stopping by her room to brush her teeth and get a quick drink of water. Once she made her way back, she walked over to Reno who was standing by himself.
"Quite the wedding, wouldn't you say?"
"I wouldn't really be able to tell you. Most weddings I've seen were in film." He answered, chuckling a little. "Come on boss lady, I'll walk you home while the rest of the fools party into the night. They don't need a gunslinger or a sheriff right now, and I get the feeling you need a good friend... A bottle of scotch." He put his hand over her shoulders. "Or some vodka, maybe scotch? I dunno. You tell me what you want to find the bottom of and I'll supply it or go find the bastard who can." Reno might have not loved the Vanguard like the rest, but he was always there for his friends. Cass was counted among the few and thus whenever hard times befell them he was ready to assist.
"I hate to break it to you, but you have the worst judgment right now." Cassie laughed, allowing Reno to lead the way. "It wasn't that long ago that I got sick, although I'm not sure what was the cause. Oddly enough though, I actually feel better, even more so than before." She shrugged her shoulders, glad to have someone to talk to and hang out with for the remainder of the evening without any of the drama. "So here's what we'll do. I'll let you pick my poison for the evening, but only if you can promise me that it's one of the best bottles you'll grab."
"Hmm well, if I'm picking I believe tequila since you're having a bad day, and no one has ever been sad while drinking tequila." He smiled and turned to walk backwards in front of her now as he spoke, wearing his usual grin. "So I guess I'm cooking dinner as well? No point in drinking the good stuff if we don't at least try to keep it down." He laughed, spinning just in time to avoid a passing cart. He was constantly aware even when talking to her. "So I finally finished rigging that old juke box in my loft, we can test it tonight while we're drinking. Got a bunch of random records shoved in it so we gotta figure out what's good."
"Wow...drinks, food, and music? If I didn't know any better I'd say we were about to have a date." Cassie looked behind her as they went, coming to the conclusion that leaving the wedding ceremony early was the right call, especially when that meant she could get away from the girl who just a few years ago was going through puberty and was hellbent on making Cassie's life a living hell since then. "Thanks for saving me from that, I needed to get away." She showed Reno her bandaged hand, a small drop of blood soaking through the wrap. "I hope I don't end up with the scars as the only memory of this evening," she went on before realizing the double-meaning of her words. "But anyway, tequila sounds good, can't wait!"
"I dunno about a date Cassie, but call it what you like." He stopped, looking at her hand. "You going to tell me what happened to bust up your hand?" He asked curiously. "Hey now... I promise tonight will be better than that... I know you and the big man are close. I don't like the marriage either as it puts more power between the two." He grumbled and sighed. "I know I'm not prisoner like you all but this is home to me... Only home I've ever known. I just want everyone to get a chance for a life here." He explained as he moved to the small stable with Charlotte waiting inside before he began to remove her saddle.
"It's not so much him that's being problematic, I can always handle that; it's Carmen. I swear she makes it her daily goal to push me over the edge. That is why I punched the living hell out of her..."
Cassie leaned against the fence as she watched Reno work. "But you have admirable intentions for this place, and I appreciate that, you know?"
"Carmen's a kid. She's gonna cause trouble." He answered chuckling. "Same as Dodge used to be a kid." He grunted setting the saddle aside and grabbing a brush, treating Charlotte to a wonderful rub down. "She can be a bitch sometimes and other times, she's as sweet as daisy." He answered as he offered Charlotte a carrot. "She's a Mastermind Cassie, you go by poker rules. Drink only what you trust and be polite, make sure you walk out with more than you entered."
Finishing brushing down Charlotte he chuckled. "I just want a place nice enough to make a home... People here forget that beyond those walls all manner of terrible things go on. No matter how much we food we have, savages out there have more guns and bullets to scavenge. The have each other to eat when it's bad. So we need the Overseers as friends, it's why I stand by peace... No matter how much trouble it gets me." He finished adding a little cream around the Charlotte's eyes to drive away flies. Washing his hands he started up the stairs towards the loft. "Now I do believe we need to start drinking."
"Hey, I'm all for peace," Cassie replied, pointing to herself, "but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover. That's where people make the mistake." She rubbed Charlotte behind the ear, waving goodbye once Reno suggested they start drinking. Cassie followed him upstairs, grabbing the front end of her dress with her good hand so that she wouldn't step on it and trip. At that point, it was very likely that Cassie would make such mistake.
"Back in the good ol' bachelor pad, one of my favorite spots to hang out at." Cassie went straight for the couch and made herself at home, leaning her head on the backrest and closing her eyes. "Please don't make my drink too strong, I have a feeling I'm being a total lightweight tonight."
"I'm just saying the other leaders in the Vanguard... They like battle. They hate Overseers. Worse is that the Muses are unstable at the best of time and now our factions have to play nice? I'm sorry but I just don't see this working and I'm worried what Theo will do to keep his wife happy." He sighed as he poured them both a glass of tequila from an expensive, well-maintained and varied shelf of alcohol. "Forgive me but I trust a Mastermind more than a Muse... At least with a Mastermind you know they make the smart moves... Muses are emotional and hard to predict."
He sat, down picking up an acoustic guitar he'd salvaged and tuning it slightly as he sipped his drink. "What about you Cass? What are your plans in this mess, since I've decided to stick my neck out and stand right in between Theo and putting bullets in the Overseers."
"You do make a good point regarding the Masterminds, but now I have to take a step back and let Theo and Isabel run things even if I disagree with them. That's what both factions decided, and I have to be supportive, otherwise it'd make things worse." Cassie took a sip of her drink, momentarily cringing as the liquid made its way down her throat. "But regarding the Overseers... I say we only match them in violence, not surpass them. If we want to better our relations, we have to refrain from behaving like the savages we're made to look."
Cassie had always been one to turn to violence more often than not, but her recently adopted diplomatic approach was growing in her and she started to truly believe in the old saying "Beat them with kindness".
"Heh. You guys aren't savages... Far from it. I would know." He answered as he poured more booze for himself, putting the bottle between them on the table. He turned on the juke box beside the chair and it picked a record and began to play. He sat the guitar aside for the time being as music filled the room. "Yeah but... I dunno, something spooks me about Isabel, something's off about a girl like that. I'd just be careful, woman seems the jealous type and if you cross her it might come back ten fold."
"Hmm, yeah, she's too...calm isn't she?" Cassie made herself even more comfortable by slipping off her shoes and tucking her legs underneath, placing her arm on the backrest to lean against it. She finished her drink but played around with the empty glass, the effect of the alcohol starting to settle in. "How does that old saying go? You gotta be careful with the quiet ones? But I'm not interested in causing any sort of trouble...that ship has long sailed."
Cassie then leaned forward to pour herself more tequila. She took a small sip and nodded her head in approval. "Still tastes great." She leaned back again, this time against Reno's arm. "Here's to their happiness," she said, raising the glass in the air before gulping down its content.
"Yeah... To happiness." Reno added, knocking back his drink as well. "Did I tell a bunch of the townfolk damn broke into the jail? They had ropes and wanted to lynch the Overseers." He chuckled at the thought. "As if that would solve anything." He poured more tequila his buzz returning now. "So Dodge goes out there with Calico holding rifles, telling them to leave. They mock and yell at them... Fairbanks walks with a fucking grenade right into the middle of the crowd and pulls the pin." He grins.
"Apperantly they all screamed and ran for cover. Dropped everything they had on them too." He chuckled. "It was a fucking dud. She walked right back inside and started on her paper work." He smiled again. "The woman is crazy, but damn it's fun to watch her work." He added as he put an arm over Cassie's shoulders. "Hey... You can crash here tonight if you need." He added setting slowly taking his guns off his belt and setting them on the table. "I know it sucks to be alone... Did it most of my life."
Cassie chuckled, genuinely amused by Reno's story. "I can't believe she did that! I mean, I can, but I can't. You've got quite the handful, I'll tell you that much... But it's a good thing, otherwise, how would you be able to deal with the same crazies trying to break into the jail?" Cassie watched as Reno disarmed and put his gun on the table, and she did the same with her empty glass.
"And I'll stay as long as you give me something comfortable to change into," Cassie replied.
"You know where my closet is if you want to borrow something... And yes the hat is off limits." He teased, knocking back another drink. "Yeah... But we're family. We're all broken and bad people... Of course I'm the worst of the bunch." He added in a slightly strange tone knocking back yet another drink as he poured one more. "I'm probably the worst person in Churchill." He spoke as if commenting on his own failures. He never talked much about life before he arrived there, and obiviously he was in a different mood tonight. She might be able to pry more out of the tight-lipped cowboy with a little more liquor and some well placed words.
"You're talking nonsense, kid. From what I've seen you're a great person." Cassie padded him on the knee before she stood up to walk to his closet. "And I might steal your hat just because you were extremely harsh on yourself just now."
Cassie walked off after giving Reno a smile. She went up to his closet and didn't waste any time in picking out one of the first items she saw: a black, button-down shirt. She took off her dress and shoes before she slipped on her pajama for the evening, wondering what the night still had planned for them.
A few moments later, Cassie walked back to Reno barefooted across the cold floor. She took her seat next to him again, her head starting to spin just a little bit. "For the record, this current you is fine, so don't change," she emphasized, jokingly poking him on his side.
"I dunno about great... But being here? With you all? Makes it home. I wanna do right cause you all deserve that." He answered, setting down his cup and grinning as he turned to her. "Besides, if I do change it'll be because I'm settling down." He stopped for a moment looking at her. "What about you Cass? You ever think you'll try to settle down?" He smiled, looking away at the door. "I mean... I grew up outside these walls... Hidden in a hole with my parents, most of my life... I just... I just want to have a life where I don't have to fear everything around me is out to kill me."
"Settling down will do you great given your history, but I'm not too sure about me. I mean yeah, it sounds nice, but from what I've heard it's hard to put up with me sometimes." Cassie smiled, and an unintentional chill traveled down her spine, causing her to shiver without warning. "If given the choice though, I'd go for it. There's no better feeling than safety... I mean, knowing someone will be right by your side through thick and thin is something I think the majority of us long for."
Cassie then stared at Reno, wondering what he was thinking at that moment for some reason.
"Well... I got you and the Sentinels... So I guess that's the first step." He turned, looking at her for a long moment. "You know I always got your back, right?" He said looking into her eyes for a moment before he leaned in to hug her. While it wasn't rare for Reno to display affection, it was different now. "You guys... You guys made me feel welcome... Forget about what I am... You especially, Cass. You always welcomed me without a question." He sighed. "And you never questioned things even when you had the right to... So thank you... For being wonderful and kind to the man who probably didn't deserve it."
Cassie returned the hug, feeling genuine sympathy for Reno since he appeared to be extremely vulnerable at that moment. "No need to thank me...you're good to me and I simply return the favor. And just so you know, that's the way it will continue to be. You're a good man, Reno Wylde." Cassie then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, smiling and giving his hand a light squeeze to reassure she meant what she said.
"I don't know about good, Cass... You ever stop to think about how long I was out there? My parents left me in a bunker to lead tribals away. I was sixteen when they just vanished from my life." He paused, taking her hand, eyes unfocused as if it all played out before him. "I left to find them... Just me and a couple of guns." He chuckled now, an unnerving slightly cruel chuckle.
"First time I killed was my third day traveling... Out of water, I saw a tribal dragging his loot through the wastes. Took my pistol and hid... When he passed I shot him, missed his heart." He moved now from her as if by instinct, pouring a drink right up to the rim of the glass and knocking it back. "Caught him in the lungs, bastard went down dust and with the punctured lung it made so he couldn't fight back as I looted him for everything he had."
"I only had five bullets... So I left him bleeding in the ash, didn't think twice about it." He blinked. "Before I came to Churchill I had killed fifty eight people. Some were women, some barely more than teenagers. Didn't matter, the world out there hated me, wanted to eat me... Yet here at night I wake up in a cold sweat, gun in my hand. Slight noises make me jump for a gun... That world made a monster, Cass." He turned back, meeting her eyes. "The others... They don't know... Maybe the Overseers? I told the old captain about it when I got signed on to the colony."
"I still go there sometimes, on quiet nights... Or when Theo tells me to get out of the bar." He spoke. "I never found my parents... So I go out there and think... Remember what made me and look for the only people who ever showed me any good in the world." Reno spoke, telling her all. Cass finally knew what kind of man Reno was, and he wasn't some Hollywood style hero. He was a man the who had a deck stacked against him, just like Reno always did, and he won anyway... Except the only prize he got was to keep living in the hell hole that was Earth.
"So you know the truth now. Why I got the nickname Tombstone." He spoke before turning to look at the wall of booze across from them as the jukebox finally finished the album, the room going silent. "I'm the worst criminal in Churchill and the town doesn't even know it." He grabbed the bottle about to drink right from it.
"Hey, no, you've already had enough." Cassie quickly moved forward to grab the bottle from Reno, taking it from his grasp as if it was literally poison before setting it down on the table. "That's um...that's a lot to take in. I'm not judging you for it, it's just that I didn't know you had such an intense past. Honestly no one would be able to figure it out unless you told them, so that means something." Cassie then stayed quiet for a moment, finding the right words to say next. She grabbed her glass for another shot to take the edge off.
"It's not like an urge, right? I mean, do you get any pleasure from it?"
"Killing ain't something I like doing, no." He answered, looking at her. "Guess it speaks to how much I like and trust you... That or I have somehow gotten even more drunk than usual." He gave her one of his usual fun grins. He spoke as if trying to put they fun back on their night, knowing he'd probably already spoiled it.
"Well, I'm glad I'm in your good graces," she joked back, winking at him. "But what do you say we call it a night? I feel that all this drinking is going to make me tired soon."
"Sleep sounds good to me." He answered, slowly getting up before he turned and picked up Cass just to mess with her. "Or were thinking of using my bed for something else?" He asked, slowly bringing them both over to the bed at the back of the room.
Cassie smiled, looking at Reno before she glanced over at the bed. "Hmm, not really, but I guess the responsibility falls on me now to wear you out."
Reno laid her down pressing his lips to hers and flicked off the lights as he climbed into bed with her.
I'm making a human female if anyone wants to have their character romantically involved with mine. Otherwise I'll make an NPC.
@Shikaru
So inter-species relationships...is that a thing? I'm inspired to have my own little Romeo & Juliet romance thing going on.
So inter-species relationships...is that a thing? I'm inspired to have my own little Romeo & Juliet romance thing going on.
Theo Callahan, Cassandra Voss, & Rylan Kane
Collab between @beyond visions & @Heretic
Not much after Cass's short scrap with Carmen, she was informed that Theo summoned her presence. Which due to the sudden absence of the bride and groom at the reception, this already seemed unusual. Theo was with Cap'n at the edge of the Carter, a location that stood at the very center of vanguard territory. When Cass last saw Theo, he was dressed in a tux, yet now he was wearing his normal attire, cargo pants, combat boots, and his dog-tag. He stood with his back slightly facing his second-in-command. His posed seemed awfully ridged and more over on the defensive, though his fists remained balled up. Cap'n stood a distance away from the now boiling king, with a worried expression.
With Theo's jaw tightened he spoke behind gritted teeth, "Were you thinking of abandoning your duty of being my second-in-command by leaving Churchill?" He asked a question, yet his tone and inflection made it sound like a threat. He seemed awfully calmer than usual when furious, yet it was always more dangerous to watch Theo harness his anger rather than release it.
And so her secret was out. Cassie looked over at Cap'n before mouthing the words bad move to him while shaking her head. She was going to tell Theo...eventually, but she wanted to do it on her own terms to lessen the impact the news would have on him. But now she was stuck, and she could only hope she would be able to distance herself from his wrath as soon as possible. Not because she was scared of what he might do to her, but rather, to avoid him changing his mind about her in any way possible.
"I--I'm not abandoning you...they just need me out there more than you need me here. Theo, you have Isabel now, and while she won't exactly take over my role, she'll be here to help you out to the best of her abilities."
Cassie slowly walked over to him, her mind somewhat clouded given her slightly drunken state. She clutched a handful of material from the side of her dress to alleviate her tension as she went.
"I may not be here to fulfill the duties as a Second-in-Command for the time being, but I'll still be a Vanguard."
"How noble of you..," Theo uttered sarcastically."But yes, you are right. You will still be a vanguard, but a vanguard under my command," as Theo adjusted all emphasis on the word, 'my', he dared a menacing scowl at Cap'n. "Which means I tell you where to go." It was as if all of the humility Theo was ever capable of showing had been drained clean since Isabel. He was now aggressively assertive, hostile with every word.
"Of course it'll be under your command, I've always been beneath someone and it's not like I'll be given the chance to do things my way!" Cassie shouted, realizing that she was going into somewhat of a sore subject for the both of them. But she didn't care at the moment, nor did she care that Cap'n was just a few feet away, bearing witness to one of the many intense arguments between the top two members of the vanguards. But that didn't matter much; it's not like they were known for their patience anyway. "But you can quit your fucking power trip because it's obvious I'm not going anywhere now!"
Cassie hurriedly walked past Theo, intentionally bumping him on the side as she went to stand a distance away from him, her arms crossing and her back to both men once she reached the edge.
"This is your fault,.." at first, that claim seemed like it was directed towards Cass, especially since she was the last person he was speaking to. Yet when Theo finished his sentence, it was obvious who bore the accusation, "now walk the plank, you failed jolly-rancher son of a bitch!"
Though the man is a big hulking mass of muscle, Theo is faster than he initially looks, because it only took a matter of seconds for Theo to charge Cap'n with both hands pushed forward till the First Combatant was forced off of the edge of the Crater. His body rolled against the dirt hill till he finally hit the bottom of the dueling pit. As soon as Cap'n looked up with his one good eye, there was Theo positioned in a stance that clearly meant he was ready for fight. As it being his first instinct when in battle, Cap'n unsheathed his cutlass, though quickly tossed it aside saying, "Forget the blade-- fuck it, want t' act like a star-buzzin' bitching blackhole slave driver, then I'll bloody you up you wit' 'tis steel hook and the bare bones of my knuckles!"
"No, stop!" Cassie was quickly rushing to place herself between her fellow vanguards in order to prevent a bloody fight. This was ridiculous, and she slowly came to the realization that she had been the biggest idiot for pissing off Theo, especially on his damn wedding night.
"We can't fight, not like this, not each other..." She hoped she was making sense as the words poured out because oddly enough, all the arguing wasn't sobering her up. In fact, it was doing quite the opposite. "Don't you see what's going on? We're right where the enemy wants us; whether that's the Overseers or one of us down here, we can't give them the satisfaction of losing to ourselves."
Cassie suddenly started shaking. Maybe she was cold because her dress wasn't necessarily the warmest article of clothing she owned, or maybe their situation had gotten so intense that it elicited such response from her. But either way, it was clearly visible that she was struggling to keep still.
To Theo, Cass did not appear to be excessively drunk, perhaps slightly tipsy, though not to the point of rocking back and forth like she did. Witnessing her in such a weakened state, was something that just did not feel right to Theo. She was Cassandra Voss, for years, before Theo rose to the title of Spartan, this woman was of rank higher than him, she commanded him, she was stronger than him. Though, in her own ways, she still is, Cap'n has always known that. And now, as Theo realizes that his second-in-command would leave the comfort of the colony to potentially put her life on the line to accomplish what can be done on the field, he sees her strength in the sacrifice, even when he runs to her side, catching her before she can fall.
"C-Cass what's-- tell me exactly how you're feeling," His right arm was wrapped around her back, supporting her up while his left hand held onto her shoulder. In his head he was theorizing any possible reasons for why she would be on the verge of unconsciousness. And then, he panicked when speculating, that just might be on the verge of death.
"Oh shit," he whispered the curse in fear. "Y-You don't think that you were... poisoned, that someone is using you as leverage to force me out of the wedding?"
Cassie thought about it for a moment, her pulse increasing at the possibility that someone could have specifically targeted her to break up Theo and Isabel's marriage.
"No, I don't think so," she finally shook her head, thinking back to when she first got to the wedding ceremony and remembering she grabbed her own drinks. "If they wanted to poison me, they would have had to ruin the entire batch. But hold that thought—" she said, pushing Theo's hand aside as she rushed to the edge to throw up. The woman struggled for a few moments before she could compose herself.
"I think I should go back and get cleaned up. You two play nice now..." she managed to say as she walked away, leaving Theo and Cap'n by themselves.
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